Thursday, March 29, 2018

Big, Big DAY!

We had our two tech/dress rehearsals at Lakeside Tuesday and Wednesday for the big Cove Singers show tonight.  The show is sold out!  The rehearsal yesterday was really great, so as long as we keep it together tonight, I'm expecting a great show.

Meanwhile, tomorrow night is the first Passover seder, and I am very busy today cleaning and getting everything out and ready.  I got a big head start by cleaning out the fridge and freezer on Tuesday.  All the shopping was finished as of yesterday, so I feel pretty good about how the day is going.

I was so busy yesterday running out at 9 a.m. for the rehearsal that I didn't weigh myself at all. This morning I got on and was pleasantly surprised with a 271 even.  All this rehearsing and being on my feet for hours has paid off.  Also we have eaten all our meals at home, and with the kitchen pretty cleaned out, there hasn't been any snack food around to sabotage me.

Today will be great even if we do eat a late dinner about 8:30 at Lakeside after the show because so much energy will have been spent in cleaning during the day and during the show.  I'm not worried about tonight's dinner at all.

Then there will be Passover!  LOL  Lots of eating at seders!  I will have to go take long walks each day to use up the matzoh calories.  LOL

Our synagogue has chosen it's new rabbi.  We went to the meeting yesterday and learned that they have extended the offer to Rabbi Dario, which is his first name.  I'm not sure why he goes by that.  I don't even remember his last name.  We had three to choose from.  No one liked the first one, but it was very, very close between the second and third ones.  Mark and I sort of preferred Rabbi Pollison, the second one, but we thought Dario was also fine.  He is Argentinian and has never lived in the US. He trained in Argentina and at a modern Orthodox place in Israel.  He has been the second rabbi at a HUGE Reform congregation in Buenos Airies for the last 12 years. He's 40 years old with a five year old daughter and another baby due about the time of the High Holidays.  Because of that, he is not going to start here until early November.  Some of the congregation seemed pretty angry about that, but I don't care.  They can hire a rabbi for the holiday season easily enough, or our Cantor Doug can do it.  He filled in as both rabbi and cantor for THREE YEARS before our current rabbi was hired.  Some complainers last night are such new members that they didn't know about that, but that's how it was when we joined.

Rabbi Dario speaks Spanish, Portuguese, Hebrew, and English fluently.  The Hispanic community in our shul is VERY thrilled!  Mark and I will be fine.  It's certainly going to be very different at SOJC come November.

Sunday, March 25, 2018

Rocketman and Lowell's birthday

Good morning.  Today is my son's 39th birthday.  WOW!  I know saying time flies is a cliche, but I'm really feeling that this morning.  Later today we will call him, and I'll be posting FB greetings right after I finish this blog.

We have to rush around this morning because I need to sweep, mop, and tidy up for the Mahj ladies who are playing here tomorrow morning, and we have to take the laundry to the Cove.  Then at 12:30 we are heading up to Dr. Phillip's Center for Waitress.

I  got the pictures of Rocketman up online this morning so that I can post a few here for the blog.  I'm also posting a few pictures of Lowell in honor of his birthday.








Saturday, March 24, 2018

Wonderful play today.

We just got back from seeing Tennessee Walk at the Garden Theater in Winter Haven today.   We didn't know anything about this play when we left today, but on our way home we decide it was one of the best plays we have ever seen, at the Garden Theater or anywhere else.  If it ever shows up in a theater near you, I strongly recommend that you go.  The sets, the acting ensemble, the storyline are all outstanding.

This morning my weight was 273.4, so that's another pound or so down.  I didn't really try hard, but I also did not binge eat anything the last few days.  Just eating normally, without any meals out or high sodium snacks, makes a huge difference.

This evening we are going to watch two Disney movies on the TV, My Father the Hero with Katherine Heigel in her first starring role when she was only 16, and then Blank Check, a silly comedy that I've seen before.  We are looking forward to a relaxing evening at home.

Tomorrow we will do our laundry in the morning at the Cove because we still have two weeks before the washing machine repair man is coming.  I think I forgot to mention yesterday that a week ago Mark put the laundry in the machine on Sunday afternoon.  It filled with water and died.  I had to hand wring out the clothes, which he then took to the laundromat at the Cove to finish washing.  We called the repairman the next day, but he cannot come until April 9, so we have some time to go.  Fortunately, he can bring it home to dry.

After doing laundry, we are heading up to downtown Orlando to see Waitress at the Dr. Phillips Center followed by dinner at a Thai restaurant in Celebration with Susie and Ed.  Sounds like another great day!

I also forgot to mention yesterday that last Monday I finally participated in a Mah Jongg tournament. I've played for about 20 years, but I never went to a tournament.  In Solivita, the Hadassah chapter sponsors one each year.  This was the first time that we've lived here that I either wanted to go or was in town when it happened.  We played 12 games with lunch at the first 8.  It was the first time I play for points.  There were 19 tables of four people playing, 76 ladies, and I came in FOURTH.  The top four scores were 350 (my friend Judi), 310, 300, and me at 290.  I was darn proud of myself.  There's no prize for anyone except first, but I was very excited to see how well I did.

Last night we went to see the best Elton John tribute band in the world.  They are called Rocketman.  The man playing Elton John was truly remarkable.  In fact, he has caught the eye and ear of Elton John.  He was tapped by him to play a young Elton John in a video being made to go with the Farewell Tour.  Elton also gave Rocketman some of his actual costumes from back in the 1970s and '80s, which he wore last night.  It was an amazing show.



Friday, March 23, 2018

A busy week and a half....so much to report.

I hardly know where to start today because it's been so long since I wrote anything and so much has happened.

Let's start with my phone story.  Long story short... I have a new iPhone8.  The long story is why.

Back on January 23, I reported that my Otter Box phone cover failed.  When the phone was accidentally knocked off the kitchen table, landing face down on the hard tile floor, the screen cracked.  It was still usable, so we put off trying to fix it until we had more free time.  Now, I'm glad I didn't spend the $129 to do that!

Monday night we had gone to a lovely dinner and show, featuring one of the hair stylists from Nature Hair who used to be a professional piano bar/lounge singer.  She was awesome, and we really enjoyed our night out.  When it was over, I only had 10% battery life on the phone, so I had planned to charge it in the car as we drove home.  I laid it on the roof of the car as I got organized to go home and stow away some stuff.  BAD IDEA!  NEVER PUT YOUR PHONE ON THE ROOF OF THE CAR!!

That was actually the second time I did that, but the first time nothing bad happened.  Anyway, I got in, and Mark drove off.  Miraculously, the phone stayed up there for about 3 miles, but about 3 miles from home, I heard a thud hit the window next to me. I had the window cracked slightly because it was a lovely evening.  I mentioned to Mark that it sounded like a bird hit the window or maybe a kid through a rock.  Neither was likely as it was already nearly 10 p.m. and dark.  I thought no more about it until about 15 minutes after we got home.  I remembered that I had not charged the phone, so I went to my purse to get it out and put it on the charger.

SURPRISE!!  No phone.  I immediately got that sinking feeling that you get when you know something has gone horribly wrong and it's all your fault.  Mark used our Find-a-Friend app, and said, "Oh, look.  It's on Marigold between Fairway and Genoa."  So that's about 3 miles back.  We got flashlights and took off.  Mark found it right away, but it was demolished.  It had hit the asphalt shoulder of the rod and really got smashed up.  No more iPhone6 for me.

Tuesday afternoon we went to the new AT&T store in our neighborhood and bought the iPhone8.  The experience was excellent.  The salesman was low key and not pushy.  I also got a great new case, and the best thing of all is that the plug jack is the same as the 6.  We don't have to replace any wires. Of course, our bill has gone up about $50 a month as the phone is financed over two years and the plan terms change....they always change.  Still, all's well that ends well, and I'm happy with the new phone.

Secondly, we have two upcoming concerts with our choirs.  The SOJC choir is performing in downtown Orlando on Sunday, April 22 with only four rehearsal to get ready.  We have not been able to meet since December because of a conflict with another synagogue activity, so we had our first of the four rehearsals day before yesterday.  It was ROUGH, but they are doing songs they have done before.  Hopefully, it will all come back.

The Cove Singers have a big concert next Thursday night, so we are down to two dress/tech rehearsals next week on Tuesday and Wednesday.  I have two solos as well as directing 11 songs with the choir.  Mark also has two solos, one of which includes a costume change.  We are a little stressed with this, although I think it will be a great show.  We have been having Tuesday and Thursday afternoon rehearsals for weeks, so it will be nice to get those days back to ourselves.

And Passover is coming.  We have done three shopping trips already.  The freezer is cleaned out and done.  Frank isn't coming this year (his choice), so we are going to use the spare room as a walk in closet for food and supplies instead of clearing everything out of the kitchen. That will save a lot of work.  We need to save some work because the day of the Cove Singers concert is also the day I have to change over the whole kitchen.  The first seder is the day after the show, next Friday night.  By Friday morning the kitchen has to be all ready for me to cook a seder dinner.  We are totally stressed. We still haven't been able to find a shank bone, although we have been to the kosher Winn Dixie twice.  This morning I called, and they have reassured me that they will be in on Tuesday.  We are going to drive over there again Tuesday evening after the dress rehearsal to see if they are really there.  I'm charged with picking up two extras for my friends here in Solivita.  If I don't get one for us, we shall use the alternate, a beet, but I don't know how my friends would feel about that.

Last week we went to the Solivita theater performance of the female version of The Odd Couple, starring lots of our best friends.  As usual, they were AMAZING.  They were FAR better than the semi-professional performance we saw in the fall at the Garden Theater in Winter Haven.

Last Thursday, we had a day long bus trip to Tampa/St. Pete to the Dali museum, lunch, a boat ride on the Hillsborough River through Tampa, and a tour of Ybor City.  It was all delightful except lunch.  The restaurant was new and not prepared to handle a large group.  They had a three-choice prix fixe menu that had nothing for vegetarians.  We insisted they provide something, and what they gave us was horrible.  We made our displeasure known to the tour operator and the Solivita lady who had organized the day.  Otherwise, we did have fun that day.

Tonight we have tickets to see an Elton John impersonator in the ballroom.  I'm sure it will be lots of fun.  We saw the movie Marshall last night up there, which I highly recommend.  Tomorrow afternoon we have a play, Tennessee Walk, at Garden Theater and Sunday we have the musical, Waitress, at Dr. Phillip's Center followed by dinner at a Thai restaurant in Celebration with Susie and Ed.

Topping all of this off, our synagogue is in the throes of finding a new rabbi because our current one gave his resignation to move back up north.  We are all sad to see him go.  We went to the synagogue last Saturday to see one of the candidates and then Sunday afternoon and evening for two services, a learning session, and dinner with the second candidate.  They were both very different, but very good.  We filled out our surveys, and it was hard to put a negative thing about either one.  I'm so glad I'm not on the committee that has to make that decision.  There is a Congregational Meeting this coming Wednesday, so I think the decision will be announced at that meeting.

Now for the weight report.  The last number reported was in the last blog, Wednesday, March 14.  I reported 277.6, which was a little up from before.  This morning, I am 275 even.  That's a loss of 2.6 pounds for 10 days.  Not bad considering I admit that I was not trying at all.  I'm actually pretty out of control, which I am chalking up to all the stress going on with the two shows to do, Passover shopping and cleaning, and generally feeling a little overwhelmed.  Once the Cove Singers show is over next Thursday and the first seder starts next Friday evening, I think I'll feel far less stress.  On the other hand, I love matzah and always gain over Passover.  We shall see how it all goes.


Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Another bad week

I'm 277.6 today, so that's a gain of three pounds for the week.  No excuses.  I made bad choices.

Mark's birthday was Monday of this week, and we had a BLAST!  We had a total of 16 people in the house for pizza, salad, and cake.  Oh, yes, and LOTS of wine and booze.  My friend Susan S. brought a home-made sangria that was amazing, full of fruit.  It was quite popular.  The highlight of the night really was Rudy's harmonica concert.  He was amazing.  He has worked very hard over the last ten years or so to perfect his playing, not to mention how much money he has invested in great equipment and tracks to play with.  He played about 75 minutes to everyone's delight.

Last night we joined Barb and Al for dinner at Chef Art Smith's Homecomin' restaurant at Disney Springs.  It was delicious with great atmosphere, and their Moonshine Flight was super fun.  Barb and I each ordered three shots of Moonshine, which came with candied pecans and spicy pickle juice chaser.  Well, I actually only liked the Pineapple infused Moonshine and the pecans, but it was a ton of fun to experiment.  My grilled grouper was the best I ever had.  Mark and I agreed that we would go back there if we could, although it's expensive and hard to get a reservation.

We also strolled up and looked at two more new restaurants in Disney Springs.  One is The Edison with a sort of steampunk decor.  The second was Maria and Enzo's with Art Deco style that looks like a NYC subway/train station.  It looked like it could fit in to Hollywood Studios.  Both of those menus looked terrific, too.  And while we were at dinner, the four of us made a reservation for Narcoossee's at the Grand Floridian for August 14.  That will be a triple celebration: My birthday (August 6), Barb's birthday (August 15), and the Naness' wedding anniversary (August 16).   We made it for late so that we can watch the Magic Kingdom Fireworks from there.

This is Rudy's last day of his 8 day visit.  He will be driving up north tomorrow morning.  We haven't had too many days to spend with him all day, but he seems to have had a good time.  Unfortunately, it was mostly cold while he was here, so he didn't get to use the pools.  Well, we can't control that.  LOL  It wasn't as cold here as it was in Maryland!

Tomorrow Mark and I are taking a bus trip to Tampa with the Solivita Travel Club.  We will go to the Dali museum, lunch somewhere in Tampa, a narrated boat tour of Tampa harbor, and a tour of Ybor city before getting home by 6 p.m or thereabouts.  It's an early morning, leaving at 7:15 a.m, but we can sleep on the bus.  Don't expect a blog tomorrow!  LOL

Watching the Ceremonial Start of the 2018 Iditarod.

Lunch with Rudy at the Polite Pig at Disney Springs.

Irish Buskers concert.

Opening presents at Red Robin for free lunch on his birthday.

Rudy playing harmonica concert for Mark's birthday.





Drinking coffee from the Israeli birthday mug Lowell brought us back from his trip to Israel in 1997.

Dinner location last night at Disney Springs.

My Moonshine Flight!



Thursday, March 8, 2018

Another week has gone by.

I missed yesterday's Weigh-in Wednesday, so the report is 274.6.  That is up 2.6 pounds for the week. So sad.  I did eat out several times, including salty snacks.   I was hoping it was water retention, but yesterday I also ate lunch out with some salty snacks, so today I'm up TWO more pounds to 276.6.  Definitely not going in the right direction.

Well, today is another day, and all the meals will be at home.  Maybe tomorrow will look better.

We saw the movie Black Panther this past Sunday, and our friend Rudy joined us for that and for lunch out afterwards. The movie was great!  Now Rudy is here for a week's visit.

Unfortunately our AC was broken for a week.  Fortunately, it wasn't hot, so we didn't miss it.  It was fixed on Monday by Service America for only a $55 co-insurance payment.  Not bad.

Then last night Mark noticed that there was a puddle of water on the floor by the powder room toilet. The toilet is leaking.  UGH.  Mark turned the water off and put a towel down.  I just called Service America for this, and they are coming between 1 and 6 today.  Rudy is going to be here to let them in.
Thank you, Rudy!

I'm heading out to play Mah Jongg all morning followed by an afternoon Cove Singers rehearsal, a fast dinner at home, and then the movie The Foreigner at the ballroom.  Another fantastic Solivita day!