Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Busy day
I took my car in to the dealership yesterday. The fan belt was making lots of noise and the air bag warning light was on. So, they have replaced the fan belt and then they started to take a look at the air bag stuff. Needless to say to get at all of it, they need to remove the center console etc. which is a real pain. They have ordered some new parts in and should get them in a couple of days. If it's not fixed by the weekend, they will arrange a rental car for me (I don't need a vehicle tonight or tomorrow night). Thank goodness this is all covered under warrenty.
Looks like my eye strain is a virus - like a cold of flu. Glad that's starting to get a bit better.
Otherwise work is busy, which is good. And I still have a bunch of plays to try to read through by tomorrow night. I'm looking forward to the weekend. I need a break.
Posted by Dre at 2:11 PM
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Tuesday, May 30, 2006
By The Way...
Thanks Mom and Dad for the lovely bouquet! :-)
Posted by Dre at 12:57 PM
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Say goodbye to those post-show blues....
Normally I feel a little down once I've finished working on a show. This time, however, I have enough on my plate that I have new things to focus on right away. But at least I have a bit more free time. Which I plan to use productively. I have a couple of projects that have been sitting patiently on the shelf that I need to finish. Also, there are new productions coming up the pipe pretty quickly. It's a good thing I like being busy. :-)
On a side note, here's a pretty darn cool site that I came across the other day... We Feel Fine
Posted by Dre at 7:35 AM
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Monday, May 29, 2006
Free time? Really??
Well, The Crucible is done with and it's time to move on to the next thing. The show went well and I'm proud of all of the hard work that everyone put into it - it certainly paid off. Kudos to a great cast and crew! My folks came to visit and got to see the Saturday night performance and really enjoyed it. The cast party was a good one - I left "early" - at 5. I guess there were still about 15 people rocking out when I left and I think just about all of them made it to breakfast. (I'm glad I left when I did because I was up at 9 and met my folks for breakfast at Reggie's at 9:30.)
I spent the better part of the day sleeping and eventually got up and decided to try going outside. I met up with Ann and we went for a mosey along Harbour Passage. What a lovely day!! I had planned to spend my evening gaming, but somewhere along the way I developed a bit of eye strain so I couldn't stare at the TV. Instead I hit the hay. It was probably a good idea anyway.
Now I have a little bit of free time before the next thing gets into gear. I think I might do a bit of painting and see a couple of movies and spend some time with Hunter and Grace. Heck - I might even try cooking for myself again!
Posted by Dre at 7:52 AM
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Friday, May 26, 2006
Friday Feast
Appetizer:
How old were you when you got your first credit card?
I really don't remember. I'm thinking I must have been in my late teens.
Soup:
When was the last time you felt out of place?
Last night we had our opening night of The Crucible at the Imperial Theatre. I'm the Assistant Director and this is the first time that I've been involved on this side of things for one of our main stage shows. There was an opening night reception and I'm not much of one for schmoozing in the first place so I wandered aimlessly around for a bit until I found someone I knew. And yes, I felt a bit out of place.
Salad:
Did you have a curfew when you were a teenager? If so, what time did you have to be home?
Yes - my parents recognized the fact that I really needed my sleep so they were mindful to make sure I didn't stay out too late (lest they wind up with an overtired and cranky teenager on their hands the next day). I think I was in grade 12 when I negotiated the extention of my curfew from 11 PM to midnight. My reasoning was quite solid. I used to see a lot of movies but if I went to the late show, they didn't normally let out until after 11. And since we were living in Winnipeg at the time (which is very spread out), and I was always the one that drove my friends home, I needed the extra time.
Main Course:
Name a person from history with whom you feel you have something in common.
I can't think of anyone who comes to mind. I don't think that I've ever taken the time to compare myself to a historical figure.
Dessert:
When you read a newspaper, which section do you go for first?
The front section. Closely followed by Entertainment.
Posted by Dre at 8:51 AM
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Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Jag tröttas.
We had our tech dress last night. There are still a few things that need to be taken care of but things are coming along. I just wish I had a bit more free time. Student Dress rehearsal is tonight. That means we'll have an audience and after the show we'll have a Q&A session with them.
Posted by Dre at 10:21 AM
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Tuesday, May 23, 2006
The Jam-Packed May Long Weekend That Seemed Short
Friday evening I napped after work. It had been a long week. Kristi and Ann and Heather popped over and we enjoyed a bit of wine & cheese before heading to the Blue Olive for the evening. I was pretty wiped, and could have gone home within an hour of getting there. It had been a full week.
Saturday I met Colin and headed to Reggies for breakfast before our final full run in the rehearsal space. That was a long one, as we had a few kinks to work out before we started the run. Then there were a ton of notes at the end. Oh - and was nice to be able to go visit Beth on Saturday evening - thanks for the good company and the break! :-)
Sunday was a full day. Second Stage Committee meeting followed by sound and lights production meeting followed by an Italian with the cast followed by an evening in the Imperial trying to keep track of a ton of odd little things needed be taken care of. azt which point, exhaustion hit me and I decided to bail.
Monday was a statuatory holiday, thank goodness. I spent the day gathering music for the cast party. Then at 4 PM, I headed to the Imperial for a production meeting followed directly by cue-to-cue. Derek has some pretty awesome lighting scenarios set up that are really going to look good. Home at 11:45 PM, having just hit the wall.
I woke up this morning knowing that I had a cold. Thankfully it's not a terrible one. Good thing for medications - I plan on masking the symptoms as much as possible so I can avoid sneezing and coughing and spreading it to anyone else.
Posted by Dre at 7:48 AM
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Friday, May 19, 2006
Friday Feast
Appetizer:
What is the last thing you had to have repaired?
My car currently needs to go in for a couple of things.
Soup:
If someone gave you $2,000 with the stipulation that you had to spend half of it on yourself and give the rest to charity, where would you spend the $1,000 and which charity would receive your remaining $1,000?
I would take the $1,000 and pay off some debt and the other $1,000 would be split between the heart and stroke foundation and the canadian cancer society.
Salad:
What is one of your favorite songs from the 1980s?
Need You Tonight - INXS
Main Course:
You enter a pet store. Which section do you go to first?
I go straight over to look for new toys for my kittens. :-)
Dessert:
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how athletic are you?
Maybe a 7? Of course that's more of an overall thing. When I'm embroiled in a huge show, my activity generally decreases quite a bit.
Posted by Dre at 11:11 AM
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Thursday, May 18, 2006
The Countdown is On
Wow. We have 2 more rehearsals before we move into the Imperial Theatre on Sunday.
I've been thinking about how phrases from the script have been making their way into my everyday conversations. I suppose that happens everytime I get involved with a show, but this time it's a bit more noticable because 16th century New England phrasing is a little bit more different than a southern dialect for example. Of course, as I write this, the only one that comes to mind is "Mark it for a sign."
Posted by Dre at 7:35 AM
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Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Is it only Wednesday? Sigh.
A big thanks to Kristi for filling in as Stage Manager for the rest of the show. Tammy will be having her gall bladder out within the next few days and then requires a couple of weeks of rest. I hope it all goes well with her and that she heals quickly. This means I can get back to AD-ing. Which is good, as my head was still in that space even when I was filling in as SM. :-)
Here's an interesting link called Google Trends. You can type in up to 5 things (use commas to seperate them) and you get a graph chart of how many people have been searching for each item since 2004. There is a bar chart below it that tracks searches by city, region, or language. It's pretty cool!
Posted by Dre at 7:56 AM
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Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Another Day, Another Rehearsal
In less than a week, we will have moved into the Imperial. Rehearsals for The Crucible are chugging along and ramping up. It's an exciting time!
In other news, Hunter and Grace have been glued to the bedroom window, which I've cracked open a bit now that the weather has started to get a bit warmer.
Posted by Dre at 1:17 PM
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Monday, May 15, 2006
Mothers Day Weekend
We had a rehearsal on Friday night that went rather well. It was an exciting week of rehearsals to see all of the improvements that were happening - a few people made some big steps forward and we got some sections flowing really well. We then had our production meeting on Saturday before we ran the show. Poor Tammy. She's having problems with her gall bladder and is in the hospital getting it looked at. I hope she's better soon. It's no fun not feeling well. In the mean time, I'm stepping in for her while she's out so she has nothing to worry about.
I actually had all of Sunday off. It was awesome. I cleaned my apartment and got groceries and enjoyed an early beer and dinner on the patio at the Ale House with Colin. It was nice to catch up with him and hear about the 1/2 maraton that he and Beth just ran that morning! (Congrats on a great run, guys! Beth - you're a machine!!) Then I popped out to KV High to audition for Much Ado. They were holding auditions in the library and as soon as I walked in I caught a whiff of that distinct smell that is school libraries - and it brought me back to when I was in high school. Anyway - the audition was pretty short and I think I did okay - it's hard to tell with that stuff. I like the fact that they'll be setting it in the 1940's and doing swing dancing for the ball scene. I love swing dancing (I took classes for it a few years back and really enjoyed it - it was one of those things that I always wanted to know how to do). When I got home that evening, I hung out with H&G and gamed. Sweet sweet Oblivion on the 360 - what a time-stealer you are.
Posted by Dre at 10:41 AM
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Friday, May 12, 2006
Friday Feast
Appetizer:
What's your favorite flavor of ice cream?
When I could eat ice cream it was Ben and Jerry's "Cherry Garcia":
Soup:
What are 3 things you would like to put in a time capsule?
A photo, a journal and artwork.
Salad:
Name something you are 100% sure of.
I am human and I exist.
Main Course:
What is something you do to calm yourself when you're stressed or upset?
Take a deep breath. Talk throught it with a friend. Take a nap. Then find a suitable distraction. :-)
Dessert:
If you could receive an invitation to any important event, what would you like it to be?
It would be neat to go to the Oscars. But really, I would hope that it was something that meant something to me, like a friends wedding or a family celebration. I prefer to spend my time with folks that I know and care about.
Posted by Dre at 10:11 AM
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Thursday, May 11, 2006
Elbow Grease
It's amazing what people can accomplish when they take the time to focus and put their energy into something. A little bit of effort goes a long way.
We are at the point in the rehearsal process where people are starting to get into a flow, so it's a good time to start turning up the heat a bit. So far so good!
For a good laugh, if you're a Star Wars fan, Colin had sent me a link to this funny video.
Posted by Dre at 10:53 AM
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Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Rolling Along
We're only two weeks away from our student dress rehearsal as we continue to rehearse for The Crucible. Bit by bit things are starting to become more cohesive and fluid. The actors are starting to know their lines better and they are getting a chance to run through things a bit more. And from a directing perspective, we're working on getting things to be a little more fluid, and helping the actors figure out how to get to the levels that they will need to be at for the show to really pack a punch. I'm really excited about this show. My folks are even going to come from Halifax to see it!
Amazingly, I have been finding bits of time to game. When I get home from rehearsal, I'm still pretty wound up, so playing Oblivion has been a nice way to unwind. Gaming holds my attention more than TV. If I were just watching TV, I'd start thinking about everything that still has to get done for the show and I'd just get stressed out. Also, my cats cuddle up to me when I game so that's an awesome bonus!
Posted by Dre at 10:20 AM
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Tuesday, May 09, 2006
INXS in Moncton
What an awesome concert!!
If only I'd taken the affternoon off and gone up with Jay and Dan - they met JD Fortune while they were walking along main street:
We were second row - right in front of Kirk Pengilly. Thanks to Jay for netwroking and getting us up to the front where the Fortune 448 crowd was hanging out and had a few extra seats nearby. The opening band was very good, but it was obvious that the entire crowd was getting itchy to see INXS. The guys came out and the crowd went wild. They were all looking great. JD did a fantastic job and really fit in with them. He is a better singer than I'd given him credit for. He was quite entertaining and really played up his sexuality - even to the point where I had to giggle at some of the things he was doing to the microphone stand (which may have been even a bit over-the-top for my tastes). And what a treat to see the original band members rocking it out harcore! They did a great mix of old and new songs, and seemed to be having a lot of fun. I think a couple of the guys saw our T-shirts and hope they had a chuckle. My T-shirt turned out looking a lot tighter than I'd intended. Ooops. Oh well, all in good fun. Check out Liz's site for her take on the show!
Posted by Dre at 9:36 AM
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Monday, May 08, 2006
Inspirations
Sometimes it's nice to start the week off with a bit of inspriation...
The World Championshop Sand Sculpture Competition that was held in Harrison Hot Springs in BC had some amazing stuff. I've actually stayed in this little town yearsa ago - it's quite lovely.I've also recently stumbled across the works of a couple of painters that I thought were interesting.
Simon G. Phelipot has created some darkly emotional figurative works. 
While Kim Coogan of San Francisco has quite a variety of interesting works that include cityscapes, figures and still life. Posted by Dre at 10:38 AM
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Friday, May 05, 2006
I caved
I figured I may as well just get it now. The Xbox 360, that is. And Oblivion. And I am already addicted. :-)
Now if I can only find a wee bit of free time.
Hahahahahahahaha
Yeah right.
Posted by Dre at 2:11 PM
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Friday Feast
Appetizer:
From which country(s) are some (or all) of your ancestors?
Well, I don't know too much about my geneology. I do know that my parents and grandparents are from Canada. And I know that on my paternal grandmother's side of the family, they originally came over from France around 1750. But I can't tell you much more than that with any amount of certainty.
Soup:
How would you describe your sneeze?
I've been told by many people that it's "cute". This is probably one of the rare times that I don't mind having something that is "cute" as an attribute.
Salad:
What is the last thing you cleaned?
I brushed my teeth this morning - do you think that counts? Um, I'm pretty tidy so I usually pick up after myself. I washed a couple of dishes this morning.
Main Course:
Who made the strongest first impression on you?
Wow - that's a tough question... I think I'd have to say Susan Congdon. I remember when we first met and how we warmed up to each other right off the bat. I think within half an hour, I was getting a tour of the family photos! :-) (I hope all is well with you guys in Halifax!!)
Dessert:
Name one thing you want to accomplish in your lifetime.
There are so many things... to pick just one... ok, I'll choose one that I've talked about. I would eventually like to direct a production at the Imperial. As for bigger goals in my life, it's hard to say. I'm not one to think that marriage and kids are goals. I would just like to live a happy life and continue to be creative and social. Wherever that leads me, so be it.
Posted by Dre at 9:03 AM
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Thursday, May 04, 2006
Talking about the weather
I actually left my winter coat in the closet and headed out in a light leather jacket last night. What a treat! I hope that we'll have a warm summer. Sometimes summers in uptown SJ can be more cool and foggy than not. At any rate, at least I can offiicially put away the scarves and gloves adn winter boots!! :-)
Posted by Dre at 8:05 AM
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Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Handy Dandy
My parents gave me a Tide to Go pen a while back and I can't tell you how often this little thing has come in handy. It actually works! OK, it doesn't dry as quickly as they make it seem in the commercial, but it actually gets rid of stains! I highly recommend this to everyone.
Posted by Dre at 10:27 AM
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Oblivion
I caught up with my friend Terry on Monday and he let me have a go at Oblivion on his Xbox 360. This massive role-playing game was so engaging that we spent almost 5 solid hours starting a character and doing a bit of exploring, and it felt like 15 minutes. If you get a chance to check out some screenshots of it, you'll see how amazing the colse-up graphics are - there is tons of detail in the environment, sky, and other characters. I created my own customized character and has a ton of options to choose from - even nostrol size and slope. I had the option of choosing one of 10 races, one of 13 birthsigns, and one of 21 character classes (or I could design my own). Crazy! If I remember correctly I wound up creating a Nord Bard. The game-play is open-ended so you can choose any number of side quests that are complex stories and I could easily see spending at least a couple of hundred hours getting sucked into this game. Hmmm... maybe it's a good thing that I don't own it!
Posted by Dre at 8:36 AM
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Monday, May 01, 2006
Growing Kittens
My kittens are just over 6.5 months old and they are getting big....
Here are a couple of pics of Grace:
Here are a couple of pics of Hunter (check out how long his tail is - crazy!):
Posted by Dre at 12:05 PM
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