It’s true. Sort of. (Got your attention though, didn’t I mom!)
At a doctor’s visit this morning I decided to get an official opinion about a small dark spot on the back of my right hand. One day when I was in grade school (I forget what grade, but it was probably between 15 and 20 years ago), I stabbed myself (accidentally) with a pencil. I have had a small dark spot there ever since. My doctor actually called it a ‘prison tattoo’ because a similar method is sometimes used by inmates (purposefully) to create amateur tattoos. He also said there is nothing to worry about, health-wise, but it will probably be there forever unless I have it removed for cosmetic reasons.
So there you have it. I learned today that I do have a tattoo. Sort of.
For the first time in my life I have to start thinking about the possibility of wearing glasses. I’ve been so proud of the fact that I’m the only one in my immediate family and much of my extended family that hasn’t needed glasses. I still don’t need glasses, but I now have the option of improving my vision via glasses or contacts. As it’s been several years, I finally made an appointment for an eye exam for the sole purpose of checking for glaucoma (my family history requires that I have that checked every year). The good news was that the pressure in my eyes is perfectly normal, and I have no signs of glaucoma. The bad news was that the optometrist said it was time to start considering whether to improve my vision with glasses or contacts. He showed me what my vision would be like with glasses, and I must admit I was surprised to see how sharp and clear it made the world look – almost the difference between regular television and HD-TV. *sigh* I ‘m not quite ready to commit to such a big change, but it’s now a possibility to consider.
I am finally a volunteer usher for CAPA, a local not-for-profit organization that owns and operates three beautiful and historic theaters of columbus (Southern Theatre, Ohio Theatre, and Palace Theatre), and manages the Vern Riffe Center theaters. I started the process to become a volunteer months ago, but they only take on new volunteers at designated times throughout the year, and there is an interview and 5-hour orientation process you have to participate in before you are allowed to begin. They ask for a minimum committment of two shows a month, and you are welcome to sign up for as many shows as you want.
There are several reasons that I became a volunteer usher. First, it’s an opportunity to meet other people who are into theater and the arts. Second, it keeps me connected to the local theater scene. Third, I’ll get to see a lot of shows of all kinds, many of which I would never have seen otherwise. I have already seen a local orchestral group playing movie soundtrack music, a touring play, a men’s choral concert, and a group of 75 mostly-gray-haired women singing love songs and show tunes. Later this week I usher for an Australian Pink Floyd Tribute Concert, and I’m extremely curious about one of my December assignments — Moscow Cat Theatre.
Awhile back I posted some statistics on the number of plays I’ve seen/read in the past couple of years. This got me thinking about the number of movies I watch, and although I haven’t been keeping as close a tab on my movie watching, I do have at least one interesting number I can pull from my Netflix account. I have spent considerable time on Netflix assigning ratings to movies I’ve seen, and in return Netflix recommends movies it thinks I will want to see.
This number isn’t complete, but I’d say it is a good ballpark figure to use for the number of movies I’ve seen in my lifetime (at least the ones that have made it to DVD). Based on my Netflix ratings, I know I have seen a minimum of 1372 movies (for easier math we’ll round up to an even 1400). If we assume an average running time of 2 hours, this means I have spent a minimum of 2800 hours (or more than 116 entire days) of my life watching movies.
I thought I’d reveal what a theater-nut I am with some statistics. I started keeping track of every play I saw or read since I started my graduate program in 2003. Since then:
I have read 71 short plays and 68 full-length plays (this doesn’t include the many unpublished scripts I’ve read as a volunteer)
I have seen 61 plays, staged readings, or monologues
I have seen 9 Broadway shows (3 in NYC)
If I did my math right, that’s 209 theatrical experiences in more or less 3 years. That’s an average of 1 every five or six days. Admittedly, the short plays really help boost the statistics, though, but still, it’s not too shabby, if I do say so myself…
