So, improv class has been fun, it's going OK and there's one thing that's sure: I suck at improv. Well, you say, that is why you're taking a class on the subject. Of course! But I will be in a scene/game and following key improv tenents--always agree, don't ask a question, LISTEN--and moments go by and the other players have little support from me. My mind just blanks. Well, it doesn't totally blank 'cuz I'm enjoying what everyone else on the stage is doing. Usually with a large, out of character grin on my face. And I just don't seem to form words and sentences that fit. Sometimes I just have a brain glitch. This week I somehow couldn't remember the word "dome" and that the Astros play at the Astrodome.
I know very little about baseball, and the fact that I know what the Astrodome is but couldn't think of it is scary.
When I got home from the class I noticed my dad had been up and had unlocked the front door and didn't re-lock it. Yikes. This week he's wanting to go outside for no explainable reason again, he hasn't done that in a long time. I'm gonna have to stay home and not go out at all for a while (again, gah!) and watch to see if he continues this and actually goes outside and wanders. He wanted to go outside early this morning, IN THE DARK, but he came right back in. This is kind of scary. Of course, he waited until the weather finally turned cold outside. He didn't try to leave the house much at all during the summer. More on this later.
A few months ago I was looking around for some local acting classes. So after being discouraged by the price of other acting instruction in the area I was tipped off to this awesomly priced beginning improv class and enrolled immediately. Wednesday was the first session. Though it's a beginning session there were some more experienced improvisers in the group, too. We had some brief instruction/lecture, followed by several games, most of which I did poorly since they required very fast verbal and simultaneous physical responses. It was fun, but I don't think my brain is hardwired for that. I'm hoping to do some rewiring with the class.
Yep. It happened in August, actually. I was pretty much not upset about it, since it was me backing into my friend's (very hard front) bumper. Gah!
I read an article recently pointing out the importance of treating depression in the elderly. Seems it's often untreated partly due to being unreported, partly due to the assumption that it's normal for one to be depressed about aging, losing abilities, and therefore it doesn't need to be treated. My dad has been getting increasingly depressed over the past six months, especially the past three. It makes sense...he's more tired, has few things to do (sleep, eat, watch tv [which also means sleep since he falls asleep]), and he has very little social interaction. I take him to visit my mom once or twice a week, and even then he usually just naps in a chair. But just because it makes sense that his depression would worsen it doesn't mean treatment is unnecessary.Last weekend I called for an appointment with my dad's primary physician. The callback came early Monday and I had to cancel it due to my own lack of adequate sleep...it wouldn't have been safe to drive. The next available time was Friday. Ironically, my dad seemed to be very upbeat that day and was joking around with the doctor. His doc prescribed a low dose antidepressant to start. I asked why Kaiser's policy is for him to see his medical doctor for this instead of seeing a psychiatrist who specializes in elder psych but the doctor just shrugged her shoulders, saying they change rules all the time. Hmm.It's too early to have results from the new medicine, but for whatever reason my dad was also in good spirits yesterday. That was enhanced later in the day by a visit from some long-time acquaintances from my dad's church. Instead of sleeping my dad stayed awake and chatted with his visitors. It could have been that one of the med's side effects is wakefulness, or just that he had something to do besides watch tv. Bottom line is he was better. I thanked our guests and explained to them that it has a big, positive effect when people stop by to see him.
This Halloween was the first time in years that I've had an idea for a costume that I was excited about. It was also the first time I had a use for it. It's not so much I'm a boring person as being a caregiver 24/7, I haven't recently bothered b/c I'm generally stuck at home. It's only in the past year or so that I've started forcing myself to get out and do my best to have fun, despite the guilt, which was probably wise because if not my head might explode. This year I had two spooky options lined up. When the first one fell through late in the game on party weekend, there wasn't enough time for plan B. I also got no love from friends later in the week so I had no choices to explore. Bummer. I'm not going to describe the costume idea just in case I can put it to use next time. I always seem to have to wait for "next time".
It's too depressing and low-value to say my friends ditched me and even just saying I stayed home might make it seem like that's what I do, like I'm not interested in fun things. So I came up with a slightly amusing (to self) response if anyone asked...
So for Halloween I went to this party dressed as a ghost, and it was like my best costume ever! I know this because a few days later i was talking to some hotties I met there, and they were like, "Well, what were you?", and I said, "A ghost," and they go, "I don't remember seeing you there," and I said, "EXACTLY!"
I would like to sub ninja for ghost but ghost is a lot easier to say with the right cadence for the bit.
