Here and Now

How do I feel about 'Here and Now'?

Now for some of you, you will now this could be a very cryptic question and then again it may not be at all.....lolol

I am very very very much in love with my life , 'Here and Now' and everything that is in my life, 'Here and Now'.

I want to spend the rest of my life, 'Here and Now'.

OK, enough already......

Deb is my 'Here and Now'!!! We are together 'Here and Now'.

I have been through some hell in the past four months, and it has been Deb that was standing there, holding my hand as I climbed higher and higher.

Deb believes in me 100 percent, I believe in her, and we believe in each other. We have the most open communication between two people, that I have ever seen.

I have known Deb for almost two years, and we have become very, very close friends over that time. Now that friendship has evolved, turning into a deep and mutual love and respect for each other.

I look forward to coming home, to Deb, after work. And I look forward to the time when we will share that home together.

I love you Deb, 'Here and Now' and forever........

Officer O'Hara

This is Officer O'Hara from the play 'Arsnic and Old Lace'. Deb took this picture for me after the performace on Saturday Night. 

The Morning AFTER Opening Night

WELL!!!!

Last night was Opening Night for our play 'Arsenic and Old Lace'. I got there rather early to make sure that all the last minute technical issues were resolved, even though I'm not on the technical side of this play, I'm acting, but I have been helping out.

Just when you think everything is going to be OK, we lose one of the lights for the celler. This light is very important to a number of scenes, so we starting running like crazy to find out what the problem is. We changed the blub, we checked the leads running to the light. We find out that there is a lose wire INSIDE the light itself, and it will have to be re-wired today.

Deb and her Mom drove up from Grimsby to watch the opening night, that was so amazing that they would do that. Its about and hour and 15 min trip.

So, the play starts.....I don't come on till about midway through the second act, so I have about an hour wait.....

We are pacing back stage, running lines with each other, making sure we look just right.

Then I get my cue.....2 pages.....

I take my place by the front door, and I hear my cue.....I ring the door bell, the door opens and in walks Officer O'Hara, 'Hello Miss Abbey'.

Miss Abbey responds, then O'Hara starts again 'I saw your lights on and I thought........'

It was amazing!!!! Every line was there!!!! No hesitation!!!!!

Remember this is from the guy who as a teenager stuttered so badly that I could not talk in front of 1 or 2 people.....

Thoses days are long behind me.......

I had soo much fun with my part last night. I'm REALLY looking forward to the run of this play...

And Deb, THANK YOU !!! To you and your Mom for making my opening night so special!!!!


Larry

Opening Night

Well here it is!!!!!

OPENING NIGHT!!!!

I didn't think we would make it, but we are here. The set looks AWESOME. The lighting setup was tweaked last night. The sound effects, which my sister Jenn is running, is ready to roll.

The actors are all ready......and I am ready!!!!!!

Lets go break a leg!!!!!

I'll post in the morning!!!!!

Footprints

I have started my journey across the snow covered meadow with my friend. No, this is not just my friend, but my partner, the person I choose to take this new journey with.

The snow does not make the journey any more difficult, but rather just makes it easy to see where we have been.

Have you every noticed that when two people walk side by side in the snow, there are the two sets of footprints, but the strides are different. People stride differently, its a fact of life.

HOWEVER, when I look back into the snow, I see the two sets of footprints, but they are perfect sync, side by side, step by step, together as one.

Two people in perfect harmony.

We stop, look into each others eyes and we embrace. I'm am so gald you are on this journey with me.

I Love You.

My Mountain Top

Some parts of one's journey are better not shared with others, but then other parts of a journey are meant to be shared and should be shared with those you call your friends.

Two weeks ago, I spoke of being on a journey that had taken me into a valley. Valleys can be said to be a number of different things. A valley can be beautiful, or it could be rather dismal.

My valley was a beautiful journey, however the climb out was rather difficult at times.

Today, I stand at the top of the mountain, and stretching out in front of me is a vast plateau covered in virgin snow. There are a number of paths set in front of me, each covered with light snow. So I can see the 'outline' of the path, but not the path itself. Again, kinda like life.... We sometimes can see certain avenues that we can travel, but we can never know exactly what will be in store for us.

So as I reach the plateau, a hand is waiting to take my hand into theirs and stand by my side. I have had a number of hands help me climb this mountain. At times I thought I would never leave my valley, but I knew it was now time for me to leave this valley.

I now stand hand in hand with my friend, a friend that has been there every step of the way.

I look at each of the different paths before me, I examine each one, then I take my first step down one of the paths, into the fresh virgin snow. I then noticed that my friend is still holding my hand. We are walking this new path together.

We stop often, looking around to see where this path is leading. We may not be able to see all the curves in the path, but we do know that this is OUR PATH, and we are walking it together, step by step. Not running headstrong down the path, but rather walking slowing together. Stopping to enjoy the views at every chance we get.

Where will this path lead in a month, two months, six months??? Don't know...But I do know that right know, I'm enjoying this new journey and I will take my time to fully explore the path that lies at my feet....

Perhaps, we can stop to make 'Snow Angels' along the way to mark our passage...

Fresh Snow

It's been lightly snowing in the GTA for about a day now, its started yesterday and it's been off and on all night, and its still lighting snowing in Brampton this morning. It really does look very pretty out, OK, the roads kinda suck.

When I was driving in this morning, I noticed all the bare trees and I recalled how I always think about how bare they look in the winter ..... stripped of all their leaves ..... Open for everyone to see EVERY detail that would normally be sheltered from view by the leaves.

Its kinda like how we are with our lives ..... We often hide everything from the people around us. At times we may loose our 'leaves' and let someone see those details.

What really struck me this morning was how beautiful the bare trees looked with the light covering of fresh snow. Still exposed, but yet just showing enough to let the inner beauty still show through. Again, just like people, some people are the most beautiful will they share their inner thoughts, perhaps not every single thought, but sharing is one of the most beautiful things of a relationship.

The real irontic thing of this post is that the song 'EVERYTHING' by Alanis Morissette JUST finished playing on KoolFM.....OMG.....

That's the 'View from the Penthouse' this morning.......

Have a GREAT day everyone!!!! I know I will!!!!!!

Arsenic and Old Lace Update

Well......

Opening night is now just a week tomorrow (Feb 17th) away.....

The set is ALMOST complete, there is a crew going in tonight to do some work; painting and finishing trim. I won't be able to be there tonight, as I had already told my Dad and Diane that I would come to their house for dinner.

Rehearsal last night was really good......Yes, we got side tracked.....Changing the blocking as we go...lolol....

Then came my entrance.....


'Hello Miss Abby'..............................


I'm having soooo much fun with this part.....the wanabe playwrite.... hehehehe


I HAVE NOW BECOME Officer O'Hara!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



So that's the QUICK update.......if you're local......I'd LOVE for you to see the play.....17, 18, 19 for 3 weeks

A Day to Remember

I actually think I will always remember this whole past weekend. I rediscovered my intense fondness for a very chilled Chardonnay.

This post has taken me two days to write. I want to write so many things in this post, but I have decided to keep it very short, but I feel I must post something.

I talked with a friend the other night for almost 4 hours, we talk about so many things, I have never had such a conversation with such honesty, we talked and we talked, we laughed and yes, cried together. That night when I got home, I replayed our conversation over and over in my mind.....remembering every word...every detail ...I did not sleep that night at all.....


I am so gratefull for my friend to take the time that night and talk with me. I will always remember that day.....and every word we exchanged.

And when I said 'I will always be your friend.', NOTHING was changed.

I will ALWAYS be your friend.

The LAST Survey

This'll be fun too! "The Last" Survey

Ok, so I stole this from another blogsite I was reading at lunch today. And I do believe that this person also admitted to stealing it from another site she visits.

According to Trixe this is what's called a "meme," which means an idea lifted from one blogger and scattered among others for nearly simultaneous discussions.

My answers are included. Feel free to lift and post on your own blog with your own answers.


The "Last" Survey

Last Cigarette: My last cigarette was over 20 years ago. However, I had a cigar over the weekend with a drink.....Now I remembered why I quit smoking. Even though cigars are different, the little then ones dripped in rum or something....NOT those BIG, SMELLY ones....lolololol

Last Alcoholic Drink: I had a couple glasses of a Jackson-Triggs Shiraz last night.

Last Car Ride:
With me driving? This morning coming to work.
With me as passenger? Friday night, going grocery shopping with a friend.

Last Kiss: Um, what TYPE of kiss????? lolol Last night.

Last Good Cry: This morning about 2 am this morning.

Last Library Book: What's a LIBRARY BOOK???.

Last Book Purchased: "Trojan Odyssey" by Clive Cussler.

Last Book Read: "Depection Point" by Dan Brown.

Last Movie Viewed in a Theater: Racing Stripe, I took my nephew to see it. Cute movie.

Last Movie Rented: hmmmm...."Friday Night Lights".

Last Profanity Uttered: Probably "****".

Last Beverage Drank: Tim Horton's XL black coffee.

Last Food Consumed: Roast Beef, mashed potatoes, steamed carrots and salad. It was soooo good!!!

Last Phone Call: About 1pm, work related phone call.....Boring!!!

Last Time Showered: This morning.

Last Shoes Worn: My black slip ones from "Aldo".

Last CD Played: "Room Service" by Bryan Adams.

Last Item Bought: (Other than groceries) A couple bottles wine; Jackson-Triggs Shariz.

Last Download: "Hard Road" by Sam Roberts.

Last Annoyance: Not knowing how to answer THIS question!!!!

Last Thing Written: This SURVEY!!

Last Key Used: My car key.

Last Words Spoken: "I'll work on that RFP this afternoon"

Last Sleep: 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. today.

Last Ice Cream Eaten: I don't remember.

Last Webpage Visited: Trixie's http://trixieshome.blogspot.com/ That's where I got this!!

A Silly Little Quiz

1. What time did you get up this morning?

hmmmm...which time.....3:25am

2. Diamonds or pearls?

as a guy....Diamonds

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?

Racing Stripes

3b. What is your favorite all time movie?

Few Good Men

4. What is your favorite TV show?

Amazing Race

5. What did you have for breakfast?

Tim Horton's XL Black Coffee

6. What is your middle name?

Manning

7. What is your favorite cuisine?

Indian

8. What foods do you dislike?

is there any????

9. What is your favorite chip flavor?

Ms. Vickie's....Sweet Pepper....the one in the blue bag...lolol

9b. What is your favorite alcoholic beverage?

Red Wine - Back Opal Shiraz or a WELL chilled Chardonnay

10. What is your favorite CD at the moment?

Bryan Adams - Room Service

10b. What is your most favorite CD ever?

The CD I made of the Top 30 Songs from 2004 from Kool-FM

11. What kind of car do you drive?

Suzuki - XL7

11b. What kind of car do you wish you could drive?

No idea

12.What is your favourite sandwich?

Fried egg on an English muffin

13. What characteristics do you despise?

not being honest with ones self and other people

13b. What characteristics do you admire in others?

honesty and compassion

14. Favorite item of clothing?

my 'hard rock cafe' pullover...Kinda like a sweat shirt with a collar and zipper.....very warm

15. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go?

Australia

15b. Where is your most favorite place that you have been?

The Dominic Republic

16. What color is your bathroom?

It has a colour???? hmmmm.....Apartment beige

17. Favorite brand of clothing?

What's a brand???

18. Where would you retire to?

Retire???? To my car???? lololol

18b. What is your ultimate job?

Doing nothing and getting apid

19. Favorite time of day?

Late at night

20. What was your most memorable birthday?

My 40th, my mother arranged a surprise birthday party for my when I was camping at Killbear Prov Park. All the friends we camped with had this party at a friends cottage that is not far from Killbear, on an island.....its was an awesome day...

21. Where were you born?

Toronto, Ontario

22. Favorite sport to watch?

Swimming

23. Who do you least expect to send this back to you?

hmmm...... I don't know

24. Who do you expect to be the first to send this back to you?

Deb


Now, if you want....you can POST YOUR answers as a comment, if you don't have a blog......or email them to me if you don't want anyone to see them..

lwalsh59@hotmail.com

Coffee

Ok...So like I didn't get my ACT together for coffee....

Should I try again???

Coffee and Super Bowl Sunday

Well.......

I did get my act together last night and went and I had a coffee, then I went out and played darts at my dad's, that was fun!!! And yes, I won two games to zero!!!!! I ROCK!!!! hehehe

Today I have a full play rehearsal where we are going to run the play from start to end, and do what is called 'PLAY POLISHING'.

The play, 'Arsenic and Old Lace' is really starting to come together. We finished the major set construction yesterday and all that is left now is the painting and final trim. The next major task for the play is the lighting design. Mike B and I are working on that together and Jenn my sister will be the Lighter Operator for the run of the play....

I know this will be a LONG day, and I know that by the end of the day I will want another coffee....

Perhaps I will get my ACT in gear again for coffee at 8......

Decisions...Decisions...

Well.....

I have come to the conclusion that I REALLY like RED wine...lolol

The are a couple reds that I enjoy and I tend to lean towards the Shiraz's. Trius, the Yellow Tail Shiraz, a Spanish one, translated that means "Blood of the Bull", but my current all time favorite red is Black Opal Shiraz from Australia.

However I STILL enjoy a good Chardonnay....

Now for today's decision...I feel like seeing a movie at the Galaxy TONIGHT.... and my choices are

ARE WE THERE YET? 7:05 9:20
BOOGEYMAN 7:20 10:05
COACH CARTER 6:40 9:40
HIDE AND SEEK 7:00 10:00
HOTEL RWANDA 6:45 9:45
IN GOOD COMPANY 6:50 9:50
MEET THE FOCKERS 6:35 9:35
MILLION DOLLAR BABY 6:30 9:30
SIDEWAYS 6:55 9:55
THE WEDDING DATE 7:10 9:25

So what should it be??????

If you have a suggestion....text message me at lwalsh59@hotmail.com

Thx

WHAT???? TWO Posts in One Day!!!!

You ever have one of those days??

Not those days, but THOSE DAYS..........

The type of day where you JUST CAN'T STOP SMILING!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, that is the day I've just have had!!!!!!!!

From my earlier post today I said I was starting to come out of the valley......well you know what?? I haven't stopped climbing all day.

Tonight, when I arrived at rehearsal I had a smile from ear to ear, and everyone said "Larry, you look different tonight". I haven't felt like this for a long time, today I was HAPPY.

I am happy because because I have FINALLY realized that I CAN DO THIS!!!!!


Tonight, I NAILED my part as Officer O'Hara, I AM OFFICER O'HARA!!!!!!!!

It felt so right, I had FUN with it, and I'm still smiling.

I just want to stand here, at the top of my mountain, because believe me IT WAS a long and tough climb, and SHOUT AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'M BAAAAAAACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Lighter Side of Life.....

OK, I admit it!!!!!!!

Lately I've been rather down and was writing almost only about being down. But I think, NO, I KNOW, that I'm coming out of that valley, with the help of some VERY SPECIAL and DEAR FRIENDS and FAMILY.

I could name you all here, but I KNOW you KNOW who you are......I just want to thank each of you for standing there with me, and helping me see that there is light and life at the end of the day.

There is ALWAYS a TOMORROW, and then TODAY becomes YESTERDAY. Yes, it is our YESTERDAYS that our memories are made of, but our dreams and hopes are built on our TOMORROWS.......

I am now starting to look forward to my TOMORROWS!!!


Well......Anyway......What ELSE is happening from the Penthouse.


Some of you may know that for the past year and half, I have been involved with the Caledon Townhall Players, a community based theatre group in Caledon, Ontario. I have been doing the technical 'stuff', lighting, sound, set construction and I was the Stage Manager for two productions.

Well, we are currently doing the play 'Arsenic and Old Lace' and for this play I will be putting on my acting hat. YEAP!!!! Larry will be acting....I AM SOOOO NERVOUS!!!!!

I'm playing the part of Officer O'Hara, a Brooklyn Cop who is a wannabe playwrite. We have been rehearsing since mid-December, and at one point we thought the play may be cancelled or postponed because we lost our director. But as they say, 'The show must go on!!' So we have a new director, thanks Pam, and we are still on track.

The play runs February 17, 18, 19 (Thursday, Friday, Saturday) for three weeks. The Website for the Caledon Townplayers is HERE for more information about the play or tickets.

I'm getting really exited about the play. The set is really coming together, which I have also been helping to build. I will be helping with the lighting design for the play which will be fun, as there are a number of lighting and mood changes in the play, that will be a challenge to create using the theatre's limited lights.

And the play itself is REALLY starting to come together. If you would have asked me a week ago.....I would have said we are so far way from being ready. But Pam has believed in us and after Sunday's rehearsal, I can feel it coming together. Tonight, will be the first rehearsal when we do of the complete play, beginning to end.

I'm so busy with the play as rehearsals are Tuesday and Thursday nights, and then Sunday afternoons. Saturdays have been taken up with set construction, leaving me little time for other things, which I guess has been a good thing for the past month.

This week is also the annual HRPAO Conference and Trade Show in Toronto. This show is for the Human Resource Professionals of Ontario, and our company, HRWARE will be there in the exhibit hall. So if you are in Toronto on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, you should drop on down to the Sheraton Centre and stop by the booth!!!

Oh well....Gotta run....Time to drive downtown and set up the booth for the show.......

Well....Thanks for dropping by.....Hope you can make the trade show, or even the play!!!!!

I guess that's for my 'LOCAL' friends....hehehehheh

So that's the 'View From the Penthouse', pretty nice view this week, if you ask me.....