Happy Mother’s Day

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Mother's Day

Photo Credit: Cool Free Images

To all mothers and mothers-to-be, Happy Mother’s Day. (This includes Kitty Mommy’s and Puppy Mommy’s!) We could not do this without you!

My mother is probably going to kill me for this, but I simply love the following picture of my mommy and I at my wedding. So sorry, Mom, but this is happening!

Wedding Photo Credit: C Cross Photography

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

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Cinco de Mayo

Photo Credit: Now You Know Events

Pfc. Jesse R. Buryj

Nine years ago today, what was once a friend was lost in battle. Jesse and I parted on bad terms. I don’t even remember why. To this day I still regret never saying that I was sorry.

 

More on Jesse here.

Godspell – Coming Soon!

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Club Jericho, Godspell, Harlem Shake, Live, Musical, Theatre

This week I have been deep in the technical rehearsals for Godspell at Cuyahoga Community College – Western Campus.

I’d like to share with you all a sneak peak into the production!

Matching Music to Your Mood

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Black Sabbath, Bob Dylan, Colin Hayes, Kenny G, KoRn, Limp Bizkit, Mission Impossible Theme, The Beatles, Weird Al

This Open Saturday Post was inspired by Rhett and Link’s Good Mythical Morning. If you do not already watch Rhett and Link, I suggest adding them to your daily routine. Every Monday – Friday they have a morning show Good Mythical Morning on  YouTube where they chat about whatever their little hearts desire.

Recently they posted a show about music that matches their moods and I decided I would do that this Saturday, using the same categories they used. Before we get in too deep, here is the episode of Good Mythical Morning to get you thinking.

1. AMBIVALENT

I chose “The Times They Are A Changin’” By Bob Dylan for this mood. I mean, Dylan’s own voice to me is the epitome of ambivalence, but even the lyrics speak to this mood.

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin’
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin’.

2. ANGRY

I picked Limp Bizkit “My Way or the Highway” for this category. I can remember a time when I was super angry at an old boyfriend for some ridiculous stunt he pulled at the end of the relationship. I went for a nice long drive and blared this song on repeat down the highway. I screamed along with Fred and by the time I was done I felt much better.

This time I’m ‘a let it all come out
This time I’m ‘a stand up and shout
I’m ‘a do things my way
It’s my way
My way, or the highway

3. PARANOID

If nothing more than for the name sake, I picked “Paranoid” by Black Sabbath. Who doesn’t love a little old school Ozzy, right?

Happiness I cannot feel and love to me is so unreal
And so as you hear these words telling you now of my state
I tell you to enjoy life I wish I could but it’s too late

4. HAPPY

What makes you happier than that of The Beatles “Here Comes the Sun!” Do I really have to explain this one?

Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun, and I say
It’s all right

5. BLAH

The is nothing more “blah” and boring to me than that of Kenny G. I could cite his entire collection, but we don’t have time for that, so I just picked one at random.

6. CRANKY

KoRn! I love KoRn! I picked Falling Away From Me, but really I could cite their entire collection as well! But I had to pick one, so I picked this one. Mostly because I would love to open a little box and have Jon Davis sing to me. I met him once a very long time ago before Brian “Head” Welch left the band. He was very sweet and (my goodness!) more attractive in person. I’m allowed to say that, okay? Just because I’m married doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate another man’s attractiveness!

(Falling away from me)
It’s spinning round and round
(Falling away from me)
It’s lost and can’t be found
(Falling away from me)
It’s spinning round and round
(Falling away from me)
Slow it down

7. MISCHIEVOUS

The Mission Impossible Theme song just makes me want to make mischief. Any takers?

8. DEVASTATED

There was a time in my life where I was devestated by heart break and this song was on repeat for about two months.

I drink good coffee every morning
Comes from a place that’s far away
And when I’m done I feel like talking
Without you here there is less to say

9. HUNGRY

This should be a no brainer!

Don’t you tell me you’re full
Just eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it
Get yourself an egg and beat it
Have some more chicken, have some more pie
It doesn’t matter if it’s boiled or fried
Just eat it, eat it, just eat it, eat it

The Huntress – Chapter Five

Tags

Fiction, Long Read, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction

Feb. 8 – Chapter One

Feb. 15 – Chapter Two

Feb. 22 – Chapter Three

March 1 – Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Zoe steered her small vessel gently around the pole of a seemingly normal asteroid. Deep in the asteroid belt of the Ancalagon system, she had fashioned her hide away from one of the larger asteroids. The belt was a dangerous place and Zoe prided herself on being one of the few to venture deep into the four parsec deep belt. She called her asteroid “refuge”, and was impossible to locate on sensors. No, she did this flying by hand. She had chosen this asteroid for many reasons, not the least was its metallic composition. Should a scanner be able to penetrate this deep within the belt, the metal compound of her asteroid would mask of her actively from under the surface. From deep within she had created her own magnetic field generator that would protect her from the harsh conditions of space and allow her to live a relatively comfortable existence.

Zimmerman had drifted off to a deep sleep hours ago, allowing her to put her full attention to navigating the belt to her home. As she entered the mouth of her cave, he shifted slightly. He would be waking soon. Gently she landed her vessel within her Refuge and began to shut down when he sat up from his cot.

“You can’t hide, you know,” he said shaking the sleep from his voice. “They will be looking for me.”

“We shall see,” she dismissed. With the shutdown procedure complete she rose from her seat and turned to face her captive and produced her plasma riffle, “Get up.”

“Where are you gonna take me, lass?”

“Shut up,” she spat. “We don’t have time for your games.”

He stood.

“I’m going to drop the field surrounding you,” she explained. “If you do anything I don’t like I’ll kill you. Understand?” He only nodded. She dropped the field and gestured toward the hatch door. “Let’s go.”

She walked behind him, pressing the muzzle of her riffle into his back directly against his spine. If he moved even a little in a direction she didn’t like she could kill him instantly. She led him down the ramp and through her landing bay to a special room where she held her smuggled cargo. Usually she didn’t bring her bounties here, but these were not normal circumstances. He would be comfortable enough in the cargo hold. She pressed the door release and it slid open gently. She threw her weight into his back and felt her weakened bounty buckle and fall through the door. Before he had a change to speak she slid the door shut behind him. Quickly she entered the security code lock down and finally was able to relax.

She could hear him through the door cried out, but his words were muffled.

She left the door secured and peaked through the security window. The deep green tinted window looked in on the cargo hold where her bounty now resided. She pressed a sequence and opened the intercom. His words were now flinging out at her through the system.

“…can’t do this! I’m a Councilor!”

“You’re a fool,” she answered. He fell silent. “A fool and my bounty. The Celestial Syndicate may be scattered, but there are others that would pay a pretty for your corpse. Fear not, Councilor, you will meet your maker at a time of my choosing. But until then, I suggest you rest. You are free to eat from the cargo stored in your cell. There’s plenty to sustain you.”

“I will see you dead before the end,” he threatened.

Zoe only smiled and closed the intercom and turned to her living quarters, shutting the lights off as she left.

Firework

Tags

Cover, Firework, Katy Perry, Violin

I’m sure you noted my absence from last week. It’s because of my busy schedule with Godspell. Since I’ve had very little time to do much writing, I’ve had even less time to find myself an adequate violin instructor; mostly because I’m not actively searching. I did put one phone call out to someone recommended to me who has not returned my call. Thus I think that door is closed.

I have another friend willing to help me, but I’ll need to not be in the middle of a production to go visit her. Fortunately, she also works in theatre and thus if I told her I was one week away from tech, she would totally understand that.

So, for the time being, my black violin remains in her blue case in the den. In my spare time, I am continuing to keep myself inspired by listening to violin music. My favorite violin cover for right now is below.

I Hate Ham

Tags

Hamlet, Kenneth Branagh, Mel Gibson, Shakespeare, Sir Patrick Stewart

Last Week I wrote about Elegies: A Song Cycle and why it is one of my favorite musicals. Today I’m going to write about one of my least favorite shows and this is probably going to surprise you.

I hate Hamlet.

There. I said it!

It’s true! I hate Hamlet. I blame a professor from my college years for this mostly, and then everyone that has ever produced Hamlet incorrectly.

I love Shakespeare, I was even blessed enough to play one of his more beloved characters of all time: Puck. But that’s another story.

For those of you that have been living under a rock for the last 394 years, Hamlet is a play centered on the fictional Prince of Denmark Hamlet. It opens with two guards men outside the palace informing Hamlets best friend, Horatio, about seeing the ghost of King Hamlet the night before. At the stroke of midnight the ghost of King Hamlet appears terrifying the guards men. Horatio informs Hamlet of the sighting, and Hamlet, stricken with grief, resolves to be present when the ghost next appears. Coming face to face with the ghost of his father, Hamlet learns of a “murder most foul”, wherein poision was poured into the ear of King Hamlet allowing for his brother Claudius to marry the queen and thus become King himself. The ghost of King Hamlet instructs his son Hamlet to “avenge me!”

The rest of the play Hamlet emotes over his own inaction, yells at his girlfriend, then eventually loses all sight of reality.

In college I took a class called “Script Analysis.” It’s to teach you how to pull apart a script piece by piece or beat by beat. You tear it apart to figure out all the pieces of the show, the domino effect that leads from one beat to the next, how a sentence in scene one foreshadows a sentence in scene eight, and so on.

Hamlet was taught ad nauseam. Not only did we have to read it, write a review and a paper, but also watch three movie versions of it. At first this was a valued exercise. But, as is usually the case, it did not end there. We were then instructed to watch three different versions of Hamlet and compare and contrast them to each other in a paper. The first one was directed by Laurence Oliver produced in 1948. It was black and white and it was just silly.

What we saw was an over dramatization of Hamlet brooding. Scholarly you can look at Hamlet’s erratic behavior as highly calculated to illicit the truth without having to ask the difficult questions himself and be charged with treason and slander. But this movie did not show that side of Hamlet.

When presented with Hamlet, many recall the iconic scene where Hamlet is holding a skull and lamenting over his lost friend Yorick. “Alas, poor Yorick. I knew him Horatio. A fellow of infinite jest of most excellent fancy: he hath borne me on his back a thousand times…”

In this movie variation, the direction is all wrong. It just is. This is not a speech of sadness, but a speech of love and admiration. Hamlet is not emoting his broken heart, but his lovely memories and we were forces to watch the actor emote over this skull as though this were the end of all good things.

Do you know why, when we think of Hamlet we think of this scene, with him holding the skull? I’ll tell you….it’s because of the freaking cover of this movie!

BAM!

The second movie variation we needed to watch was the Mel Gibson Hamlet. And even this was just wrong. Gibson has never been one of my favorites, despite my love of Braveheart, and I watched him not act but portray his own insane self. Of course, at the time we didn’t realize just how crazy Mel Gibson really was, that came years later after the success of Passion of the Christ. Now I look back on that movie and realize it was a foreshadow of what would come.

Finally, Kenneth Branagh. This is the movie that wouldn’t end.

I commend Branagh for being true to the script, but my goodness!!!!!!!

This four hour movie was what sealed the deal for me. About three hours into the movie I found myself almost ripping my hair out.

It’s not for the fact that anything was wrong with this movie. In fact, quite the opposite. This movie is a stunning labor of love of one of Shakespeares most popular plays. But at this point, all my love for Hamlet was gone.

I simply couldn’t care anymore. Not even a little. All I could see was an overly emotional, confused, and brooding teenager who was unhappy that his mother had remarried. Who was to even say that what the Ghost of King Hamlet said to Hamlet was even true! What if it’s just what Hamlet wanted to hear!?

GAHHH!!!!

“To be, or not to be: that is the question: Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them? To die: to sleep; no more…”

SHUT UP!!

So, this leads to the question: Do I really hate Hamlet, or do I hate that it was ruined for me at a young age?

I think there’s a nugget of truth in the both statement. On one hand, I despise Hamlet for his emoting, his brooding, his “I’m-an-emo-teenager-who-just-wants-to-die” attitude. I’m sorry your dad is dead and your mother is remarried to your uncle. That’s just freaking weird. And yes, it’s really weird at how quickly she was remarried after the funeral. That has to be difficult to deal with, but give it a rest. Either move on in your life or do something about it. There’s no reason to carry on your whining for five acts only to end in tragedy. This whole thing could have been avoided if you just marched into your Uncles’ quarters at night, telling him you know what he did and demand he stand trial. Problem solved, no one dies except the murderous uncle!

On the other hand I do not hate Hamlet so much as I hate how overdone and overly emoted it is. People look at Shakespeare as something difficult to understand, but really half the problem is how Shakespeare is taught in schools. Shakespeare has never been meant to be read, but to be heard. So when a young student sits down to read it, no wonder they’re confused! The lofty language makes no sense without someone knowing where to put the emphasis and the action associated with it. This results in Hamlets that are overdone.

So, how should we teach Shakespeare to our children? Simple: Hire Patrick Stewart! And if you can’t afford him, you can rent his movies. He’s played both King Hamlet and King Claudius! Of course, I haven’t seen his Hamlet, but I have a feeling that movie could turn the tides of my love-hate relationship with Hamlet.

Richard is Missing

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Brautigan

Richard has been missing for over a week now and I begin to worry. I’m not sure where he went. He usually leaves a note, but this time he’s just vanished. I’m wondering if he’s moved on to another young writer that needs him. I make my coffee, write my words, and look out the window to see if he’s walking down the road, but I don’t see him.

Sometimes Richard will go away for a long time to fish, but never without a word.

I find I can’t focus on writing without him here. I usually will ask him for his thoughts on this sentence or that character, even though his opinions are never really that helpful anyway. He’ll “hmm,” at my work, nod and then excuse himself to the kitchen for another cup of coffee. It’s when he says nothing at all; when I know my work is not good.

Spring is here, and when the weather is nice he spends more time away, so maybe he’s just on vacation. The winter has had him cooped up for too long, I tell myself. But I can’t help but wonder that maybe I just can’t see him anymore. Perhaps my adult years have finally overtaken my imagination and it’s all over.

I’m fraught with worry, as I pour yet another cup of coffee for myself. As I return from the kitchen I see Richard sitting in his favorite chair reading the news paper.

I stand there, mildly annoyed for a moment, tapping my foot. I glare at him until he feels me there and looks up.

“What?” he asks.

I put one hand on my hip and sip my coffee waiting for an answer.

He shrugs and returns to the paper.

“Richard!” I scold. “You’ve been gone for over a week! Where did you go?”

“Outside,” is all he says.

“For a week?”

“What does it matter?” he retorts. “I’m dead!”

How an Android Has Revolutionized My Daily Living

Tags

Android, technology

Earlier this week I woke up to discover my cell phone had finally had enough. Figuring that the battery had died over night, I threw it on charge for an hour to reveal that it would not charge. This left me with a difficult decision to make: order a new one through my provider online and wait a week for it to get here, or go to the nearest place that sold my providers phones and get it done right now.

I chose the right now option. As a Stage Manager, all communication needs to flow through me. I need to be available to both cast and staff to answer questions. I do have an awesome assistant, who could handle taking phone calls for a week, but she’s also a student and I didn’t want to have to burden her with that. On a given day, at least two or three cast members call me or text me to let me know they’ll be late. With a cast of 13, that’s high enough for me to need to be prepared. I also need to be on close contact with the director and musical director to see what their plans are on any given day.

So, I hit the internet to see what stores provided what type of phone. Before this time I had had the cheapest flip phone I could possibly have through Virgin Mobile. All it did for me was make phone calls and send text messages. I had been telling myself that that was all I needed, so I went on an epic search to find the next cheapest flip phone I could. Virgin Mobile had two cheap phones for sale at Best Buy, so I went on the pilgrimage to the store. There I was told that Best Buy did not, in fact, have said cheap phone on their shelves, even though their website said it was in stock at that location. The cheapest phone I could find was an Android.

I’ve never had an Android before, but since it appeared that I was being forced into getting one unless I wanted to wait and pay shipping on a phone, I got one. I got the cheap android, obviously. But I brought it home and slowly I am acclimating it into my life.

Virgin mobile cheap phones do not let you store your contacts to anything meaningful, so when your phone dies, so do all your contacts. I’ve learned to accept this in my life with Virgin Mobile, so when I brought home the new phone I began to replace all the phone numbers I had lost. About half way through the process I discovered that if I synced my e-mail to the phone the contacts that I lost would just appear there. Now, when I get an e-mail I cheerful chirp (appropriately called “Captains Log”) alerts me. I am able to see the subject of the e-mail and if it’s important enough I can read it. And with my gmail also comes my google calendar. So I don’t even have to waist time building another calendar within my phone, it’s just all there. I can add work calls on the spot, then if I need to edit them late I can do so from my laptop to get more details, I can add phone numbers to e-mail address, on my laptop and have that automatically sync to my phone. It’s crazy!

I’ve never had anything like this before and it literally blows my mind.

Technology started my week as a burden and ended this week as a joyful new toy.