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.

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!

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!

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!