TXMagpie’s Neighborhood

Nothing like the Virgin Mary giving comfort to a tired soul.

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As promised a few weeks ago, here are some pics from the gas station in Casa Grande I stopped at on the way home from Yuma.

I thought the placement of painted plaster yard art objects for sale was tasteful and tender.

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I didn't stick to my guns and stay hunkered down last night. That's what happens when you have super fun friends and little willpower.

I went to yoga, stopping at my neighborhood Italian place a few doors down from the studio. I told Joe that I was going to need a pizza when class was over at 5. I like to plan ahead for dinner.

Class kicked my ass. I hadn't been in a few months. When I picked up my pizza I also asked for cranberry juice in a cup of ice to go - I have vodka at home, after all.

So I was settling in when the email from Desert Jeff came in to meet him and his GF at my usual sports bar to watch his Georgia Tech team lose to Georgia. Sure, that's not how he put it in his invitation, but that's what happened. Perhaps I could have avoided going out but Miss K was also invited and GF had presents for us.

A little arm twisting ensued as I made a feeble attempt to stick to my plan of staying home and read my book club book.

Out we went and a good time was had. Jeff's GF made Miss K and me bracelets using the Czech beads I gave her last week after the wine festival. Last week! That's fast and inspired work! I've only had those beads sitting around my house for almost two years.

Not that I was going to do anything with them myself. They were a fun purchase from Prague always intended to be a gift for someone. And now I get to enjoy them. Bonus!

Right now I'm hanging out with Miss K and waiting for our group number to be called to get our books signed by Garrison Keillor. He did an hour-long monologue just as fun and charming as on his radio show. If I get a photo with him I'll post. As would be fitting, we're being entertained while we wait by a homey folksy bluegrass band.

When I get home, I'll see if I can finally get to that book.

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Here's some Arizona Turkey action for everyone, created especially for you by the Arizona Game & Fish Department. 

I hope everyone has a safe, festive, comforting, joyous, happy Thanksgiving, in whatever form that takes for you, be it with family, friends, memories or any combination thereof.

I'll be baking pies in the morning and then it's off to the Annual Geographical Orphan Thanksgiving Celebration & Drunkfest.

Love and hugs to you all!

For your next book club reading pick:

You can't drink all day if you don't start in the morning.

I'll be your dump bucket.

*to sound of pr0n music* brown chicken brown cow

I just bought 4 disco balls for $5 at auction.

Don't eat the baby brie! Let them grow up!

To be fair, I've been at a wine fest all day. W00t Arizona wines!

I'm not driving. It's all good. I have awesome friends. :-D
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First, for all my Canadian peeps and anyone who wants to visit Canada: 

And another fun Choose Your Own Adventure!

I don't know if all these files will come through - or if you are even remotely interested - but I was sending one of the tunes out to some of my band friends and thought I may as well post it here.

Our next concert will feature guest trumpet soloist Joe Burgstaller, who has played with the world-renowned Canadian Brass. He was listening in via Skype from New York City and I must say, I thought he was pretty darn cute. Now that's something to look forward to. I must also say, his stand-in/trumpet-double for the evening was no slouch. Anthony Something-Something, ASU music student from Mexico City was fantastic. Wow. I love being around great music.

This is one of the pieces we'll be playing. It's an arrangement for brass band and has Vincent DiMartino on trumpet when he was a professor at U of Kentucky. I was stage crew for one of the Brass Band of Battle Creek concerts back in my college days and was astounded. At the time (not sure how it's made up now), it was a group of college and other music professionals/educators from around the Midwest started by the director of the Michigan State school of music.

Just for fun, because now I have it stuck in my head after listening to it in my car, is a medley of classic Disney tunes. It's long, but stick around to the end for some kickin' renditions of songs from my favorite childhood movie soundtrack: The Jungle Book. I listened to that album on a near-constant basis for a very long time. I should pick up a CD of it one of these days.

This one Dora will *snerk* at, it's informative fun for the rest of us!

Someone from the downtown theater center sent me a fax and this is on the bottom of the cover sheet:

Theater Logic
In is down, down is front, out is up, up is back, off is out, on is in and of course - right is left and left is right.

A drop shouldn't and a block and fall does neither. A prop doesn't, and a cover has no water. Tripping is O.K.

A running crew rarely gets anywhere. A purchase line will buy you nothing. A trap will not catch anything. A gridiron has nothing to do with football.

Strike is work (in fact, a lot of work). A Green Room, thank God, usually isn't.

Just a quick note to say I made it back alive from Yuma. People like to bash Yuma, but I think it's a cute little town. Also, the people we met with were really cool. So it was worth the six hours in the car. I also made some good purchases at the art center gift shop, all done by Yuma area artists. Shop local, yo!

I got back last night at 11:00 p.m. and I'm wiped out. But I have a board meeting this afternoon and then rehearsal tonight. Must.carry.on.

I have some more photos to post of Gila Bend. We stopped for gas at the most tourist-schlock filled Shell station I have ever seen. Crazy stuff, man.

If you missed it, I posted my full Grand Canyon trip slide show a few posts down in the "3:10 to Yuma" entry.

Hope all is well and someday I'll have time to waste nurture relationships on Vox again.