Beware Pickpockets and Loose Women!

Hey everybody! I'm coming up for air finally! Woooo hoooo!

The show, Lounge Lizards, is underway and going SO well. The actors, the music, the food, the theatre, the publicity - all of it is going better than we'd ever hoped or imagined about a week ago!

If you know anyone in the Anchorage area, please tell them to check out the Anchorage Dinner Theatre at the Anchorage Lofts Hotel in downtown Anchorage (4th Avenue and C Street). Loads of parking in the garage across the street and on 3rd there is a lot, as well.

Live music after the show in the bar attached to our theatre! We were dancing until midnight last night after the opening of the show!

Also worth mentioning, we are still trying to raise funds to be able to pay our actors every week and to cover the cost of all the infrastructure (lights, building a stage, sound board, props, costumes, printing and publicity costs...really adds up!) So, if you're in a position to help out a VERY fine production and a talented group of starving artists, please visit our Go Fund Me page:

https://www.gofundme.com/akdinnertheatre

Thank you in advance!

Amazing what a week of rehearsals can do when you're working with such a talented group of professionals. Shout out to Julia, Arthur, Sarah and Devin and our great behind-the-scenes people - Ron, David, Rich, Jenn, Dave and so many others.

Being a part of this production has been a wonderful experience and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to participate in any way. Being named an associate producer is humbling and I strive to live up to everyone's expectations.

Now, enough gushing about this awesome stuff...

I love me some Colin Firth.

So, there are a few men who've gotten my attention. They're all married (of course), but they are still the object of my affection from afar.

There are two men who do not live here that are single and if they lived here, I'd certainly love to be the someone special of either of them. They're both fantastic people. However, one lives in Seattle and the other lives near Boston, so I'm SOL with that!

It's kind of funny. Age does not seem to be the defining factor. Or vocation. Or even political affiliation (which is a shocker).

I forget this young man's name, he was on American Idol a while back. Adorable.

Being a single woman in Alaska is sort of like living in a man factory. It's totally fascinating and strange, for sure.

The women of Alaska have an awesome saying that certainly rings true - "The odds are good? Yes. But the goods? ARE ODD!"

And we all joke that it's a joke, but it ain't no joke! The men who have lived here a long time or who were born and raised here are just different than most of the men you'd meet in the lower 48. And yes, we do say that and it pertains perfectly to the sitch in Alaska.

You have to go through international airspace to get here. That makes us unique in the United States.

So, yes, the men of the lower 48 are different, for sure. Rarely do you meet men like you do EVERY DAY in Alaska. They're effing tough as nails and know how to do just about everything - build stuff, hunt for stuff, chop wood, fix cars, fishing, play music (everyone plays at least one instrument) - they're really manly men who do manly things.

The only people I can really compare to the guys here are all my fisher/captain friends on the East Coast and they boys in Michigan and Wisconsin. Those Midwestern guys are very similar to the Alaskan boys and that's probably why I'm so drawn to some of the fellas here. It's all very familiar to me and sends me back to my girlhood in Michigan!

And I love me some Jeff Bridges.

Matthew ain't too shabby, either.

I suppose there are men like that in the West, too - cowboy types. We see quite a few cowboys here in Alaska and they just exude manliness. They're not my type but I can understand why so many women are drawn to them. Same with the biker dudes. I have some women friends here who get all hot and bothered when they see a tough looking dude with tattoos everywhere and long hair decked out in leather. Not my type at all, but I get the idea of why they're attractive to certain women.

Same thing goes for guys in uniform. Military, firefighters, policemen, you name it. I don't know ANY women who don't like that! Vrooom vroom!

So, there's no point at all to this post other than to say - if you're a single woman in your 30s, 40s, 50s or beyond? Just sayin'.

Ciao for now & thanks for reading!

Vroomm vrooom!

xoxo

Karma and Fortitude

Angel clouds are super common here. So beautiful.

Typical sunset over Cook Inlet. It never stops being beautiful.

 So, I know I’ve been remiss in the bloggity world lately. I’ve got 850 good reasons for it, none of which – I’m happy to report – have anything to do with the LAST reason I failed to blog for long stretches. Most of you that know me remember the horrid period of time when I was not quite myself – after the grief of losing a husband, two dogs, my house, my beautiful friend, Marcel and then my wonderful Grandma all in less than a year.

It was not the year of me. Nor was last year the year of me. Good heavens with the crappy stuff.

After going through these particularly nasty experiences, it’s kind of amazing to realize ones own fortitude. Everyone endures some horrible things; however, not everyone fares so well in the wake of said horrid things.

The first go-round a few years back, I just caved into the sadness and pressure and losses. I lost myself in the dark place that we all fear might lurk somewhere in the recesses of our brains.

The second go-round this past year with Mr. Sunshine and his pathological lying and cheating and disgusting all-around misogynistic creepy behavior? Well, I did not own that. I did not get lost in the dark place again. I did not give in to being fearful of the unknown or being over here in Alaska by myself.

I certainly had my moments of tears and sadness and utter confusion as to why on EARTH someone so terrible would want to hurt a nice person like me and his children and his ex-wife and co-workers... It’s still confusing because I never did anything to this dude to warrant his nasty, selfish and hurtful behavior.

So, I got rid of the creep and never looked back. Not one time did I ever hold out belief that it might work out or that he’d see the light and error of his ways.

Nope. I got on the horn, got the information I needed and then proceeded to sue him for divorce. I’m nobody’s victim and I’m not about to start acting like it.

As many of you know, Mr. Sunshine was completely un-hire-able in Alaska. His disgusting behavior at his workplace and in his personal life (which, the two intermingled, but that’s a story for another time) FINALLY caught up to him after his workplace had been investigating him on several counts over the course of 5 years.

Interesting, don't cha think?

Somehow, the more he failed - invited to “resign” from his job - that all became MY fault. I got the blame for all the woes that befell upon this cretin. FIVE YEARS of investigations to gather more than enough evidence to boot you and that’s MY fault?

The audacity and utter entitlement this old dude had still confounds me. I don’t know how a person can be so completely shameless; taking absolutely ZERO responsibility for their own bad behavior and TERRIBLE decision-making.

Well, let me introduce you to Mr. Sunshine.

The man is a legend in his own mind. Now he’s got some meaningless little job in NoWhereVille, Oregon.

GOOD RIDDANCE.

Karma. She’s awesome, in my book.

So, that brings me to the present. I’m living in a gorgeous apartment on Lake Hood. Mountains all around. Moosies and birds in my yard all the time. Walking distance to anything you’d want. I’ve got a few awesome jobs – the most recent of which is what inspired this post.

Well, again, as many of you know, I’ve gotten myself involved in the arts scene here in Anchorage since it’s near and dear to me and my family. My parents are both artists of various sorts and I was brought up in an environment filled with fine art, music, dancing, theatre and more.

Lucky, is what I was to have such interesting people around me all the time.

I feel confident now that I can announce this new venture without jinxing it – I was asked by the Executive Producer/Director of this show to be the Associate Producer last week. I’ve been working on this as a publicity/props/helper person for a few weeks and now the director promoted me last week to associate producer.

I’m kind of bursting, nervous and excited for the whole thing. The actors are superb, the venue is great and the show is hilarious! We giggle through every rehearsal! I’ve seen and/or heard the show over a dozen times already and it does not get old…

Look us up online. We’re the Anchorage Dinner Theatre produced by Last Gasp Productions. The first show is called Lounge Lizards, and, in the wise words of Wayne and Garth, “… Party time! Excellent! Dodododllleodoodldooodlellooodldoo! …”

Tonight is the soft opening of the show with lots of friends and family and industry people. It’s been such a learning experience to work with such a talented group of humans and I’m excited for this first run. We’re running this show every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through February 21 … So be sure to look us up if you’re in the Anchorage area. Fine dining and a VERY whacky show for a VERY reasonable price!

As I asked my Momma to do this morning, “Tell me to break a leg” if you see me today!

What the hell have I gotten myself into?!!

Last but certainly not least, we can always use help with funding to pay our fine actors and crew, so if you’ve got a nice tax refund on the way or maybe some extra moolah weighing down your wallet, we have a Go Fund Me page HERE!

Ciao for now & thanks for reading!

xooxo