Review: Jersey Boys

Growing up as a child of the 60's and 70's, with a name of "Sherri", I was constantly subjected to classmates and friends serenading me with the classic tune, "Sherry Baby"....

...you know the one...the Frankie Valli & Four Seasons classic from 1962, where the guys croon, "Won't you come out tonight??!!"



I hated it.

Oh, I hated it. I would gnash my teeth, clench my jaws, and suffer through it, as I lamented, "Why, oh why, did I get a horrible, sucky name like 'Sherri'"?

Over the years, my name kinda' grew on me - either that, or I just got too old to sweat the small stuff, like a sucky first name - and I eventually even began kinda' liking my name.

So, when the Broadway hit show, "Jersey Boys", came to Kansas City on tour - which tells the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons - I was first in line to get tickets.

Hubby and I gussied up a bit last night, because - well, after all - I WAS the guest of honor. I mean, there's a freakin' SONG all about ME in this show, so I wanted to be looking chic and fly.

We headed down to the Music Hall, and there we partook in the fun of "Jersey Boys."

Now, this show has been around since 2005...but hasn't been to Kansas City before - so it was my first time to see it. I knew it had garnered not one, not two, but FOUR Tony Awards in 2006 - including Best Musical - so I was expecting great things.

And for the most part - it delivered.

It follows the rise - and fall - and eventual rise again - of the original Four Seasons...and the story, as written, was done uniquely and creatively. Loved the story, so I will give it an A+.

The set design, as well as the staging, was also unique - it was choreographed down to a science, and it was obvious that much rehearsal had to be done to get it so polished. A+ on this, as well.

Where the show fell a little flat for me was in the music. Now, don't get me wrong - the music is great, and the entire audience was singing along and having a great time.

But...trying to find someone who is NOT Frankie Valli - and asking them to SING like Frankie Valli - is asking a lot. I mean, really? The ONLY guy who can do Frankie Valli justice is Frankie Valli himself. He's got SUCH a unique voice, that asking someone else to "do" him is asking the impossible.

Oh, they had good actors...who did a pretty good job at giving us the ESSENCE of the Four Seasons - but it wasn't exact. I'll give them a B on the singing.

And for show overall? B+

So - all in all, we had a great time - seeing a great show - listening to some awesome nostalgic music -

And hearing MY song. It's all about me.

Sherry, baby.

Peace.

One Proud Parent

What a difference four years makes.

Yesterday, my oldest son graduated from Truman State University...and what a proud mama I am.

Four years ago, after we had moved him into the dorm, we began the long 3-hour drive home without him - and I bawled.

Yup. I bawled.

How was my "baby" going to make it without his mama?

Would he get up in time for his classes?

Would he make friends?

Would he even GO to classes and pass them?

What if he got lost on campus? What if he got hurt?

What if - gasp! - he forgot to wash his underwear??!!

Sigh.

I guess he did just fine...he graduated yesterday with a double major in Philosophy and Religion, and a double minor in Spanish and Classics.

As far as friends?

He made lots...including a girlfriend that he's been seeing for a year.

Time marches on...kids grow up...he now plans on going on to graduate school in the fall, living in an apartment on campus.

Sigh.

Proud? Most definitely...

...but with that pride comes a bit of bittersweetness, as I realize that my "baby" isn't a baby anymore.

Congratulations to all the graduates yesterday at Truman, as well as everywhere around the world. You rock.

Peace.

Snakes On A Plane

On the flight down here last Saturday night, I mentioned previously that I sat next to a woman who entertained me for 3 hours with various stories...including stories about Floridian snakes.

Oh yes - it was truly a "Snakes on a Plane" experience - as she warned me about the dangers of the slithering, slimy serpents - and to be very careful about where I step while enjoying the Florida sunshine.

I laughed at the time, assuring her that in the two years we've had a house here, I've yet to see a snake.

So what happened on Sunday?

Yup. I see a snake.

Fortunately for me, it was slithering in the opposite direction of where I was walking - and being that it was slithering AWAY from my house, I was inclined to let it go on it's merry way. When asked to describe it later while talking to Hubby on the phone, all I could say was, "It was brown - and big."

Yeah, I'm known for my descriptive abilities...if asked to describe a car, I'll say, "It was red...and small." If I concentrate really hard, I might be able to conjure up, "It was red, small, and it was going really fast."

God forbid I ever witness a crime and I'm asked to give the police a description.

"Yes, your officer - I saw the suspect. He was a guy...and he was wearing pants." Hey - whatever I can do to help capture the perp.

Anyway, I thought it was ironic that I see my first snake - in TWO years - after talking with that lady.

Little did I know that my Close Encounters with The Slithering Kind was not over.

Today, I was messing around by the side of my house...re-arranging some landscaping rocks that have sat in a pile since the dawn of time.

Apparently, a kingsnake had taken up residence in those rocks...figuring since the rocks have been there since Caveman days, he was pretty safe.

(And let me just insert here that yes, I know I was the stupid one...piles of rocks sitting since Caveman days probably have a good reason to be left untouched.)

Anyway.

As I was moving some of the rocks, the kingsnake decided to let me know that this was HIS abode...slithering up into my face, effectively staring me down...and man, I am normally not known for how fast I can move, but I'm telling you, I jumped back 20 feet in a nanosecond...and then I had a full-blown heart attack...and I'm pretty sure that I was a half-second away from a dead faint.

Holy CRAP!!!!

Now, I know King snakes are harmless...unless you're a lizard...but STILL.

Coming face-to-face with a snake is NOT on my bucket list, last time I checked.

And if you ask me to give a description of this perp, all I can remember is, "He was black...and he was SCARY."

And thanks, Lady On the Plane, for talking about snakes. I'm flying home tomorrow, and I'm praying to God that I sit next to someone who wants to talk about rainbows and unicorns and lollipops. Or chocolate.

That I can handle.

Indulgences

Hmmmm.....

After spending the last few days in Ft Myers on a solo trip, the following truths have become evident:

...no children to have to set a good example for...

...no Hubby to have to cook dinner for...

...I've expended 3,295,592 calories the last few days with the cleaning, sorting, organizing, gardening, landscaping, etc...

.

.

.

I think a few indulgences are now in order...

I'm reading "Fifty Shades of Grey"....

...and I'm having THIS little beauty for dinner tonight:

Life is good.

Peace.

I Am Woman...Hear Me Roar

Twenty years ago, I took an auto mechanics course at my local community college. There was nothing more thrilling than learning about changing oil, checking spark plugs, and changing a tire, among other things.

And of course, I maintained everything that I learned 20 years ago and I consider myself quite the expert when it comes to auto maintenance.

.

.

.

Bwahahahahahahaha. Okay, that made me laugh.

In reality, here's the extent of my auto knowledge: if I put the key in and the car starts, yay for me! If I put the key in and the car doesn't start, boo-hiss for me - and a quick call is made to Hubby for help.

However, I did impress myself this week...here in Florida, I got to reconnect the battery on my car. That's so the darn thing doesn't go dead - again - like it decided to do the LAST time I was here....so now, the battery gets disconnected between trips.

Oh what fun it was, hanging out under the hood of my car and getting my hands oily.

Not.

That's only been part of the fun, though...this week, I've managed to:

1. Scrub all 10,000 tiles on the floor - by hand - to remove sheetrock dust, tile dust, and contractor's dirty boot prints....nine months of remodeling will create quite a mess, trust me.

2. Re-connect the phone, internet, and printer - which not being an electrical person, I was QUITE proud of conquering where every mysterious cord & wire & thingamajiggy went - and successfully, at that....

3. Arrange for the air-conditioning to get serviced, as it sounded like the Amazon Rain Forest in my garage - drip, drip, drip...(we must have a clog??? Again, no surprise there - lots of dust flying through this house the past year)....

4. Arrange for the pool to be serviced, as it appears the pool heater went ka-put last month and blew oil into the pool....ew, right? Not exactly the kind of oil I put on before I go tanning....

5. After discovering a geyser in my front yard on Sunday, and deducing that a sprinkler head was blown, I spent 3 hours last night digging out 25 other sprinkler heads from the grass that has choked them off...by hand...in the wet, muddy ground...just me, the worms, and the ants. Thankfully - no snakes. Or grubs. If I had come across a grub, that would have been the end of THAT little chore.

6. Arrange for a power-wash on my roof tomorrow, as my once-white roof has turned a greenish-black in the Florida humidity...this is one job that I can't do myself, as I'd fall off and break my neck - so I've brought in the big guns.

There's been no time for swimming...relaxing...or horrors - shopping. Heck, I'm doing good to fit in eating (which is probably a good thing) - but still...

I fly home on Friday, and if I play my cards right, I might...perhaps...maybe...squeeze in one beach day on Thursday.

And by golly, I'll have EARNED that day at the beach.

I am woman. Hear me roar.