I am Single... Again!

As the title may suggest, my divorce was finalized today at 2:05 pm. Many people are unsure how to react to that. Regret, congratulations, confusion... probably some of all would be appropriate. It's not exactly an event to celebrate, but neither is it an event to mourn. It is the end of a life chapter, and worthy of a toast that it has concluded. I may now proceed with my regularly scheduled life... such as it is right now.

Blasé

Frankly, I have been feeling a bit indifferent for the past week or so. I have many things to do, and need to focus, but I just can't seem to do it. I have projects for work to price out and get started on. I have lines to learn for Shadow Box. I have shows to prep for My Bugatti Story. On top of it all, I have the day to day minutiae to consider... cooking, cleaning, taking care of the dog, laundry, etc... I know that this is not exciting news, but it is just where I am this week.

I started a new diet a little over a week ago, and as of this morning, I am down 10 lbs from my start weight of 232. I am shooting for a target below the 200 lbs mark, which would be the first time since high school that I have been there. In other news, my court date to finalize the divorce is set for next Wednesday at 1:30 pm, so... by Wednesday night, I should officially be single. Not that I feel ready to date right now anyway, but I can close this chapter of my life and put it up on the shelf. Anyway... that's all I've got for now... sorry to be so boring, but... that's real life sometimes.

Theatre Stuff

Well the Frontera Fest piece for which I am running tech, My Bugatti Story, opens tonight at the Salvage Vanguard Theatre. It is a decent play, directed by a really good director, and presented by a very talented cast... with one weak spot. Since this is a public blog, I won't go into details, but there is a weak link that has everyone in the cast worried to death. We are all hoping that we will be pleasantly surprised this evening, and for the remainder of the run. I have gone over tech in my head as many times as I can stand, and will give it my all this evening within the limits of the technology given to me. With only one 2.5 hr slot in the theatre to practice on Saturday, we are as prepared as I think we can get, and that other part of me is really looking forward to seeing how it all turns out.

On another note, rehearsals for The Shadow Box are going well, and I am amazed by the talent that I am surrounded by each rehearsal. I feel like I am just not progressing in the role like I should be. However, once I get the script out of my hand, I think it will free me up to play with it a bit more. That one opens at City Theatre on the 6th of February, so I hope to see as many of my friends there as can make it.

Josephine Dunlap (1996-2009)

My female basset hound, Josephine, finally lost her battle with heart and lung problems today. She has had a "leaky valve" in her heart for most, if not all, of her life. This causes the blood to back-flow into the heart, and has been slowly stretching the heart for years. Just like stretching a piece of clay, it finally reached a point where it is too weak to handle the pressure, and breaks.

Something told me to stay home, and wok from the home office today... probably the same something that told me to stay home last night instead of going out drinking with friends. Thus, I was able to be with her at the end. She ate her breakfast this morning, albeit slower than normal, and went outside to do her business. Anyone that knows her, knows that she would never miss a meal or any opportunity for food. She had lost some weight recently, but not for lack of eating... she just seemed to not be absorbing it as well. Around 1 pm, I went outside to change the water, and she was laying on the patio sunning herself. She stood up to come to me, and stopped about one step in and collapsed. I got down to her, and within about a minute, it was over. Without getting into too many details, it was clear that the heart had given way, and she probably died almost instantly. While it is hard to lose her, I am glad that she did not suffer with her passing.

Josephine came to live with me and (then wife) Alexi in the spring of 2006, so she was already a senior citizen when we got her. She cam with a full list of medical issues, such as the heart murmer, skin conditions that required bathing 3 times a week, allergies, a thyroid condition, and probably a few others that I can't remember right now. Through diet, and a lot of care, we got her off of all of the medications, with the exception of the heart pills, and she lived a pretty happy and vibrant couple of years. In the last couple of months, she has been struggling more and more with her breathing (a result of the heart crowding out the bronchial passages and lungs), and has had to start taking medications to help her at least take in a bit more oxygen with shallower breaths. She then started losing weight, and the last couple of weeks has been very slow and in obvious discomfort. Today, she finally let go, and I know that she is no longer suffering.

Even Dumber Than the Snuggie

So... I've actually found an invention to mock this week that may even rival the Snuggie. It is in somewhat the same vein, and is called the Laptop Body Sweater Wool Privacy Curtain. I can only assume that the purpose is to be ultra secure that no one is looking at your laptop screen, while giving you full ability to view and type. Just think of the possibilties... surf porn in public, play World of Warcraft without being mocked (for the game anyway), get strip searched by TSA for suspicious activity when using it at the airport, get all of your stuff stolen around you because you've got your hear shoved up some dumb sweater for your laptop.

All I can really say to this is that people are idiots, and will buy absolutely anything!

Why Obama Won

In honor of the certification of the election results, and the impending innauguration of Barak Obama, I am reposting a blog from my MySpace account from November. As most of you may or may not know, I am not in any way shape or form a supporter of Obama. Politically, I tend toward the right side of the middle of the road most of the time... However, that rant is for another time. So... here it is...

Obama won, on the immediate surface, because he inspired the population. His chief opponent, McCain, did not. However, neither candidate has shown a sound understanding of the economy, while the population today lacks a solid footing in the basics of civil society.

The underlying problem that led to this abysmal slate of candidates is that our society has consistently failed to educate our youth, who have slowly become our adult population, about what it takes to run both a successful democracy and a successful capitalistic economy, and the true virtues and potential pitfalls of each. This, coupled with a lack of instilling in our youth, as a whole, the virtues of the work ethic, honesty, and humility, has resulted in a greedy population that does not care who they hurt as long as they get what they individually want.

Our people, and especially the politicians, have learned that in a representative republic, you can vote yourself monies from the public coffers. Politicians all use this fact to buy votes, and the masses are rallied to support them. Without the self-restraint of morality, this will result in the downfall of our system of government. Allowing non-citizens to fairly easily cast votes for our government officials is a case in point as to what is wrong with this picture.

Additionally, in capitalism you need to spread economic opportunity (not money) to all, but not allow the hoodwinking of others by either business or government with regard to the true economic nature of the transactions. Encouraging and strong-arming lenders to make risky loans, and then allowing derivatives that consist of bundled risky loans to be sold in such ways that the lender is divorced from the borrower, have brought us to this point. That shareholders in companies would allow CEOs to make millions as these very companies go out on a limb financially is another example.

We have not taught our population how to be good citizens, and what this entails. Nor have we instilled in them basic morals that make for a civil society. Instead we have created a generation of adults that is no longer asking what they can do for their country, but what their country can do for them. This will bakrupt us, both figuratively and literally. The only question remaining is, "When?"

10 Things About Me

A good friend emailed her version of this list to me, so... it seems a good way to spread some useless knowledge about myself...

1. I cannot sleep unless everything in my bed is just right. Sheets pulled tight at the feet, pillows not too thick or too thin, on the correct side of the bed (on the right if you're in the bed), sheet and blanket over me.

2. I can play oboe, English horn, saxophone, trombone, and percussion.

3. I secretly like and listen to British "feel good" pop music. (ie - Lily Allen)

4. While I believe that mankind can and does have an impact on the environment, and a responsibility to treat it with respect, I do not believe that "global climate change" is man-made. There have been far too many climate cycles throughout history without our help, and the evidence is just not convincing.

5. I love to cook... I hate washing dishes, especially pots and pans.

6. I find the experience of being tattoed to be more relaxing than painful. It's my own form of therapeutic catharsis for life changing tension.

7. In my professional life I have been all of the following: high school teacher, security guard, delivery truck driver, pyro-technician, animal wrangler (snakes, lizards, scorpions, tarantulas, etc), pharmacy technician, camera clerk, grocer, audio engineer, camera operator, lighting operator, AV designer, and church youth pastor (Baptist).

8. I wear a size 8 hat.

9. I'm a bit of a germaphobe. I tend to use a paper towel for anything I might need to touch in a public restroom, and clean things in a hotel room before I will sleep there.

10. I pluck my eyebrows and/or have them waxed.

80s Night

Well, I had my housewarming party last night, and the friendship shown by those that came really did help to warm up the place. Of course I made way too much food, and I think I was actually left with more beer in my fridge than I started with. I also drank far more than I should have, but that's fine, as I was able to sleep in this morning.

Since it was 80s theme, many people showed up in their best memory of that decade's fashion. You can see my attempt to the left (photo courtesy of Veronica Prior). We saw everything from Dynasty to Goth, and quite a few things in between. The entertainment consisted of a DVD of music videos from the 80s, a Michael Jackson DVD (Thriller), and a random workout VHS tape that I remembered toward the end of the night (Bubba Until it Hurts). All-in-all I had fun opening my home up to my friends, and hope that they enjoyed their visit... even if the neighborhood was a bit scary for some.

The Snuggie = Cult Wear

I just saw an infomercial for the "Snuggie", which is a blanket with sleeves. Do we really need a blanket with sleeves. Is it too hard to throw on a $5 sweatshirt and a pair of socks? Apparently it is. Watching the infomercial, however, I was struck by how much it looks like the cult-wear or typical clothing that you see in the movies for the evil armies.

The Snuggie Itself

Lots of them in secret conclave

Emperial Guard Snuggie

Reflections on 2008

I'm not even sure where to begin with my reflections of 2008, other than to say that it's over and I am SO glad. 2008 began with my wife and I hosting an exchange student from Korea for three months. Frankly, a 10 year old has no business going to school abroad, and especially not one that has no self control. January, February, and March were a complete bust due to him, and we had a really crappy Valentines day and her birthday.

April, May, and June were a bit less strenuous in that regard, but still not that enjoyable. We were each living our own lives, and just sharing an apartment for the most part. In July we took a trip to Michigan for her family reunion, and each of us had fun, but we didn't really do much together while we were up there.

After we got back, Alexi began making her plans to go to Korea to work for a year, and we pretty much agreed that it would be a separation for us. She left in Spetember, while I was working on Romeo and Juliet at SBCT. In November, we decided to just go ahead with the divorce. We had lived together and apart with very little change in the feelings that were there. In all truth, we have been nothing but friends for probably the last couple of years. It's best to get out of it now, while we are still friends, and before we start to hate each other.

Thanksgiving was the first holiday with my family since the divorce had begun, and was very bizarre to say the least. My parents seem to be trying to purge every last vestige of Alexi from their house. Every picture, every scrap, etc...

December was Christmas, and I went to a few parties and then home to see the family for the actual holiday. I've also moved from the apartment that I had been sharing to a duplex in Round Rock with an extra bedroom and a yard. Last night rang in the new year with new friends... none of whom I knew a year ago... Maybe this is the fresh start that I need to move on. I'm at a very awkward, difficult place in life, but it's a crossroads that I must make my way through. I can only hope that I come out the other side a better person for it.

To my new friends from 2008... You mean more to me than you know. To my old friends... you have been there for me through good times and bad. To all of you... I am truly thankful to have you in my life.