tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33611026129177436072024-03-19T02:01:54.219-07:00Working Titlehighlights of my "everydays" in precisely 500 words...(neurotic, anyone?)Elise Seyfriedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06270268646619631174noreply@blogger.comBlogger633125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3361102612917743607.post-11154010434169781992024-03-19T02:01:00.000-07:002024-03-19T02:01:20.593-07:00Gig Economicsphoto by Erik McLean on UnsplashLately I’ve been hearing more and more about the “gig economy.” At first I thought the term referred to bargain bands (“Tonight’s economy performance by The Tightwads will consist of one song. There is a two-drink minimum. Enjoy!”) But I soon learned that the gigs (also known as side hustles) refer to the extra jobs folks are taking to help make ends meet nowadays.Elise Seyfriedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06270268646619631174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3361102612917743607.post-33989848596565595112024-03-12T00:31:00.000-07:002024-03-12T00:48:03.205-07:00The Secret IngredientAKA the show with the beef jerky sticksThere’s a running gag in our production of Puss in Boots (written by Stevo) that always delights the audiences. The special stew that Puss the Cat serves the King so that his master can win the princess's hand, contains a secret ingredient: “honey-coated, licorice-flavored beef jerky sticks.” Our young audiences may roar with laughter, but forElise Seyfriedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06270268646619631174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3361102612917743607.post-50182171880667362562024-03-04T22:17:00.000-08:002024-03-04T22:17:44.945-08:00Owl Be Seeing YouAwwww. (Owlet photo by Jesse Cason on Unsplash)I didn’t hear much about Flaco the Coop-Flown Owl, until the poor bird met his tragic end. For those similarly unaware, about a year ago, Flaco, a rare Eurasian Eagle Owl living in captivity in the Central Park Zoo in Manhattan, was suddenly liberated by a vandal who shredded his enclosure. What followed was a gritty Streets of New York story—Elise Seyfriedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06270268646619631174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3361102612917743607.post-7534946278592055992024-02-27T00:06:00.000-08:002024-03-05T01:24:38.284-08:00Rings On (and Off) Our FingersSher and Yaj's wedding day (photo by Carolyn Majewski)My darling husband made a confession when he recently returned home from an out-of-town film shoot, and honestly? Had he not mentioned this I have no clue when I would have noticed (eagle eye that I am most definitely not): Steve lost his wedding ring. Apparently he had taken it off while performing (his character in the movie was unattached),Elise Seyfriedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06270268646619631174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3361102612917743607.post-45488627045723565382024-02-20T01:39:00.000-08:002024-02-20T01:39:49.283-08:00A Shambolic ShambalaHimalayas and Tibetan Prayer Flags(photo by Hannah Luo on Pexels)Remember the ad for Calgon Bath Oil with the tagline: “Calgon, take me away”? Alas, my bath products rarely respond when I address them, and even if my body wash could speak, I doubt it would lead me to a fabulous island escape.
Yet an escape is just what I’m after in these very trying times. I envy folks who have Elise Seyfriedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06270268646619631174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3361102612917743607.post-17415849720158687102024-02-13T01:03:00.000-08:002024-02-13T01:03:44.002-08:00Slippery SlopeMartha Stewart, eat your heart out!Many people’s pandemic stories (at least the tales of those of us lucky enough to escape COVID—those who got sick, of course, have the REAL stories) contain certain tropes. These include: Not Touching the Mail for Days, Cleaning the Groceries, Taking Daily Neighborhood Walks, Getting a Dog, Having Tons of Zoom Meetings, Putting on the Pandemic 15 (lbs) and Elise Seyfriedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06270268646619631174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3361102612917743607.post-85917945008490698542024-02-06T01:20:00.000-08:002024-02-06T01:20:02.111-08:00Very WordyWhat do you see?(Photo by Wolf Zimmermann on Unsplash)I’m nothing if not randomly ambitious-- my goals are all over the place. While I am consistent in my sports aspirations (zero), I vacillate among these: seeing Thailand (where Rose lived for a year in her teens), baking a perfect croissant (Rose, who has done so, also my inspiration here), backing up my computer files more often, blowing up a Elise Seyfriedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06270268646619631174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3361102612917743607.post-16816716728128961362024-01-30T01:07:00.000-08:002024-01-30T01:07:34.942-08:00In the Fun House Picture facing THAT--and the ball throwers were teenagers!(photo by Yan Krukau on Pexels)I recently asked myself, “E, when was the last time you had FUN?” I gotta tell you, E was stumped. First of all, define fun, right? When I think of my funnest times, I think of watching standup comedy and reading funny books and enjoying funny movies…hmmm, I guess those are not very Elise Seyfriedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06270268646619631174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3361102612917743607.post-18517935302647701922024-01-23T03:51:00.000-08:002024-01-23T03:51:59.777-08:00WEIRDEST JOBS YOU WON'T BELIEVE ARE REAL--BUT THEY ARE!Teaching dogs to surf: actual job (picture by chandlervid85 on Freepik)I’ll start with a confession: I'm the person for whom the clickbait title writer writes; the stranger the headline, the more compelled I am to check it out. Combine that with my ongoing search for blog material, and you get posts like today’s gem. Weirdest jobs I won’t believe are real? Yes, please!! As I perused the list, I Elise Seyfriedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06270268646619631174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3361102612917743607.post-26074754314918029712024-01-17T01:02:00.000-08:002024-01-17T01:21:36.007-08:00My Love Language Photo by rovenimages on PexelsTime was, when we talked about “loving," we had a fairly agreed-upon concept in mind. Saint Paul put it thusly to the good people of Corinth, and his wise words have since been repeated in 10 jillion wedding ceremonies, draining them of all meaning:"Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on Elise Seyfriedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06270268646619631174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3361102612917743607.post-83125332049470047622024-01-10T00:48:00.000-08:002024-01-10T00:48:13.185-08:00Custom-izedChristmas 1989--notice the new baby AND the decorated tree!At a baby shower last weekend, we played some games (as is the custom). One involved a list of baby-related traditions around the world (we had to guess which country had which custom). By then, I’d stopped competing for a prize, since I’d done abysmally at guessing the mom-to-be’s belly size, and remembering what was in a briefly Elise Seyfriedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06270268646619631174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3361102612917743607.post-80278240529095568572024-01-03T01:35:00.000-08:002024-01-03T01:35:18.574-08:00Pop Goes the TartPhoto by Isabella Fischer on Unsplash“Dreams really do come true!” -sign held by mascot, Pop Tarts Bowl 2023 I witnessed some of last week’s televised college football match between Kansas State and North Carolina State, but not because I gave a flip about the teams or outcome of the game. No, it was because I’d heard it was the Pop Tarts Bowl, named after its sugary sponsor (it was Elise Seyfriedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06270268646619631174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3361102612917743607.post-43911809757701719092023-12-27T02:30:00.000-08:002023-12-27T02:30:54.733-08:00Five Little Words just my size!I love a writing challenge, especially when they’re short. There are lots out there—from “Tiny Love Stories” (New York Times—100 words max), to the events sponsored by the Rehoboth Beach Writers Guild (at which people read their work aloud, with a 300 word limit—alas, for at least one writer each time, 300 words translates to 3000 words, and the organizers are much too kind to Elise Seyfriedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06270268646619631174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3361102612917743607.post-51479623558071263082023-12-20T01:09:00.000-08:002023-12-20T01:09:26.905-08:00Pulling Off Route 66 As an eternally reluctant driver, my M.O. on expressways is: make note of all the exits! You know, just in case the road starts to ice over (never mind that it’s August), or there’s a sudden deluge or high wind or thick fog or darkness falls or… Mind you, I never visualize exactly what I’d DO once I got to the end of the exit ramp; if the road conditions were dire enough, I’d Elise Seyfriedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06270268646619631174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3361102612917743607.post-65742196597378120432023-12-13T00:51:00.000-08:002023-12-13T00:51:43.082-08:00The Hunt is to the Swift(ie)Only Easter Egg Hunt of my childhood, at Aunt Rosemary'sRemember Easter egg hunts? Those glorious springtime events where gleeful, pastel-clad children romped through fields of daisies, collecting multi-colored eggs in attractive wicker baskets? They always oohed and aahed over their bounty, and kindly shared their candy with younger, less successful, little hunters… You don’t? I don’t Elise Seyfriedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06270268646619631174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3361102612917743607.post-90719556962245109592023-12-06T01:31:00.000-08:002023-12-06T01:31:48.828-08:00A Very Hallmark Holiday Special: Love in the Card StoreImage by Mike Petrucci on UnsplashSETTING: A Hallmark Card Store, Any Little Town, USA CHARACTERS: CASHIER, HOLLY CHRISTMAN, BRENT MCBRAWN CASHIER: Welcome to Hallmark! May I help you find something?HOLLY: Yes. Can you help me find the innocent little girl deep inside? I lost her when I became CFO of an unnamed corporation in the Big City.CASHIER: I’ll see if we have any in stock.HOLLY:Elise Seyfriedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06270268646619631174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3361102612917743607.post-65894932747656117302023-11-29T02:04:00.000-08:002023-11-29T02:04:32.563-08:00Cleaned to DeathPhoto by Alexander Isreb on PexelsIt’s new! It’s popular! It’s from Sweden! Nope, not IKEA, not this time. It’s the latest craze, “Swedish Death Cleaning.” Does sound somewhat morbid, but have you ever watched an Ingmar Bergman movie? So much brooding! The Swedes are NOT the jolliest of souls (I know, there’s ABBA, but they are the exception to the rule. Stick with me). It stands to Elise Seyfriedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06270268646619631174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3361102612917743607.post-68773849985656645352023-11-22T00:42:00.000-08:002023-11-22T00:42:35.019-08:00Mwah! Sher and Yaj at their wedding. Aren't they adorable? We humans put an awful lot of stock in kisses, don’t we? Letters are sealed with lipsticky kisses, there’s the legendary Kissing Bandit, there’s KISS (the legendary band), and of course the delectable Hershey’s kisses. And we’re not alone. Certain species of birds are known to give each other a fond peck from time to timeElise Seyfriedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06270268646619631174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3361102612917743607.post-13624962893196005112023-11-15T01:17:00.000-08:002023-11-15T01:17:00.140-08:00Aging in PlaceLook at that confident smile! Steve is almost eight years my senior, so living with him is like getting a daily sneak preview of my mid-70s. He still hikes and bikes, drives long distances at night, in the rain, without eyeglasses, and has no issue climbing ladders to reach platters in the kitchen, or clean out the gutters outdoors. Whew!! I guess I don’t have anything to worry about!!ExceptElise Seyfriedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06270268646619631174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3361102612917743607.post-79125375053491961882023-11-08T01:23:00.000-08:002023-11-08T01:23:16.070-08:00Patience is a Virtue (That I Do Not Possess)Photo by Jared Rice on UnsplashI have never (ever) thought of myself as a patient person, and I assumed my husband was a kindred spirit. In some aspects of life, his fuse is quite short. But when it comes to life’s most important waiting, Stevo is a pro. He is willing to drive his loved ones anywhere, at anytime, even at midnight, or when there is bumper-to-bumper traffic. When I was working at Elise Seyfriedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06270268646619631174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3361102612917743607.post-37327187911750616012023-11-01T01:16:00.000-07:002023-11-01T01:16:49.814-07:00Training to Be BraveMy train of thought! (photo by Aris on Unsplash)When Steve and I were touring throughout the Northeast doing children’s theatre in 1979, Steve drove nearly every day—especially in the snow and ice. I was never an enthusiastic driver, so I was happy to let him take us everywhere in our trusty little Chevette. After the tour, we settled in Philly. Sadly, my fear of driving in bad weather had Elise Seyfriedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06270268646619631174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3361102612917743607.post-74506740423116496042023-10-25T00:38:00.000-07:002023-10-25T00:38:27.242-07:00A Gas House Epiphany My Nana at her piano“For it’s down in the heart of the Gas House District in Old New York…” So began a ditty my Nana used to play on her grand piano, the piano that dwarfed the rest of her Manhattan living room, the piano that gave her much of what little pleasure she had in life. Nana had made her concert debut in her teens, and could have had a career as a soloist. Instead, she Elise Seyfriedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06270268646619631174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3361102612917743607.post-41751993655467525202023-10-18T01:10:00.000-07:002023-10-18T01:10:09.507-07:00Men Are From Rome, Women Are From... Death Row?Romans! 24/7! (photo by Giannino Nali on Pexels)Just when I thought that internet revelations couldn’t get any weirder, I learned this tidbit: apparently men think about the Roman Empire. Often. Very often.Here I was, assuming my beloved hubby was focused mainly on 1) sports 2) booking more children’s shows and 3) the ongoing, vital need to keep the hedges trimmed. How wrong could I be? I would Elise Seyfriedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06270268646619631174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3361102612917743607.post-44695668195740839652023-10-11T01:18:00.002-07:002023-10-11T01:18:48.340-07:00Really Dreamy 12 hours to gorgeous and...go! (photo by Nolan Isaac on Unsplash) I honestly don’t watch much TV these days. Don’t congratulate me; the tally of my lifetime viewing, thanks to a childhood spent plunked in front of our Elise Seyfriedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06270268646619631174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3361102612917743607.post-81168891194774373612023-10-04T01:16:00.000-07:002023-10-04T01:16:39.487-07:00Instacart Confessions Photo by Maria Lin Kim on UnsplashI was never an enthusiastic shopper (except during my Year of Mania in 2006, when I single handedly kept Bloomingdale’s shoe department afloat). But groceries were another ball game. I had my favorite store (George’s Shop N Bag in Dresher) with Diane the checker and Frank the fish counter guy—but even then, I made sure to be there as they opened the doors at 7 AMElise Seyfriedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06270268646619631174noreply@blogger.com0