Top ten reasons why gay marriage is a bad, bad idea…

Don Adams has passed away.

Don Adams played Maxwell Smart, in tv’s Get Smart. Click here for a very nice article about him and his work.

I can remember, many years ago, coming home from school and my Mom letting me sit in front of the tv with my snack to watch Get Smart and Lost In Space, back to back. They were in re-runs of course, but, boy-oh-boy, I just loved them! Don Adams had timing like you wouldn’t believe, his slapstick was first-rate. There’s no question that watching that show had a part in me wanting to make people laugh, to be the class clown that I was, and to do as many comedies as I do now as a director/producer. I LOVE to be a part of lightening the mood, helping people escape for a while. I used to watch that show, with the many secret doors opening and closing during the opening credits, and laugh my way through an entire after-school snack, knowing that it would all be okay, because Agent 86 believed it! Then would come Lost in Space – where I could pretend that I was Will Robinson, and that I lived on a spaceship!

Between Get Smart, Lost In Space, and my dad introducing me to Star Trek as a kid, I was hooked on the sci-fi/gadget world early on. Maxwell Smart’s shoe-phone? Come on, that’s genius!!! The communicators that Captain Kirk used? Tricorders? How can you NOT want one of those?! And Will Robinson’s Robot was just the ultimate! “Danger Will Robinson!”

Danger?! Yeah, Danger of getting me addicted to cool electronic gadgets that I LOVE! Danger of showing me worlds of such wonder that I would forever want to be a part of them. (Danger of crushing disappointment when they made a mediocre movie out of the series!)

It’s funny, those shows will always be linked in my mind. To each other, to after school snacks, but also to how I view the world. They believed. They knew, whether it was fighting the agents of KAOS or fighting aliens a zillion miles from home, they just knew that they’d make it through! There’s such a warm, homey feel when I see those reruns now, it takes me back to sitting on the living room floor, Mom making dinner while we waited for Dad to come home from work. Simpler times. For me, anyway.

*sigh*

So today we lost another man who helped make the world a little brighter.
Thanks, Don. Rest In Peace.

Okay, just for fun I did this “Epitaph” thing that’s going around.

All you do is type in your name. That’s it. Then it comes up with an epitaph for you.

Here’s mine:

Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

How the hell did it know?!?!

Go, do your epitaph, and post it in a comment – I’m dying to see them all! (Oh God that was the worst pun I’ve made ever…)

So last night we went to Maggie’s first ever Swim Meet as a member of the Chelsea Aquatic Club. She was so cute, and fast! She took 2nd place for Backstroke in her race (8 and unders). Quite the event, and she’s excited for her next one! Even cooler than her good swimming, though, was her effort, and her being a part of the team. She was having fun, and really trying her best! I will tell you without shame (but with a little self-disappointment) that I simply could not have swum all of the warm up lengths they have those kids do, and then been able to stand up on my own, much less swim in a competition!! (This is quite possibly due to my complete abandonment of my “get in shape” routine from a few months ago…darnit).

Then, this morning, we all went to the Chelsea Jog-A-Thon, which was very fun. It’s basically running around the track for fun and health, but they’ve got lots of music going, and you wear tape on your back and people mark your tape for each lap you do (well, the kids get marks, cuz they’re all trying to do a lot of laps. The adults mostly walked and talked about how they needed to “do more exercise like this…”) Max ran 2 whole miles, and Maggie ran 4! Well, ran is not quite true – jogged/walked/skipped/sprinted/walked backwards/ate-grapes-while-strolling-and-chatting-with-friends is probably more accurate! Very fun. I ‘speed walked’ about a mile and 1/2, and was signed up to be a volunteer “lap counter” for an hour, so it was cool to have the Sharpie and mark off laps on kids backs for them while cheering them on! Some of the littlest kids were in kindergarten or preschool, and they’d come to me every time they made a lap cuz I would make a big deal about how they were “Back Already?! WOW!!” – very cute to see little kids being proud of stuff they’ve accomplished, I love that! Jeanne was a volunteer in the “Get your pictures taken with Jog-Dog, the big mascot” section, and she did more laps than me. A good time was had by all!

I spent Friday, by the way, helping to measure out the building we’re hoping to get for WTP. We have to make absolutely certain that the building will work before we get it, so we were measuring for stage/seating/miscellaneous so more designs can be done. It was great to be able to spend 4 hours in the building, cuz a lot of it I got to wander and daydream about making the place a reality. My fantasy dialog was along the lines of “This’ll be center stage!”, “If I have this office, my desk’ll go there, but if I have that office my desk’ll go over there!“, “Right now I’m where the back row will be…so the diag for the entrance will be here…”, “Oooh, in 2 years when we raise even more money, we can build an addition right HERE and put a rehearsal space in!”, “Man, this backstage is gonna be TIGHT! But we’ll make it work, cuz we have no choice!!” It was very inspiring and energizing.

Tonight, my last Tiger’s Game of the season. In case anyone is still wondering, they STILL suck, and it now looks like they will be very lucky to even match last years win total. *sigh*

OH, and new Superman icon! Whaddaya think? Oooooh, he looks heroic, no?

It’s only 11pm, and it’s clearly going to be another night of not sleeping. However, since I’ve slept very well every other night this week, I’m not complaining, I’ll use it as a chance to organize myself a wee bit…

SO. From the first posting of this on September 12th, this list has had a lot of stuff marked off, more stuff added on. All in all, getting stuff done:

Eliminate the Dish Network equipment that no longer serves any purpose.
Write/send the letters of Recommendation I agreed to do.
Continue Board Recruitment for WTP
Re-do the WTP show budgets.
Plan a WTP first show with minimal renovation to building, so we can do a show ASAP upon getting the space.
Paint bathroom.
Organize basement office and desk.
Get rust on roof of my car fixed. (Maaco?)
Read the giant pile of scripts I need to read.
Win the lottery. (EDIT: Dammit…still trying.)
Repair half-bath toilet
Put up new curtain and shower curtain in bathroom
Work out details of WTP lights-for-computers swap with Gary
Go to Secretary Of State and renew License Plate
Send letter of congratulations to Kristine Thatcher.
Prep for Jacob Marley production meeting (tomorrow late afternoon).
Continue to organize/plan for the EMU Producing Theatre class I’m teaching.
Call about bids on the WTP building.
Clarify Otterbein information/details for Spring directing job.
Figure out why I haven’t been able to sleep all week... (EDIT: Well, I slept better for about a week…)
Send notes of congratulations to EMU students in “VIDEO GAMES: The Rock Opera” (which was awesome)(EDIT: Done verbally).
Set up coffee date with Annie.
Hang cabinet for Jeanne. (EDIT: We decided to not put up a cabinet)
Pay bills/balance checkbook.
Pick up Max’s show-n-tell stuff from classroom (it’s too big for the bus.)
Go to sleep.
Figure out if there are things NOT on this list that should be.(EDIT: added ’em)
Go to sleep.
Go to sleep.
Solve paycheck issue
Solve Max “daycare on Friday’s” issue.
Coffee with Beth
Michigan Theatre Festival Meeting
Check in about the Nov/Dec gig at the Gem Theatre. (EDIT: Probably NOT happening)
Set up time on 23rd for Bart and General Contractor to go thru WTP building.
Set up time to go thru WTP Building with Structural Engineer

“An idea isn’t worth much until a man is found who has the energy and ability to make it work.”
William Feather

“The only lifelong, reliable motivations are those that come from within, and one of the strongest of those is the joy and pride that grow from knowing that you’ve just done something as well as you can do it.”
Lloyd Dobens

“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.”
Oprah Winfrey

-Had a Great Meeting with Mary Darr, a building expert/ Structural Engineer, who’s helping us figure out what our next step/options are with renovating the WTP building! Another session coming up soon, too, and things are continuing to move forward!

-Prep for Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol is going well – very cool set from Dan Walker, and the whole production team is coming in with cool ideas! Gives a director a bunch of nice options!

-Hanging out at home today with Max, looking forward to getting a bunch of stuff on my To-Do List crossed off!

-Going to see King O’ The Moon at The BoarsHead this week – looking forward to it, get to see my pals Emily and Aaron doing their thang up there.

-Lastly, since I posted a link to a spectacular William Shatner music video, I think it’s only fair to share this:

Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock, as you undoubtedly know!!) once recorded a music video for a song all about Bilbo Baggins, the Hobbit! Why? Nobody knows. Still, I STRONGLY RECOMMEND CLICKING HERE to enjoy a hilarious little ditty. The sound is quiet, so turn your speakers up!

Ahoy, ye scurvy wretches! If ye’ve not heerd, ’tis “Talk Like A Pirate Day”. Grrr. Arrrgh.

Here are some interesting sites for today!

Want to know your Pirate name?! Click Here to find out!! Mine, because I know you’re wondering, is Dirty Henry! Grr. Arrgh.

Also, here’s The Official Website! Grrr. Arrgh.

And, if you’re unclear on HOW to Talk Like A Pirate, The T.L.A.P. Official British HQ has a handy vocabulary guide!! Grr. Arrgh.

So, me lily-livered scallywags – take your sorry selves to them thar websites, and begin the talk – The Talk of The Pirates!!

Grr. Arrrgh.

…and here’s another reason why:

[EDIT: Because some people asked, this is a message Maggie left on my cell phone…]

And now, from the Hell in a Handbasket file, this little earth-shatterer: Rosie O’Donnell returns to Broadway…in Fiddler On The Roof?!?!

It’s the end-times, folks. Hurricanes, floods, Rosie O’Donnell. Somebody read it and explain to me how the hell these things happen.