A New PR

Tashena had another track meet yesterday!  Usually I really love watching her compete but it was unbelievably cold.  Even though I was freezing I was still so proud of her!  She took first place in the long jump and second place in shot put!  In the discus, which is her best event, she threw 132.1 feet!  Yes!  You read that correctly!  She threw 132.1 feet which is her best distance ever.  She shattered the high school record and one of the coaches told my brother-in-law that Tashena would place in the top 40 in the nation on the college level with that distance!  Of course our family has always believed that she is incredibly talented but it is an amazing feeling to hear all of the other coaches, parents, and students cheering for her by name!  I always tease her about watching her compete at the Olympics but I may need to start saving my money for a trip to Tokyo in 2020!

Purple Rain

As with David Bowie several months ago, I was inexplicably saddened by the news of Prince's death.  I say inexplicably because, clearly, I do not know either of these musicians personally (although Marilyn and I saw David Bowie walking through the streets of London when we were there in 2010) which makes my grief seem somewhat excessive.  However, I believe that music is incredibly evocative.  Just one note can take me back to a particular time and place so when artists who are synonymous with my adolescence die it is like losing a piece of myself.  Whenever I hear a song from the Purple Rain soundtrack I instantly become the 16 year old girl who snuck into the movie with her friends (because it was rated R and they wouldn't let us buy tickets without our parents) during the summer of 1984.  That was a magical summer and seeing Purple Rain with my friends was very memorable and so much fun (we felt like such rebels).  When I heard that select AMC Theaters would be showing Purple Rain as a tribute to Prince this week, I knew that I had to get a ticket.  I saw it last night (I didn't have to sneak in this time) and it was awesome!  The theater was packed without a single seat available (on a Tuesday night!) and the crowd was rowdy, singing and cheering throughout the whole movie.  That it has the thinnest of plots (a tormented singer must deal with his inner demons in order to find love and success) and a terrible lead actress matters not.  Prince is the ultimate showman and this movie is at its best when he is on stage at the real-life Minneapolis club First Avenue.  My attention was riveted on his every move, especially during "Let's Go Crazy," "The Beautiful Ones," and, of course, "Purple Rain."  I was surprised at how tame "Darling Nikki" seemed to me now because it was pretty scandalous back in 1984!  Seeing Purple Rain on the big screen made me mourn Prince all over again because, in reality, I am really mourning the loss of the 16 year old girl who loved this movie so much!

Note:  When I heard that Prince had died, I was with my officers and the majority of them didn't know who he was.  I played snippets from my extensive collection and the only song they vaguely recognized was "Kiss."  What?

On the Pitcher's Mound

This year Sean's Little League baseball team is the Giants.  He has a had a few games but last night was the first time I've been able to come see him play.  Before the game my sister said that he might be pitching for the first time.  After two innings, his team was down 16-0 and the coach decided to put him in.  We were really nervous for him because the crowd at Little League games likes to yell at the players (they are eleven).  My sister said she didn't think she could take the pressure and it was especially hard because he had to stand on the mound for a really long time before the catcher came out of the dugout to let him warm up and he seemed really nervous.  He was amazing!  He would stand there for an unusually long time with the ball in his glove staring the batter down before he would throw a pitch.  My brother-in-law called this his "strategy."  It worked!  I think he psyched the batters out because he would always make them swing away and strike out!  Even though his team lost, he was so happy after the game because we were so proud of him!  Everyone congratulated him as they walked past him, even the parents of the players on the other team!

 I hope he gets to pitch at his next game!

Peter and the Starcatcher at HCT

Peter and the Starcatcher is a magical story for children (and adults who refuse to grow up) about how a mistreated orphan boy becomes Peter Pan. It is currently playing at Hale Centre Theatre and I was able to see it last night. I've seen this wonderful play before but HCT's production just might be my favorite. The story is told on a minimalist stage with ordinary items used in creative ways as props requiring the audience to use their imagination. Many of the people sitting around me commented at intermission that they didn't really know what was going on!  I guess I am still a child at heart because I thought it was absolutely hilarious and I can't remember when I have laughed so hard! I laughed and laughed throughout the whole show and sometimes I was the only one laughing!  All of the actors are amazing with most of them playing multiple roles.  I really loved Kooper Campbell as Peter because he brought such a vulnerability to the role, Brighton Hertford as Molly because she portrayed her as such a strong and independent girl, and Nicholas Siler as the alliteration-loving Mrs. Brumbake because he was hilariously over-wrought but, in my opinion, Ben Abbott stole the show as Black Stache. Granted, Black Stache is my favorite character in the play but Abbott brought such a physicality to the role that made me laugh every time he was on stage (I felt the same way about his performance in HCT's production of Is He Dead?).  I loved watching his facial expressions and I loved it when he spoke directly to the crowd. I thought the staging was absolutely brilliant, especially the scene with the mermaids (I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe), and I particularly enjoyed the use the actors made of the many levels of the stage.  Kudos go to Peggy Willis for the fantastic costumes, especially the aforementioned mermaids, and Michelle Jensen is to be commended for the sheer number of props as well as the creative use of ordinary objects (I loved all of the green neckties used in the forest). I was absolutely enchanted by this production and, if you can summon your inner child as you enter the threatre, I suspect you will enjoy it too.  However, I highly recommend that you get a ticket as soon as possible because many shows are already sold-out.  Peter and the Starcatcher runs through May 18 and tickets can be purchased here.

Miss Track Star

Tashena had her first track meet of the season yesterday.

She threw the shot put 29 feet to take first place!

She jumped 15.4 feet in the long jump, which is a PR, and took third place.

Finally, in discus, her best event, she threw 111 feet to easily take first place!  I think she is amazing and I can't wait to see what she does during the rest of the season!