Catching up!

It is two days before Christmas. The day is only just getting started!

This week I got the yearly ornaments out to the neices and nephews. Sure, they will be late, but they are out.

I got packages off to the parents. Because it included a box my mother sent me to route to her (I guess the cookware people wouldn't ship to Puerto Rico), it cost $50 normal, so I paid the extra $20 to get it there by Wednesday. My step-father's books will be two days late, but they are out!

Today I clean out the car so I can go to storage and get the Christmas stuff. Primary goal is to get tree up and lit. If some ornaments make it today, great. Tomorrow will be all about the tree with a break to see family for a birthday.

So, if all goes well, there will be Christmas. And then I start planning on next year. One needs to get back into the habit of timeliness!

What has happened to Christmas?

I have almost totally lost track of Christmas. It is horrible.

I used to have my tree up by the end of Thanksgiving Weekend, a party, gifts and ornaments bought for various family members wrapped and sent. There was a time when extended family got cookies!

This year, it is the 20th. Still no tree. Last year it went up Christmas Eve and day. This year may be the same. I host Secret Santa, so it has to go up!

No general party in years!

By chance, some gifts and ornaments have gone out in time, but many others have not. I guess I will add a note saying to save for next year. One sister-in-law might leave the tree up for a while, but the another takes it down on the 26th. At least I will see one set of Nieces/Nephews on Christmas Day, so THEY won't be late.

Everything else is just not ready. It's awful! Various relatives still talk about and miss my cookies, but I haven't been able to even think about trying in many years. I just can't get myself organized. It is just ridiculous!

Maybe I should just start planning next Christmas now ...

I’VE DONE 84 OF THE 145 THINGS THAT MIGHT SURPRISE YOU

This was a list of the “dumbest” things, but a lot of the things weren’t dumb, so I changed the title! Some of them aren't that surprising, but it was better than dumb.

People might be surprised if they knew you . . .

(x) Smoked A Cigarette
( ) Smoked A Cigar
(x) Tried Weed
(x) Kissed A Member Of The Same Sex
(x) Drank Alcohol

So Far:4

(x) Are / Been In Love
(x) Shoplifted
( ) Been Fired
(x) Been In A Fist Fight

So Far: 7

( ) Snuck Out Of A Parent's House
(x) Had Feelings For Someone Who Didn't Have Them Back
( ) Been Arrested
(x) Made out With A Stranger
(x) Gone Out On A Blind Date

SO FAR: 10

( ) Had A Crush On An Older Person
(x) Skipped School
( ) Slept With A Co-worker
(x) Seen Someone / Something Die

SO FAR: 12

(x) Had A Crush On One Of Your Friends
(x) Been To Paris
(x) Been To Spain
(x) Been On A Plane
( ) Thrown Up From Drinking

SO FAR: 16

(x) Eaten Sushi
(x) Been Snowboarding/Skiing
( ) Met Someone BECAUSE Of Myspace

SO FAR: 18

( ) Been In An Abusive Relationship
(x) Taken Pain Killers
(x)"Liked" Someone Who You Cant Have
(x) Laid On Your Back And Watched Cloud Shapes Go By
(x) Made A Snow Angel

SO FAR: 22

(x) Drank Tea
(x) Flown A Kite
(x) Built A Sand Castle
(x) Gone Puddle Jumping
(x) Played Dress Up

SO FAR: 27

(x) Jumped Into A Pile Of Leaves
(x) Gone Sledding
(x) Cheated While Playing A Game
(x) Been Lonely
(x) Fallen Asleep At Work / School

SO FAR: 32

(x) Used A Fake / Someone Else's ID
(x) Watched The Sun Set
( ) Felt An Earthquake
( ) Killed A Snake

SO FAR: 34

(x) Been Tickled
( ) Been Robbed / Vandalized
( ) Robbed Someone
(x) Been Misunderstood
( ) Pet A Deer

SO FAR: 36

(x) Won A Contest
( ) Been Suspended From School
(x) Had Detention
(x) Been In A Car / Motorcycle Accident

SO FAR: 39

(x) Had / Have Braces
( ) eaten a whole gallon of ice cream in one night
(x) had deja vu
(x) danced in the moonlight

SO FAR: 42

(x) Hated The Way You Looked
( ) Pole Danced
(x) Questioned Your Heart
( ) Been Obsessed With Post-It Note

SO FAR: 44

(x) Squished Barefoot Through The Mud
(x) Been Lost
( ) Been To The Opposite Side Of The World
(x) Swam In The Ocean / Gulf
(x) Felt Like You Were Dying

SO FAR: 48

(x) Cried Yourself To Sleep
(x) Played Cops And Robbers
( ) Recently Colored With Crayons / Colored Pencils / Markers
(x) Sang Karaoke
( ) Paid For A Meal With Only Coins

SO FAR: 51

(x) Done Something You Told Yourself You Wouldn't
(x) Made Prank Phone Calls
(x) Laughed Until Some Kind Of Beverage Came Out Of Your Nose
( ) Set a friend's eyebrows on fire
( ) Kissed In The Rain

SO FAR: 54

(x) Written A Letter To Santa Claus
( ) Been Kissed Under A Mistletoe
(x) Watched The Sun Set With Someone You Care / Cared About
(x) Blown Bubbles
(x) Made A Bonfire On The Beach

SO FAR: 58

(x) Crashed A Party
( ) Have Traveled More Than 5 Days With A Car Full Of People
(x) Gone Roller-skating / Roller-blading
(x) Had A Wish Come True
( ) Had your leg humped by a dog

SO FAR: 61

( ) Worn Pearls
( ) Jumped Off A Bridge
( ) Swam With Dolphins/sharks

SO FAR: 61

(x) Got Your Tongue Stuck To A Pole / Freezer/ice Cube
( ) Kissed A Fish
(x) Worn The Opposite Sex's Clothes
(x) Sat On A Roof Top

So FAR: 64

(x) Screamed At The Top Of Your Lungs
( ) Done A One-Handed Cartwheel
( ) Talked On The Phone For More Than 6 Hours
(x) Stayed Up All Night

SO FAR: 66

( ) Picked And Ate An Apple Right Off The Tree
(x) Climbed A Tree
(x) Had / Been In A Tree House
( ) Scared To Watch Scary Movies Alone

SO FAR: 68

(x) Believe In Ghosts
( ) Have / Had More Then 30 Pairs Of Shoes
(x) Gone Streaking
( ) Gone to Jail / or just Visited

SO FAR: 70

(x) Played Chicken
(x) Been Pushed Into A Pool/Lake With All Your Clothes On
(x) Broken A Bone

SO FAR: 73

( ) Caught A Fish Then Ate It
( ) Made A Porno Video
(x) Caught A Butterfly
(x) Laughed So Hard You Cried
( ) Cried So Hard You Laughed..

SO FAR: 75

(x) Cheated On A Test
(x) Forgotten Someone's Name
( ) Slept Naked
( ) French Braided Someone’s Hair
( ) Been Kicked Out Of Your House

SO FAR: 77

(x) Rode A Roller Coaster
(x) Went Scuba-Diving / Snorkeling
( ) Black-Mailed Someone
( ) Been Black Mailed

SO FAR: 79

(x) Been Used
(x) Fell Going Up The Stairs
( ) Licked A Cat
(x) Bitten Someone
(x) Licked Someone

So Far: 83

( ) Had a loaded gun pointed at you soft, bb, paint
( ) Flattened someone’s tires
(x) Rode in a car until the gas light came on
( ) Drove into a pole/street sign
( ) Cut somebody’s brakes

So Far: 84

Repost Your Results Like This...
I’VE DONE # OF THE 145 THINGS THAT MIGHT SURPRISE YOU

A Nightmare with Frog and Toad

I had the craziest nightmare last night about a job I am doing now.

I sub in once a week as Frog in A Year with Frog and Toad. In the dream I am ready to do the show. We do the opening number, everything goes fine. At the end of the number I rush off for my first costume change. I struggle with the tie a bit when I realize I have left two numbers early and the next number is about to start.

I can't get my tie back on, as I sing the first few bars from off stage. I get myself basically pulled back together, sans tie, and get on stage before the number complete falls apart.

The show continues and I do come to the costume change. I rush off and start stripping when I notice that I forgot to lay out my quick changes! I rush back to the dressing room and start stripping. I wear a body suit in the show, and it is impossible to get off. I hear over the monitor that the orchestra is vamping, which is odd since it is a CD, and Toad is vamping. Then I realize that the body suit never comes off and I am going to have to get it on again, and the show is left in a holding pattern and I can't seem to move fast enough and I wake up!

It doesn't seem to matter that the first costume change is actually under dressed, or should have been.

I go on once a week, we had a week off due to the holiday and my neice will be coming to see me on my first day back. Granted she will see the third of three shows that day, so any cobweb should be shaken out. Still, in general, I don't want there to be any cobweb problems.

All of a sudden it is high anxiety!

Yeah for the Garden State!

"New Jersey's highest court opened the door Wednesday to making the state the second in the nation to allow gay marriage, ruling that lawmakers must offer homosexuals either marriage or something like it, such as civil unions."

I have to agree with the majority in this case as well. I know the dissenters wanted more, but this is the problem I have always seen. Gay couples rally that they want marriage, but the term "marriage" is too wrapped up in the religious institution. That marriage has both legal and religious connotations has always been the problem, even though people could get legally married with out any religious involvement.

I have always believed that if activists asked for a legal institution that was the same as the one afforded marriage, but that was called something else, far less people would object.

I know, they will say gays have the right to be called married, but no one can stop you from saying it that way. But, no court in the world should be asked to make a religious institution perform or recognize a marriage.

Just as religion shouldn't govern how we make our laws, government is not supposed to govern religion. As long as a gay couple can be afforded the same LEGAL rights as a hetero couple, this is a victory. It doesn't matter if it is called a civil union or a marriage. A rose by any other name ...

Ashes to Ashes ...

'What will your obituary say?' at QuizGalaxy.com

What's on my Ipod?

Very often you see people posting "What they are listening to now?" or "What's on your Ipod now?"

I filled up my Ipod Shuffle completely this week for the first time, so I thought I would share what was on it. Not every title. Ack! That would be ridiculous. Maybe someday in a streaming paragraph when I am THAT bored.

I give a listing by genre. Since Soundtrack is so varied, I did a subdivision of that by Title. Plus occasional commentary.

Alternative – 9
Alternative & Punk – 11
Classical – 2
Country – 1
Disney – 2
Experimental Jazz – 2 (both The Hundredth Monkey. Indie Indy band of a friend with no label and thus no Itunes Genre. Went with their MySpace genre)
Holiday – 1 (Diana Krall's Jingle Bells!)
Inspirational – 4
Pop – 10
Rock – 9
Soundtrack – 72
   You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown – 2
   Will Roger’s Follies – 1
   Wicked – 10
   West Side Story – 1 (by Little Richard no less)
   Urinetown – 2
   Tick tick Boom – 12
   The Producers – 1
   The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee – 3
   Spamalot – 2
   Rent – 9
   Ragtime – 2
   Moulin Rouge – 4
   Little Women – 4
   Hairspray – 1
   Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?– 1
   Dirty Rotten Scoundrels – 2
   Bernstein’s New York – 2
   Avenue Q – 12
   Animaniacs – 1
Vocal – 10
World – 1 (The Orange & The Green)

Stupid or Smart?

When I was in college, studying to be an actor, they required you to take a class in another discipline your sophomore year. I took stage management. I enjoyed it and I thought having another skill might make me more employable.

My Junior year I took lighting design and technology as an elective. Also enjoyable. Another diverse skill.

Years later, after making my break into the Houston theater scene with "Assassins", I picked up some Stage Management jobs as a way to introduce myself to various theaters. My fondest memory of that time was having an actor, who had been in "Assassins", see me working on a show as the SM and saying to me, "What a wonderful direction for you to go in!" Ah, memories!

Now, from my current vantage point, I wonder if that wasn't all a big mistake. Some people might agree. When they find out you are good at a non-acting skill that few people are good at, they begin to rely on you for the non-acting skill instead of the acting.

I have worked hard for people to see me as a diverse artist, capable of doing many things to be a working artist, but I am not performing as much as I would like. I am not getting the kind of work that I want.

So, I fear lighting and other general techie stuff will have to go on sabbatical. Sorry you two! Hope you don't get too rusty sitting there in the closet!

My friend Carol, the ancient yuletide troll, is making the big move to NYC at a time that many people would say is late in one's career. This is a very brave and scary thing.

Though I love NYC, and living there would definitely be an adventure, I am also devoted to the idea that one should be able to live in the provinces and survive as an artist. I have role models to follow and fellows who agree. But demands of jobs taken for my technical skill have gotten too much in the way.

Times they are a changing. I am a changing. It is time to not be afraid any more.

It could also mean I am a crappy actor, a second rate singer, and should be happy to be pushing the GO button on the light board in a cramped, stuffy booth. But enough of self pity...

I can get into this result!

Your results:
You are Spider-Man

Spider-Man 90% Catwoman 85% The Flash 80% Superman 75% Green Lantern 70% Iron Man 70% Robin 65% Batman 40% Hulk 40% Supergirl 35% Wonder Woman 35%

You are intelligent, witty, a bit geeky and have great power and responsibility.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

Yahoooooooo!

So, a month ago I started using the Yahoo calendar feature in my Yahoo mail on-line and it is kind of actually working. Since I have access to it any time I am at any computer, I can but appointments on there anytime I get referenced to them via e-mail.

Of course, if I need my calendar handy for anything, I have to print the month or two, but I think I can get used to that idea.

What I like best are the reminders you get via e-mail. I get two remainders (24 and 6 hours) for each appointment and a daily e-mail listing all appointments that day. Now I have no excuse to forget what is coming.

Now that my schedule is organized, I wonder if I can get the rest of it sorted out ....

An Ego booster!

My friend Radio Man is doing a short film. The director wanted to do a little rehearsal, but one of the actors is coming but of California for the shoot, and thus, isn't available before hand. RM asked me if I would come out with him and be his reading partner for rehearsal.

Sure, why not.

We were a little early by mistake, and waited while we watched a couple of scenes worked on their feet with a little pre-blocking.

Then another actor came in to play a transient for a couple of scenes. I was playing Jack, a middle aged, worn our number cruncher giving a stranger a lift from a local diner. RM was the stranger, I will call Hal since I can't remember his real name. Jack and Hal exit the gas station to find the bum peeing on Jack's car.

The actor playing the bum was, how shall I put it, committed. He was ready to pull down his pants, "pee" with a saline bottle, and even vomit on cue. I reminded him that I was only a stand in. Please don't vomit on me.

So, as we finished up that scene, and RM thought it was a table session and not memorized on anything, we moved on to that. This helped keep the bum actor from dropping trou, but it was all anyone could do to prevent a vomiting demonstration.

Finally, bum was done and we moved on to the Jack/Hal scenes.

After working through those, two other actors came in for their work, but they could not find a Jack to fill in, so I agreed to stay and work with them for a bit too.

When we were done the director asked if I would be interested in doing the film should something happen to the Cal. actor. That's not likely to happen, I am sure, and since RM and I work together on a schedule that has been prepared to allow him the time to do the movie, I don't know that I could do it, but it was real fun to get a request like that just out of the blue!

And his impression came back to me through other mutual channels. I have spent all these years trying to impress stage directors. Maybe I oughta be in pictures!

It just feels nice to get positive reinforcement when least expected.

IT

When you are a performer, one of the biggest variables is the "It Factor." Do you have IT? That is the question.

I often wonder if I have it and would like to think I do. When I perform, if I have the opportunity to greet the audience afterwards, I usually get good feedback on my performance. Many times the size of my role does not limit the audience from complimenting me on my work. When they see me, they clearly see it.

On the flip side, when I audition, getting a job often seems like a struggle. Some directors, including one or two whom I consider close personal friends, don't seem to see it. Some shows I am cast in with out hesitation. Clearly they saw it. Others, I can't seem to break in. They don't see it.

So I must have it, just not everyone can see it. That someone in the audience sees it keeps me pounding away at a career on the boards. Of course, if the director doesn't see it, it doesn't put money in the bank.

And now I have an audition at a theatre I haven't tried for in a couple of years. I three person musical that will very likely have a highly competitive list. They show is cute, I think I have the notes, I think I have the skills, I know I will have the audience and I think I have it. I just hope it isn't left at home that day ...

Yet Another Survey

Does any of this surprise you?

W H O . W A S . T H E . L A S T . P E R S O N . T H A T?
1. You hung out with? Debs
2. Rode in a car with? Debs
3. Went to the movies with? Karen
4. You went to the mall with? I shop alone
6. You talked on the phone to? Debs
7. Made you laugh? Dave

W O U L D . Y O U . R A T H E R?
1. Pierce your nose or tongue? Nose
2. Be serious or be funny? Funny
3. Drink whole or skim milk? Skim
4. Die in a fire or drown? Eek! Fire? Hopefully the smoke will knock me out.
5. Spend time with your parents or enemies? Parents

A N S W E R . T R U T H F U L L Y.
1. Do you like anyone? Yes

D O . Y O U . P R E F E R.
1. Sun or moon? Moon
2. Winter or Fall? Fall, especially if there are leaves to turn. Pretty!
3. left or right? Left
4. 10 acquaintances or two best friends? 2 best friends
5. Sunny or rainy? Sunny
6. Vanilla ice cream or chocolate ice cream? Coffee!

A B O U T . Y O U.
1. What time is it? 8:03am
1. First Name? Andrew
3. What do you want to do? Get out of debt!
4. Where do you wanna live? NYC
5. How many kids do you want? Maybe
6. You want to get married? Eventually, in a manner
8. Are you double jointed? No
10. Can you cross your eyes? Yes
11. Do you make your bed daily? No

R A N D O M.
1. Which shoe goes on first? Left
2. Ever thrown a shoe at someone? No
3. Do you twirl your spaghetti or cut it? Twirl
2. Have you ever eaten Spam? No!
3. Favorite ice cream? Coffee (see inadequate choices above!)
4. How many kinds of cereal are in your cabinet? Zero
5. Do you cook? Sometimes
6. Current mood? Tired and blue.

IN . THE. LAST. 48 HOURS. HAVE. YOU.
1. Bought something? No
2. Sang? Yes
3. Been hugged? Yes
4. Felt stupid? Yes
5. Missed someone? Yes
6. Danced Crazy? Yes
7. Gotten your hair cut? No
8. Cried? Not really, but close
9. mad? No
10. been kissed? No (see crying above)

. S T U F F .
1. Have you ever been searched by the cops? Yes
2. Would you rather sleep with someone else, or alone? With someone
3. Do you believe in ghosts? Yes

I am Lost!

Take the quiz:
Which LOST character are you?

Charlie
You are Charlie You are an ex-rocker trying to kick a drug habit. While on the island you have met a very nice girl Claire.

Quizzes by myYearbook.com -- the World's Biggest Yearbook!


In the summary, it showed I scored a 3 on Charlie. Kind of hoping for Jack, but only scored a 1. I suppose all guys want to be Jack ...

No more goody goody two shoes ...

Things have just been crazy this week. Work all day, work all night. Thursday was especially bad.

Things were crazy in the office. The phone was ringing off the hook with all kinds of "difficult" customers. Some were rude, others just has difficult orders to fill, and it just kept coming.

So this started me kind of down when I got to rehearsal, and it was a long, gotta get through it, exhausting night.

During the show, I bum a cigarette off another character. This cigarette happened to come home with me. One unexpected thought I had all evening was I wanted to smoke that thing. I got home, got out the ashtray I save for my mother, and I smoked that thing.

I got smoke in my eyes and a scratchy, wooly, burning feeling at the back of my throat, but I smoked it, right down to the filter. No apparent physical affects, so I am still not sure why people do it on a daily basis. Only a strange sense of accomplishment. I have no idea what I accomplished, but there you have it.

Keeping up with the Joneses

One thing I can not seem to get the hang of is keeping a calendar. I can keep up with a date book for about a week until I start leaving it at home or work or the car.

I tried using Outlook on my lap top since half my appts. are work related, but even then I wasn't doing well to go straight to it.

Now, after some praises from Radio Man, I am giving Yahoo! Calendar a try. I moved to that instead of reaffirming Outlook because Outlook is only available on my lap top, while Yahoo! is available on any computer. As long as I can get to a computer, I can check my schedule and I can print it out if I need to bring a hard copy to a meeting. Well, at least at work. I don't have a printer at home. Haven't in years, but I don't need one really now, since I go to work first things most days and can always print something there.

It has been working pretty well. My default reminders are 1 day and 6 hours before, and I get an e-mail about that. Any day with a schedule also gets an e-mail sent outlining the day. Of course, today, I deleted a reminder/itinerary without looking at it. I knew what it was for, but still that will be a bad habit to get into. That will be like leaving it in the car or on the desk. Assuming I "know" my schedule is what gets me in trouble.

... now wait a G** damned minute!

I realized after going to bed last night that I made a mistake. I was accused of being as bad of a whiner as the people I was railing against in my last blog.

I responded by basically agreeing, and blaming it on 5 years of saved up whining. But having reconsidered, I have to strongly disagree.

I was ranting. I was raving. I was being ridiculously unfair to a situation where I only knew just a few of the facts. I was NOT whining. Whiners sit around and complain with no plan to move forward otherwise. I had private complaints about my situation, but I never stopped planning how I was going to get to the next day. For 1 month I slept on a couch which doesn't come with a power bill. Compassion paid my power bill for 2 months. Rent covered my power bill for 3 months. After 6 months, I was paying my own bills again. FEMA never paid for my power bill.

As for compassion? I had compassion. A year ago, a whole population went through a hell that was unimaginable until it was witnessed. They needed help. They needed support.

I am still sorry about how their lives were dramatically changed, but in a year, you need to be responsible for your electricity. Since when is electricity an unalienable right?

I call them sniveling, leaching, cry babies

[we interrupt this program to bring you the following very biased and bitter rant]

This morning on the local news they repeated a piece on the Katrina evacuees who were having their electricity shut off. You see, FEMA was only paying for electricity for a year and that year is up. The relocated resident is now responsible for paying the deposit to the electric company and transferring responsibility of payment to themselves.

So the news shows us heart-breaking interviews with put upon Katrina victims. What a travesty this is. Why won't the government help them? Why are they being so cruel? My fish in my tank won't live if the filters don't work!

You have a f***ing fish tank?!

Well, all I have to say to that is boo f****ing hoo! It has been a year. You can't find a job to pay for your deposit and bill in a year? Why do you have a fish tank? Shouldn't you be saving your pennies to pay for the electricity deposit?

You might say, but their homes are gone, their lives up turned, have mercy. I say, where was the mercy of the government when my life was washed away in 2001? Why didn't I get to live on the government's dime for a year?

My home was destroyed by Tropical Storm Allison. But since I am a single, male, renter, there was nothing anyone wanted to do for me. Homeowners got money. Families got money. Guys like me got crap.

I got what FEMA called two months rent for my area. It wasn't even close, and even if it was, I was supposed to be back on my feet in two months, not twelve. These people have been on assistance for a f***ing year.

The State gave me $1000 to replace the $6000 in damages I had. Yeah, that really covered it.

Insurance gave me nothing because renter's insurance didn't cover it. Floods are only covered by flood insurance. That was a hard lesson learned.

I spent most of June sleeping on a neighbor's couch. My FEMA rent money went to off set rent for a friend that let me apartment/pet sit for her while she was in LA for July and August. FEMA didn't even cover one month. Ouisie's Mom is a saint! I was back on the couch in September until I acquired a garage apartment to carry me through December, when my home was finally ready to move back in.

Keep in mind, this whole time, 6 months, while I was basically living out of my suitcase, I kept my job. I worked hard, but living out of your suitcase, a couch here, a hotel there, and an apartment there, is not cheap. Recovery wasn't cheap either.

And there is nothing you can tell me that will convince me that you could not get a job in 12 months. What that tells me is either A) you didn't want a job and felt you deserved to live off of my tax money or B) you could have gotten a job, but you were picky about it.

Guess what people, it is desperate times. If the job you get is flipping burgers, then flip the damn burgers. My meager debt load that was incurring while in graduate school (did I mention I was working AND keeping up with an MFA program those 6 months?) doubled after Allison. I may have to quit my job soon, the job I love that is in my field, in order to get a higher paying job I hate so I can get out of this debt. I don't see any FEMA people helping me take care of that.

I am sorry, but if a deadline was looming, you should have been saving for the deposit months ago. You should have found the crappy job that would keep your bills paid and THEN you should have gotten a fish tank. After all, flipping burgers is a mindless job, giving you plenty of time to think how you can get the job you want.

[biased, bitter rant over. we now return you to your regularly scheduled program]

And maybe a view?

As many of you know (well, there are three, four of you?) I tend to watch an inordinate amount of TV. Not as much as our noble QOTD, but more than my fair share. This week Fox started rolling out its Fall shows. Most notably "Vanished."

I really liked this show. The thing I like most, I think, is that whether it is season long or not, the story arc is long. Not like CSIs (also favorites) where there is a different story every week with the characters we love, but the story plays out over many episodes. The mystery of this woman's "disappearance" is going to take a while to solve.

The cast, so far, is very appealing. Ming Na is the only one whose work I know (from ER, Joy Luck Club and Mulan), and she is a definite plus. The leading FBI agent, Gale Howard, is very watchable, and his back story gives him a great brooding depth.

John Allen Nelson, as Senator Collins, is also very watchable. He is one of those B ring actors that work all the time in one shot roles, so you will certainly recognize him. He was faboo as the duped Presidential Aide in 24. He gets a very different role here as the duped husband. Wait ... maybe not so different.

Finally, there is Rebecca Gayheart. I almost forgot about her. She is always fun to watch. She is one of those rare few who work like a B ring actor, but seems more like an A ring star.

A ring? B ring? Maybe I should explain my code. A ring actors are the ones that one usually thinks of as a STAR. If not a big time star, they are the star of show after show. Keiffer Sutherland is A ring. Michael J. Fox is A ring. Actors whose names you know.

B ring are the actors with just as much skill and talent as the A ring, but for whatever reason, are the ones you only know on sight and you rarely know their name. They work all the time as guest shots on various shows, show up in supporting roles in films. Always make an impression, but since they are never the star, you almost never remember who they are unless you mean to. Basically, they are the people who you see early on in L&O, who you know are guilty for no other reason than you recognize them. Sure enough, after a brief interview in act 1, they show up again in act 3 as the focus. I would name names, but, well, you get my point.

Anyway, if your life has room and you are looking for a good mystery drama, Vanished just might be for you!

Wonder Twin Powers Activate!

People take a lot of quizzes on My Space!

You Are Wolverine

Small but fierce, you're a great fighter. Watch out! You are often you're own greatest enemy. Powers: Adamantium claws, keen senses, the ability to heal quickly

Which of the X-Men Are You?

And I said Cyclops was the sexiest. Hmm....

Tale as old as time ...

You scored as The Beast. Your alter ego is The Beast! But that is only a name... you are kind hearted and sweet, people just misunderstand you. The Beast 88% Peter Pan 81% Ariel 75% Goofy 69% Sleeping Beauty 63% Donald Duck 63% Cinderella 56% Snow White 56% Cruella De Ville 50% Pinocchio 31% Which Disney Character is your Alter Ego? created with QuizFarm.com

My Space!

So, in an effort to be hip and cool, and try to figure out how a theatrical organization can utilize certain internet tools, I have joined My Space.

Click here to check it out!

I have been checking out other theaters My Space pages, and yet to find out how they are using them to an advantage. The Water Tower Theater seems to have a good blog going. I love the before and after/rehearsal and performance shots.

Otherwise, life is moving forward. That is about as positive as I can be these days. My moods are shifting rapidly as I settle into this new stage. In all deference to 3B2B, who I raz about referring to age on his blog, I am feeling like too much of life has slipped by me. Gary may have over used the word, but there are days when I feel down right pathetic. Those are the blusiest days of all. If it wasn't for TLC and Bravo, I might not even get out of bed those days.

Who am I?

This has come to me in an e-mail a couple of times, and I thought it would make a good MEME.

Four Things about me - Things you may or may not have known about me in no particular order.

A) Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Supernumerary, New York City Opera Co.
2. Waiter
3 Docent, French Legation Museum
4. Actor/Singer (as each and both)

B) Four movies I would watch over and over (and do!):
1. Horatio Hornblower
2. Rent
3. White Christmas
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

C) Four places I have lived (in order):
1. Houston, TX
2. Williamstown, MA
3. Austin, TX
4. Houston, TX

D) Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. The Amazing Race
2. Lost
3. 24
4. Project Runway

E) Four places I have been on vacation:
1. New York, NY
2. Los Angeles. CA
3. Spain, Costa del Sol to Madrid
4. Bloomington, IN

F) Websites I visit daily:
1. Playbill.com
2. Lemming's Progress
3. Chase Bank
4. Google Personal Home Page for Quote of the Day

G) Four of my favorite foods:
1. Fried Chicken
2. Coffee Ice Cream
3. French Fries
4. Sweet and Sour Chicken with Steamed Rice

H) Four places I would rather be right now:
1. London, England
2. New York, NY
3. Scotland
4. Wherever there may be friends and/or family in attendance

The Ghost in the Machine will kill us all!

With the dawn of the debit/Visa card, I have become one of those people who never carry cash unless I know I am going to need it. I actually developed the habit in college when it was easier to pass by the homeless on the Drag when I could honestly say I had no money on me. The result was I rarely had money when I needed it and visited the ATM all the time. Sometimes fees yes, sometimes no, sometimes extra because it wasn't your bank, ah the headache!

But with the new age, you don't need it. Target takes Visa/debit. Korger takes it. Taco Bell takes it. Starbuck's takes it. What more does one need in life?

Well, this weekend in the hamlet (where I work), the phone lines are mysteriously down. No phones means no credit card machines. So, when I went to my favorite deli to get lunch, which was this day's first meal, no cash, no deal! AH!

Fortunately I had a check handy, and I was saved from a fate of starvation and dehydration or worse.

I suppose, since terrorists can't apply for Mastercard or Visa (surely their credit scores are too low) they don't know how we have come to rely on it. Don't bomb our centers of business, or symbols of freedom or capatilism. Just cut our stupid phones lines. America would probably just shut down.

Throw in the cables lines and most of us would probably wish for a good bomb attack!

The Runway at its best!

I am not ashamed to admit it. I am totally addicted to Project Runway. The fashion, the challenges, the personalities! I love it all.

I watch it every week, and then if it is on again during a channel surf, I will watch it again. I can't help it.

Last night was a particularly good one. I can't believe Bradley actually survived it all. I am glad he did, but what a dodge. He was hopelessly lost up until the last second, threw something on the model in an act of desperation and ended up in the top three.

And it was his birthday. Happy Birthday to Bradley!

Take a Pill!

So, the biggest news item of the week? Pres. Bush said the S word and embarrassed the country.

Are you kidding me? He says sh*t in a private moment and it's embarrassing? It's news?

Don't get me wrong, I am not a fan, but so what? He is a person, and though he was miked, he thought he was not miked. And that aside, he wasn't being broadcast at the time, just recorded.

I kind of agree with whatever late night pundit pointed it out. How he was chomping on that roll was more embarrassing than what he said.

Geesh!

Yes, because in America, we're perfect!

So I am listening to my regular morning show, the Today show, and Matt Lauer is in St. Petersburg, Russia. In a piece on the city, he asked two separate men (neither actually Russian!) what the Russian people thought about their country becoming "less" democratic. Did they have a problem with it? The answers where pretty much the same. As long as civil and personal liberties were not affected, they didn't have a problem with it.

Why? Why!? Why does everyone have to follow our model exactly? The narrow views of Americans can just get to me. It may surprise some of you that we do not have a perfect government! Why would anyone else model theirs after ours exactly? I wouldn't.

A similar thing happened on my favorite reality program, The Amazing Race. The teams were traveling through a very lush and beautiful part of Ethiopia that also didn't have many modern luxuries. A very naive model wondered how the people could live like that! Um ... flushing toilets and running hot and cold are not givens world wide just because you can't live with out it. As a matter of fact, most of the world lived with out those very things quite nicely. Yes, these people lived in huts with dirt floors, but is how they live! Just because you find it too rustic, doesn't mean they are in misery.

Not that I would want to give up hot and cold running water, but it isn't exactly the gold standard.

God bless Russia! May its government find a better way then ours!

Quote of the Day

"No man remains quite what he was when he recognizes himself." - Thomas Mann

Say it ain't so Jo!

I just got off of a much needed long conversation with the Queen Mother, may God keep her safe, and she suggested that a good blogger blog at least once a week. And since it has been two week's since my last confession, I thought maybe I should say something.

So, I have a busted washer. It has been weeks and weeks. Because of my show schedule, it has been tough getting Sears in to look at it, but earlier last week, I got the man in.

He listened to it and said that to start it was $475, and it could be more once he got in there and worked on it, being that it was a very cheap appliance with about a life of 5 years, and low and behold, it was 5 years old.

To complete the estimate, he needed wireless access, which he wasn't picking up in the apartment. While he was waiting for me to get some shoes on to go out and find a signal, he looked at my bookcase and said, "So, did you hear that she might actually kill Harry Potter in the last book?"

beat ... beat ...

"Um, yeah. I saw that interview this morning. She actually made no allusions as to who it might be, only that two major characters would die."

"I don't really think she would kill Harry Potter off, you think?"

beat .. beat ...

"Um, I would hope not, but you never know."

"Yeah, she said she wrote the last chapter first. Very interesting."

Inside Voice: "Am I really having this conversation with the repair man?"

"Me too. Can't wait for that last book."

And out we went. See? How can anyone say Harry Potter is a bad thing. Even grown men who, through stereotype, probably haven't read a book since their last day in school are captivated by this wizard and the world Jo Rowling has created. Maybe this guy is an anomaly of his class and is a prolific reader, but it still is pretty amazing that a bohemian like me and a maintenance repair man like him can talk about something like Harry Potter.

In the mean time, the new washer came, I am doing laundry at home (and not work) and the buzzer on the dryer almost made me wet myself. I forgot it could make that kind of noise!

Hello world!

So, I just got advertised on a friendly blog and I feel like I should have something to say today.

My good friend Radio Man is evil. E-V-I-L! Thanks to him, I have re-entered the world of fantasy role play computers games. I have gotten totally re-obsessed. What's more, the game only works on my lap top (no DVD drive in tower) which means when I crash in the late afternoon, it is way to easy to escape into the world of Neverwinter Nights.

Evil! EVIL!

And what's more, the game can be played over the internet with other people so Radio Man and I, and sometimes player Ghetto Guy, can play together.

You will also notice I like to make up names for friends. Radio Man and Ghetto Guy are new. Ghetto Gy might not stick though...

Fix It Your Own Damn Self

Why do I have to fix everyone else's problems? I got problems of my own you know.

I don't care if the room is too cold, I don't care if you don't like your seats, I don't care that someone took off with your bobby pins.

Who is going to fix my problems? That is what I want to know!

My life is turning topsy turvy! Screw your damn bobby pins!

The Days of Wine and Roses

Okay, so the summer isn't going to suck so much after all. It is still going to be a weird and strange season, but at least I don't want to "end it all" by quitting the world and living under a bridge or running off to live on an island.

My current production opened this week. It opened come hell or high water, and we had a little bit of both. But the audience enjoyed it and we are waiting on the critics.

I was even given particular praise from certain unexpected individuals, so that helped in putting aside the bitter taste of a miserable life that was the last couple of weeks.

Three more weeks to go and then I will try and enjoy July as much as possible. I have a cousin getting married in far off regions that I should probably go see. The Queen of Florida and the Queen Mother live in a kingdom near by, so I could also take a visit there and update them on my life. I could call, but there are some significant updates. We shall see ...

I Was Right

Have you ever done something you thought you were good at? Something that you have done for like 30 years? Something that you thought you did pretty well? And then someone comes along and tells you that you aren't doing so well and they might ask you to stop.

Ever have that happen?

Yeah, well, it sucks when it does. It really, really, REALLY sucks.

This summer is going to really suck ... Excuse me while I go roll up into a ball and wail for a bit.

Those Long Dog Days ...

The summer of 2006 is not going to be fun. I can just tell. It is going to be long and trying and stressful.

Why?

There is just too much trouble a brewing in too many lives that touch mine. First, of course, there is my own personal journey that just jumped tracks. And I am not talking train tracks or race tracks. I am talking roller-coaster tracks. Life was on the little kiddy coaster and now it is on the super duper loop coaster.

My friend Lemming is having diss. woes. My friend Brain is having his own crisis. The Queen of the Dweebs is a bit adrift and Carol, the Ancient Yuletide Troll, had her own smack upside the head recently.

Sometimes it is just too much. If only I could think about it all at Tara. Everyone needs a Tara, don't you think? Where the hell is my Tara?!

Those long long days ...

I am bored. I am bored and tired. I am bored and tired and going a little crazy.

That is the day I am having. Which only leaves you to wonder a bit. Am I really doing what I should be? Yes, though I wish there was more performing and less admin. Still, the idea of building an audience for my core theater is kind of exciting. We have 100 seats. We do 18 performances a run. Surely there are 1800 people out there for each show! Even 1440 would be nice. I mean, Houston is a huge city. Where are those 1440?

Lemming questioned about what she was doing with the rest of her life. I sometimes wonder what I have been doing with my life so far. Why I made the detours I did away from a life in the arts. Why I didn't make or understand other personal decisions earlier, like 6 or 10 years ago.

I don't know if there is an answer to any of that. Most times I see where the roads in life have brought me, think about the friends and family that surround me and then think what would probably not be there had I done things differently at any given time. When you see those things of value gone and it is hard to imagine what value may or may not replace it, it kind of makes you think it all just works out. Maybe not for the best, as they say, but it all just works out.

If a Tree Falls in the Woods ...

If a blogger blogs, but no one reads it, are they a blogger?

I don't think anyone reads my blog anymore. Not surprising really. I joined the blogsphere last year some time, and posted for a while, but found the things I wanted to blog about would be fleeting when I was at a computer, even if they were witty and abundant while, say, stuck in traffic.

At that time, I know I had a few readers. The Queen Mother for one, and Lemming would comment every so often.

Then I fell of the tracks.

I came back to the blogsphere just after my birthday. I had an odd need to be a part of the whole thing. I also had a big epiphany about my life, and needed some kind of outlet to talk about it. Which I did in metaphor, but pretty obvious, blatant metaphors.

I added my blog to sig lines in e-mail and started posting on other blogs to help announce my return, but have received no comments here. Not on the blog and not directly. No Lemming. No Queen Mother or Queen of the Dweebs. No Carol, the Yuletide Troll. Though Carol and QOTD probably didn't read before.

I suppose some of those folks are reading, know what I am talking about and are waiting for me to say something before they do themselves. So if they are, I hope they realize it is a big something to say out loud and are patient with me.

It may seem silly that it is so hard to say. Some will tell me it was painfully obvious, which makes me feel much like a fool, but there you have it and there it is.

Who are we really?

So, I was working with The Brain yesterday, as in Pinky and the Brain (I am Pinky), and he said to me, "Do you ever wake up and wonder who the hell you thought you were and who the hell are you now that you aren't who you thought you were."

"Why yes Brain, I have done that. Not too long ago, but no one believes me when I say I am Celopatra, Queen of the Nile."

Well, I didn't quite say that, but I did say that this has happened to me and none to recently. I really did think I knew who I was, who I was gonna be, and who I was expected to be.

Then 10 years ago I meet someone who didn't believe I was who I said, thought and expected to be. Of course they were wrong and I was right, and the mental tail spin of confusion they created was poppy cock.

But then, one day earlier this year, as the vortex of confusion and doubt was restarted by the presence of a new person in my life, I made myself face the reality that I am not exactly who I said, thought or expected to be.

Now I just have to get used to who I am ...

You Made Your Bed, Now Sleep In It

I have recently gotten into the habit of making my bed every morning. Not only when I change the sheets. Not half way when I need a good place to fold laundry. Every day.

The thing is, the room looks so much nicer when you come home and look into the room with a made bed. Some people will tell you, "Why make it, you are only going to mess it up later!", but don't listen. Your mother was right. Make your bed. Somehow life seems better.

Of course it means taking that extra bit of time in the A.M. as you are rushing out the door for work. I have found taking that moment to stop and make the bed is a bit zen. Your one moment to take a breath and not be running like an idiot gathering your day together.

So make your bed each morning and enjoy how your home looks when you come back from the long day. It's worth it!

Speak, BarlowGirl, Speak

'Cause I'm about to let go
And live what I believe
I can't do a thing now
But trust that You'll catch me
When I let go
When I let go

The Flowers the Bloom in the Spring, Tra la!

I have taken a few days mostly off to do some spring-cleaning. It is slow going but the results have been very satisfactory.

I started with the closet. I didn’t “clean out” the closet per se, but did get rid of the trash, organize the areas that could be better stored and got most of my Christmas stuff together and out to storage. There is still one mini trip where that is concerned.

Next has been the bedroom; all those areas that have not been dusted, places behind things that haven’t seen a vacuum in a few years, and the like. When an area is done, it looks so clean and proper. You would think that would be incentive to keep that way. Maybe this time …

The one thing I am glad to finally accomplish is level the two beside bookcases. In my apartment, anything against the wall slopes one way or the other because of the thick carpet pad. I was especially eager to attend to this project as I got a new lamp for the bedside that was tall and slim. This accentuated the backwards slope. I felt like a lived in the Joker’s lair!

I solved the problem with my hall bookcases by placing furniture sliders under the front legs. This made it almost perfectly level!

So this weekend I got new sliders, this time for the back corners of the bookcases. Again, near perfect fix

So, the rest of today, before I have appointments, will be for the front part of the bedroom, hall and maybe into the living room. If not, the living room tomorrow before I go back to work!

Hey Buddy, Can You Spare a Dime...

For those of you who do not work in theatrical customer service, you don't know what you are missing!

What is it with subscribers? I just had one track me down this weekend. He always asks for me as if I am the only one who can help him. Any of the people who work for me can handle exchanges and do so with successful regularity. But no, he has to have me, and if one isn't paying attention, he usually gets me.

Of course, I know what he wants. He wants me to exchange his tickets without having to pay the requisite upgrade. I am not going to that. We need the money, and he subscribed at the lowest level and wants to switch to the highest level for free.

What, are you high?

Moo with Me...

So, I am spending the day working on some personal home projects. To pass the time I have thrown in the DVD player RENT.

I am at the part when Maureen is doing her protest. The moment in the film is what it is, but the memory of the play is what makes this part of the movie kind of thrilling. At the end of the protest, Maureen asks the audience to, “Moo with me!” After some encouragement, they do and shortly after the protest is broken up by the cops.

As silly as it seems, this was one of the great moments in the play. On screen, the audience is the main characters and a bunch of extras. But in the theater, the audience is THE audience. Even on tour in Houston, where I saw the show, it doesn’t take long for Maureen to get one person to moo, then another and so on until the whole theater is playfully mooing. I am sure even some of those older, stodgier Broadway Series subscribers were mutedly mooing under their breath.

So now, when I see the scene in the movie, I get a little thrill because I remember the experience in the theater. A moment that was truly theatrical. A moment when performer and spectator worked as one and everyone was part of the experience, not just witnesses.

RENT, the movie, has its high and low points, yet it still is able to remind me why theater is so important and why it can’t just be a sideline or a hobby. It is truly a part of who I am.

Good Night and Good Luck...

I thought I had some pithy thoughts today, but nothing comes to mind now.

Good night Mrs. Callabash, wherever you are!

Some People Got No Reason ...

Can someone please tell me how is it that Bucky Covington is still on American Idol and Mandisa was just voted off?

Is there no justice on reality TV!

Please sir? Can I have some more?

In an effort to save money AND lose weight, I made an effort to organize myself, go to the store, and stock up on stuff for lunch and snacks. I have totally wasted my funds on buying lunch at work, and that just needs to stop.

So, I packed a nice little lunch with a couple of snacks. Now it is all gone and I am starving!!!!! I really want to go get something from like Starbucks or the like, but I really need not too. Not only should I NOT spend the money, I don't need the calories.

What I DO need is to save money and lose 10 pounds!

Come Spirit, Come Charm ...

I visited the grave of a dear friend today. It was the first time I ever went on my own I think. At least at a time that wasn’t marking his death. I went in hopes of drawing some inspiration from his life and the relationship that we had.

My friend died in 1998, almost seven and a half years ago. It is amazing to think that he has been gone that long. As I thought about it, I realized that I had only met him about ten and a half years ago.

The result of this is that this man became an important part of my life, a dear friend and colleague, in just about three years. It is sometimes amazing to think how quickly human attachments can be made.

I only visited him for a few moments, bringing him to my thoughts, trying to imagine his answers to my questions. I have made a lot of self discovery in the past few weeks around my most recent birthday, and here was a friend who very clearly saw to the heart of me and knew me better than I did.

I wonder what life would be like now if I had listened to him and asked these questions seven and a half years ago...

You wouldn't like me when I'm angry...

So, I haven't really gotten the hang of this blog thing. I so want to be a part of it though, it is just by the time I get to my computer, all the pithy toughts have morphed into the mundane. What is a blog worth if it doesn't provide some kind of entertainment?

Franklin Covey says the best way to get used to using a date book is to take it everywhere you go. So I am going to try and blog every day for a while, even if I don't have anything to say. What the hell, I babble on answering machines, why not the 'net.

I picked this quiz up from tommyspoon.
Muahahahaha!

You Are 46% Evil

You are evil, but you haven't yet mastered the dark side. Fear not though - you are on your way to world domination.

How Evil Are You?

Speaking in tounges

Did you ever think that you were right about something, and believed it with everything you had, only to find out that you were wrong?

Like, you knew the world was flat, and told everyone the world was flat, even when they said it was round, and finally they let you believe it was flat.

I think the world might actually be round...

The Pain of Martyrdom

So, I haven't really gotten the hang of this blog thing, but I had to post this.

The theater I work for is playing Ouroboros and last night a small group leaves at intermission. Now, we get this every night. It is actually a good thing that we are pissing a few people off.

So, as the second act is starting, the house manager tells this group the second act is about to start. The kind of sniff and then say, "We aren't staying to see a person get martyred, even if they are a homosexual and deserve it!", and then promptly left.

The kicker is they then called the theater today and complained that it was the worst thing they ever saw, it was filthy and disgusting and pornographic.

Ha! And they didn't even stay for the most "shocking" part of the show.

So, Houston people, come see the show that Brenda Jackson calls, "Filthy! Disgusting and Pornographic!" Now at Main Street Theater!