Random Stuff

The latest facebook updates suck. What are they doing?

I saw this the other day at UNCG outside the music building:

Kinda sad that they need to lock it down.

Turns out that I will not be doing a show with Susan, contrary to what I reported in my previous blog. They had to move it to spring, at which time I will be doing Violet at Winston Salem Theatre Alliance. It’s the same theatre where I’m doing Kiss of the Spider Woman right now. We had a couple of nights off, and we’re back at it tonight through Sunday afternoon.

Theatre Alliance website--check it out

Uh...what else? ...Oh!

Now that I’m not spending my days trying to rush and finish orchestrating a show, I’m going to get back to writing. I haven’t written much original stuff this year. I wrote music for Silent Pictures & Heck’s Kitchen (1-acts I did with Tommy Trull) early in the year. Then the same folks who did Silent Pictures before, put it up again this summer. Tommy & I made some changes. I’d call it version 1.1. At some point this summer I wrote a couple of short plays (10 pages & less than 10 pages) to submit to Stephen Hyers for the Greensboro Playwrights Forum’s Evening of Short Plays. 

I assume they weren’t selected, but I don’t know for sure. I don’t know if Stephen has stopped sending out GPF updates, or if I’ve been taken off the list. I couldn’t find any info about the plays selected on their website either. I haven’t been to a meeting lately, ‘cause I’ve been in rehearsals much of the year. So I’m officially out of the loop.

So, I’m gonna do some work on Dori & the Executioner, and maybe also get around to finishing Giants Dance. Those are 2 musicals I did a bit of work on last summer.

Hmm...anything else?

I’m not quite half-way through reading a new book: Opening Atlantis by Harry Turtledove. He writes alternative history novels: novels set at some point in history, but with some significant difference, like the South won the U.S. Civil War. In this book, there’s a continent in the middle of the Atlantic. From the cover art, it appears that the eastern part of North America as we know it has broken off and drifted away. So the story is about the settling of this “Atlantis”. I like it so far. It’s interesting, so I’m keeping at it, unlike the last book I read: The Music of the Spheres by Elizabeth Redfern. I finished The Music of the Spheres, but it took a while as I wasn’t really all that interested. It’s a mystery that I just wasn’t all that interested in, and it had a bit of romance-novel quality at times. There was one description that I just found ridiculous: something like “her apple-firm breasts...”. It just sounds unpleasant and unhealthy.

It seems there was something else I was gonna write about, but I can’t think what it was.

Can't remember.

Maybe I’ll go make some muffins. Not blueberry. They were too expensive the other day at the grocery.

Been a while

I haven't written a blog in a while. So...

This summer: finished Man of La Mancha; did Tommy with a bunch of kids in a small theatre without mics; wrote some new music for another production of Silent Pictures, by the same people; started rehearsals right away for Kiss of the Spider Woman in Winston-Salem; took a week off from Spider Woman to do Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog in Burlington.

Kiss of the Spider Woman opens this weekend. I did new orchestrations for the whole show. After doing that for Guys & Dolls earlier this year, I thought I wouldn't do it again for a while. it's a big undertaking, especially when you're doing other stuff at the same time. But since the role of Aurora/Spider Woman is written so very low, and the director cast a soprano, I had to transpose several songs or parts of songs. Then I got a look at the band parts that were sent; they were a mess. Sometimes it's hard to tell what sounds the keyboards should be using, and when other instruments should be playing or not, and there were songs that were missing in some parts. Tacky and unprofessional: I'm talking to you , Samuel French.
          (Samuel French is a publishing company that does a lot of musicals. They often
            send out scores and parts that look like crap.)

It looks like I'll be doing a show at Ragsdale High School this fall, with Susan Reinecke (see my "Stuff & nonsense" blog form march this year). I don't know yet what show it'll be. We've tossed around several ideas. I even sent her a script of mine. I should find out soon, 'cause she wants to get started soon.
Classes started at UNCG a few weeks ago. I have 4 (yep, only 4) signers right now, and probably a Euphonium recital to accompany. So, I'm a little concerned about money.

3 weeks

I’ve got about 3 weeks “off”. 

Okay, I'm not actually going on vacation. It just means I have a couple of things to do, but I don’t have anything on my schedule to do at a set time or date. 


I have to get ready to do (The Who’s) Tommy. 

(at this theatre)

And I may need to spend some time working on Silent Pictures for another round of performances that Rachel & friends are gonna do. 

(check it out)

What I’ll do with SP depends on what changes Tommy Trull ends up making to the script &/or lyrics. I might do some work on the 2 musicals I was writing last summer: Dori & the Executioner and Giants Dance.

I’ll try to do some reading. I started a longish mystery novel not long ago. 

And I’m sure I will watch a bunch of crap on the netflix. 

I will be available if people want to hang out, have a meal or coffee or “drinks”, get a massage or give one, whatever. Or if you wanna just stop by and see, in person, what I look like without a beard, that’s cool too.

scat solo

Show-vo-dee-oh Vote-doh

Sha-do-va-dee-vee-oh Vote-doh

Sha-da-va Deet Doh Dee-dn-dee Vo-deedo

Squee-va-doh-doh Sha-ba Daht Daht Dahllya-da-dn Doh-dote-doh

Here's what happens:

I’m not sure why this came to mind today, but...

Here’s what happens: the woman thinks, I’m tired of all these assholes. Why can’t I meet a nice guy?

So, she meets a nice guy. Here’s what she expects to happen: sparks, excitement, this guy is so nice and I want him.

This, however, does not happen. Here’s what could happen: she meets a nice guy and decides to go out with him to see what happens.

But that doesn’t happen either. Here’s what actually happens: the woman thinks he’s such a great, nice guy...and he’s single! How can that be? Wow, I really hope that he meets a great girl, ‘cause such a nice guy like him deserves it... Oo! look at that other guy, he’s totally hot. And...yeah, he’s an asshole, he’s selfish and mean, and, because of that, very dynamic. He definitely has my attention. I think I want him...oh yeah, I want him.

"adult" holidays

The other day I heard someone say that Monday is “swallowing awareness day”.

http://www.newscanada.com/print-may-swallowing-awareness-day-67028

It's a serious thing. Of course, I immediately thought of something else. And that reminded me of a thought I had a few weeks ago: that we should have more “adult” holidays.

Here’s one:

http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/July/nationalnudeday.htm

Actually, that’s more for the whole family, for friends, for the community, for all of us to celebrate together.

But we need some adult holidays! Here are my suggestions:

—small breast appreciation day: the media seems to put a premium on large breasts, but hey, the small ones are great too; some of us really like them

—manscaping day: hey, why not? it happens, to varying degrees; let’s just put it out there in the open and talk about it, celebrate it, even

—threesome awareness day: I’m not necessarily saying threesome participation day, of course that’d certainly be an option; but this could be a day to show support to all your friends, family, co-workers, whomever, that participate in threesomes; and you never know, you may just get a life-changing invite

—maybe a “try a new position” day, or a “that thing you’ve always wanted to try” day—we could all use a day like that, right?

tired

I am tired.

I was so busy for so long that when I was suddenly less busy, I felt weird. It was hard to believe that I wasn't supposed to be doing something all the time.

Now, I'm doing a little: one show, Man of La Mancha.

I certainly have time right now to do some writing. I haven't written anything since February, which seems like a lifetime ago. But mostly I just feel tired. Maybe I should sleep all day, you know, for a day or two. Maybe that's just what I need.

Or, maybe I need to do something with my time: go outside, move around, see people, interact. Anybody wanna do that with me? Of course, I can't promise that I'll feel like doing it. (See yesterday's blog: awkward me.)