A Day In The Life

Sunday, Sunday

2012-01-29T23:48:00.000-08:00

This morning I awoke around 9:30a.m. and hopped into the shower. I then threw on some clean clothes and then gathered my dirty clothes up and did some much needed laundry. During the cleaning process, I sat in my chair and read a very interesting book that has held my attention for a few days now. With the laundry finished I called up a friend to see how she was feeling, as she had fallen ill last night. Come to find out that it was just a little upset stomach and she was feeling much better. After a nice chat, it was time for me to drive down the freeway to work. I was thoroughly happy to be back in the jungle again tonight. I had mostly good botes and the guests and fellow skips were all in a good mood. Now I've got to tough it out for a whole week until I can go back. So goes the life of a Disney CM.

Another day

2012-01-27T13:14:00.000-08:00

Today I awoke to a slightly overcast morning. Perhaps you could even call it a hazy morning. I stretched, slid out of bed and headed to the shower. After sufficiently scrubbing the filth of the previous day off my body, I retreated to my little room and sent some emails, one important correspondence in particular to the man at the hotel I had interviewed with last week. He had previously informed me that he would be conducting second interviews this week, so with it being Friday, I thought it proper to contact him. Now it was time for lunch and some tacos from Jack in the box were calling my name. The sun had come out and it had warmed up quite a bit so I decided to walk down the block to the restaurant. After some much needed sustenance, I gave my Grandmother a call. We chatted for awhile and then I returned home where I seized my laptop and began writing this very entry that you are reading right now. Normally I would not do an entry in the middle of the day, but I have unwantingly found myself with a lot of time on my hands so I am doing all I can to fill it.
Later this evening I will be joining a friend for some bowling. I haven't bowled in ages so it should turn out to be a good time no matter what. Between now and then however, I am filling my day with some reading, and perhaps exploring a revamp of this blogs layout, and re-inventing the blog that never was. It currently sits dormant in my account with a name that I'm not thrilled about. So until then, I leave you with the words of Oscar Wilde.

"If you are not too long, I will wait here for you all my life."
----Oscar Wilde

The Nomad

2012-01-26T13:35:00.000-08:00

Today's post will chronicle the past seven days of what has been an abnormal week to say the least. Last Friday I was so graciously invited to inhabit a R.V. that a family member had in their driveway that wasn't being used. Having had to recently leave my little studio apartment, I took them up on their offer. It was several days later that another family member contacted me (the one from the previous post) and said that they had a room ready for me that I could stay in. Their house is also located about 15 minutes closer to work which is a big plus for me. So with that being said, I graciously bowed out and today I moved into my new temporary dwelling in Buena Park, California. Time to get my life on track. I'm sick and tired of moving, living with other people, etc. I really want to settle in one place that I can call my own. That's all I got today.

An afternoon post

2012-01-14T12:20:00.000-08:00

Hello my dear friends! I'm sitting in Starbucks again enjoying a hot beverage on this slightly overcast day. It's been a tough week, I'm not gonna lie. Hopefully within the next five days I will be moving from my tiny studio in to an even tinier room in a family members house. It's only temporary but it is going to help me out a ton! I've spent the past two days invading Disneyland with various friends. Yesterday I had the most perfect Friday the thirteenth anyone could have. It was complete with attractions breaking down just as we got in line, and tree branches falling into the middle of the walkway with me holding the breaking limb over my head to keep it from breaking off completely and falling on someone while a friend ran for help. It was great :) So that just about covers everything. I am making some wonderful new friends here and it seems as though things have a way of working out. Stay classy internet!

"Do something wonderful, people may imitate it. "
---Albert Schweitzer

TGIF

2012-01-07T00:18:00.001-08:00

Welcome to the weekend friends! I am exhausted from the day. Here's how it went.

I woke up at the usual time(s) and stepped into the shower. Put on some clean clothes and headed out in to the world in search of some food, taking into consideration that it was nearing lunch time. I decided that a guy can never go wrong with Subway so I headed down the street to Katella and enjoyed a delicious Cold Cut Combo. After devouring my lunch I sauntered back down the street towards my apartment and after entering my domicile I worked on a project for awhile before losing all motivation and succumbing to nap time. Now I want to paint a picture for you so that you don't think I just got lazy and took a nap. Picture if you will a light bulb that flickers once, twice, and then goes out. That's about the extent of it.

After my nap I awoke and got dressed for work. Another day of guest control on the parade route. I met up with a friend and co-cast member before hand to help him out with some things at work before clocking in. As people begin going back to whence they came, I am finding that guest control isn't all that bad. The crowds are dwindling at the park, and people aren't quite as on edge as they are during the holidays. Speaking of holidays, the Jolly Holiday restaurant opened yesterday on Main Street U.S.A. and has been a huge success! It is a bakery themed after Mary Poppins. How cool is that?

As the work day drew to a close I thought again about how lucky I am to work where I do. Time to head home. So here I sit now, beer in hand, and leaving the future in the hands of God. Looking back on it now I realize that was a strange collaboration of words I just wrote, but they made sense in my head. Just remember that when things seem the bad, they could always be worse. You could be a Zebra.

Direct to you, from me

2012-01-06T00:33:00.000-08:00

Hello there faithful (and unfaithful) readers! At this time I am writing to you while sitting in a Coco's restaurant. Today my day began as any other... with me opening my groggy eyes to check the time. 9:00a.m. was what displayed on my phone. I slid out of bed and threw on some dirty jeans and a clean shirt, did bathroom type things and then sped out the door. In case you are wondering, I did not shower this morning but remedied that oversight before I went to work this afternoon. Off to the bank to make a deposit and then home to work on some Photoshop projects I've had on my plate. So as promised in yesterday's first post I have included both final projects here. The jungle one I created as a thank you to all my fellow skippers on The World Famous Jungle Cruise at Disneyland to show my appreciation for them showing me the ropes and continuing to teach me to be the best I can be. The second one is a true "castle in the clouds" and depicts Sleeping Beauty's Castle engulfed in delightful, puffy clouds. Working on these projects is very inspiring and fun for me and I'm glad I can share that happiness with all of you!
I took a short nap this afternoon before getting ready for and heading to work. I was on the parade route this afternoon and was part of the team who helps direct guests behind the buildings on Main Street U.S.A. to the front of the park by the train station to help alleviate some of the traffic from the sidewalks on Main Street proper. All went smoothly for the second parade and then it was break time. After a much needed cup of coffee we headed out to Frontierland and prepared for our part of guest control for fireworks and Fantasmic! After the Holidays it felt like a walk in the park (pun intended). All went well here and then it was take down and go home. I enjoy the route on days like this but wouldn't care for it every day. I will be back in the jungle at the end of the week and can't wait! Until then I will continue to play with strangers' children and tell people where they can't go.

I couldn't think of a good quote relating to crowd control so here is a picture of monorail cat.

And as promised, here are the projects from Photoshop!

Small keyboard, big fingers.

2012-01-04T23:14:00.001-08:00

I am posting from my mobile device. Yet again staying true to the roots of this blog, here is my day.
I woke up around 10 a.m. and briefly looked at the clock before groaning and closing my eyes again. For those who have read my past entries, yes I still have this problem. At around 10:30 a.m. someone outside yelled at their kid and so I pretended they were yelling at me to get up so I did. Chatted with my mom a bit via text message and then got dressed, did bathroom things and went out to check the mail. Threw away the adds someone had spent a long time putting together so the mailman could stuff them in my mail box and returned to my studio. Its really a studio apartment but it sounds more exotic if I just say studio. The parcel I was awaiting had not arrived so I did the only thing I could think of in this situation; I went to Disneyland.
After arriving at the Magic Kingdom I realized how busy it still was. Kids were everywhere instead of being in school like I had imagined. Regardless, I enjoyed myself and returned home just after dark. I had some dinner and then went out to Starbucks and took care of some coffee and internet things. Now I am home again and my bed becons to me. Goodnight friends!

And now, live from California....

2012-01-04T21:07:00.000-08:00

Hello friends! In my last post I left you with a cliffhanger of epic proportions and now I will be revealing what almost everyone already knows! I have moved to California and got a job at Disneyland! Surprise! Okay, so I'm yet again a little late with my updates, but here is how things are going so far: Not too bad, not too bad. I began my orientation and training on November 12th of last year and it's been a fun and challenging ride into 2012. I have the honor of joining the legendary ranks of the Jungle Cruise Skippers and couldn't be happier in the role I play at Disneyland. I get to go to work and make peoples dreams come true, kids and adults alike. I know we all have heard that Disneyland makes the magic and sometime we kind of dismiss it and say "yeah right, bet it's different if you work there." Well I can tell you that I make the magic every day and I enjoy every second of it. They treat their employees very well, and I am lucky enough to work with some very cool and talented individuals. I have new experiences every single day and it keeps the work interesting.
As far as life outside of work goes, I must confess that it is challenging. Things are much more expensive out here and I'm learning that the hard way. I have a small studio apartment that I'm (in my opinion) paying way too much for but was the lowest I could find. I am trying like crazy to acquire a second job at one of the hundreds of hotels in the area. All in all, I am hanging in there, but things have been tight.
After working for the place where dreams come true, I have dabbled in finding out what it takes to become an Imagineer. This is a long term dream, but like Walt said, "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." So I will keep this in mind as I work my way up the ladder and learn the ins and outs of Disney. Until then, "I only hope that we don't lose sight of one thing - that it was all started by a mouse."

Always time for a quickie

2011-10-21T16:07:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the misleading title friends, but now that I have your attention I just wanted to say that I'll be writing a lengthy blog sometime this weekend to catch everyone up on some good news that has taken place. Until then, cheers!

-T

08.18.2011

2011-08-18T15:19:00.000-07:00

I awoke this morning with the knowledge that I had to attend two meetings at work. Ugh. But so goes the responsibilities of the working class adult. After assaulting the coffee pot for the last cup, I threw in a load of laundry and then I headed out the door and began my short drive to Ignacio. I spent about two hours in meetings and then came home to the same empty house I had left. Grandma and her friend had gone to Farmington for the day to go shopping and such. So it was just me and the cat. I netflixed and episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation and then took a quiet, much needed nap.
This evening I will book our hotel and rental car (since I refuse to torture my brother by forcing his over six foot tall frame to fold up for eight hours in my crew cab truck behind the seat.) I will go to work tomorrow for only 5 hours and then Saturday morning we are off to Denver! Ah, it's such a hard life I lead.

08.15.11

2011-08-16T09:50:00.000-07:00

This morning I woke up around 10:00, threw on some clothes, and headed for the coffee pot. My Aunt and Uncle are visiting from California and will be here for a month. My Uncle Jim was having trouble connecting to the WiFi so I helped him out, coffee in hand of course. After that, I came inside and began searching hotels.com for a temporary place of residence while me and my mom and brother are in Denver to see the Rockies beat the Dodgers (wink wink). I have my eye on a few places, so I saved them and then began looking at hotels in Las Vegas for yours truly to stay at while he takes a much needed weekend escape after we return from Denver. This trip will be just for me. I'm going to stay at a nice hotel on the strip for two nights, do some gambling, get a massage, go to some bars, and just relax without having to answer to anyone but myself. It's going to be epic. I will probably drive so as to have the equally epic road trip experience.
I grabbed some lunch which consisted of leftover Cajun shrimp pasta from the day before, retrieved the mail, and popped in my newest netflix. A text from my boss cut my movie short and I hopped in the shower and headed off to work. I arrived after fighting the construction that's taking place on my street and had a fairly uneventful evening. We had a tour group of mostly first time gamblers staying at the hotel, so I assisted them with the basics of playing slot machines. One lady attempted to take me home with her but I insisted that many people here would miss me terribly. She understood. By the time 11:30p.m. rolled around it was time to go home, which I did and finished watching my movie. I wrapped up around 2:15a.m. and crashed out in my bed. Goodnight goodnight.

Not quite where we left off

2011-08-16T09:34:00.000-07:00

Good morning! So I was looking all the way back to my very first post, the one that started it all. I had just moved to California and I wrote that I felt very alone, had ran out of money, and din't know anyone, let alone have anything in common with anyone there. It's been almost four years since I wrote that post, and at the time of writing this one I can say with all my heart that I am anything but alone, I am still broke (ha!), and I have made some of the most cherished friends that will be with me for the rest of my life. Here's to friends!

Take me away, I don't mind, but you gotta promise me I'll be back in time....

2011-02-07T12:51:00.000-08:00

Thank you Huey Lewis.
So I took a trip down memory lane today and it's funny some of the things you run into. I hit some emotional speed bumps, took some corners of happiness, and reflected on the past in the lake. We have all heard or been told to look towards the future and to live in the present, not dwell on the past, but to some extent we should think about the past. We can learn from it and it is what has shaped us to be what we are today. The experiences we have had and learned from are what helped create who you are and the same for who you will be.
I have had a good life up until now. It wasn't all perfect, and I have made many mistakes, but all in all, I am better for it and it is where my path is leading me. I've decided that I no longer believe in the term "too little too late." I think that life is indeed short in the grand scheme of things, but that the things you do are taking place exactly as they should. It is human nature to have regrets, but just know that no matter what we do, say, or have happen to us in this life, it is all leading us down our own road...one of which at the end we will end up just as we should.
I am thankful for knowing you.

Again with the random posting

2010-06-22T18:46:00.000-07:00

I sit here at my desk knowing that I have somewhat gone into hiding since my return to Colorado. I'm sure most of my friends and acquaintances have noticed this too. This post is to explain that absence and also to talk about what I have been up to, and eventually you will see that it all ties together.

My absence in the social eye of Durango and my circle of friends has not been an accident or forgetfullness. It has also not been a personal vendeta against any one of my friends. I am hoping that my time here is short and by short I mean about two years or less. My attention was stolen by the rest of the world and though I love my family and friends dearly, I refuse to become stuck in this town for any length of time. This being said, I have tried to remain out of sight for this and the fact that my job is the opposite from most working people that I know. My days are my nights and vice versa.

On the job front I am currently working at Sky Ute Casino Resort in Ignacio, CO. as a night auditor for the hotel. This job has quickly bored me to death after being busy every second of the day for the past two years prior and today I interviewed for a position in the casino proper for a slot technician position. I'm hoping that this job will stimulate my mind and keep me active and busy and I can learn more about a trade that I can take anywhere with me.

When I'm not at work I am sleeping, and on my days off I make it a point to go outside and enjoy the summer weather, run errands, and stay active. Next week my plans will take me hiking up Engineer Mountain.

I am also using this time to eliminate the mountain of debt I have managed to accumulate over the past 3 years. This will have to be done before I start thinking about doing anything else. On that note, I am happy to say that I now have a 401k plan through my company as well as health, life, dental, and vision insurance.

And so, here I stand. Waiting, trying to be patient. I feel like I'm at a point of limbo. It seems like the world is kinda...off kilter. Before I dive into things I shouldn't, I will end this blog. Perhaps a good beer will cheer me up a bit.

"An idiot can face a crysis - it's day to day living that wears you out."

-----Anton Chekhov

Thank you

2010-02-18T20:30:00.000-08:00

I made it. I am here. I have arrived. Back home in Durango. And I have all of my family and friends to thank for getting me here. I thank my Grandparents for graciously providing me a place to stay when I became homeless. Without even batting an eye they welcomed me into their home for as long as I needed to. Thank you mom, for always listening when I was on the verge of breaking down, and always encouraging me when I thought the bad times would never ever end. Thank you Gary for providing me with the necessities and provisions to be able to pack up all my possessions into a rental truck and drive the 20 hours to arrive home safe and sound. Without your support I would have never made it here.

Thank you Christie for being you. For encouraging me in the hard times, for listening to me when I needed a friend, and for comforting me when I was scared out of my mind, and for being next to me when I was feeling so alone. Thank you Rick and Mary Kay for providing me with a source of income and work to get me on my feet again. I am so grateful for all of you. Simply, thank you.

"A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down."

---- Arnold H. Glasow

Of biblical proportions

2010-01-30T11:42:00.000-08:00

I think that I am beginning to know what Noah felt like as it neared the final days of building his ark. No, I'm not herding animals into a boat two by two but it won't stop raining! I knew this when I moved here though, so I can't complain too much. So today will take me on a journey to the grocery store which I am quite excited about. It's always such a good feeling to know that your cabinets and fridge is stocked for awhile. And grocery shopping to me is like clothes or shoe shopping is to 98% of the female population. I love going down the aisles and just picking and choosing whatever my little heart (or stomach) desires.

With it being cloudy and rainy outside I think that today may hold some creative possibilities. Not quite sure what those are just yet but they may involve creating a tech blog. Just keeping up to date with the latest tech news and such. It is something to keep me busy until I find a real job. Heres hoping...

"A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others."

---- Ayn Rand

Ressurrection

2010-01-27T20:03:00.000-08:00

I'm not even going to say it because you all know what it is. I'm just going to dive right in. For those of you who may not know, I recently moved to Portland Oregon on a leap of faith with having no prospect of a job nor really knowing much about the place I was going to live. This sounded easy when I was first cooking it up, but like anything else involving such trust and faith of what you do not know the outcome of, it was easier said than done. I do like my little apartment though it was not exactly what I was expecting. Thanks to the help of a dear friend it seems a little more like home now. Still need a couch, but I have gotten all of those little domestic things one gets when inhabiting a new dwelling.

It is coming up on the second month of residence here, second rent payment, and no job yet. With this countries economy in the gutter right alongside my mind, employment is more difficult to find for me than it has ever been. I have several apps in to hotels around the area and am even applying to an airline which is the one I really hope I get because it will allow me to live in Oregon and work in Durango where my family lives. The best of both worlds if you ask me. My deadline for a job is two weeks from February first. That is zero barrier my friends. But I am going to have faith because any guy who can insert a badass quote from the movie Independence Day has got to have some marketable skills. Right? Right? God I hope so.

When I first started this blog I meant for it to be a little daily journal and I would write about my day from getting up to going to bed at night. These days, since I have moved, have consisted of waking up, showering, breakfast and coffee, checking email, then job hunting my ass off, coming home, dinner, shower, bed. I need a constant in my life other than this. It has been nice having all this time off though, but now that I have had it, and enjoyed it, it is time to start working again. Hey, who knows, if enough people read my blog maybe it will yield me a little income...or I could just keep playing the lottery. I'll keep ya posted on those millions I'm making.

"Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work."

---Gustave Flaubert

The times, they are a changin'

2009-09-29T12:26:00.000-07:00

I realize that it has been well over a month since I have updated this blog and I have also come to realize that most of my posts start with a sentence similar to this one. That being said, here is what has been going on with me:

I sold my car and payed it off. I am free and clear of that burden for the rest of my life and the guy who bought it seems overjoyed with his purchase. I am mailing him the title today and then the transaction is complete. The downside to that is obvious: I am now using the two appendages protruding from my waist to get me from here to there. I am told they are called "legs". It's been an adjustment but I am getting use to it as it's not a far walk to any place I need to go and the way I see it, I walked around for the first 10 months I lived here, I can manage another 3.

That being said, I am beginning to realize that it is time to stop playing so much and really start getting things in order for the move. My destination is still Portland, OR. in January and that is officially 3 months from now. This means it is really crunch time and while it is getting very exciting it is also making me a little nervous. The point in selling my car was to pay off that loan and throw some towards my debt. Thats been done and now it is time to catch up, crack down, and sacrifice some of my fun for business. Saving money business. When I moved here I had the promise of a job and a place to live. On this move, I have neither. That being said, yesterday I sent out about a dozen resumes to various hotels in Portland and emailed my top three apartment choices to have them keep me in mind for January if the places are available then. I will be making a trip up there the beginning of December to do some more job hunting and looking at apartments as it will be closer to my move date. Wish me luck.

For my friends in Durango, I will be making a trip down there at some point in December or January as well to retrieve my kitty and other possessions.

So there are the highlights friends. I hope I answered all your burning questions. All three of you. *cries*

Quote of the day:

"Life is half spent before we know what it is."

---George Herbert

Update a.k.a I wonder if anyone ever reads this still...

2009-08-05T15:21:00.000-07:00

Hello friends! I know it has once again been a while since I posted, so I apologize profusely and that being said I will now take the time to catch you all up on what is going on in my life.
The first major event is that I have decided to move to Portland, OR. Now before you go thinking about how rainy and miserable it always is there I will inform you that as of right now it is currently 72 and sunny there. I have decided that it is time for a change. I need to be happy with my job and where I live and right now I am neither. I sold the car, consolidated my life, and will be moving on January first. There may be a trip home scheduled in there shortly after the move so keep your calendars wide open if you live in Durango on the off chance I may be in town and you can all come hang out with me!
In other news, and in lieu of the move, I am trying to save as much money as possible and pay off the credit cards at the same time as to have a emergency get out of jail (not really free) card. I am just considering this the next step in my life and really have no idea what it will hold. What will I do for work, you ask? I plan on taking a break from theatre for at least a year and pursue other opportunities with either/and college or a job in a different industry.
I must say that I will miss the central coast and the constantly perfect weather, but it is time to try something new.
Will I be alone? No. I have a dear friend in Portland who I will be bugging about what to do, where the stores are, where to eat, etc. Jess, you have been warned.
So that is about where my life is headed and I do hope for the best. I will keep you all updated as to how the progress is, well, progressing.

Quote of the day:
"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment."
-------Buddha

Words of encouragment

2009-08-05T15:19:00.000-07:00

Thank God for Mondays

2009-06-02T01:02:00.000-07:00

Most people would boo and vomit a little in their mouth at the thought of Monday because to most people Monday signals the start of a new work week. Not in my world. In the land of theatre, Monday is a day off. A day of bliss and breaking free from the confines of a windowless building for a solid 24 hours. Hmm... when I say it in hours it doesn't seem as long.
I woke up today with nothing planned out whatsoever. I arose around 8:00 a.m. to a sweet face and went upstairs to make the coffee. Returned and talked with said sweet face a little more and then she went off to work and I decided to play some computer games for awhile before taking a shower and heading off into the world. I grabbed my laptop and swung by Stacked for a tasty sandwich and a refreshing beer before making the quick trip down the street to Cafe Andreini where I would sit for the next two hours with a very girly coffee drink buffing up my resume. After losing all feeling in my ass I hopped in the car and took it for a much needed bath, then back home to clean the interior and begin replacing the struts on the rear hatch. That project was quickly halted when I realized I did not have the right size tool for the job (speaking in terms of shop tools ya pervs). Seeing the sunlight slipping away as it was I opted to go inside and crack open a beer and clean my room and check on the laundry I had put in the wash earlier. It was dry, threw it in the dryer and went back to cleaning.
Not long after I had a clean room, my stomach reminded me that it was once again time to eat so off I went to Vons for a steak and side dish to cook up. Came home and chatted with John and Billy while I cooked, then ate and played some more computer games. Talked to Miss for awhile, did some more gaming and then hit the sack.

P.S. Our cat killed a bunny tonight. R.I.P. Floppers.

Quote of the day:
May sleep envelop you as a bed sheet floating gently down, tickling your skin and removing every worry. Reminding you to consider only this moment.
----- Jeb Dickerson

Forward motion

2009-05-23T14:09:00.000-07:00

I have news. Brace yourselves. Some of you know of my endeavors over the past many years to actually attend a institution of higher learning that the general populous has come to know as college. I have said it over and over again, then backed down. Not this time. I am going to college. My deadline and goal for myself is to be enrolled somewhere by the fall term. I am pursuing a degree in either hotel management or computer graphic design (which encompasses web design as well).
I have made some posts in the past talking about growing up, getting older, and wanting to become more responsible. I have had so much on my mind recently that I think anytime now I may start bleeding from my ears and eyes. It is time to go big or go home. I don't care how much it puts me in debt or how long it takes; I will emerge with degree in hand, held victoriously above my head. It is no longer a matter of if or when, it is a matter of will. Yes, I will. The journey may not be an easy one, but that is a risk I am willing to take. So I am diving head first into this, and I am not stopping or looking back. I will push tirelessly against this unforgiving current. I will go to college.

Quote of the day:
"The Journey of a thousand miles begins with one step."
----Lao Tzu'

You don't get harmony when everybody sings the same note.

2009-05-07T14:53:00.000-07:00

The other day I was perusing the aisles in Best Buy and decided to wonder over to the home entertainment section and look at all the things that I will never be able to afford, but will dream about having in my house. As I strolled down one aisle I came upon the remote control section. At the end of this section was this little device. Now in order to really know what I am going to go off on in the next few sentences you have to click on the link, and when you get to the page, look to the right of your screen and about halfway down the page you will see the price of this little gem. Now roll your tongue back up into your mouth and wipe the blood from your eyes. After I did the same thing in the middle of the store, I began thinking about all the other things I could do with $500 that would be 100 times....hell, 1,000 times more beneficial to me than purchasing a remote control. Let me just say it again. A remote. Control. So here is my list, and feel free to add to it by posting a comment.

Pay off credit cards
Buy food for 5 months
Put it into savings
Put a down payment on a car
Buy a t.v.
Fix my car
Take my friends out to eat for the week
Invest it
Go on a shopping spree at Bed Bath and Beyond
Buy anything else!

All I can say is hmmm....

2009-05-03T15:30:00.000-07:00

As many of you may have noticed, recently I have been contemplating exactly where it is I should go from here. I once again feel as though there is something better for me out there and it is time to move on, but the question is, what? My biggest concern is that I am not terribly passionate about much in the way of work and jobs and it scares me. I do still enjoy the theatre life but not as much as I did when I first started. I remember being so excited and motivated to go to work every day. It was something new and kinda scary. I have also been thinking that perhaps I should get up and start my day earlier. I feel that if I do that I may have more of a sense of accomplishment by the time the day is over.
Something else I have actually been thinking about a lot after the bug was put in my ear is that perhaps I should try and go to school. Rather it be for stage management or graphic design or computer hardware (I name those because they are the most likely and what I am interested in right now.) I just feel like I am in a rut and maybe the best idea is to stop trying so desperately to escape from it and just let whatever is in the plan for me next just happen. Okay, let me clarify. I am not laying down. I am not giving up. I am not being lazy. But sometimes the best things happen to you when you least expect them. I mean, thats what happened with my current job. I wasn't expecting it and I ended up with a great job and place to live and on top of that met the girl who stole my heart! Ya know, even though I may not be as passionate as I was before, I am going to be just fine. As long as I push on and don't give up, something good is going to happen. I will go forward from here.
Finally, on a not so serious topic, I am looking for ways to spice up my blog a little, either with different sections about whatever, or different colors or layout. If anyone has ideas, please tell me! As one good thing, I am getting the creative itch again...

Bored and at work

2009-04-18T22:01:00.000-07:00

Recently I signed up for mobile blogging and since I have some free time before the show ends I thoght I would try it out. So far its been a good day. Both crowds have been great and this morning I rearranged my room so I get to go back to a clean room. The week has gone by fast and next tuesday we rehearse for one final week for the next show. Okay my phone is running slow so I will close now with a smile. :)

A blustery day

2009-04-15T00:19:00.000-07:00

So today the wind blew unforgivably all day long. Every time I stepped outside I had to hold on to something. Well, not really but it was super fast and very brisk.
I woke up early enough to have breakfast today which I haven't done in awhile. I think I may have to make it a habit. I had a very productive morning and afternoon. Went to a delicious new burger joint for dinner and then to Starbucks for some pike roast, then back to the theatre for evening rehearsal which was also quite productive. Came home and made a delicious pork loin for dinner along with a mirror pond pale ale. Talked to my mom for awhile, talked to Miss for awhile, did a little work for tomorrow, and now I am thinking that my bed looks very comfortable.

What the future holds and why

2009-04-13T23:30:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I will attempt a feat of great proportions. It may go down in the history books even. I am going to be out of bed by 8:30 a.m. I know, I know. Unachievable you say. I, however say otherwise. It has always been a notion of mine that if you get up early and have a healthy breakfast and get all your work done, you will feel ten times better when you go to bed the next night. I just figure it's about time to start following that line of thinking. I have also been thinking a lot about the future as of late. I will be 27 this year and I have become aware of the fact that I need to start being a little more mature about certain things, finances and the way I handle money being one of them. I have always been awful with money. I see something I want and I get it. Someone else sees something they want, I get it for them...especially if she is a certain cute brown eyed brunette. So I am going to start acting more mature about money, get it together, and keep it that way. I want to buy a house someday, and I want my kids to go to college, and I want to be able to take the family to Disneyland once in awhile, or even something as simple as going out to eat once a week as a family. Some people may say, "oh, you're only 27, you still have plenty of time." but that isn't necessarily the case. Yes, 27 may still be young, but when 30 is 3 years away it makes it seem like you are getting older awfully fast. I enjoy my life and my job now, but I know I don't want to work at the melodrama the rest of my life. I want to be involved in something and I want to make a difference. I want people to see that I have done something with my life, with my hard earned money, and not just pissed it all away the second I got it. I want people to see that I was wise with what I was given in life, and take that and do the same with theirs, in the way that applies to them. I want to look at myself and be proud of what I've done. And rest assured, I will.

Catching up and another rehearsal

2009-04-08T00:28:00.000-07:00

Yes yes, I know, yet again it's been awhile since I blogged. I suppose that sometimes I just get caught up in life and forget to take time out of my day to type out my thoughts. That being said, here is the latest.
After a rough weekend I was glad to enjoy a relaxing day off of work before beginning rehearsals for the next show, Under the boardwalk. I went to the bank and ran some other errands before sitting down that night and preparing for rehearsal. Woke up at 8:00 to the sound of a soft, sweet voice, and then was given distinct instructions to go back to sleep for an hour, which I did. Woke up again at 9:00, threw on some clothes and did bathroom things before heading out the door and over to Starbucks. Grabbed a vanilla latte, was impressed the girl behind the counter remembered my name, and drove to the theatre. Arrived at 9:40 and unlocked, made the coffee, turned on the lights and prepared for the reading of the script and some table work. After lunch rendered a plethora of productivity on my end while the cast learned music. I cleaned the green room, cleaned the booth and props area, and reorganized and cleaned my "office." Okay, so my office isn't really an office but rather a space at the end of the long counter in the dressing room, but regardless, it's mine. During the evening break I took a nap to try and rejuvinate myself from the dissapating latte from earlier and woke up yet again to a sweet, soft voice. I talked to Christie for awhile (yes, she is said sweet, soft voice) and then headed back to work where I wrote down two movements in 3 hours as most of the collaboration was given to coreography and music. I find that my life during this rehearsal may be very boring and I am totally okay with that after just coming off two big shows and still in the middle of one of them.
After the day of work was through, I dropped our temporary musical director off at the condo then came home and immediatly opened the Alaskan Amber beer that had been calling my name all day. I made some delicious pasta and then went to my room to do the evening report and talk to one said soft, sweet voice. It was a good day when all was said an done. Now the shower is calling my stinking carcass and my bed is calling to a clean one. I would much rather be sleeping on sheets that smelled like clean laundry though, but I suppose mine will do for the night.

2009-02-22T01:19:00.000-08:00

I told someone I might blog tonight, and so here I am. That someone, however is tucked safely into her bed and snuggled under her covers. This will be short.
There are people who you meet who will just be acquaintances, and people who will change your life forever. I am happy to say I have met one who has changed my life forever, and for the better. I cannot help but smile when I see them, and I cannot help but wish they were here when they are so far away. This person has taught me so many lessons about life that I would have never learned otherwise. They know when I am holding back, or being stubborn, or just changing the subject. They are patient and kind, and I know without a shadow of a doubt they would to anything for me. I know they love me. They know what makes me smile, or happy, and they know how to make me laugh and lift my spirits on a bad day. They know me better than I know myself. I thank God every day that this person is in my life. I can't imagine it without her. She takes my breath away.

Here we go again...

2009-02-17T15:06:00.000-08:00

Borrowing a page from a friend who also only had a small amount of time to blog today, I am doing the same. Today I woke up to darkness, as I had purchased new curtains that were thicker and darker than my old ones and did not allow the light in. 10:00a.m. felt like 2:00a.m. but then my alarm reminded me that I needed to get up and I pulled the curtains aside to find the day had already begun without me. I did all the morning necessities and decided to join it. After a quick trip to Starbucks and a chat with one very adorable Miss, I headed to the theatre to begin rehearsing the second show of the year, The Nerd. Again, I must remind you that this production is in no way, shape, or form about me.
So here I sit on my lunch break clicking away at the keys and sending encouraging thoughts up north. I am drinking plenty of water today and am prepared to leave the house in about 10 minutes and go do some table work. Worry not my friends, there will be more blogging this evening, but for now I bid you adieu.

Back to basics

2009-02-06T00:31:00.000-08:00

This evening I was reading through some of my older entries in this blog. I actually went all the way back to the very first one and read them all up to the present day. It was very interesting to see what was going through my head then as opposed to what is going through my head now and where I am in life. A few things I noticed was how my personality changed over time. I seemed to get gradually happier as time went on. The second thing I noticed was the way I spoke (typed) changed drastically. I stopped cursing as much in my writing and stopped trying to make inspiration border on plagiarism. A short explanation on that point is that the inspiration for this blog began when I started reading a book by Kevin Smith called, "My Boring Ass Life." I found myself almost mimicking things from that book in my never ending drive to pass myself off as a writer. I saw that I was coming way too close to taking things off those pages and applying them to my own writing.
It is fascinating to me to see how I evolved and changed over the past year, and call me what you will, but I have been reflecting on 2008 since January 1st of 2009. I think this is what it feels like to grow up. This must be. Miss and I were video chatting tonight and she looked at me and said, "We're growing up." She was right.
As per usual, I have gotten off on a tangent from the outset. The entire plan was to reference the title of this entry and briefly explain it. I will do that now. Back to basics means that this entry will be what the journal started out as. Just that, a journal. I will try to continue in that format but rest assured there will be actual pieces of solid stand-up-and-slap-your-mama literature for your reading enjoyment as well. (Props Nick)

2.05.09

Wake up at 9:20a.m. to my phone telling me I have a new text message. I immediately know who it is from and what it says and the smile has crawled across my sleepy face before I even pick up the phone. The message reads, "GOOD MORNING!" and it is from Miss. I text back with the best reply I can muster fresh out of my unconscious sleep. "good morning." We text and talk back and forth until I finally escape from my covers and put on some clothes. I head upstairs in search of coffee (some things never change) and there is already the fresh aroma meeting me at the top of the stairs. I pour a cup and head outside to sit in the warm su- the overcast sky looming above me. I make the best of it as there is actually a little light starting to poke through the clouds. I finish my coffee and go into my room to check email and online essentials. Miss calls and while I'm on the phone with her, my friend Sara pops up on IM so I, being a master at multitasking, chat up both ladies on two different forms of media at the same tim. Isn't technology the best?
Time for work and I'm off to the theatre. The performance today is a 2:00p.m. matinee and it turns out to be our largest house for this show time ever. The crowd was great and the show ran smooth as a babies but- wait, I forgot to mention the reason we do a show at 2:00 on a Thursday each show is for the older folks who don't want to drive in the dark. It's really a cool jesture on our part I think. Me, Stefan, Chuck, and George (hereafter refered to as "the boys") reset for tomorrow and I climb around on a ladder changing the bulbs in the 3 house lights that have burned out. I talk to Erik who is directing the next show and is there to audition kids for the kid's parts. We chat about the upcoming show and it's set constraints and then I head home for dinner and talking to my Miss about her day. We chat for awhile off and on and finally end up on video chat to say goodnight as per usual. It's become one of my favorite things and my day is not complete without seeing her face. After talking a bit and saying goodnigt, I start thumbing through old blog posts and noticing the changes I have made over the past year.
It's good to see where you've been so that you know where you're going.

Seattles Best: Part 3

2009-02-04T10:50:00.000-08:00

We awoke with the intention of going out early on my final day in Seattle and doing all the touristy things. As per usual, we stayed in bed until 11 and finally rose to get morning essentials done and meet Ashley, another roommate, and her boyfriend for lunch at yet another very cool neighborhood pub. After good conversation and sustenance we headed over to Gas Works Park which has the best view of the city and if you climb the grassy knoll you will find a huge compass on the ground at the top. Gas Works Park apparently use to be where they produced gas, thus the name and the rusty two story maze of pipes and silos amidst the pretty scene. Regardless, it was a beautiful site and yielded a couple of nice photos.
Leaving the park we decided to shoot down to the Seattle Center and check out the Science Museum and hopefully see the Lucy Exhibit. I proceeded to get us lost, even with the GPS yelling commands at me. We decided that "Emily" has some anger issues. Eventually we found our route to downtown and parked. We walked over to the museum and lo and behold the Lucy Exhibit was closed. Well that won't ruin our good time. We went inside and played with all the fun demos and sat in an enormous chair at an enormous table, and Miss got her very own plastic mold of a Apollo capsule.
Leaving the museum, we headed home to do some regrouping and get ready to go see our friend Nick for his birthday. Chatted up Nick for awhile and then excused ourselves, as we realized we hadn't really eaten much that day. We drove down the street to what we thought looked like a fun little pub. Turned out to be a Greek influenced restaurant with shitty service. So we left. Our destination: Pies and Pints. This establishment was not at all what we had envisioned it to be, but we were pleasantly surprised none the less. It wasn't a pizza joint. It was a pot pie heaven. They had great beer, good pies, and to top it all off, a live bluegrass band! We have decided it's our new favorite place.
It's now time to head home and get to bed, as it is up at 4:00 to get me to the airport the next day. We get in as much cuddling and love as possible before falling asleep. It was an amazing trip and I couldn't have asked for a better person to spend three days away from home with.

Seattles Best: Part 2

2009-02-03T11:46:00.000-08:00

Not hung over but feeling the need for food, Miss and I hop...actually it was more of a crawl/roll, out of bed, do morning look like people things, and head out into the Seattle morning...well, it was actually afternoon by that time. She has been telling me about this public market downtown where you can find just about anything and everything, including public market kitties. So we head downtown, find parking and push our way through the blustery winds to peep out the vendors. You really can't say you have lived until you have seen grown, bearded men throwing fish at one another, and people walking by. It was all too entertaining.
Now we all know how much I enjoy beer, so Miss told me we were going to the Pike Brewing Company for lunch. We of course had to order a sampler as well as a pint for ourselves. The beer they brewed was delicious and we both became partial to the scotch beer on tap called the "Kilt Lifter". It was the smoothest beer I had ever had with such a rich flavor I could drink it all day. I believe there was also a stout imbibed by one or both of us.
After lunch we headed back up to the stores and poked around for awhile before heading home to regroup, and after some much needed regrouping we took Carolyn, another roommate, to rehearsal and then decided that we were both hungry again and popped into a pub down by Green Lake. This rounded out the day and to top it all off we actually heard a older woman use the phrase, "foul play was afoot" in a completely serious conversation. You just can't top that, but we decided to try and went home for some much needed snuggling and sleep. It topped it.

Seattles Best: Part 1

2009-02-03T00:13:00.000-08:00

Last Monday I took a trip up to Seattle to see Miss. I had never been further north than San Francisco and having just moved there, she was in need of a friend to explore the city with, so I jumped at the chance to go and spend three days with the beautiful girl.
The flight was uneventful aside from the woman sitting next to me interrupting a rousing acoustic version of Elton John's "Rocket Man" to ask if I knew what some buildings below us were in the middle of nowhere. I replied with a seething "No." and went back to Elton.
The plane landed and I texted Miss as I walked, then rode, through the terminal. I arrived at baggage claim and found her to be not where she said she would, but rather attached to my back. After the hugs and kisses we quickly retrieved my duffel and headed to the car. We drove to Green Lake and walked the 3 miles-ish around the lake, talking and making fun of each other and other people on the path before heading over to her new digs and getting the brief tour that followed.
We were both hungry for some food and beer, and it being lunch time decided to check out a resturant on "The Ave." The name of the place escapes me but they had amazing messy bbq and really good beer. After lunch we ventured home for a nap and awoke to go down to one of the local neighborhood pubs with Beth, Miss's roommate. I had a liter of beer. Everytime I took a sip it was like lifting a 10lb. barbell...that is until I finished it and ordered another, but this one was just a pint. Beth suggested that we head down the street to another bar and she introduces us to some more local beers. If you can't tell already, we like beer. It also happened that on this particular evening it was karaoke night. About 3 or 4 pints later Beth and I appear on stage to sing "Just like heaven" by The Cure.
We stumble ourselves home, say goodnight to beth and throw on some sleepers music and hit the sack.

Reflextion

2009-01-19T01:28:00.000-08:00

I am sure that most of you have already made your new years resolutions and are well on your way down the path to success in the new year. I am also sure by this time some of you have broken those resolutions and given up all hope of succeeding in the new year. The thing that these two types of people have in common is that they will both read this blog and think to themselves it is about 18 days too late. This being 2009 and me having a ton of stuff happen in the past year, I just wanted to recap some of the top events of 2008 in the life of yours truly and then tell you what I am looking forward to in 2009.

In 2008:
I rang in the new year with two very dear friends in Las Vegas.
I went bowling with said friends at 6:30a.m. on Jan. 1, 2008, beer in hand.
I moved to a new city and state.
I got a job doing something I'd only barely done before.
I made new friends.
I walked through a west coast rainstorm.
I pursued something that was worth it.
I fell in love.
I kissed a girl on the beach for the first time.
I went on a date to a drive in movie.
I cried in front of someone without being ashamed.
I let my guard down.
I walked on the beach in my bare feet.
I ate really good sushi.
I ate oysters for the first time.
I braved Los Angeles traffic.
(All of these are beginning with "I" but I promise I'm not an egotist).
I spent Christmas away from home.
I did something that scared me.

These are just the highlights of the past year, and that being said, here are some things I am looking forward to in 2009:

I would like to experience a different kind of theatre and work there.
I would like to live in a new city.
I'd like to be more educated in my work.
I am determined to save money.
I'd like to see a major theatrical production.
I would like to visit New York.
I will stop biting my damn nails.
I will work out more regularly.
And most of all I am excited to see what the future holds.

As it turns out this post segues into the next, so please read on...

A series of moments

2009-01-19T01:03:00.000-08:00

We experience very few perfect moments in our busy, rushing here, rushing there lives, let alone do we get to really enjoy those moments and just...inhale them. The picture above is one of those moments that will forever live in my mind and my heart. We were walking around the garden in the Getty Museum and on a warm day in January (yes, warm. It's southern California) and decided to sit on a bench and just...be. We both noticed so many simple things that we never would have saw had we not sat down and just stopped for a few minutes. The color of a falling leaf. The smell of a strange plant neither of us could put our finger on. The young couple and their adorable toddler walking down the path. And for those few minutes, sitting on that bench with this person I care for so deeply, I was lost in a perfect, much simpler place.
It is all too often that we worry about what the future holds or what has happened in the past in our lives. We get stressed out thinking about what could have been or what will be. Remember that life is just a series of moments taking us from one point to another, always moving forward. If you can capture those moments and hold on to them, do so with all your might. For they are precious and far and few between.

-T

A new discovery

2008-12-30T11:59:00.001-08:00

For Christmas this year I received Colorado in a box from my wonderful girlfriend. This consisted of many a hand made post card, snow capped mountains, snow, and to top it all off, sitting there in the box itself were five different kinds of my favorite beer. Yes, I know, she is the best.
That night we cracked open a 11.5% bottle called Horny Devil. It was one of the most delicious, potent beers I had ever had. Over the course of the next week I preceded to drink one beer a day. One of these days I pulled out a tangerine ale and after taking just one sip, found a new love. Now I am usually partial to stronger beers, but this one is absolutely one in a million.
Again, being the amazing, best girlfriend in the entire world ever, Christie returned last night and had a tangerine waiting for me when I got home and to top it all off after that we finished off yet another Horny Devil. If you have a chance to pick up either or both of these beers, I highly recommend it. Go. Now.

-T

Get down with the sickness

2008-12-27T13:58:00.000-08:00

About a week ago I walked into Von's and bought out their pharmacy of every preventative cold medicine and vitamin C I could get my paws on and promptly came home and sat in my room with the shades drawn and the lights out amongst my cache of drugs and repeated to myself, "I will not get sick. I will not get sick..." The day after Christmas I got sick. Luckily it was only a minor 2 day cold that I am just getting over and killing out the last symptoms of. I am feeling a ton better today and will be in tip top shape for the upcoming New Years Eve bash. This New Years I even have a date. Christie is driving up from L.A. to spend a few days with me and I am very much looking forward to spending some time with my wonderful, amazing Miss.
Being away from home for Christmas this year was only the second time in my life I can remember doing so. As it drew nearer and nearer to the 25th I began to get a little sad, but decided that I would make the best of the day and maybe go peep a movie and remember that even though I couldn't be home I still had a wonderful family who loved me and I would see in January.
I came home on the evening before Christmas Eve after doing a grueling run of shows and looking forward to two days off, and I was standing in the kitchen making some dinner when my phone rang. It was Miss. We talked for a bit about our day and then she said something that caught me a bit off guard. She asked me to come to her house for Christmas day. I accepted and Christmas day was more than I could have asked for. I felt very blessed that even though I couldn't spend the day with my family, I was asked to spend it with hers. I felt very much at home and had a wonderful time. I hope that everyone else had a merry Christmas and is looking forward to a very happy new year.

-T

When things go horribly wrong

2008-12-03T15:06:00.000-08:00

So maybe I exaggerated on the title a wee bit, but this week has forced me to think a lot about my life, what I want out of it, where I would like it to go in the future, and how I am going to go about achieving the things that I would like to occur. It seems like it takes a bit of bad luck or out of the ordinary things that get me thinking. Following the news that I was going to have to sink yet another large chunk of money into my vehicle, I found that it was very easy to get discouraged by this, but then I got to thinking about what good things I can take away from this experience. So here is what I came up with:

It could have been worse, the engine could have blown.
My wonderful, beautiful, amazing girlfriend is coming to visit today.
I am going to write out a list of things I would like to achieve in the next 10 years.
This will force me to be more frugal with my spending.
No babies died.
I learned that a radiator can crack for no reason other than pressure, thus making radiators not so different from humans.
I still have a roof over my head and a warm bed to sleep in.
I get paid tomorrow.
I was shown yet again that the world is a small place (the mechanic who worked on my car had family from Durango and was able to chat it up with me for awhile about my home town).

When I moved to California I felt like I was taking a gigantic leap forward in my life and finally doing something that I loved, was good at, that allowed me to travel, and that let me be independent. I am 26 years old and am just now starting to see how much of the world is out there still. I am seeing how many opportunities there are for me to grow and learn, and to start becoming an adult. I always swore, and still do that I will never grow up. However, with getting older comes certain responsibilities. The time for me to start moving forward a little further is just around the corner. I don't know what that will be yet, but it is time for me to do a little more growing up.

-T

I have returned from October

2008-12-02T12:11:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, another loooong period of time has elapsed since I wrote anything here. For this I apologize profusely. Due to my absence of two months, let me recap what has been going on:
My body has been waking me up on a regular basis at around 7:30 each morning. Yes, my body. I choose to ignore it and snuggle deeper in my covers and slowly fall asleep again, denying that it would behoove me to actually get up and make breakfast and do something productive. This being said, I eventually roll out of bed around 10:30 and start my day.
We (and by we I mean The Great American Melodrama) have opened our holiday show (and yes, I can say holiday show instead of Christmas because it opened before Thanksgiving :p) and it is going quite smoothly. I am, as is most of the cast, adjusting to doing 2 shows 6 days a week as opposed to one, but we are all staying healthy and having loopy fun times. The line up of the 2 1/2 hours include Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol, Jack and the Beanstalk: The Operetta, The Holiday Vaudeville review. It's a fun pairing of shows and keeps me on my toes, which I like. I'd rather be overly busy than sitting around doing nothing.
It has been almost a year since I met a girl who would become very dear to me, and eventually steal my heart. During that year, we went through some odd times, some happy times, and almost a month of not speaking. Through all of that, we have come to know each other as the people we truly are. She sees through all my shyness, my stubbornness, my sometimes lame jokes, and knows me perhaps better than I know myself. She likes me for me, for Tom. She has taught me more about life, and myself than I ever knew. I thank God every day that he brought her into my life. She said that she would never go out with me, and I spent a year trying to get her to say yes. Now, she is my girlfriend, and she is amazing beyond words.
A few weeks ago I ordered a down comforter online, as my old ones had been used for several years and were losing their comfort and starting to get thin and fall apart. When the comforter arrived I knew that I had started a downhill chain of events that would eventually lead to me completely decorating that room that I am sleeping in. It's not even my room, or my house, yet I can't help it. I dragged myself to Wal Mart for some better pillows that were actually confy to lay my noggin on. I also picked up a new shower curtain rod because ours looked and smelled like it had been in the bathroom since the 70's. Ok, contributing to the corporate giant, done. I then drive the 14 miles north to San Luis Obispo in search of a store called Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Henry Rollins once spoke horror stories about this store entitled, "The Undoing of a Man". I walked in and bee-lined for the bed section of the store, knowing exactly what I was looking for and it then took me 30 mintues to stand there and decide which color would match my comforter. Dear God, I'm being domestic. Am I growing up? Becoming an adult? I was scared at first, but it's not so bad. Ya know what... I'm going to get a small soft, decorative pillow to put on my bed as well. I'm being domestic, and I don't care. If I knew the length of time I was going to be here, I would have loaded up a cart and put all sorts of stuff in it. Yeah, that would have meant I was commited, and I don't give a damn. I walk triumphantly back to my car, drive home and put everything on my bed. It looks sooooooo comfy. I can't wait to try it out tonight!
So maybe I am a man, undone. Maybe I'm a little more "domestic" than I was this morning, but I'm just fine with that.
Lastly, I made a trip home to retrieve my car. It was a great trip. Got to see all my family and a friend before I made the journey back to California. I stopped and hung out with Christie before making the trek back up the coast, again, no problems with the car. Got home, did a show wednesday night and had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. Thursday night I got in my car, started it, and the "Service engine soon" light illuminated on the dash. Shit. I did the only thing I could think of and pulled the battery, drained the coolant, and cleaned the sensor on the back of the radiator. I just spent over more money than I'm worth to have this car fixed and I'll be damned if it isn't going to run properly. Put everything back together, no light. The car fired and everything was good...until the next morning. Bink! The light is on again (that is the noise it makes in my head). The light is still on today, and I'm leaking coolant from somewhere, where, I do not know. I will not give up though, I'm determined to fix the problem!!!
So now you are all caught up on my life. This doesn't mean I will not blog more often still, I just need to get in the swing of it again. Thanks for giving me a little push. Until next time.

-T

October 6th, 2008

2008-10-07T11:56:00.000-07:00

Sleep in on my day off, wake up, grab my computer and head upstairs. Sit around drinking coffee and playing computer games with Nick for awhile, and then around 1:00 decide that I need to spend some time outside. I put on some shoes and then walk up to Ross to see if there is anything there that I can't live without. As it turns out there is not, so I start the walk home, stopping in Taco Bell for a drink. As I pass Von's I stop in for a Jamba Juice smoothie. Now for those of you who do not know what Jamba Juice is, let me explain. Jamba Juice is a smoothie/juice/good-stuff-for-your-body store. They have different vitamins you can put in your beverage, they have wheat grass shots which kinda taste bad but are really healthy for you, and they make the best smoothies ever!
So with my aloha pineapple smoothie in hand, I start the final leg of the trek home. I get home in time to take a short nap before joining Nick and our friend Jeff for some online gaming (yes, just say it and roll your eyes, I'm a nerd) A couple of hours later I make some delicious dinner and chat with the roommates a bit while watching Futurama . After that I chat with a friend online for a bit, then eventually hit the sack.

-T

October 5th, 2008

2008-10-05T12:01:00.000-07:00

I wake up yet again to the sound of barking puppies next door. It makes me wonder f anyone is actually paying them any attention. I will keep a watchful eye and find out if the is trouble afoot. Brush my teeth, swish some mouthwash, head upstairs in search of coffee. Jordan's siblings are in town visiting and they are getting the grand tour of the house when I make it to the top of the stairs. Jordan introduces me, I say hi and grab my coffee and make some breakfast which I then take out to the porch to eat in the morning sun. I see that it has rained overnight. Finally! It has not rained here all summer so it was nice to see everything cooled off a little.
As I sit there I begin to think, "Hey, it's Saturday morning. I haven't been to the beach in a long time. I think I'll go." So thats what I did. I walked down to Pismo beach and sat on a picnic table and watched the waves roll in and the clouds part and the sun emerge. It was quite relaxing and I got a lot of thinking done.
Walked back to the house and plopped down on my bed to watch a movie till it was time to go to work. Got ready for work, did some pushups (yes, I'm trying to get in shape) and headed out the door. Both shows went smashingly and I came home, made some salmon and fried rice for dinner, and about 2:00 hit the sack.

-T

September 31, 2008

2008-10-01T15:08:00.000-07:00

Wake up, bathroom, coffee. The damn puppy next door is still yelping because his owners leave him outside all day. I take my coffee outside and stick my head over the fence to say hi. He stops yelping and comes over and we have a staring contest which I won. After that I head inside and take my computer upstairs for awhile and check email, play some games, then decide to get off my lazy ass and get some stuff done.
I go to the post office to mail back my old cell phone then come home to take on the daunting task of scrubbing down the bathtub. After about and hour and a gallon of the most intense cleaning solution I could find, the bathtub was clean enough to actually bathe in. After a quick change of clothes I head up to Grover Beach and hit the bank, then the post office, Rite Aide, and finally Higher Grounds (an awesome little local coffee shop). Feeling completely accomplished for the day, I return home triumphant and feeling good about all the stuff I got done. To reward myself I sit down at the kitchen table and play some WOW. At the same time I text Eleise to see if her and the girls want to go play pool later. She says they are in Santa Maria but she is down to go later that evening. As it turns out, a whole group of us ended up going and drinking beer and playing pool until about 12:30a.m. then it was home. Watched one episode of Futurama then hit the sack.

-T

Things that are under my skin

2008-09-30T20:21:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, I don't get annoyed very easily or at very many things. Well today I was... I suppose you could say I was perplexed. Here is the story:
I went into Taco Bell and walked up to the counter. The kid behind the counter said, "Hello sir, how can I help you today?" I ordered two volcano tacos (a new product that is damn tasty) and then I had a thought, at which point I stated to the young man, "If I ordered a Grande Meal, could I substitute the volcano tacos for two of the regular ones that would normally come with the meal? I will pay extra if I have to." The kid looked at me, seemingly perplexed by the terribly confusing question I had just posed to him and with a hint of fear in his eyes said, "Umm.... I have to ask a manager", at which point he turned around and did so. The manager, a small, quiet woman with no expression on her face whatsoever, after hearing my question, simply shook her head "no" and continued on her way. The guy turned to me and said, "Sorry, we can't do that." I was a little curious as to why it seemed to be such a big deal, so I asked the obviouse question, "Why not?" at which point the guy leaned in and quietly whispered, almost as a secret, "We just can't." Ok. Fine. This isn't a big deal. Let it go. I will order the volcano tacos seperate and get some other stuff to go with it and I'll be fine.
Now for the transaction. "Your total is $7.67 sir. Would you like to donate to [insert any charitable cause here cause I can't remember the actual name]?" "No thanks." Says I. "Your order number is 252. Have a nice day sir" Okay, now there is a reason that the Taco Bell employees dialogue is highlighted in blue. As I sat there eating my lunch, I heard this exact same speech to every person who walked up to the counter. Even two guys who were there together in line but ordering seperate. With the exception of options concerning certain menu items, this guy had the exact same programmed speech to every person. Now I know this may not seem like a big deal to you, but when I go into a store, resturant, movie theater, gas station, I don't want to be talked to like every other Joe Blow who walks through the door. I want the employee to ask me how my day is going, tell me a story about his dog he just bought, or how his wife just had a baby. It bugs the shit out of me when an employee treats me just like everyone else that comes in the store just because when he was hired he was handed a book that told him exactly what to say and that it was "store policy". I am an individual damnit and talking to me like you don't have an ounce of respect for me as an individual does not make me want to give you or your company my money. Franchise, corporate, or local. Don't be a robot, and don't treat me like a "customer" just cause your handbook tells you too.

-T

Another day

2008-09-30T12:33:00.000-07:00

As I will be posting these entry's for the previous day, here is the entry for 9.29.08:
Wake up to the sound of the puppy yelping next door and lay in bed for awhile hoping it will stop. No such luck. Get up, get dressed, take the morning walk around the corner to the bathroom, then drag my ass upstairs to get some coffee, which I come to find is not yet made. So it's up to me. Grind the beans, pour the water, etc. I was supposed to be at the shop to help Gary with some fall cleaning at 11:00 and it is already 11:15. I call Gary and tell him that I overslept and I will be there by noon. Head outside and pet puss who is hungry so I feed her as well.
I finally decided to make my way up to the shop which is about a 10 minute walk from my house so on the way I stopped by the convenience store for a doughnut and was then on my merry way. I arrived at the shop at around noon and immediately was put to work dismantling set pieces from the summer shows. Soon, that gave way to moving scenery around and by 3:00 I was done. Came home and Nick and I went to Stacked for happy hour. For those of you who do not know, Stacked is a deli in Grover Beach that serves beer and the most amazing sammiches ever! After filling our bellies we headed home and watched some Futurama then I hopped in the shower and then fell into bed.

-T

A new heading, new changes.

2008-09-28T14:21:00.000-07:00

Ok, I am out of rehearsal mode. We opened Mummy and so far it is going well. I took a few pictures of the set and you can see them on my flicker page to the right. Also, as you may have noticed, I have changed the title and banner of the page. The old one just seemed to plain, and I thought I should somehow incorporate the theatre aspect of my life into the banner somehow. The picture isn't of the theatre I work at, it's actually The Grand Theatre London, Ontario. What really caught my eye was the art work on the ceiling. I hope I'm not infringing on any copyrights.
As this is a diary, I am going to try to get back to the diary format and start each entry with the beginning of my day (which will usually start with the morning bathroom visit and then the cup of coffee. Exciting, I know), and then moving on through my day. That being said, here is the entry for September 27th, 2008:

Wake up, don't bother with pants, take the morning bathroom trip. Swish some mouthwash and head upstairs for some coffee. It is a two show day, the first two show Saturday of the run of Mummy so it will be intersting to see the times and what the changeover will entale. Nick is already awake and having breakfast. This reminds me that I need to start getting up earlier and doing that whole thing that involves eating the most important meal of the day. I pour myself some coffee, chat with Nick for awhile and then head downstairs to check email and other internet stuff (no, not porn you pervs). After that I hop in the shower and get ready for work.
I head to the theatre and Gary, our Production Designer is crawling around the set (not literally) putting up some finishing touches and safety elements. We chit chat for awhile then he shows me how to re-wire a light that has been giving us some trouble. I'm a fast learner and we are done in about 10 minutes. I then start setting up for the afternoon show. It was a good show, good crowd. We are done in time for the actors to have a full 30 minute break before the next call. I am done setting up for the evening show in about 35 minutes and I, for the first time since June, have time to have dinner between Saturday shows. It was amazing and relaxing.
The evening crowd was even better than the afternoon crowd. They were super responsive and involved. They gave us the response we were looking for and the cast and myself were super stoked that they were enthusiastic. After the show I came home and made some dinner, brought my computer upstairs and checked email while watching 101 Dalmations with Jordan and John (and Puss Puss who hopped through the upstairs window and bee-lined for my lap where she made herself right at home). About halfway through the movie I got tired and headed downstairs for the second shower of the day and then bed. I settled into bed listening to some acoustic songs and fell asleep by about 2:00a.m.

-T

Back from the dead

2008-09-16T01:35:00.001-07:00

So I know that I write a lot of apologies for taking long leaves of absence...but here is another: I'm sorry for taking a long leave of absence. Let me catch you up on what I have been investing my time in recently. On September 2nd I began rehearsing our next show for the fall entitled Mummy Dearest. It is a spoof on the blockbuster hit The Mummy. The show will be hysterical, I'm sure. That being said, I have also been putting in some hours at the scene shop building sets, props, and painting. On top of that I am also doing 6 shows a week. Now I am not complaining at all. This is the job I signed up for, but after awhile it will take it's toll on a fella. I am so charged from all of this that I am usually too tired to even sleep, or too charged to sleep, I'm not sure which. I hope to put up some pictures soon of the set in the building stage and then also after it's set up in the theatre.
A few weeks back I was fortunate enough to venture to Universal Studios Hollywood with some friends. It was a very impromptu trip, but well worth it. Good fun and conversation was had by all, as well as some singing in the car on the trip down. Tomorrow will be another day off, then a few more days rehearsing, and we open the show a week from Thursday. Once my brain comes out of rehearsal mode and things settle down a bit, I will be posting more frequently, but until then, I bid you ado.

-T

Maturity? What?

2008-08-11T20:23:00.000-07:00

Recently I have come to realize that although I will never "grow up", and just like Peter Pan, will be a boy forever, I have decided that perhaps it is time for me to start making more grown up decisions in my life. For example: Saving money. I am 26 years old and would someday like to have a house of my own, a car of my own that I'm not making payments on, and still have some money left over to live on. Now as we all know that does not come without working hard and making some sacrifices. With that in mind, I have recently opened up a savings account that automatically pulls $100 from my checking account each week. I have vowed not to touch that account unless it is an absolute emergency. This is where maturity comes in to play.
A house. I know people my age who have owned a house for 2 years or more already. I want that. I have to work for it. One of the main things I look forward to when it comes to real estate ownership is decorating. One room in my house, be it the office, rec room, or one of my kids' rooms, it will be Disney themed. Posters, figures, wallpaper, stuffed animals. Another room will be dedicated to movies. I could go on for hours about decorating my house, but I will spare you the time.
A car. I will always love sports cars, and just cars in general, but the time has come for me to get something practical, economical, and something that has four doors. I also am aiming at something built within the last 3 years.
I am hoping that the combination of the three (savings, house, and car), not in that particular order, will be stepping into adult-hood just enough without letting go of the less mature, sometimes reckless, and always kid-ish side of me.

-T

A robot, a super hero, and an aspiring actor walk into a bar

2008-07-09T23:21:00.000-07:00

To take a break from the craziness that has surrounded my life recently, I, as previously stated, saw the movie Wall-E. If you have not seen this flick yet, get your ass to a theater immediately! Without giving anything away, this film takes a look at several ever growing problems that our society is currently dealing with, and what could possibly happen if we don't do something about it in the near future. Not only was the flick great, but the short before the movie had me in tears I was laughing so hard. That was two weeks ago.
This past Monday, I was over at the guy's condo with Nick while he was doing some laundry, and Stefan and his girlfriend Vanessa asked if anyone wanted to go see the movie Hancock. It seemed like a fun thing to do after a long week, so we all piled into Vanessa's car and drove to the theater, stopping at Baja Fresh on the way. I had seen previews of the movie, and it looked...interesting, but I really wasn't sure what to expect from a super hero movie that didn't have the Marvel Comics logo plastered all over it. All I knew was will smith was the main role, and that was one point in my book. The movie rocked. It had a twist in it that no one saw coming and it kept my attention the entire time. I didn't even leave to use the bathroom.
So, if you have a chance to go see both of these movies, I suggest you do it. Soon.
Lastly, tonight we opened our second play of the summer, A Witless Rogue. I made my stage debut as Marco, Chief of the Senate, and I must say, it felt pretty good. I didn't forget any of my lines, I didn't puke, and I didn't pee myself, so all in all, I look forward to playing Marco the rest of the summer.
I have been sitting with my legs crossed for about an hour now, so I am going to go see if I can recirculate the blood back into my feet.

-T

The most impractical item EVER!

2008-06-30T18:59:00.000-07:00

Today was a good day. I did laundry, read a little while waiting for said laundry to dry, and went grocery shopping with Nick and Drew. All in all, a productive day.
On my outing with the boys, we went to Von's and I finally turned in my Von's Card application and received my card. Drew even took a picture. I felt like I had won the lottery. Then we crossed the street to hit up the sushi place, only to arrive and find out they didn't open until 5p.m. Defeated, we wondered over to Rite Aide and while Drew was shopping, I found the item shown on the left. Yes, that is a rubber, bendable pencil. I couldn't believe my eyes. Who in their right mind would ever produce such a useless writing utensil such as this? I even tried to stretch it out to see how one would go about writing with one of these and it immediately bounced back into the shape you see in the picture. Now yes, I realize it is just a silly novelty item, but some company is actually cranking these things out and making a profit off of them. This experience made me sour for awhile, but when we finally got around to heading down to Stacked for some delicious sandwiches, I calmed down. We ate, swung by the tobacco store (I had to pick up some cigars for the show, and maybe one for myself), back by Von's, and finally carted our booty back to the house. Tonight a bunch of us are going to see Wall-E, which I have heard is awesome, so look for a review later on. The sun is setting, and I have chores to do.

-T

Back in the swing

2008-06-25T01:46:00.000-07:00

So I have yet to fall off the roof, but I was going through some old posts and realized that I used to update this thing damn near every day, and the only reason I stopped was because once I got settled and started doing my job on a regular schedule, my days kinda just were the same. The pattern seemed to go something like this:
Wake up - Coffee - Rehearsal - Lunch - Rehearsal - Dinner - Rehearsal - Evening show - Bed
That doesn't really make for good reading, so I just decided that I would only write when I had something personal to say. So, that being said, this post is to just catch you (the two people who I know consistently check this) up on recent activity and decisions I have been making. So here we go.
Item number one is that I have been given a raise and have been asked to stay until the end of the year here in Oceano, which I have graciously accepted.
I have also been watching my spending a little more closely and have stopped depleting www.oldnavy.com of their inventory of men's fashions every month. I am trying to live on tips and keep my paychecks in the bank so I can get my car fixed a.s.a.p.
We have opened our first show of the summer and it's up and running just fine. We are currently rehearsing our second show of the summer in which I have a cameo appearence and get to say a few lines before dashing back up to the booth to hit the switch for the final blackout. I am by no means an actor, nor have I had any acting experience, but I am greatful for the opportunity to take the stage and be on the other side of things for a change. Once both shows are in full swing we will juggle them on odd and even nights.
Went to the beach for the first time in awhile yesterday and had a serious game of volleybol going on (well, it was as serious as 5 people standing in a giant circle can be) which soon gave way to a serious game of frisbee. I managed to fling the frisbee into a nice family attempting to enjoy a day at the beach and I was later hit square in the balls with said frisbee. I now believe in karma.
One of our actresses has been given an opportunity to be part of an off broadway production in New York, so as of Sunday we will have Suzy, the company manager, taking over her role in both summer productions.
We had a somewhat impromtu cast barbeque last night. There was so much food I could hardley see straight (or walk straight) when it was all over. I grilled Stefan and I up some enormous steaks and Stefan made some salad and sauteed some mushrooms to go with it. John made some chilie which was a smash hit. There was potato salad, snausages, and strawberries. We decided this will be a every Sunday after the show affair.
So that, my friends, is the jest of it. I now lay here typing this as my eyes grow heavy which is telling me it is time to give in to sleeps enticing beckon.

-T

Falling off the roof

2008-06-17T01:21:00.001-07:00

So, I like to fall off of things. Stages, rooftops, the ground, I fall pretty much anywhere. (Editors note: This blog was started by someone else and so I will finish it from the point of view of the original author. Enjoy. ) I was sitting with my good friend Tom on his roof eating pizza the other night and luckily, I didn't fall off the roof, however, we talked out two different scenarios which I will share with you now. Scenario #1: Tom starts sliding off the roof and grabs my ankle out of panic and I, in turn, grab the window sill. Hearing our screams of impending doom, John rushes over and catches my wrist just as I can no longer hold on to the window sill, and he pulls us both inside to safety. I then punch Tom in the gut because he was an ass and tried to pull me off the roof with him in his state of panic. (Editors note: I just added that last part)
Scenario #2: I begin sliding off the roof and Tom doesn't catch me in time even though he tries with all his might but as I fall I grab on to the gutter at the last second. I soon realize I am only a couple of feet off the ground and let go, landing safely on my feet. Because of my traumatizing event, Tom graciously offers me the last piece of hawaiian pizza which is the best pizza ever in the world, which I accept. (Editors note: That last part about the pizza was slightly embellished, but is somewhat factual. Hawaiian is indeed the best pizza in the world.)
So as I do like falling off things, I have yet to fall off of Tom's roof, but considering it is me, there is always a chance that I will one day, and in that case, I have two situations to choose from. If you have any good situations that involve Tom or I falling off a roof, please post them in the comments section of this blog. They can be as outrageous or realistic as you want, but Tom and I are eager to hear anything you might come up with.

Why sunscreen is for sissys

2008-05-20T00:17:00.000-07:00

Location: Avila Beach, CA.

Katie: "Tom, want some sunscreen?"

Tom: "No, I'm fine, thanks though."

The Funny Part: I got burned pretty bad

Now I am a pretty hardheaded guy, as many people will tell you, however, I also know when to admit I am wrong, and when I have been put in my place. Concerning the above scenario, I was wrong. I so should have put on sunscreen. I got burned pretty bad. It's sort of hard to tell in the picture, but my arms got toasted as did my neck and the rest of me. I had my shirt off and laying across my face (luckily) and wearing just shorts, laying on the sunny central coast today. Yes, I got myself into this situation. I didn't want to admit that I had forgot to put on sunscreen this morning before we left the house, so I kindly declined Katie's offer and assumed she would just think I already had some on, so as I would not look like the one guy in the group who forgot to wear a protective coating. Luckily I have some aloe lotion that I will be rubbing all over my body (cue the porn music) for the next several days. Lesson learned, I will be rubbing sunscreen all over my body (porn music take 2) every time I step outside for the rest of the summer. (porn music fade)

In other news, summer rehearsals start tomorrow. 8 weeks of fun, here I come! All sarcasm aside, I am actually excited to have something challenging to do with my days for a change. I may not have as much time to post here, but that won't actually be much of a change, me posting regularly I mean. *wink wink, nudge nudge* Well, I hope everyone is making the most of their week so far. On a side note, I wish I was at Disneyland.

-T

My new favorite things

2008-05-12T17:00:00.000-07:00

Recently I have made a few discoveries that have quickly become my favorite past times and I wanted to share them with you. The first is that I discovered, or rather I stumbled upon Johns discovery, that you can access our roof from the upstairs living room window. I noticed John sitting on the window cill the other morning with his coffee and it hit me. Oh my gosh. I can totally go sit on the roof at any time I choose. And so I have been sitting on the roof a lot lately. It is actually a good place to think, do sit ups, drink coffee, and I'm sure many other things. (Yes, there was a little innuendo there)

The second thing that I just discovered was that the alternative radio stations on iTunes now offer a acoustic station. I have always loved the way good songs sound acoustically. It seems so much more intimate. No pressure, no thousands of screaming fans (usually) and it is just a different sound. I love it and am currently listening to it right now. I find that it is so revolutionary when I discover new things that may have been there all the time, or things I didn't know about. It makes me feel like a 5 year old :)

-T

My trip and everything I can't tell you (all) directly

2008-05-02T15:14:00.000-07:00

Well yet again I have fallen victim to what I like to call laze. I haven't blogged in quite some time now, and for the few of you that do read this, I apologize. Recently I decided to take a trip to Durango. We just opened the third show of the season, and I figured that with three shows under my belt in Oceano, I deserved a break. Monday morning I hopped on a train and began the 5 hour trip to L.A. where I would then take a $50.00 taxi ride to LAX and embark on the final leg of the trip to Albuquerque, NM. to be picked up by Moby.

I had forgotten how much I hated flying. I used to love it when I was younger, but ever since I have been afraid of heights in my older years, I haven't cared to much for being over 2,000 ft. in the air. That being said, I put on my iPod and closed my eyes almost the entire trip. I landed in Albq. a little after 6:00p.m. and called Moby who said he was about 30 minutes away. I said okay and that I was going to hit the cantina for a beer and some food. I had some quesadillas with some of the most amazing salsa I have ever tasted. 30 minutes later a short mexican guy wearing sunglasses sat down next to me; it was Rick. I hugged my friend as manly as I could muster, as to not be too "girly" and we headed out.

The ride home was spent talking about what we had both missed out on not being around each other the past 4 months. I spoke with him about my time in Oceano, and he spoke of his recent marriage in Moldova, and how he was in the process of settling the paperwork to make his wife a U.S. citizen in the upcoming months. We stopped at taco bell to share one of our favorite pastimes, and we each ordered a grande meal. It was amazing. I know you are shaking your head right now, but considering I have been making a conscious effort to eat well and not eat fast food, I figured I would splurge just once with my best friend. :)

After dinner we hopped in the car and began driving the last 2 hours back to Durango. As we arrived on the mesa just before descending into the valley, we noticed it was really smokey. I mean REALLY smoky. I called our friend Jess and she told me that there was a controlled burn up in the north animas valley. That being said, we made our way through the haze to the other side of town to pick up Jess and then headed down to the Strater Hotel to see if anyone was there we should say hi to. As it turns out, Whitney, Becky, and Amy were all in The Office having a drink and were surprised to see me, as I hadn't told anyone I was coming. After hugs and pleasantries we walked across the street to Lady Falconburgs for pint night where we saw more friends and imbibed some beers before calling it a night

On Tuesday morning Moby and I awoke and got dressed and headed down to the hotel to see some other people. It was very nice to see MK and everyone else at the desk, I miss those dear people like you wouldn't believe. After that we went down to Carvers where Rick and I both ordered the southwest omlet and a pint of old oak amber beer for breakfast. Mmmm mmm good. With our stomachs full, it was time to go see my mom and brother. We pulled up to their house and were greeted with open arms. I really miss my mom. Her and I have been through a lot of shit in our lives, both separately and together, but she has always been there for me and I love her dearly. My brother was happy to see me, and I him. He sat between Ricky and I on the couch so naturally we squished him. After talking to them for awhile, Ricky and I headed out to grab lunch with Hollie, Amy, Whitney, Nick, and Joey. Again, it was Falconburgs, but first stopping at Ska Brewing and doing some beer tasting as well as purchasing some merchandise. Lunch was delicious as was the beer I had been drinking all day. I had a hefewisen or two with lunch.

Breaking from story mode for a moment, I would just like to say that it is hard to cram all this into less than 48 hours. .

Now it is off to see the grandparents. I was especially looking forward to this because my grandpa had been having some health problems and I was a little worried about him. As it turns out, he is doing much better. :) We chitchatted with him and my grandma for a bit and after looking at the time, we needed to leave to head to the restaurant to meet the rest of the family and two of my best friends from high school, Darlene and Jamie. They had no idea I was coming and my mom had planned out this little surprise for them. I told her I didn't know what she was making a big deal of, it was just me, but she was making me feel like a movie star. Anyhow, they were both surprised and good food and good times were had by all.

As we did have a little time to spare before going to dinner, Rick and I drove out to the country a ways, as I had something very important to do while I was there. Since there are no subways in Durango, here are the rest of the barn pictures for those of you who haven't seen them.

After dinner, I said my goodbyes to my beloved family. I love you all and think about you every day.

Rick's alarm went off at 3:30a.m. and we both got up and I began to pack. The two bottles of beer I had purchased from Ska I wrapped individually in a towel and some clothes so they wouldn't break in the belly of the plane on the way home. It was a quiet ride to the airport, that is until the Rockstars kicked in. We showed up at the all to familiar Albuquerque International and parked, walked inside and I checked my beer toting bag. We were about 2 hours early so we were gonna hang out and chit chat awhile, and that was when we saw the security check line. At this point we thought it better to say our goodbyes, manly hug, and for me to get in line. It was a painless walk through security and I had an hour to kill. I grabbed a breakfast bagel and some coffee and messed around online for awhile until I boarded the plane for the 2 hour flight to LAX. Again, I slept the entire flight listening to my iPod on random, this time searching for a song that would give me the answers.

I landed in LAX and rushed to baggage claim to see if my beer had made it safely. I could smell my alcohol soaked duffle as it came around the baggage carousel, and as I picked it up, I heard glass rattling around, and my heart sank. This wasn't just any beer, this was Decadence. 10% alcohol by volume. Delicious, hoppy, goodness was now soaked into my clothes. For a moment I looked around for a container to wring my clothes out in and try to salvage what I could, then thought better of it. This beer wasn't even for me, and I was destroyed knowing it was gone. Then, my spirits were lifted when I found that the bottle of Pinstripe was still intact! W00t! I will save it in case the receiving party comes around again.

I found the shuttle that would take me to my rental car which was supposed to be a Chevy Cobalt, but ended up being a 2007 Ford Mustang for the same price. Vroom vroom. It was a good looking car, but no, it wasn't sexy. I found my way out of the parking lot and onto the freeway. The ride home was long, and a little lonely but I did indeed make it home safe and sound, and here is where I stay.

-T

Evolution of a doodle

2008-04-15T22:31:00.001-07:00

So a couple of weeks ago I was telling my good friend Christie that I was bored during vaudeville rehearsals and she suggested that I doodle. I kinda dismissed the idea, but eventually gave in and started sketching on my yellow legal pad. I began with just some swirls and then unintentionally drew a letter C and H right next to each other. Thats when I had the idea that I would hide Christie's name within the doodle, in tribute to her amazing idea to cure my boredom. When I was done I took a picture of it with my cell phone and sent it off to miss trouble herself.

Thats when I got another idea. Why not scan it, put it in photoshop and make it all pretty and colorful? So that is exactly what I did and the result and evolution of said doodle is seen here. I am by no means tooting my own horn, but I think it turned out well so I wanted to sort of showcase it. Wow, it does sound like I'm tooting my own horn. Regardless, it's intent was to make someone special smile, not go "toot toot" .

-T

P.S. This was the previously mentioned "Creation of epic proportions"

Coming soon...

2008-04-11T01:09:00.000-07:00

...A new creation of epic proportions... hopefully

Alltel can kiss my ass

2008-04-09T22:54:00.001-07:00

So tonight I went to use my phone to leave the rehearsal calls for tomorrow on the hotline for the theatre. I dialed and was greeted with a recorded voice saying that I was not registered in the roaming area and I can no longer make long distance calls but only credit card or collect calls. Oh I was mad. So lets go back to the beginning of the week. I was getting 4 or 5 calls a day from a 800 number I didn't recognize, so I didn't answer it. Finally I got so annoyed I answered the phone and it was a recorded voice from my phone company, Alltel, saying to stay on the line and they would tell me how to lower my bill. Great, I don't have time for this. I hung up and called the number back later an explained to the guy that answered that I know, I have been texting a lot, but I am just gonna pay the bill and I won't be texting that much anymore and would he please put a stop to the automate calls. He said he would put a note on my account. The next day I received 2 more calls from said automated system so I called Alltel again and very sternly told the lady that answered I wanted a stop put to the calls. I did not have time to answer them and it was bordering on harassment. Her reply was to tell me that when I signed my contract I authorized Alltel to contact me whenever they wanted. Great, so the contract I signed some 5 or more years ago lets them harass me. Shit. Anyhow, I told her I wanted to know how long until my contract was up. She said she couldn't tell me cause I'm not authorized on my own account. Good Lord. When I bought my phone I had no credit so my grandpa co-signed for me, thus making him the primary name on the account. So even though I pay the bill, I own the phone, I make the calls, I can't know when my contract ends. No. At this point I was about 3 words away from telling the lady to go to hell. Lucky for her I had to go back to rehearsal. So as it stands I am unreachable to anyone without a 970 area code. I can't call you, you can't call me. No texting either. I hope to get this straightened out tomorrow, but I will be at the theatre literally all day . I may wake up early and go down and buy a phone and plan from AT&T. GRRRRRRRR!

On with the show

2008-04-03T23:49:00.000-07:00

We have once again started rehearsing for yet another production. Road to Oildale is still in full swing and will close on the 20th of April. The next show we will do is called Muskie Love and is loosely based on Much Ado About Nothing. Today we put it on it's feet and started blocking. It is set in Wisconsin and we are having a lot of fun with the accents. Wow, I am really tired and I don't really have a lot to write about. Tomorrow will be a long one as we have a kiddie mat and then rehearsal, and then a show. I need some sleep. I promise I will have something exciting to write about soon. Maybe I will go finish shaving the cat.

-T

Sincerity

2008-04-01T22:00:00.000-07:00

I have always told people to trust their instinct about anything. If something feels right, go for it, and if it doesn't, there is probably a reason for it, so if your gut tells you to hold off, chances are you should listen to it. Now I tell people this because it's something I have always tried to do myself, but recently I asked a dear friend of mine to question her instinct for my benefit, and for that, I was wrong. The fact that I pointed my finger and asked the question, "how do you know... if you won't even...?" and then said that "because thats just the way I feel" was an unacceptable answer, was very wrong of me to do, and for that I am eternally sorry. Like I've said many times before, sometimes I just start saying shit without thinking about it. It was very selfish of me to ask of someone more than they knew they could give, especially after knowing long ago how they felt, and where they stood. I know I am not completely at fault for what happened, but I do feel as though I did my part in putting a wonderful friendship in jeopardy, and I would never forgive myself if that friendship ever failed due to a very complicated, silly, yet sometimes enjoyable matter such as this.
Many times I've uttered the words, "Your worth it to me" and there was even an entire post up here about something being so worth it to you that you couldn't or shouldn't give up on it, but I think it only got read by like, one person before I took it down. Anyhow, I think I have learned that that saying comes with limits. Something can be worth it to you so much that you never give up hope inside your heart, you never give up trying, and inside your heart, depending on what it is, is maybe where it should stay. Sometimes words get in the way as do our actions and in trying to show how much something is worth to you, or trying to show someone how much you care, you may end up losing it all together without even realizing what you are doing. This will always be worth it to me, but I can't be selfish and hard headed anymore, and I can't lose a friend because of it. Take time away if you need it, but it would make me smile if I heard the voice of my friend.

The Nearness of You

2008-03-31T18:16:00.000-07:00

It's not the pale moon that excites me
That thrills and delights me, oh no
It's just the nearness of you

It isn't your sweet conversation
That brings this sensation, oh no
It's just the nearness of you

When you're in my arms and I feel you so close to me
All my wildest dreams came true

I need no soft lights to enchant me
If you'll only grant me the right
To hold you ever so tight
And to feel in the night the nearness of you

Productivity, here I come!

2008-03-29T11:07:00.000-07:00

After much discussion and excuse making, I have decided that I need to be more productive with my days. For the past 3 days I have been confined to my room watching The Office which is a wonderfully funny show, but it got me thinking that I should do more stuff, ya know, outside. So here are some of the ideas I have come up with:

Read a book on the porch (that was kinda Christie's idea)
Go to the gym (totally my idea)
Write (depending on the weather, on the porch)
Test drive cars at random with no intent to buy
Learn Russian (also Christie's idea but I had started that at the beginning of winter and just never followed through)
Buy a bike and see how far I can ride it before I collapse
Repaint the stage at the theatre since I doubt Gary will every do it even though he says he will
Paint my room (does anyone know what color goes with that fake wood paneling from the 70's?).
Paint Jim's room when he's gone
Shop online... on the porch (does that count?)
Walk some place new

Those are just a few of the ideas I'd like to put into effect. It is pretty difficult being in this area and not having a car as I am always bitching about and I'm sure you people are sick of it, but it would really help. So I am going to start really really saving my money so I can afford to buy a car for a couple of thousand as opposed to fixing mine for close to eight thousand. With that in mind, here are a few things I would do/will do when I have proper transportation:

Drive to Hurst Castle
Drive to Disneyland
Universal Studios
Southern Cal. to see some family
San Francisco *ding ding!*
Wine tasting
Drive home to visit friends and family

Thats all I got so far. I'm sure I could think of other things later on. So there you have it. My commitment to to more stuff outside.

-T

Back to your regularly scheduled program

2008-03-26T12:02:00.000-07:00

I woke up around 8:30a.m. and looked at the clock and fell back asleep till around 11:30a.m. Due to late night activities which I will not go into detail about, I was dead. After rolling out of bed I chugged some water ever so conveniently located nearby and took a shower. I grabbed some coffee and headed out to the porch to shoot the shit with Billy and Jim for a bit. For some reason I was in the mood for a good steak, so Billy told me about this place a couple miles up the road called AJ's. I headed off on my mission for a big fat slab of beef and perhaps a brew.
I made it as far as Stacked and decided that not only was a big ol sandwich probably healthier, it would also cost me about $12.00 less and be just as delicious. I ordered a 10" taxidermist with all the vegies, and had some raspberry tea and chips, and sat in the sun. It may very well have been the perfect lunch. After devouring my feast, I jogged across the street to pick up some photo paper at Vons, and then headed home. When I got home I printed what I needed to on said photo paper, put it back in it's frame, and voila! it is as good as new!
I then headed upstairs to get some water and noticed that my new netflix dvd had come. Season 1 of Curb your enthusiasm. I popped it in and Jim and I watched a few episodes before he went to his room and I headed downstairs for a much needed nap, as I still had not recovered from last night. There is just something about sleeping in the middle of the day that is very refreshing. I think everyone should take a nap in the afternoon. I wake up from my nap and text Christie for a bit, then head down to China Buffet for some dinner. I had always wanted to try this place since I moved here, but am just getting around to it. I'll never go back. It was awful. Well, lesson learned.
I head home and dick around on the internet for a bit. Christie texts me and says that she in fact isn't coming over (she was gonna pick up the picture I printed earlier) and she is tired. We text for awhile, then I try to sleep. It is a failure, so I get up, get dressed, and at around midnight, head out into the world for a walk. The original plan was to hop the fence at the school up the street and swing, but I was antsy and just walked around for awhile. I finally decided to sit on the stairs of the Open Door Church and think about things for a bit. As I sit there, I hear banging coming from the house on the corner. This goes on for awhile and eventually a shirtless Hispanic man emerges carrying what I could only make out to be a piece of metal roofing, and a spray paint can. He set the roofing against the fence and proceeded to shake the paint can vigorously and he finally looked over at me at which point I thought to myself, "Here I am, a white guy in the middle of a primarily Hispanic neighborhood, alone, around 12:45p.m., and only one person knows I left my house and she is 20 minutes away. They wouldn't find my body till morning, at best. I should go home now." And with that I stood up, walked around the block so as to not disrupt my spray can toting friend, and finally walked into my room and fell asleep in my bed.

-T

Puss Puss Update

2008-03-25T20:44:00.001-07:00

So Coon made yet another escape two days ago but was once again apprehended. Yesterday she went to the vet again and returned with a cone collar so she doesn't bite her stitches. She wasn't too pleased about that. Her wounds are looking considerably better and she goes back on Friday I believe for another checkup. She has simmered down and I think she knows we are trying to help her get better. More to come.

-T

Five men and a tabby

2008-03-22T14:20:00.000-07:00

You may have heard me talk from time to time about our "adopted" cat, Coon, or Puss Puss. Well recently we noticed that she had been being very stand offish and if you petted her anywhere near her tail she would his and run away. At first we thought this was just her being pissy, but then we noticed she was moving around really slow and acting very lethargic. We had Suzy come over and look at her and she found that Coon had a large wound around the base of her tail. She called the vet and made an appointment for the net afternoon. It turned out that Coon had to have some stitches and put under house arrest for the next 3 days minimum.

Now up until yesterday Coon comes and goes as she pleases, so you can imagine she isn't too happy about being confined to the house. She showed her displeasure in this by making a break for it last night and she succeeded. Puss Puss: 1 Us:0 Billy found her hiding under a car down the street but couldn't get her to come back, as we were the sons of bitches who put her in a box and took her to the place that shaved her ass and most of her tail, poked her with needles, knocked her out, and stitched her up. I'd be mad too.

This morning Billy went outside to see if she would eat, and sure enough she came running when she heard the food hit the bowl. Surprisingly enough, she let Billy pick her up and bring her back inside where she will be under strict confinement for the weekend. Despite her daring escape attempts, we all hope she gets better soon. We love you Coon!

-T

A shared moment

2008-03-17T02:42:00.000-07:00

She smiled in a big way
The way a girl like that smiles
When the world is hers And she held your eyes
Out in the breezeway down by the shore
In the lazy summer

And she pulled you in
And she bit your lip
And she made you hers
She looked deep into you as you lay together
Quiet in the grasp of dusk and summer

But you've already lost
But you've already lost
But you've already lost
When you only had barely enough to hang on

Some things tie your life together
With slender threads of things to treasure
Days like that should last and last and last
---------------------------------------------------
My hopes are so high that your kiss might kill me.
So won't you kill me?
So I die happy.
My heart is yours to fill or burst,
to break or bury, or wear as jewelry.
Whichever you prefer.

Hands down this is the best day I can ever remember.
Always remember the sound of the stereo.
The dim of the soft lights.
The scent of your hair, that you twirled in your fingers.
And the time on the clock, when we realized "It's so late!"
And this walk that we share together.

3.11.08, Tuesday

2008-03-12T14:24:00.000-07:00

Wake up, get dressed, go outside and feed Coon. Head upstairs for some coffee and then it's back outside to burn in the morning sun. After the morning chat with the boys, I head down to Ramona Park on a mission to catch the bus and go to SLO for the day because it would be nice change of scenery, etc. etc. On the way to the bus stop I pop into Taco Bell because I still can't find the Baja Fresh and am too lazy to go to Tacos De Acapulco. Leave Taco Bell knowing there is immense flatulence in my near future because of my choice of dining establishment and upon reaching the bus stop at Ramona, decide that my time will be better spent at home coming up with ways that I can fix my broken car that is sitting under 3 feet of snow in Colorado.
I surf the net for awhile in the dining room but am quickly distracted by the Mary Tyler Moore box set viewing that is currently in full swing in the living room. After some intense comedy from a time gone by, I head to my room to take a nap. Wake up two hours later and head upstairs in search of dinner. The rest of the crew is up and about and Jim announces that he is going to pop in the Showtime original series The Tudors season 1. Now for those who don't know, this series is about Henry the 8th and his life, yet is is done in a very contemporary style with the occasional T&A or gratuitous sex scene thrown in the mix. It's decided that this is acceptable in the interest of history and we continue watching it for the next 3 hours.
After the history lesson, I decide it's bed time and take a shower then hit the sack and fall asleep.

-T

2.09.08, Sunday

2008-03-10T22:38:00.000-07:00

It's about 10:00 when I wake up, get dressed, and head upstairs in search of coffee. There is none made so I bust out the grinder and grind up some beans and start the coffee. It seems as though now that the show is up, I am falling back into a fairly normal routine, which is very nice. During rehearsals you have about enough time to sleep for eight hours between the end of a day and the beginning of the next, but once a show is open, the days seem to slow down, and there is much more time to do normal stuff.
After the coffee is made, I pour a cup and head to the patio to see if Coon is awake, and sure enough she is sitting by her dish, giving me that "where the hell is my breakfast?" look. I feed her and have a seat, shortly joined by Billy and Jim. We have our morning chat, which is becoming somewhat a tradition during the run of a show as well. It is really a nice way to start the day. After talking and watching puss puss chase invisible mice around the front yard, I decide that I need to go for a walk, and I head down to make my normal loop (walk down Ocean St. to 21st then cross The Pike to Oak Park, take that down to Grande Ave. then straight down to the beach and back home). As I approached the beach I noticed that spring break must be beginning because my peaceful Grover Beach was now crawling with ATVs, RVs, kids, and tourists. So much for a quiet day. I get home and lay down for awhile before waking up and going over to do the 4th show of the run of Oildale.
After the show, as is becoming a tradition as well, we all head over to Mongo's, a local bar, and talk and drink till a little after midnight. It is a way to breath after making it through the first week of the show, and it feels good to relax. Come home and crash into bed listening to some Dashboard Confessionals on the iPod.

-T

2.07.08, Friday

2008-03-08T11:39:00.000-08:00

Wake up and check email. Get dressed and grab my morning coffee, go outside and watch Coon chase invisible mice around the front yard for awhile. I don't need to be at the theatre until around 5:00 so I decide to walk up to Grover Beach and grab some lunch. I was certain that a week ago I saw a Baja Fresh on Grande Ave. but to my disappointment, I could not locate it so I settled for Taco Bell instead. While eating, I text Ricky back and forth about life in Durango. He assures me that things are fine back home.
After lunch I head down to the beach and rock out to some Streetlight Manifesto on my iPod. Ya know, there is something about walking along the coast and staring out into the ocean that is really comforting. Since I have got here, it has quickly become one of my favorite past times. I get home and for some reason I am exhausted, so I lay down for a quick nap before heading to work.
Tonight is opening night and it was the most solid opening of a show I have ever been involved in. No problems, for the most part a great audience. I'm looking forward to running this show. I really think it is going to get a great response.
So after the show I come home and make some chicken burritos and settle in to some 3:10 To Yuma which if you haven't seen it, go out and rent it! I fall asleep just as the credits begin to roll.

-T

Long overdue

2008-03-06T23:40:00.000-08:00

So once again I have been absent from my postings. Once again, I will catch you up to speed on whats been going on.
We have been doing tech stuff all week and were supposed to open the show tonight. Due to some extenuating circumstances we were unable to open tonight. We will be opening tomorrow night though as far as I know. So basically my days have looked like this:
Wake up, get dressed, pee, run upstairs to make coffee, do work at the kitchen table while the coffee is brewing, pour a cup and head to the theatre. We have done 4 dress rehearsals which is just about unheard of. It's fine by me, the more practice the better, at least on my side of things. After dress I usually come home and it's around midnight, so instead of going to sleep I'll play some GC and/or watch a movie and then around 2a.m. hit the sack.
Today I was able to come home, eat some dinner, read, and I managed to sneak in a 40 minute nap even though the kids next door seemed to think that screaming at the top of their lungs was somehow not annoying. Apparently Jim was trying to take a nap too, cause I heard him yell at them to shut up. Props to Jim. It worked.
So that has been my day to day. Oh, and before I forget, a big congratulations goes out to my friend Ricky who just tied the knot 2 weeks ago! Your a much braver man than I, sir.

-T

2.29.08

2008-03-01T00:21:00.000-08:00

So I have been absent while we have been rehearsing for Road to Oildale, so here is a quick recap of whats been going on:
Every morning I get up and go to rehearsal. We have been nailing it down piece by piece. We finished blocking last week as well as staging the fight scenes (some really cool stuff to watch for!). For the past few days we have been doing quick run throughs of the play and vaudeville. It's been a pretty easy rehearsal period so far. We have three more performances of Just Kidding and on Sunday we will put it to rest and on Tuesday we will start teching for Oildale.
When I haven't been working I have been playing internet blackjack, sleeping, and surfing the net, though I haven't had time to really even do much of that either. Today I found some time to clean my room, and on Monday I am going to find some time to do some laundry. Oh! I signed up for Netflix this past week. It's a really decent deal if you don't have a lot of time to go to the movie store, and if you have a decent computer and internet connection, you can get a plan that lets you watch unlimited movies on your computer! I am very happy with it so far and highly recommend it.
I think now I am going to settle in to writing part 2 of Journey to the Golden State and then get some much needed rest.

-T

Oh yeah, I changed the title too

2008-02-24T00:32:00.000-08:00

Originally this was going to be a entire spew about relationships, but instead, I said "Screw that" and decided to shoot out some quotes instead. Okay, honestly I just don't have shit to write about since I'm rehearsing all damn day and doing shows at night, but I'll get back into the swing of things in a couple of weeks or when something interesting happens. So without further ado, here are your quotes-because-I-have-a-boring-life-right-now (On a side note, I just made a very pretty girl blush. Insert maniacal laughter here):

"Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not; a sense of humor to console him for what he is. "
---Francis Bacon

"You can turn painful situations around through laughter. If you can find humor in anything, even poverty, you can survive it."
---Bill Cosby

Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does. Love is a battle, love is a war; love is a growing up."
---James A. Baldwin

"Love that is not madness is not love."
---Pedro Calderon de la Barca

Well, there you have it folks, some of my favorite quotes. Like I said, I will be back with some actually writing and hopefully some pretty invigorating stuff, but I just got a lot on my mind right now.

-T

Fire and Brimstone

2008-02-22T23:39:00.000-08:00

As I sat in rehearsal today I received several text messages and picture messages conveying a fire that had broken out on main ave back in my home town of Durango, Co. Several firefighters were injured and several buildings destroyed. You can check out the story here. When something like this happens in a small town it is a huge deal and everyone knows about it. This kinda got me thinking.
I took a trip to San Francisco a couple of weeks ago to see a friend of mine. One morning I was hanging out in a park downtown while my friend was in class, and I must have heard at least 5 different emergency vehicles drive by with sirens blazing. In large cities stuff like this is almost a daily occurrence it would seem. I don't know, I guess there are just the obvious differences. Well kids, it's been a hell of a day and I don't really have anything else to report on, so with that, I bid you goodnight.

-T

Anatomy of a rehearsal

2008-02-21T16:09:00.000-08:00

So it wasn't until I began working at The Great American Melodrama that I realized how much work actually goes into making some words on a page a living, breathing thing on the stage. It isn't something that is just thrown together in a few weeks, there are tons of different aspects and specialties that go into making the show become a reality, so I thought I would share those with you today.
The reading of the script - All of the cast members involved, the Director, the Company Manager, myself, and the Music Director, all sit down and read through the script once, and then talk about our thoughts and feelings afterwards.
Music/blocking/the first day - The first day of physical rehearsals on the stage initially results in either teaching music or, if no music is in the play itself, we begin blocking. "What the hell is blocking?" you may ask. Well, I'll tell you. Blocking is when the actors read through their lines on stage, while walking through what they feel will be the best positions, under the supervision of the Director and myself. My job is to watch and write the blocking in the "blocking script" when it is finally nailed down. This is so if anyone ever forgets (the Director and myself included) where they walked/moved, we can refer back to the script. Blocking a play can generally take up to two weeks and change.
The rehearsal period - This is the time where the actors learn their lines, we block the play, and jot down props we are going to need, scenery, costumes, etc. This information is relayed to each department in...
The rehearsal report ...which is emailed by me to everyone involved in production (ie. costumes, technical, dance, etc.). This report is to keep everyone on track and on the same page about what is going on. Communication is so very essential to building a play.
Production meetings - This meeting is for all the key elements mentioned above to meet in person and report on the progress of the show. The meeting is held every week and once again is just another way we all stay on the same page. Much of the time we go over stuff that has been thought of that day that hasn't made it into the rehearsal report, or we exchange layouts, lists, etc. that are not included in the nightly report.
Music rehearsal - A music rehearsal is when actors are called to rehearse, you guessed it, music with the musical director.
Dance rehearsal - The choreographer will teach the actors any dance moves that are needed in the play. Usually the Musical Director is involved too.
Tech week - Ah yes, the dreaded tech week. Usually not really a full week on smaller productions and sometimes more than a week on longer ones, tech week is when all the scenery, props, light assignments/builds, sound cues, and anything else technical that needs to be done for a production happens. The actors are given a day off and then, depending on the production, go through a number of dress rehearsals, one of which may be in front of a select audience.
Opening night - Pretty much explains itself. The night the production opens to the public. This is how we make our living folks.
What is my role in all of this? I am present for every meeting, every rehearsal, the tech, the dress, all the way up to opening night. I am the go to guy to make sure all that communication I talked about earlier happens. Once the show is up, I am the guy who makes sure the Director's vision of the play stays consistent and tight, never straying too much from the last dress rehearsal. No show will ever be the same, but it is my job to make sure it stays pretty damn close.
So there you have it folks. I touched on this briefly at the beginning of my stint here, but I thought I'd touch it again, just cause everything likes to be touched more than once.

-T

Another day, another blog

2008-02-19T22:20:00.000-08:00

Today has been a busy one folks, that much is for sure, but I'll go into that in a moment. I have recently purchased and read My Boring Ass Life by Clerks (among countless others) director Kevin Smith. It is a collection of online blog posts over at www.silentbobspeaks.com, and also the inspiration for this little online diary. I have been a fan of Kevin's ever since Clerks was introduced to me by my friend Travis. I have seen all his movies, saw the Q&A's, read the above-mentioned book, and generally think he is genius. I respect the man because he is about as honest as it gets. He is an amazing story teller, and that being said, I have decided to tell a story of my own and give some "serious writing" a shot. Said writing can be found here.
I will update the Journey blog periodically when I get time. It won't be like this blog where I just tell you all the shit I've done for the day, but it will tell an actual story. One that means an awful lot to me. When I sat down to write it, I started thinking about all the stories that I could tell about different times in my life, and it excited the hell out of me! (Not like that you sickos.) I have always been told I was good at writing in high school, and then when I would attempt (half-assedly) to create a website or do a weekly newsletter, the people who read that media apparently thought it was pretty good.
So, that being said go over and check out Journey to The Golden State. (Yes, I plugged it earlier too, I know.)
And now, here is how the jam packed day of mine went down:
My cell phone rings at 4:30a.m. and wakes me up...sorta. I either ignored it and went back to sleep or never actually woke up, I'm not sure which. (I found out later it was my mom calling to tell me something I which I already knew.) I wake up again at 8:45a.m. and decide there is no use waiting for the 9:00 alarm to sound, so I just get up and go upstairs to down some cereal and a banana. Shoot over to the theatre and go over some stuff with Gary, our Production Manager. Rehearsals start at 11:00 and we review Act 1 until 1:00p.m. at which point I came home and downed two microwave burritos, and then headed back to the theatre. Sat around awhile, made some phone calls (I am rarely needed to be involved in vaude rehearsals) and finally we break for dinner. I make some pasta and watch about 30 minutes of The Simpsons Movie before heading back and running Act 1 from start to finish. We block about five pages of Act 2 and we wrap for the day.
I came home and sat down to write the first entry of Journey and then updated the diary. I now think I'm gonna go find a late night snack and hit the hay.

-T

Everyone deserves a break

2008-02-18T21:14:00.000-08:00

Today yielded yet another day off, however this one was different than Saturday as in I got the entire day off. No rehearsals, no show. I slept in till 11:30, woke up, got dressed and drug my ass upstairs to clean the kitchen as I had said I would help out cleaning up after the party since Jimmy did all the work to clean up for the party. I cleaned the kitchen, had a bowl of cereal and a banana along with some coffee and then joined Jim and Billy outside on the porch. We talked for a bit and then opted to go to Starbucks on this overcast, brisk central coast day. We sat outside on Starbucks' patio so Jim could smoke and talked about Peter Pan, the theatrical version. Well, they talked about it while I mostly listened. I have been trying to keep my mouth shut and my ears open a little more these days. If I have have something to say, I'll pipe up, or say it here.
After enjoying some of Corporate America's finest, Billy asked if we could stop by Von's on the way home so he could get some groceries.
On the ride home we listened to some political talk radio and when we arrived back at the homestead I loaded my duffel bag up with dirty clothes and walked down to Hwy. 1 laundry and read while my garments spun round and round.
We have a dryer at the house, but apparently the washer that used to be there started leaking and so it is now sitting out by the driveway. Rather than pay the extra $2.00 to dry my clothes, I opted to take them home and dry them there for free. Here is just a side note for everyone to keep in mind: Wet clothes are heavy! So lugging them the block and change back to my house was no fun.
While my clothes dried I made a little lunch and read some more of my book.
Suddenly, realizing my theatre responsibilities, I lept from my bed and began typing up tomorrows calls. I trucked over to the theatre and posted them and recorded the calls on the rehearsal hot line. Back to the house, read some more while eating left over pizza from Pizanos and drinking a Corona (thanks Katie).
I'm now thinking about hitting the shower, and then hitting the sack.

-T

Todays Post

2008-02-18T00:38:00.000-08:00

The plan for this morning was to rise at 8:30a.m. and head down to Hwy. 1 Laundry and do a load before rehearsals. That never happened. My alarm on my phone went off as planned and I promptly decided that I can do laundry tomorrow on my day off, and that it would do me more good to sleep in an extra hour than to have clean clothes to wear.
When I finally do get up at 9:00a.m. I throw on some clothes and because all my socks are dirty, I opt for some sandals instead. I go upstairs, eat two bowls of Lucky Charms, drink a cup of coffee and a glass of juice, grab a banana and head out the door.
Today we are choreographing the opening song for Oildale. Michael Jenkinson is late, but, as always, fashionable. After tracking down some traditional vaudeville hats and some makeshift canes, we are off and choreographing. The set goes beautifully and once again Micheal has made magic. I am constantly amazed as he comes up with the dance steps right on the spot. He puts it to the music seamlessly and the entire thing comes together without fault. If I ever need someone to teach actors to dance, he is the man I am calling.
That slot wraps and we take five. After the break, Eric Hoit, the director, comes in and we start reviewing what we have already blocked. I get my little moment of fame when I get to read the part of the hotel manager. I always feel like if I can show them how good I can read these parts, then maybe some day I can get on stage and do some acting. Now acting is something I have never been interested in as a career, but I would be lying if I said I am not in some way interested in taking the stage, even in a small role. Behind the scenes is where I belong, but I wouldn't say "no" if I was asked to act.
During the review, the rest of the actors arrive, and after another five, we dive in head first into the next scene during which we add some dialog and take a piece from the great Mel Brooks film Blazing Saddles for our inspiration. We wrap up the day on a positive note as in most actors are already off book and the program is coming together nicely and really starting to tighten up in the places it need to.
In a decision of necessity, I decide that going home and eating first and then coming back and setting up for tonight would be in my best interest. I make some mac and cheese, throw on a decent shirt, swish some mouth wash and head back. I set the stage while rocking some Dropkick Murphys on the iPod.
During the show, I watch intently and take notes. Normally I am eating some popcorn or playing games on my iPod because there are no internal cues except for two. I wanted to see if certain parts of the show had morphed into something that was too extreme to let slide, therefor effecting the overall presentation of the show. Aside from running the show, it is also my job to maintain the structure of the show that the director originally set. If something starts changing drastically, I am the one who has to notice it, and correct it with the company manager. I ended up catching two things and went over them with Suz.
The show came to a close with a tremendous applause, and after all was cleaned up and the $$$ in tips collected for the week, it was back to the house where we were to have the cast party for the run of Just Kidding. The party was a blast. In attendance were Jay and his fiance' , Patty. Suzy King, Jim Shine, Eric Hoit, Jordan Richardson, Billy Breed, Jeff (whose last name I've never learned), Gary Adams (our production manager), Barb E.S. Mercado, Katie Worley, and Andrew Beck. We ate way too much pizza and salad, and I drank enough to get a little tipsy. Good times, my friends. When everyone left, I took a shower and then started updating the diary. At this point, however, I am done updating the diary and am going to attempt to go to sleep listening to some more Dropkick Murphys.

-T

Yesterdays Post

2008-02-17T15:09:00.000-08:00

I sleep in till 11:30. Thank you God. There are no rehearsals today due to the fact that on Saturdays we run two shows, one of which is a afternoon matinee. I throw on some clothes, putter for awhile before finally heading down to Central Market on Hwy. 1 to do some much needed grocery shopping. I bought some healthy stuff and some not so healthy stuff (I can't say no to Lucky Charms).
Run home, put the groceries away, make a sandwich and sit out on the porch with a book. I read for a bit before heading over to the theatre to set up for the mat. Set up, call places, and after a short meeting we open the doors.
I have been ushering now since I started working at TGAM, and I enjoy the hell out of it. I think of it as my little "part" in the play, as I get to bullshit with the patrons and crack the occasional joke (my favorite being, "If you want to get something from the snack bar, it's through those curtains, and if you need to get rid of something from the snack bar, the restrooms are through these curtains and to the left."). I also get to hang out with Christie, who I also enjoy the hell out of (Not like that you sickos). She definitely makes the 30 minutes of seating people more fun. We dance, and chit chat, and she is just a damn cool person to know.
Keep in mind that this is a sold out show and the theatre seats about 250 without the fire marshal batting an eye. As I am coming back to the front doors, I begin to see a bunch of people in wheelchairs coming in. Now these aren't the kind of wheelchairs you have someone push you in, these are ALL motorized, big, bulky contraptions. I had no idea where we were going to put them, but later on, I got the entire scoop, and here it is:
An organization that helps people with cerebral palsy had called at the last minute and reserved a bunch of seats and told the box office lady (I now know why she snapped at me earlier that day) that there would be 6 motorized wheelchairs in the group and could we make the room. So we did. The group was great and pretty well behaved, but it was quite the chore getting them all seated, and due to traffic congestion, we started the show about 10 minutes late. Well, folks, thats live theatre for ya.
Between the seating process and intermission issues, we only had about 20 minutes between shows for me to reset and for the cast to eat. Jay Campbell is the actor who has helped me all through this show in between the actual play and the vaude, take down the box set and reset for the vaudeville. He has been a great sport about it and on Saturdays he helps me reset in between shows as well. Jay, in my book, is an all around badass and a damn funny guy. He can be joking around with you, and if you didn't know his sense of humor, you would think he was serious. Jay teaches theatre classes at a nearby school. Unfortunately he is not in the next show. I will miss him dearly.
Now I am by no means a perfectionist, but there were a couple of things that I forgot to do for the second show that simply bugged the shit out of me.
#1. I forgot to set up the wall that is supposed to be the exterior wall of the house, which when it isn't present, the audience sees the red curtain that the wall normally covers. Every time someone opened the door to come "inside" I cringed. I remedied the problem at half time and felt a bit better.
#2. I forgot to set a broom stage left that is used fairly close to the beginning of a sketch in the vaude. This is the second time I have done it, and Katie is kind enough to improvise and grab one of the push brooms I use to sweep the stage before each show. In context, I think it's much funnier than a regular broom, but thats not how the script was written, and I'm not the director, so I should just remember to set the right broom in the right place.
#3. It was just a really strange day with kinda a strange vibe. I knew I had bought that beer earlier in the day for some reason, and that reason was so I could come home and drink it with my roommates. So I did. Shortly thereafter, I read some of my book (which, by the way was the inspiration for this little diary. It is called My Boring Ass Life and is by Kevin Smith), and then hit the hay.

-T

2008-02-16T00:16:00.000-08:00

Wake up, throw on some clothes and start walking to the bank, check in hand. I rush in and make the deposit and then head down to Starbucks for a caramel frappaccino before walking back to the theatre for more rehearsal. We review the stuff we've blocked the past few days and review some music before lunch. Me, Barb, Eric, Billy, and Katie go to Mon Ami, this awesome little crepe place in Pismo. We start talking and the director and myself along with the actors are late getting back to the theatre for the choreography stuff we are gonna do with Michael J. and Suzy. We do choreography for about 3 hours. Christie pops in to say hi and drop off Michael's car just before we wrap it up for the day. I set up for the show, come home and check email and change my shirt before heading back to do the show.
We do the show, I come home and jump in the shower. I then hop online and decide to try my hand at playing some online blackjack using real money. I dump $20 in chips in my account and get to it. For awhile I was up $40 and then got knocked down slowly until I had .50 at which point I decided that gambling is bad and I should update this diary and go to sleep.

-T

Another day

2008-02-15T00:13:00.000-08:00

Wake up around 9:00, play some GC, piddle around for awhile before finally getting dressed, grabbing my gear and heading to the theatre. Today we are blocking some more of Oildale and reviewing music, as well as staging the opener for the Young at heart vaudeville review. Barb has brought us all valentines with little messages on them and a little bag of candy. She really is a sweetheart, and a very talented actress.
We break for lunch and me, Barb, Suz, and Billy all head to the Station Grille for some sandwiches. When lunch adjourns, it's back to the theatre to work more of the play. We wrap up rehearsals for the day around 4:00 and then it's time to set up for tonights upcoming show to which the cast is called at 6:00. I get my ass in gear and sweep, mop, and start setting the stage. I finish a bit early and run home and chow down on some left over pizza before changing my shirt and heading back to the theatre. In the dressing room, Katie bug presents us all with valentines too, which are little candy watches that you can actually wear. I was going to wear mine all night during the show, but I opted to eat it instead.
We do the show and the crowd is a little on the rowdy side, but they are chill and don't do anything terribly disruptive. We shut everything down, clean up and I head home and immediately crack open my laptop to play some more online blackjack. I turn $3,000 into $5,000 of my fake money and call it a night. I crawl into bed, read some, and now it's off to sleep.
-T

Today

2008-02-13T21:58:00.000-08:00

Wake up, pee, get dressed. Katie bug is picking up Billy and me and we are all going to head to the gym, which I had been putting off up till yesterday when they suggested it. I haven't worked out since before I left to come to California, so I figured I would give it a go. We get there and I get the low down from Katie and Billy on where everything is. I immediately head for the weight room and am really anxious to get back into it. Flip on the iPod and I start out small, a 25lb disc on each end on the flat bench. I do one set of 8 reps and it feels really good. I go for round two and it is getting a little harder, as my muscles haven't been stressed like this in a long time, but I pull off another set of 8.
As the entire point of this is to be able to lift a little more than I had previously, I decide to add 10lbs. to each side, bringing the grand total to 70lbs. Now you might be saying, "What a little bitch, 70lbs. is nothing." but when you aren't used to it and you have no one to spot you, 70lbs. is safe. I launch into another set of 8 and barely make it, but I do indeed make it.
I can tell you that having some good hard rock n' roll blasting in your ears makes you want to work that much harder to achieve your goal.
I rest, go get a drink of water, and then after remembering the routine that Joey, Rick, and I used to do back in Durango, I hit up the incline bench. The incline has always been my kryptonite when it comes to lifting weights. For some reason it would always kick my ass on my first set and it frustrated the shit out of me. It did so to the point where I would want it all that much more, and I would keep trying until I got at least one full set.
So today, with no spotter and no one yelling at me to keep trying, I was a little intimidated but I went for it anyhow. I throw on a 25 on each side, lower the seat all the way (cause I'm a tall son of a bitch) and dig head first into my set. The first set goes great and I get through it with no struggle at all. Full of renewed confidence I immediately add 10lbs. to each side, and this is where I made my first mistake. I dive into the set and start counting, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6...7..... and right about here is where I bail out. My second mistake was not putting any clamps on the ends of the bar to hold the weights on, so when I did make my narrow escape from the rack, weights went spilling from the bar and landing with a 'thud' on the floor. Now I am embarrassed and feel like the entire room is looking at me, and between that and being defeated yet again by the incline, I take my ass over to a treadmill to run and feel sorry for myself for a bit.
After running for a little over a mile, I muster enough confidence to try out some of the other weight machines. I see one I recognize and head on over. This feels more like home and I do 3 sets like a champ.
It's almost time to meet team melodrama downstairs so I stop in the weight room again to do some forearm exercises and show everyone that I wasn't out for the count before heading to the lobby.
We stop at Hollywood Video to return Last of the Mohicans (an awesome flick if you haven't seen it) and then it's around the corner to Starbucks for some coffee. We grab our joe and drive back to the ocean house, during which we get in a very inspiring discussion about religion.
Time for rehearsals. Today we are blocking part of the first scene which means that I will be there all day. Rehearsals wrap around 8:30 and I head home to the pizza which Billy had ordered earlier. Billy and I eat pizza and he watches some Little Britain while I type out the rehearsal report and then rock some online blackjack at goldencasino.com where I get taken out hand after hand. Having dumped about $500 in fake money, I call it quits.
I take a shower and lay down with a book. Tomorrow will be a long ass day.

-T

2008-02-12T22:25:00.000-08:00

Yesterday officially marked my last day of freedom for the next month, as we will be rehearsing for our new show, "The Road to Oildale". Also, on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday we will be rehearsing during the day and performing the current show at night. So with my last day of freedom, here is what I did:
Woke up, got dressed, went upstairs and poured myself a cup of joe and then headed outside where I spent the next hour or more chit chatting with Jim and Billy. After that I decided to head to the bank and deposit the booty I had made the night before. On the way to the bank I call up my mom and talk to her for a bit. It is a beautiful, sunny day, so I go home and bust out a book to read on the porch until it gets too dark to see anymore. I decide that I had better read the script for Oildale so I head inside and do just that. It is a very funny play ever so lightly based off of the Bob Hope and Bing Crosby "On the Road" series. If anyone gets a chance to come out and see it, I would strongly suggest it, also because it will be followed by our "senior" vaudeville review.
After I finished with the script read through, I hop online and look up some blackjack lessons. I find a great site that teaches you strategies as you play. I finally fall asleep mid game.

-T

It's a hard knock life

2008-02-11T10:12:00.000-08:00

Why the hell can't people follow the very simple rules of etiquette at a theatre performance?!? During the announcements before the show people are told not to smoke, no taking pictures, and if you have a fussy kid, take them outside or back to the kitchen so as not to disturb your fellow audience members. About 10 minutes into the play this kid starts fussing. It's an infant so you can't very well tell it to be quiet. After about 3 minutes of this the mother stands up and moves about 10 feet away to a unoccupied seat in the "balcony".
The baby is still fussing, as moving to a different locale did not in fact make a damn bit of difference. I finally have had it and come down from my roost to tell Andrew, our house manager that he should say something, as this kid is disrupting the performance to a great degree and the mother isn't doing anything about it. He does, and at that point it's time for intermission. The rest of the play goes on uninterupted.
I guess just don't understand why people bring kids that young to a live performance. I do understand that any infant I've ever met is going to be fussy and cry. It's how they communicate, and knowing that, get a fucking babysitter.

-T

2008-02-09T13:45:00.000-08:00

So once again, I'm a day late. Here is a recap of yesterday's events:
I wake up and hit the shower. Dry off, get dressed and head upstairs for a healthy breakfast consisting of a banana and a cup of joe. Outside on the porch I find Jim and Billy and we all talk about what we will do for the day. I opt to head down to the beach and try to get some exercise by running along the Pacific Coast all the way to Pismo Beach. I had gone to Pismo by way of the beach before but never really gone into the city to look around, so I did so. It is a really cool little place, very "beachy" like all those places along the coast you see in movies. People surfing, kids building sand castles, that kind of thing.
After bombing around Pismo I decided I should begin the long trek home if I wanted to be on time for tonights show, which I had yet to set up for. I got home with time to spare, so I made some grub and watched another Vicar of Dibley with Billy before heading off to the theatre. The show went great, minus the fantastic Suzie King who is at auditions in Memphis. Her stand in Val did a fabulous job though, having only ran the thing a total of 3 times.
Came home, watched one more Vicar episode and then crashed out listening to some Dashboard Confessionals on the iPod.

-T

Making the same mistakes

2008-02-07T20:57:00.000-08:00

How is it that people can do something over and over again, knowing it is bad for them? The fat guy keeps eating even though the doctor told him to stop cause it's killing him. The smoker keeps smoking even though he is told he has lung cancer. The gambler who keeps gambling even though he has won nothing, but is waiting to make it big. What compels us to make these decisions? I have recently made some bad choices that have affected me in the past, the very recent past, and I swore I would not make the same mistakes again, yet here I am, and now I am suffering because of it. Now I'm not going to tell you what they are cause frankly it's none of your damn business, but it certainly got me wondering...
I suppose it is a discipline thing. I/you just have to tell yourself I am not going to xxxxx because I know I will be better off if I don't and I'm going to do everything I can to make sure I follow through with my commitment. To quote a great prodigy of our time, and I think it sums it up to say, "Do or do not, there is no 'try'".

-T

Apparently I spoke too soon

2008-02-03T23:43:00.001-08:00

Because I am indeed still sick. I was able to get medicine though, and now I have questions about the economy in the area where I live. I was originally going to walk the mile to Vons, but as I started walking down the street, it started raining, and then it started raining harder and finally I said "f%@k this" and turned around to go to the local, not so corporate Central Market located just 2 blocks from my house.
Now the reason I didn't choose Central Market first is because their prices are outrageous and this was proved to me today as I purchased some Dayquil at $7.50. This is a locally owned business, and as we all know, local stores tend to have higher prices, but the prices at Central Market seem a bit inflated, for lack of a better term. I bought my items and lo and behold as I step outside, it has stopped raining and there is sun and blue sky. Go figure.
I get home and as I'm putting away my groceries I start thinking about why the market has such high prices. I eventually concluded that living in what is mostly a poor hispanic farming community on the coast, there are a lot of older people who don't drive, there are lots of families who do not make the trip to the surrounding cities that often, and there are a lot of people simply without transportation. That being said, what choice do they have? Why can Central Market charge me $7.50 for a pack of Dayquil containing 10 pills? Because the majority does not have the means to go elsewhere.
On a more pleasant note where I am NOT getting raped in the ass for medicine, I will be out of town for the next couple of days, so I may not update till I get back. To keep you occupied until then, I have included this link.
See you Wednesday!

-T

God Bless The BBC

2008-02-03T01:55:00.000-08:00

So the past couple of posts I have mentioned British comedy. It has almost become a tradition now that me and Billy have a nightly showing of at least one episode of "The Vicar of Dibley". It is absolutely hilarious! Generally there is pizza or some sort of snack food, and sometimes Puss will join us. Apparently when Billy came home tonight he found a very wet, pitiful looking Coon under the car. We threw her in the dryer and she was fine. (Oh settle down I'm just kidding) We set her gently in the dryer.
Anyhow, both shows went great today. It was another long day. I also may be getting a cold and have been unable to purchase medicine today, so that is on the top of my list for the morning. I hate being sick, but I think this wacky weather may have something to do with it. Sunny this morning, downpour tonight. Gotta love California.
It is getting late and nature is calling, so I must answer and then try to get some rest. Tomorrow I will be not sick!

-T

What should have been the first post

2008-02-02T01:17:00.000-08:00

This morning was an early one. I woke up at 8 to put on a show for a bunch of area schools at 10. I found it interesting to see how the children responded to the show as opposed to how adults respond to it. It was just funny to see what the kids laughed at and what parts the adults laughed at.
Tonights show went wells also. I met a returning cast member, Andrew, who is coming in for our next performance, The Road to Oildale. He will be here through the summer.
I was thinking about it, and I realized that no one has any idea who I'm talking about when I mention people here in California, so let me take this opportunity to tell you who they are, so when they are referenced in the blog, you'll know who the hell I'm talking about.
Eric is the Artistic Director as well as the financial, and marketing guy. He directed the current play we are doing.
Suz is the Company Manager and House Manager. She is the big boss lady and my direct supervisor. She also gives great hugs.
Billy is my roommate and also one of the actors. Billy makes a purple shirt look amazing.
Jordan be our Musical Director and another of my roomies. The guy is amazing on the piano.
Jimmy directed our current Vaudeville along with Jordan. Another roommate.
Colum lives with Christie and Michael in Santa Maria CA. Michael is our Choreographer and Christie and Colum are two very talented actors
Katie I met in Durango last summer at the Diamond Circle Melodrama. A very talented actress with a beautiful smile that could even bring Oscar the Grouch to his knees
Puss Puss is the adopted cat of the Ocean house (my house). We are grateful she is letting us still live here. She also goes by Coon. (Nothing racial, I promise)
The Kids are Michael and Landyn. Two very talented young actors who are in the current play and have also starred in the most recent "A Christmas Carol"

So these are most of the people I will be talking about in the blogs. Reference this if you need and as people come and people go, I will update as often as I can. At this time I should probably go to sleep as it is almost 2a.m.
Oh yeah! I got a haircut!
Night.

-T

2008-02-01T08:25:00.000-08:00

So I'm catching up on this post a little late. I usually post at night just before bed, but somehow I fell asleep watching more British comedy. Good lord it's early. Yesterday was mostly uneventful. I did go to Enterprise car rental and peeped out their prices though. I ended up going with Budget instead. I am making a trip up to San Francisco this coming Tuesday to see a friend of mine. It should be a good time. We are doing a early show this morning for a bunch of local schools and we changed the format of the intermissions and such, so we will see if Tom can remember everything he is supposed to do. On that note, have a great day everyone!

-T

January 30, 2008

2008-01-30T21:45:00.000-08:00

This morning I woke up and plopped my ass down in my chair and checked some email and chatted with Mom and Rick online. I finally decided I should get up and do some much needed laundry (my room was starting to smell funny) so I headed down to Highway 1 Coin Op and washed said laundry and then headed home to put away said laundry. At this point it was about 55 outside so I talked myself into going for a walk on the beach. I got some great pictures which you can see on my facebook page. I spent about 4 hours out there and finally got home and sat down to some good British comedy. If you have not seen "Absolutely Fabulous" then you, my friend, are missing out. I made some food and then checked some more email and chatted with Nick before coming downstairs and putting my ass right back where it started this morning. Now I'm gonna turn in, for 4 days of work awaits me.

-T

January 29, 2008

2008-01-29T22:16:00.000-08:00

Today, having no prior commitments, work or otherwise, I decided to take the bus into SLO (San Luis Obispo). I took the advice of my roommate, Billy, and walked my ass up to Grand Ave. and waited for the bus. The bus came. I payed the $1 fare, and it took me literally 5 blocks to where I transfered to another bus, which took me to Pismo Beach, where I transfered to yet another bus, which eventually took me into SLO. This entire trek took me about 1h:30min, maybe more. This was irritating considering I was told there used to be a direct bus, one bus, from the first stop to the last.
Ok, so I made it to where I wanted to go. All is well. I get off the bus and head downtown and find the Barnes and Noble store where I wanted to buy some books and indulge in some delicious corporate coffee. Not only do they have a Starbucks across form B&N, but they have one inside as well! I was beside myself and promptly purchased a beverage at each outlet. After walking around for a couple of hours and peering in stores, I needed to pee. I find a restroom, unzip my fly and for the next 30 seconds search for the opening on my boxers before realizing I had put them on backwards this morning. It's not as easy to change your pants in a restroom stall as you may think, and it sure as hell isn't comfortable nor I can imagine safe to remove your boxers in said stall. Lots of weirdos out there, ya know?
So after my predicament in the bathroom, I piss and get the hell out. It's about 2:00 and time to head home. I find the bus stop where I had gotten off (oh stop it, perverts), find the right bus and begin the long ride home. I transfer 2 more times on the way home and I am at my house by 3:15ish. I have concluded that the bus is a nightmare. The only other way to get around is by taxi, and that tends to cost some $$, so I guess the bus is just the lesser of two evils. Aside from transportation issues, it was an alright day. Sunny, no wind, I can't complain... after all, I'm not under 3 feet of snow, now am I?

-T

Late night/Early morning post. You decide.

2008-01-29T00:44:00.000-08:00

Tonight, I could not sleep. So what did I do? I created a pretty header for my blog and I feel the need to explain it. Now I am by no means a vain person. Ok, thats a load of bullshit, but I did not make that the basis behind my header. I wanted to include pictures of myself over the past couple of years, and in doing so I noticed that I really don't smile that much unless it's a sinister, contemplating smile with underlying thoughts of world domination. That being said, I will try to smile more in the future and perhaps it will bring hope and joy to small children, and who knows, maybe one day win me an Oscar.

-T

The Daily Grind

2008-01-23T22:25:00.000-08:00

A lot of people have asked me, "What exactly does a Stage Manager do? I mean, what do you do every day?" So, I have decided to answer that question. Now don't get too excited just yet, it isn't always all it's cracked up to be. What follows is a typical day for me since I've started my job here in California:

9:00a.m. - I awake from my peaceful slumber and force myself to get out of bed. I throw on some clothes and head to the bathroom for my morning pee time. After said pee time, I brush my teeth and do all the necessary morning bathroom grooming things and then head upstairs for a quick breakfast.
9:40a.m - This is about the time each morning that I am heading out the door to make the block trek to the theatre. I am the first person there in the morning and I unlock all the doors, turn on all the lights and make the coffee. What will ensue is a day full of reading, sitting, writing, moving stuff, drinking the coffee I made this morning, and more sitting and reading. But all that will be explained later on.
10:00a.m. - Providing all the actors and director are at the theatre and accounted for, we start rehearsal. This consists of running through the play with scripts and writing down the blocking, or where the actors will stand and move, what they will do, etc. This was a compressed schedule, so the actors were mostly off book, or not using their scripts within the week. Impressive, I know.
10:55a.m. - Break time. For every hour of rehearsal, we are mandated to have a 5 minute break by.... the powers at be I suppose.
11:00a.m. Depending on the show, we will rehearse for the next hour or two and then have an hour for lunch. Mmm... food.
3:00p.m. - Once again, depending on the schedule, we may come back and rehearse more of the play, or we may work on the vaudeville. Now during vaude, I will generally take a break for myself, or work on stuff for the next day. During this time I will generally consume about a gallon of coffee.
6:00p.m. - I walk home for a little dinner. During rehearsal it is usually something that can be put in the microwave or Ramen.
7:00p.m. - Back to the theatre I go! Once again, depending on the schedule, we will be working over something for the upcoming show.
10:00p.m. - I am the last one out. I lock up, turn off the lights, and walk my ass home and straight to bed I go so I can get up and do it all again tomorrow.

Ok, so that was the really stressful part of the job. What follows is what I am currently doing now that the show is up and running:

I arrive one hour prior to the actors' call time and I unlock everything, sweep and mop the stage, and then put up the set and make sure all the props and stuff is where it should be. After that I do a test of all the lights for the stage and make sure everything is working properly, and if it's not, guess who fixes it... me!
At 30 minutes before the doors open, I call "half hour" to let the cast know that is how much time they have to get ready. If any of the cast is not at the theatre at this time, I call them and find out why. For the next 30 minutes I will give a call every 10 minutes until the last call which is "places." We have a quick meeting before the doors open and for the next 30 minutes I help usher people to their seats.
As soon as the MC goes to the stage to start the sing along, I head up to my little spot in the booth where I run the show. During the first intermission I run around and see if anyone needs help with anything. I talk with the patrons and make sure everyone is happy. Once all the actors are done serving food and they are all ready, I will go back up and start the second act where I will sit for the next 35 minutes until second intermission.
During the second intermission I run downstairs to the stage and behind the safety and concealment of the "grand drape" myself and an actor take down the set and reset it for the "Ah, Paris" vaudville review. The vaudville has much more for me to do during it. Lots of light cues, spotlight cues, and sound cues, some all at the same time. The conclusion of the vaude will bring a roaring applause, which lets me know that we have all done our jobs well.
Someone once told me that a stage manager knows he is doing his job well when no one else notices but when you mess up, you will be the first to know about it. So far, so good.

-T

SHAMELESS PLUG: For more information on shows I'm working on, please visit The Great American Melodrama Website

Hard times, good times

2008-01-20T13:46:00.000-08:00

So as most everyone knows, I have recently moved to CA. to be a Stage Manager for a theatre in Oceano. Shortly after I got here I ran out of money and my job was becoming very demanding and at one point I was wondering if I was actually going to make it. I didn't have anything in common with anyone here, and all my friends were gone. I felt very alone and sorry for myself. Well, it really go me thinking about all the hard times I have been through. Here I was thousands of miles away from home, no money, no friends, no car, and yet I am still waking up every morning. going to sleep in a warm bed, I'm not starving, and I've just recieved my first pay check. I found that when things look really bad, chances are they could be really worse. Now as cliche' as that sounds, it's the absolute truth. As hard as it is to do, if you keep a positive outlook on things, and do whatever you have to to survive, things will eventually start looking up.

I have also realized that life is way too short to not take chances, even when you don't know the outcome. Moving out here, I had no idea what to expect. I actually thought I would move here and be happy and fine right off the bat, but I quickly found out that wasn't the case. Now, however I am happy, and safe, and having a blast. The people I work with are very talented and wonderful people, and I couldn't ask for a better cast. So I guess idealy what I am saying is that if you want something bad enough, take the chance, even if you don't know the outcome, you will never know unless you try, and then you may spend the rest of your life wondering.

-T