oh, it's just a sleepy ramona (lesley's kitty) under the covers.
12.08.2007
b'more aquarium.6
no doubting this thing is ugly. i kept thinking how it would look better cut up and dripping in sauce on my sushi plate.
11.30.2007
not driving, still travelling, and driving again
i headed to baltimore to visit a couple of friends, and to check out a job opportunity. didn’t feel like driving though, and still not too keen on the bus. . . so i took a train. nice way to relax, read, sleep, whatever, and no need to go through tsa.
got through another audiobook. ‘don’t get too comfortable.’ pretty witty.
i got into town and was able to meet up with lesley. she has a cute apartment, and a sweet cat. she has a roommate as well, but i never saw her, she’s interning at a hospital. it would seem that they have a schedule worse than a theatre technician’s.
lesley showed me all around centerstage- it’s a pretty great space, even got to see a show. we caught up a bit, and i got to see jacob, a former apprentice.
travis walked me through his neighborhood- it’s ‘miracle on 34th street’ time there. it’s really kinda spectacular. we headed over to their friends after dinner and set up to play a game but never got there. how can anyone play a game when there are cupcakes from scratch to be made! one of their friends had a new iphone, and i finally played around with it a bit. way incredible. . .
they were in a tech weekend, so i spent some time at the aquarium the next day and met up with travis again for a movie.
i left monday morning and arrived in boston, just in time to drop my bags, text dan to order me a drink, and walk over to meet them at the common ground, for another round of trivia!
i can’t remember the exact order of things, seems to matter a little less these days, but i did do more shopping, i got to the isabella stewart gardener museum (my fav in boston), the mapparium, and another evening of trivia at tommy doyles. i had a great time. it was nice to have so much around me, all in walking distance, or T distance. i definitely miss that about boston.
dan (my friend from highschool), cayla (his friend), dan and i all met up again for dinner as we planned before. we went over to the otherside cafe. really cute place, and really nice food. there was talk of meeting up again, and possible movie nights. it would seem that i could make myself a decent social life if i figured a way to live in boston. seems the same if i wanted to take the job in baltimore- but i didn’t. i have a couple other things i want to do first i guess.
for now though, headed back home. another audiobook, ‘the stupidest angel’, a dinner party that my mom has planned, a big snow storm, and plans to get to florida for the holidays.
got through another audiobook. ‘don’t get too comfortable.’ pretty witty.
i got into town and was able to meet up with lesley. she has a cute apartment, and a sweet cat. she has a roommate as well, but i never saw her, she’s interning at a hospital. it would seem that they have a schedule worse than a theatre technician’s.
lesley showed me all around centerstage- it’s a pretty great space, even got to see a show. we caught up a bit, and i got to see jacob, a former apprentice.
travis walked me through his neighborhood- it’s ‘miracle on 34th street’ time there. it’s really kinda spectacular. we headed over to their friends after dinner and set up to play a game but never got there. how can anyone play a game when there are cupcakes from scratch to be made! one of their friends had a new iphone, and i finally played around with it a bit. way incredible. . .
they were in a tech weekend, so i spent some time at the aquarium the next day and met up with travis again for a movie.
i left monday morning and arrived in boston, just in time to drop my bags, text dan to order me a drink, and walk over to meet them at the common ground, for another round of trivia!
i can’t remember the exact order of things, seems to matter a little less these days, but i did do more shopping, i got to the isabella stewart gardener museum (my fav in boston), the mapparium, and another evening of trivia at tommy doyles. i had a great time. it was nice to have so much around me, all in walking distance, or T distance. i definitely miss that about boston.
dan (my friend from highschool), cayla (his friend), dan and i all met up again for dinner as we planned before. we went over to the otherside cafe. really cute place, and really nice food. there was talk of meeting up again, and possible movie nights. it would seem that i could make myself a decent social life if i figured a way to live in boston. seems the same if i wanted to take the job in baltimore- but i didn’t. i have a couple other things i want to do first i guess.
for now though, headed back home. another audiobook, ‘the stupidest angel’, a dinner party that my mom has planned, a big snow storm, and plans to get to florida for the holidays.
11.27.2007
back to boston
i seriously don’t remember if we went back on monday or tuesday, but. . .dan needed to get back to work, so we drove down. we listened to ‘m is for magic’ during the ride. such a sucker for neil gaiman.
i did a bunch of walking around boston, even visited some of the newer areas of emerson- they have a barnes and nobles now, and a slick new student center. . . i did some shopping, so hard to resist such cute places!
dan and terry held a poker night. i watched and made some food. . . but not really enticed to play at all.
tommy doyle’s-
we heard last wednesday that the next week’s trivia was cancelled. . . . it was cancelled at big city, but not tommy doyle’s. so instead of playing in allston, we headed out to cambridge. i met up with a number of dan’s co-workers. the pub was really great- excellent shepard’s pie. . . as a team we didn’t do as well, the competition was definitely stiffer, but a quick favorite.
clean sweep-
i cleaned my brother’s and roommate’s bathroom. made a trip to target and bought a new shower curtain, new rugs, made the afternoon of it. seems i can’t help myself every once in a while.
time to travel again.
i did a bunch of walking around boston, even visited some of the newer areas of emerson- they have a barnes and nobles now, and a slick new student center. . . i did some shopping, so hard to resist such cute places!
dan and terry held a poker night. i watched and made some food. . . but not really enticed to play at all.
tommy doyle’s-
we heard last wednesday that the next week’s trivia was cancelled. . . . it was cancelled at big city, but not tommy doyle’s. so instead of playing in allston, we headed out to cambridge. i met up with a number of dan’s co-workers. the pub was really great- excellent shepard’s pie. . . as a team we didn’t do as well, the competition was definitely stiffer, but a quick favorite.
clean sweep-
i cleaned my brother’s and roommate’s bathroom. made a trip to target and bought a new shower curtain, new rugs, made the afternoon of it. seems i can’t help myself every once in a while.
time to travel again.
11.22.2007
thanksgiving
dan and i drove to thanksgiving at our aunt and uncle’s early thursday morning. we hit traffic about 20 miles from our destination, and it held us up for almost two hours. annoying. . . frustrating. . . . but we made it just before the food was served. thanksgiving was really laid back and great. plenty of food, good chatting, a late night round of apples to apples. dan and i had thought about making something to bring for the dinner and then though better of it. instead we brought the wii and guitar hero, it filled up some late hours. both met with a bit of resistance, but eventually nearly everyone gave in and donned the guitar, or played a round of bowling.
for black friday a group of us hit the movies and caught ‘enchanted’ while others were occupied elsewhere. that evening two of my teenage cousins and i went to rent a movie for the group and i needed to get whiskey for hot toddy’s. it seemed that along with the joys of family comes a slew of germs and several of us were getting the sniffles. we sat through ‘spirited away’ because for some reason my manga crazed cousin hadn’t even seen yet.
mom, dad, dan, and i headed home on saturday. we drove our cousin tim up as well, since he’s up at potsdam state. dan and i popped in the audiobook, ‘stardust.’ we figured tim would pass out for the majority of the drive, but he actually seemed to get interested in it. we all stopped at mom and dad’s latest favorite pit stop, a little italian deli in warrensburg. mmmm, heroes and cannolis.
dan got in touch with one of his closest friends from highschool. he came over and we caught up for a bit. between dan’s and my class there were a large number of siblings, and they just had the 10th reunion, so i caught up a bit vicariously.
tim got off to school the next day, but not without finishing the last hour of ‘stardust.’
dan was in search of ‘rockband’ for the ps2. they seemed to be all sold out in boston, but the demand is never so great in the northcountry, so we headed up to the mall- if you can even call it that anymore. we found out that the game hadn’t been released for ps2 yet. . . bummer!
for black friday a group of us hit the movies and caught ‘enchanted’ while others were occupied elsewhere. that evening two of my teenage cousins and i went to rent a movie for the group and i needed to get whiskey for hot toddy’s. it seemed that along with the joys of family comes a slew of germs and several of us were getting the sniffles. we sat through ‘spirited away’ because for some reason my manga crazed cousin hadn’t even seen yet.
mom, dad, dan, and i headed home on saturday. we drove our cousin tim up as well, since he’s up at potsdam state. dan and i popped in the audiobook, ‘stardust.’ we figured tim would pass out for the majority of the drive, but he actually seemed to get interested in it. we all stopped at mom and dad’s latest favorite pit stop, a little italian deli in warrensburg. mmmm, heroes and cannolis.
dan got in touch with one of his closest friends from highschool. he came over and we caught up for a bit. between dan’s and my class there were a large number of siblings, and they just had the 10th reunion, so i caught up a bit vicariously.
tim got off to school the next day, but not without finishing the last hour of ‘stardust.’
dan was in search of ‘rockband’ for the ps2. they seemed to be all sold out in boston, but the demand is never so great in the northcountry, so we headed up to the mall- if you can even call it that anymore. we found out that the game hadn’t been released for ps2 yet. . . bummer!
11.21.2007
TOMB!
dan got wednesday off, and we planned to meet up with our cousin, ashley for a bit of an outing. dan helped plan our ride into town with a pit stop for boba tea. . . mmm, so good.
dan and i met up with ash and her friend currently going to college in boston. we spent part of an afternoon at TOMB. i HIGHLY recommend it to anyone. i wish the company had some other themed versions available, but it seems to be only the one. you enter this egyptian themed amusement thingy (not a park), and you go through and solve puzzles in order to complete a mission with a number of other people who just happen to be there, and the appropriately overly enthusiastic guide. it’s kind of amazing how quickly leaders show themselves, even among complete strangers. there was one puzzle that i’m not sure we would’ve gotten through if dan hadn’t taken over. he was fair though, let the kids around us be involved and do the work while he dictated the strategy. ash is an RA at her college
we spent dinner with a couple of my friends (well, my best friend from highschool and one of his friends from the area) we ate at fire and ice- a restaurant with an interesting set up. you walk around all the ingredients and add the ones you want to a bowl, then choose the type of sauce you want and walk over to the cooking area. you hand off your ingredients to one of the cooks along with everyone else there and they cook it up on a large circular grill. we had a great time and decided to take a walk to the movies. we caught ‘dan in real life’ and then made plans to do something similar when dan and i were back after thanksgiving.
dan and i met up with ash and her friend currently going to college in boston. we spent part of an afternoon at TOMB. i HIGHLY recommend it to anyone. i wish the company had some other themed versions available, but it seems to be only the one. you enter this egyptian themed amusement thingy (not a park), and you go through and solve puzzles in order to complete a mission with a number of other people who just happen to be there, and the appropriately overly enthusiastic guide. it’s kind of amazing how quickly leaders show themselves, even among complete strangers. there was one puzzle that i’m not sure we would’ve gotten through if dan hadn’t taken over. he was fair though, let the kids around us be involved and do the work while he dictated the strategy. ash is an RA at her college
we spent dinner with a couple of my friends (well, my best friend from highschool and one of his friends from the area) we ate at fire and ice- a restaurant with an interesting set up. you walk around all the ingredients and add the ones you want to a bowl, then choose the type of sauce you want and walk over to the cooking area. you hand off your ingredients to one of the cooks along with everyone else there and they cook it up on a large circular grill. we had a great time and decided to take a walk to the movies. we caught ‘dan in real life’ and then made plans to do something similar when dan and i were back after thanksgiving.
11.20.2007
a walk around
i took a decent walk through some parts of downtown. started at government center and had lunch at feneuil hall/ quincy market. . . yes, touristy, but great chowder. . . really hits the spot on a chilly rainy day. i walked through government center, downtown crossing and then headed to the mfa. it’s alright, it was never my favorite, and i tried to give it a clean slate, but i still found it a little dull. there was a nice display of ancient chinese furniture though.
dan and i had dinner with some of his friends. real nice people, and it was just warm/ chilly enough for them to fire up the grill. great dinner, lovely chatting, cute kitty. . .
dan and i had dinner with some of his friends. real nice people, and it was just warm/ chilly enough for them to fire up the grill. great dinner, lovely chatting, cute kitty. . .
11.19.2007
123456
that’s the mileage number i passed on my way to boston. the idea is that i would drive down a couple of days early to pick dan up for thanksgiving, and get a chance to hang out for a few days. i got in town just in time for a trivia night, which was pretty empty right before thanksgiving. . . our small team of two took second place- yeah, that’s right, lake placid IS the only north american city to have held the olympics twice in the past century. and there’s that great bookstore there that gives out 2 dollar bills for change, but that really wasn’t part of the question.
11.15.2007
WWED?
yes, what would erika do?
E: so, say you’ve taken some time off of work, undecided about how you’ve spent the past 14 years of your life.
S: oh, how awful.
E: yes, rather daunting but back to the quick of it. so you are back living with your parents. just recently you were a productive member of society. you made money, spent it, paid bills, fed, clothed and sheltered yourself, and with reasonable success. and now it would seem none of that ever existed. the questions made by your parentals suggest that within a matter of minutes alone in the house you are capable of burning it down or in some other way destroying it utterly. it would seem that you’ve never used a washer, dryer, dishwasher, vacuum, iron, or shower before. all these things are incredibly difficult to use and come with amazing instructions from said parentals. how ever did you exist before all this? oh right, you did. it’s a wonder, isn’t it.
S: where is this going?
E: i’m getting there. indeed, you’ve let some habits slide. at one point you were very organized. for a random example let’s say laundry was done on a specific day of the week and promptly put away. this made the rest of the week easier. you could wake up in the morning and easily locate the shirt you planned to wear to work, because it was neatly put where you expected it to be. this could even be done while groggy or in haste if one overslept a bit. but the initial organization made it easy. however, there is no haste that exists currently. there is no urgency. so these days when laundry is done, sometimes it sits in the laundry basket waiting to be folded for days.
S: odd.
E: well, it just doesn’t matter so much. no urgency.
S: what if you need to find something to go somewhere.
E: there is no where you NEED to go. so if you want to go somewhere, and it takes an extra 15 minutes to locate the shirt you want to wear it really doesn’t matter. follow?
S: sure.
E: even though you have loosened the grip on your habits, not all those around you have done the same. others stick to their habits, even when it impedes upon your territory. for instance, perhaps one of your parentals walks into your room, and noticed the ‘mess of clothes on the floor’ and decides, without questioning you, to pick it all up. now, said parental didn’t know that the clothes in the hamper were clean, the pile near the window was dirty, the pile near the dresser had another day’s use in them and the pj’s on the bed were going to be worn that night.
you knew this.
you had a system.
but the parental didn’t know and didn’t ask. just tossed all the clothing into the hamper. so now the system was all screwed up and you’d probably end up having to clean the whole lot (even the already clean because it’s now been contaminated by the dirty because you do have a little OCD). what’s more, you are just frustrated that instead of asking a simple question, action was taken that has now messed up your system.
S: mmm. i’m hypothetically frustrated.
E: well, you could tell said parental of this problem and ask them to stop moving your things about.
S: sounds good.
E: . . . but you already tried this and apparently the message was not received.
S: upsetting.
E: indeed. however, you once again state your case. when apologies are offered you refuse them and ask instead for your things to no longer be touched. simple, it would seem.
S: it would seem.
E: but you’ve been taught idiot proofing, and well, you have a mischievous side. so you decide to take a little action. it must be something related to the original problem, and not damaging.
S: what would YOU do?
E: i’d rearrange said parent’s underwear drawer. when getting up, while still sleepy and with little light, it’s just completely annoying. all you need is your undies so you can go and shower, but they aren’t exactly where you put them.
S: oh i see. so you’ve upset their routine just as they upset yours. and they might think, ‘hey, it sucks when someone moves MY things out of the place that i am used to. i must really annoy others when i’m doing the same to them. gee, i should stop those actions of mine. thank goodness my daughter has pointed this annoying habit of mine out to me through the use of this simple and yet not damaging prank.’
E: exactly.
S: so what if the behavior continues? what would you do next?
E: well, let me think a bit. heh, who am i kidding, i already know my next move. you see, i thought about it while running errands in town the other day. i was annoyed by my key chain, when i realized the annoyance was the new key dangling from it. my parental’s car key. after being doped up on a recent doctor visit, said parental couldn’t drive. so i chauffeured. i still have the key. it would be completely easy to drive to parental’s place of work and relocate the parked car. could be to another spot in the same lot, or could be a completely different lot.
S: and what does that accomplish?
E: well, not only can it instill fear and panic to not see your car where you put it, but to find it nearby and unharmed would be embarrassing, annoying, and may even create doubt and suspicion into the mental faculties of said parental.
S: huh?
E: it might lead them to believe that they are experiencing early signs of ‘senior moments.’
S: oh. how diabolical.
E: true.
S: so are you gonna go through with it?
E: eh. i don’t exactly HAVE to. you see, just the mere mention of the possibility is enough, especially when said parental reads this blog on a regular basis. they may turn from their computer and call me a snot, or a brat, but the fear has been imprinted.
will i move the car? let’s ask eddie. . .
(ps, play video below)
E: so, say you’ve taken some time off of work, undecided about how you’ve spent the past 14 years of your life.
S: oh, how awful.
E: yes, rather daunting but back to the quick of it. so you are back living with your parents. just recently you were a productive member of society. you made money, spent it, paid bills, fed, clothed and sheltered yourself, and with reasonable success. and now it would seem none of that ever existed. the questions made by your parentals suggest that within a matter of minutes alone in the house you are capable of burning it down or in some other way destroying it utterly. it would seem that you’ve never used a washer, dryer, dishwasher, vacuum, iron, or shower before. all these things are incredibly difficult to use and come with amazing instructions from said parentals. how ever did you exist before all this? oh right, you did. it’s a wonder, isn’t it.
S: where is this going?
E: i’m getting there. indeed, you’ve let some habits slide. at one point you were very organized. for a random example let’s say laundry was done on a specific day of the week and promptly put away. this made the rest of the week easier. you could wake up in the morning and easily locate the shirt you planned to wear to work, because it was neatly put where you expected it to be. this could even be done while groggy or in haste if one overslept a bit. but the initial organization made it easy. however, there is no haste that exists currently. there is no urgency. so these days when laundry is done, sometimes it sits in the laundry basket waiting to be folded for days.
S: odd.
E: well, it just doesn’t matter so much. no urgency.
S: what if you need to find something to go somewhere.
E: there is no where you NEED to go. so if you want to go somewhere, and it takes an extra 15 minutes to locate the shirt you want to wear it really doesn’t matter. follow?
S: sure.
E: even though you have loosened the grip on your habits, not all those around you have done the same. others stick to their habits, even when it impedes upon your territory. for instance, perhaps one of your parentals walks into your room, and noticed the ‘mess of clothes on the floor’ and decides, without questioning you, to pick it all up. now, said parental didn’t know that the clothes in the hamper were clean, the pile near the window was dirty, the pile near the dresser had another day’s use in them and the pj’s on the bed were going to be worn that night.
you knew this.
you had a system.
but the parental didn’t know and didn’t ask. just tossed all the clothing into the hamper. so now the system was all screwed up and you’d probably end up having to clean the whole lot (even the already clean because it’s now been contaminated by the dirty because you do have a little OCD). what’s more, you are just frustrated that instead of asking a simple question, action was taken that has now messed up your system.
S: mmm. i’m hypothetically frustrated.
E: well, you could tell said parental of this problem and ask them to stop moving your things about.
S: sounds good.
E: . . . but you already tried this and apparently the message was not received.
S: upsetting.
E: indeed. however, you once again state your case. when apologies are offered you refuse them and ask instead for your things to no longer be touched. simple, it would seem.
S: it would seem.
E: but you’ve been taught idiot proofing, and well, you have a mischievous side. so you decide to take a little action. it must be something related to the original problem, and not damaging.
S: what would YOU do?
E: i’d rearrange said parent’s underwear drawer. when getting up, while still sleepy and with little light, it’s just completely annoying. all you need is your undies so you can go and shower, but they aren’t exactly where you put them.
S: oh i see. so you’ve upset their routine just as they upset yours. and they might think, ‘hey, it sucks when someone moves MY things out of the place that i am used to. i must really annoy others when i’m doing the same to them. gee, i should stop those actions of mine. thank goodness my daughter has pointed this annoying habit of mine out to me through the use of this simple and yet not damaging prank.’
E: exactly.
S: so what if the behavior continues? what would you do next?
E: well, let me think a bit. heh, who am i kidding, i already know my next move. you see, i thought about it while running errands in town the other day. i was annoyed by my key chain, when i realized the annoyance was the new key dangling from it. my parental’s car key. after being doped up on a recent doctor visit, said parental couldn’t drive. so i chauffeured. i still have the key. it would be completely easy to drive to parental’s place of work and relocate the parked car. could be to another spot in the same lot, or could be a completely different lot.
S: and what does that accomplish?
E: well, not only can it instill fear and panic to not see your car where you put it, but to find it nearby and unharmed would be embarrassing, annoying, and may even create doubt and suspicion into the mental faculties of said parental.
S: huh?
E: it might lead them to believe that they are experiencing early signs of ‘senior moments.’
S: oh. how diabolical.
E: true.
S: so are you gonna go through with it?
E: eh. i don’t exactly HAVE to. you see, just the mere mention of the possibility is enough, especially when said parental reads this blog on a regular basis. they may turn from their computer and call me a snot, or a brat, but the fear has been imprinted.
will i move the car? let’s ask eddie. . .
(ps, play video below)
11.14.2007
the sticks
for those of you who don't fully comprehend what i mean when i say i come from a rural area. . . i took this shot at the grocery store parking lot. yeah, there's some amish around here.
halloween.07.5
my parents were in hawaii. while they were gone they asked to me decorate some pumpkins to get ready for halloween. really, what else did they expect?
10.28.2007
best served cold. . .
later into the opera season, props hit both the electrics and stage crew with a prank. they took many of the glass rocks that had been falling off the ‘tea’ floor and glued them, decoratively to the crew’s lockers. i don’t have a picture yet, but i will try to get a hold of one. the crews found it and the props run crew reveled. they had woken up VERY early to set about the task. it was tedious i’m sure. the prank was cute. . . decorative. . . but not extremely clever by my measurement. there was also a batch of cookies made for a stage crew supervisor with salt substituted for sugar.
there was a desire to get back at the props run crew. the idea behind a great prank is that it’s a surprise, it’s clever, and ultimately- not destructive. it’s the non destructive part that often ends up being the most difficult to adhere to.
the idea:
we were setting up some of our strike in the basement while walking past pieces of the platee set. each chair, of the many, were tagged as the props department does to archive their items. it looks like a giant tag sale in the basement. everything is marked. i thought to myself. . . would be kind of fun to gain access to the props run crew office and tag every little thing. . . pens, tape, computer, and around all the storage. . . just the ridiculousness of it made me giggle a bit. so we started talking about it. it was already early afternoon of the last performance. not much time to act.
the set up:
i talked to the electrics crew, and the supervisors on the stage crew. it sounded like it could be fun, but there were a lot of obstacles. we didn’t have the tags. . . and we need to gain access to their office. actually getting into the office isn’t difficult, but it’s the last day, in the afternoon. we couldn’t wait till the next day because the props crew would be striking that night and most wouldn’t be in the next day. getting in there that day, when the props crew wouldn’t be there was going to be really hard. if we had enough people, it wouldn’t take long to accomplish the task, and we could do some prep work in our own shop.
after talking to a few more people, we had four or five people on standby to leave the opera on their break and buy the tags. the electrics crew was excited about the prospect, but i was getting worried we wouldn’t have the opportunity. . . then it hit me. before each show the entire props and stage crew meet at steps for ‘step chat.’ it’s the end of the season, so the meeting would be really short. . . but if we could figure a way to make it last longer, the electrics crew could run into the empty prop run office and get to work. . . . and then perhaps we could make a call on radio that we are in the basement and need help from stage crew to shift some scenery. . . . and step chat would wait till the stage crew came back before releasing everyone. we could have a ten minute window, with maybe sixteen people tagging everything in sight. . . .
the prank:
it went down basically as planned. one of the stage crew assistant sups. got the tags. a few of the electrics crew pre labeled the tags. step chat started and the electrics crew descended into the prop run office. we radioed for ‘help’ and eight more stage crew members came bounding in. we had crews assembled. as with everything, we were efficient. some people labeled, some people ripped tape, other ran around taping on the tags. in ten minutes we laid out around 425 tags.
it was great fun.
people left at step chat who weren’t in on it were a little curious. . . but they soon found out.
ok, not the greatest prank ever. . . .but kinda clever.
enjoy the pics.
there was a desire to get back at the props run crew. the idea behind a great prank is that it’s a surprise, it’s clever, and ultimately- not destructive. it’s the non destructive part that often ends up being the most difficult to adhere to.
the idea:
we were setting up some of our strike in the basement while walking past pieces of the platee set. each chair, of the many, were tagged as the props department does to archive their items. it looks like a giant tag sale in the basement. everything is marked. i thought to myself. . . would be kind of fun to gain access to the props run crew office and tag every little thing. . . pens, tape, computer, and around all the storage. . . just the ridiculousness of it made me giggle a bit. so we started talking about it. it was already early afternoon of the last performance. not much time to act.
the set up:
i talked to the electrics crew, and the supervisors on the stage crew. it sounded like it could be fun, but there were a lot of obstacles. we didn’t have the tags. . . and we need to gain access to their office. actually getting into the office isn’t difficult, but it’s the last day, in the afternoon. we couldn’t wait till the next day because the props crew would be striking that night and most wouldn’t be in the next day. getting in there that day, when the props crew wouldn’t be there was going to be really hard. if we had enough people, it wouldn’t take long to accomplish the task, and we could do some prep work in our own shop.
after talking to a few more people, we had four or five people on standby to leave the opera on their break and buy the tags. the electrics crew was excited about the prospect, but i was getting worried we wouldn’t have the opportunity. . . then it hit me. before each show the entire props and stage crew meet at steps for ‘step chat.’ it’s the end of the season, so the meeting would be really short. . . but if we could figure a way to make it last longer, the electrics crew could run into the empty prop run office and get to work. . . . and then perhaps we could make a call on radio that we are in the basement and need help from stage crew to shift some scenery. . . . and step chat would wait till the stage crew came back before releasing everyone. we could have a ten minute window, with maybe sixteen people tagging everything in sight. . . .
the prank:
it went down basically as planned. one of the stage crew assistant sups. got the tags. a few of the electrics crew pre labeled the tags. step chat started and the electrics crew descended into the prop run office. we radioed for ‘help’ and eight more stage crew members came bounding in. we had crews assembled. as with everything, we were efficient. some people labeled, some people ripped tape, other ran around taping on the tags. in ten minutes we laid out around 425 tags.
it was great fun.
people left at step chat who weren’t in on it were a little curious. . . but they soon found out.
ok, not the greatest prank ever. . . .but kinda clever.
enjoy the pics.
10.13.2007
rather troubling
http://www.laweekly.com/news/news/the-life-and-death-of-jesse-james/17427/?page=1
visit this. it’s a fantastic and disturbing story.
10.05.2007
there can be only one!
my good friend and former roommate sent this to me. i have no idea where she got it. . . but i LOVE it. . . and she sent it to me with a quick note. . .
“I think that this lady and I are soul mates.”
-thanks katie!
Survival Of The Fittest Whenever I get a package of plain M&Ms, I make it my duty to continue the strength and robustness of the candy as a species. To this end, I hold M&M duels. Taking two candies between my thumb and forefinger, I apply pressure, squeezing them together until one of them cracks and splinters. That is the "loser," and I eat the inferior one immediately. The winner gets to go another round. I have found that, in general, the brown and red M&Ms are tougher, and the newer blue ones are genetically inferior. I have hypothesized that the blue M&Ms as a race cannot survive long in the intense theater of competition that is the modern candy and snack-food world. Occasionally I will get a mutation, a candy that is misshapen, or pointier, or flatter than the rest. Almost invariably this proves to be a weakness, but on very rare occasions it gives the candy extra strength. In this way, the species continues to adapt to its environment. When I reach the end of the pack, I am left with one M&M, the strongest of the herd. Since it would make no sense to eat this one as well, I pack it neatly in an envelope and send it to M&M Mars, A Division of Mars, Inc., Hackettstown , NJ 17840-1503 U.S.A., along with a 3x5 card reading, "Please use this M&M for breeding purposes." This week they wrote back to thank me, and sent me a coupon for a free 1/2 pound bag of plain M&Ms. I consider this "grant money." I have set aside the weekend for a grand tournament. From a field of hundreds, we will discover the True Champion. There can be only one.
“I think that this lady and I are soul mates.”
-thanks katie!
Survival Of The Fittest Whenever I get a package of plain M&Ms, I make it my duty to continue the strength and robustness of the candy as a species. To this end, I hold M&M duels. Taking two candies between my thumb and forefinger, I apply pressure, squeezing them together until one of them cracks and splinters. That is the "loser," and I eat the inferior one immediately. The winner gets to go another round. I have found that, in general, the brown and red M&Ms are tougher, and the newer blue ones are genetically inferior. I have hypothesized that the blue M&Ms as a race cannot survive long in the intense theater of competition that is the modern candy and snack-food world. Occasionally I will get a mutation, a candy that is misshapen, or pointier, or flatter than the rest. Almost invariably this proves to be a weakness, but on very rare occasions it gives the candy extra strength. In this way, the species continues to adapt to its environment. When I reach the end of the pack, I am left with one M&M, the strongest of the herd. Since it would make no sense to eat this one as well, I pack it neatly in an envelope and send it to M&M Mars, A Division of Mars, Inc., Hackettstown , NJ 17840-1503 U.S.A., along with a 3x5 card reading, "Please use this M&M for breeding purposes." This week they wrote back to thank me, and sent me a coupon for a free 1/2 pound bag of plain M&Ms. I consider this "grant money." I have set aside the weekend for a grand tournament. From a field of hundreds, we will discover the True Champion. There can be only one.
9.30.2007
from silent retreat to silent movie
so i spent a little over a week at a silent retreat in massachusetts. it was really beautiful and the weather was kind of perfect. . . only got a little muggy and hot over the weekend. i thought i had planned everything out. . . knowing that i would get my period, i had the proper provisions. . . and i brought some food, since i didn’t really know what to expect. . . i had plenty of tea and honey. . . what i didn’t prepare or count on was getting a cold. . .
it was actually really chilly my first three days there. . . and i felt a suspicious tickle in my throat the first night. two and a half days in, and i had a full head cold. not exactly what you are hoping for when you are being asked to breathe and meditate calmly. i was lucky that i was the only one around for the first part of the week. i’d hate to share the meditation space and be constantly buggy anyone else by blowing my nose and sniffling.
the entire week was exceedingly quiet and serene. . . just what i was looking for. i listened to some music on certain days, hiked on and near the appalachian trail, meditated, reflected. . . fell asleep whenever i felt like it. it was pretty great. i got a little restless over the weekend, but it passed over and i felt ready to get onto other tasks by the time i left.
i called mom and dad on my way home. mom asked if i was up for a themed movie that night. . . themed?
it was a silent movie, with a live organist being hosted at her college. it seemed rather fitting. . . turned out to be a buster keaton movie- the general- and the organist was pretty talented. can’t imagine having to keep up with a movie that i haven’t seen and continuously adding a score off the top of my head. . . that’s a special talent.
not a bad way to re-enter the regular world,
9.20.2007
lightness. . .
about a week before i was to leave santa fe i had this interesting experience. i got up in the morning, everything just as usual. i started my stretching routine, and maybe i stayed a little longer on my back trying to relax my face. i’ve noticed that i hold a lot of tension in my face, for whatever reason. as i sat up to start stretching my legs (the positions where i feel the most tension from hurting my back) there was this ease that i hadn’t felt for a while. each of the stretches was totally easy, no pain, no strain, and i was reaching farther than i had in years probably. i moved around trying to find the pain and stiffness i am used to, but i couldn’t. everything was tension free.
then i realized it didn’t confine itself to my body. my mind was lighter. i sent myself through a quick gauntlet of painful memories to see how i would react to them. nothing stuck. everything rolled off my back gently. i felt enlivened and powerful. sometime during the course of the day i lost sight of that feeling and was immersed in the business of the day, but for a whole morning i was untouchable, strong and clear. this is the feeling i was hoping to achieve during my silent retreat time. i don’t know if i will get there again, but i was there for a bit so there’s a possibility that i will find it again.
then i realized it didn’t confine itself to my body. my mind was lighter. i sent myself through a quick gauntlet of painful memories to see how i would react to them. nothing stuck. everything rolled off my back gently. i felt enlivened and powerful. sometime during the course of the day i lost sight of that feeling and was immersed in the business of the day, but for a whole morning i was untouchable, strong and clear. this is the feeling i was hoping to achieve during my silent retreat time. i don’t know if i will get there again, but i was there for a bit so there’s a possibility that i will find it again.
9.13.2007
if you love something. . .
set if free?
i remember littering the signature page of letters between pen pals with little sayings like that. ‘longer letter later’ (all made with one large L), sorry so short (all made with one large S), 2 people + 2 cool = 4 school and other silly little tag lines that were ever apparent and adjusted through our adolescence. “if you love something, set it free. if it returns, it was always meant to be. if it doesn’t, it was never yours to start with.” ?. . . is that how it went? i’m possibly paraphrasing, but it’s along that line.
at the time we wrote about it according to our crushes and whichever heavy metal hair band member we idolized over that month. when i think of one pen pal in particular, she’s been through a marriage, a divorce and is now raising two children. she’s been in and outta love from high school on (HA, kudos to those who caught the bon jovi reference!). i’ve avoided it like the plague. watching the roller coaster ride from the side can be amusing, lonely, and relieving all at the same time. i didn’t exactly realize i was just watching from a different ride.
i love my job.
i love my work.
theatrical electrician. . . says so on the card.
i don’t know how else to put it into words. when i tell the uninitiated what i do, many times they get this inflated and glamourous picture in their head. they think of the largest spectacled shows they’ve ever seen and imagine me there. i could try and correct their vision, but most often i get just as excited.
“NO! i didn’t work on that, but i did work on something else that was just as cool and magical for it’s own reasons. i know it inside and out and there is no way in hell i could explain it to the uninitiated, you would be completely bored with the details and i would lose you in the technicalities. but when all the little parts come together it created this art in motion that moved people, that impressed people, that made me proud. and there is no way i can impart that feeling in you other than to be just as excited, so i will nod my head and say, ‘yeah, it’s something like that.’”
for the ‘it’ crowd, the ones that understand. . . they know, or have an idea of where i stand. so i can get them excited by talking about the ‘boring’ details, and ‘mundane’ technicalities. but i can infuse them with the excitement i have about them. . . and infect them. it’s a tack i use when hiring or teaching class. i’ve seen it work, without a doubt- and i tend to be doubtful. but i have infected others, in the best sense. i’ve even been thanked. i might miss that part the most- the infection.
my work has been my greatest passion. and i don’t mean to make it out to be bigger than it is. i assist in the creation of a fake world for fake people that others watch for enjoyment. . . i didn’t cure cancer or anything.
so from a week after my high school graduation through today i’ve worked in technical theatre. yeah, there were two stints in college there too, but i was constantly working in technical theatre, constantly putting up a show, constantly in the design or implementation phase. late june 1993 through september 2007, some 14 years? (if we wanted to get technical, since i most often worked more than 40 hour weeks, we could start adjusting the years. . . but let’s not get technical) short by many standards. . . and yet, here i plan to leave. i won’t promise, since i don’t like to make a liar of myself. but i think i might be done. and i just found out i made it into a larger professional publication, picture and all. ironic. . .
if you love something, set it free.
. . . . . .
wonder if i get alimony?
. . . . . .
now what?
i remember littering the signature page of letters between pen pals with little sayings like that. ‘longer letter later’ (all made with one large L), sorry so short (all made with one large S), 2 people + 2 cool = 4 school and other silly little tag lines that were ever apparent and adjusted through our adolescence. “if you love something, set it free. if it returns, it was always meant to be. if it doesn’t, it was never yours to start with.” ?. . . is that how it went? i’m possibly paraphrasing, but it’s along that line.
at the time we wrote about it according to our crushes and whichever heavy metal hair band member we idolized over that month. when i think of one pen pal in particular, she’s been through a marriage, a divorce and is now raising two children. she’s been in and outta love from high school on (HA, kudos to those who caught the bon jovi reference!). i’ve avoided it like the plague. watching the roller coaster ride from the side can be amusing, lonely, and relieving all at the same time. i didn’t exactly realize i was just watching from a different ride.
i love my job.
i love my work.
theatrical electrician. . . says so on the card.
i don’t know how else to put it into words. when i tell the uninitiated what i do, many times they get this inflated and glamourous picture in their head. they think of the largest spectacled shows they’ve ever seen and imagine me there. i could try and correct their vision, but most often i get just as excited.
“NO! i didn’t work on that, but i did work on something else that was just as cool and magical for it’s own reasons. i know it inside and out and there is no way in hell i could explain it to the uninitiated, you would be completely bored with the details and i would lose you in the technicalities. but when all the little parts come together it created this art in motion that moved people, that impressed people, that made me proud. and there is no way i can impart that feeling in you other than to be just as excited, so i will nod my head and say, ‘yeah, it’s something like that.’”
for the ‘it’ crowd, the ones that understand. . . they know, or have an idea of where i stand. so i can get them excited by talking about the ‘boring’ details, and ‘mundane’ technicalities. but i can infuse them with the excitement i have about them. . . and infect them. it’s a tack i use when hiring or teaching class. i’ve seen it work, without a doubt- and i tend to be doubtful. but i have infected others, in the best sense. i’ve even been thanked. i might miss that part the most- the infection.
my work has been my greatest passion. and i don’t mean to make it out to be bigger than it is. i assist in the creation of a fake world for fake people that others watch for enjoyment. . . i didn’t cure cancer or anything.
so from a week after my high school graduation through today i’ve worked in technical theatre. yeah, there were two stints in college there too, but i was constantly working in technical theatre, constantly putting up a show, constantly in the design or implementation phase. late june 1993 through september 2007, some 14 years? (if we wanted to get technical, since i most often worked more than 40 hour weeks, we could start adjusting the years. . . but let’s not get technical) short by many standards. . . and yet, here i plan to leave. i won’t promise, since i don’t like to make a liar of myself. but i think i might be done. and i just found out i made it into a larger professional publication, picture and all. ironic. . .
if you love something, set it free.
. . . . . .
wonder if i get alimony?
. . . . . .
now what?
9.04.2007
sniff 1
i took one of the apprentices to the airport this year. i got this message before i went to pick him up. he had been teary eyed all day, and before he got on the plane i snuck a package of tissues into his hard hat which he was going to carry on board since it didn't fit into his luggage. then we exchanged texts before he boarded. - sometimes it's the silly little things that make the hard days pass more easily.
7.26.2007
simple logic
i've been told recently that i have poor time management skills, and i lack in leadership. sounds to me like being a Master Electrician might not be the best idea. but just in case, here's an equation.
i always sucked at algebra, for the most part. but i was REALLY good at truth/ logic tables. all the kids that were good at the rest of algebra had to struggle through the truth tables and i never understood that.
the treasure map
the light up treasure map we made as a gift for the prop tart queen in honor of her coronation.
some guitar hero
one of our first weeks as a complete group. travis on the guitar hero, and in the back, charlie on his wireless playing against travis through the window.
7.25.2007
wtf, where is my wu wei?
aka: a rationalization on why it’s ok for me to not return to calarts. . .
(from wikipedia)
Wu wei (Traditional Chinese characters: 無為 Simplified Chinese characters: æ— ä¸º) is an important tenet of Taoism that involves knowing when to act and when not to act. Wu may be translated as not have; Wei may be translated as do, act, serve as, govern. The literal meaning of Wu Wei is "without action" and is often included in the paradox wei wu wei : "action without action" or "effortless doing". The practice of wu wei and the efficacy of wei wu wei are fundamental tenets in Chinese thought and have been mostly emphasized by the Taoist school. The aim of wu wei is to achieve a state of perfect equilibrium, or alignment with the Tao, and, as a result, obtain an irresistible form of "soft and invisible" power.
what was i thinking? i so rarely fight to get where i am. not that i don’t work hard, but somehow being in a place works out for me. there are always minor strifes, but i rarely feel like i’m not where i should be.
sorry, not making much sense here. . .
when i think back about how hard it was for me to leave santa fe and move to southern california, i really question my actions. i was so excited about the prospect of a new job, and the prestige of what i thought that job was, and the idea of being wanted that i think i was blinded to all the problems. i so desperately wanted it to work out.
-the week i interviewed for the job i was in the midst of end of season clean up and concerts at the opera. the clean up is usually laid back, but the concerts are always fraught with frustrations.
-a few days before i flew out for the interview my grandpa attempted suicide.
-the week i accepted the job i hospitalized myself with an anxiety attack and heart palpitations.
-i didn’t have a solid place to live when i got to valencia, so i stayed in a hotel for the first month and a half!
-my brother had to find a storage and unload the truck alone since my first week was already jam packed for me. . . he didn’t even get to see the school till he visited later.
-the office i was to inherit was a complete DUMP. i didn’t get to clean for a couple of weeks, but i found partially eaten fast food all over, and 9 ashtrays.
-i was first told that i would be ushered into the job with the assistance of the interim person for 5 weeks. when i got there it was changed to two weeks (still adequate), but the second week the guy never showed up due to illness.
-nothing that anyone else really wants to know, but i had diarrhea for the first two months i was there. . . unreal.
-the one person i wanted to live with accepted a job on a cruise ship the day we were going to look for apartments.
-the next week, i found a great room with a couple of guys that seemed really nice and laid back. everything seemed all set, i packed my car that weekend to move in and called to confirm that someone was there to meet me, at which point the landlord backed out on me.
-when i finally did find a room to rent, it was with decent enough people, but not anyone i have much in common with. (not that it matters too much, i was almost never home.)
-my grandpa moved in with my aunt and uncle downstate and started receiving better treatment. . . but then my uncle found out he had hodgkin's lymphoma and needed to start chemo treatments.
-then my aunt had some sort of breakdown due to some of her medications that sent her into a bizarre amnesia thing (while driving my cousin home.) in other words, being far away from my family while there were so many issues popping up was difficult.
-personally, i had benefits, but never had time to use them. . . no doctor visits, no check ups. . . then i hurt my back. . .
i kind of had this idea/ ideal that i would be able to get a place, have a decent work schedule, have a decent work out routine, there would be time for a social life, and maybe i could get a dog or something.
*pop*
that would be the bubble of my hopes and dreams busting.
only toward my last month there did i really start to realize how many interesting things i was surrounded by, just living near la. but i barely had a chance to see any of it, and getting to it with a friend or two was such a hassle sometimes. . . . yeah, that would be a reference to the terrible la traffic.
there have to be cool things happening all the time there. . . there’s 11 million people, they need their rec. time. . . but maybe that’s why places like santa fe intrigue me so much. when something cool happens, it’s a big deal, and seems like a big deal. all the cool stuff i did while in la i could’ve done as a tourist during a week’s vacation.
i was always swamped with work, always tired and beat up. i understand that most shrinks define a good relationship as being 80% good and 20% difficult. i was in a bad relationship with my job there. it was at least 70% rocky.
i feel like i was constantly fighting upstream, . . . carrying an elephant up the stairs. . . . and i was getting no where fast. others told me i was making changes. . . but i didn’t feel it enough for myself. i really missed being part of a close knit team. there was a production team, but i really like having a team of my own, one that goes through the paces of the day alongside me. . . not just on the skirt hem of me. . . not just passing in the hallways and sharing elevator rides with me.
it should have been simpler. . . all of it. it should have fit together more easily. . . my life lacked lube.
i lost the wu wei.
(from wikipedia)
Wu wei (Traditional Chinese characters: 無為 Simplified Chinese characters: æ— ä¸º) is an important tenet of Taoism that involves knowing when to act and when not to act. Wu may be translated as not have; Wei may be translated as do, act, serve as, govern. The literal meaning of Wu Wei is "without action" and is often included in the paradox wei wu wei : "action without action" or "effortless doing". The practice of wu wei and the efficacy of wei wu wei are fundamental tenets in Chinese thought and have been mostly emphasized by the Taoist school. The aim of wu wei is to achieve a state of perfect equilibrium, or alignment with the Tao, and, as a result, obtain an irresistible form of "soft and invisible" power.
what was i thinking? i so rarely fight to get where i am. not that i don’t work hard, but somehow being in a place works out for me. there are always minor strifes, but i rarely feel like i’m not where i should be.
sorry, not making much sense here. . .
when i think back about how hard it was for me to leave santa fe and move to southern california, i really question my actions. i was so excited about the prospect of a new job, and the prestige of what i thought that job was, and the idea of being wanted that i think i was blinded to all the problems. i so desperately wanted it to work out.
-the week i interviewed for the job i was in the midst of end of season clean up and concerts at the opera. the clean up is usually laid back, but the concerts are always fraught with frustrations.
-a few days before i flew out for the interview my grandpa attempted suicide.
-the week i accepted the job i hospitalized myself with an anxiety attack and heart palpitations.
-i didn’t have a solid place to live when i got to valencia, so i stayed in a hotel for the first month and a half!
-my brother had to find a storage and unload the truck alone since my first week was already jam packed for me. . . he didn’t even get to see the school till he visited later.
-the office i was to inherit was a complete DUMP. i didn’t get to clean for a couple of weeks, but i found partially eaten fast food all over, and 9 ashtrays.
-i was first told that i would be ushered into the job with the assistance of the interim person for 5 weeks. when i got there it was changed to two weeks (still adequate), but the second week the guy never showed up due to illness.
-nothing that anyone else really wants to know, but i had diarrhea for the first two months i was there. . . unreal.
-the one person i wanted to live with accepted a job on a cruise ship the day we were going to look for apartments.
-the next week, i found a great room with a couple of guys that seemed really nice and laid back. everything seemed all set, i packed my car that weekend to move in and called to confirm that someone was there to meet me, at which point the landlord backed out on me.
-when i finally did find a room to rent, it was with decent enough people, but not anyone i have much in common with. (not that it matters too much, i was almost never home.)
-my grandpa moved in with my aunt and uncle downstate and started receiving better treatment. . . but then my uncle found out he had hodgkin's lymphoma and needed to start chemo treatments.
-then my aunt had some sort of breakdown due to some of her medications that sent her into a bizarre amnesia thing (while driving my cousin home.) in other words, being far away from my family while there were so many issues popping up was difficult.
-personally, i had benefits, but never had time to use them. . . no doctor visits, no check ups. . . then i hurt my back. . .
i kind of had this idea/ ideal that i would be able to get a place, have a decent work schedule, have a decent work out routine, there would be time for a social life, and maybe i could get a dog or something.
*pop*
that would be the bubble of my hopes and dreams busting.
only toward my last month there did i really start to realize how many interesting things i was surrounded by, just living near la. but i barely had a chance to see any of it, and getting to it with a friend or two was such a hassle sometimes. . . . yeah, that would be a reference to the terrible la traffic.
there have to be cool things happening all the time there. . . there’s 11 million people, they need their rec. time. . . but maybe that’s why places like santa fe intrigue me so much. when something cool happens, it’s a big deal, and seems like a big deal. all the cool stuff i did while in la i could’ve done as a tourist during a week’s vacation.
i was always swamped with work, always tired and beat up. i understand that most shrinks define a good relationship as being 80% good and 20% difficult. i was in a bad relationship with my job there. it was at least 70% rocky.
i feel like i was constantly fighting upstream, . . . carrying an elephant up the stairs. . . . and i was getting no where fast. others told me i was making changes. . . but i didn’t feel it enough for myself. i really missed being part of a close knit team. there was a production team, but i really like having a team of my own, one that goes through the paces of the day alongside me. . . not just on the skirt hem of me. . . not just passing in the hallways and sharing elevator rides with me.
it should have been simpler. . . all of it. it should have fit together more easily. . . my life lacked lube.
i lost the wu wei.
7.19.2007
i quit. . .
. . . my job.
i left the calarts position. i’m kinda sick over it, but for the time being i have to think the decision was for the best.
i mulled over it for weeks. then the summer got bad. . . and i thought of how i would leave here, and within three days be doing the calarts job without a break in between. i would be horrible. tired, bitter, burnt out. . . filled with self doubt stirred up by events here.
not exactly a fair way to start a school year for a handful of new and returning students.
i feel bad for the students i got to know and like, and the staff that i got to know and like, but they deserve someone who will be strong and positive, and i don’t think i will have that in another month and a half.
currently i don’t have much time to be upset over the decision. . . maybe sometime in mid august i’ll get all weepy about it.
i left the calarts position. i’m kinda sick over it, but for the time being i have to think the decision was for the best.
i mulled over it for weeks. then the summer got bad. . . and i thought of how i would leave here, and within three days be doing the calarts job without a break in between. i would be horrible. tired, bitter, burnt out. . . filled with self doubt stirred up by events here.
not exactly a fair way to start a school year for a handful of new and returning students.
i feel bad for the students i got to know and like, and the staff that i got to know and like, but they deserve someone who will be strong and positive, and i don’t think i will have that in another month and a half.
currently i don’t have much time to be upset over the decision. . . maybe sometime in mid august i’ll get all weepy about it.
7.03.2007
surreal. . .
the work load this summer has been a little less than. . . i don’t want to jinx the whole thing. we are all working hard, long hours, and we’re all tired, but not quite to the extent that we have been in recent history. so we have a little time on our hands. . . or HAD a little time. not so much anymore.
i somehow have missed any and all chances to clean my car, but i did get a new haircut. there have been the usual bbq’s and such, but we even got to fit in an extra baseball game. granted this is all a few weeks ago now. presently we’ve opened our first two shows, been through the whole prop tart coronation and such, but i’ll get around to that in a bit.
we got out of work early and headed out for an afternoon in albuquerque, with a required trip to REI and another required stop at the talin market. about halfway to albuquerque we noticed something that looked like smoke trailing up from a hillside. there had been a few fires recently, so we figured it was along those lines. the trail of smoke increased a bit in size and we all started joking about how odd it would be for us to all experience driving alongside a tornado together. . . and then it became a little less than a joke. the funnel became rather pronounced and even though the sky hadn’t gone as dark and green as i’d seen before, there was a tornado about 15 miles from us. there was a carload of crew in front of us, and a carload behind us. the wind really started to pick up and there were so many cars stopping along the side of the road to watch that driving past them became hazardous. so we stopped too. we watched the tornado run and recede, and then sat through a hail storm that lasted about 20 minutes. we kept in contact with both our friends in front and our friends behind us. there was an accident behind us and a number of emergency vehicles sped passed while we waited out the hail. then we heard from our friends not more than a half mile behind us, that everyone there was being turned back to santa fe. the carload in front of us were almost in albuquerque. and we were in this bizarre no-man’s land. we started to press forward and there were no cars for several miles. we kept thinking one of the cops would pull up behind us and have us turn around, but then we came up on a spot where they had everyone on the other side of the highway stopped and were turning them back to albuquerque.
we squeaked by and met up with the lead group at REI. on our way out we heard that the other group would be allowed to pass through and we’d all meet up for the game. and no, i didn’t end up buying the bag that lit up on the interior when you broke the magnetic clasp. . . . but i thought about it for a really long time. and finding the place with bubble tea on the way out of the talin market was a great little surprise. we kept hearing that there would be another storm and we kept our eyes out. . . plenty of wind, but nothing too bad. when the sky finally cleared it was a great sunset.
the game was pretty great, and the ‘topes won, and who can resist a little pepperoni and green chile pizza. one would think, huh, quite and unusual day, but it hadn’t ended yet. you see, the combination of ballpark beer and silly two dollar bets can lead someone to do something that isn’t entirely thought through. a little harmless ballpark trespassing and suddenly you and everyone with you is watching your friend being led out of the park by security. so yeah. . . the whole tornado thing- quite bizarre, but trying to deal with unreasonable cops at the end of the night brings it to a whole new level.
i somehow have missed any and all chances to clean my car, but i did get a new haircut. there have been the usual bbq’s and such, but we even got to fit in an extra baseball game. granted this is all a few weeks ago now. presently we’ve opened our first two shows, been through the whole prop tart coronation and such, but i’ll get around to that in a bit.
we got out of work early and headed out for an afternoon in albuquerque, with a required trip to REI and another required stop at the talin market. about halfway to albuquerque we noticed something that looked like smoke trailing up from a hillside. there had been a few fires recently, so we figured it was along those lines. the trail of smoke increased a bit in size and we all started joking about how odd it would be for us to all experience driving alongside a tornado together. . . and then it became a little less than a joke. the funnel became rather pronounced and even though the sky hadn’t gone as dark and green as i’d seen before, there was a tornado about 15 miles from us. there was a carload of crew in front of us, and a carload behind us. the wind really started to pick up and there were so many cars stopping along the side of the road to watch that driving past them became hazardous. so we stopped too. we watched the tornado run and recede, and then sat through a hail storm that lasted about 20 minutes. we kept in contact with both our friends in front and our friends behind us. there was an accident behind us and a number of emergency vehicles sped passed while we waited out the hail. then we heard from our friends not more than a half mile behind us, that everyone there was being turned back to santa fe. the carload in front of us were almost in albuquerque. and we were in this bizarre no-man’s land. we started to press forward and there were no cars for several miles. we kept thinking one of the cops would pull up behind us and have us turn around, but then we came up on a spot where they had everyone on the other side of the highway stopped and were turning them back to albuquerque.
we squeaked by and met up with the lead group at REI. on our way out we heard that the other group would be allowed to pass through and we’d all meet up for the game. and no, i didn’t end up buying the bag that lit up on the interior when you broke the magnetic clasp. . . . but i thought about it for a really long time. and finding the place with bubble tea on the way out of the talin market was a great little surprise. we kept hearing that there would be another storm and we kept our eyes out. . . plenty of wind, but nothing too bad. when the sky finally cleared it was a great sunset.
the game was pretty great, and the ‘topes won, and who can resist a little pepperoni and green chile pizza. one would think, huh, quite and unusual day, but it hadn’t ended yet. you see, the combination of ballpark beer and silly two dollar bets can lead someone to do something that isn’t entirely thought through. a little harmless ballpark trespassing and suddenly you and everyone with you is watching your friend being led out of the park by security. so yeah. . . the whole tornado thing- quite bizarre, but trying to deal with unreasonable cops at the end of the night brings it to a whole new level.
6.17.2007
black hole.1
this is the black hole. it's in los alamos, nm. this guy named crazy ed runs it. he's really hard of hearing, but he's a fascinating individual. he collects all the stuff the los alamos labs toss. there are no prices on anything. so depending on the day, and his mood, and whether or not he wants to sell it at that time, you may get an out of this world deal. . . or completely shafted. he's also a bit of a conspiracy nut. but you'd have to be to get this collection started, i'd guess.
black hole.2
a quick survey of the landscape. . . one could easily get lost. . . or at least lose many hours here.
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