Whoa. I'm out of comission for a few days, and the whole site changes on me. Shit, now I don't know where anything is. This sucks. I mean, I can understand the staff wanting to upgrade and make things all snazzy, and I'm sure that in time, I will grow to like the new format. But for now, I hate it. Hate!
Anyway, I'm off to see if I can figure out how this thing works. I'll post more later -- if I can find my way back here. I'll leave a trail of breadcrumbs.
Anyway, I'm off to see if I can figure out how this thing works. I'll post more later -- if I can find my way back here. I'll leave a trail of breadcrumbs.
OK, so here was my weekend:
Friday: left work early, got on the road early, but still took 5 hours to make the usual 4 hour trip to my parents house in TN. Should have expected it, I guess -- holiday traffic. Got a ticket on the way (my fault, had disengaged the cruise control and wasn't paying attention). Arrived at the parents' house -- my little sister was waiting in the driveway (as is her custom). Had a pizza with mom and sis (Dad was up at our lake house). Called a couple of old friends. Went to bed.
Saturday: Got up and went up to the aforementioned lake house. Little brother and some of his friends were there already (Dad had gone on with mom and sis to Day 1 of annual family reunion in KY). Was joined by my oldest friend, his wife, and my 2 darling god-daughters. Spent the day swimming and hanging out. Took the boat out for a spin. Re-applied sunscreen frequently, as I don't so much burn as blister. Cooked out on the grill, then headed back to my parents' house after dark. My best friend and her boyfriend stopped by to hang out for a bit. Stayed up late chatting.
Sunday: Got up to meet little brother at 10 am (he was an hour late). Drove up to South Eastern KY for Day 2 of Annual Family Reunion. I hadn't been in 4 years or so, but it was much the same. Was hoping our lateness would mean that I would miss the usual speeches, prayers, etc -- boy was I wrong. Arrived to find my eldest aunt corralling all of the small kids into a line and shoving miniature American flags into their hands, whereupon she started a tape of kids singing patriotic songs to synthesized backup music, and made the kids march around in a circle, waving the flags. (The kids were mystified, and clearly not a little uncomfortable). Then my aunt insisted that we all say the Pledge of Allegiance (which I have not done since High School) and sing a verse of "God Bless America." Now, I'm used to my aunt (who is one of the most conservative Christians I have ever personally known) indulging in Jesus and patriotism (frequently obliging whatever kids are close by to do the same), but this was a little much. Even though these family reunions have always been Memorial Day weekend, there's never been much flag-waving. The other, more moderate members of the family sat by, staring into their cans of diet soda and waiting for the picnic to start. And start it did, but not without the series of prayers and affirmations that are the price of a fried chicken feast in my family. Ate a shitload of fried food, and more or less successfully avoided talking to the swarm of great-uncles and fourth-cousins whose names and faces Ive never been able to remember (fortunately, the family long ago took to making name tags for everyone, so you could see who was who and how you were related to them). Up next was the (mercifully brief) trip to the local cemetery, where my great-grandparents and their kin are buried.
And then back to TN again. Had to make a stop by the lake house on the way home to pick up my camera arrived to discover my father in a rage: apparently, my little brother (who had stayed there the previous night with his friends) had left the place rather trashed. My father, who had spent the previous two weeks cleaning and getting the place ready for the summer season, was understandably peeved unfortunately, this was expressed by a lot of roaring, cursing, and name-calling (directed at my brother) as he stomped around the place cleaning. My brother (who says he had planned on returning that evening to finish cleaning and hadnt expected my parents to beat him there) was seething ever since he came out, hes taken any criticism from my father to be anti-gay invective even though this time he knew he wasnt blameless. I offered to stay and help, but was politely refused by both dad and brother. Knowing better than to get between the two of them when their blood is up, I high-tailed it back to my parents house.
But the day wasnt over yet! I joined my best friend, her boyfriend, and another couple for something I havent experienced since I was a wee lad: a drive-in movie triple feature. We drove over to the next town where, for a mere $5, you could see Ice Age 2 , X Men 3 and The Sentinel . Cheap concessions, cold beer, and a fun, carnival kind of atmosphere. Although, I think I might have to go see X-Men again in a theater it was a little hard to see some of the dark scenes. Finally made it home at 2 am (didnt bother to stay for the last one heard it sucked anyway).
Monday: Slept in, and drove back home. Mostly a good weekend it was great to get out of town for a while, though I could have done without the Jesus and the flags and the family drama. But you take the bad with the good, I guess.
And, since this has been a ludicrously long journal entry, now I will shut up.
Hope everyone had a lovely weekend!
Friday: left work early, got on the road early, but still took 5 hours to make the usual 4 hour trip to my parents house in TN. Should have expected it, I guess -- holiday traffic. Got a ticket on the way (my fault, had disengaged the cruise control and wasn't paying attention). Arrived at the parents' house -- my little sister was waiting in the driveway (as is her custom). Had a pizza with mom and sis (Dad was up at our lake house). Called a couple of old friends. Went to bed.
Saturday: Got up and went up to the aforementioned lake house. Little brother and some of his friends were there already (Dad had gone on with mom and sis to Day 1 of annual family reunion in KY). Was joined by my oldest friend, his wife, and my 2 darling god-daughters. Spent the day swimming and hanging out. Took the boat out for a spin. Re-applied sunscreen frequently, as I don't so much burn as blister. Cooked out on the grill, then headed back to my parents' house after dark. My best friend and her boyfriend stopped by to hang out for a bit. Stayed up late chatting.
Sunday: Got up to meet little brother at 10 am (he was an hour late). Drove up to South Eastern KY for Day 2 of Annual Family Reunion. I hadn't been in 4 years or so, but it was much the same. Was hoping our lateness would mean that I would miss the usual speeches, prayers, etc -- boy was I wrong. Arrived to find my eldest aunt corralling all of the small kids into a line and shoving miniature American flags into their hands, whereupon she started a tape of kids singing patriotic songs to synthesized backup music, and made the kids march around in a circle, waving the flags. (The kids were mystified, and clearly not a little uncomfortable). Then my aunt insisted that we all say the Pledge of Allegiance (which I have not done since High School) and sing a verse of "God Bless America." Now, I'm used to my aunt (who is one of the most conservative Christians I have ever personally known) indulging in Jesus and patriotism (frequently obliging whatever kids are close by to do the same), but this was a little much. Even though these family reunions have always been Memorial Day weekend, there's never been much flag-waving. The other, more moderate members of the family sat by, staring into their cans of diet soda and waiting for the picnic to start. And start it did, but not without the series of prayers and affirmations that are the price of a fried chicken feast in my family. Ate a shitload of fried food, and more or less successfully avoided talking to the swarm of great-uncles and fourth-cousins whose names and faces Ive never been able to remember (fortunately, the family long ago took to making name tags for everyone, so you could see who was who and how you were related to them). Up next was the (mercifully brief) trip to the local cemetery, where my great-grandparents and their kin are buried.
And then back to TN again. Had to make a stop by the lake house on the way home to pick up my camera arrived to discover my father in a rage: apparently, my little brother (who had stayed there the previous night with his friends) had left the place rather trashed. My father, who had spent the previous two weeks cleaning and getting the place ready for the summer season, was understandably peeved unfortunately, this was expressed by a lot of roaring, cursing, and name-calling (directed at my brother) as he stomped around the place cleaning. My brother (who says he had planned on returning that evening to finish cleaning and hadnt expected my parents to beat him there) was seething ever since he came out, hes taken any criticism from my father to be anti-gay invective even though this time he knew he wasnt blameless. I offered to stay and help, but was politely refused by both dad and brother. Knowing better than to get between the two of them when their blood is up, I high-tailed it back to my parents house.
But the day wasnt over yet! I joined my best friend, her boyfriend, and another couple for something I havent experienced since I was a wee lad: a drive-in movie triple feature. We drove over to the next town where, for a mere $5, you could see Ice Age 2 , X Men 3 and The Sentinel . Cheap concessions, cold beer, and a fun, carnival kind of atmosphere. Although, I think I might have to go see X-Men again in a theater it was a little hard to see some of the dark scenes. Finally made it home at 2 am (didnt bother to stay for the last one heard it sucked anyway).
Monday: Slept in, and drove back home. Mostly a good weekend it was great to get out of town for a while, though I could have done without the Jesus and the flags and the family drama. But you take the bad with the good, I guess.
And, since this has been a ludicrously long journal entry, now I will shut up.
Hope everyone had a lovely weekend!
I don't have that much to say -- I just realized that my last journal entry was nothing but petty complaining. I suppose it's easy and common to use the journal to vent -- and useful, too. I just wanted to have something more positive up here. So people won't think I'm just a whiny bitch.
So, I had a pretty relaxing weekend. Mostly hung out with some friends. Finished a book I was reading (Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell -- pretty good), saw a movie (The DaVinci Code -- not great, but not as bad as a lot of people are saying). Caught up on sleep. Decided to go visit my folks in TN next weekend. Exfoliated my peeling sunburn. Just enough action to make me feel like I haven't wasted my weekend, but not enough to feel tired.
OK, now back to the hot naked chicks for a little while before bed.
So, I had a pretty relaxing weekend. Mostly hung out with some friends. Finished a book I was reading (Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell -- pretty good), saw a movie (The DaVinci Code -- not great, but not as bad as a lot of people are saying). Caught up on sleep. Decided to go visit my folks in TN next weekend. Exfoliated my peeling sunburn. Just enough action to make me feel like I haven't wasted my weekend, but not enough to feel tired.
OK, now back to the hot naked chicks for a little while before bed.
Shit, I just realized I haven't updated in forever. This brief missive will have to suffice until I have more time to gather my thoughts...
I thought I was going to have some wind-down time after our last production was over -- boy, was I wrong. Not only has work been unrelenting (but thankfully contained to normal business hours), I've found myself tapped to direct a staged reading of a new play called "PornoZombies" for my theatre company's summer festival, and also designing all of the PR materials for said festival. Fun and cool stuff, but I was still hoping to have a little time to relax. Oh, well. Sleep when I'm dead and all that.
The thing that SUCKS: I had to work at a charity golf tournament Monday, hosted by the opera company I work for. Now, the work itself wasn't hard by any means (mostly sitting in a camp chair and making sure the teams didn't cheat) -- however, I got home to discover that I had acquired a nasty sunburn on my forearms. Total farmer tan. I hate golf.
I thought I was going to have some wind-down time after our last production was over -- boy, was I wrong. Not only has work been unrelenting (but thankfully contained to normal business hours), I've found myself tapped to direct a staged reading of a new play called "PornoZombies" for my theatre company's summer festival, and also designing all of the PR materials for said festival. Fun and cool stuff, but I was still hoping to have a little time to relax. Oh, well. Sleep when I'm dead and all that.
The thing that SUCKS: I had to work at a charity golf tournament Monday, hosted by the opera company I work for. Now, the work itself wasn't hard by any means (mostly sitting in a camp chair and making sure the teams didn't cheat) -- however, I got home to discover that I had acquired a nasty sunburn on my forearms. Total farmer tan. I hate golf.
The opera is done -- as far as I'm concerned, sent to its grave with a stake through its heart. What a miserable experience. Oh, well. Not my problem any more.
Up next -- a well-deserved break. I think I might read a book. Or nap. Maybe both. And perhaps even think about taking a vacation...hmm, haven't had one of those in a long time. I think a summer camping trip might be in order.
We'll see. For now, I'm just enjoying the weight lifted from my shoulders.
Yes, a nap and a book will do nicely.
Up next -- a well-deserved break. I think I might read a book. Or nap. Maybe both. And perhaps even think about taking a vacation...hmm, haven't had one of those in a long time. I think a summer camping trip might be in order.
We'll see. For now, I'm just enjoying the weight lifted from my shoulders.
Yes, a nap and a book will do nicely.
Well, I'm back from Winston-Salem. Out of the frying pan and into the fire, as it were. I get back into town, and am promptly thrust into rehearsal for our next opera (which had already been going for a week). I've been completely lost, trying to play catch up since I got back. It hasn't helped that the stage director is completely disorganized and that we were already days behind schedule when I started. Oh, well. Now we've somehow made it through the final dress rehearsal (incidentally, the first time we've run through the whole show from start to finish), and we open on Thursday. So, fingers crossed -- this will either be a big hit, or a truly spectacular disaster. We'll see...
On a lighter note, one of the assistant stage managers is an old friend of mine that I've had a huge crush on since I've known her. When we met, we were both kind of seeing other people, but there was always a deep emotional connection (as well as an intense sexual chemistry). We've talked a lot about sex -- with each other -- but circumstances conspired against us. We haven't seen each other in over a year, but the connection is as strong as ever. I don't know if it's pheromones or what, but I've seldom ever been this attracted to another person. I just have to be standing next to her in the production office, and all I want to do is scoop her up, run off, and do very naughty things with her. It's very difficult to stay professional. We're going out tomorrow night -- hopefully a nice dinner and a couple of bottles of wine will lead to a long-overdue consummation of our mutual attraction...or maybe part of the thrill is the fact that it's unrequited. Again, we'll see...
On a lighter note, one of the assistant stage managers is an old friend of mine that I've had a huge crush on since I've known her. When we met, we were both kind of seeing other people, but there was always a deep emotional connection (as well as an intense sexual chemistry). We've talked a lot about sex -- with each other -- but circumstances conspired against us. We haven't seen each other in over a year, but the connection is as strong as ever. I don't know if it's pheromones or what, but I've seldom ever been this attracted to another person. I just have to be standing next to her in the production office, and all I want to do is scoop her up, run off, and do very naughty things with her. It's very difficult to stay professional. We're going out tomorrow night -- hopefully a nice dinner and a couple of bottles of wine will lead to a long-overdue consummation of our mutual attraction...or maybe part of the thrill is the fact that it's unrequited. Again, we'll see...
So, I'm sitting in a hotel room in Winston-Salem. (Thank God for the wireless connection and HBO.) I'm here to supervise the remount of the opera we just closed two weeks ago in Charlotte for the local opera company. So far, it's been relatively painless, but hotel life grows old after a while. Meanwhile, my home company has already begun rehearsals for our next production -- which will have been underway for a week when I finally get back. It's a big show, and I'm a little stressed about being lost when I return. Oh, well. At least there are (checks home page) 1,014 pretty naked girls and counting to distract me for a while.
Maybe I'll go to bed before 4 am tonight. Maybe.
Maybe I'll go to bed before 4 am tonight. Maybe.
Watching MirrorMask with the commentary track on. What a beautiful, brilliantly executed movie.
Neil Gaiman is one of my personal heroes. And a super-nice guy, too.
Neil Gaiman is one of my personal heroes. And a super-nice guy, too.
