A few words from Doc

I emailed Doc last year.  This is the reply I got.  I may have posted it already, but all the TV shows are on summer reruns, too.  So there.

Dear Lisa:

So nice to hear from you. Yes, I'm still at Ship, the longest serving faculty member here. Ergo, I get to carry the Mace each commencement. When anyone asks me when I will retire, with one eloquent gesture I reveal my physical, mental and emotional age ,as I scratch my head with my extended middle finger. I'm still having too much fun. In my profession, if you retire, you're dead. Perhaps you are not aware, there are other groups of Masquers who hold reunions. Chief among these are the annual gatherings in Columbia, Maryland, celebrating Sheri Cohen's extended remission from Hodgekin's Lymphoma. I do attend these. As for creativity, look me up in YouTube. Search for william20326 and you'll find lots there. My most successful muisc video is "Maria Maria", over 15000 hits so far. Unhappily I have yet to exceed Chris Crawford's tearful plea on behalf of Britney Spears or a notable Mindanao Island's prison population's dancing en masse to Michael Jackson's "Thriller". But we'll see. And then of course you will find many other comments about me in a web site called "Ship Underground". Ah, the minutes will pass by like hours. Believe it or not, they have temporarily moved me back to my old Masquers office in the rear of MA. This summer, however,  I'm back in Dauphin, third floor this time. Doug Bietsch is collecting data as experienced by old timers like you over the twenty or so years since he himself started with the club. He concludes that we certainly had an influence over quite a number of people. Doug would like to hear from all of you.

Dr. Kingsley

The Sentinel Online : News : Local : Shippensburg graduates urged to use their talents

Hello Masquers -

I was feeling sentimental & googled Doc. Here is a picture of him from this year leading the graduates. How does he look so much older? Didn't time stop when we all left Ship? I wish he would join our blog...or Facebook!

The Sentinel Online : News : Local : Shippensburg graduates urged to use their talents

Just Wondering

Chris & Jeff spent their honey moon at Dutch Wonderland.  Is anyone surprised? No, not really.  I remember my grandparents taking me as a kid. It is geared to smaller kids, no Rotor like Hershey Park.  But can any of us still ride those rides anymore without popping a case of drammamine first?

After a careful re-examination of Chris' original email thread, it seems more people do favor Dutch Wonderland--except for Scott and his lazy ass who wants us to come to Kennywood.

A Dutch Wonderland Stay puts us closer to Galen's house, which he has unbelievably offered to host some pre or post park festivities.  He doesn't know it yet, but we are showing up with our tent for the night.

I know, I know, who doesn't love chocolate?  But who among us doesn't also love a good dose of kitsch?  And it doesn't melt in your mouth, or hands.

So Many Things To See And Do, Good Times To Be Had

Chris would be writing this blog post herself, except she's  busy with the house she and Jeff just bought Thursday, and with the poison ivy they got from rolling around in their new backyard.

A few days ago she started contacting people about a reunion this summer.  Nothing specific,  just putting out feelers to see if anyone is interested.  It seems quite a few people are.  

Are you?

Hershey Park is the current favorite, despite the popularity of Dutch Wonderland (which Bob was disappointed to learn was still open, he was all excited about visiting an abandoned amusement park), and Euro Disney.

I think early August is a good time to try to get together.  Anyone have any thoughts?

Easter Bunny Checking Out Hiding Places

How do you crack a coconut?

Dreaming

I have a distinct memory of sitting around the lunch table at Kriner Diner with you all discussing how it would be when we had children. I mean actual offspring--not just when we would act childish after too much grain alcohol and red punch.  It was a happy day dream, all of us riding around in a school bus.  Bob Brown would be the bus driver.

Oh, the cold hand of reality has hit. Maizie is 2.5 and all of her friends are stuffed animals.  I know, she and Suri Cruise should hang out together.  She is at a babysitters twice a week, and has more playdates with other kids when she's there, than when she's with me.  I've been reduced to internet 'Play-Dating'.  I joined MeetUP.com so I can meet people with kids. Working in theatre, I don't know a whole lot of people with kids.  How strange.

I went to my first 'MeetUP'.  It's very hard for me to say that and not go into hysterical laughter.  It's very wacky to walk up to a stranger's door with your toddler's little hand in yours, and hard not to think-"I wonder if these people are axe murderers. David doesn't know where I was going. How fast can I run carrying a 2.5 year old?".

She was not an axe murderer.  The only thing scary was the army of baby toys that beeped, lit up, whistled, sang, and hummed.  We are relatively battery free in the toy department--despite the best efforts of Lara & John.  It's surreal to be in a room full of these noisemakers.  I suppose the up side is, you always know where your kid is, from the amount of automated sounds in the room.  

The playdate was going really well, until I saw Maizie start to jump on the big comfy looking sofa.  I said in my authoritative  Doc Kingsley trained diaphragm dog training style voice,  "Maizie, NO."  I could see the other mom's mentally putting a check in the negative box of my playdate score card.  I didn't scream at my kid, but I wasn't using the 'ducky, bunny, hunny woodums' voice that some prefer.  Luckily, I brought brownies, so my membership status wasn't revoked.

I just wish  we all lived a little closer so we could all play together.