Wow. I actually got a full night's sleep last night. I didn't wake up in the middle of the night even once. I don't even remember any of my dreams. I think it has to do with the fact that today I only have to work one job and then I can go home and rest, possibly watch the end of Stella Dallas, and otherwise take things a little more slowly.
*
I found something else out about the As You Like It reading I'm supposedly "directing." It is only one day: the whole thing. We're rehearsing from 1:00p to about 6:00p and then we're coming back at 7:00 to perform. What?
*
It seems pretty definite that I'll be directing Comedy of Errors this summer. Now that actually makes me happy. I still need to talk to Linda about logistics like when we'll begin rehearsals and stuff, but I am glad.
31 March 2005
30 March 2005
The New Format
I have way too much hair on my head right now. I need a haircut so badly it's killing me. I feel crushed by the weight.
In the coming five weeks this weblog will probably feature a lot more "rehearsal redux" entries than you'll actually want to read, so I apologize in advance, dear readers.
I am directing four short plays. Three of them have only two characters apiece. The fourth has six characters. I am working with eight student actors for this project. We had our first two rehearsals last night and tonight. The first rehearsals are always difficult for me. A.) I almost always regret my casting. B.) I almost always wish I knew the play better than I do. C.) I always think I talk too much.
All of these applied to these last two nights.
Plus... the drive is killer. It's awful. I hate it. It takes just a little over 90 minutes every day to get from Burbank to Pomona and that's way too fucking long for anyone to stay sane. This working of two jobs back to back means that I have no time to do pleasurable things like watch films, too. Boo to that. Ah well. One day I will be able to direct shows and teach classes and then go home at night and not have to work another job to support my doing of theatre.
In the coming five weeks this weblog will probably feature a lot more "rehearsal redux" entries than you'll actually want to read, so I apologize in advance, dear readers.
I am directing four short plays. Three of them have only two characters apiece. The fourth has six characters. I am working with eight student actors for this project. We had our first two rehearsals last night and tonight. The first rehearsals are always difficult for me. A.) I almost always regret my casting. B.) I almost always wish I knew the play better than I do. C.) I always think I talk too much.
All of these applied to these last two nights.
Plus... the drive is killer. It's awful. I hate it. It takes just a little over 90 minutes every day to get from Burbank to Pomona and that's way too fucking long for anyone to stay sane. This working of two jobs back to back means that I have no time to do pleasurable things like watch films, too. Boo to that. Ah well. One day I will be able to direct shows and teach classes and then go home at night and not have to work another job to support my doing of theatre.
The Land of Milk & Honey
Hi.
I think I'm feeling a little exhausted. It's okay, because I can handle it, but there is a lot going on. My rehearsals for Raw started yesterday and (like any first day of rehearsal) it was exciting and at the same time a huge letdown. It always is a letdown and I guess I'm not really sure why. I should get better at that. I think it kind of has to do with my expectations of actors: I always think they're better than they really are. I guess that's what makes me a teacher.
I took the day off on Monday to go to Temecula for some wine tasting. That was loads of fun for the most part. Mmmm wine.
After drinking all day Monday I stopped into the grocery store early Tuesday morning before going to work to buy some fruit. As I passed a wine display I thought "Oooo! Wine!" and then I said "Aaron, you're starting to sound like an alcoholic. Get your fruit and go." There are worse things to be, I guess. Mmmm. Wine.
Oh. And this bitch I hate is going to be in the reading of As You Like It. I found out yesterday. Jesus. I hate her.
I think I'm feeling a little exhausted. It's okay, because I can handle it, but there is a lot going on. My rehearsals for Raw started yesterday and (like any first day of rehearsal) it was exciting and at the same time a huge letdown. It always is a letdown and I guess I'm not really sure why. I should get better at that. I think it kind of has to do with my expectations of actors: I always think they're better than they really are. I guess that's what makes me a teacher.
I took the day off on Monday to go to Temecula for some wine tasting. That was loads of fun for the most part. Mmmm wine.
After drinking all day Monday I stopped into the grocery store early Tuesday morning before going to work to buy some fruit. As I passed a wine display I thought "Oooo! Wine!" and then I said "Aaron, you're starting to sound like an alcoholic. Get your fruit and go." There are worse things to be, I guess. Mmmm. Wine.
Oh. And this bitch I hate is going to be in the reading of As You Like It. I found out yesterday. Jesus. I hate her.
28 March 2005
27 March 2005
Melinda and Melinda
Happy Easter, y'all.
Melinda and Melinda is the first good Woody Allen movie I've seen since Sweet and Lowdown six years ago. It's about time. It's not as contemplative and emotionally complex as The Purple Rose of Cairo or Radio Days, and it doesn't have the seamless transition between tragedy and comedy that Crimes & Misdemeanors and Manhattan Murder Mystery have, but it is good. He hits on a lot of interesting points about life: the value of hope over neurosis, the power of friendship, and the fluidity of affection.
It's a bit long: all of the recent ones seem to be longer than his 80's films, and there are points when it drags slightly. There are scenes that could be cut or trimmed, but overall it is a fine piece of work from a filmmaker from whom I can finally say I expect great things in the future.
I was positively grinning when I left the theatre. And so was everyone else.
Melinda and Melinda is the first good Woody Allen movie I've seen since Sweet and Lowdown six years ago. It's about time. It's not as contemplative and emotionally complex as The Purple Rose of Cairo or Radio Days, and it doesn't have the seamless transition between tragedy and comedy that Crimes & Misdemeanors and Manhattan Murder Mystery have, but it is good. He hits on a lot of interesting points about life: the value of hope over neurosis, the power of friendship, and the fluidity of affection.
It's a bit long: all of the recent ones seem to be longer than his 80's films, and there are points when it drags slightly. There are scenes that could be cut or trimmed, but overall it is a fine piece of work from a filmmaker from whom I can finally say I expect great things in the future.
I was positively grinning when I left the theatre. And so was everyone else.
News Update
So I was over at the parents' last night and dad was watching "On the Media." It's on Fox but it's actually an okay show. They were saying that public opinion polls about the Schiavo matter say that Americans overwhelmingly believe that Mr. Schiavo should have the right to decide what happens to his wife and Mr. & Mrs. Schindler should not decide. Overwhelmingly. The press, however, is keeping these polls from Americans because they want the controversy. Doesn't surprise me. Not surprisingly, to me, my parents would want their plugs pulled. I already knew, but I asked for good measure. They were also talking about what the mass media were doing, how they were treating the so-called "controversy," etc, and I was actually kind of surprised. I was like, "They didn't do any of that kind of grandstanding on NPR. They had neurologists on talking about what is happening inside Mrs. Schiavo's brain." My parents don't listen to NPR, but they have brains. I guess I feel as though everyone should be listening to NPR news and no one should be watching television news. If I need to see pictures of things, I go to the NPR website or read the Yahoo! headlines.
*
I got my rejection letter from UC Davis last night. Rejection from PhD programs is now complete. I really hope I get into Mary Baldwin. If I don't, I think I'm going to study on my own and try to write a few top-notch 25-page papers on stuff.
*
I know I said I would never be involved in another of Linda's Shakespeare readings... but she called me and told me that her husband needs to go into the hospital, she just can't handle it and would I please do it as a favor to her. I said yes. As You Like It. I am cutting the shit out of it, but you just know she's already cast it chock full of idiots. Ah well.
*
Rehearsals for my new CSUP show start on Tuesday. I kind of am not really ready. I will try to do some work today or tomorrow. Geez.
*
I got my rejection letter from UC Davis last night. Rejection from PhD programs is now complete. I really hope I get into Mary Baldwin. If I don't, I think I'm going to study on my own and try to write a few top-notch 25-page papers on stuff.
*
I know I said I would never be involved in another of Linda's Shakespeare readings... but she called me and told me that her husband needs to go into the hospital, she just can't handle it and would I please do it as a favor to her. I said yes. As You Like It. I am cutting the shit out of it, but you just know she's already cast it chock full of idiots. Ah well.
*
Rehearsals for my new CSUP show start on Tuesday. I kind of am not really ready. I will try to do some work today or tomorrow. Geez.
26 March 2005
Anime
This evening I saw Ōtomo Katsuhiro's new film Steamboy. Boooooooooring. I thought it was going to be interesting. This is the director, after all, of the renowned Akira, but let me tell you I was bored off my ass.
The visuals are very cool; Ōtomo obviously has style for days, but the plot is an utter mess and the physics (which seem to be the basis of the whole film) are extremely questionable. Worse yet is this character "Miss Scarlett" who I wanted to strangle with my bare hands. I think it's safe to say that she has stolen the crown out of Jar-Jar Binks's hands for Most Annoying Cartoon Character Ever.
The politics of the film are fairly sound: advances in science are no good if they are used to kill people, but the idea is simple and never advances any further than this. There is also the problem of interest: the movie is about steam power in the late nineteenth century. And who the fuck cares about steam power in the late nineteenth century?
The visuals are very cool; Ōtomo obviously has style for days, but the plot is an utter mess and the physics (which seem to be the basis of the whole film) are extremely questionable. Worse yet is this character "Miss Scarlett" who I wanted to strangle with my bare hands. I think it's safe to say that she has stolen the crown out of Jar-Jar Binks's hands for Most Annoying Cartoon Character Ever.
The politics of the film are fairly sound: advances in science are no good if they are used to kill people, but the idea is simple and never advances any further than this. There is also the problem of interest: the movie is about steam power in the late nineteenth century. And who the fuck cares about steam power in the late nineteenth century?
"When you go away to college you can dress like David Bowie"
I watched Footloose this morning and it was so. Good. I loved it. Being a kid that went to a church like John Lithgow's and wasn't allowed to dance or go to the movies during this time period (the 1980s: my formative years), watching Footloose was a revelation of sorts.
The movie doesn't really have much in the way of plot: the good guys and the bad guys are really all the same under the skin. The forces of chastity mount in a small town that's called Bomont (obviously the namers of the town had white-trash spelling issues). Dancing is outlawed in the town until Windy City boy Ren McCormick comes to the small town with his mother and says what everyone is thinking: that we want to dance, goddammit, we're kids, and we're not gonna let anyone stop us. The movie has some brilliant sequences, but to talk about them I really must discuss the most important thing in Footloose and that is THE MUSIC.
It's nothing short of awesome. Aside from having SIX top-40 songs on the soundtrack (all originals), the way the sequences are cut, that is, the way the songs are used is nothing short of fantastic. The opening credits are set to Kenny Loggins' "Footloose" and are quite original in their own right. "Almost Paradise" is the love theme... I never even knew it came from that movie originally. The scoring is great too. Ren and Ariel's first kiss starts out like this: the sweet tinkle of the love theme on a music box; then Ren and Ariel move in to kiss and the orchestra swells with the same theme, and then just as their lips meet Rock & Roll takes over again and an electric guitar lets out a long victorious wail. The guitar fades out after a few second and we're left with the strings again as they part. It's the kiss that's electric and the music knows. It's killer.
My favorite sequence has got to be "Let's Hear It for the Boy," where Chris Penn's Willard character learns to dance. The music is so infectious. I was already loving the film, but when Chris Penn started getting some rhythm I couldn't help but tap my feet. Finally I just said "fuck it" and got up in my apartment and danced to the rest of the song. I couldn't help myself.
The movie doesn't really have much in the way of plot: the good guys and the bad guys are really all the same under the skin. The forces of chastity mount in a small town that's called Bomont (obviously the namers of the town had white-trash spelling issues). Dancing is outlawed in the town until Windy City boy Ren McCormick comes to the small town with his mother and says what everyone is thinking: that we want to dance, goddammit, we're kids, and we're not gonna let anyone stop us. The movie has some brilliant sequences, but to talk about them I really must discuss the most important thing in Footloose and that is THE MUSIC.
It's nothing short of awesome. Aside from having SIX top-40 songs on the soundtrack (all originals), the way the sequences are cut, that is, the way the songs are used is nothing short of fantastic. The opening credits are set to Kenny Loggins' "Footloose" and are quite original in their own right. "Almost Paradise" is the love theme... I never even knew it came from that movie originally. The scoring is great too. Ren and Ariel's first kiss starts out like this: the sweet tinkle of the love theme on a music box; then Ren and Ariel move in to kiss and the orchestra swells with the same theme, and then just as their lips meet Rock & Roll takes over again and an electric guitar lets out a long victorious wail. The guitar fades out after a few second and we're left with the strings again as they part. It's the kiss that's electric and the music knows. It's killer.
My favorite sequence has got to be "Let's Hear It for the Boy," where Chris Penn's Willard character learns to dance. The music is so infectious. I was already loving the film, but when Chris Penn started getting some rhythm I couldn't help but tap my feet. Finally I just said "fuck it" and got up in my apartment and danced to the rest of the song. I couldn't help myself.
23 March 2005
When You're Gone / All the Colors Fade When You're / Gone
Hi guys,
Sorry for being away so long.
Last night I watched Fallen Angels from Wong Kar-Wai. He is so fucking awesome. It's not as good as Chung King Express, but it has similar themes and works fairly well as a follow-up. It does boast the gorgeous Takeshi Kaneshiro, who has some really funny stuff... there's all of this hilarity based on him forcing people to do things like eat ice cream and get their hair washed. Very funny.
We're having audits at work and they're very stressful for everyone there. I mostly don't feel like going in. I have keyed myself up so much at the thought of going back to school...
I should really stop talking about it, but it's all I think about. Probably why I'm not updating the LJ.
Oh yeah, and my parents took me to dinner at the Hotel Bel Air and I had probably the best meal I've ever eaten in my whole life. It cost and arm and a leg, but goddamn was it good! It's so swank and the food is so awesome. You should all go when you have lots of cash to burn.
Oh, and check out this self-titled album by Amos Lee. I am loving it.
Sorry for being away so long.
Last night I watched Fallen Angels from Wong Kar-Wai. He is so fucking awesome. It's not as good as Chung King Express, but it has similar themes and works fairly well as a follow-up. It does boast the gorgeous Takeshi Kaneshiro, who has some really funny stuff... there's all of this hilarity based on him forcing people to do things like eat ice cream and get their hair washed. Very funny.
We're having audits at work and they're very stressful for everyone there. I mostly don't feel like going in. I have keyed myself up so much at the thought of going back to school...
I should really stop talking about it, but it's all I think about. Probably why I'm not updating the LJ.
Oh yeah, and my parents took me to dinner at the Hotel Bel Air and I had probably the best meal I've ever eaten in my whole life. It cost and arm and a leg, but goddamn was it good! It's so swank and the food is so awesome. You should all go when you have lots of cash to burn.
Oh, and check out this self-titled album by Amos Lee. I am loving it.
Right to Die
Wow. This Terri Schiavo thing is all so sad. I feel so sorry for her poor parents and this poor man who is married to this woman who is dying. It's all just so depressing.
I have to say, though, that if ever I am in a vegetative state, I don't want my parents making any decisions about my life. I want my partner to decide everything.
I have to say, though, that if ever I am in a vegetative state, I don't want my parents making any decisions about my life. I want my partner to decide everything.
20 March 2005
AYLI Redux
A quick thought on As You Like It that has bugged me since I saw the show: after this I'll let the whole thing drop. I promise.
In Act I, Shakespeare uses the word "hussif" which is a word that came in-between two other words in etymology. When I read the play, I thought to myself that, not wanting to use the word "hussif" which would have no meaning to a modern audience, I would've changed it to hussy, which is what the word came to mean later on in history. Rosalind calls the lady Fortune a hussy. The idea is that fortune is a slut and instead of being faithful to people, their luck changes because of Fortune's fickleness.
Peter Hall changes "hussif" too, but he changes it the other way: back to its original form, which would be "housewife." Most of the audience, not knowing the history of the word, would only hear the "housewife" and probably not even register the lovely play on words that Shakespeare was doing. Shakespeare still meant all that about Fortune being a slut, and it would work just as well in Elizabethan times for an actor to say "housewife." The Seventeenth century audience would still have gotten the joke.
No one laughed in Peter Hall's audience. He erred on the side of caution instead of on the side of humor. No fun, Sir. No fun at all.
In Act I, Shakespeare uses the word "hussif" which is a word that came in-between two other words in etymology. When I read the play, I thought to myself that, not wanting to use the word "hussif" which would have no meaning to a modern audience, I would've changed it to hussy, which is what the word came to mean later on in history. Rosalind calls the lady Fortune a hussy. The idea is that fortune is a slut and instead of being faithful to people, their luck changes because of Fortune's fickleness.
Peter Hall changes "hussif" too, but he changes it the other way: back to its original form, which would be "housewife." Most of the audience, not knowing the history of the word, would only hear the "housewife" and probably not even register the lovely play on words that Shakespeare was doing. Shakespeare still meant all that about Fortune being a slut, and it would work just as well in Elizabethan times for an actor to say "housewife." The Seventeenth century audience would still have gotten the joke.
No one laughed in Peter Hall's audience. He erred on the side of caution instead of on the side of humor. No fun, Sir. No fun at all.
What Is Zee Difference?
There is a lit sign less than a mile from my house and it says in somewhat large letters:
Worshiping Jesus
For weeks I thought it said "Worshiping Zeus" (the upper-case cursive "Z" being similar to a "J") and I couldn't figure out why people in Pasadena were still worshiping Zeus.
I can't figure out why people still believe in God. I know I've said it before, but I just think the whole thing is silly. The wife of one of the other people on the HOA board invited me to church today and I was very polite. I told her I would be out of town for Easter Sunday but thanks all the same. I always try to be polite to proselytes. I could of course respond with "Actually, ma'am, I am a principled Atheist and I think religion at best silly and at worst a horrible political tool used by the corrupt to subjugate and enslave the peoples of the world," but I find it much simpler to be kind.
Certain IMAX theaters in the South are refusing to show a documentary about volcanoes because of passing references to Evolution in the film. I read a New York Times article on the subject. The whole thing is just stunning. I know! Maybe the scientists are wrong, and the stuff in the ancient texts is right! The idea is ludicrous. People are so silly.
On a more positive note, I saw Millions this evening and just loved it. It is a movie with deeply religious/moral convictions, but don't let that keep you away. Danny Boyle has a very cool visual style and the politics of the movie are sound (more up Ashley's alley than anyone else's, but don't let that keep you away either.) It's a charming, beautiful film with a heart of gold.
Worshiping Jesus
For weeks I thought it said "Worshiping Zeus" (the upper-case cursive "Z" being similar to a "J") and I couldn't figure out why people in Pasadena were still worshiping Zeus.
I can't figure out why people still believe in God. I know I've said it before, but I just think the whole thing is silly. The wife of one of the other people on the HOA board invited me to church today and I was very polite. I told her I would be out of town for Easter Sunday but thanks all the same. I always try to be polite to proselytes. I could of course respond with "Actually, ma'am, I am a principled Atheist and I think religion at best silly and at worst a horrible political tool used by the corrupt to subjugate and enslave the peoples of the world," but I find it much simpler to be kind.
Certain IMAX theaters in the South are refusing to show a documentary about volcanoes because of passing references to Evolution in the film. I read a New York Times article on the subject. The whole thing is just stunning. I know! Maybe the scientists are wrong, and the stuff in the ancient texts is right! The idea is ludicrous. People are so silly.
On a more positive note, I saw Millions this evening and just loved it. It is a movie with deeply religious/moral convictions, but don't let that keep you away. Danny Boyle has a very cool visual style and the politics of the movie are sound (more up Ashley's alley than anyone else's, but don't let that keep you away either.) It's a charming, beautiful film with a heart of gold.
19 March 2005
Bears Are Awesome
Courtesy of my badass friend Sarah: Alienate.
Check out their tees. They include wonderful plays on words such as:
and:
and what is, I must admit, my personal favorite, though it is in mighty poor taste:
Check out their tees. They include wonderful plays on words such as:
and:
and what is, I must admit, my personal favorite, though it is in mighty poor taste:
17 March 2005
Fuck Me; I'm Irish
True story. Happy St. Patrick's Day. I'm not Catholic, but I'm Irish, so... I'm Catholic today, I guess. I think I'll have a beer when I get home from work.
Last night I watched Gregory La Cava's Stage Door from 1937 with Kate Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, Eve Arden, Lucille Ball and a bunch of other young starlets. It wasn't so much a "bitchy" movie as a witty little Kaufman & Ferber farce that had a few more teeth than usual. Unfortunately, though I thought it was occasionally clever, I didn't laugh very much. I can't really recommend it to you. I love that old humor, too, but Stage Door feels somehow unusually dated.
Had a long conversation with my Dad yesterday. He is so full of advice these days. I think I like it this way. It feels as though he is taking an interest. I know he always has; it's just nice to hear his thoughts about things.
Last night I watched Gregory La Cava's Stage Door from 1937 with Kate Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, Eve Arden, Lucille Ball and a bunch of other young starlets. It wasn't so much a "bitchy" movie as a witty little Kaufman & Ferber farce that had a few more teeth than usual. Unfortunately, though I thought it was occasionally clever, I didn't laugh very much. I can't really recommend it to you. I love that old humor, too, but Stage Door feels somehow unusually dated.
Had a long conversation with my Dad yesterday. He is so full of advice these days. I think I like it this way. It feels as though he is taking an interest. I know he always has; it's just nice to hear his thoughts about things.
15 March 2005
As You Fuck It
Signs above the theatre should read "This Play is over 400 Years Old! Beware!"
As You Like It was dreadful. I have seen good productions of it and this version by Sir Peter Hall most definitely does NOT qualify. There were two or three lovely moments, Rebecca Hall was passable and occasionally endearing. Her lover Orlando (whose name I have forgotten) was great but lost his charm in the second half. The elderly gentleman who played Jacques and the young man who played Silvius were wonderful, but everyone else in the cast was bad... just bad. And they might've been alright if the direction weren't so fucking bad.
They sat on the floor in almost every scene. I almost killed myself. A three hour comedy with more superfluous scenes than Solomon's wives. Dear god it was bad. Bad bad bad. By the end I was wishing I hadn't come... or that I'd had a second glass of Shiraz, and then a third.
I keep trying to find good things to say about this show... but stay away if you have any love for yourself at all stay away!
As You Like It was dreadful. I have seen good productions of it and this version by Sir Peter Hall most definitely does NOT qualify. There were two or three lovely moments, Rebecca Hall was passable and occasionally endearing. Her lover Orlando (whose name I have forgotten) was great but lost his charm in the second half. The elderly gentleman who played Jacques and the young man who played Silvius were wonderful, but everyone else in the cast was bad... just bad. And they might've been alright if the direction weren't so fucking bad.
They sat on the floor in almost every scene. I almost killed myself. A three hour comedy with more superfluous scenes than Solomon's wives. Dear god it was bad. Bad bad bad. By the end I was wishing I hadn't come... or that I'd had a second glass of Shiraz, and then a third.
I keep trying to find good things to say about this show... but stay away if you have any love for yourself at all stay away!
14 March 2005
Holla Back, Y'all
BTW: Minor shout out to my friend Danny who (for some reason better left unquestioned) is actually good at bowling.
I think you make it very easy to be your friend.
Cheers.
Sake Bomb
I think you make it very easy to be your friend.
Cheers.
Sake Bomb
Prowess?
Started a new book tonight: Alan Hollinghurst's The Line of Beauty. And I'm going to go to bed right now so's I can get up and do yoga.
They took me out to lunch today at work. I think I am not used to so much overt attention. I thrive much better when I can smile wryly from the sidelines or crack a sarcastic quip from beneath an unwrinkled brow. I know the people at work love me, but all of the outright fawning today was too much. It shocked me.
Everyone should do more Noel Coward. When I have my own theatre, we're bringing back Coward. His plays are so charming and amusing and, well, light.
I rather liked Blithe Spirit, though I think it is a tad difficult as a piece of comedy. I loved Private Lives and its unapologetic look at fighting and bickering and how passion is the flipside of passion. I absolutely adored Hay Fever and I would give anything to be in it. It's like madcap Oscar Wilde with all of the subterfuge, most of the ridiculousness, but none of the manners. It's fabulous.
They took me out to lunch today at work. I think I am not used to so much overt attention. I thrive much better when I can smile wryly from the sidelines or crack a sarcastic quip from beneath an unwrinkled brow. I know the people at work love me, but all of the outright fawning today was too much. It shocked me.
Everyone should do more Noel Coward. When I have my own theatre, we're bringing back Coward. His plays are so charming and amusing and, well, light.
I rather liked Blithe Spirit, though I think it is a tad difficult as a piece of comedy. I loved Private Lives and its unapologetic look at fighting and bickering and how passion is the flipside of passion. I absolutely adored Hay Fever and I would give anything to be in it. It's like madcap Oscar Wilde with all of the subterfuge, most of the ridiculousness, but none of the manners. It's fabulous.
13 March 2005
You Look Like a Monkey...
Birthday was very fun. I got phone calls throughout the day, I watched The Last Metro, which is sturdy Truffaut, but mostly just a vehicle for Catherine Deneuve and the (then young) Gérard Depardieu. Then around 5:00p, Julie, Lisa, Anna, Jaime, Scott, John and Aaron Cohen came over to my place, we walked up to the Gold Line (where we bought tickets that were never checked by anyone), and we rode downtown to Union Station where we met Simon and Sarah for dinner on Olvera street. I was buzzin' on the train, but after half a pitcher of margaritas, I was extremely talkative. Nice.
I, of course, wanted to go dancing after this, but my friends seemed to have other plans and they all said good night to me back at my house before 11:00p. Kinda lame, but it was a very fun night anyway and Jai promised to take me dancing soon.
This morning I am goin' out for dim sum with Debs and Mike and my aunt and uncle.
Tonight I'm going out with R&J again for Romeo's birthday. Hooray for my favorite people.
And I will definitely be applying to Mary Baldwin College. I asked my dad what he thought and he responded "HECK YEAH APPLY!" Then, I kid you not, last night after I got home from my birthday soirée, I got the mail and what did see but an application. They snail-mailed me an application. They really want me to apply... So apply I shall.
I, of course, wanted to go dancing after this, but my friends seemed to have other plans and they all said good night to me back at my house before 11:00p. Kinda lame, but it was a very fun night anyway and Jai promised to take me dancing soon.
This morning I am goin' out for dim sum with Debs and Mike and my aunt and uncle.
Tonight I'm going out with R&J again for Romeo's birthday. Hooray for my favorite people.
And I will definitely be applying to Mary Baldwin College. I asked my dad what he thought and he responded "HECK YEAH APPLY!" Then, I kid you not, last night after I got home from my birthday soirée, I got the mail and what did see but an application. They snail-mailed me an application. They really want me to apply... So apply I shall.
11 March 2005
I'll Wear Shades on Sunless Days
Shakespeare is beating me up from beyond the grave.
I got my rejection letter from Stanford yesterday. I guess I had even less a chance of getting in there. They accepted 2 students out of 40.
Why won't you laugh?
...
Why can't you laugh?
This kind of means that I will be doing some kind of Shakespeare this summer.
It also means I might attend a Shakespeare college instead of a PhD program.
Shakespeare hates me.
So I will walk without care / Beat my snare / Look like the man who means business
Go to all the poshest places / With their familiar faces / Terminate all kinds of weakness
All for the sake
All for the sake
Of a foolish love.
I got my rejection letter from Stanford yesterday. I guess I had even less a chance of getting in there. They accepted 2 students out of 40.
Why won't you laugh?
...
Why can't you laugh?
This kind of means that I will be doing some kind of Shakespeare this summer.
It also means I might attend a Shakespeare college instead of a PhD program.
Shakespeare hates me.
So I will walk without care / Beat my snare / Look like the man who means business
Go to all the poshest places / With their familiar faces / Terminate all kinds of weakness
All for the sake
All for the sake
Of a foolish love.
10 March 2005
And I Wonder Why My CellPhone Died.
I should be in bed.
But I have been having various conversations all night. My aunt wanted to catch up with me... whatever. I guess she's making an effort.
I talked to my brother and my sister both.
I had a conversation with Elizabeth (when did you become my favorite person? I swear I love you.)
Then I had a conversation via MySpace (I know, I know: lame) with someone from high school who I have not seen in six years. It was actually kind of nice.
I wish I had something fascinating to write about. Sorry.
Go read Kirsten's livejournal. It's infinitely more interesting and conflicted (today). Well, it's always conflicted, it's just not always infinitely more interesting than mine. Geez. I'm starting to write like her.
I read Blithe Spirit tonight, too. Why don't people produce Noel Coward more? He's funny. I'm going to read Hay Fever next.
I'm so tired, too. I came home from work tonight and lay on the couch and fell asleep! instead of watching one of my Netflix selections.
A bit of you's the only drug I must abuse.
A bit of you's the only substance I cannot refuse.
But I have been having various conversations all night. My aunt wanted to catch up with me... whatever. I guess she's making an effort.
I talked to my brother and my sister both.
I had a conversation with Elizabeth (when did you become my favorite person? I swear I love you.)
Then I had a conversation via MySpace (I know, I know: lame) with someone from high school who I have not seen in six years. It was actually kind of nice.
I wish I had something fascinating to write about. Sorry.
Go read Kirsten's livejournal. It's infinitely more interesting and conflicted (today). Well, it's always conflicted, it's just not always infinitely more interesting than mine. Geez. I'm starting to write like her.
I read Blithe Spirit tonight, too. Why don't people produce Noel Coward more? He's funny. I'm going to read Hay Fever next.
I'm so tired, too. I came home from work tonight and lay on the couch and fell asleep! instead of watching one of my Netflix selections.
A bit of you's the only drug I must abuse.
A bit of you's the only substance I cannot refuse.
08 March 2005
One More Thing
Somebody in admissions at Mary Baldwin College actually called me today.
I guess they really want me to apply for their school. All of their persistence actually makes me want to apply. I mean, if I don't get into any PhD programs, it might be a really good idea to have an M.Litt. not as something to fallback on but as a step toward a PhD.
I'm thinking about it. Any opinions?
I guess they really want me to apply for their school. All of their persistence actually makes me want to apply. I mean, if I don't get into any PhD programs, it might be a really good idea to have an M.Litt. not as something to fallback on but as a step toward a PhD.
I'm thinking about it. Any opinions?
DJ Sammy
Has everyone heard the ridiculously sweet cover of Bryan Adams' "Heaven"?
Now nothing can change what you mean to me.
There's a lot that I could say.
Just hold me, 'cause our love will light the way.
And baby you're all that I want
When you're lying here in my arms...
Etc.
I know, I listen to KOST 103 far too much. It's the fault of my job. They have the radio on all day and I have no music options. I totally love this cover, though. It's so... pretty. It does not at all keep with the original: the meaning of the tune has been completely changed, but the young lady singing ("Do," I think her name is) has a lovely voice.
*
Voice Mail from This Weekend
Aaron's voice mail: Yo, what up, B? Leave a message!
The message my sister left: Um.... did I call the wrong brother? Bye.
She called again to leave her actual message when she realized she had called the correct number.
Then she called again so my parents could hear my voice mail.
Now nothing can change what you mean to me.
There's a lot that I could say.
Just hold me, 'cause our love will light the way.
And baby you're all that I want
When you're lying here in my arms...
Etc.
I know, I listen to KOST 103 far too much. It's the fault of my job. They have the radio on all day and I have no music options. I totally love this cover, though. It's so... pretty. It does not at all keep with the original: the meaning of the tune has been completely changed, but the young lady singing ("Do," I think her name is) has a lovely voice.
*
Voice Mail from This Weekend
Aaron's voice mail: Yo, what up, B? Leave a message!
The message my sister left: Um.... did I call the wrong brother? Bye.
She called again to leave her actual message when she realized she had called the correct number.
Then she called again so my parents could hear my voice mail.
07 March 2005
Steel Train Rock
Last night I drove down to Fullerton to meet up with Jai, Lisa, Julie, Scott and Aaron Cohen. The we piled in a minivan to go down to Anaheim to see STEEL TRAIN at Chain Reaction. They are so frigging awesome. We got to the venue fairly early and then spent mucho time drinking in the parking lot (getting back to my roots).
The modern grunge scene is a very strange thing. It's easy for me to participate in it, of course, but it's just so... fake. These kids are in little grunge t-shirts and ripped jeans, but the t-shirts are all from Armani Excange and the denim is all Lucky Brand or Mavi. They are name-brand whores while at the same time trying to pretend they want to fuck the establishment. So fucking fake.
Kids these days. Geez.
The band was awesome, though, as usual. They just get better and better. I told all of them that I love them, and I shook Jack's hand and hugged Evan. The band is so nice, too. Amazing. Jack's mom and dad were there and Julie had a long conversation with his mom. Julie is so funny about Jack.
Alright. Off to work.
The modern grunge scene is a very strange thing. It's easy for me to participate in it, of course, but it's just so... fake. These kids are in little grunge t-shirts and ripped jeans, but the t-shirts are all from Armani Excange and the denim is all Lucky Brand or Mavi. They are name-brand whores while at the same time trying to pretend they want to fuck the establishment. So fucking fake.
Kids these days. Geez.
The band was awesome, though, as usual. They just get better and better. I told all of them that I love them, and I shook Jack's hand and hugged Evan. The band is so nice, too. Amazing. Jack's mom and dad were there and Julie had a long conversation with his mom. Julie is so funny about Jack.
Alright. Off to work.
06 March 2005
An English Lesson: Lie & Lay
The title of my last post is the cause of this.
Present tense
First person singular: lie / lay
First person plural: lie / lay
Second person singular: lie / lay
Second person plural: lie / lay
Third person singular: lies / lays
Third person plural: lie / lay
Past tense
All: lay / laid
Past participle
All: lying / laying
So...
I lie on the bed (I recline)
He lies on the bed (He reclines)
They lie on the bed (They recline)
I was lying on the bed. (I was reclining)
I lay on the bed. (I reclined)
I lay down my book.
He lays down his book.
They lay down their books.
I was laying down my books.
I laid down my books.
National Socialism Lay in a Fiery Ditch
Further complicating the matter, I suppose, is the American usage of "lay" meaning "to have sex with" and "lay (out)" meaning "to knock over," not to mention "lie" meaning "to tell an untruth" and "lay" meaning "to produce an egg (or flatulence)."
He lay on the bed.
He laid him out in the middle of the restaurant.
He laid him on the beach.
He lied to everyone.
You lie.
We lie.
They lie.
I need to get laid.
He laid one.
I need to lie down.
Present tense
First person singular: lie / lay
First person plural: lie / lay
Second person singular: lie / lay
Second person plural: lie / lay
Third person singular: lies / lays
Third person plural: lie / lay
Past tense
All: lay / laid
Past participle
All: lying / laying
So...
I lie on the bed (I recline)
He lies on the bed (He reclines)
They lie on the bed (They recline)
I was lying on the bed. (I was reclining)
I lay on the bed. (I reclined)
I lay down my book.
He lays down his book.
They lay down their books.
I was laying down my books.
I laid down my books.
National Socialism Lay in a Fiery Ditch
Further complicating the matter, I suppose, is the American usage of "lay" meaning "to have sex with" and "lay (out)" meaning "to knock over," not to mention "lie" meaning "to tell an untruth" and "lay" meaning "to produce an egg (or flatulence)."
He lay on the bed.
He laid him out in the middle of the restaurant.
He laid him on the beach.
He lied to everyone.
You lie.
We lie.
They lie.
I need to get laid.
He laid one.
I need to lie down.
National Socialism Lay in a Fiery Ditch
This evening I saw Der Untergang (Downfall). It's my first film of 2005 (in March, geez) and it's fucking great. It's about Hitler's inner sanctum during the last two weeks or so before the Germany army surrendered to the Russians in 1945. It's based on several books, one of them being an insider account from Hitler's secretary Traudl Junge. This movie is SO GOOD. It's pretty harrowing to watch at times (there is an extremely sad scene where children are murdered), but I think it's well worth it. Bruno Ganz is a terrific Hitler and the rest of the cast is top-notch.
And don't worry, the Aryan vegetarian monster dies at the end, and he winds up in a ditch, covered in petrol, on fire.
And don't worry, the Aryan vegetarian monster dies at the end, and he winds up in a ditch, covered in petrol, on fire.
05 March 2005
Just So Stories
Can a leopard change its spots?
I don't know, but I shaved off my goatee today and I think I like it like this. I will try to keep this look for a while. Maybe it signifies a whole lifestyle change. I might even... [No, I won't even say it for fear of jinxing it.]
Sky won't snow and the sun don't shine.
It's hard to tell the nighttime from the day.
Losing all your highs and lows
Ain't it funny how the feeling goes
...Away.
And then I get invited to go hang out with people I don't know at all and I don't go. I got it into my head that I was going to go check out Downfall since it's playing at the Rialto and that means I'm going to the cinema alone instead of hanging out with other humans. Maybe if a man had invited me I would feel differently about it and I would've gone to the Yard House after all.
You better let somebody love you.
Let somebody love you.
Let somebody love you
Before it's too late.
She sings it like she's threatening me.
...and I know what she means, too. Time's a wastin'.
I don't know, but I shaved off my goatee today and I think I like it like this. I will try to keep this look for a while. Maybe it signifies a whole lifestyle change. I might even... [No, I won't even say it for fear of jinxing it.]
Sky won't snow and the sun don't shine.
It's hard to tell the nighttime from the day.
Losing all your highs and lows
Ain't it funny how the feeling goes
...Away.
And then I get invited to go hang out with people I don't know at all and I don't go. I got it into my head that I was going to go check out Downfall since it's playing at the Rialto and that means I'm going to the cinema alone instead of hanging out with other humans. Maybe if a man had invited me I would feel differently about it and I would've gone to the Yard House after all.
You better let somebody love you.
Let somebody love you.
Let somebody love you
Before it's too late.
She sings it like she's threatening me.
...and I know what she means, too. Time's a wastin'.
03 March 2005
Daily Insanity
There was major drama today at work: the kind of drama that one doesn't get used to working at a job alone. I am in a department where everyone else is a woman: that's eight women to be exact... and me. Normally this means there's always a kind of uneasiness bubbling below the surface. These women can be sensitive and touchy and sometimes (especially with the lazy one) they can be manic and irrational and ridiculously difficult. Today there was an eruption of sorts... enough that the whole department became involved: CFO, controller, HR manager, accounting supervisor, everyone in Accounting. Madness.
Then I had to come home and sit at a Homeowner's Association meeting where one of the owners on my floor was screaming at the president of the board for no apparent reason and he was shouting back at her (defending his honor, I guess, is what he thought he was doing.) In this situation I was actually of help: calming the parties down and asking the property manager to continue on with Board business. Madness.
People are crazy. I could tell you some serious stories of people who own units in this condo association.
There's a man with a dryer in his living room. It's hooked up to his fireplace gas-line.
There's a woman who has a flock of pigeons living on her balcony because she stores cardboard boxes and bottles up there.
There's a male nurse who cares for one of the owners who reportedly flashed and groped (!) a painter who had come to work on the property.
There's a woman who hasn't washed, vacuumed or replaced her carpeting in thirty years. Reportedly there are paths of dirt from doorways into other rooms where she has walked since the 1970s.
There are people storing a mattress in the garage where their car is supposed to be parked.
There are people who go visit the property manager and yell at her in her office.
There are people who are too embarrassed to allow anyone into their units.
There are people who let their dogs defecate in the hallway and don't clean it up.
Madness.
In good news:
I cast my show last night. I feel fairly good about the cast list and I think that all the writers are happy with me and with their casts.
I bought myself a book: The Films of Merchant Ivory. Very exciting.
Tomorrow is Friday.
I'm going to see Steel Train on Sunday.
I don't have another HOA meeting until June.
XO
Aaron
Then I had to come home and sit at a Homeowner's Association meeting where one of the owners on my floor was screaming at the president of the board for no apparent reason and he was shouting back at her (defending his honor, I guess, is what he thought he was doing.) In this situation I was actually of help: calming the parties down and asking the property manager to continue on with Board business. Madness.
People are crazy. I could tell you some serious stories of people who own units in this condo association.
There's a man with a dryer in his living room. It's hooked up to his fireplace gas-line.
There's a woman who has a flock of pigeons living on her balcony because she stores cardboard boxes and bottles up there.
There's a male nurse who cares for one of the owners who reportedly flashed and groped (!) a painter who had come to work on the property.
There's a woman who hasn't washed, vacuumed or replaced her carpeting in thirty years. Reportedly there are paths of dirt from doorways into other rooms where she has walked since the 1970s.
There are people storing a mattress in the garage where their car is supposed to be parked.
There are people who go visit the property manager and yell at her in her office.
There are people who are too embarrassed to allow anyone into their units.
There are people who let their dogs defecate in the hallway and don't clean it up.
Madness.
In good news:
I cast my show last night. I feel fairly good about the cast list and I think that all the writers are happy with me and with their casts.
I bought myself a book: The Films of Merchant Ivory. Very exciting.
Tomorrow is Friday.
I'm going to see Steel Train on Sunday.
I don't have another HOA meeting until June.
XO
Aaron
01 March 2005
Auditions and an M.Litt.(?)
Four more people auditioned tonight. Two guys and two girls.
I'm calling back everyone, of course. One really must... anyway I want the writers to see them. One of my guys dropped out, so tomorrow I'll have five men and four women plus whoever shows up new tomorrow (I told them they could.)
The thing is Wahima's play... the one about sex and marijuana... I don't think I have a guy who can play the part right now. I don't know what I'm gonna do. I bet Carlos Dardón would do it if I asked him to (he said as much on Sunday when I saw him), but I don't know if the production manager is gonna go for me casting an alumnus.
*
So today in the mail I got a catalog for something called the Master of Letters in "Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature in Performance." It's at Mary Baldwin College in partnership with Shenandoah Shakespeare. Basically their lab is that Blackfriars replica that they built on the East coast (Virginia, to be exact.) It sounds intriguing to me. Check it out here.
I'm calling back everyone, of course. One really must... anyway I want the writers to see them. One of my guys dropped out, so tomorrow I'll have five men and four women plus whoever shows up new tomorrow (I told them they could.)
The thing is Wahima's play... the one about sex and marijuana... I don't think I have a guy who can play the part right now. I don't know what I'm gonna do. I bet Carlos Dardón would do it if I asked him to (he said as much on Sunday when I saw him), but I don't know if the production manager is gonna go for me casting an alumnus.
*
So today in the mail I got a catalog for something called the Master of Letters in "Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature in Performance." It's at Mary Baldwin College in partnership with Shenandoah Shakespeare. Basically their lab is that Blackfriars replica that they built on the East coast (Virginia, to be exact.) It sounds intriguing to me. Check it out here.
*Cough, Cough, Cough*
Last night I felt simply oppressed by the amount of stuff I need to do this week... I have bills piling up and I haven't even looked at them. I have laundry like a motherfucker and I have to prepare the Treasurer's report for the fucking Homo-ner's Association Meeting on Thursday at 7:00p. And when? Working two jobs as I am this week, there will just be no time!
And then I woke up this morning at 7:00a and felt a little rumbling in my stomach and thought... "I'm feeling a little sick."
And then I thought... "Aaron, why don't you call in sick to work today?"
And James Mason answered me. He said "What a splendid idea old man!"
So now I'm at home. I'm doing laundry, and I'm recuperating from my slight illness of this morning. I will also get a chance to properly clean my house, pay my bills and prepare my treasurer's report. Fucking magic.
And then I woke up this morning at 7:00a and felt a little rumbling in my stomach and thought... "I'm feeling a little sick."
And then I thought... "Aaron, why don't you call in sick to work today?"
And James Mason answered me. He said "What a splendid idea old man!"
So now I'm at home. I'm doing laundry, and I'm recuperating from my slight illness of this morning. I will also get a chance to properly clean my house, pay my bills and prepare my treasurer's report. Fucking magic.
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