Which Lecram is this anyway?

As I was out and about last night I ran into several people. (Always a pleasant thing.) Anyway it got me thinking (very dangerous when that happens... keep the flammables away) that each one that I met has known me in a different context because (as it were) I wear many hats.

In medieval times people were assigned titles such as ,,, Richard the Lionhearted, etc... that sort of defined their place in history. So here are some that I have compiled for myself in the context that a few around here identify me as...

Lecram the Obscure Playwright - this one has been more true over the last 5 years. I used to crank those puppies out (and known as Lecram the Prolific)... until about 5 years ago. Still, I do have about 52 to my name and unless a Mack truck has my name on it tomorrow... there will be more coming soon.

Lecram the Disco Dancer - this was back when I was young and stupid. Enuff said.

Lecram the Rogue Dude - Yeah, I'm (still) known as that when I go out in public these days. People still come up to me and chat and "work" me because they think it is going to score them points in some way or another. The thing is I'm not in charge anymore... and even when I was... I'm chronically objective. But, it's nice and I have learned to be gracious over the years without making any promises. Then there is the variation...

Lecram the In-Charge Rogue Dude - now this is from the inner circle. OK... me and a few others started and ran this thing over a few years... but we are not in-charge anymore. Yes, things are changing and one of the reasons I stepped out is that things MUST change. If the Rogue is to survive and thrive it cannot be associated with one person or small group of "has beens". It's evolvolving. It has to be anm entity unto itself. "How it used to be" ain't how it's gonna be. Think outside the box... think bigger. Yes, there will be growing pains... but if it is to be... then it should be on it's own merit.

Lecram the Friend - I am a stalwart friend. I am also a very objective friend... sometimes to my my own detriment. The reason being that I often work with a lot of my friends. I actually can separate friendship from business... many can't. So, as a result I get cast as the ogre in a lot of situations just because I can make that separation where others choose to take it personally. Case and point... I found a better replacement for me in Suicide Lounge... and gladly so.

Lecram the Listener - Really, there is information that I know that I really should not (and need not) know about people. Yes, I actually listen. I don't jump to conclusions or make harsh judgments. If it is important to... I actually find out the other side of the story. I'm funny that way.

Lecram the Generous - I can be to a fault.

Lecram the Frugal - Yeah, I am. Why pay more if you don't have to? This is also byproduct of being Lecram the Starving Playwright and Lecram the Broke.

Lecram the Insecure - Aren't we all in some aspect of our lives?

Lecram the Morty - It's Morty... it ain't me. Morty is totally a cold heartless MOFO... but it's always business.

So, these are some I have come up with. I'm sure there are more that are unflattering and I have blocked out of my rabid infested mind. Which Lecram do you know... or which Lecram do you want to know about? And more importantly... which YOU is the prevailing YOU at the moment?

It occured to me today...

... that I really should rearrange my days. (Brilliant, Lecram!) Well, in order to maximize getting things done. Trouble is I've been waking up the last 3 or 4 nights at 3 AM. Not sure what this is all about. Then I slip back into slumber at 4:30 or 5 to awake at 7:30 or 8. It sort of just throws off the schedule and pace of my day that I had. Still, I'm not too concerned (yet) as some life transitions are happening. Nothing bad... just a matter of readjusting.

I actually got quite a few household chores complete before 11 AM today. Had ambitions for some other things to happen but those kinda fell by the wayside. Nothing drastic that will shake up the world but still... I do have to rethink my scheduling. On the upside... I took a business meeting this evening and may have landed gig. (I'll know tomorrow.) Nothing to retire on but a good beginning that hopefully will become more lucrative as time wears on.

On to other things...

After my business meeting I spent some time catching up with a musician friend of mine. Had a couple of beers and just casually jabbered about this and that. We have run into each other and done the 5 minute "Yeah, how's it going" thing but this is the first time in a long while where we have actually been able to chat without either one of us "having" to be some place else or entertaining company when we met.

The rest of the week (socially) is looking pretty full too. An old friend is in town and we have planned some catch-up time... also true with an former workmate. There is Suicide Lounge rehearsals and 2 video shoots (one possible paying gig)... so, suddenly my evenings are being booked up. Now that hasn't happened in quite a while.

So, for now... there are lots of little delights to look forward to. My vlog this coming week should have some fun footage as I plan on recording some of my comings and goings. I'm actually trending to calling them "vlogumentaries" - what do you think?

Hope your week is starting off well.

i needed that

bracing for the triple digits...

... at least in Fahrenheit terms. Yep, the next week or so the temps are going to be scorching. They expect 102 today... 107 tomorrow and perhaps even 109 on Friday. Hmmm... I'm thinking a big bowl of gazpacho and a couple of watermelons in the fridge may just be the thing to do.

This also means that the daily routines... cleaning, cooking, etc... MUST absolutely occur before 10 or 11 in the AM. If I know what's good for me this will happen. I actually began that routine this morning... the laundry was crispy dry within an hour. Huh, could be a good time to do my bedding in the AM. I do so love sun dried clothes and sheets.

The other bad thing about the high pressure and the heat in this region is that the air gets heavy. Really, it becomes pretty unhealthy and respiratory maladies begin to abound. It is one of the few places in the world where people develop asthma later in life. Between the proliferation of pollen in the spring and fall... plus the dust and heavy air in Summer (yeah, you should have seen the mound that came just from the air condition filter when I cleaned it out today)... it just wears on the body after a while. So, staying indoors becomes an essential thing to do.

Though, to balance things off... the nights around here are gorgeous. The temps drop about 30 degrees to a balmy mid 70's or so. Perfect whether to sit around sipping on sangrias and munching on cold cut fruit. This activity is good with or without company to share the experience. Hmm... let me put mangos and a papaya on my shopping list. There... done.

I also have a huge presentation to give to folks in the arts community that I'm preparing for. ( O.K. it's not that huge but it could mean business potential down the line.) This amended routine will afford me uninterrupted time to get it all spiffy. Yeah, it involves cutting video, powerpoint, etc.

Anyway, I suppose I should get started. Oh, and have a safe and fun 4th y'all!

the gig last night...

... was really good. Those who turned up to experience it had a good time. Those who didn't... too bad, they missed a good show. This one meant a lot to me on many fronts. It was my last performance with Suicide Lounge... for a while at least. For Tale End... well, to make a long story short... I have sold exclusive rights to the show to a more than worthy company. So, both are going on to bigger, brighter and better things.

It was fun nevertheless... here are some pics. None of tale end as photogman was too sucked into the whole deal.




EDIT: More pics






A big Thank You to everyone who made it possible.

and thus it begins!

Well, rehearsals for both shows are in full swing. Hopefully, my promo promiscuity works its magic and we get a good house for the gig. My tactic at the moment... sheer annoyance. Bombard the internet with notice and hopefully folks will turn up just so we will shut our traps. If you have a MySpace and have friended any of the entities that are connected to me... you'll definitely catch some of the blitz. Several bloggers from other parts of the continent have also picked up and posted the video (two posts down)... thank you! If you have a MySpace... copy and paste and send this out as a bulletin and help us spread the word!


IF YOU ARE IN THE FRESNO AREA... ONE NIGHT - ONE PRICE - TWO SHOWS! <br />ROGUE YEAR ROUND with Suicide Lounge & Tale End! Debauchery hasn't been this much fun in a long time. A debouched longe act followed with an even more debouched one-act!<br />A double header you can't afford to miss!<br /><br />$10<br />6:30 PM (Doors open at 6 PM - no latecomers after intermission.)<br />Sunday, July 1<br /><br />STARLINE Performance Venue<br />831 E. Fern<br /><br />Come early... order food from next door and drinks from the bar and enjoy!<br /><br /><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="never" allownetworking="internal" height="350" width="425" data="http://www.youtube.com/v/WJzZfarbeJE"><br /> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="never"><br /> <param name="allowNetworking" value="internal"><br /> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WJzZfarbeJE"><br /></object><br /><br />MORE INFO: <a href="http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vcm9ndWVmZXN0aXZhbC5jb20vcnlyL3J5cjA3Lmh0bQ==" target="_blank">AT THE ROGUE YEAR ROUND SITE!</a>
We had a rehearsal for Tale End... and it is not the same old hat. The cast and I are infusing some new stuff into it. With the time away... ideas have percolated even more.

On other fronts... it has been a good week with Mum. All in all she seems a lot more settled this week than most.

Perhaps updates in the AM.

EDIT: 9:15 AM
Just purged some dead links off my blogroll. It's always a little sad to do that but I do understand that folk give up blogging for various reasons. Glad I had a peek into their insight and perception for the time when thewy were active.

The Garage (Turtle Dove) Theater is being reset today. It was left a shambles from the time of the Rogue. I've decided to get it back to where it was and perhaps even more than it was by maybe buying THIS... I said maybe.

Well... off to do some damage.

my body clock is all out of whack...

... from pulling an all-nighter. If you haven't seen the video yet... check it out in the post below. I'll probably add more content to this post later in the AM.

EDIT: 9:45 AM, tuesday
Oh yeah... feel free to steal the video if you are so inclined. I looked at it this morning and thought to myself... "Self, that turned out pretty good." Sometimes looking back a day after creation I look at it and go "eh." or "what was I thinking?" ... but this one was "yeah." And BTW... I posted on daily motion and they flagged it as "inappropriate content"... WTF? Anyway, here is the code if you want it:

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WJzZfarbeJE"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WJzZfarbeJE" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>

It's going to be a busy week around here. Rehearsals for both shows... more promo... general chores... but I think it will all be fun.

Perhaps more updates later.

EDIT: 1:00 PM
So, this is how much of a promo ho I am... the video has been posted HERE.

my day? ya really want to know?

Was up by 5:30 AM. Lolled around a bit in bed enjoying the glow of the dawn breaking outside. Thinking to my self... "Self, this could be quite a day."

Got on the puter and the net at 6:30 ish. Had a great chat with... could tell you but then you would want to take a hit out on me. Anyway, halfway through... thought I'd better fix up and serve breakfast for Mum. A vegie omelet with rice and a dab of soy. So good I indulged myself as well.

8:36 AM get a call informing me that a friend has passed away. The good thing (if there is a good thing about this) is that he went peacefully... and quick... like during an afternoon nap. Chatted with informant (and dear friend) on the horn a bit more and came up with a cool and quirky idea for a project we are working on... so call started sad but ended up creative.

Farted around surfing and doing business on the net. Write email of apology for flying off the handle on Sunday night... offer to make up by buying a whole steak sandwich. A friend comes by looking to buy a domain... hook him up... he buys 3.

11:03 AM... Get an email that another friend is playing hooky. Invite friend to "hang"... friend takes me up on invitation and says will be over in an hour or so. During same email session Mike (in email) says that last song for Frogway is done and is online to Skype. Fire up the Skype engine and voice chat with him. Reworked song lyrics are transfered as well as music. Different from what was originally pitched.... but it totally works!!! Yay!!!! Chat a bit more about progress of show (it's all good) and end call.

11:26 AM... head to kitchen to cook. Cook. (Pork soup with cabbage and onions.) Another friend comes by to ask if I can drive his car back home from the airport to avoid long term parking. Sure... I'll do it this afternoon when friend who comes to hang drops by.

11: 40 AM Serve Mum lunch. Go to bathroom to shower before friend who is going to hang arrives. There is crud in the shower. I have seen this before. Flush loo... crud comes up from shower drain. SHIT! The damn thing (sewer) is blocked!!! I have a web client coming over before friend that hangs arrives. Friend that hangs arrives. Call rooter service. Serve friend that hangs lunch. Web client calls... I beg to reschedule... shit is hitting the fan! Rooter service calls... service agent will be over in half an hour.

20 minutes past noon... rooter service arrives and I explain that sewer vent is actually located in neighbor's yard in the back (don't ask). We go over and I knock on door. Neighbor's son... draped in towel (probably interrupted his "afternoon" delight) very nicely says, "Do what you have to" closes door and gets back to his bitnezz. (Sorry,, dude... but... as you were and more.) Rooting begins as friend who (patiently) hangs surfs on computer. Rooting goes on and on and finally... it drains!

2 PM... $145 later I clean up the shower and take one. Tell Mum that I'm going out for a bit. Propose to friend who hangs that after we drop friend who needs car pick up at his car we go to Big Lots. Friend is dropped off at car rental place... we head to Target. Return a swimsuit (very pretty bikini with gold specks) buy 18 cotton panties and head to Big Lots!

2:45 PM... Cruise aisles of Big Lots... and there is lots to see! It's one of the few places that I actually browse and not power shop. (Really, virtually impossible to power shop there.)

4:32 PM... we have already even done a third of the place but there is a Mum feeding coming up. We pay for the goodies (some of which we didn't need... but it's cool stuff, dammit!) and head off to the homestead.

5:14 PM... Mom feeding. After which friend who hangs and I head out to the usual watering hole. We drink, eat and chat. Very enjoyable and the first relaxation of the entire dar

6:43 PM... After 2 scotch sodas... friend who hangs drives and drops me at the homestead and been a real joy to hang with... thank you so much! Get home and I serve Mum ice cream.

This is the most I've been out in eons and I needed it bad. Tah Dah!

and on it goes

• On Saturday a small army descended on to my house and helped clean and fix things up here. Organized by a friend they helped make living conditions around the homestead much better. Thank you all who came by to make this happen. I am both grateful and humbled by your gift to us.
• I blew my top last night over a professional situation that has been a mounting source of frustration over the last couple of months. I probably shouldn't have but I did. I hate it when that happens and am sorry at how it happened.
• That being said, I refuse to capitulate to a no-can-do point of view without even the consideration of trying.
  
• However, I am also beginning to tire of facing the same battles I've fought all my life.
• I need to make time to get out a little more even though the situation calls for me to be around the homestead a lot more than it used to.
  
• There is a LOON IN JUNE over at Jungle Webs. .NET & .ORG at $8.75... .COM are $6.95... .INFO are .99! Plus if you plonk the following code (5NC25) in at checkout... you get a 5% off for orders over $25! Shhh... tell everyone!
  

for the past 3 days after breakfast...

... I go in for my hourly check to find her sitting in the living room. In the corner, by the door her handbag is stuffed with her essentials. On the floor next to it a wooden hand carved Madonna ... something that I had won on a dare in my teen years. She is waiting for the "transport" to take her to the "new place"... this elusive property that someone has supposedly bought for her. Of course, the transport never comes and after I serve her lunch she goes into her room to lie down. I know the memory of today will slip away in her sleep and she will be waiting again tomorrow.

In variants of this living fable that she is living out, I have already moved to this new place... even though I prepare her meals for her every day. In another she wants me to visit her when she is moved so that she will know how I am doing.

Last night as I sat outside enjoying the breeze and skinning a mango, I wondered where this obsession to move came from. Then it struck me. I recalled an on and off topic of discussion between her and my father when I was younger. We lived in class 4 government quarters even though Dad was entitled to better living accomodation. That's where it must have begun. Maybe promises were made... though I don't recall any being made. Perhaps that's where I learned to make few promises... and to keep the ones I did make.

The irony is that he did provide the opportunity to move. His pension after his death when I was 12, provided the capital to buy a new house. One that she owned outright... one that she sold years later to buy this one when she moved out here. Perhaps in her mind "moving to a new place" never really happened... perhaps the yearning has resurfaced once more because it wasn't something they did together... that even though she has owned her own home it still didn't count without him.

Perhaps it is something I just want to believe just so it makes some sense to me... simply a way to continue coping.

busted power unit

I was setting up a new computer today and the power unit is busted. So it's going back and I get a replacement in 2 weeks or so. Sometimes it just goes that way. Anyway, I was thinking about upgrading the present one to handle video editing... after a bit of math it was better just to get a new one dedicated to doing that. Yeah, I'm taking that on to earn some side income... and it may be time to try my hand at movies. I look at it as a business investment.

So, this gives me a little more time to clear out the unnecessaries and claim the office as my own once again. After the last 4 years of it being Rogue Central... it will be nice to have the space back. There are stacks of things that I have to weed through... but I think reclaiming space will be cathartic to say the least. At least the office will be a little bigger when that pile goes out. Who knows what treasures lurk in there?

This that and the other... bit by bit it will all get done... only to find more junk from elsewhere to hoard. All my piths are back again though.

Thats it for now. Hmmm... what's on PBS?

then you awaken at 3 AM..

... and wonder what happened? What happened is you popped in a movie at 9 PM, fell asleep in the middle of it not realizing you were a lot more tired than you thought you originally were. Yep, that's exactly what happened last night. So, it's 4 AM now and you are scratching your head on what to post.

Hmmm... perhaps I'll pop that movie in again... a couple more hours sleep would be nice.

a little more intense than first anticipated...

... but getting there. So, it'll be a little quiet around here for a while. But things are plugging along nicely. Though I can say I got anf email... the contents brought me to tears. But it's all good. Details to come.

Cheers!

it's 5 AM...

... and I'm up looking at the first glow of the day begin to warm the sky. The pollen count was so high yesterday that I carried a numb headache for most of it... though it was evident at rehearsal last night that I was not alone. Hopefully today will bring some relief... but that may be too much to ask.

There has been a constant no-show at Suicide Lounge rehearsal... sad as it may be is not really surprising. We move on.

Supplies have been stocked up again. The big find were yellow mangos... the kind I grew up eating in Malaysia. (Third row down... second from the right.) This was the local variety that was commonly found. The flavors were not as intense as others but no less delicious. I also spotted the sour green mangos but demurred from buying any this time. It's my favorite. I can just eat one of those with a little dab of salt. An uncle of mine had a tree of those in his front yard that seemed always laden with fruit. Great for pickling and brining.

There was a time growing up when a dwarf mango tree of an exotic variety (anything but local) growing in one's front yard was quite the status symbol back home. If one was invited over for dinner it was a guarantee that one would be lead to the plant by the proud owner. He would then tell of his great adventure acquiring and growing it. Of course, it was quite the insult if one didn't admire it and say something like, "Wow, you are very lucky. That variety is tough to find/grow here." This would fill the owner with beaming pride and you would be promised a fruit as soon as they were ripe. I wonder if this trend still survives.

I've always thought of the mango as a very sexy fruit. The shape. the taste, the aroma... something very earthy about it all. Today, I plan on skinning and slicing the ones I found and chilling them in the fridge for a bit. Then, after lunch I will quietly indulge myself... savoring the sweet tartness of paradise.

EDIT: Images of my walk to the store and back this morning. OK, they may not be as interesting as Zonthar's recent travelogue to the British Isles or as fascinating as Cosima's Hong Kong adventures... but hey, they are pictures! Something to look at, right? Anyway, I usually bike to the store... today I walked. Feel free to click on them for larger sizes.

This is the path that began the journey. ::swell of music - theme from Lawrence of Arabia::

I ran into my friend and neighbor Chef Tony. We chatted a bit then we both went our separate ways. BTW it was his day off.

Ah... it's being sold. Jeffery Dahmer's mother used to live here... really! She was here when news of him being offed in prison came. The neighbors were very protective and parked their cars on the street so that the News vans couldn't camp out in front.

One of the oldest gas stations in the big No. It's actually designated as a historical landmark. Was once the "last chance gas" places before you hit the wilderness heading north. I love that the old ice room and pumps are still here.

This used to be on the edge of the wilderness... now it leads to one of the upscale old neighborhoods in mid town.

One of my favorite signs.

Mural with tagging on the side of the store.

Lion guarding a 4-plex.

One of my favorite adobe styled houses on my block.

There you have it. Oh yeah... I got cookies and milk. Oh, and I can't wait till tomorrow... just saying. ::swell of music again as screen goes to dark and credits roll::

OK... back.

If you came by earlier and I wasn't here it's because I was migrating my blog to a different server. Hope I didn't scare you too much. Just doing some geeky web related stuff that I'll go into later. Let's just say that I've decided to impose the learning curve back onto myself. All part of forward movement.

not quite at wits end... but getting there

It's been a challenging week. Yesterday for instance, started with Mum packing up her things putting it in front of the house and saying good-bye to the neighbors. For the past week she has been obsessing that I have sold the house and that someone has bought her property. All of this was transpiring while I was trying to set up a Mother's Day lunch in the front yard. (More on the lunch later.) In the evening, convinced that I was an ogre for refusing to drive her to said property she began canvasing the neighbors to take her to this elusive new abode.

This morning after I had served her breakfast I got on the computer for a bit in my office in the back. As per usual I went to check up on her on the hour to find her gone. One neighbor had seen her heading in an easterly direction. I walk around the block and see nary a sign of her. This same neighbor offers to drive me to locate her. 3 blocks away we find her... get her into the car and get her back home. Again, she was heading out to her elusive phantom property... not actually having any idea as to where it actually is.

So, now I have to get a latch for the front door (that is out of reach to her) so that these episodes do not occur again without me knowing. If she his going to leave it will have to be by the back door where I am in eyeshot from my garage office. I would now go into my daily routine of laundry, dishes, cooking, etc but won't lest I be accused of self congratulatory indulgence.

THE UPSHOT
My neighbors have been gems about all of this. Because I have been involved between daily house chores and trying to eak out a living on my computer I have neglected the care of the front yard. This Saturday a couple of neighbors took care of that. The others are aware of Mum's condition and will keep a watchful eye on her.

A couple of friends like APJ have been of great assistance in facilitating many practical needs... groceries, etc. Kowboi, Mustang and Steph have come over to help pick Mum up whenever she has fallen. Then good folks like Thereminman will call every so often just to say "hi" and offer support. His lovely wife has also been a wonderful font of information on social service resources. Aunts of my ex-wife come by every week just to say Hi. RP and wife are planning to come by to help with some cleanup. Many of you online have left comments of support that is much appreciated. Others like Trashed and family (who live 400 odd miles away) came by after their trip to Yosemite to spend lunch with Mum yesterday. Mum thrives on company so this was a special treat for her. That was the really nice part of yesterday.

So, if you live in the big NO and want to help (yes, I'm asking)... even coming by to spend half an hour chatting with Mum or taking her for a drive... do so. She loves company. She may not remember you but try not to take that personally.

last night I was thinking about food...

... perhaps the real question should be... when do I not? It was spurred on by something that Mum said yesterday as I was sharing a meal with her. "You have become quite a good cook." I beamed because that is indeed high praise coming from one's mother.

I was thinking about how I learned to cook pretty early in life. By the age of 8, I could whip up a pretty decent fried rice. By my teen years I had amassed a good stash of recipes and was able to lay out an entire (and balanced) meal for the dinner table off the top of my head. (No recipe books for this boy.) I loved (and still love) the physical act of cooking. The prep... deciding what goes in and in what proportions... and when it's done and ready to serve. I think it was the the magic of combining various food elements to produce a certain distinct taste that first grabbed me.

Though it was only in my early 20's that I began to appreciate and understand the subtleties and nuances that affect the palette. Until that point in time cooking was more of a functional joy. But the more I cooked the more secrets were revealed to me. For instance, how chopped, sliced and crushed garlic all provide a different value to a dish. Sure, I could have read up about it (and eventually did) but it was the pure joy of discovery through doing that made these revelations akin to the apprentice uncovering the dead wizard's secrets. One day it seemed as if the unprepared food was communicating with me. I was infused with the innate knowledge of what, when, why and how much... and all of this was coming from the food itself.

ONION: If you are thinking of using me in that cucumber salad... slice me wafer thin... and a slight sprinkle of salt will bring out my sweetness. A squeeze of lime as a dressing will hide it until the fresh crunch of the cucumber dissipates... then my true nectar will bloom to its fullness.

It was this that occupied my slightly deranged mind last night... how when we eat several sensation explosions occur. Taste, smell, touch... this series of little explosions... perfectly timed and building one upon another that provides the total sensuousness to the act of eating. This in turn triggers a euphoria... further releasing various chemical secretions into the rest of our physical being that causes us to shut our eyes in delight and moan wistfully as we implode into the complete surrender of the moment to the meal ... not unlike that exquisite sexual experience. And when sharing a meal with someone else this communion becomes a menage a trois with the meal having it's way with both of you simultaneously.

::wiping my brow::

And while I was thinking about all of this... I came up with an idea for a play about a terrorist chef.

EDIT:
And to all you Mamas out there... be celebrated... be very celebrated... you deserve it! Cheers!
.

I'm feeling much better now.

(You know, I always felt that should have been the iconic line from the movie The Sixth Sense... instead of the "dead people" line.) There are still a whole load of challenges up ahead but I'll deal with them one at a time. Thank you all who left supportive comments. I am not usually the whine-meister but I allowed the last wave of feeling overwhelmed get the better of me. It incapacitated me and I despise feeling like that. Anyway, that's over... for now.

My day was pretty low key. I did cook however... a rice noodle soup that both Mum and I quite enjoyed. It was a nice change for both of us and was something that neither of us had had in quite a while. Now that I make it a point to share at least one meal a day with her its nice to watch her enjoying her food. I think there is enough for lunch tomorrow as well.

I'm guessing that tomorrow will be pretty low key too. I have several projects to complete. All in the creative vein so at least I will be engaged. The trick though is to get an early start on things.

and then what?

Floating in this swirl of uncertainty is really starting to get to me. Now I fully understand that there are no guarantees in life but I'm twirling at the end of a thread more so than I have ever done so before. It is not a new occurance in my life but the difference this time is that I have someone depending on me. I knew the present shift I am in would be extreme but it really feels like a free-fall. But where there is life there is hope, right? Excuse me while I hold my breath until the glow appears at the end of that seemingly endless tunnel.

BTW... the issues from the last post were finally resolved. So, perhaps there really is some forward motion.

There is much to be thankful for though. People mostly. Those who remind me that I have made a lot happen... and that I can again. The difference this time is that I need to make it happen for me.

So, those of you who come by... forgive my indulgence in these postings. I do not apologize for them. I have not and will not apologize for honestly expressing how I feel. At least I can still do that.

This must be blood letting Sunday...

... or something close. First, I'm pulling clothes out of the washer to line dry them and something scrapes my middle finger breaking the skin. So I practice some ancient alchemy - suck on it and it will all be better. I hang the clothes on the line... no big deal. Figure they will be dry within 2 hours with the current sunshine beating down.

I head into the kitchen. Suddenly have a hankering for a baked potato drizzled with garlic, pepper and salt. OK, in reality it's really a microwaved potato - heck, three and a half minutes and it's done!

As I reach for a plate to put it on I feel something little and sharp puncture the underside of my foot. While balancing a plate with a potato on it I pull up my foot and see the crimson ooze begin to emerge. I hop over put the plate in, turn on the microwave and contemplate ancient alchemy once more. Though sucking on one's foot just didn't seem the right thing to do at the time.

I guess the best thing would be to clean the wound and apply pressure. The ooze finally coagulates and the ruby flow stops. I think I will remain as still as possible for the rest of the day just so the fates won't be tempted. Afterall, three times the charm, right?

I get to receive an award...

... tomorrow for the Rogue. The 22nd edition of the Horizon Awards will be held at the council chambers of Fresno City Hall. (Yeah, it does look like a Klingon battle cruiser, doesn't it?) A pretty big affair and I'm supposed to give a short speech and all. (Lordy, lordy... oy vey!)

OK, this is all pretty surreal to me. (I'm convinced this is going to be like traipsing through a Salvador Dali painting.) Yes, it is wonderful for the festival to be honored like this but dang it's weird. Mainly I guess because the festival was started in a "wait and see" town. There is still a wait and see attitude here... though it is slowly changing. Weird also because I'm not exactly an "award" kinda guy. (Gawd, I'm supposed to dress up for this thing? Can I just wear a sarong?) I suppose I'll blog about the experience on Friday.

We were supposed to have Suicide Lounge rehearsals tonight but the only other person to turn up was my replacement going to Shanghai. So we used the time to hang a bit and chat. Talking about all sorts of things. A very pleasant evening to be sure which took away some of the edge I was feeling earlier.

That's all for now.

i have mixed feelings about...

... the next couple of days. Extreme juxtaposed realities of my life are converging. On one end there is good cause for pride and celebration but on the other cause for worry and panic. I can only stand in the middle and attempt to breathe at the moment. (The high pollen count today is only adding to all of this.)

The meme in the last post was fun. It was a challenge coming up with the questions and I have been enjoying the answers. Some have chosen to be more candid than others but all have been revealing. I will continue to look forward to more as others chime in.

Perhaps there will be more to this post later... if I can manage to put a cogent thought together.

I woke up and just didn't...

... want to do it. It had started to rain last night and the bed was cozy warm. I turned over to look at the clock on the wall... 7:35 AM. Perhaps if I linger here a little longer just enjoying the sound of the rain outside. Just give in to me for a little while... perhaps then I can leave this sanctuary and do the dishes, laundry, cook and serve breakfast. The last time I lingered I found her on the ground unable to pick herself up after attempting to get things done for herself. I lasted all of 15 minutes. As much as I just wanted to just lay there... the day had to begin.

it was only half an allnighter...

... last night. So, I'm trying to make it up tonight.

The Virginia Tech situation is very sad.

If you haven't been watching America at a Crossroads on PBS... you should.

so, mum fell...

... again today. Kowboi has a real job and I could not call him for help. Mustang (who was ever so kind a couple of weeks ago to swing by to help) has always had a real job so that was out of the question. Finally, I called Steph who gallantly came by to help her up. Nothing serious... but once she is down the logic to get up does escape her. Thank you very much Steph... Mum was still talking (fondly) about you after you left.

Though it wasn't a major thing it did shoot out my day where writing was concerned. There was laundry, washing and cooking to take care of. Then APJ came over and we took care of some business that had to be taken care of... after which she kidnapped me for a scotch and some nachos.

I am back home now gearing up to get back to writing... or rewriting as the case may be. I'm a day and a half behind and will probably pull an all nighter just to meet the deadline. It all hinges on me right now. See ya on the other side.

EDIT: Er... who's generation? I hear the youngest in this group is 90.

I guess it's official now.

A neighbor alerted me to it this morning. Apparently the story was published in the Fresno Bee on the 7th. So much for paying attention to the news. READ STORY HERE.
.
EDIT: TIME WASTERS

• Click here to put your face on money.
• Graffiti from the Ukraine.
  

so, I'm not going to Shanghai...

... with Suicide Lounge. Circumstances and situations are keeping me at the homested. Though I would really like to go it is a decision I arrived at without regret. So, as not to hamper the group from taking the gig I suggested a replacement. We all met last night and I think it will all work out grandly. I am actually happy with the addition to the group. I can't think of anyone better who I would rather go in my stead. Besides, she will look a fair bit better in a chanteuse evening gown than I would.

And on other fronts...
The next 5 days will be taken up with cranking out the rewrites of Frogway... along with all the 10,000 things I have to do.

Perhaps there will be more later... or on Da Count post for tomorrow.

Cheers!

spent the day working on the lyrics...

... to a brand new song and completely overhauling an old one. It was exhilarating... especially working on the new one. It's been a while since I've written lyrics and there is also the challenge to keep the original charm of and unity of the piece as a whole. Don't really want the new song to stick out like a... new song, if you know what I mean. The overhaul on the old one was also a lot of fun. Both still need to be tweaked some more and I can't wait to Skype with Mike to get it in those in the bag. Though I am pretty happy with how they've come out overall.

Reworking this show after 27 years has been and continues to be a lot of fun. Though it has caused me to ponder about the cyclical nature of life. I mean, here is the first play I attempted. It was produced back then. Now Mike and I are readying it again for another possible production. We have chatted about this and what a strange wondrous journey between then and now our separate lives have been. (BTW... here is sampling of Mike's genius for your listening pleasure... and the gentleman he is "dueting" with is a cousin of mine. I think you'll agree both are total MOFO jazz musicians!)

I have over the last couple of years noticed that I have been revisiting other past events, situations and people on a fairly regular basis. The only meaning I can derive from this is that (for some reason) I'm being afforded the opportunity to perhaps "do it right" this time around... or perhaps come to some resolve. With the play... I think falls into the "do it right" column... perhaps if nothing else to pacify the restlessness I've had with it over the years.

In this same two year period I've also had this inkling that there may be opportunities (exciting ones at that) up ahead. Major shifts. Yet at the present there also does exist a tense feeling... probably because of the financial uncertainty I presently face.

Energy is a strange, wonderful and scary thing, isn't it?

Found OCR software...

... to scan in the typed script of Frogway. Guess what I'm doing all evening?

so, the producers need...

... the current rewrite of Frogway in a week and a half. Other than outlining the changes that I want to be made I have not begun to work on it as yet. Though if the outlining that I've done works the way I want it to... it may be completed in 5 days. This is planned as a complete slash and burn rework. Of course, all of this is exasperated by the fact that a digital copy of the script doesn't exist. So, I guess I'll spend the rest of the evening scanning it all in.

Though I have to say that working with Mike again has been totally fun. We Skype once a day for about an hour or so. I managed to "acquire" a full working version of Sibelius (don't ask how) and that has made the process even easier. (Yes, my musician friends hold a mixture of awe and hate for me because I have a copy of it.) Makes rewriting and reworking the songs for the show half way around the world very easy. So, things are clipping along in that area. On top of that there is a sudden interest about mounting the show here as well... royalty money... good.

Plus, I have also been hired by Theatre Ventoux to shoot and cut a couple of promo videos for their upcoming production. (Yeah, this too has to be done way soon!) I went over to catch a rehearsal on Friday and think they have the promise of a really good show in the works. If you live in and around the big NO... make sure you catch it!

Then there is Jungle Webs... and marketing that... so that there will be a stream of income... so that we can eat. If you can shill that for me I may begin to get some more business... it would really help.

All of this plus tending to Mum's needs. So, it's safe to say that my eyeballs are floating at the moment. So, postings may be a little sporadic... just saying.

MY WEEKEND?
It was a good friend weekend. One came over on Friday to assist me with unplugging the john. Another, on Saturday morning responded within 15 minutes via a phone plea to help Mum up who had fallen. Yet another came over Saturday evening to "get my back" on some needed items around the house. And another came by after work "just to hang"... which is just what the doctor ordered. I've said it before and I'll say it again... one of the biggest blessings in my life are my friends. Thanks so much, guys!

Here's wishing your weekend starts off well.

extreme highs extreme lows

I was close to calling "uncle" today... but perhaps tomorrow will bring better. Best not to share or dwell at the moment.

I attempted to mow the yard today. Attempted because I got through a third and a bad attack of congestion hit me like a two by four to the side of my head. It took all my energy just to get back to my room to sit it out... for almost an hour before it let up. This season has been particularly bad in that aspect.

This may not be a great week for me to blog. Just in a funk. I've usually been able to muddle through to a solution (on pretty much anything - even my detractors will tell you that)... but it seems too elusive at the moment. Really, I haven't got through this far on good looks alone. lol. That's a joke... looks have never gotten me past the door. It's been tenacity, drive and lots of elbow grease. You know what I've been best at? Facilitating others.

Enough of this. Go HERE to read something a little more up.

not particularly in a writing mood tonight...

... just sort of in a blah mood. (O.K. truth be told I've been severely congested today from all the schmutz in the air that I'm just a little out of it.)

What I said I would write (a couple of posts down) on the TJ Blog is UP... posted it yesterday. It's slightly snarky but ends on a positive note. There is also THIS & THIS.

Perhaps later or in the AM... I'll be more inspired. I guess it can't all be up all the time, can it?

EDIT: Here is a bonus time waster to make up for my blah

trying on a brand new sarong...

... always feels like the start of a new relationship. You look at it... admire it... feel it. You put it on to see how it feels against the skin. You wonder about the level of comfort and softness it will attain in time. Some you take to right away. Others grow in appreciation over time. Which one of the 2 new ones will attain favorite status?

I've had many sarongs over the years. In fact, I still own 2 that are over 20 years old. The two latest ones were brought over from Malaysia by Kien. I do have to tip my hat on his aesthetic choices. (These pictures hardly do them justice.) When he arrived he said, "These are definitely you." I was undoubtedly very pleased with his choices. Both are of the "gajah duduk" (sitting elephant) brand... which is the most popular in Indonesia. Good sturdy fabric... but I do know that one will win over the other to be the apple of my eye. Only time (and repeated use) will tell.

The "male" sarongs from Malaysia are usually of a stripe or plaid design. The "ladies" have the market on the more fanciful floral prints. Really beautiful traditional designs are the most sought after sarongs. But more about that in another post. I have told you how much I love women in sarongs, haven't I? Well, I do... really... very much. One would think I have a sarong fetish... OK, I do. So... you got a problem with that?

For now I look at the two I have and relish the thought of "breaking them in". They will be a comfort to wear now that the whether is more sarong friendly. (Brace yourselves for "The Return of the Sarong!") I have already been using them... not just to bed but also to lounge in. Ahhh... the comfort of a sarong... there's nothing quite like it.

EDIT: I was so hoping the lovely Keda would chime in on this one because I was looking for THIS POST of hers yesterday.

when I wake up...

... tomorrow morning, I will make my way over to ye ole java joint for an interview meeting with one of the bigger arts foundations in the land. I received an email from them over a week ago stating that I had been identified "as a key resource person with knowledge of the cultural landscape". Hmmm... er... OK. Apparently I am one of 30 people in the San Joaquin Valley who are being interviewed to "investigate the many forms of creative and cultural expression" in the area. (1 of 30 out of 4 million? Huh? No pressure there.) Anyway, the starter on the truck is being finicky so I guess I'll bike it to this meeting. I just want to know if they are springing for the cup of coffee.

I have to say that there suddenly seems to be an awful lot of activity in that area where my life is concerned of late. Not a complain... but this spike in arts related stuff can be a little heady. Especially considering that not too long ago I was looked upon as a bit of a curiosity and oddball. (O.K. a lot of the theatre folk in this town still look upon me in that way.) But now the "established" bigwigs want to ask my opinion? (I do have to admit that the thought of this happening just gets me a little cross-eyed.) I guess all I can do is show up... give my opinion and hopefully not have to pay for my own cup of java.

In other news... I'm hitting the sack early tonight. Hope your Thursday is good. Cheers!

the fantastic day

Today wasn't it... not for me at least. Just was feeling under the whether and a system that blew in last night lowered the temperatures making me want to snuggle up under the blanket. So, it wasn't a bad day... but it wasn't an optimum one either. But it did get me thinking about a few fantastic days of yore.

No. this is not going to be a post describing any of those. I was actually thinking about it within context of the people I've shared those times with. There are times when we get together that we smile and laugh over some of those over a drink... always a fun thing. Though there are also those fantastic days that often go unspoken. They may be private pleasures that we keep to ourselves. There are also the ones that involve others that for some reason we haven't or don't want to relate... or simply don't because the "right moment" hasn't arrived.

I wonder how many parents tell their children (when they are old enough to appreciate it) about the day they were born. I wonder how many children tell their parents about that day when a special moment shared meant everything to them. Or co-workers telling each other of how much a favor done meant the world to them on a particular day. Or former lovers smiling over how good that burnt dinner tasted on that perfect day. Or a friend thanking another for a selfless act that made all the difference. Just random fantastic days... feel free to add your own.

No, there is no epiphany here. No, profound conclusion to the post. Just thoughts that floated through my mind as the day rolled on. A nap early this evening has made me feel better. Not a fantastic day... but really not a bad one either.

How was yours?

so, it's like this...

... I had to call the electric company to ask for an extension to pay off a pretty enormous bill. Paid some of it today. Now I have a week to figure out (currently with a non-existent income) where/how I will find the money to pay it off.

I also have to rewrite a play (Frogway) I wrote 27 years ago... and finish it quick if it is to be produced back in Malaysia.

My writing partner (the composer of Frogway) and I are talking about working together again on some new exciting projects.

The article that I wrote and posted on Jungle Webs... was also posted on Fresno Famous and received a positive response from the webmaster of the local Arts Council. This could mean possible business for Jungle Webs.

Connected to that... a marketing company that has been on the boards with a couple of friends will have to be fast-tracked to take full advantage of the upcoming possibilities.

The Rogue has won the Central Valley People's Choice Award as a Hidden Gem of this region. It was released in a nice glossy edition as part of the local newspaper yesterday with a story and a great picture of the current producer, promotions director and me. (Sorry, no web links to this.)

There are a couple of great personal and professional things that I'm not at liberty to talk about at the moment. One is coming up soon.

There is a possible upcoming gig at a Jazz club in Shanghai to perform that I may not be able to do.

All of this while I have a total of $72 to my name and an uncertain horizon of an income stream. Ain't life grand? The thing is... its not new to me. My life has always been a swirling yin and yang that happens all at the same time. Exciting, crazy, desperate, honored, elated, unsure... always been that way. LOL.

EDIT: Woke up this morning and not feeling too hot today. Sour tummy and just a general "out of it" disposition. Hopefully it passes soon and it's not "that thing" that has been making the rounds that I have successfully avoided so far.

EDIT 2: So, I visited Tish's blog and found this cool service/widget that I'm trying out. Check the sidebar under "Recent Readers". Feel free to check it out.

sometimes, it just goes...

... around and around. You want to catch a breath. It continues. Variations on a theme. Like the countless jazz solos born from the same song. All rich with nuance. You stop and you become an observer. Take it in. A slice of trance. An empty space opens to your right. Then you get up. Time to get it all together...


again.



EDIT: Was chatting with a friend this morning on my latest post. Perhaps you would want to add an image to the cryptic post. Just post a link to an image in the comment section.

The simple joy of....

... standing under the gushing water of a shower. I thought about this yesterday as I was taking one. This is especially so when the force of the water is strong. I just stood there allowing the force massage my back. Moving my body ever so slightly just so it would leave no spot untouched. Taking in the solace that comes in this simple act of washing away the grime of the day. Then to emerge... dry off and feel both invigorated and relaxed.

It's the simple joys we take for granted that I am starting to be both aware of and enjoy again. Today I caught myself staring out the open door of my office as birds hopped and pecked through the overgrown patches that was my vegetable garden 2 Summers ago. I sat watching them pick at this and that... part of their job for the day. Focused and deliberate in every hop and peck... intent on the task at hand. There is a lot of weeding to do before I plant. Plant I shall this year as the whether is too perfect not to. Cucumbers, tomatoes and sweet peppers are in the planning at the moment. I may add one or others that I have not ventured to yet before. Hopefully, this Summer will bring a bounty of fresh crispy meals from this overlooked and overgrown patch.

The simple joys... those everyday things that we can so easily take for granted... what have you re-appreciated of late?

Bad blogger...

... I have been. Not posting. Not visiting. So, now it's back to regular life... (along with the blogging) I must apologise to all those who come here on a regular basis.... especially the folks who do Da Count. I will catch up on the visits.

I woke up this morning with the intent of getting some chores done around the homestead... but it turned out to be a lazy day. I just wanted to do as little as possible... and did.If I hadn't have to go out for dogfood and toilet paper I would have lounged around all day just staring into nowhere.

Thats all for now... a short post. Cheers!

To quote a line from Tale End... "We are done."

I feel good... better than James Brown. Rogue 2007 went well. There seemed to be a significant spike in audience attendance. Performers from far and near seemed to be on a buzzed high from their participation. In general the caliber of shows was very impressive. After 6 years I think it has finally arrived.

Both my shows did well. Suicide Lounge was quite a popular show. For something that was thrown together as a lark... after our last performance we were offered a 2-3 week gig in a jazz club in Shanghai! How freaky is that? You can read about some of it here at fellow SF blogger Generik who turned up for the final weekend. There are some pictures there too!

Tale End sold out 3 of it's 5 shows. Those who said they would turned up... others didn't... but it's all good. I was especially proud of the last 2 performances. When the lights went out on stage the audience sat in stunned silence for a good 5-10 seconds before the applause rolled high. We all went into this knowing full well that audiences would like it or hate it... and that proved true. Here are some of the reviews and a new post!

New friends were made... old friends reacquainted and it was also time to say goodbye to a friend and fellow founder of the festival. She headed out today for a new life back East.

I'll leave it at that for now and here are some pictures. Speaking of pictures... there are more on this year's fest HERE as well... including a cool Flikr slideshow. Ahh... now back to real life!

Click for bigger versions.

Suicide Lounge (stolen from Generik)

With friends at the Starline

Lines around the block for our final performance.

The Golden Plunger Award (no turds involved)

Tale End (pic by Brad Polzin)

Post final performance tailgate for Tale End with the Green Faerie

Saying good bye to Mama Rogue Jenn.

while I'm waiting for the laundry...

... I thought I'd take the opportunity to write a post.

First off the bat... if you are in the big NO... Tale End plays tonight at 10 PM. If you are in line you may be randomly picked to go in FREE!

Thoughts have been floating of late. Some concerning the Rogue some concerning the show but mostly those concerning how this year has (as I predicted) to be one of letting go.

In one weekend I let go of this festival as well as my play. Yes I am still a promotion demon for both but I have released both of them from my steely grip to where they should be... to the public and to my cast. A sense of melancholy hovered this morning as I thought about this. Not because I yearn for them back but the process will be missed. Now to set out to find some new trouble to engage in.

I have received interesting reactions to the show. Friends who have known me for more than a 5 year span accept it as a natural progression of my own evolution. Friends who have known me for less than 5 years are having reservations about its style and content. They seem to have expected something broader with a touch more razzmatazz. Probably because they are comparing it with some of my earlier works that have encompassed that quality and feel my work should continue in that vein. So, they have walked in with an expectation that has been projected onto the show that does not payoff and have left a little disappointed. People who don't know my work from Adam have come out raving about the show.

I have never been one to stick to a genre or style simply because I get bored when there is no challenge. What is next? Who knows. For now I'm happy with what is. Doesn't mean I'm not going to tweak it but all the choices subtle or garish in the show at the moment are justified and full.

Well, here I am.

Just took myself out for a drink and thought I'd post early. (Yeah, I rather enjoy my company and perhaps I'll allow myself to get lucky with me later. lol.)

Oh, sense of foreboding is gone. A good nights rest took care of that. Today was sort of a day off... kinda. Tomorrow it's full bore again with graphics and 2 rehearsals... plus getting things in order around here... OK, at least neater.

I did some laundry today... there's more to do tomorrow. Though while I was waiting for the laundry several thoughts crossed through my mind. However, I'm going to wait to process them before I offer them up here.

The fest is a day away. More madness is up ahead. More headaches and hiccups... but they are (mostly) not mine to worry about. I enjoyed the run I had. This is their run. Hiccups and all... once it is over and the dust is cleared... they should take pride in their handiwork. I know that I will be proud of them.

Yeah... and part 2 of the TJ HNT will also be posted.

EDIT: 1:20 PM
Damn, I'm slammed with even more web/graphic work than I want.

On another note. THIS SITE is so cool with Lost Cities!

You ever get one of those days...

... when there is this low rumble of a threat that something could go wrong at anytime? I had one of those today. Just an uneasy feeling. I hate those... especially when that foreboding lingers all day. Though I am thankful (so far) that this inkling hasn't played out... whatever it is.

Just another short one today. Oh yeah, we caught some ink in the local paper yesterday. HERE is the link to that. Also there was something in a local e-zine HERE!

Hope you have a good Tuesday.

(image "borrowed" from HERE.)

EDIT: 8:25 AM

MORE INK! Today's edition features our boy, Kien. You can read all about it HERE! Plus in the same paper some more on the Rogue Fest HERE!

.

Finished editing our promo video...

... HERE IT IS! (Just click Talepromovideo under the player to steal it for your own blog.

Oh yeah, go check the TJ Blog and meet one of our Rogue Buddies there!

Oh yeah (number two), there may be an HNT this week.

Talepromovideo
Uploaded by dathang

A Monday at that!

Just to get it out of the way... there is a NEW POST on the TJ site. We had a pickup rehearsal tonight that went pretty darn well.

Been quite a day. More web work... then I began toying with a promotional video for Tale End. Hopefully it will be completed by tomorrow. I think it'll run about a minute or so long.

2 weeks more till the Rogue begins. There is still loads to do... but this year that is not my job. I have a few more bits and pieces on the graphics department. Then, I'm just a shmoe like everybody else. I'm sure I'll hear about this, that and the other but I aim to make the effort to support and help where I can... then mind my own business. But mostly to get my own shows up and bouncing.

BTW... how do you like the new "recent comments" widget in the sidebar. Pretty nifty, eh?

Not much more to say today... probably because I spilt most of it on the TJ post. Perhaps more later in the day. Hope your Tuesday goes well.

Chinese New Year & Firecrackers

Bouncing off the lovely Cosima's recent post and one by my friend, Patrick... (plus he sent an IM greeting to me this morning)... I thought I'd post a little about Chinese New Year. At least my own memories of the holiday as I was growing up in Malaysia.

Somewhat related to the post before this one... it always impressed me that one of the customs was a New Year's Eve dinner with the family. The idea was that all accusations, quarrels and debts be settled on that night so the new year starts fresh... on a clean slate. Over time I had been privileged to have been invited as a "special guest" to a few of these dinners. (Usually a private family affair.)

At one especially... the dinner was ordered not to start until the quarreling siblings settled their issues outside the house. (They had both sat at the table with scowls on their faces earlier.) I remember hearing raised voices as a light and party atmosphere ensued inside. After 20 minutes or so... the siblings entered, apologised to the parents for holding up dinner, poured tea for each other and all was well with the world again... and dinner could start. Not saying that this is how it is conducted at every home but I was impressed with how it was conducted at this one.

Growing up when a ban on Firecrackers had not yet been imposed was a lot of fun. Long strings of firecrackers would hang from the second floor of shophouses in certain sectors of town and there seemed to be a never ending din of explosions. Usually a lion or dragon dance would also be performed in front of the businesses to ensure prosperity for the coming year as the crackers went off. At the end of the dance... the lion or dragon would stretch up and collect it's packet of money that was perched high. Businesses across the street from each other would try to out do each other and soon the street would be carpeted with red paper as a result of all the firecrackers exploding. (The most impressive I remember seeing was a string so long it had to be "looped" to hang up at least 5 times.) The one lasting impression that is burned into my memory of this is riding in a bus through a red covered street with firecrackers going off on both sides of the window. I'm pretty sure that year the "kwai" (devils) of bad luck stayed far away.

Then there was the joy of buying firecrackers and playing with them as a kid. All the reports of people blowing their digits off never stopped us. (I never blew my digits off but did suffer flash burns on several occasions.) One of the favorite things to do was to light one under a can to see how high it would fly. (yeah, there was an element of gambling involved in this.) The other was throwing firecrackers in a monsoon drain just to get that great loud echo sound. The other (and this involved real skill) was tossing lit ones into a pond to make the water explode. It was all in the timing because if you threw it too early... it would just fizzle out. The other was to cut open the firecrackers with a razorblade and light the powder just for the flash! Thinking back... boy, it was a dangerous childhood I lived through! LOL! Though I wouldn't change a thing about it.

This is the year of the Pig... may it be a year of prosperity for one and all! Click here to find out how your animal sign will do this year.

YAAAAAAAM SEEENG!

I suddenly find myself with an hour...

... to kill so I thought I'd take the time to post something. At least something a little longer that the past two days.

One of my rehearsals fizzled out tonight. Though I'm not fretting it (perhaps I should) but it was for Suicide Lounge and I'm not in the greatest of voice tonight. Also this gives me time to really work one of the numbers that I want to do. Lush Life is a mofo of a song to try to do. OK... it can be done but takes quite a bit to pull off so the extra alone time to work it will help at least solidify the tune in my head. We'll get together on Saturday and work the whole thing out.

I have a bit more with graphics and web work to go but I'm confident that after this week I will be free of that.

I went for a short bike ride today... and boy, am I out of shape. LOL! Really pretty sad at how badly I was winded by the short ride. So, I'm making an effort to get out and about either walking or biking for a bit every day. At least this way if and when I do keel over I will have a healthy flush in my cheeks and not look so much like the cave dewller I do now.

Oh, I just checked my Jungle Webs business and see that a few of you who come by here have made purchases. Thank You so much for the business. Every little bit goes a long way and ... do pass the word along. Really, we have some of the most competitive deals around and the support is top notch.

Hmm... perhaps more in the AM. My cast is due to arrive pretty soon... our first pickup rehearsal after the preview. Sure it'll be rough... but they'll do fine once the festival comes by.

another short one...

... but at least the listings are completed. Click and take a look at the right sidebar and see how big this sucker has gotten. You sure you don't want to come?

Oh yeah... a Big Happy Sloppy Smoochy V-Day to one and all!

still at it...

... and not quite done... but HERE is something to look at.

new post later in...

... the AM... promise.

EDIT: 9:03 AM Monday

Loads to do today... when is there not? But things are clipping along at a pretty good pace so, one has to be thankful for that.

Last night I thought about where I am and how I got here. About all the shifts our lives take. How we decide to act or react to those shifts. The ebb and flow of life that causes us to ponder and take in what is in the present.

I know so many who hark back to a past time and almost seem to spend the rest of the present trying to get back to what once was. Then there are those who look to whats ahead with a fervency that almost disregards the present. Yes, I have indulged in both on occasion but never once losing appreciation for the present.

I can honestly say that I have enjoyed every age I have been. Sure, on reflection... some more than others but I never hated any age I have been. The aches and creaks are a little more prevalent now but so is patience and the understanding that one has to allow for the process to play out.

Change is inevitable weather we choose to accept it or not. With the view of the observer it is easier to recognize its occurrence without than it is within. And sometimes we just have to step out and look within to recognize the evolution that is happening and celebrate our own growth.

i was invited out to dinner tonight...

... and I went. It was a really nice change from being the hermit in the cave working on web work. Thank you G & L for a lovely evening and a wonderful meal. Sol and Kien for being there. Chilling out with stirring conversation with great company... a welcome change and it's been a while.

... prechance to dream... but instead...

... you enter into the loopy, loony, lucid land of nod. That's where I've just come from. You've been there before, haven't you? Especially from that first "nap" you dared to take after ploughing straight through on an almost non-stop marathon of doing something like... say... GRAPHICS?

It's the hard left you take 2 exits before the Twilight Zone turnoff. The nap you tell yourself is so needed at 1 AM when you've been up since 3 the morning before? Yeah, that place. Your mind is still razor sharp but you know that a power nap is needed just so the neighbors don't call on the guys with the white jackets on your behalf. The nap you enter with your very own version of swirling circus music... a whimsical buzz that hums paintings by Salvador Dali for the first half hour. Then it subsides to a peaceful stillness and you know the fun is just about to begin.

Half awake and half in dream state you bounce through several mind movies that suggest that Ingmar Berman collaborated with the Keystone Kops and that Charlie Chaplin provided Apocalypse Now with that warm fuzzy and uplifting ending. But these dreams are lucid and you have the power to change them. You don't. Why spoil the ride? You couldn't pay money for this stuff. Besides, if you did you fear the frightening turn it might warp into simply because the noodles encased in your skull have been racing forward in a swirl like Speedy Gonzales operating a merry-go-round on coke.

So, I'm up again and whacking this work out just so it's off my hands. Another pot of coffee on the brew. Considering the work load I'm actually feeling rather chipper. Or could it be that I have finally jumped that barby fence that holds us just this side of reality? But the work needs to get done. Come by in a few days and you can get a PDF of it... unless of course they've already taken me away. The difference between this year and that? 12 more pages.

Later... Cheers!

Oh, and here are 7 Reasons not to go to Vista... yet.

Yep, thar she blows!

The sewer backed up at the house today. Well not actually the house but the toilet in my back office... but that is the last stop before entering the main line. So, any drainage from the house was coming out my toilet. Not a pretty thing.

So, I call the roto-rooter folks who say that a "technician" would be over within an hour... which he was. Cool. He asked where the "vent" was and I said that it was probably in my neighbor's garden. I explained to him that an old back alley road use to run between the the properties and at some time the residents (way back when) were offered the option of extending their lots, etc... and that whoever lived here bought half the alley. However, this I happen to know left our water shut-off in my neighbor's yard and probably the sewer vent as well.

He dismissed this stating there was no such thing. Almost insisted the vent was under my shed... and for an extra $250 they could run a video camera down my toilet to locate the exact location of my vent. What do I know about crap... I said OK... but if I found it before the "crappy video crew" got here... we save $250. Poor Kien and I ripped and dug under the shed for about an hour and a half. Finally, the logic of the vent actually being in the neighbor's yard started to become more apparent to both of us.

I decided to call a different service... explained the situation and they seemed open to my notion that the vent could actually be in my neighbor's yard. I called roto-rooter back and canceled my original work order. The new local guy comes by and presto... yes, the sewer vent IS actually in the neighbor's yard.

Clog unplugged... I save a bunch of money and roto-rooter loses business due to the absolute thinking of one of it's employees. I've always maintained that any kind of "absolute thinking" will always do you in.

Later, as Kien and I were driving to pick up a pizza I shared that an incident like this in times past would have just pissed me off to no end and just ruined my day. The difference now is that "the job just needs to get done." He agreed that he too felt the same way... both of us smiled at the common life change in attitude. (We also compared receding hairlines.) We got our pizza, got home and shared some time together stuffing our faces in the afternoon sun.

So, that's what sucked more than half my day. Special props to Kien who had to put up with crap on his first full day here! BTW... if you are a local... he is gigging at Tokyo Gardens tomorrow (Saturday) night. Worth catching his show... really.

Da Count - fellow counters

Last night I was looking back to when Da Count began... checking out those who did and those who continue... reading my own counts... smiling that I can still count. It started off as a personal challenge... to count something every week... and it continues to be a challenge. The question still is... "Will I run out of things to count?" So far, not yet.

Funny how it is accepted human nature to moan, groan, bitch, gripe, complain and fall so easily into the "woe is me" mindset. Yet appreciating what we have never seems to get quite the same amount of "air-play" or energy. I was thinking today if there was some sort of invention that could count our daily gripes and compare it to our appreciation... it would be fascinating to compare the percentages. Da Count is neither competitive nor particularly sexy. I enjoy the idea that it is simple... almost mundane. Yet at times a daunting task to find something to count each week. (Really, it's so much easier to complain.)

Over the months I have truly enjoyed reading your counts. I thank you for sharing... and I hope to continue reading more. So this count is for those of YOU who count... past, present, sometimers, regulars... even those who count privately. Your counts make the end of my week a much more pleasant and rich experience... and yes, interesting too! Thank You!

To find out what Da Count is all about... click the flashing sign.

EDIT: 11:15 AM
Yikes! Sewer is backed up!

Yeah, we've been talking about touring...

... the show in the Summer of 2008. It's too late to apply for any of the fringe festivals this year. (We missed applications to the SF Fringe by about a week.) Still, a year and a half will give us time to fund raise for it. At the moment, Toronto and San Francisco are on the talking board between the cast, crew and I. (excerpt from the post on the TJ site today.)

Not entirely sure what is on the menu today. I'm sure I'll be able to rustle up something... so, no pictures of food for today.

My friend Kien arrives tomorrow. This gives me a day to get his room ready. His annual visits to perform at the Rogue are always fun... like having family around. Though if we were brothers by birth it would be debatable as to which one of us would claim the title of prodigal son. LOL! We spent our youth together... lost touch for 20 years and reconnected 6 years ago to resume as if those years were just yesterday. Of course, both of us had changed on our different life paths... (and perhaps even grown a little) but essentially the essence of who we were remained. I love the fact that he has carved his own niche here just from his annual visits. (Yeah, the man has groupies.)

Now to hit the graphics trail again. It's really taking longer this year that usual due to deadlines missed... but I am resolute to do the best job possible on it as I can.

So, for now... enjoy the hump of the week.

Cheers!

it's 2 AM...

... think I'll leave a post for later in the day. It may be more lucid than if I attempt to leave one now... just beat from working on graphics. For now... here's hoping your Tuesday starts well.

EDIT: 10:59 AM
Breakfast for Mum... check! Dishes washed... check! Lunch completed... check! Coffee brewed... check! Now it's time for yet more graphics! But not before a post first. (Oops... laundry still needs to be done.)

Those have been my days for the last few months (except substitute graphics work for playwriting for a month and a half.)... and will be for a while. Still, that is my daily routine. Now that it's become more of a routine... I quite enjoy it. It's definitely a shift from the life I used to live but life shifts all the time. This one too will shift eventually.

There are certain little things I take pleasure with now that I never did before. Having lunch with Mum being just one. It's not an everyday occurrence (depends on if she is napping or not) but sharing a mid-day meal together happens at least 5 times a week. I was always too busy before... working, etc... to be able to do this. And frankly... it wasn't something I really cared to do in the past. But that too has shifted over the past 6 months. (The added bonus is that she always compliments me on my cooking... this is particularly gratifying from someone who knows how the dish should actually taste.)

BTW.... on the menu today is (double pot) steamed chicken soup (Chinese style) with garlic, ginger and mushrooms served with garlic rice.

I gave myself the day off...

... even though I have a crap load of graphic work still to do. I may get cracking on it later tonight... today I allowed myself the down time. Yeah, I was basking in the afterglow of the previews. (Ya got to allow yourself that once in a while.)

Plus it was a rainy morning and cozying up in bed just seemed too good to pass up. It's something I hadn't done in a while... just loll and enjoy the stillness as the pitter-patter of the rain falls outside. My thoughts... they were private. Some memories... some of the present... mostly warm floaty images.

Tonight and probably most of tomorrow is work. Work that I want off my hands with completion. Then it will be more work but at a less frenzied pace.

I was thinking about something I said a couple of times last night. "If I should die... the show goes on." It's curious. I have always been aware of my mortality and it is not something that I shy away from. If nothing else... I embrace it. Heck, it's going to happen sometime... why worry about it? Make the time I have count... and I've tried to do that daily. Not out of a sense of legacy but because there are wonderful opportunities at every instant... why not grab them and enjoy what is?

Which brings us back to my lazy morning. There was a time I would have looked upon that as a "useless inactivity"... it's only of late that I have learned to savour the silence and enjoy the moments of stillness that life affords us. Sometimes we have to allow the impact of our efforts to sink in... and enjoy that for a bit.

Shameless & Blatant does work.

We got an article in Fresno Famous... not written by me... plus a picture and all! There was a real reporter involved this time. He came over for rehearsals on Tuesday night. Yeah, go ahead... click the link and read it. I'll wait. (BTW... don't you think the pic posted has some nasty connotations? LOL!)

::toe tapping:: Done? Good.

Last night's Suicide Lounge rehearsal went quite well. We actually started by sharing a meal together over at a Vietnamese noodle place. It's something we hadn't done together in a while. I sort of miss that aspect of those days when we would all go out for meals and commiserate. Just doesn't happen that much anymore. But when it does... it's so very special.

Then there was a beer run and back to my garage to rehearse the songs we will be doing for the preview this weekend. We ran through the songs a few times and was accompanied at instances by backup vocals from my dogs. A pleasant evening all in all.

Tonight we rehearse for Tale End. Today... I'm swamped with graphics work. Tomorrow I prep for the previews this weekend.

No Tale End rehearsals tonight...

... but us boys are meeting for Suicide Lounge. And there is still a shit load of graphic work to accomplish before 6 PM.

Tale End will meet again tomorrow for a final rehearsal before our previews this weekend. Yeah, there are a couple more pictures over on the TJ Blog... and stuff to read as well.

Oh, I do have to mention that I am the guest interviewer on that lovely Ms. Bees Knees blog. If you haven't visited her site yet... you should. Though be forewarned... she is a paid killer... and she's known to do it for free... just for the pleasure of it.

Other than that... not a whole lot to report at the moment. Hope all of you are have a grand hump this Wednesday.

not sure what is on the menu today...

... as there are leftovers from yesterday that we are still stuffing our faces with... and glad we are for that too. I just finished off a plate and am quite content as I sit here and write. The flavors are still delighting my senses and triggering images nostalgic of distant times. Food does that for me... taste and smell just evoke time and place.

I was thinking about this last night when Zonthar dropped in for rehearsals. (BTW...it was a doozy and featured the presence of one Mr. Murphy... CLICK HERE to read Solitaire's account of it. LOL.) Anyway, back to the topic at hand. Zonthar and I were waxing a little nostalgic about performances and shows past that we worked on together. Yes, I have memories of my life back in Malaysia... and there are memories that I have of my life here as well. They are all rich with detail and experiences that I have appreciated having lived through. Even the not so pleasant ones have yielded lessons that have hopefully made me better.

It's funny how as we are in the moment we may not appreciate what we are experiencing... but in hindsight they seem pretty amazing. Even what may seem mundane at the time would take on a whole different spectrum... especially if the mundane then is not the mundane we deal with now.

Take for instance the fact that I am living an "expat" life now (and have been for the last 25 odd years). It is a little strange to think of myself as an expat because the conventional perception mostly involves those of European heritage living in places other than their countries of birth. Yet, I am one by the very definition of the word. And I do see the present world I live in now with different eyes. But it goes further than that. With some of the natural assimilation here that occurs over time... if I did visit the country of my birth... I would also see it through expat eyes. Not with the judgemental absolutes of good or bad or right or wrong... but just different.

Perhaps that's why I sometimes feel that I've squeezed so many lifetimes into this one.

wasn't feeling too hot...

... this morning. Woke up feeling great but after preparing breakfast I felt like that old "Cherrios" commercial... "This boy is running out of steam". I decided it would be best for me to hit the sack again and allow the magic of sleep heal me. That did the trick. I'm feeling much better now... much, much better in fact. I am constantly amazed how when we listen to our bodies... it works with us to regain equilibrium. Still, I think it would be best to not push it today.

There may be an article in Fresno Famous about the show ... that's not shamelessly written by me. I'll keep you posted on when that is posted. This evening we also start the first of the last 3 rehearsals before we shovel it out to the preview audience this weekend.

Graphics work will be taking up most of my day... my week actually. I am attempting to get it all completed and ready for proofing by Thursday. That will then free me up for... web work. It just never ends.

I think It's time for me to hit the kitchen and cook. On the menu today.... Nasi Lemak. (Coconut rice with a spicy sambal garnished with cucumber, chrispy anchovies and peanuts. Usually served in a banana leaf wrapping.) Yet another favorite of mine that comes from the culinary streets of Malaysia. Click the name of the dish above for the recipe... click HERE for more on it.

Cheers!

spicy fried rice topped with an...

... onion omelet. That started off my day today. I haven't had this for breakfast in a while. Just had a hankering for it so I made it happen within 20 minutes. The coffee is on the brew and that will just cap the whole thing off. Don't get me wrong... I like the standard breakfast. But for me... this is comfort food. Now, what shall I do for lunch?

A post that Kien wrote recently got me thinking about this. I have often waxed poetic about the food from Malaysia... especially the street variety. I've enjoyed various foods from cultures around the world... really enjoy trying them. OK, I like food. I happen to think that it is the essence and soul of any culture. Food is the most immediate source that defines that culture. It tells you what they think and feel about life. Their life's philosophies are wrapped up in what they eat and how they like it prepared. Of course, it is also dependent on what is readily available in their region of the world. But it is what they do to it... their value in taste that determines how a dish turns out. The differences even in regions of the same country are quite amazing to behold.

I have often thought about taking food tours of different countries. In fact, I once suggested organizing a food tour of Malaysia... where you will never eat the same meal twice. A friend once traveled with me back home and her entire travel journal was filled with what we ate. I would ask her what we did on a certain day and she would quiz back with "before or after we ate fish and mango curry?" Quite funny really.

p.s. BTW... my cordless keyboard and mouse gave up the ghost today. No services are planned but donations to a good cause will be accepted.

Mum update.

She is up and around. In fact, she was sweeping the front of the house yesterday. (Yeah, so now I'm going to be accused for elder labor too.) Anyway, she is fine.

On to other news.... If you go to the TJ Blog, you will see (especially if you live in the big "NO") you can win yourself an opportunity to see a preview of Tale End for free this coming weekend!

More later maybe...

Da Count - ain't giving up counting

O.K... truth be told... I'm still a little hurt and angry about the events (see previous post) that transpired this morning. I'm licking my wounds and can't think about a specific count (though there are still oodles)... except that I'm alive.

Instead of faking it... I'll be honest and say that this too shall pass... but in the meantime I'm also going to allow myself to journey that process. So, I'll just allow the Python boys to sing me a reminder that it could always be bloody worse. CLICK HERE!



If you want to find out what Da Count is all about... click the flashing sign.

EDIT: Friday, 8:25 AM
Feeling much better today. Thanks to all of you who left messages of support and just plain kindness... it really helped... and totally counted for me.

Here are a few great time wasters for you.

• Framable photographs of liquid.
• Kien has been posting videos of his trip to China. Check them out HERE.
• Check out the hidden worlds on this SITE.

Cheers!

Oi Vey!

So, I get a call this morning asking me to call a number, to speak to so and so to perhaps find out if there is public assistance available for Mum. I call. The number is to Adult Protective Services. Great. The gentleman on the other end of the line begins to grill me on the possibility that I am not caring for my elderly mother. That someone called to say that I am incapable of caring for her and at worst neglecting her.

We talk for a bit. I explain that I'm doing the best I can. That apart from the natural ravages of the aging process... she is healthy. That I make sure that she has her meals which I cook and serve to her daily. That yes, my mother does fall on occasion and that a friend who lives close by is on call and available to help me pick her up when that does happen. The conversation then shifted to some other services that I may be able to seek for her. So, the call ended on a positive note.

After hanging up... I call back the person who called me with the number. I carefully explained to her that I really appreciate her and some of the others coming over to visit and chat with Mum... and even helping with the clean-up. (I only wash the dishes in the sink once every 2-3 days... guess when they usually turn up?) That the call from the number I was given by her yielded some useful information and resources. I also explained to her that one of the reasons I had given up a $40, 000 year a job was just so I could be on the homestead... where Mum needed me. (There has been talk among this same group that I was fired.) That I appreciate their concern but did not appreciate being grilled this morning from a social service with the possibility of elder abuse. The call was unemotional and courteous... and to the point. I'm all about "well meaning intentions" but please try to get the full story first before acting.

My thoughts on this whole thing? I am far from the perfect son. I am untidy. I am unconventional. But I do take care of business and the needs of my mother. All of this could have easily been avoided if they had just chosen to speak to me about it. But then... their actions were probably initiated by their already sullied perceptions of me (ruled by their conventional standards of how things should be... a line which I have never towed).

So, great... now that this social service has our details... I'm probably on the radar for elder abuse. Here is that sharp curve on the roller-coaster again. So, that's how my day started.

EDIT: 4:35 PM
So, this has knocked the wind out of my sails. I had planned a grand day of things to be accomplished. As of this writing... only 10 percent has... which now makes me feel even worse. Fuck!

the wedding was very sweet...

... in fact, for a limited time you can still watch a re-run HERE. (Click Darryl Hinds/Carly Jones) I even had a date to the wedding with a fellow blogger via chat. We even brought our owh slurps and nosh for an improvised reception after. I had a fried chimichanga and beer. The best part of the whole thing was that I didn't have to dress up for it. Still, it was a privilidge to have witnessed it.

Rehearsals were stellar last night... and (for the first time) all of us chimed in at the same time on the TJ Blog. Suicide Lounge rehearsals also began last night. Boy, do I have a long way to go on that. LOL!

This morning Mum fell again and one more time Kowboi came to the rescue. I already know that this is going to be a more frequent occurance. All I can do is be prepared for it. Once again, a big THANK YOU, Kowboi!

Now, to fininsh the laundry... go out to get it dry. Cooking for the day has already been accomplished. Then it's back to graphics work for the Rogue. BTW... click this LINK and you'll get to a post that links to some of our performers presence online.

So, yesterday began bumpy but ended well. This morning was bumpy too. I can only hope that the ending of the day mirrors yesterday.

My Rodent is Rebelling

Last night, I left my computer for 20 minutes (to get something to eat) and came back to find that mu mouse was stuck. Refused to move. On strike. So this post is coming from the laptop.) Now I have to determine if it is a hardware or software issue. Please Almighty Lord... let it be a hardware issue!

Of course, this comes at the most inconvenient of times... when I have massive amounts of graphic work to accomplish. Figures, huh?

On to other news... the rehearsal went well. You can read about it HERE.

Tonight I have 2 rehearsals. The first for TALE END, then at 9 SUICIDE LOUNGE begins. This will be interesting. The other 2 are professional musicians... then there's me. HAH! I have less than a month to get my chops back up to acceptable snuff. No easy task this... but it gives me the perfect reason to cut down... even give up smoking. My motivation? I don't want to suck on stage.

Also, I'm going to a wedding! You can too! CarleyJayJay (What the Beans on my blogroll) is getting married in Vegas! Plus, a friend of hers has sprung for it to be webcast! Go to her site for the link to the webcast and wish the soon to be newlyweds well.

UPDATE: 1:16, PM
All systems are a "go" again... it was a hardware issue too stupid to even go into right now.

Time Wasters... but well worth it

My friend Zonthar doesn't post very often (he bloody should... the man is brilliant... and witty to boot) but when he does it definately is worth the read. His latest post does give one pause to think about the official monikers given our bits & pieces.

Go ahead and send a Hula Card to someone where your message will be danced for them.

For those of you who are moving to the Beta... er... New Blogger... HERE is a great resource page to get it to look and do what you want it to. Hack away!

And finally a sales pitch to keep Mum and me fed and out of the cold.


Jungle Webs (yes, it's my company) has EXTENDED it's DOT COM SALE until January 31!

You can get YOUR VERY OWN for only $6.95 a year! And that comes with all sorts of freebies like your very own EMAIL ACCOUNT! You can actually start the hunt for your domain right here.

.com.net.org.biz.info.us.ws.name.de.jp.at.co.uk.me.uk.org.uk.co.nz.net.nz.org.nz.cn.com.cn.org.cn.net.cn.tw.com.tw.org.tw.idv.tw.jobs.eu.fm.ms.nu.tc.tk.vg

I am setting up the company BLOG so that it will also function as a "how to" resource for Bloggers and Arts groups. I'll be adding 2-3 there a week. I'll also have some new fun banners for the stealing you can post on your sites soon!

Promise... you'll get no more than one pitch a week on this blog.

Cheers!

p.s. BTW... rehearsals begin again tonight... can't wait to see how the rewrites work!

Don't they realize that it eventually gets back to my ears?

A friend came to visit the other day. In the course of the conversation blurted that so-and-so was at someplace and was talking smack about me. I began to chuckle. My friend's face held a quizzical look.

"Why are you laughing?"
"I'm used to it."
"What was said about you was pretty brutal!"
"Cool."
"Huh?"

I explained to my friend that I've headed several endeavours over time and when one does, one just has to accept the fact that "Bagging on the Boss" is going to occur. It really doesn't matter if the boss is Donald Trump or Mother Teresa... there's still going to be a fair amount of backroom bitching going on. It's an international past-time... probably occurs more often and a lot longer than sex. Come on, we've all done it! (Heck, we even do it on our blogs.) It usually begins with phrases like...

"Can you believe what (Insert Boss Name Here)..."
or
"(Insert Boss Name Here) is fucking insane because..."
and my all time favorite...
"Let me tell you the next time (Insert Boss Name Here)... "

Then the diatribe begins. The way I see it... if it is shared with co-workers and they commiserate... it's a form of organization bonding. If nothing else, it's venting of frustration. It doesn't matter how great the outfit you're working for... frustration is going to occur and the easiest target is whomever is in-charge.

The other thing I've learned over time is that it will eventually reach the ears of the one being bitched about. (If it doesn't... that in-charge person is delusional and totally out of touch... in which case, deserves what is being bitched about them.) That's been true... at least in my case. There is very little that goes on that I don't eventually find out about. I also know this goes along with the territory of being the in-charge person. (Mainly because people can't keep confidences shared with them.) I have never taken it personally and hardly ever hold it against the person... not because I'm particularly thick-skinned.

Simply because I understand:

* I'm not perfect... I have done my fair share of bitching too.
* I never demand something of anyone that I am not willing to demand of myself.
* The person's assigned task fell short of being accomplished... so, someone needs to be blamed.
* When I am wrong... I almost always cop to it.
* I'm never always right... but I'm very seldom wrong.

Cheers!

In re-writes...

... and I posted something on the TJ blog about it... and there are other very recent posts there as well.

BTW... the webcast has been cancelled.

UPDATE: 10:05 AM, Saturday
Here is Fred Astaire singing "Lets Face The Music and Dance"

Da Count - perspective

We lost a fellow blogger this week. And yes it is sad.... for so many reasons. Sad because we will miss her. Sad because she was at her prime. Sad because she was a joy. Sad because this was so sudden. We are sad for ourselves because the presence of that person is no longer with us.

Grieving is a natural part of our lives. We grieve for who isn't anymore in our lives... for what isn't anymore in our lives. We grieve because that, who and what isn't going to be the same. And that is the way it should be. If we do not grieve... then we are not human.

And that is my count... that we can grieve. That we can feel. That compassion is part and parcel of our human make-up. That we are indeed feeling human creatures. That like it or not... life is going to throw us curves. That those moments will make us take pause to reflect that this precious gift is fleeting and that we affect the universe as much as the reason we grieve. That we do make a difference which causes a ripple in this pond of life we inhabit. That we all touch in one way or another... other lives. And knowing that... we become acutely aware that all our lives and actions DO count.

If her passing serves as that reminder... then may it be a celebration in her honor.
As Fred Astaire once sang... "Let's face the music and dance."

If you want to know what Da Count is all about... click the flashing sign.

UPDATE: 9:16, Friday.
Hunter has chimed in on the Theatre J'Nerique blog... PLUS... details on the upcoming skypecast of a rehearsal next week can be found there too!

Being a bad blogger again.

With the schedule I now have there is less time to blog surf. I do visit but the comments are left at a minimum. So, do know that I do come by to catch-up.... about every 2-3 days.

Solitaire has something new on the Theatre J'Nerique blog... so have I... sort of. Last night's rehearsal... well... go over to the blog and see.

Also been posting on the Jungle Webs blog. I'm planning "how to" posts once every 2 days do that it becomes more of a resource. Hopfully that will also help with getting more traffic and business.

Plus, I included an article there that I posted on Fresno Famous. It sure got the TJ site some hits yesterday. LOL! I am so shameless!

Short post today... perhaps more this evening.

I accomplished 3...

... of the 4 things I had set out to do today. Left out the cooking part but there were some leftovers and easy food around the homestead to keep us both well nourished.

Rehearsals began tonight. You can read all about it HERE and check out a few more pictures of the evening. Yeah, don't be shy to leave a comment while you are there.

I did finish the layout work on this year's Muse for the Rogue. It's a complete departure from years previous... which is good. Though it was not a piece that I would have chosen... I like how it turned out. A new eye, a different sensibility, a change forward. There is a definate twisted whimsey to it. I'll unveil it to you when the powers that now be make it official.

Not much more to write... so, I'll hit the sack. Have a happy Tuesday and Cheers!

the start to a busy few weeks...

... begin at dawn tomorrow.

1. I have to start design and web work on Rogue 2007. This includes the festival website and the 44 page Rogue Map (glossy festival program) plus layout this years Muse which will serve as the iconic image.
2. If I can squeeze an hour or two in... work on my internet business. A site was set up a while back but of late I've also been setting up a blog that will include a series of "how to's". The market that I'm targeting are folk in the arts and bloggers! Time to get agressive with this one if I want to continue to eat.
3. Cook... so that Mum and I don't whither away.
4. Begin rehearsals on "Tale End". We've set up 3 weeks of rehearsals with previews scheduled for January 26 and 27.

More later in the day... perhaps.

a faerie left me a package...

... today. I opened it to discover that it contained bottles filled with the nectar of of her divine delight. A smile broke on my face as wide as the man in the moon... though a part of me wanted to wag a finger for the extravagance of this gift. I will instead accept it with grace and thanks.

Needless to say I did partake in her essence this evening... but sparingly as I plan on hoarding this treasure for as long as I can.

Not much more to write but I will post pictures from the last 3 days that I had promised to in my last post. They are in no particular order... just random pictures.

I will say though that for some reason or another women flashed their red bras at me on several occasions in public places. ::blink, blink::





Damn, this year has started well!
Cheers!

EDIT: I have installed Haloscan commenting to get around those darned Blogger vs Beta-Blogger commenting issues.

Da Count - what was my day like?

For a non-event it was fabulous! Really, I mean it. Let me clarify. Those of us who are born during or this close to the major holidays are used to folks forgetting our birthdays... or giving half hearted wishes. Really, can you blame them? Afterall, they are usually totally spent from the gush of the holiday season. So, I for many years have just stopped celebrating... or even attempting to. Really, it's like pushing a truck up a hill with a wet noodle.

So, I opted for the non-event. And it works out great. There are no expectations and as a result anything that comes my way is a total bonus. That being said... I want to thank everyone who dropped by to wish me and actually put aside the time to make me feel special today. It's nice being remembered... really.

The day was dank and rainy... weather-wise. So, my day consisted of:

• Waking up at 4 AM (the dogs barking) and receiving the loveliest of emails to start my day off. This set off my day in a wonderful way.
  
• I went back to bed at 5:30 AM. Slept through some great lucid dreams. Really, it was fun to be able to be in the "driver's seat for those.
  
• Got up at 11 ish AM and noodled around including some great surfing.
• At 1 PM.... I cooked.
• 2 PM... surfed a little more and discovered that Os had posted a birthday wish.
  
• At 2:30... hit the sack from the inertia that set in from stuffing my face... from the results of cooking. (Pure bliss.)
  
• 4:30 PM... took a shower and got ready to go out. My ride came by at 5 ish.
• Hit the Tower District. Did ArtHop and really enjoyed walking the wet streets alone hopping from gallery to gallery. Free food, wine and coffee.
  
• Went to the regular wateringhole... drinks were bought for me. A few friends turned up. No big deal was made but the company and conversation was much appreciated.
  
• Got home at 10 PM... a little buzzed but satisfied with all the bonuses that the day granted me.
  
• While I was home received several calls asking where I was... let's have a drink, etc. Thanks... but my day out is done... appreciate the thought and the effort of the calls though.
  

Now, I sit here whacking on the keyboard. There is a quiet solace warming my being and I will head to bed with a smile. So, not making a big deal is actually a wonderful thing as the surprises and delights it brings make the day full. Expectations would only have brought diappointment. My real gift was having this day... and tomorrow presents me with yet another. May all of us have days like this for as many days that the weeks hold... that is my birthday wish for you and me.

I think that counts, don't you?

To find out what Da Count is all about... click the flashing sign.



To lazy now... but some pics my be posted later in the morning.

My very first post...

... OK, perhaps the second after my test. So, these are my new digs... how do you like it? Kinda brazen and red, huh? Well, so be it. It's mine! All mine!

Yeah, I have a new domain now. http://lecramsblog.com . (Go ahead... change it on your blogroll... I'll wait. *toe tapping*... good!

I was going to migrate it to marcelnunis.com... but I thought it deserved it's own home. Of course, it will be linked from there... and the old blog will also be migrated here in a few days. I'm trying to consolidate all the different blogs, websites, etc... I have so that it will be easier to manage. There's not much to see here at the moment... but, hey I just got the place! I'll decorate soon enough. I'm sure this place needs a little more tweaking... (like, what the heck is going on with that background???) but that will come in time.

Oh, and if you want your very own... go to Jungle Webs... both blog and arts friendly... and AFFORDABLE! Heck, with a domain and hosting it's less than $5.60 a month! And I'm running a sale until the 12th.... .COMS are only $6.95 a year! OK, yeah... it's my internet business... can't blame a guy for trying, right? More on that in the coming days!

Now thats out of the way... the reason I'm unveiling this today (Thursday... the 4th) is that it's my birthday! Which sort of calls for a baby pic... so, here's one!

And the lovely Binsk and Phain both share this birthday with me.... go over and wish them too!

Well here it is... the night of my current age and tomorrow I'll be a year older... er... better. Like fine wine... or a single malt scotch (which I should have had tonight .... but the black label was pretty good) or... left over stew or curry... at least I'd like to think so.

The plan for my Thursday? As little as possible. You all have a good one!

Cheers!

test

Lets see what this looks like