Letters to Holly

Friday, September 23

DragonCon Video

This is a good indication of the variety and volume of costume varieties at the show. The only quibble I have is that the video suggests much less floor traffic than we encountered. That kind of wingspan room is just not there. The atmosphere of camaraderie, however, is omnipresent. It really is a happy party.


Wednesday, September 21

Not What I Ordered

A sign that we are parents: Sleeping through the entire night makes us giddy as drunks. I'll tempt fate and say he is virtually over his lingering bug. Our own versions are fading also, but we all cough randomly to map the territory of the herd.

(The Debacles need a collective noun. A nerd of Debacles? A thrill of Debacles? An ass-smack/goose of Debacles? We shall ponder.)

Almost immediately after receiving my blue-ray copies of the original Star Wars trilogy from The Amazons did I realize that it contained no supplemental material, the stuff that justified the purchase of yet another copy of these films. I think I've bought them three times, all on VHS. All the packaging noted were commentary tracks. I had hoped and assumed an reckoned that the trilogy sets would each include the good stuff. No. Now I must own bu-rays of movies I don't intend to watch to get what I really want. However, I know the sidekick will probably want to see them within the next three years. I packed up the set, printed out the paperwork from their website, and mailed the movies back to The Amazons this morning. Sigh. So close.

Picture of the Day
Hi, Happy Hobbits.


Tuesday, September 20

Again? Again.

Still croupy. Still medicating. I should start a BrewGrass featuring cold medicine. The sidekick is much better, and Your Sister is climbing slowly out of the murk in her head.

I got an email from the theatre announcing yet another show switch. They wanted to do Arsenic & Old Lace, a play with eleven male characters. As the email notes, that's asking a lot. Apparently only three guys showed up to audition. They will instead do a two-person show, one that has the actors reading letters onstage. That may be as close as they ever get to reading theatre, an option that can salvage shows with large casts but few actors. Like the one they just scuttled. Just last week I saw an article about a local actor starting up reader theatre in town in an effort separate from the county theatre group. I tried to sell them on the idea. It's convenient for everyone and capable of being just as entertaining as memorized shows. And you don't risk losing patrons by changing shows midseason.

I briefly considered auditioning for this show before I remembered what my schedule becomes during rehearsals. I can't drop the sidekick off and eat supper before getting to the practice space. Despite my reservations and complaints from past shows, I like this script, and it's a staple of community theatre. I'm starting to age out of certain roles that I always wanted to play. Now that we see how the auditions developed, I'm glad I stayed home.

Your Sister noticed last night that I have a beard these days (not just stubble) and she's fascinated. I think she has beard envy. 

You and I talked about costume ideas for next year, specifically Commissioner Gordon. Here's what the comic version looks like:


And here's Gary Oldman. 


I can do this rather easily. This is a role I'm aging into.

Picture of the Day
This can't be right, can it? The Sahara is longer than the US?