bryan bird's blog

bryanbird.com moved to a new host

2009-01-04T15:38:00.003-05:00

This doesn't really impact any of my readers, but just FYI... I've finally moved my web site to a new host, and now Google is handling my email as well. I'm really really hoping this will solve the problems I've had over the past few years of delayed emails with my previous forwarding services from No-IP and MyDomain. No-IP wasn't too bad, but there were still occasions where I'd receive an email several hours after it was sent, rather than immediately.

That may not sound like a big deal, but more than several times I was waiting for something time-sensitive and it arrived the next day. When I was using MyDomain, I even had one email delayed two weeks. But it was free, so who was I to complain? No-IP, on the other hand, I paid for. MyDomain still handled my domain forwarding though, and recently it's been very spotty. I got tired of my "web site being down" when in fact it was just MyDomain not working.

In addition, I had been using Apple's .Mac (now called Mobile Me) to host my web site, mainly because I found it handy to use its auto-sync feature to keep a local copy on my hard drive. The annoying part was that I had very few options for uploading a new file. Since it doesn't support FTP, I couldn't host my blog there, for example. Instead, my blog had been published to Windstream's servers, on the measly few megabytes that came with my parents' DSL acocunt. I'm pretty sure I was over quota, but they never notified us or blocked me.

Now I'm living on my own and have Time-Warner Cable internet, but trying to use their (again, measly few megabytes of) FTP space has been infuriating. I don't think I ever did get it to log in. Such web space was common back in the days of dialup internet, but I guess now people either use other web page builders or don't create personal home pages, because the people I spoke to at Time-Warner Cable barely knew what I was talking about. And 10 MB? Please. They gave the same amount of space 10 years ago in the dialup days. Server space is cheap now.

Anyway, a couple of my friends use Dreamhost, and they had a really good promotion going on a few months ago, so I signed up with them. I just now got around to moving all my files over and re-assigning all my subdomains.

Does this mean anything for you? No. If you're reading this, you're viewing it on the new host. Notice that, up in your address bar, it now starts with "blog.bryanbird.com..." rather than "home.windstream.net..." Same goes for my main site. Looks a little more professional, if nothing else.

I'm still in the process of going through my 400+ old posts to find old URLs that had said windstream or alltel to update them to blog.bryanbird.com, but since the old files are still there, for now, no links should be broken.

And that's what I did today.

2008 in quiz form

2009-01-02T14:06:00.010-05:00

I started doing this three years ago, and I find it a nice way to sum up the previous 365-6 days.

1) What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?
I visited Dorney Park, a Cedar Fair amusement park in Allentown, PA.

2) Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more?
Same story as before: I don't see the point; I'd rather do such things when I'm good and ready. A perfect example: I stopped chewing my fingers (going on six months now), and it had nothing to do with January 1st.

3) Did anyone close to you give birth?
Oh yeah. I'm officially an uncle now, as my sister-in-law gave birth to my nephew Branson this past September!

4) Did anyone close to you die?
No, but two friends lost fathers.

5) What countries did you visit?
Sarah Palin can see Russia from her house, and I can see Canada from the top of Millennium Force!

6) What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2009?
Perhaps not surprisingly, the same answer I gave last year: a 401(k)!

7) What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
A certain date in September. Those who know which date, know why. :)

8) What was your biggest achievement of the year?
"Achievement" seems to imply a finite, quantifiable goal that has been reached, but I'll offer up this: Being in Company taught me a lot about acting and forced me to stretch my abilities, and I thank Rob for that. I also moved out on my own, and stopped chewing my fingers.

9) What was your biggest failure?
I failed to keep my nose to the grindstone in certain areas. I sometimes try to think long-term, but things get scary when I do that. But I need to.

10) Did you suffer illness or injury?
Just the usual colds every few months. I even managed to bring under control some acid indigestion (that had goten pretty ridiculous) thanks to Prilosec. Hodgkin's is far removed from my mind at this point; I now have just two checkups a year, and only one CAT scan a year.

11) What was the best thing you bought?
I guess the MacBook Pro would rank fairly high. It was time to ditch the old laptop anyway, but I'd have preferred if it hadn't been necessitated by the PowerBook hard drive dying and other quirks it had developed.

12) Whose behavior merited celebration?
Hmm, my parents, I suppose. See previous cryptic note regarding September.

13) Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Not to get all political, but... I was pretty appalled at how some of the same people who claimed Barack Obama "isn't a Christian" also lambasted him for attending Jeremiah Wright's church. So which is it? Is he a Muslim, or does he follow lock-step with an inflammatory charismatic Christian preacher?

14) Where did most of your money go?
Furnishing my apartment! And the general cost of moving out on my own for the first time (security deposit, renter's insurance, etc.). I got some very nice hand-me-overs from friends and relatives, a few important kitchen items free by redeeming credit card reward points and Dave & Buster's tickets, but I also spent quite a bit furnishing the kitchen and bathroom. Since I had been saving money for this exact purpose, I decided to get decent quality stuff that would last a while rather than buying cheap plastic crap at Family Dollar that would break within a year.

15) What did you get really, really, really excited about?
2008 wasn't quite as fun as 2007, but I did some cool stuff. In February, I saw Wicked for the third time and bought my parents tickets to same as a Christmas present. That, of course, was when I was still living with them and had considerably more disposable income. I also got "really, really, really excited" about a series of job interviews, but unfortunately did not get an offer.

16) What song will always remind you of 2008?
Edit: I'd originally said songs from Company would remind me of 2008, but I struggled to think of an example of that happening. But as I was running some errands tonight, I heard "I Can See It" from The Fantasticks on Sirius, and realized that was it. When I hear those songs, particularly that one, it brings back memories of playing for that show at Cassidy in February and March, the snowstorms we had, the very early stages of my apartment search, how I had all these gigs lined up for the rest of the year, and how that song would get stuck in my head every night. As it is right now. That is what reminds me of 2008.

17) Compared to this time last year, are you:
happier or sadder - As I said last year, I wasn't sad at this time last year, but I can guarantee I'm happier now.
older or wiser - Wiser!
thinner or fatter? - I gained back (intentionally) what I had lost (intentionally) in 2007... and then some (intentionally?).
richer or poorer? - HAHAHAHAHAHA. Oh yes, I am poorer. Monetarily, anyway.

18) What do you wish you'd done more of?
Going to bed on time.

19) What do you wish you'd done less of?
Staying up later than I should. Tired of being tired -- although I seem to tolerate it better now than when I was younger.

20) How did you spend Christmas?
The usual way: a delicious breakfast at home, presents, cemetery visit, a delicious dinner also at home, then relaxation. I got some gift cards, some DVDs, and a few surprises I hadn't thought of.

21) How did you spend New Year's Eve?
The Landeses and I had dinner at Buca di Beppo, then retired to their house. I cut out a large "2008"-shaped piece of paper and had Stu write down all the CRAP that's happened to him in the past year. Then we went outside and burned the damn thing. Take that, 2008! (Also, I got the coolest Christmas ornament ever as a belated gift.)

22) Did you fall in love in 2008?
Nope. But unlike previous years, I'm looking forward to it happening in the future.

23) How many one-night stands?
Same response as the last three years: "Never had one and I intend to keep it that way."

24) What was your favorite TV program?
I think How I Met Your Mother still ranks as my favorite show on TV. I was re-watching some episodes on DVD, and I really don't tire of them. Ted Mosby rocks. And so does Josh Radnor.

25) Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Still no hate happening on this side of the table.

26) What was the best book you read?
Hmm, could it be possible that I read NO books from beginning to end during all of 2008? I believe that is the case. Wow.

27) What was your greatest musical discovery?
Like last year, I'm going to pull something from Broadway. Courtesy of Sirius radio, I discovered City of Angels, a musical from 1990. I just think it's a brilliant score. And next March, I will be in a local production of it.

28) What did you want and get?
Freedom. OK OK I jest. Living with my parents was actually rather ideal in many situations. However, I do also enjoy living on my own without housemates of any sort. I think it's something I really needed to experience in my life. But I also don't plan on living alone forever.

29) What did you want and not get?
Oh, isn't it funny that the answer to this is actually the same answer I gave two years ago: That job in Westlake!

30) What was your favorite film of this year?
Again this year, I didn't see many movies in the theater. I saw Bolt in Disney Digital 3-D, which was a lot of fun. I also very much enjoyed The Dark Knight.

31) What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 28, which puts me dangerously close to 30. You can read about my birthday here, but the summary is that Stu and Laurie and I took the day off work to go to Cedar Point, but Laurie passed out before even riding anything. (We later discovered that she was pregnant.) And yes, this incident went on the aforementioned "2008" effigy.

32) What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Oh come on, this one is too easy. "Immeasurably"? I might as well say winning the Mega Millions would have been more satisfying.

33) How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Heh, it really wasn't much different than 2007. Which really wasn't much different than 2006. Mind you I've bought new clothes, but the styles and colors haven't really changed.

34) What kept you sane?
Having awesome friends and family, and awesome and understanding parents.

35) Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I don't really get caught up in that sort of thing. But I do like Barack Obama, although I'm not exactly crazy about the fundie preacher (Rick Warren) he recruited to give the prayer at his inauguration.

36) What political issue stirred you the most?
I enjoyed watching the quartennial flip-flop dance from both sides of the aisle.

37) Who did you miss?
Last year I said I missed the taco nighters, and I still feel that way. I really need to organize a taco/wing night soon. It's been over a year now!

38) Who was the best new person you met?
Again I met a lot of great people and made new friends in 2008, largely from doing theatre, but like last year I think I'm going to play the director card and say Rob Gibb, who directed Company.

39) Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:
I learned that Stu and I are awesome. No, seriously though, I already knew that. I like having friends. I like having a best friend. I like having friends who feel like family. I suppose I already knew that too, but every year this point is driven home more and more.

40) Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
This is kinda hokey, but moving out of my parents' house reminded me of empty nest syndrome, which reminded me of the sitcom Empty Nest, which reminded me of the theme song, the lyrics of which seem mildly appropriate:

Life goes on, and so do we
Just how we do it is no mystery.
One by one, we fill the days;
We find a thousand different ways.

Sometimes the answers can be hard to find;
That's something I will never be.
I'm always here for anything that you need.

Rain or shine, I'll be the one
To share it all as life goes on.
We share it all as life goes on.

about this Christmas song 2

2008-12-24T14:23:00.005-05:00

Well, I've done it again. Here's another sampling of a work-in-progress track for my alleged Christmas CD, to be completed somewhere around the year 2014. Again, this is not a finished work, but is something I wanted to record now lest I forget it. There are some rough spots, themes that need to be repeated, others that need trimmed.

But for your possible enjoyment, here is Rise Up Shepheds and Tell It (a medley of the spirituals "Rise Up Shepherds and Follow" and "Go Tell It on the Mountain"). With a tip of the hat to Andrae Crouch, Jack Schrader, John C. Coates, and Fred Bock.

And if you missed the other sample I posted a few weeks ago: about this Christmas song.

Why am I working on this today? Well I should be wrapping presents, especially seeing as I need to be in Elyria by 7:00 all dressed for church and with an overnight bag to stay at my parents' place. But, sometimes the muse demands we set aside time for things such as this, so here we are.

(It also happens that I'm off work today.)

hiatus BROKEN!

2008-12-22T11:38:00.003-05:00

Well that didn't last long.

Actually, I still have a few weeks off yet before rehearsals start in late January. I've agreed to be in City of Angels at Brecksville Theatre on the Square. But I have ample justification:

It'll be done at the end of March, thus still leaving my summer open for The Year of the Coaster
I've worked with the director before
I'll mostly be rehearsing only 3 nights a week until production week
It's a show I've been wanting to do for some time, but is rarely done in community theatre
Had I auditioned, this is the part I'd have gone for (the quartet)
I'll be working again with my "wife" from Company, who is also in the quartet and agreed to help unpack my apartment if I did the show :)

And after that, the director also got Stu to be in the show. We haven't worked on a theatrical gig together since Schoolhouse Rock five years ago, and have never actually been in a show together, so that's a cool bonus too.

about this Christmas song

2008-12-12T00:36:00.005-05:00

I'm hesitant to post this, for several reasons.

When I was playing through some Christmas music, an idea stuck in my head. I figured out this introduction on the piano but wasn't quite sure what to do with it. My instinct was to go into "I Saw Three Ships," but "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" and "O Come All Ye Faithful" wanted their say too.

I've sat down a couple times now and tried to figure out how to make this thing work, and tonight was the closest I've come so far. I felt the need to record it before I forgot it, so that is what we have here: a work-in-progress.

I said back in 2004 that I wanted to make a Christmas CD (using royalty-free tunes), but obviously that hasn't happened. Who knows; maybe that can be a project for 2009: The Year of the Hiatus.

This arrangement will surely be on there, but this is by no means the final version. Next time I might actually have copies of the hymns in front of me so I can remember where the hell these chords are going.

So with that in mind, I present... Some Unnamed Christmas Medley. With a tip of the hat to Lorie Line, Jim Brickman, and Mark Hayes.

apartment Christmas

2008-12-07T21:59:00.002-05:00

How does Santa get to the kids who live in apartments? Jeff Dunham has the answer (skip ahead to 4:15).

I didn't realize how much Christmas stuff I'd collected while living with my parents that I had no place to set up. There's a 4-foot aluminum frond Christmas tree from the '50s (with a modern color wheel that's crap) which I used to set up in my room as a kid. But due to space constraints, I hadn't set it up since 2002 or so. That means I never made use of the miniature glass ornaments I bought for it five years ago.

I set it up in my apartment and thought that was all I was going to do for Christmas, but then I got a short strand of lighted roping to put over the entertainment center. Then my parents got me a handmade wreath from the historical society, so that's hanging on the door.

At their house today, I discovered the box of Peanuts ornaments I used to put on the aluminum tree, along with several boxes of large blown glass Peanuts ornaments. And the string of lights and plastic icicles I hung in my college dorm room. And a little animated Christmas-Snoopy-flying-ace-sitting-on-his-doghouse thing.

So I hauled all that crap home with me today and am trying to decide where to put it all. At first I thought I would be satisfied with just the little tree, but now that I have more set up I'm kind of enjoying the Christmassy atmosphere. I've yet to fully unpack or "decorate" the apartment (i.e. hang things on the walls) since I moved in, but now assembling the Christmas stuff is making this place feel more homey.

That, and my mom gave me a bag of her Christmas cookies to take with me. :)

hiatus HIATUS 2

2008-11-23T21:45:00.004-05:00

My last alleged theatre hiatus -- a year ago -- only lasted about three months, under the guise of only doing pit orchestra gigs which would require less dedication of time. But what I ended up doing was committing to more, smaller projects rather than a few large ones.

Still, I regret nothing, and I had fun. I enjoyed the coffeehouse gigs with Kim and Mike (and the requisite rehearsals, which I dubbed "Caraffi's Piano Bar"). And of course, I very much enjoyed being in Company, during which I had to stretch myself as an actor. Plus, as I've said before, meeting new people and making new friends are large reasons why I enjoy doing it.

But let us not lose sight of getting my sh!t together before I'm 30. I've achieved goal #2, moving out of my parents' house, and #6, stopping chewing my fingers. Goal #1 is... sort of there. I mean, I wouldn't have moved out otherwise. But now that I've plunged myself into "the real world" (if that's what you want to call it), that raises the bar a little for what is "modestly comfortable." That's a backward and euphemistic way of saying I'm still working on the whole career thing -- but as we all know, employment is a taboo topic for personal blogs.

Which brings me to my current theatre hiatus. Today was the last performance of Grease at Magnificat, which fulfills all the shows I'd already agreed to for 2008 back in June when I started itching for this break. Aside from the aforementioned focus-on-my-career thing, I also hope to make 2009 the Year of the Coaster, in some capacity. Finances permitting, I'll sample a few new parks with friends, particularly ones in the Cedar Fair chain which I get into for free with my season pass. The idea is that these will be brief weekend or extended weekend trips, whilst strategically mooching off friends who live in those cities for lodging when possible. It's very difficult to plan such adventures when every weekend is tied up with one gig or another.

That doesn't mean, of course, that I won't take on the occasional job should something cool come along. If someone wants me to play for The Last Five Years, I'll be there. And I will do Magnificat again if they want me, because it's a good gig and I enjoy working there.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a graphics project to work on, because apparently I'm not on an art hiatus.

toooooo early

2008-11-17T09:39:00.004-05:00

My friend Laurie is nuts about Christmas, and sure enough, she had Stu out there this weekend hanging the lights and setting up the inflatable whatsit in the front yard.

My family had a tradition of setting up a small-ish artificial tree either the night of Thanksgiving (after post-meal naps) or the day after, to kick off the Christmas season. Aside from growing up with that tradition, I simply don't want to steal any thunder from Thanksgiving, which is one of my favorite holidays. It pained me to see Christmas crap in the seasonal section at Target next to the Halloween stuff when I was shopping for pumpkin carving tools.

As I said in 2005:

In many ways, I prefer Thanksgiving to Christmas. Thanksgiving doesn't have nearly the hype that December 25th holiday brings. One often finds more hospitable weather -- and more hospitable attitudes of the general public -- on the fourth Thursday of November. The day comes without gobs of money spent on gifts no one really needs; instead, the day is unabashedly devoted to food we don't need.

[...]

Thanksgiving also ushers in the season of Christmas, and despite the best efforts of the retail industry, it provides a barrier to keep us from diving into The Holiday Season™ too quickly. Christmas hypes up the gift exchange with lights and trees and carols and parties and alleged goodwill toward all, only to have it all come crashing down within a few hours' time on December 25th. Thanksgiving isn't nearly so pretentious, and thus isn't such a letdown when it's over.

This will be a different shopping season for me. Now that I'm living on my own, I have significantly less disposable income to spend on such things. And speaking of spending money on Christmas, I'd like to get an artificial tree for my apartment, but I won't even have room for it if I don't finish unpacking -- or at the very least, resign to stacking boxes in a semi-out-of-the-way place, which is a gateway drug to clutter and apathy. I know; I grew up in such a house. I really don't want to go down that path.

(Apparently, I'd rather live in denial and continue walking around the boxes in the mistaken belief that if they're in my way, I'll eventually be annoyed enough to unpack them. As if that weren't a gateway drug to apathy. Argh! It's starting already!)

Edited to add: I'm not Scroogish about Christmas, though. I was reminded of something else that was a de facto tradition in the Bird household. Since my parents were both teachers, certain aspects of our lives were aligned to the school year. As I said, we'd put up the artificial tree on Thanksgiving night, but we didn't assemble a live tree in the living room until a few days or a week before Christmas.

For one, that ensured it was still fresh and piney-smelling for the 25th. For another, it meant we got to enjoy it through New Year's and the end of winter break. So not only did Thanksgiving get its due in November, we got to enjoy Christmas for a few weeks in January as well.

I know people who chuck the tree out on the curb on the 26th; I just can't imagine doing that. Such an act is not even in my vocabulary. (Moot in my case since live Christmas trees aren't allowed in my apartment.)

another op'nin', another gig

2008-11-13T09:50:00.004-05:00

Next Monday I will be performing in From Ohio to Broadway, a half hour program chronicling Ohio composers and lyricists whose work has made it to the Great White Way. Here is the description from the presenter:

Come hear the stories and songs FROM OHIO TO BROADWAY on Monday, November 17 at 7 p.m. at the Renaissance Center, 26376 John Rd. in Olmsted Township. This program takes a look at the works of composers and lyricists from Ohio whose works have been performed on Broadway and will be performed by Pianist Bryan Bird and Narrator Bette Lou Higgins. This performance will be free and open to the public. For further information, call the center at 440-235-7111.

For a complete schedule of Eden Valley Events check out our calendar page at www.edenvalleyenterprises.org.

In addition to playing, I'm also singing about half the songs, including "Brotherhood of Man," "A Lot of Livin' to Do," "De-Lovely," and... appropriately... "Ohio" from Wonderful Town.

Grease, for which I'm playing at Magnificat High School, opens this Friday and runs for two weekends. Fridays and Saturdays are at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 4:00 p.m. Nov. 14-16, 21-23. Tickets can now be purchased online with a credit card, or via phone at 440-331-1572 ext. 277 for cash and check sales. Magnificat is located at 20770 Hillard Blvd, Rocky River (although the Performing Arts Center entrance is most easily accessed off Wagar Road).

After that is the start of my allegèd theatre hiatus... That doesn't mean I can't be called out for something really good, of course...

pepsi decides to put the 'ugly' in 'fugly'

2008-11-10T10:50:00.007-05:00

My new favorite blog -- which satisfies the logo/identity design geek in me -- is the Brand New section at Under Consideration. That's where I discovered the abominable travesty that is the new Pepsi logo (or should I say, pepsi, lowercase?).

Aside from the stark and self-diminishing logotype, I'm not sure what they're trying to get across with the variety of swooshes. I guess the idea is that diet has a smaller white swoosh because it has fewer calories, but Pepsi Max has a larger swoosh because it has more calories than regular Pepsi... oh wait. Well, maybe it has more flavor than Pepsi...?

The new Mountain Dew logo literally made me laugh. I saw that logo online last week, and actually thought it was an old one from the '70s. I sort of see the "M" giving the idea of mountains, and it then being flipped around for the "w," but the whole thing strikes me as clunky.

The Sierra Mist design looks like something I designed in 1996 when I first discovered the Photoshop blur filter. The word "sierra" uses a typeface which bears no personality or anything significantly different from the "generic store brand" king, Helvetica (although even Helvetica can be nice when used properly). Even the new "pepsi" type has unique letterforms -- including the bar of the e, which, ironically, mimics the swoosh on the former Pepsi logo -- and that font might have worked just as well here, too. However, the can design as a whole redeems itself with the green tree silhouette against the yellow sky.

Along with what was apparently a bid to keep graphic designers like me employed, Pepsico also gave new branding to the Tropicana line. I don't mind those as much; they look up-to-date, fresh, and -- it almost pains me to use the term -- "Web 2.0-ish."

I feel similarly about the new Holiday Inn logo, even though I agree with this person who said,

The Holiday Inn logo reminds me of any or all of the following:
Gum
Paper towels
Bleach

I admit the new logo brings to my mind fabric softener or pre-packaged salad greens at first glance rather than a hotel. I enjoyed the previous "brushed metal" look that freshened up the identity while incorporating the old script that is ingrained on the public's mind.

But what's nice about the new one is that they can build a brand off of the green "H" by itself, which means eventually they will no longer need the words "Holiday Inn" at all -- much like the Nike® swoosh™ obsolesced the word "Nike" from their branding -- and it will give them more options for its use. (We toyed with a similar idea at work when we merged earlier this year, creating an "LM" logo in addition to the name fully spelled out, to use in places where we might not have room for the complete name; but so far we haven't used it or promoted it.)

Fortunately for brands like Pepsi and Holiday Inn, they are popular enough that they can roll out new identities like this without losing customers to confusion. I'm guessing that's the reason Holiday Inn previously had stuck with the familiar script letters for so long. This time, they've moved to a more contemporary and (I believe) friendly and clean lime green, after decades of pool table felt.

Meanwhile, Mountain Dew has done exactly the opposite, going from the bright nuclear green that stood out on shelves and in advertising, to some sort of stodgy forest green -- though I admit it sort of goes along with the "pine trees on a mountain" theme they've got going on in the background of the new label. And who knows, maybe Pepsico is just on some cutting edge, and every logo in the world will look like these in a couple years. We'll see.

So, who am I to be critiquing these logos? Well, I'm a graphic designer, but a pretty lowly one at that, so I won't flaunt that in this post. (And if you read the comments on Under Consideration, you'll find I'm far from the snootiest designer out there.) I'm just a consumer of these brands expressing his initial reactions. It also happens that brand identity is a particular interest of mine, so I enjoy following things like this. Don't ask me why.

And now, back to real life.

smells like onions

2008-11-05T09:12:00.003-05:00

I highly recommend checking out The Onion today. A few select headlines:

Nation Finally Sh!tty Enough To Make Social Progress

Black Man Given Nation's Worst Job

Hillary Clinton Resumes Attacking Obama

McCain Gets Hammered At Local VFW

Republican Party, Average Working Joe Bid One Another Adieu Until 2012

Magical Voting Booth Transforms Clearheaded Americans Into Reactionist Morons

I voted today

2008-11-04T08:24:00.003-05:00

From last Sunday's episode: Homer Simpson tries to vote for Obama

This was my first time voting in Strongsville, so I wasn't sure what to expect. In Elyria, we used to use punch cards, then after 2004 moved to electronic touch-screen machines with a paper printout. I usually voted before work, and never waited more than 10 minutes.

I got in line to vote at the Strongsville library at 7:01 and was voting 20 minutes later. It took just over 10 minutes to fill out the ballot because it was two pages, double-sided, and you had to color in little ovals with a ballpoint pen on a hard, non-angled metal writing surface with poor lighting. By the end I realized it would go faster if I turned the ballot sideways to color in the oval, because the hand can more naturally fill it in vertically than horizontally. It would have taken longer if I knew anything about the dozen or so "non-partisan" judge races; I left them all blank. I had researched the state issues, and even the local ones, but not the fifty billion Court of Common Pleas judges.

Afterward, we stood in another line to insert our ballots into the counting machine, so anyone standing near me could probably see how I voted on certain races since it's not easy to obscure an entire legal-size double-sided sheet of paper. I found the whole process a little more awkward than Lorain County's system, but it was fairly straightforward and painless.

I've been waiting four years for this day, and I'm glad my civic duty is done.

din-o'-lantern

2008-10-30T02:49:00.007-04:00

I really didn't think this was going to be more complicated than last year's Maverick-o'-lantern, but three hours later, I was proven wrong.

I now present... The din-o'-lantern:

The most time-consuming parts were the letters, not because of the shapes, but because I chose not to cut all the way through. I thought that would be easier than trying to keep all the little lines attached, but it probably would've been easier than digging out the pumpkin skin (there's probably a better way, but I've never used that technique before). I eventually got the grand idea to shave away some of the meat behind the letters to allow more light through, which saved that experiment from disaster.

I realize my T-Rex doesn't have teeth, but by then it was 2 a.m. and I didn't care. It took a half hour to poke the design, an hour to carve the graphic, then an hour and a half to do the stupid letters and tweak/cleanup the design to allow more light to pass.

I'll set it out on my patio for Halloween, and since everyone leaving the parking lot across the drive gets a full-frontal view of said patio, at least someone will see it. I'm also going to my parents' house on Elyria's trick-or-treat night to celebrate my brother's birthday, so I'll take the din-o'-lantern and set it out on their porch as well.

And lest anyone think I'm out of date in carving the Jurassic Park logo, I'd have thought so too until a few weeks ago when I saw they were still selling Jurassic Park merchandise in stores. The first movie came out in 1993, but there have been two sequels (with an alleged fourth on the way), so I guess that keeps it current with today's kids. Now where's my cane, dagnabbit.

Edited to add: I just realized this is the 400th post on my blog!

shoddy modern construction

2008-10-17T09:21:00.004-04:00

To eliminate one of many railroad grade crossings in North Ridgeville, a few years ago the city built a bridge along Avon-Belden Road/State Route 83. Because there were homes and businesses in close proximity to the tracks, simply building a bridge straight across would not be feasible since it would cut off driveways to these properties. Instead, the road was curved to the west and built on vacant land there, while the original Avon-Belden Road was snipped at the old crossing and turned into two culs-de-sac*.

*Believe it or not, "culs-de-sac" is the proper plural of this term. I don't like it either, but that's what we're stuck with.

I feel sorry for people who live there, first off because -- as far as I can tell -- the street was not renamed to anything like "Old Avon-Belden," as is usually done in cases like this (see "Old Grayton" by Cleveland Hopkins), so giving directions to people is difficult I'm sure. Secondly, because the former railroad crossing was closed, people who used to be neighbors no longer are, and going north on SR 83 from the south side of the tracks now requires going the opposite direction to connect with the bridge.

All of that is a long-winded way of getting to my main point of this post, which is the incredibly shoddy construction on this bridge which just opened not even two years ago. I was flying around Google Maps and noticed this:

Look at that! The right half of the bridge is already falling apart! It's as if someone took a Photoshop soft eraser to the northbound lane!

I kid, of course. I presume it's an artifact of how Tele Atlas stitches their satellite photos together. It reminds me of the time I was showing Stu where the recycling bins were in Strongsville, and noticed that the city only had half a water tower:

Frankly I'm just impressed that Google Maps even knows about the "new" Avon-Belden route; I wish my GPS were that up-to-date. My apartment's street doesn't even exist on my GPS, and Cherry Tree Drive is marked as the driveway for the apartments next to me, which is actually just an extension of Whitney Road. I've submitted the correction to TomTom, but haven't seen an update yet.

Interestingly (well, to me anyway), Google Earth had this same error, but Google Maps did not, because they used map data from different sources. I say "did," past-tense, because I see Google Maps is now using Tele Atlas as well, and likewise shows the incorrect Cherry Tree Drive. Annoying.

everything's coming up bacon

2008-10-14T22:38:00.004-04:00

Everything Is Better Wrapped in Bacon
(Be sure to click on to page 2 as well.)

Bacon-wrapped cinnamon rolls made me laugh out loud. I'm not saying I wouldn't try it though. Really, I don't think it's any more ridiculous than wrapping a water chestnut in bacon and dipping it in BBQ sauce.

man decorates walls with sharpies

2008-10-08T16:36:00.003-04:00

This seems like something I should do when I own a house:

Man Decorates Basement With $10 Worth of Sharpie

He also has a pinball machine in the basement, which is something else I want (next to the Ms. Pac-Man machine).

some movies would be a lot shorter if the characters had cell phones

2008-10-02T11:06:00.003-04:00

The title pretty much sums it up:

Some Movies Would Be a Lot Shorter if the Characters Had Cellphones

In other news, this is the last weekend for Company, so... yeah. Come see it.

grown-up chipmunks

2008-09-25T16:50:00.001-04:00

Ever wondered what The Chipmunks really sounded like at normal speed? Check this out.

an evening at home

2008-09-23T20:07:00.006-04:00

Ah, what a change of pace not to have to go anywhere this evening. But don't you get any grand ideas -- I have plenty of other things to fill my time, and some small gigs coming up, so I'm not exactly kicking back.

Well, tonight specifically I am, but that's because I have a cold and am in a sort of daze. I'm just taking it slow and playing the day by ear. I debated about calling in sick today, considering I barely got any sleep last night on account of having to blow my nose every five minutes, but remembered I needed to finish a few small projects at work for our production manager to print today. I decided to go into work 45 minutes early and finish those tasks, then see how I felt. Predictably, I was still dead tired, with my nose running like the East Falls, so I left around 10:00.

I noticed the first signs of this cold after our preview night Thursday, so I immediately started taking Zicam and Zucol. Indeed I was right, and it was worse Saturday and Sunday. Amazingly, I could still sing, although it wasn't the nicest tone and I had to approach it with a little different technique. Thankfully, I have a few nights off here to recover before Friday's show. I'm enjoying some Throat Coat tea right now, since the cold seems to have moved on from the sniff to the cough, so hopefully with the help of NyQuil I'll get a decent night's sleep.

So enough whining. The show has been going very well. Things really came together last week, solidified by a responsive Thursday night audience. Allison (my stage wife) and I have hit our stride, to the point where our scene goes so smoothly we're afraid we've missed lines. (We haven't.)

This has been a very different experience for me, since I normally am at the piano for shows, even when I'm on stage. Last summer's Joseph... was my first non-piano role in 10 years, but that was mostly singing and dancing. In Company, I have to act! The rehearsal process has been a lot of trial and error figuring out what works and how to implement the direction I'm given.

Admittedly it was very frustrating at times -- the nights I was given note after note, sometimes the same one I had been given the previous night -- but with the help of Rob (director), I was able to bring the character. Thinking of it as "reacting" rather than "acting" helped me think more about the way my character would move and speak. It was much more difficult than I expected going in.

It's remarkable how far I came in the last few weeks, and even in just the last few days of rehearsals. Rob has really helped me to stretch as an actor, and I'm grateful for that. In addition, Eric ("Bobby") -- a candidate for awesomeness -- encouraged me during those frustrating times, which also helped me get back on my feet.

This really has been a great cast to work with, too. Fostered by Rob from the beginning of the process, everyone has been motivated and dedicated, with almost zero wasted time at rehearsals. We all brought our A-game, and we have a great show to show for it.

I'm an uncle!!

2008-09-19T08:50:00.001-04:00

My sister-in-law gave birth to Branson Bird at 12:42 this morning.

companyyyyy

2008-09-12T11:39:00.006-04:00

The show I'm in, Company, opens next weekend! Rehearsals have been going well, and it has been a good experience (plus, I get to crank out a high G-flat at the end of my song, so that's fun). I've seen the show a few times before, but this is a little different framing and staging of it that I think is very strong.

Fri, Sep 19 ; Sat, Sep 20 ; Sun, Sep 21
Fri, Sep 26 ; Sat, Sep 27 ; Sun, Sep 28
Fri, Oct 3  ; Sat, Oct 4  ; Sun, Oct 5

Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., Sundays at 3:00 p.m. See the website for more information.

If you want to see it for half price, you can come to preview night Thursday, September 18 for $10.

In addition, there is a fundraising event before the Saturday, September 27 show, featuring wine, hors d'oeuvres, and other fun stuff. Here's the Evite for more details. The theater is no longer supported by the City of Parma Heights, so they are hosting things like this to help raise money.

Hope to see you there!

fish

2008-09-04T22:57:00.003-04:00

Until last year, 1993 was the last time I'd gone to the Elyria Apple Festival. I was in 8th grade, and won a goldfish at one of those games where you bounce a ping pong ball into a fishbowl. For many years, it had no name, and I simply referred to it as "Fish" (in my "fish voice"). I forget why, but when I was in college my mom decided Fish was female, and named it Francine.

Francine survived the arrival and death of another carnival prize goldfish, and even survived five days without food when I was in Disney World with my high school choir and mom forgot to feed her. Eventually she lost her color and grew to the maximum size allowed by the 10-gallon tank, about seven inches long from mouth to tail tip.

Last weekend, she was puffing up for some reason. It would go up and down, but by Monday she apparently was the size of a baseball. She was clearly hanging onto life by a thread, so my parents put her out of her misery. She didn't even really flop around when they removed her from the tank.

I didn't have a great emotional attachment to Francine, but it's still a little sad. It's remarkable that she even lived 15 years, considering she came to me in a plastic bag.

[fish voice]
Fiiish!
[/fish voice]

sam & janet evening update

2008-09-04T22:35:00.002-04:00

I just realized I accidentally left off this weekend in my post about Some Enchanted Evening at Huntington Playhouse in Bay Village. We had a bought house tonight, but there are three more public performances this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Two weeks from tonight, Thursday, September 18, is a $10 preview night for Company at Cassidy Theatre in Parma Heights (normal show price is $20). We finished blocking the show this week, so now we have a solid two weeks to run it, tweak it, and polish it. Aaaand also bring up to speed the newest cast member who's replacing someone who had to drop out...

yeah, I'm still here

2008-09-01T22:19:00.006-04:00

It's been half a month since I last wrote something, as I've been busy with shows and rehearsals. Today, however, was a holiday, which meant I could actually get some things done besides work and theatre. I enjoyed a cup of french press coffee at a reasonable hour of 10 a.m. while washing the first of two loads of laundry. I finished cleaning the kitchen and vacuumed the floors. I went to Target's [sic], a barbecue at my friend Kim's, then Giant Eagle. And in a moment I will be putting together a bathroom shelf. I'm pretty sure that's the most productive I've been in two months. Domestically, anyway.

But the past two weeks hasn't been all graphics and music. I helped Bre move into her first house, played organ (well, piano really) at Lorain Lighthouse Methodist, visited Becki and Matt after an ill-fated trip to the Legacy Village Apple Store, and helped Stu move stuff out of storage into his new house.

Speaking of which, Laurie has been on bedrest due to some pregnancy complications, so Stu has been taking care of her and the two-year-old, and hasn't generally been able to do much else, even working from home when necessary. Top that off with unpacking at the new house and still trying to sell the old one. This led to National Stu Deserves a Break Day, where we and a few friends took a vacation day last Monday to go to Cedar Point. Some schools were back in session, so the crowds weren't quite as bad, but still more than we expected. And just to ensure that he didn't get a complete break, he had to leave by 4:30 to get Chloe from daycare. Oh well, we still got quite a bit done.

This past Saturday I went to Cedar Point's Soak City for the first time, which was fun. Stu had been promising Chloe she could go 'swimming,' so this was our chance. The nice thing about a water park is that we could all have fun, whereas in an amusement park we'd mostly be limited to watching Chloe ride stuff. Now and then we'd trade off keeping her company so we could try some of the larger slides separately.

Unfortunately, my back earned a dark pink sunburn despite my use of Banana Boat Sport spray sunblock. I'm not clear why this happened -- if I applied it too early in the day, if it washed off too easily, if I didn't rub it in well enough, if the chemicals expired (I bought it last year), or what. Thankfully, I wasn't burned too badly, but it pisses me off that it happened at all. I threw the bottle away and bought some more Neutrogena Body Mist sunblock, which I've had good luck with before, even if its smelly aerosol cloud lingers in the air and ideally needs to be applied outdoors.

So that's where I'm at. Company rehearsals have been productive and going well. As usual I'm meeting people and making new friends, which is one of the things that keeps me doing theatre even though the schedule often drives me nuts. Try saying that to 1998 Bryan 1.0!

some enchanted evening

2008-08-14T13:02:00.004-04:00

Tonight is opening night for my latest theatre endeavor, Some Enchanted Evening at Huntington Playhouse. It's a musical revue for those of you who don't let the lack of a plot get in the way of a good 90 minutes of Rodgers & Hammerstein enjoyment. The orchestra consists of a piano, electronic keyboard (me), and percussion, accompanying an ensemble of five excellent vocalists.

It runs for four weekends:

Thu, Aug 14 ; Fri, Aug 15 ; Sat, Aug 16
              Fri, Aug 22 ; Sat, Aug 23
              Fri, Aug 29 ; Sat, Aug 30
              Fri, Sep 5  ; Sat, Sep 6  ; Sun, Sep 7

In addition to that we have four pre-sold bought houses on Thursdays and Sundays. So yes, I will be very much occupied for the next month. On the days I'm not at Huntington -- and even some of the days I am -- I'm rehearsing Company at Cassidy Theatre. Now you understand why I want a year off. After Company I have a few scattered gigs, then the show at Magnificat High School like I did last year.

So... yeah. See you at Thanksgiving.

2009: The Year of the Hiatus