Tuesday, May 21, 2013

The new Menards is now open

and landscaping continues. I've been very remiss about taking photos to document the evolution of the site, hopefully I can get some pics today or tomorrow...if it warms up!

Saturday, April 13, 2013

1st Annual National Scrabble Day Scrabble Tournament For Alzheimers

1st Annual National Scrabble Day Scrabble Tournament For Alzheimers took place on 4/13. Longer post tomorrow when I should have some photos to share.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

New posting schedule

Now that I've got this new full-time job, I'll be posting in this blog twice a week - on Monday's and Wednesdays.

So the next post for this blog will be on Monday.

Thanks for your patience.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

WY Authorities Warn of "Grandparent Scam"

From CBS5:  WY Authorities Warn of "Grandparent Scam"

(Cheyenne, WY)  Con artists are scamming Wyoming grandparents out of thousands of dollars by posing as grandchildren in distress. The Wyoming Attorney General's Office has recently seen a rise in the number of this type of scam and suspects that the number will increase even more over the holiday season.

The typical scam occurs when a grandparent receives a telephone call from someone who falsely identifies themselves as their grandchild and tries to persuade the grandparent to quickly wire money to get the grandchild out of a bind. The supposed grandchild claims to be involved in some type of trouble while traveling in Canada, Mexico or overseas, such as being arrested or in a car accident or needing emergency car repairs, or sometimes the supposed grandchild even claims to be in the local jail.

The grandchild asks the grandparent to immediately wire money to post bail or pay for medical treatment or car repairs or a return plane ticket. The scammer typically asks for several thousand dollars, and may even call back again several hours or days later asking for more money. The caller will tell the grandparent not to call the grandchild's parents, and not to talk to anyone about the matter.

A variation of the scam may involve two scammers -- the first scammer calls and poses as a grandchild in distress.  The second scammer, posing as a law enforcement officer, lawyer or governmental authority then gets on the phone with the grandparent and explains what fines need to be paid.  Alternatively, the scammer may pretend to be a family friend or neighbor.

The scammer typically requests that the grandparent wire money through Western Union or MoneyGram or provide bank account routing numbers.  Typically you cannot recover wired money.

If you receive a call like this, resist the pressure to act quickly, and take steps to verify the status of your grandchild with another family member. Be suspicious when you receive a telephone call where the grandchild calls from a far away location, asks for money to be wired or starts the conversation by saying, "it's me" or "it's your grandson" instead of stating their name.

 

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

23 and 25 May, 2012: Scrabble Tourney

Mark your calendars - there will be a scrabble tournament at the Laramie County Library on Thur 23 May and all day Saturday.

Sunday, December 2, 2012

I'll be getting back to this blog, never fear.

Time goes by so fast, I can't believe I've missed so many days posting here.

Will get my act together and start posting regularly tomorrow.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

CLTP: The Butler Did It

Every year, the Cheyenne Little Theater holds a new play contest. The winner gets to have their play given a staged reading the next year.

This year's staged reading was for The Butler Did It, by Todd Wallinger.

It ran only 2 nights - Nov 9 and 10, and tickets were only $5. Took place at the Atlas Theatre.

I went yesterday with a friend and enjoyed it.

Tip #1. 
At the Atlas Theatre, always try to get seats in the balcony. Those are "theatre seats" which are much more comfortable than the straight-leg chairs they have on the ground floor. Also from the balcony you get a much better view of the stage and actors.

The Butler Did It!
As the title implies this was a mystery play, taking place in the 1930s in an isolated mansion (there's heavy rains that wash out roads leading to the house). Someone is killed and only someone in the house could have done it.

It's a comedy mystery, and there were a lot of amusing lines. I actually guessed who the murderer was halfway through - there's one line that just gives it away to someone who has read every Agatha Christie book four or five times... - but the person I was with didn't get it so maybe it wasn't as obvious as I thought. Having an obvious murderer isn't necessarily a drawback, you still want to learn how and why they did what they did, and you still enjoy watching the characters since you care for them.

The CLTP is made up of amateur actors, and they all did a good job. In all the CLTP plays I've seen the actors have been at least competent, some have had a professional gloss. That was the case here. No one let the play down, but some actors were better than others - in gradations, not stark contrast. The guy who played the butler had a perfect British accent, which always pleases me.

The actors sat in a row on stage. They were dressed in appropriate costumes, but did no stage action. There was a "butler's butler" who made the noises when appropriate - dropping suitcases, dropping a tray with dishes on it, tying up the butler, and so on. I think it was pretty clear who should have been doing the action,  when each of these actions occurred. One funny bit was when the murder occurred (halfway through the first act) the stage goes dark, when lights go on the victim's chair is turned over and his legs protrude over the top. I don't know if the actual actor was still there, being extreeeeemely still for another 20 minutes or so, or if they just draped a pair of boots in stuffed jeans over the top of the chair. If the actor was lying on the stage for 20 minutes  - with his shoes not moving at all - he must have great body control!

I think this will be a good community theatre play - the addition of one more -totally unsympathetic- character might help keep the mystery a mystery - although I don't know how the playwright could introduce such a character. (It's a fair play mystery. Clues are scattered throughout the play to give you an idea of who the murder might be. Also of course everyone has a motive for killing the guy, Or if not motive, at least opportunity. With the addition of another, totally unsympathetic character, the audience can spend their time hoping he/she is the murderer, instead of someone they've grown to like. (As an aspiring playwright myself, ideas are bubbling... but I'd better stick to working on my own mystery play!)

There was only one flaw on the night. The playwright was there, and at the end of the play the butler called out his name - but only the folks on the bottom floor could see him. They should have had him come up on stage for his bows.

Exit the Body
I think this is another staged reading - of a different mystery play, obviously. This one will be Dec 10 and 11 at the Mary Godfrey Playhouse (a theatre with all-theatre seating).

I urge everyone who likes the theatre and/or likes mysteries to go see it!

Cast of The Butler Did It!
Jenkins (the butler) - Joe Batson
Sarah Jane (a maid) - Shelley Russell
Colonel Nigel Covington - Glenn Shaffer
Lady Miranda Covington - Pat Lauber
Gram  (Lady Covington's mother) - Vickie Jarvis
Kat Covington (daughter, aspiring pilot) - Shauna Miller Best
Trevor Barstow - a philandering wastrel - Justin Earnshaw
Edwina Corry  (mystery writer) - Alisha Perkins
Father Timothy - Peter Steiger
The Butler's Butler (the one who did all the stage "business" - Samantha Fairbairn

Directed by Shawn Casey, Assistant Director Luana Krause