Friday, January 31, 2003

It's always Friday Five somewhere in the world...

1. As a child, who was your favorite superhero/heroine? Why?
My favorite superhero was Green Lantern. It had to be the ring. My favorite superheroine, however, was Supergirl. She just seemed better than Wonder Woman to me.

2. What was one thing you always wanted as a child but never got?
A Red Rider BB gun with a compass in the stock and a thing that tells the time... wait, I mean, I wanted a Millennium Falcon.

3. What's the furthest from home you've been?
Woodward, Oklahoma, 1139 miles from home at the time.

4. What's one thing you've always wanted to learn but haven't yet?
Not counting guitar (which I am learning slowly), I always wanted, but never got to learn Japanese.

5. What are your plans for the weekend?
Relax and get ready for the run of my show next week.

Tuesday, January 28, 2003

You can deal with This, or you can deal with That...

1. Kleenex or tissue?
I always refer to it as "Kleenex"

2. Soda or pop (or tonic or whatever)?
Neither. It's "Co'cola" where I come from (regardless of brand).

3. A sandwich on a long roll: sub or hero (or hoagie or grinder, etc)?
That's a sub, bay-bee!

4. Glasses or spectacles?
Glasses

5. TV or television (or boob-tube, or telly, for our friends across the pond)?
TV (must resist urge to make HBO reference)

6. Movie or film?
Movie

7. Sofa or couch?
Let's talk about it on the couch!

8. Stove or range?
Stove.

9. Remote control or clicker?
Remote, though my dad calls it a "Changer", for some reason.

10. Supermarket or grocery store?
Grocery store.

Monday, January 27, 2003

We had our second full run yesterday, and it went okay. However, I completely boofed my solo. The bad thing about it is that someone in the cast and the music director both told me that I sounded the best they had heard yet. Go figure.

OK, I have decided to move/reopen my site. You can find it at http://users.adelphia.net/~clintster or just click on the button to the right. WARNING! The site is still under construction, so please be patient.

Saturday, January 25, 2003

So, here I am, having finished an 8-hour "field trip" working for Working. What did this "Field trip" entail, may you ask? Good question.

On Thursday night, Agnes, our director, informed us that we would not be working outside as originally planned. Instead, due to the cold weather, we would be working indoors. However, the location was still a mystery to us all until this morning.

When we all got there at 5:30 this AM, Agnes let us know that our "working field trip" would be to work on our set. This came as a great relief for everyone involved, seeing as how we were all pretty much wiped from having gotten up and traveled to W&L anyway. I spent most of the morning assembling I-beams for the set, and the remainder of the time painting. It wasn't my preferred way to spend a Saturday, but it was nice to flex my stagecraft muscles.

This evening, Kathy and I went to the Troubador to see The Fast Runner. If you haven't heard of it, this is purportedly the first film shot by the Inuit people of Canada (commonly referred to as Eskimos). We didn't stay for the whole thing, though. We arrived about 15 minutes into it, and stayed another 15 before Kathy decided she had had enough.

The thing is, I don't exactly blame her. It seemed like it was going to be interesting, but one thing about it drove me nuts. That was the fact that the subtitles were white. Think about it; white subtitles in a film that takes place in the snow covered tundra of Canada!!!! Unless they were showing a close-up of an actor, it was nigh impossible to read what they were saying. Yikers!

In any case, the Super Bowl is tomorrow. Go Raiders, for Casey Hendershot's sake.

Friday, January 24, 2003

Friday Five time...


1. What is one thing you don't like about your body?


My belly. It's too large, but I'm working on it.


2. What are two things you love about your body?


My eyes, and this little patch of skin on my back about three inches below my shoulder blade.


3. What are three things you want to change about your home?


If I could, I'd...

a. change the plumbing here to plastic pipes

b. install a shower and curtain on our clawfoot tub

c.convert the attic into some kind of usable room


4. What are four books you want to read this year?


Hmmm...

1. The Bible

2. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

3. Anything by Haruki Murakami

4. The Fellowship of the Ring


5. What are five promises you have kept to yourself?


1. To graduate from college

2. To find and settle down with the right woman

3. I can't think of any more. Maybe later.

Thursday, January 23, 2003

I was just flipping through the channels a few minutes ago, when I came across a movie on Turner Classic Movies. It was called Panama Lady, and it was just ending when I came in. There was a young lady in a diner talking very seriously to a gentleman seated across from her.

The lady was quite striking (and surprisingly modern-looking; at first I thought I was seeing a fairly recent black-and-white film, based on her hair and clothes), but she looked familiar. I couldn't place her face, so I hit the info button on my remote.

It was Lucille Ball. Forget what you know about her. Forget the candy factory, the Vitameatavegamin commercial, the towering red hair, THIS was Lucy before Desi. The film itself is kind of a proto-noir, and from what I saw, Lucy could do drama quite well. I was really blown away by how young and promising she looked. Wow.

In other news, there is now a movement to use a plan by one of my all-time favorite architects to replace the World Trade Center. See the story below.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030122/ap_on_re_us/attacks_historic_plans_1
I will try this again, since apparently my dog ate my blog post from last night. :P

Kathy's mom has come and gone. She went back to North Carolina Monday, along with her menagerie (three Westies and a cat). It was nice to see her and all, but GOD this place was a zoo! Kath and I joked about taking all of our animals to her place next time we go; when I saw the evil gleam in her eye, however, I figured she MAY not be joking about that.

Rehearsals are still going reasonably well, despite the fact that Agnes (the director) has completely changed blocking on two different ensemble pieces in the last two days. She has also arranged a field trip for us for Saturday, where we will have an actual day of working outside.
On a Saturday.
In Virginia.
In the middle of winter.
Starting at 6am.
She says it'll be fun. I'm just hoping I can make it through without any appendages being frostbitten.

Tuesday, January 21, 2003

This or That Tuesday! Yaaaay!

1. Super Bowl or World Series?

If it's the SB vs. a random game of the WS, then it's Super Bowl time. But as a whole event, I'll take the Series anytime.

2. Winter or summer?

*sings* *I get a little warm in my heart when I think of winter*... but I like summer better.

3. Look up numbers in the phone book, or call directory assistance?

Look it up.

4. Mashed potatoes or French fries?

Omigod, I have to CHOOSE??!? Mashed potatoes, with gravy of course.

5. Hand-code your website, or use an editor (such as Front Page)?

Editor, though I still like fiddling with the code by hand.

6. Freeway or winding country road?

*Sings* *Country Rooooooads, take me hooooome...*

7. Star Wars or Star Trek?

Trek. Better mythology, more humanity, less Jar-Jar.

8. Disney or Warner Brothers cartoons?

Oh, Warner Brothers, by far! Disney cartoons always seemed a little stilted for my taste. Of course, I'm only referring to the short films.

9. When it feels chilly in the house: crank up the heat or put on a sweater?

Both. If you're Kathy, you also cut some wood, put cats on your feet, and stick your cold hands on my belly to make me jump.

10. CBS or PBS?

PBS.
********************************
Regular post later.

Saturday, January 18, 2003

Well, it's almost 10am here on a Saturday,and the temperature is currently 20 degrees. If you think that's cold, consider that about 8 this morning, it was all of 8 degrees above zero (Fahrenheit, of course).

Kathy finally finished her conference mini tour Thursday, when she came back from Hartford, CT. I'm glad she's back; I was getting a bit lonely here with just the dog and cats to keep me company. In any case, I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of Kathy's mother, who should be getting here sometime this evening, accompanied by her three Westies. Should be fun. :P

Rehearsals are going well. The set is going to look pretty awesome once it's built. There are several levels to it, and ladders run everywhere onstage and off. I should have some piccies of it soon.

Not much else to report right now, other than the landlord and I installed a new water heater yesterday afternoon, and my tendon's are sore after taking a l-o-o-o-o-ong walk last night. In any case, it's off to make some more hot chocolate. Want some?

Tuesday, January 14, 2003

This or That Tuesday time...

1. Window shades or blinds?

Neither. Curtains, baby!

2. Wall or desk calendar?

Both.

3. Paint or wallpaper?

Paint, mostly, with some wallpaper and paneling in one room.

4. Electric or gas stove?

It's electric (boogie-oogie-oogie-oogie), though I prefer gas.

5. Carpeting or bare floors?

Bare floors, with area rugs.

6. One TV, or more than one?

One television, though I would like another.

7. Leather or fabric sofa?

Fabric.

8. Eat meals in kitchen or dining room?

In the living room. Dinin' room's fer fancy eatin'!

9. Fabric or vinyl shower curtain?

Vinyl, although our shower's on the fritz. S'okay, we have a claw-foot tub to make up for it! :)

10. Your kitchen: well-equipped or bare bones?

Well-equipped for our income level.

Friday, January 10, 2003

And I'm jumping on another weekly list. It's actually based on a game that I liked to play. I never thought of a solid name for it, but enough of my yakkin', let's boogie with:

This or That Tuesday (on Friday, no less):

1. "Time" or "Newsweek"?

Time. Just because I like the red border. :)

2. "Wall Street Journal" or "National Enquirer"?

The Enquirer. I have an easier time believing that aliens kidnapped bigfoot and Roseanne's secret love child these days.

3. "Sports Illustrated" or "Cook's Illustrated"?

SI.

4. "Martha Stewart Living" or "MAD Magazine"?

MAD. Better TV show, and the magazine's actually INTENTIONALLY funny (sometimes).

5. "Cosmopolitan" or "Maxim"?

Maxim. Better sex tips, at least for me.

6. "People" or "Entertainment Weekly"?

EW. Good reviews, and great articles.

7. "National Geographic" or "Readers Digest"?

National Geographic, although I used to collect both magazines when I was a kid.

8. "Good Housekeeping" or "Popular Mechanics"?

Hmmmm, I supposed I'd have to take PM.

9. "PC World" or "MacWorld"?

Oh, PCWorld, by a LONG shot!

10. "Southern Living" or "Yankee" (magazine about New England living)?

I'll go with Southern Living. It's a regional thing.
You know what time it is... it's Friday Five time!

1. Where are you right now?

At home in front of my computer! DERP!!

2. What time is it?

A little after 2pm.

3. What are you wearing?

A black long-sleeved t-shirt and a pair of green sweatpants.

4. Any people or animals around you? Describe them.

No one else here in the room with me.

5. What are your plans for the weekend?

Rehearsal Saturday, football Saturday night, church Sunday. That's about it, other than lovin' on Kathy when she gets back Sunday night. :D

Thursday, January 9, 2003

Got back from rehearsal a while ago. I basically had the easiest night I've had yet, or will have for the rehearsal period. All I had to do was my solo, "Joe". The music director worked with me for a bit on vocalizing, and told me I was ahead of the curve on the song. That makes me happy!

What doesn't make me happy is the fact that Kathy is so far away. She's in Albequerque for a conference, and won't be back until Sunday. Then she has to go to Connecticut Tuesday for another conference. I miss my honey. *sniffle*

Wednesday, January 8, 2003

For several years I have heard of, and followed, a boycott of the Cracker Barrel chain of restaurants for their practice of discriminating against gays and lesbians in their hiring practices. Now I understand that they've finally relented on that stance, but as you'll read in the link below, they may be jumping from the fat into the fire:

Cracker Barrel Cracks!

Homer-sexuls waitin' on good Christian folk? Oh, the howwah! Next, you'll be telling me that gay people are involved in theatre, and THEN what am I gonna do?

*shakes head at narrow minded fundies*

Monday, January 6, 2003

Well, today was a busy day, artistically speaking. First, Kathy and I had our first spring rehearsal for the community choir's presentation of Handel's Israel in Egypt. It went well, although there was a bit of confusion all around at the start as people remembered that "Hey! We're split into TWO choirs for this one!" Once everyone settled in, though, we did quite well together.

I had to leave a few minutes early, though, 'cause I had to get to my first rehearsal for Working at Lenfest. Before we began, the director shared a box of German chocolate with us.

:Homer: Mmmmmmmmm, land of chocolate! :/Homer:

We did some group numbers and called it a night. It wasn't the most exciting rehearsal I've been to, but it'll do.

GO STEELERS! 36-33

Sunday, January 5, 2003

Snow in Lexington today. It started this morning, and the way it was falling, Kathy and I (mostly Kath) wondered if we'd be able to make it to church. Luckily, the Toyota made it, and it was a good thing, too.

Lexington Presbyterian reopened its sanctuary today, two-and-a-half years after the original building burned almost to the ground in a fire. It was really something to walk into the new sanctuary and seeing it in all its restored glory. The snow falling added just a beautiful touch to the proceedings. They had all the congregation meet in the fellowship hall (as they've done since the fire) and then walk around the block to the sanctuary to open it. Everybody except the choir. Kathy and I were singing in the choir, so we were spared the march through the snow, but from a "romantic" standpoint, I wouldn't have minded. :)

Well, 99% of my computer is back to normal. The only thing I am really disappointed about is that I am unable to reinstall Word 97 on my hard drive. I may have to seek alternate sources for my word processing needs.
And yes, here it is... the Saturday... er, Friday Five...

1. Do you wear any jewelry? What kind?

I have a class ring from USCA (actually, it says "USC", but who's counting?) It's 10k gold with the school seal on top.

2. How often do you wear it?

I rarely wear it nowadays; I used to wear it all the time, though.

3. Do you have any piercings? If so, where?

No piercings. Anywhere.

4. Do you have any tattoos? If so, where?

I have a tattoo on my ankle, a self-designed anklet filled with Christian symbology.

5. What are your plans for the weekend?

Spend quality time with my Honey Bunny Bear.

Saturday, January 4, 2003

Finally back from the dead, sorta. If you read Kathy's blog, you'll know that my computer crashed Monday, and I had to reboot it. Unfortunately, my brother Phil had my Windows98 startup disk, so I had to have him mail it back to me. I received it in the mail today, and now I'm in the process of rebuilding my hard drive.

I'm also trying to restructure all my bookmarks as well. I'll report more later. :)