Move it

dunno why but this song cracks me up.




and this is corny but true:A professor stood before his philosophy class and

had some items in front of him. When the

class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty
mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls .

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it
was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into
the jar. He shook the jar lightly.

The pebbles rolled i nto the open areas between the golf balls. He
then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it
was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.

Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more
if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two glasses of wine from under the
table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively
filling the empty space between the sand.

The students laughed.

'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to
recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are
the important things; your family, your children, your health, your
friends, and your favorite passions; things that if everything else
was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.'

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your
house, and your car. The sand is everything else; the small stuff.

'If you put the sand into the jar first,'he continued, 'there is no
room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life.
If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will
never have room for the things that are important to you'

'Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take
your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. Do one more run
down the ski slope. There will always be time to clean the house
and fix the disposal.

Take care of the golf balls first; the things that really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the wine
represented.

The professor smiled. 'I'm glad you asked.

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may
seem, there's always room for a couple of glasses of wine with a
friend.'

New Blog for New Job

Comic relief

Saw this cartoon* and said Yes! This is my life. Maybe it is yours too?

It is all a part of the glamorous life of a live performer.

It starts with the "simple gratis gig".You the kind of gig I mean? The presenter is a friend or a relative. Someone you like a lot. You are doubtful but hate to say "no". They have been so good to you. The venue is a stretch - they do not really do this kind of thing but wouldn't it be "fun" if you came and performed at their place? They would be doing you a favor and you would be helping them out. And oh yeah, since they don't actually hire and promote performances, they'll have to get back to you on the details. Emails are promised and you wait and hold a date. Each time you drop by you ask for clarification. Emails are promised but never appear so you send a few yourself.

Weeks go by and frankly you forget. There are way more pressing matters, like the full time job that keeps a roof over your head and the children and the other gigs and... and... Oh look! It is Thursday before the weekend event. Finally, you get an email. "Be there on Sunday at 4PM".

Low and behold this is a big deal. You check out the event website - who knew? Luckily a friend who is also performing has sent the URL to you. The whole town is having an open air art event and every business worth their salt is having some art performance. BUT you are not on the schedule on the website and you write back to your friend/ presenter...Huh? Come on Sunday? The big art event ends on SAT? And of course this web research takes place on Friday night.

Waiting for a reply seems foolish so you call first thing AM. Your friend, the presenter is not in town and his staff knows nothing. Sorry. Then you get an email from another friend. She says -"Hey I'll see you today at your performance". Whoa - what performance? Do I have a performance other than the one at the school, where I was supposed to be paid but someone was mistaken there are no funds to pay performers. The day already had some complications. But your friend says, "Oh yes, not that one. Its the one on Saturday PM at the arts festival." Seems I am listed on the website on another page of schedules I had missed. A flurry of emails and calls later and you tell the presenter, who is back in town now, you will not come on Sunday, you will be there as advertised on Saturday but a little late- as you are double booked for the starting time. I have a gig that starts exactly at the same time. Except these folks answered emails.

I hate it when I violate my own rules.
Two of my non negotiable performer standards are:

1. Always show up. Early or very early if possible.
2. Once there always perform - even if it is for just one person.

I couldn't swing rule No.1 [note to self: Must learn to bi-locate]
but I did fulfill No. 2. Hence the above cartoon.

So...I rushed to my second "gig" and it seemed, not surprisingly, that no one was there for my performance. The place was packed with 20-somethings and their laptops. 20-somethings with their heads up their modems are not my fan base. I know my "cult" when I see them. So I kicked back and had a chat with my friend over a cup of his excellent coffee and was just about to leave when a family that had trekked quite a way to see me, two lovely girls and their parents, walked in and asked if they had missed me? Switching gears, I told them a story. I had fun. They had fun. And I had a parking ticket on my car for 20 dollars.

The life of a performer.

Not what you hope for, not what you expect and often, not glamorous.
But often fun.

*sigh*
Avanti.

* Cartoon by Ziegler graffitti-ed by me.

Some Fall performances

Some Fall performances:

OCT 16th
Pirate Mary Read
at MacArthur School in Waltham
call school for info see website for
program notes

OCT 29th
Literacy for All
presentation at conference
on Storytelling and Literacy
with Andrea Lovett
Literacy for All Conference in Providence, RI


NOV 10th
Beverly Farms Library
3-4PM
Stories from the Neighbors

NOV 14th
Worcester Public Library
Pirate Mary Read
Call library for details or

______________________

City Sprouts
Green Stories and Light
7th Annual Harvest Festival
Saturday, October 13, from 11am-4pm,
at the Amigos and
M.L. King Schools at
100 Putnam Avenue Cambridge MA
In the event of rain
festival is held inside the school.

Stories from the Neighborhood
at the new ICA
September 29,2007
10AM - Saturday
THE INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART
100 Northern Avenue, Boston, MA 02210
T 617.478.3134 / F 617.478.3110
www.icaboston.org


Garlic And Arts Festival
September 16, 2007
Green Stories of Hope
3PM - Sunday
Fosters Farm, Orange MA
www.seedsofsolidarity.org
978-544-9023
solidarity@seedsofsolidarity.org

Work to end the violence

Carolina Chocolate Drops - what fun music

What fun! Check them out
http://www.sankofastrings.com/ccd/

Power of Community ? - Herbivores fight back and win

I hardly ever look at videos online but this was amazing.
A pride of lions attack and capture a baby water buffalo.
A crocodile tries to steal their prey but the lions prevail. For a moment.
Then the herd returns and saves the baby buffalo literally from the jaws of death.


Never give up hope - nor doubt the power of collective action.