My older daughter's middle school is putting on the musical, "Once On This Island" this year. Auditions were today, including for a little girl to be the young version of the lead, so my younger daughter auditioned as well.
"Wouldn't it be great if we were both cast as big and little Ti Moune?" I heard frequently during the past week. And they do look a lot alike. They were not the only sister team to audition, either; the girl who #1 perceives as her main competition auditioned, and so did her little sister, who looks a lot like her.
Part of the audition was the opening dance. The little girls and boys learned it with the middle schoolers who have been working on it all week. Quite a task for them, but they all really stepped it up and learned it. When it came time for the little Ti Mounes to dance (as a group) separately, the choreographer stood on a table to be level with the stage so they had someone to follow. #1 stood down to the side and did the dance through. #2 watched her the entire time. It was, for me, the best moment of the day, to see their teamwork. (In general, #1 was by far the best dancer. Those ballet lessons really paid off!)
The cast list was scheduled to be posted at 4pm this afternoon, after the auditions ended. Time crept between 4:00 and 5:00 as we waited for the simultaneous email to appear, so we didn't have to drive over and see it in person.
At 5:01 it appeared, and I am so glad we didn't drive over to see the list, because the excess of emotions was, well, excessive. #1 was cast as Agwe, one of the gods, a part she auditioned for, but she was just angry that her nemesis, er, the other girl (who is just fine!) was cast instead. #2 was devastated that she wasn't cast. Eventually #1 decided that she was going to steal the show in her role, and accpeted it, but not before a lot of thrats to quit the cast. #2 was still fussing about it hours later in her bath.
Such angst and drama! It is, without a doubt, one of the worst experiences, to come close and not get cast in the role you want. But spare me the hysterics...
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Another Great Day in Denver
I confess that I have been nervous about HR 1, the Recovery and Reinvestment Act. With the stubborn opposition of the Republicans (some of it ideological but mostly an unwillingness to be accountable) I worried that, even after the bill passed both the House and the Senate, something would go wrong: They lost the bill between Capitol Hill and the White House! John Boehner's dog ate it! They flew to Denver and left it in DC! While the president was speaking, a streaker ran through and took it!
It was with great relief that I watched President Obama sign it today. Even though we know that things will not get better for a while, and that it may not even affect the economy of my state, thanks to all the things that were taken out, it will do something to stop the madness.
My dad and I were talking about today's speech. In it the president referred to using power grids from the 19th and 20th centuries to transfer 21st century power. While the grids don't go quite back to Edison, as he said in his speech, it highlights the difference between this president and previous presidents. Instead of being intimidated by technology, my dad commented, Obama embraces it and wants to use it to our advantage.
Six months ago we were buoyed by hope in Denver, and hope was there again today. If significant legislation can become law in the first month of a new presidency, think what can happen when there is time.
Most of all, there is hope that, perhaps, the stranglehold of a minority is finally loosed from this country, and we can find our way back to prosperity.
It was with great relief that I watched President Obama sign it today. Even though we know that things will not get better for a while, and that it may not even affect the economy of my state, thanks to all the things that were taken out, it will do something to stop the madness.
My dad and I were talking about today's speech. In it the president referred to using power grids from the 19th and 20th centuries to transfer 21st century power. While the grids don't go quite back to Edison, as he said in his speech, it highlights the difference between this president and previous presidents. Instead of being intimidated by technology, my dad commented, Obama embraces it and wants to use it to our advantage.
Six months ago we were buoyed by hope in Denver, and hope was there again today. If significant legislation can become law in the first month of a new presidency, think what can happen when there is time.
Most of all, there is hope that, perhaps, the stranglehold of a minority is finally loosed from this country, and we can find our way back to prosperity.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Hurrah Recovery Passed
Yesterday the House and Senate passed the Recovery bill, and President Obama will sign it on Monday.
All kinds of dire comments have been made about it not being enough, it costing too much, not enough tax cuts...and the Republicans, who support it, didn't vote for it because they're more interested in winning elections than in doing what might help the country.
While there probably isn't enough spending in the bill, at least something will get done. And no doubt this is just the beginning. There is a lot of time to make up, after years of inaction. But at least with this in place, the president can turn his attention, at least for now, to foreign policy (where Secretary Clinton is ably restoring the standing of the United States in the world), especially Iraq and Afghanistan.
All kinds of dire comments have been made about it not being enough, it costing too much, not enough tax cuts...and the Republicans, who support it, didn't vote for it because they're more interested in winning elections than in doing what might help the country.
While there probably isn't enough spending in the bill, at least something will get done. And no doubt this is just the beginning. There is a lot of time to make up, after years of inaction. But at least with this in place, the president can turn his attention, at least for now, to foreign policy (where Secretary Clinton is ably restoring the standing of the United States in the world), especially Iraq and Afghanistan.
Friday, February 06, 2009
I Don't Want the NeoCons in Charge Any More
For the past eight years, well, really 12, the neocons have been running things. They wasted millions of taxpayer dollars to go after a sitting president, and, for the first time in history, a First Lady, for something that was irrelevant to the administration since it happened fifteen years previous, and ultimately proved to be nothing. (Oh, how it must gall them to see Hillary Clinton running the State Department!)
They vigorously supported deregulation, revived the trickle down economics that caused the recession in the 1980s, spawned a president who was the embodiment of the Peter Principle, dismissed as unimportant millions of dollars that disappeared during a war that did nothing to combat terror but everything to suck up billions of our dollars and destabilize a region to enable terrorism, proudly supported the exportation of thousands of formerly American jobs, promoted the erosion of the Constitution, cheered a two bit mayor turned governor with a trail of questionable and unethical actions as the savior of the movement, and loudly suppported giving billions of taxpayer dollars with no tracking of how it is used to bolster an industry that thinks that it is important to give hefty bonuses to executives who orchestrated the industry's failure.
And yet they were surprised when they lost the election. And now they are sanctimoniously blaming the current economic crisis on the evil liberals. They are outraged at the idea of the American people knowing how their money is spent. They are offended at the idea that the government should put money into education and health care. They are indignant that the wealthiest Americans be expected to pay higher taxes.
They cling to the myth that Americans are right of center, with center being moderately conservative instead of truly center. No wonder they were surprised when they lost the election.
Here's a clue: Trickle down economics, with tax breaks to the wealthy, didn't work in the 1980s. I can personally vouch for the fact that nothing trickled down to me. In my modest clerical job, my salary was frozen, a department of eight busy people was reduced to six and we were expected to get the same amount of work done in a day (I still have dreams about that period), and my rent increased by 50%. The tax cut resulted in a check for $27 and a reduction in a refund the following year. (I was earning in a low enough tax bracket that I actually received a modest refund.)
Don't tell me that tax cuts work. All they do is allow wealthy people to keep more money. They do nothing to restore jobs, pay medical bills, prevent mortgage foreclosures, allow middle class America to afford health care, or get people spending again. The wealthy just do not spend in a way to keep the economy moving. You will not see them frequenting small business. And you sure won't see them shopping at WalMart or Target or Macys'.
I want the neocons shoved aside. I want to end the piecemeal approach to fixing the economy, and see something comprehensive that will actually have a chance to work.
So take a hike, neocons. Shut up already about socialism and overspending. Go play your "Mine" games in a corner, and give the grownups a chance to fix this mess you made.
They vigorously supported deregulation, revived the trickle down economics that caused the recession in the 1980s, spawned a president who was the embodiment of the Peter Principle, dismissed as unimportant millions of dollars that disappeared during a war that did nothing to combat terror but everything to suck up billions of our dollars and destabilize a region to enable terrorism, proudly supported the exportation of thousands of formerly American jobs, promoted the erosion of the Constitution, cheered a two bit mayor turned governor with a trail of questionable and unethical actions as the savior of the movement, and loudly suppported giving billions of taxpayer dollars with no tracking of how it is used to bolster an industry that thinks that it is important to give hefty bonuses to executives who orchestrated the industry's failure.
And yet they were surprised when they lost the election. And now they are sanctimoniously blaming the current economic crisis on the evil liberals. They are outraged at the idea of the American people knowing how their money is spent. They are offended at the idea that the government should put money into education and health care. They are indignant that the wealthiest Americans be expected to pay higher taxes.
They cling to the myth that Americans are right of center, with center being moderately conservative instead of truly center. No wonder they were surprised when they lost the election.
Here's a clue: Trickle down economics, with tax breaks to the wealthy, didn't work in the 1980s. I can personally vouch for the fact that nothing trickled down to me. In my modest clerical job, my salary was frozen, a department of eight busy people was reduced to six and we were expected to get the same amount of work done in a day (I still have dreams about that period), and my rent increased by 50%. The tax cut resulted in a check for $27 and a reduction in a refund the following year. (I was earning in a low enough tax bracket that I actually received a modest refund.)
Don't tell me that tax cuts work. All they do is allow wealthy people to keep more money. They do nothing to restore jobs, pay medical bills, prevent mortgage foreclosures, allow middle class America to afford health care, or get people spending again. The wealthy just do not spend in a way to keep the economy moving. You will not see them frequenting small business. And you sure won't see them shopping at WalMart or Target or Macys'.
I want the neocons shoved aside. I want to end the piecemeal approach to fixing the economy, and see something comprehensive that will actually have a chance to work.
So take a hike, neocons. Shut up already about socialism and overspending. Go play your "Mine" games in a corner, and give the grownups a chance to fix this mess you made.
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