I have been trying not to view writing as a chore. I really do enjoy it. I have a hard time pulling myself away from other hobbies to do this, though, and writing at work is no easy task these days. Strangely, agencies always pick up in the summer. So, when the weather is conducive to being outside away from computers, clients always seem to want to work, but in winter when coding is not so much penalty as pastime, we end up sitting on our hands. But at least our hands are warm.
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I don’t know what to say other than a staunch WTF? It does not appear to be a joke.

Last night was a good night for technology in my house. I put together the Hackintosh, which booted nicely and I set up the ol’ BIOS. I still need to test whether Leopard will work on it, but if nothing else, I will have an uber powerful PC for gaming and media. If it does work, I should be able to dual boot Mac OS and Windows onto two different hard drives, which is something I’ve been wanting since about 1998.
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If you haven’t heard or seen Mitchell and Webb, as they are difficult to get hold of here in the states, I recommend you rectify that situation forthwith. Perhaps with a viewing of what may be my favorite tiny sketch of theirs: Can people levitate? I’ve been listening to their radio show and watching clips of them on youtube for some time. BBC, please give us in the U.S. access to these guys in DVD form, won’t you?
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Carousel was a weird show for me. It allowed me to show some dramatic range and really concentrate on what my voice does in song, but the theme was difficult to grasp properly and the audience’s tended to walk away a little bewildered, so not a lot of praise was heaped on the actors.

But playing Billy Bigelow was a genuine acting challenge. Sure, he has bravado and swagger and that’s easy enough for me. But he also isn’t a villain. In the end, the audience needs to believe in his redemption, despite his mistakes and lack of repentance.

For me, Billy would have turned it around, given time, but his foolish get-rich-quick mugging led to his death and he did not have the time to grow that he would have needed. I tried to bring that across, and what little change occurs in him definitely is encompassed by the Soliloquy, an eight-minute, range-threatening powerhouse of a solo.

This article talks about how Frank Sinatra learned and loved probably the best song in the show.

SteynOnline – SOLILOQUY

This morning I ordered $700 of computer parts to put together a hackintosh. I feel a little buyer’s remorse as I will need some of that money for my future training and vacationing, but considering how long my previous machine lasted, if nothing else, I’ll have a good gaming rig for future fun times.
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Last night, I dreamed that my friend, the choreographer and dancer Garrett, was in Iraq and for some reason I had gone to visit him. He was being his usual congenial self as he showed me around the base, which was shelled continually while we toured. Then, as he was loading the civilians — me included — into a large transport helicopter, his demeanor broke.

He was suddenly as terrified as I had been as the walls shook around us. He looked at me with the face of a child and said “I don’t want to be here, Chris. I wish I could go home.” Then, he immediately straightened up, nodded solemnly at me and waved as the helicopter lifted me away.
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This weekend, I meant to finish my work on a Fight Scene Database for the Society of American Fight Directors. I plugged away at it in PHP for hours on Saturday, but I learned little and progressed less, though not for lack of trying. I did get some functions working, but not as many as I wanted. I sound like my girlfriend; I suppose I can now sympathize.
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I needed to find a way to maintain equilibrium and optimism in the face of creative despair. I fought my despair with what I call “morning pages”—three pages of longhand writing about anything: “I don’t like the way Fred talked to me at the office”; “I need to get the car checked”; “I forgot to buy kitty litter.” They don’t look like they have anything to do with creativity, but in fact, as we put these worries, which are sort of a daily soundtrack for most of us, down on the page, we are suddenly much more alert, aware, focused and available to the moment. And we begin to see that we have many creative choices. As I wrote those pages, new ideas began to walk in. Over time, I began to share the morning-pages technique with other people.”

From this article on how to unleash creativity.

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I was fortunate enough to win the lead in two shows in the upcoming months. The details follow:

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“Stay as Dead as You Are” – Detective Joe Mamet

South Milwaukee PAC
901 15th Avenue
South Milwaukee WI 53172

April 19th, 2008, 6:30p.m.

Tickets (with 3 course dinner) – $35 each.

Join SMPAC as they present their first annual Mystery Dinner Theatre Fundraiser. Tickets are $35, which includes a 3-course meal of your choice. Call the Box Office at 414-766-5048 for more information.

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“Carousel” – Billy Bigelow

Sprague Theater
15 W. Walworth St.
Elkhorn, WI 53121

May 9, 10 & 11, 16 17 & 18, 2008
7:30p.m. Fridays & Saturdays
2:00p.m. Sundays

Tickets $12.

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I have attempted to spread the word about these two shows, mainly via posters, Facebook and mass emailings. But, the whole business makes me feel uncomfortable. While I will often posture, I mean it in jest. In truth, talking up myself or the projects with which I am involved, particularly when it is unsolicited, causes a sort of emotional twitch in me. But, I do consider it my duty as a part of the show to make its financial success match its aesthetic success.

That said, if you know anyone who can part with $35 for a 3-course dinner and entertainment, we could use to fill some more tables at the South Milwaukee PAC. Thank you in advance.