I had intended to complete the daily roadtrip blogs with a wrap-up on Tuesday, once I'd had a chance to get some actual sleep. But as you can see, that didn't wind up happening. Thing is, we returned into Worcester at 8:30am Monday morning, and I had work 3:30pm until midnight, as usual. I had missed my grandmother's 75th birthday while on the road (I didn't know that at the time, at least until my dad texted me Friday saying her party would be the next day). I then found out that at the end of the party, she was having some issues breathing, so the fam brought her to the hospital, where she was expected to stay for just a few days. I get embarrassed having phone conversations in front of people, so I decided to wait until I got home. Well, 24 hours of sleepless passenging tends to make you lose some memory, because it wasn't until Monday night, while I was at work, that I had remembered. So during my last break of the night, at 9:35pm, I give her a call. She was clearly very tired, but she recognized my voice and we talked for a few minutes. I wished her a happy birthday and told her to get some rest, the relaxation would do her some good. At the end of the call, she said, "Goodbye, Ricky. I love you." I finished my worknight then immediately went home and slept, in expectation of the first real night of sleep I'd have in over a week, before yet another 3:30 to midnight shift.
I was woken up sometime after 8am by my phone ringing. It was my mom, telling me that Mem had gone into cardiac arrest, and that it didn't look good. Not five minutes later I was fully dressed and on the road back to Lowell. I hadn't even reached 290 East by the time my mother called me back to tell me that she was gone, not twelve hours after I had spoken to her. I came to find out later that not only did every member of her family happen to see/talk to her within her last two days, but I was the last one she spoke to before it happened.
Mem was my fourth and final grandparent to pass away. As it turned out, that was the case for me and my sister, as well as all of our cousins. The rest of the drive home I couldn't help but think about the other times it had happened.
With Pep (my dad's dad), it was something everyone knew was coming. He had a few different cancers, and my father, aunts, and uncles had known basically when it would happen. At that same point in time, however, my parents were going through a particularly difficult divorce. In the end, my mother refused to let either my sister or me go to our grandfather's home where he lay until arrangements were made. Some things were said that definitively shouldn't have been, and with the emotions pouring out of everyone, by the end of the month my father had moved out. (Don't worry, we all get along just fine now, but it happened almost simultaneously, and the events are sort of fused together for me.)
With Nan (my mom's mom), it was the exact opposite. It was completely and entirely sudden and unexpected. I honestly don't even recall the circumstances by which she was found, but she had passed sitting at home in her chair. It turned out that the day before, her shih tzu had gotten away from her and she had to run full tilt to keep him from getting hit by a car. Exhausted, she went home and (from what I understand) had called my mom and aunts. What pains me to this day is that when she called my mom, she and I were heading out the door so I could get my learner's permit. She passed while we were out. (For that very reason, I feel eternally grateful that I was able to talk to Mem before she had gone. I would feel a million times worse if I had simply put off talking to her for one more day.)
With Grampy (my mom's dad), it was a combination of the two. An extraordinarily unexpected stroke did some serious damage, and he slowly degraded over a period of months. His speech became simpler in strange ways to the point where his vocabulary eventually dropped to a single, random, encompassing word (one such word, "c'mon", wound up inspiring Dane to write a song about it, which for the life of me I can't find else I'd link it here). Over time he developed several cancers, until his body couldn't handle it anymore.
I picked up my sister and made it to the hospital. It was the first time I'd ever seen someone so soon after they'd gone. It's a truly uneasy experience, for those of you who have not gone through it. The day was a blur, and eventually I went to work and made work arrangements so I could be at home for the wake and funeral.
A week later, and here we are at Thanksgiving. And while everyone enjoyed each other's company, there was still a noticeable difference without Mem there. Here's the thing, too. I've felt for a long time like sort of the black sheep of the family (both sides). Not unwelcome, not different, nothing like that. Just distant. I've been so focused on life out here in Worcester that a lot of the time I forget about things back in Lowell. So I'm taking the initiative. I'm working on being a more active member of the family, and a better friend too. Freshman year I was "Justin's Phantom Roommate", and five years later I'm turning that around, because I don't want to be absent from the lives of the people I care about anymore.
So I'll hopefully be around a lot more, dear friends. That said, November has been extremely difficult to get through, which is interesting in that November tends to be the month where the shit starts pouring most years, My first break-up was in November, my infamously weak moment / worst decision ever came in a November, and probably the most unexpectedly and exhaustingly complicated situation I've been in wound up landing in November as well. Just a few more days, and it'll all just be another page of the calendar. At least, I hope so.
And please don't tell me "perhaps, perhaps, perhaps",
rickie-d
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
where the skies are so blue, pt. 3
I woke up for the second day in a row next to a large, bearded man. The effect of driving eighteen hours had turned him into a comatose pile of a man. As everyone slowly woke from their slumber, we eventually descended to the buffet and ate until eating was no longer a priority to either body or mind. And then.
We found ourselves watching Unaware, a discovered-footage film about the grandson of a former military man uncovering a dead alien from the Roswell crash. Deep shit, man. Then action flicks. Then animations. Apparently it was Send Your Nightmare Fuel to Alabama Day in Korea, because not one of these were kid-friendly. One experimental short (Dessicator) later, we needed a break from the creativity-deprived. Also, nourishment. A very important part of a balanced diet, food is.
One incredibly heated lunch later, we returned to watch the tail end of a film about George Washington reincarnating as a hick stoner, trying to save humankind from literally puking their brains out, by smoking their brains. Deep shit, man. It was at that point that shit got too real or too boring or too both and I needed to pass out in as horizontal a position as I could manage.
Hours later, it was time for comedy. But not before Little Gobie confused the living fuck out of our skulls. The comedies were well-shot, but standard fare. Turns out Something Remote lost in the comedy genre to a short about an author writing a story about what could only be described as a megaredneck. After us was Zombi: Brotherly Love, a disturbingly well-made piece. Q&A time came for us and Zombi, and passed. It was at this point my noggin had checked out, and sleep was imminent. The road back is long and sober. It turns out, for what it's worth, that Four Loko is noticeably very alcoholic from sip one, by the way.
A Malibu and Coke for you, a G&T for me,
rickie-d
We found ourselves watching Unaware, a discovered-footage film about the grandson of a former military man uncovering a dead alien from the Roswell crash. Deep shit, man. Then action flicks. Then animations. Apparently it was Send Your Nightmare Fuel to Alabama Day in Korea, because not one of these were kid-friendly. One experimental short (Dessicator) later, we needed a break from the creativity-deprived. Also, nourishment. A very important part of a balanced diet, food is.
One incredibly heated lunch later, we returned to watch the tail end of a film about George Washington reincarnating as a hick stoner, trying to save humankind from literally puking their brains out, by smoking their brains. Deep shit, man. It was at that point that shit got too real or too boring or too both and I needed to pass out in as horizontal a position as I could manage.
Hours later, it was time for comedy. But not before Little Gobie confused the living fuck out of our skulls. The comedies were well-shot, but standard fare. Turns out Something Remote lost in the comedy genre to a short about an author writing a story about what could only be described as a megaredneck. After us was Zombi: Brotherly Love, a disturbingly well-made piece. Q&A time came for us and Zombi, and passed. It was at this point my noggin had checked out, and sleep was imminent. The road back is long and sober. It turns out, for what it's worth, that Four Loko is noticeably very alcoholic from sip one, by the way.
A Malibu and Coke for you, a G&T for me,
rickie-d
Friday, November 12, 2010
where the skies are so blue, pt. 2
It wasn't long after midnight that we found ourselves hunting and foraging like drunken cavemen. At an uncomfortably large gas station / fast food joint / souvenir factory, Selig found himself in the possession of four-dollar beef jerky, a prize apparently identical to the three and six-dollar varieties. To call it edible would be like calling the pope a half-retarded vampire tranny. Only correct in the minutest sense. We came to the disturbed conclusion that the texture fell between paper and mulch. So from this point forward, this foodstuff will be referred to as beef pulp.
We then found ourselves stopping for the night at a Holiday Inn in Grantville, Pennsylvania. Upon entering the building, we knew right away that something was amiss. Maybe it was the abandoned front desk. Maybe it was the Annual Llama Gala. We may never know for sure. But after walking through an abandoned hallway filled with posterboard setups that would mildly pique a third grader, I think it may be a combination of the two.
Back on the road, Virginia was mostly uninteresting. That is, until the state troopers decided yankee season was open. Our driver, Laferriere, was pulled over for driving 86 on a 70, apparently "reckless driving", which carries no comfortable number of penalties and violations.
Eventually we escaped Virginia, and entered Tennessee. Come to discover Tennessee is a big fan of any flammable materials they can get their hands on. Whiskey, gasoline, fireworks, and sometimes all three in the same place, as Chatanooga was a bit too happy to inform us of.
A fifteen-minute detour sent us into Alabama as planned. And then the world betrayed us. Our Tomtom was still quite confused that Daylight Savings Time had ended. It read 1:22 while the car knew it was 12:22. So imagine my stunned surprise when I looked at my phone to discover the time was 11:22. Good God, man, we're in Central Time. Fuck. "But Indiana is further west, and it's still Eastern Time." Yes it is, my learned compatriot. Yes it is. Don't ask me why it's the way it is, I didn't invent time. Midnight rolled in and we checked into the Holiday Inn the festival parked itself at, sleep washed over us like a heavy drink.
Welcome to the jungle,
rickie-d
We then found ourselves stopping for the night at a Holiday Inn in Grantville, Pennsylvania. Upon entering the building, we knew right away that something was amiss. Maybe it was the abandoned front desk. Maybe it was the Annual Llama Gala. We may never know for sure. But after walking through an abandoned hallway filled with posterboard setups that would mildly pique a third grader, I think it may be a combination of the two.
Back on the road, Virginia was mostly uninteresting. That is, until the state troopers decided yankee season was open. Our driver, Laferriere, was pulled over for driving 86 on a 70, apparently "reckless driving", which carries no comfortable number of penalties and violations.
Eventually we escaped Virginia, and entered Tennessee. Come to discover Tennessee is a big fan of any flammable materials they can get their hands on. Whiskey, gasoline, fireworks, and sometimes all three in the same place, as Chatanooga was a bit too happy to inform us of.
A fifteen-minute detour sent us into Alabama as planned. And then the world betrayed us. Our Tomtom was still quite confused that Daylight Savings Time had ended. It read 1:22 while the car knew it was 12:22. So imagine my stunned surprise when I looked at my phone to discover the time was 11:22. Good God, man, we're in Central Time. Fuck. "But Indiana is further west, and it's still Eastern Time." Yes it is, my learned compatriot. Yes it is. Don't ask me why it's the way it is, I didn't invent time. Midnight rolled in and we checked into the Holiday Inn the festival parked itself at, sleep washed over us like a heavy drink.
Welcome to the jungle,
rickie-d
Thursday, November 11, 2010
where the skies are so blue, pt. 1
It was a cold bastard of a night when we left Worcester, Mass. Five tired, young men cramped in a blue box flying down the highway to god knows where. Spirits high, hunger low, and a desperate craving to fly south as fast as we could, so the next day would be a little less blistering.
It didn't take long for the claws to come out. Conversations about the past and present, bouncing back and forth like a damn ping pong ball. Planned for the future. Stopped for a piss break. Slim Jims and pound cake. The breakfast of champions. Back on the road again trying to get out of New York fast as we could. One dismembered deer later, we knew we were in Jersey. Welcome.
Pennsylvania is a bitch of a drive. Lot of nothing in between nothing. I have come to the educated conclusion that long ago, the founding fathers put a broken compass under the Liberty Bell and told everyone where north was. They lied. Couldn't let the limeys at their hidden Yank treasure. Seems like so-called "north" is a good forty-five degrees off. Maybe the Amish got bored and decided to play a low-tech prank. Crafty bastards. Heading to find a place to crash, before we fucking crash.
Sweet home Alabama,
rickie-d
It didn't take long for the claws to come out. Conversations about the past and present, bouncing back and forth like a damn ping pong ball. Planned for the future. Stopped for a piss break. Slim Jims and pound cake. The breakfast of champions. Back on the road again trying to get out of New York fast as we could. One dismembered deer later, we knew we were in Jersey. Welcome.
Pennsylvania is a bitch of a drive. Lot of nothing in between nothing. I have come to the educated conclusion that long ago, the founding fathers put a broken compass under the Liberty Bell and told everyone where north was. They lied. Couldn't let the limeys at their hidden Yank treasure. Seems like so-called "north" is a good forty-five degrees off. Maybe the Amish got bored and decided to play a low-tech prank. Crafty bastards. Heading to find a place to crash, before we fucking crash.
Sweet home Alabama,
rickie-d
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
let's go to the mall!
This is a continuation from an earlier post about my trip to Washington DC. However, the earlier post doubled as a college newspaper article, so there was some stuff that was either irrelevant or inappropriate to include. So here we are!
Right. So the fun thing about road trips is that you really need to prepare for them in advance. Notably, with sleep. This I did not do. Leading into my trip to DC, I had been working six straight days (whereas before that particular week I had a swisscheese schedule that never had more than two workdays in a row), the latter five being intense customer service training and transition days. So I was a bit... tired. There was some other stuff on my mind to begin with, but all in all I was just monstrously exhausted. I get home at 10:30pm, play some Rock Band 3, Bebel and I pick up Geyster, and we're off at about 12:30. To call it a nondescript drive out would be a monstrous understatement. We drove straight through the night, so even if we wanted to stop somewhere (that wasn't a strip club), we couldn't. We arrive in Silver Spring, MD at the Glenmont station at 8:30, hop on a train, and at 9:00 we're in DC.
Now, this experience has given me a much greater respect for the noble sardine. We got to the Mall and tried to get into the area between 3rd and 4th Street, but people were already so stuffed in that the cops weren't letting anyone in anymore. So we jump down to the Mall area between 4th and 7th Street, and... well, I don't know if you've ever been to a gathering of over 1,000 people (much less 200,000), but there comes a point where motion simply stops. I remember that we were walking, and then suddenly we weren't. What's worse, my phone was starting to die on me so trying to get a hold of the vast number of people I was hoping to meet up with simply wasn't going to happen (sorry Bri, CJ, Carol, Joel, Zoll, Monica, and Hyde!) But the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear was fucking awesome (they had Ozzy fucking Osborne for chrissakes), and it seemed really fitting that the rally was held basically at the steps of the Capitol Building.
So the rally ends at 3ish. My phone is dead. Fifteen minutes of pushing through the crowds, and we're still nowhere near the end of it. I turn to my right and see that people are jumping a fence, and turn back to tell Bebel and Geyster and... they're gone. Oh shit. I check my iPod. No WiFi. Double shit. After a brief bit of panic and scrambling to find them, I decide the simplest solution is just to make my way back to Bebel's car. I can't leave without them, they can't leave without the car. At any juncture, I took a few minutes to wait just to see if they were a little behind (or a little ahead), and kept going. I finally make it back to the car at 5:30, only to discover that... the doors were unlocked. Okay. So I, sleep deprived as I was, took a nap in the driver's seat, and awoke at 7pm to find that they still had not returned. I go back to the train station and at 7:30, they finally arrive, and we get back on the road home. Turns out they were basically searching DC for me, and Bebel and Geyster's phones had also died.
So we get back on the road, and I'm driving. The first half was just as nondescript as the ride out, but things... took a turn for the weird. For starters, I didn't know New Jersey had woods. And I grew up in a forest. So imagine my surprise when around 10pm I nearly hit a deer (and the car in the opposite lane, and the car behind me), after which point I couldn't unsee that there are dead deer everywhere in New Jersey. I saw more dead deer in Jersey than live deer anywhere in my life. Didn't help that five minutes later, a cop pulled us over because after I made a left turn, I accidentally bumped the lights to low-level, prompting him to see if our lights were malfunctioning. Didn't help that 1) it's not my car, 2) my license is from Mass, 3) my license has the wrong address, 4) the owner's license is from Illinois, 5) the plates are from Virginia, 6) none of those states are anywhere near Jersey, 7) Bebel handed the cop a registration receipt and not the registration, 8) under someone else's name, and 9) we were visibly unsettled from the previous deer experience. He lets us off, we get back on the road, and me and Bebel swap driving duties around 1am.
Not half an hour later, I slowly wake up to find that we're sitting still. On the highway. Still in New Jersey. After about 15 minutes of sitting and waiting, we watch as a car a few ahead of us suddenly turns right and disappears between two trucks. A few more cars follow, and so do we as -- Illegal Maneuver #1 -- we drive through an open section of metal barrier onto an empty on-ramp for the highway, with a cop car pretty much watching all this happen. Right. So we drive about half a mile past dead-still traffic and re-enter this hell. A fucking hour later we find that we're waiting to cross the George Washington Bridge. And so we wait in the Lower Level lanes, and it just doesn't seem to be moving, so we -- Illegal Maneuver #2 -- cross three lanes of active traffic at about a 90-degree angle to desperately try to get into the Upper Level lanes. Half an hour later, we find that the Lower Level has been altogether closed, so we lucked out there. Half an hour after that, we finally pay the toll and get the hell out of Jersey, at 3:30am. We were originally expecting to be home and drinking by midnight.
So we get going again, and fatigue is starting to set in. I drove for six hours before swapping, and Bebel was on about three when I noticed we were wobbling down the road a little. I take the wheel in Connecticut for about an hour and a half (of one goddamn road that didn't change at all), Bebel takes it for half an hour or so, and I manage to get us back home... at 6:45am. It effectively took us 16 hours to get home from Washington DC. It took less time to go from Worcester to Indianapolis. What the hell.
So somehow, somehow, I got to sleep before sunrise, and managed to not be a real corpse for Halloween.
it hurts it hurts it hurts
rickie-d
Right. So the fun thing about road trips is that you really need to prepare for them in advance. Notably, with sleep. This I did not do. Leading into my trip to DC, I had been working six straight days (whereas before that particular week I had a swisscheese schedule that never had more than two workdays in a row), the latter five being intense customer service training and transition days. So I was a bit... tired. There was some other stuff on my mind to begin with, but all in all I was just monstrously exhausted. I get home at 10:30pm, play some Rock Band 3, Bebel and I pick up Geyster, and we're off at about 12:30. To call it a nondescript drive out would be a monstrous understatement. We drove straight through the night, so even if we wanted to stop somewhere (that wasn't a strip club), we couldn't. We arrive in Silver Spring, MD at the Glenmont station at 8:30, hop on a train, and at 9:00 we're in DC.
Now, this experience has given me a much greater respect for the noble sardine. We got to the Mall and tried to get into the area between 3rd and 4th Street, but people were already so stuffed in that the cops weren't letting anyone in anymore. So we jump down to the Mall area between 4th and 7th Street, and... well, I don't know if you've ever been to a gathering of over 1,000 people (much less 200,000), but there comes a point where motion simply stops. I remember that we were walking, and then suddenly we weren't. What's worse, my phone was starting to die on me so trying to get a hold of the vast number of people I was hoping to meet up with simply wasn't going to happen (sorry Bri, CJ, Carol, Joel, Zoll, Monica, and Hyde!) But the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear was fucking awesome (they had Ozzy fucking Osborne for chrissakes), and it seemed really fitting that the rally was held basically at the steps of the Capitol Building.
So the rally ends at 3ish. My phone is dead. Fifteen minutes of pushing through the crowds, and we're still nowhere near the end of it. I turn to my right and see that people are jumping a fence, and turn back to tell Bebel and Geyster and... they're gone. Oh shit. I check my iPod. No WiFi. Double shit. After a brief bit of panic and scrambling to find them, I decide the simplest solution is just to make my way back to Bebel's car. I can't leave without them, they can't leave without the car. At any juncture, I took a few minutes to wait just to see if they were a little behind (or a little ahead), and kept going. I finally make it back to the car at 5:30, only to discover that... the doors were unlocked. Okay. So I, sleep deprived as I was, took a nap in the driver's seat, and awoke at 7pm to find that they still had not returned. I go back to the train station and at 7:30, they finally arrive, and we get back on the road home. Turns out they were basically searching DC for me, and Bebel and Geyster's phones had also died.
So we get back on the road, and I'm driving. The first half was just as nondescript as the ride out, but things... took a turn for the weird. For starters, I didn't know New Jersey had woods. And I grew up in a forest. So imagine my surprise when around 10pm I nearly hit a deer (and the car in the opposite lane, and the car behind me), after which point I couldn't unsee that there are dead deer everywhere in New Jersey. I saw more dead deer in Jersey than live deer anywhere in my life. Didn't help that five minutes later, a cop pulled us over because after I made a left turn, I accidentally bumped the lights to low-level, prompting him to see if our lights were malfunctioning. Didn't help that 1) it's not my car, 2) my license is from Mass, 3) my license has the wrong address, 4) the owner's license is from Illinois, 5) the plates are from Virginia, 6) none of those states are anywhere near Jersey, 7) Bebel handed the cop a registration receipt and not the registration, 8) under someone else's name, and 9) we were visibly unsettled from the previous deer experience. He lets us off, we get back on the road, and me and Bebel swap driving duties around 1am.
Not half an hour later, I slowly wake up to find that we're sitting still. On the highway. Still in New Jersey. After about 15 minutes of sitting and waiting, we watch as a car a few ahead of us suddenly turns right and disappears between two trucks. A few more cars follow, and so do we as -- Illegal Maneuver #1 -- we drive through an open section of metal barrier onto an empty on-ramp for the highway, with a cop car pretty much watching all this happen. Right. So we drive about half a mile past dead-still traffic and re-enter this hell. A fucking hour later we find that we're waiting to cross the George Washington Bridge. And so we wait in the Lower Level lanes, and it just doesn't seem to be moving, so we -- Illegal Maneuver #2 -- cross three lanes of active traffic at about a 90-degree angle to desperately try to get into the Upper Level lanes. Half an hour later, we find that the Lower Level has been altogether closed, so we lucked out there. Half an hour after that, we finally pay the toll and get the hell out of Jersey, at 3:30am. We were originally expecting to be home and drinking by midnight.
So we get going again, and fatigue is starting to set in. I drove for six hours before swapping, and Bebel was on about three when I noticed we were wobbling down the road a little. I take the wheel in Connecticut for about an hour and a half (of one goddamn road that didn't change at all), Bebel takes it for half an hour or so, and I manage to get us back home... at 6:45am. It effectively took us 16 hours to get home from Washington DC. It took less time to go from Worcester to Indianapolis. What the hell.
So somehow, somehow, I got to sleep before sunrise, and managed to not be a real corpse for Halloween.
it hurts it hurts it hurts
rickie-d
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
maybe it's not too late, to learn how to love, and forget how to hate
This post was also featured as the Towers article "Hundreds of thousands converge on DC".
Weeks ago, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert announced their events that eventually became The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear. The momentum was high, and people all over the country made plans to convene on the National Mall in Washington DC in celebration of... well, that part wasn't entirely clear. One thing was certainly clear though; this was going to be a historic event.
Weeks ago, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert announced their events that eventually became The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear. The momentum was high, and people all over the country made plans to convene on the National Mall in Washington DC in celebration of... well, that part wasn't entirely clear. One thing was certainly clear though; this was going to be a historic event.
My party left Worcester just after midnight on Friday, pointed straight at DC with hopes of getting there early enough for a good spot in the rally. By 9:30, the crowd was already so full between 3rd and 4th Street that the area was fenced off and only allowed those with family and friends inside, so my compatriots and I managed to eke out a spot near the front-and-center of the next segment between 4th and 7th. Those who arrived early were treated to a number of pre-event videos, primarily featuring The Saga of the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear. Thousands of people showed up with handmade signs and costumes, but most came simply as themselves.
And then, at the stroke of noon, out came The Roots and John Legend, performing a number of songs to warm up the crowd. It was about this time those around me started murmuring about some kind of opening comedy act that was shrouded in secrecy. It didn't take long to find out what they meant, as out walked Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman of Mythbusters fame. While they did a number of "scientific" tests including hundreds of thousands of people making cheek pop noises and the world's first man-made groundswell, the real shocker came when they proudly proclaimed that the crowd had already been estimated to at least 150,000 attendees. Later reports by reputable news sources, independent studies, and so forth took it a step further, claiming crowd sizes of over a quarter million, outright dwarfing the only scientific estimate of 87,000 of Glenn Beck's Restoring Honor rally (and substantially overtaking the 60,000-attendee permit Comedy Central applied for). The most scientific estimate thus far claimed the event attracted 215,000 attendees.
After causing one hundred 35mph car collisions' worth of force on the ground (according to the seismologist hired by Savage and Hyneman), the attendees were treated to a heartrending singing of the national anthem by four members of the US Armed Forces. While Jon Stewart took a more traditional stage entrance, Stephen Colbert decided to enter by escaping from his bunker "two thousand feet below the stage", by way of a replica capsule from the Copiapó mining rescue mere weeks ago.
The stars were out for the rally, as well. The benediction was given by Don Novello as the iconic Father Guido Sarducci, followed by Law & Order's Sam Waterston reading Colbert's poem "Are You Sure?". Later on, former flight attendant Steven Slater and The Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice spoke about trying to act more calmly in stressful situations like their own, and Tim Meadows made a video appearance as PK Winsome. Musical guests filled out the event as well, including performances by Yusuf Islam and Ozzy Osborne; The O'Jays; Mavis Staples and Jeff Tweedy; Kid Rock, Sheryl Crow and T.I.; and Tony Bennett.
At various points during the rally, Stewart and Colbert gave out medals to distinguished individuals who exemplified reason or fear.
Jon Stewart's Medal of Reasonableness recipients included:
- Armando Galarraga, for his response to Jim Joyce's incorrect call losing him a perfect game.
- Velma Hart, for her poise while asking President Obama a series of very challenging questions at a town hall meeting.
- Mick Foley, for despite his appearance and profession steadfastly standing up for the little guy.
- Jacob Isom, for preventing the public burning of a Qu'ran in a non-violent manner. Isom, after receiving the award, celebrated by throwing it into the attending crowd.
Stephen Colbert's Medal of Fear recipients included:
- News groups, who denied their employees the right to attend The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, including ABC News, CBS News, NBC, and (most shockingly) both The Associated Press and National Public Radio. The medal was received by a seven-year old girl, who was declared as having more courage than any of the aforementioned news groups.
- Anderson Cooper's black tee shirt, for seeming to follow and/or herald immense disaster wherever it travels. The shirt itself accepted the medal.
- Mark Zuckerberg, for creating a privacy-eliminating product that has integrated itself into the lives of millions. Colbert himself accepted the medal.
When Jon Stewart stepped forward to make his keynote speech, it was interrupted by Stephen Colbert, challenging him to a climactic Formidable Opponent. In this the mother of all Colbert debates he even released his Fearzilla, a large papier-mâché Colbert floating behind the stage powered by a relentless montage of pundits on all sides attacking each other, the President, the world, and the public while pointing fingers and blaming the problems on everyone else. Oh, and flip-flops. Yes, the sandals. It took an appearance by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and R2-D2 (who challenged Colbert's generalized fears about Muslims and robots), and the entire audience chanting "Will this help?" to finally defeat Colbert, who exited the stage dragged by Jon Oliver in Peter Pan regalia. Fear was dead, and sanity had won.
The crowd fell silent as Stewart began his real speech. While the day had been strewn with comedic and musical acts aplenty, Stewart was quick to point out that we are, despite our best intentions, in a dangerous position. "We live now in hard times, not end times. And we can have animus, and not be enemies," Stewart stated. "The country's 24-hour political-pundit, perpetual-panic 'conflictinator' did not cause our problems, but its existence makes solving them that much harder. [...] If we amplify everything, we hear nothing."
The media is flying through a whirlwind of panic, to rile up the masses in an attempt to use radicalism to induce change, but it doesn't need to be this way. Change can happen without fear, and it can happen without taking sides. And in these tough times, in this world gone mad, it's hard to stay sane.
"If you want to know why I'm here and what I want from you, I can assure you this," a choked up Stewart addressed the crowd in closing. "You have already given it to me. Your presence was what I wanted. Sanity will always be and has always been in the eye of the beholder. To see you here today and the kind of people that you are has restored mine. Thank you."
Even in tough times, while surrounded with paranoia, we can still agree on some things, little as they may be. But progress takes time, and it takes effort, and it takes patience. We all want a piece of the pie, but we have to learn to take turns.
You go, then I go.
You go, then I go.
It was a real treat to be invited to report on the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear for The Towers. Thanks go to Dan Suitor for setting it all up. Soon to come Check out this later post for a bit more behind the scenes of my trip to Washington.
From sea to shining sea,
rickie-d
Saturday, October 23, 2010
long nights, impossible odds
So it's been a strange few weeks, for sure. The last few nights in particular have been pretty unreal.
So on Wednesday, me and Bebel went and auditioned for Focus Rally: America, a The Amazing Race spinoff webseries co-produced by Hulu, focused on people who use a lot of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. Kickass. Of course, it's only appropriate that the trips there and back were more than a little fucked up.
Apparently Garmin is afraid of the mean streets of Boston. Because what should have been a 40 minute drive became a two hour journey, complete with no less than half a dozen tours of the Zakim Bridge. Finally we get to McFadden's Pub and take part in the open call, then head out, only to discover that we are out of toll money. After the booth operator covers for us, it's back on the highway, where Bebel's front right tire explodes at 80mph. After a truly assclenching experience on the highway (18-wheelers are fucking scary), we get back on the road and just about make it home when... a paddy wagon runs us off the road. The wrong way into an intersection. Fuck. But eventually we make it home.
Work's been pretty much the same. Apparently our group of 8 is down to 7, which sucks. And the coming week is gonna get ROUGH. I work 3:30 to midnight Sunday night, then go right back for customer service training 9-5:30 Monday to Wednesday and 1:30-10 Thursday, Friday, and next Monday. Meanwhile, the moment I get home from work Friday night, we leave for DC for the Rally to Restore Sanity/Fear (cause the traffic is gonna get real hairy. And the next night is Halloween, so... yeah. Last night in particular was kind of interesting... I sold stuff to Saskatoon, a town called New England, and my 200th sale was apparently to a Puerto Rican man who has yelled at my supervisor a few times in the past... Awkward.
Speaking of Halloween, I'm just about done gathering my supplies. This year I'm rocking out as "John" DeFoe aka "The Welder" from Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw's Chzo Mythos series (specifically 5 Days a Stranger). Pumped.
Got one other thing going on that's got me really excited, but I think I'll hold that one for a little longer.
Oh snap, teasers!
rickie-d
So on Wednesday, me and Bebel went and auditioned for Focus Rally: America, a The Amazing Race spinoff webseries co-produced by Hulu, focused on people who use a lot of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. Kickass. Of course, it's only appropriate that the trips there and back were more than a little fucked up.
Apparently Garmin is afraid of the mean streets of Boston. Because what should have been a 40 minute drive became a two hour journey, complete with no less than half a dozen tours of the Zakim Bridge. Finally we get to McFadden's Pub and take part in the open call, then head out, only to discover that we are out of toll money. After the booth operator covers for us, it's back on the highway, where Bebel's front right tire explodes at 80mph. After a truly assclenching experience on the highway (18-wheelers are fucking scary), we get back on the road and just about make it home when... a paddy wagon runs us off the road. The wrong way into an intersection. Fuck. But eventually we make it home.
Work's been pretty much the same. Apparently our group of 8 is down to 7, which sucks. And the coming week is gonna get ROUGH. I work 3:30 to midnight Sunday night, then go right back for customer service training 9-5:30 Monday to Wednesday and 1:30-10 Thursday, Friday, and next Monday. Meanwhile, the moment I get home from work Friday night, we leave for DC for the Rally to Restore Sanity/Fear (cause the traffic is gonna get real hairy. And the next night is Halloween, so... yeah. Last night in particular was kind of interesting... I sold stuff to Saskatoon, a town called New England, and my 200th sale was apparently to a Puerto Rican man who has yelled at my supervisor a few times in the past... Awkward.
Speaking of Halloween, I'm just about done gathering my supplies. This year I'm rocking out as "John" DeFoe aka "The Welder" from Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw's Chzo Mythos series (specifically 5 Days a Stranger). Pumped.
Got one other thing going on that's got me really excited, but I think I'll hold that one for a little longer.
Oh snap, teasers!
rickie-d
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
do you remember the twenty-first night of september?
So guess who's done with sales training? Yup. So for the rest of the week, I'm in transition to the floor, hoo-ah. Which means come tomorrow I'm actually gonna be selling real products to real people. Nervous? Yeah. Excited? Er. Yes? Anyway, Monday I at least get to change up my shift from 9-5:30 to 3:30-12. Which on the upside means I can finally sleep again. On the downside, it's gonna get really complicated to have any kind of life outside work. Gonna be trying to work my schedule around some stuff if I can, we'll see how it goes.
Been an interesting few days though. Went into work Monday pretty sleep-deprived. By which I mean I may have, instead of going to bed at 11ish as planned, watched The Breakfast Club and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang with Lizzie, Bebel, and Holly. Which continued until about 5am. (For those playing the home game, I set my alarm for 6:30am) So yeah, "sleep-deprived" in this case means "sleep-absent". I'd feel bad about going to work on no sleep, but honestly it was worth some struggling-to-stay-awake. Last week was fucking awful, I needed some actual fun for a change.
And as for today, Command & Conquer 3: The Forgotten was finally released! So for those who aren't familiar, about a year and a half ago we filmed full-motion video for C&C Labs for their C&C3 mod. It was... extremely cold. And I was wearing cheesecloth. Yeah. But so myself and Matt Heron Duranti starred as Salvadore Trogan and Abel Livy in the world's first C&C mod to include full-motion video, produced by Broken Wall Films. Some serious stuff going on there.
I'm 23 and I've starred in a multi-award-winning indie film as well as a groundbreaking video game mod. Very cool.
Interested in seeing where the rest of the week goes. Could be interesting, who knows.
Never was a cloudy day,
rickie-d
Been an interesting few days though. Went into work Monday pretty sleep-deprived. By which I mean I may have, instead of going to bed at 11ish as planned, watched The Breakfast Club and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang with Lizzie, Bebel, and Holly. Which continued until about 5am. (For those playing the home game, I set my alarm for 6:30am) So yeah, "sleep-deprived" in this case means "sleep-absent". I'd feel bad about going to work on no sleep, but honestly it was worth some struggling-to-stay-awake. Last week was fucking awful, I needed some actual fun for a change.
And as for today, Command & Conquer 3: The Forgotten was finally released! So for those who aren't familiar, about a year and a half ago we filmed full-motion video for C&C Labs for their C&C3 mod. It was... extremely cold. And I was wearing cheesecloth. Yeah. But so myself and Matt Heron Duranti starred as Salvadore Trogan and Abel Livy in the world's first C&C mod to include full-motion video, produced by Broken Wall Films. Some serious stuff going on there.
I'm 23 and I've starred in a multi-award-winning indie film as well as a groundbreaking video game mod. Very cool.
Interested in seeing where the rest of the week goes. Could be interesting, who knows.
Never was a cloudy day,
rickie-d
Saturday, September 18, 2010
luck be a lady tonight
So Wednesday night, I was really not in much of a mood to talk about work or life or anything at all, really. It's been a pretty rough week, and if I seem more annoyed than usual (or lazy than usual this weekend), I'd like to give you a quick look into just why that is. It's been an obscenely unlucky week for me, and I'm glad it's over.
So in our prologue (last week), I was ready to roll for my new job, getting in on training, 9-5:30. Gonna borrow my mom's van or SUV, whichever she doesn't need for a little while, it's gonna be great.
Monday. I get a call from my dad. The alternator's blown on my car, so it's gonna take even more time and money to get my car back on the road. I get a call from Randstad (my employer). The first day of training is going to start at 7:15. And I need two forms of ID (my license is out-of-date because I moved), a voided check (I had not yet gotten checks after I changed banks this summer), and my license plate number for security purposes (I could be driving any one of at least five different cars for all I knew. I get a call from my mom. She's in California, and won't be back until Wednesday morning, when she gets into Logan at 7:10, five minutes before my workday starts. Not a good start to the week.
Tuesday. I make a reservation for a rental car on Hertz.com, and it estimates it at $50 to take it out at 6pm and bring it back at 6pm the next night, now that work would presumably be 7:15-3:45. I wouldn't be needing it another day, since I'd have my mother's vehicle by then. I go to Hertz (only getting there AT 6pm), expecting it to cost more because I'm under 25, and the final price comes to... $160. Plus a $140 security deposit of sorts. It cost me $300 that day to take out the car. A drinking-and-games get-together happens at the apartment, unbeknownst to me. I don't fall asleep until about 1am.
Wednesday. I wake up at 3:30am. An hour and a half before my alarm, and after only two and a half hours of sleep. I lie in bed trying to get more, to no avail. I get out of bed at 5am, and get to work. I go to my training thing, and quickly discover that the day, for one day only, would be 7:15-5:30. On top of that, the first day is almost exclusively information overload. And the traffic coming in was bad. More-than-a-half-hour-at-least bad. So when we get out of work at 5:15, I frantically drive out of Westborough back to Worcester. I get to Highland Street at 5:58pm. I call Hertz, and beg the woman there to stay for just five more minutes so I can bring the car back. I get it back, meanwhile encountering a cute blonde that I wish I could have kept up with in a conversation at this point, but was unable, due to my quickly dying brain. I get home. During the day, there were folks who were supposed to check out a leak in our building, and Holly was the only one home when they showed up (unscheduled). They asked to get a call to schedule it so it could get done, and leave. Later that night, I get a call from my mom saying that she wasn't back in Massachusetts yet, meaning I still don't have a vehicle. I wind up borrowing Laffraff's car. That night, due to a million phone calls and texts sorting out vehicle shit, I go to bed at 12:30am.
Thursday. I wake up about once an hour all night, and get out of bed at 6:30. I get myself ready, and leave around 7:45, to guarantee the traffic wouldn't make me late. I somehow arrive at work at 8:12. I am now passing out in my car, trying to wake up (I didn't stop for coffee or anything because I was worried about the traffic). I finally go inside at 8:55 to find that half our 11-person training class was stuck in traffic that had apparently gone apeshit mere minutes after I passed through a few areas. Long, productive work day, I come home at 6pm and... my mom is still not back east. But she's had someone get her keys and bring them to the van so that I could pick it up. I ask Bebel if he can give me a ride to Waltham (about 45 minute drive), and he declines. In a 20-minute period my day goes from "Ah, finally" to "RAAAAAAGE". I spend about two hours trying to find an alternative ride, and an hour waiting for said ride (Steve DiTullio brought be east). At 9pm we leave. At 10pm we realize we got disgustingly lost. At 10:15 we find the van, and... the keys are nowhere to be found. I call my mother, who after ten minutes of helping me discovers that the guy who was supposed to bring the keys... forgot. And he's half an hour away. And my mom needed her cleaning supplies from the trunk stored so she could get them the next day. After 45 minutes of waiting with no sign of Key Guy, I say fuck it and we leave. I get Laffraff's car another day. I get home at 12:30am, having wasted six and a half hours... for nothing. I had plans. I wanted to watch a movie. I wanted to have people over for some good, de-stressing hanging out. I wanted to make myself a good dinner. I wanted to relax for the first time all week. I did not. I go to bed at 1am.
Friday. I wake up at 6am, having beaten my alarm clock every day this week. I go to work. I get a text from the landlord. He's furious because Holly was the only one there when the leak people showed up on Wednesday and they all decided not to check then, which led Bill to believe Holly was living here and just not paying rent. On top of that, it would cost $45 to have them come back next week. Wonderful. Eventually it all gets sorted out and the leak people show up and do their thing. So the day continues and we get let out at 4:45pm. I was pumped. It's the weekend. YES. I get to the car and put the key in the ignition. It doesn't start. Fuck. I try to take the key out. It's stuck. FUCK. I call Al, he says there's jumper cables in the back and that there's this complicated way to open the hood (it's a pretty old Saturn Ion). I then ask him the million dollar question: How do you open the trunk if the key is in the ignition (it requires electricity to release for some reason) and the remote won't work (since the dead battery prevents the car from responding). Silence. "Through the backseat?" Fuuuuuuuuck. I dig through the back, find the cables, manage to get the hood open, flag someone down, jump the car, and get on the road... at 5:28pm. I get home and discover that there's some kind of get-together happening tonight as well. Not in the mood for anything but sleep, I stay up and drink. Around 1am, I finally go to bed. Nine and a half glorious hours of sleep.
So yes, I've had a shitty week. And I'm glad it's over.
rickie-d
So in our prologue (last week), I was ready to roll for my new job, getting in on training, 9-5:30. Gonna borrow my mom's van or SUV, whichever she doesn't need for a little while, it's gonna be great.
Monday. I get a call from my dad. The alternator's blown on my car, so it's gonna take even more time and money to get my car back on the road. I get a call from Randstad (my employer). The first day of training is going to start at 7:15. And I need two forms of ID (my license is out-of-date because I moved), a voided check (I had not yet gotten checks after I changed banks this summer), and my license plate number for security purposes (I could be driving any one of at least five different cars for all I knew. I get a call from my mom. She's in California, and won't be back until Wednesday morning, when she gets into Logan at 7:10, five minutes before my workday starts. Not a good start to the week.
Tuesday. I make a reservation for a rental car on Hertz.com, and it estimates it at $50 to take it out at 6pm and bring it back at 6pm the next night, now that work would presumably be 7:15-3:45. I wouldn't be needing it another day, since I'd have my mother's vehicle by then. I go to Hertz (only getting there AT 6pm), expecting it to cost more because I'm under 25, and the final price comes to... $160. Plus a $140 security deposit of sorts. It cost me $300 that day to take out the car. A drinking-and-games get-together happens at the apartment, unbeknownst to me. I don't fall asleep until about 1am.
Wednesday. I wake up at 3:30am. An hour and a half before my alarm, and after only two and a half hours of sleep. I lie in bed trying to get more, to no avail. I get out of bed at 5am, and get to work. I go to my training thing, and quickly discover that the day, for one day only, would be 7:15-5:30. On top of that, the first day is almost exclusively information overload. And the traffic coming in was bad. More-than-a-half-hour-at-least bad. So when we get out of work at 5:15, I frantically drive out of Westborough back to Worcester. I get to Highland Street at 5:58pm. I call Hertz, and beg the woman there to stay for just five more minutes so I can bring the car back. I get it back, meanwhile encountering a cute blonde that I wish I could have kept up with in a conversation at this point, but was unable, due to my quickly dying brain. I get home. During the day, there were folks who were supposed to check out a leak in our building, and Holly was the only one home when they showed up (unscheduled). They asked to get a call to schedule it so it could get done, and leave. Later that night, I get a call from my mom saying that she wasn't back in Massachusetts yet, meaning I still don't have a vehicle. I wind up borrowing Laffraff's car. That night, due to a million phone calls and texts sorting out vehicle shit, I go to bed at 12:30am.
Thursday. I wake up about once an hour all night, and get out of bed at 6:30. I get myself ready, and leave around 7:45, to guarantee the traffic wouldn't make me late. I somehow arrive at work at 8:12. I am now passing out in my car, trying to wake up (I didn't stop for coffee or anything because I was worried about the traffic). I finally go inside at 8:55 to find that half our 11-person training class was stuck in traffic that had apparently gone apeshit mere minutes after I passed through a few areas. Long, productive work day, I come home at 6pm and... my mom is still not back east. But she's had someone get her keys and bring them to the van so that I could pick it up. I ask Bebel if he can give me a ride to Waltham (about 45 minute drive), and he declines. In a 20-minute period my day goes from "Ah, finally" to "RAAAAAAGE". I spend about two hours trying to find an alternative ride, and an hour waiting for said ride (Steve DiTullio brought be east). At 9pm we leave. At 10pm we realize we got disgustingly lost. At 10:15 we find the van, and... the keys are nowhere to be found. I call my mother, who after ten minutes of helping me discovers that the guy who was supposed to bring the keys... forgot. And he's half an hour away. And my mom needed her cleaning supplies from the trunk stored so she could get them the next day. After 45 minutes of waiting with no sign of Key Guy, I say fuck it and we leave. I get Laffraff's car another day. I get home at 12:30am, having wasted six and a half hours... for nothing. I had plans. I wanted to watch a movie. I wanted to have people over for some good, de-stressing hanging out. I wanted to make myself a good dinner. I wanted to relax for the first time all week. I did not. I go to bed at 1am.
Friday. I wake up at 6am, having beaten my alarm clock every day this week. I go to work. I get a text from the landlord. He's furious because Holly was the only one there when the leak people showed up on Wednesday and they all decided not to check then, which led Bill to believe Holly was living here and just not paying rent. On top of that, it would cost $45 to have them come back next week. Wonderful. Eventually it all gets sorted out and the leak people show up and do their thing. So the day continues and we get let out at 4:45pm. I was pumped. It's the weekend. YES. I get to the car and put the key in the ignition. It doesn't start. Fuck. I try to take the key out. It's stuck. FUCK. I call Al, he says there's jumper cables in the back and that there's this complicated way to open the hood (it's a pretty old Saturn Ion). I then ask him the million dollar question: How do you open the trunk if the key is in the ignition (it requires electricity to release for some reason) and the remote won't work (since the dead battery prevents the car from responding). Silence. "Through the backseat?" Fuuuuuuuuck. I dig through the back, find the cables, manage to get the hood open, flag someone down, jump the car, and get on the road... at 5:28pm. I get home and discover that there's some kind of get-together happening tonight as well. Not in the mood for anything but sleep, I stay up and drink. Around 1am, I finally go to bed. Nine and a half glorious hours of sleep.
So yes, I've had a shitty week. And I'm glad it's over.
rickie-d
Thursday, September 16, 2010
one minute up and a hundred down
So the first day of training goes without (much of) a hitch. Other than not getting any sleep and thus being half-zombified for the whole day, anyway.
One hundred days to Christmas. I'm already feeling the ill effects, unfortunately. I was already exhausted upon coming home from doing literally zero work other than listening, and upon finding out that every individual facet of having a vehicle ready for tomorrow had come undone, I had a hard time not doing the same. I did nothing with my evening, wound up not trying to pull together a movie night like I'd hoped (to de-stress from the day -- I did, however, watch Ed Wood later on), and now I'm going to bed way later than I planned... again. God damn do I miss college.
Maybe this weekend'll be a bit more forgiving? Here's hoping, I could really use it.
All work and no play makes me a wound-up boy,
rickie-d
One hundred days to Christmas. I'm already feeling the ill effects, unfortunately. I was already exhausted upon coming home from doing literally zero work other than listening, and upon finding out that every individual facet of having a vehicle ready for tomorrow had come undone, I had a hard time not doing the same. I did nothing with my evening, wound up not trying to pull together a movie night like I'd hoped (to de-stress from the day -- I did, however, watch Ed Wood later on), and now I'm going to bed way later than I planned... again. God damn do I miss college.
Maybe this weekend'll be a bit more forgiving? Here's hoping, I could really use it.
All work and no play makes me a wound-up boy,
rickie-d
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
with my mind on my money and my money on my mind
Money. It's a gas.
Just got back from Hertz to rent what I thought would be a $50 car. It turns out that after the fact, I paid $160 for it, plus a $140 deposit they're going to give back when I return the car... tomorrow. This came up because not only is my actual car still inoperable, but unfortunately the plan to borrow one of my mom's vehicles fell through at the zero hour, which didn't leave me a whole lot of options.
For bonus points: I need to have three pieces of information with me tomorrow. First, two forms of ID. Well, I have my license and birth certificate. Except the license is out-of-date, as it still lists me as living on Highland Street. Which I couldn't change until I paid an extremely old parking ticket. Which I was planning on changing when I re-registered my car. So... that didn't happen. Second, a blank check so they can set up a direct deposit. In addition to moving recently, I also changed banks. And as a result, I don't have checks yet. So I ordered some (at a ridiculous price so that they'd arrive by Thursday). Which means all I'll have with me is account info and no check. Third, my license plate number. Well now I have four plate numbers to give them. This was all told to me for the first time yesterday. If I'd known about that when I got the job offer, I would have had all of this sorted out long ago.
Factor into it that the first half of my training classes' pay is going directly to rent for October, and we've got me with next to zero money (trying to sort out old bills and such in the meantime) until Bebel settles up, which could take a while still.
In other news, I got to help Guerilla Improv and { Empty Set } out with audition stuff last week, which was fun. It was great to put on the old shirts and mess around some. I'm proud to congratulate GI's newest members Ian Hawkes, Alex Kafantis, Molly Ott, and Michael Riggieri, and { }'s newest members Orange "Sidney" Batchelder and Alex Geyster. I hope I get to see some shows before the end of the year!
Not psyched about 7:15am training classes, but at least I've got three more weeks of nightlife left in me. We'll see what happens, I guess.
Money money money money... MONEY!!
rickie-d
Just got back from Hertz to rent what I thought would be a $50 car. It turns out that after the fact, I paid $160 for it, plus a $140 deposit they're going to give back when I return the car... tomorrow. This came up because not only is my actual car still inoperable, but unfortunately the plan to borrow one of my mom's vehicles fell through at the zero hour, which didn't leave me a whole lot of options.
For bonus points: I need to have three pieces of information with me tomorrow. First, two forms of ID. Well, I have my license and birth certificate. Except the license is out-of-date, as it still lists me as living on Highland Street. Which I couldn't change until I paid an extremely old parking ticket. Which I was planning on changing when I re-registered my car. So... that didn't happen. Second, a blank check so they can set up a direct deposit. In addition to moving recently, I also changed banks. And as a result, I don't have checks yet. So I ordered some (at a ridiculous price so that they'd arrive by Thursday). Which means all I'll have with me is account info and no check. Third, my license plate number. Well now I have four plate numbers to give them. This was all told to me for the first time yesterday. If I'd known about that when I got the job offer, I would have had all of this sorted out long ago.
Factor into it that the first half of my training classes' pay is going directly to rent for October, and we've got me with next to zero money (trying to sort out old bills and such in the meantime) until Bebel settles up, which could take a while still.
In other news, I got to help Guerilla Improv and { Empty Set } out with audition stuff last week, which was fun. It was great to put on the old shirts and mess around some. I'm proud to congratulate GI's newest members Ian Hawkes, Alex Kafantis, Molly Ott, and Michael Riggieri, and { }'s newest members Orange "Sidney" Batchelder and Alex Geyster. I hope I get to see some shows before the end of the year!
Not psyched about 7:15am training classes, but at least I've got three more weeks of nightlife left in me. We'll see what happens, I guess.
Money money money money... MONEY!!
rickie-d
Saturday, September 4, 2010
i'm just a regular joe with a regular job, i'm your average white, suburbanite slob
So they offered me the job! Whoo! (Apparently I was one of their favorites from the whole of their interviews too, which is cool.) Unfortunately, it'll be the 3:30 to midnight shift, so let's wave bye-bye to what little of a social life I had left anyway, but I'll be making an extra buck an hour which is nice, plus the class I'm in is the one they tend to pick from first when looking for more permanent hires, plus they liked me a lot so... yeah. Good news on the work front. On top of that, they moved up the training classes a week, so I'm now 11 days out from that. Summer vacation's coming to an end, mi amigos.
So that means getting my car back on the road, which is gonna be interesting. I already paid off an extremely old parking ticket (that was preventing me from renewing my license and registration), so that's step one I guess. Gotta get new brake pads, now that I can afford them. Lotsa steps.
It's time to grow up a little bit, friends. Getting a job, check. Getting my car to work again, check. Doing an honest-to-god grocery run, check. I spent $200.42 today on various groceries and home supplies. Hoo. Gotta do a lot of cleaning, but for now at least, the fridge is stocked and we've got light bulbs and paper products and all that good stuff. How do I celebrate? By having a breakfast of Java Monster and yogurt. I am a man, god dammit.
Oh and hey, my first "real" episode in Open Lounge came out today. I've been on there before, but they were mini-episodes for the Gen Con series we did, so it was a bit different. We went down some... interesting roads. Check them out:
Open Lounge - "Gen Con: The Prologue" (August 5, 2010)
Open Lounge - "Gen Con: The Epilogue" (August 11, 2010)
Open Lounge - "Episode 21: Squat Dogs" (September 4, 2010)
And uh, stay tuned. I got a mysterious package the other day. (I think I know who sent it, though.) It contained a DVD and a cassette tape (who mails a cassette tape?). The DVD had what looked like people singing in Vietnam. So... yeah. Gonna check out the cassette later, but this is... weird. I dunno, I'll keep y'all posted if it turns up something interesting.
Hey Earl, rain on this,
rickie-d
So that means getting my car back on the road, which is gonna be interesting. I already paid off an extremely old parking ticket (that was preventing me from renewing my license and registration), so that's step one I guess. Gotta get new brake pads, now that I can afford them. Lotsa steps.
It's time to grow up a little bit, friends. Getting a job, check. Getting my car to work again, check. Doing an honest-to-god grocery run, check. I spent $200.42 today on various groceries and home supplies. Hoo. Gotta do a lot of cleaning, but for now at least, the fridge is stocked and we've got light bulbs and paper products and all that good stuff. How do I celebrate? By having a breakfast of Java Monster and yogurt. I am a man, god dammit.
Oh and hey, my first "real" episode in Open Lounge came out today. I've been on there before, but they were mini-episodes for the Gen Con series we did, so it was a bit different. We went down some... interesting roads. Check them out:
Open Lounge - "Gen Con: The Prologue" (August 5, 2010)
Open Lounge - "Gen Con: The Epilogue" (August 11, 2010)
Open Lounge - "Episode 21: Squat Dogs" (September 4, 2010)
And uh, stay tuned. I got a mysterious package the other day. (I think I know who sent it, though.) It contained a DVD and a cassette tape (who mails a cassette tape?). The DVD had what looked like people singing in Vietnam. So... yeah. Gonna check out the cassette later, but this is... weird. I dunno, I'll keep y'all posted if it turns up something interesting.
Hey Earl, rain on this,
rickie-d
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
no one owns a piece of my time
So... I'm a little on edge. In my last post, I had mentioned that a job opportunity had opened up. Tomorrow I'm interviewing for a call center position at Bose which, for what it's worth, is money. I need a job pretty badly (I've got money to float me a little while, but only to the end of October, maybe).
When on the phone I was sort of going with the flow, but last night some stuff occurred to me that has me a lot more hesitant about the job. Among other things I told myself I'd never let me work in a cubicle again, I can't stand that kind of environment, and I've been warned by a few people now that I should prepare to have my soul sucked out.
Most of that stuff I can deal with. It's the hours. I don't know how it didn't occur to me until last night, but the hours are going to kill me. There are supposedly two options: 1:30pm to 10:00pm or (for a dollar an hour more) 3:30pm to midnight. At first glance I was actually a bit psyched. I can sleep in, I thought. And if there's a party, I can jump right in. Sure, but then it kind of struck me.
I am going to utterly lose my livelihood. My weekdays are going to turn into sleeping in, getting lunch, going to work (while all of my friends are either just about to leave work, or just about to finish classes for the day), being at work until either 10 or 12, getting home an hour later (well after the night's fun is over), then sleep and start over. I'm already too distant from most of my friends just from the stress of trying to reorganize my life, but this is going to wind up pretty much taking me out of the equation altogether. God forbid I try dating anyone while I'm at it, the rest of the world is working on a schedule opposite mine. Then all that's left is weekends, and all I'm going to want to do is sleep off the stress of the week. Not to mention this job is building up to the Christmas season. Meaning I'm just going to hate it more and more over the next four months.
Now obviously there's a sacrifice to be made to enter the working world and make money, and I know there's a lot of "just grit your teeth, smile, and keep working" going around, but... this isn't even the career I want, let alone entry position.
I had a hard time getting sleep last night because this stuff was on my mind. I'm not really sure what I should do. I tried looking for jobs in theatre/film-related stuff earlier this morning, nothing's turned up yet but I'm still looking. I'm still going to my interview tomorrow (because erasing my currently-only lead would be absolutely stupid). I'm already a lonely ball of stress as is, I'd rather not compound it.
So I guess the question is... now what?
rickie-d
When on the phone I was sort of going with the flow, but last night some stuff occurred to me that has me a lot more hesitant about the job. Among other things I told myself I'd never let me work in a cubicle again, I can't stand that kind of environment, and I've been warned by a few people now that I should prepare to have my soul sucked out.
Most of that stuff I can deal with. It's the hours. I don't know how it didn't occur to me until last night, but the hours are going to kill me. There are supposedly two options: 1:30pm to 10:00pm or (for a dollar an hour more) 3:30pm to midnight. At first glance I was actually a bit psyched. I can sleep in, I thought. And if there's a party, I can jump right in. Sure, but then it kind of struck me.
I am going to utterly lose my livelihood. My weekdays are going to turn into sleeping in, getting lunch, going to work (while all of my friends are either just about to leave work, or just about to finish classes for the day), being at work until either 10 or 12, getting home an hour later (well after the night's fun is over), then sleep and start over. I'm already too distant from most of my friends just from the stress of trying to reorganize my life, but this is going to wind up pretty much taking me out of the equation altogether. God forbid I try dating anyone while I'm at it, the rest of the world is working on a schedule opposite mine. Then all that's left is weekends, and all I'm going to want to do is sleep off the stress of the week. Not to mention this job is building up to the Christmas season. Meaning I'm just going to hate it more and more over the next four months.
Now obviously there's a sacrifice to be made to enter the working world and make money, and I know there's a lot of "just grit your teeth, smile, and keep working" going around, but... this isn't even the career I want, let alone entry position.
I had a hard time getting sleep last night because this stuff was on my mind. I'm not really sure what I should do. I tried looking for jobs in theatre/film-related stuff earlier this morning, nothing's turned up yet but I'm still looking. I'm still going to my interview tomorrow (because erasing my currently-only lead would be absolutely stupid). I'm already a lonely ball of stress as is, I'd rather not compound it.
So I guess the question is... now what?
rickie-d
Friday, August 27, 2010
they call me the workin' man, i guess that's what i am
Meanwhile, back in Worcester... (August, Part 2)
So I arrive back in Worcester, and the tide turns to jobs.
One the one hand, my job in the Theatre Technology Office was ending (or ended, depending on your definition). Riky Stone had moved into the new office, and I helped get her acclimated to the workspace and a few tricks to help things run a little more smoothly. A few finishing touches to some things I was working on, and I exited stage left. Though I guess I'm going in for an exit interview of sorts next week. Which will likely just be a quick "official" bit then chatting with Susan for a while.
One the other hand, I needed a replacement job. More to come on that in the near future. Suffice it to say, I might be good to go sooner than expected.
On the third hand, I found myself heading up BWF's B Team (albeit briefly) for the thirdish time, this time to spearhead a minor side project (Anchorman, sweded) to keep our chops up. I held a "scribblewriting" workshop with Al, Steve, and Vogel, which amounted to "We're going to watch the movie. Write down anything you think should be in the swede. We will not pause, slow down, or rewind the movie under any circumstances, including bathroom breaks and phone calls." Sometime soon, I'm going to do a bit of a mashup between our four sets of notes. Filming is probably going to happen next weekend, if I'm lucky.
On the fourth hand, I got to expand my film crew horizons during the tech demo (and tech demo demo) filmings for Broken Wall Films' next project, which I'm codenaming Dusty Loves Dolly (for ease of discussion, and because all our projects could use a mascot. We miss you, Howie!) Anyway, when it comes to filming, I'm usually either the one in front of the camera, or the one running it. This time, I opted out of acting in order to put myself in an unfamiliar zone, script supervisor. This meant keeping accurate tabs on what we were shooting, as well as eyeballing both the shot list and script. It actually did help streamline production surprisingly well, and I got to yell "Shot 20, Take 1!" etc., which is way too cool.
Day 1 (last Saturday) was our audio day, indoor shots with our leads and the villains. Lots of great stuff there, got to work with a bunch of folks I haven't seen/worked with since Something Remote as well as some new faces like Sari Gagnon (our female lead) and Nick Poole (our audio engineer). Long day, got a lot done, hurrah. Day 2 (last Sunday) we hit a few snags, and what was supposed to be an outdoor filming day became indoor special effects day. The switch worked out, and we learned two things: we know how to fake a hologram now (but not muzzle flashes), and we can convincingly fake a murder (I'm sure the shots of John's "death" will surface on Facebook sooner or later). Day 3 (this Wednesday) we did the rest of John's shots, which included some creative body doubling by yours truly (now both my left hand and my feet show up in this tech demo, but not my face). Quickish day, good stuff. Day 4 (this Saturday) is more outdoor shots, and any inserts left.
And then... well, who knows. I've got a few plans in mind for the near future. I'm continuing to plot out Crusaders and Davian City Blues, hopefully I can post something concrete here soon. On top of that, depending on just how much free time I have, I might be "getting the band back together" as it were. Keeping that a bit discreet for now.
Been practicing guitar again lately. Starting to figure out the chords for the Duck Tales video game's "Moon Theme", as well as the main theme to Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! and Mega Man 3. Good stuff.
I've got a motherfuckin' gun for a hand,
rickie-d
So I arrive back in Worcester, and the tide turns to jobs.
One the one hand, my job in the Theatre Technology Office was ending (or ended, depending on your definition). Riky Stone had moved into the new office, and I helped get her acclimated to the workspace and a few tricks to help things run a little more smoothly. A few finishing touches to some things I was working on, and I exited stage left. Though I guess I'm going in for an exit interview of sorts next week. Which will likely just be a quick "official" bit then chatting with Susan for a while.
One the other hand, I needed a replacement job. More to come on that in the near future. Suffice it to say, I might be good to go sooner than expected.
On the third hand, I found myself heading up BWF's B Team (albeit briefly) for the thirdish time, this time to spearhead a minor side project (Anchorman, sweded) to keep our chops up. I held a "scribblewriting" workshop with Al, Steve, and Vogel, which amounted to "We're going to watch the movie. Write down anything you think should be in the swede. We will not pause, slow down, or rewind the movie under any circumstances, including bathroom breaks and phone calls." Sometime soon, I'm going to do a bit of a mashup between our four sets of notes. Filming is probably going to happen next weekend, if I'm lucky.
On the fourth hand, I got to expand my film crew horizons during the tech demo (and tech demo demo) filmings for Broken Wall Films' next project, which I'm codenaming Dusty Loves Dolly (for ease of discussion, and because all our projects could use a mascot. We miss you, Howie!) Anyway, when it comes to filming, I'm usually either the one in front of the camera, or the one running it. This time, I opted out of acting in order to put myself in an unfamiliar zone, script supervisor. This meant keeping accurate tabs on what we were shooting, as well as eyeballing both the shot list and script. It actually did help streamline production surprisingly well, and I got to yell "Shot 20, Take 1!" etc., which is way too cool.
Day 1 (last Saturday) was our audio day, indoor shots with our leads and the villains. Lots of great stuff there, got to work with a bunch of folks I haven't seen/worked with since Something Remote as well as some new faces like Sari Gagnon (our female lead) and Nick Poole (our audio engineer). Long day, got a lot done, hurrah. Day 2 (last Sunday) we hit a few snags, and what was supposed to be an outdoor filming day became indoor special effects day. The switch worked out, and we learned two things: we know how to fake a hologram now (but not muzzle flashes), and we can convincingly fake a murder (I'm sure the shots of John's "death" will surface on Facebook sooner or later). Day 3 (this Wednesday) we did the rest of John's shots, which included some creative body doubling by yours truly (now both my left hand and my feet show up in this tech demo, but not my face). Quickish day, good stuff. Day 4 (this Saturday) is more outdoor shots, and any inserts left.
And then... well, who knows. I've got a few plans in mind for the near future. I'm continuing to plot out Crusaders and Davian City Blues, hopefully I can post something concrete here soon. On top of that, depending on just how much free time I have, I might be "getting the band back together" as it were. Keeping that a bit discreet for now.
Been practicing guitar again lately. Starting to figure out the chords for the Duck Tales video game's "Moon Theme", as well as the main theme to Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! and Mega Man 3. Good stuff.
I've got a motherfuckin' gun for a hand,
rickie-d
holiday roo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oad
Another long drought between posts, sorry about that all. It's been a ridiculous month, and I've barely had time to sleep let alone blog.
So then. August, Part 1.
So when I last posted, I was preparing for the trip to Indianapolis. Broken Wall Films was bringing Something Remote to Gen Con Indy 2010, and most of the film's backbone was going along with. Alex Laferriere (director) and Steve DiTullio (assistant producer) were there on business, with C/J Haley, myself, and John Selig (leads) there to advertise and support. Dustin Deren (from the Fucked by Fear trailer), Matt Lowe and Neal Humphrey (the basis for my and C/J's characters Mat and Neil) and Scott Steinmetz came as well to check out the con.
But before we could get there, we had to get there. Seven of us (Neal and Scott flew) packed into the Dadmobile (Al's dad's van) and headed out Tuesday night. Fifteen hours later, we arrived at the Indianapolis Hilton. Sleep was had by most on the road. But not me. Oof.
Anyway, Wednesday was mostly getting acclimated to Indy (gorgeous city, by the way; if I had to leave New England/New York forever, I might set up shop in Indy first). We were all introduced to the wonder (read: delicious weight-gainer) that is Steak & Shake. Awesome. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to make any broad generalizations about the citizens of Indianapolis... but I felt very average-sized there. Even a little on the little side. There were some school buses disguised as people walking down the street. I feel like Steak & Shake had something to do with that.
Anyway, here's where it got problematic. My phone died the moment we landed in Indy. And the charger I had packed turned out to be a charger for my old phone. And thus, not useful. What's more, the Voyager has a very uncommon charger type, so no one had a compatible one. On top of this, the hotel did not have free WiFi. The lobby had WiFi... for $3. For 15 minutes. You could get it in your room, too. For more money. For less time.
Not happening. So no blogs happened while I was out, because of that. Honestly, I was pretty much entirely incommunicado, not by choice. Anyway, Wednesday and Thursday were spent mostly checking out the convention, hanging out with John, Dustin, and C/J. Friday, John and I hit the floor to help Al and Steve with advertising. We were psyched to see that many of the people we spoke to wound up at the screening itself.
Speaking of which, right before our screening, as we waited outside, we were pleasantly surprised to find that a line had formed. For Something Remote. For us. At a 30,000-participant convention. Hell yes. Anyway, right before we went in, I nudged John to have him make one last pitch to a guy and girl at the table right next to our screening room in the Westin. Most of us head in, followed soon by the pair John just talked to, yelling "Wait, this is Clerks.!?" "No, this is Something Remote. It's better than Clerks., it's in color!" (our manner of trying to hook people with an unexpected pitch; most of us are actually Clerks./Kevin Smith fans). They were not pleased to see us claim to one-up Clerks. I was a little nervous at this point. But we convinced them to sit and at least put the movie to the test.
And so the movie screened. To an audience of about three dozen of the most receptive people who have ever laid eyes on our film. Most notably... the pair that walked in at the end. They (and a few others) threw some audience participation in that really got everyone comfortable and made the experience even more enjoyable for everyone. When the film wrapped, there was some Q&A with the cast and crew (my first real Q&A!) and we wound up spending half an hour talking up the pair, who I've now dubbed our new favorite fans. While we managed to give them contact stuff for us and BWF in general, we stupidly neglected to ask their names. D'oh. Hoping we encounter them on the web someday.
The rest of my time in Indy was mostly split between playing various Zombies!!! games and hitting up the video gaming rooms with C/J, John, and Dustin. Rock Band was desynched (booooo), which made it almost unplayable for some songs. I found out that Ninja Gaiden is impossible to play, that my Button Mash Fu still works in Soul Calibur IV, and that I am the Holy DJ of Greatness sent to Earth to impress literally tens of ladies with my mad DJ Hero skills. Oh yes.
Sunday was pretty slow. Wandered the exhibition hall checking out stuff and managed to encounter Root Jack, an orange root beer. Oh yes. Rather than splurge on a $40 case, we decided to buy them individually, which meant going down to "Scotty's", which we assumed to be a convenience store of some sort. No, this was Scotty's Brewhouse, a kickass nerdy little bar/pub. How nerdy? They were celebrating Gen Con by playing the three Lord of the Rings movies back to back to back. And one of the guys in charge chatted us up about how long it's been since he gamed, and GCI '11 events he'd be hosting in the bar next year. And then proceeded to convince me to eat the most amazing thing I've ever tasted. A half pound burger patty, cheddar cheese, bacon, jalapeños, and peanut butter. Godly. Oh yes. And then we walked back to the Hilton for the long road back. The eighteen-hours-long road back. And once again, no sleep was had by Rickie-D.
I arrived home, and fell asleep. It was great.
Until the next post soon arrives,
rickie-d
So then. August, Part 1.
So when I last posted, I was preparing for the trip to Indianapolis. Broken Wall Films was bringing Something Remote to Gen Con Indy 2010, and most of the film's backbone was going along with. Alex Laferriere (director) and Steve DiTullio (assistant producer) were there on business, with C/J Haley, myself, and John Selig (leads) there to advertise and support. Dustin Deren (from the Fucked by Fear trailer), Matt Lowe and Neal Humphrey (the basis for my and C/J's characters Mat and Neil) and Scott Steinmetz came as well to check out the con.
But before we could get there, we had to get there. Seven of us (Neal and Scott flew) packed into the Dadmobile (Al's dad's van) and headed out Tuesday night. Fifteen hours later, we arrived at the Indianapolis Hilton. Sleep was had by most on the road. But not me. Oof.
Anyway, Wednesday was mostly getting acclimated to Indy (gorgeous city, by the way; if I had to leave New England/New York forever, I might set up shop in Indy first). We were all introduced to the wonder (read: delicious weight-gainer) that is Steak & Shake. Awesome. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to make any broad generalizations about the citizens of Indianapolis... but I felt very average-sized there. Even a little on the little side. There were some school buses disguised as people walking down the street. I feel like Steak & Shake had something to do with that.
Anyway, here's where it got problematic. My phone died the moment we landed in Indy. And the charger I had packed turned out to be a charger for my old phone. And thus, not useful. What's more, the Voyager has a very uncommon charger type, so no one had a compatible one. On top of this, the hotel did not have free WiFi. The lobby had WiFi... for $3. For 15 minutes. You could get it in your room, too. For more money. For less time.
Not happening. So no blogs happened while I was out, because of that. Honestly, I was pretty much entirely incommunicado, not by choice. Anyway, Wednesday and Thursday were spent mostly checking out the convention, hanging out with John, Dustin, and C/J. Friday, John and I hit the floor to help Al and Steve with advertising. We were psyched to see that many of the people we spoke to wound up at the screening itself.
Speaking of which, right before our screening, as we waited outside, we were pleasantly surprised to find that a line had formed. For Something Remote. For us. At a 30,000-participant convention. Hell yes. Anyway, right before we went in, I nudged John to have him make one last pitch to a guy and girl at the table right next to our screening room in the Westin. Most of us head in, followed soon by the pair John just talked to, yelling "Wait, this is Clerks.!?" "No, this is Something Remote. It's better than Clerks., it's in color!" (our manner of trying to hook people with an unexpected pitch; most of us are actually Clerks./Kevin Smith fans). They were not pleased to see us claim to one-up Clerks. I was a little nervous at this point. But we convinced them to sit and at least put the movie to the test.
And so the movie screened. To an audience of about three dozen of the most receptive people who have ever laid eyes on our film. Most notably... the pair that walked in at the end. They (and a few others) threw some audience participation in that really got everyone comfortable and made the experience even more enjoyable for everyone. When the film wrapped, there was some Q&A with the cast and crew (my first real Q&A!) and we wound up spending half an hour talking up the pair, who I've now dubbed our new favorite fans. While we managed to give them contact stuff for us and BWF in general, we stupidly neglected to ask their names. D'oh. Hoping we encounter them on the web someday.
The rest of my time in Indy was mostly split between playing various Zombies!!! games and hitting up the video gaming rooms with C/J, John, and Dustin. Rock Band was desynched (booooo), which made it almost unplayable for some songs. I found out that Ninja Gaiden is impossible to play, that my Button Mash Fu still works in Soul Calibur IV, and that I am the Holy DJ of Greatness sent to Earth to impress literally tens of ladies with my mad DJ Hero skills. Oh yes.
Sunday was pretty slow. Wandered the exhibition hall checking out stuff and managed to encounter Root Jack, an orange root beer. Oh yes. Rather than splurge on a $40 case, we decided to buy them individually, which meant going down to "Scotty's", which we assumed to be a convenience store of some sort. No, this was Scotty's Brewhouse, a kickass nerdy little bar/pub. How nerdy? They were celebrating Gen Con by playing the three Lord of the Rings movies back to back to back. And one of the guys in charge chatted us up about how long it's been since he gamed, and GCI '11 events he'd be hosting in the bar next year. And then proceeded to convince me to eat the most amazing thing I've ever tasted. A half pound burger patty, cheddar cheese, bacon, jalapeños, and peanut butter. Godly. Oh yes. And then we walked back to the Hilton for the long road back. The eighteen-hours-long road back. And once again, no sleep was had by Rickie-D.
I arrived home, and fell asleep. It was great.
Until the next post soon arrives,
rickie-d
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
july, july, july, it never seemed so strange
Well it was an interesting month, let me tell ya.
I was in the Sunburns Theatre Co. production of Dark Play, or Stories for Boys. I wasn't a huge fan of the script, but it gave me both a good deal of experience in playing a myriad of characters in a single show, plus I have a newfound respect for the art of the quick-change. It came right down to the wire for a few of them.
Meanwhile, I co-instructed the Frontiers Theatre Workshop this year, which was awesome. We had 25 high school kids from around the world come in and put on some shows. I directed five of them (Mike, Molly, Matt, Sam, and Andy, with Niki as a stage manager) in At the Gates of Valhalla, a fun show about Vikings trying to get into Valhalla. They had a lot of fun with it, and it was really amazing to see how far everyone came in just a week and a half.
It warmed my heart to see that the warmup game Father Abraham was such a hit that most of the kids brought it back with them and it's started spreading like wildfire. Ninja, too (apparently one night they got most of the Frontiers program to play a massive game of it). Here's hoping these guys come back again, maybe even as students someday.
Meanwhile meanwhile, I finished up my work study in the Theatre Technology Office on Friday, and got to show Riky Stone the ropes yesterday. I'm super-psyched for her (she's the new Administrator of Theatre Technology), and in working with her in the past I'm sure she's gonna do an amazing job. Now it's time for me to get a new / real-person job.
And that brings us to now. I'm sitting waiting to grab a bite with Steve before ten of us prepare for the long trek to Indianapolis for Gen Con Indy. Something Remote is playing there at 7:30pm on Friday, and we are buckling down to get people to come. 14-hour road trip each way makes this a six-day adventure to the far reaches of the Eastern Time Zone.
I'm gonna be doing my best to blog throughout the week, so keep an eye out for me, will ya? And you can check out my Something Remote-related updates at EarthsMightiest.com, where there will be daily posts about the Indy adventure.
Stay tuned!
rickie-d
I was in the Sunburns Theatre Co. production of Dark Play, or Stories for Boys. I wasn't a huge fan of the script, but it gave me both a good deal of experience in playing a myriad of characters in a single show, plus I have a newfound respect for the art of the quick-change. It came right down to the wire for a few of them.
Meanwhile, I co-instructed the Frontiers Theatre Workshop this year, which was awesome. We had 25 high school kids from around the world come in and put on some shows. I directed five of them (Mike, Molly, Matt, Sam, and Andy, with Niki as a stage manager) in At the Gates of Valhalla, a fun show about Vikings trying to get into Valhalla. They had a lot of fun with it, and it was really amazing to see how far everyone came in just a week and a half.
It warmed my heart to see that the warmup game Father Abraham was such a hit that most of the kids brought it back with them and it's started spreading like wildfire. Ninja, too (apparently one night they got most of the Frontiers program to play a massive game of it). Here's hoping these guys come back again, maybe even as students someday.
Meanwhile meanwhile, I finished up my work study in the Theatre Technology Office on Friday, and got to show Riky Stone the ropes yesterday. I'm super-psyched for her (she's the new Administrator of Theatre Technology), and in working with her in the past I'm sure she's gonna do an amazing job. Now it's time for me to get a new / real-person job.
And that brings us to now. I'm sitting waiting to grab a bite with Steve before ten of us prepare for the long trek to Indianapolis for Gen Con Indy. Something Remote is playing there at 7:30pm on Friday, and we are buckling down to get people to come. 14-hour road trip each way makes this a six-day adventure to the far reaches of the Eastern Time Zone.
I'm gonna be doing my best to blog throughout the week, so keep an eye out for me, will ya? And you can check out my Something Remote-related updates at EarthsMightiest.com, where there will be daily posts about the Indy adventure.
Stay tuned!
rickie-d
Thursday, July 8, 2010
well i know what's on the tube, i know just what to see, got my tv guide with me
So today the list of Emmy nominations was released. Some interesting stuff in there. I've never been much for making predictions or anything, but let's see how many of these I can swing. A handful of these are more "want" than "expect", but hey.
Outstanding Programming
Comedy Series: 30 Rock
Drama Series: Lost
Animated Program: South Park ("200"/"201")
Short-Format Animated Program: Robot Chicken ("Full-Assed Christmas Special")
Miniseries: The Pacific
Made for Television Movie: Endgame
Children's Nonfiction: By the People: The Election of Barack Obama
Nonfiction: Deadliest Catch
Reality: MythBusters
Reality-Competition: Dancing with the Stars
Variety, Music, or Comedy Series: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Variety, Music, or Comedy Special: Robin Williams: Weapons of Self Destruction
Special Class: Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony
Outstanding Performance in a Comedy Series
Lead Actor: Alec Baldwin as Jack Donaghy (30 Rock)
Lead Actress: Tina Fey as Liz Lemon (30 Rock)
Supporting Actor: Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson (How I Met Your Mother)
Supporting Actress: Jane Krakowski as Jenna Maroney (30 Rock)
Guest Actor: Will Arnett as Devin Banks (30 Rock, "Into the Crevasse")
Guest Actress: Tina Fey as Host (Saturday Night Live, "Host: Tina Fey")
Outstanding Performance in a Drama Series
Lead Actor: Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House (House)
Lead Actress: Glenn Close as Patty Hewes (Damages)
Supporting Actor: Michael Emerson as Ben Linus (Lost)
Supporting Actress: Rose Byrne as Ellen Parsons (Damages)
Guest Actor: Ted Danson as Arthur Frobisher (Damages, "The Next One's Gonna Go in Your Throat")
Guest Actress: Elizabeth Mitchell as Juliet Burke (Lost, "The End")
Outstanding Performance in a Miniseries or a Movie
Lead Actor: Ian McKellen as Two (The Prisoner)
Lead Actress: Joan Allen as Georgia O'Keeffe (Georgia O'Keeffe)
Supporting Actor: John Goodman as Neal Nicol (You Don't Know Jack)
Supporting Actress: Kathy Bates as Queen of Hearts (Alice)
Outstanding Performance (Other)
Host, Reality Program: Ryan Seacrest as Host (American Idol)
Voice-Over: H. Jon Benjamin as Sterling Archer (Archer, "Mole Hunt")
Outstanding Writing
Comedy Series: 30 Rock ("Lee Marvin Vs. Derek Jeter")
Drama Series: Lost ("The End")
Miniseries, Movie, or Dramatic Special: The Pacific ("Part Eight")
Variety, Music, or Comedy Series: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart ("Episode #15040")
Variety, Music, or Comedy Special: Bill Maher "...But I'm Not Wrong"
Nonfiction Programming: Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations ("Prague")
Outstanding Directing
Comedy Series: 30 Rock ("I Do Do")
Drama Series: Lost ("The End")
Miniseries, Movie, or Dramatic Special: You Don't Know Jack
Variety, Music, or Comedy Series: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart ("Episode #15054")
Variety, Music, or Comedy Special: Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony
Nonfiction Programming: By the People: The Election of Barack Obama
Outstanding Art Direction
Single-Camera Series: Lost ("Ab Aeterno")
Multi-Camera Series: How I Met Your Mother ("Duel Citizenship")
Miniseries or Movie: You Don't Know Jack
Variety, Music, or Nonfiction Programming: The Who Super Bowl Halftime Show
Outstanding Casting
Comedy Series: 30 Rock
Drama Series: Dexter
Miniseries, Movie, or Special: You Don't Know Jack
Outstanding Choreography
Dancing with the Stars ("Paso Doble/Malaquena")
Outstanding Cinematography
Half-Hour Series: Weeds ("A Modest Proposal")
One-Hour Series: FlashForward ("No More Good Days")
Miniseries or Movie: The Prisoner ("Checkmate")
Nonfiction Programming: Deadliest Catch ("No Second Chances")
Reality Programming: Man Vs. Wild ("Big Sky Country")
Outstanding Commercial
Old Spice Body Wash, ("The Man Your Man Could Smell Like")
Outstanding Costumes
Series: 30 Rock ("I Do Do")
Miniseries, Movie, or Special: You Don't Know Jack
Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media
Nonfiction: Top Chef: Las Vegas
Fiction: Dexter Interactive
Outstanding Hairstyling
Single-Camera Series: Glee ("Hairography")
Multi-Camera Series or Special: How I Met Your Mother ("Dopplegangers")
Miniseries or Movie: You Don't Know Jack
Outstanding Lighting Direction for Variety, Music, or Comedy Programming
Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony
Outstanding Main Title Design
Human Target
Outstanding Makeup
Single-Camera Series, Non-Prosthetic: Glee ("Theatricality")
Multi-Camera Series or Special, Non-Prosthetic: 82nd Annual Academy Awards
Miniseries or Movie, Non-Prosthetic: You Don't Know Jack
Series, Miniseries, Movie, or Special, Prosthetic: Nip/Tuck ("Enigma")
Outstanding Music Composition
Series: Lost ("The End")
Miniseries, Movie, or Special: You Don't Know Jack
Outstanding Music Direction
Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony
Outstanding Original Main Theme Music
Warehouse 13
Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics
"Down's Syndrome Girl" (Family Guy, "Extra Large Medium")
Outstanding Picture Editing
Comedy Series: 30 Rock ("Dealbreakers Talk Show #0001")
Drama Series: Lost ("The End")
Miniseries or Movie: You Don't Know Jack
Short-Form: 82nd Annual Academy Awards ("John Hughes Tribute")
Special: The 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert
Nonfiction Programming: Deadliest Catch ("No Second Chances")
Reality Programming: Top Chef ("Vivre Las Vegas")
Outstanding Sound Editing
Series: Lost ("The End")
Miniseries, Movie, or Special: Alice ("Part 1")
Nonfiction Programming: The Amazing Race ("I Think We're Fighting the Germans, Right?")
Outstanding Sound Mixing
Comedy or Drama Series, Half-Hour: The Office ("Niagara")
Comedy or Drama Series, One-Hour: Lost ("The End")
Miniseries or Movie: The Pacific ("Part Five")
Variety or Music Series or Special: The 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert
Nonfiction Programming: Deadliest Catch ("No Second Chances")
Outstanding Special Visual Effects
Series: Stargate Universe ("Air")
Miniseries, Movie, or Special: The Pacific ("Part Five")
Outstanding Stunt Coordination
Chuck ("Chuck Vs. The Tic Tac")
Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, and Video Control
Series: Dancing with the Stars ("Episode 909A")
Miniseries, Movie, or Special: The 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert
Exceptional Merit in Nonfiction Filmmaking
Brick City
96 awards, we'll have to see how it goes August 29
rickie-d
Outstanding Programming
Comedy Series: 30 Rock
Drama Series: Lost
Animated Program: South Park ("200"/"201")
Short-Format Animated Program: Robot Chicken ("Full-Assed Christmas Special")
Miniseries: The Pacific
Made for Television Movie: Endgame
Children's Nonfiction: By the People: The Election of Barack Obama
Nonfiction: Deadliest Catch
Reality: MythBusters
Reality-Competition: Dancing with the Stars
Variety, Music, or Comedy Series: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Variety, Music, or Comedy Special: Robin Williams: Weapons of Self Destruction
Special Class: Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony
Outstanding Performance in a Comedy Series
Lead Actor: Alec Baldwin as Jack Donaghy (30 Rock)
Lead Actress: Tina Fey as Liz Lemon (30 Rock)
Supporting Actor: Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson (How I Met Your Mother)
Supporting Actress: Jane Krakowski as Jenna Maroney (30 Rock)
Guest Actor: Will Arnett as Devin Banks (30 Rock, "Into the Crevasse")
Guest Actress: Tina Fey as Host (Saturday Night Live, "Host: Tina Fey")
Outstanding Performance in a Drama Series
Lead Actor: Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House (House)
Lead Actress: Glenn Close as Patty Hewes (Damages)
Supporting Actor: Michael Emerson as Ben Linus (Lost)
Supporting Actress: Rose Byrne as Ellen Parsons (Damages)
Guest Actor: Ted Danson as Arthur Frobisher (Damages, "The Next One's Gonna Go in Your Throat")
Guest Actress: Elizabeth Mitchell as Juliet Burke (Lost, "The End")
Outstanding Performance in a Miniseries or a Movie
Lead Actor: Ian McKellen as Two (The Prisoner)
Lead Actress: Joan Allen as Georgia O'Keeffe (Georgia O'Keeffe)
Supporting Actor: John Goodman as Neal Nicol (You Don't Know Jack)
Supporting Actress: Kathy Bates as Queen of Hearts (Alice)
Outstanding Performance (Other)
Host, Reality Program: Ryan Seacrest as Host (American Idol)
Voice-Over: H. Jon Benjamin as Sterling Archer (Archer, "Mole Hunt")
Outstanding Writing
Comedy Series: 30 Rock ("Lee Marvin Vs. Derek Jeter")
Drama Series: Lost ("The End")
Miniseries, Movie, or Dramatic Special: The Pacific ("Part Eight")
Variety, Music, or Comedy Series: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart ("Episode #15040")
Variety, Music, or Comedy Special: Bill Maher "...But I'm Not Wrong"
Nonfiction Programming: Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations ("Prague")
Outstanding Directing
Comedy Series: 30 Rock ("I Do Do")
Drama Series: Lost ("The End")
Miniseries, Movie, or Dramatic Special: You Don't Know Jack
Variety, Music, or Comedy Series: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart ("Episode #15054")
Variety, Music, or Comedy Special: Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony
Nonfiction Programming: By the People: The Election of Barack Obama
Outstanding Art Direction
Single-Camera Series: Lost ("Ab Aeterno")
Multi-Camera Series: How I Met Your Mother ("Duel Citizenship")
Miniseries or Movie: You Don't Know Jack
Variety, Music, or Nonfiction Programming: The Who Super Bowl Halftime Show
Outstanding Casting
Comedy Series: 30 Rock
Drama Series: Dexter
Miniseries, Movie, or Special: You Don't Know Jack
Outstanding Choreography
Dancing with the Stars ("Paso Doble/Malaquena")
Outstanding Cinematography
Half-Hour Series: Weeds ("A Modest Proposal")
One-Hour Series: FlashForward ("No More Good Days")
Miniseries or Movie: The Prisoner ("Checkmate")
Nonfiction Programming: Deadliest Catch ("No Second Chances")
Reality Programming: Man Vs. Wild ("Big Sky Country")
Outstanding Commercial
Old Spice Body Wash, ("The Man Your Man Could Smell Like")
Outstanding Costumes
Series: 30 Rock ("I Do Do")
Miniseries, Movie, or Special: You Don't Know Jack
Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media
Nonfiction: Top Chef: Las Vegas
Fiction: Dexter Interactive
Outstanding Hairstyling
Single-Camera Series: Glee ("Hairography")
Multi-Camera Series or Special: How I Met Your Mother ("Dopplegangers")
Miniseries or Movie: You Don't Know Jack
Outstanding Lighting Direction for Variety, Music, or Comedy Programming
Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony
Outstanding Main Title Design
Human Target
Outstanding Makeup
Single-Camera Series, Non-Prosthetic: Glee ("Theatricality")
Multi-Camera Series or Special, Non-Prosthetic: 82nd Annual Academy Awards
Miniseries or Movie, Non-Prosthetic: You Don't Know Jack
Series, Miniseries, Movie, or Special, Prosthetic: Nip/Tuck ("Enigma")
Outstanding Music Composition
Series: Lost ("The End")
Miniseries, Movie, or Special: You Don't Know Jack
Outstanding Music Direction
Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony
Outstanding Original Main Theme Music
Warehouse 13
Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics
"Down's Syndrome Girl" (Family Guy, "Extra Large Medium")
Outstanding Picture Editing
Comedy Series: 30 Rock ("Dealbreakers Talk Show #0001")
Drama Series: Lost ("The End")
Miniseries or Movie: You Don't Know Jack
Short-Form: 82nd Annual Academy Awards ("John Hughes Tribute")
Special: The 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert
Nonfiction Programming: Deadliest Catch ("No Second Chances")
Reality Programming: Top Chef ("Vivre Las Vegas")
Outstanding Sound Editing
Series: Lost ("The End")
Miniseries, Movie, or Special: Alice ("Part 1")
Nonfiction Programming: The Amazing Race ("I Think We're Fighting the Germans, Right?")
Outstanding Sound Mixing
Comedy or Drama Series, Half-Hour: The Office ("Niagara")
Comedy or Drama Series, One-Hour: Lost ("The End")
Miniseries or Movie: The Pacific ("Part Five")
Variety or Music Series or Special: The 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert
Nonfiction Programming: Deadliest Catch ("No Second Chances")
Outstanding Special Visual Effects
Series: Stargate Universe ("Air")
Miniseries, Movie, or Special: The Pacific ("Part Five")
Outstanding Stunt Coordination
Chuck ("Chuck Vs. The Tic Tac")
Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, and Video Control
Series: Dancing with the Stars ("Episode 909A")
Miniseries, Movie, or Special: The 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert
Exceptional Merit in Nonfiction Filmmaking
Brick City
96 awards, we'll have to see how it goes August 29
rickie-d
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
you've got a friend in me
Just got back from seeing Toy Story 3. Words can honestly not describe it. If you haven't seen it, you're wasting time reading this when you could be out having your heart broken so good.
I was 8 when Toy Story came out, back in 1995 (it's hard to believe it's been 15 years). I remember seeing it and thinking "Whoa, cool!" It was a fun movie about toys, and it was in 3D! And everyone's friends in the end, hooray! A true classic, and the movie that put Pixar on the map.
I was 12 when Toy Story 2 came out in 1999. While by no means a bad movie, it was unfortunately pretty forgettable. It was a sequel of average proportions, not losing the luster of the first, but not really extending past either. And so the toys went into their chest for 11 years.
So now it's 2010, and Toy Story 3 has finally landed. While the first two were definitive kids' movies, this one seems to go far and beyond. While it's still fun and funny and kid-friendly (mostly because they may not understand what's going on in some situations), there is definitely a large portion of it geared directly at my generation. The twenty-somethings. The young adults who were children when Woody and Buzz first arrived.
And really, that's what the movie's about. How long can you really hold onto childish things? Everyone grows up someday, but what happens next? Toy Story 3 tackles that idea head on in many truly heart-wrenching ways.
I refuse to spoil this movie for anyone, but I will say this: steel yourself when you finally see it. The climax is, in a word, devastating. Again shining a light on us twenty-somethings that grew up with Woody and Buzz and the rest, this movie takes a cast of characters known for being fun-loving and carefree, and casts a dark, menacing shadow. No toy left behind, indeed. Toy Story 3 is an absolute masterpiece.
You've got a friend in me,
rickie-d
I was 8 when Toy Story came out, back in 1995 (it's hard to believe it's been 15 years). I remember seeing it and thinking "Whoa, cool!" It was a fun movie about toys, and it was in 3D! And everyone's friends in the end, hooray! A true classic, and the movie that put Pixar on the map.
I was 12 when Toy Story 2 came out in 1999. While by no means a bad movie, it was unfortunately pretty forgettable. It was a sequel of average proportions, not losing the luster of the first, but not really extending past either. And so the toys went into their chest for 11 years.
So now it's 2010, and Toy Story 3 has finally landed. While the first two were definitive kids' movies, this one seems to go far and beyond. While it's still fun and funny and kid-friendly (mostly because they may not understand what's going on in some situations), there is definitely a large portion of it geared directly at my generation. The twenty-somethings. The young adults who were children when Woody and Buzz first arrived.
And really, that's what the movie's about. How long can you really hold onto childish things? Everyone grows up someday, but what happens next? Toy Story 3 tackles that idea head on in many truly heart-wrenching ways.
I refuse to spoil this movie for anyone, but I will say this: steel yourself when you finally see it. The climax is, in a word, devastating. Again shining a light on us twenty-somethings that grew up with Woody and Buzz and the rest, this movie takes a cast of characters known for being fun-loving and carefree, and casts a dark, menacing shadow. No toy left behind, indeed. Toy Story 3 is an absolute masterpiece.
You've got a friend in me,
rickie-d
Sunday, July 4, 2010
three cheers for the red, white, and blue
Happy Fourth of July, everybody!
So on my way back from grabbing some groceries, I saw a tree. But not just any tree. No, this tree was standing tall over a bench on which a sapling was laid. Like some kind of bizarre arbor wake. It was kind of unsettling.
Anyway, the coming week is my last week doing work study in WPI's Technical Theatre Office. Been a good run (nowhere NEAR done digitizing photos, gotta figure out what to do about that), but the week after that I'm co-running the Frontiers Drama program! For those not in the know, Frontiers is a program at WPI where high school juniors and seniors come to the school for two weeks to learn about various stuff that WPI does. Myself and Steven Vessella are running the Drama program this year (we produced and directed, respectively, last winter's production of The Crucible). 25 kids, which is pretty cool. Plus we have someone from the UK, one from Tokyo, one from Greece, an albino Jamaican, and twins. THAT IS SO AWESOME.
Writing's been coming very slowly. I've got nine stories under the Crusaders banner cooking, probably with a few more to fill out the middle. What's tricky is that because I'm working it into (and simultaneously writing) a larger body of work, it's complicating itself, but in a helping sort of way. Example: there's a very minor crossover in the second story as a character leaves (and then shows up in the first story of the connected series). This one's pretty easy to manage, and even assists both stories pretty well. A more difficult example comes in near the end of the first volume of both, as there is a crossover that pretty much consumes an issue of each (think CSI: Trilogy). Anyway, ideas are still flowing, albeit slowly.
Not entirely sure what I'm doing for the 4th yet. There was supposed to be some tech demo filming going on today with Brandon, Steve, and Scott, but I think it might have fallen through. My dad's down in Connecticut with his relatives, not sure what my mom's side's up to, and while Holly was talking Martha's Vineyard (her dad has a boat), seeing as it's 4pm and Bebel's only just gotten up, not sure what's gonna happen with that.
The 30 Day Challenge is stalling out hardcore. About a week in my weight jumped about 3 pounds, and I'm struggling to get back to where I started. Wonderful. Meanwhile, Bebel dropped about 3 pounds and then hit a brick wall and hasn't changed in a week. So that's... yeah.
Well, I guess that's about it. Happy 4th!
rickie-d
So on my way back from grabbing some groceries, I saw a tree. But not just any tree. No, this tree was standing tall over a bench on which a sapling was laid. Like some kind of bizarre arbor wake. It was kind of unsettling.
Anyway, the coming week is my last week doing work study in WPI's Technical Theatre Office. Been a good run (nowhere NEAR done digitizing photos, gotta figure out what to do about that), but the week after that I'm co-running the Frontiers Drama program! For those not in the know, Frontiers is a program at WPI where high school juniors and seniors come to the school for two weeks to learn about various stuff that WPI does. Myself and Steven Vessella are running the Drama program this year (we produced and directed, respectively, last winter's production of The Crucible). 25 kids, which is pretty cool. Plus we have someone from the UK, one from Tokyo, one from Greece, an albino Jamaican, and twins. THAT IS SO AWESOME.
Writing's been coming very slowly. I've got nine stories under the Crusaders banner cooking, probably with a few more to fill out the middle. What's tricky is that because I'm working it into (and simultaneously writing) a larger body of work, it's complicating itself, but in a helping sort of way. Example: there's a very minor crossover in the second story as a character leaves (and then shows up in the first story of the connected series). This one's pretty easy to manage, and even assists both stories pretty well. A more difficult example comes in near the end of the first volume of both, as there is a crossover that pretty much consumes an issue of each (think CSI: Trilogy). Anyway, ideas are still flowing, albeit slowly.
Not entirely sure what I'm doing for the 4th yet. There was supposed to be some tech demo filming going on today with Brandon, Steve, and Scott, but I think it might have fallen through. My dad's down in Connecticut with his relatives, not sure what my mom's side's up to, and while Holly was talking Martha's Vineyard (her dad has a boat), seeing as it's 4pm and Bebel's only just gotten up, not sure what's gonna happen with that.
The 30 Day Challenge is stalling out hardcore. About a week in my weight jumped about 3 pounds, and I'm struggling to get back to where I started. Wonderful. Meanwhile, Bebel dropped about 3 pounds and then hit a brick wall and hasn't changed in a week. So that's... yeah.
Well, I guess that's about it. Happy 4th!
rickie-d
Friday, June 25, 2010
and if we make a little space, a science fiction showcase
So I've thought about this for a little while now. And after having watched Be Kind Rewind for the millionth time, I think I wanna give sweding a shot.
For those unfamiliar with the notion of sweding, either watch Be Kind Rewind, or check out Broken Wall Films' Army of Darkness, sweded. It pretty much boils down to "Refilm a popular movie, from scratch, with zero budget and minimal editing, preferably from memory."
So the question is: if you could have any movie sweded, what would it be?
For those unfamiliar with the notion of sweding, either watch Be Kind Rewind, or check out Broken Wall Films' Army of Darkness, sweded. It pretty much boils down to "Refilm a popular movie, from scratch, with zero budget and minimal editing, preferably from memory."
So the question is: if you could have any movie sweded, what would it be?
today is where your book begins, the rest is still unwritten
Turns out I'm not as crazy as I thought, ha HA! This morning on my way up to work, I thought I passed someone who I wouldn't expect to be in Worcester during the summer. It kinda bugged me that I wasn't 100%, but according to my friend Holly (Bebel's girlfriend, for those not in the know) it was. Which... is weirdish. I mean, I'm not entirely thrilled to be running into this person. I've taken my lumps and then some. Not something I wanna get into though. Moving on to the real point of this post.
So I've started actually writing (as opposed to conceptualizing), and... man it's been FAR too long since I wrote a narrative of any kind. I'm a little too used to writing for screen or stage, so there's a lot more "fill in the blanks" going on. But progress is progress. Ooh, and I've got a bit more of the overall volume figured out too, so that's good.
I'm kind of going in blindish, and hoping it comes out alright. I've never really been much a fan of my own work. I dunno, I've always been kind of embarrassed at myself. Not sure if it's because I'm a perfectionist, or if that's why I'm a perfectionist, but I usually try to find some way to make things better than before if I can.
Anyway, the first story, "The Pilot", is off and running. Under a page so far. And after this, I have at least seven more to go in the current volume that I've got formulated. I think this'll end up being about 15 pages when I'm done with it, we'll see though.
So yeah. Exciting. My brain is fried, but I'm gonna see if I can crank out a bit more.
Up, up, and away!
rickie-d
So I've started actually writing (as opposed to conceptualizing), and... man it's been FAR too long since I wrote a narrative of any kind. I'm a little too used to writing for screen or stage, so there's a lot more "fill in the blanks" going on. But progress is progress. Ooh, and I've got a bit more of the overall volume figured out too, so that's good.
I'm kind of going in blindish, and hoping it comes out alright. I've never really been much a fan of my own work. I dunno, I've always been kind of embarrassed at myself. Not sure if it's because I'm a perfectionist, or if that's why I'm a perfectionist, but I usually try to find some way to make things better than before if I can.
Anyway, the first story, "The Pilot", is off and running. Under a page so far. And after this, I have at least seven more to go in the current volume that I've got formulated. I think this'll end up being about 15 pages when I'm done with it, we'll see though.
So yeah. Exciting. My brain is fried, but I'm gonna see if I can crank out a bit more.
Up, up, and away!
rickie-d
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
this is where we used to live
FINALLY managed to get my bed over to the new apartment. Oh god. For the record, moving a mattress, bed spring, and metal frame by yourself is hard as hell. Compound that with the extremely narrow spiraling stairwell and a tiny Toyota Echo and my workout for the day has been replaced. Hoo. Still need to wash one sheet and get my comforter dry cleaned, but since it's a billion degrees out, I don't think I'll miss them much in the meantime.
Good news, all that's left to do at the old apartment is cleaning and trash/junk removal.
Bad news, the junk includes a huge, shitty wooden desk, an enormous broken-in-half recliner, and a foosball table that my dad might want (which means I'll have to NOT junk it, but rather move it and put it SOMEWHERE. Hoorah.
So now that my apartment is fully stocked with all of my stuff, it's time to finish organizing everything. It's getting there, but some stuff just keeps getting in the way (I own way the fuck too many funny T-shirts, for example. They don't all fit in my closet, and I'm not a huge dresser person. Too hard to find what you're looking for.)
Getting a little further in my writing. I've now hit the point where I can't decide how I want to write it. It's a series (of some sort) about masked vigilantes, in a world without what you'd call superheroes. At least, that's the way it seems until a mysterious flying man suddenly appears.
I can't decide what I want to do with it, though. There are three options: book, graphic novel, screenplay. If I write it as a book, it'll have to be a series of short-ish stories. The content doesn't really suit the medium, but if I can't decide what I want to do, at least this option translates to the other two reasonably well. If I write it as a graphic novel, which the content seems to suit the best, I'd need to find an artist (as my art skills are nowhere near what I'd like for something like this). If I write it as a screenplay, the trick then is production. This series takes place within a larger universe I've been working on, and for it to be filmed would work best if the rest of the material was being filmed too (for those of you who know me or know the stuff I've written or worked on in the past, the current series takes place in the same universe as Davian City Blues, The College Crew/Candyman, and The Party Train/Thank You, Places. Trust me, they're not as entirely unrelated as it would seem.)
For those who don't know, Davian City Blues is a four-volume series about the son of a former mafioso taking down a corrupt city, The College Crew (conceived by Sean Dyer and Caleb Wrobel) is about a group of sort-of-superpowered college students, Candyman (conceived by Caleb Wrobel) is about an agent that uses candy as a weapon, Thank You, Places (conceived by myself and Nick Bebel) is a series about the crazy-but-true events that happen in the circle we ran with at WPI (The Party Train was a specific chapter of this, produced as a play in WPI's New Voices festival).
The series I'm working on now (current posited names include Crusaders, Wonder, and a number of other equally "eh" titles) is about a specific set of people who try to fix the city they live in by taking down bad guys. The above series all have connecting points to the story.
So the question is, what medium? I'm thinking book for now, then try to get an artist for graphic novel creation, then build it all up and solidify it for film.
Thoughts?
rickie-d
Good news, all that's left to do at the old apartment is cleaning and trash/junk removal.
Bad news, the junk includes a huge, shitty wooden desk, an enormous broken-in-half recliner, and a foosball table that my dad might want (which means I'll have to NOT junk it, but rather move it and put it SOMEWHERE. Hoorah.
So now that my apartment is fully stocked with all of my stuff, it's time to finish organizing everything. It's getting there, but some stuff just keeps getting in the way (I own way the fuck too many funny T-shirts, for example. They don't all fit in my closet, and I'm not a huge dresser person. Too hard to find what you're looking for.)
Getting a little further in my writing. I've now hit the point where I can't decide how I want to write it. It's a series (of some sort) about masked vigilantes, in a world without what you'd call superheroes. At least, that's the way it seems until a mysterious flying man suddenly appears.
I can't decide what I want to do with it, though. There are three options: book, graphic novel, screenplay. If I write it as a book, it'll have to be a series of short-ish stories. The content doesn't really suit the medium, but if I can't decide what I want to do, at least this option translates to the other two reasonably well. If I write it as a graphic novel, which the content seems to suit the best, I'd need to find an artist (as my art skills are nowhere near what I'd like for something like this). If I write it as a screenplay, the trick then is production. This series takes place within a larger universe I've been working on, and for it to be filmed would work best if the rest of the material was being filmed too (for those of you who know me or know the stuff I've written or worked on in the past, the current series takes place in the same universe as Davian City Blues, The College Crew/Candyman, and The Party Train/Thank You, Places. Trust me, they're not as entirely unrelated as it would seem.)
For those who don't know, Davian City Blues is a four-volume series about the son of a former mafioso taking down a corrupt city, The College Crew (conceived by Sean Dyer and Caleb Wrobel) is about a group of sort-of-superpowered college students, Candyman (conceived by Caleb Wrobel) is about an agent that uses candy as a weapon, Thank You, Places (conceived by myself and Nick Bebel) is a series about the crazy-but-true events that happen in the circle we ran with at WPI (The Party Train was a specific chapter of this, produced as a play in WPI's New Voices festival).
The series I'm working on now (current posited names include Crusaders, Wonder, and a number of other equally "eh" titles) is about a specific set of people who try to fix the city they live in by taking down bad guys. The above series all have connecting points to the story.
So the question is, what medium? I'm thinking book for now, then try to get an artist for graphic novel creation, then build it all up and solidify it for film.
Thoughts?
rickie-d
Sunday, June 20, 2010
i'm glad i came here with your pound of flesh
Whew. Day 2 of the 30 Day Challenge and I hit the ground running. Not literally. If I had sneakers that didn't fall apart in high school, perhaps it would be more literal. Eh. But I did a much more thorough workout today than yesterday (which was more discovering what new stuff was in Wii Fit Plus than anything else). Lemme tell ya, it is HARD to get back into this stuff, yikes.
The good part about working out: seeing results. I'm down 1.1 lbs from yesterday. A pace that'll slow down, obviously, but it's still nice to see.
The bad part about working out: seeing results. I've got a long way to go. What's worse, never ever voluntarily look at caloric equivalences. It's a recipe for sadness. Through my routine, I supposedly burned 422 calories. Which Wii Fit Plus was happy to immediately inform me was basically a bowl of onion rings.
I worked off onion rings. Son of a bitch.
Anyway, it's nice to at least get the ball rolling. I'm sure I'll be in agonizing pain in no time. Either way, I'm tired of this gut, it's time to get rid of it.
Happy Father's Day, everybody!
rickie-d
The good part about working out: seeing results. I'm down 1.1 lbs from yesterday. A pace that'll slow down, obviously, but it's still nice to see.
The bad part about working out: seeing results. I've got a long way to go. What's worse, never ever voluntarily look at caloric equivalences. It's a recipe for sadness. Through my routine, I supposedly burned 422 calories. Which Wii Fit Plus was happy to immediately inform me was basically a bowl of onion rings.
I worked off onion rings. Son of a bitch.
Anyway, it's nice to at least get the ball rolling. I'm sure I'll be in agonizing pain in no time. Either way, I'm tired of this gut, it's time to get rid of it.
Happy Father's Day, everybody!
rickie-d
Saturday, June 19, 2010
burn, baby, burn
So Bebel just bought Wii Fit Plus (as well as No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle) last night. Which means it's about that time again (and not a moment too soon). Time to start getting some basic fitness/exercise back into my life.
He's starting up a "30 Day Challenge" to see which of us can lose more percentage weight in 30 days (which, thank you June, is exactly one month). As unhealthy a goal as it is, we're both aiming to lose about 15% of our total weight in 30 days. An unlikely (and probably dangerous) goal, yes, but I've actually done it before, give or take. Two years back I dropped 35 pounds in 40 days (and it felt goooood). Never managed to break below 210 though. Getting my bike in ride-able condition soon too, so that'll help.
So then, that makes today Day 1. I weighed in this morning at 241.4 lbs. For those playing at home, every 2.414lbs I lose is 1%, so my 15% goal means I'm looking to lose 36.21 lbs. I will almost certainly not pull it off, but I'd like to at least get the ball rolling.
Here goes nothin'
rickie-d
He's starting up a "30 Day Challenge" to see which of us can lose more percentage weight in 30 days (which, thank you June, is exactly one month). As unhealthy a goal as it is, we're both aiming to lose about 15% of our total weight in 30 days. An unlikely (and probably dangerous) goal, yes, but I've actually done it before, give or take. Two years back I dropped 35 pounds in 40 days (and it felt goooood). Never managed to break below 210 though. Getting my bike in ride-able condition soon too, so that'll help.
So then, that makes today Day 1. I weighed in this morning at 241.4 lbs. For those playing at home, every 2.414lbs I lose is 1%, so my 15% goal means I'm looking to lose 36.21 lbs. I will almost certainly not pull it off, but I'd like to at least get the ball rolling.
Here goes nothin'
rickie-d
EDIT: Let me clarify, I'm not expecting to drop 36 lbs in 30 days. That's more my "end goal" for, let's say the summer. I'd like to eventually get back down to my high school weight of 185 lbs, but that's still a long ways off.
Monday, June 14, 2010
love and money
So it's been a while since I last posted. Been a busy week, lemme tell ya.
Finally set up my first bank account that didn't have a parent's name attached to it last Friday. Was pretty awesome, I feel all... adultish. Whoa. Meanwhile, I also caught wind of my work study position lasting two weeks longer than I was worried it would, so that's cool. I finally have a little bit of expendable income, which is a MASSIVE change of pace from say, the past two years.
Speaking of money, I've been moving to a new apartment (hence the lack of posts here) and I'm looking to sell a whole bunch of stuff. So if you're in the Worcester area and want some swag, keep an eye on this page over the coming week, and I'll update with what I'm looking to get rid of. If anyone wants a fat-assed 34" HDTV, I'm looking to get rid of it for (hopefully) $300ish.
Recently learned just how insanely cost-efficient it is to have your own washer and dryer. I bought a 96-loads bottle of detergent for $9.99. That's 10.4 cents a load. Compare that to the Jim Dandy cost of $2.25 a load, and it really adds up. Especially when you've got about 20 loads of laundry you've been not doing because you knew a washing machine was in your near future.
Oh, I also went to a wedding this weekend. It's only the third wedding I've ever been to, and the second for a friend. My { Empty Set } comrade Edmund "EJ" Massa and Anna Vukalovic got hitched out in Stockbridge this past Saturday. Latin mass (which despite being raised Catholic, taking 13 years of Catholic schooling, and subsequently "dropping out" of the whole religion thing, was still kind of woah), big reception in an outdoor tenty thing. Us SCPers were all together in the back corner (because come on, an open bar means we might start humping the cake, for all we know), and got down with our bad selves.
I may have gotten a dozen of us to dance to Cotton-Eye Joe.
It was righteous.
Viva la vida,
rickie-d
Finally set up my first bank account that didn't have a parent's name attached to it last Friday. Was pretty awesome, I feel all... adultish. Whoa. Meanwhile, I also caught wind of my work study position lasting two weeks longer than I was worried it would, so that's cool. I finally have a little bit of expendable income, which is a MASSIVE change of pace from say, the past two years.
Speaking of money, I've been moving to a new apartment (hence the lack of posts here) and I'm looking to sell a whole bunch of stuff. So if you're in the Worcester area and want some swag, keep an eye on this page over the coming week, and I'll update with what I'm looking to get rid of. If anyone wants a fat-assed 34" HDTV, I'm looking to get rid of it for (hopefully) $300ish.
Recently learned just how insanely cost-efficient it is to have your own washer and dryer. I bought a 96-loads bottle of detergent for $9.99. That's 10.4 cents a load. Compare that to the Jim Dandy cost of $2.25 a load, and it really adds up. Especially when you've got about 20 loads of laundry you've been not doing because you knew a washing machine was in your near future.
Oh, I also went to a wedding this weekend. It's only the third wedding I've ever been to, and the second for a friend. My { Empty Set } comrade Edmund "EJ" Massa and Anna Vukalovic got hitched out in Stockbridge this past Saturday. Latin mass (which despite being raised Catholic, taking 13 years of Catholic schooling, and subsequently "dropping out" of the whole religion thing, was still kind of woah), big reception in an outdoor tenty thing. Us SCPers were all together in the back corner (because come on, an open bar means we might start humping the cake, for all we know), and got down with our bad selves.
I may have gotten a dozen of us to dance to Cotton-Eye Joe.
It was righteous.
Viva la vida,
rickie-d
Saturday, June 5, 2010
would it please you to listen to thunder instead?
I love thunderstorms.
Love them.
Which made last night's unusually powerful T-storm with a side of marble-sized hail all the more fucking awesome. Really weird-ass weather for Worcester, and it looks like some kind of storm's closing in again. I'm hoping it's not TOO too bad, since I'm heading to my buddy EJ's bachelor party and good weather for the drive up would be nice.
So I'm kind of in Hotel Mode right now. The new apartment is still new and doesn't feel like "home" just yet, and moving stuff out of the old place makes it feel less like the clime I've become accustomed to. It's kinda weird. It is nice to finally have carpet, though.
Downloading the first nine episodes of Open Lounge onto my iPod for untethered consumption. It's a Broken Wall Films podcast directed by Alex Laferriere and produced by Steve DiTullio, usually featuring a guest (Brandon Vogel, for example). It's sort of a shoot-the-shit podcast, but it gets into some truly bizarre topics of conversation. Been bugging Al and Steve for a little while now, hopefully they'll keep me in the know when new episodes get recorded.
On an only sort of related note, I've been spearheading the new run of the Something Remote web series on Earth's Mightiest Fansites (currently the top story too, which is very cool). I would keep an eye out for the interview landing Wednesday, there might be a really excellent "scoop", muahaha.
Bring on the rain and bring on the thunder,
rickie-d
Love them.
Which made last night's unusually powerful T-storm with a side of marble-sized hail all the more fucking awesome. Really weird-ass weather for Worcester, and it looks like some kind of storm's closing in again. I'm hoping it's not TOO too bad, since I'm heading to my buddy EJ's bachelor party and good weather for the drive up would be nice.
So I'm kind of in Hotel Mode right now. The new apartment is still new and doesn't feel like "home" just yet, and moving stuff out of the old place makes it feel less like the clime I've become accustomed to. It's kinda weird. It is nice to finally have carpet, though.
Downloading the first nine episodes of Open Lounge onto my iPod for untethered consumption. It's a Broken Wall Films podcast directed by Alex Laferriere and produced by Steve DiTullio, usually featuring a guest (Brandon Vogel, for example). It's sort of a shoot-the-shit podcast, but it gets into some truly bizarre topics of conversation. Been bugging Al and Steve for a little while now, hopefully they'll keep me in the know when new episodes get recorded.
On an only sort of related note, I've been spearheading the new run of the Something Remote web series on Earth's Mightiest Fansites (currently the top story too, which is very cool). I would keep an eye out for the interview landing Wednesday, there might be a really excellent "scoop", muahaha.
Bring on the rain and bring on the thunder,
rickie-d
Friday, June 4, 2010
what's that coming over the hill? is it a monster? is it a monster?
So in my spare time, I've bounced a bit between hobbies. Been trying to try new things, but I seem to keep bouncing back to old (not necessarily bad) habits.
I've been playing Chrono Cross lately, and boy am I glad I did. I first picked it up (and quickly put it down again) two years ago, frustrated by how complicated they made the battle system. I've since figured it out... mostly... and it's made the experience a lot better. I will say it's very cool that [the main character comes from a timeline where, by being alive, Chrono Trigger didn't happen the way it was supposed to. What's freakier is that the alternate world you travel to is the one where those events did happen. Very intriguing.] Getting near the end of Disc 1, so we'll see what happens.
I've also been getting back into writing, in various capacities. My pseudo-superhero series Crusaders is getting a little air in its wings, and a full volume is starting to come together. Fixing up my short film script Shots for (hopefully) eventual mass consumption.
But what's been most interesting in my writing came from a game series introduced to me by my friend Joshua called the Chzo Mythos. For those unaware, it's a series of four point-and-click adventure games (well, three; the third game is a text-parsing adventure game) written by Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw of Zero Punctuation fame. I can't really describe what it's about without spoiling some seriously impressive storytelling, but it is definitely an experience well worth having. Google "chzo mythos" and go nuts.
But anyway, in particular I've started taking a closer look at the first game in the series, 5 Days a Stranger. It features a "gentleman thief", who calls himself Trilby, breaking into a country manor whose owner had recently passed away in order to steal any valuables before they were removed. However, after he becomes trapped in the house, things start to get out of hand as other prisoners of the house slowly begin disappearing...
In random stints of free time, I've sat down and tried writing a film script based on 5 Days a Stranger. I have a long-ass ways to go, but it's coming along. If I happen to finish it before the end of the year, I might toss it to Broken Wall Films and see if they'd be up for filming a feature-length thriller.
Of course, I'd need to get the go-ahead from Yahtzee. But hey, it's an exercise in adaptation if nothing else.
See you in another life, brotha!
rickie-d
I've been playing Chrono Cross lately, and boy am I glad I did. I first picked it up (and quickly put it down again) two years ago, frustrated by how complicated they made the battle system. I've since figured it out... mostly... and it's made the experience a lot better. I will say it's very cool that [the main character comes from a timeline where, by being alive, Chrono Trigger didn't happen the way it was supposed to. What's freakier is that the alternate world you travel to is the one where those events did happen. Very intriguing.] Getting near the end of Disc 1, so we'll see what happens.
I've also been getting back into writing, in various capacities. My pseudo-superhero series Crusaders is getting a little air in its wings, and a full volume is starting to come together. Fixing up my short film script Shots for (hopefully) eventual mass consumption.
But what's been most interesting in my writing came from a game series introduced to me by my friend Joshua called the Chzo Mythos. For those unaware, it's a series of four point-and-click adventure games (well, three; the third game is a text-parsing adventure game) written by Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw of Zero Punctuation fame. I can't really describe what it's about without spoiling some seriously impressive storytelling, but it is definitely an experience well worth having. Google "chzo mythos" and go nuts.
But anyway, in particular I've started taking a closer look at the first game in the series, 5 Days a Stranger. It features a "gentleman thief", who calls himself Trilby, breaking into a country manor whose owner had recently passed away in order to steal any valuables before they were removed. However, after he becomes trapped in the house, things start to get out of hand as other prisoners of the house slowly begin disappearing...
In random stints of free time, I've sat down and tried writing a film script based on 5 Days a Stranger. I have a long-ass ways to go, but it's coming along. If I happen to finish it before the end of the year, I might toss it to Broken Wall Films and see if they'd be up for filming a feature-length thriller.
Of course, I'd need to get the go-ahead from Yahtzee. But hey, it's an exercise in adaptation if nothing else.
See you in another life, brotha!
rickie-d
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
'cause everything is rent
So, I'm squaring away the utilities from my old apartment, getting stuff disconnected/transferred as need be. Reason #325 I'm pumped for the new pad: all utilities minus cable/internet are included in the rent. That will make life much, much easier.
Setting up some payment plan stuff for the remaining overdue stuff. Internet and electricity won't be too bad (should have them both done in June). The old gas bill however... yikes. That's gonna take some creative legwork. And by the way, what the hell kind of payment plan policy is "pay half of it now, then we'll set up a payment plan"? Presumably the overdue stuff is from far enough back that half of it is more than your average bill. If I can't pay the bill, how do they expect me to pay more than the bill? We'll see how that goes. Gotta make sure I have enough money for July's rent, but there's still a graduation party with the folks coming up, maybe I'll get crazy lucky. Fingers crossed. ...also, looking for a good job for August, but that's for another time.
Dollar dollar bills, y'all
rickie-d
Setting up some payment plan stuff for the remaining overdue stuff. Internet and electricity won't be too bad (should have them both done in June). The old gas bill however... yikes. That's gonna take some creative legwork. And by the way, what the hell kind of payment plan policy is "pay half of it now, then we'll set up a payment plan"? Presumably the overdue stuff is from far enough back that half of it is more than your average bill. If I can't pay the bill, how do they expect me to pay more than the bill? We'll see how that goes. Gotta make sure I have enough money for July's rent, but there's still a graduation party with the folks coming up, maybe I'll get crazy lucky. Fingers crossed. ...also, looking for a good job for August, but that's for another time.
Dollar dollar bills, y'all
rickie-d
it's a brand new day, and the sun is high
Hello, summer! Well, the grand adventure that was WPI is finally over. A five-year, $200,000 journey that ended in... a degree in Humanities and Arts, concentrated in Drama and Theatre. Not that it's nothing, it was a lot of hard-ass work, but I can't help but dread the coming months in the world of employment fishing.
Fear aside, I'm psyched that it's finally summertime. Me and my buddy Nick just went through our new apartment for the second time, as it was getting cleared out for us. It is... SWEET. A monstrous step up from the dump I'd been living in for the last three years. Besides the fact that the rent is already pretty reasonable just for a nice-looking apartment, it not only has basic utilities included (heat, gas, electricity, water), but it's got SUPER AWESOME bonuses too (washer/dryer, dishwasher, AIR CONDITIONING). I can't wait. Seriously, it's gonna be awesome.
I was kinda hoping to make this first post a bit bigger, but it's almost one in the morning, and I need to get up to get SOME work done before rehearsal (I'm in a play called Dark Play, or Stories for Boys as part of the Sunburns Theatre Company, but that's for another time).
Hasta la bamba!
rickie-d
Fear aside, I'm psyched that it's finally summertime. Me and my buddy Nick just went through our new apartment for the second time, as it was getting cleared out for us. It is... SWEET. A monstrous step up from the dump I'd been living in for the last three years. Besides the fact that the rent is already pretty reasonable just for a nice-looking apartment, it not only has basic utilities included (heat, gas, electricity, water), but it's got SUPER AWESOME bonuses too (washer/dryer, dishwasher, AIR CONDITIONING). I can't wait. Seriously, it's gonna be awesome.
I was kinda hoping to make this first post a bit bigger, but it's almost one in the morning, and I need to get up to get SOME work done before rehearsal (I'm in a play called Dark Play, or Stories for Boys as part of the Sunburns Theatre Company, but that's for another time).
Hasta la bamba!
rickie-d
Friday, April 2, 2010
welcome back, my friends, to the show that never ends
Hi there! If you're coming in from some random corner of the web, welcome to my (upcoming) blog! Not much to see right now, but very soon I'll be gearing this bad boy up. Stay tuned!
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