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November 30, 2003

Sci fi - Prolouge

The rain was a constant it seemed. People moved about, the sun rose and set (he assumed this, having only sensed a slight alteration of the ambient light outside) buildings rose and fell but there was always the rain it seemed.

He looked down into the city and watched far below the people going about their day. Some going to work, others returning home from an evening shift. Some running errands for their loved ones. Some going to places of education. And lastly, some on their way to meet the creator. He sensed these last people rather than saw them, his ability to do that now gone.

His coat was wet and heavy and it felt oppressive on his back. A pressure he was not used to yet, but willing to take on for the duration of his mission. He wondered how these people could stand the pressure on them. How they could stand to feel so heavy and burdend.

Stepping out to the edge of the roof and looking out over the city, he throws his arms out, letting the coat fall off and exposing his wings.

"And so I bring the word of God to you. My wings dipped in your blood."

May God have mercy on them all.

November 29, 2003

New Category

I am going to use this spot to write some of my of fiction. I certainly dont think of myself as a Stephen King wanna be or even anything close. I just like to string words together for my own amusement.

So. Keep an eye out here for some fiction.

November 26, 2003

Huh?

Well, as you can see, the layout has changed.

I liked the look of the last one, but... it wasnt me.

So, we have gone to something similar with a small change.

More posts will be coming soon.

November 23, 2003

Words From God

Found this today, I have had it for a while and I find it hilarious. An actor might not :) .

**************


We hold this truth to be self evident:

That all Tekkies are created superior.

GENESIS

In the beginning there was the Stage, and the Stage was without lights or sets, and darkness was on the faces of the actors. And the Technical Director (hereinafter referred to as the TD) said, "Let there be Lights!" and the Tekkies worked and wired, and there were lights. Spotlights and specials, areas and backlighting - yea, lights of all shapes, sizes and hues. And the TD saw the lights, that they were well aimed and focused, gelled according to the scene, and no more was there darkness on the faces of the actors. And it was good. And the evening and the morning were the First Day.

And the TD looked upon the actors and saw that although they walked in light, they did walk upon a bare stage, and had no place to be, and the TD was moved to pity. And the TD said, "Let there be a Set!": and the Tekkies scrambled and worked, and there was a set, with platforms, wagons, stairs, and furniture of various types and sized, each according to the need. And the actors did walk within the set, and did have a place to be. And the TD saw the set, that it was good, and the evening and the morning were the Second Day.

And the TD saw the actors, that although they did have a place to be, they did look like fools, for they waved their hands, clutched at open air, and struck each other with nothing. And in his heart, the TD was moved to pity. And the TD said, "Let there be Props!": and the Tekkies worked feverishly and did buy and build, and there were props. And they were good, and the evening and the morning were the Third Day.

And the Costumer looked upon the actors, and saw that they did go forth in blue jeans and the Costumer knew that this would not due. And the Costumer said, "Let there be Costumes!": and the Tekkies did cut and sew and shape, and there were costumes, each sized to the actor, according to the play, and keeping in with the role. And no more did the actors go forth in blue jeans, and the Costumer saw the costumes, that they were good, and the evening and the morning were the Fourth Day.

And the TD watched the play, and saw that the actors did wait in silence, and was moved to pity. And the TD said, "Let there be Sound!": and the Tekkies worked and taped, and there were sounds, each according to its place and cue, all at the proper levels. And the TD heard the sounds, that they were good, and the evening and the morning were the Fifth Day.

And lo, all these works were completed in five days, showing that if God had used sufficient Tekkies in the first place, He would have finished sooner.

Words To The Tekkies

Remember always that thou art a TEKKIE, born to walk the dark places of the stage, and know the secret ways of thy equipment. To your hands it is given to mold the dreams and thoughts of they that watch, and to make the Stage a separate place and time. Seek not, as do the actors, to go forth in light upon the stage, for though they strut and talk and put on airs, their craft does truly depend on you, to shape the dreams that they would show.

Remember also that although they depend on you, you exist only to aid them. Remember that thou art a team, for thou shalt party together.

My friends be not deceived by deluded actors masquerading as TEKKIES. Remember always the signs by which thou shalt recognize a true TEKKIE: they move softly during scene changes, not stumbling or falling; they are silent backstage and are aware of what is happening; they can speak with knowledge of Tools; they respect another's job and aid where they can; they do not just stand and watch. Amen.

PROVERB

Behold, my son here is wisdom. Pay heed to these words, and in the days of thy play, in the hours of thy performing, thou shalt not be caught short. For truly, it is said, pay heed to the errors of others and you shall not make them yourself, and again, as we have been told from on old, to thine own self be true.

Give not unto the actor his props before his time, for as surely as the sun does rise in the East and set in the West, he will lose or break them.

When told the placement of props by the Director, write not these things in ink upon thy script for as surely as the winds blow, so shall he change his mind.

Speak not in large words to actors, for they are slow of thought and are easily confused.

Speak not in the language of the TEKKIE to actors, for they are uninitiated, and will not perceive thy meaning.

Tap not the head of a nail to drive it, but strike it firmly with thy strength.

Keep holy the first performance, for afterwards you shall party.

Keep holy the last performance, for afterwards you shall party.

Remember always that the TD is never wrong. If appears that he is, then you obviously misunderstood him the first time.

Leave not the area of the stage during the play to go and talk with the actors, for as surely as you do, you will be in danger of missing your cue and being summarily executed or worse.

Beware of the actors during scene changes, for they are not like unto you and are blind in the dark.

Beware of actors when flying in walls, for they will stand and watch and get crushed.

Take not thy cues before their time, but wait for the proper moment to do so.

Take pity on the actors, for in their roles they are as children, and must be led with gentle kindness. Thus, endeavor to speak softly and not in anger.

Listen carefully to the instructions of the Director as to how he wants things done - then do it the right way. In the days of thy work, he will see thy wisdom, give himself the credit, and rejoice.

And above all, get carried away not with the glow-tape, or thy stage will be like unto an airport.

November 20, 2003

New Layout!

Ok, the new layout is finally in place with some greatly appreciated help from Kevin over at www.polemics.ca/.

Thanks again Kevin, obviously this site wouldnt look like it does without your help.

That being said, the colour scheme with change slightly as will some minor things, but over all this is a great look and I am glad that I have finally got it work.

Thanks again Kevin.

November 16, 2003

Again?

uhmm...

yea..

See its like this, its not you, its me. I just dont think I'm right for you. I think I need someone more professional looking. Not to say you arent great, but your better suited to be with someone else and I think I should let you go. I think we will both be more happy this way.

NEW LAYOUT! OMG! Again?!?! Yup! New layout in the works!

Keep your peepers peeled.

November 15, 2003

Bertolt Brecht

I thought I would begin my theatre entries with a short bio of one of my favourite director/writer/actor and theatre personalities, Bertolt Brecht.

Bertolt Brecht 1898 - 1956

Bertolt Brecht, who was educated in his native Bavaria, was bored by regular schooling but loved to write. While still in high school, he began to write both prose and poetry, and his work from these years shows remarkable talent. When he graduated from high school in 1917, he began to study medicine Munich, but he was drafted as an oderly in 1918.

Brecht's father offered to publish his first play Baal (1918), but only if the Brecht family name was not mentioned - a condition the playwright refused. In 1920, he moved to Munich, where he began to write plays which were produced. It was at this time, too, that Brecht married his first wife, Marianne, and had his first child, Hanne. In 1922, Brecht's Drums in the Night was awarded the Kleist Prize, one of Germany's highest literary honors. Both of these early plays were expressionistic. Shortly thereafter, he wrote Jungles of the Cities (1923) and Edward II (1924).

Brecht settled in Berlin in 1924, where he worked for a time with the directors Max Reinhardt and Erwin Piscator, but mostly with smaller experimental groups. One of Brecht's friends was the composer Kurt Weill (1900 - 1950), with whom he wrote The Threepenny Opera, the modern version of the The Beggar's Opera. While he was in Berlin, he became a marxist and at this time began to develop his theories of theatre: his concepts of epic drama and alienation. Forced by the Nazi's to flee Germany, in 1933, he lived in Denmark, Sweden, and the United States, where he did some filmwriting in Hollywood.

During his years in exile, Brecht had time to refine his ideas on epic theatre and wrote several important plays, including Mother Courage and Her Children (1938), Galileo (1938 - 1939), The Good Person of Setzuan (1938 - 1940), The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (1941), and The Caucasian Chalk Circle (1944 - 1945). In 1947, Brecht was called before the House Committee on Un-American Activities because of his leftist ideas, and he left the United States shortly there after.

He settled in East Berlin, where the government gave him his own theatre, the Berliner Ensemble, which opened in 1949 with Mother Courage. For the next 7 years, he and his wife, the actress Helene Weigel (1900 - 1971), worked to develop epic theatre. When Brecht died in 1956, his wife took over the company, which had developed into one of the foremost acting troupes in the world; it continue to produce today.

******

Brecht's influence can be seen in many places, one of the most enduring and popular is the popular brodway show, Cabaret.

November 11, 2003

Who Would Have Thought?

You are Agent Smith-
You are Agent Smith, from "The Matrix."
No one would ever want to run into you in a
dark alley. Cold as steel, tough as a rock,
things are your way or the highway.


What Matrix Persona Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

November 10, 2003

Check This Out

Follow this link.

November 9, 2003

George

Don't Trip
You will be smothered under a rug. You're a little
anti-social, and may want to start gaining new
social skills by making prank phone calls.


What horrible Edward Gorey Death will you die?
brought to you by Quizilla

November 8, 2003

Theatre

Some of you my know and most of you may not, my university degree and my major chosen profession is Theatre. Actually, let me be more specific. I went to university for several years to be come a theatrical technician. I learned how to hang lights, set up a stage and many other things that are involved in a production. While I was in school and since I graduated three years ago, I have worked on dozens and dozens of shows in one form or another.

I have been a stage hand numerous times, doing everything from painting to supervising a crew of people. I have arranged a stage full of senery and I have hung a hundred or so lights. Every time I work its something new in one way or another and I love it.

Tonight, I was over at the Manitoba Theatre for Young People (link to follow) working on the "out" for a show. An "out" is what I would say when a show is over and all the lights, and scenery and sound stuff is taken down, loaded on to a truck and taken away. MTYP is currently being run by a friend of mine, Wayne Buss! The call was a lot of (a call is what I say for a job, or a gig) hard work, and I spend most of the evening loading a truck bound for Saskatoon. There were dozens of absolutely heavy cases and it was bitterly cold outside tonight, so not only are my arms sore, my hands are all numb.

The one thing I love about being a theatre tech is the people you get to work with. Most of the people I work with when I do calls are people I know and that I am pretty friendly with and so, I enjoy spending time with them. Tonight was no exception. Once all the work was done, we stopped and had some beers and chatted for a bit before joining some of the people involved with the show. A lot of laughs were had and it was a good time.

I love theatre.

Maybe you'll see some more theatre stuff here.

November 2, 2003

Lots of Work!

Well, if you look over to your left, you will see that all the links are gone!

Now dont panic, they are still around, just not on this page (actually, my favs will go to the left here and the rest will live over there). Following the link will take you to the new home of all my links. In an attempt to get the page to load fast and smoother, I have cut the number of links here down to, well none at the moment, but in the future, something more manageable. The number of posts too will change to perhaps only a single days worth or perhaps a couple days. I hope this will make the page load faster.

I slept like a log last night and was so glad for it. I dont think I have gotten such a good nights sleep in a long time. Tonight I think will be an early night for me filled with (god oh please oh please) lots more rest.

I think now that this page is coming along, it will be time for me to tackle Two Fishes.

Keep an eye on stuff.

November 1, 2003

Fast Post

Site is looking good so far and there are only a handful of changes I want to make in the next little while. Please stay tuned.

Same Bat-Site, Same Bat-Time.

>Insert Post Title Here<

Well, I couldnt think of anything to use as a title but I think I have some stuff to talk about here.

Work
Well, its been a little over a month since I started working at the Bay and I must say that its been one of the better jobs I've had. The pay is above minimum wage (which I got at the golden arches) and the people are fairly good to work with. I dont think I can really say anything bad about working for The Bay (accept that I could use more money). I've done some computer work lately and a handful of calls at the Manitoba Theatre For Young People.

Home
Well, things have been quiet on the home front in regards to the stupidity that went on with the landlords. The apartment has been its usual cold self this month and that is beginning to irritate me. But there isnt much I can do about that.

The only thing that I regret about the last few months is that I just dont have enough time to spend with Shauna. I spend a lot of time working for the tiny amount of cash we do have and it takes away from us spending time together. I think thats what I'm most irked about at the moment.