Mastercard Moment

Plane Ticket: $372.00

Dinner Out: $160.00

Not worrying about your best friend because she is visiting you instead of being at home in New Orleans:

Priceless.

Random Thursday Musings

I started blogging because I was spending way too much time by myself, and consequently, waaaay too much time in my own head. I was making myself nuts and decided I needed to share the wealth.

I have been in California for a week now, and spent a great deal of time since the weekend on my own. Thus, lots of thinking. I haven't posted in a few days because my thoughts at the moment have been racing too far ahead of my ability to type. But I have decided it is time to get back out of my head.

Stuff I have been thinking about:

I read Nick Hornby's High Fidelity the other day. In the book, Rob, the main character, states that it is not possible to contemplate ending a relationship unless there is the possibility of someone else. I am not sure that is entirely off base. Although I have never left someone for someone else, I have never ended a relationship where there wasn't at least the possibility of pursuing someone else. But I suppose there is always that possiblity. What prevents the possibility of dating someone else is the person you are currently dating.*

So what do you think, gentle readers? Have you ever ended it with someone without the possibility of something else?

I am especially curious to see whether women's experiences with this are different than men's.

Other things I have been thinking about.

The best parts of being single are also the worst parts of being single. It just depends on your outlook and where you are in your life at the time. The same is true for being in a relationship.

I think I may be ready to end my dating boycott (being agressively single, as I call it). Of course, I will be spending about half of the next three months out of town.

I- Tunes Rocks. I am now lusting after an I- Pod.

I need a plan for Thanksgiving that does not involve my immediate family.

The show I am doing here is a really good script. I am hoping it will have a lfie after this run.

The show is also essentially done from my end. I am ready to be back home.

I have been less than dilligent about reading blogs this past week or so. Sorry to all my blog siblings. Sometimes you just need to be on your own for a bit.

*I don't mean this nearly as crappy as it sounds.

Theatre In The Nam

The email traffic went something like this.

E: "I have this show I'm working on. You interested?"

LD: "Of course."

E: "Great. I'll have the AD get in touch with you about contract and stuff."

Months go by.

LD: "Still have not recieved a contract (or, for that matter the second act). Whose cage do I need to rattle?"

E: "I will get on them about that."

Weeks go by. I get the second act, but no contract. Also no scenery groundplan, section, or lighting inventory.

LD: "Still no contract. Somewhat nervous about getting on a plane at this point."

E: "I will talk to their production manager."

Finally get a contract. I get on a plane and fly to California.

I arrive at the theatre and venture into the house just in time to unplug an extension cable that has a connector in the process of melting. The cause: far too many flood light fixtures plugged into it, drawing more power than the cable and connector are rated for.

The staff technical director does not even know the names of the lighting units in the theatre's inventory, let alone know how they are used or know better than to plug four 1000 watt worklight fixtures into one cable.

The theatre, like many converted spaces, has lighting positions and circuits in all the wrong places. It is a proscenium house with a solid ceiling over the stage.

I began hanging lights yesterday morning. I lost the stage to the actors for eight hours, and resumed hanging around 9:30 PM. I was there until 3:30 this morning. I went to my accomodations ( the Artistic Director's mother's house) and sleot for four hours, then returned for tech rehearsal this morning.

We ran the show this afternoon, and by some minor miracle the thing held together. I have a fair amount of tweaking and poking still to do, but we are not nearly as badly off as I was afraid we would be. The show should be in really great shape by the time we get to previews.

Off to collapse. ECAG has tagged me with a meme, but I am afraid it will have to wait for a few days.

Peace in yer crease.

Not So Much Beauty On The Walls, Though

There is an apalling amount of truly bad art hung on the walls in restaurants and cafes here in Lafayette.

I guess if you have beautiful people to look at you don't care about ugly art.

Me, I'd rather have beautiful art. Let's face it, human beauty fades.*


*And here again I am talking strictly about physical beauty.

I Am Probably Asking For Trouble Here

There seems to be a disproportionate number of stunningly, achingly beautiful* women here in Northern California.

I wonder why that is?

* I am talking about physical beauty of course. And before I get flamed about inner beauty vs outer beauty, I would like to say my admiration for physical beauty is simiar to my admiration for the houses of Frank Loyd Wright. Pretty to look at, but Iwould want to examine one closely before living in one, since most of his houses have perpetually leaking roofs.

Greetings From Sunny California

I arrived yesterday in Lafayette, CA.

I am here to design lighting for Love Lafayette, a new play written by the Artistic Director of Town Hall Theatre. My friend E is directing, which is how I ended up out here. The space is quirky, as are some of the staff, but everyone here is friendly.

And the weather here is sunny, breezy, and Not The Least Bit Humid.

I may never leave.

Do You Board The Titanic If Even You Can See The Iceberg?

I dated the Vegitarian for about three months. When we started seeing each other, the subject of kids came up. She works with kids, and very much looks forward to being a mother. And I think she will make an excellent one.

I would rather have a root canal minus anesthetic than be a parent. I don't want kids. Quite frankly, I don't understand the procreative urge at all.

I told the Vegiterian this (maybe not in such blunt terms), and we had a breif pause while she considered whether or not she wanted to continue seeing each other. We did keep dating, but it was obvious (to me at least) that we would end up going our seperate ways.

So I would ask my readers this. Do you launch into a relationship with someone even though you know you have an issue you are completly incompatable on?

Things Not To Do In Haste

Post half assed comments you will later have to explain.

The explanation: I have no interest in being a director. I am not so self deluded to think I would be any good at at. My interest in studying directing is about the desire to grow as a designer.

I attended a very good school for design. Although there are some graduate design programs that would assist me from a career standpoint, there are not any that would not be in some way redundant to my undergrad. Not saying I have nothing else to learn as a designer, far from it. But I feel as if I am at a level of development that the continued growth will be through doing it, and I am at a point where people will pay me to design, vs my paying someone else for the privilige.*

I want to study directing to better understand the process from that standpoint. To gain some new insight into text analysis, and to get a better grounding in some performance styles that place the actor at the center of the theatrical experience, as opposed to the playwright.

I think I offended someone whom I enjoy working with immensley, and who is very dear to me personally, by my post about grad school. So, I hope they will accept this mea culpa.


*Wow, could that paragraph have sounded any more arrogant?

Have I Lost My Mind?

I am giving serious consideration to going to graduate school.

For Directing.

Your thoughts, gentle readers?

An Apology

Life is somewhat crazy at the moment.

• I have three motorized electrics I am installing in a high school north of Columbia, and the machinery is brand new (we are installing serial numbers 4, 5, and 6), so we are discovering some things as we go along. We are also working ten hour days to get the project done by the completion date.
• I am preparing to go to California next week to design Love Lafayette for Town Hall Theatre
• I am working on Upshot for Forum Theatre, which opens next month.
• I am trying to send out portfolio material to several theatres to try and line up work for the fall.
• I am in the process of repainting my apartment.

So what is the point of al this whining? Just to say posting on the ol blog may be somewhat spotty between now and labor day weekend.

Peace in yer crease, yall.

What I Like About Country Music

One of my co-workers, a redneck islamic from the island of Trinidad (I shit you not*), listens to country music at work, and so, the rest of us have begun to do so as well.

What I love about country music is that you can get away with writing lyrics they would crucify you for if it was a pop song. Drinking to excess, suicide, lynching people, sleeping with teenage girls. It's all out there in the open on counrty radio.

One song actually has a lyric; "He put the bottle to his head and pulled the trigger."

Try writing that for top fourty radio.

And of course, my new favorite song is country. "My Give A Damn's Busted"


*What the hell does this saying even mean?

More Happy News

When I get back from California at the end of the month, there will be an S waiting for me. She is coming up from New Orleans for a few days.

I am so happy I could shout.

The Happy News

I have two weeks of work in November, assisting Beverley Emmons at Children's Theatre Co in Minneapolis, MN.

As a bonus, I will get to see an old friend from college (the first time around) while I am there.

Can anyone reccommend...

something fluffy and light-hearted to read, preferably not chic lit? Everything I read lately, be it the newspaper or magazine article, just pisses me off.

I read this evening an article about a southern gospel singer who was outed by a blackmailer. His record label dropped him, as did his promoter. He has recieved hate mail, email and telephone calls, all by supposed christians, and he still believes his attraction to other men is an abomination to god.

Who the fuck are these people?

I have a lot more to say on this subject, and the question of religion alltogether, but it will have to wait until my blood pressure lowers. I will confine myself to saying that if these people's god does not accept with love all those beings he has created, then we don't need that god.

Clearly, I need to read something happy.

Anyone have some Winnie the Pooh I can borrow?

What I Did Not Accomplish This Evening

Getting over to Washington Shakespeare Company's reading of the Scottish play*, which my blog big sister, Lucky Spinster, is in.

Sorry Sis.

I know, I know. This makes two in a row.


* Macbeth

Mr Crankypants

A number of my readers have recently pointed out to me that I seem to be somewhat "crotchety" lately, and I guess I am. I seem to walk around irrationally pissed off most of the day. I really am not sure why, but I suppose I could hazard a few guesses.

It's hotter than balls out again. And I will be working all day tommorrow in a shop with no AC.

One of my colleagues on the show I am designing in February seems hell bent on not supplying me with the drawings I need to do my work.

I have not been sleeping well, probably because of the heat.

I still have not recieved a contract for the show I am flying to California for in two weeks.

We are being hammered on to finish a project at my job. Normally fine except the manufacturer of the equipment we are installing has shipped everything late.

Have I mentioned it is hotter than balls out. No AC in my apartment either.

I am having trouble finding work for the Fall.

Newt Gingrich is considering a run for President in 2008.

There is no viable democratic candidate for 2008.

Once again, hotter than balls out.

Things I am actually happy about.

The show I am doing in September is really cool, and I love working with the woman directing it (and not just because she reads this blog).

I have a gig assisting D in January.

And, I think I may have found someone worth dropping my dating boycott for.*


*Although I am probably, as usual, misreading the signs.