Leslie

2,000 standard shape pieces, all solid white, identical on both sides. Once I finish it, I want to mount it between a couple plates of glass a few inches in front of a mirror.

This morning I got up and went down to help with the last of the load-out from the show. It was a relief to be wearing street clothes instead of pajamas. audioboy and a number of others were there, and we sorted, packed, hauled things out to the car, and scraped tape off the floor. I wasn't there in sidelined solidarity, either; I was really able to pull my weight and help get the job done. When you've spent over a week not even being able to help yourself, that feels damn good.

I was also glad for the opportunity because I really needed some kind of closure to the whole Big Broadcast/War of the Worlds journey. Other folks got that closure with the strike and cast party, but I still didn't have anything to put a cap on it. In recent days my recovering brain has a few times absently said "...and then I'll get better, and then I can go back to rehearsals and then we'll do the show." Sorry brain, it's done and gone. Seeing the foley equipment again, some of which I helped design and build, reminded me that yes, I was a part of This Thing of Ours.

And who knew I could lift a cinder block and carry it up the stairs and out the door? If you'd asked me before I got the Martian Plague, I would have said "Nuh uh, no can do" without even considering whether I really could or not. This morning I did it twice without even thinking about it. There's something about being extremely sick that I think can diminish a certain kind of physical paranoia, for those of us inclined to that. I felt grateful just to be able to pick things up and carry them. And I felt a tiny bit more powerful than before.

I came home and took a short nap, and soon I'll be heading out for a date with beowabbit to see Disney's A Christmas Carol. I'm an Agnostic and all, but with so many people in this theatre family sick and struggling to heal, only one quote will do. "God bless us, every one."

I still remember
How she appears in darkness,
Recall her silent voice.

I still remember
Answers he never gave me,
Things he never meant.

I still remember
Echoes of an empty room,
Armies of phantoms.

The storm's long over,
Once rain-drenched marshes parched,
Wind-harassed grasses brown and dead
And new growth green and fragrant in their stead.

But ancient trees,
Trunks fed by years of rains,
Record, like ghosts, in rings of brown and beige
Forgotten floods and droughts of a past age.

Though you're years gone
The tears we shed together
Left rings to mark tempestuous refrains.
I'm haunted by the memory of rains.

Just took plumtreeblossom's post. Wow, we all have a crazy array of symptoms.

On my end, I'm exhausted and feverish. Every time I try to leave my house or even walk around a bit, I get dizzy and want to go back to bed. Able to make it to couch to watch some movies, alternating with hittin the hay.

Not much of an appetite but the sweet things in our house (as well as drop offs of soup and canned fruit) help.

I also was hit with a wave of exhaustion right at the begin of the show (particularly Friday night) and slept A LOT. Thought I was recovered as I felt fine during the cast party. But of course, back to regular life, back to regular sleep (or lack there-of), back to regularly scheduled people-interaction means back to being exposed to germs.

Weirdest part is I DID overdose on Vitamin C, zicam, coldeeze, but no matter. And got regular flu shot. I totally have the flu, I can tell. It doesn't really matter which one as long as recovery is in near future.

I'm around to talk if anyone needs cheering up! (It's lonely over here). Phone and email can be germ free!

In a recent conversation, I was trying to give concrete examples on how free, open source software is different from proprietary, for fee software.  Being a user rather than a developer, I was trying to provide a user's perspective.  Upon reflection, I think that with open source I am afforded an opportunity to be much more focused on what I need to accomplish rather than on the software that is (hopefully) getting me there.

Ubuntu comes bundled with OpenOffice; I find OpenOffice a very good piece of software which allows me to do what I need to do by way of word processing, creating spreadsheets and presentations.  Whenever I need to do something atypical (at least for me), I figure it out fairly quickly - usually by accessing help or doing a search on a pertinent forum.  The other day I was in a rush.  I got a comma separated file from someone that I needed to look at there and then, and then make some very time sensitive decisions that were required by my boss.  For whatever reason, the OpenOffice spreadsheet didn't like my file and would not import it.

I had literally minutes in which I had to rectify the situation, so it was all about the path of least resistance.  In that context, my quickest potential solution was to get an alternative piece of software that would do what I needed.  I went to the Ubuntu Software Center, searched on spredsheets found an alternative to the OpenOffice one (the laternative was called Gnumeric), selected to install it, opened it and read in my file.  All of that took place over the course of about 2 minutes, which put me on my way to do the analysis that I needed to do and be done.

My point here, is that my mindset was about the work I needed to accomplish, with an implied assumption that multiple tools to accomplish the same task exist.  While it may sound simplistic, open source and free software is about maximizing choices - I could tinker with OpenOffice OR seek another piece of software; what I ended up doing depended on the specific circumstance (as a rule, I try to resolve a problem rather than try a different tool, but here I just did not have the luxury of time) and I chose what suited, and ultimately served me.  Not having a choice, or having a choice for which I would have had to pay a non insignificant amount of money would have slowed me down, preventing me from accomplishing the task by locking me into a particular solution that wasn't working fir ne at the moment.

Poll #1481663 For those who were involved with or attended the big Halloween weekend show at the Somerville, how are you faring against the Martian plague?
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 47

I got:

Outside assistance:

I could use help from healthy or recovered Earthlings with:

I can possibly give help with:

Listings of things going on this week in the worlds of poly, swinging, kink and sacred sexuality.

In 'Open Questions,' a hot bi babe is having trouble getting a date.

This week's philosophizing, about each relationship finding its own shape.

I happened to be near Park Street last night, and there was a crowd around a Dunkin Donuts there, where Ben Affleck was inside filming The Town. There were crowds of people trying to see inside to spot the stars, but I wandered over to the side and watched the crew and started looking at all the equipment, trying to see if I could learn anything new. I had a nice chat with a wardrobe woman -- there were extras in the scene just walking past the window outside the shot, but since the movie is set in the summer, they kept having to take their coats off and try not to shiver too badly as they walked past.

I started looking at some boxes of lighting equipment, and when a gaffer came by I got to ask him about the drawer marked "magic gadgets". (Turns out it's a company that makes dimmers.) I got points with him for correctly identifying (and pronouncing) a Fresnell lamp, so after that he made a point of telling me what the other lamps he was working on were. And he showed me the "C-47"s he used to hold a gel on a lamp, very technical devices that I've always known as clothespins. Had a nice long chat with a grip who was local to here, and with a very friendly cameraman from LA, who's worked with the DP (Robert Elswit, who just won an Oscar for There Will Be Blood), on many films now. He was really great about telling me about cameras and showing me some of the functions on his.

I spent a while looking at a table full of cases that I inferred contained film; they were marked by length in feet, and I wondered why you would want different lengths, instead of always using the longest possible. But when I asked someone wandering by, he explained that if you're doing a shot in a car and space is limited, you're using a different camera and you want to use the 200' reel to keep things small. If you're using a steadycam, you might choose the 400' reel, so it's not too heavy. And the 1000' reel is only 10 minutes worth, although I don't think you see a lot of shots that long in a movie. Still, I never realized how many reels they must go through! I assumed you'd do many shots on one reel of film.

I stayed until the wrapped the shot, and watched as they went into what is usually a real Dunkin' Donuts and started tearing it apart -- changing out the posters on the wall, but mostly taking down ceiling panels and taking out the huge cables and electrical equipment they had hidden up there to keep it out of the shots. When I had first arrived at the location, I noticed how many cables there were in the streets, and followed them around the block to a portable generator -- I can't even imagine how much electricity everything used, especially the ginormous lights they had set up on lifts out across the street shining in to the Dunkin Donuts.

Anyway. Very nifty night, and if you come across them filming anywhere, as long as you stay out of the way and are respectful, are are clearly not star-hunting, most of the crew seems happy to answer questions. I highly recommend poking around a bit, there's a lot to learn!

Oh, and Ben Affleck was there inside the Dunkie's, but I did not see him. I could have -- plenty of people walked past and peeked in between shots, or stood in just the right spot across the street to get a peek -- and I briefly thought about it, but decided I just didn't care that much. I already know what he looks like, what's the point? And keeping the respect of the crew was much more important to me. Not that there aren't celebs I would go out of my way to catch a glimpse of, but Ben just didn't seem to be one last night.

The empire strikes back

In recent weeks, we've taken huge steps towards blocking spam accounts on LiveJournal. In fact, we've suspended as many as 30,000 accounts in a single day! We've implemented several pre-emptive measures to prevent the creation of spam accounts, and we've honed our detection of suspicious content. Spam bots are a crafty lot, so we'll continue to refine our tactics and keep up the good fight to keep you safe from spam attacks on LiveJournal.

RSS feeds again

If you're addicted to xkcd_rss, icanhaschzbrgr, or other syndicated feeds, we're pleased to report that we've resolved the update error that was mucking up your RSS feeds. While content was being pulled correctly, it wasn't being posted to the feeds themselves. Late last week, we finally nailed down what we hope was the root problem, so content should post properly. We thank you for your patience.

Wii have killer CSI Deadly Intent contests!

c_s_i

If you're a gamer who loves CSI, have Wii got news for you! c_s_i is sponsoring killer contests. Simply post a question to a member of the CSI crew. The winner will get a free copy of CSI: Deadly Intent for Nintendo Wii (with a retail value of $39.99) and get their question answered by a member of the CSI writing team! There's also a fantastic monthly contest. To enter, join c_s_i, play the online version of CSI: Deadly Intent, and respond to a two-part query for a chance to win a Wii! Entries will be judged on composition and originality. Sorry, but you must be a U.S. resident and over 18 years old to participate. Check out the rules here.

Enveloped in postcards

Last week, we asked you to send in postcards to help us decorate our drab concrete walls. Here's a photo of the results so far! Thank you so much and please keep them coming! You can mail them to Frank the Goat, Esq., c/o LiveJournal, Inc., 539 Bryant Street, Suite 210, San Francisco, CA 94107. Be sure to include your username, since we'll be giving ten random users paid account credits.

Photos of the week

If you haven't visited our new LiveJournal photo community, you're in for an amazing visual trip. LiveJournal users from around the world will take you on a scenic journey to everywhere. Post your own pictures or kick back and enjoy at lj_photophile. You can view some of this week's awesome photos after the jump. Please start tagging with geographic location, since we'd like to track all the places around the world represented in this community. Keep on commenting too!
( Read more... )

I started a work related blog.  It is interesting, being one of the few non Linux geeks working at a Linux distro... I will see if I can provide a more human perspective on the business of Linux and open source software.

Meme from hahathor:

Comment in this post, and I will try to come up with an obscure reference that (at least among my LJ friends) only you and I will understand. Then, as in the way of all memes, copy this text and post in it your LJ.

(ETA: Emphasis on "try." Also, commenting yourself with obscure references that you think only you and I will understand is welcome.)

(1) I am doing much better. I still have occasional coughing fits (and in fact I pulled a muscle with one this morning), but I'm almost all better. I feel better than I've felt in a couple months.

(2) plumtreeblossom has absolutely zero voice and can barely whisper, thanks to so much coughing for so long, and she has a bad sore throat (which I had for a couple days and got over), but other than that she is also doing much better. She's got her energy and her appetite back, the coughing is almost gone, and the fever's been gone for a few days. Yay! It's so good to see her up and about and energetic again!

(3) woodwardiocom has a great post about the many layers of fiction in The Big Broadcast, the show plumtreeblossom and I worked on which had such a spectacular run. I hadn't really thought about it until reading his post, but I think those onion-like layers of fiction within fiction are part of why the whole show felt so rich and satisfying. The Thousand Nights and a Night and parts of the Canterbury Tales have similarly deep nesting of stories, and I think there's something about that particular device that's especially good at sucking you in.

The Deluxe Town Diner, it's a favorite. Tonight, it was where eclecticavitar and I went for dinner (they're open until 10pm). Yes, the sweet potato fries are great. And I still love their Apple-Curry Turkey Burger. But tonight I was in the mood for a tuna melt - with Cheddar, for the record. I had it with the Sweet Potato fries and a pot of Roibois tea. It was perfect, in my opinon. It wasn't too fishy tasting and had just the right amount of mayo. In fact, even the way it spilled out from between the bread and the crispiness of the whole wheat bread, itself, was exactly the way I like it.

eclectiavitar had the chocolate chip pancakes (breakfast served all day) and a coke and we each walked away overly full and full of smiles and our bill was under $26.

It's a great diner for vegitarians and omnivores alike and has some lovely and unusual foods (for a diner) that means just about ANYONE can find SOMETHING to eat.

Just say yes.

Hey Horror Fans! The New York Horror Film Festival is coming up! It's going to be Nov. 18-22nd and will show around 50 films (full length and shorts).

I would love to go to this..but it's playing right as I head off to Nebraska for the holiday. Hmph. (same thing happened with a couple 8 Films to Die For festivals)

Still, looks like oodles of fun so thought I'd spread the word. :)

So, I know Maine is getting all the same-sex marriage attention, and not without justice, but having kvetched about Maine already I figured I'd at least acknowledge the passing of Referendum Measure 71 in Washington state, which "would expand the rights, responsibilities, and obligations accorded state-registered same-sex and senior domestic partners to be equivalent to those of married spouses, except that a domestic partnership is not a marriage"... aka the in-all-but-name bill.

Which doesn't suck.

My thanks to everyone on my f'list who donated time, effort, attention, money or energy to making that happen.

Wanted to take the opportunity to thank the folks on my f'list who donated time and effort and money and energy and attention to preserving marriage equality in Maine. Results notwithstanding, I appreciate it.

And if there's anyone on my f'list who donated time or effort or money or energy or attention to supporting the opposition in Maine, I really don't want to hear about it right now, OK? Thanks.

Later: OK... I think I'm up for it now.

i'm so bummed....the reverend we'd hoped might be able to officiate our wedding (john buehrens, the guy who married amy and nick) is on sabbatical in may.  *sigh*

Calling all actors! Audition for Dracula on December 1 or 2!

Theatre@First is doing the play "Dracula" in February, produced by Chris Dekalb and directed by Michael Babish. Please go to http://www.theatreatfirst.org for more information and to sign up for an audition slot!

Introduced in the 1897 novel Dracula by Bram Stoker, the character of Count Dracula has become one of the most powerful and recognized icons in gothic horror. A combination of aristocratic style and intelligence masks a brutally powerful evil. Dracula is an ancient monster who has come upon the modern world, and those who encounter him must somehow find the courage to fight against him. But victory is not assured…

This play, an adaptation by John Mattera, brings the story to (un)life through suspense and action. The story follows the book and we will see both Translyvania and London. Several roles will require intense physical performances and stage fighting.

PERIOD
The play will be set in Victorian times, the same as Bram Stoker's novel.

CAST
7 Men, 7 Women, 6 Extras (male or female)

Auditions are by appointment on the evenings of
Tuesday, December 1 or
Wednesday, December 2 with
callbacks on December 3.

Performances will be over three weekends, Feb. 12-27
on the stage at the Elizabeth Peabody House,
277 Broadway, Somerville, near Foss Park.

Finally saw Where the Wild Things Are tonight. I only cried twice:

( Cut, Cut, Cut )

As I said to muffyjo, whose superpowers of babysitting allowed us to go to the movies for the first time in forever, it was like a kick in the head, but in a good way.