Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Personalized phone case

I decided on a Queen of Hearts theme since we can all use more love 💟.

















4.Laser copies of cut outs made at  Staples.  5. Cutting and gluing on the pieces. Then covering with a matte finish of decoupage.
Not perfect, but good enough for me. I plan to do another with a different design.
That's it 💓💘💗

The Mystery of Love and Sex



SUCH a pretty day not to get out . I made a last minute decision to attend a Sunday matinee of  live theatre done by Terrific New Theatre,  one of the little theatres here in Birmingham.   The Mystery of Love and Sex was the offering. The online teaser stated:


Deep in the American South, Charlotte and Jonny have been best friends since they were nine. She's Jewish, he's Christian, he's black, she's white. Their differences intensify their connection until sexual desire complicates everything in surprising, compulsive ways. An unexpected love story about where souls meet and the consequences of growing up.”


This was my first time attending a TNT production. In fact  I went to the WRONG theatre which was Birmingham Festival Theatre to which I have been too before.  As a searched for a parking space,  I wondered why I didn’t  see anyone on the theatre grounds.  Discovering my mistake  Latoya (that’s my car’s name) and I did a turn around  hoping to make it to the correct address  Luckily TNT wasn’t too far away.  
I made it in well before the curtain went up.

According to the  Who’s Who on the program, the cast included:


 Russell E. Alexander II (Jonny)   is a Senior Theatre Arts Major at The University of Alabama at  Birmingham (UAB) who’ll be graduating this April. He has performed  numerous works here and in other cities 

Beth Kitchin (Lucinda)  has performed in over 30 productions in the Birmingham area. She is an Assistant  Professor of  Nutrition  Sciences at UAB. 
*I immediately recognized her from her nutrition advisory spots on the local morning show, Good Day Alabama

Judd McCluney (Howard)   made his debut with TNT in 1987.  He has performed in countless productions here and elsewhere.  He too studied at UAB, been a member of  the  Birmingham Shakespeare Ensemble, City Equity Theatre and Ravenswood Productions.

Laura Elson Towns (Charlotte) This was her fifth performance with TNT. She has also performed with BFT and Virginia Samford Theatre.

George “Buddy” Cannon (Howard’s  father) is a retiree with a long history of stage performances over the years. This was his first performance with TNT

This was definitely not a dramedy  (comedy-drama)  for children. There were adult themes and scenes.  Also present were infidelity, sexual tensions, racism, homosexuality, alcohol, marijuana and tobacco. 

I was gripped in a trance as each actor finessed his/her character exhibiting a roller coaster of emotions of which I was a passenger.   A brilliant  presentation.  I left the theatre sated from the performance.


Very cozy inside with head shots of various actors.

Photo opp with Russell E. Alexander II who portrayed Jonny.
I would have requested photos from the other actors but he is the only one I saw.


That's it 

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Do you detest grocery shopping as much as I do?







Suppose you could get someone to do your grocery shopping for you?


 That was the subject of a magnificent lecture I attended today led by KAT’s Inc.  CEO  & President, Maurice Mercer.  He fascinated me even more by saying , “Seniors get a flat rate.”

The idea for his company came about when his own mother Kathryn Jenkins
an MSN was stricken with a debilitating illness which no longer allowed her to do her own shopping and other errands. You can read more about the background of his brainchild on the website

Some of what I remember from the lecture included the following:

  • Employees/shoppers/delivery persons (Hereafter referred to as ESD) are bonded, insured and under a company insurance policy for other incidentals. They are given a background check.
  • They will shop at the stores you want them to.
  • Stores will give the senior discount on senior discount days when KAT’s tells them they are shopping for a senior.
  • ESDs are part-timers and wear red t- shirts with the name of the business on front and  shopping cart logo.
  • ESDs will go to more than one store, up to 3 stores if they are  within the same area. Otherwise there is an upcharge.
  • ESDs  will put the groceries up for you if you are unable to do so.
  • Clients may e-mail, text or phone in their orders.  Orders phoned in after 7pm go to voicemail.
  • If an ESD can’t find an item a client has listed, the ESD will call/text to ask the client about substitutes.
  • Shopping lists need to be at KAT’s the day before the shopping.
  • ESDs give clients a time window as to when the delivery will be made.

After giving the basics of the business Mr. Mercer took questions from the audience. 


My questions were;
  •   Must clients sign a contract? No. But they must have a credit card on file even if they pay by check. No cash payments are allowed.  
  •    May a client use coupons? Yes. The client can mail in the coupons. If the ESD has to pick them up and then shop that is an extra fee. KAT’s also uses digital coupons they may find online.
This is a service that is certainly needed by seniors/disabled or chronically ill. I found Mr. Mercer’s responses to be full of human compassion and well thought out. I will be using this service at least once just as an experience.

This free program was sponsored by Senior Services Division of the  Human-Community Services and Economic Development  and was held at Cooper Green Mercy Health Services.  There was also free parking with a validated ticket.  I will be attending future programs sponsored by the organization.

As I age I want to stay informed of the services out there for me.

That's it