You can change the world…

or at least help to change the world! On March 12, this Saturday, Yamagami’s Nursery will host a Hope Services Recycled Bike sale.

Now you’re probably rolling your eyes and saying, “Jery, how is a recycled bike sale going to change the world?” And to that my friends, I answer thusly:

First:

Hope Services is a wonderful organization that provides programs and services – including job training, counseling and community living — that assist more than 2,500 children, adults and seniors with developmental disabilities. When you stop by the Nursery on March 12th and purchase a lovingly refurbished recycled bicycle from Hope Services, your money goes directly to Hope Services and they can continue their work in bettering the lives of the people they work with.

Second:

When you buy a recycled bike from Hope Services, you will be helping to save the environment! Yup, you’ll be easing congestion on the road, consuming less of our limited supply of oil, and saving metal from taking up space in a landfill! The folks at Hope Services have put a lot of time and energy into bringing the bikes into tip top shape, and three or four of the display bikes have already been snapped up by Yamagami’s customers! So that’s a great indicator of what we’ll be expecting this weekend.

Third:

Save yourself a heap of money! As gas prices near the $4 mark, how many times less will you need to fill up your tank and what kind of dough does that leave in your pocket? Also, if you do use your car less and your bike more, you may want to check with your insurance agent to see if there’s a lowering of your premium since you use your car much less. I don’t know if it’ll be the case, but it doesn’t hurt you to check, right?

Fourth:

By hopping on your new bike, you are being active and making your body stronger. Bike riding can not only be beneficial as an exercise item, but also a relaxation devise as well. Did you have a stressful day? Ride a few miles uphill and you’ll probably forget all about your problems as you focus on the task at hand.

Maybe your thinking, “Jery, I have three bikes and I can only ride one!” Well, then buddy have I got a great idea for you! Why not donate your other two bikes to Hope Services? I don’t know if they could be utilized as a tax write off, but come on down to the Nursery on March 12 and talk to the people from Hope.

What happens if you can’t make it on the 12th but you still would like to buy a bike? Never fret, my dears, for Hope Services holds a bike sale every Friday in their warehouse in Santa Clara. You can find their address and directions on the Hope Services website at http://www.hopeservices.org

I hope we see you at the Hope Services Recycled Bike Sale on March 12th at Yamagami’s Nursery. The sale will last from 10 am until 3 pm.

If you don’t need or want a bike, then come on down and just walk through the flowers and plants for the fun of it. Help us support the community!

It’s funny when a British person says it…

So I have been listening to KPFA 94.1 a lot these last few weeks and they are in their fundraising mode. So a lot of the programming has had a lot of sound bytes from discussions and documentaries. I tell you the host of the show Flashpoints really knows how to get people worked up!

One of the days that I was listening, I heard a panel discussing essentially the dissolving of the 4th Amendment. For those of you who have forgotten what that 4th Amendment was, (oops a little slip, was!)

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures.

One of the panelists was a charming British woman. She began her speech with “I don’t know what you Americans are complaining about. At least you have a Constitution to shred!”

I had to laugh. Sorry. She went on to say that what she has instead of “rights” are called freedoms. There is no privacy and all your information is available on a whim. A whim!

As she continued on, I found myself getting more and more horrified. Of course this new information compiled with everything I have been hearing just made it so hard to trust anything I see that is considered “news.” I was disgusted to learn that while currently, the government can’t on a whim ask for personal information without having to go through the proper channels, they can however simply ask a company and that company isn’t obligated to protect the consumer so they’ll gladly hand it over.

Did you know that Google collects every single search you perform? Every single click is recorded and each thing that you look for, the government can see it if they want to. There is an alternative, though. If there is a search that you would love to keep private, use www.StartPage.com to look it up!

I just wanted to put that info in your ear, because I don’t know if you all listen to corporate-free radio KPFA.

Something stressful this way comes…

Sam Valenzuela and Lalo Lopez acting like hams!

We had a designer run-through last night and the work was very, very rough. There were a lot of questions from people, usually starting with the words “In the script it says…” and then adding a detail that hasn’t been spoken of, or addressed as of yet. It’s funny how many things can be accidentally overlooked when focus is on one aspect of a play.

When we get into the last few weeks before Opening Night, things begin to get stressful sometimes. Everyone begins to intensely focus on the task at hand. People begin to “wear” their characters in the hallways and in the wings while waiting to go on stage. The usual lively jokiness that abounds in the hallways may cause the actors to break concentration.

One of the many things that I try to do is be respectful of my fellow actors and before performances, I try not to fool around if I see them focused on their entrance. One of the worst things that an actor can do is either miss and entrance or come onstage late. I would hate to be the cause of something like that, so I do my best to stay out of the way.

Since we open in two weeks, things are going to be tough and a wee bit on the stressy (yup, it’s a made up word) side. One of the best things that we as actors can do for each other is to know our lines, our scenes and entrances, and to keep the silliness to a minimum. But I have to emphasize that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t stop laughing.

And with these people, I don’t think that will be a problem.

Lalo Lopez, Sam Valenzuela, Jay Vera, Anees Guillen, Maya Malan-Gonzalez, Jessica Castaneda

Like Martha says “It’s a good thing”

Most projects are collaborative. Theatre is collaborative. Whatever you do for your 9 to 5 is also this. On rare occasions, I don’t know if the magnetic poles have to align just right with the stars in Orion’s belt in the Southeastern Hemisphere at the precise midpoint of the moon’s lunar cycle, but some times people listen to all of your ideas. And I don’t mean they hear them then skip over them to the next topic, or completely shoot them down. What I am talking about is the ideas that get heard and dialogue begins to happen and the idea expands and morphs into something, hopefully better or more useful.

My friends, today has been that day for me. Over at the nursery, I had a little pow wow with my boss and conversations just bounced around the room. Then at rehearsal, Elisa let me adapt and manipulate and reinterpret my lines differently than I did in the past, and she didn’t even blink an eye. I think she knew that I am still tweaking and modifying character voices and movements and I feel like when I work with her I don’t have to always ask for permission to do something different. I truly love the freedom that I feel like I am allowed in order to put my best character forward. Aside from basic blocking, every thing that I did tonight was different from the original rehearsal of the scenes. Accenting different words, created more interesting speech patterns and new ideas and feelings. Thus causing new physical reactions with my fellow actors.

We ran through Act 2 tonight, and while there were parts that are a little bumpy, the shape is there. Tomorrow we have a design run through, and I am crossing my fingers that they, the designers, will bring some new energy to the cast and it’ll feel like something brand spanking new.

I wanna take this feeling and put it in a little box, tie with a corn silk bow and place it under my pillow, so I’ll always have it.

It’s definitely a good thing!