No Strings Attached

Posted By Kathleen David on May 16, 2019

Yesterday was our bowling dinner and I was proud that I helped my team take 7th place out of 20 teams in the first half and 3rd place in the second half. It was just me because Peter took Caroline into the city for a taping of the Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Children start by listening to their parent’s music and then branch off into things they like that their parents don’t listen to or barely know about. I think my band that was my first one that I picked out for me, other than the Monkees, was the Steve Miller Band which was quickly followed by Styx, ELO, David Bowie and Queen among many others.

Caroline’s is a Korean Boy Band called BTS. I have no idea who introduced her to them but she loves their music and their videos and their lyrics. She obtained albums before the rest of America found out about them.

Last night BTS was performing at LSSC (the Late Show with Stephen Colbert). We found this out a couple of weeks ago that they would be there.

Peter, being the awesome Dad that he is, decided he would see if he could get her into that taping.

A little background, years ago Peter put Colbert into a Marvel Comic specifically Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman # 15 where he was a throw away on a page with his famous line “moving on”. Peter got the artwork from the artist and gave it to Stephen (which is a great story in its own right ask Peter about it some time). That was the beginning of their friendship.

We attended the Colbert Report a couple of times over the years thanks to one of writers and really spiffy guy, Mike Brum.

Peter wrote Stephen with the heading “I have never asked you for tickets” and went on to explain that Caroline was a big fan of BTS. He asked for the favor as a dad to a dad. Stephen made it happen and they found themselves in the third row watching the taping of the show.

Caroline loved it. She had a lot of fun with the guests and has a new podcast channel to listen to. It was good timing for her since she got some bad news at the beginning of the week and has AP tests today and tomorrow.

They could be seen at the very end of the show where Stephen stands in the aisle and talks about the next show. They are to the right of Stephen,

There are things that happen in your life or during your life that you always remember where you were when the event happened.

Twenty-nine years ago I was finishing up my MFA at the Yale School of Drama. My last work study was being on the stage crew for the Yale Rep production of Pygmalion. I came in for the afternoon school matinee only to have people tell me that Jim Henson had died. I found out from one jáçkášš I seriously wanted to punch very hard on more than one occasion so I didn’t believe him until a friend wanted to make sure I was all right because of Jim’s passing. I went to the deck and sat in my corner and quietly cried.

It is hard for me to believe that 29 years have passed. Next year it will be 30 years since I graduated from Yale.

People have been born, grown up, and had children in that time. The number of people who met Jim is reducing every year.

I will say that in that twenty-nine years I have made friends with a lot of puppeteers who worked for Jim.

He is the spiritual father of each puppet I make. If he hadn’t done what he did, I would not be were I am right now.

Thank you Jim for everything. We still miss you and wonder what could have been.

Tonight is the final episode of the Big Bang Theory. We started watching it from the premiere. After the episode Peter and I decided that something was there and made it must see TV. Love it or hate it, it became a cultural phenomenon. Tonight is the last Bazinga, the last time we will see the characters together. They have been setting a lot of things up and it is going to be interesting how this all pays off.

I am grateful that one dad helped another dad making his little girl very happy.

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Posted By Kathleen David on May 15, 2019

This is blue-sky puffy cloud day with big yellow ball popping in and out of view.

It has been a couple of grey and wet days so this is a nice change. The temperature is a little on the nippy side but still not below freezing so I will take what I can get.

Tomorrow I will have an adventure to tell you about because it hasn’t happened yet.

Still plotting out the rest of the month. I need to find shaggy red fur for something and I haven’t been able to find what I want.

I know what I am doing with the rest of my day and it will be productive….I hope.

I am grateful for good motivation.

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Posted By Kathleen David on May 14, 2019

I know how to make puppets. I know how to dress puppets. I have a particular set of skills that allow me to do all kinds of creative things.

I made a set of shields for an English project Caroline was filming and that’s kind of it for the past month.

My will and drive has been in neutral for a while now for many reasons.

I have things I need to do before a set date and things I want to do before a set date.

One thing did come off the plate due to complications of the new system in place just doesn’t fit with what I need to do at that convention.

There are other things I would like to accomplish this year. I had a reminder of what can happen as my Facebook reminded me that I got Matt Ryan a Constantine puppet which he really loved.  I got a puppet to Wallace Shawn a brilliant actor and playwright which he loved.

I did get my website up but need to refine it because it is OK but not what I want. I did two very large sections that didn’t post due to Internet lack of cooperation.

I still need to get things done for the convention season that have nothing to do with making puppets but are still creative in their own way.

And we are half way to June, which is half way through the year.

I think I am just going to start something because that will get me going in the right direction.

I am grateful when I can get my will fired  up.

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Posted By Kathleen David on May 13, 2019

I am just involved in part of it.

Caroline has a busy week of seeing her favorite band, BTS, as a reward for taking her AP (Advance Placement) tests.

Peter had a number of writing assignments that have dropped into his lap that need to be done.

I am going to be working from point a to point b to get things done that need to be done this week.

I really like the Cirque show I saw yesterday entitled “Luzia”. It was the usual high flying shenanigans with a Mexican twist. The music was lovely and the main singer had an amazing voice. Nicely put together show. Lots of families with their mothers and grandmothers to see the show.

I came home to find that an old friend Tim Bolgeo had passed. He was better know as Uncle Timmy and he was a face of LibertyCon for me. He was one of the guys who kept an eye on us youngsters at various southern conventions. There was one occasion where someone was making me very uncomfortable at a ChattaCon and had me cornered. Uncle Timmy saw what was going on and stepped in to get me away from the creep. He also had a very large catalogue of jokes a lot of them a bit off color. He found my theater life interesting and was happy that I found love with Peter.  My sympathies to his friends and family. 

We are rapidly losing the old guard of Southern Fandom and that makes me a bit sad because those were the people that taught me about FIAWOF and SMOF and gafiate long with mundane and all those other words we used as a shorthand amongst ourselves.

I have been listed on the DragonCon website. I have my puppet slam piece half figured out. I want to do “So you want to build a puppet” again this year. I am hoping to participate in some other tracks. 108 days until DragonsCon now were is my fleece….

 I love it when one of the cats falls asleep next to me. Inky knows I will protect her from the other two jumping on her head. Mewlan knows she can get scritches on command. Fig knows she was here first and reminds the other two of that fact.

I am grateful that I was able to tell Neil Patrick Harris how much I loved him in Company.

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Posted By Kathleen David on May 12, 2019

Seventeen years ago I celebrated my first mother’s day with my daughter.

Fifty-six years ago my mother celebrated her first mother’s day with me.

I can remember when I told a friend who I have done a number of shows over the years that I was pregnant, they told me, “You are going to be an awesome mom.” I asked how they knew this and they said, “You are such a mom as a stage manager and as a step mother so the skills will translate.”

According to Caroline I am a good mother and parent.

I try and it is such a balancing act between giving her freedom and making sure she is safe.

I am lucky that I live in a place that I can allow her the freedom to walk into the village and meet her friends. She is now old enough to go into the city and meet up with friends. I remember the first time I had to stop at the security gate as she was old enough to no longer be an unaccompanied minor. The first time I put her on a plane by herself to see her sister Shana.

She is reaching that age which is just between being a child and an adult. She had some of the adult trappings like a checking account and a passport. Soon she will have her learner’s permit.

I am very proud of her and her accomplishments. She works hard and gets good grades. She is motivated to do her best and takes responsibility for her actions.

I have tried to be a good example for her the way that my mother was a shining example for me on how to be a good person.

I am grateful for my daughter and my mother.

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