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Archive for December, 2007

last day of 07

31 Dec

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Yeah, I know I said I may not post today… but I did say “may not”, didn’t I? Always leave yourself some wiggle room, ya know? If you don’t, you only back yourself into a corner and there is all that pride that one has to swallow to get out of it… and believe me hubris is a bitter and dry cake to eat.

I was marveling just last night (as I am wont to do from time to time) how incredibly obtuse I was in my younger days. In my naivete I would shoot my mouth off and blurt the most embarrassing things (at least embarrassing to me now) that I would later have to (try) make good on. (Remember that “taking back” is always the very last resort when one is in the tight clutches of hubris.) Oh, I still shoot my mouth off but over the years I have learned to choose the manner of blurts. I rarely make bets that can’t be substantiated nor do I make promises I can’t keep. To that end I make very few promises.

On a similar note, I long ago stopped trying to convince (or fool) myself into believing that a situation is what it’s not (or vice versa) … especially one I had no control over. I remembered how I would get all in a tizzy when something (as a result of this self con job) did not go my way and blaming anything and anyone in the aftermath. (OK… I had several loud chuckles looking back on these instances in my life.) It struck me that honesty (especially to oneself) is a learned process.

Before you get all “Lecram is getting all reflective and shit”… understand that these fleeting (yet harshly stark but entertaining nevertheless) memories were flashing while sucking on a healthy helping of wine and listening to 70′s funk. I really cracked myself up thinking back on these personal “flashbacks of infamy”. We all have them and I’m sure we will be gathering more as life rolls on. Hopefully though in the future we will be making new and improved mistakes (that we can learn from) and not recycling old behaviors and tendencies to commit our blunders with.

So, today on this last day of the year about the only thing I have planned is to cook for a midnight supper and to shower… physically and metaphorically washing away what was. Here is hoping that the few of you who do come by here have a very happy one at the change of another Julian year.

Cheers, Happy New Year and come back in the AM for “prediction 08″!

 
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not sure if I’ll be posting tomorrow…

30 Dec

… as my schedule may be fuller than usual. Besides, it’s New Year’s eve… anything could happen and has in the past. Last year on the spur of the moment I went out dancing with friends… this year I’m not sure. Though I really don’t feel compelled to do anything in particular on my own or with company. Nothing is really grabbing me at the moment. BTW my predictions come at 12:01 no matter where I am… I’ll make sure to post it here on the morning of the first.

I’m also not doing a Year in Review since I sort of touched on that with Da Count post on Friday. Besides, most of it is pretty much chronicled in this blog and the earlier version. I half way considered blogging “my favorite post” or “posts of the year” but decided against it. Though if I’m feeling particularly arts crafty I may do some kind of photo collage thing like I did a couple of years ago which was actually kinda fun to put together.

This Sunday is somewhat overcast and the temptation is to snuggle in and do as little as possible. Though there is a lot of work to accomplish… so perhaps I’ll do that now and reward myself later with some blissful nothing.

I may put more down later.

EDIT: In the meantime, enjoy this.

 
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Don Quixote am I

29 Dec

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Really… sometimes I catch myself and think the “impossible dream” is just that… bloody, fucking impossible. What swirls in this noggin, this heart and soul is just totally insane… yet some of it has come to pass… some of it. Still, it’s totally nuts! Can this actually happen? Not that it’s gonna stop me from dreaming it… but really… why do I?

 
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Da Count – the year 2007

28 Dec

dacount

At 12:01 as this year broke I predicted that it was the year of “letting go” it certainly been that for me. Though there has been much to count along the way… and often the act of letting go was a positive act essential in moving on. It definately was a challenging year… but one filled with counts.

It was a year that saw my return as a playwright with a new play (the first new one in 5 years) that was pretty successful at this year’s Rogue selling out 3 of the 5 slotted performances. Personally and professionally I was most pleased with the newer direction my writing took… thanks to my muse. Though in this business the material can only be as good as the talent presenting it. Dionysus filled my cup to the brim with this team of talent that was a pure joy to work with. Oh yeah… and I sold the play to boot.

As the month of March passed… just as one friend was leaving I was reconnected with another as chronicled by this post. This reacquainting allowed me to revisit the first musical I ever wrote 27 years ago. Rewriting through the internet proved to actually be a viable means to conduct business. New songs were written… major sections in the script were fixed and all this culminated in a successful run of the show half way across the world.

So professionally those were a couple of big counts. Someone asked me a few days ago if I was going to count the Horizon Award that I was a recipient of. Yes, but more so for those who turned up to share the evening with me and for those I share the award with.

You see, with all the letting go that occurred this year (and there was a lot of it) it was people who counted most. There were dark, doubtful and uncertain times I faced… and often felt quite helpless… but it was the kindness of friends and strangers that pulled me through. I was brought up to be pretty independent so one of the biggest things I had to let go was my prideful reluctance to accept help. And hopefully I accepted it with grace. Really, at times I felt like George Bailey with all the blessings that wonderful folk bestowed upon me… including you who come by my blog. And for that I thank you all… everyone of you. I really could not have done it without you.

So, all in all… as challenging as some of it has been this year has been balanced out with rich counts. My hope is yours was too.

Be good to yourselves and those around you… and Cheers!

EDIT: And I think this bears repeating… one of the new songs penned for Frogway.

 
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27 Dec

At 12:01 as this year broke I predicted that it was the year of “letting go” it certainly been that for me. Certainly there has been much to count along the way… and often the act of letting go was a positive act essential in moving on. I can say the funnest part of that night was sharing it in the company of friends.

It was a year that saw my return as a playwright with a new play (the first new one in 5 years) that was pretty successful at this year’s Rogue selling out 3 of the 5 slotted performances. Personally and professionally I was most pleased with the newer direction my writing took… thanks to my muse. Though in this business the material can only be as good as the talent presenting it. Dionysus filled my cup to the brim with this team of talent that was a pure joy to work with. Oh yeah… and I sold the play to boot.

As the month of March passed… just as one friend was leaving I was reconnected with another as chronicled by this post. This reacquainting allowed me to revisit the first musical I ever wrote 27 years ago. Rewriting through the internet proved to actually be a viable means to conduct business. New songs were written… major sections in the script were fixed and all this culminated in a successful run of the show half way across the world.

So professionally those were a couple of big counts. Someone asked me a few days ago if I was going to count the Horizon Award that I was a recipient of. Yes, but more so for those who turned up to share the evening with me and for those I share the award with.

You see, with all the letting go that occurred this year (and there was a lot of it) it was people who counted most. There were dark, doubtful and uncertain times I faced… and often felt quite helpless… but it was the kindness of friends and strangers that pulled me through. I was brought up to be pretty independent so one of the biggest things I had to let go was my prideful reluctance to accept help. And hopefully I accepted it with grace. At times I felt like George Bailey with all the blessings that wonderful folk bestowed upon me… including you who come by my blog. And for that I thank you all… everyone of you. I really could not have done it without you… and in all the ways you have brightened up my life.

So, all in all… it has been a year rich with counts. My hope is yours was too.

 
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my favorite HNT of the year 2007

26 Dec

Really, what is my header above (titled: “comfortable in my new skin”) is my favorite… but it would be redundant to post. The reason it’s my favorite? 1. It was my last HNT post from the old blog… sort of a metaphoric precursor to the new blog. 2. It’s symbolic of changes that occurred in my own life at the time… and (finally) being comfortable with them. 3. From an aesthetic standpoint… it’s pretty cool… at least I think so.

So, for the sake of ths post and the need to post a pic…. here is my second favorite. Why? Because in a lot of ways it is quite representative of my outlook on life, my work and what is possible. It was titled: “sitting and biding my time”.

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So, Cheers & Happy HNT! My continued participation may be somewhat spotty for a while more because I’ll be up to my eyeballs in work… but don’t be strangers.
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Oh, and DA COUNT on Friday will be counting the year. Whether you have participated or not in the past you are welcomed to. It may be one significant count or many… it’s up to you. What is DA COUNT? Click the flashing sign below to find out.
dacount

 
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Boxing Day in most of the world…

26 Dec

… except here in the US of A. In the old days back home this was when we would converge to visit with my maternal grandmother. And of course the feasting would continue… both in terms of food as well as in gifts. As a kid this represented the second mother-lode of the season.

It’s foggy out today with the sun only expected to burn through in the afternoon hours. Though it is nice and quiet… perfect for snuggling in bed. Not that this is happening as there is much to accomplish before the day is through. In fact the next 2 weeks will be pretty full.

There will be a HNT posting later in the day though… so maybe you’ll want to return for that.

 
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My (video) Greetings to one and all!

24 Dec

Have a wonderful one… Cheers!

 
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I will have my…

23 Dec

… Merry Christmas post up in a day or so. Not that I really expect you to come by being that it is a busy time… but just thought I’d let you know anyway.

 
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I did attend the…

22 Dec

… tale yesterday with APJ, Joy, her podling and nephew. I thought all concerned did a credible job and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Not the least of which were reactions from certain other audience members in the movie theater. Suffice to say it was a bloody good experience all around. Though to make it a complete experience the group was victimized by the sick and deranged sensibilities of Joy and I (after the movie) when we took everyone to the local Chicken Pie shop for dinner. (Watching APJ squirm alone was worth it.) And much to my delight… their seasonal Pot Roast Pie was on the menu… mmmm… smack! (The pic is of the standard Chicken Pie… Joy may post one of the actual Pot Roast ones consumed yesterday. UPDATE: She has posted it HERE!)

chickenpie.jpg

My thoughts on the screen version? It is obvious that some liberties had to be taken with the original. So, certain songs were left out (including the “Ballard of Sweeney Todd” that the title of this post references… though strains of it permeate throughout) with additional scenes and compression of others had to be exercised in order to get it to conform to the medium of film. So, even though I am familiar with the show… I watched it as a film instead of falling prey to comparing it to the medium it was originally written for. (Really… the tiresome exclamations I often hear of “it’s not like the book” – in this case the stage musical… is just a form of snobbery… fine, you can read… the real question should be “does it stand up as a film?”)

The performances were delightfully nuanced… good choices by the actors. Though a part of me ached a bit for just a little more “over the top” only because the story was originally sourced from the Penny Dreadfuls and born out of the Grand Guignol tradition… a sense which the production design did capture spectacularly. (But that is a personal preference and not a slight on the movie.) From the directing standpoint I thought some bold choices were made… even though it is something we’ve come to expect from Mr. Burton. The most significant of these was the choice of the actors to play it closer to the timbre of realism.

SPOILER ALERT!!!

From the writing standpoint, most of the cuts worked… though I would have brought in the beggar woman earlier (when Todd & Anthony first land in London) to add a flavor of life on the streets… which would then unexpectedly be played out as a plot point later. As it was, her entrance into the story (though I totally understand the reasoning of streamlining structure) felt a little out of left field.

SPOILER ALERT OVER!!

The vocal duties were aptly handled but I wished it was a little more “present” by utilizing the technique that the movie “Across The Universe” employed in creating the vocal sections. I think that sort of immediacy would have provided a more intimate feel that the movie seemed designed for. Either that or the sound system in the movie theater should be cranked just a tad more.

All in all, I would recommend seeing it in the movie theater. It is deliciously wicked with thumps of dark humor and perversely touching at other times… a combination of feats that all involved can be proud of. Sondheim can hold his head high that his masterpiece received such deft treatment for the screen.

On another front… this morning I received an unexpected parcel in the mail. Needless to say I was floored by the contents. That is all I have to say about that… the rest remains private.

Have a good weekend all!

 
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