Life · is · a · Prism

Today is my 1 year anniversary of my divorce.
I almost forgot. Huh...
Has it really been that long, and yet, at the same time, can it only have been one year ago? So much has changed. New job, new location, new friends, new experience, new pets. I'm not sure that anyone from my live before the divorce would recognize me... Heck, I'm not sure I recognize myself!
What makes it even more crazy is that I have a date tonight. I didn't plan one on this day, it just happens that I have one. Although, I can't think of a better way to spend the evening. :)

Quote of the Day: "I made myself into an adjective."

Yep, there it is. The chaotic month of July about to depart and here I am completely shocked at heck at the world. Again. So much to tell, so little time, and all that stuff. Here's the laydown...
--moved into PA apartment. it's got the biggest bathroom, seriously, picture big, then add some space. so weird, cause I really don't know what to do with it. haha. No worries though. In about a month I'll be moving into the 2 bedroom with Liz L. Then we can talk damage. hehe
--my mom rocked. She really tried to keep up with me the whole week she was here. She loved Evy, it was cute. The puppy sat more in her lap than mine. We did lots of wandering, even more driving around in circles, and to tie it all up with a bow, went to HP 5 movie and HP 7 book release. I think she was happy to see that plane home. :)
--went to Boston. Drove through NYC cause I'm so bad at directions... oops. But still got there in six hours. whew. Saw pinzy1222 and lsumuppet. Everybody loved Evy. See a trend? Had oodles of fun. And when I mean oodles, times whatever you consider fun by 10. :)

Home now. read all of HP7. no I won't tell the ending. :P The cat is happy I'm back. The puppy is happy not to be in the car. and I suppose, all is well. I've been doing those errands that a person needs to do after a move. Joy. Monday I'll start the departmental and university paperwork as well as start working on my first design here: Antigone.

I don't really start work, however, till mid-August. Have to decide what I'd like to do with some of that down time. I know what I'd like to do... but not sure if its an option...

Quote of the Day: "Ur as bad as the airport."

A few weeks ago I was walking Evy in the rain and I found a $10 bill.
Last week I was walking Evy and I found a $1 bill.
Both times i stood there, softly called, "hey, anyone lose this?" and when no one answered (it was 6:30am so that's probably why) I shrugged and thought cool, that's 10 slushies!"
Today I found $30.
I don't need 30 slushies (I mean, I still have some slushy money left from the first two finds) so instead two of my collegues and I went to Panara's for lunch. And we still have $9+ left.
Mmmmmm

If I were you, now is definetely time to become my friend. Cause I'm on a roll finding money. :)

Quote of the Day: "Day 3... unless you count strike... then we're on day 4."

The set -- albeit a slightly warped set now -- has made it through the storm. None of the paint ran or dribbled or stained. Yeah water-sealent. But the masking flats fell down. haha. oh well.

Quote of the Day: "So, funny story..." (never a good thing to hear)

there's hope for us!
go to, http://www.myspace.com/schafferthedarklord and listen to Nerd Lussst.
I was laughing so hard by the end I couldn't breathe...

quote of the day: "I smite me! I mean, THEE! THEE!! Crap."

9 days until pay day (always a good way to start off a list)
10 days left of SCT (not sure if I should cheer for the sleep that'll bring or cry cause I won't see my friends anymore)
11 days until strike of SCT (tearing down always brings us up. hehe)
13 days left until drive to Ohio (can't wait for the road-trip!)
14 days left until Transformers movie (expect to see me at the midnight show -- I'm bringing my older brother. I can't wait)
15 days left until Origions (woot, woot. The question is what tournaments do I want to do this year)
22 days until Harry Potter movie #5 comes out. (can't wait!)
24 days until my furniture is picked up (yikes... so much packing still to do!)
25 days until I move into my new place in PA (Road Trip overnight)
26 days until my first production meeting at DeSales (bring it on!)
27 days until sightseeing in Philly (yes, liz plays tourist)
30 days until Harry Potter book 7 comes out (my mom and I will be volunteering at the B&N through the midnight crazyness. I'm hoping to read to the kids. They are all so cute when they dress up Hogwarts-style)
31 days until my road-trip to Boston (I'm gonna read Harry Potter #7 on the train!)
32 days until pinzy1222 and I go to the GOO GOO DOLLS and LIFEHOUSE concert (can you say, "SWEET!!!!!")
34 days until wing night (no longer will I live vicariously... hehe)
35 days until I return to my new apartment and veg... (vegging is always a good choice after a whirlwind month.)

We opened on Friday night to a crowd of about 150 and on Saturday we had about the same numbers. Not too bad for a show that doesn't start until 10:30pm outside!
It went very well in general. Some small problems, but nothing out of the ordinary. I was, I must admit, very nervous on Friday. But it went well. Saturday I felt much better. Whew, right?
The best part of all of it was having some of the older patrons come talk to me at the concession stand about remembering when it first was performed over the radio waves in 1938. How cool is that?

Quote of the day: "Something that isn't wood? Thank god?"

Last night I won a Pulsar Award. (local independent newspaper Called City Pulse does yearly awards for the Lansing Area theatre)
It was for The Best Sound Design of the Year.
The show, "If Anything is Sacred" in January of this year.
(The Sound Design was a combination of live and recorded sound effects)
How about that?

I wasn't able to attend because Summer Circle Theatre is deep into dress rehearsals. But I would like to say, (cue formal tone) "It was a combine effort between the Director, Frank Rutledge, and myself. Thank you."

(cue casual tone) "Woo Hoo!"

Quote of the Day: "Everything I needed to know about live SFX for 'War of the Worlds', I learned from 'Sacred'."

1) weird blind thing that we made into a heat ray
2) pop-out of the can snakes that we're rubbing together for static / feedback
3) metal plates that with
4) books we use to crash, boom, and explode
5) different sirens that always lead us to scream out Auuuuga!
6) different bird calls that always lead to the Honk of geese
7) attempts to make two pieces of foam tubing rub against each other to make a consistent hum
8) drops of an old-fashioned iron until we found the perfect airplane explosion
9) spins of a bingo machine to create the scary sound of metal moving, moving, moving
10) times I laughed until I cried.

Thanks Heather and Becky for making my live sound effects for War of the Worlds truly come alive!!

Quote of the Day: "Oh dear. Who let out the crazy person?"

I'm directing one of the late night shows this year for Summer Circle Theatre. My show, The War of the Worlds, is coming along very nicely. Last night we had our first run through. The actors, Molly, Amy, Vinny, and Bill are really finding their parts and their rhythem. It's a faithful retelling of the 1938 origional broadcast -- except that I chose to have two women reading instead of all men.
I've heard a lot of people are really intersted in attending, that they remember their parents or grandparents talking about this radio play, but I guess, for me, this is about tipping my hat to the place I gave so much to over the last two years.
Hmmm. Morose, aren't I today? I suppose that's why I haven't mentioned this particular project up to now, in this venue.
Regardless, it's coming along great. Tonight is out Live Sound Effects rehearsal. Thursday night I'll run the whole thing with Sound. Monday and Tuesday are the dresses and on Friday the 15th, War of the Worlds (directed by me) opens to the public. WOO HOO! I love being in the arts...

Greetings, Salutations, and all that stuff. Once again I have to apologize for falling off the end of the world. Crazy lives lead to crazy times... er, or something. Basically, I bought a new laptop -- as the only computer I have is MSUs -- and I'm still installing all my programs and bookmarks, etc. But that's not all! (I feel like a Ginsu knife commercial) My house is a whirlwind of activity. I have two roomies for the summer (SCT is well on it's way. 2 weeks down and 5 weeks to go) and we cook, we clean, we play paddy-winks on the puppies spleen. haha. Actually, to be honest, I haven't eaten this well in forever. And we're all getting along great. It's the perfect situation as they help with the puppy.
Speaking of Evy, she's about 8 months now and seems to be growing out of puppy-hood quite nicely. She never really got into chewing, and has grown out of what she did. She still rarely ever barks. Is becoming more and more a lap dog, and loves her crate. All and all, I have the perfect dog. :)
Let's see, what else. Well, I'm teaching two classes this summer session. Dramatic Lit and the IAH class I talked about oodles and oodles earlier this year. So far, both are going great. I teach the one at 8am M-Th. My students just stare at me as I'm happy about being there and about life. Them... not so much. Usually by 9am, I've got people talking and laughing, but that first hour...

I found this very interesting today. (my google horoscope) "No matter how upbeat you are today, you still must face issues that can bring you into direct opposition with a formidable opponent. You may feel tired, for it seems like your life has become a series of powerful transformations. You aren't who you once were, nor are you the person you are still becoming. But go easy, even in the midst of conflict, for change will take time."
how very interesting and true. I'm just wondering who my formidable opponent is. I mean, wouldn't it be awesome to have a foe? A gosh darned real arch-enemy? It certainly would be easier to just know where you stand with someone rather than guess all the time what a person is really thinking or plotting. With an arch-enemy, you'd always know they were planning your demise...

Okay, back to packing -- today is to be the little used kitchen stuff! (T-minus 1.5 months until the move to PA!)

Quote of the Day: "My foot has rabies!"

Our newest production, She Loves Me, opens tomorrow night in the Fairchild Theatre. I did the lighting design for it. All I have to say, is lots and lots and lots of cues. It's a great show, very enjoyable, fun, light-hearted, and the music is great. Have you seen "You've Got Mail"? That movie is an updated version based on this musical.
I hope if you're in town you can make it, because I assure you, you'll come out with a smile on your face. :)

Quote of the Day: "Did you know you're moon was blinking?"

Okay, so over the last two months they've been tearing apart our parking lot. Not small construction. Major crap where they rope off what they don't want us to park in that day and when we come out later that day we find they've roped off a new section that's unavailable, a section where our car now sits. It's joyous. As is the layer of grime and dirt refreshed on our cars every day. As is the BEEPING and the crunching noises that I have to teach over every day. As is the mangled metal noises that makes you wonder if when you leave that night you'll find your car in a small little aluminum ball -- the kind my puppy would gladly play with.

Well, today, there are protesters. Not the faculty standing out there saying "stop the madness!", not the students who have to walk through the parking lot saying, "stop the oogling!", no, other construction workers complaining that this construction group isn't "talking" to their union.
I'm all for worker rights, don't get me wrong. I'm all for pay increases and taxes doing their job. But for god's sake, protest somewhere else besides the few parking spots left from the massive trucks and the ropes and the ooglers. Please!!! We're not your target audience. I promise you. We aren't. We're just a bunch of theatre people trying to put on a show. Our "heck yea!" vote gets you nowhere. Just like my aluminum ball car...

Quote of the Day: "The gerble in my head just died."

Over the last two months I've had the strangest thing happen to me. From the time I attended high school until the beginning of Februrary, I've wondered: "What is normal life?" and "Why do I never feel like I'm part of the "normal" human race. I've always worked over 40hrs a week and when I did come home I still worked, graded, or designed, but then in the comfort of my pajamas. There was always room to shove -- I mean fit -- another project in and somehow the energy is there to complete those projects. Like my writing.
Well, the first weekend in February I adopted a puppy. A Miniture Schnauzer, to be exact, who I named, Evy. This is my very first dog, btw. I had no idea what to expect, other than walking outside more. Evy is a really good dog; I lucked out. She's as cute as teddy bear and has big soulful eyes. She doesn't bark and she loves to sit in laps and on pillows, completely content just to be next to people. In the last two months, we've gone through potty training, crate training, obedience class, learning to walk on a lease, and as of Monday morning -- surgery to become an "it". One of my parents said to me, "That dog is the type that makes everyone want to have a dog." So far, no one has disagreed.
I don't feel like I do anymore work than I did before Evy. I still get up at 5am and I still go to bed at a resonable hour -- if I'm not in a show, but I'm more tired than I've ever been. I still see my friends, write in my spare time, and visit family, but I'm not as early as I used to be. In fact, I don't really arrive early to anything anymore. (Which if you know me, you know is really, really strange.) While I do write at home still, that's the only work I do there now; it's hard to grade with a Schnauzer nose in the papers.
One would think that those negatives would really bother me. Strangely enough, they don't.
I'm calmer now then I ever have been. I've become patient and much more laid back about pretty much everything in life. I still get everything done, I just don't stress about it anymore. Maybe it's because i don't bring work home anymore, or maybe Evy brings out the best in me, or maybe there's something to be said about just being needed, or maybe it's because for the very first time in my life I feel completely normal.
heh.
Who would have thought...
(this pic is two months old. She looks even more Schnauzery now -- more of a beard and eyebrows. Her hair is longer and more grays close to the skin and then tan and then dipped in brown. Verey very cute. I have more recent pics on my phone but I can't figure out how to dl them. I'll take some more with my camera in the next few days and post that. :) )

which is weird cause I've had some recent bad news. The even weirder thing is my daily OM... here it is -- so anyone want to hang with me? Apparently it's a good day for that. haha.

February 3, 2007
The Gift Of Gladness
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope

You may find that you are profoundly happy today, regardless of the nature of the circumstances you are currently facing at home or at work. Your high spirits can inspire you to seek out the companionship of like-minded individuals whose company brings you pleasure. The conversations in which you engage with these stimulating people can become the fuel that feeds your developing feelings of joy. As you swap jokes and contribute your wit to lighthearted dialogue today, you may unwittingly give your coworkers, associates, and loved ones the gift of gladness by simply expressing your good mood to its full extent. Their positive response to your forthright exhibitions of glee will likely lift your spirits even further.

Happiness grows best when adequately nurtured and nourished through interpersonal sharing. When we endeavor to bestow upon others a degree of the joy we ourselves feel, we ensure that our own positivity has a chance to blossom into lasting feelings of goodwill and satisfaction. Seeing others develop a mood of high spirits can inspire similar feelings within us, adding fuel to the fire of our mounting joy. The simplest way to ensure that we can spread our cheerfulness is to endeavor to make each social situation we take part in an event to be savored. As we do our best to ensure that our loved ones, colleagues, and confidants can share in our gladness, our good humor will thrive accordingly. You will feel truly wonderful today when you encourage feelings of happiness in others.

The 2nd Annual Clarion Young Authors' Conference -- now run by my co-owned non-profit company, The Infinity Projects -- starts tomorrow (Friday the 2nd) in Williamston, MI where our guest author, Tobias Buckell will give a public reading at Tuesday Books, and guest author / illustrator, Darrin and Karen Brege will have a public art display at Cappuccino Expresso next door. Included in the activities Friday night is the "Infinite Pen Contest". A closed writing contest for participants of the CYAC which will be judged overnight and awards given Saturday evening after the conference ends. The conference itself starts Saturday at 9:30am in the Old Hort Building on MSU campus. It runs until about 6pm. This year we have doubled our participation numbers, tripled our parent participation numbers, and quadrupled our volunteer pool from both community partners, MSU students, MSU faculty / staff, and parents from last year's conference.

I'd like to personally thank a number of people for without their help this conference may not have entered it's second year. First, to Kate Fedewa somniloquence. Kate and I are both the co-founders of the Clarion Young Authors' Conference and The Infinity Projects. Usually we split the work of everything we do, however, because of an unusually heavy load at my workplace, she had to pick up some slack from my side of things. Kate, you're my hero. You rock. Seriously. Secondly, I'd like to thank the MSU Classics Department who have graciously donated their building (Old Hort.) to the conference. Thirdly, to the MSU student organization: The Kiddie Lit Club, who gave not only out of their pockets but out of their time to distribute publicity, flyers, etc. for the conference. I'd also like to thank Tobias Buckell (for giving Infinity a real chance to break out with this event), johnjosephadams (for writing an article on the CYAC), Tuesday Books (for their help both years, space for readings, and awards for Infinite Pen), Cappuccino Expresso (for space for the gallery and Infinite Pen), Triskele Media (for all the help with the web-site and the forums -- how do you guys put up with me and my random questions I'll never know), Red Ceder Grill (for helping us with a gathering space for parents), Curious Bookstore (for the generous donation of certificates), The Fedewa family (for allowing Kate to be my god-send and putting up with my random appearances at the house to work on Infinity with Kate), beserene (for sticking with us through everything and helping out with panels this year), to all the parents, teachers, and volunteers who believe in what we're trying to do with The Infinity Projects -- especially CYAC, and to all the other people I'm missing... You are all wonderful people. Thanks for making the 2nd Annual Clarion Young Authors' Conference the best CYAC yet!!

Opened yesterday in the Arena Theatre here at MSU. A very interesting production, it's 5 women who share the story about a woman who "disappears" during the Chile coup in 1983ish. Each woman is on stage by herself and two return for a total of 7 monologues during an hour and twenty minutes. It's a stirring piece reminding us about our humanity and the world's lack of humanity in general. I did the sound design for it, strangely enough. I feel close to this piece for more reasons than I want to mention here. If you're going to be in E.L. some evening this week, I recommend you go. It's at 7:30 at the Auditorium Building Tonight through Saturday and 2:00pm on Sunday. Tickets are sold at the door. I think it's $6, but it might be $8 for adults.
If you go, let me know what you thought...

Quote of the Day: "It's a love scarf. No, not a "love" scarf. It's a scarf only someone who loves me could ever say is good."