Sunday, September 18, 2005
Life Intrudes
Before all this erupted, FOTB agreed to teach a new, experimental seminar in theatre and aging, part of what will be a new emphasis in graduate program. And with a colleague, won a grant from the folks in continuing education to support the offering. All very good. But: time is short from the time the grant is awarded to the offering of the two-week seminar, which will happen the first two weeks in August. So FOTB plunges into details, publicity, working with graduate asistant and colleague, amassing mailing list of potential students, etc. To complicate matters further, FOTB will be hosting a retreat for playwrights during the third week in August--again, a project set up well before TBTB made her announcement. This is the second year for the playwrights, so there's a commitment (the retreat is for members of a women playwrights' support group), and it involves lots of arrangements: housing, transportation, panels daily, volunteer actors to read the works in progress, etc.
It all happens, of course. But not without a fair amount of rushing about. The two week seminar as FOTB in class (his own) from 8:30 to 12:30 daily, and sitting in on colleague's session from 1:30 to 5:30. There are additional sessions in the evenings. Small group, with a mixed group: some undergraduate students, a couple of graduates, and some senior types who can sit in on the course for free, being over 60. The playwrights' retreat is also time consuming (and POTB host two Ohio corn roasts as part of the week). FOTB gets playwrights about (and here's three of the writers, with FOTB, in a trendy place called "Betty's" in Columbus's Short North district--see also www.theshortnorth.com/Restaurants.htm for more about the district in general and Betty's in particular); it's fun and rewarding, and well worth it. If tiring--
Meanwhile, MOTB continues sewing, creating patterns as she goes, adapting and changing things as TBTB adjusts things from afar. The satin tulle for the dress has to be handbasted, and is, MOTB mutters, 'slippery.' The lace for the overdress tends to fray, so it's decided that it will all have to have a handsewen applique to solve that. Lace and satin and lining bits start to drift about the sewing room, which is TBTB's original room, now guest room off the computer room. Pins are dropped. Perhaps having a braided rug on the floor wasn't all that good an idea--even if the rug was braided by TBTB's grandmother some fifty years ago, with wool remnents from the textile mills of Massachusetts--all now long gone, so the rug itself is an historic artifact, as well as being a family heirloom. And as the rug's maker is now in Columbus, nearby in a nursing home and in relatively good shape at 93, that adds to the rug's value. Now, of course, it's a bit of a menace. The playwrights, however, find the whole dress project fascinating, and cheer MOTB on.
There are several more trips to JoAnn Fabrics etc. Finally, after one final corn roast, the playwrights depart. Valuable time for all. It's now fourth week in August. Three weeks to go! TGTB will arrive in Norfolk this week, then, right after Labor Day, both TB and TG TB will appear in Columbus, last minute arrangements made, and all will go wonderfully. Oh, and we've arranged a string trio, headed by an old friend, Susan Walsh (who plays weekly at Mozart's, a terrific Austrian pastry shop and bakery and restaurant); FOTB begins effort to have the couple recess to "Anchors Aweigh."
Friday, September 16, 2005
Bridesmaids' Dresses!
Now that The Dress was underway (although slowly, what with shipping muslin versions back and forth Columbus-Norfolk, the next tast: selecting the Bridesmaids' Dresses. Complicated by the Maid of Honor being in Norfolk, while the Bridesmaids (Shawna and Liz) were in Columbus. So MOTB and The Bridesmaids went shopping, heading to a giant upscale mall north of Columbus, Polaris Fashion Place (www.polarisfashionplace.com/). With a Macy's, a Kaufmann's, a JC Penney, and a Sears, it seemed possible. It's huge, and along a burgeoning commercial strip with a huge outdoor amphitheatre at the east end, and a good art store at the west end. Also a JoAnn's Fabric and More store across the street that we were already fara too familiar with. So off they went. And came back with three possible choices (and remember, TBTB specified olive and ivory as her preferred colors). The selections (all pictured at the Wedding Site):
Dress 1: A favorite of both Shawna (left) and Liz (right); MOTB feared it might be a little too clingy. Dress 2: MOTB likes the cut and fit, as do TBMs
Unhappily, the dress is pink--not a color TBTB
likes much, we suspect.
Dress 3: TBMs find this far too plain, even with the included embroidered jacket. It is, however, olive--so that's a plus.
Photos are emailed to TBTB, currently somewhere off Finland. After a bit, she responds: Dress Number 3 is the choice. MOTB mollifies TBMs by promising jewelry/necklaces. Then Shawna reveals that she knows a wholesale place, The Flower Factory, that has all sorts of stuff. But only sells (or even allows entrance to) people with vendor's license. Luckily, MOTB has one, for her business. So it's off to Flower Factory (www.flowerfactory.com) --which winds up having and astonishing range of stuff, from really, really kitschy and junky to pretty high quality. MOTB returns with costume jewelry and ideas to decorate the Cultural Arts Center.
Meanwhile FOTB, while waiting for car to be serviced, learns via the television in the waiting room all about the current styles in wedding cakes--and that there's something called the Groom's Cake, for which bakers indulge all sorts of bakery whimsey. All this knowledge courtesy of the Today program, which apparently has selected a lucky couple who are, it seems, allowing the viewers of the Today program to select all the elements of their wedding (I hope they at least get a honeymoon out of the deal). The worst is the groom's cake in the shape of a basket full of crabs--ostensibly because the wedding will take place in Maryland. The other connotation of a groom bring his bride crabs apparently lost on the baker, the Today program folks, and the delighted couple. More about all this folly at www.msnbc.msn.com/id8716116/ --and the basket of crabs won the vote of the viewers nationwide. Hopefully some irony was involved?
It all gets curiouser and curiouser.
Housing the Wedding Party and The Guests
It takes some time to work all this out, with much planning, lists, etc. But it's set, the appropriate people notified, the Joneses given lists of who'll be where. They're much preoccupied, as the cast of the touring production of The Phantom of the Opera will be staying in all these spaces for the end of July and all of August. As a side note, the Victorian Bed and Breakfast is terrific, as are the proprietors. Gareth, now 80, has the patience and stamina of a saint. Marjorie won a Sophia Loren look-alike contest many years ago, and remains a striking woman wiht enormous presence. They're British. Marjorie decoates their spaces with all manner of things--all spaces are filled with knick-knacks, furniture, prints, statuettes, furniture, and so forth--much of it themed. The top floor, where the men of the wedding party will be, has sports imagery all about, lots of scarlet and gray (the OSU colors), and a miniature London phonebooth as a cabinet in the kitchen area. And everything is for sale, all on consignment or gathered up at garage and estate sales, which Marjorie and Gareth do on the side.
Once the housing plans are complete, of course, they fall apart. The siblings of the MOTB decide they don't want to stay in the B&B; too expensive at $80 per night, charm notwithstanding. We find a relatively inexpensive motel south of the trendy German Village area, about a mile away from The Wedding Site, plus a couple of other inexpensive motels nearby. But when we check them out, the other motels turn out to be a bit seedy, and look rather as if many of the rooms rent by the hour. The German Village Inn, however, turns out to be both inexpensive, clean, and respectable. We immediately book a room for the pastor (who's really a high priestess of TBTB's Egyptian temple, but we don't make much of that), and send information to everybody else; http://travel.yahoo.com/p-hotel-331179-village_inn_motel-i MOTB siblings book there, as does FOTB's elder brother, and several other folks as well.
Then it turns out at TGTB's stepmother and mother are bringing two friends with them. And that TGTB's sisters really need a ground floor space, because of physical problems. And that the female usher needs a separate room for medical reasons. And that the MOH's siblings can't come after all. So we regroup. Stepmother/mother's friends and female usher will stay on second floor where MOTB's siblings were booked; there's a separate room there where the female usher can be housed; MOH can stay in the Executive Suite. All problems solved.
But wait. Spaces for MOTB niece, nephew, and families (which includes the butterfly girl) suddenly are no longer available--they've been promised to a visiting professor and a visitng doctor. That the visiting professor turns out to be visiting the department where FOTB works, and was once his student, simply adds to the small world theory of life. No problem--we send them to German Village Inn as well. All set.
Housing taken care of. Now comes the matter of the dresses for the MOH and the Bridesmaids. Meanwhile, work on The Dress proceeds--and FOTB learns much more about what's available at various JoAnn Fabrics and More stores (and the differences between the several JoAnn stores in the Columbus vicinity) than he would have thought possible. Plus a crash course on what the JoAnn buyers regard as really, really cute decorate elements for one's house and yard.
Friday, September 02, 2005
The Dress continued; The Wedding Party
MOTB starts sewing in earnest, cutting out the satin and lace and stiching away.
So the dress is in train, so to speak. Now it's time to assemble the The Wedding Party. TGTB has three close old friends. He also has a nephew and a close female friend he wants to be in the party. One problem: the nephew is very tall (over 6'5") and weights 350 lbs. Who can he be matched with? AFter some discussion TBTB and TGTB decide not to worry about it. One old friend becomes Best Man, another old friend and nephew are groomsmen, third old friend and the female friend become ushers.
TBTB has an easier time, at least at first; her Matron of Honor is a close friend from the ship; good friends from Columbus and upstate New York are invited to be the bridesmaids. So that part seems easy. But then a problem appears: New York friend doesn't respond to emails, notes in snail mail, phone messages. So she's replaced by another Columbus-based friend. All seems set. Ring bearer will be 8 year old daughter of close friends, who adores TBTB. Flower girl will be TBTB's cousin's two-year old daughter--except she'll be a butterfly girl, not a flower girl. She'll have packets of butterflies, to be handed to guests and released when TB and TG recess--apparently it's possible to buy butterflies that are somehow semidormant. Haven't any clue how this works, but TBTB says it'll work. And certainly the folks at the Cultural Arts Center think this is better than rice tossed about their brick courtyard (or birdseed--when POTB were married rice was verboten for the same reason--but birdseed was ok, since it'd get eaten by the resident pigeons at that wedding in New York City. So we were pelted with millet and sunflower seeds. Butterflies are a decided improvement). Invitations issued and accepted. Now it remains to settle on the bridesmaid's dresses. And housing the party and guests.
