Without An Audience It Doesn't Matter

photo by beFrank

Ask any performer.

Without and audience, what we do doesn't really matter.

With an audience, there's nothing quite like it.

Long Beach Opera's "Good Soldier Schweick" opened to excellent reviews Saturday night.

Orange County Register

Los Angeles Times

The music is extremely demanding. The orchestra (with not a string instrument in sight!) played well, putting our hearts into it.

The audience responded.

We hope we touched their hearts.

There were two audience members I was especially pleased to see - blog hero beFrank and his lovely Action Wife.

It was Action Wife's birthday, and beFrank was pulling out all the stops to make it a memorable one. I'm so glad I could be a part of the celebration.

Thank you audience members one and all. And a special thank you to Mr. and Mrs. Frank for becoming season ticket holders.

We do this for YOU!

Opera Finale

Today I headed back to the boat for the last 2 Long Beach Opera performances of "The Emperor of Atlantis" and "The Clever One".

Many people were in attendance for the 11am pre-performance lecture:

Meanwhile, out at Will Call...

...blog hero beFrank and lovely wife Dellis check in.

They scored some pretty sweet seats - second row, third and fourth seats in:

The set changed for Act 2:

beFrank and Dellis said they had a great time.

I love it when friends come to work!

A Frank Concert View

My view was frankly different today.

The Long Beach Municipal Band had a rare Sunday concert to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Aquarium of the Pacific.

How cool is it to get paid to play here:

The icing on the cake was the appearance of the insanely famous beFrank and Action Wife Dellis in the audience.

beFrank, as you know if you've read this blog for any time at all, is my blogging inspiration and hero. He has another blogging hero of mine, Lenslinger, gushing over him like a girl with her first crush. He's that good.

beFrank wasted no time in getting out the Blackberry to blog the event.

Bob came over to say hi to the Franks during the change-over break between the concert band and jazz band sets. He and Dellis were convinced that they had met before, but in reality their only meeting was via the blogsphere.

I love the blogsphere!

Dellis, Bryan, and I enjoyed the jazz portion of the concert while Bob continued to run sound. It was a beautiful evening, perfect to share with friends.

To Bryan and Dellis, thank you for taking the time to hang with the band.


(photo by beFrank)

To the rest of you, follow a frankly good example and come on out to the parks of Long Beach for a FREE Municipal Band concert. You've got 5 weeks left.

Next week: Cowboys!

Artistic Relief

I got seriously abused at work today.

Well, not me personally.

I was on stage with a group of musicians who were seriously abused as a whole.

Whatever.

Take the money.

Run.

Repeat.

Believe me, the only thing that got me through the afternoon with any form of sanity was the thought that after the abuse, er, gig I was going to the closing reception for "The Art of News II" at the NoHo Gallery where mighty blogger beFrank was exhibiting some of his masterful photographs.

Aside from getting an eyeful of some wonderful art, beFrank graciously explained his time travel experiences of late. If you ask him real nice he might enlighten you as well. Go ahead, ask him. I was quite impressed with what I heard.

Dave Bryan (BRYAN???), a subject of one of be(BRYAN)Frank's pictures made an appearance at the reception.

If you squint you might be able to see beFrank's photo "Citizen Dave" over Dave's right shoulder:

Can't see it?

How's this:

Still can't see it? Sorry. It didn't make the gallery's web site where I lifted this beauty by Bryan.

Trust me, it was brilliant.

My favorite part of the reception?

This:

I got to meet Action Wife Dellis and the lovely Frank daughters Dania and Camia in person. What a delight!

And to top it off, famous blogger Darleene and her handsome spouse Trinity dropped by. I didn't get a picture of us together, but long-armed beFrank did. When he gets it posted I'll lift it and put it up here.

He said it was okay.

Really.

A Darleeneism Birthday Bash

As I've mentioned before, Darleene Powells of Darleeneisms is my blogging tech hero. She's been blogging for a decade now and totally knows her stuff.

After today, Darleene has been elevated to all around hero in my book.

It started off with an invitation:

I'm turning 30 and my blog is now 10! To celebrate, I want to invite you to a party, but not just any party. This will be a potluck party at the Union Station Foundation Adult Center in Pasadena, a homeless shelter.

My church is pitching in to help cook and bring food. But we need to cook for and serve about 150 people. If you're willing, I would love for you to celebrate my birthday and blogiversary with me by bringing food -- anything from salad, to pasta, to fruit, to drinks, to dessert, and helping serve Union Station's clients.

I really can’t take credit for the idea, actually. I got the inspiration for it when I came across this Scripture, Luke 14:12-14:

Then he [Jesus] turned to his host. “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,” He said, “don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.”

Miraculously, Bob and I both had the day off today, the day of Darleene's party. We hopped on the Metro and rode on up to Pasadena.

Once again, I applaud my husband. He is so shy in crowds, even of people he knows. Today we were plunging into crowds of people he didn't know.

What a pleasure it was to enter the kitchen filled with food that needed preparing and volunteers ready to invest sweat equity into the project.

I soon found myself next to one of Darleene's close friends up to my elbows in salad and having the time of my life.

(photo by beFrank)

Bob was washing something over at the sink when I saw a familiar figure greeting him warmly. It was the famous beFrank, my blogging inspiration and hero. We had never met face to face until today, and it was well worth the wait! Check out his Flicker stream for the most amazing pictures of this event.


(photo by beFrank - he has a long arm!)

Be sure to read Darleene's post about this event. She tells it better than I ever could.

After all the clients had dined, we workers sat down for a feast of our own. I was so blessed to be sitting with my dear husband, my two blogging heros and the new friends I had made over salad and spaghetti in the Union Station kitchen.

Thanks for everything, Darleene!

I can't wait for next year!

Blogging Family

I lifted this wonderful picture from Darleene's blog Darleeneisms.

Bryan "beFrank" is my blogging hero, and the inspiration behind my own blog. Almost every "toy" you see on this blog was added in an effort to emulate his masterful style.

Darleene "Darleeneisms" is my tech hero. She has been blogging for over 10 years and knows everything cutting edge about internet technology.

Although we have never actually met in person, I value these two as part of my family.

So Merry Christmas you two. You and yours are welcome in our home any time!

Colonel Corn's Mission

Photo of Kenneth Corn

I am grateful to Lenslinger at Viewfinder Blues for many things.

He has a way with words. You'll just have to surf over there and sample them for yourself. Prepare for a banquet of ravishing prose!

He is a big fan of beFrank, my blogging hero - no higher praise than that!

He "introduced" me to Kenneth Corn's Mission.

Kenneth Corn is a photojournalist for a local television station in North Carolina. For some riveting reading, surf on over to Kenneth's blog "Kenya Mission 2007". He is posting entries from the journal he kept during his summer trip to Kenya as a mission team videographer. I am waiting impatiently for his next entry. Kenneth says, "I'm a bit slow in writing but I will get my whole journal on the web for everyone to enjoy."

To review:

Lenslinger: Great bedtime stories (He tends to post at night. I look forward to every one)

beFrank: The coolest, wittiest author who ever posted an illustrated blog entry (He does pretty well at his day job, too)

Kenneth Corn: My missions hero

Have fun in the blogsphere!

Fire Coverage by beFrank

Photo by Ken Koeller

For "you are there" coverage of the Southern California fires, surf on over to beFrank's blog.

I have always been fascinated by behind-the-scenes action. You'll get all that and more at the home of the blogger who inspired my own efforts.

Oh, and beFrank? beSAFE!