We've been putting on a musical this week and so that meant rehearsals until 10 every night and shows on Thursday, Friday and Saturday until 10. Kind of a long week. It was fun to see the students put their all into the effort and watch them grow. We have some good young singers and actors. My Ellen had the lead in this show and if you read her bio you find that she has been in about 8 shows now and she has had the main character in every one. Rather amazing. I don't understand how she is able to grasp so well what it takes to be believeable on the stage. And the singing and dancing come so naturally to her, just an expression of character and the lines.

I have worn some of my work clothes out and went to Kohl's to check out the sales. Found so very nice pants and couldn't resist one shirt. A nice, long-sleeved Arrow shirt, for $7. The pants were also nicer material and lower prices than what we used to get years ago. It places me in an odd situation. I like the inexpensive, yet beautiful clothing in the stores, realize that they are being made by near slave labor in China, and that the people who used to make these clothes, when they were twice as expensive, are now out of work textiles workers in Ohio and North Carolina. The American economy is shifting away from jobs which require little education and pay a living wage. Oprah says that the middle class in America is shrinking and that 1% of the people own 40% of the wealth in the country.