25 July, 2009

Allo Allo

My community theatre group is currently putting on Allo Allo as their mid-year comedy. I decided not to be in it, since I really prefer musicals (but wait for the end-of-year show!) so Sister Ruby Slippers asked me to come to the dress rehearsal to take photos. Last night Mr Ruby Slippers and I went to see the actual show, and let's just say it's ten times funnier when you aren't concentrating on taking pictures of moments that look interesting! I wonder if it's the same for weddings? Hmmm.

Anyway, here are some of my favourite photos:

"Are you standing comfortably?"
"No, Herr Flick!"

"Good."



"I am called Coquette..." (Note the breadrolls in Bertorelli's ears. I think Sister RS found it hard to sing out of tune on purpose.)

"Good moaning."

"You see, sometimes on rainy nights, this policeman come to change his trousers here, as it is a long walk to the station..."
"But it is not raining tonight."


Is that a sausage under your apron, or are you just happy to see me?

The portrait of the fallen Madonna with the big boobies is revealed! What a mistake a-to make-a!

We are over-Hitlered...

This show is such fun. I know I don't really have many readers in the Johannesburg area, but if this play is ever on near you, go and see it! It can't help but be hilarious.

23 July, 2009

I ♥ Faces Fix-it Friday


I was at a photography workshop over the weekend (more on that later), so I didn't get a chance to do the I ♥ Faces weekly fix-it challenge until today!

Here's the original:

And my fix:

I'm not crazy about it, to be honest, but at least it's better than it was before.

22 July, 2009

I need a house

Mr Ruby Slippers and I have been wanting to buy our own house for ages now. We're renting, and it does seem kind of a waste to be throwing money at our landlords every month with nothing to show for it in the end. Also, we really want our own place where we don't have to share a garden with other people who are constantly talking loudly and having parties. Our landlords are very nice (we had some horrors before them!) but the fact is there are just too many people always around, making noise. I like a quiet existence. Plus there is always someone in the garden; be it the maid, one of the two gardeners, or all the scores of people who seem to come and work with our landlady every day. This means our wimp of a cat is too scared to go do his kitty business in the garden. Which results in him screaming at me all day, which is just a teensy bit annoying.

Ok, it's annoying as all hell.

Quite aside from the problem that we actually don't have any money to buy a house, I'm a bit picky. (Read as: everything I want is expensive). And we REALLY don't have money for expensive.

These are my "must-haves" when it comes to a house:

1) Must be in a non-dodgy (expensive) area.
2) Must have walls on all sides that are higher than I am.
3) Must have electric fencing or similar on all of said walls.
4) Must have an electric gate.
5) Must be a stand alone house, not a cluster-home/townhouse complex, unless said complex has separated houses with no shared walls.
6) Must be light and airy, for I cannot function in a dark, cramped space.

Do you see my problem? 1-5, and probably 6, all scream EXPENSIVE!!!! But I refuse to live somewhere where I don't feel at least marginally safe, and I need all that stuff to feel safe. And #6 to feel happy :-)

And we haven't even got inside the house yet!

Actually, I don't want much from a house. I'd like the kitchen to have a free-standing island, and I'd like the sink and/or cooking area to face the tv, because I like to watch concerts and movie commentaries while I cook and wash dishes. I'd like the rooms not to be too small and pokey, I'd like big windows, and I'd like an upstairs, because I just enjoy the view too much to give it up.

Unfortunately I'm not seeing this happening any time before we win the lottery.

16 July, 2009

Down the Yellow Brick Road Part XIX: Dancing

And then there was dancing. Mr Ruby Slippers and I are not dancers by any stretch of the imagination, so we asked Groomsman Andrew, who takes dancing lessons and sometimes gives them, too, to choreograph an incredibly simple dance for us. And when I say "simple", it meant a basic rumba step with a few twirls thrown in...

Look at my Ruby Slippers!

...one of those "hold-long-arms-and-walk-round-in-a-circle" thingys...


And an impressive dip at the end...

So impressive, in fact (because it's us!) that I have to show you it from two different angles. Who knew we could dip??


Look at my tiara trying to tip off! Luckily it was gripped on very tightly.

This is our song, "Under Your Spell" by Amber Benson (from the Buffy musical episode)


Then it was time for the father-daughter dance! Now I have to say my Dad is even worse at dancing than Mr RS and I are. I didn't want to freak him out by having a rehearsal, so I told him we'd just wing it on the day. He knew the song I had chosen - Steve Tyrell's "The Way You Look Tonight" from Father of the Bride - but that was it!

I love this one, because it's so typical of my Dad, who is going a bit deaf, and always leans right into you when he wants to hear something.

I think we did quite well.
I had decided ages before that I didn't want to dance only with my Dad. He had already walked me down the aisle, and it feels very old-fashioned; the father "giving away" his daughter, with no mention of the mother who raises the child just as much. I wanted to share this moment with my mother as well, so halfway through the dance I steered my Dad back over to where my Mom was standing waiting, and they switched.

My mom and I often used to dance randomly in the kitchen while we cooked, so this was a nice way to acknowledge our past and her "giving me away" as well. Also, this is her favourite song! She has a CD that has four different versions of "The Way You Look Tonight" on it. Seriously.


Mr Ruby Slippers has never danced with his mother in his life. But he started that night!


Look how colour-coordinated our Moms are!


And we hugged and cried.

I don't know if they did, but we sure did.



Previously:
Part I: The Night Before
Part II: Salon, Supermarket & Judy Garland
Part III: Setting Up
Part IV: Prettifying
Part V: All Bridalled Up
Part VI: For the Boys
Part VII: Going to the Chapel and We're...
Part VIII: Meanwhile, Back at the Chapel...
Part IX: Down the Aisle
Part X: Readings, Vows & Tasty Treats
Part XI: Man and Wife

Part XII: Cake and Family
Part XIII: Boys & Girls
Part XIV: Couple Shoot the first
Part XV: Couple Shoot the second
Part XVI: Details - Programs
Part XVII: Details - Reception

Part XVIII: Speeches

04 July, 2009

I ♥ Faces Fix-it Friday


Another one!

Here's today's original picture from I ♥ Faces.



And my fix:


Yet again, there wasn't much wrong with this picture except that it was a little too "cold", so I just warmed it up a bunch, smoothed out the little girl's skin where it had marks by the eyebrows and on her left cheek, and cropped it. Oh, and I sharpened and lightened her eyes. Sweet and simple!