When I was a kid I loved the Choose Your Own Adventure books. I was able to choose what happens next in the story and turn to the page number that matched the choice I made. It was great fun to make new selections even after solving the puzzle; I wanted to see how many different paths the story could take, and how many different ways “I” could die.
The story centers around the kidnapping of a concert pianist who disappears before the rehearsal of an important concert. The author is an artist of words when it comes to showing the anguish Ally, the kidnapped woman, experiences. Set in Australia, the different word usage is an added plus as are the descriptions of the unfamiliar places.
Sir John Mortimer wrote novels, plays, and several volumes of autobiography, but the Rumpole of the Bailey stories are my favorites. So I was amused when I read in Mortimer’s part memoir, part collection of essays, Where There’s a Will, about an incident that occurred after the death of Leo McKern.
Last night my son and I were able to sit in on part of a tech rehearsal for the California Public Theater production of Rent that opens tomorrow night. Since the show only has two performances I didn't want to wait until it opened to write about it, so they were kind enough to let us sit in.
2012 has been an exciting year for Valley theatre. We have seen Valley premiere's of shows like Next To Normal, Ave. Q, Spring Awakening and Ordinary Days. Fun classic shows like Fiddler On The Roof and Singing In The Rain. Fun newer shows like The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Thought provoking shows like Assassins and Baptized To The Bone, and family friendly shows like Beauty and the Beast and A Year With Frog and Toad.
Unlike most men, I knew what to get my wife, Janet, for Christmas: a new husband. The gift wouldn’t have made her a bigamist since I died two years ago. Janet deserved a great life and a reliable companion to share her years. None of my shopping has resulted in a gift to wrap, though that may have been due to my mixed feelings.
Sophia Rose spent the first three years of her life in misery. Abused and neglected by her family, she was finally discarded with the trash. And, that may have been the only bright spot in her short life.
Silver bells at Christmas no longer have that same old ring to them, at least not for me. Especially a set of bells packed with a Derringer. Yep, that’s right–a Derringer!
Nestled between Café Corazon and The Hashtag in Fresno’s Tower District is The Succulent Shack. It sounds like a nice place to eat or drink. In fact, as you enter the door, it looks and feels like a nice place to eat or drink. It has all the rustic charm and simple elegance of a corner café.
Agatha Christie spent her Christmases as a Child at Abney Hall, a picturesque, grand estate in the North of England. The entire family would come together to celebrate. She recalls it as a very happy time. The cousins would have a contest to see who could eat the most at Christmas dinner and they could have their fill of candied fruits and chocolates. The grounds of Abney Hall were a wonderland with gardens, a stream and waterfall, and all kinds of places to explore.
