Friday, September 30, 2005
A Christmas Carol
Yay! I'm going to be involved in A Christmas Carol! I got the part of Mary. She is at dinner at Scrooge's nephew Fred's house. I'm pretty excited because it seems like it'll be a really fun production to be involved with. And - I'll get to wear a fancy dress! Rehearsals start on October 13th and the production will be November 17 - 20.
Posted by Dre at 7:54 AM
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Thursday, September 29, 2005
A Quiet Evening
I'm enjoying the schedule for Tosca. We had last night off, so I was able to run out and get a few groceries and then enjoy a quiet evening in - just puttering about my apartment. Now don't get me wrong - I had tons of stuff I could or should work on, but I just didn't have the energy to do much of anything. As it is, I wound up hitting the hay rather early - and still sleeping in a bit today. I guess I needed the break!
Posted by Dre at 8:02 AM
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Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Piles o' Fun
Last night was the full dress rehearsal for Tosca wtih the student audience. We had the full makeup crew there and it was our first opportunity to give the whole shebang a go. Thankfully it all went very smoothly - for the most part. I did have a wee mishap while "torturing" Stuart where the cap on the squeeze bottle flew off and the fake blood came gushing out rather heavily. Oops. :-)
At lunch today, Beth and I had our first noontime workout. We are adding a regular weight routine to our running schedules. Not only will it help with our running, but maybe we'll even become a bit more svelt. You never know.... ;-) At least we're enjoying it!
Posted by Dre at 12:59 PM
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Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Sewing Projects
I made a Halloween costume that was based on an elven dress from LOTR but as I was finishing it I finally figured out what I'd really like to do for Halloween. So I went back out to Fabricville to get a pattern and fabric for my new idea. I'm thinking I may just be a pirate. It'd be fun and I can "Yarr!" and "Arrggg!" all night long! LOL
I've been busy working on makeup for Tosca and I have to spend a fair amount of time backstage - and I needed a proper way to lug some of my supplies around. So, last night after the rehearsal, I went home and made an apron with lots of pockets for my supplies. I used the pleather that I'd purchased for the vest portion of my pirate costume. It turned out pretty well, even though pleather is hard to work with - it's stretchy and when you are sewing pleather-side up, it drags a bit from the foot of the sewing machine.
Posted by Dre at 12:01 AM
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Monday, September 26, 2005
Tosca
I'm working on makeup for Tosca. I was asked to stop in on Saturday night do do the torture makeup for one of the leads. (Sorry to those of you that were doing Improv at the ABEC that night. I wanted to go but I couldn't. I hope it went well and you had a good crowd. One of these days I really will make it to one of your shows!) It looks like Tosca be a great show - especially if you like opera. It's at the Imperial Theatre on Thursday, Saturday and Monday evenings. I am looking forward to working on this for the better part of my week. The folks involved are all very nice and - since I'll have to spend a bit of time backstage during the show, I'm looking forward to watching it from that spot. :-)
Posted by Dre at 12:04 PM
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Friday, September 23, 2005
Friday Feast
Appetizer:
Name something someone has done lately that impressed you.
I'm impressed by the positive attitudes and willingness to help others that some of my close friends have. It is inspiring.
Soup:
Do you have any relaxing rituals? If so, what are they?
Running relaxes me - it helps me burn off stress and I get great exercise endorphines from it! I also like to enjoy a glass of wine with friends.
Salad:
If you could spend the winter season somewhere other than your current location, where would you choose to stay?
Somewhere warm. If I didn't have to worry about funds? Perhaps I'd winter in Andalucia - the south of Spain.
Main Course:
When was the last time you had dinner out, and what was the name of the restaurant?
Swiss Chalet last night.
Dessert:
If you had a boat, what would you name it?
SeaVixen. Really though - I have no desire to own a boat. A canoe or kayak perhaps, but not a boat.
Posted by Dre at 8:05 AM
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Thursday, September 22, 2005
Water
I've never been one to drink a lot of water. A regular day for me would be a 1/2 cup of coffee mid-morning, maybe a juice at lunch, a large coffee in the afternoon, then maybe a small glass of juice in the evening. That's it - obviously not enough liquid getting into the ol' system. It's a terrible habit that I've got to change. Recently I've been trying to force myself to drink more water. I've never really liked it so that makes it difficult to consume. So at work, Beth and I are trying a new thing. She stops by in the morning for a water break and we force ourselves to drink water. It's working well. I think the hardest part is getting started with the water drinking, so it's good to get this done early in the day. I hope we can keep it up.
Posted by Dre at 8:04 AM
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Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Late September
Where is the year going? Is it really already autumn? I don't know if I'm ready for it. I could handle another month or two of summer. Oh well. I guess I'll just have to deal with it. I do love this time of year - don't get me wrong. It's just that I know it ends in winter and (as much as I enjoy Christmas) I have a hard time with winter. I just don't like the cold. I get tired of having to layer all the time and I'm not looking forward to shoveling out my car. But I am getting ahead of myself. The leaves haven't even turned yet (for the most part). The good thing about autumn is that the days are a bit cooler, which is much better weather if you like to run outdoors. (It's hard to run when it's hot hot hot.) And it's beautiful when the leaves change. And I like the fresh smell of the air. And Halloween. I love a chance to dress up. And carved pumpkins. Mmmm... and pumpkin pie... and turkey! Mmm... Thanksgiving dinner... OK... maybe now I'm ready for autumn!
Posted by Dre at 8:08 AM
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Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Halloween
No - I'm not kidding. I am talking about Halloween when it's still more than a month away. On Sunday I headed out to Fabricville to look at patterns. I have decided that this year would be a good year to make something that I can wear into the office. Something that's comfortable and doesn't require a wig or a ton of makeup. And I found just what I was looking for - a lovely dress that is styled along the lines of The Lord of the Rings. It's not a movie replica - it's just styled "along the lines of" the film. I picked up my pattern and fabric and headed home to spend the rest of my waking hours cutting out the pattern and fabric. Last night I started sewing it together. But I didn't get started until 7:30 pm (after the gym then supper then dishes.) It was very slow-going. The fabric that I'm working with has a nap, so I had to use a ton of pins to keep it from moving around as it moved through the machine. That takes time. I got a few pieces put together just in time for Jay to come over and watch the second-last show of Rock Star: INXS. They are down to J.D., Marty and MiG. The finale is tonight. By tonight, they will have a new lead singer.
Posted by Dre at 8:13 AM
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Monday, September 19, 2005
A Belated Friday Feast
Appetizer:
Do your closer friends tend to be male or female? Why do you think that is?
I have just as many close friends of either gender. The key is not the gender but the personality.
Soup:
If you could wake up tomorrow with a new talent, what would it be?
Hmmm.. considering that most "talents" need to be developed - it'd be pretty cool to cut a few corners and wake up being able to play a musical instrument well without years of training. Uh - or I could handle waking up and genetically having and awesome Max VO2 level. That's be handy too. But is that really considered a talent?
Salad:
Name a household cleaning item that you would recommend to others.
Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. They are AMAZING!!!
Main Course:
What do you strive for in life?
Happiness and Balance.
Dessert:
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how funny do you consider yourself?
Maybe a 4. Really - I do have a sense of humour but it can be pretty dry or cheesy depending on my mood. I'm not really a joke-telling kinda gal, and I'm not a fan of practical jokes. I've been told that I'm pretty serious. I prefer to think of myself as straight-forward and easy-going for the most part.
Posted by Dre at 8:14 AM
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Friday, September 16, 2005
A Wonderful Bit of Snippitry From Beth
I got back from my trip and was so excited about getting home. I wanted to blog about it and then I got thinking - this would make a great BethPoem(TM) so I asked her if she would do me the honour of coming up with something and she did and it's wonderful - thank you so much, Beth. You are very talented!
Safe Landing
i love the feeling of getting away, every now and then
stepping out
to soar
new places, new faces, new food, new finds
invigorating, refreshing, following the road that winds
its hard work soaring, gliding, through the unfamiliar
a spirit tires
loses steam
thoughts turn to where the flight began
head up, wings down, back as soon as I can
i love coming home, to friends, to the familiar
heart and soul fed
pillow welcomes the cheek
happy to return to the place I love best,
cozy, safe, familiar- my humble, happy nest
-Beth Herron
Posted by Dre at 8:13 AM
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Thursday, September 15, 2005
Auditioned
So last night I went out and auditioned for "A Christmas Carol." I figured I would get it over with so I could focus on other things. But now I find that I'm waiting to find out the results - and that won't be until all of the auditions are over with (after the 24th) so it'll be a while. There were a ton of people out. So many, in fact, that I didn't audition until about 10:15 - and there were still 5 or so people after me! It was a nice opportunity to catch up with some folks though. I imagine it'll be much the same tonight and Saturday. I can certainly see why so many people would be interested - it seems like it'll be a really fun show to be involved with!
Posted by Dre at 8:02 AM
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Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Theatrical Makeup
I got home from my trip to a flurry of messages from Marzenna. She was looking for someone who could be head of makeup for Tosca (by Opera New Brunswick that is coming to the Imperial Theatre on Thursday September 29, Saturday October 1st and Monday October 3rd.) Usually Faye or Marzenna would do this but poor Faye has some back problems and Marzenna has a new job that is very demanding of her time. I'm looking forward to working on the show. It is one of my favourite operas.
I've also been asked by the Saint John Theatre Company to put together a makeup workshop to teach people how to do their own stage makeup. That will be on Tuesday October 18th at 7pm at the SJTC loft. It will be a hands-on event so people can practice their own stage makeup. This is an important skill that every performer should have.
Posted by Dre at 8:06 AM
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Tuesday, September 13, 2005
The Redesigned Conference Room
The trip was was a pretty good one overall. I got as much done on the room as I could before our budgets got cut. There are a few other things I would have liked to do but they'll have to wait until the new year. Eventually I will add some furniture from IKEA for a sitting area, a couple of large paintings to hang over the creepy 2-way mirrors that aren't used anymore, and some ceiling-suspended projection equipment for presentations. Still though, I'm happy with what I got done.
It was a pretty bland (putty-colored) room to start with and they had not been making good use of the space. There were a lot of items in the room that weren't even being used, so I got those removed and rearranged things a wee bit. Here are a few pics of the room BEFORE:
(the 19-foot long corkboard was never used)
For the theme of the room I focused on people and their need to be connected - with friends, their family, their children, etc. I used some fun bright colours and tried to add a bit of pizzaz to the room....
(yes - the mural is painted right over the corkboard. The photos are formatted to resemble polaroids and they are mounted on foam core so they stand out from the wall a bit. Some of the pictures are pretty funny - they make me laugh. hopefully it can do the same for anyone stuck in there for a long boring meeting!)
So here's hoping that when January rolls around I'll be able to pop back down and finish what I'd started. I hope the folks who use the room regularly enjoy it.
Posted by Dre at 8:14 AM
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Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Good Eats
I've been eating out a bit while I'm in Halifax. When I moved away from here 8 years ago, there were maybe about a dozen great places to eat. Now, as the population has exploded, there are a ton of new things inthe city, and a ton of new great places to eat. Last night I checked out Seven and it was unbeleivably good. I had duck in a blueberry sauce - mmmmm.... amazing food!!!
Posted by Dre at 11:22 AM
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Tuesday, September 06, 2005
The Long Weekend
I stayed and worked on the room on Friday night. Then Saturday I ran errands and mom came along. It was a very full day. That evening, Renny and I went to see The Transporter 2. If you liked the first one, or if you like action fluff movies, you'll love this. It was very entertaining non-stop action right through to the end.
Sunday I came in and spent about 12 hours painting, then Monday I came in and spent about 10 hours. The room is essentially painted but I still have the landscape to put in along the bottom of the mural. Then that's it for actually painting on the walls. There's still a ton of other stuff to do.
Last night I ate at Baan Thai. I sat out on the patio and I was seated next to a couple on a first date. I was glad the service was fast because I think I was starting to go insane from listening to their conversation. The guy spent a good solid 40 minutes talking non-stop about himself. He sounded like he was trying to sound intelligent but came out with gems like, "I have 500 unique thoughts a day and I spend at least 18 of them on self evaluation." Seriously folks, he actually said that. I felt bad for the poor girl who was out with him. Until she spoke. Well - it was entertaining at any rate and I hope they're happy together!
Posted by Dre at 10:09 AM
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Friday, September 02, 2005
Weekend? What weekend?
I went to see The 40 Year-old Virgin with Sue last night. Very funny. It's a good thing Jed stayed home with Jesse - he would have felt too embarrassed by that humour. It looks like It'll be a weekend of work, - I'm anxious to finish this project now that I know what I want it to turn out like.
Posted by Dre at 6:13 PM
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Thursday, September 01, 2005
Running Into Folks Like Crazy
So I had a bunch of running around to do in Halifax and sure enough - within one day - I ran into a whole slew of people I didn't expect to see. First of all, I ran into Semi. Yes he is alive and well. He is living in Halifax and studying Fine Arts at NSCAD (school starts on Wednesday). Then I ran into Daniel at Homesense. He's friends with Aldon and I hadn't seen him in years. He's a super nice guy and it was great to a\catch up with him. THEN I went across the street to Benjamin Moore paints and ran into Karen, who is married to my friend Neil from University. I think I've only seen her a couple of times since their wedding - and that was before I moved to Saint John! Wow - I figured that was it, but then didn't I run into Troy and Katie! I worked with them and hung out with them when I first moved here. They moved to Halifax a few years ago and we'd kind of lost touch. OKK - that was it. And that was enough for one day. One very cool day of running into old friends. :-)
Posted by Dre at 7:47 PM
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Close
It has been almost too close for slacks. I was on my way to Sue and Jed's apar5tent and I took the elevator with a fellow who said, "I can't wait 'till things cool off a bit, it's a little too close for my liking."
Posted by Dre at 7:38 PM
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Feeling A Bit Disconnected
I've been away - working on a fun project for work - where I get to redesign a conference room. The only tough thing about the project is the fact that I haven't had access to the internet since last week and I miss it! I miss catching up with my friends blogs and seeing how they're doing and what they're up to. I miss being able to look things up on a whim - like a price for an item from IKEA, or the Rotten Tomatoes rating for a movie. I guess I take it for granted when I'm use to having access to things at my fingertips.
Posted by Dre at 3:34 PM
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