end of the line

the last thing I needed to do was check on my eyes with eye doctor to see if there was any permanent damage to my left eye after all of the pressure from my unchecked thyroid condition - turns out everything is fine. My eyes are showing no damage at all aside from dryness. Yay!

that brings me to the end of this blog. My thyroid is gone, the synthetic thryoid seems to be working well, the surgery is still healing but I am able to do cardio exercise and yoga, and I am well on my way back.

I had an interview the other day and I felt like my old self ( a little nervous but mostly confident and articulate) Phew! It was just last year that I had a job interview where I was a wreck - shaking, heart racing, stumbling, eye streaming...I thought that I was having some sort of breakdown but it turned out that I was just metabolizing everything too fast because my thyroid was out of control.

Unbelievable what a difference a year makes.

Thank goodness for great doctors and excellent surgeons and the constant kind and sensitive care of Andrew.

I felt that this blog kind of got muddy because of the number of school assignments I was obliged to post. Next school year I will create a blog specifically for school posts if required. I am not going to post to this blog anymore. I need to think about what I want to write about on a daily/weekly basis. I will forward the new address of my fresh blog when I have something together.

Wishing everyone a great spring.

blatz it - Armin Wiebe's The Moonlight Sonata of Beethoven Blatz

Imagine a precocious 10 year old boy. He is raised in a Mennonite community, speaks low German, loves poetry and music, and o yeah - he's a 10 year old boy so pretty much all he can think about is sex.


That is how I imagine this play really came to be - Wiebe delved deep deep deep into his 10 year old self and this is what he pulled out.


It is a smart choice for a first time play. It deals with Mennonite themes and there is a huge Mennonite community in Manitoba that is completely underserviced for theatre. It deals with sex and people like sex. It's a comedy and people do like the comedy. I think this could be an incredibly succesful suite of plays for Mr. Wiebe.


I thought the action of the play was excellent - the sexing and the piano playing and the...well OK that was the action but it did keep my eyes entertained.


The tensions set up between the characters was a bit more challenging for me. Every one of the characters wanted to make a baby. Great. So it was done. Great. And then everyone started second guessing their actions. Fine but. I was not convinced by their vacillations. I know people have doubts. I know people change their minds - all the time. But I was not convinced that these characters had actually changed their minds, or were really teetering between what was and what they wanted. It's not that I don't believe people are complicated it's just that I thought that there was not enough basis for these characters' see-saw feeling. It felt artificial - I was just not convinced.

The low German accent is HARD! It is so hard. If you turn your back on it for even a second it is suddenly Jamaican, or Irish, or a million other things - tricky bugger. I have nothing but a great deal of respect for the actors who got as much of this accent on the stage as they did. Oy!


The sound cues were embarassing. I don't know what the intent was but we can do better than this. If they were supposed to be silly they should have been much sillier and if they were supposed to be realistic then they missed the mark by a mile. 


Neither the talk back nor the lecture changed my opinion about the play but it was very kind of  Wiebe to generously give so much of his time to us. These are some of the things he shared with us.

At the talkback Wiebe said that it took 5 years to write the play in total. That made me very nervous when I thought about my IPP - I intend to write a play in less than a year. oy.

Giving some great general advice, Wiebe exhorted us to trust in the intelligence of our audience. Never underestimate your audience or they will turn around and do the same for you.

During the lecture, Wiebe explained that as an emerging playwright he had provincial and city arts grants available to him. He would have received more grants but he would need to be an established playwright. Something for CreComm students to keep in mind as they embark on writing projects - there is grant money available for first time writers, not a lot, but some, and every little bit helps.

Wiebe said that his play is practically unique for modern low German drama. He could only think of two other examples but the presence of low german on the Internet is increasing. I think this is great niche market to develop - calling out anyone who speaks low German.

Finally,  Wiebe's description of what it is like to turn a play over to actors was so apt and so accurate - it's really a perfect description of the experience.

 

"I felt like my play was a trampoline with actors testing the springs to see if it would hold."

surgery notes continued

so it is almost a week after the surgery and...
I'm tired
and
I have a calcium deficiency right now so I am taking supplements and I know it's time to take another dose because my hands or feet tingle like they have fallen asleep - it's really very strange.
Just trying to gather myself for my last big push of CreComm assignments - I have it in me, kinda perversely wish I did not but I should be grateful.
Everything is going to be OK
Happy Spring everyone.

pre-op

Just had my consult before the surgery.
Apparently it's not a big deal, especially in comparison to having your appendix out which is a comforting thought.

I did learn that the anaesthesiologist (seriously how do you spell that word without spell check?) had a great deal of trouble intabating me last time and I should have received a letter from the hospital about that. Really? News to me...but I have been composing a book in my mind about the horrors of hospital life so I'll just put that into the chapter "Things the hospital should have done ... but totally and completely didn't."

It was really weird getting all this preparation for surgery. The last two times it was an emergency so there was no preparation at all. This time I went to this place called patient registration. They checked my information and then they had this nice boy take me to the fourth floor for my consultation with the pre-op nurse. It was all so nice and friendly and chill. Man, I should do all of my surgeries this way.

Wednesday of next week is the big day - I will keep everyone posted but I am going in at 1030 am, surgery is at noon, and I should be released around 8 am on Thursday.

cheers.

thyroidectomy anyone?

It's happening - for real and everything.

My thyroid is coming out on April 6 at St. Boniface hospital and please please please any gods that are listening let this be my last surgery of the year - I am tough but come on!

Stay tuned for more exciting pre and post op information - I wonder if I can bring my iPod into surgery with me?

cheers

my little pony meets starcraft

this is truly the most amazing mash up I have ever seen - Pony Craft: Wings of Magic

starcraft-2-and-my-little-pony-mash-up/

appendix free since 2011

I've gone my entire life without surgery and in the last year I have had two: one for my clavicle, and one on the 19th of February for my appendix. This is crazy - it's like everything is conspiring to make my first year in CreComm as difficult as possible - ah well, so it is.

I have one more surgery coming up in the next month or two to remove my thyroid and then I think I'd like to be done for awhile.

I am just not a good patient - I am cranky, impatient, and I hate having to depend on others to do the most basic things - the drugs are OK though.

I have noticed that all this drama has once again upset my equilibrium - I am oversensitive with everyone, impatient with imperfections, generally a bit of a mess.

Damn.

I am taking this Friday to regroup myself and get my PR project done.

Everything is going to be just fine.
Everything is going to be just fine.
Everything is going to be just fine. 

facebook vs. twitter = apples and aardvarks

facebook and twitter - for me - are like two friends in a social group that have almost nothing in common but keep showing up at all the same parties. People often refer to F and T as though they are one and the same - social media - but for me they could not be more different.

Facebook is for friends - mainly for keeping track of my friends' shows. I never accept a friend invite from someone I don't know and I rarely change my status. Facebook is kinda done for me actually - I am not interested in status updates, I dislike quizzes made up by 10 year olds, and poking is soooo ova. The only reason I even keep my profile is for the event invites.

I am surprised at how much I like Twitter. The bitesize bits of information are absolutely delicious. I like that I can get a taste of information and if it is particularly delectable there is usually a link I can follow to pursue the matter further. Nice! High five!

Someone I appreciate on Facebook is a friend who sends out clear invites in a timely fashion. 

Someone I appreciate on Twitter delivers succinct bits of information that I can follow up on with a link if I am sufficiently intrigued - I think Bartley Kives is particularly good at this. I used to follow Roger Ebert, but he fills his tweets with eBay items and lusting after young actors that frankly gives me the willies.

For strategic purposes I think that Facebook is great for delivering information about events to your friends and interested parties - harder to get the word out to people who are not already your friends. Twitter is great for making lots of new "friends". The trick is to keep them interested with tasty tidbits of information - every day. The key word is tasty - people will keep following your tweets if you keep them to a minimum, tweet every day, and give value - tweet interesting information that people can follow up on with links if they so desire.

so saith Michelle

the writer and the publisher

I think a lot about getting published.
Not all the time.
Not as much as pizza or sex or homework.
But I think about it.
Dream about it.
Imagine receiving awards at black tie ceremonies...

This year for my IPP I am likely writing a play.
I will not try to get it published.
What I will do is try to get a theatre company to pick it up for their season.
If a professional company performs my show, then I have a much much much better chance of publishing my work.

If I can't convince a company to pick up my show, then I really love the idea of turning my piece into a radio drama and recording it as a podcast - at least it'll have some legs.

What I love most about the CC program is the ideas I am gathering about self-marketing. I hope that by the end of my two years, I will have enough tools in marketing utility belt to get out into the world and make something really happen.


Cheers

Winnipeg Jewish Review edited version of my review The Father

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http://www.winnipegjewishreview.com/article

REVIEW OF WJT’s THE FATHER : WELL PACED POWERFUL DRAMA RUNS UNTIL FEB. 6

By Michelle Palansky, February 1,2011

The Father, Winnipeg Jewish Theatre’s offering for StrindbergFest 2011, is a dramatic and intense piece of theatre put opn by a local cast who give some fine performances.
StrindbergFest 2011 is Manitoba Theatre Centre’s 11th annual Master Playwright Festival. Every year, the festival celebrates a world-class playwright with performances and readings of his/her work. This year, MTC showcases August Strindberg. He was a Swedish writer who lived from 1849 -1912, and he is known for his emotionally intense plays and his misogynistic attitudes.

Adapted by Toronto playwright Julie Teppermen, the show resets August Strindberg’s 1887 play in a modern context, with Jewish instead of Christian themes. The play stays very close to the original concept. Teppermen updates the original language, which is far too stiff for modern audiences. The Internet, laptops, mobile phones - they are all there to modernize the feel of the piece. However, the essential struggles of the play remain the same. What is a father? Can a father ever be certain his child is truly his own? Who should control the fate of a child, the mother or the father?
Miriam Smith is masterful in the role of Leah/Laura Freedman, the mother who turns to Judaism after the death of her twin son Josh. She is simmering  with frustration. Her performance is strong, subtle, and very calculated as she extricates herself from an unhappy marriage, and drives her husband insane. As a Joseph Wolinsky graduate, I can  vouch for her pronunciation of the Shabbat prayers. As someone who is often disappointed by Jewish actors who mispronounce the most basic Hebrew words, I was thrilled to hear Smith’s excellent accent.

The role of the husband, Adam Freedman, is played by Arne MacPherson. He plays the role of the free thinking, controlling, tortured husband admirably well. The husband’s descent into madness could have been showy in a ham-fisted actor’s hands, but MacPherson finds the reality of the role and the humanity in the father.
Graham Ashmore plays Laura’s brother, Benjamin and Jennifer Lyon plays Julia, Laura’s therapist friend. They deliver solid performances; their timing is excellent and they have great rapport with the other actors. When the Catholic-Italian Julia comes to stay with the Freedmans, Adam has her turn on the lights because it is already Shabbat.

“I know, while you’re here you can be my Shabbos goy - you could make a killing in New York turning things on and off.”

The roles of Benjamin and Laura are like Shabbos goys - they are there to mechanically move things along in the plot - they turn things on and they turn things off.

The pacing of the show was impressive. The actors kept the show moving along quickly and with a great deal of assurance. Credit goes to Mariam Bernstein, the director, for good timing and effective stage pictures.

The family portrait, set centre stage above the couch, sometimes cycled through different moments of the Freedman family, but during the bulk of the play remained frozen on a singular family picture. It is the Freedman family of the happy past - Josh is alive and grinning next to his twin Becca, Adam and Laura are together, and Laura is still Laura, not Leah the grieving mother who turns to traditionalism to salve her wounds. The family picture does not change, but as the audience learns more about this wounded family, the viewing of the picture changes. The portrait becomes sadder, darker, creepier; a constant reminder of what the family was and will never be again - a strong, silent, fifth character in the play.

The Father is more intense than hilarious but it does have its moments. Adam jokes about the things he has given up since his wife Laura has become religious.
“You wanna talk sacrifice? I even gave up turkey and Havarti sandwiches - at home.”

The allusion to the “kosher-at-home-Jew” got a pretty big laugh from the audience, but the belly laughs were reserved for the Shabbat meal. Adam brings home a bottle of Manischewitz wine.
“You’re in for a really awful treat.”

The Father  is a play that is strongly dramatic. It packs a lot of punch in 90 minutes of theatre. The audience, made up of younger StrindbergFest devotees and the older Berney Theatre crowd, was treated to a show that did not disappoint.
The Father runs from Jan. 27-Feb. 6, 2011.

the father

for those of you who don't subscribe to the Winnipeg Jewish Review http://www.winnipegjewishreview.com/ - here is a preview of my review of Winnipeg Jewish Theatre's The Father for StrindbergFest2011.

The Father, Winnipeg Jewish Theatre’s offering for StrindbergFest 2011, is an intense piece of theatre. 

StrindbergFest 2011 is Manitoba Theatre Centre’s 11th annual Master Playwright Festival. Every year, the festival celebrates a world-class playwright with performances and readings of his/her work. This year, MTC showcases August Strindberg. He was a Swedish writer who lived from 1849 -1912, and he is known for his emotionally intense plays and his misogynistic attitudes.

Adapted by Toronto playwright Julie Teppermen, the show resets August Strindberg’s 1887 play in a modern context, with Jewish instead of Christian themes. The play stays very close to the original concept. Teppermen updates the original language, which is far too stiff for modern audiences. The Internet, laptops, mobile phones - they are all there to modernize the feel of the piece. However, the essential struggles of the play remain the same. What is a father? Can a father ever be certain his child is truly his own? Who should control the fate of a child, the mother or the father?

I saw The Father on its second public performance. There were less than fifty people in attendance, which says less about the popularity of the show and more about the weather conditions that evening. Fifteen centimetres of snow really puts a damper on people’s enthusiasm for live theatre - understandably. The audience was a good mix of younger StrindbergFest devotees and the older Berney Theatre crowd. The hearty audience, who braved the snow, was treated to an all local cast who did not disappoint.

Miriam Smith is masterful in the role of Leah/Laura Freedman, the mother who turns to Judaism after the death of her twin son Josh. She is all over simmering frustration. Her performance is strong, subtle, and very calculated as she extricates herself from an unhappy marriage, and drives her husband insane. As  a Joseph Wolinsky graduate, I can  vouch for her pronunciation of the Shabbat prayers. As someone who is often disappointed by Jewish actors who mispronounce the most basic Hebrew words, I was thrilled to hear Smith’s excellent accent.

The role of the husband, Adam Freedman, is played by Arne MacPherson. He plays the role of the free thinking, controlling, tortured husband admirably well. The husband’s descent into madness could have been showy in a ham-fisted actor’s hands, but MacPherson finds the reality of the role and the humanity in the father.

Graham Ashmore plays Laura’s brother, Benjamin and Jennifer Lyon plays Julia, Laura’s therapist friend. They deliver solid performances; their timing is excellent and they have great rapport with the other actors. When the Catholic-Italian Julia comes to stay with the Freedmans, Adam has her turn on the lights because it is already Shabbat.

“I know, while you’re here you can be my Shabbos goy - you could make a killing in New York turning things on and off.”

The roles of Benjamin and Laura are like Shabbos goys - they are there to mechanically move things along in the plot - they turn things on and they turn things off. Nothing wrong with that, but they could be so much more.

The pacing of the show was impressive. The actors kept the show moving along quickly and with a great deal of assurance. I heard very few line stumbles, and the actors never seemed to lose their footing - impressive for a brand new show on its second performance. Credit Mariam Bernstein, the director, for good timing and effective stage pictures.

The family portrait, set centre stage above the couch, sometimes cycled through different moments of the Freedman family, but during the bulk of the play remained frozen on a singular family picture. It is the Freedman family of the happy past - Josh is alive and grinning next to his twin Becca, Adam and Laura are together, and Laura is still Laura, not Leah the grieving mother who turns to traditionalism to salve her wounds. The family picture does not change, but as the audience learns more about this wounded family, the viewing of the picture changes. The portrait becomes sadder, darker, creepier; a constant reminder of what the family was and will never be again - a strong, silent, fifth character in the play.

The Father is more intense than hilarious but it does have its moments. Adam jokes about the things he has given up since his wife Laura has become religious.

“You wanna talk sacrifice? I even gave up turkey and Havarti sandwiches - at home.”
The allusion to the “kosher-at-home-Jew” got a pretty big laugh from the audience, but the belly laughs were reserved for the Shabbat meal. Adam brings home a bottle of Manischewitz wine.
“You’re in for a really awful treat.”

The Father is a really awful treat. The characters are hateful, the mood is sinister, and the action is strongly dramatic. This show packs a lot of punch in 90 minutes of theatre. If you like your theatre strong, then this is the play for you.

The Father runs from Jan. 27-Feb. 6, 2011.

Michelle's first visit to the surgeon

I met the doctor who will be doing my thyroid surgery today. Really nice guy, about my age, not at all fazed that I was recreationally familiar with ketamine -lol. I was taken way off guard when I was signing the release forms and realized he plans on taking out my whole thyroid. The whole damn thing! My endocrinologist led me to believe this was a partial removal which might allow me to live without medication-that ain't gonna happen if they take the whole thing out. So my doctors will have a chat and let me know what's what. oy

angry birds for PlayStation

I have been playing Angry Birds on PlayStation 3. Here's the deal. I am not a button masher so this game is perfect for my boyfriend and I to play together. I also think it's easier than the i Pod version. You get more birds for ammo per level which is a big help. I really really heart this game. It is great fun and after a couple of hours you can get as sketched out and jittery as though you are coming off a chemical high without all the nasty expense and shady deals. Die pigs die!

drugs? yay!

I have noticed that I am feeling particular well lately. Last term I was very sensitive and temperamental, this term I am more even-tempered and go-with-the-flow. Partly this is due to the fact that I much prefer the structure of this term compared to last term. Everything was sooo introductory last term, and now we are actually getting our hands dirty - doing stuff. Yay stuff! Mostly it is due to the drugs I think. My metabolism is better regulated and so are my moods which makes Michelle a much happier, more productive, and easier to get along version of herself. soooo? Yay drugs!

bright idea

"Our goal this year was to utilize experienced traffic officers who had good screening skills and also had an interest in arresting drunk drivers," said Riffel, who also added that officers paid special attention to areas where people would likely be drinking, including bars and lounges.
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/breakingnews/Checkstops-more-effective-in-nabbing-DUIs-113021634.html

This quote from the  WFP is my new favourite reading passage of 2011.
 This year, the cops monitored bars for drunk drivers - that is genius!

the real caramilk secret: pseudo-event

In the summer of 2010 Caramilk launched a national campaign.
http://www.caramilk.ca/en/HowToPlay.aspx

Specially marked Caramilk bars with golden keys were sold with with a validation key.  A valid key entitled the bearer to a free trip to Toronto, and a chance to try their "golden key" on the vault containing the Caramilk secret. If the key opened the lock then the winner would receive $125,000.00, the Caramilk secret which they were to safeguard for six months, and another $125,000.00 at the end of their six months.

In the fall of 2010, at a lavish ceremony, Lisa Landry was given the awesome responsibility of keeping the Caramilk secret intact for six months.

Phew! It was a big build up to the ceremonial passing of the pseudo-torch. Did it work?


From a personal perspective, I remember when the bars with the mystery packaging came out. I bought one (even though I don't like this bar) to find out about the game. When I realized that the chances were really slim, and required phone calls and verification, I said meh. I am an instant gratification kinda girl.

I tried to find press coverage of the Caramilk ceremony and I did find a couple of newspapers with items about the contest/ceremony including the Globe and Mail and the Ottawa Citizen. Mostly the coverage was clearly labeled as a press release by the paper. I also found several blog entries about this pseudo-event but I am very certain that these blog posts were subsidized by Cadbury as they were little more than advertisements for the event.

It is difficult to gauge the Twitter impact as the site is not allowing me to view posts older than 5 days but the Caramilk Facebook presence is massive. They currently have 38,686 friends so they must be doing something right.

In the end I think that this pseudo-event worked extremely well. The change in their packaging for the summer made the Caramilk bar very visible to the consumer and refreshed interest in the merchandise. I think that the ceremony itself was a bit of a lame duck with not very much press interest, but I don't think Cadbury cares nor do I think they should care. The real secret of the ceremony was that it was an excuse to sell more chocolate bars - I am willing to bet it worked. Nice!

Big fat deal.

This is the latest installment on the continuing saga of my Graves disease.

This is some crazy yo-yo condition. Last month I was pretty lethargic, and when I saw my endocrinologist he told me that my thyroid numbers had plummeted and I needed a new medication to bring up my levels. So now I am taking drugs to keep my thyroid levels down and bring them up as well - say what???

As an added bonus, and a thank you for playing our game, I gained 10 pounds in one month. A new record high!!! Whoo! Ya!

I am now 190 pounds which is 10 pounds shy of my heaviest weight ever.

It is so disappointing for me. Over a decade ago, I lost all of my extra weight and maintained it for years. I vowed never to get this heavy again.

I do not feel in control of my body and it is very disconcerting. I have trouble looking in the mirror or being on camera, and my clothes don't fit. Blaaa!

To add fuel to the fire, my brother is gettting married at the end of February and I don't know if I will be able to fit into the bridesmaid gown.  I am also really looking forward to seeing all of my relatives so they can tell me how fat I look. Yay!

People close to me are being amazingly supportive (special shout out to the most excellent boyfriend) and I am really striving to keep my sense of humor about the whole thing. So I am fatter than I would like to be, so what? Me and millions of other Canadians - big deal.

The good news is that the new medicine is working and I am feeling much less lethargic.
So positive thoughts, work on things I can control, screw the rest.

Happy 2011 everyone!