musings

The Price

/ Julie M. McKinnon / Leave a comment

I’ll admit it: I wanted to see Arthur Miller’s “The Price” simply because the play stars Mark Ruffalo.

Realizing that I also would see Danny DeVito and Tony Shalhoub on Broadway was pure, sweet icing.

I knew nothing about the play before snapping up a preview ticket for the Roundabout Theatre Company’s show that opened Thursday at American Airlines Theatre. Here is how “The Price” is described by Roundabout Theatre Company:

When the Great Depression cost his family their fortune, Victor Franz gave up his dream of an education to support his father. Three decades later, Victor has returned to his childhood home to sell the remainder of his parents’ estate. His wife, his estranged brother, and the wily furniture dealer hired to appraise their possessions all arrive with their own agendas, forcing Victor to confront a question, long-stifled, about the value of his sacrifice. One of the most personal plays by the consummate voice of the American everyman, Arthur Miller’s The Price is a riveting story about the struggle to make peace with the past and create hope for the future.

Ruffalo plays Victor and Shalhoub his brother, Walter; the audience was totally engrossed when the duo finally shared their feelings and memories of what happened years ago. Jessica Hecht, whose face I recognized if not her name, plays Victor’s wife.

Turns out the show is DeVito’s first time on Broadway, and he does a fantastic job playing the furniture dealer. His character provides some much needed laughs during an otherwise intense play.

There were times during the preview I saw that some of the dialogue’s pacing and actors’ gestures seemed a bit off, which I’m guessing the star-studded cast has massaged. The show is absolutely worth the price.

 

 

Ball Canning

/ Julie M. McKinnon / 1 Comment

image

Several years ago, a friend won a free party pack filled with Martha Stewart paper punches and other crafting supplies from an outfit called House Party. In return, she hosted a party, posted photos, shared coupons and did some surveys.  She invited me to her party, where we made greeting cards with her new supplies.

I was hooked.

I’ve won several great parties of my own since from House Party by filling out questionnaires and hoping for the best. Some have revolved around serving food – like Athenos® Greek yogurt and Breakstone’s sour cream – or trying items including HP photo products, L’Oréal Paris cosmetics, Glade air fresheners and the Meryl Streep movie Hope Springs. All involve coupons and typically other gifts for guests, who also are asked to complete surveys. Some of my guests have applied for and received free party packs from Shutterfly and other companies, too.

Without a doubt, the best party packs I’ve won or seen have come from Ball® brand canning supplies.

first canning party

One of my guests helping to can strawberry jam.

In 2010, I received a Ball® party pack that included a stainless steel canner, canning jars, utensils, pectin, cookbooks and other items. That party did involve a little more work because I was asked to can salsa and pepper jelly before the party for my guests to take home. It was a small request to make, though, for all of the fantastic items I received. At the party, we canned strawberry jam together, and I also sent some of that home along with other prizes from my free party pack.

This year’s free Ball® party pack features a granite canner and utensils, which I’m going to use as the grand prize at my party Saturday so one of my guests can, well, can. I also received jars and pickle mix, and we’re all getting cookbooks and coupons.

So what besides feedback and some photos do these brands get for giving out all of these free party packages? From me, some fierce customer loyalty.

DIY Standing Station

/ Julie M. McKinnon / Leave a comment

standing station

I’ve never sat so much in my life.

Don’t get me wrong: I like my job. Balancing marketing communications, grant writing, event planning, vendor contracts and whatever else comes along keeps me jumping mentally. But physically? Not so much.

I just don’t get out and about like I did when I was a newspaper reporter. Even when I do, it’s typically to get into my car – where of course I sit – and go somewhere for a meeting to sit some more. I do try to take a walk at lunchtime, even for half an hour, and am active on the weekends and most evenings. I just needed more.

A sit-stand station on top of my desk for my computer setup seemed like a good way to stay off my burgeoning tush, at least for a few hours a day. I could raise a sit-stand station when I wanted to stand and lower it when I didn’t. I had a few considerations, though:

  • I use two monitors, so I needed a bigger and sturdier model.
  • I’m nearly 6-foot tall in bare feet. So I also needed a model that would accommodate a taller person, especially one who often wears a bit of a heel and wants to stand on a cushy mat.
  • I really did not want to spend $500 or so to meet the above requirements.

Instead, I decided to try my luck with repurposing a two-tier end table or other piece of small furniture. I ran into several possibilities while shopping at a consignment store with a friend, and the clerk pointed out one that turned out to be nearly ideal. It certainly helps that my office had two hefty desks that I pushed together into an “L” shape – I work at a true nonprofit, where we make due with donated furniture – and both are 30” deep. When I want to sit, I just move my laptop to the other desk.

How many calories am I burning by standing instead of sitting? A little more than 50 calories an hour, according to this calculator from Ergotron, Inc. That’s not much, but it will add up, and it certainly feels good to stand at times.

And while my standing station is not nearly as nice as Ergotron and other companies make, it definitely works for me.