Life After The Slammer: A journey of inspiration, insight and oddity. 

 

For just over five years Geraldine was involved in bringing creativity, hope and inspiration into Maryland prisons and jails, first as a volunteer and then, for almost two and a half years as a chaplain at the Maryland Correctional Training Center – Maryland’s largest men’s prison.

Since then she has been catapulted into the world of professional storytelling and speaking, traveling throughout the US and as far away as New Zealand bringing programs that cause people to laugh and think. She has performed everywhere from people's living rooms to being a featured performer at the National Festival in Jonesborough, TN - the jewel in the crown of the storytelling world.

Join Geraldine as she writes about her life after hanging up her chaplain's hat and taking to the storytelling road.

Entries in LILO and Stitch (1)

Sunday
Jun152025

Oops!

Last night Rick and I went out to  eat and then saw the movie Lilo and Stitch. One of my now-granddaughters loves Stitch, I'd never heard of him before and wanted the cultural literacy.
Rick bought the tickets before the meal. The only ones he could get that late at night was for the VIP section of the theatre with fully reclining cushy seats, free sodas, icees, and popcorn.
We arrived just before the movie started. As we entered the empty VIP lounge a lovely young man asked if we wanted popcorn and came back with two bags full. He motioned towards the drinks machine, said to help ourselves, and motioned to a separate machine and said "water."
I don't drink soda so I got one of the huge drink cups, put in ice, and wandered over to the water machine. The water came out in a slow but persistent stream. It seemed to be taking a ridiculously long time to fill up the cup. I waited, noticing how the pale yellow of the cup was reflected in the water now just rising above the level of the ice. 
Out of the  corner of my eye I saw that the young helper had come out of the service area, paused briefly, and then walked on. My mind was off and away in dream-land anticipating the coming movie. 
Then I thought, I can't wait for this cup to fill up, lifted my finger off the lever and took a deep swig. 
It was warm. It was thick. 
It was revolting!
Ugh! 
Double and triple ugh!
That's when I noticed the young man's horrified face. "It's butter!"he said. "Butter for the popcorn!"
Obviously I had misheard him when I thought he told me it it was the water spigot.
The young man said he thought it was unusual when he saw me pouring butter into a cup. But he said he thought I would then empty it into my bag of popcorn. He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw me drink the glutinous stuff.
As I got  real water and ice and walked into the cinema, I observed, to Rick's handsome grinning face, that I'll never be sophisticated. And that at least we gave the lovely young man a story. 
And yes. The movie was great. 
Dinner, new story, and movie. A delightful, thoroughly enjoyable trio!