Last Night in Disney

Goofy/Mickey is sad. He has to leave this wonderful world tomorrow. Had a great time, lots of eating and fun. Nikki even gave me a great surprise today! Goofy\Mickey is happy because of that surprise. He'll see his friends soon again. Sigh! Now it's time to say goodbye to all our company... You know the rest and if you don't, never speak to me again.

My wife, the lobster. Lots

My wife, the lobster. Lots of sun in Orlando. I can see my flip-flop line across the top of my foot. Again, we've eaten way too much. Fireworks!

It Feels Like Home

Greetings from the happiest place on earth! Weather is great, food is abundant and fun is non-stop. Even when going all day at WDW, it still feels relaxing. My creative juices go crazy in this place and my OCD runs rampant. Make it bigger, better, more perfect. That's a good philosophy.

Jolly Holiday

Mary Poppins at the Fox- go see it! Beautiful and magical, not for little kids because it is almost three hours long, but still amazingly wonderful!

Go, Go, Go Joseph... Gone

We finished up Joseph this past weekend. The show went very well- it will always be one of my favorites and very important in terms of the grand scope of my life as an actor, director, producer. I learned so much from this show the first time I did it twelve years ago. I would consider this production as a creative success. I think everyone did a wonderful job with the presentation of it. I loved the look of the show and although I look back and see so many things that I would "fix" which most people would not even notice... but I would. I would like to have seen more people in the audience, but it was a very stormy weekend and there is just so much going on right now that people are having to make choices as to what they see. In the past two weeks we have had six different shows playing. Folks have to make their choices. I understand, but I certainly enjoyed watching the cast during all the rehearsals and from the wings on show nights. Great work, kids! I will post pictures soon.

Beauty and the Beast rehearsals begin tomorrow night (Tuesday). Strangely enough, after one night of rest I am ready to dive in. I just hope my body can keep up with my mind. I just hope everyone else can keep up with my mind.

One week from today, Nikki and I will be giving our creativity a punch of excitement. Nothing like sunshine, palm trees and a little Disney pixie dust to make your imagination soar. Hold on, the next six weeks are going to be a great and crazy ride. I will not have to eat any fiber- I will be swallowing about nine pounds of yak fur per performance. I promise not to spit on anyone.

Two Years Ago Today...

Happy Anniversary, Nikki!

Fat America

I was just on my way back to the theatre for tonight's show, when suddenly I got an urge for a cherry limeade from Sonic on this beautiful afternoon. As I pulled to the window, my urge became adventurous and I decided to try a watermelon limeade. The car in front of me is shouting her order at the call box loud enough for the folks over at McDonald's drive through to hear. And she says, "Do I have to get tots with my combo or can I choose another side?" The voice on the other end of the box says, "No, you can choose another side for forty cents more." "Ok." she says, "Give me a number nine as big as it gets." Whatever you do, America, do not blame school lunches for creating a society of fatsoes. Incidently, the watermelon limeade is quite good, the cherry has more of a bite when in need of a sugar zap, but the watermelon a smooth cadence much like that of a relaxing afternoon.

After Rehearsal

After rehearsal tonight, Nikki and I went driving around town. Before we were married we would do that quite a bit. Not because we particularly enjoyed crusin', but because we would enjoy the summer air through the moon roof or in the winter look at Christmas lights. Tonight we went on a hunt for food. Do you ever have a craving for something and you have no idea what it is you want. That was me tonight. Before rehearsal, Nikki had Subway. I don't eat before because I know it will keep me from jumping around as hyper as should. Nothing sounded good- Taco Bell still isn't on my list after getting the stomach bug on a night after tacos... that's all we will say about that.

We drove around in circles and after going over every option went home to watch the recording of American Idol tonight while munching on a frozen pizza which was lodged in the back of our freezer... just beyond the mountains of butter and buns. Nikki has a complex- she thinks as soon as you buy a box of butter, you put it in the freezer as well as any type of bread. I, on the other hand, believe if you are not going to eat it before it goes bad, don't buy it or buy a smaller portion. Bread that has been in the freezer is like gum that has already been chewed. I don't like it and will not say I will never eat it, but as long as I can buy it fresh, what is in the freezer will stay in the freezer. I think it gives Nikki comfort in case of a stock market crash.

Rehearsals are going very nice. Usual sloppy dance steps. Usual problem with actors forgetting to pick up their props and thus drinking from an "air" glass. Usual changes that everyone has to adjust to at this time in a show. It will all work out and be a great, fun show.

I have always been a person who does better at night. Mornings are painful. As time goes by, my clock is getting more and more turned upside down and I find myself staying up later and later because I can get lots of creative stuff done at night. Mainly because I have no distractions. During the day at work, everyone is always busy and you can get called away to something else while in the middle of a project. I like to work at night, but not with anyone else unless they are really fun. You fun people know who you are. If you are reading this and you are wondering if you are on my fun list, don't ask. You might be disappointed. Just kidding- you are all fun... except when you get tired and whiny.

I'm still craving, but what, I don't know. As many of you know, Nikki and I never have food at our house, but tonight I was noticing we have tons of items that go on food- spices, toppings, ketchup (the mother of all toppings), and cake frosting. Cake frosting?

Excuse me while I get a spoon.

Happy Birthday Samuel!

Late Night Ramblings April 8, 2010

My beauty is asleep in the other room. I am not. I am so exhausted- my body can hardly move but my mind is going 80 mph. So, my misery is the blog's delight.

Since last we met, the anguish over a certain costume is over. I am very happy to say that Joseph has a completed prince costume... except for the metallic gold combat boots. I'm not kidding. The theatre is a hustle and bustle of things coming. Six major shows in the next two weeks. More nights working than nights off. I'm not complaining- I don't like to dig ditches.

Big Mike should have been booted from American Idol tonight. Stupid save rule. That would have finally brought some excitement to that show. I don't know if this year is just boring or if last year was just so good. I'm still feeling a buzz from the great concert Danny Gokey gave last weekend.

Is it only Wednesday? Wait, I think now it is Thursday. Is it only Thursday?

Had dinner with Paul and his fiance tonight. Nice time together- then went back to the theatre for a bit. A recurring theme. I've known Paul since he was in the third grade and now he is getting married?!?!? Wow, his parents must be ok with him getting married at age 14 because I know "m not that old.

I love this warm weather, mostly because I don't like pants. I like flip-flops too. You know in most places they are called thongs, but if I said I loved thongs, everyone reading this would get the wrong idea.

I did not drink Dr. Pepper tonight, only water. Last night before bed I drank a huge Dr. Pepper and fell right to sleep- sleep all night like a baby. I had that large Dr. Pepper to go with my large fries, but by the time Nikki let go of them they were a small fry.

Nikki likes french fries. Drive me nuts when people call the freedom fries. That's like calling Brazil nuts, South American chickletts.

Sam grew his hair out for Joseph. I like his shaggy hair- I vote don't cut it. It will go very nicely with his new skirt. Speaking of Joseph, most of the actors playing brothers spend a lot of time dancing on their knees. I bought them knee pads, but I think we are going to have to pad the knee pads. Yea, what's the point. I should have just given them some foam and a roll of duct tape. Speaking of duct tape, how crazy would I have been if the had come out with the multicolored kind when I was younger. My mom would still be scraping it off my bed rooms walls hoping to find some sheet rock somewhere. There's an idea, we should have gone all modern and "green" and made all the costumes for Joseph out of recycled materials. Joseph's coat could have been multicolored duct tape. Strike would have been easy, just wad the whole show up and toss it in the trash. Does duct take hold body odor? That would have been a serious draw back, but I could give the laser wash free advertisement by letting the cast walk through the car wash in their costumes.

My car is covered in pollen. It needs to go through the car wash. I don't even have time to go to the car wash. I wonder if they are open at 1 am? Whoa, what kind of freaks do you think hang out at the car wash in the middle of the night? Never mind.

I hate taxes. Will mail mine next week.

I love Florida. I hear you calling my name sweet breeze through the palm trees. No wait, that's just Jazzy snoring in the floor beside me. Just kidding, he doesn't snore... he talks in his sleep... just like Nikki... boy, the stories she has told and not even known it. I should create a blog just for Nikki's late night conversations.

We have built a giant sphinx head for the scene in Egypt (in Joseph). People keep calling it the Pharaoh's head. It take too much effort to correct them. On Pharaoh's costume, he has a giant "P" on his belt buckle. People think it stands for "Pharaoh" but it actually stand for "Phatt". I mean the cool version, not the overweight version... that is why it is spelled P-H-A... oh, nevermind.

People who can't dance are very fun to watch in a tragic sort of way- I'm talking about Dancing with the Stars, not the show.. nudge, nudge.

I'm hungry now at 12:51 am. We have no food in our house. We don't but groceries because we are never here to eat. Nikki did have two chocolate Easter bunnies in the back of her car. They've been there since Sunday and now are probably one giant lump of a chocolate carcass. As cousin Eddy says, "Now that's some good eatin'."

Danny Gokey Concert at the Theatre

Great show! What a difference a years makes... in all of our lives.

Here I Am... Again

It's been such a long time since I've written or posted or anything. The muppet video was to good to not pass along, so it got me back into the blog. In a hundred years when the Jetsons are reading this blog, the will wonder what mystery happened in my life where I was absent since October. One word- theatre.

Speaking of, if you look to the right of these posts, I have started posting pictures to the shows. As I get them posted, I will put a link in the show photos section. I'll also put an announcement of upcoming events like Joseph in two weeks.

Today I had one of the most frustrating days I've had in a long time. I got to work at my usual time, started working on cranking out some costumes and was quite successful until lunch time. Pharaoh is finished and fitted. I then started working on Joseph's prince costume which I had started a couple of weeks ago. Found the appropriate trim and spent a long bit of time attaching it to the skirt. Next pleated the sides of the skirt, which took me all of twenty minutes on Pharaoh, but Jo gave me a bit more trouble. Three hours later, I decide to try another design and took the entire thing apart. Two hours later Nikki came for dinner. I was on a role, so I thought, so she went for a walk while I finished. She came back... I was not finished, but worse than before she left. After struggling a little longer, doing and re-doing, I put the entire thing to the side and will start fresh in the morning. Completely from scratch- new fabric, new design, new everything. I don't do that often, but when the whole idea is not working it is best to put it in the scrap box.

This time tomorrow, Joseph will have clothes or I will not be going to bed. Not to the world, invest in Dr. Pepper stock- I will be drinking a lot in the next tow weeks.

By the way, the cast is doing a wonderful job- this is going to be a fun, fun, fun show. Come see!

Happy Easter!

Dear Blog

Dear Blog,

I haven't forgotten you, I've just been busy. Please be patient, I will return because I hate facebook.

Nerd Alert

A nerd exploded on my desk today. You can tell by all the stamps from their stamp collection.

Smoke on the Mountain Photos

The Sanders Family
Burl is just so proud to be here!

Pastor Oglethorpe and friends.

Oh, Denise!

Like Father, like son... oh wait, brother to brother.

Granny on drums aka Carol Channing on crack.

June bug, june bug, don't fly in my face.

Sister Aberanthy, what a prude.

Oh, Burl!

Swing into that saddle, Christian Cowboy!

Halloween Yoga

Halloween Superfreak

Little Red Riding Hood

Smoke on the Mountain Opening Night!

October 10, 13, 17, 20 & 27 at 7:30pm

Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts