Wednesday, November 26, 2008

After the curtain falls...


So, in case you've ever wondered what amateur thespians do with their time after a show closes...

We just wrapped up our fall production of LI'L ABNER. I was in the cast as a sweet young thing a couple of decades ago, but decided to sit this one out, while my son enjoyed some stage time instead. I did paint the set, though, as well as creating a big statue of "Jubilation T. Cornpone."


So naturally, yesterday I pull into my driveway after running errands and what do I find decorating my mailbox garden? Well, the photo above will illustrate. Those theater pranksters!

After enjoying a good laugh, my son and I printed up a sign (right), which we tacked to the side, put the statue on a borrowed dolly and rolled it up the street to the house of another cast member, where we removed the dolly wheels. Hey, transporting it to its next spot is HIS problem. (big wicked grin)

The one with the church in the background is my yard; the blue house is the next victim.


And finally, after all these years of painting flats that were lost to the world as soon as the next show was mounted, (with no photos to record the work), this time I took my digital camera and photographed the flats. I've uploaded the "Dogpatch" flat below, which is 32 feet wide, so I had to photograph it in 3 shots, then photoshop them together.

For Dogpatch, I went for as cartoony an effect as I could manage. These flats are 12 feet tall. The head of a 6 foot tall man comes to about the bottom of that little gray house in the middle. So for more than half the square footage, I had to paint from a hydraulic lift to reach above my puny 6 foot reach. Thank goodness for that new hydraulic lift. I don't think my knees could have stood that honking big ladder the theater used to own -- not to mention that moving the darned thing was like dragging around a dead giraffe. I got pretty good at steering & parking that lift in tight quarters near the paint room.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Only another week to win free books!

With the book giveaway concluding at the end of this month (Nov 08) I think it's a good idea to give the contest one more plug. Honest, folks, it looks as though not that many folks are entered in the contest yet, (not the thousands I'd hoped), but what's bad for me (not being famous -- boo hoo!) is good for you -- because it increases your odds of winning!

But there's not much time left, so the Thanksgiving holiday is the perfect time for teachers to take a few minutes to enter. See details in the repost below:

Hi all,
I'm excited to share information about a book giveaway I'm involved with through TheApple, an educator's website. The contest runs thru the entire month of November, 2008. The winner must be a teacher or homeschooler, so FORWARD THIS LINK TO ALL THE TEACHERS YOU KNOW!

Here's official blurb from TheApple:
TheApple is proud to host a book contest with author Kim Norman. Come on over to TheApple to learn about "The Perfect Author Visit," then take a little quiz for a chance to win 35 autographed copies of her book, JACK OF ALL TAILS. Click HERE for info on how to participate.

(Kim Norman popping into the official blurb to let you know I have never received even the tiniest bit of spam as a result of registering on the site many months ago.)

TheApple is a community by and for educators. Registration is free! TheApple offers a huge library of resources written by educators on how to manage a class, work with parents, teach special needs, and utilize technology to name a few. Browse lesson plans, news, videos, career quizzes or join a group.

Kim

Saturday, November 08, 2008

Singing Author Visit


I enjoyed a terrific visit to Coventry Elementary in Yorktown, VA, last week. What a great school! Here's a video of the kids singing along with my "Storytime Boogie." I love it when they know the song in advance. (I always send a CD in advance of my visit.) But even if they don't know it, they're still bouncing and bobbing to the music in no time.

In this video, it's cute the way all the heads are swaying to the lullaby at the beginning of the song, then start bopping when the music speeds up.

This is a song I wrote a few years ago with a different title and lyrics. But when I started doing school visits, I rewrote it as "The Storytime Boogie," a song which encourages bedtime reading. I also created a music video of the song which you can view on YouTube, HERE. And, of course, you can visit my website by clicking my name below.

"Storytime Boogie" ©2006 by Kim Norman

Saturday, November 01, 2008

35 FREE BOOKS GIVEAWAY!



Hi all,
I'm excited to share information about a book giveaway I'm involved with through TheApple, an educator's website. The contest runs thru the entire month of November, 2008. All you do is read an article I wrote called "The Perfect Author Visit," take an easy quiz about it, and those who get 100% on the quiz will be entered into a drawing to win 35 autographed books. The winner must be a teacher, so if you're not one, be sure to FORWARD THIS LINK TO ALL THE TEACHERS YOU KNOW!

(I asked, and this does include homeschoolers. Verification of teacher or homeschooler status will be required ONLY of the winner, similar to the type you provide for educator discounts.)

Here's official blurb from TheApple:
TheApple is proud to host a book contest with author Kim Norman. Come on over to TheApple to learn about "The Perfect Author Visit," then take a little quiz for a chance to win 35 autographed copies of her book, JACK OF ALL TAILS. Click HERE for info on how to participate.

(Kim Norman popping into the official blurb to let you know I have never received even the tiniest bit of spam as a result of registering on the site many months ago.)

TheApple is a community by and for educators. Registration is free! TheApple offers a huge library of resources written by educators on how to manage a class, work with parents, teach special needs, and utilize technology to name a few. Browse lesson plans, news, videos, career quizzes or join a group.

"TheApple is Facebook for Educators!" -Rebecca, member of TheApple.com

Good luck to all who participate!

Kim