Anne Keckler - Diary of a Stage Mom's Journal
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| Thursday, December 13th, 2029 | | 9:05 am |
| | Wednesday, July 8th, 2009 | | 11:32 am |
Coming Out
This post is partly inspired by the movie, "Milk." For years I have hidden certain aspects of myself, and I'm sorry that I was such a coward. Many people already know these things about me, and others may have guessed, but I've decided that I no longer want to hide who I am from anyone. I am polyamorous. According to Wikipedia: Polyamory (from Greek πολυ [poly, meaning many or several] and Latin amor [love]) is the practice, desire, or acceptance of having more than one loving, intimate relationship at a time with the full knowledge and free consent of everyone involved. Polyamory, often abbreviated to poly, is sometimes described as consensual, ethical, or responsible non-monogamy. The word is occasionally used more broadly to refer to any sexual or romantic relationships that are not sexually exclusive, though there is disagreement on how broadly it applies; an emphasis on ethics, honesty, and transparency all around is widely regarded as a crucial defining characteristic.
I am also bisexual. I'm sure you are aware of the meaning of this word, so I'll skip the definition. And I am an atheist. In the broadest sense, atheism is the absence of belief in the existence of deities. I am a skeptic at heart, and I think it is just as likely that there is a giant teapot circling the sun between the earth and mars as a god of some sort. At any rate, the burden of proof lies with the believer, and the only proof they've ever tried to offer me is from some book written by barbaric nomadic goatherders who thought stoning was a good punishment for unruly children, as well as just about everyone else who offended them in any way whatsoever. I believe there are many people who, like me, hide parts of themselves because they fear what others will think, and how they will be treated. But when we all come out of our respective closets, I think we will find that there are many more of us than we thought. There is strength in numbers, and I'm tired of hiding, fearing that my children will be ostracized just because of who I am. Or that my family will not understand me, and might love me less. If you reject me because of any of these things it says more about you than about me. | | Monday, July 6th, 2009 | | 2:04 pm |
Chicken recipes
Favorite chicken recipes: Italian Chicken Breast Chicken Angelina Chicken Ponzu Apricot Chicken Honey Teriyaki Chicken Chicken Tender Panini Pepper Jack Chicken Waldorf Chicken Salad Chicken Pockets What are some of your favorite chicken recipes? | | 1:27 pm |
Annual Evaluations for Patrick and Robert
Robert took a standardized test this year for the first time, and he did remarkably well. He took the 2nd grade CAT5, and I'm going to give the percentil, then the "grade equivalent" score.
| Reading Vocabulary | 66 percentile | Grade 3.4 |
| Reading Comprehension | 70 percentile | Grade 3.7 |
| Spelling | 81 percentile | Grade 4.2 |
| Language Mechanics | 23 percentile | Grade 1.8 |
| Language Expression | 97 percentile | Grade 9.7 |
| Math Computation | 81 percentile | Grade 3.6 |
| Math Concepts | 92 percentile | Grade 5.5 |
| Science | 73 percentile | Grade 3.6 |
| Social Studies | 91 percentile | Grade 5.6 |
Patrick took this test last year, and you can compare his scores by looking here. As always, Patrick didn't finish all of the problems on each test.
| Reading Vocabulary | 27 percentile | Grade 4.4 |
| Reading Comprehension | 95 percentile | Grade 11.5 |
| Spelling | 68 percentile | Grade 6.7 |
| Language Mechanics | 55 percentile | Grade 6.0 |
| Language Expression | 80 percentile | Grade 10.2 |
| Math Computation | 23 percentile | Grade 4.8 |
| Math Concepts | 67 percentile | Grade 6.3 |
| Study Skills | 15 percentile | Grade 4.7 |
| Science | 25 percentile | Grade 3.9 |
| Social Studies | 51 percentile | Grade 5.8 |
| | 12:16 pm |
I went to see Public Enemies last night with Ray and our friend, Jason. I really enjoyed it. Johnny Depp was incredible, as always. I like movies that are based on real life events, though, even if that does mean that I already know the outcome. Marion Cotillard also did a wonderful job as Dillinger's sweetheart, Billie Frechette. She can also be seen as Luisa Contini in the upcoming film adaptation of "Nine." | | Sunday, July 5th, 2009 | | 3:13 pm |
| | Sunday, May 10th, 2009 | | 10:40 am |
Mother's Day
This morning, my boys honored me by presenting me with beautiful, handmade cards that say, "Happy Mother's Day." I told them that every day is mother's day for me, because I know my children love me. I'm not a big fan of "Hallmark holidays," and I especially dislike the very idea of the government pronouncing one day more special than the rest. So this morning I went looking for information regarding the origin of Mother's Day. While we can trace the idea of a holiday honoring our mothers back hundreds or even thousands of years, the current version dates back less than 100 years to 1914, when then-president Woodrow Wilson signed a congressional resolution officially establishing the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day. He saw it as a day to display the American flag. Anna Jarvis, recognized as the official founder of this holiday, had lost her own mother and embarked on a campaign for almost ten years to make "Mother's Day" a nationally recognized holiday. She later died in poverty, fighting the very holiday she had helped to create, because she believed it had become too commercial. It would appear that Ms. Jarvis got the idea of Mother's Day from her own mother, as well as other women such as Julia Ward Howe, who formed work clubs and anti-war protests. These women appear to be the early prececessors of MADD, having led Temperance organizations, as well. These early "Mothers' Day" groups emphasized the causes of pacifism and social activism, as opposed to our modern holiday which seems to emphasize greeting cards and the giving of flowers or candy. Politicians will forever be politicians. As recently as last year, the US House of Representatives voted twice on a resolution commemorating Mother's Day. I suppose it's an easy way to look like a nice guy, or to attempt to make your opponent look evil if he dares to oppose mothers and motherhood! (As if, by stating that holidays are none of the government's business, one could rightfully say they oppose mothers or motherhood, but you know how politicians can twist things.) So, while I oppose government involvement, and I think we should make an effort to honor those we love on every day of the year, I will show appreciation for the beautiful cards my boys chose to make for me on this day. In fact, I think I'll go give them another hug. :-) | | Wednesday, May 6th, 2009 | | 8:35 am |
Last minute audition
When you have a child who wants to act, you often have to be able to pick up and go somewhere to an audition on very short notice. Last week, I received an email about a major film, asking if Patrick would be interested in auditioning for the lead! Now, I'm not fooling myself; I'm sure there will be thousands of little boys auditioning for this, all over the country, if not all over the world. But I was happily surprised that they were interested in Patrick. They asked for an updated resume and headshot, which I emailed. Then, I didn't hear anything. This happens a lot. He's never been contacted about auditioning for the lead role in a major film before, but we do get lots of queries, asking for his headshot and resume. You soon learn not to get your hopes up. Yesterday, while I was sitting in the orthodontist's chair, my phone rang. Oops! Guess I forgot to turn it off. I happened to be able to answer, so I did, just to tell the person I'd call them back. It was someone from the casting agency! When I spoke to them a little later, they asked if Patrick could audition TODAY! What was I going to say? Of course, I said yes. He had a coaching session yesterday with Owen Provencher, of Breakthrough Acting Studio. The casting agency wants him to have (at least) the entire first scene memorized before the audition this afternoon, and he has that much now. Owen also helped him to understand beats, and to understand the character he will be portraying. So today we are going to Atlanta for an audition. His chances of getting the role are probably about the same as winning the lottery, but we are going. I try to stress that auditions should be fun. He really enjoyes auditioning for the camera (not so much for stage, though he always enjoys it once he gets in a show). So we're going to go have fun. | | Monday, May 4th, 2009 | | 3:55 pm |
| | 10:01 am |
| | Friday, May 1st, 2009 | | 5:46 pm |
I got new makeup today for the first time in ... over a year, I think!! It's just some lip gloss, but it makes me happy. Now I need to get dressed up and go out. :-) | | 9:27 am |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The more often Americans go to church, the more likely they are to support the torture of suspected terrorists, according to a new survey. More than half of people who attend services at least once a week -- 54 percent -- said the use of torture against suspected terrorists is "often" or "sometimes" justified. Only 42 percent of people who "seldom or never" go to services agreed, according to the analysis released Wednesday by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. White evangelical Protestants were the religious group most likely to say torture is often or sometimes justified -- more than six in 10 supported it. People unaffiliated with any religious organization were least likely to back it. Only four in 10 of them did. | | Thursday, April 30th, 2009 | | 2:20 pm |
Songs for Patrick to learn
Patrick's current favorite songs, which he thinks he might like to learn to sing:
- Pinball Wizard, by Elton John
- Crocodile Rock, by Elton John
- Tutti Frutti, by Little Richard
- Great Balls of Fire, by Jerry Lee Lewis
- Hound Dog, by Elvis Presley
- Summer of '69, by Bryan Adams
Considering these songs, their tempo and lyrics and general sound, can you think of others that might interest him? | | 10:55 am |
Some of you may remember that I talked about getting my teeth fixed a long time ago. At least a couple of years ago. For various reasons, I didn't do anything about it. Until now. On Tuesday afternoon I went to the orthodontist and had separators placed between my teeth. When I go back in, they will glue a metal appliance in my mouth to begin the process of rearranging my teeth. Unless you've ever tried to eat with rubber bands between your teeth, you have no idea how hard this is. Not only that, but the mouth begins to be sore, especially when eating. The teeth are being pressed upon all the time, and now chewing makes my mouth very sore. I'm definitely not eager to have a metal appliance in my mouth, but I am very eager to have the entire process over with. I have baby teeth, still, two of which are right in the front of my mouth. We need to make room to place a bridge there, and while we're at it, we're going to go ahead and straighten out the rest of them. Also, I don't think I'll be able to sing with the appliance in my mouth. :-( | | Wednesday, April 29th, 2009 | | 2:30 pm |
Interesting that these two headlines were right next to each other:
- Obama calls first 100 days tense but fruitful (AP)
- Economy shrinks at worse-than-expected pace (AP)
| | 9:49 am |
| | Tuesday, April 28th, 2009 | | 8:19 am |
I have a pretty busy day planned. Patrick has a film audition this afternoon, so he's going to a coaching session this morning, to make sure he's on top of his game for that audition. After the audition, Patrick has ballet, I have an orthodontist appointment, and Robert has gymnastics. Then, I'm going to an acting class, and Patrick might go to an audition at Capital City Playhouse. Yes, a long, busy day. And I got up too late to get to the gym, so the boys and I are going to take the dog for a brisk walk around the neighborhood. | | Monday, April 27th, 2009 | | 9:44 pm |
I've noticed that religious people expect to have their religious views respected, to be able to praise their gods and make remarks from a religious point of view, but they don't seem to like it when atheists make remarks regarding reason, alternatives to religion, or anything that might question religious beliefs. | | Friday, April 24th, 2009 | | 7:04 pm |
The other day I was trying to make something for dinner with what we had in the house. We always have frozen breaded chicken patties, so I figured I'd heat up one of those, melt some mozzarella cheese on top, add some spaghetti and sauce, and voila! Chicken parmesan! When I got into the kitchen I found that we were out of chicken patties, but I had some leftover Kentucky Fried Chicken. That would be a good substitute, so I pulled some meat off the bone and put it into the toaster oven to heat. I was cooking the spaghetti when I realized we were out of spaghetti sauce! I quickly made some faux pesto (Italian seasoning mix, olive oil, kalamata olives, and parmesan cheese). It actually turned out really good! I had KFC with mozzarella melted over it, and spaghetti with "pesto" on the side. | | Monday, April 20th, 2009 | | 3:23 pm |
To ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) lucy_chronicles...
For the record, all of my photos are copyrighted. It says so right there on my flickr page, next to each and every photo. And while we're at it, I rarely meet anyone online who is so clueless about copyright and how to give credit, but then is able to ban me from commenting after I leave a very polite comment with explicit instructions on how to link to the photo in my flickr account in a way that gives me proper credit! |
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