Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Links for the day...
If you're interested in wasting a bit of time, Alchemy is an addictive little game you can find at PopCap.
Looks like some folks have gotten rather upset offended the film Memoirs of a Geisha. Nothing like a bit of controversy for publicity.
Posted by Dre at 2:24 PM
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Today's Update
Yesterday at lunch a few friends threw a "kitten shower" for me. They came over and met Hunter & Grace and brought their lunches. There are some pretty cool toys - thanks eveyone for all of the wonderful gifts! Joanna and Beth and Tom and Colin came up with a nice variety of kitten toys and treats. The cats got all freaky possessive about one or two of the toys that more closelyt resemble an actual animal (which I've decided to put away for now). Joanne couldn't make it but she left a bag at my desk with some cat toys and photo-frame kitten-themed Christmas cards. I'll have to set up a Christmas photo session with my kittens so I can send some pics of them to a few friends and relatives. I wonder if I'll be able to get them to stay still long enough. Lately, the only time they stop running and jumping and wrestling is if they are sleeping.
Yesterday evening was a relatively quiet one. There was a SJTC Second Stage Committee meeting and the rest of the night was spent at home trying to get a bit of reading done. Now that it's almost December I'm starting to gear up for Christmas. I don't normally do any Christmas decorating until the first of December and that will be the case this year as well. I'm not looking forward to putting my tree up - it's an artificial tree and it's a very time-consuming exercise to get it set up and get the lights on it. I hope it'll go a bit more smoothly this year than it has in the past. Oh - and no doubt this will mean all sorts of adventures for the kittens!!!
Posted by Dre at 12:57 PM
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Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Too Funny!
Kevin Spacey plays Christopher Walken as Han Solo and the late Walter Mattau as Obi Wan Kenobi. Darrell Hammond plays Richard Dryfus as C-3PO. Classic sketch from SNL spoofing behind the scenes footage of "Star Wars, the 20th Anniversary Home Video".
Posted by Dre at 11:09 AM
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Catching Up
I had a really nice evening catching up with Julie. We've spent months meaning to get together and hang out - but we usually only get a chance to do that when we are working on a production together. Not this time! Julie came over and met the kitties. It was a very relaxing evening and I hope it's not so long before we get a chance to catch up again!
Thanks Jenn Sheils, for the cat toys & pounce! The kitties love them! As I type this, I am looking at the back of my hands and all of the tiny scratches all over them from the kittens. I'm working on getting them comfortable with my handling their paws - as I can't wait to trim their little claws!!
Posted by Dre at 8:09 AM
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Monday, November 28, 2005
Who.... Me?!?
Grace waking Hunter up
I finally got my kittens this weekend -and they are SO adorable! I just love them!! They are 7 weeks old today and they weigh under 2 lbs each. Theyare adjusting very well - they will follow me from one room to another. Grace LOVES to play and attack things. She is pretty fearless and she likes to sit on me any time I'm around and not moving. Hunter is a lot more cautious than she is and prefers to hang out right next to me - still touching but not on me. They both have nice loud purrs and they are extra affectionate in the morning. They only wake me up once in the night - around 3:30 AM - as they want to play. That's not bad - I was expecting more interruptions. Thankfully they have each other to play with.
Posted by Dre at 8:04 AM
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Friday, November 25, 2005
Friday Feast #71
Appetizer:
What did you look like when you were a teenager?
I was tall and extremely skinny. Up to the age of 15, I was pretty darn geeky - with bad glasses and braces and I hadn't mastered my hair. Then the summer between grades 10 & 11 I finally got my braces off (after 4 years), got contact lenses and grew my hair out and got a spiral perm (it was the '80's after all).
Salad:
Whose advice do you listen to?
I listen to the advice of people who's opinions I respect.
Soup:
Name a book you would like to memorize.
What an odd question. I don't think there's necessarily any book that I'd like to memorize. I think I'll stick to learning my lines when I get a part in a play.
Main Course:
How often are you sick?
Now and then. I've gotten a lot healthier over the last year or so and I don't get sick - or as sick - half as often as I used to. Good food + regular exercise + vitamins + less stress = a better immune system.
Dessert:
Do you like or dislike change?
I like change. The only thing that is consistent is change itself.
Posted by Dre at 7:58 AM
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Thursday, November 24, 2005
Rent
I saw Rent last night. The movie was decent. I had seen the production at the Imperial earlier this year and the sound was so bad that I couldn't understand what they were saying or what plot lines were unfolding. At least with the movie, I could understand what was going on.
Posted by Dre at 7:53 AM
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Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Free Kittens!!
There are still 3 male kittens left in the litter that are looking for a good home. If you are interested, please let me know and I'll pass your contact info on to Bill & Dawn....
Posted by Dre at 12:59 PM
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Two Thumbs Up!
I saw Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire last night and I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was very entertaining - lots of action, some very humourous moments and one heck of a creepy Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort.
Only 3 more sleeps until I get my kitties!
Posted by Dre at 7:47 AM
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Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Adorable!
I picked up Lisa and we headed out to see the kittens at Bill & Dawn's. Unfortunately Anthony couldn't make it because he had to work. Hopefully he can come along on Saturday morning when we go back to get them to bring them to our homes!
Lisa and Anthony's little girl kitty is a real lady - she is very good-natured!
Hunter (the male tabbi with grey paws) and Grace (the female with black fur and white paws) both love people and they love to explore. Neither of them is shy. They also learn things very quickly - and they are adorable!!
Posted by Dre at 1:00 PM
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Monday, November 21, 2005
A Christmas Carol Weekend
We did our run of "A Christmas Carol" at the Imperial Theatre this weekend and it was a blast! Friday night's show seemed to go really well - and we had a very receptive audience. Saturday was a long one. I was a the Imperial at 11 AM to help Elizabeth get into her makeup. Our first show was at 2PM.
For supper between the shows, I ordered take-out from Ming's. Also, Tina and I took a little walk down to Quality Convenience for a couple of coffees. On our way back, we decided to hang out for a few minutes and watch some of the Christmas Parade. I had come up with a design for the Aliant float, but I wasn't able to stick around long enough to see it. I don't know what it looks like as I didn't have time to help build it over the last couple of weeks. Hmm... I think the parade was filmed by Rogers. I don't get any of the local stations so I'll have to see if I can get someone to tape it whenever it comes on.
The Saturday evening show went quite well with only a couple of tiny glitches. After the show, I went out to Happinez with Colin, Beth, Joanna and Kevin for a bit of wine and good company. It's very small and quite lovely there. It was also really crowded!
The next thing I knew, it was Sunday morning and I still had to finish writing thank-you cards to folks in the show. Basically every spare moment I had between getting up and ending the matinee was spent writing the cards. There were 39 cast members in the show and on top of that there were a handful of crew that I wanted to thank. The day flew by. And oh - the performance was a really good one and we had a very receptive audience. Lots of kids, I think! That was our final performance. Once we returned our costumes we were free to go and get ready for the cast party. As we were returning costumes, we had a nice little treat: Santa came backstage to visit us. It's always nice to see him! :-)
The cast party was a nice one. Bob made a very nice comment about how this show was a non-stressful production, which was nice to hear. He had managed to gather together a very good cast and everyone stepped up tot he plate when needed. It was a mellow party with a bit of dancing, a bit of karaoke and a bit of guitar and singing. There are some amazingly talented singers in the cast!!! The party started at 6 PM and I was home at about 1 AM. I'm still pretty tired this morning and I can't wait to grab a nap. The other thing I can't wait for is a chance to see my kittens tonight!!
Posted by Dre at 8:01 AM
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Friday, November 18, 2005
Friday Feast
Appetizer:
When do you feel impatient?
When I am in a rush to get somewhere and I am stuck behind people who are slow and not paying attention to where they are going.
Salad:
How many times in your life have you had a broken heart?
A couple of times.
Soup:
Name a book you would like to see made into a movie.
"Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett.
Main Course:
If you could thank one teacher for what they taught you, who would it be and what would you thank them for?
I would thank Mrs Shaver for encouraging me to forge ahead and follow my dreams.
Dessert:
What is your favorite kind of pie?
It's a tie between buleberry and strawberry/rhubarb.
Posted by Dre at 11:54 AM
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"A Christmas Carol" continues....
I'm trying to get in to see a massage therapist today - my back is pretty sore and I'm not sure why. I hope I feel better for this evening. In the mean time, here is a picture of Lisa and I in our costumes. Her character exists in Christmas past and mine exists in Christmas present:
Posted by Dre at 8:15 AM
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Thursday, November 17, 2005
Opening Night is Tonight!
Come one, come all - get your tickets for A Christmas Carol now before it's too late!
As promised, here is a picture of the makeup I did for Elizabeth's "Ghost of Christmas Past"....
Posted by Dre at 8:16 AM
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Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Sorry
Sorry my site was down for a bit again. I guess there were some server issues, but if you can see this then they have been fixed.
In other news, the student dress rehearsal for A Christmas Carol is tonight. I'm really looking forward to having an audience. Last night I had a lot of fun helping Elizabeth with her makeup for her character, "The Ghost of Christmas Past". I'll post pictures once I get a chance to move the images off of my camera. She's definately got a Narnia Ice Queen look going on! It's pretty nifty! Brenda made a great costume and headdress for her. :-)
Posted by Dre at 12:00 PM
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Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Cue-to-Cue-to-Cue-to-Cue...
I knew last night would be a long one. Our production of A Christmas Carol has a ton of cues for lights, sounds, set changes, fog, video and blocking. I'm surprised we got as far along as we did! We worked on the show until midnight - which, for most of the actors, meant a whole lot of waiting around.
One of the many great things about this show is the costumes - and I'm pretty excited to be able to help out and have a lot of fun with Elizabeth's makeup to go with her very cool costume for the "Ghost of Christmas Past". We gave her makeup a bit of a go last night and tonight I've got a bit of tweaking to do. I can't wait to see the whole costume together - I'll have to make sure I get pictures!
Posted by Dre at 8:10 AM
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Monday, November 14, 2005
Kitten Names
After much deliberation I have decided on names for my kittens. The male tabby with grey paws is Hunter and the female black kitten with white paws is Grace. :-)
Posted by Dre at 4:26 PM
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Remembrance Day Weekend: Part 2
After my 4-hour visit with the kittens on Friday, I finally managed to drag myself away from them and get ready to head out to Maria's dinner party. It was a very nice evening and the food was very tasty! I was a bit tired beacause of my late night the night before and the fact that I hadn't gotten a chance to have a nap so by 11 PM I headed home to sleep.
Saturday morning I met Beth and Colin for a late breakfast at Slocum's in the City Market. We all went for the breakfast bagel - which is really quite tasty! I had to rush from that over to rehearsal - where we ran the show and got notes for the last time in the rehearsal hall. It was nice to see the whole thing - it's really coming along! After rehearsal, a bunch of us went to Churchills for a tasty beverage and a bite to eat. From there, I went home and had enough time to change out of my rehearsal skirt and wash my wine glasses before a few people stopped over - for a touch of wine before heading to cheer Kizzy on as she sang at The Blue Olive. I can't believe we stayed there until 1 AM! Time flies when you're having fun - of course it doesn't hurt that the entertainment rocks!
Sunday turned into a very busy day off. I met Colin and Beth for breakfast at Reggies then dropped the theatre company makeup kit off in the cosutme room of the Imperial, and then headed out to "the vortex" to get kitten supplies. I got a large litter box with a lid and swinging door and some litter for it. I also got a travel carrier and some grooming supplies. I also stopped in at Fabricville and picked up some forest green fleecy material and insulation to make kitten pillows for their travel carrier, the back of the easy chair and my bedroom windowsill. At WalMart I picked up a 2-level kitty condo and a water foutain for them. I eventually managed to escape the vortex and head back home, where I sewed the kitten pillows and put everything in its place, and then I ran a few errands and did some chores. kevin stopped by and made some very tasty szechuan wings and bruchetta - which is good because I was feeling too tuckered out to cook for myself!
So we are now moved into the Imperial Theatre and it is the week of the show! It'll be a busy one - we have cue-to-cue tonight and it'll be a long one. Also, I need to remember to vote!
Posted by Dre at 8:14 AM
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Remembrance Day Weekend: Part 1
Was I ever thankful to have an extra weekend day AND to have two of those weekend days off from rehearsal!
Thursday night was a late one. After work we had reharsal and after rehearsal, Kristi and Robert came over and read a play that Kristi had found when she was in Toronto. It was a nice little story called "Trying" (Neptune Theatre is putting it on this year, I believe.) We didn't finish the reading until 1 AM - and Kristi and I hung out a bit longer and chatted until we couldn't stay awake anymore. I think it was bout 2:15 by the tie I hit the hay - way too late for my old bod!
Thankfully Friday I could sleep in a bit. Well - 8:30 is sleeping in, right? I'm not good at sleeping in anymore. I'm much better at napping! I did a bit of design work in the morning and took some time out for Remembrance, then at lunch, I headed up river to visit the kittens at Bill & Dawns. They are now 5 weeks old! I now have the 2 that I want picked out and we figured out the sex of all of the kittens. I'll be getting them in 2 weeks!! now that I knwo what they looks like and what gender they are, I have to pick out names for them. They are just adorable!
This is the female kitten that I'll be getting:
She is very cuddly and likes people.
Here she is dozing with some of her siblings:
This is the male kitten that I'll be getting:
He is the first one out to visit people and he likes to explore and he is also the first to purr - which he does when you pick him up.
Here he is with another sibling (he's on the right):
Now Lisa and Anthony will be adopting the other female in the litter and she is just adorable. She is easy to pick out because of the little spot on her toe:
and just for good measure - in case you haven't gotten enough of the kitten pictures - here is Brosie, the mom and most of her litter at feeding time:
Posted by Dre at 8:10 AM
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Friday, November 11, 2005
The Ghost of Marley
On Tuesday I did the makeup for "The Ghost of Marley" for a Rogers TV thing that they were filming for A Christmas Carol. It was fun to do and I managed to remember to take a couple of pictures of David Cooke in costume:
Posted by Dre at 8:13 AM
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Thursday, November 10, 2005
DONE & TO DO
DONE: I got my flu shot yesterday. Felt good to get that out of the way.
DONE: My cheeks were sore from laughing so much as I watched a bunch of episodes from the first season of Will & Grace last night after rehearsal. It really is nice to see that they had great writing from the start of this series. It was also a nice chance to catch up with Colin, who I haven't hung out with in a fair while, as we have both been pretty busy - and I don't blame him for spending as much time as possible with his awesome girlfriend Beth! :-)
DONE: Have been on a good roll lately with my fitness regime of alternating days of weights and running. It has been a lot easier to run in the cooler weather than it was to run in the heat of the summer. Thankfully I have the proper gear to wear so I don't get too hot or cold.
TO DO: I'm guesssing that I can probably make it to Chirstmas with my current running gear but I'll need to pick up some warmer stuff for the rest of winter. Here's hoping the weather holds out for a while yet!
DONE: I've been doing a bit of kitten-proofing each day.
TO DO: Now I need to get out and purchase some of the necessities for them. I'm going to go visit them tomorrow. I can't wait!!
TO DO: Rehearsals for A Christmas Carol seem to be going well. It's certainly sneaking up on us. Got another one tonight, then tomorrow will be a little break before a very full week: the week of the show! Next Thursday is opening night!!
Posted by Dre at 12:59 PM
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Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Kitty!
Thanks, Dawn, for this great photo of one of the kittens from the litter:
Posted by Dre at 8:12 AM
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Tuesday, November 08, 2005
A List
I AM: an only child.
I HAVE: a very good quality life.
I WISH: I had no financial stresses.
I HATE: prejudice.
I FEAR: injuring myself in such a way that it would affect my career
I HEAR: the sound of a small plane and it makes me think of a warm summer's day from my childhood.
I WONDER: what will come next.
I REGRET: a few things and so I try to live my life as best I can as I move forward.
I LOVE: good wines, good company, a good book, a well-written script, the sound of people laughing, my family....
I ALWAYS: read the ingredients label on food products.
I AM NOT: a smoker.
I DANCE: when I'm cleaning the house.
I SING: in the car, every now and then at karaoke, and Christmas Carols.
I CRY: at sad movies.
Posted by Dre at 1:00 PM
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Monday, November 07, 2005
Would you like some more cheese with that backflip?
I have to say, it was good to get out and see a movie last night. It's been a while since I've been to the theatre and I was in the mood for a bit of action-fluff. I figured The Mask of Zorro would fit the bill and I was really looking forward to seeing it. I know I liked the first Zorro movie quite a bit, even if I'm not really a fan of Antonio Banderas. (He's a decent actor but I still don't see what all of the fuss is about.) The story line to the movie was chalk-full of predictable chichés and the acting ranged between bland and over-the-top, which is dissappointing - especially since I usually like Catherine Zeta-Jones and Rufus Sewell (who plays the bad guy). For ths film, Zorro was missing his moustache and was looking a heck of a lot more modern. The kid was cute. No doubt it took them a while to finc a child actor who was a dcent actor and was able to do backflips. As yes - the backflip: as much of a staple to this movie (and every characcter in it) as the good yet repetitve soundtrack was. So - in the end - I recommend renting this instead of going to the theatre to see it. Of course, you already knew that, didn't you!
Posted by Dre at 12:59 PM
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Friday, November 04, 2005
Friday Feast
Appetizer:
What was the last game you purchased?
"Tony Hawk Underground 2" for the PS2.
Soup:
Name something in which you don't believe.
I don't believe that echinacea cures colds.
Salad:
If you could choose a television personality to be your boss, who would you pick?
Jean Luc Picard.
Main Course:
What was a lesson you had to learn the hard way?
Procrastination is not a good idea.
Dessert:
Describe your idea of the perfect relaxation room.
A comfy bed, lots of natural light, a warm breeze and a good book.
Posted by Dre at 12:59 PM
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Thursday, November 03, 2005
Big Ideas AND Details
A friend of mine sent me an interesting link to MSN: Health that discusses how kids with ADHD have strong imaginations and usually focus on bigger ideas than the details. I don't have ADHD, but the article got me thinking about how I process information and what type of thinkers I surround myself with. I don't think I can say that I only come up with big concepts or details. Sometimes it's both at once. But then I can get lost in the details if I'm working on something I am really enjoying - like a drawing for example. There are things that I enjoy doing with theatre that involve both. I think directing is a good example of that. You need to know what the big picture is and how it will flow, but then you also need to get down to the little details that pull it all together to make it really work. As with any creative project, when I get an idea, it's usually some sort of amorphous vision or concept or feeling of the end product. I need that big-picture to know what I'm working towards. Then, to come up with a good quality end-result, it's the details that really help make a difference.
I tend to surround my self with some pretty creative and talented people. Some are big-idea people and some are detail-oriented. I think it takes all kinds and I also think it's important that we are able to work together - and respect the different ways we go about things. That's when the really good stuff happens!
Posted by Dre at 12:59 PM
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Wednesday, November 02, 2005
We Are Fortunate
It is November and I walked to work in dress shoes. That really means something here. For the last couple of years we have been pretty fortunate with our long autumns. This year is no exception. If you were living in Winnipeg, for example, it would have snowed in early October and that same snow would probably still be there. When I was a kid I don't remember having a warm Halloween like we had this year. I was always disappointed that I had to cover my costume up with a parka and snow boots. And herre we are this year - able to enjoy an exceptionally late and long autumn. It's a nice treat. I'm not terribly fond of the cold. Windchill is not my friend. It never has been. I hope we have a good winter this year - but not 'till December 24th please!
Posted by Dre at 8:15 AM
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Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Halloween Day
I was the only person in the office who dressed up for Halloween this year. I'd decided that since I took the time to make my costume, I should actually wear it. I had a couple of free evenings in September and I'd decided to pick up a pattern and sew a nice costume that was work-friendly. I found a Simplicity pattern that resembled a dress of Arwen's (from LOTR) and picked out some nice fabrics. I'm glad I wore it. There should at least be a little bit of Holiday spirit at our office.
Posted by Dre at 7:31 AM
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