Author Archives: beth

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About beth

Ann Arbor-ite writes about enjoying life with all of its ironies and surprises.
Apr25

flashdance. one more time.

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repost below from 5 years ago, now the 40th anniversary of this film

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35 years ago ‘flashdance’ was released

and it emerged again recently

in honor of international dance day

 i loved this movie

 had the shoes, the ripped up sweatshirt, the perm

though my dancing style

was a bit different  

from this welder by day/dancer by night

and i didn’t live in a cool loft

or have an eccentric dog

or ride my bike to work

or look at all alike

but other than that

we were like sisters.

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Take your passion and make it happen! #InternationalDanceDay

—

“let us read and let us dance –

two amusements that will never do any harm to the world. “

-voltaire

 

 

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image credit: paramount pictures, jennifer beals

Apr24

24 hour theater.

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what an unforgettable time

 my grandson spent

with his schoolmates

helping to create

an original play in 24 hours

writers, actors, stage crew, director, light crew, props, costumes, staging, sound

it was a such a joy to see it all come to life on the stage.

—

“the theatre is so endlessly fascinating because it’s so accidental. it’s so much like life.”

-arthur miller

Apr23

rainy night.

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“it was a rainy night. it was the myth of a rainy night.”
― jack kerouac, on the road
oh, how i love rainy nights.
—

The University of Michigan Bentley Library

 a rainy night on campus. 1909

Photo credit: Daines & Nickels (Ann Arbor, Mich.)

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Apr22

*good planets.

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good planets are hard to find

 

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on earth day 2023

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photo credit: earthtalk

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Apr21

sailing off.

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mac does its part with loose parts: an earth day art show

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the children have been learning for weeks

about recycling, reusing, and repurposing

many kinds of materials

in honor of tomorrow’s holiday (earth day)

 using the voice of art as expression

each child created an original sculpture

repurposing used items

finding new beauty in these discarded things 

putting them together in new ways

 inviting their families 

to their ‘gallery opening’

each child filled with pride in their work

and a realization that they are artists. 

“art is a form of exploration, of sailing off into the unknown alone, heading for those unmarked places on the map. if children are not permitted-not taught-to be adventurers and explorers as children, what will become of the world of adventure, of stories, of literature itself?

– michael chabon 

Apr20

finding sprinkles.

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how lucky am i to find this downtown, on a walk on a beautiful day?

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“i’m well aware. a world without rainbow sprinkles is a world without happiness.”

-l.m. augustine

Apr19

*fork over.

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why is it

that within 5 seconds and 2 steps

when carrying a plate with a fork on it

that the fork somehow slams to the ground

even when i’m focused, keeping the plate level, moving at a normal pace

is it math? science? is my body always a just a bit a-kilter?

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*in reading about what dropping a fork means, all i that i can find are superstitions.

after looking at superstitions from around the globe, from a variety of cultures, both historical and current

many disagree about what will happen when you drop a fork

but they seem to be narrowed down to three major things that will happen soon:

good news, bad news, or love.

this explains a lot of my life.,

but why the fork falls remains a mystery.

—

“if they drop a fork, you give them another one”

– from ‘caddyshack’

Apr18

booties.

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adjustable cat anti scratch shoes anti scratch cat feet claw covers pet grooming supplies details 0

Adjustable Cat Anti-Scratch Shoes,

Anti-Scratch Cat Feet Claw Covers

—

just a guess,

but i’m thinking

this was not

thoroughly thought through

market tested

or

focus grouped

and may not go well.

—

“nothing dies harder than a bad idea.”

-julia cameron

 

 

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source credit: mingott pet

Apr17

tangled cord.

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not us, but what we might look like if we were minions,

as we share a similar level of excitement about being at the movies

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how fun to meet my friend

at 10am at the theater

like skipping school

on a sunday morning

attending the church of film

i bought a coffee

snuck in my breakfast bar

as we walked in

i saw an older couple

and reacted by saying,

“wow, there are other people here!”

their response was to just stare ahead

we continued on to our seats

 5 or 6 more people arrived

while we waited for the movie to start

my friend and i caught up

 we started bonding with the others near us

talking about how good we all hoped movie would be

how it was funny we were all at such an early movie

talking about the trailers

someone noticed

 there was no audio during the movie trailers

thinking it would be taken care of

by the time the film started

we were all in our comfortable recliners

with our snacks, chatting, and feeling a bit decadent

when we realized the audio may never happen

the manager walked in

telling us there was an issue with the sound

something technical…

(try unplugging and plugging it in?))

 no one to fix it at 10am on a sunday morning

how quickly the air was let out of our giddy balloon

we lined up still chatting as she refunded us

some walked out with a sunday breakfast of popcorn and drinks

 plans suddenly turned

but it was fun while it lasted

and we’ll be back.

—

“just a single cord is enough to be tangled”

-munia kahn

 

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image credit: universal pictures

Apr16

no mow.

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(landscaper waiting patiently)

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the city has introduced an initiative

asking residents

to let their lawns and parks

grow to one foot tall before mowing

to benefit the struggling pollinator population

the landscapers are standing down.

 

—

“the grass is always greener once you don’t have to mow a lawn anymore.”

r.k. milholland