A four weekend run for a play is pretty long. It's the typical time for what we call "storefront theater" in Chicago. And we've done three weeks. So there's just one weekend to go. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Then it's time to pack everything up and let someone else have the theater.
This show, All Mixed Up, had 3 major "the show must go on" moments, all involving actors suddenly departing the cast for their own personal reasons. But the show went on, with a revised cast, and I'm very grateful for that.
We will go our separate ways
But I hope that something stays
In memory's golden haze.
Monday, October 31, 2016
Sunday, October 30, 2016
Mystery of the Migrating Messages
Usually you would know, right? Emails don't just walk across the wifi from one device to another.
Apparently she told the FBI that she had already, previously, given them all the devices she used for email handling.
"The person, who would not discuss the case unless granted anonymity, said Abedin was not a regular user of the computer, and even when she agreed to turn over emails to the State Department for federal records purposes, her lawyers did not search it for materials, not believing any of her messages to be there."
Well... "not a regular user". In other words, "a user".
"[She] has told people she is unsure how her emails could have ended up on a device she viewed as her husband’s computer"
They were doing things on the net
That they wanted to stay hidden,
Things that were embarrassing
Or maybe even forbidden.
Such computer incompetence.
It makes me want to laugh.
They needed a security pro
In their home, on staff.a
Apparently she told the FBI that she had already, previously, given them all the devices she used for email handling.
"The person, who would not discuss the case unless granted anonymity, said Abedin was not a regular user of the computer, and even when she agreed to turn over emails to the State Department for federal records purposes, her lawyers did not search it for materials, not believing any of her messages to be there."
Well... "not a regular user". In other words, "a user".
"[She] has told people she is unsure how her emails could have ended up on a device she viewed as her husband’s computer"
They were doing things on the net
That they wanted to stay hidden,
Things that were embarrassing
Or maybe even forbidden.
Such computer incompetence.
It makes me want to laugh.
They needed a security pro
In their home, on staff.a
Saturday, October 29, 2016
Skyrocketing
At the moment, I'm enrolled in an Obamacare "bronze" PPO plan. My monthly premium is: $567.36
Next year's monthly premium, for the same plan: $991.53
Well, that's a 75% increase!
At least it isn't doubling.
Still, I find it troubling.
I don't mean intellectually troubling. Intellectually, this makes complete sense to me.
The program suffers from deep flaws,
Defying economic laws,
Which really should have made them pause
Before they passed this mess.
They didn't care, I guess.
Next year's monthly premium, for the same plan: $991.53
Well, that's a 75% increase!
At least it isn't doubling.
Still, I find it troubling.
I don't mean intellectually troubling. Intellectually, this makes complete sense to me.
The program suffers from deep flaws,
Defying economic laws,
Which really should have made them pause
Before they passed this mess.
They didn't care, I guess.
Thursday, October 27, 2016
Why I Missed Game 2
The Cubs won yesterday, but all I saw was the highlight reel. During the game itself I was busy reading "directions" aloud for the audio recording of a friend's screenplay. You know: "Interior. Tom's Living Room. Day. Tom is sipping tea. Tim staggers in, barely able to hold onto his bottle of Jack Daniels."
Except, that's not really from her script. That's just something I made up.
The funny thing about having the Cubs in the Series is that I care a bit less than I normally do when a Chicago team is in some set of playoffs. They're the north side team, after all.
They do not give me a primal thrill.
Still, I do not wish them ill.
Except, that's not really from her script. That's just something I made up.
The funny thing about having the Cubs in the Series is that I care a bit less than I normally do when a Chicago team is in some set of playoffs. They're the north side team, after all.
They do not give me a primal thrill.
Still, I do not wish them ill.
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Sunday, October 23, 2016
Peanut Butter Vandal
Her blood alcohol level was elevated:
"Disorderly conduct charges are pending against a woman who authorities say smeared peanut butter on 30 vehicles outside a gathering in central Wisconsin that she mistakenly thought was a Donald Trump rally."
It was actually a conservation group.
Do you think she got confused by the visual resemblance between conservation and conservative?
Even when in a drunken state,
It's best to keep your suffixes straight.
"Disorderly conduct charges are pending against a woman who authorities say smeared peanut butter on 30 vehicles outside a gathering in central Wisconsin that she mistakenly thought was a Donald Trump rally."
It was actually a conservation group.
Do you think she got confused by the visual resemblance between conservation and conservative?
Even when in a drunken state,
It's best to keep your suffixes straight.
Saturday, October 22, 2016
Parachuting In
Last night we had "walk in" audience members who just felt like seeing a play after eating at the restaurant next door, which is called Parachute. They actually had 2 plays to choose from last night at the theater at 8pm - my play and an opera about a woman escaping from the Fundamentalist Church of the Latter Day Saints. Somehow I persuaded them to see my play.
Perhaps the spicy Korean food
had put them in a comedic mood.
Perhaps the spicy Korean food
had put them in a comedic mood.
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
The Answer Is Blowin' In The Wind
Yes, they gave Bob Dylan the Nobel prize for literature, for his songs, and he won't even return the Committee's calls.
'Days after he was awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature for "having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition" the Academy said it's given up on trying to reach the iconic musician.'
Nobel? Oh, well!
Dylan just chillin'.
Now, don't get me wrong -
In his way, he's second to none,
and I like it that someone won
for putting rhymes into song!
'Days after he was awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature for "having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition" the Academy said it's given up on trying to reach the iconic musician.'
Nobel? Oh, well!
Dylan just chillin'.
Now, don't get me wrong -
In his way, he's second to none,
and I like it that someone won
for putting rhymes into song!
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Hence the Name?
It started when he took part in an eating competition:
"The man began to vomit rather violently after eating a hamburger with ghost chili pepper puree.... Doctors found a hole in his esophagus that was 2.5-centimeters, which necessitated emergency surgery and 23 days in the hospital."
Maybe you haven't heard of ghost chili peppers.
"In 2007, Guinness World Records certified that the Ghost pepper was the world's hottest chili pepper, 400 times hotter than Tabasco sauce. The Ghost chili is rated at more than 1 million Scoville heat units (SHUs)."
When it comes to hot,
It's got some of the most.
This pepper, pureed,
Nearly made him a ghost.
"The man began to vomit rather violently after eating a hamburger with ghost chili pepper puree.... Doctors found a hole in his esophagus that was 2.5-centimeters, which necessitated emergency surgery and 23 days in the hospital."
Maybe you haven't heard of ghost chili peppers.
"In 2007, Guinness World Records certified that the Ghost pepper was the world's hottest chili pepper, 400 times hotter than Tabasco sauce. The Ghost chili is rated at more than 1 million Scoville heat units (SHUs)."
When it comes to hot,
It's got some of the most.
This pepper, pureed,
Nearly made him a ghost.
Jaded
A truly humongous find:
"A giant jade stone weighing 175 tonnes has been uncovered by miners in Myanmar."
Impressive pic at the link.
A chunk of rock
too big to wear
but if you could
how folks would stare!
"A giant jade stone weighing 175 tonnes has been uncovered by miners in Myanmar."
Impressive pic at the link.
A chunk of rock
too big to wear
but if you could
how folks would stare!
Sunday, October 16, 2016
Play Offs
Our theater is about 2.5 miles from Wrigley field. And when there's a big game...
Cubs traffic can interfere
With people getting here.
Our show today
Is a matinee.
So I think it's quite all right
That the Cubs don't play till tonight.
Friday, October 14, 2016
Opening Night
I've barely been posting,
because I've been hosting
lots of rehearsals
through highs and reversals,
but now I am certain -
we're raising the curtain -
so if you live near
come see our show here!
Sunday, October 09, 2016
Race Report
Abel KiruKirui... was well able to beat me in today's Chicago Marathon. "[He] won the 26.2-mile race in a time of 2 hours, 11 minutes and 23 seconds."
He beat the number two guy by 3 seconds. He beat me by a little more.
Timothy Enright beat me too. He's not a relative as far as I know. But when I searched for my results with just my last name, he popped up.
The race results come with a very nice split chart. If you just look at the miles/h (mph) column on the far right, you can see that I slowed down a lot, with a particularly slow pace on the line that says 35k:
Split Time Of Day Time Diff min/mile miles/h
05K 08:53:26AM 00:32:46 32:46 10:33 5.69
10K 09:26:47AM 01:06:06 33:21 10:44 5.59
15K 09:59:41AM 01:39:01 32:55 10:36 5.67
20K 10:33:16AM 02:12:36 33:35 10:49 5.55
HALF 10:40:49AM 02:20:08 07:33 11:04 5.43
25K 11:08:00AM 02:47:20 27:12 11:13 5.35
30K 11:46:28AM 03:25:47 38:28 12:23 4.85
35K 12:34:28PM 04:13:48 48:01 15:28 3.88
40K 01:17:04PM 04:56:23 42:36 13:43 4.38
Finish 01:35:11PM 05:14:31 18:08 13:18 4.52
You can also see I really slowed down all the way to 3.88 mph, but then picked up the pace again. That 3.88 mph period was my "slough of despond" stretch. As usual lately, the culprit was cramping in the legs. Ouch.
My wife and daughter and son-in-law were waiting for me very close to the finish, cheering on Michigan Avenue, giving me high fives. I think the expectation of seeing them helped re-lift my spirits.
The crowd excitement through-out was great.
But the family greeting was truly first rate.
He beat the number two guy by 3 seconds. He beat me by a little more.
Timothy Enright beat me too. He's not a relative as far as I know. But when I searched for my results with just my last name, he popped up.
The race results come with a very nice split chart. If you just look at the miles/h (mph) column on the far right, you can see that I slowed down a lot, with a particularly slow pace on the line that says 35k:
Split Time Of Day Time Diff min/mile miles/h
05K 08:53:26AM 00:32:46 32:46 10:33 5.69
10K 09:26:47AM 01:06:06 33:21 10:44 5.59
15K 09:59:41AM 01:39:01 32:55 10:36 5.67
20K 10:33:16AM 02:12:36 33:35 10:49 5.55
HALF 10:40:49AM 02:20:08 07:33 11:04 5.43
25K 11:08:00AM 02:47:20 27:12 11:13 5.35
30K 11:46:28AM 03:25:47 38:28 12:23 4.85
35K 12:34:28PM 04:13:48 48:01 15:28 3.88
40K 01:17:04PM 04:56:23 42:36 13:43 4.38
Finish 01:35:11PM 05:14:31 18:08 13:18 4.52
You can also see I really slowed down all the way to 3.88 mph, but then picked up the pace again. That 3.88 mph period was my "slough of despond" stretch. As usual lately, the culprit was cramping in the legs. Ouch.
My wife and daughter and son-in-law were waiting for me very close to the finish, cheering on Michigan Avenue, giving me high fives. I think the expectation of seeing them helped re-lift my spirits.
The crowd excitement through-out was great.
But the family greeting was truly first rate.
Thursday, October 06, 2016
Tuesday, October 04, 2016
Monday, October 03, 2016
Clowning Around
"Police say an 18-year-old Ohio woman lied about being attacked by a knife-wielding clown as an excuse for being late for her job at McDonald's, reports WCPO-TV."
But, while talking to police, she didn't seem unnerved, and inconsistencies developed in her story, and the police charged her with making a false report, spoiling all the fun!
Some people in this hectic life
Make up excuses for being late,
But "I was attacked by clown with a knife!"
Didn't seem to work out that great.
But, while talking to police, she didn't seem unnerved, and inconsistencies developed in her story, and the police charged her with making a false report, spoiling all the fun!
Some people in this hectic life
Make up excuses for being late,
But "I was attacked by clown with a knife!"
Didn't seem to work out that great.
Sunday, October 02, 2016
Kitties in Space, Remounted
John Morrison directed my 10-minute play, Kitties in Space, as part of this weekend's Paragon festival, which consisted of 40 sci-fi and fantasy plays, presented in 2 days.
It was quite funny, and they really ran with the play's last line, turning it suddenly from a comic space opera to an existential moment which they milked for at least 30 seconds of silent acting.
A good director thinks of things,
and fits your lines with shiny wings.
It was quite funny, and they really ran with the play's last line, turning it suddenly from a comic space opera to an existential moment which they milked for at least 30 seconds of silent acting.
A good director thinks of things,
and fits your lines with shiny wings.
Saturday, October 01, 2016
Dark Matter
From Inside Science
"Observations of rotating galaxies could be explained without including dark matter, which may require changes to prevailing theories."
What if it doesn't exist?
That would explain why I so far have missed,
In my efforts to capture a piece of this stuff,
Efforts which haven't been quite good enough.
"Observations of rotating galaxies could be explained without including dark matter, which may require changes to prevailing theories."
What if it doesn't exist?
That would explain why I so far have missed,
In my efforts to capture a piece of this stuff,
Efforts which haven't been quite good enough.
Buried Treasure
Swiss bank accounts? Out! Swiss underground vaults? In!
From Bloomberg:
"Deep in the Swiss Alps, next to an old airstrip suitable for landing Gulfstream and Falcon jets, is a vast bunker that holds what may be one of the world’s largest stashes of gold. The entrance, protected by a guard in a bulletproof vest, is a small metal door set into a granite mountain face at the end of a narrow country lane. Behind two farther doors sits a 3.5-ton metal portal that opens only after a code is entered and an iris scan and a facial-recognition screen are performed. A maze of tunnels once used by Swiss armed forces lies within."
I keep one billion nanopennies
in an Alpine vault,
so that I will still have plenty
should my bank default.
From Bloomberg:
"Deep in the Swiss Alps, next to an old airstrip suitable for landing Gulfstream and Falcon jets, is a vast bunker that holds what may be one of the world’s largest stashes of gold. The entrance, protected by a guard in a bulletproof vest, is a small metal door set into a granite mountain face at the end of a narrow country lane. Behind two farther doors sits a 3.5-ton metal portal that opens only after a code is entered and an iris scan and a facial-recognition screen are performed. A maze of tunnels once used by Swiss armed forces lies within."
I keep one billion nanopennies
in an Alpine vault,
so that I will still have plenty
should my bank default.
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