Crunch Time and Those Old Piano Roll Blues...

Well Ladies and Gentlemen, as of tomorrow May 31, I have 20 days until 'As Time Goes By' and I'm left asking myself "What the HELL have I been doing since January?! Where has the time gone?! and WHY is it now in warp speed!"   Well anyways I have officially kicked it into high gear, and as promised here are some picture on the progress of the house, and some things from moms Birthday this weekend.

Turquoise room is almost done, just need to finish the curtains for that window, and find bed frames for the beds.  I was finishing up the touch ups in the kitchen to my now non-existent paint color from True Value, when I noticed something on top of one of the cabinets.   there about 3 inches of space between the tops and the ceiling, and way back near the wall was this covered in dust...

Now if you've been good little blog readers you will be just as surprised as I was because Robert (B. B.) Martin was the man who built my house in 1943. He must of been a swanky gentleman to have his very own monogrammed matches and as an extra treat all the matches are still in the pack, never been used!   While I was doing touch ups to the kitchen paint I keep fighting myself on the subject of re-painting the ceiling, it is its original 1943 green (which I'm sure is lead based)  and its only peeling in a few spots.  So in an effort to save the stuff, I took down the old molding form the stove pipe and this is what I found...

 When I touched the white board over the circle it moved! so I slid it aside and shot the flash light up into the "attic"  which id never looked at before. NOW mind you im standing on a kitchen chair stacked with books, with the fear that any second a raccoon was going to come hurling out of the hole wrap its self around my head and take me to the floor in a fight.

This is where the chimney stack once went out of the roof, id almost put my atomic fireplace in here, except for the fact its right in the middle of the kitchen.... (because in the 40's that was the  heat and cooking source).

Sigh, no treasures to be found in the attic...  I was wishfully hoping that  I would do like some other people here at the lake who found nearly $1000 in US war bonds  when they remodeled their cabinets. They had been hidden between the molding and the wall... but alas all that was up there was dust... Oh how wonderful it would have been to find a coffee can full of money up there...

I finally found a place for my rescued hanging lamp, I'm also hoping in the near future there will be a Spinet Piano under its illumination. Im hoping one will fit between the chairs if not the living room will be undergoing to arrangement.  I gotta say though, with that Moroccan mod hanging lamp and a piano its gonna look like its something right out of the movie Casablanca... cue Sam!

 (Note the hanging lamp above Sam's head)

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My Mom Celebrated her 50th Birthday today with a blow out party I am calling "The As Time Goes By Pre-trial." 

-Mick-

My MOTHER the Party Stealer....

Well i'm happy to announce that painting is finished... on the outside of the house! I even started repainting the mess my 14 year old self made in the kitchen.  With fresh white paint on the house and the crisp green lawn, the 'Blanca' is shaping up in fine form.   I even took down the Flamingo Drive -In sign for a fresh coat of paint I dindt realize just how faded it had become!

 I promise I will take better, full pictures of the things we fixed (where you can actually tell) this weekend.  On Sunday it will be a special occasion because my mom is Celebrating her 50th BIRTHDAY!  (which BTW she deiced she wanted to have a party about 2 weeks ago...  I haven't been telling you the back story of "As Time Goes By"  Its all I talk about of late, and  my mother is STILL firmly convinced this is something iv 'dreamed up'  And 'Who are these People, and where did you meet them?' every time I mention Chris, Michael, Nick and Debra...  So when she decied to have a big blow out party thew conversation went like this....

(I was drawing the top secret plans for the "As Time Goes By" cake)

Mom:" So what are we doing for my Birthday?"

Mick: "Hmm what do you want to do?"

Mom:" Oh I'm not sure... WAIT! I know, Lets have a sock hop themed cook out at the lake, You can bring all your dance records and the player, lets see we'll have a hula hoop contest, I'll invite everyone we know... OH and you can show a movie on the Drive-in that night!"

Mick: "Wow mom, sounds like a cool party.... wonder where iv heard it before..."

Mom: "Im sure I don't know what you mean" (she was being serious)

Mick: "...As Time Goes By..."

Mom: "What the Hell is that?"

Mick: "June 19th....!"

Mom: (blank look)

Mick: "The 5 year party?!"

Mom: (blank/ distracted look)

Mick: "MY BIRTHDAY PARTY?!"

Mom: "Oh,...yeah.... what about that?"

Mick: (slams head down on kitchen table....)

So be sure when your at the party (Deb, Nick, Mike, and Chris) to walk up to my mother and say "Hi I'm  __________ from __________ I follow yours sons blog, and that's why I'm here tonight." To affirm the fact that YES, people actually do read this crap! Haha!

-Mick-

One Hundred, Thousand, Million ... and Counting!

What a DAY!
We've been working like Crazy here at the Casablanca to get ready for "As Time Goes By"  in about 3 weeks! (can you believe its coming up that quick!)  Last night my friend Dutch and I drove out to the lake so we could get an early start today.

This morning when I got up I made homemade 'Kolanchies' with hot dogs and biscuits...

Then it was time to get to work! Here's a before picture, you'll have to forgive me because I didn't get an after picture before the sun went down.

Dutch and I had 3 major projects for today that iv'e been meaning to do a one hundred different times, 1) Get the 1st coat of paint on the house. 2) Screen the two windows in the bedroom. 3) Take the old TV antenna down off the house. We started around 8:30  on the painting, we scrapped and slapped on the paint down one half of the house, at lunch I screened the 'rear windows' which makes keeping the bugs out a thousand times better and by 4 we were scraping and painting again!  However its starting to show, just with the first good coat of paint the house already looks like a million bucks!

(Felix supervised...)

The last project of the evening  was taking down the TV antenna.  Its been up there since before I moved in and had NEVER worked, so I made the executive decision that it was time for the eyesore to come down. NOw a few of you might say "well maybe you could fix it, or get a new antenna" and I'd have to decline.  Call me Crazy but I can watch TV 5 days a week at home in town, when at the lake its all about outdoors and nostalgia!  having a dvd player hooked up to the TV watching a movie or "I Love Lucy" is one thing  but regular programing I can do without! 

(Dutch preparing to take the antenna down)

Just 3 little projects made a WORLD of difference to the place!  You wouldn't think a 50 ft pole in the air would really take away from anything, but now that its gone ITS LIKE THE SKY HAS OPENED UP! It's looking good and we'll be ready to welcome all our guest  come the 19th!  Well iv got to go to bed because that 2nd coat of paint isn't going to put itself on the house! 

-Mick-

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof...

As most of you will recall, 2 weeks ago high winds ripped the roof of my parents dock, and damaged their 1945 trailer.  Well 2 days after that my Dad and I went to the lake in the pouring rain and measured, then went to town and got the new tin, and lumber to fix the roof.  I didn't get many pictures because once again my Father is strictly business  and he was yelling enough with out me stopping to snap pictures.

The current joke around the lake is "The Jordan Family may never speak to one another again, but their cabins are IMPECCABLE!"  As if the project of building a roof and tin-ing it in 2 days wasn't enough Saturday morning the wind kicked up to about 30 MPH...  which was just lovely wrestling 8ft sheets of tin in high winds... but none the less the roof went on!

Everyone was tired by Sunday, but with the trailer patched, dock roof replaced, and new tin wall put up you'd never even know it had been torn up.  We'd accomplished a lot thanks to my fathers Perfectionist SLAVE DRIVER ways and by Sunday evening im not gonna lie, This cat's ass was dragging! 
I literally drove back and forth all weekend! Friday night I got caught up with rehearsal and some cast stuff and didn't get to the lake until 2 am Saturday, up at 8 am Saturday morning, quit around 3:30 to drive back into town get cleaned up and dress like a pirate at 6 Pm, Went back to the lake 1 am Sunday morning to get up at 8 to help dad put the wall up and we quit around 4 pm...  Meanwhile back at the sunny Casablanca Hotel & Resort there were a MILLION things to be done with only 25 days left until "As Time Goes By", so I waited until 7 to mow and weed eat the Drive-In and around the front, cleaned inside the house for a little bit and then went to bed at 11:00 Pm.
Now what Im about to tell you is a secret, because at the Jordan's it is an UNGODLY SIN to sleep past 9:01Am and if you do "Your low life dead beat that wont amount to anything" as my father would rant... so here's the secret, I spent Sunday night at the lake and Monday morning I got up at 7:30 to use the bathroom I was going to start cleaning and painting and scraping and then I thought....

SCREW IT!
Then went back to bed and slept to 11:00 am!  Guess that makes me a real low life dead beat ;)

However when I got up at 11 I went straight to work in the kitchen,  scraping paint off of the glass cabinets.  Honestly If they ever invent time travel i'm going to go back in time and smack my 15yr old self with a paint stick....REPEATEDLY.  What what was I thinking?! Flat paint on the walls....  mixing "dreamy chiffon green" (which it really chartreuse, but that would be to damn simple for our local True Value to call it that)  with Navy Blue. I slopped paint on the glass, on the pulls everywhere...  So as i scraped with a razor I decied the pulls needed some TLC as well.

Here they are before... you can see the blue paint I tried to make work with the green... and the white is from the edged of the cabinets.  Lucky for me my dad basically owns a machine shop and he has an electric wire brush that's on a stand, and since the pulls are brass  I just held them with a pair of pliers and ran them through the wire brush a few times and...

Viola! Just as shiny as they must have been in 1943. 

This week is going to be busy! Tomorrow is Grandmas day (and I may or may not be buying a rug at walmart for the Den) Thursday I will be painting the Casablanca all day, and Should be back Friday evening...

See you then!

-Mick-

My Evening In The Twilight Zone...

 I have several favorite episodes from The Twilight Zone, one of my top favorites  being "A Short Walk" where an overworked, business man takes a short walk down an old country road, and finds himself in the early 1900's of his child hood. Much like the gentlmen in the story I too was about to stepover into The Twilight Zone... dun dun dun!
Saturday the cast of Pirates of Penzance held our first fund raiser for the show!

It started out like any other day... actually NO, no it didn't. Saturday morning I had to get up and help my dad put the new roof on the dock, and Now my sunburn, Irish Tan is now radiant, as one cast mate said "perpetually blushing". haha!
The fundraiser was to be a party, where the cast would sing 5 songs and just be all around piratey for the guest. ( Be dressed as Pirates talk with English accents.)   The house the party was to be given in was on 1500 Grant street, and for some reason that adress seemed familiar to me.  When my friend and I arrived at the adress much to my SHOCK, It was the very same house I went to an estate sale at a few months ago!

Just imagine this, but with pirate flags everywhere and a gang plank sticking off of that balcony above the steps and THATS where our party was

(Here we have Fredric and the Police Sergent) 

I was so excited, the people who bought the house took it upon themselves to match the decor to the period of the house, so everything inside is as close to early 1900's furnishings as possible!  We showed up at 6:00 and our pirate cast assembled!

(Im the 3rd pirate from the left side, wearing black and red)   As the evening went on, we preformed 4 songs from the show,  including "Modern Major General, Ruth's Song, I am a Pirate King, and Poor Wandering One." with an additional jaunty pirate tune!   I did really well with the Major General's song until I COMPLETELY BLANKED on the last 2 lines, but everyone did very well and we struck up a lot of interest in for the show.  It was very easy to stay in pirate chracter in this house, (the show Pirates of Penzance was written in 1879. With this house being early 1900's in every way it was just perfect) Each of us preformed our songs in the receiving hall of the house to guests sitting in both the formal parlor (where the grand piano was) or in the dinning room.

(My friend Kelcie, preforming "Ruth's Song")

I couldnt help but think of the scene from "Meet Me in St Louis" where Judy Garland and her sister throw a party and the guests preform for everyone in some way or another and leads into the dance number "Skip to My Lou".  It was a lot of fun, and it helped us get started on the some odd $8,000 it takes to put on a show.

However the real fun was after the party ended, no one went anywhere! We spend the next 2 hours in the formal parlor and receiving hall singing and dancing to various show tunes played by our music director.

Our very kind and gracious hostess finally broke us up around midnight, and we all reluctantly went singing out the door.  I realized with the combination of the the beautiful house the party was given in, the good friends attending, and all around magic of the evening that THIS is how I want my life to be :) maybe not all the time but eventually, its something to work for. 

As a result of this night, I am not also looking for a small piano to buy and bring to the Casablanca, and ALWAYS have sheet music on hand!  Tuesday I will share with you with the tale of  'Dock reconstruction' and the 78 hour NIGHTMARE that ensued!

-Mick-

You'd Think I'd Stop....

Hello, My name is Mickey Jordan... and one of you should take my money away and lock it up where I CAN'T spend it!!!!!

I went down town today...  I found the little black planter first, for $0.50~!  Then as I was checking out I spotted the "Frank" record for a $1.00 ( In my defense, It will be played at As Time Goes By!), I popped into my favortie thrift store "Value Village" and found another Jello mold for $1.00 and then the thrift Gods tripped me and I found the cactus salt and pepper shakers for $0.99!

*  *  *

However I did get Crafty today making some inside jokes!  Our stage manager has had jury duty all this week and at one point she said "Dear Santa, Id like a Barbie Dream House, and a better Judicial System... Thanks!"  We I couldn't change the Judicial system... so i got busy on the Barbie dream house I made it out of card board, and painted it up. It stands about 4 inches high and 5 inches wide.

It's got 3 rooms...

Complete with Light fixtures!

It took me about 3 hours to tape and paint it, I was going to make here little furniture to go in the house but I ran out of time and had to go to rehearsal. She Loved it! haha

Tomorrow we start putting Mom and Dads place back together...  I'm going to go buy the paint for the house in the morning, and if there's any money left from that, I spotted a pair of Chinese figurines  you know the kind with the hats, that's are wearing little green coats and are carrying buckets of water...  With any luck they will be mine by 4:00 p.m.!  They are $19.00 for the Pair and I think that's pretty reasonable...

There I go... spending money again ;)

-Mick-

"This Old House"

"This ole house whats new is children

(college/ theater kids to be exact)
This ole house whats new his white

(because it will be re-painted next week)

This ole house was home and comfort

(clearly)
As they fought the storms of life

(its my safe place)
This old house once rang with laughter

(and still does on a weekend basis)
This old house heard many shouts

(don't get me started!)
Now it trembles in the darkness 

(mainly because its  sixty-seven years old)

As the lightning walks about"

I know those aren't the EXACT lyrics, but that's what they sound like, and I think its fitting for the Casablanca.  As I said, next week Thursday and Friday A friend and I will be re-painting (True Value 15 year warranty paint MY ASS) with trusty Valspar paint. I swear I only painted it 5 years ago...  and Its almost as if the house is saying "Oh he's going to host an event... lets see how many eye sores I can develop  in the next month"    But like it or not, the house will be Hallmark Card quality for the 19th! While I'm sprucing up and fixing last minuet things....

Who knows... maybe you'll get some red or turquoise shutters around the Kitchen window? 

The 'maintenance elves'  will also be removing that HORRID defunct Tv antenna from the grounds.

I'm debating on painting the kitchen ceiling a matched color green along with repainting the trim white.

(Insert list of A MILLION little projects here)

Oh, but its gonna be grand!

-Mick-

"Well Mama, If You Want That House Your Just Going To Have To DEAL WITH IT!"

Well I'm home from College Hurray!
I am now currently driving my mother crazy...  you see the cast is having a fund raiser for our costumes  so our first performance is SATURDAY. Not the actual show mind you, but a few songs, and scenes we will be preforming to raise money and interest in the show.  Last night at rehearsal we went over "The Major General's Song" and it made me GIDDY inside! This will sound weird, but when ever I sing a song like that that s fast and complicated its like 'water skiing for my brain'. Just before the music starts your floating there in the water then, the intro starts and your off, and the faster and better you sing it the better you feel. Its a RUSH! Haha.  So iv been singing the song for 2 weeks now, and Its been ok, because Mom hasnt been there to listen, and NOW im driving her crazy... This was only furthered by this mornings mail...

My Pirates Of Penzance record album came in! Of course as soon as i got it open it went on the player and I was singing along.  I was walking through the living room and Mom had this look on her face, and I said  "Think you can sit through 2 hours of this?!"  (because its an Operetta)  to which she says "I was just about to say that be-yatch Linda Rondsat is driving me crazy!" Haha I then said "Well if you want that retirement mansion your gonna have to grin and bear it so I can get the Tony!" Mom: "Ok, if thats what its going to take..."   I also found 2 more tea cups to Grandmas set, they will be going to the lake ASAP!

*  *  *  

Last week in all the Tornado mishap I forgot to show you my latest scores.  Found the chartreuse planter I got at my favorite thrift store 'Value Village'  for $0.99 , Then I spotted the Jello mold and though "THAT'S what the Casablanca needs! Molded Jello!"  for $1.29.  

Well I'm off to practice this musical insanity I signed up for! (And wouldn't have it any other way) :)

-Mick-

Picture Perfect!

Alright Gals and Gals, Friends and Pals take your party finery out of moth balls and shine up your patent leather shoes were going to have ourselves a little contest!

A Photo contest!  As you all may or may not know, June the 19th I will be celebrating 5 years of owning The Casablanca. A few of our blogger friends are dropping in for the event and its going to be quite an evening.  I know from the weekly Sunday invitations many of you would like to come, but simply cannot make the trek to the Casablanca in this far and distant land of Texas... So here's what were going to do!

The Great Photo Contest

 Step 1, ANYONE, ANYWHERE CAN ENTER! Here's what you do, dress up in vintage, or (vintage looking) clothing and take a picture. (have fun with this!)

Step 2,  Print out  your favorite picture, and 'autograph' it  (Think Hollywood!)

Step 3, Please write your name, and blog name on the back.

Step 4,  Mail the picture to the Casablanca! Send me an email at JahJah_Jordan@hotmail.com to get the adress!

Step 5, Send your picture on its merry way to the Casablanca!  Where on June the 19th your fellow bloggers, will pick a winner for the Super Secret grand prize!

Hurry do it now!  There's only  4 weeks left to enter!

Here's an Entry All the Way from England! By "Yesterday Girl"  you can find her blog here:

http://jennyjenny-yesterdaygirl.blogspot.com/2010/04/plaid-and-preparation.html

Trust me even though the Grand Prize is Super Secret, its something most of you would LOVE TO HAVE! So get those pictures in!

-Mick-

"The Graduate"...

"Mrs Robinson I think your trying to seduce me...." NO NO, not THAT Graduate!  This kind...



 Associates in Arts! Now on to the Bachelors!  The Ceremony was Held in Vernon Tx in the Memorial Auditorium. I was so excited! A cattle baron built the auditorium in the 1930's and its teaming with art deco.

Haha I know what your thinking "its his graduation day and all he can think about is THE BUILDING?!  But it was really cool, it even has an attached ballroom named "The Empire Room".  Anyways, it was a great commencement ceremony, The Class Speaker even mentioned Drive-In Movies in his speech and it TOTALLY made my day.  There were only 5 Associates in Arts Grads, 2 of which did not show up... so I was the 2nd person to graduate in the ENTIRE ceremony!

Had it NOT been pouring rain last night, The Flamingo Drive-In would have held a double feature of  "The Graduate"  and "Rumor Has It", but rain it did!  All this next week I will be blogging Updates as we repair my parents cabin so the blogs may be sparse or many.

Oh and ...

Tomorrow I will be posting details on our vintage Picture Contest and the FABULOUS grand prize you could win for entering said contest!

-Mick-

She's Delightful, She's Delicious, She's De-lovely.... Well Acutally She's Deluxe!

MaryDeluxe that is my dear friends!

This Gal could quite possibly the most hip, vintage, rockabilly,HayWake seeking-est person you know! She's the blog keeper of ~Welcome to Deluxeville~   She has the Coolest "diggs" , is quite the Gardener, and is pretty much spectacular in every way! Right now she is currently hosting a give away for her 400th follower. She giving away this GREAT lamp to one lucky person,

All you have to do is go over to her blog and leave a comment to be entered.  What a great vintage piece this is, and hey while your over at Mary's read some of her post! You'll quickly see why shes one of the many blogger favorites!

Well what are you waiting for!
http://welcometodeluxeville.blogspot.com/2010/05/400-follower-giveaway.html 

Tell her Mick sent ya!

-Mick-