Tommy Karr

Category: Life

  • Liviu Ciulei: Remembering the Romanian Theater Director

    In 1997 I was attending The University of Tennessee, pursuing a degree in Theatre, with an emphasis on performance (more specifically, musical theatre performance) but had dabbled in stage management… exactly once… as the assistant stage manager on a production of Grease.  I suppose I did a good job because I was asked to stage manager…

  • Still Loving Lucy 60 Years Later

    It is hard to imagine that there was TV sixty years ago today, let alone that I Love Lucy, the most beloved sitcom of all time (my opinion but I have little doubt it isn’t true), premiered that long ago.  Yes, for those who were there sixty years may not feel so long ago, but when…

  • Me bullying?? Surely you jest.

    I just got a reply on Twitter (see below) following my tweet about my post earlier today concerning Viki Knox, the New Jersey teacher who has poured her bigotry and hate-filled speech on the internet through Facebook and Twitter. The reply was from @homo_sexuality whose Twitter page reads fully as “Struggling with homo_sexuality”.  Well, @homo_sexuality,…

  • When Teachers Fail to Teach Tolerance

    UPDATE (9:45pm): According to the HRC Ms. Knox also uses Twitter to spew her vitriol.  According to their report, “New Jersey has the nation’s toughest anti-bullying law – Viki Knox has proven herself incapable of carrying out the law within her school.”  Good point!  This woman cannot be trusted to serve her students without bias…

  • Customer Service Hell: Part 2

    And here we are again.  If you read my previous post about PUMA and H&M you know that these two companies royally ticked me off.  PUMA made returning an item and getting a full refund (when the item was canceled BEFORE shipment) a nightmare and H&M had a cashier openly make derogatory remarks about sexuality at…

  • No Wonder So Many Americans Are Big

    I’ve been traveling for work the last two weekends and, in doing so, I’ve been stuck with dining out and the choices have not been particularly healthy.  On the other hand I am starting a 10-day juice fast (thanks to inspiration from the film, Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead) on Monday so hopefully I can…

  • Fear at Eighty Feet (approximately)

    From my office’s conference room several of us noticed the scene across the street where several unsecured workers were building pipe scaffolding.  I immediately got a sick stomach, imagining myself at that height (almost eight stories high) and just knowing that one slippery step or a slight wind would send me sailing down to 37th…

  • Customer Service Hell (or “The Postman Cometh”)

    I am not afraid to write a letter to request better service (or even adequate service) from a company.  In fact, I don’t think enough people do this.  Most people will be treated poorly and walk away feeling dejected.  Yet they’ll just stew in their own juices and let whatever company has caused them distress…

  • Ten Things the Internet Could Have Helped Me Avoid in the 1980s

    1.  I would not have sung the wrong lyrics to “Oh, Sherrie” like an idiot. 2.  I would not have given up on that pen-pal program to a kid in France… to whom I never wrote a second letter because I lost his physical mailing address.  Sorry French kid. 3.  I would not have had…

  • Making a Musical in New Orleans

    After my trip home to Tennessee I flew down to New Orleans to see Ren make his stage debut in a new musical at the Allways Lounge and Theatre. Sidenote: The plane was full of Red Hat Ladies, all of whom were very nice and very brightly adorned, en route to New Orleans for what…