Later this morning will be the first time in a couple of weeks that I'm taking myself out to the coffeeshop. It'll be nice to see the gang and catch up on a little caffeinated silliness.

The applications are up... and they ALL work. The automatic database will be such a blessing freeing us up from weeks of manual data entry doen the line. The whole process seems quite user friendly and (from what I've been told) sleek. The pages have a cleaner look. So, far so good. Oh, and we've already got applicants rolling in!

The learning curve was steep but worth it. So, now I can be free to play a little more. Though I've been holed up doing this... I'm feeling pretty damned accomplished right now. So, when I awake later in the AM... I shall emerge like Lazarus from the tomb to a heavenly chorus... or barking dogs... but still happy to be alive...

::heavenly chorus comes to a scratching halt::

Huh... What? You say I went out last night and there were beautiful (and talented) bellydancers involved? So? Hey, that was work, buddy!!! Someone's got to do it! Quibbler.

Music!!

::heavenly chorus resumes::

So, now my wish for each and everyone of you is a lovely weekend and hearty Cheers!

It's 1:30 Am and I just got back from tonight's Rogue Year Round. So, this is a late (early) post.

I am counting on my insanity tonight. That which makes many cock their heads to the side like dogs in a stupor over the things I do and how I do it. It has been that way all my life... the reaction, that is. No one really gets what I do and why I do what I do when I do it. Yet who I am and what I do does impact my immediate surroundings. Really, think about it.

Before you click away thinking "Lecram is full of himself" or "Not another wanker crap post." Bear with me on this one... it's OK to celebrate oneself. Because "yourself" is a sum total of all experiences, influences and connections you have acquired along this journey. So, it is a homage to them and those along the way... of who you are today.

It could be seen as both a blessing and a curse... though I choose to look at it as a blessing. I think we have all been blessed with our own special brand of insanity... that which cuts us different from the rest. That which makes each and everyone of us our own person. Put the psychosis, phobias, and insecurities aside and strip away the circumstances that we use as excuses not to seek the excellence within grasp... and we still have a radiant spark that holds limitless possibilities.

It counts. We count. And dammit... I count! So, celebrate yourself because... YOU count!

Want to know about the count? Click the flashy sigh above!

EDIT: 7:50 AM
The applications for Rogue 2007 have to go "live" at noon and I have some last minute fimish-up to do. I promise to visit all your counts right after... I want to complete this so that I can really enjoy smiling with you. In the meantime... visit each other. Cheers!

EDIT: 1:33 PM

The online application form and Mainstage & Cafe venues are now "live"

Online applications for the Gallery & Film components will be "live" at 6 PM, Sept. 29, PST



CLICK THE BANNER TO START!

Labels: da count

I finally cracked the code so to speak. Now the application forms for Rogue 2007 not only work but are on secure encrypted pages. A big Yay all round! ::dabbing sweat from furrowed brows::

So tomorrow in the AM, I crank out and put the finishing touches and I'm free! OK... freer. Still can't post them until I get the policy/information pages from the powers that be... since I do not make policy anymore. Just another hurry-up-and-wait situation.
---------------------------
The Follow-Up

There were some interesting responses to my post yesterday. I respect all of them. The post was based on observations from a personal front as well as those witnessed from other quarters.

Yes, being a significant other in a "solid and stable" relationship should keep the confidant status intact. The irony in most cases is that it doesn't. Those of you who have it still intact with your partner are truly blessed. It is an ideal. One that should be a reality... yet one that often is strewn by the wayside through circumstances, neglect, etc.

The discussion I had with my friend the other night centered around the causes as to why this occurs. Our guess was that the fault may lie in the romantic idea (and ideal) of "oneness". But perhaps it has more to do with the mistaken perception of it. (Over the years, I have been guilty as most on this score.) Afterall, it is something that just about every love song ever written touches on... so it must me true, right? The reality though is that in the nature of love and romance, the dynamics involve two separate individuals who have chosen to be in concert with each other... a duet playing different instruments in harmony. Often it is the counterpoint that brings the richness to the piece.

However when the lines of our individuality become so blurred that is when we resort to confiding elsewhere in an effort to reclaim ourselves and our individuality. We are not "halves"... we are "wholes" and when the perception of that is threatened we seek to establish our wholeness elsewhere. That is when the compassion erodes and we become strangers to each other... and to ourselves.

Just my humble observations.

After 9 and a half hours in front of the computer I decided that I needed to get out for a bit. So, I headed down to the local watering-hole to have a drink and to check out who was out and about this PM. Phone calls were made but none met with hope or response... which I fully expected.

I sat for for about 45 minutes just sipping my drink not really expecting anyone to show up... hey, it's a Tuesday night in the "hood" afterall! As I sat... lyrics of the Rain Song ran through my bleary mind. The line:

The line seemed particularly apt to where I find myself at the moment. The thing is I knew this would be the case for a while... that one's esteem was dependent on what one does and (perceived) status as opposed to who one is. This is why I have always been leery to exalted claims of ultimate friendship. Besides, lives are always evolving and in a state of flux and any expectation beyond the present is unrealistic. Everybody moves on to where life takes them. No fault. No accusations. No hard feelings.

A friend eventually walked in finally and we conversed... each of us delighting in each other's presence... which we hadn't been in a long while. The topic was being the confidant. I have been that. I have also been the friend, the lover, the spouse. the go-between. It struck me that I remained the confidant whenever I was the friend or the lover... or the combination of the two. In my observation, if somehow things progressed to me becoming the significant other or the spouse I was stripped of my ranking and function as confidant. It's almost as if the establishment of a "solid and stable" relationship made the other want to keep and/or hide secrets.

Curious.

UPDATE: 8:10 AM
If you happen to be in the area tomorrow... come to the show! It'll be quite the extravaganza... and as host... I'll be wearing my pith! That alone should be worth the price of admission. Click the poster for more details.

... but slow. That is the state of my progress at the moment. So, since my head is cluttered with a language unspeakable right now... I'll leave you with this video for the day. Always thought it was a damned shame this version was left off the CD. Yeah, I've been in a Led Zep kind of mood of late... not a bad thing actually. Not a bad thing at all. If I do get a chill break... I just may write something later in the day. For now... one of my personal favorites (even though the "Keepers of the Gloom" line still gets a little chuckle from me.)





It is the springtime of my loving - the second season I am to know
You are the sunlight in my growing - so little warmth I've felt before.
It isn't hard to feel me glowing - I watched the fire that grew so low.

It is the summer of my smiles - flee from me Keepers of the Gloom.
Speak to me only with your eyes. It is to you I give this tune.
Ain't so hard to recognize - These things are clear to all from
time to time.

Talk Talk - I've felt the coldness of my winter
I never thought it would ever thaw. I cursed the gloom that set upon us...
But I know that I love you so

These are the seasons of emotion and like the winds they rise and fall
This is the wonder of devotion - I seek the torch we all must hold.
This is the mystery of the quotient - Upon us all a little rain must fall.

... haven't had one of those in ages... talk about a nice lazy Sunday.
----------------------------
On the Rogue site front... still work to do... but at least I'll be in a much more refreshed frame of mind to get it completed. All the work on the computer actually petered me out yesterday to where I fell asleep at 8:30 PM and only woke at 5 this morning.
----------------------------
There is a Rogue-Year-Round this Thursday... so, I'll have to get the engine revving up for that too.
----------------------------
OK, I was playing with some of the video editing programs on my computer and I thought I'd give you the opportunity to finally count the number of times Robert Plant sings sings the word "baby" in this song. (Yes, I uploaded it because I thought the one that already existed on YouTube really lacked in the sound quality department.) Besides, it's one of those that never fails to get my engine started. Here's "Since I've Been Loving You" -- talk about a grind! ::vapors:: Enjoy!



Perhaps there'll be more updates in the AM.

... you just know they are fresh. Went over the the local place and got a dozen this morning as the last of the Costa Rican blend was brewing at home. Can't do it every day but once in a while there is nothing like the combo of coffee and donuts.

Something else I haven't done in a while... go to the coffeeshop and catch myself some caffinated silliness. I think I just may. See y'all later.

UPDATE: 10:05 AM
That was exactly what I was doing yesterday and ran across this girl. I've seen a fair share of vlogs but I thought she is both amusing and talented - worth checking out.

... more work on the Rogue website. I am really hoping to finish a major chunk of it today. I want it ready to go by the time the weekend is out.
---------------------------------
The crisp of the cooler season is begining to nip in the air. This time of year in this part of the country can be quite the guessing game though. Sporadic bursts of hotter days could still happen spurring the personal debates on the perfect thickness of fabric for use inside and out. The seasons here are not as defined as in other parts of the country... but they do exist.

I do enjoy the seasons. It did take a little getting use to when I first arrived from a place where it was rain or no rain and always warm. I still look in child like wonder at the street I live on and how it's personality shifts with the season. A different look. A different feel... even within a season.
---------------------------------
Just a thought (and a possible time waster): Ever listen to a Led Zeppelin song (live version of "Since I've Been Loving You" is a good start) and count the number of times Robert Plant sings the word "baby"?

Another cool one (time waster) is this Image Story Generator.

Have a good one. Cheers!

My count today are performers whom I've had the honor to experience live. It really doesn't matter if they are musicians, actors... any performer for that matter! There is something divine in the act of creation. They are channeling something that is beyond the normal and yet in the process of doing so tapping into and expressing something that is profoundly about the human experience. I guess that is why the arts is classified under the HUMAN-nities.

It is that leap when technique disappears and pure expression and connection is attained that I'm talking about. That moment when EVERYTHING makes total sense as an audience member and we are moved beyond the limitations that spoken language can even begin to express. That magic instant when we soar together with the performer into the moment of illumination.

Listening to a musician pour the pureness of heartbreak into a blues solo or an actor sucking us into the joy of a moment on stage... and our spirit takes flight. And what does this have to do with real life? Everything. Because in those moments we are truly reminded that we are indeed alive. That our pain and joy and sorrow and elation and the loud or the quiet... and even all those moments of the mundane makes sense as a collective experience. That we are not alone... and more importantly... that excellence is attainable.

This is da count not because I'm involved in the arts... but more because as an audience member, the performers I have experienced, have moved, inspired and reminded me to always reach for a "personal better"... because "a best" would only be a self imposed limitation.

What is Da Count? Click the flashing sign above to find out. For those who are posting... go visit each other and end the week with a smile.

EDIT: Time Wasters

A CLASSIC WITH LOTS OF FIBER
Got a spare 8 minutes?. Watch OEDIPUS as performed by vegetables.

A LITTLE ART PROJECT
Really, it's HERE!

Labels: da count

There have been a lot of queries as to how to how to tie a sarong. (I came out of semi-retirement for this one.) Here is one of the simplest knots called 2 (or 3... depending on how wide your sarong is) FOLDS and A ROLL... which works with both a non-tube and as well as tube sarong (like the one in this picture.)

1. Stretch out the sarong with left arm.


2. With your right hand hold a fold point tight up against the body.






3. Fold across using left hand.

4. With right hand mark the next fold point.





5. Fold over to center of chest.

6. From the inside (closest to skin) roll forward to tighten.

7. Tah dah!

Now here is a message from our lovely model Solitaire who hasn't done a HNT in a while.

SOLITAIRE: Ya'll knew I couldn't just disappear! I miss you all and I love you dearly! Quincy is in full swing and she's ruling my life, but all's well that ends well and I shall return with the Rogue so wait with baited breath will ya??? Hi Os! You big lug!


And as promised to Cosima and Lime (who are also in with sarongs) ... you also get one of me sitting in my garage theater in my sarong.

Cheers and Happy HNT!




Click HERE to steal a brand new Rogue banner for your blog!
The application period for next year's fest is coming up quick.

Here are a few you may enjoy.

HISTORICAL TALE CONSTRUCTION KIT
Go ahead, make one up right HERE.

MORE FUN WITH GOOGLE MAPS
Think you know your topography? Try THIS!

PAC-MAN MEETS MODERN ART
Yep, it's true! Go HERE to play.

CLICK HERE TO STEAL THIS BANNER!

... for a bit so posts here may be sporadic and/or short for a while. Just thought I'd let you know.

Been quite the day. The trip to SF did also help me untangle some knots in my head and allow for a clearer view of what is needed by me for me. So, while accomplishing some already set up tasks I'm setting up a routine and focusing on what needs to be completed. The difference now being that these "needs" are no longer millstones around my neck... the way I chose to perceive them to be not to long ago. A shift in attitude. It's all good. Living life with a full plate sure beats the alternative. Shift means change and change is forward motion. Though we more often talk the talk to walking the walk. Then we instead spend our energies bobbing in our own perverse quagmire of comfort whining of what was or what could have been instead of marveling at the radiance of life that is the here and now... and square in our hands. If we believe otherwise it's only because we chose to give up on responsibility. Because it is the here and now that activates what will be. And that in itself means nothing except for the attitude and intent we carry along for the ride. We can fill the plate for ourselves or have it filled for us. The choice is ours. My choice of preference is the former.

EDIT: Oh yeah, it's Talk Like A Pirate Day... Well, here goes... "Arrrr!"

There are updates to this post!
... I went and also to be home. Here is a picture of our hotel that seems to have an identity crisis. Is it the Olympic or the San Franciscan? Well, it's a decent place. Clean rooms and just around the corner from the theatres where the Fringe was held. This provided me with the luxury of taking naps and freshening up between shows... and good prices too.

I must confess I had a wee bit of trepidation with is particular trip. There were several reasons... but one of them was that I sort of felt "festivaled out" even before I left. Now that I have turned over the producing of the Rogue to someone else it was different this year for me. I wasn't up to setting any olympic records with the sheer number of shows seen as in years past... and I only caught 6 shows as a result. However, (as my annual trips up to the Festival are wont to do) I came back refreshed and creatively renewed.

The shows I did catch once again boosted my theatrical outlook with the exposition to inventive devices. (Read into that... there is stuff as a playwright and director I found to steal for my own shows.::evil grin::) More importantly though, Jag and I were invited to a discussion on touring the Fringe hosted by the producers of the SF Fringe (the second oldest in the US) and featuring the producers of the Orlando Fringe (the oldest in the US.) This was set up for the benefit of the performers there. It was interesting and stimulating.

As soon as that was over a spontaneous discussion broke out between the producers of both those festivals and us (representing the Rogue). It was a little summit, so to speak. They treated us as equals. This is big because we (the Rogue) although a fringe type festival do not belong to CAFF like the other two do. (They were also really lobbying us to join.) Ideas were shared and the bottom line is... Orlando wants to do cross promotions with us. Neato stuff, huh? (As you scratch your heads thinking to yourself "Lecram has really lost it.") Let me put it this way... the Rogue is the bastard child of the bastard child and gaining respect to be really noticed in this crazy world.

Anyway, I'm really jazzed about this and won't use your time further with this boring "shop talk".

Oh yeah... I had a good time.

UPDATE: 8:10 AM
Here are some fun time wasters for your surfing day.

BREAK-UP FANTASY
You can choose a break-up fantasy and watch it play out HERE.

TOILET DOG BOWL
Look, they are going to do it anyway so why not get them one of their own? You can buy one HERE!

LIVE IN "THE SHIRE"
Huge "Lord of the Rings" fan? Looking for a new place to live that will fulfil your Hobbit needs? Why not buy a house in THIS development? Yeah, it's real too!

CREATIVE FOOD
Playing with your food again? Why not get creative while you're doing it? HERE are some ideas.

... at the hotel so I'll post more when I can. Been a good trip so far.

At the moment the Saturday night is in full swing here in the city. Streets are teeming with people. Some headed to dance clubs. Some getting out of shows, Some walking hand in hand not heading anywhere in particular just as long as they are with each other.

I'm back in my room looking out the window as the buzz fills the night air... and just happy to feel it.'s vibrations.

Words are not coming so I'll resort to impressions of the day through pictures.

More edits were done last night!

There is actually WiFi at the hotel that works. I'll post pics in a while. First thing is to get a Fringe schedule and plan out our shows.

EDIT: OK... so here is a minor blow by blow so fat. We left my place (that's the street I live on in the pic) at about noon.

Conversation in the car with Jag was fun and stimulating as always. Then we stopped at vista point for a cig.


We saw this and contemplated some sick and wrong love story connected with it. However we thought the picture could speak for itself.


So, here we are in the city. I'll update later. Indian food is calling.

EDIT:
OK, got a wonderful surprize at dinner tonight. For many years... whenever I've come up to the city there is this one hole-in-the-wall Indian place I use to go to. It was run by this nice couple and the food was great... had a real home cooked sense to it.

Then a couple of years ago I come up and the place was closed. I hung my head in despair. I looked for another place that was comparible... but never quite found one that came close. Tonight in my continuing quest I try a place close to the hotel. A bigger place... a real resturant. Lo and behold... the lady behind the counter looks familiar. She flashes a smile at me. She says, "Lamb curry, yes?" It's her! She calls to the open kitchen and her husband walks out smiling at me. It's them! We gabber a bit and I order... finding "home" againat a different location. Ah, and the food is still amazing!

Oh yeah... I'm up here to see shows. Ran into a couple of people we know at tthe festival... including my friend Laura who is the volunteer coordinator. Our faces are known around here as those "Rogue Guys."

Only got to see one show though... but it took place on a bus... a real bus that drove around the city. The premise? We were guests at Sarah's bachelorette party. And hey... for a mere 10 bucks... all the gello shots and beer you could consume in an hour. A fun structured improve where an ex-boyfriend joined the party and the "drama" unfolded as we proceeded to get blitzed. Think of it as a version of "Tony & Tina's Wedding" on a bus. Pretty fun and actually quite theatrical.

You'll get more tomorrow

... as I am leaving for the SF Fringe. I am however bringing the laptop with me. So, if I can steal a strong enough signal at the hotel I will be blogging and checking in on your blogs from up there.



Mine today is my Mum. I did feature her in this Picture Daze post. This picture is a lot more current though. I call her my "dainty rock" and she has always been there for me through thick and thin and most everywhere in between. She single handedly raised me after my father passed away when I was 12... not an easy task.

Of course, we don't see eye to eye (really, what kid sees eye to eye with any of their parents?) ... but if I felt strongly about something she was always the first one to back me up... even if she didn't quite understand what it was I was doing. She and my Dad brought me up to be independent and she has always honored that.

She is in her 80's now and lives with me. Still potters around the house and is still pretty active for someone her age. Her memory is going though and she has what I call "high RAM and low RAM" days. Some of the low RAM days can be kooky but all in all, she's pretty "low maintenance". She can be very funny too. Last Summer she drank thereminman under the table at one of our BBQs while toasting everyone with a hearty "Blooming Fine!". Recently, my old boy scout troop requested a photo and news about her as she was instrumental in getting our Den built oh so many years ago.

It would be redundant for me to say that I love her... but I do. She is Da Count for me for without her... I would not count.

Want to join Da Count? Click the flashing logo.

* I'm on the road so go visit each other and make each other smile!

** Still waiting for my ride. She hasn't checked in yet but kfarmer is up and counting.

EDIT: The chat thingy has gotten a little too distracting for this blog so I have shifted to it's own blog at http://chatthang.blogspot.com . If you come here and want to chat with me... go there and if I'm on... pull up a chair, brew some coffee or tea and we'll chat. :)

Labels: da count

... is going a little slower than anticipated but I am determined to have (most) of it up by tomorrow. So, plod on I will. Some other projects may have to take a backseat for the moment... but they will be accomplished in time.

UPDATE: About half the site is completed... but it's UP!

On an unrelated note... the lovely Ms. Cosima during a chat today, suggested a last hurrah for Summer sarong themed HNT for next week... which may just bring me out of semi-retirement.

---------------------------
I also have a play to write. That of course is assuming I want to put something into the festival this coming year. (I've had something in it every year since we started the thing.) I began working on something last year that was never completed due to schedule conflicts and time constraints. I've been thinking about it of late and considering taking it up again. The premise is still intriguing with enough room to provide me with a fun ride on the write.

The idea explores the point in the Snow White story where the hunter takes her out into the forest with instructions from the queen to kill her. Of course my warped imagination sets the whole thing in Vegas where the kingdom is a casino and the forest in this case is a Target store after hours. Hmm... perhaps I will go that route.

EDIT: 10:10 AM
In fact, I posted some of what I started last year on this blog HERE & HERE.
---------------------------
Ah well... back to the grindstone.

I pulled 10 straight hours working on graphics today. I've been working on the Rogue site... cleaning things up, etc. While doing that, I of course decide that it needs a new header. I spend 4 hours working on one... only to find something I started a couple of months ago that I liked better. So, I begin tweaking that one (another 3 hours) and finally get it to where I think it will be good. Naturally, this also means that I will have to make new pages, yada, yada... So, that's what I've been up to. I'm hoping all the new stuff will be ready to go "live" by Wednesday. Piqued your curiosity? Here is the header that will go up. (click it for a bigger version.) Oh yeah... the header was based on pictures of some of our performers from this year's festival.

On a strangely related topic... I was contemplating today about how I have on many occasions begun something with a very pointed focus only to end up with a wider quotient of experience in the end. It's sort of like going to the store for a gallon of milk and coming home with it... along with a packet of hot links, a lotto ticket, a bottle of merlot and a mondo bag of chili fritos. This is not a post about shopping or distractions... I'm just using the example as an analogy. (Probably, not a very good one but... an analogy nevertheless.) I guess what I'm trying to get at is the journey is often times so much more satisfying than the destination... but only if one is open to checking out the scenery along the way.

I better end before I babble you to boredom.

EDIT: 9:50 AM
If I get the work I want to accomplish done... there could be some new linkable Rogue banners for the stealing soon!

Oh, and there could be another edit later in the day.

Last night was especially telling on the dance floor. I use to be able to dance all 3 sets of music not too long ago. Perhaps the hermitizing has had an adverse effect on me. Still it was a fun night. (Time to start biking around and leave the truck at home.) Thereminman and the boys did an execellent job cranking out those Beatles tunes and there was never a lack of lovely partners to dance with.

Been revisiting the "Lord Of The Rings" trilogy of late. (extended editions, of course) Actually, I haven't seen them in a couple of years so it's actually been quite fun. And the answer is a resounding "Yes" on watching all the extras. I really have to say that Peter Jackson did quite break the mold on this. I just don't see anyone attempting a remake anytime soon. The detail is quite astounding and everything is solid all around.

All in all it has been a good weekend and the upcoming week is looking pretty active. I'm excited about getting out of town the coming weekend for the Fringe Festival in San Francisco. Always a good time with theatre. Plus, just getting away for a bit is always a nice thing. Over the last year I have lost my Tibetan beanie... so it's time to get a new one at the Tibet Shop. And there is always great food up in the city. To a lot of my friends who have gone up with me I'm known as the "King" of the "hole-in-the-wall". Have quite the nose for good little tucked-in-the-corner eateries with great food at reasonable prices.

Cheers and have a great week ahead!

I was going to see "the Scottish play" in the park last night but circumstance changed my direction. I was going to see my friends in the production and also drop off some printed material for some other performer friends who were doing the pre-show. Well, I did drop off the printed material.. didn't get to see the show.

An hour before I was due to leave, my mother had requested a "drive". It is a request she makes every so often and with this one I thought it was also a great opportunity to drive her around the park. It turned out to be quite the adventure though as an accident during the Friday rush traffic sent everything to a crawl... thus overheating the truck. So, this half an hour drive took just over an hour an a half. But she did get her drive around the park.

Then later... as I'm blogging/chatting... a transformer blew plunging 5 blocks including mine into darkness. So, I made the executive decision to go out to the Tower District for a drink and some Thai food.

Oh, if there are any performers out there... click the graphic. And those of you who are interested in being part of the audience... seriously consider a trip out in March. It would be a fun wild way to have a gathering of bloggers. Really, it would.

The work week ends and the cusp of a weekend draws near. Time to count yet another into the inventory of riches in life. Posting early as I'll be out and about Arthopping this evening.

Da Count for me today is somewhat abstract as I have chosen to celebrate... opportunity. How often have I ignored or forgotten that it is a constant. Too often have I missed it due to the narrow focus of my selfish desire... choosing to believe instead that none existed. Yet it has and continues always to be there for the taking as one missed provides another.

Opportunities to learn. Opportunities to befriend. Opportunities to give. Opportunities for joy. Opportunities to love. Opportunities to create. Opportunities to thank. The list goes on and on. It is one of the few things that by taking... often provides the opening to give.

Yesterday I thought about all the opportunities that a single day holds and wondered about how many I squandered. Did I miss offering a compliment, some encouragement or a smile when I could have? Yet I also realize that there are some that were best missed... and that selecting our opportunities goes hand in hand with recognizing that they indeed do exist.

I have been fortunate by the ones I have taken and also learned from others I perhaps should have missed. Yet there is no denying that I have been and continue to be shaped by them all. I am glad that they continue to... I would not be here without them. So, I raise my glass and toast to life and the opportunities it richly affords us.

IN DA COUNT? LEAVE A COMMENT AND WE'LL SWING ON BY FOR YOU TO SHARE YOUR RICHES WITH US.

Still befuddled? Click the flashing logo above to be de-fuddled.

Have a great one and may you all fall victim to wide smiles.

EDIT: IN DA COUNT TODAY so far as of 3:45 PM PST.
airplanejayne
lime
osbasso
cosima
phain
kfarmer
spitfire
katie
mg
DevilBlueDress
TequilaGirl
julie

EDIT: Thanks to all who did da count and those who dropped by... hope it put a smile on your face to start the weekend off as it did mine. And hey... we'll still take latecomers!

Labels: da count

... will be here sometime.

5:31 AM
I awoke early this morning. Actually, it is the time I use to wake up when I was working. My wake-up schedule over summer has been erratic at best... usually fluctuating between 4 AM and 7. I'm thinking I need to get back to a regular schedule just to be able to accomplish more.

I took myself out for a drink yester evening. It was quite pleasent to get out of the house just for a bit. Running into some of the usual gang and catching up. The next few days will be pretty active ones.

Tonight is the monthly ArtHop and I'm planning to hit some galleries. I haven't done this for a while only because I've been hibernating from the local world of the arts for a bit. It's always fun to hop from gallery to gallery catching new exhibits. Always wine and bites to catch at each one. Of course running into people is half the fun.

Then tomorrow I think I'm going out to the park to catch a production of "the Scottish play". It's the week before their closing and I would get a earful if I didn't turn up from friends in it. Though I am interested in seeing it as it has been set in a Mad Max post-apocolyptic setting. So, that alone would be worth it. Plus, sitting out in the open under the stars with a bottle of wine is always a fun thing to do.

On Saturday I will be screening "Reefer Madness: the musical" at a friend's gallery. Right after I'm heading to the Starline for "Ticket To Ride", a local Beatles cover band will be cranking them out for some dancing fun. The last time I saw them play was the closing party of the Rogue... and most of us there don't quite remember details of the night. Though we were assured that it was fun.

Oh, I just found out that my age on Jupiter is 42471 days... you can find yours HERE!

I'll probably be posting DA COUNT for Friday sometime tonight.

... I am, I am, I am. Some of you know that I love watching documentaries. Of late I've been running out of them on PBS... since their HD channel tends to repeat them over and over. This is one of the reasons I DO NOT get cable or dish... I would never leave the house! So, to get my fix I pull out random DVDs and watch the extras. In fact, when I get a new DVD... thats the first thing I watch. I need help, I tell ya!
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I actually got all my bills paid today. As much as I hate this particular activity (don't we all)... it is such a relief when it is accomplished. Like a huge weight is lifted off the shoulders. Now with my pockets much lighter I don't feel so daunted to move around. There's something inherently wrong with that too I'm sure. Really, it just can't be right to feel better with less money. Perhaps I need help for that too.
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There could be updates later... really, there could be.

UPDATE: 9:45 (told you it could happen.)

OK... this is pretty funny. I was playing around on the Generator Blog again and this one will place tats on various parts of the body. (Click the image for a bigger view.) The cool thing is the animation that plays once it is rendered. I guess it's for some kind of PS game based out of the UK... from an advertising standpoint... brilliant! I can see see lots of guys self-stroking their egos with this one. (Yes, the entendre is intentional.)
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And there could still be more updates... it's already happened once, hasn't it?

EDIT: noon (See, it happened again.)

Perhaps you want to make plans for this... details to be linked later.

Once in a while I'll catch the Antique Roadshow just to see what crazy monetary value is placed on an object. Last week there was a wooden box valued at $40,000! That is usually my cue to fall off my chair.

Lately I've been looking for something entirely different in the show. Just about everyone on the show says something like, "I'm never going to sell it... this has more sentimental value to me than money." This is then quickly followed by something like, "But out of curiosity... it'll be nice to know what it's worth."

The appraiser then tells them. For instance, in this picture the lady has just been told that the Tang Dynasty figure her grandparents bought in China is worth between $100,000 and $150,000. (Just for the record... I fell off my chair twice.) Then for about 3 seconds there is this look... and we know there is a quick reassessment on any sentimentality professed earlier clicking wildly in their heads. (And yes, I captured this exact moment while watching tonight.)

If we had the capability to see this lady's thought bubbles just like in the comic-books... what do you think it would say? LOL!

... last night. Though it wasn't quite unexpected as the doctor had recently given her 6 months. I called him up this morning to check in on him and ask if there was anyway I could help. He said, "Have coffee with me."

I told him I would be right there. We met at the local java joint within 15 minutes of the call. While waiting in line for the barista to take our orders this lady, a regular customer sitting down looked up at my friend and said, "That was a really nice picture of you in the paper."

"Which paper?"

"Today's..." At which point she shuffled through her pile and pulled out the entertainment section. There on the back page where the short features of upcoming shows was indeed a picture of my friend. "Says here you are performing a comedy show this Friday."

My friend burst out laughing. I asked, "Did you know you had a show this Friday?"

"I guess I do now!" Apparently he had never been contacted on the confirmation of the gig and only found out when he was shown the blurb in the paper. He quickly followed with, "Boy, do I have some new material for this show."

... and theres clean-up to do in the morning. But the food was great, the drinks flowed freely and the company was stellar. Folks were in a pretty great mood and the conversation flowed easily. Really, what more can you ask for? Theres a lot of work ahead but this was a good kickoff.

Because I've been hosting or organizing these things for a while... I now find myself just wanting to sit in the corner and watch others have a good time. Sure, I do mingle but it's diffrent from the days when I would go all out. Not that it's any less enjoyable now... just different.
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I just realized that I go up to San Francisco in a couple of weeks for the SF Fringe Festival. I've been up there almost every year since 1995. Always a fun time even when I use to go up alone. Sort of a working vacation when I get the opportunity to renew myself creatively by watching what others are trying out in the world of theatre. There is always something interesting to catch.

Of course, now when we go up we are there stumping for acts for the Rogue. In a way I want to go back to the days when I was up there just to have a good time without work attached. But we can't really go back, can we? Life has got to be forward moving.

More in the morning perhaps.

... so, posting on the blog over the next couple of days is going to be spotty at best. I'm doing this from the coffeeshop.
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Da Count (see post below) had a good start yesterday. Mega Thanks to those of you who jumped into this and participated. Your postings certainly did put a smile on my face. I will be looking forward to the weeks ahead.

I do have to admit that it was challenge posting what I did yesterday. Not because I did not feel or mean what I wrote but it did make me think about sustainability. It made me wonder if faced with composing a list of gripes and a list of appreciation which one would be quicker to put together... and which one would be longer. Anyway, it has begun so, let's see how it evolves and where it goes.
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It's going to be quite the active day today. There is a BBQ/Rogue Core meeting at my place. This means I'll be cleaning up most of the morning and setting up for the shindig. Though it'll be nice to see the gang to break some bread together and have a healthy slurp. This will begin the 6 month push for the 2007 Rogue.