Buono sera.

Having a wonderful time in Rome. Wish you all were here.....

Then you could help me navigate these roads and keep me from getting run over by a moped or a speeding taxi. If I am to die in Rome, let it be somewhere classy like the Sistine Chapel or the Colosseum or better yet, the steps of the Pantheon, not on a busy street surrounded by angry Italians!

Then again, you could also share a gellato with me and a stroll through the cobbled streets or sit at a table in the Campo di Fiori and watch pencil thin Roman women trip by.

Heidi and I ate lunch today in a quaint cafe next to the Pantheon. Imagine. The Pantheon, which I have decided is my favorite so far. We tour the Vatican Museum tomorrow, visit St. Peters and breakfast with the Pope on Wednesday. No lie, this tour guide rocks!

I've walked ten miles today and if Rome is truly built on seven hills, I have stepped foot on every single one of them.

Ciao.

Kerri

Update, Thursday noon, October 18, 2006

Hi Mom:

So hopefully you didn't call the room, because I left shortly after to get my nails and feet done. I will check my e-mail tomorrow morning before I check out to see if you got any info on the B&B.

Remember the perfume 'Earth' that used to be at the Gap? This place smells like that. I went over to the Indian restaurant and they don't open for another 2 hours. I'll hold out for it. I'm craving some serious curry.

The people at the nail place gave me a flower in a can as a gift. They were trying to give me this perfume thing you put sticks in or something and I told them I couldn't take it because I was going back to Afghanistan. I thought they were trying to get me to buy it at first.

The language barrier is funny sometimes. I wanted to tell the lady who did my pedicure I've been wearing boots for 8 months and that's why my feet were so bad looking, but she didn't speak English at all. Oh well, I tried.

I think when you get here, if we have time, we should get facials and massages. I don't want to do all the girly stuff before you get here. Oh, if you get this before you fly, you don't need to bring any big coats. It's not cold at all. At night a sweater or light jacket is enough.

Ok, I'll talk to you later.

Love,

Heidi

"Leave the gun. Take the cannolis" ~ The Godfather, 1972.

I spoke with Heidi this morning. She's already there. Seems military transport is kickin'. Due to the fact she didn't know what day she would get there, Heidi arrived in Rome sans reservations and has spent the last two nights in two different hotels. Interestingly enough, the locals speak some English, but aren't very helpful. We wondered if Americans are helpful to foreign tourists when they visit in the US and vowed to do better in the future. I myself talk too much to strangers as Marsh and Daron are often quick to point out.

Always the brave one, Heidi scheduled a haircut first thing. A typical Drylie, Heidi has a lot of hair AND a cowlick in the front. She says the male hairdresser (who was very nice) struggled with the mutinous cowlick and kept muttering something under his breath that sounded strangely like....'rebel, rebel'...Only having known Heidi a short period of time and he already had her AND her insubordinate hair pegged.

Scheduled Itinerary ~
Heidi and Kerri’s Trip to Italy

Rome: Stay at the Aberdeen Hotel with the tour group, drink Frascati White & Torre Ercolana Red.
It is recommended you DO drink Roman water.

10/20 Fri ~ Kerri leaves Orlando at 10:35 a.m. Hopes everything fits into her suitcase.

10/21 Sat ~ Kerri arrives in Rome from Florida, 8:40 a.m.
Reservations at Anna Rosa’s B & B near Termini Station.
Kerri drags her overstuffed suitcase uphill unassisted. Anna Rosa's is possibly located in a seedy part of town. There were no rooms available at the local convents.

10/22 Sun ~ K & H meet with tour group at 3:00 p.m., evening; dinner with tour.
K & H go back to their room later and talk about their fellow
travelers.

10/23 Mon ~ Colosseum, Forum, Pantheon (picnic?), evening & dinner on our own. Heidi has already seen the Colosseum and declared it was "GARGANTUAN". She likes that word.
Churches near the fountain, ‘Miscellanea’, Trevi Fountain,
Gelatoria, San Crispino, Basilica de San Clemente.
Drop dead later that evening due to the fact I did not get in better shape prior to the trip.

10/24 Tues ~ Vatican City, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s, evening & dinner with the Pope, excuse me, the tour group.....

Side note: During a military de-briefing, Heidi was informed Italy was 'high on the terrorist alert watch'. I am thinking this is probably due to the close relationship enjoyed by the Pope with certain members of the Middle East community. I am not sure what this means to everyone else, but I can tell you what it means to me. In case of trouble, Heidi and I are bolting and it's every tour member for his/her own self......end note.

10/25 Wed ~ Cooking class, afternoon, evening & dinner on our own.
Night Walk across Rome? Campo de Fiori (dinner?),Piazza Navona,
Street Scenes, Four Rivers Fountain, Tre Scalini, (Death by Chocolate),Castle St. Angelo, Bridge of Angels......

10/26 Thurs ~ Ostica Antica coast, Appian Way, evening & dinner on our own. Catacombs, Cappuccin Crypt, Palatine Hill

10/27 Fri ~ Borghese Gallery, Last Supper, afternoon free, evening and dinner with the tour.

Florence: Hotel Aldobrandini (two nights)

10/28 Sat ~ Breakfast, train ride to Florence, 1.5 hrs.
Santa Maria Novella and perfumery. I hear this is lovely.
Uffizi @ 1:45 p.m., San Lorenzo Market (where we will buy leather goods), Ponte Vecchio, Pitti Palace, Boboli Gardens, Brancacci Chapel (make reservations)

10/29 Sun ~ Accademia Gallery @ 10:00 a.m., Museum of San Marco, Straw Market, bring stuff home for everyone.
Medici Chapel @2:30

10/30 Mon ~ Duomo, Baptistery, Palazzo Vecchio, Giotti’s Tower,
Churches, Santa Maria Novella and perfumery. Wait. Is this on here two times?

Late afternoon, Kerri takes train back to Rome. Staying one night in Rome at Hotel Pensione Italia, Via Venezia 18. I like the sound of 'pensione'. Reminds me of Room With A View. Let's hope so.

Heidi takes train/bus ~ Cinque Terre

I think Cinque Terra is pronounced 'chinka terra'.

Cinque Terre: Hotel Villa Steno (Heidi ~ two nights)

10/31 Tues ~ Kerri Flies Home. Leaves Rome 11:30 a.m.
Heidi spends day in Monterosso. Cinque Terra is the 'southernest' most point of the Italian Rivera.

11/1 Wed ~ Heidi spends day in Monterosso.
Heidi takes train/bus Back to Rome, p.m. Where will Heidi stay?

11/2 Thurs ~ Heidi flies back to Afghanistan via most of the cities of Europe and the Middle East. That or she goes AWOL.

More later. Maybe.

K

"Not many people know it, but the Führer was a terrific dancer" ~ The Producers, 1968.

Star-studded cast of The Matchmaker (double click the picture to see it better)

Have you ever seen such an interesting bunch?

No, seriously. Andy, Alex, Ryan, Mac, Ryan, James, AJ, Bethany, Marsh, Brittany, Madeline, Emily, Christa, Jessica Amanda and Missi ~ Stevie Schenk made this picture of the cast and I 'borrowed' it. We are so proud of all of you.

Tickets have gone on sale for the Master's Academy production of The Matchmaker. You can download and print out the order form here.

There are three performances ~ November 10, 11 and 12 and I am certain even you are not busy too go see one of them. It's going to be the talk around campus for months and honestly, you don't want to miss it! Everyone who is anyone will be there.

A secret:

Don't tell anyone I told you ~ October 10th through October 20th, you may purchase pre-sale tickets for Master's Academy families. They are only $5.00 each, $10 at the door if seats are available and they won't be.

Now I am going to be out of the country for a few days, and when I come back, I want Marsh to tell me there were so many tickets sold the Fine Arts Department had to add more performances just to cover the demand.

I know you won't let me down.

Perhaps you are thinking: “What if I would like to support the Master’s Academy Drama Department?” I knew you would ask that question and (other than purchasing your ticket(s) and seeing The Matchmaker) I have a suggestion.

You could be a real, live Angel and sponsor The Matchmaker.

Yep, even you can be an angel.

"To be, or not to be" ~ Hamlet

Gold Angel Sponsorship ~ $50-$74
*A Thank You in the program advertising your business.
*Multimedia Ad the night of the production.

Platinum Angel Sponsorship ~ $75-$99
*Business Ad in the Program
*Multimedia Ad
*Sign Posted before, during and after production

Diamond Angel Sponsorship ~ $100+
*Business Ad in Program
*Multimedia Ad
*Sign Posted before, during and after production
*Business name on special sponsor set piece

If you need more information, contact Mrs. Rivera HartRivera@mastersacademy.org.
Or, if you hurry, which I wish you would, you can email me kiwixmas@aol.com and I can send you either a gold, platinum or diamond angel sponsorship form.

Or I could pick one out for you.

"The Force is strong with this one" ~ Stars Wars, 1977.

Tristan Alexander Darnell was born at 3:59pm on October 11th, 2006.

He weighed 8 lbs, 1 oz and is 20 inches long.

Allison and baby Tristan are both doing well.

Mr. Darnell is still recovering.

~

Holy Innocents

Sleep, little Baby, sleep,
The holy Angels love thee,
And guard thy bed, and keep
A blessed watch above thee.
No spirit can come near
Nor evil beast to harm thee:
Sleep, Sweet, devoid of fear
Where nothing need alarm thee.

The Love which doth not sleep,
The eternal arms around thee:
The shepherd of the sheep
In perfect love has found thee.
Sleep through the holy night,
Christ-kept from snare and sorrow,
Until thou wake to light
And love and warmth to-morrow.

Christina Georgina Rossetti

Congratulations, Allison, Zach and Tristan Darnell

"You had me at "hello" ~
Jerry Maguire, 1996.

It was Friday the 13th, on a brisk Autumn Day in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Montreat, to be specific.

At 4:00 p.m., I took her aside and told her about all of the special things that God had done in my life on the side of that mountain, and wanted to add one more thing to that list.



AND SHE SAID YES!

So, we are shooting for March 3rd for a wedding date; for those of you keeping score, that is exactly one year and one day since we first talked on the phone.

Thanks for all of your love and prayers, and I hope to hear from you all soon.

Blessings and peace,

David

David and Jen

david.ridenhour@lopc-pca.org

david.ridenhour@mac.com


CONGRATULATIONS, DAVID AND JEN !!!!

"I gave her my heart, and she gave me a pen" ~ Say Anything, 1989.

The Muses of Poetry: Inspiration and Where to Find It

By Marsh

Poetry Happens. It just appears. No, I don’t think so. Poetry does not happen without an inspiration. Not good poetry, anyway. You cannot make poetry materialize out of nothing. Every poem, every verse, every line, every word was put into motion by an unseen stimulation. From the tiny prismatic dew drops in a spider’s web, to the systematic procession of afternoon rush hour, a muse’s manifestation varies as much as the poets themselves. What inspires poets to compose poetry? There can be as many answers to this question as there are poets.

Ancient poets relied on ‘supernatural’ inspiration when writing poetry. Greek mythology was not lacking its share of benevolent and malevolent forces. The daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (ni móssənee), the nine Muses took pleasure in the affairs of humans. Capable of inspiring a mortal to write, they were considered a significant part of not only the world of Greek mythology, but also the Greek world of reality. Anytime a writer, sculptor or philosopher was motivated to produce a beautiful creation, he thanked the Muses for their blessing. On the flip side, if an artist was struggling to produce a work, he prayed to the Muses that he might be inspired. In the English dictionary, the word “muse” can either mean “an artist’s inspiration” or “to ponder thoroughly.

Without the literary impetus, however, the composer is horribly lost. Like a sail without wind, if there is nothing, the ship cannot be expected to move. This lack of a muse is called “Writer’s block”. “Writer’s block” has been described as a period of time of little or no productivity due to a lack of inspiration. This can become potentially deadly to a poet’s livelihood (or grades) if the problem persists which, in some cases, has lasted up to a week, a month or even years. “Writer’s block” has many different and supposed cures, if you will. People have tried taking vacations, scribbling down thoughts, visiting the Maharishi and sometimes, just taking a time-out from writing.

Those blessed few people capable of churning out poetry have a rare talent not bestowed on mere mortals. These ‘supernatural rhymesters’ are able to immerse themselves so seamlessly into their environments and certain situations only to resurface later with poetry. They are able to find inspiration in anything ~ “the mysterious notes one finds in the margins of used books, lingerie catalogs, houseplants, nursery rhyme characters, music or even a wet dog”. This is a true poet and pure poetry. Not unlike the Japanese haiku writers who wrote simply about nature, the enlightened poets, those who are inspired, write not just about the natural world, but about the human world, through their eyes; a description of their world, fictional or not.

Billy Collins, America’s former Poet Laureate, explains his struggle with writing poetry: “…I used to try to force them (his poems), and they just got worse and worse, like a painter that tries to fix a painting in the wrong way and paints too much until it all turns to mud.” In his poem, How Poetry Comes to Me, poet Gary Snyder writes:

It comes blundering over the
Boulders at night, it stays
Frightened outside the
Range of my campfire
I go to meet it at the
Edge of the light


You may or may not know this, but I am a poet. Yes, a real poet, if being a real poet means you have been published or won an award for writing poetry. It all started with a Hershey’s hug, Mrs. Laustsen, and an eight grade English assignment. ‘Write an ode to a Hershey’s Hug’, she said. I love chocolate and I like a good grade every now and then, and those two things were the inspiration in themselves. As I told you, inspiration can come from anywhere.

Ode to a Hershey’s Hug by Marsh

Foil wrapped hug upon my book,
I am wishing to eat, but can only look
At the shiny exterior with a flag
And the dark brown stripes that zig and zag.
You are forbidden to me as of now,
But when the poem is done, I will say “Wow”.
“What a creamy little thing you are,
You take me away to lands afar!”
But then I realize, I’ve had better.
A piece of Godiva makes my mouth wetter.

This was not the award-winning poem, but it was published.

Poetry, good poetry at least, more often than not inspires it’s readers to read and compose more poetry. In some ways this is how poetry proliferates over the generations. Like pollen from one flower fertilizes the next, so does poetry inspire that which is in the impressionable young minds of future generations of poets. In the poem “The Trouble With Poetry”, even Billy Collins, the current Poet Laureate of New York, admits to poetry’s irresistible qualities encouraging him to write more poetry “More guppies crowding the fish tank, more baby rabbits hopping out of their mothers into the dewy grass.” It is an infallible truth: excellent poetry begets more excellent poetry.

Poetry does not function or exist without the people and the world that inspires it. In order to properly understand how to write poetry you must first understand what it is made of. Poetry is man trying to describe life to a world without seeing or hearing; instead of using senses it uses feelings. May there always be inspiration for him to do so.

"Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish" ~ Matthew 18:14

Heidi, Afghanistan, October 2006


Peace is our gift to each other ~ Elie Wiesel

If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children ~ Mohandas Gandhi


In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love ~ Mother Teresa

My Heroes.

"It's amazing, Molly. The love inside, you take it with you" ~ Ghost, 1990.

Shopping for Seniors is easy when you know what they like.

Who would have known fake fur hats and foam tiaras would go over so well?

We will miss you, girls!

Special 'secret' gifts were wrapped in tissue paper to be opened later.

We're gonna perfect this pose to intimidate our opponents.

Brothers and friends

show their school spirit and support for

2007 TMA graduates,

Noel and Lindsey.

Hope that stuff comes off before tomorrow, guys.

“Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in” ~ The Godfather: Part III, 1990.

Marsh and Brett bask in the attentions of the UCF mellophones. Life is good! (double click the picture and you can see it better)

UCF Band Day, Saturday, October 21, 2006

If you missed Band Day at UCF last year, please don’t miss it this year! We had a BLAST and honestly, you don’t want to be left out this time, everybody says so.

UCF Band Day is Saturday, October 21st at the Florida Citrus Bowl. The Regiment will leave from TMA at 9:00 a.m. and the school is providing transportation. This is an all-day, ultimate – extreme, band experience. Lunch will be provided by UCF and it was a really nice lunch last year. Delicious AND nutritious. Last year, our band members brought money with them and later in the evening ate non-healthy, junk food for dinner from the concession. Mostly things covered in cheese and dripping with grease. We plan on doing exactly the same thing this year, thank you very much.

Music for UCF Band Day was given out to the students this past Monday. Now your mom and dad both know. Please memorize as much of it as you can. If the Hagerty Husky kids are invited again this year, they’ll try to show us up and you don’t want that, do you?

M-E-M-O-R-I-Z-E.

Did I mention Wick says UCF Band Day is mandatory? Don't worry, you are going to be so happy you participated you practically won't be able to wait until next year to do it all again.

Still one of my favorite pictures of our beloved band. Yeah, Julie! (double click the picture and you can see it better)

Below you will find The Master’s Academy Screamin’ Eagle Regiment Schedule for October to the best of my knowledge.

ALL games are Home Games and I am so excited I can barely speak. Though the games all start at 7:00 p.m., you know what time you are supposed to be in the band room, dressed and ready to go.

Friday, October 6th ~ Home, Pine Castle Christian, 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, October 12th, ~ Yes, Virginia, though school is out, there WILL be practice. School is also out on Friday and we WILL be marching at the game.

Friday, October 13th ~ Home, Lake Mary Prep, 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, October 19th ~ Chic-fil-A night at University and Rouse Road. Come hungry! Thanks to all of you who came and filled up last time.

Special thanks to Rodney and the drumline.

Friday, October 21st ~ Home, Calvary Christian, 7:00 p.m.

Friday, October 27th ~ Home against Orangewood, 7:00 p.m.




kiwixmas@aol.com

"We didn't need dialogue. We had faces" ~Sunset Boulevard, 1950.

The Use of Props in a Stage Production
by Marsh Drylie

“Props are material ghosts, a way for playwrights to animate stage action, question theatrical practice, and revitalize dramatic forms.” ~ Andrew Sofer, The Stage Life of Props

The use of props can vary from emphasizing a certain aspect of a production or be the center of the performance by itself. A prop’s main job is to tell the viewer who, what, where, and when. A good prop can accomplish most of these things without much explanation. Some props are stationary and play the role of background or an atmospheric element. Staging props can be elaborate or simple, even boxes when arranged in a fashion can be anything from a far off castle or a stair case.



Props are typically supposed to mimic the real object they represent as much as possible. Different types of props, like the personal prop for example, are worn on the person and can be as much a part of the character as his costume. If the viewer is familiar enough with the item, he can infer many crucial things about the act allowing said viewer to become more involved with the play. An example of a good prop would be a prop weapon, stage gun or sword, which allows for a manifestation or extension of an emotion, in this case hatred, without any unnecessary danger. This prop also allows for insight on where or when this drama took place.



Sometimes actors need special training to use certain props. Most theatrical productions engage props as much as possible to save the actors and writers from having to explain everything they need to say which, most of the time, is less efficient as an accurately cast prop in its stead.

“A picture is worth a thousand words”.

"We're sisters under the same mink" ~ The Big Heat, 1953.



They came armed with boxes and boxes of puff paint, glue sticks, glitter pens, glitter glue and jars of glitter.

They had sequins, pom poms, stickers and faux gems.

They had strange scissors that cut in jagged lines.

They had markers and colored pencils.

They had glue.

They ate pizza.

Lots of pizza.

They were spread out all over the floors, they were at all the tables, they worked dilligently for hours......

In between bites of oreos, chips and candy, between sips of soda.....(oops, did we have soda?)....they worked.

Marsh thought it would never end.

Bosco the cat enjoyed the glitter.

They played with the cats and took pictures of themselves.

But most of all they created works of art, works designed to honor our volleyball Seniors, Noel and Lindsey.

Friday, September 28th, JV Volleyball’s ‘Aunt Tami and Cousin Jamie’ hosted the Poster and Pizza Party at their pumpkin festooned home in Oviedo.

Best wishes, Noel, Queen of the Court,

and congratulations!

Pizza was provided by the Dixon Family.

Thank you from all of us!

Way to go Lindsey, you ARE the Woman!

Aunt Tami will be vacuuming glitter and sequins out of the carpet for months to come.


Best Wishes,

Class of 2007 !