yet again i have changed the appearance of this blog. . . . mom, is this ok? of course it will still be a little longer for me to get everything back. . . need to do some editing in my template. so keep your knickers frrom getting in a bunch!

ok. . . we've now opened 4 of the 5 shows. . . and i'm pretty burnt out, really looking forward to a trip east to see my college roommate's wedding. . . though i've done little other than rsvp-ing in preparation. . . . need plane tickets, new shoes, and a wedding gift. . .. whooop-deee-doo!

i did take a few shots of the latest show in tech, but it's still really not done yet, though there's only ONE dress rehearsal left! it's been a bit of a bear. but maybe i'll post some of it later anyway.

so yeah, that's where i'm at. . in that, 'i have no idea what day it is' kinda way.

feeling bored?

try this test reich or wrong

the website that hosts it is pretty fun, as well as its sister sites.

i haven't had a chance yet to discuss the new addition into my life. . . but i guess now is a pretty good time. i'm back with mac-(ray, i figure you might be excited). in fact the last two posts were created on my new 12" powerbook. . . ahhhhhhh. the operating system is WAY different from my 1400cs, which was the last time i worked on a mac. . . .but i'm sure i'll get used to it. . . . i'm also looking forward to fewer crashes and viruses. . . . whooopdeeeedoooooo.

wow, i really thought there would be more to discuss within this subject matter. . . . guess not.

have a good one.

as some people know, opening night and day is a big deal, and here at the opera, it's REALLY big. there are usually pranks and parties all day and evening. this year, both the stage crew and the electrics crew got in trouble over some of their pranks the evening before, and were 'grounded' from participating in the prop tart queen coronation. very sad. . . but we still attended the coronation and celebrated on our own.

the prop tart coronation was a bit short without our appearances, but the country westerned themed party still went over well. . . . one of the prop carpenters created a grill in the likeness of the don giovanni cabinets. here are the prop tart queen contestants as they lined up on the saddle the pope of paints and the paint crew showed up dressed as the statues from don g. . . and the pope delivered a bible thumping sermon for the crowd. . . and the crew sang a parody, 'touched by stage crew' (to the tune of 'stand by your man') describing theirs woes of having to repaint and touch up after the scenery has been moved. sadly, i seemed to be behind them for all the shots. costumes, whom usually only send over the courtesan of costumes and two ladies in waiting, had a huge turn out this year. it involved singing, and dancing. . . well done!

on my way to get a few things from my car, i was called into the scene shop for their annual toast. ahhhh. . .nothing llike shots of whisky to take the edge off the day!

customary in the scene shop, the two apprentices had to create something to hold the shots of whisky before the toast began. i saw the two of them working on it late into the night. . . and the turn out was incredible. . . here are james and michael with their shot glass and whisky bottle toting wireman. . . complete with welding helmet!

i'll have to get some opening night shots in a little later. . . gotta run to a piano dress!

well, well, well. . . where to start. . .

hows about some pictures from don giovanni. . . i know you had a few a little while ago, but i feel that they didn't show the full scope of it, so here are some more.

here is the set during a focus call. . . and. . .

from the back of the scenery, it looks a little something like this. . .

yep, like i said before, this show is really packed. . .. now if you remember me showing you any of the goodies from earlier on. . . i now have some shots from a dress rehearsal so you can see how they play onstage.

these are the statues in play during an evening scene.

here is don g at his dinner shortly before he is visited by the ghost of the commendatore and goes to hell. . .

remember all those light in all those cabinets. . . that were supposed to create this bright hellish effect?

so yeah. . . kinda bright. anyway, thought i'd post a few, and of course there is more to come.

hope everyone is well.

so, a week and a half ago, or so, my boss and i decided to make a morning trip out to albuquerque for some specialty shopping, and no, it wasn't for dildos or whips- that's next week, when we get geared up for the gag gifting. this specialty shopping was for very particular flashlight lamps and other geeky stuff. however, between the two of us we had a combined 5 hours of sleep, so the hour ride back and forth was tough for both of us.

it was near the end of the drive back into santa fe where we were next to an old truck with a trailer attached. it wasn't moving very fast, or even keeping up to the speed limit, and i noticed that there were two donkeys in the trailer. . . the following is paraphrased from the conversation that took place for the next five minutes. . .

me: so, i guess this isn't the scenario they had in mind when they came up with the phrase, 'hauling ass.'

dave: nope.

me: . . . .ass in tow. . . . . . . . . . .

dave: . . .hmph. .. .

me: perhaps he could have a bumper sticker in front that said, 'ass in rear,' or 'ass in back.'

silence. . . . dave trying terribly hard to stay awake while driving.


me: . . . . . *laughing hysterically to myself* . . . he has an ass load!. . . . ..




ok. . . i was TIRED. . . . and it was really funny, to me. :p

bought myself a watch today. haven't worn one in FOREVER. . . . this one is not too bad, so far. one of the coolest features is that i can set a second time mode. . . .for instance, i have it set to seoul, korea. . .so if i ever get myself together enough and call my friend swon. . . i won't have to do any math to figure out what time of day i'm bugging her at. .. . just push a small button on my watch and. . . presto. . . for instance, right now it is 2:46pm on thursday for swon . . . where as it is 11:48pm on wednesday here for me. . . and this light test is going very slowly. oooooh. . . my favorite song just came on my boss's computer. do you wanna know how slowly things are going tonight? dave, my boss, has taught his computer to be voice activated. i keep hearing, 'close window', and 'get mail'. . . and when it doen't work, 'fuck you'. . . . yep things are a little slow, but not so slow that i am at home sleeping. . .oh no. . . .

other than that the only interesting thing going is frozen grapes. jenna, one of our apprentices has taught me the wonders of frozen grapes. they are DELIGHTFUL, especially if they aren't sour. . . not a fan of sour. i have taken this frozen technology and applied to to watermelon. . . and as long as the watermelon doesn't turn to ice cubes, but just slightly frozen, it too is wonderful. she tried cantelope, but i fear the texture is all wrong for the freezing thing. . . it turned into definite ice cubes, no chewing factor. . . anyway, if it's hot and you would like a tasty and refreshing treat, i suggest the grapes or watermelon. . . yeah, i'm a little bored.

anyway, should go, just in case something happens.

MY MIRACULOUS TOOTHPASTE

so about two months ago i bought a new tube of toothpaste since the tube sitting in my medicine cabinet was looking a little slight. keep in mind that was 2 months ago. . .

i'm still using the same waining tube. there is a completely new tube sitting the the bathroom cabinet, just waiting for the last of this tube to die. . . but it won't. it simply keeps spitting out a toothbrush head full each morning, and sometimes each night. this morning i got two brushes full, after the first squeezing slipped off the toothbrush.

i'm just kind of amazed by this one tube of toothpaste. i'm thinking of calling the 'enquirer' or someone if the tube is able to keep it up. kind of like the manna from heaven. as long as i don't question it, or try to push it too hard, this one tube may last me the rest of the summer.

anyway, hope all is well with you. . . and yeah, i'm trying to change the appearance around. it may take me a while to get everything up and functioning.

in addition. . .

i found this great site where you can build really official looking warning and safety signs. . .

http://www.stclaire.com/safety_sign_builder/ssb-panel.php


turns out it comes in handy around certain people who forget that there is a specific tool for each job. . .

it's been awhile right. . . well, i believe with this post you will understand exactly why i haven't been able to write more often.

so the first tech at the opera was also the largest.. . . at least so far. (muhahahahahaha) but really, i don't think any other show will be as deck heavy for us electricians. let me start of by saying candles. . . .


there are lots in this show. . .

candles on pallettes that sit behind windows. . .


candles sconces that are on walls. . .


candleabras that sit on banquet tables, candle lanterns that people carry, candle sticks that other people carry, and candles at the foot of statues. . .


the statues, this being one. . . also have accent lighting pointing up through their plexi bottoms. . . .


some of the candles flicker, some don't, some are battery opperated, some are AC.

then the entire back of the set is filled with sites such as these. . .


while the front looks like this. . .

i'll try to take a full stage shot so you all can get the grand picture duing the next tech. . .

but i'm not done yet! there is also these cabinets which look like this, or something like this when they are actually cabinets. . .

but later in the show the cabinets turn into the gates to hell. .. but not 'normal' gates to hell but rather, extremely bright white gates to hell. . . the bright white part is created by this. . .

yes. . . yes, that is 6- 1000watt par lamps. . . and a plexi top about an inch or two away from it. . . and yes, someone will be standing there at some point. a killer easy bake oven.

anyway, that is what my past couple of weeks has been filled with. lots and lots of fun, one might say. i'll get some other pictures in when i get a chance. hope everyone is well.

ahhhhh. . my first big shopping trip of the summer for the opera was thursday. it was hot in my car, and i had to hit all the familiar stopping points. it was home depot, which has become venomous in my mind, that actually redeemed itself slightly by the end of the day.

after spending about twenty minutes waiting for someone to unlock the tools so i could purchase a new 14.4 v DeWalt drill. . . i went about the rest of my day, got back to the opera and didn't notice till i opened it that the guy who had finally opened the tools for me, had handed me the wrong drill. . . and i didn't realize! ahh. . .another fun trip in my hot car to the other side of town to deal with these 'not the sharpest knives in the drawer' people. dave, my boss, suggested that i call first and make sure that they were in stock. i explained the situation, the right drill was in stock, and i then asked them if they wouldn't mind bringing the right one to the return desk where i would soon be. (though i doubted that would happen)

i think i was on line at retuns for over a half hour. i could tell the guy behind the counter was having just as much fun. i was also privy to a conversation between two middle aged men in front of me, complaining about the line, then discussing piercings, and how low today's female standards in a man -as far as attractive qualities and apparently piercing go- have become. like hello! pierced, dyed, and tattooed. . . right next to you! assholes. . .

then the first of them got up to the counter. . . . this is when my day starts getting better, thank you karma! he only brought his receipt and explained that he was charged the wrong amount. the guy behind the counter needed to see a sku number or something, not just a receipt. . . so, after waiting for over half an hour, flapping his jaw, the guy says he'll run to go get the sku numbers, and takes off. . . so the next guy in line makes a quick return, and i'm up. knowing as soon as my transaction begins this ass clown will show back up with his sku numbers, and he does. yelling about how it's his turn and he's been waiting here four hours. so i step back a bit but not out of the way exactly. after ringing through the sku numbers, it turns out that the guy was charged the wrong amount, not more - as he thought. . . but less. he had to fork out another $300 dollars on the spot. . . and then his charge card didn't go through twice, my smile widened. finally he broke down and wrote a check, and walked away. suddenly, some guy appeared out of nowhere with the right drill to exchange and annouced that, 'this is the one she wants.' ahhh. . . the clouds completely parted and i swear i heard harmonious angelic voices. my transaction was complete, i thanked the dude with my drill and the dude behind the counter and walked away.

could've been worse, eh?

hmmmm. . .

kind of a quick one i think, but i did feel that two of my past projects deserved a space online.

my last week, correction, my last official week in the scene shop was filled with welding. there are a number of windows in don giovanni. . . all with wonderful mullions (sp?). my task was to weld the mullion supports onto the window frames and from the point on, someone else was in charge of the actual molded wood pieces that were attached.


this past week was my first back as an electrician. . . . and it started with my boss, dave, telling me about this dream he had of us making a slow motion entrance into the electrics shop all slow motion (right stuff, or resevoir dogs style) and walking over to this amazing and wonderfully huge shelving unit. . that of course didn't currently exist. he started making cad drawings. and i found myself back in the scene shop with a router and a bunch of wood. it was halfway through the project that i wanted to make sure all his measurements were correct and that this monsterous thing would make it through the doors. he said it would all work out (though at first he forgot that on it's side it was 7'6" and 18" wide not just a 7 foot 6 2 dementional line). . . and it did. actually getting it to stand up in place was a little tricky, but it all did work out and we immediately emptied as much counter space as we could into it's shelves. . .


oh yeah. . . and it's bright yellow. . .lemon zest to be exact. we figure if we paint all our stuff yellow, no other department will try to make off with it, without us noticing. . . and according to some idiot "yellow is the color of electricity". . . whatever. . . .

anyway, there it is.

wow. . . . i'm here, at the sfbc. completely comfortable, working computer, or, sort of working computer. . . and i have nothing to blog. seems when i'm driving or working there's always something that comes to mind that i wanna get down. . . but with the opportunity in my grasps, nothing.

ummmm. . . yeah, my bosses for electrics are in town. we'll have two apprentices for the next two weeks and then the other 6 arrive. oh yeah. . . i'm am now officially off scene shop duty, and full time assistant master electrician again. . . *sigh*

i like the shop, and the people. . . i'm just not that adept a carpenter. i feel much so much at home with a wrench in my hands, opposed to a hammer, or staple gun. though i did learn some really neat tricks and methods. who knows. . .

i was gonna post a couple of pictures of the last few projects i've been on. . . lots of welding, and i'm sort of proud of the turn out. . . but i haven't downloaded them yet, so it'll have to wait.

i guess this could be the official warning to all those who like to contact me. for the next four months it will be difficult to get a hold of me. . . but patience is a virtue, right?

ok. . . till i come up with something more interesting. . . .

also, another quick post. . . .

with the summer season coming very soon. . i thought i'd share some pictures from last season, and no, no more sheep. . . actual production photos. . . ready?

here's 'la belle helene' . . . i got to run this show from backstage, including the pyro sequence.


then there was 'cosi fan tutti'. . . this was one of my shows off, so i got to actually see it from the audience once. the first act was a little boring, the set didn't change till almost 2/3rds of the way through the show. . . but when it did, it was beautiful.. ..

third was 'intermezzo'. . . where there was far too much changing of scenery. i was glad not to be a part of it, but this was also i show i ran from backstage. . . . it was rather boring i thought, but it gave me and my crew a chance to watch a handful of movies between scenes. . ..

fouth was 'katya kabanova'. . . . i ran the lightboard for the show, and i think it was one of the more beautiful shows. duane schuler was the lighting designer, and though i knew he was really great, i didn't think i had a chance to see what he could do till this show. it was really stark, and the set was amazing . . . and because i loved the look of it so much. . . i'm gonna load up 2 pictures. . . .



the last show of our season is usually a new piece, and somewhat experiemental. this was 'madame mao' last year. rick fisher was the lighting designer, and he did a really wonderful job with the geometric set. i myself had a lot of fun making mao's portait glow, as well as the double ring of fluorescents on the floor, and the rings of cold cathodes (the neon looking stuff). . . thank god i didn't have to do it all alone! but there were some fun toys to play with. . .



and in a week, i'll be back to doing my electrician gig. . and i hope to have great pictures from this season.

so, i mentioned i had some catching up. . . sadly i won't be doing too much of it, but here are some pictures of a powwow i went to a couple of weeks ago. it's the 'gathering of nations' and it's the largest in north america. much larger than any i've been to.

here's the grand entrance of the dancers. . .

here is a womens' dance. . . i love the long leather fringe and how it moves with their movements.

and lastly. . . . the men's dance. they definately have the most colorful attire, and the most fanciful dance. . .

so yeah. . that's the quick of it. . . hope you are all well.

so, i do have new stuff. . . but it involves pictures i forgot to upload just yet. . . . so it'll be another day or so i'm thinking. . . till then, has anyone else noticed that there's a new toothbrush that swirls or whatever called the 'hummingbird' or something like that. i'm pretty damn sure that one of the most popular vibrators is also called the 'hummingbird'. you think this is something that an oral hygiene product naming entity would check into.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS


MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR NEXT SATURDAY. AS YOU MAY ALREADY KNOW, IT IS A SIN FOR A TALIBAN MALE TO SEE ANY WOMAN OTHER THAN HIS WIFE NAKED, AND THAT HE MUST COMMIT SUICIDE IF HE DOES.

SO THIS SATURDAY AT 4 P.M. EASTERN TIME ALL AMERICAN WOMEN ARE ASKED TO WALKOUT OF THEIR HOUSE COMPLETELY NAKED TO HELP WEED OUT ANY NEIGHBORHOOD TERRORISTS.

CIRCLING YOUR BLOCK FOR ONE HOUR IS RECOMMENDED FOR THIS
ANTI-TERRORIST EFFORT.

ALL MEN ARE TO POSITION THEMSELVES IN LAWN CHAIRS IN FRONT OF THEIR
HOUSE TO PROVE THEY ARE NOT TALIBAN, AND TO DEMONSTRATE THAT THEY THINK ITS OKAY TO SEE NUDE WOMEN OTHER THAN THEIR WIFE AND TO SHOW SUPPORT FOR ALL AMERICAN WOMEN.

AND SINCE THE TALIBAN ALSO DOES NOT APPROVE OF ALCOHOL, A COLD
6-PACK AT YOUR SIDE IS FURTHER PROOF OF YOUR ANTI-TALIBAN SENTIMENT.

THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT APPRECIATES YOUR EFFORTS TO ROOT OUT
TERRORISTS AND APPLAUDS YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THIS ANTI-TERRORIST ACTIVITY.

GOD BLESS AMERICA.

thanks again gorris!

my former roommate, who i mentioned earlier is getting married this summer, has a blog about her experience as a marathon runner at the boston herald.

http://sports.bostonherald.com/marathon/blogs/

you can also see the picture of her and her fiance proposing to her after the nyc marathon

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b3cf26b3127cce81a89b8f74b00000000610

POLICE WARNING

Police are warning all men who frequent clubs, parties and local pubs to be alert and stay cautious when offered a drink by any woman.
A date rape drug on the market called "Beer" is used by many females to target unsuspecting men. The drug is generally found in liquid form and is now available almost anywhere. It comes in bottles, cans, from taps and in large "kegs."
Beer is used by female sexual predators at parties and bars to persuade their male victims to go home and have sex with them. Typically, a woman needs only to persuade a guy to consume a few units of Beer and then simply ask him home for no strings attached sex.
Men are rendered helpless against this approach. After several Beers, men will often succumb to desires to perform sexual acts on horrific looking women to whom they would never normally be attracted.
After drinking Beer men often awaken with only hazy memories of exactly what happened to them the night before, often with just a vague feeling that "something bad" occurred. At other times these unfortunate men are swindled out of their life's savings, in a familiar scam known as "a relationship." It has been reported that in extreme cases, the female may even be shrewd enough to entrap the unsuspecting male into a
longer-term form of servitude and punishment referred to as "marriage." Apparently, men are much more susceptible to this scam after Beer is administered and sex is offered by the predatory females.

Please! Forward this warning to every male you know.

gorris sent this to me. . . thought others may enjoy it as well!

so. . i had a nice memory the other day, i don't think i've already blogged it, so here tis.

it was my senior year at emerson. i had personally discovered the reason why most theatre technicians walk with their heads hanging low once they pass their sophomore year. . . . we're tired, and we are scared of meeting someone's eye and being asked to put yet one more thing on our plate. i was having exactly one of those days. i figure if i looked dour enough, kept my pace brisk, and looked only at the ground i would discourage anyone from approaching me as i made my way to class. i'm sure it was close to the end of the year. it was rainy, and i think my main focus was the EVVY award show on the way. a very exciting, but rather stressing event.

i was crossing the boston gardens. . . it had just rained, and i made a quick glance upward to make sure that my path had no sudden interuptions. . . and there he was, one of the producers for the EVVY's. i really didn't want to get into a discussion on the subject, so i really put my face downward and sped up a little. then, i met his shoes. he had stopped right in my path. seth graham-smith (at least, i'm pretty sure that was his full name) a really nice guy, as far as tv (non tech) guys are concerned. . .i just didn't want to dealw ith whatever new idea he had. so. . . stopped in my path i said a quick 'hi.' he put his arm around my shoulder and said, 'i have a favor i want to ask you'

DAMMIT. . . i thought. . . . . . but i asked what was on his mind. he asked me to walk to the end of the path of the gardens before i cross to the commons and then take a second to look back towards arlington street. i gave him my beest, 'ok, i'm puzzled' face. and he quickly clarified.

'it's just rained, and the sun is setting. . . you can catch the sunset, as well as it's reflection in the puddles in the garden. . . . just do it.' he smiled and left.

i walked to the end of the gardens, and looked back. he was right. it was really wonderful. all the little puddles of saturated colors mirroring the sunset over the city. i remember i hadn't been having a good day. .. though i don't remember the specifics. and here was something that i had completely not anticipated. . . . he caught me so off guard, and his intentions were so sweet. damn him! i had kept my composure over whatever was angering me all day. . . . and there i was crying over something exceptionally sweet and pretty.

thanks seth.