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Jason gets a Clue

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As I write this, it’s 3:30am on Sunday, September 13. In 10.5 short hours I will go onstage for the final performance of Clue: On Stage. I’ve not written much lately, and that’s probably not going to change much, but I’d like to talk a bit about this experience.

Several months ago, I spotted a billboard for an upcoming play in a nearby city, and as it was a stage adaptation of one of my absolute favorite movies, Clue, I resolved to go see it. Looking it up on Facebook, I discovered that the show wasn’t until September, and that they hadn’t even cast it yet. Now, it’s been a long time since I worked in a full stage production (almost 7 years since How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse, and 9 or 10 since I was in Humbug), I toyed with the idea for a few days. I reached out to some friends, as well as my loved ones, to see if I should try out for it.

The responses were very encouraging. Every acting part I’ve had, ever, has been relatively small, but I really couldn’t resist. I remember commenting to friends that I would enjoy nearly any part in the play, including, but not limited to, Wadsworth, Mr. Green, Colonel Mustard, Professor Plum, the motorist, the cop, the cook, and Mrs. Peacock. so in mid June, I made the journey to the nearby city to audition.

Wow. So many amazing people turned out to audition. I read for almost every male part, and felt severely like I was out of my league. I immediately realized that both Wadsworth and Mr. Green we’re far more intense roles than I would be able to pull off, but I had fun reading for them. I left the first audition feeling a bit overwhelmed and pretty sure I was spinning my wheels.

Auditions spanned two nights, and I wasn’t sure if I should bother going back. After debating it for a bit, I contacted the director and asked if I should even bother. I was surprised to be encouraged by her, and she told me that she really thought I should attend the second night. So I did. The second night, I read almost exclusively for the part of Colonel Mustard, and I felt so much better about it. Still, I had reservations, because that’s how my brain works.

Amazingly, I got a callback, and returned to read for Mustard a number of times, and late that night I was offered the part!

What ensued was a pretty rigorous practice schedule that was so much more intense than anything else I had ever done. I had some bad habits that I needed to break, and I’m happy to report that I’ve finally mostly broken them. My character’s personality went through several iterations, and while they were all a version of “bumbling pompous fool” I really feel like he has evolved.

One of the things that I didn’t realize was how much I missed the community aspect of community theatre. Over the last few months I’ve met some amazing people, made some really great friends, and I hope I can stay involved in some way in the future. It’s been a while since I’ve had a family of friends and that’s really what this feels like. I hope that they feel the same way.

Our show opened on Thursday, September 10. Originally planned for four shows, the current health situation has severely restricted the seating capacity, and all four shows sold out a week before the production. We added a fifth show, which sold out by opening night.

As I said, this has, by far, been the most intense production I’ve ever been in, and if I’m honest with myself, will probably be the most intense production I’ll ever be involved in. With a cast of 16, and another 10 or so behind the scenes, I really feel like this is the pinnacle of my stage “career”.

Today, I was reminded of one of my best friends, who was my partner in crime, early in my community theatre experience. He passed away in 2011. One of the names he went by online was gobo, named for both the Fraggle and for the lighting filters used on stage. As I was getting ready, this box caught my attention.

I miss you, brother.

Now it’s 4am, and I’m writing this instead of sleeping. I’m excited for the final show, but I’m not ready for it to be over. I wonder if any of my cast mates like board games…

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My Personal Weight Loss Challenge – Day 1

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My pants don’t fit anymore. I had gotten down in size, and replaced most of my pants. None of those fit, and the ones that I kept ALMOST don’t fit. I’m not going to buy a larger size.

So… it’s time.

I don’t have a specific plan. I didn’t the last time, either. But that’s ok. I know what I need to do.

  • No more “occasional” sodas. They’ve become less “occasional” lately, and more “sometimes”. None. Gone.
  • No more Gatorade. If I can’t find the Powerade Zeros that I used to like, I’ll find a new one to like.
  • Cut down on the carby snacks. I’m not giving them up completely, at least not until the Lays contest is over, and they get rid of the Tikka Masala kettle chips.
  • More walking.  I used to get more exercise at my job, and I’ve gotten lax on that.
  • More biking.  I miss my bike.  It’s time to get it all back in shape, and start taking the kids for rides.  I hope the weather clears up in the next day or so.
  • Back to salads for lunch.  I went on a stint of eating a carb-heavy, but cheap, lunch every day, and those are all now gone (Blast you and your crazy sales, Kroger).  So it’s time to stop eating like crap.
  • Make an effort to keep track of how much I’m eating.

My current weight is XXX.  Once a week, I’m going to weigh in, and note how far I am from that original, undisclosed number.  When I get to my target, I’ll reveal the numbers.

Also, sorry for dropping the ball on the creative writing.  I was hoping to build off of feedback, but didn’t get any.  I should have known that, though 🙂  My readership is probably a single digit number 🙂

Anyway, my project starts about 20 minutes ago.  I’m back on the salad track with today’s lunch.

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Writing challenge thoughts

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I’m obviously lagging behind a bit. But I’m ok with that. I won’t be done in 30 days, but I feel like I’m getting somewhere with what I am writing, so I’m gonna stick with it, but at a pace I can work with.

I’ve fallen behind on a number of things, my two programming projects being at the top of the list. As it’s probably obvious to anyone who knows me, these stories are tied heavily to my Gestalt card game project. It’s helping me find my focus and get back into the swing of things.

I am hoping to start generating a bit more feedback, though. I’d like to know if anyone thinks the characters are interesting, or if there’s something I’m not addressing. Of if I’m too concerned with the passage of time. (five years ago, three years ago, etc. Is it really that important to create such a distinct timeline?)

These are mostly just random thoughts, I just knew I wasn’t getting any stories written tonight, so I wanted to at least write something.

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Day 03 – Brief

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The U.E.C. colonies are a collection of city-states on planets, moons and asteroids in the Sol and neighboring systems. While a few of the planets and one moon were subjected to terraforming that have made them habitable, it was discovered that the terraforming experiments had a significant impact on the orbits of the planets. Deeming further experimentation too dangerous, the remaining colonies have been developed using sealed biospheres either on or within the world. The terraformed worlds are now known as the Core of the U.E.C., or United Earth Colonies.

Belarus is about as far from these core worlds as is currently possible. It has the distinction if being the farthest and second farthest colony from Earth. It shares this distinction with Caliope, another moon orbiting the same gas giant. Their orbits carry them in and out of this rank at various times during an 11.2 year cycle. Belarus is slightly better defended than most of the other mining colonies, as it is the home of the imaginatively named Belarium, which is an integral part of current starfaring research.

While common belief has led mankind away from the notion of life “out there”, the U.E.C. is not without its predators. A few colonies have left the U.E.C. and fringe groups of raiders have developed ships capable of attacking less defended colonies for their supplies. These attacks are very infrequent, but it is quite possible that they have prepared these outlying colonies for a far more dangerous threat.

Brendan knew all of this. He knew that he might help defend Belarus against a raider attack. But his thoughts were far from the nature of Belarus as he continued up the high street into the entertainment district. It would be a joke to call Belarus a thriving metropolis. The buildings within the biosphere are very utilitarian, though there are a number of entertainment facilities to keep the miners happy. So far, Brendan had made one friend, and if he was going to find him anywhere, it was here. If he had any hope of finding his brother’s jacket before something happened to it, he was gonna need Dak’s help.

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Writing Challenge, My Way

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I’ve been thinking about doing one of those 30 day writing challenges, but I looked though several pages of suggestions, and nothing struck my fancy.  As I was drifting off to sleep, an idea popped into my head.  So now, rather than sleep, I’m going to get the idea down here, so I know where I’m going with it.

As I started to write this, it was still Saturday, May 7.  I’ll set the challenge to begin on Sunday, May 8, and run until Tuesday, June 7.  We’ll see how well I stick to that.

The premise:  Each day, I will tell a portion of a story.  Each portion will not necessarily be told in order, but by the time it is all done, there should be at least a coherent narrative.  Each day’s segment will establish something new about one of the characters or about the setting.

Here’s where my friends and readers come in:  After each segment, I would love feedback from you.  It may influence future segments.

Ok, now that I have that down, I must retire for the night.  Mother’s Day is upon us, and I need to try to rest up so I can try to make the day pleasant for the mothers in my life.

I’ll leave you with this, the first (pending) line of Sunday’s Day 1 installment.

It wasn’t even that nice of a jacket.

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On the Ancestry of Imaginary Tigers…

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I admit it… I love Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. Betty loves to watch it, and I loved Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood (She watches that with me, too). one of the things I love about the show is how they’ve made allusions back to the original Neighborhood of Make Believe.

If you’re not familiar with Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, it takes place in an evolution of the Neighborhood of Make Believe from Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. Daniel Tiger is the son of Daniel Striped Tiger. His friends are the children or nephews of Mr. Rogers’ mainstays. Miss Elaina is the daughter of Lady Elaine Fairchilde, O the Owl is the nephew of X the Owl, Prince Wednesday is the son of King Friday XIII and the younger brother of Prince Tuesday. Katarina Kittycat is the daughter of Henrietta Pussycat. Henrietta and X still live in the same tree, and Daniel Striped Tiger (Daniel’s dad) works in a clock factory. Daniel’s mom (known only as Mom Tiger) was not one of the original series characters.

Some liberties have been taken with the characters, of course. Grandpere, in the original show, lived in the Eiffel Tower (west of King Friday’s castle), and had a granddaughter who lived far away, named Colette. Grandpere was never related to Daniel Striped Tiger, but now he is his father. There are a few others, but this is the “discrepancy” that I’d like to address.

While Grandpere has been established as Daniel’s paternal grandfather, I have an alternate theory. One of the characters who has not returned is Ana Platypus. In the original show, Ana once looked into a crystal ball and saw that Daniel Striped Tiger would eventually marry Colette.

My theory is that Grandpere is not the original Grandpere, but the *son* of the original, and the father of Colette (or “Mom Tiger”).

So, as you can see, I have far too much time to think about the Neighborhood of Make Believe.

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Holidays and Family (or vice-versa)

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I’ve said it all before, I’m sure.  I didn’t grow up with a large extended family, and even after meeting the rest of my family, it was a long time before I ever really got close to any of them.   Jamie came into my life nearly 9 years ago.   I can’t even count the ways that she’s made my life better, but I can certainly appreciate them.

One of the things that could almost be considered a side effect of becoming a part of her life is that I now have this large extended family, that likes to get together frequently, sometimes in small groups, but usually in medium to large groups.  It took me a while to adjust to that, and I may never completely adjust to it, I think it has helped bring me out of my introverted shell.

I’ll probably always be quiet, but since we moved up here, it has become a lot easier to carry on casual conversations with friends, colleagues and family, and I think having this family is a big part of that.

This will probably be the last Christmas we have where we don’t decorate heavily.  We have a small tree, and some decorations, but next year, we’re going to need to go all out with the festivities, I think.  It will probably be the first Christmas that Betty will remember as she grows up.

I didn’t make a post at Thanksgiving time, as I generally don’t think to tell other people what I’m thankful for, but I’m thankful for a lot of things.  I’m thankful for my wonderful wife, who’s probably trying (and failing) to sleep well while I write this.  My wish for her this Christmas is a few good nights of sleep.  I’m thankful for my mother, who made the last legs of our journey with us, and has stood by us daily.  I’m thankful to my new(ish) extended family, who have helped us get to (and stay) where we are.  I’m thankful for my daughter; she makes me smile no matter how crazy my day has been. And I’m thankful for my son, whom I can’t wait to meet.

Sorry this has been kinda rambl-y.  I’ve just had several little things on my mind, and tonight I really just wanted to get some of them out.

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Fatherhood N’ Stuff

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Nearly two years ago, I introduced all two of my regular readers to my daughter, Betty.  Not that either of my regular readers need an introduction to her, but that’s beside the point.   It’s been an amazing couple of years, some of the details of which I’ve already touched on.   New job, new home, new this, new that.  Those aren’t the reasons I’m writing tonight.

Being a father has changed a lot about me, I think.  Yeah, I’m still obsessed with board games, yeah I am still pretty scatterbrained.  But now I think about different things when I make decisions.  I give certain things a bit more consideration.   I worry more about keeping myself healthy.

Betty’s almost two now.  She’s chattering up a storm, she’s putting some words together, and she’s always telling us what’s what.  She’s a wiz with an iPad; she figures out the puzzle apps way too quickly, in my opinion.  She’s gone from “Da-ee” and “Ma-Ma” to “Daddy” and “Mommy”, she can identify many of her extended family from pictures, and I swear she saw the words “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” on the channel guide, and said “Daniel!”

Needless to say, I’m a bit smitten.

Our son William Edward (Wil) is due in February.  He’s named for one of my best friends, who left the world nearly 4 years ago at the age of 36.  As we get closer to February, I wonder how my little girl will handle being a big sister.  I never had siblings growing up, so I’m not sure how I would have handled it at her age.  Now, I know she’s still pretty little, and when she’s older, she won’t even remember a time when she didn’t have a little brother, but I still want to be ready for the here and now.

I just hope I can continue to be a good father, and even more important, be a good daddy.

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Random thoughts about Doctor Who

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I’ve been watching the original series lately, going all the way back to the 1963 series, and William Hartnell’s performance, misspoken dialogue and all. And while some of the stories would be considered “hokey” by today’s standards, so are some of the new series.

Last year, they did a dramatized recounting of the creation of the series, starring David Bradley as William Hartnell, who really did a wonderful job portraying the actor. This left me thinking: The current series now has the opportunity to cross the current incarnation with his “original” self, with David Bradley portraying the First Doctor. This would allow them to revisit some of the iconic early stories, like the first encounter with the Daleks, or the Keys of Marinus.

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Four Years

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Jamie and I have been together for around eight years.  As of today, we’ve been married for four.  It is the longest relationship I’ve ever been in, or ever will be.  We’ve been through a lot, and we’ve weathered it beautifully.

We’ve seen a lot of friends come and go.  Kent, Amanda, Jaclyn, and more.  And we’ve come and gone, as well.  Leaving behind Kevin, Amelia, Randy, Robert, and many others.  I uprooted her when we first got together, bringing her to Vincennes, and we uprooted again last year, and now we’re where she grew up.  To our friends that we’re not around anymore, we miss you.

Since we married, we’ve discovered new things that we like, remodeled our house, brought an amazing little girl into the world, brought my mother into our household (twice technically), changed jobs, passed our business on to new hands, moved, said goodbye to our boys (the dogs), changed vehicles, had our hearts broken, moved again, tried to sell our old house (still trying, and folks, it’s a bargain.  Call me) and are now preparing greet our son, as he joins our family.

It’s been an amazing rollercoaster, and no, it’s not all been shiny-happy, but I wouldn’t change a single thing.