I really do have something to say!

Below is a response I felt compelled to write after reading the e-mail thread BCCed to me by a friend. I never talk about abortion much. As I say below it is personal. I just hope I didn't come off as stupid as Mrs. Scott. And I say Mrs. Scott as I am sure Ms. would be insulting.

Dear Mrs. Scott,
If I had a vote in a pregnancy that I was involved with, I would want the pregnancy to come to term. Even though that is my CHOICE, ultimately I know I do not have a final say in the matter.

What I would really hate is to live in a country where any woman's only CHOICE is to find a back water hut well stocked with coat hangers. I really must take issue with your statement, which is misleading at best.

First, you quote the Old Testament, not Jesus. I didn't know your kind of "Christian" read the Old Testament.

"Do we really want a country where our minor daughters can be taken across state lines and abortions performed without us knowing??" Um, the legislation YOU propose would promote this. If not state lines, than international borders. The FOCA would help prevent it.

"Do we really want abortion procedures legal again where a full term baby is [delivered] and their brains sucked out?" Um, none of the decisions defending a woman's right of choice about her reproductive decisions allow for this kind of activity if it is even true. This is clearly a scare tactic and inflammatory. If you had any knowledge about pro-choice decisions like Roe v. Wade, you would know that these decisions balance a woman's choice against the viability of the fetus. Brain sucking is science fiction.

Do you even know what FOCA is about? Maybe you should read that for yourself. Let me help you by pointing you to the Library of Congress.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c108:S.2020:

I have never really discussed my views regarding abortion with my friends. What my CHOICES would be are personal. Not having created life yet myself, I like to think it starts at conception, but that is what I CHOOSE to believe, and that belief is based not only a bit on my Christian faith, but simply on how I FEEL about it, warm and fuzzy as that may be.

I also believe that neither the Government, nor you nor anyone else have any business in controlling how I feel about this. If you get pregnant in any matter, whether it be youthful ignorance, a misfire on birth control, or a violent rape, how you deal with that pregnancy should be between you, your family and your belief in how the world works. Creationist, Darwinist, it doesn't matter.

That is what Sarah Palin's daughter did after all without government interference.

God bless you too Mrs. Scott,

Andrew

The point of living and of being an optimist, is to be foolish enough to believe the best is yet to come.
- Peter Ustinov


----- Original Message ----
From: Karen
To: Denise Scott
Sent: Monday, November 3, 2008 10:36:41 AM
Subject: please do not send me any additional emails of this sort

Please remove me from your email list. I am not interested in this type of reactionary twaddle.

May God bless you. You clearly need the help.

Karen

----- Original Message ----
From: Denise Scott
To: Spencer Scott
Sent: Monday, November 3, 2008 7:47:52 AM
Subject:

“I call heaven and earth today to witness against you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life that you and your descendants may live.” (Deut. 30:19)

Dear Friends and Family,

I am sending this note to each of you because I care about you and our country. I don't ordinarily do this but I believe these are extraordinary times. For many reasons, the most significant election in our lifetime is tomorrow. We are called as Christians to love one another and to protect life. Early Christians knew and embraced this responsibility. That is why they rescued orphaned children (many who were left to die because they weren't "normal") and helped the widows and poor. Remember Jesus taught us to help the "least of our brothers." Who is more helpless than an unborn baby, a special needs person, or an elderly person in a nursing home? This election provides us with an opportunity to help the least of our brothers and sistersmn. John McCain and Sarah Palin offer us an alternative to the culture of death we find ourselves in this country. John McCain has a 100% favorable pro-life voting record on abortion and Sarah Palin lives her pro-life values every single day. If Barack Obama is elected he said the first thing he would do is sign the Freedom of Choice Act. This act will remove all restrictions from abortion - parental consent, partial birth, etc. Do we really want a country where our minor daughters can be taken across state lines and abortions performed without us knowing?? Do we really want abortion procedures legal again where a full term baby is delievered and their brains sucked out? What kind of person would do this or would support this? What kind of person would vote 4 times to allow a baby to be put in a corner and die that is born alive from an abortion. Think about it, do you really want this person in charge of your HEALTH CARE when you are older??

For my friends that are considering voting for Obama, do you want your children and grandchildren to live in a "culture of death" where the state decides whose life is worthy of protecting? When the state has control of the health care system that will eventually be what happens. You can see it now in countries that have state-sponsored health care systems. Cancer patients, the elderly, and children with special needs, are all targets in these societies, simply because they cost the state too much money.

For my pro-life friends, don't be discouraged, this election is not over and the outcome depends on all of us getting out the vote. Go early to the polls and be prepared to wait as the lines will be long. Help others get there if you can. While in the voting booth choose the candidates that promote a culture of life, not a culture of death.

Thank you for reading my note. Please consider emailing your friends with a word of encouragement. Most of all, please pray for the wisdom of our electorate and that God's will be done.

God Bless,
Denise Scott

The Good and the Bad.

The good news is I have a home and power and all the true necessities.

Bad news is Center Point says that Houston is looking past Monday for major power restorations.

If Chelsea Market is with out power more than this weekend, the YT is toast!

Quibble, this would mean no cable for me for a while. Maybe I will start really reading again...

Now, the burbs and rural areas should be mostly up by Friday. I guess there are fewer trees out there. ARGH!!!!!

Watching Ike

When I was a child, I remember the adults talking about watching Watergate on TV. I wondered to myself, what is this show Watergate about? Now, of course, I know it was in reference to watching the news coverage of the Watergate scandal.

Today, I find myself "Watching Hurricane Ike" and wonder how many small children out there think the grown ups are watching some new fall TV series while waiting for the big scary storm to blow through. Are these children watching the coverage as well and know it is "news"? I didn't watch any Watergate coverage. I suppose I was in bed before the later news came on.

When did the news come on in the early 70s anyway?

Off to watch more Ike!

Poachers Will Be Shot On Sight!

It is pre-production week for our first show of the season. The Stage Manager is already working and we are 4 days from starting rehearsals.

Another production manager from another theater calls my SM and offers him a job that starts 2.5 weeks into my production. She steals my SM from me with a higher paying contract.

Foul!

Now I know, with Equity rules, I know we are supposed to let people go for more remunerative employ. I am not upset with my SM. I can't blame him for wanting to take the other job with gas and school loans and all else these days.

But the PM from Theater X? I DO blame her! She knowingly enticed the SM away days before rehearsal. I don't care how desperate she was for a good SM, she had to know that she was creating a desperate situation for me! Now I am scrambling for an SM to take over the show during technical rehearsals.

Red Card! You are outta here!

Summer Movie Frenzy

In response to Chris Wheeler's Comment: I am sorry you didn't find it as uplifting as I did. I will agree on this point, if Brosnon releases an album, I will definitely NOT be in line for it. He was definitely the weakest, though he did fair better on "I Do, I Do". Dancing Queen was a highlight, but I am also a fan of Honey, Honey.

Regarding the other films you mentioned, I agree, over all, Iron Man and Dark Knight rule. I might even say, for me, that Iron Man wins the summer in the end, even if DK box office is going to be the bench mark for summers to come.

I am looking forward to the new Mummy. I hope it measures up. I am a fan of Brendan Frazer (some even say I look like him (I wish!)). I saw Journey to the Center of the Earth which was fine, and a fun ride, but not a must see.

And I just saw the X-Files. Thought it was great. And I think it is good for the fan and the newbie. If you are a fan, you know all about Mulder and Scully and their relationship, but there is enough in the film that you understand what is going on between them if you haven't seen the show. The main plot is completely contained in the movie though, so if you don't care about their drama, that was still an interesting story to follow. I thought anyway.

But then I am easy.

Chris, is your wife available for lunch? I think we would have a blast!

It's too Darn Hot!

I think Cole Porter said it best. Summer in Houston, namely August and the coming September are to darn HOT!

Wow, it has been all summer and I haven't said a peep. I just can't seem to quite get the hang of this.

Here are some highlights.

Mamma Mia: LOVED IT! I already have seen it twice and will likely again if I get feeling low before it leaves theaters. It is just plain fun. If you read the reviews, forget them! The critics just don't understand a good time when they see it. The music is faboo, you have a good time, and yes, it sometimes borders on the ridiculous, but who cares? With a super trooper cast headed by Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnon, honey honey, you just can't help but have a good time.

Summer Olympics: I always look forward to the Olympics. The best thing they ever did was stagger Winter and Summer. Swimming and Gymnastics. Paul Hamm has a broken hand? Talk about a nail biter! And Phelps set to get a million dollar bonus? Good gracious!

Still, I have to ask, is it just me, or does the Olympic Stadium look like it was attacked by a roll of duct tape?

So should I read the Twilight series? I haven't heard so much hubub on a book since Harry Potter!

Summer was rough financially speaking. Price of gas and all, but some progress was made.

Total Debt: $13,645

Another Bench Mark!

After May's bill payment, on June payment, and playing Tweedle Dee for an hour, I broke $14,000!!!!

Yippie!

No details, sorry. Time is short. But I have done the math.

Total Debt: $13,755

Too Bad, So Sad...

Sometimes I hate being the cold and cruel box office manager.

At my theater, we are currently having a highly successful, sold out run of Present Laughter. Today was no exception. When curtain time arrives, we sell the empty seats to people desperate to get in on stand by and I sold every seat. (Thank you very much!)

After the show starts, 10 minutes after curtain time, a couple arrives in from the suburbs. Because I had sold all the empty seats to stand bys, I had nothing for them at intermission and certainly not for late seating.

Our usual option is to reschedule for a later show. We have a two week extended run, but unfortunately they were going to be out of town then. So, as a final gesture of goodwill without breaking the rules, I offered them a certificate to come back next season. Mr. Late Comer took it because he "had no other choice" but was going to "remember this the next time they got a letter asking for money!"

Ugh! That just makes me feel so mean. But we have limited late seating and no refunds. They knew that, even if they didn't pay attention to the warning when they bought the tickets.

All in all though, Mr. & Mrs. Late Comer are still beat out by the early ticket buyer, when unable to buy a ticket outside of business hours (I was in a meeting! What could I do?), told me that "the Alley [Theatre] is always open!" and walked out the door.

Signed Mr. McScrooge Box Office Manager

Are You Talking to Me?

When I work front of house for the MainStage, people think I am Joel Sandel.

When I answer the phone at the box office, people think I am David Wald.

When I do children's theater, people think I am Kregg Dailey.

It is no wonder I am having an identity crisis!

Starry Friends

One great thing about Facebook is I have been able to catch up with a few old friends from High School. One of those friends is Bobby Getchell.

Bobby is now more widely known as "Robert Getchell - Tenor". Good ole Bobby, who sang some in High School, ended up studying voice in college, then in Europe and is now pretty big stuff. At least he seems big in the classical world.

It just floors me! I had no idea that someone I knew from back then had taken such an artistic road and had professional success.

As much as I am happy to say, "GO BOBBY!", it puts my recent gig as Tweedle Dee at a Bat Mitzvah in a sad perspective. I want to perform for the crown heads of Europe, not 13 year olds!!

At least Tweedle Dee got me $200 for an hour's work. Expect to see half that go to the big D this week!

Hey Drewster? What Time Is It?

I have three watches, all of which have dead batteries. One, the swacth, has a broken wrist band.

So, today, I took a friends advice about getting the batteries done at a watch kiosk in the Galleria, and went.

I haven't been to the Galleria in a very long time. I remember the place as a kid. Because it had two movie theaters back then, we would go all the time. You see, in the 1970s in Houston, it was actually cool enough to make the trek on foot.

So, we would go all the time for movies. The Galleria was only two sections then. One set of 2 (or was it 4?) screens were in Galleria one on the ice rink level and the other set was in Galleria two. Very often when traveling between the two when you realized that it was the other theater that had the film, you would cut through the Magic Pan restaurant.

Today, there are four Gallerias, no Magic Pan and no movie theaters. My first stop was at the Swatch store in Galleria 4 where they did not have the watch band in stock, nor could they order it. (I have now done that on-line). I then moved on to the watch kiosk in the bridge between 1 and 2.

On my way I stopped at Urban Outfitters. Beware the trendy urban stores that open in the Galleria. Translation = They are now to pricey for you.

Waiting for the watches I walked around a bit and thought about the stores there. The Disney store used to have clothes for everyone that sold the Disney brand. Now it is only kid stuff, not so much clothes and more targeted to current projects than over all Disney. Ironically, I was wearing a Donald Duck T-shirt which was one of the last things I ordered from the Disney catalog before they started dropping men's stuff.

Ambercrombie & Fitch, which started out as basically high end prep stuff is now just Amercrombie and is aimed at the young and beautiful. The Gap has moved from 1 to 2. I don't even go in. They don't make clothes for my kind. My kind being larger than a 32 inch waist.

And of course, the place was packed with the young and the beautiful. And I wonder, how do we get a fraction of these people to the theater?

And yes, I have three working watches, one waiting on a new band. I now know what time it is without pulling out my cell phone...

My Mother the Dweeb

I got a phone call from my mother today. She thought, with the new Indiana Jones movie out this weekend, she should see the first three, having never seen them.

So, I am mailing my copy of the DVDs to Williamstown so she can watch them and then the family up there can have an outing to see the new fourth installment.

Speaking of which, I saw the fourth installment today. I enjoyed it quite immensely. I had couple of quibbles with the ending (NO SPOILERS HERE. Commentors feel free and be warned.), but the over all concept of the movie's mythology was fine.

Look out for nods to the Young Indiana Jones series, an homage to Star Wars and very funny ground hogs.

City Sinners.

Boo Entertainment Weekly! Boo!

I got my EW this week and it of course is featuring Sex and the City.

But it is a double issue, which means no EW next week.

And its double content covers SATC exclusively!

Now, I have seen a couple episodes of this show, and it was amusing, but it didn't catch me as a viewer and I am very, mostly, likely NOT going to see the film.

The last double issue we had covered the entire summer movie season. It took me 2.5 workouts to read it. Good job.

This one? One work out, because what it really is, is a regular issue of EW with a large editorial section on one film. Letters, photos, article, article, births and deaths etc., flip, flip, flip, flip, flip, flip, flip, Caspian review, done! Um, all those flip flip flips should have been next week's mag!

Maybe we will get lucky and the double issue will truly be special and a new issue will still come out. Otherwise, that Precor is going to be so hard next week when I only have one day of distracting, mindless reading to help move the 40 minutes along.

And a shout out to Troy! One of the few who reads my drivil!

Play Piper! Play!

It has been so long since I did this, but I have been making payments.

Payment Sent (2/15) = $221.44
Attributed to interest = $57.79
Attributed to montly budgeted expenses = 103.65
Attributed to Credit Card Debt = $60

Total Debt: $14,360

Bacon and Chocolate

Who would have thought to combine bacon and chocolate? Well, apparently Vosges did.

I received a Mo's Bacon Bar for my birthday and have been slowly eating it, bit by bit.

It's milk chocolate with pieces of bacon in it! It is a totally bizarre taste, and yet, is sweetly satisfying. It is hard to explain, but I can tell you, it is not a disaster of an idea.

Not in the slightest.

The Piper is Being Paid

Dear Readers,

I am sorry that I have not been keeping you up to date since my birthday. I have been very lazy and catching up on Battlestar Galactica. I am all caught up, but also paying the debt!

Efforts made include a couple of party gigs ($200), remainder of March Payments ($50) and April Payments ($141).

I am no longer posting my goal. I don't think it is realistic anymore. I think if I break $12,000 this year, we will be doing good. An interest rate just went up, which will slow me down a bit by either paying it, or switching to a new rate. Switching will garner a fee, but if it can be a locked in rate, I will defintely take it.

Total Debt: $14420

Happy Easter!

So, despite last night's festivities at the Karaoke bar, I managed to get up and go to church today.

Being Easter Sunday it was full, and I had to take a seat in the back. The rector giving the sermon doesn't seem to use the mic when she is facing the congregation. Good for her! Mics are over used these days, but it can cause some interesting affects.

As my ears are not the greatest, and as I was sitting in the back, I could have sworn she said, during the sermon, that after rising from the dead, Jesus greeted his disciples at baseball!

It only took moment for my brain to fully translate that it was his disciples and faithful, but during that moment I had time to think, "What! They were playing baseball? What is she talking .... Oh! Faithful." I felt like I was reliving The Life of Brian and the Sermon on the Mount. "BLessed are the cheese makers?"

Of course, with 12 disciples, Jesus did have more than enough to field a team. I wonder what they would have called themselves....

The Beginning of the End?

I saw my friend Luisa today at the theater. I confessed that next week is my 40th birthday.

She said, "Ah! Welcome to middle age!"

We are no longer speaking...

;)

Tueasday Was a Sad Day In RPG Land

Dungeons & Dragons co-creator dies at 69
06:05 PM CST on Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Associated Press

MILWAUKEE -- Gary Gygax, who co-created the fantasy game Dungeons & Dragons and helped start the role-playing phenomenon, died Tuesday morning at his home in Lake Geneva. He was 69.

He had been suffering from health problems for several years, including an abdominal aneurysm, said his wife, Gail Gygax.

Gygax and Dave Arneson developed Dungeons & Dragons in 1974 using medieval characters and mythical creatures. The game known for its oddly shaped dice became a hit, particularly among teenage boys, and eventually was turned into video games, books and movies. Gygax always enjoyed hearing from the game's legion of devoted fans, many of whom would stop by the family's home in Lake Geneva, about 55 miles southwest of Milwaukee, his wife said. Despite his declining health, he hosted weekly games of Dungeons & Dragons as recently as January, she said.

"It really meant a lot to him to hear from people from over the years about how he helped them become a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman, what he gave them," Gail Gygax said. "He really enjoyed that."

Dungeons & Dragons players create fictional characters and carry out their adventures with the help of complicated rules. The quintessential geek pastime, it spawned a wealth of copycat games and later inspired a whole genre of computer games that's still growing in popularity.

Born Ernest Gary Gygax, he grew up in Chicago and moved to Lake Geneva at the age of 8. Gygax's father, a Swiss immigrant who played violin in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, read fantasy books to his only son and hooked him on the genre, Gail Gygax said.

Gygax dropped out of high school but took anthropology classes at the University of Chicago for a while, she said. He was working as an insurance underwriter in the 1960s, when he began playing war-themed board games.

But Gygax wanted to create a game that involved more fantasy. To free up time to work on that, he left the insurance business and became a shoe repairman, she said.

Gygax also was a prolific writer and wrote dozens of fantasy books, including the Greyhawk series of adventure novels.

Funeral arrangements are pending. Besides his wife, Gygax is survived by six children.

Other links:
Gary Gygax invented a fantasy game for real-life friends
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/stories/DN-dungeons_0309gl.State.Bulldog.1dfed5e.html

Comic Strip Tribute
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0536.html

And I Thank You

We had some Amazon.com shopping last month, AND an Amazon.com payment from all the holiday shopping.

Monarch of the Glen is a BBC series that ran 7 seasons before ending. I have been catching it on Netflix, but the complete collection is now available in one set. This is just a fantastic series! First off, it is set in Scotland. The scenery alone is worth the price of admission. The cast is charming and the story lines are great too. You should check it out.

I personally thank the shoppers that bought the following items:
-- Charmed - The Complete Second Season
-- Basement Bhangra

I also got a payment of $15.14. I will send $15 to the CCs!

Total Debt: $14811
2008 goal Attained: $689 (of $5,500)

Time To Pay the Piper

It's that time again.

Minimum Payment = $224
Payment Sent (2/15) = $262.28
Attributed to interest = $58.63
Attributed to montly budgeted expenses = 103.65
Attributed to Credit Card Debt = $100

Total Debt: $14826
2008 goal Attained: $674 (of $5,500)

Time To Pay the Piper: Breaking $15,000!

Well, it has been too long since I posted. This is supposed to be my view, and you get nothing. Well, at least today you get debt pay off!

Minimum Payment = $15
Payment Sent (2/15) = $59.36
Attributed to interest = $9.36
Attributed to Credit Card Debt = $50

Now, last week, when my voice lesson got taken by the lovely Doris Davis, I absorbed the money because my budget is going to hell this month. Ms. Davis needed the time again this week (she is recording a CD), so I will call this week's lesson money Found Money.

Attributed to Credit Card Debt = $35

Total Debt: $14926
2008 goal Attained: $574 (of $5,500)

And ...

To top it all off, I discover this morning that I ruined one of my new sweaters this weekend.

I was so happy to find a sweater I really liked at Ross at the beginning of the season. Slate blue, half zipper, turtle neck.

I always washed it gentle cycle and laid it out to dry. Well, this weekend, when I laid it out, I hadn't washed the acne medicine of my hands enough and as the sweater dried, bleach spots started to show.

And why a nearly 40 year old man still has acne problems is beyond me. Sometimes I wonder if I get a zit everytime someone says they thought I was 25-30. I suppose you have to take the bad with the good.

Where Is the Restart Button?

How do you start a day over? This day has been just no fun.

First, I should tell you that with the way Christmas works for the adults in my family, everyone basically gets one gift from a chosen family member. Since I am single and without children, I thus get one gift. So, I always save up and get myself something fun. This year I decided on a Wii. I didn't come on to this decision until just after Christmas, and obviously, there were no Wii's to be found. But I thought, I am a patient man and surly there will be some around in a couple of weeks.

Well, more than a month later, ToysRUs finally has Wiis. I get up today, go over a bit early and see a really short line. Cool, thinks I. After all, it isn't the holidays, so there probably isn't the same kind of rush.

Survey says, X!

The short line was what was left of the bigger line as they started letting people in 3 at a time about 40 minutes earlier. The woman ahead of me said they were told there were six left after the last 3 went in, and she was #7, making me #8. Someone from the last 3 was after a Nintendo DS Cobalt blue, which meant 7 Wiis left. I was still #8 and left out of luck. And #7 had just gotten there, so if I didn't do one thing that delayed my arrival, I would have been #7. I knew I should have skipped breakfast. Most important meal indeed!

All area ToysRUses sold out within minutes and no other stores have any stock yet. I already used an Amazon certificate to get Guitar Hero, and still, after more than a month, I can't play it!

Then the end of the day comes. I go out, double check on when and if more Wiis are coming, and go to the grocery store. I get to check out and discover my wallet is left at home. ARGH!

That's it. I am done with this day.

February is Not Kind

Boy, I was being really positive and hopefull in January. I set an ambitious goal, and even made some great strides in achiving it.

Then came February. Things may not have been all so rosy after holidays as I thought and the balloon payment premature. Money is super tight right now. Crazy so.

First of all, I switched phone providers. That will cost me an extra $200 bucks right there this month. I had about $200 in my Amex Savings that I was hoping would go to the CCs, but it is now going to my bank account to get me through to payday on Friday.

And, I am basically paying for cell phone service twice this month on budget. And that budget just when up $10! We shall see if Sprint, who screwed up my account a few months ago, doesn't also ask for more money as they might think I had an "early termination." They better not is all I am saying!

Also, it looks like any "found money" will also go to off set the new phone service. I have no lesson this week, but unlike last month, it will not go to the CCs. I also have some rolled change that might have to be sucked into the void known as Chase Checking. I may make that $11 payment for no other reason than to get below the $15,000 mark though. Just to keep hope alive.

On the up side, Verizon is a much better service for me. I can text certain coworkers, whom I text a lot, for free, and talk to them for free. As is true with any Verizon customer. And, most importantly, Verizon seems to be the only service with a tower aimed at my apartment. Sprint was bad, and according to my I-Phone buddies, AT&T isn't so hot either.

Total Debt: $15,011
2008 goal Attained: $489 (of $5,500)

Attention Amazon Shoppers!

So, the 4th quarter of 2007 ended with my commissions totaling only $7.96. You need at least $10 in commissions for them to pay you, otherwise it rolls over. Most of that was earned in December, so I will thank the holiday shoppers who bought the following items:

-- The Black Swan
-- The Rough Magic
-- A Chorus Line (1975 OBC)
-- Broadway: The Great Original Cast Recordings
-- The Best of Broadway
-- Ultimate Broadway

It is very likely that at least $3 will be earned in the first quarter of 2008 and I will have something to add toward my debt goals!

Total Debt: $15,011
2008 goal Attained: $489 (of $5,500)

Staying Well

As I said in an earlier post, I wanted this year to be the best physically as well as financially. To that end, I have been trying to get in a regular routine at the gym. Granted, this week I blew it off 4 times, but I did go today.

I noticed something new today. Down by the treadmills and elliptical machines, they had a dispenser for hand sanitizer. And it was an automatic dispenser! You didn't even have to touch it!

Now, I am not a big fan of hand sanitizer. I think it is over used to our determent, but with all the sweaty hands that touch the equipment at the gym, including hands that are, getting, or have been sick in this time of cold and flu, this is certainly a great place for it. It is certainly easier to do than tracking down the spray bottle and wipe down your machine.

Milestone Coming!

In doing yesterday's Pipe Post, I noticed, I am only $31 away from breaking $15,000!

And, last night, I realized, I had $20 in found money to send, so that will make it $11. WOW!

I had a few receipts on my desk at work that I needed reimbursement for. I finally cleaned up my desk and took care of those. Now, it was penny ante stuff, so it only amounted to about $20 in cash, but I can use that money to pay for entertainment stuff this weekend and send the $20 that is in my bank account that would have been used for entertainment stuff, and send it to a CC.

Total Debt: $15,011
2008 goal Attained: $489 (of $5,500)

Time To Pay the Piper

Welcome February! Another bill is due. I only have two, but this is the bigger bear. January was a little lean, so I can only pay around the minimum payment, but it will still be progress! I am setting up an on-line payment now, so even though it won't be paid for two weeks, I want to report it as I act on it, if you don't mind.

Minimum Payment = $227
Payment Sent (2/15) = $227.90
Attributed to interest = $59.25
Attributed to montly budgeted expenses = 103.65
Attributed to Credit Card Debt = $65

Total Debt: $15,031
2008 goal Attained: $469 (of $5,500)

Lots of Strutting and Fretting

I just read on Playbill.com that Slings & Arrows: The Complete Collection has been released (or will be 2/5).

Slings & Arrows is a Canadian comedy series that takes you behind the scenes of a big, non-profit, Shakespearean Festival. It is some of the funniest television I have ever seen. I already have the three seasons on DVD in separate offerings, but to hear that there is new material taking you behind the scenes of the show is enough to put this collection on the top of my wish list.

In each season, the New Burbage Festival produces a different Shakespearean work. Season 1 is Hamlet with a Keanau Reeves type American star being flown in for tickets sales. Season 2 is the Scottish Play with a lead who thinks he knows better than the director and Season 3 is King Lear with an aging actor taking his last chance at the role.

The show has all the great archetypes. The loony director, the diva leading lady, the air head ingenue, the actor hating stage manager and the managing director who desperate tries to balance Art with the cost of producing Art.

Season 1 is the best, but each season has great moments, not only in the theater, but in life as well. I mean, who can't relate to an IRS audit, the draw of the "bigger and better" and the daily struggles of love, life and loss.

Total Debt: $15,096
2008 goal Attained: $404 (of $5,500)

... And I Thank You

When people start their Amazon.com shopping here, I do not receive any personal information. I don't know who is shopping, but I do know what you bought! So I will thank you by item. These items were shipped in the last 7 days (including previous thank yous this week)

I would like to thank the Amazon shopper(s) who bought the following items:
-- Art & Fear
-- Portraits from Life in 29 Steps
-- The Artist's Complete Guide to Figure Drawing: A Contemporary Perspective on the Classical Tradition
-- Charmed - The Complete First Season
-- Cinderella (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Total Debt: $15,096
2008 goal Attained: $404 (of $5,500)

The Big Bad Ugly

J.J. Abrams is a great story teller. I saw Cloverfield today and it was a really fun movie. Something big, bad and ugly attacks Manhattan. They don't know where it came from. Some hole in the earth, some crevice in the ocean, or outer space, but it is rampaging through the city, and it is tough.

The gimmick of the film if very Blair Witch. Young man happens to be shooting on a hand held camera when the thing attacks, and documents the events as they unfold about him and his friends. So, if "amateur, hand held" camera work makes you nauseous, you should avoid this film.

But, if you like J.J. Abrams and monster flicks, this one is pretty good. One nice thing about this film is it doesn't load you down with the science. Granted, I like hearing about the origin of things, but that was only a small part of me during this roller coaster of a film. Being regular folk at a going away party, you don't see the inside of the lab where the government accidentally creates the beast, or the supernatural ritual that brings meanies from other dimensions, or see some horrible leviathan rise from the chemically poisoned deep. Very much in the tradition of Godzilla, monster arrives from out of nowhere and is a bitch to kill. And as the movie progressed, it was committed to the crescendo in tempo, which meant not stopping to explain all things along the way. Again, that small part of me wanted to know why as much as the characters in the film when questions went unanswered, but like them, I will have to come up with my own theories.

I initially got a bad report of this film, and the older gentleman three seats down from me said it was the worst thing he ever saw, but I had a good time. It had some natural humor (considering its naturalistic film technique) and was scary due to good old fashioned story telling and mystery. Not to say some things didn't occasionally jump out at you, but it wasn't all about those tactics.

I won't give the ending away, but I have to say that the ending does seem to follow a trend I have noticed in the genre that it shares with The Mist. When I thought about it, I realized it wasn't so new. Fright films of the 1960s took a similar approach. Speaking of The Mist, that was a film where the government was experimenting with access to other dimensions. Why do they never discover warm and fuzzy dimensions? Access another dimension and it is always something horrific on the other side. Where is the Care Bear dimension? Or the Beatrix Potter dimension? That's what I want to know!

I have long been a fan of J.J. Abrams. I saw all four seasons of Felicity. I loved the show and cast and was impressed that a show about 4 years in college ended with graduation instead of trying to stretch it out with "Felicity in Med School" or "Felicity in the City". And of course there is Alias and Lost.
Lost returns next week! I wonder how many episodes were in the can before the writers' strike...

Total Debt: $15,096
2008 goal Attained: $404 (of $5,500)

Time To Pay the Piper

Well, by the looks of it, I made some great progress this month. But even still, payments still come with due dates and it is time to send money to Bank of America.

Minimum Payment = $49
Payment Sent (1/25) = $60.65
Attributed to interest = $10.65
Attributed to Credit Card Debt = $50

Total Debt: $15,096
2008 goal Attained: $404 (of $5,500)

Happy MLK Day

Today we recognized Martin Luther King, Jr. by honoring his birthday. Many institutions were closed, including the University building where I have my voice lesson.

Because I had no voice lesson today, I didn't need to pay for it. This is a little bit of found money I will send to MasterCard!

Attributed to Credit Card Debt = $35

Total Debt: $15,146
2008 goal Attained: $354 (of $5,500)



I would also like to thank the Amazon shopper(s) who bought the following items:
-- Art & Fear
-- Portraits from Life in 29 Steps
-- The Artist's Complete Guide to Figure Drawing: A Contemporary Perspective on the Classical Tradition

Winter Came to Visit

Winter made a stop in Houston this weekend. It was really cold. Sure, not Massachusetts cold, but chilly none the less. What I really needed was a hat!

Lucky for me the Queen of Florida sent me a really cool hat for Christmas, so I kept my noggin warm with that for the day.

Thank you, your majesty!

Total Debt: $15,181
2008 goal Attained: $319 (of $5,500)

With a Little Bit of Luck

Back in December, I had a loverly little gig singing cockney Christmas Carols for the holiday party being hosted by the landlord of a big downtown building for its tenants.

Somebody had the brilliant idea to make the theme "My Fair Lady". Not Dickens or "A Christmas Carol", not even "White Christmas" or "Love Actually", but Shaw's ever perennial holiday favorite, "My Fair Lady".

The lobby of the building was sparsely decorated into two opposing vignettes. The Ascot race and Kensington Garden. Various characters were hired to entertain the troops. Wandering the party were Henry Higgins and Col. Pickering. At the Ascot were "Ascot" Eliza, Mrs. Higgins and Freddy Ensford Hill. In the Garden were "Cockney" Eliza, Alfred Dolittle, and his friend Jamey (me).

I spent two hours singing raucous versions of carols in a ridiculous cockney accent and working the crowd. ("Penny for a pint!" "Happy Christmas, Gov'na!") We had a little fun with some people who elected to dress up themselves. One group of young ladies were all dressed up as Eliza. There was an "Ascot" Eliza, a "leaving Higgins" Eliza, and a "Ball" Eliza. I shamelessly pointed them out repeatedly as the "Three Elizas". Kind of like the three Marys, but not.

I made $300 for that gig. The rest of December was crazy busy. I had my regular job which included performing in the children's show The BFG (Big Friendly Giant), performing in the MainStage show Mr. Pim Passes By 4 days a week and assistant directing Caroline, or Change (a sort of free internship, prove yourself kind of gig) just about every other day left.

With all this craziness, that meant a lot of eating on the run. Add the holidays to that, and December can get expensive and quickly. So, I have held that $300 in abeyance to make sure I can survive through January. AS it turns out, my earnings for Pim managed to get me through, so now the Cockney Carol money can be attributed to my debt reduction plan. Woo hoo!

Attributed to Credit Card Debt = $300

Total Debt: $15,181
2008 goal Attained: $319 (of $5,500)

Paying for Myself

Because I am not sure if people go back to read the comments responding to there comments, I wanted to post this little exchange. Plus, I made so many typos, it was kind of embarrassing.

In UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN, Chris said...
Drew:
Your crediting yourself $19 toward paying off your credit card debt because you saw two movies for free seems disingenuous at best. The way to pay off your cards is to send checks to the credit card company. Then, when they send you a new statement, you can consider the difference between the old balance and the new to be true debt reduction.

I said...
Chris,
I think you misunderstand. I SENT $19 (added to this month's payment which is already included in the initial goal, fyi).

Since I saw the film for free, I sent the money I would have paid to see it to the CC company. Because it is going to be up for a lot of Oscars, I would have most likely spent the money anyway. Since I saw it for free, I "paid myself" for the film. Likewise, UTTS was a DVD I would have eventually bought for myself. I simply paid for it twice. Once to Amazon for a gift and once again to "myself" as the gift was no longer needed.

My monthly budget for paying these bills will never be enough. I will have to chip away at it whenever I can. Fortunately, with on-line bill pay, I can do this weekly!

Total Debt: $15,481
2008 goal Attained: $19 (of $5,500)

Under The Tuscan Sun

Under the Tuscan Sun (Widescreen Edition) was released a few years back, and I re-watched it just this weekend. It is one of the most charming movies released in recent times.

Diane Lane is just perfect in this film, and the Tuscan country side is nothing to sneeze at. It is breathtaking. Italy is the true star of this film.

UTTS is a wonderful feel good movie. Something that is bound to cheer you up when you are feeling down, and long for a European vacation. One may not be able to *69 Italy, but when can we go?

The copy I have is a recent purchase. I originally bought it as a Secret Santa gift for a friend, but since she already had it, I kept it for myself. Since the gift was already bought and paid for, I will buy it from myself and attribute the $10 towards my goal for the year. For lack of a better term, I am going to call this "found money." Money I will send to my credit cards that isn't budgeted or earned through work.

I also saw There Will Be Blood for free this week. That would normally cost $9.00. I will pay myself for that as well.

Total Debt: $15,481
Goal Attained: $19

Credit Cards Are Bad!

Karyn said it best when she created her web site, CREDIT CARDS ARE BAD.

2008 will be my 40th year in this world. I want to make it the best year ever. I want to be in the best shape of my life, both physically and financially. One way I hope to achieve this is share my work against my credit card debt to everyone.

I have $15,500.00 in credit card debt. I know, I know, how the hell did that happen!? Well, more than half of it was due to Tropical Strom Allison in 2001. The rest grad school and even mispending when I had a higher paying job.

As a working artist whose "day job" is also in non-profit arts, most headway I make on this total gets eaten up by something or other. Today, I am setting a goal for 2008. Pay $5,500.00 off by 12/31/08. And I will share my progress here.

YOU CAN HELP
Do you shop Amazon.com? If so, you can help me by starting your shopping here. Just come to my blog and click on the Amazon.com link of your choice to start your shopping. Every cent I make in commissions will go towards the bottom line, and I will report all my earingings here. Just click below...



Total Debt: $15,500
Goal Attained: $0.00