The Acting Artist

Getting There

2011-03-28T22:06:00.000-05:00

A few days break occurred in my new regime due to a combination of sick family and a very busy weekend schedule. It's crazy how the days just get away from you. Yes, yes...I should be well more than aware of this based on the fact I have a five and AND a three year old child but it just needed to be said. Once again, just a short linking post tonight as I'm worn out. I just finished hauling the components of our snazzy new BBQ to our back deck. The sucker weighs about 200lb altogether in the box, so I moved it piece by piece.
We bought it this weekend from Ontario Gas BBQ...it's a Broil King Sovereign XLS 90. We were originally thinking of getting a Weber, but this had all the options we wanted, including a rotisserie. Plus the price gave us a bigger bang for our buck. I will finish putting it together on the weekend, and can't wait to break it in with a nice steak dinner.

Another toy I received just today was the Microphone I've been waiting to get for a long time. It's funny, I've been recommending it to people for about a year now, based on the sound alone, but haven't owned one myself until now. Being really into podcasts, I focus on the quality of the sound and try to find out what equipment is being used on the better produced shows. The Blue Snowball mic seems to keep popping up time and time again.
So why did I wait so long? Well, it comes down to money. For those of you who have known me awhile, I used to spend money on electronic equipment like it was going out of style. I'd spend tens of thousands of dollars a year on computers, audio equipment and movies/music...truly spending beyond my means. Well, I had the means...I was making a fantastic salary, but I wasn't keeping a safety net afloat. My 20's was a decade of feeling immortal...I bought myself, my friends and my family lavish gifts and felt like it would never end. Well, it did. The dot-com bubble burst, jobs became scarce and my arrogance faced a very ugly reality. It took a long time to recover financially from this.
Now these days I not only put my wife and kids first when it comes to making financial decisions, I will also think a LONG time about buying anything for myself that isn't a houseware. Not a bad habit really.
So, now that I have the right tool for the job, I'm working on some project ideas for recording that should hopefully start appearing within the month.
And with that, I bid you Auf Wiedersehen.

Podcast of the day: The Nerdist (Episode 68)
TV Show of the day: Mythbusters

Push Through

2011-03-23T22:57:00.000-05:00

Eugh. I'm fighting a bit of a cold tonight. Six hours in a car today; three in the morning followed by the same on the way home kind of got to me, I guess. I shouldn't be that surprised that it hit me as poor Kyle has been fighting some kind of bug for the last couple of weeks and it was just a matter of time before it smacked me in the head. It's just funny that I felt fine when I left work and just needed to lay down when I got home. A few hours later...here I am, forcing myself to do a bit of writing because I hate when I make a promise to myself that I don't keep. Hopefully this burns itself out quickly.

Its very possible that this actually started itself out yesterday without the ugly sneezing and pains associated with it. I was at Toastmasters last night and really just felt completely off my game. Thankfully I was not officially speaking or chairing the meeting, as I just felt like I was rambling everytime I did get up to discuss anything. I ran the Table Topics component of the meeting based around many famous book titles (sans author), and when I chose to discuss what I imagined the book based around a title was about I just couldn't stay focused. I am planning to do a technical speech next week on easy-speak.org so I need to get healthy and refocused by this weekend.
Health permitting, I am going to Keswick tomorrow night to say goodbye to a good friend of mine who passed away last week, so I'm not sure if I'll get a post in or not...if not I'll be back on Friday.

Favourite Podcast of the day: Two Minute Timelord

Renewal

2011-03-22T21:49:00.000-05:00

I've been experiencing some nostalgia over the last week or so, largely brought upon by the unfortunate deaths of a couple of my older friends. This brought me to take a look at the old blog and I realized just how much time had passed since I added an entry. Almost eleven months....{smack}...BAD TIM, BAD!

I've actually been formulating a couple major topics...some of which were inspired by the aforementioned passings, and others inspired by a speech I delivered for the International Speech Contest called 'Refine Your Anger'. Additionally, I've been working on getting the technical side ready so that I could begin doing some podcasting. I love to speak, and feel that I could put on a really good show with assistance of a bunch of good friends of mine. It pays to have a long background in theatre, improv and Toastmasters...you never run out of content and/or people willing to speak with you.

Expect to see cool things coming soon.

Favourite podcast listened to today: Stuff You Missed in History Class

Exhaustion

2010-04-25T22:51:00.000-05:00

Just thought to post this in case anyone was checking in (if so, thank you!). I have a lot to blog about regarding the last week, however I have been so exhausted that I just couldn't spare the time I needed for sleep and homework to get in on it. Same old story...life gets in the way.

Well, as I draw new inspiration from my own posts and endeavour to continue growing as a writer again I will be back very soon (likely tomorrow)...so stay tuned.
Just to tease you...I am now officially a TESOL Certified ESL Teacher. The journey to get here has been filled with some ups and downs, and I'm not sure yet where it's going to take me...but I'm opening myself up to possibilities. There are various considerations that are incredibly important to deal with and it is my priority to focus on those first...but that will take time. I will share with you what I can...again...tomorrow.
Goodnight!

Conference (Day Three)

2010-04-18T23:59:00.000-05:00

A light mist of rain was falling as I arrived at the Delta for the final day of the conference...just in time for the Evaluation Contest. Unfortunatly, I was again running a tad late, so did not get a chance to watch the Target Speaker but I did get to see most of the evaluations themselves.
I was very impressed once again with the calibre of each and every contestant. Each had their own method to provide a nicely balanced evaluation and I learned quite a bit from each one. Of course, only three could walk away the winners, and those were:

1st place... Harry Ansara
2nd place... Katherine McLean
3rd place... Julie Boyer

Wonderful job all.

Brunch was again provided and then we reached the pinnacle of the convention. Mark Hunter took the stage and completely blew me away with each of the speeches he gave (yes, he did more than one) along with an amazing gift of information to each and everyone in attendance on how he worked towards being the 2009 World Champion of speaking. Mark had a wonderfully relaxed and pleasant personality, and took the time to chat with anyone who took the time to approach him. This is the kind of individual you want representing the organization as a Champion, and I am honoured to have met him.

Suddenly, that was it. Shortly afterwards, the conference was officially wrapped. I took the time to walk around to see if there was anybody else that I should speak to. In particular, I discussed some Web 2.0 and podcasting ideas with the new District Public Relations Officer Katie Chida. Plenty of fun stuff to do ahead.

So, looking back, what did I take away from the conference. For me personally, number one was a lot of ideas and inspiration. But in addition to this it was wonderful to meet so many other people from so many different backgrounds that share two common elements - a love of speaking and a desire to help other people achieve their goals. I'm in good company.

The Fall Conference will be held in November. As long as I am physically able to (geographically that is) I would not hesitate on going, and I recommend to each and every Toastmaster in District 86 that if you have been sitting on the fence about investing in these conferences, get off it and buy your tickets. It's well worth it.

Conference (Day Two)

2010-04-17T23:59:00.012-05:00

*** Note...my wife heckled me a bit for writing a fairly dry entry yesterday...my apologies for that. I had little time to write it so just went for the quick facts. I will endeavour to do better this time around...but be prepared, it'll be a long one.

Now on with the story. ***

As to my presence at the conference itself, Saturday did not start well. As I mentioned previously, to save some coin I stayed at my friends down the road from the convention. Well, being nice people that they are, after a late night of chatting away they let me sleep in. Problem was, I didn't WANT to sleep in...I wanted to get there as early as possible so that I could grab a coffee, maybe do some writing and hopefully chat with some of the other possible early risers.
As soon as I realized what time it was (already 7:40am, only 20 minutes before opening ceremonies), I made a mad scramble to get myself showered and ready to head out the door. But then I realized I was starving, so stopped to grab myself some breakfast. This turns out to have been a mistake. I missed seeing such events as the Parade of Banners, the general introductions of the district executive and especially missed seeing Hazel McCallion, the Mayor of the City of Mississauga give a speech. I was fortunate enough to catch most of the morning's Keynote Speech by Brian Brennan from the Towns of York club in Aurora so all wasn't a total loss.
Once that meeting was adjourned, it was the time for workshops and some dilemnas to face. Each block of time was shared by four workshops, so you had to pick and choose each time. For myself, the first workshop I chose was by a gentleman named William Cassels who discussed how to Write unique speeches using music as a guide. His was a truly inspirational story where he discussed how his major setback to providing good speeches was a dibilitating stutter he suffered from. Through practice he discovered that if he wrote his speeches to music; concentrating on such things as the timing of the melody to the length of his lines of dialigue it provided him with a great ability to deliver his speeches in an impactful manner. He gave many examples of the classical musical he used for his speeches, followed by using the same piece of music as he spoke. In addition to this, he showed how as a fan of ballroom dancing he would use the same music to control how he used the stage with his movement and gestures. To me it was a fantastic idea that I am thinking of trying for one of my future speeches.
My next workshop choice was by a younger lady named Erin Lau, who provided a great session on Leadership called Flexing Your Creativity. It was very much a think outside of the box concept; how to see the world in a new way. For her youth, she held the room extremely well and had us all go through exercises including using 2 pipe-cleaners to make something in one minute. I formed mine into the shape of a mouse and when my immediate neighbour noticed this he took delight in my little bit of artwork and Kept It! Not that I was too worried about it...I'm sure it would have ended up in garbage if I brought it home, but I never figured out why he did that. Oh well, at least I inspired somebody with my little creature design. Worst case scenario I know where his club is....I could also go pester him about it..{grin}.

Following lunch, I was talked into taking Judy Suke's seminar on From Free To Fees and I'm so glad I did. Judy is a fantastic comedic speaker who has been speaking for corporate groups for several years now. She gave plenty amount of information on how to properly market yourself as a professional speaker as well as tips on what kind of material is in high demand. Plenty food for thought there....feft me quite psyched to get working on my own material as soon as possible (after I've finished blogging, of course).

Next, it was time for the District 86 speech competition. These speakers are those that have won at their club level, their area level and their division levels...so I knew we were in for a treat. Doubly exciting though is that a member of my own club, Annette Lavigne was one of the eight contestants.

All I can say following the contest was WOW. I would not have wanted to be one of the judges, because all of these speeches were truly fantastic. I had thought about discussing them here, but for the sake of timing I'll just cut to the chase. The winners were:

3rd place...Annette Lavigne

2nd place...Frederique Herei

1st place...Gregory C.N. Smith

So now in August, Gregory will have the opportunity to compete at the International level in California. I wish him well, and will be watching the results from afar.

They had the business meeting next...but I honestly skived off from most of it to do some writing. I did catch some of the elections though and got to know a few of the people who will be representing us as executive members. Suzette Leeming, who has been my clubs Area Governer is now moving upwards, taking on the role of Division M governer. I truly wish her all the best with that role.

To end the day, it was time for the District Governer's Ball. It began with a spectacular dinner finished off with one of the best pieces of chocolate cake I've ever had. We had a dynamic range of conversations at our table, ranging from my background in theatre to a spirited discussion of Ayn Rand, where Suzette and I kind of tag-teamed our individual knowledge of her works for the rest of our captive audience.

But then sadly, I realized that it was getting close to 10:30, and that I had once again broken my promise to Joe and Chi for when I'd get to their place. So, just as the first dancers took to the floor in their finest duds, I bid adieu to many of my new friends and the conference for the night. I did feel bad about doing so, part of me wanted to stay. Lessons learned...but I'll discuss that in part three.

Look forward to my information on that and much much more coming soon.

Conference (Day One)

2010-04-16T23:59:00.002-05:00

I have had the honour of attending my first Toastmasters convention for the District 86 area in Missisauga and what a joy it's been, Meeting and socializing with so much talent has been an incredible inspiration and it leads me to work in a more productive manner.

I arrived Friday evening at the Delta Meadowvale just as the First Timer's meeting was about to start. Now, for those of you who are not members of Toastmasters, this particular meeting is just what it sounds like - for people who are attending their first conference. I have no issues speaking these days, however I am occasionally still a tad shy on meeting new people unless there is a specific purpose behind it. So this meeting is perfect for people such as myself; it provides the opportunity to break the ice. As a matter of fact, they FORCE you to meet new people...they provided us with a little book and we had to go around and swap information such as our biggest similarities and differences.

I found myself in my element, talking about my best topic...ME, and people seemed to be very interested in my theatrical background. Seems like people with my kind of background are in high demand (filing that fact away with big bold stickers on it for future reference) as I have already have what many of the people there don't already have - confidence on the stage.

Then we were honoured to meet with the conferences Keynote Speaker Mark Hunter (2009 World Champion Speaker) who gave us a very rousing speech about his origins as a speaker in Australia. We were introduced to many current and past members of the executive council and were given a good pep talk as to why our contributions to the organization in general was a needed and cherished thing.

Following this meeting the Mardi Gras themed official meet and greet started, and I regretted instantly that I did no go with my first instinct to wear my Hawaiian shirt and beads to the convention. The organizers dressed up in their finest wigs (that's a joke folks, they were clown wigs) and the most outrageous feathered masks I've seen this side of a pantomime. No, I went with a more modest jeans and nice shirt ensemble. However I soon realized I was on par with a good majority of the attendies (at least a couple hundred) so felt a little less guilty for not playing along. It was a good time in general. They had us play a game where we each received one coin and if we had somebody else introduce themselves to us we had to give it up. Of course, the opposite is also true so you have the opportunity to make a good amount of coin yourself (sadly plastic). I lost mine within seconds, and everybody I introduced myself to had already lost their coins. Never did find out who was hoarding them all. I hung around with my groups area governer Suzette, and another member from my club Kathleen but also had the chance to meet a lot of great people there from all walks of life.

Then we had a magician come on stage to entertain us. The Great Gerard did a fairly good yet short performance of slight of hand involving plenty of audience participation. Following this we were introduced to a stage hypnotist, Paul Anthony, who gave a commanding performance. One of the exercises he had us do was interlock our hands, place our index fingers together in a point and raise them above our heads...and keep them there. I ended up on stage with about three dozen other ~~suckers~~ people and was in agony by the time he allowed us to release them. This is likely one of the reasons I was not able to completely find myself in a relaxed state for hypnosis...my shoulders were killing me. Soon enough, it was obvious to him that myself and a couple dozen others weren't good hypnotic material so he let us go back to our seats...but another eight remained in what appeared to be sleep or at least a very dormant state. He had some fun with them, and apparently the rest of the show went well. I had to run out before the show ended though as I had promised my friends Joe and Chi that I would be at their place to crash for the night just after 9, and it was already 10pm (oops!). Definately looking forward to tomorrows session (workshops and speech competition, yay!), and will write about that in a separate post.

Cheers!

Conversion

2010-04-15T23:14:00.002-05:00

I've had a habit in the past of taking on certain projects and never quite getting them completed. Usually this has been due to poor time scheduling on my part...I've had a somewhat unrealistic vision of how much time I have available.
Well, as I'm not currently inundated with work, I've been slowly getting a lot of old projects off of my plate...and I decided very recently to tackle one of the most complicated ones.

About five years ago, my grandfather handed me a box of old 8mm and Super-8mm films, ranging from the 1950's to the 1970's with the idea that I would convert them to DVD. Well, I started off the idea with gusto...sourcing out a projector and everything and was ready to start. Then life got in the way as it tends to do. Kids, Job, etc; I put the project on hold. The projector went back to its owner and the box was put away and somewhat forgotten other than for taking up some space in my office closet.
Well, it was time to get rid of it. Sure, I could have easily just taken all these reels to a company that specializes in film conversion (and Melanie was initally pretty set on me doing just that), but that didn't seem right. The way I feel about it is that it was my project...I committed to it, I needed to complete it....and in doing so I would feel much better about my future committments.
So, I drove down with the kids to the Bathurst and St.Clair area in Toronto, and picked this projector up. I get it home, and prepare to practice running films through it, only to find we had no take-up (empty) reels to feed the film to. I knew we HAD some before...but it's possible they've long since been boxed away/thrown out and I needed to find more.
Melanie was the one to pick up the phone and found a source in Newmarket...so I popped by and picked up an old Bell & Howell Take-up reel from a film conversion specialist for $10. Unfortunately, it was not compatible with this projector. So, I returned it and began looking for another one.
Today, luck happened. The same guy called me up and said he had found an old plastic one that he didn't need, and would give it to me for free. Back I go to Newmarket, and this evening I decided to give it a first test spin.
To be honest with you, I really didn't know if this was going to work with my DV Camera. It's a mid-level camera...a JVC D-750U, and it was very possible that it would not be compatible with recording film. Film to DVD conversion is a tricky thing due to the frame rate of the projection. What may look good to our eyes often comes across as a jumble of flickers to the camera.
Sure enough, my first test run looked like hell. But then I played around with the shutter-speed in the manual settings of the camera and found that setting it at 1/60 shutter fixed a lot of the issues. It won't likely look perfect, but at least the footage will remain intact.
I now need to set up a system to handle perspective. It's no good running a projector at one angle while having the camera at a different one because the framing will look strange. So, I will play around with that after this weekend (I'm away at a Toastmasters Convention) and will hopefully get all these films completed next week. I'll post some sample footage when I'm done.

Nickname

2010-04-14T23:01:00.002-05:00

So my old friend Adam has asked where the name of the blog comes from. Well, to be honest it happened rather suddenly, though a couple years after I registered the domain name. It just took a friend of mine to bring the pieces together for me.

Almost a decade ago, I began experimenting with digital artistry and was so proud of what I was producing that I began going to art shows and tried selling my work...marketing myself as a serious artist. Since Acting was my first love I was inspired to use that in the domain name alongside my newly acquired skill - I had no other motive at the time. So, http://www.actingart.com/ was born.
Well, though I still dabble in art from time to time I stopped marketing myself as that kind of artist a few years ago. As a matter of fact I at one point in the blogosphere mentioned that I didn't consider myself an artist, and my friend Diane popped up and drove a gamechanging comment home to me. She said that I was too an artist...and it was Acting that was my Art.
After only a couple days, I was inspired to begin using the nickname the Acting Artist, totally loving the fact that the nickname has two completely different meanings. One is the person who Acts for Artistry, the other who Pretends to be an Artist. I'm leaving the choice of which they feel I am in the hands of my audience.

Circular

2010-04-11T22:46:00.001-05:00

I've been reading back into my older posts both here on blogger and on my old blurty account and see plenty of areas where I discussed my life and beliefs. Well, as I get a little older, plenty of my perspectives have changed. To show a sample of where I'm at now, I just thought to post an edited version of my Toastmasters Icebreaker speech that I gave many months ago. It's not my best writing and doesn't go into a lot of detail, but remember this had to be a seven minute speech.
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Everybody has a different method to describe not only their own life, but of living itself. Some see life as a great quest to find fulfillment, whether that be spiritual, financial or intellectual. Others find life to be a big party…do as much as you can as fast as possible, and hope you don’t get caught. Some people travel the world in search of new adventures. Others never go further than the limits of their own towns. My own life I see as a Path of Adventure….I’ve had some wonderful experiences and some major setbacks. With each new event that occurs, my perspective in life has changed, not only to reconsider where I’m going, but to see in new light where I’ve been. I wish to share a few of these events with you…especially to show an interestingly circular route I took to get to be where I am today.

As a child, I didn’t really fit in with my peers. I was extremely emotional, and as I was easily provoked I was a target for bullies. But beyond that, I found that I didn’t like the regular classroom routine. My preference was in reading, which I gained a voracious appetite for. This of course, was just another area for the kids to identify where I was different than they were, as I didn’t follow the stereotype rules they thought I should follow. I remember being teased for reading the sequel to Mary Poppins, as that was such a “girl” book to read…it didn’t matter to me though. Reading was a sanctuary to me.

School’s at the time weren’t setup to accept this way of thinking. Bullying was a standard practice that was largely accepted by school administration…so going to school in Kleinburg I often snook off school property during recess to visit the library. It was a safe zone. I didn’t get in trouble as much as you’d think for this…I think the yard supervisors looked the other way as often as they could.

Eventually I used up my “Get out of jail free cards”. But then something else interesting happened. I was provided an opportunity to become a “tester” for the school computers. Other than for a video games system and a cousin’s Atari, I had no experience with one…but I took to it immediately. Soon it became a second obsession along. Now, this had a good and a bad side to it. One, it improved my grades…I had terrible handwriting and the teachers could stop guessing whether an assignment came from me or their family doctor. However I was now teased for being a computer geek, so there was to be no climbing any social ladders at this time.

As I matured and reached highschool age, my reading material changed with it. I was now reading some more advanced stuff, much of which had major philosophical or psychological tones. New concepts appeared on the horizon, and I wanted to find new ways to fit in…though couldn’t grasp the methods to do so.

What did I do? I dropped computers and found a new sanctuary in Theatre. Here was a new class of people who showed a different respect than I had ever seen. I had to work to earn it, but for once in my school life, I actually was rewarded for my efforts, and found a level of acceptance I had rarely seen. I was praised for my work, and actual considered auditioning for the National School of Canada. But I had a few setbacks that changed my direction. The largest was a discussion with a respected director at the Terragon Theatre in Toronto. I was doing a workshop there and she told us that to go into theatre for a living you have to take an “Oath of Poverty”. I was 17, with delusions of grandeur…that didn’t sound fun to me.

I took Radio and Television Broadcasting instead, but left before my first year was through due to conflicts with the curriculum. But the time wasn’t wasted. I gained two major focuses - More of my time was spent on a renewed and refocused interest in computers. The other, inspired by a friend and classmate of mine was poetry. I ended up running a BBS (Bulletin Board System) in Scarborough called Counterparts which specialized in Poetry and while working for Canada's Wonderland as a roller-coaster operator would find myself writing new stanzas while waiting for each coaster to re-enter the station.

My time as a BBS Operator ended up being the main reason why I ended up working for a computer store.  While in Scarborough, it was where I spent all of my energy...I would often work opening to close shifts, and absorbed everything I could. I mastered graphic design, PC Administration and many software applications during my stint there. But then I ended up moving up to Newmarket to work at the store there, and found myself re-united with my old community theatre group. This I threw my entire energy into....in many ways detrimental to my job. I ended up losing that job because my heart just wasn't into it anymore.

I continued to do work elsewhere, consulting with a different store for awhile, then doing some work for an employment agency...but it didn't feel like I was going anywhere...there was no challenge Then the next big change happened. My theatre connections ended up providing me a big break back into the computer world.

I good friend and fellow actor referred me to his boss who was looking for an entry-level analyst. I landed that gig, and within a couple years had found myself mastering programming techniques. But something was still stagnating...and I thought at the time that it was my locale. I regretted not exploring more opportunities earlier, so I began looking for opportunities to work afar, like Bermuda and Boston. Since they weren’t panning out I jumped at a chance to work in Cambridge. Sure it wasn't THAT far away, but it was something new.

That ended up not working out. I didn’t find a good fit with the contract in Cambridge...and due to Nortel doing a big tank there were no other good jobs in that area to jump to.  So, after less than a year I found a new job back in Newmarket, and looked to move back. Friends set me up to share a townhouse in Aurora with a mutual friend. That friend would eventually become my girlfriend, and after 3 years, my wife.

This path I’m on has not been an easy one all the time…but what makes it a worthy journey is to see how I not only persevered but am growing as a person, a husband, a father each time one of these circular events happen.  I want to be able to make a worthwhile impact in this life on my own terms without having to sacrifice an adventurous spirit.

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Funny enough...the circular thing keeps happening with me. Arts to Tech and back again. Teaching ESL after a long stint as a programmer would certainly fit that pattern.

Endeavor

2010-04-09T21:25:00.001-05:00

I attended an information session for Global TESOL on a Monday evening in late March, equipped with a lot of questions. As I stated before, Melanie was accepting enough that I should at least find out more information before we ignored the opportunity.

The facilitator and instructor, Jim, was a very pleasant gentleman who really put myself and the other twenty or so attendies of the meeting at ease. I was preparing myself for a hard-sell situation that normally occurs in these kinds of meetings, but really didn't get that vibe. Jim laid out all the facts for us. Global TESOL has been around since 1994, is classified by the government of Canada as an official school, and will assist all graduates with placements in the country of their choice - no matter what interval of time they wait before they are ready to make the big jump...whether that be a week or a couple years after graduation. Most important fact told...there are jobs out there - and lots of them...it just really depends on what you consider a rewarding destination (Money vs Adventure).

When I asked the question about my family again (since I had not spoken to Jim at the convention), I noticed that everybody in the session swivelled to look at me. Either they too had wondered if the chance to take a family along was a possibility, or they just thought I was crazy to even think of it. Jim asked then if my wife would be interested in taking the course too. (Immediate upsell bells went off of course...though he seemed to sense this). He then explained something that made total sense. It is normally the employers responsibility to pay for your accomadations, so for them to get more than one person into the same place is actually a cost savings. Sure they'd need to acquire a larger place for a family, but the cost would still be less than 2x an apartment, right? Also, this would assist us with the possible (yet almost guaranteed) issue of homesickness. If you have your family with you, you have a better chance of dealing with it.
The session went fantastic, and I only had to ask one more of my questions....the answers to the rest were pretty much either presented upfront or asked by somebody else there.
They are not promising the world. I'd be worried if they did. They however, have provided the information that everything is NEGOTIABLE. You want something really bad...you just ask. They will help you get through it.
So, I went home with all this buzzing in my head, and was honestly quite excited about it when I got home. I spoke to Melanie about it, and though she was immediately hesitant about the idea of travelling to places like China (she's more of a Costa Rica kind of girl) allowed me to continue talking.
We read through everything...did some research online. Found no mention of scams by the school or through the TESOL organization in general.
So...I registered to take the class this month...and here's the kicker. So has Melanie. She is not really convinced herself about teaching, though I think she's selling herself short there. I'm sure many of the friends who confide in her would consider her a great teacher. And she sure is an authoritarian (guaranteed I'll get a slap for that..see?).
So, I guess the big question is...why would we do this? Where does the idea come around to pack up my family and go to a strange place?
Several factors enter into this. For me, it started with our trip to Germany three years ago. It was the first time I had ever thought about living somewhere else than Canada. Then Hawaii happened. Not only did Hawaii provide me with new perspective to how I lived my life (guess I should write about that...though I've spoken about it at Toastmasters a lot..promise a new blog on that within a week), but I was dead serious when I said I would stay there indefinately if I could. My spirit of adventure soars when I'm abroad or taking long road trips. But I couldn't do it without Melanie and the boys, so it's always been my hope that it would be endorsed.
Another big factor is that we are fortunate to not be crazy in debt. In fact, other than for our mortgage...we have no real debt at all. Our house is designed to be a rental unit, so between our current tenant downstairs and leasing out the upper half, we would maintain our current financial condition. That is such a liberating feeling.
Well, before I start packing, I need to complete step one...the course, so don't start sending us bon voyage notes yet. It starts in a couple weeks, and I am truly looking forward to it. Melanie is taking 1/2 of it online due to work obligations, so we will be going over the coursework together.
I'll likely expand upon some of my thoughts over the next while. I need to get working on my next speech, which has a direct tie-in....I'll let you know what that is soon.

Adaptation

2010-04-07T22:34:00.001-05:00

For the first time in almost ten years, I've been forced to deal with employment issues...and a bit of an existential crisis. I have recently left RBC, and have found to my initial dismay that the career specialization I have fostered for years now is not in huge demand right now. Technology I have yet to master has begun to replace it, and I am faced with the choice of focusing my energies on upgrading those specific skills, or looking to do something completely different.

Interesting enough, I have already been on a path to do something different. For years, I focused an equal if not more amount of my time to theatre, improvisation and writing as I did to programming. More recently, I migrated these skills into public speaking through Toastmasters...and I found something I truly loved to do. I formulated a plan...I wanted to be a professional public speaker in five years time.
The reason for the duration was simple...I didn't yet know exactly WHAT my niche market would be. I'm a fairly good speaker and I come up with material fairly easily, but I'm a bit of a procrastinator when it comes to business marketing so I figured I would take the time to work on that slowly while I continued as a programmer.
An option I had never thought of came out of the blue, and I decided to jump at it. For a long time now, I have been told by many people that they thought I would make a good teacher. So, during a visit to an employment fair in Toronto I came across a booth for a company called Global TESOL. They train people to teach ESL (English as a Second Language) for the local and the International market. Well, I was initially looking for career trends, not training so I moved on.
Following a lunch with some of my former colleagues, I returned to the fair and once again found myself outside of that same booth.
I listened patiently while another prospective student was asking questions and was interested in what I heard, so I myself asked them a few questions. Mainly, is this only for the bachelors of the world, or can those with families do it too. The answer was interestingly in the positive. So, I took their information and decided to chat with my dear wife about it, figuring she would just tell me to toss it into the bin labeled "Too Good To Be True".
Melanie surprised me that night. She looked over the literature with me, and told me to go ahead and meet with them about it. So, I did...and that meeting may have just been the catalyst to drive myself and my family into a whole new adventure.

More on this tomorrow.

Play

2010-03-12T23:36:00.002-05:00

I'm alone with the boys until next Thursday while Melanie helps her sister out in Minnesota. This can be a bit daunting...however I think I've held up ok. At the least the house isn't completely trashed, so that's a good sign.
This evening, while I was enjoying a quick bite, Nathaniel invites me to join him and his brother in their room. I finished up the last few Nachos and went to investigate what was up.
Nathaniel stated that he wanted to talk to me. I think for most parents to hear their child say this could instill a moment of fear...but he's four years old, what would he have to say?
I sit down on his bed, and in a moment he turns into a complete facilitator. He wants us to play some guessing games...each taking turns making animal sounds and guessing what they are. Well, I thought he was just awesome for how he approached it, so I joined him in his game.

Sounds easy, right?
Well, for me it's not so easy. For all the years of experience I have in theatre, and the ability to work with kids, I have a mental block for finding enjoyment in simple playtime. I've not been that great at getting down on the floor with my own kids and just let my imagination go wild. Some guilt has been shed for this on my part...I just have difficulty sometimes getting into that Play mode.
As a child, I was vividly imaginative. I never seemed able to get bored...and my sense of play was intense. I could create entire worlds in my bedroom and keep myself occupied for hours on end. Didn't matter if it was Hot Wheels, Legos, even Lightbright...I could make the most of any toy.
As my parents marriage dissolved around me at the end of my first decade, I desperately began to cling to the idea that I could understand everything that was happening. I thinks I held onto this belief too much; that I forced myself into a version of adulthood that was far too soon for my own good. I preferred the company of computers and records to most people...and toys became a thing of the past.
As I semi-pulled myself out of that shell through my forays into theatre, I still didn't really know how to play anymore...how to just throw myself into that world that I used to know. I didn't even see a benefit to doing so.
Who knew that it would be my own son who would provide me with such a simple lesson. That simple play can be a massive stress reliever. That hearing the hiccuping giggle of your four year can make you feel so wonderful inside...especially knowing you were the one making him laugh.
I am truly blessed to have such a smart kid.

2010-03-01T22:49:00.005-05:00

OK, I think I might just be a bit of a hypocrite...but only a bit.
During a recent table-topics speech at a Toastmasters club I was guesting at I was asked to discuss whether or not I would be upset if the Canadian Men's Hockey team at the Vancouver Olympics did not win the Gold Medal. In the two minute impromptu speech I responded with, I stated that I would not be upset. To me, as long as the team performed with dignity and sportsmanship should have been enough.
There were two specific factors to my thought pattern within that speech. One is that I'm not really a hockey guy. It just was never the sport that echoed with me on the spiritual level that it does for so many of my peers. The second factor, and perhaps even more so important was that I was honestly tired of people, including many aspects of the media, of attacking our athletes for the smallest issues. So much pressure and focus was being driven at them to aim for the gold and that alone. No other choice seemed to be good enough.
Really, to me the Olympics was about bringing all the nations together in a friendly competition. Though I won't pretend for a moment that this is everybody's initial view of the event I think they should at least take the concept into consideration. Canada as a nation prides itself on tolerance and diversity; being the "Peacekeepers", but there were times when I felt shame that we were taking an almost militant stand against our own athletes. "Succeed or we'll feel shame for you". I really hated that.
These athletes and their families have stories of sacrifice that would shock and awe so many people. People are not born Olympians...they are built through a tremendous amount of time and practice. I respect that, and I wish people would do more of the same.
So, how am I a hypocrite? Well, on Sunday afternoon I will admit that I sat with the rest of the family during my own birthday celebration to watch the gold medal game. When USA drove in their last minute tie-breaker goal in the dying seconds of the third period I could feel my heart sink. I truly understood better than ever the passion for the game that is held. I had been caught up in the passion, and hell yeah I would have been upset if we had lost.
The tension in the air during overtime was an almost electric feel as the hearts of everybody beat as one for their hockey team to succeed. Now, as we all now know...we did succeed. Canada got their gold medal in hockey...one of fourteen gold medals as a matter of fact. Pride in our game continued unabated, much celebrating around the country began to partake and I could have easily pretended to show indifference.
I can't though. I DO have that much more pride for them having one the gold. But at the same time, I have no disrepect for any of the other teams who came out here and gave it their best. They, like every other athlete in the eighty-six events that took place are worthy of our respect.

Day 1 - Part 3

2007-03-04T15:51:00.000-05:00

Melanie's mother gave her the number for Alois - her uncle, who was expected to pick us up at Dusseldorf airport. We quickly called the number and got his wife, who informed us Alois had already left....though she gave us his cellphone number. When we asked her if she could call him and just tell him we would be taking the train, she seemed strangly uncomittal, so we took it on ourselves to make the next call again. OOPS...the number appeared wrong. Melanie wondered if it was just her having missed a number from the conversation. So, after trying a couple times, both on the lovely pink phone (pic below) and my own cellphone, we called Alois' wife again. She re-read the number to Melanie, and did indicate that she had spoken to Alois herself, so at least he knew the change in plan. We tried to call him again so that we could firm up...still a wrong number.
Screw it, let's just go. We had our tickets exchanged for train tickets, and then pulled the handicap card (only with slight reluctance), and asked to get a ride back through the station to get our luggage. A nice gentleman soon pulled up in his extendicab-golf-cart, and we hitched a ride back from whence we came in the station. I'm almost certain I saw an eclipse at one point. Luggage retrieval was strangly uneventful, only hindered by my inability to figure out how the hell to get a cart off the rack. Helped by mute German worker (for all I know), and we tailed it out of there. First one elevator upstairs...then lined up for second elevator, watching people going up accidently, therefore tying up the device longer as they go back down again. We got on, and walked towards our next journey...another elevator.
This one would feel clastrophobic to Warwick Davies. I went up first with the luggage, scrunched up against the wall, and Melanie and Nathaniel joined me on the next trip. We then headed over to the train station.

The wait here was about an hour and a half. Melanie got Nathaniel settled down, while I went for a walk to find some food and experience my first German retailer to Dumb-Englishman experience. Didn't go that bad, though he did ask me something about the pizza I ordered. Perhaps it was, 'This is still a little cold, you want me to heat it up more for you?'. I had smiled, shrugged, took my pizza, paid my first Euros out and headed back to Melanie. Who informed me she couldn't finish the pizza as it was cold. So, I smiled, shrugged, then ate both slices.
Soon enough we boarded. Luckily this was no TTC train...a kindly stranger helped me lug our 4 suitcases onto the train, and the watchman helped Mel get Nathaniel onboard. We were off. Once we got past the fog, I began to have a shock. It's GREEN here. Rolling fields of green grass as far as the eye can see. Beautiful little Hamlets surrounded by turf a Football team would endorse. Nathaniel nodded off in Melanie's arms, and I took a shot at trying to catch up on a few myself...but didn't do so well.
There was a momentary panic at one station when they just stopped and sat for awile. We wondered if we had accidently taken the train with a layover involved, but decided to stay onboard and take a chance. The watchman soon confirmed our good judgement, after we began moving again. Then finally I saw the sign Dusseldorf-HBF appear alongside, and we debarked. The watchman helped once again.
I grabbed a cart from the rack (easily this time - though was surprised at the 1-Euro deposit required...they obviously value their carts more than Canada does), and we took the elevator downstairs to the terminal beneath.
Now the culmination of the days problems reached a head. You see, we had verbal confirmation that Alois knew we were taking a train, but had no idea where to meet. So we walked into this seemingly endless mall, and found a telephone. And I laughed out loud.

OK, the Pink Phones are cool. Germany has them everywhere. In Canada, it would be a political statement. Melanie began making the calls again. Still wrong number. So, back to Alois's home again. Finally, after some rangling and pacing...we discovered he was at Dusseldorf Airport station, not HBF. There's TWO? That's ok, he's coming to meet us. About thirty tiring minutes of standing around later, I spot Alois (he's very tall), alongside Melanie's Oma walking away from our area looking around. I run after them, and the reunion finally occurs.
After some chatting about the whole adventure and to discover Melanie was forgetting a 1 in the phone number (Germans speak numbers different than English. They will say the smaller digit first, where we say the larger first. For example 21 is 1 and 20. This confused Melanie's tired brain (she is mostly fluent, but did move away form Germany at 8 years old, so she can be excused for not remembering all the vocabulary), we headed back to the trains to go to the Dusseldorf Airport station. We let 3 trains go by before we realized we should be on the other side of the sign, and then got onboard. 10 minutes later we were there.
Now, to find the car. Sounds like a simple task. But on this day? Nooooooo. 25 minutes were now spent walking all over the place trying to find this magical P8 area. Ok...one elevator upstairs. Look around again...nope. Next elevator up. Nope...now go outside and walk for 5 minutes...finally find P8. Next find the car. I am in astonishment at this point at the cars around us. Not a spec of rust anywhere. I'm seeing Jaguars mingling with Mercedes, VW's, the occasional Ford and various other brands...all brand new and healthy looking cars. You'd think it was a dealers lot. Alois finally let me know what sub-section he was looking for, and I spotted it in 4 seconds. We found the Honda (Natural Gas Powered) SUV, loaded Nathaniel and our luggage in, and got the hell out of there.
The drive back was impressive. It was pissing rain out, and Alois was driving between 120-150km/h at any given time, except in the pockets of construction where it slowed to 20-30. I finally got a bit of sleep, though woke myself up with my own snoring. The other thing I soon noticed was the windmills (though will write about those later).
We arrived in Rietberg after a couple hours, and it was only then that I discovered we weren't actually staying with Alois at first...we were at Jürgen (another uncle) and his wife Monica's house. Doorbells were run, and Vanessa (their daughter answered), and seemed oddly surprised by our presence. I was on complete auto-pilot at this point and nobody was telling me what all the rapid-German was about so I just unloaded the luggage, carseat, etc; and waved as Alois and Anna (Oma) drove away. We visited awhile downstairs with the family. Fresh baked goods and Pilsner were poured into me, and I found myself getting more and more tired (though happy). Jürgen speaks some English so we spoke a bit.
Finally I just looked at Melanie and indicated I had reached my absolute limit of exhaustion. We got upstairs to their son Jerome's suite of rooms (he was loaning it to us for the trip) and prepped for bed. It was only then that I discovered that they had for some reason not expected us for a few days...some lack of communication apparently between all the parties involved.
But we were all safe, and not being tossed out on our asses. Our destination had been reached, and I could finally get some rest. "I'm in Germany", I finally was allowing myself to intone. Then I passed out.
--------
And FINALLY that's Day 1. Lots of stuff to write about on their other days, but those will be different in tone. We leave tomorrow morning for a more remote area of the country and may be outside the influence of the internet...but I will keep writing and will post when I can.
Cheers!

Day 1 - Part 2

2007-03-03T16:44:00.000-05:00

Nathaniel was a little troubled during take-off. This had nothing to do with air-preasure or anything...it was just the fact that I had to hold him tight to myself with his head looking over my shoulder. You see, he had plans of cruising the aisles on a grand adventure. However, airline rules, and general safety sense got in the way of that plane. He calmed down pretty much once we left the ground, which was a relief for my own ears, never mind the rest of the passengers. Once we reached a pleasing height for the captain, the seatbelt lights went dim and I was able to sit the little guy into the seat beside me. We had previously changed him into his pajamas in the airport, so we just stuck him in his little European style sleeping bag, gave him some juice and prayed for the antihystimines and children's gravol we provided him as a complimentary parenting service to do their magic trick. Poof, 10 minutes later he was asleep, and slept the entire 7 hour flight. Ah, the wonders of modern medicine.
Flying over the Atlantic was pretty much an interest free flight....though that's kind of what you want when flying 5000+ miles, so we didn't complain in the slightest. Anybody who wants an exciting flight hasn't watched the news in the last 30 years, or Lost for that matter. A couple small pockets of turbulence were hit, but the only result of that was a seatbelt light coming on, with ever-redundant no-smoking light blaring alongside. Food provided for dinner was good, added by the fact alcohol was part of the package. A couple plastic cups of red wine were consumed post haste (it's economy, alright?). In flight movies were 'The Queen' with Helen Mirren, which I did watch, followed shortly by Moonstruck, ironically (or not) at the time everybody would like to be going to sleep. I did catch a few minutes when it occured to me this featured a younger Nicholas Cage, though slept through a good portion. Sorry Mr. Jewison, not my favourite of your movies.
I wonder what they would have said if I asked if they had Snakes on a Plane as an inflight?
Other than my Cher induced catnap, I didn't get much sleep on the flight. Nathaniel has this thing about rolling around in his sleep, so either Melanie or I had to be there to catch him when he rolled off the seat. Frankly, I have the stronger endurance, so I let her sleep. I spent my time listening to one of the various radio stations provided on our earsets, or reading the biography of Pink Floyd by Nick Mason that I picked up. I actually opened the laptop at one point and tried blogging, but my brain was just too tired. I figured I'd get a few minutes in Frankfurt to snooze as we had an expected layover of 3 hours. Silly, silly man.
Breakfast was served, dawn began to rear it's head, and I realized we were over England. Surreal moment for me.
Soon enough we came to a landing at Frankfurt, and noticed right away how foggy it was outside. 'Hope that doesn't cause problems with our next flight', I remember thinking to myself in a sadly precognative moment.
My thoughts of spending some stress free time browsing some stores in the terminal were not meant to be. First we spent a few minutes locating a changing station so we could get Nathaniel out of very damp clothes and into free ones, and then we went from booth to booth trying to figure out the right ones to handle our collecting flight. Soon enough it was located, and when we asked how much time we had before we should start heading there the gruff attendant said, 'Go now, terminal is very long walk'. It was.
Finally, after seemingly travelling the surface of the planet 3 or 4 times, we found our flight number and inquired as the status. She looked sadly at us, and informed us the flight was cancelled. The weather between here and Dusseldorf was causing all kinds of havoc, and flights were so backed up that they were cancelling all non-international flights. The trains were running though, would we like to take that to Dusseldorf? Our baggage was here in Frankfurt, we could pick that up and just board a train. We had no specific issue with taking a train, however we worried about her family meeting us on the other side.
We now had an issue. While still at home, I asked asked Melanie if I should save all her family members numbers in my phone, just in case. She said no. Now, we had no numbers to call. So, Melanie had to wake her poor mother up back in Canada asking for phone numbers...and an interesting game of numbers began.
------------
OK, there will have to be a part 3. I originally was just going to write the whole flight in a single paragraph, but it sort of took on a life of it's own. In the back of my head I'd like to get this all into a book along with pictures so that Nathaniel will have something to look at later on, besides being a cool experiment for me. So if I'm a little over-descriptive sometimes...bah.
I'm working on booking writing time tomorrow. Cheers!

Germany Trip - Day 1 - Part 1

2007-02-27T06:28:00.000-05:00

A little delayed, but it has been honestly difficult to find enough time to sit down and do any serious writing without a child, spouse or somebody else vying for my attention. All is quiet at the exact moment...naps are being taken by everyone but myself, so I figured I would get us much in as possible. What I have been doing is taking point form notes of the many experiences we've shared so far, and will be expanding on them all as we go.

Melanie's father Stefan picked us up at our house at 1pm. Everything was packed and ready to go. We loaded up his car, and sped off to the airport (quite literally, actually...he's a bit of speed demon). Luckily I have an eagle eye for details, otherwise we would not have known which terminal to pull into. Since the terminal status had been in limbo when Melanie ordered the tickets, they had not posted it on the paper. The only way to know for sure was a sign on the 401...which at 140km/h goes by really fast. I spotted the blur that looked like our carrier and off we went. Screeching to a halt, we unloaded the car, said our farewells and headed into the terminal looked for Luftansa airlines.
We deliberately came a little earlier than necessary so that we could request bulkhead seating. Always anticipate a fully loaded flight and gain as much ground as you can when tagging a 21 month old in tow. We lined up at the Luftansa Economy class window, and were soon informed that they were not in fact going to be taking us on the first part of our flight. Air Canada would be taking those duties...taking us the seven hours to Frankfurt, where we would then take a connecting flight with Luftansa to Dusseldorf.
So, we dutifully lined back up at the Air Canada desk (luckily in the same terminal only a couple rows over), and checked the three million pounds of luggage Melanie had dutifully packed for us...only taking on two carry-on bags...one filled with Nathaniel's necessaries and other essentials in case the rest of our luggage ends up in Siberia or somewhere else that we are, in fact not in.
With a couple hours to go, we made our way through security, luckily catching the security people at a quiet time so they were very patient with us as we emptied our pockets of anything that may set the detector off (Note, some candy wrappers do have metal in them). Wisked through that and soon enough found ourselves in a huge walkway with the moving sidewalk. They do not allow strollers on it though, so Melanie and Nathaniel had to walk normally. I split it 50/50, first just standing then remembering Henry Rollins (a fav speaker of mine) taking people out if they get in his way on those things so guiltily I picked up the pace.
The restaurant selection at that point was sparce...so to try something new we had a quick bite at the Bacardi Kiosk Restaurant. We then browsed around the duty free shop where I drooled over a limited reserve bottle of 30 year old Glenfiddich. $535.00!!! I have a pic of it, but can't take it off my camera phone.
Soon enough, our flight was announced for boarding and we chatted with the flight attendants, who informed us the flight was underbooked, so they moved us to a row all our own...lots of room for Nathaniel to stretch out and sleep.
I'll end there for now...part 2 coming soon....the interesting stuff happens next.
Cheers!

Danke...Bitta

2007-02-22T16:38:00.000-05:00

This will be the first of many blog entries from our trip to Germany. Yes, yes...I gave little to no notice lately that I'll be over here on the blog - the reason for that is due to my need to practically kill myself over work. As we got closer and closer to the date I began working more and more hours. My health got worse and worse as I went and I was a zombie more often that not. Trying to fit in the few minutes necessary to think of something amusing to write about didn't fit.
Now I have my break...sort of...
We are currently staying with Melanie's uncle and Aunt and their family...getting our own little headquarters in their attic. Luckily they have high speed internet here, so I'm able to get my writing in, and catch up on the months of writing that has been bouncing around in my brain - sadly neglected. It needs to wait at least another day though.
I have recently discovered that I have to be up early (7:30am GMT+1) as we are heading to another town to visit Melanie's Oma and other relatives...after which we will be driving back in Oma's car; which she kindly allowed us to borrow while we are here. So, I need to grab a few winks (something I'm slowly catching up on) before this occurs.
So, short synopsis, which I will expand on. At YYZ Toronto at 2pm. Flight at 5:10pm. Uneventful flight on Air Canada to Frankford for 7 hours. Walk through airport (50000 miles long). Discover connecting flight to Dusseldorf has been canceled due to a little bit of fog. Mad scramble to call people waiting on other end for us. Get train trip to Dusseldorf-hbf station. VERY impressed by lack of snow and abundance of green grass. Cannot find people waiting for us. Mad call scramble again. They are at Dusseldorf Airport station. They grab metro to meet us. Finally connect. Take metro back to Dusseldorf Air. Mad scramble to find car. Very impressed and amused by cars in parking lot (55% Mercedes, 35% VW, rest Volvo and Jaguars. No winter beaters to be found. Impressed by German driving. Small roads, 150km/hour in driving rain. Somehow able to sleep a few minutes. No, I was not driving at the time. Got to destination. Discovered they were not expected us for almost a week (still can't figure that one out). Good family, took us in anyway. Even fed us. Found myself addicted to German baked-goods and Pilsner Beer. Sleep necessary and welcome.
OK, that was day one in it's minute form...I will write the rest in obscene length over the next few days. Until then, Gutten-nacht!

Hearty equipment

2007-01-04T22:52:00.000-05:00

Starting am 10pm tonight, I began a 24 heart monitoring session. When they informed me about this test, I was told it was fairly indiscreet, and I'd be able to do everything normally. Well, this was based on the assumption that the device I had to wear was indiscreet itself - which I have discovered to not be so. I'm wearing this thing that looks like the old medical scanners in the original Star Trek - right up to the neck strap that Dr. Bones had to carry the thing on; it was so damned big. This cassette based machine records at a very slow pace and will pick up all the interesting variances (hopefully not that many) that my ticker is producing. Now I just have to figure out how to sleep with this thing on – should be an interesting night.

In less than three weeks, I go for my stress test - which I am not looking forward to at all. The appointment is booked for four hours, and I cannot see how I'm going to survive being on a treadmill for an extensive period of time. There's a reason I switched from running to walking in my late teens...and that was a long time ago…long before bad knees and ankles decreased my mobility further. Oh well. I'm sure it will all just fine and this is all some melodrama. Better to be sure though. As long as the preventative tests don't kill me first.

Beware the crack spiders!

2007-01-03T20:51:00.000-05:00

Ok, this is the funniest thing I've seen in awhile. But then again, perhaps I'm just easily amused. Remembering all of the old Hinterland Who's Who shorts from my youth adds to its glory.

The Effects of Drugs and Alcohol on Spider Webs

Lunacy...whee!!!

2007-01-01T20:20:00.000-05:00

Which Historical Lunatic Are You?

From the fecund loins of Rum and Monkey.

Found on Ric Knights Blog

Running behind? Behind what?

2006-12-18T14:53:00.000-05:00

Catch up time.

Jasper Station wrapped itself up after a full 12 show run. Tthe double-secret mystery private 13th show never occurred; whether that was due to superstition or just the fact that nobody was willing to organize it in the first place is debatible. No matter what, the entire run was a triumph, and I'm proud to have been part of it. Sterling was just one of those characters that is such a joy to play. Not REALLY a stretch on my part - he's that neurotic kind of guy that I seem to pull off so well (think of a heftier Woody Allen), but as long as I have fun with it there is no shame in being typecast.
The reality is, I would do the show again in a heartbeat. If they called me up tomorrow and said they were bringing it back in a few months and would I want to do it again? I'd be there, and I would hope the rest of the cast felt the same way. That's not just good 'ole theatre blues talking (for the non thespians out there, this is the term used to describe the time immediately following a production where we don't know what to do with our time, and often jump into a new show right away. This coincidentally is also the most often time that actors come home to find the locks replaced by their now ex-spouses), this show was so fulfilling in general that it deserves a revisit. That may very well happen. But for now, I'm taking a break.

I do get twitchy though, and my ears perk up when somebody mentions casting.

I have already been offered three different roles in as many shows, but have turned them down. In two months time, our little family trio jumps on a jet and scoots over the Atlantic to Deutschland for three weeks, so even thinking of being involved with a full production run during that time period is not only unfair to Melanie, but would be unfair to any cast and crew. Unless it's a small role, missing that much time in rehearsals can be fairly jarring.

I'm not being idle though. I'm eyeing shows in the May-June timeframe, as well as putting in a proposal to direct a show for Theatre On Main in the 2007-08 season (revisiting 'Early One Evening At the Rainbow Bar & Grille' is a possibility). South Shore Theatre is asking about my availability for fall '07 as they plan on doing Dracula...I just don't know what version they are doing yet (there are many, but the 3 most common scripts I've seen include a drama, a comedy and a musical). South Shore doesn't do musicals, so that narrows the choices down. I'm worried if it's a drama. Even though Dracula is certainly a well known subject matter, and the assumption is that it would sell based on that....for some reasons Dramas just do not sell well in Keswick. The last one we did was Kind Lady, it even after a hell of a lot of promotion it lost a lot of money. People in that town want to laugh, and South Shore comedies typically do well. I'll talk to the director about it, and see what they are thinking. Finally, I'm working on the idea of putting a Sketch-Comedy group together. This is an evolution of my idea of running Improv shows at Theatre on Main. I figured if parts of the show could be scripted, leaving some dynamic time for Improv and special guests then it could become a healthy fixture for theatre in the town of Newmarket.

It takes time to put all this together, and so therefore I'm not yet working on it. I just don't have time at the moment. The day job sucks up a lot of time (especially when I'm still working on it until often 12:30am). I'm getting as much fit into a day as possible, while at least trying to fit in to being a family man. A role I honour, even if it has it's rough moments.

Can't complain about the job though - it's still proving to be a wonderful company to consult for, and though my brain keeps wanting to leak out of my ear when I look at some of the data, it's worth it. Contract just officially has been extended to the day before we head off to Germany (and there is talk of work upon my return, but that's written on vellum only, so take that with a small pebble of sodium-chloride). They treat me well...I'm involved in all of their employee events, was at their company Christmas party, and even came to their Children's Christmas party yesterday with Melanie and Nathaniel at Rinx (Nathaniel did not deal with Santa very well this time, but he was already tired and cranky so it's excusable). I can see myself staying with this company for awhile if they will have me. If not, honestly that's ok too. I'm sincerely not stressing about stuff like that.

Reason for that? I may possibly have some serious health issues involving my heart, and it's not worth generating needless stress to cause complications with that. My doctor called me into his office a few weeks back, and informed me that my latest EKG test (ordered after my physical) showed that I had probably suffered a heart attack sometime in the past - they just don't know when. The word probably is the only part to be concerned about. If they knew it was a heart attack for sure...great - it's happened, therefore make some changes in lifestyle and health to ensure it doesn't happen again. Probably could say, well it looks like a heart attack, but it could really be that alien-symbiote thing that'll be popping out of your chest any day now, call Sigourney Weaver just in case. I go for a stress test in January (fun!), to be followed by a 24-hour monitor to see if they can make a better and more informed prognosis. To be honest with you....I'm not that worried about it.

Throw what catch phrase you want - "What shall be shall be", "C'est la vie", "The bird-flu chickens are roosting in the alligator pit" (huh?)...it's all a delicate balance. One I'm used to walking by now. To love my family. To love my friends. To love theatre. To love my quiet time. To lov....well, to be good at my job. Percentage of balance required for each changes daily. Thinking about it is meaningless, just as planning for it never works. Dealing with each day as something different...that's the only thing I can do.

Until next time.

Well, that's a relief....for now.

2006-11-13T11:54:00.000-05:00

I love reading the news just to find an article that discusses how they have finally figured out that a drug which I have been taking for many months, has finally been determined to be safe.
Oh...lovely. You mean they weren't certain if I would spontaneously combust or grow a second head up until this time? I feel so comforted.
Over the last decade I have been taking a lot of medication to control my arthritic symptoms...many of which have been pulled off the market since, deemed to cause heart disease or stroke. Vioxx, Celebrex, Mobicox...the list goes on. While the doctors had no clue what I had, they kept throwing different drugs at me to see what would happened. I was also on Methotrexate for awhile, which people have cringed at as it is considered by some to be a carcinogen (ironically it is used as a Cancer medication in high dosages).
I almost changed my initials to G.P. in moments of confusion.
After my shoulder surgery I was prescribed Naproxen as an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug), and was amazed at how well I was feeling. Not only was my shoulder feeling great but my knees and ankles were holding up better than they had in years. So I went to my family doctor and asked if there were any dangers of taking this drug full time as my daily anti-inflam, instead of the simple dosage of Ibuprofen I had chosen to take (both as a cost-savings and a desire to stay away from harsh meds). He agreed, and I've been taking it ever since.
Now, I shouldn't be too upset. I mean, the drug I already am taking has been deemed safe. Hell, I should be relieved...there are many people out there taking a drug that seems to work for them just fine, until they discover it is causing their genetic structure to revert to that of the missing link.
OK, now before the comments begin flying, I in no way believe for a moment that any drug I am taking is 100% safe...especially an anti-inflamatory. I know that over the years my stomach may self-destruct if not watched closely. However, for the simple pleasure of getting out of a chair or bed without groaning, I will take my risks.
I just wish that I knew the odds better before I took the medications, not months or even years down the road.

And I thought there could be only one......

2006-11-11T17:05:00.000-05:00

HowManyOfMe.com

There are:
231
people with my name
in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

Found on Ric Knight's Blog

Do I have to take up swordfighting now?

Opening night update

2006-11-10T01:01:00.000-05:00

Well, one down, eleven or possibly twelve shows to go (an extra show for charity is now in question). Though we did not have a fantastic turnout audience wise for our opening night, the attendies were very responsive and the show went excellent.
Bob's Your Uncle was a blast. It's perhaps the only song in the show which cried out for a lot of choreography, though due to compounding issues we never received any. So, we all have been making up stuff to do. There is a dance break number in the song which lasts for about 30-40 seconds, and so I have been improvising some soft shoe kind of work, and then we kind of break into a square dance (it's a countryish song). Let's just say that by the end of that break, I am pretty aware of just how out of shape I really am as I am pretty much gasping for breath just to finish the rest of the song. I didn't feel too bad tonight though as I could hear poor Kerrie drawing gasping breaths at the same time that I was and she is in a lot better shape than I am.
Funny enough, I remember Steve Thomas saying that the original Sterling was always gasping for breath at the end of that song so at least I am following a status quo.
Everybody felt pretty much on tonight...I didn't notice any serious line flubs, and I think I got all of mine out. It's a good start to a four week run.
Following the show, we hung out for a little while to imbibe some vino and chat. I then headed out with the intention of hitting a karaoke joint ('cause I just didn't get enough singing, eh?), but was high-jacked by my friend Ted to hang out at another pub where we shot pool and drank Canadian. We were entertained by a three piece band with a fairly filthy act, and I beat the bar champion at pool. Quite the good end to a long day.

With that I'm off to la-la land. Until later!

Jasper Station is......here!

2006-11-09T00:27:00.000-05:00

In less than twenty hours, the show which has slowly slid its way into my psyche as my favourite ever will be here. Jasper Station has been quite the ride - and I feel that my singing abilities have really been pushed to fantastic extremes. Not to toot my own horn, but I'm damned proud of the job I've done.

Steve Thomas stayed on as Musical Director until about four weeks ago, however he left us with complete orchestation and a very good feel for the music. We still have the occasional flub, but that's to be expected. Theatre on Main is a little too small a venue for a full band, so the music is being sequenced through a high-end keyboard, but it sounds so great that I don't think this will affect the audience enjoyment. The only difficulty is that since we don't have a live keyboardist, we have to be pretty much dead-on with our cues for most of the songs, and I have to begin my character's signature song "Bob's Your Uncle" completely acapella as it's supposed to be filled with simple piano chords. It still seems to work just fine though acoustically.

The rest of the cast have been a joy to work with, and each suits their roles extremely well. Here's the list.

Kerrie Lamb as Rebecca
Phil Dionne as Bert
Mark Hayward as Henry
Tim Norton as Sterling
Barb Jones as Emeline
Ellen MacDonald-Kramer as Nikki

Well, I'm off to catch some winks, so I can be completely charged for the show...cheers!

Tim

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

2006-11-08T14:56:00.000-05:00

'Where the hell have I been all these months?', you ask. Or perhaps not, as I'm sure my absence has alienated most people. Hopefully not that badly....forgive me, it's all been for the best....really! {sniff}. Basically for the first couple of months I was focusing on my two jobs to an obscene level (note the last blog entry - July 30). I would be up at 7am, and would get home around 12:30am. This went on for quite awhile, and sucked every single bit of creative writing energy I had. Then I got shafted a little bit by my client. Then got shafted a second time. "Why stick around waiting to be shafted the second time, not to mention a third time?", you ask? Melanie asked the question after the first time actually. I'm only beginning to ask myself that question recently. I think I was so desperate to have a job as a programmer again that I was willing to suffer the frustrations of dealing with shady dealers.
Then everything just fell into my lap quite neatly. A new source appeared. I received a call from a headhunter regarding a perfect opportunity for me to use my abilities in programming and database as a full-time consulting position. The hourly rate was where I wanted it to be, and the commuting time is one half what I had at Palindromic Insurance. Good timing too, as I sort of got shafted the third time by my part-time client. I say sort us as he didn't necessarily take anything from me, he just decided to not answer my questions about important design decisions, so I stopped doing any work. Pretty soon we had each ignored ourselves out of a contract. I have no regrets...he was kind of scary anyway. When it comes to the insurance company, I worked hard on trying to leave on a good foot...which I think I did. You never know when the opportunity to work together may come up again.

Change has been a fairly consistant factor these days. Work around the house especially has been constantly occuring. First we re-did our entire hallway - painting and replacing doors. I even installed my first track-lighting system (and didn't burn the house down once!). Suddenly, the dark dingy area of our house has become this great bright area, and my wife is quite pleased with the result. I mean, we finished working on it two months ago and I still catch her commenting on it.
Next came the backyard. Melanie had a great pile of dirt delivered to our driveway so that we could level certain areas of the backyard, especially along the fence. However weather, a defective tractor and constant pressure against resorting to a wheelbarrow allowed this pile of dirt to sit for quite awhile longer than it should. Then on the day that I got up all bright-eyed and bushytailed...er, ok, I got up at least; with great expectations of moving the dirt-pile, a new task was thrown my way by my wife. "KILL THE DECK!", she cried with rage in her eyes. Or something like that.

Our back deck was old and slowly rotting away. Apparently when it was built some twenty years ago, the idea of protectant seals was foreign to the homeowner, so the wood was in ridiculous condition. I was able to pull most of the 2x6's out with a quick flick of a crowbar. Many more split and fell apart with a quick stomp of a bootheal. Basically, it came down a heck of a lot faster than I expected. Interestingly enough, I found myself enjoying the job. Being able to finally use my fathers day gifts of powertools helped matters a lot. My Reciprocating Saw was my trusty friend, slipping through 4x4 beams like butter. We have a chainsaw at the house, but I even with my shoulder being fixed I still find myself unable to use it properly. We then burnt the wood as fast as possible, as some of it was discovered to be infested with carpenter ants. The attached picture shows what the yard looked like during demo. It's much different now - the deck is 100% gone, and the jumbled mess is cleaned up. I'll post an updated pic over the next few days.

Now my current home improvement job is the dirt pile. I have managed to get it down to about 1/2 its size, thanks to a finally working tractor and a lot of daredevil bravado on my part. This weekend I hope to get the rest of it out, as our tenant needs to get his parking spot back.

There is much more that I hope to update about. Let's just hope another literary meteor doesn't strike me down again. I have been requested to update the world on Jasper Station (it opens tomorrow night), which I will do later this evening if possible.

Until later...stay inconsistant!

Winded yet sure

2006-07-29T23:35:00.000-05:00

Giant steps forward, no turning back now.
My lack of posting lately has been for the simplest excuse...I've literally had no time. And I mean, literally.
I have taken on a second job, one that I am very excited about. For the first time in almost five years I'll be putting my programming and database skills to the ultimate test. Not only am I forcing myself to learn new languages (VB.NET 2003 for instance), but I am on a considerable time crunch to deliver the goods. It's nerve-wracking, exhausting, but altogether the most wonderful career choice I've made since my early days at Sprint Canada, forever known in my psyche as ye lost me a thousand bucks in stock, ya bastards!. When I started at Sprint, I was already fairly competant at using databases, but I had very little programming experience (beyond my 20+ year old Commodore Basic skills). From day one, I learned everything I could, and became pretty good at automating all of the old databases we with VBA, but then the challenge was gone, and I wanted something new.
Then it happened. Our one resident staff member with programming knowledge was being transferred to a special projects area. The role he was leaving behind included administration of two large Customer Care applications, two SQL Servers, and a Pager to be left on 24/7 (adding one hour of pay per day to the holder). The managers were going to offer his gig to somebody else in the department. So, I went completely against my own character at the time, and took a chance. I marched into my bosses office, and literally DEMANDED that I get the job. I got it.
The next couple years were spent playing, for lack of a better word. I experimented with VB6 and SQL Server 6.5, and if I learned some cool trick, then it usually found its way into my programs (which grew steadily from the solely mandated 2 apps to around 7).
I was in my glory, until after a department shuffle I found myself suddenly a member of IT, being forced to follow SDLC guidelines and having a boss who did not care for my excitement over programming and need to actually make customers happy. It chafed like no tomorrow. I decided to stick out my thumb. And someone bit.
And I promptly fell directly into the pits of hell. It took awhile to notice, but there I was.
The job required a move all the way out to Cambridge, Ontario. I would be working in a huge industrial facility as the sole VB programmer. At first, I loved it. I'd stick my hardhat on, and walk through the factory, sparks falling around me. going to this meeting or that. In a short period of time, I seemed to have the respect of many around the plant. However, one person seemed to not be a fan at all. Unfortunately that one person was my boss. I'm not sure if it was because she was threatened by my take-charge attitude to my programming, or if she just missed my predecessor, who was a consultant called away by his parent company. No matter the reason, she browbeat me fairly regularly, and my morale began to drop.
Suddenly I was finding it hard to get out of bed in the morning. Not depression, exactly, but I was physically having problems getting up...my legs weren't responding as they used to, and my joints all hurt. Even though I lived only 10 minutes from the factory I was chronically late. The shouting matches soon began between my boss and I. So, after 3 months and one loud word too many from both sides, I suddenly found myself with a lot of time on my hands. Her second in command was almost in tears when he walked me to my car.
Problem #1, I had a one-year lease on my condo. So, I looked for more work. And then Nortel happened in a big explosive fireball of doom, and there was a big glut in the market of technical people looking for work. Plus I lived practically next door to one of the largest technical universities in the world - Waterloo. What chance would there be for a college dropout like me; having recently left a job after only a short time frame, plus someone who was experiencing ever worsening physical problems all of a sudden (by this time I had lost my ability to run, walk fast, or even ride a bike).
It was dire. I lost almost everything in my mad scramble to retain my lease and to stay in Cambridge. But then I found a job, back in Newmarket, where I had just moved from. Soon enough, I found a new place to live, with a roommate who was destined to be my wife. I packed up my place in Cambridge (rather poorly, as my friends are want to inform me of often), and made the trek back.
I was still programming in the next job, by my heart just wasn't it. I was still wrecked financially and my body was so stiff I looked 80 years old when I walked. I did have some fun though, and am still proud of what I acheived there. And yes, I was shocked when the company was suddenly bought out and my job became redundant after one year, but it was a good thing two. I took a year off, began fixing my financial burden up and investigating my health issues. I volunteered in non-profit sectors to get my confidence and morale back, and after that year was done I was ready to go back to work.
My current full time job has been good for me and bad at the same time. It has been a wonderful provider. However, my programming skills have been left in dark to rot. Pretty much, if I ask for a tool, I won't get it. I've been given MS Access and told this is the only corporate tool I'll need. No problems, but so 10 years ago for me. No challenge in any way, shape or form.
You may ask yourself, why don't I just program at home to keep myself in practice? Simple answer, same reason that a mechanic drives an old beater - no ambition to keep working on it at home. Add that to my theatre hobbies and family life, and there you go. I needed something specific to get me back in the game again.
I've found it. Or, it found me. But no matter what, I am inspired to be a full time programmer again, and if this new gig works out, pretty soon that is exactly what I may be - a FULL TIME Programmer. Hence one of the two jobs will need to go away...it's pretty obvious which one.
I'll update soon....

Jasper Station - the beginning

2006-07-10T22:46:00.000-05:00

So, tonight I joined up with the new cast of Jasper Station at Theatre on Main, and was surprised to find that including myself, only 3 cast members from the earlier attempt made it back for this one. The exact reasons I'm not sure of at this time, but I'm sure I'll find out more later. Steve Thomas, who wrote the music and co-wrote the lyrics with Norm Foster, is completely in form as Musical Director, and I'm excited to see how the show will grow. All we really did tonight was ensure that each of the actors ranges suited the music as written, and from that point Steve is prepping us music on CDs to practice with over the summer. We then will begin rehearsals in the fall, and then we open on November 9, for an unprecedented 4 week run. This is the longest run I've had in my career so far (not including my stint of Neil Simon's Rumors for two different companies back to back), and I think it will be fun to play with the character of Sterling for that extended period.
Too often I've found I've auditioned, joined the cast, worked for two or three months and then the show wraps up after 4 shows. Well, now I get to play with at least 13 shows, and I'm looking forward to it.

btw...No news yet on an owner for the Budgie. I think he's a keeper!

Healing away amongst the sounds of...birds?...

2006-07-09T22:53:00.000-05:00

The first part of the delay in my blogs was the fact it hurt too much to type long entries...so I didn't bother. Then, even when I began to get enough range of emotion to reach my mouse without wincing, I found much more interest in my reading and playing Neverwinter Nights, a game I'm extremely fond of. I'll try to be a good boy and blog more often now that I'm healing.
It was a rough patch for awhile there. The first night home I found myself awake at 1am running to the kitchen for more meds...excruciating pain. And slowly that ebbed away. After the first week I was able to take off the hefty bandage pack, and a few days after that I removed the smaller tape-like bandages. I have seven exercises that I need to run on a regular basis to gain range of motion back, and day by day I am actually getting stronger.
First accomplishment was driving the automatic. The second, reached just yesterday, was driving the standard. The last few days alone I have added about six inches to my reach, and am quite pleased at the result. I do expect that it will be 4-6 more weeks before I'm fully capable of beginning some regular strength training again, but it's all for the good.
The final verdict? It was a really screwed up shoulder. My surgeon found a huge bonespur that had begun to cut the tendon and the rotator cuff in half. Also, it was so swollen with damaged goods that there was zero room to move in there...he had to cut away part of the bone so that he could stitch the tendon back (it will heal on its own, apparently). Fortunately there wasn't too much damage to the rotator cuff, as I would be still in a sling for weeks if it was. I lucked out.
Other news at home, I have a surprise pet! I was looking out the door yesterday, and to my surprise there was a budgie sitting in front of my car pecking for food. I walked over to it, and after a halfhearted escape on its part (the poor little guy was starving), I picked it up, placed it on my shoulder and walked inside with a simple question; "Honey, can I keep him?"

I wil continue to look for its owner...I've made the routine calls, and have asked around, but if nobody calls back about him then the little fellow will officially join the family. Even Melanie has admitted to liking the sound of his chirps. Haven't named him yet...wanted to wait to see if somebody showed up. I'll call him something cool though. Hey, it's my first bird as a pet, I have the right to get a little excited. Melanie just keeps saying something about the house being a zoo. Hey, until I can have one of those screech monkeys or a tarantula, the house has not met zoo status yet. Just wait a few days. {grin}

First Jasper Station get together is tomorrow night. I'll soon know who the rest of the new cast is. I'll report more then.

Surgery Epilogue

2006-06-23T19:34:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm home. The day went very well...though did have its moments of pain. As a matter of fact, Mr. Tylenol the 3rd is the only thing keeping me going right now.
The one thing I'm most happy about is the fact that I was not sick following surgery. Not even a stomach flutter. I had been worried about having a technicolour yawn all over the recovery room. One little victory.
What sucks the most? My right arm is immobilized for a week. I'm typing this with my left hand....hence what is destined to be a short entry. I am going to fiddle with some of my voice recognition software tommorow so may blog more then. Just wanted people to know that my arm is still attached.
Stay handy!
Tim

Todays the day

2006-06-23T08:04:00.000-05:00

Finally, the day has arrived. This morning I am heading to Southlake Regional Hospital to get my shoulder fixed. So, I finished my last coffee about 1/2 hour ago (normally I'd drink tea, but I cannot have milk - bloody vegans must run the hospital), and am hanging out with my son...whom I have discovered is getting to be pretty freakin' fast! One minute we'll be on one side of the house, and the next moment I realize he's on the opposite end of it. I'm looking around for Jeff Goldblum to see if he's built a teleporter pad in the house. Since he's nowhere to be found (must be off filming another television pilot), I must come to the conclusion that Nathaniel has some cheetah DNA in him.
The kid is growing up fast. He doesn't walk yet, but is already driving. He cruises around the house with his Little Tykes pushcart, and he takes no prisoners. Anything in his way is roadkill. The cats and our ankles suffer under his mighty wrath.
Nathaniel growing up is one of the reasons I am excited about having surgery on my shoulder. As he gets bigger and coincidentally, heavier, he will be more and more of a burden to pick up. If my shoulder was not fixed, then there would reach a point where I just could not do it anymore.

Unacceptable.

I want to be one of those fathers who is able to place his kids on his shoulders, and throw them up in the air (hopefully catching them), and all those cool 'daddy' things that kids look forward to. Having both shoulders functioning at 100% will ensure that this happens.
Next, gotta get the knees fixed so that I'll be able to race with him. But that's another story.
I'll post later and let you know how the operation went.

He doth Protest too much...

2006-06-16T22:48:00.000-05:00

I had my first professional acting gig in ten months last night. I don't normally take background work, but as the industry has been soooooo slow lately, I took it to keep my agent happy. A company is currently shooting a mini-series for CBC about the Protestant Reformation, and I was booked as a 16th century vagabond...drinkin', smokin' and gettin' laid whenever and WHOMever was available. You could call him one of the hippies of that era.

We shot at Black Creek Pioneer Village in Toronto, in the Half-Way House - which was setup like an ancient gathering hall. Between the multitude of candles, the chimney stoked and a smoke machine setting up the atmosphere, it got to be a pretty hot hour or so. I enter with two mugs, one for myself and the other for the rebel-rouser. I sit down, laugh and drunkenly chat with others at the table, then once the rebel gets up and starts yelling and tearing pages out of a book (assumed to be the bible), I go to one of the girls at the table, pull her up by the shawl to get a quick snuggle, pull the shawl off of her, throw it to a friend and then lead her out of the room for sights and pleasures unseen. Should look good on camera. Hence the unseen bit.
I'm not 100% sure when the series is going to be on, but I'll keep my ear to the ground and will report back once it is released. it'll be a short scene - the entire series goes over a 300+ year period, so there won't be too much focus on some drunken 16th century gits. It was a fun shoot though, and the cast and crew were a pleasure to work with. I'd do it again...but would still prefer some principle work.

Meet The Illiterati

2006-06-14T22:23:00.000-05:00

Meet The Illiterati
I was writing a grandiose blog entry telling the entire history of how our group came to be, but then w.blogger suddenly decided to commit suicide 3/4 way through my post. I'm disgruntled, tired and my fingers are sore from typing.
So, I'll paraphrase, and may re-write our history tomorrow. If my fingers stop smoking.
The group (Eric Luvisotto, David Wichman, Alexis Davids and myself) had our second show at The Bad Dog Theatre tonight, and it went very well.
We competed Theatresports style against The Sweater Sisters, and had a great time in three sets; first playing Typewriter (inspired by money, Dinosaur Eggs and the nation of Togo), followed by Compressed Day In The Life (A Catshoot - literally a photo shoot for cats), to be closed with an open scene (Playing Hookey).
Personally I felt we all did fantastic tonight. I know I was a lot more comfortable than our first gig, and we gelled well as a group. However, only one team may win the match, and the other team had more friends in the audience voting for them (though we only lost by 0.6 points).
The format of this show was better than the first time too. The first time around was a three team match, where only the judges awarded the points (ala Who's Line Is It Anyway. Now that they've whittled it back to two teams and given the power back to the audience, it feels more and more like a real Theatresports match-up.
In my less than humble opinion, the four of us are a great team, and I see us getting better and better with each gig...I just hope the others agree with me and aren't whispering let's cut that Tim guy, he's deadwood.
Over the next couple of weeks, I am going to be pursuing some more shows outside of The Bad Dog for us to partake in...but until such an event happens watch for us at The Bad Dog Theatre - Midweek Mayham in a couple months (about when the rotation of teams finds us a spot).

Automated stupidity

2006-06-13T22:37:00.000-05:00

When my current employment overlord requested that I leave the world of consulting behind to work for her new fledgling department, it was with the understanding that my skills in software automation would be put to good use. The need for regression testing was paramount in the process adopted from our UK brethren, and I was promised my own then considerable body weight in software tools to get this done.
Then things went insane.
"A testing department, you say?", was the word spoken all over the company. "WELL, that's a strange idea, I mean - our programmers are immortal genius' who never make mistakes. Let's fill these testers plates with all one million ongoing processes, it'll be easy work, since all our code is emaculate."
Needless to say, my time to build these automatic packs and scripts disappeared faster than an Enron executive with a passport. Initially, I was asked to help with manual testing at the same time that I was also needed to build tracking tools to handle the truckloads of defects being discovered by our team (to the company's surprise). Soon, our team began to grow, and I was needed to build tracking tools to track the team. Considerable time was spent building sophisticated reports for the upper management to glance at briefly, scratch their heads in wonder, and then file away under "Didn't happen, don't want to know about it. Launch the code anyway."
Over a year and a half went by. Then suddenly, the hammer came down from my boss's boss. "Uh, that Tim guy you have there...wasn't he supposed to be building the regression packs?"
My boss, in a shining moment of wisdom, answered back, "Well, yes. But even when he does, and writes the 3 billion test scripts that will test our systems up and down...who is available to make any fixes that would be found from his tests? Every company resource we have is working 200% allocation as it is!"
I never discovered their answer to this, but I assume it went something like, "Oh, don't worry....we have loads of money to hire all new staff to fix this stuff. We just don't have any places to put them, or people to train them." (The last bit was probably mumbled quietly).
So, I was asked to build my first scripts, starting with a project to test postal code territory changes. Total built scripts for this project - 21732. Amount of scripts that winrunner can run per day (on average) - 400. Time given to test - 5 days. Do the math...doesn't add up. So, I made the executive decision to randomize the scripts, so that it's really doing a sort of hunt and peck test. Not 100% efficient, but with one PC running this stuff for about 10 hours, what else can I do? I can't even just let it run 24/7 as I'd like to, because they take the QA environment down at night.
Next problem encountered...what do I PERSONALLY do while my computer is running these scripts. It's busy...I can't use it. So, after much pressure from myself, my boss has assured me that I will get a second PC to allow me to do my other jobs (ie, write more regression pack scripts). However, it seems kind of moot to do this, because apparently I will not be able to log onto this new PC. Seems the new Security chief at the company has written the decree (without apparent exception), that staff can only use their NT logon's once - no concurrent logon's permitted. Also, generic ID's have been banned. So...I get a nice, shiny new paperweight on my desk...OH JOY!
When I told my boss that this was the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of, she told me, "Well, he has a mandate", to which I shot back, "Ummm...SO DO WE!!! Why don't we push back for once instead of letting them walk over us." She said, "Ok."
I didn't trust my boss to phrase the business case properly, so I wrote it for her...and I expect a fun time to watch the fur fly and for exec's to decide whos' tape is reddest.
The crap makes my eyes burn...I'm thinking of sticking out my thumb to get a ride outta here.
The saddest thing is, I have been informed that my position is apparently so important that they are hiring a second automations specialist...so that there will be two us sitting around staring at our computers screens.
Maybe the other person will know how to play bridge...I've always wanted to learn.

Back with a fervish

2006-06-13T22:33:00.000-05:00

I'm back.
My circumstances are not unique, so I won't go into too many details about the loss of a muse, but after a rough patch in February I just lost any ambition I had to write. Stuff happened, and I sort of shut down for awhile. Happens to everyone once in awhile.
Other than for a few bumps in the road, I've been eyeing my keyboard more and more lately, and the muse in my head has been waking up. I have ideas, and need to force them out. No promises for anything life altering, but you never know what might come out of this noggin' o' mine.
Let's tie up the loose ends...what the hell have I been doing for the last four months?
Well, to connect to the last posts I wrote...Jasper Station was postponed. The timeframe was obscene and unacceptable. It came inches away from causing permanent harm to my marriage. And I let it.
Why?
That's a question I had to ask myself, though it took awhile. My wife asked it many times.
I'm a theatre geek. No doubts there. Have been for well over half my life. I'm so ingrained in the theatre community that when I'm asked to do something, no matter how tight the deadline, I pull through. I've been into everything over the years - acting, directing, producing, graphics, websites, advertising, tech, stage management, set painting and even executive council. I love to be asked to do things.
I have a hard time letting go.
I'm married now and have a child. I need to let some of it go. Not all at once, and not all of it forever. Just need to handle less at a time. This means I have to push back a bit on schedules and be willing to turn people down when necessary. It's not THAT hard...it's just a two letter word....'N...n...n...no'. Ok, not that easy either...but I'm learning.
To fill the artistic void left in my heart by Jasper Station going away, I took on a smaller but amazingly fun role in 'No Sex Please: We're British", with South Shore Theatre. This fit the bill a lot more. The schedule was lax, the atmosphere was fun (for the most part), and I was onstage in my underclothes. What more could you ask for in a show?
In the world of improv, I have not returned to school for a few months, but have been filling that void with a couple shows with my group The Illiterati. We perform at The Bad Dog Theatre during their Midweek Mayham shows whenever we get spots. In fact, we have a show tomorrow night.
Back to Jasper Station news. Theatre on Main has acquired the services of Steve Thomas, who wrote the music for the show, to begin as Musical Director (whether he sticks it out or passes the torch is yet to be seen). They reheld auditions a couple weeks back, and I recently discovered that I have been recast as Sterling...with a show being held in November. NOW THAT'S more like it with timeframe. I'll have the summer to learn all the songs and dialogue, and we will begin rehearsing in the fall.

Nathaniel turned One year old on June 1, and the party was planned for the 4th. Well, expecting many young children to be present, the dire need to build a fence came into the forefront. So, with the help of my father-in-law Stefan (ok ok, more like his work with help from me), we have a 200 foot long galvanized steel fence running along the canal. So, no worries now about fishing ANYONE out of the water in any shape or form. It looks nice, and will probably raise our property value quite a bit, based on the safety factor alone.
Running up to the 4th was a bit of a worry, as it rained quite heavily right into the morning, but the day itself turned into a glorious day of BBQing, cake eating and friends gathering. All worth it.
Stefan and I are still working on the property. Now that the fence is up, we are spending some time levelling the property with dirt acquired from our front garden (which we plan to patio stone in). It's a lot of tiring work and the yard currently looks like a warzone but the final result will be very rewarding.
Finally, after a very long wait, I go under the knife on the 23rd to get my shoulder fixed. They're going to open me up, clean the bone spurs out, decompress the joint, and fix any potential tearing that may exist. Recovery time varies depending on what they discover in there...could be in a sling for a couple days, or could be in for weeks. Since I'm right handed, and it's my right shoulder being fixed, it's going to be a bitch to do any writing, typing, etc; And since I drive a standard car...ooo this ought to be fun. Let's hope for the short recovery option.
Well, that's a short synopsis of where I've been. Now, let's just see where I go. Hope to enjoy the ride.

Of shows and family

2006-02-02T23:02:00.000-05:00

So, I finally got around to seeing the script for Jasper Station, and I tell you I was completely floored. I love it. I love the characters, I love the music, I love the story. Sterling Mimms is another one of those characters that I am sure was written specifically for me...like Norm Foster has been secretly recording my life (going to have to check my closets again). Indecisive and self-conscious yet knows he wants to give up his mundane life for a chance in the arts. Where does the risk become too much? At what point do you give up? Do you ever?
The one major problem we have encoutered is the somewhat compressed rehearsal schedule. The show opens on March 11. By that point, we need to have lines, songs and come limited choreography all worked out. Some of the songs have 5 and 6 part harmonies....no easy task, especially as most of the cast does not read music (fortunately for me, I can). Based on this need, the paper I was handed on my first rehearsal showed certain weeks had 4 evenings booked, and needless to say my spouse went through the roof. I cant honestly blame her for this, but I'm not the kind of person who complains about rehearsal schedules...I've just always been there when needed...part of being an ensemble. This time, it's gone too far though...this show should have begun rehearsing a month ago, and my family life should not be suffering as a result.
Following an extended disagreement last night, I found myself have the lyrics to Cat's Cradle running through my head. Melanie even commented at one point, "Do you want me to have to call you to let you know he's crawled for the first time, or says his first word, or walks?" (Now, he could easily do those things while I'm at work, but that's besides the point).
So, I will create a compromise. I love the show, and want to do it. I am a very good line learner. I can teach myself most of my songs. I will hold that end the bargain up. But on the weeks that have four rehearsals (not including dark week of course), I will just have to miss one. So unlike the me that everybody in theatre has known all these years, but I do have to put my wife and child first.
This is my first show since Nathaniel was born. I'm still not used to the balance required. But I'm learning...very slowly.

Training dilemna...solved! For now....

2006-01-24T17:59:00.000-05:00

For the last couple of months, I have been debating the direction that I want to go for some extra education. Do I focus on theatre, do I move towards some technical certifications, or do I just work towards a Bachelors degree slowly and painfully. All choices have their merits, just some involve a lot more time, money and patience than I usually have at any given time.
I don't make choices easily. I have a thousand ideas running through my head at any given time, all of which I'd love to do. But, I'm not some pseudopod amalgamation of Methuselah, Bill Gates and The Dalai Lama so I'm forced to focus on one thing at a time. But that's not easy for me...I'll start moving in one direction at mach speed and then abruptly veer off in another direction. Subtle events can cause this; a disagreement with my wife about money, frustration about my current job and the business world in general, even the occasional vivid dream that inspires a new direction. It's frustrating for me sometimes, and I know it can be very frustrating for my spouse.
So, when it came to focusing on courses, I started to break down the list to essentials. The latest choices are:

Acting Training

Programming diploma course - a "just in case" solution

Project Management courses - useful for the business and acting world

Then a couple interesting events occurred. I auditioned again for the Second City Conservatory, and was denied once again, even though I thought I had a good audition. Also, my current manager thought it quite unnecessary for me to work so hard to have a safety net in place. She feels I'm safe for as long as I want to stay there. If I want Project Management training, then they'll give it to me here. It's a good step.

Based on this, it freed me up to focus my education dollars on the acting world. Do I take more Second City courses? Do I take some more general scene study courses with Sears & Switzer? Or do I go bigger and take the Seneca or Humber Theater School certifications? What will help me more in the longrun?

My choice was made for me last night, in a surprise twist. Final answer? None of the above. I'm going to take a few months off from training courses, and do a show. I got the call I had been waiting for a few months for...Theatre on Main in Newmarket has asked me to play Sterling Mimm in Norm Foster's Jasper Station. It's a musical, and my character is spectacularly funny. Just what I need. Between that and a little theatresports troupe I hope to finalize tonight, I think I'll keep me acting juices flowing.

The timing of this entry is interesting. Tonight is my final Second City class for now. Ensemble was a fun time, and I met a lot more good people, and this time I've met people truly serious about getting out there to do shows. I've made the contact with Bad Dog Theatre about entering a team in the theatresports competitions, now all I need to do is get the bodies in line and get a team name. If we were to work together at least every couple of weeks, then that alone will keep up my improv training...so in all sorts of ways I still win.

So...now I just need to balance this with homelife and Melanie now being back at work. It's as easy as skipping on a tightrope over a pirhana tank, but all worth it in the end.

Take Two

2006-01-11T23:58:00.000-05:00

Six classes down. Two to go. Continuing Improv - Ensemble has been an excellent experience for me. I've had a lot of fun, for the most part. This is a good class to see my own limitations up close and personal. With it being all new people and new dynamics, I have less of a safety net to fall on. It is sink or swim. I chose not to drown, but I do still take on too much water from time to time. I still crack up occasionally. My accent work needs help (if I lose concentration even for a second it tends to slip). I wait too long for the perfect moment when on a sideline. All things I recognize in myself that I wish to work on further. So, where to go from here?
I've met a few more people who I'd give anything to continue working with after this class is done. Jenn and Katie (incidentally the only girls in the class, but this is merely a coincidence I assure you) are absolutely wonderful to work with. I find my best work in this level has been when working with them. Dave and Dinesh are powerful ideas people...the most brilliant ideas seem to just roll from them...would love to do some shows with them. There's a couple more people too... Everybody gets busy though, and I have no idea if any of them have considerations of what they wish to do next themselves. Do more classes, or just jump, get some people together and actually do some shows. I plan to ask. Sadly, the extremely talented members of my A-E group, with the exeption of Rufus, apparently have scattered to the four winds. I've only heard from two of them since. All of our talking about forming a troupe was a waste of energy. So, time to shift focus...begin looking forward.
I have submitted my resume again for the Second City Conservatory programme, but part of me doesn't really care if I make it or not. If I do, great, they obviously saw something in me they can use. If not, then I'm going to grab a couple bodies and start going to some open shows at the Bad Dog Theatre, possibly even Theatresports. Time to get even more experience and knowledge, and I definately will get more of that working it out on stage and watching other improvisors in action then worrying about what programme will take me. It's gonna be a fun and scary ride, and I look forward to every minute of it.

Thankful for what we have

2006-01-09T23:14:00.000-05:00

Things have been hectic in the household lately. The renovations on our bedroom is still in process. I found myself hanging a new chandelier, multiple hooks, and mapping out one of the walls using the equivalent of quantum theory for three picture frames. There are questions as to the placement of the fishtank, and do the fish match the curtains.
While in construction and/or purchasing mode, some conversations between my lovely spouse and myself would leave many people wandering away with a dazed expression on their faces. An example of one of these (I'll leave you to guess who is who, it isn't difficult) follows. This has been altered a bit for good reading and/or your sanity.

"What kind of shelving do you want?"
"Wait, I already told you the answer to that."
"Well, obviously I forgot, so indulge me."
"There's these box things I saw on a home improvement show. Well, not really a box, but boxish....kinda...sorta.."
"Oh. Well, that explains everything."
"Well, did you want something else?"
"No, I trust your opinion."
"Don't you have an idea?"
"It's your project, do whatever you like, dear."
"It's not my project, it's OUR project."
"No no, this project gives you pleasure, I insist you do whatever you like."
"But don't you want a say?"
"Babe, all I need is a bed and a floor to throw my clothes on and I'm happy."
"So you don't appreciate what I'm doing?"
"NO WAIT! NO no that's not what I meant....um...I meant...um...it was a joke! haha...get it? um.._{i'm sorry?}

And so on and so on.
It is a lot of work ripping things out and starting afresh. Occasionally tempers run high. Unkind words can be heard. But then you look at all the problems that other people are going through. Somebody's cheating on their spouse. Somebody else fought tremendous hurdles to help somebody out, only to be victimized by that person in the end. Families torn apart by violence and betrayal.
Compared to that, we've been sweating the small stuff. At the end of the day, frustration and anxiety over something as small as a bedroom renovation should just be laughed at. We're learning to do just that, and it draws us even closer together as a family. The way it's meant to be.

On my knees...?

2006-01-04T23:20:00.000-05:00

Improv class was a lot of fun yesterday. For one, only six of us showed up for class. The rest either were sick or possibly had just plain forgotten that classes had resumed following the holiday break.
We spent the first half of the class warming up and performing two, three and four person scenes, with our instructor Sandy side-coaching. A lot of great choices were made and I was specifically proud of the two scenes I was in.
One was what we refer to as a fishing scene. Two people on stage doing an activity, but discussing something else. Jeff and I were playing snooker, but the scene itself was about my character trying to reconcile the fact that his wife was obviously leaving him (I threw the comical idea in that it was unspoken, but her belongings were slowly leaving the bedroom and ending up by the front door in boxes - this put the rest of the class in stitches). Jeff's character was on his third marriage by his own choices, and when he realized my character actually wanted his wife to stay he made the interesting choice of asking if my character and his wife were talking. I threw in immediately a yes, but then slowly backpeddled and admitted we actually hadn't really talked in over two years. The scene ended there.
The second scene I did was with Santino and Marlin. Santino and I played two collage buddies who ran into each other on the street. Santino was successful and married. My character lived on the street after suffering a bad reaction to drugs, though was now clean and going to AA and NA. His character invited mine to lunch (Marlin was the pushy waiter), where he mistakenly ordered beers and pasta with wine sauce for each of us. Marlin was the comic relief of this skit...he kept walking over and pushing us to order as we tried to talk. Sandy pushed us to create conflict in the scene, and I created the scenario that my character had been in love with Santino's wife before they were together, and that Santino had introduced the drug dealer to me who caused my life's problems.
It's interesting to see the perspective of others when they look at a scene from afar. When we discussed the scene, they thought it would have been a more interesting choice for me to not have been timid about Santino's wife with my love, but that I had actually been sleeping with her, which would have made for interesting dynamics. Hindsight is 20/20, so they say. I may actually script out a polished version, if I can keep it fresh in my head.
Following break, we ran a longform exercise for the rest of the class. A lot of fun scenes were created, though I made the choice to stay in secondary characters for the most part because I liked what people were running with. A recurring scene was a little girl (played by Jen) who's cats were constantly being killed off by somebody. I saw a need to have a cat in the scene, but I had not attempted to play a low to the ground character in ages because of my knees. So, I slapped my knees a few times, and when I didn't wince decided to give it a try...and I did fine. OK, my cat was stabbed about 40 seconds in, so I got to play dead cat with feet in the air for the rest of the scene, but it was the offer that made the difference...it helped wrap the scenario up.
Another scene was very Scottish. Jeff started the scene telling a sheep joke, and after two full minutes of this joke was cut off five seconds before the punchline which was hilarious (I thought Sandy was going to piss himself laughing). Chris and Marlin then made as Sheep Shearers complaining about bad Scottish jokes, so I popped in as a sheep with a few bleats to keep the gag in.
Afterwards, Jenn commented to me that I was brave to come onboard as a sheep during a Scottish scene...she thought they may do much worse then shearing. We shared a few laughs over that.
And that was class. I felt great afterwards. I was still cracking up in a few spots, which Sandy and I discussed a bit (I think it's because my brain considers it playtime, and my best stress relief is through laughter), but overall I think we all did very well.
My knees being that forgiving was a delight especially. The ability to kneel changes so many things. I can bathe Nathaniel in the tub now (and did so tonight, btw). Sandy made the best joke about kneeling at the start of level E. When I told him I couldn't kneel he asked with a straight face, "How do you get roles?".
Hmmm...Hollywood bound? Er...nah, don't need it that bad.

Working arrangements

2006-01-03T18:27:00.000-05:00

With the coming of 2006, another big change is about to occur in our household. Melanie has decided to go back to work. As of this coming Monday, she will officially be back on the payroll at The March of Dimes, using up her 2005 vacation entitlement. Then the 23rd will see her returning to work.
This in itself is not that difficult to bear. She works overnight shifts, 3 nights one week, 4 nights the next, and she is able to sleep for much of the shift (onsite oncall). Nathaniel has always been a fantastic sleeper, so I personally have no concerns about sleepless nights destroying my ownbrain. What does need to change is my own morning routine. Melanie won't be off work until around 8am. So, I need to get Nathaniel up in the morning, have him fed and changed, and pretty much bolt out the door when Melanie pulls into the driveway so that I can be ontime for my own job.
I'm certainly not going to whine about this. A lot of families have schedules that are downright nasty in comparison to ours. People who have to work 2-3 jobs to make ends meet while raising a family earn my respect - I have no idea how they do it (my mother was one of those when I was but a pup). Melanie and I will still have a few nights of the week free to ourselves, and even those nights she does work she doesn't need to leave until after Nathaniel goes to bed...and I'm usually writing or something at that point anyway.
The only big concern I have is my Second City courses. I may need to look at doing an earlier class, say 5:30-8, so that we don't have to continually get a sitter, and to avoid the arguments that hints of dropping them altogether may cause. I need to get my resume in for the conservatory by Thursday the 12th, so I'll be able to look into when classes are after that.

btw...this entry was planned for last night, but I decided to tweak some storywriting instead. My resolutions are still on track

A Farewell to 2005

2006-01-01T23:12:00.000-05:00

Ought Five has now come and gone. For my household, the year was full of twists and turns that would make any roller-coaster aficionado jealous, and I for one am quite glad we can now put it behind us and start 2006 with a blank slate.
Biggest news of the year of course was the birth of our son Nathaniel in June. The currently happy and healthy little scamper was a week late on his delivery, and did give us a bit of a scare during his birth due to a tight umbilical cord. But the very talented doctor dealt with that quickly, and there have been no complications since thankfully.
Health wise, Melanie and I were on the opposite ends than we usually are. During the pregnancy she began to suffer from gall bladder attacks, and was hospitalized twice for it. On the second event, shortly after Nathaniel arrived, we decided to have the rather unsportsmanlike gall bladder itself evicted. No complications since. For myself, my body is in the best shape it's been in about four years. My gouty arthritis has been manageable, my shoulder is holding up, and I even find I can run up and down carpetted stairs without landing on my head.
Work wise, things were interesting. Melanie only worked the first four five months of 2005 before going on mat leave, so not much to report there. She likes her job, and because it's in health care there are plenty of confidential issues that it would be rude and even possibly illegal to blog about - so I won't. Myself....well, I lost a nice desk in the first week of January to be confined along with the rest of my new team in a training room. Promise given, one month. Well, the second week of December finally saw us moved out of that Orwellian habitat (I still look around frightened when I hear thought and police in the same sentence) and into nice new digs on the 5th floor with our own desks. Some people thought it would be nice as a team-building event to have us so close together. These same people say that we will miss being so close together now that we moved. These same people I hope choke on their Captain Crunch (it's the simple pleasures in life I look forward to). Almost a year hearing really shitty music from Top-40 stations and hearing WAY too much about certain peoples sexual habits and how many curses they can fit into a short sentence (I've been in seedy bars and have heard less foul language used). Honestly, I'm not the most professional driven guy in the world, but I have some standards...which were crossed daily.
Education wise, I signed up for a correspondance writers course, expecting to have enough time to work on it even when our child arrived. Totally fooled myself there. I have it on hiatus for now, but plan to make arrangements with Melanie for boundaries during certain days so I can start it up again. More on that later in this entry. Second City has been fantastic. I have now finished levels A-E, and am currently in the Continuing Improv - Ensemble course. I am right now debating auditioning for the conservatory again vs taking some time off to study other things or taking a different improv course. This is the week to decide, and I'll update on that once the decision is made.
Melanie had been taking Seneca courses, working towards a Social Services diploma, but is now on hiatus from that due to baby. Whether she starts up again this year is totally up to her. I support her no matter what.
In theatre...well, I did one show this year. The Man With The Plastic Sandwich was a personal triumph for me, and I even ended up winning a Best Actors award for the effort. I have worked on a few commercials and rock videos this year. Will 2006 see a return to stage for me? Read on.

My resolutions for this year. Feel free to smirk.

1/ Write something every single day. Whether it be a blog entry, a short story or even a one sentence edit on a story in progress. Doesn't matter. Proof may not even get online...this is a personal thing.
2/ Exercise a little bit, 2 or 3 times a week. I'm looking into getting my family out to swimming certain nights so that may cover that. I do have an exercycle in my living room though so that may help. And when it gets warmer I would like to start walking again. While my body is in better shape then it was, might as well take advantage of that and try to get healthy.
3/ Start working towards a diploma in something. I've been reading course calendars in Seneca and Humber, and hope to take the plunge soon. I have very little post seconday school education, and no diplomas or degrees, so all of my vast practical knowledge of computers comes to a moot point when a potential employer looks at my resume or tries giving me a detailed theory test. I want something to fall back on. Acting jobs are slim. And though my job is currently secure by the sounds of it, all it would take would be a quick decision to re-org and I could get screwed. Thinking about going back into hardware since I prefer it to software. Possibly get my A+ or MCSE. Maybe Networking. Big choices to be made. Once I have gotten started on my writing course again, I'll be able to judge how I handle the coursework along with my job and baby in house, and make further decisions from there.
4/ Time permitting, I'd like to get on stage at least once this year. I'm going to start watching for some good shows out there to audition for, and will probably only accept meaty roles as well. In the past I was always unselfish with my roles...I'd take on anything to help out. With my time being lesser though? I think I'm allowed to be the prick for once.

Well, that's it. Only a light skeletal outline of the year, but if I was to write about every single event that occured I'd need a publisher. Plus my memory isn't THAT good.
Here's wishing you all had a great start to 2006...I sure did. Let's see where the year takes us.

Ah, the great unknown. The mightiest challenge

Quack!

2006-01-01T02:31:00.000-05:00

You Are A: Duck!

Found in many lakes and ponds, ducks are a common site the world over. Known for their famous quack, ducks tend to congregate in flocks or go off on their own in pairs. As a duck, you may seem friendly at times but will not hesitate to bite if someone is bothering you. Your love for travel and your ability to swim are some reasons why you are a duck.

You were almost a: Bear Cub or a Monkey
You are least like a: Groundhog or a Chipmunk Cute Animals Quiz

Found on Trying So Very Hard To Be Perfect

UPDATE: 11:12pm - MY wife took the survey...she came up with a Frog. "A FROG???", she exclaimed over and over again. God, the author of this survey's pretty lucky that I like frogs a lot and could talk her off the edge of our roof.
Wait a minute. Don't Ducks eat Frogs...er...uh...never mind.

Adventures in Boxing Day Shopping

2005-12-26T18:30:00.000-05:00

My dreams of sleeping in over the holidays came crashing down this morning as Nathaniel decided that 6:30am was a great time to get up. Any further ideas of persuding my lovely spouse into being the one to get up with him were met with groggy death glares and some kind of mumbled voodoo charm. Not wishing to play cards with Thanatos, I dragged myself out of bed to start the little guys day.
I got his food all warmed up and prepped, and then went into his room to get him up, and damn if he hadn't gone back to sleep. So, back into the fridge they went, and back into bed I went. Fifteen minutes later, his catnap ended, and the process started all over again.
A couple hours later, after his breakfast of oatmeal and formula had been consumed, and a couple cups of tea were keeping my brain levels from bottoming out, he decided that a he wanted to nap again, and I had no regrets over the issue. This time though, I decided that it was useless to return to bed, so I got myself prepped to face the world. Foolishness or bravery (or both) had lined my heart...I planned to try some Boxing Day shopping with some Futureshop gift certificates I had. Normally I tend to stay away from stores on these days...the crowds are way too trying on my patience. However, there were some fantastic deals on blank DVD's, and I noticed there was a special price on MS XP Home...I could pick that up for my Step-Father, which would finalize his system.
So, once Nathaniel woke himself up (roughly the same time that my wife finally arrived on scene), I packed him up and the two of us headed off to Futureshop for some shopping. What a freakin' nightmare.
Most of the time I was able to navigate around the store without problems. I even chatted with a lady there about the merits of different brands of DVD's (I guess the salespeople were unhelpful, so hey, let's ask the harried looking guy with the cute baby). Then I went to look for my music DVD's. Guess what, the sales line-up goes right through that aisle, which I could have probably pushed my way through when I was alone, but with a stroller and progressively cranky baby I dared not. So, I got into line, with the expectation that I would get a chance to look when I got through that section. Twenty five minutes later, I arrived at the area I needed, and the line-up in front of me began to move 3x faster than before. I was harried to find my titles, and they were not where I expected them to be. I hoped to ask a salesperson to look for me while I stayed in line-up, but surprise...not salespeople around all of a sudden.
So, I grabbed three titles I did want to see, including Ben Folds and Waso: Live in Perth,
Live 8, and From Dusk Til Dawn (a movie I absolutely worship). No Rush and no Primus to be seen...I will have to go looking for those on another day.
After we returned home, my father soon dropped by with a 19" television set for us to use (they have upgraded to a goliath model in their living room, and the trinkle down effect of moving tv's around the house found one bumped out), and my brothers computer for help on installing a new hard drive. Melanie then informed me that we were invited to a friends house for a couple hours, but I begged off for the afternoon...I had sincere plans to do some writing and the figured if she and Nathaniel left the house for a bit I would get that chance. Ha!
I was able to install the new drive easily enough, but then freakin' XP took forever to initialize and format the thing. By the time it was done and packed up, Melanie was pulling back into the driveway with the baby. So once again, nothing done...but I look forward to getting some done tonight. Hopefully Mel will let me...umm, she's leaning on my shoulders right now...she is offering to go out with the boy again tomorrow. Let's hope inspiration flows.

Hoping everyone had a Merry Christmas!

2005-12-25T23:59:00.000-05:00

Another Christmas has come and gone, and our household had a very good day, even though the concept of being with all of our family didn't work out this year. Nothing could be done about that though, so onwards and upwards we go.
Last night was the traditional German Christmas at Melanie's parents house. Her sister Britta was up from Minneapolis, and the six of us enjoyed a pleasant day of traditional German foods, such as Rouladin and Red Cabbage. As always, Nathaniel was in great spirits, and he made out like a bandit on gifts from his Oma, Opa and Aunty. A ton of clothes, a riding Catepillar toy and a giant plush horse were among his new belongings. Now we just need to figure out where to put them.
Today, we spent the morning with my father and grandmother for coffee, and then headed out to my mothers place for Christmas dinner.
I spent a few hours finishing the work on my step-fathers Christmas gift. We had bought for him a new Asus Motherboard, a 2.66ghz celeron processor and 512mb memory, which I installed last week, but I was rushed out of the house with a sleepy baby, work not completed. All I had to do was clean up Windows a bit to work with the new architecture. He still has Windows 98SE though, so it doesn't quite take advantage of the new power...I have convinced him to go buy an XP upgrade in the near future...that'll get the system rocking for him.
Dinner as always was wonderful and obscenely filling. The company was top notch. And once again, Nathaniel was absolutely wonderful. Bonus to us...somehow we have seconded all of the leftovers, which is wonderful for this week...very little cooking required.
The drive home was dreadful. Between the rain earlier and the heavy snowfall driving at us, visibility was almost 0. White knuckle the whole way, taking the long way around for safety reasons. We made it safe and sound.
My father gave me a call tonight asking if I wanted to come with him to Futureshop for the doorcrasher sales, which I was originally interested in; until he informed me that he would be leaving at 5:30am to go line-up. I immediately backed down. No sale is THAT important to me. I may still go out later on, so I can use my gift-certificates to pick up Rush's R30 DVD, which I have been dying to pick up. Depends on whether the weather improves or not.
This is going to be a simple week. Next two days off...back to work on Wednesday and Thursday, then Friday and Monday off. I'll catch up on my writing and a bit of reading over this period. Hopefully I'll start on some assignments for my writing course too. It's about time that I make the time for that.
Hope everyone is safe, sound and with loved ones during the holiday season. Nothing quite like it.

Pets...new and departed...and colouring our world

2005-12-18T23:24:00.000-05:00

This has been a bit of a trying week for us in the Norton household. We were forced to have one of our cats put to sleep. Goofy, a cat of enormous girth and silent meow, had been put on double secret probation about a month ago when she was caught peeing on Nathaniels things. We had been keeping her in our bedroom with her own litterbox and food supply, and she was being extremely well behaved, until the day she was let out of the room for the day while some work was being done in the bedroom. She immediately went and relieved herself on the Alphabet mat we had bought to replace the last one she peed all over. Not amused were we.
Melanie brought Goofy into the relationship, and she made the final decision to have her put to sleep. We had looked into other options, like surrendering her to the SPCA, but they were extremely unhelpful when we asked for their assistance (It's not like we were giving her up for the hell of it...this is our sons health we are considering). Also, Melanie's vet thought this would be more humane for her then trying the adoption route. She may get a poor home, and then suffer for that. So, on Thursday afternoon, braving the terrible weather we had that day, Melanie packed up the cat and left for the vet when I got home for work. An hour or so later, it was all done.
I'm proud of Melanie's bravery in being the one to take her. I offered to do it myself, however Mel stated that Goofy stuck with her through all the goods and bads in the past, and it wouldn't be fair to not be there for the end. Now we take things gingerly one day at a time while Melanie grieves for her one and only pet. She even commented that all the rest are mine...two cats, fish and the recent addition of three female hooded rats (one of which is staring at me as I type this...it's kind of freaky). I too miss the tubby cat that squeeked like a mouse and walked like a raccoon, but I'm an animal lover in general so it's natural for me for do so. Melanie loved Goofy unconditionally, except for when it came down to the choice of Cat vs Nathaniels health, and it's obvious who would win that battle. It still really hurts.
To keep her mind occupied, Melanie has thrown herself 200% forward into painting our bedroom. WIthin a couple days time it went from an idea to a reality. I'm still kind of reeling from the speed of her decision. The first coat of paint is already up, and I expect she will have everything finished on Wednesday, when my mother is willing to take Nathaniel away for the day. If it makes her happy to do so, then all the power to her. She deserves it after this week.

Oooo...scary....

2005-12-13T19:05:00.000-05:00

I found last weeks class to be the best so far of my current level. Until then, I was finding myself to be somewhat out of it, probably part of the problem being the late hour (8-10:30pm after a long day of work) and the other part that I just really miss my former A-E level classmates. I completely recognize the fact that in the real world of improvisation, I need to learn to work with as many types of people as possible, so this is perhaps better for me...but doesn't mean I can't wax nostalgia for my friends.
Homework from the class ended up as Horror movies, so I went through my generous collection of DVD's in that genre, and settled on the original version of The Amityville Horror. Not the scariest movie in the world, but I am rather fond of the character progression...slowly slipping into insanity...ala The Shining. Fun stuff. And the red flashing eyes? Stuff of, well, late 70's legends. And on a geek note, it had Meeno Peluce in a supporting role as one of the children. 80's television trivia...look it up.
But I digress. Tonights class, the last before we take an extended holiday break, will focus on horror as a genre. I look forward to seeing what people in the class do with it...hopefully nothing TOO stereotypical (ie. Zombies, Dracula). Following this, we will get two genres to research for our return class.

Now, on to my writing. I have honestly not had time to put more than a few words down on paper or a screen, but I do have two complete stories ready in my head...one short story and one fan fiction of indeterminate length. Now, Fan Fiction? you ask. Call me a geek, call me disturbed if you will, but I have become addicted to Harry Potter fan fiction. You can find plenty of great stories at www.schnoogle.com, and branch out from there.
I have said many times to many people that was disappointed that JK Rowling has stated she will only ever write seven books in the series, because she has created so many different options for branching stories that it could keep what I call The Potterverse going for years to come. To me, it's the equivalent of JRR Tolkien writing an extra sentence saying "...and Frodo whispered to Sam, 'I'll be back' ", and leaving you totally hanging. Wouldn't you be pissed off?
Ideas came to mind. I thought it may be acceptable if Rowling wrote the seven books, then licensed out the rights to the stories, ala Lucasarts with the Star Wars books, keeping executive control over her universe. I'd be cool with that. But people think that'll never fly.
This is why it's so cool that there is so much of this fan fiction out there. People giving their own take on back stories, Alternate Universes, theories on how it's all going to end...it's all in there. Plus you have all kinds of reading and writing levels portrayed. Stories that a grade three student could handle, and also stories that are so NC-17 that it would make Tom Savini cringe in disgust. Whatever you are looking for...you'll find it.
I know I have a long time to wait before Book Seven reaches the shelves. So, I figured for a writing exercise I would take a crack at it; but I didn't want to just steal other peoples ideas...that would be boring. So, for a purely fun exercise I am going to write my own take on what happens leading up to and after book six.
It may be good, it may be shit. It doesn't matter in the end...it's the writing that works.
The non-fanfiction short story I have on the go actually excites me...I hope to start on that tonight if I'm not too late after class. Which reminds me...I must leave now. Have a good night. I'll try to write more often.

Pushing the late night stretch

2005-12-06T19:11:00.000-05:00

Second City homework from last week was Westerns. So, I went out on Sunday and rented both The Magnificent Seven and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Now, I have discovered that the only serious chance I have of watching a non-romantic flick from beginning to end with little to no interuptions is to burn the midnight-oil. I wrapped up the first at 12:30am, and then watched the second last night until close to 12am. And now tonight I have class, which in of itself won't get me home until close to midnight. Three late nights in a row...not the easiest task for me these days.
Up until just less than a year ago this would not have bothered me in the slightest. I used to stay up well into the AM, as that was my best time to do any creative work, and plus I really didn't give a shit as to what time I went into work in the morning. Now, however, I am forced to develop a bit more courtesy for employment, as I've learned I'm not quite as indispensible as I once I thought I was, and the paycheque is a must.
Then again, my need for sleep could be just that I'm starting to get old (Ric & Rufus, no kneejerk bitchslaps please, I said STARTING, ok?).
The movies (as research material) are important, however, and I feel less guilty watching them when wife and baby are sleeping...so the time must continue. So, what I may do is pick certain nights, non-consecutive, when I watch one. This way, I may get 2 or 3 in during a week, and come into class with a lot more ideas. I hate being the one who always has to say, "No, I watched no movies, I'm a dad. 'nuff said".
btw...because The Good, The Bad & The Ugly is a marathon three hour flick, I actually started watching it while Nathaniel was awake. He sat on my knee, and flinched during the first gunshot, but took the other 82x3000e explosions (goddamn that movie is full of explosions) in stride.
Well, I'm off to class now...interested to see what our next genre assignment is going to be. Horror? Bollywood? Blaxpoitation? We shall see.

BTW...I had no intention of taking so much time off of blogging...but the remainder of my freetime was stolen by reading. What I was reading, why it took up so much time...well, I've leave that to my next post. Let's just say it actually connects with a writing project I'm slowly assembling the skeleton to.

Moving towards mobility

2005-11-23T22:44:00.000-05:00

I had a Specialist appointment on Monday regarding my right shoulder, which according to my last MRI many moons ago is pretty much screwed. The doctor looked skeptical at first when he looked at me. I mean, I'm sure I look pretty young to have the symptoms that my chart says I do. But then we went through the range of motion checklist and he was pretty convinced by what he saw. I mean, I can't even pick up a teapot or put a dish away with my right arm without sharp pains interfering with the movement. We discussed Cortizone injections in the shoulder, and even though I have already tried that once in the past unsuccessfully (in fact, I have had no success with Cortizone at all), the doctor felt it should be tried. I guess when you think about it, the last time it was tried, my Uric Acid levels were off the chart...and now they have reached the range of your average human being. Perhaps there will be better success.
What clinched the decision to proceed with this is he injected my shoulder with a local anaesthetic, and my range of motion improved dramatically in mere minutes. This shows that the problem is definately in the shoulder and not a nerve echo.
So, Monday morning, bright and early, I will head over to the clinic at the hospital to have this done. Guess I'll have to drive Melanie's car that day as it's normally proper procedure to immobilize the arm after an injection...and that would make driving a standard a bit of an issue.
Man...typing that day is gonna be a bitch....but if the injection works, it'll be worth it.
If it doesn't work...I believe a small amount of surgery is involved in the next step. I have faith though.
Next step...both knees. I mentioned them to the doctor, and he said. One day, one problem. After a follow-up with him on the shoulder I will book for the knees. Those probably have to be replaced.
A couple years ago, I was against joint replacement surgery...but now that I have Nathaniel in my life, and see all the things I can't easily do for him...I look forward to those little fixes that will make for a better me. At least in the physical sense.

A Return To Play...and Ideas!

2005-11-23T00:07:00.000-05:00

Tonight was the first class of Continuing Improv - Ensemble. I arrived at the Second City training centre about a half hour early, hoping to catch a glimpse of any of my former classmates. To my surprise, none of their names were on the class list. It was a completely new slate for me.
I paced around a bit, and had a conversation with another guy named Kevin who was taking the Writing I class. I asked him about the class and what he thought of it. Honestly, he felt it was a good class if writing is your thing, but unfortunately for him that appears to not be the case. He only took it because it was the only remedial class offered to Level B, which is where he is at. He knows how to write, but felt that he just didn't do funny very well. I suggested he stick with it though, and look to his classmates for the funny. "Be the straightman", I told him. The funny comes later.
He then asked me about the Conservatory auditions, and I told him the sordid story I have touched on in my earlier blogs.
Class was starting though, so I bid him farewell and joined the rest of my new group. When Sandy read off the list, I did discover that one of my Level E classmates would (or should) be joining us. Matt Williamson, who had joined us in Level D, and who is just full of intense ideas and physical humour. For some reason he was a no show, however.
The rest of the class contained a couple faces I have met in my travels during make-up classes, but for the most part it was the first time I had worked with the bunch. It almost feels like starting over, just I have more skills to start with. Should be fun.
One of the skits I created with another student named Eric worked incredibly well, but then I began to break the cardinal rule that I have for some reason been doing for the last couple levels too often. I broke the fourth wall. I found myself laughing during the bit. I have no idea where this is coming from. For years I have worked so hard on remaining in character and not breaking up, but for some reason certain scenarios in improv just crack me up so much that it is a constant struggle to stay in the scene. I will work on that.
I'm not the only one who struggled, though. Everybody has something they need to work on. It is a class, afterall, and hopefully we can all learn together about strengthening our weakpoints. I plan on working extra hard to solidify my own.
Homework for this week is to watch some Film Noir, as that will be next week's genre. Gotta run to the video store and pick up some of the classics. The Maltese Falcon. and D.O.A. are good picks. Maybe even Bladerunner. Gonna get me some Bogart's and Lorre's and sit down with a lovely dame for a drink and a flick. Hopefully she won't try to kill me with an ice pick.
Oh, and as to the ideas part...I have a few short story ideas I'd love to write. Want to do them tonight. But if I did, the dame really will kill me when I am unable to get up for work tomorrow. So, I shall file them away until tomorrow.

Recognition is nice....again!

2005-11-21T22:42:00.000-05:00

About a week or so ago, Melanie called me to say that I had received a call from the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration about a returned piece of mail. Apparently they still had us living in Aurora and needed our new address so as to get this letter to me. Now, I immediately wondered...Immigration? Was I being deported or something? If so...umm...to where?
Finally, after a few days of intence curiosity, the letter came in the mail. Apparently, my name was submitted by somebody in South Shore Theatre to have me recognized for my volunteerism efforts. Ten years.
The ceremony was this evening.
I originally thought there might be an issue at home with this, as I'm already out insanely late tomorrow night. But Melanie, in her wonderfulness, gave me her blessing to go out to play. The unspoken but obvious message from her though was....don't stay out to late. In other words, get yer damn pin and get the hell outta there.
When I arrived, I did recognize a few familiar faces. Bruce Morrison from South Shore was there with his wife. Anne Guy, the former Secretary of my third and final public school (Morning Glory P.S.) and the wife of my six grade teacher Bill Guy (who interestingly enough. also originally inspired to take my hand at theatre) was in the front row. Also, the Mayor of Georgina, Robert Grossi was present. Some other faces I had seen around, but not many...it was a big crowd.
The event started with the National Anthem as always. Then we had some speeches from Mike Colle (the Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), Julia Munro (MPP for York North) and others who praised the efforts of all Volunteers in Ontario.
Then they had us go up row by row to get our pins, and each of us was announced along with our years of service and the organization. Longest service by far was one lady from a Church in Ravenshoe, with 60 years of service. Wow.
I found it to be a well run event. It was amusing seeing the poor lady who had to read out the information stumble over a couple names with 20+ syllables in them, but she did incredibly well otherwise. I mean, there were over 200 people called, and I didn't see her reach for a glass of water once.
They actually had a grand total of years for just the people who showed up.
Two Thousand, Four Hundred and Seventy years total service in the room. That's amazing.
I was thinking to myself during the ceremony about volunteering and how I would like to do more. One thing I would like to do is assist organizations like the Salvation Army as a driver around Christmas time. Bringing food and presents to needy families. My grandfather did that, and I remember the warm feeling I had when I went with him one year. I would love to share that experience with Nathaniel, and teach him how important volunteering is.
Kudos go to the Ontario government for providing such an event. People who volunteer don't do it for the recognition, but we do feel really nice to be thanked for our efforts every once in awhile. I will wear my pin and hang up my certificate with pride.

Tying up the loose ends

2005-11-13T23:24:00.000-05:00

It was a useful weekend that ended on a trying note. I took the time to clean up around the house - putting away the deck furniture so that they don't end up in Kansas along with Jack Haley, Bert Lahr and Ray Bolger. Cleaned the garage so we can fit a car in there. Had to dispose of my Canadian Flag - The wind has been getting terribly ferocious lately and it sort of tore my poor patroitic emblem to shreds. Also, my father came over for a visit yesterday and with his help I replaced the snowscreen on our front porch so that we don't get any early-morning surprises of not being able to leave the house due to a snow impaction. This is the one variable we are worried about over the winter...with being on the edge of a huge farmers field, it is guaranteed we are going to get the brunt of the wind and it's drifting effects. We'll survive though.
Melanie and I took Nathaniel up to visit my grandmother today, and the four of us went out for dinner. Nathaniel handled being in a restaurant high-chair fairly well...only minor fussing towards the end of our dinner took its toll on our fellow patrons. Hey, he's less than six months old...it's to be expected. As patient and wonderful as my son is, even he has a boredom threshold. We do not take offence. {grin}.
When we got home this evening...we discovered that one of our cats had left us a less-than wonderful gift (of the aquatic kind) in the living room . Then, when Melanie was starting to clean it up, she discovered to her horror that this same cat had actually been leaving us similar gifts on Nathaniels ABC sponge mat for the last few days, and I guess due to the super absorbancy of sponge we only noticed it now. It has left a massive dark patch (about 2'x3') on the hardwood. We are not amused. This is not her first offence and we are hard-pressed to make an important decision about her. She either has to go permanently, which is a difficult decision to make, or we lock her in our room with her own litter box until she masters the fact that this is the only acceptable place to go. Is it because she is lazy, and the fifteen foot walk to the litter box is unbearable, or is it because she is spiteful about Nathaniel still? The fact that she has been eliminating on Nathaniels mat may leave a hint there. Some people say 'Once a dirty cat, always a dirty cat', and we are unwilling to let this continue, since it is expected that Nathaniel will start crawling in the next few months. Melanie and I will talk about this more in depth and go from there. I don't look forward to the aftermath though if we do decide to evict her.

Toys and Songs, oh my!

2005-11-08T22:06:00.000-05:00

Just to keep my life in check, lady luck loves to punch me upside the head sometimes. Today was full of good news, but as usual, timing makes it so that the amount of stress I have to dish out sort of ruins the excitement.
I have two auditions tomorrow. One is a callback for the singing bit I did last Thursday, the other something to do with toys. Truth be told, I love auditions; however trying to fit them in with the day job is a chore I do not enjoy. My boss has been wonderfully supportive over the last few that I have had, however I do not like to push my luck.
Soooo...what I plan to do is go in really frickin' early tomorrow (say 6 or 7 - which, yes I know is on-time or even late for some of you), leave work at 11 to head to the first one. From there, since I'm down there anyway, I will run down to Second City to pay for the next course I'm taking Continuing Improv - Ensemble, then run over to Adelaide and Stachan for the second audition. Then back to work. If my plan works out right, I'll still only be out of the office for 1 1/2 hours.
Well, gotta run. Time to spend some time with the wife and watch House...then hit the sack. Tommorow is going to be eventful and it will be here way too soon.

Shot down

2005-11-04T16:56:00.000-05:00

{insert whimper here}. Just received my call from Second City, and I did not make the cut. Notes given: Needs more improv training, take further non-conservatory courses and audition again next time. So, between feeling like a puppet with its strings cut, an angry he-beast and the persistantly flexible fellow that I am, I have already looked up my options. My current instructor, Sandy, is offering the Continuing Improv - Ensemble course on Tuesdays from 8-10:30pm, and I may just jump at that.
Melanie and I will chat about it first though. She'll be delighted that I have no Sunday classes now, but may still show reluctance to me being out late once a week. I HAVE to do something, though. Just deciding to take the semester off and auditioning again next time will probably not increase my chances. If Second City thinks I need more training, who am I to argue? Especially when I envision the possibility of working with them some day.
HOLY SHIT - Newsflash. Just received a call from one of my classmates, the esteemed Bindy. Of the five of us that auditioned, only one of us made it into the conservatory! What the hell is up with that?

Auditions Galore

2005-11-03T23:29:00.000-05:00

I had two auditions today. One at 9:20am for an American Cable Provider Commercial, later followed by my Conservatory Audition at 11:30. For the first, I don't give out much hope. It is a union gig, meaning the competition will be that much fiercer. Also, the audtion itself was four guys in a room, all singing the highest note possible in harmony. Only one of us will be chosen...which means that they are really only going for looks. It is impossible to tell one persons solo singing ability when you have them doing harmonies. It was also one of the shortest auditions on record. I fought rushhour traffic to get there, parked, walked to the studio and signed in. Totally time: 1:15. Was let into room, did a slate, sang my note and then was released. Total time: 0:45. Kind of sad, really.
So, I had lots of time on my hands before the next one. I fought my way through traffic (some big problem on the Gardiner this morning) to Spadina, then grabbed a parking spot at King and Peter, then chatted for for a couple minutes with Charlene, one my classmates, who had a 10:30 call time. Soon enough, she had to go in to warmup, so I hobbled over to Tim Horton's for a pick-me-up. The reason I say hobbled is that my back was killing me. I had thrown it out the other day, and it worsened that morning while brushing my teeth. Who knew that could be such a vigorous activity? My dentist would be proud. The first audition of the day was not an issue, but I was horribly concerned about the Conservatory audition because of the amount of physicality it may require. Improv is not a sport for wimps.
So, between sipping my coffee I was stretching through the pain, trying to get this damned disc back into place. An entire hour was spent on this activity, and though I didn't perfectly succeed, I did manage to get things to the point where I could breathe without groaning in pain.
Due to the aformentioned traffic problems, another classmate, Chris was actually late for his audition, so he was moved into my timeslot, which I appreciated greatly...somebody I knew to work with. During warm-ups we were instructed to find something topical to use as a lightly prepared scene, so Chris and I chose the story of Air Canada scrapping free meals on flights. Four of us auditioned at 11:30, and it was pretty straightforward. We began with the topical bits, then just did some random scenes. Two people were in the room to judge us...Moira, who runs the school, and one of the Conservatory Teachers, Lisa. Throughout the audition they were completly stoic...showing us nothing...which I kind of prefer. What did surprise me was the comment that we would find out within the next day, whether I get in or not. To be perfectly honest, I don't know what my chances are. Who knows what they are looking for, specifically? I showed my character work and ability to status transfer. I also used the very small room to the best of my ability.
Melanie asked me tonight if I would be depressed if I didn't get it. The honest answer is yes. I would also be depressed if Chris, Brandy, Brian and Charlene don't get in, as they are the rest of my classmates who auditioned. Only 1/2 of the Level E class chose to move forward...and it would be fun to continue as a group, even if the dyamics would be changed.
Well, we shall know for sure tomorrow. I will post once I know.

Make-Up - POOF!

2005-11-01T23:05:00.000-05:00

Actually, not that kind of make-up. I had to cruise down into the city this evening to make-up one of my classes for Second City. Since while in Level E you are not allowed to make-up a class in another Level E, I chose a Level C to jump into, from 6-9pm.
Different kind of teacher, different agenda, different class size. Only 6 people in the class, including myself, and the instructor ran things quite contrary to what I'm used to. The games, though in some subtle ways were the same, had a totally different take on them then I was ever used to. And I was shocked to be verbally smacked for asking the audience for a Non-Geographical Location from the audience when looking for inspiration in a scene. I was told that is DEATH ON STAGE. Funny how we've been doing that for several levels in my other classes and never seem to have a problem.
I did enjoy the class...it is always nice to see a fresh perspective on things...and I learned that I need to focus on my rhyming skills. We haven't run that exercise much in Sandy's class, and I kind of killed myself on stage trying to do a scene in rhyming couplets. Think I'll look up some games in my spare time to practice with to hone that skill a bit.

Let's hope that don't pull that out on Thursday...when I have my Conservatory audition. Yes, I received the call today, and I have an 11:30am audition set. Nervous energy flows...I really want to continue onwards, and would hate to blow the audition completely. You never know what's going to happen. The dynamics of my fellow auditioners along with myself will tell the tale. For improv is not a solo activity...you need to depend on your fellow improvisors to look good, just as they depend on you. Reality is, I'll never know until I get there...so onwards and upwards!

Ah, Mister Potter.....

2005-11-01T22:44:00.000-05:00

You scored as .

Albus Dumbledore

85%

Harry Potter

85%

Remus Lupin

75%

Hermione Granger

70%

Ginny Weasley

70%

Sirius Black

70%

Ron Weasley

65%

Draco Malfoy

60%

Severus Snape

55%

Lord Voldemort

40%

Your Harry Potter Alter Ego Is...?
created with QuizFarm.com

Found on Trying So Very Hard To Be Perfect

Status Quo

2005-10-30T22:45:00.000-05:00

I've said a million times before that I expect things to quieten down so that I can focus on writing, etc. A million wasted breaths they were. Things always come up...sneaking towards you like the bully on the playground about to give you a wedgie.
This week, the trilogy of events that kept me running around were as follows:
1/ Talent Contest at work
2/ Ghost Walk at Georgina Pioneer Village
3/ Graduation show at Second City

Shall I break them down? Yes, let's.

1/ Before I was hired on full time last year by my current employer, they held an America Idol like contest to raise money for the United Way. I told myself at the time, if I get the job, then I will enter it the following year. Well, that time had come, and surely enough, they held the second annual event. So, I entered and began looking for the right song to sing. Then I got sick and my voice was pretty much ripped up. Less than a week to go and I had no idea how I would sound if I went out there...I wasn't that nervous since my very first time doing karaoke ten years ago. I finally settled on U2's With Or Without You; even though it has some challenging bits. I knew it fairly well and had actually performed it once before during a friends birthday party, and was praised for it then. So, on Friday the show came up, I sang my little heart out, and once again did get praise, even though I knew I had croaked at some of the high bits. Alas, there was plenty of other talented people there, and I did not get selected to enter the semi-finals. But the spirit of the event was reached...much money was raised for the United Way, and more will be raised on Monday during the finals.

2/ I performed in the first annual Georgina Ghost Walk as Stephen B. Leacock, and was asked to return this year, this time as a Spirit Guide. So, I became Charles Noble, a long lived Doctor (1832-1934 (that's 102 for those not good with math)) and enjoyed myself a lot. The turnout was absolutely fabulous too...Friday night we had about 90 people ,and Saturday drew a massive crowd of 175 people. Considering that there were five tours per night, spread out between myself and Ninette Gyorody, this is a considerable number. We expected to run the tours with 20 people max, but had to run them with up to 38 people on one or two. For the outdoor stops that it easy, but imagine jamming that many people into an old log cabin so they can see a re-inactment of peoples daily lives...it was a job but we did it. Great stories were told, possibly with the highlight being my friend Rufus' sad tale of Mrs R.M. Anderson (and no, I'm not just saying that to be nice - 'tis true). Following the Saturday night show, I joined Melanie at a Hallowe'en party (Nathaniel was at my mothers for the night), which we stayed at until closing.

3/ My time in the grade levels of Second City are drawing to a close. Today was our graduation show at the new Second City digs, and I had an absolute blast. The entire class performed an amazing set of 40 minutes, and we all kept the audience in stitches throughout. . The need to form a troupe with these people is constant, and I know we will all be talking seriously about this after our final class next Sunday (we have to do a make-up due to a scheduling issue). As well, many of us hope to continue on into the next level of Second City classes - The Conservatory, which it is necessary to audition for. Of the ten people left in our Level E class, I know for a fact that seven are auditioning...and only twelve spots are available total. We'll be competing for spots with people that perhaps failed to enter the conservatory previously, other Level E classes, or those given special dispensation from the gods that be to skip A-E and go straight to the top. I expect to find out tomorrow when my audition time is (I'm expecting sometime on Thursday the 3rd), and I am looking forward to it.

In the meantime, I will take a breath and enjoy a couple days of peace, along with sometime to catch up on writing, websites and sleep. I would love to be involved with NaNoWriMo but I can't guarantee the time. Not if I want any peace in my marriage anyway.

Recognition is nice

2005-10-16T21:28:00.000-05:00

Melanie and I were invited to an Awards Gala at Theatre on Main in Newmarket on Saturday night, and though the date coincided with my Uncle Glen's birthday party, I felt somewhat obligated to go. Theatre on Main has been a great venue for me over the last couple of years...first in The Affections Of May, and then with The Man With The Plastic Sandwich. I love the ambiance at the theatre and want to support it as much as possible. So we went.
We arrived about an hour early so that I can talk improv shop with another lady named Denise, who Ross had asked me to run an improvisation set with during the gala. She wasn't there yet, so we took the warmup session of two fantastic musicians who had offered to play during the dinner. One played Guitar and Bass, the other Guitar, Mandolin and Cello. It was an impressive set. Then Denise showed up and we discussed putting on a fairly low key improv set with about four games. Neither of us felt incredibly prepared for it...but then again, what would be the use of learning improvisation if I can't improvise...right?
Dinner was great; a lot of good friends and fellow actors provided good talk, plenty of wine was consumed, and the previously mentioned musicians entertained us all throroughly with a great show, including an awesome rendering of the song Mary Mac. I was having a great time.
Then the awards presentation began. First, Tim Chadwick took the stage, along with Town Of Newmarket mayor Tom Taylor, to present the very first Theatre on Main award - or Tommy's, as they were being called, to Ross and Jacki, for starting the venue to begin with and for being the heart and soul of the theatre. Then Ross took over to present the awards. He explained the painful process of trying to get the nominations out to the Season's ticket holders, and how to describe what is a leading actor vs a supporting actor. Apparently they didn't quite get the idea. So, he presented to them the breakdown of all seven shows of the 04-05 season with reminders of sets and all actors involved, with the idea that concept will be improved next year. Until then, the awards were broken down into top three female actors, top three male actors, and best show of the season.
To hear my name called for best male actor was very flattering and heartwarming. After doing this for so many years, with my only specific need being the show, not necessarily any fame or recognition, to actually get some recognition felt positively wonderful. I am now in the possession of a beautiful trophy...my very first theatre trophy. I'm still grinning.

Here's the trophy:

Furthermore, I may just go out in ten days to audition for one of the current season shows, a musical, and Melanie is fairly supportive. 'Tis possible that my break from theatre is drawing to a close. Ross is also asking if I would like to direct the closing show of the season next May. Once I get my hands on the script I will be able to make a judgement call there.

BTW...I didn't end up doing the improv set. The band were so good we asked them to continue playing instead. Denise and I shouted the loudest, and practically high-fived when they agreed. As much as I love doing improv, and look forward to my Second City classes, I just felt like being entertained. And that we were.

Dreaming again

2005-10-08T09:48:00.000-05:00

Coincidence or not, from the day that Nathaniel came into our lives, I stopped dreaming altogether. At the same time, I found my ability to sit down and write anything useful pretty much began to fall apart. Go ahead and look at my blog before and after June 1, you'll notice a remarkable difference. I still managed to get some blog entries out, but nowhere near the amount that I used to. I can only assume that the two issues are connected. My ability to dream, hence my ability to process all of the events happening in my life, was dormant. With that my ability to write it all down went to.

After the events of the last couple weeks had come to a close...posters, videos and graphic wizardry, along with a few loud arguments with my spouse about the amount of work on my plate, something changed. I dreamed. And not just a fluffy, useless dream, but a mega-concept event that would make for awesome literature. Then I didn't write it down and the idea was forgotten...but that's besides the point. The point was that my brain had decided that enough was enough, and was moving shit out. Guess that, like Melanie, my brain got fed up with the constant clutter.

So...what does this all mean? It means that I need to use some time this glorious long weekend and re-organize my office back into a centre of inspiration. Get all my writing tools back out, including my cute little Writers Block. Then hang some pics up, go for a walk with my camera in tow, and get some stuff out.

It's October. Autumn. The biggest season for change, beauty and death. My muse waits over the next hill. I walk towards it.

Swimming...paddling...drowning...

2005-09-22T16:50:00.000-05:00

Oi.

When work for me piles up, it REALLY piles up. In the last week I have had to complete a major graphic project for work (a licence plate game for a team building exercises...I'm rather proud of the result) and a poster for the Newmarket Stage Company. Meanwhile, and still in progress is a video collage for South Shore Theatre...for which I have been provided several bags of videos and photo albums with an incredibly tight deadline to complete things. Then I have the South Shore Programme for 'The Odd Couple - Female Version, which opens in just over 3 weeks time.

So, when I received a call last night from a fellow artist asking me to design the logo for a new VOIP service launched by a Toronto Company, I had to request a later time window (or not at all). I just can't take on anything else right now. I've so far turned down every other request for my time, including a big drink-fest this weekend, just because it doesn't seem fair for me to whine about being busy while engaging in other activities which stop me from completing the tasks I already have. {sigh}.

Melanie has also observed a universal shift lately which appears to be telling me to go act in a show. Almost every single theatre company I have history with (and one I have no history with...yet) has had some contact with me in the last two weeks. It's somewhat comforting to be so popular with these groups...I'd really just wish they'd spread their love out a little bit...say each group shares visitation rights, split evenly throughout the year. I could handle that.

Plus we had Nathaniel's baptism ceremony on the weekend. Plus we replaced our 1996 Cavalier with the 1999 Cougar (beauty, eh!). Plus all our television shows have begun their second season! Aieeee!

Oh well. Just one more week and most of the stress will be over. Oh, who I am kidding...no it won't...there will always be another project. I just can't stop.

Arrrrrrrrrrr

2005-09-19T12:01:00.000-05:00

My pirate name is:

Dirty Tom Rackham

You're the pirate everyone else wants to throw in the ocean -- not to get rid of you, you understand; just to get rid of the smell. You have the good fortune of having a good name, since Rackham (pronounced RACKem, not rack-ham) is one of the coolest sounding surnames for a pirate. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from fidius.org.

Which Happy Bunny are you?

2005-09-16T12:03:00.000-05:00

you are the "you're so dumb" happy bunny.
you are brutal in your words and enjoy putting
others down.

which happy bunny are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Found on Trying So Very Hard To Be Perfect

2005-09-07T09:09:00.000-05:00

Poem: "Parting," by Emily Dickinson.

Parting

My life closed twice before its close;
It yet remains to see
If immortality unveil
A third event to me
So huge, so hopeless to conceive
As these that twice befell.
Parting is all we know of heaven,
And all we need of hell.

Man this seems fitting right now.

From the Writer's Almanac by Garrison Keillor

Oh, Bugger

2005-09-03T09:24:00.000-05:00

Your word is BUGGER. You are generally quite
restrained, but sometimes your anger or
frustration come to the surface and it all
comes out. Yet you somehow can't stop sounding
polite, despite it all.

Which Swear (Curse) Word Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Found on Trying So Very Hard To Be Perfect

Well, I'm trying anyway...

2005-08-30T11:51:00.000-05:00

How You Life Your Life

You seem to be straight forward, but you keep a lot inside.

You're laid back and chill, but sometimes you care too much about what others think.

You prefer a variety of friends and tend to change friends quickly.

You tend to dream big, but you worry that your dreams aren't attainable.

How Do You Live Your Life?

Found on Rics Thoughts

Road-Trip Dreams Squashed

2005-08-29T16:11:00.000-05:00

Damn the government and their need to take undeserved money from me.
Melanie's sister Britta had offered us her old car under a couple conditions. One - we pay for some minor repairs it required. Two - we either: A/ Come and get it, or B/ Cover her expenses for driving it back up here herself.
Sounds like an easy decision, right? Well sure, except for the fact that she lives near Minneapolis, MN; which is approximately a 17 hour drive from us.
So, as a man, I chose the only logical choice - ROADTRIP!!!!!!!!!! I definately wanted to go get it. I mean...I'd take my buddy Ted...we'd drive over there (well, technically down, over and then up again), get the car and drive back. My excitement to face the open road was upon us.
So...a plan was drafted and set in action. Then prompty picked apart and cancelled. It was discovered that the government refused to accept a sibling to sibling gift as free and clear...we'd have to pay taxes on the black book value (it's a '99 so the value is still fairly high). Plus, in Melanie's conversations with customs, they insisted that Britta would have to drive across herself.
And so, I thought that was it. Goodbye 1999 Mercury Cougar 5 speed.
Then to my surprise, Melanie started talks back up. However, it is with the "less fun for me" plan of Britta driving it here. She'll take the new high speed fairy across the lake...which shaves about 4hours off her time. Cheaper and less stressful to my budget conscious wife. So, in about three weeks, we'll have a newer car to replace the ever-aging 1996 Cavalier, which is a good car but I'm uncertain of its abilities to survive the upcoming winter.
Now I'm left with a taste for Roadtrip with nowhere to go...so far...time to get out my map and think of where I have not been. Damn...it's a big list, but I'm willing to slowly cross things off.

50 foot tall Book Meme

2005-08-22T21:18:00.000-05:00

My good friend Rufus alerted me to this interesting ~~time-waster~~
..er...literary list...., and though I feel I did fairly well from what I remember, I still see that there are a lot of well recommended books that I should get around to reading one day. Perhaps I will indulge as I begin choosing books to read to Nathaniel. Promise I won't pick any of the ultra romance...that'll be just creepy.

I was very surprised to see some of the titles on the list. A few were ones that I have planned to go out of my way to buy for Nathaniel because I loved them as a kid (273,274 and 284 among them).

What you do is copy the list, bold the ones you've read, and add three titles of your own at the end. The goal is to make the list 50 feet tall, of course. I pity the poor sucker who actually has the time to do this when it gets past 30 feet

Most comments not mine...though I have added a couple.

001.The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
002. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
003. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
004. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
005. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
006. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
007. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
008. 1984, George Orwell
009. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
010. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
011. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
012. Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte
013. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
014. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
015. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
016. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
017. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
018. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
019. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
020. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
021. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
022. Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone, JK Rowling

That's Philosopher's Stone, you half-witted American publishers!
***I've read both just for the hell of it, btw - Tim ***
023. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
024. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
025. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
026. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
027. Middlemarch, George Eliot
028. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
029. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
030. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
031. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
032. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
033. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
034. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
035. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
036. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
037. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
038. Persuasion, Jane Austen
039. Dune, Frank Herbert
040. Emma, Jane Austen
041. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
042. Watership Down, Richard Adams
043. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
044. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
045. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
046. Animal Farm, George Orwell
047. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
048. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
049. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
050. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
051. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
052. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
053. The Stand, Stephen King
054. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
055. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
056. The BFG, Roald Dahl
057. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
058. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
059. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
060. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
061. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
062. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
063. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
064. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
065. Mort, Terry Pratchett
066. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
067. The Magus, John Fowles
068. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
069. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
070. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
071. Perfume, Patrick Susskind
072. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
073. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
074. Matilda, Roald Dahl
075. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
076. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
077. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
078. Ulysses, James Joyce
079. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
080. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
081. The Twits, Roald Dahl
082. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
083. Holes, Louis Sachar
084. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
085. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
086. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
087. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
088. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
089. Magician, Raymond E Feist
090. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
091. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
092. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
093. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
094. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
095. Katherine, Anya Seton
096. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
097. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
098. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
099. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie
101. Three Men In A Boat, Jerome K. Jerome
102. Small Gods, Terry Pratchett
103. The Beach, Alex Garland
104. Dracula, Bram Stoker
105. Point Blanc, Anthony Horowitz
106. The Pickwick Papers, Charles Dickens
107. Stormbreaker, Anthony Horowitz
108. The Wasp Factory, Iain Banks
109. The Day Of The Jackal, Frederick Forsyth
110. The Illustrated Mum, Jacqueline Wilson
111. Jude The Obscure, Thomas Hardy
112. The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole Aged 13 1/2, Sue Townsend
113. The Cruel Sea, Nicholas Monsarrat
114. Les Miserables, Victor Hugo
115. The Mayor Of Casterbridge, Thomas Hardy
116. The Dare Game, Jacqueline Wilson
117. Bad Girls, Jacqueline Wilson
118. The Picture Of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde
119. Shogun, James Clavell
120. The Day Of The Triffids, John Wyndham
121. Lola Rose, Jacqueline Wilson
122. Vanity Fair, William Makepeace Thackeray
123. The Forsyte Saga, John Galsworthy
124. House Of Leaves, Mark Z. Danielewski
125. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver
126. Reaper Man, Terry Pratchett
127. Angus, Thongs And Full-Frontal Snogging, Louise Rennison
128. The Hound Of The Baskervilles, Arthur Conan Doyle
129. Possession, A. S. Byatt
130. The Master And Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov
131. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood
132. Danny The Champion Of The World, Roald Dahl
133. East Of Eden, John Steinbeck
134. George's Marvellous Medicine, Roald Dahl
135. Wyrd Sisters, Terry Pratchett
136. The Color Purple, Alice Walker
137. Hogfather, Terry Pratchett
138. The Thirty-Nine Steps, John Buchan
139. Girls In Tears, Jacqueline Wilson
140. Sleepovers, Jacqueline Wilson
141. All Quiet On The Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque
142. Behind The Scenes At The Museum, Kate Atkinson
143. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby
144. It, Stephen King
145. James And The Giant Peach, Roald Dahl
146. The Green Mile, Stephen King
147. Papillon, Henri Charriere
148. Men At Arms, Terry Pratchett
149. Master And Commander, Patrick O'Brian
150. Skeleton Key, Anthony Horowitz
151. Soul Music, Terry Pratchett
152. Thief Of Time, Terry Pratchett
153. The Fifth Elephant, Terry Pratchett
154. Atonement, Ian McEwan
155. Secrets, Jacqueline Wilson
156. The Silver Sword, Ian Serraillier
157. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Ken Kesey
158. Heart Of Darkness, Joseph Conrad
159. Kim, Rudyard Kipling
160. Cross Stitch, Diana Gabaldon (aka Outlander)
161. Moby Dick, Herman Melville
162. River God, Wilbur Smith
163. Sunset Song, Lewis Grassic Gibbon
164. The Shipping News, Annie Proulx
165. The World According To Garp, John Irving
166. Lorna Doone, R. D. Blackmore
167. Girls Out Late, Jacqueline Wilson
168. The Far Pavilions, M. M. Kaye
169. The Witches, Roald Dahl
170. Charlotte's Web, E. B. White
171. Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
172. They Used To Play On Grass, Terry Venables and Gordon Williams
173. The Old Man And The Sea, Ernest Hemingway
174. The Name Of The Rose, Umberto Eco
175. Sophie's World, Jostein Gaarder
176. Dustbin Baby, Jacqueline Wilson
177. Fantastic Mr. Fox, Roald Dahl
178. Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov
179. Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Richard Bach
180. The Little Prince, Antoine De Saint-Exupery
181. The Suitcase Kid, Jacqueline Wilson
182. Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens
183. The Power Of One, Bryce Courtenay
184. Silas Marner, George Eliot
185. American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis
186. The Diary Of A Nobody, George and Weedon Gross-mith
187. Trainspotting, Irvine Welsh
188. Goosebumps, R. L. Stine
189. Heidi, Johanna Spyri
190. Sons And Lovers, D. H. Lawrence
191. The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera
192. Man And Boy, Tony Parsons
193. The Truth, Terry Pratchett
194. The War Of The Worlds, H. G. Wells
195. The Horse Whisperer, Nicholas Evans
196. A Fine Balance, Rohinton Mistry
197. Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett
198. The Once And Future King, T. H. White
199. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle
200. Flowers In The Attic, Virginia Andrews
201. The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien
*202. The Eye of the World, Robert Jordan
203. The Great Hunt, Robert Jordan
204. The Dragon Reborn, Robert Jordan
205. Fires of Heaven, Robert Jordan
206. Lord of Chaos, Robert Jordan*
207. Winter's Heart, Robert Jordan
208. A Crown of Swords, Robert Jordan
209. Crossroads of Twilight, Robert Jordan
210. A Path of Daggers, Robert Jordan
211. As Nature Made Him, John Colapinto
212. Microserfs, Douglas Coupland
213. The Married Man, Edmund White
214. Winter's Tale, Mark Helprin
215. The History of Sexuality, vol. 1, Michel Foucault

This was listed as just "The History of Sexuality," which is actually a series of books, so I've changed it to just refer to volume 1, which is mistitled "An Introduction" in English. It should properly be called The Will to Know, since its French title is "La volonté de savoir."
216. Cry to Heaven, Anne Rice
217. Same-Sex Unions in Premodern Europe, John Boswell
218. Equus, Peter Shaffer
219. The Man Who Ate Everything, Jeffrey Steingarten
220. Letters To A Young Poet, Rainer Maria Rilke
221. Ella Minnow Pea, Mark Dunn
222. The Vampire Lestat, Anne Rice
223. Anthem, Ayn Rand
224. The Bridge To Terabithia, Katherine Paterson
225. Tartuffe, Moliere
226. The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka
227. The Crucible, Arthur Miller

Not really, but I did see the movie (the one with Daniel Day Lewis, if there are multiple versions). Since this is a play, that actually counts.
228. The Trial, Franz Kafka
229. Oedipus Rex, Sophocles
230. Oedipus at Colonus, Sophocles
231. Death Be Not Proud, John Gunther
232. A Doll's House, Henrik Ibsen
233. Hedda Gabler, Henrik Ibsen
234. Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton
235. A Raisin In The Sun, Lorraine Hansberry
236. ALIVE!, Piers Paul Read
237. Grapefruit, Yoko Ono
238. Trickster Makes This World, Lewis Hyde
240. The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley
241. Chronicles of Thomas Convenant, Unbeliever, Stephen Donaldson
Note from Tim - This is a series - I've read all seven current books.
242. Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny
242. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon
243. Summerland, Michael Chabon
244. A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole
245. Candide, Voltaire
246. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More, Roald Dahl
247. Ringworld, Larry Niven
248. The King Must Die, Mary Renault
249. Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert Heinlein
250. A Wrinkle in Time, Madeline L'Engle
251. The Eyre Affair, Jasper Fforde
252. The House Of The Seven Gables, Nathaniel Hawthorne
253. The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne
254. The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan
255. The Great Gilly Hopkins, Katherine Paterson
256. Chocolate Fever, Robert Kimmel Smith
257. Xanth: The Quest for Magic, Piers Anthony
258. The Lost Princess of Oz, L. Frank Baum
259. Wonder Boys, Michael Chabon
260. Lost In A Good Book, Jasper Fforde
261. Well Of Lost Plots, Jasper Fforde
261. Life Of Pi, Yann Martel
263. The Bean Trees, Barbara Kingsolver
264. A Yellow Rraft In Blue Water, Michael Dorris
265. Little House on the Prairie, Laura Ingalls Wilder
267. Where The Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls
268. Griffin & Sabine, Nick Bantock
269. Witch of Black Bird Pond, Joyce Friedland
270. Mrs. Frisby And The Rats Of NIMH, Robert C. O'Brien
271. Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt
272. The Cay, Theodore Taylor
273. From The Mixed-Up Files Of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, E.L. Konigsburg
274. The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Jester
275. The Westing Game, Ellen Raskin
276. The Kitchen God's Wife, Amy Tan
277. The Bone Setter's Daughter, Amy Tan
278. Relic, Duglas Preston & Lincolon Child
279. Wicked, Gregory Maguire
280. American Gods, Neil Gaiman
281. Misty of Chincoteague, Marguerite Henry
282. The Girl Next Door, Jack Ketchum
283. Haunted, Judith St. George
284. Singularity, William Sleaton
285. A Short History of Nearly Everything, Bill Bryson
286. Different Seasons, Stephen King
287. Fight Club, Chuck Palahniuk
288. About a Boy, Nick Hornby
289. The Bookman's Wake, John Dunning
290. The Church of Dead Girls, Stephen Dobyns
291. Illusions, Richard Bach
292. Magic's Pawn, Mercedes Lackey
293. Magic's Promise, Mercedes Lackey
294. Magic's Price, Mercedes Lackey
295. The Dancing Wu Li Masters, Gary Zukav
296. Spirits of Flux and Anchor, Jack L. Chalker
297. Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice
298. The Encyclopedia of Unusual Sex Practices, Brenda Love
299. Infinite Jest, David Foster Wallace
300. The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison
301. The Cider House Rules, John Irving
302. Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card
303. Girlfriend in a Coma, Douglas Coupland
304. The Lion's Game, Nelson Demille
305. The Sun, The Moon, and the Stars, Stephen Brust
306. Cyteen, C. J. Cherryh
307. Foucault's Pendulum, Umberto Eco
308. Cryptonomicon, Neal Stephenson
309. Invisible Monsters, Chuck Palahniuk
310. Camber of Culdi, Kathryn Kurtz
311. The Fountainhead, Ayn Rand
312. War and Rememberance, Herman Wouk
313. The Art of War, Sun Tzu
314. The Giver, Lois Lowry
315. The Telling, Ursula Le Guin
316. Xenogenesis (or Lilith's Brood), Octavia Butler (Dawn, Adulthood Rites,
Imago)
317. A Civil Campaign, Lois McMaster Bujold
318. The Curse of Chalion, Lois McMaster Bujold
319. The Aeneid, Publius Vergilius Maro (Vergil)
320. Hanta Yo, Ruth Beebe Hill
321. The Princess Bride, S. Morganstern (or William Goldman)
322. Beowulf, Anonymous
323. The Sparrow, Maria Doria Russell
324. Deerskin, Robin McKinley
325. Dragonsong, Anne McCaffrey
326. Passage, Connie Willis
327. Otherland, Tad Williams

Not a book, again, but a series. Stop with this already! You're ruining it for everyone (who is as pedantic as me). I have read books 1 and 2, but am stuck halfway through 3, which was just too boring to bear.

**I certainly, whole-heartedly agree!

328. Tigana, Guy Gavriel Kay
329. Number the Stars, Lois Lowry
330. Beloved, Toni Morrison
331. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, Christopher Moore
332. The mysterious disappearance of Leon, I mean Noel, Ellen Raskin
333. Summer Sisters, Judy Blume
334. The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Victor Hugo
335. The Island on Bird Street, Uri Orlev
336. Midnight in the Dollhouse, Marjorie Filley Stover
337. The Miracle Worker, William Gibson
338. The Genesis Code, John Case
339. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevensen

Not only is this actually a short story, or a novella at a stretch, but whoever recorded it misspelled the author's name! Honestly. Robert Louis Stevens*o*n, thankyou very much!
340. Paradise Lost, John Milton
341. Phantom, Susan Kay
342. The Mummy or Ramses the Damned, Anne Rice
343. Anno Dracula, Kim Newman
344: The Dresden Files: Grave Peril, Jim Butcher
345: Tokyo Suckerpunch, Issac Adamson
346: The Winter of Magic's Return, Pamela Service
347: The Oddkins, Dean R. Koontz
348. My Name is Asher Lev, Chaim Potok
349. The Last Goodbye, Raymond Chandler
350. At Swim, Two Boys, Jaime O'Neill
351. Othello, by William Shakespeare
352. The Collected Poems of Dylan Thomas
353. The Collected Poems of William Butler Yeats
354. Sati, Christopher Pike
355. The Divine Comedy, Dante
356. The Apology, Plato
357. The Small Rain, Madeline L'Engle
358. The Man Who Tasted Shapes, Richard E Cytowick
359. 5 Novels, Daniel Pinkwater
360. The Sevenwaters Trilogy, Juliet Marillier
361. Girl with a Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevalier
362. To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf
363. Our Town, Thorton Wilder
364. Green Grass Running Water, Thomas King
335. The Interpreter, Suzanne Glass
336. The Moor's Last Sigh, Salman Rushdie
337. The Mother Tongue, Bill Bryson
338. A Passage to India, E.M. Forster
339. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky
340. The Phantom of the Opera, Gaston Leroux
341. Pages for You, Sylvia Brownrigg
342. The Changeover, Margaret Mahy
343. Howl's Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones
344. Angels and Demons, Dan Brown
345. Johnny Got His Gun, Dalton Trumbo
346. Shosha, Isaac Bashevis Singer
347. Travels With Charley, John Steinbeck
348. The Diving-bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby
349. The Lunatic at Large by J. Storer Clouston
350. Time for bed by David Baddiel
351. Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold
352. Quite Ugly One Morning by Christopher Brookmyre
353. The Bloody Sun by Marion Zimmer Bradley
354. Sewer, Gas, and Eletric by Matt Ruff
355. Jhereg by Steven Brust
356. So You Want To Be A Wizard by Diane Duane
357. Perdido Street Station, China Mieville
358. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Anne Bronte
359. Road-side Dog, Czeslaw Milosz
360. The English Patient, Michael Ondaatje
361. Neuromancer, William Gibson
362. The Epistemology of the Closet, Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick
363. A Canticle for Liebowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr
364. The Mask of Apollo, Mary Renault
365. The Gunslinger, Stephen King
366. Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare
367. Childhood's End, Arthur C. Clarke
368. A Season of Mists, Neil Gaiman
369. Ivanhoe, Walter Scott
370. The God Boy, Ian Cross
371. The Beekeeper's Apprentice, Laurie R. King
372. Finn Family Moomintroll, Tove Jansson
373. Stormbringer, Michael Moorcock
374. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, Philip K. Dick
375. Assassin's Apprentice, Robin Hobb
376. number9dream, David Mitchell
377. A Game of Thrones, George R. R. Martin
378. Five Quarters of the Orange, Joanne Harris
379. Darkness at Noon, Arthur Koestler
380. Einstein's Dreams, Alan Lightman
381. Dance On My Grave, Aidan Chambers
382. Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula Le Guin
383. Hyperion, Dan Simmons
384. Martian Chronicles, Ray Bradbury
385. Checkmate, Dorothy Dunnett
386. To Say Nothing of the Dog, Connie Willis
387. A Clash of Kings, George RR Martin
388. The Egyptian, Mika Waltari
389. Moab Is My Washpot, Stephen Fry
390. Contact, Carl Sagan
391. Mythago Wood, Robert Holdstock
392. Feersum Endjinn, Iain M. Banks
393. The Golden, Lucius Shepard
394. Decameron, Boccaccio
395. Birdy, William Wharton
396. The Red Tent, Anita Diamant
397. The Foundation, Isaac Asimov
398. The Prince, Machiavelli
399. Post Office, Charles Bukowski
400. Macht und Rebel, Abu Rasul
401. Grass, Sheri S. Tepper
402. The Long Walk, Richard Bachman
403. Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman
404. The Joy Of Work, Scott Adams
405. Romeo, Elise Title
406. The Ninth Gate, Arturo Perez-Reverte
407. Memnoch the Devil, Anne Rice
408. Dead Famous, Ben Elton
409. Scarlett, Alexandra Ripley
410. Dead Souls, Nikolai Gogol
411. Look to Windward, Iain M. Banks
412. The Colossus of Maroussi, Henry Miller
413. Branded, Alissa Quart
414. The Idiot, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
415. Dharma Bums, Jack Kerouac
416. White teeth, Zadie Smith
417. Under the bell jar, Sylvia Plath
418. The little prince of Belleville, Calixthe Beyala
419. Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert
420. A King Lear of the Steppes, Ivan Turgenev
421. The Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
422. Memoirs of a Revolutionist, Peter Kropotkin
423. Hija de la Fortuna, Isabel Allende
424. Retrato en Sepia, Isabel Allende
425. Villette, Charlotte Brontë
426. Steppenwolf, Herman Hesse
427. Ubik, Philip K. Dick
428. Mein Kampf, Adolf Hitler
429. Solaris, Stanislaw Lem
430. The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway
431. Nausea, Jean Paul Sartre
432. The Island of the Day Before, Umberto Eco
433. The Elementary Particles, Michel Houellebecq
434. The Angel Of The West Window, Gustav Meyrink
435. A Farewell To Arms, Ernest Hemingway
436. Naked Lunch, William S. Burroughs
437. Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut
438. In the Eyes of Mr. Fury, Philip Ridley
439. Consider Phlebas, Iain M. Banks
440. Into the Forest, Jean Hegland
441. Middlesex -Jeffrey Eugenides
442. The Giving Tree -Shel Silverstein
443. Go Ask Alice -Anonymous
444. Waiting For Godot, Samuel Becket
445. Blankets, Craig Thompson
446. The Girls' Guide To Hunting And Fishing, Melissa Banks
447. Voice of the Fire, Alan Moore
448. The Geography of Nowhere, James Howard Kunstler
449. Coraline, Neil Gaiman
450. The Circus of Dr. Lao, Charles G. Finney
451. Jitterbug Perfume, Tom Robbins
452. John Lennon: The Lost Weekend, by May Pang and Henry Edwards
453. A Long Fatal Love Chase, Lousia May Alcott
454. Pygmalion, Bernard Shaw
455. Breakfast at Tiffany's, Trumate Capote
456. Skinny Legs And All, Tom Robbins
457. Written On The Body, Jeanette Winterson
458. An Equal Music, Vikram Seth
459. A Word Child, Iris Murdoch
460. Angels & Insects, A.S. Byatt
461. The Walking Drum, Louis L'Amour
462. Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell
463. A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn
464. Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfou
465. Extremitites: Stories, Kathe Koja
466. Motherless Brooklyn, Jonathan Lethem
467. And The Ass Saw The Angel, Nick Cave
468. The Virgin Suicides - Jeffery Eugenedies
469. Oscar and Lucinda- Peter Carey
470. Angela's Ashes- Frank McCourt
471. The Dispossessed, Ursula Le Guin
472. A Personal Matter, Kenzaburô Ôe
473. Daodejing, Laozi (a.k.a. Tao Te Ching, Lao-Tzu)
474. Les Miserables, Victor Hugo
475. The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
476. Uther, Jack Whyte
477. Battlefield Earth - L. Ron Hubbard
478. Necroscope - Brian Lumley
479. Gulliver's Travels - Jonathan Swift

Wasted time...for pay!

2005-08-16T22:19:00.000-05:00

As far as I am concerned, the Masterminds shoot was a bust. I was cast as a principal, for 2 days. This is all good...the money wasn't that bad, and the food? Amazing. But then I was confined to sitting around doing nothing almost the entire time. Wednesday I was used a total of 4 minutes, and never in a focused way. Friday....I was not used at all. Sat around waiting for them to use me, sweltering in my suit, and then 6 hours later I'm told they are wrapping me as they have no need of any shots with me in it. So, though I will happily take the money and run, I'm still stumped as to why my character was cast as a principal. There were extras on set working more than I did and they were paid $9/hour. I did substantially better than that for reading a book.

Funny how the industry works sometimes.

Das dürfte der Fall sein

2005-08-15T20:49:00.000-05:00

Your Summer Ride is a Beetle Convertible

Fun, funky, and a little bit euro.
You love your summers to be full of style and sun!

What's Your Summer Ride?

Found on Rics Thoughts

Calmly returning from the void

2005-08-04T22:01:00.000-05:00

Sorry about my lengthly absence, but I just have been finding the combinations of baby, work, classes, company visiting, pet issues and a nasty heatwave had all pretty much sapped any time or inspiration I had over the last month. However, I am slowly getting back under my feet when it comes to scheduling so expect to start at least a semi-regular, if not daily journal pretty soon.

A couple updates. Nathaniel is now 2 months old and is doing great. Very tall too...at 60cm. Melanie is doing very well too, having recovered completly from the gall-bladder surgery with no noticable side-effects.

I have an upcoming television shoot, for a series called Masterminds. One or two days next week, playing a police officer. It's good to get back on camera again...hopefully I get a few more bigger and better gigs soon!

Ebay isn't doing too badly. I've had no time over the last week, but I do have a bunch of merchandise to put up, and will attempt to do that this weekend.

Second City is going amazing. Level D finishes this Sunday, and I then get a few weeks off before starting Level E in September. We had our class show a couple weeks ago and as a whole we all seemed very pleased with the results. Certainly a good evolution from our first show in Level C. It should be interesting to see how we do in Level E, as it is the final of the standard levels and we have more capacity to put on a professional quality show.

I do have to get going, but I will tell one funny story before I run. During the Level D show, one of my spots was in a game called Actors Nightmare, where you have two actors onstage...one with a script and the other not. The actor with the script has to read lines, and the other actor improvises a response, hopefully keeping the dialogue in a straight manner. I was paired up with Dmitro, and was expected to run the game and be the script holder. In practice, we went over the normal rules. Actor flips through the book until the audience says stop, and then asks left or right as to what side of the script to start from. Easy right?
Well, Sandy forgot to bring the expected script to the show, so he was forced to dig up another one that didn't lend itself too well to flipping. In fact, he found only one place it could start. So, we changed the rules. He would not show me the script. I just had to announce I was reading the script for the very first time and he would pass it to me. So, we began.
I explained the rules as expected to the audience, and then asked for a literary genre to use for inspiration. They called out Western. OK. Sandy passed me the script. I open to the bookmarked page and found....A POEM?????
Yes, a one page poem. Alright...I assume Sandy's decided to screw with me a bit...see what I can do. So, I use the poem to the best of my abilities....playing up on the rhyming couplettes and Dmitro, though slighly thrown by what I was delivering, handled things fairly well. We finish, and the crowd loves it. I'm grinning on my way to my seat. As I sit, Sandy taps me on the shoulder and whispers, "That was good, but um....turn the page."
On the other side was the dialogue he had expected me to use. The poem was just the introduction to the reader.
OK...you had to be there. I laughed most of the way home.

OK...I'm tired and there is a thunderstorm cranking up outside, so I'm shutting down for the night. See you again soon!

Three again

2005-07-10T21:58:00.000-05:00

After an uncomfortable wait in the hospital, Melanie finally had surgery on Wednesday evening, and her Gall Bladder was removed. Knowing that the wait was finally over lifted an extremely heavy weight from my heart and I was very excited when she informed me that she was being released the next morning. I still had to go to work though, so Stefan picked her up and she began her slow convalescence at home.
Even though Gall Bladder surgery is fairly simple (three tiny incision marks are the only evidence it occurred), it will be a few more days before Melanie is back at full strength. Even though her recovery has been pretty good, and she's certainly not a whiner about it (I'd have to tie her to a chair to make her stop doing housework), she still finds it somewhat difficult to pick Nathaniel up to move around with him. Therefore, she'll need some extra support at home until all is ok. Enter Super Opa. Stefan has been amazing during the last week, taking care of Nathaniel and doing odd chores around the house, and we are forever grateful to him and Doris for their support.
HOPEFULLY, with all of this turmoil slowly heading behind us, it will be time to regroup my writing skills, put my thoughts back together in a linear fashion, and start being creative again.

Until then, my big stress relief has been Ebay. Two items sold and shipped. A third item is being bid on now, and will close around this time tomorrow night. Somewhat exciting!

Alone with the baby

2005-07-04T23:10:00.000-05:00

I'm a lonely father right now. Melanie suffered another serious Gallstone attack on Sunday afternoon, and I had to rush her to the hospital. She's now been in for two nights now, and I still have no word as to whether or not they will be removing her Gall Bladder. When I visited her today on my way home from work, she indicated to me that she was going to be scoped this evening, but has since not yet called me with the final word...it's stressing me out.

Thank god for my inlaws...Doris and Stefan have been watching Nathaniel whenever I need them...whether it was for the trip to the hospital, or for when I have to go to work. I would love to take time off again, but I just can't do that right now. Thankfully, my boss has been very supportive of my time lately...I was late coming in today due to the fact I was at the hospital until almost 1:30am and Stefan couldn't arrive until 9am this morning, and tomorrow he can't be here until around 11am. It helps a lot to not feel pressure on that side...I certainly don't need anymore stress. However, taking full days off right now will just cause further problems in the workplace. I don't feel that my job is threatened, but there's only so much time you can take off in a calendar year without being bitch-slapped.

The sensation of feeling totally helpless is absolutely horrifying. When Melanie began to suffer the pains, I did all I could to ease her through it, but there is very little I can do. My one attempt to make her a homeopathic remedy that I researched had quite the opposite effect (and a very unpleasant one too for all of us too) than I anticipated, and I was pulled between mopping up the mess (thank god I have a strong stomach), comforting her and ensuring that Nathaniel was ok. I find I don't multi-task well these days, and my stress level raises accordingly whenever put in those situations.

So, I am home alone with Nathaniel, and missing my wife a lot. Nathaniel waswide awake for the entire evening, and I got him to sleep around 11. I figure he'll have me up at least once during the night...so I'd better catch some sleep now to get my strength up. I'll post more soon.

E-Bay Listed

2005-06-24T23:35:00.000-05:00

I sold my very first item on E-Bay today.

The book that I am reading on selling tactics mentions the simple rule. First sell the stuff in your house that you never believed would ever sell. Perhaps it's crap you bought at a garage sale in a hungover stupor or something ill-fitting that your Aunt Behemoth gave you for your birthday. No matter what, take a crack at it...you never know.

I happened to have a bunch of old VHS tapes of some comedy and horror classics sitting around. They were very, very old tapes...bought during a liquidation sale at some video rental shop about ten years ago. However, the quality was still satisfactory, so I figured they didn't deserve the trashheap quite yet. So, I took one of them, and put it up for auction starting at $1.00. 7 day auction. 6 days and 21 hours later, I had one bid...at $1.00. I figured, what the hell...at least I'd get practice in my shipping, even if there was no reward to be found (my Ebay charges were around a dollar so at the time I was just breaking even).

Then, I had a fussy baby to contend with...laid down on the couch with him and promptly fell asleep for three hours. When I got back up, I realized the auction would now be over, so time to see the damage....

WHAT THE??? $11.07!!!! A small, 7 person bidding war had occured within minutes of the auction closing, and they drove the price to what I consider to be a satisfactory first sale. Now, I'm getting more items ready...going through boxes and taking snaps.

They said in the book that it's easy to get hooked...and I see why. I think I'm going to enjoy this!

May even do some garage sale hunting tomorrow......

Some Acting News for Once

2005-06-19T22:05:00.000-05:00

I'm still taking a mini-vacation from theatre for awhile so as to focus on Nathaniel and supporting Melanie, but I do have something cool to report on today. I was cast in a video for Joel Kroeker's "The Wind" a couple months back, and after a fruitless search to watch it on Much More Music, I finally came across the video online at the production house that made it. Directed by Warren Sonoda, "The Wind" is a fantastic video with some great visual effects. And I look pretty cool if I say so myself (and I get some great screentime). Check me out as the angry boss!

http://www.235films.com/warren.html

It's in Quicktime format. And if you really want to get tricky, after playing it in the small window they offer, head over to your Temporary Internet Files and copy out the MOV file you see there...it plays nice in Fullscreen.

And be sure to check out Joel's CD. I bought it soon after shooting the video and love it to death. You can find it here.

Wanna Cuppa?

2005-06-11T10:38:00.000-05:00

You're a Classic Cup 'O' Joe!

What Kind of Coffee are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Found on Ric's Thoughts

Nathaniel's Website

2005-06-10T10:06:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure if anybody noticed the new link on the right hand side of the page, but I have created a small website for Nathaniel. It'll be updated weekly with new pics and other items that seem to fit.

You can find it here.

Please sign his guestbook!

Exotic Taste?

2005-06-10T09:06:00.000-05:00

Sisig: Diced meats seasoned with spices and served
on a sizzling hot platter

Which Filipino Food Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Found on Rics Thoughts

The big day

2005-06-09T22:38:00.000-05:00

Waiting for your baby to be born can be the most anxiety filled time in your life. As an expectant father I found myself dealing with new stresses, and I was fighting a constant battle to stay calm for Melanie, who of course had the baby inside of her and was dealing with her own stresses; both physical and mental. It was a lot of work, and after the due date came and went I was taking things day to day.
Finally, on Tuesday, May 31, we arrived at the Southlake Regional Health Centre at 7:30am so that Melanie could be induced. It is very unsafe for a baby to be left in the womb for too much longer than the expected date...the placenta can dry up causing a stillbirth. I do not have to mention how scary and unacceptable this idea can be...we loved the idea of our baby from the moment we found out that Melanie was pregnant and were so excited about raising (her?) (him?). We still had no idea at the time what sex the baby was.
Inducement was difficult for Melanie. It involves breaking her water, and as a man I could only imagine the discomfort this would cause. It took three tries on Dr. Newton's part to get this done and then Melanie could finally relax. Then they hooked her up to an IV and started slowly pumping fluids into her which would cause contractions. Less than an hour later, they started - at only a couple minutes apart. It was time for the epidural.
There are people out there who don't believe in having epidurals done. The stigma around it is that it's dangerous for the baby and the mother...though our own research told us this was not true. Sure, there is a small percentage of people who are paralized by it, since it involves a needle being implanted next to your spinal column. If you convulse at the wrong moment it could have dire consequences. The statistics for this were so small though that we were not concerned. Melanie's pain threshold is not very high, so taking the edge off of the contractions was paramount in my mind. Besides, we could actually hear a couple women giving birth without it, and the screams coming from them were like those of someone slowly being fed into a trashing machine. Not pleasant at all. We were not allowed to actually watch the procedure (perhaps it's magic and watching it destroys the illusion). I did get a small chance to see Melanie's back when they were finished and I think I truly understand why. I won't share it since I know she reads my blog and doesn't want to know.
Even with the contractions starting late in the morning, we were in for a bit of a wait. Our child just was in no hurry at all to enter this world. Fortunately, Melanie's mother Doris joined us for the day, so I was able to go outside to clear my head whenever I needed to and she stayed with Melanie to keep her company. My mother joined us much later in the day to help out too. Good thing too...It wasn't until 11:00pm when contractions got the point and it was time to begin pushing..and I didn't have to pass out from exhaustion and hunger.
And still we waited. And waited. Soon enough, our child no longer could be considered a May baby and officially became a June baby. Dr. Newton joined us around 12:15am and the real work started. Also, I believe the epidural wore off around that time as Melanie began to experience a tremendous amount of pain and pressure and struggled to keep focus on getting the baby out. But with help from us and the nurses the little head began to be apparent. First thing said was "It's got a lot of hair!", to which Melanie replied, "It had better, I didn't suffer all that heartburn for nothing!!!" (It has said that the hairgrowth of a child in the womb causes heartburn in the mother).
I looked forward to cutting the cord and holding my baby right away. But there was a complication. When the head finally appeared, I was horrified to see the cord wrapped around the throat. Dr. Newton acted fast, cut the cord and pulled the little tyke out (with a gasp of protest from the mother). It was then that I could see that the baby was white as a sheet, and it had a penis. A boy?? A boy. A BOY!!! HE was A BOY!!!!
But he wasn't out of the woods yet. The nurses yanked him away and began to use suction to clear his lungs and stomach of any foreign articles that may have entered his lungs during the trauma of the cord wrapping. Doris and my mother joined the nurses at the table. I stayed with Melanie while Dr. Newton got Melanie fixed up (I'll leave out the details...let's just say it hurt her a bit). I was so intense on keeping her calm during this that it didn't enter my mind right away that we hadn't heard our baby cry yet. Melanie actually yelled this fact out and asked if he was ok. Thankfully, the answer was a positive...though they'd want to keep their eyes on him a bit...he had ingested Meconium (baby poop)...and they needed to sure it didn't cause any problems. We were allowed to bring him to our room, and our time as a family began. Nathaniel David Stefan Norton, our son, had arrived. A bit late perhaps...but that makes me think he's going to take after me and go by "Artist Time".

It feels good to be able to blog about this. I'll have many more stories to tell. We're over week in, and my mind is racing still.

Tiger vs Rooster

2005-06-07T14:44:00.000-05:00

You Were Actually Born Under:

Fierce and courageous - you are the king of every situation.
You pounce and attack, until others give you want you want.
Daring and magnetic, you inspire others to follow your lead.
And while you're wild at heart, you have some hidden soft spots.

You are most compatible with a Horse or Dog.

You Should Have Been Born Under:

Resourceful and practical, you are a quick thinker.
You are very observant - and it's hard to get anything past you!
A total perfectionist, you are especially picky about looking your best.
You're a big dreamer - such a big dreamer that reality can disappoint you.

You are most compatible with an Ox or Snake.

What Year Were You Born Under?

Nathaniel update #1

2005-06-02T22:10:00.000-05:00

Nathaniel and Melanie are both doing so very well. There were some tribulations at the birth...the cord was wrapped around Nathaniels throat when he emerged from the canal and he was as white as a sheet, so there were a few tense moments while the nurses spent a couple minutes checking him out carefully and clearing all the fluids from his lungs. But he pulled through just fine, as did Melanie.

They will be coming home in the morning, and I am very excited about spending some quality time as a family away from the hospital. Our stay there has been fairly good, for it being a hospital and such, but I'll feel much better to have Nathaniel safe and home in his own crib.

I plan on blogging much more about the day, but to be honest I don't think I've 100% come to terms with it all. Once I'm ready I will write it all down.

Until then...here's a link to some pictures from May 31 and June 1.

http://www.actingart.com/Pictures/Nathaniel

Until later!

It's a BOY!!!

2005-06-01T10:47:00.000-05:00

I am extremely tired and spent the last of my creative energy on a birth announcement, so consider that my blog for now. I have a lot to blog about though, so will spend later in the day getting my thoughts together on that. Suffice to say for now...mother and baby are doing very well.

Baby update

2005-05-30T14:37:00.000-05:00

Melanie is now carrying six days late, so this evening she's going into the hospital to be giving a dose of Cervidol to loosen things up a bit. Then, if things have not started by 7:30 tomorrow morning, she will be induced. We can only hope that things will progress normally as of this pont. We were at her Obstetritian this morning, and I had a chance to hear the baby's heartbeat as it stands right, and it sounds great. Healthy and normal. I can hardly wait to hold him or her in my arms and feel the heartbeat myself.

As my friends Ric and Andrea are only a short jaunt from the hospital, I will head over to their house this evening when Melanie's ready for sleep and crash on their couch. That way, if Melanie goes into labour during the night, I can get the quick call on my cellphone and be there in only a couple minutes. It's an exciting time, and I am quite anxious for the big event to be over.

Most likely, my next post will be to announce the birth. Stay tuned!

Until then..here's a link to a website that I have put up. It contains some pictures from our two baby showers, and a bunch of pics I took of Melanie at Cherry Beach in Toronto.
http://www.actingart.com/Pictures/Showers/

Idiocy from the past

2005-05-25T21:58:00.000-05:00

My current big project at home to get my mind off of the baby being late is going through all of my old VHS Videotapes and copying certain ones onto my PC using my capture equipment. Mostly, these contain footage of myself as a teenager, and boy does my sense of humour at that time not always date very well. Currently, I have discovered two tapes from my Media Co-Op and these mostly involve myself and a fellow student making asses of ourselves on camera instead of actually doing our regularly scheduled assignment.
Jayson, Mike, Ron and myself were the very first media co-op students at least at our school...possibly even for all of York Region (I can't remember what our teacher, Mr. Guttman, said at the time about that). It was a great time. A good portion was spent at the old headquarters of Trillium Cable 10 (later to be bought out by Shaw Cable, followed by Rogers) in Keswick, learning all about camerawork, editing and sound mixing. These three I did particularly well in. Perhaps we should have spent more time on Storyboarding and Scripting, because we are utterly terrible on camera. I spend so much time pulling off a Jim Carrey like routine...making sound effects and just goofing off, that even the current me is shouting "GET ON WITH IT, YOU STUPID DORK!!!". I then spend more time showing off my switchboard and Character Generator skills by messing with Jayson's bit so that he can't focus on his assignment either. How I passed that class with top marks, I'll never know....

....Oh yeah...it's because I was good at editing and camerawork and sound design. My onscreen capabilities...controlling myself as an actor came much later.

Questions About Canada

2005-05-25T15:06:00.000-05:00

I was going through some of my old e-mails and came across this one...it needed to see the light of day again.

These questions about Canada were posted on an International Tourism Website and obviously the answers came from a fellow Canuck.

Q: I have never seen it warm on TV, so how do the plants grow? (UK)
A: We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around watching them die.

Q: Will I be able to see Polar Bears in the street? (USA)
A: Depends how much you've been drinking.

Q: I want to walk from Vancouver to Toronto - can I follow the railroad tracks? (Sweden)
A: Sure, it's only Four thousand miles, take lots of water. . .

Q: Is it safe to run around in the bushes in Canada? (Sweden)
A: So its true what they say about Swedes.

Q: It is imperative that I find the names and addresses of places to contact for a stuffed Beaver. (Italy)
A: Let's not touch this one.

Q: Are there any ATMs (cash machines) in Canada? Can you send me a list of them in Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton and Halifax? (UK)
A: What did your last slave die of?

Q: Can you give me some information about hippo racing in Canada?(USA)
A: A-fri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe. Ca-na-da is that big country to your North . . . oh forget it. Sure, the hippo racing is every Tuesday night in Calgary. Come naked.

Q: Which direction is North in Canada? (USA)
A: Face south and then turn 90 degrees. Contact us when you get here and we'll send the rest of the directions.

Q: Can I bring cutlery into Canada? (UK)
A: Why? Just use your fingers like we do.

Q: Can you send me the Vienna Boys' Choir schedule? (USA)
A: Aus-tri-a is that quaint little country bordering Ger-man-y, which is... oh forget it. Sure, the Vienna Boys Choir plays every Tuesday night in Vancouver and in Calgary, straight after the hippo races. Come naked.

Q: Do you have perfume in Canada? (Germany)
A: No, WE don't stink.

Q: I have developed a new product that is the fountain of youth. Can you tell me where I can sell it in Canada? (USA)
A: Anywhere significant numbers of Americans gather.

Q: Can I wear high heels in Canada? (UK)
A: You are an American politician, right?

Q: Can you tell me the regions on Bristish Columbia where the female population is smaller than the male population? (Italy)
A: Yes, gay nightclubs.

Q: Do you celebrate Thanksgiving in Canada? (USA)
A: Only at Thanksgiving.

Q: Are there supermarkets in Toronto and is milk available all year round? (Germany)
A: No, we are a peaceful civilization of vegan hunter gatherers. Milk is illegal.

Q: Please send a list of all doctors in Canada who can dispense rattlesnake serum. (USA)
A: All Canadian rattle snakes are perfectly harmless, and can be safely handled and make good pets.

Q: I have a question about a famous animal in Canada, but I forget its name. It's a kind of big horse with horns. (USA)
A: It's called a Moose. They are tall and very violent eating the brains of anyone walking close to them. You can scare them off by spraying yourself with human urine before you go out walking.

Q: I was in Canada in 1969 on R+R, and I want to contact the girl I dated while I was staying in Surrey, BC. Can you help? (USA)
A: Yes, and you will still have to pay her by the hour.

Q: Will I be able to speak English most places I go? (USA)
A: Yes, but you will have to learn it first.

T-Minus 0!!!

2005-05-24T15:40:00.000-05:00

The clock has reached its scheduled conclusive time, but just kept on ticking. No baby yet.

So, we now take every day or perhaps every hour, with baited breath. It's just a matter of time before the little one decides to make an appearance, and both Melanie and I are hoping to be in the best situation and location as possible when that happens. Everyday this week, I'll be on my commute to work, wondering whether my cellphone will go off telling me to head back. Anxieties run high.

Melanie would just like the kid out now. She's had enough of the inner tapdances and arm shuffles that occur at seemjngly constant periods of time. I don't blame her.

So many people tell me to enjoy these last few days...that my sleep and stress levels will go up when baby is here. Personally, I think it's the opposite...I'm going to feel much better once I know the bay healthy, happy...and home.

Treading the boards - again.

2005-05-16T13:57:00.000-05:00

Tonight, I will be gracing the Second City stage as an improviser for the very first time. It was originally to our surprise when we started Level C that we would be expected to perform for our peers in a short 17 minute presentation, but as I get closer to the time I become more and more excited. I love performing for a live audience, and the thrill of being outside of my own comfort zone is akin to my earliest days of conventional theatre.
The coolest thing about this stage we are using is....it's the original stage used at the Firehouse Theatre in Toronto. The same stage graced by Dan Akroyd, Martin Short, Eugene Levy and a multitude of other fantastic improvisers over the great many years of Second City. They actually cut it out when they stopped using the Firehouse Theatre, and have now installed it in Studio 4 of the Second City Training Centre. It's a great historical item and I'm honoured to be using it...
...but I won't kiss it in homage...I'm sure you'd understand.

How normal am I? Not very!

2005-05-10T12:54:00.000-05:00

You Are 50% Normal
(Somewhat Normal)

While some of your behavior is quite normal...
Other things you do are downright strange
You've got a little of your freak going on
But you mostly keep your weirdness to yourself

How Normal Are You?

Found on Trying So Very Hard To Be Perfect

Revealed floor

2005-05-10T12:33:00.000-05:00

Stefan ripped the carpet in the Nursery out last night and we discovered that the baseboards had been aligned to the carpet, not the gorgeous hardwood beneath. So, after we removed all of the carpet runners, off came the baseboards to be realigned an inch lower. First though, additional paint was required on the newly exposed areas...the second coat I applied at 11:30pm last night. Tonight we will reinstall the boards at the proper height and then finalize the setting up of the room. Luckily, not much to do. Everything is inside the house, so no further moving of heavy furniture. My shoulder and knees thank this fact gratiously.
Stefan was also kind enough to cart away all of the accumulated waste from the move. The boxes, the protective padding/wrapping and some miscellaneous debris left by the previous owner. I now have a clear garage for parking...all I need to do is sweep and shopvac the floor to remove all of the various kinds of nails, screws and broken glass that I have noticed during our week here. That's a weekend project.

Painting and Guests

2005-05-08T22:33:00.000-05:00

It has been a very busy, yet very rewarding week. Other than for my office and the nursery, all rooms have been put together quite nicely. I am literally still surrounded in boxes in my office, yet that is on my list of "to do VERY soon". The reason I haven't gotten to that yet is the focus on everywhere else. Stefan and I painted the nursery yesterday while Melanie was out at a baby shower getting all kinds of goodies for the baby, and tomorrow we will be ripping out the carpet, revealing the nice hardwood floor that was criminally being hidden away. Then all the baby's furniture comes in. The crib is to be setup, and the dresser and wardrobe put in place. Then we can officially say we are as ready physically for the baby as possible. The mental part is yet to be seen.
My mother and clan were all over tonight for supper - the dual purpose being a delivery of the crib. But that's not all folks! What did I find in the back of their van? A beautiful brand new Red Craftsman 6.5hp lawnmower - their housewarming gift to us. I was very pleased - this is a gorgeous machine. Funny - for somebody like me who always hated to mow the lawn as a teen, I am very excited about doing it now. Guess it's the homeowner gene taking root. Had my first BBQ as a homeowner tonight too. The six of us sat on the back deck and had a great meal. It's nice to be able to entertain guests, and to have the room to do it right.
Larger surprise of the weekend was Melanie's sister flying up from Minneapolis for the baby shower. This was apparently a long planned event on her and her parents part, and they left it a total secret from Mel and myself. Mel was brought to tears by her presence. This is the kind of reason we've named Britta Godmother.

Pass The Guinness!

2005-05-05T14:39:00.000-05:00

Your Inner European is Irish!

Sprited and boisterous!
You drink everyone under the table.

Who's Your Inner European?

Screaming Cats

2005-05-04T10:51:00.000-05:00

Melanie and I both figured that the move would play havoc on the cats for at least a few weeks, but for the most part they've all done very well. Now, having to give both Branaugh and Furface medication twice a day has not made them bright and cheery, especially the latter, who would cheerfully rip my face off during the ordeal. They bounce back quick though, and don't seem to hold a grudge. That I see at least.
Last night was a shocker. I had noticed a cat wandering around the property earlier in the evening, and apparently it likes to come up to our back sliding glass door to visit. Furface did not care for this visit at all, and the sounds he made were horrifying. Melanie, who had been fast asleep, was rudely awoken by a sound similar to a cat stuck in an active thrashing machine and she yelled out to me "What the hell is that???". I had been watching TV in the living room and ran across to find Furface flipping right out while this other cat sits calmly on the other side of the glass just looking at him. I grabbed him and chased the friendly prowler away, and closed that room off for the night.
It's not like this is the first time Furface has seen another cat outside. I can only assume that with the stress of taking command of a new residence (cat's aren't owned, they own), the idea of another cat in the mix - especially on the other side of the glass where he is unable to go - was a breaking point.
I'll have to come up with methods of keeping that other cat away from the window...especially once baby comes. We don't want any more late night living alarms going off.

We're in...and the fun begins...

2005-05-03T13:36:00.000-05:00

As of 3:20pm yesterday, we are officially homeowners. It was a much longer wait than we anticipated, loaded with a hell of a lot of stress, but now we are past the worst. Now is the time for setting up the house the way we want it..a job I originally figured was going to be slow but easy. Fool that I am.
Melanie's parents have insisted we get everything finished quickly, lest something be left unpacked before baby comes. Therefore, they will be coming over every night for a few hours until the task is done. So, no sleep for the wicked.
Last night I was able to get my office into a fairly good shape and set up the PC. Yes, this was priority...income tax deadlines were last night and I wanted to get them sent off.
Then issue#1. Discovered that this was the only room in the house with no phoneline. Figures, but no worries...I just ran out to the local hardware store, picked up some phone cable, and Stefan (my father in-law) and I ran a line from the master bedroom to the office. Hooked it up and fired 'er up. Then....
Issue#2: DSL line was not connecting. Made a call to Ma Bell. Found out that our move order...setup about three weeks beforehand; had been lost. So, no internet that night, and even with Melanie screaming at a supervisor for a half hour, discovered we'd have none until Wednesday. What I don't understand about Bell is they definately had the move order right for our phoneline. To have DSL, you must subscribe to Bell for a phoneline. Therefore, when they moved our phone, why didn't any redflags occur for the internet side? It's like Bell is a squid...every service in a different arm, none of which know what the hell is going on in the others. Stressful and annoying. Melanie, being an awesome customer service rep, knows how to play the game, but I hate seeing her tearing a strip off of people when she's only weeks away from giving birth...she doesn't need the stress.
This is not the first time we've had problems with them too. They lost our order for ExpressVu. Twice. That was finally resolved, and it was installed a couple of hours ago. Good thing too...if they buggered that appointment, we were considered cancelling the whole lot.

Other big stress of the weekend. When we discovered we weren't going to close on time, I set up an appointment for the cats to be bordered. While there, the vet discovered major dental issues with two of the poor beasties. $1000+ later we got them home. Thank god for Mel's budgeting, or we'd be so screwed right now. Luckily, all three cats seem to be adjusting to their new home fine. My fish all made it too.

I love being in a house again. Last night I sat out on the porch with a tea and listened to the rain coming down. So soothing. This morning, I was surprised by how much natural light we had. After being in a dark apartment so long you forget what it's like. The water pressure is amazing...like blow yourself backwards in the shower amazing (I'll actually have to regulate that to conserve water and energy). Many new adventures as a homeowner seem to be coming my way. I look foward to them all.

Off for a few days

2005-04-29T21:30:00.000-05:00

Because of problems with our mortgage company, we now aren't officially closing until Monday...though have to be out of apartment tomorrow. Luckily, we still can move our stuff in but can't stay until word is given that the money has been delivered. So, I won't have access to the PC until everything is peachy. So, I'm signing off for now, and will be back on Monday.

Cheers!
TIm

Rocks and Flowers

2005-04-27T12:25:00.000-05:00

T-minus 3 days before the big move, and everything is still going fine. We have discovered that the tenants of the house have already moved out for the most part...but still have until Thursday night to clear out any of their stuff that has been left behind (apparently there is still a lot of it, according to our agent). As of Friday, the current owner will be going in to clean the house into a respectable condition. Then we take ownership.
Tonight we are going to pop by to do a quick survey ourselves of the house and to meet a good 'ole boy from "The Rock" (non-Canadians may have to look that up) who may very well be our tenant. Sounds like a good guy with steady employment...exactly what we need. We had other bites for potential tenants, but none of them passed our agents scrutiny.
On my daily (when it doesn't rain) lunch walk today, I saw my first Dandelion of the year. Spring is REALLY here now.

Fire and Water

2005-04-25T12:53:00.000-05:00

We are fairly certain that the last of our great hurdles in the process of buying the house are behind us. Now, we are left only with the tasks of finishing the packing (at 80% right now), setting up a visit to do a final survey of the house and then if we are pleased with the results of that sign the papers. It feels weird to have everything fallen into place...it almost worries me in its seeming perfection.
We had a little scare on the weekend. One of the apartments on the second floor of our current residence was completely obliterated by fire, so we had to evacuate into the cold and wet while the fire department did their work. Melanie was worried about our cats, but seeing as how the building is pure concrete and the apartment was several units away I wasn't worried about it spreading to us. What I did worry about spreading to us was the actual water being used to put the fire out. I didn't know how far it might travel in the walls...and if it did reach our apartment and damaged our belongings we'd be screwed...we are in between insurance policies right now. Luckily, we were unaffected by this. Sadly, many of the apartments closer to the fire were not. You could actually see the cracks in the walls and the massive carpet stains from the runoff in the hallway.
That's the second fire in our complex in a month...another reason we are very happy to be getting out.

Heroism on the net

2005-04-25T12:01:00.000-05:00

My Inner Hero - Wizard!

There are many types of magic, but all require a sharp mind and a cool head. There is no puzzle I can't solve, no problem I can't think my way out of. When you feel confused or uncertain, you can always rely on me to untangle the knots and put everything back in order for you.

How about you? Click here to find your own inner hero.

Found on Moxiegrrrl

Name Game

2005-04-24T18:50:00.000-05:00

Found on Rics Thoughts

Timothy James David Norton's Aliases

Your movie star name: Popcorn Lysle

Your fashion designer name is Timothy Belfast

Your socialite name is Charlie Brown Toronto

Your fly girl / guy name is T Nor

Your detective name is Eagle Sutton High

Your barfly name is Icecream Beer

Your soap opera name is James David Cold Creek

Your rock star name is Winegums Light

Your star wars name is Timfur Normel

Your punk rock band name is The Anxious Moon Rock

The Amazing Meganame Generator

Health and Happiness

2005-04-21T13:50:00.000-05:00

I've been on a bit of a health kick lately. I've cut my carbs down, take multivitamins, drink lots of Water & Herbal Tea and try to take a walk at lunch.
Part of my reason is vanity...I hate the look of a double chin on my face. A larger part is increasing my health in general, and I don't just mean for the obvious reasons. My arthritis makes it extremely difficult for me to exercise at the best of times, and it doesn't help to have a spare-tire to boot. So, I see a solution in eliminating some of my extra bulk and easing myself into a low impact exercise program. Furthermore, my body seems to prefer a low-carb diet. My knees and feet slow their swelling and I'm far less groggy in the morning when I wake up. I win on both counts.
With the double whammy of being a homeowner and father on the ever closing horizon, I want to be able to live up to my complete potential on both counts. I want to be able to putter around the property doing odd jobs like gardening and cutting the lawn. I want to be able to go for long walks and camping trip with my children when they come of the age to appreciate that.
If I don't start a routine now, chances are I never will.

The area I've been able to cut out that has helped the most is Fast Food. I've always been a fast food junkie, and would happily run out to buy something quick when Mel was too tired to cook. Then one day I found myself thinking, "Why?". Melanie is a far better cook than anything you'll find in your conventional fast food joint. Hell, she's better than most normal restaurant selections. And she LIKES to cook (So, any of you with kneejerk reactions thinking I'm a chauvinist can go get a life)
What was my facination with greasy fried burgers, when I could barbecue us a better quality, homemade patty that was mixed and spiced perfectly by my wife? The only answers I could figure was the speed factor, and a hold on to my bachelor lifestyle. Speed eating is silly now. The days of me needing to wolf down as large a meal as possible while heading off to my next solo adventure are pretty much over. Now, I come home and spend time with my wife, eat a normal (and noticeably smaller) dinner, then stroll out if I am required to. I'm happier for it. Mel is happier for it. The foundations for us having regular family dinners are set.

A healthier family and a healthier body...what more can I ask for?

This blog inspired by this link. Scary stuff.