what I've been up to...

I'm glad we got an extra hour today, because the time has been whizzing by. (Actually I could use a few extra hours -- wonder how I could arrange for that.)

We were in Bellingham to see WWU's production of The Mistakes Madeline Made, described on the Western Theatre site as: a story of love and dirty people. The play follows a girl who toils away in a soul-crushing job as a personal assistant as she begins to battle all things clean after developing ablutophobia – the fear of bathing. Soon her smell starts to overwhelm her co-workers and her many casual lovers. A fantastic story about finding one’s self, the play raises the questions: Is it a political act to live dirty? And is it even feasible to live clean in our current times of unrest?

I knew very little about the play going in, and I was surprised at both how funny and how sad it was. Directed by Rich Brown, the play was simply outstanding. The set, the sound, the costumes, the acting -- all top notch. They could (they should!) take this on the road.

Christina played Beth, the tightly-strung manager of the office whose function is to run errands for a rich family (who are never seen). The character of Beth provides a lot of the comedy in the play (and Christina has a real knack for comedy), yet the character also evokes pathos (and Christina has a real knack for that too).

Here's Christina as Beth: (I *ahem* "borrowed" this picture from her facebook page)



Then last night (back home in Longview) we actually went to a Halloween party -- in costume no less! And (speaking of time whizzing by) today is the 29th anniversary for Mike and me. Here's a weird part -- lots of the anniversary cards are looking familiar since we've given so many to each other over the years!