For those that use social media, one can discover new ideas, new contacts, as well as a few “blasts from the past” so to speak. From Linkenin to MySpace (yes…MySpace in indeed alive and living, although it’s not the same MySpace as it was from nearly ten years before), to the biggest one of ‘em all, Facebook, one can find people from one’s past. Many of these people from not-so-long-ago tend to be romantic exes–ones that were former boy/girl friends, one time spouses, and even those that were part of a once hot affair. Some of these folks turn up by chose or through sheer fate.
Not so long ago as this writer was on Accessibly Live Off-Line’s Facebook home page, on the far right of the page one will find a series of folks that “suggest” that the poster become “friends” with. 99% of the time, these suggestions will be total strangers. However, the remaining one per cent will be a person that the “suggestee” may know or know of. (How these suggestions are created are through the marketing ploys described in legal double speak as written in the “terms and conditions’ section of Facebook. One just has to look for these terms and conditions for the details.)
Anyway, back to the story. As this writer was glancing through these friend suggestions, one person caught my eye. It just so happen to be a person that had the name of somebody that yours truly once knew. The photo resembled that person as well. So as curiosity killed the cat, I though I would do a little mayhem with dear ol’ Fluffy and check out this person’s non-friend public profile.
Once there, I read the basic details of this person, looking to see where the person claimed where they were from, what they are doing, as well as looking at their link of friends to see if there was such a pattern to place together. To make a very longer story longer, I noticed a pattern. By using the above described clues, I determined that it was the party that I thought it was; a semi forgotten so-called “girlfriend” that I was once involved with some fifteen years before.
To present a little background to this tale, this person who we’ll call “Olga”, was a person that was connected to a single’s group based in Los Angeles where I served as the assistant editor of their monthly newsletter. Olga was a graphic artist, and she was hired by the club’s senior board to create artwork for club activities as well as other related duties. I first met her when she stopped over for a newsletter “past-up” party, an event that was held as a Sunday afternoon meting at the home of the club VP where the editorial staff would fine tune club event notices in terms to writing and getting the standard who-what-where elements. Each article once written, proofread, and approved for publication, would be printed on paper, cut for size, and placed on a masterhead sheet ready to be taken to the printer. Even though these events took place in the middle-late 1990’s, doing desktop publishing via computer machine was available, but the club didn’t have such “modern” connivences at their disposal. Thus, getting a newsletter off was still done manually. Besides, it was just an excuse to have a group event where folks can work together while mingling about. After all, it was a single’s club!
Anyway, Olga showed up to submit some graphics for selected articles. I was there doing some typesetting. Most of the time we somewhat worked together in a casual way, but I kind of took a notice to her. A few hours into the event, she was done with what she had to do and soon left. (She arrived with another member, to they came and left together.) I asked the then editor of the newsletter named Marie and asked her how I can contact her.
“I don’t know” was her only reply.
Six months later, I attended a wedding for two former members that met within the group. Many of the club’s members were in attendance, including Olga. At the reception held at a pizza parlor not too far away from the church, I met Olga, chatting away about the folks getting married. We swapped business cards, and that was the end of that; That is, when I called her two days later hoping we could get together. When I called, I thought we would be on the phone for five or so minutes getting details on where and when to meet. After being on the blower for nearly two hours chatting away about trivial news, i knew that there was some future with this gal.
I won’t go any further on how the relationship went as that’s for another article. But after she and I went our separate ways, I never heard from her again. I was able to receive vague details on her whereabouts, but thanks to what the ‘net can provide, I was able to find her. (This should not be confused with “stalking” as I never made any attempts to contact her as she lives outside of the Los Angles region.)
However, Olga has a Facebook page, and the robots at the social media site suggest that I become “friends” with her. So I made my request, and I’ll see what will happen. If we become virtual friends, that’s great! If not–oh well!
But fear not folks! Our “friendship” will be limited to Facebook and nothing more. Over time and tide, both of us married somebody else, and it seems that this is the way things will remain. But it’s very amusing to find somebody from yesteryear, and prove to the case that the ol’ world is indeed getting smaller by the moment! And one can contest that there’s an app for that as well!
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NEWS AND REVIEWS
Continuing its run at The Actor’s Workout Studios theater in North Hollywood is Jason Robert Brown’s SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD, a musical saga told in score that deals within a number of characters within circumstances as progressing, retreating, or morphing in life through present times and among the ages.
For starters, there is no plot per se found within this piece. It’s not really a “book” musical either. There isn’t an arching story line and there are no congenial characters witnessed throughout the show. To become precise, it discloses an anthology of narrations. Told in song (not necessarily as an “opera”), each number is directed as an isolated piece, focusing upon both a single person or as a multitude, a domestic or a foreign situation, or as a personal crisis-tragic or trivial. Such episodes depicted ranges from (among others), a 15th century-era sailing ship’s crew heading off toward a yet to be discovered “new world”; a young man’s skill in basketball that will give his individual achievement toward a better lifestyle; another young man hoping to succeed within his own personal life in spite of the fact that his father wasn’t as lucky; a woman standing on the ledge of a tall building making a threat to jump while creating a chose for herself; and a mother of a soldier sewing an American flag in support for her son’s duty and military effort, only to receive a triangle folded banner in return. These and other tales develop through the annals of space, time, and physical point; Some aspects one can relate to while others are just as another page of the so-called book of life.
At first, this musical appears to be a cabaret show, consisting of songs that are written and performed in the tradition of a Stephen Sondheim creation, but holds its own true personality. The music score itself is jazzy, mellow, an even melodramatic. As seen within the very intimate stage found at the The Actor’s Workout Studios, a cast of seven performers sing, act out, and overall enlighten each saga using their talents and nothing more. There are no sets depicted. All that is seen is a blacked wall with minimal props utilized. Such slightest elements brings the cast up to focus sans the over achieving and the constant “mugging” of their stage presence sometimes applied when a theater project desired such. The only sights and sounds that are constant are Jenny Tremblay’s costuming, Mark Robert Swiech’s lighting, Benjamin T. Sagan’s musical productivity on the keyboards, and Mark Robert Swiech’s stage direction.
The ensemble cast that do all of the talented work as performed as two separate teams within selected performances are (listed in alphabetical order) Erica Brauer, Anne Butler, Mirand Chandler, Bryan Chesters, Bonnie Doyle, Peter Greathouse, Nora Hunter, Alex Lewis, Erika Salomon, Jenny Tremblay, Christoff Visscher, and Tiffany A. Williams. (Check program for roster of performers.)
SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD is ideal for those that prefers their musical theater within the school of “less is more”! It’s far from being a performance epic, but delivers a capability well worthy of one. This is fundamental stage work at its finest!
SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD, presented by Above the Curve Theatre, and performs at the Actor’s Workout Studio, 4735 Lankershim Blvd. (south of Camarillo Street ), North Hollywood, until August 25th. Showtimes are Friday and Saturday nights at 8:00 PM, and Sunday evenings at 7:00 PM, For reservations, call (310) 486-0051, or via online at http://www.AboveTheCurveTheatre.com
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TIFFI’S FRIENDS SAY…
(As posted on her Facebook “wall”)
John and I just had the best dinner, filled with quinoa and bounties of the western slope (zucchini, tomatoes, peaches), and chicken kabobs. This is one of those rare meals where you can’t stop eating even though you are full.
-Lucille
Sometimes a Quarter Pounder with Cheese and an extra large order of fries are necessary for emotional well-being. Unfortunately, they tend to have adverse effects in other areas
-Katie
Life with a drummer in your family is…well, noisy (to say the least). In the nine years my boy has been playing he’s never practiced as much as he has lately, um, thanks
-Melissa
Praying the rain into submission while Bob and his crew get the new roof on the porch and the garage… They were wet puppies on Friday!!!! I’m loving the idea of a new roof!!!!!!! (Yes, this is multiple new roofs this year, we’re playing “catch up!!!!”)
-Ruth
Shopping – what a workout. All I have to do is go shopping three time a week and my weight will come right off.
-Bonnie
As of August 5th, Tiffi has 1,733 Facebook “friends” and counting!
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