What Was I Thinking?

Katrina, meet Josephine

From the AP wire, which though updated throughout the day, has contained the following two paragraphs in each update:

"At the hotel LeRichelieu, the winds blew open sets of balcony French doors shortly after dawn.  Seventy-three-year-old Josephine Elow pressed her weight against the broken doors as a hotel employee tried to secure them.

'It's not life-threatening,'she said as rainwater dripped from her face.  'God's got our back.'"

Amen Sister Josephine.

I've always been fascinated by hurricanes and by the fortitude of the people who don't back down in the face of, in some cases, total annihilation.  And also by the subsequent show of charity and regard for others after the storm has passed which, in many ways, restores my faith in people.  Granted, I say this from the comfort of my inland apartment in DC, never having experienced a direct hit from a category 5 hurricane that rips most of my house away.

DC's close enough to the Atlantic coast that a large-enough storm that comes up the Atlantic seaboard or up the Chesapeake Bay, can cause quite a bit of flooding and damage (what was it, Fran in 2003 that caused a complete citywide shutdown?)

I've had a few near misses...and my friend Rai (shout out to Tio Mundo!) will grudgingly attest to the fact that I managed to get out of St. Petersburg, Florida last year with Charley bearing down and, a few weeks later, Ivan.  Both were powerful storms and both times St. Pete was spared...Rai's nerves, along with the panhandle of Florida, on the otherhand, were not. 

(A note about my dear friend Rai: natural disasters, riots, baddness of anykind tends to follow Rai.  Hurricane Andrew in 1992: he was in it...like right there, dead center.  His house took a direct hit.  The riots in LA after the Rodney King verdict: he was there...trying to get the hell outta dodge...but he was there.  Earthquakes in California: he's been there, done that, got the t-shirt.  So, he didn't take too kindly to me running into his hotel room last year -- TWICE -- shouting "it's up to a Cat4, my flight leaves in an hour, bye."  [that's how he tells the story, it was slightly less dramatic, but it does capture the essence of the moment effectively.])

I'm just a little weatherbug.  It's the one thing I miss about not having cable.  I'd be glued to the Weather Channel 24-7 watching storm paths and predictions of landfalls.  As it is, thanks to Rai, I have multiple websites that I check constantly during a hurricane to see where it's at, what the eye-wall looks like (a disorganized eye wall means a slightly weaker storm, and less chance of major destruction at landfall), how fast it's moving and where it's like to move to.  This year, I've been like a kid in a candy store...and we're not even to the mid-point of the season.

But I digress, back to Sister Josephine.  I was amazed when I first read her quote this morning and even now, late at night, I am impressed by not only her strength of character, but also her nerves of steel.  Once the storm has passed, I intend to find out where she lives and write her a letter of praise.  She is the embodiment of all who have lived through hurricanes, rebuilt proudly, and lived to tell about it.  God bless her and everyone else in Louisiana and Mississippi who have truly been to hell in the past 2 days.

LA Story: Part 2

First, can I just say that I love airports with wireless access?  It makes life so much easier and it makes the time waiting to board a plane go by so much faster.

My LA story ends today, and, well not soon enough.  Don't get me wrong, I love my friends who live in LA and I will travel often and always to see them.  But coming from the East coast (along with the mentality that goes with it and combined with the values of my native mid-west), LA can be a bit much to handle, even for the most seasoned visitor.

It has been a good trip and I've seen much, done much (unfortunately, that "much" didn't include someone...lol), eaten WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too much.  There also many random moments that, honestly, only seem to happen to me in the City of Angels.

Prime example:
Wednesday evening, I met up with my friend Mike for dinner (Joey's Cafe in WeHo on Santa Monica, across from Hamburger Mary's).  We then picked up his significant and went to my favorite place, Motherlode (John Paul hates it, for whatever reason, it reminds me home) for a few drinky drinkies.  While standing out on the smoking patio (stupid California laws), a rather, um, intoxicated gentlelman approached.  We talked for quite a while, and this gentleman was referring me to "things to do" whilst in LA.

He pointed me to the Basquiat exhibit at MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) and then to the Disney concert hall across the street designed by Frank Gehry ("there is a path that you can take that will take you all the way around the outside and you can see how it's built.").  We then parted ways.

So, I took him up on it.  Thursday afternoon was spent downtown exploring the exhibit at MOCA and the Gehry-designed concert hall.  Both were absolutely fascinating and thought-provoking. 

I'll pepper in other stories later, but we're getting ready to board.  Dallas here I come and then home.  Where both I and my mentality belong.

(Since people have apparently been getting distracted by links contained in my blog, i'm going to list them here instead, separately, so that you actually read to the end... ;) )
MOCA
More on Basquiat
Walt Disney Concert Hall

Party Like it's 1999

So, I check my email today and receive a FWD from my great-aunt back in Springfield.  She's an 87-year-old nun who hasn't figured out that FWDs are like so last century.  But she's an 87-year-old who knows how to email, so I let the constant stream of forwards that come from her slip by.  Every so often, she sends forth a very touching one.  Occaisionally their funny.  And sometimes, they're spot on.  This one was too good not to share with the masses.  But, rather than propogate a FWD, I decided to blog it instead.

It's entitled, "You know you're living in 2005 when..." (I think it could aptly be changed to "the 21st century").  Maybe it's just my warped sense of humor, but I enjoyed it, and hope that it brings you the same giggles it brought me.

1.  You accidently enter your password on the microwave.

2.  You haven't played solitare with real cards in years.

3.  You have a list of 1 phone numbers to reach your family of 3.

4.  You email the person who works at the desk next to you.

5.  Your reason for not staying in touch with friend and family is that they don't have email addresses.

6.  You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phonoe to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.

7.  Every commericial on television has a website at the bottom of the screen.

8.  Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't have the first 20 or 30 years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go get it.

10.  You get up in the morning and go online before getting your coffee.

11.  You start tilting your head sideways to smile. :)

12.  You're reading this and nodding and laughing.

13.  You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.

14.  You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list.

LA Story: Part 1

I hate the City of Angels.  Honestly, if I didn't have so many friends out here, I think I should never travel here again.  Don't get me wrong, the weather's wonderful...and occasionally, the people are really terrific.  But it's rare and a cold day in hell when the gods align and I don't find Los Angeles so damn annoying.

But, so far so good.  Good flights yesterday...first class upgrades are wonderful things.  And Long Beach Municipal is just a cute little place to fly into.  Settled in and took a nap.  JP and I dined at Jerry's Famous Deli and picked Andy up at LAX.  The place was a fucking mad house. 

Today I spent driving around and doing a lot of nothing.  Stopped by Samuel French and picked up copies of Vampire Lesbians of Sodom and The Ruffian on the Stair ... two plays which will comprise ATW's production next summer, Tramps and Vamps.  Then went to the historic LA Farmer's Market.

Now...it's back to my reading and waiting for the boys to come home.

I still hate LA, but I might as well take advantage of the r & r while i'm here....

Goin' Through the Big D

It's 9:05 CDT and I'm in Dallas, Texas.  Whoo hoo...the whole airport is one giant T-Mobile HotSpot.  I'm in heaven!  Especially since I have a 2 hour layover.  I've already had breakfast and gone out to have a couple of smokes....still have time to find random airport sex...HA...RIGHT...cuz i'm a whore like that...NOT.

It's been a while since i've had a connecting flight through Dallas-Fort Worth.  I'm at my gate looking out onto the tarmac, planes majestically landing and taking off.  And further off on the horizon in the haze of a humid morning, the skyline of Dallas looms large (as all things do deep in heart of Texas).  The airport itself is a testament to the largess of the Texas mentality....when the walk between consecutive gates (say, C15 and C16) is a 10 minute walk, you've got yourself a damn big airport.  Okay, so maybe I'm exaggerating....but only a little.

I've always been fascinated by Dallas, and, in general by all things Southern.  Like New York ("The City"), Dallas has it's own moniker, "The Big D."  Having driven through the Texas panhandle a few years back (5 hard days of non-stop driving...okay, again, maybe I exaggerate...), the whole state should just be called "The Big T."  But I digress....

My obsession with The Big D was fostered in my early childhood days when Fridays were dominated by the Ewing family, and water cooler conversation concentrated on the on-going power struggle between Sue Ellen and JR, and, well, who really did shoot JR Ewing?  It's an obsession that I nurse today, now that Dallas is being released on DVD (I'm midway through Season 3).

I've always wondered what it would be like to live here.  To live anyplace in the South for that matter.  My trips in the South have always been quite pleasant...Nashville, Memphis, Dallas, Charlotte, Little Rock, the Outer Banks of Carolina, Myrtle Beach, Louisville (prounounced Loo-vull)... the people are, for the most part friendly and helpful.  The cities have an inherent charm to them, as do the collective local traditions and heritages.  I regret I have yet to make a pilgrimage Georgia -- the bastion of Southern charm and gentility and the living embodiment of what it means to be "Southern."

Instead, I settled in DC.  Still south of the Mason-Dixon to be sure, but still very much Yankee territory.  Not just Yankee territory -- DAMN Yankee territory. 

Now, in the 2 days I was back in DC, I encountered more rude people than I have in all of my trips back to Illinois over 9 years combined.  Drives me nuts.  Not sure why it bothered me so much, but it really set me off.

So, what's the solution?  Hop a flight to a place where the people aren't only rude, they're stupid too.  (To my dear friends in LA, this, of course, excludes you). Oh, and glamorous...don't forget fabulously glamorous.  Yup, i'm a smart one, I is.

But enough bitching.  I'm in the Big D.  Might as well live large for the 2 hours i'm here.

Catch ya on the flip side from the left coast.  I'll have plenty of time on my hands for the next week.  It's gonna be SWEET.

Exodus in Illinois: Day 2

Today was certainly a lazy day.  It needed to be to walk around the fair this evening.  After a day spent watching Dynasty, Dallas and Knots Landing on SoapNet (I don't have cable in DC, so this was a treat), I hooked up with my friends Andrea and Amanda and off to the Illinois State Fair we went.

Granted, this wasn't the fair of my childhood days.  Amanda even remarked that it seemed so much bigger when we were older.

First stop:  Downey Family Concessions for a corndog and lemon shake-up.

Back when I was working out at the fair, Downey's was a morning ritual.  I'd open the booth I was managing, go over and pay taxes and fees (another morning ritual in itself), and stop back at Downey's for a corndog and lemon shake-up.  All in all, it was a good breakfast.

Second stop: The Dairy Building for to see Le ButterMooCow

I called my dear friend, Tio Mundo to inform him to get to his computer (he was already there) and to tune into the Buttercow webcam (again, he was already there).  We then proceeded to the cow.  I turned, faced the camera and waved at Mundo...all the while still on the phone will him.  We cackled.  It was good thing.

And now, straight from my phone to you....the 2005 BUTTERCOW!!!!

That's a kid in a 4-H shirt on the right side and a little doggy on the left side.  We determined that it looks like the Buttercow is angry this year, because, well, she's kicking the dog.  It's a little frightening actually, but it's still the Buttercow, and it makes me happy.

Third stop: Bob Vose's Concessions for...what else, a corndog.

Bob Vose corndogs are another State Fair staple.  Vose has been out at the grounds longer than another concessioner, and his stand is a permanent fixture on the grounds.  They open about 2 weeks before the fair does for all the employees and farmers that come in early.  And they have, by far, the best damn corndog in all of Illinois.

After ingesting two beautifully fried dogs, it was time for dessert.  What better way to top off a meal than with a Bob Vose funnel cake.  Whoo hoo...I could feel my arteries clogging!

Next: the FFA (Future Farmers of America) barn/petting zoo.

Here we saw llamas, a baby cow, pigs, chicks, duckies, a minature pony and bunnies.  Lots of fun.  (That's the real cow!)

Off then, we went to see more cows and horses in the stables and topped off the night with the Spiess french fries (topped with salt and vinegar).

Seriously, I could never bring myself to put vinegar on fries unless it was at the State Fair.  It's the only place it tastes good.

Ooooooh...AND I had a sign made for my little corner at Remingtons.  It's the perfect country-style sign....I LOVE IT....but you'll have to come see it on a Saturday night.  No pics. 

So, with arteries clogged and tummy full, I end my evening sharing my fair fun with all of you.  Tomorrow, back to DC and a full schedule until I leave for LA Sunday.

And now...to dream.

Countdown to the Cow....

It's now 6:00pm CDT.  In approximately one and one half hours, I will be inside the Dairy Building at the Illinois State Fair where I shall gaze upon the immortal (and now famous thanks to NPR), 2005 Buttercow.

Stay tuned for Exodus in Illinois: Day 2 coming later this evening.

Exodus in Illinois: Day 1

Well, I'm here.  Springfield, Illinois.  Home of Abe Lincoln, the Lincoln family outhouse (it's a fabulous stop on the Lincoln Home tour), the Simpsons, my mommy and grammy, and, of course, the Illinois State Fair!

So, I arrived safely at SPI (Springfield Capital Airport -- slogan: "FlySPI") and mom and I immediately went to Target so I could buy picture frames.  I was giving gifties to my great-aunt and needed some frames.  Rush home, kiss gram, print the pics, go to visit my great-aunt.  Back home, kiss mom and gram, rush out the door again.  This time to Williamsville.  A small town of 1500 about 10 miles north of town where my aunt and uncle have just bought a house.  See the house, kibitz with them, back home where one of my best friends, the infamous "Big Daddy" Bill (I still call him Billy) is waiting for me.

Billy and I haven't seen each other in 2 years.  We needed to play catch-up.  Off to a Springfield staple: The Barrelhead Pub ("Good Times with Good Friends") where we each order a heart-attack on a plate (read: Hamburger Horseshoe).  For those of you not familiar with the horseshoe, let me enlighten thee.  The horseshoe is a local favorite, and to the best of my knowledge, Springfield is really the only place to get a real horseshoe.  It was created in the kitchens of the (now-defunct) Leland Hotel. 

"Tell me what it is already, dammit!"

Patience my friends.

A horseshoe consists of two pieces of toast, eached topped with a hamburger patty, which is then covered in french fries and finally, smothered in cheese sauce (none of that "out of the can" shit...cheese sauce is meant to be homemade with a can of beer included).  Like I said, heart-attack on a plate. (For those watching their figures, a ponyshoe is available which cuts the ingredients in half).

But I digest...er, digress.

Billy (pictured here) and I ate our meals, kibitzed and just had a grand-old-time.  We ate, we consumed beverages and ate some more. 

Upon finishing our meal, I received a call from my dear friend, Miss Jodi Morgan (check out her blog...freakin' awesome).  Jodi and I attended both grade and high school together (she's a year older). 

"Hello, you've reached Derrick 'Skippy' Jones coming to you live from Wabash Avenue in Springfield, Illinois."

"Skip!  My man!  Let's get debauched!"

"Jodilicious, wherever shall we go?"

"DRINKING!"

"Oh, ok, twist my arm.  See you in 10 at The Station House."

"Whoo hoo...Get ur freak on!"

"Git-r-done!"

We arrive at The Station House...an establishment situated in a not-so-great-part of downtown Springfield, directly across from the train station.  When we arrive, we find a hale and hearty group singing karaoke.

Here we go...again  Me.  Karaoke.  Can't I ever catch a break?

For the record, I sang "Why Haven't I Heard from You?", "Fancy", and "9 to 5."

Thus endeth day 1 in the corn.

It's now almost 4am CDT.

My Body to me: "Bitch, you been up since 7am EDT.  It's now 5am EDT.  Get yo' punk ass to bed."

Yes.  Sleep.  It's a good thing.

Tomorrow, Buttercow.

Pictures courtesy of my cell phone.  I hope to have more tomorrow.

Moooooooooooooo

It's official!  The 2005 Buttercow has been unveiled.  There's a webcam positioned on the cow during the day.  'Tis a fun time!  I'm so excited!  I can't wait to see it Wednesday.  Hee hee.

It's the most wonderful time of the year

Brush off your best carny hat.  Press your best pair of overalls.  And get your gall bladder ready for the best damn tub of grease you'll have all year! Yup.  The Illinois State Fair kicked off today!!!!

Growing up in Springfield, Illinois, as I did, the Fair always signals the last hoorah for summer since most of the schools start back up the Monday after the Fair ends.  Parents drop their kids off at the main gate at 10am and pick them up at 10pm when the grounds close.

In my 27 years on this planet we call Earth, I have NEVER missed a State Fair.  And this year will be no different.  There's so much to see and do!  Bob Vose corndogs, Culler's Fries, a lemon-shake-up from damn-near anyone, funnel cakes, the Sky Glider which takes you from one end of the fair to the other, the Tram (a huge John Deer tractor pulls 2 carts with seats on both sides...for 50 cents you can ride around the whole grounds...back to the animal barns, around the grandstand...you get the picture) and, of course, a State Fair staple since the 1920s, the BUTTER COW!!!!  I'm so excited.  I get to see it all next week!!!!

You can share with me!  There are webcams all around the grounds.  This one is stationed at the Main Gate.  Watch for me next week!

I could just spit!

I'm so damn proud I could just spit!

So, the Washington Post, the Washington Blade, and the City Paper have all chimed in on ATW's Les Liaisons Dangereuses.  The City Paper's review isn't online, but if you want to read it, I have an emailable copy.

The Post calls it a "fine...production"

The Blade says it's a "well-crafted innovation that takes well-worn material and believably stretches it to make an even bolder statement about love, gender and sexual politics."

Whoo-hoo!  :)

The critics have their say...

The first round of reviews for Les Liaisons came out today.

BroadwayWorld.com says ATW's production is a "...bold, sometimes brilliant exploration of gender and sexuality that's more about human perversity than it is perversion."

and....

Potomac Stages says it"...maintains its panache and spirit throughout..." and is a "grand piece of serious theater..."

Whoo-hoo...we got panache!  :)

Come see the show.  Check out the ATW website (newly redesigned and I think it looks FAB-BOO) for show and ticket information.

Odds and Ends

So, I finally had a day to run errands (i LOVE my new retractable Sharpie markers....SOOOOOO cool!!!).  My to-do list just keeps getting smaller and smaller thankfully.

ATW's production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses opened last night. Yay!!!!  It really is a remarkable show and I congratulate everyone involved on a job well done.

Yup.  Just another lazy Saturday here in the District of Columbia.

I think I want to move.  If anyone knows of a large 1br apt (cheaper is better; dupont location is ideal), let me know.  My place is just getting too small and, well, i'm just over the building as a whole.

Toodles poodles!

Burning the Candle

I've always been one to try and figure out how to burn the candle at 5, sometimes 6 ends.  College, for example, was one of those times.  I worked full time, went to school full-time, worked for the CUA Drama department part-time as a production assistant, stage-managed, directed and was in rehearsals almost nightly.  Ahhhh...memories.

Now, years later, I still try and burn the aforementioned candle at multiple ends, and I'm doing it the style.  I still work full-time.  School is done (for now...I'm toying with grad school).  I host karaoke at Omega every Thursday and at Remingtons every Saturday.  AND i'm the production manager for the Actors' Theatre of Washington.  God I need to sleep.

But I digress...the real reason for this post **ANOTHER CHEAP SHAMELESS PLUG APPROACHING** is to say that ATW (see link above) opens their all-male exploration of Les Liaisons Dangereuses this Friday at 8pm.  The show is AWESOME (i'm not biased really....I've watched it multiple times over the course of the past few weeks and I think it's REALLY well done.).  The show runs through September 4, Thurs-Sat at 8p, Sun at 7p.  You can get tickets online from the ATW website.

Now...to sleep.