The Producers
So everyone arrives at the apartment and we have wine, snacks and make conversation with plenty of time before the show starts, eventually leaving confidently to go to the theatre to see The Producers. Nick said he bought all the tickets in April so I assume it’s hard to get tickets unless it’s well in advance for the show. At least four of the people in the group were from London and felt confident that we needed to get off at Piccadilly Circus to walk down to the theatre on Drury Lane. After a short crowded ride on the underground, we get to Piccadilly only to discover that the theatre we are looking for is about a mile down and time is starting to cut close. With traffic too busy for a Taxi, we ran the mile across London only to make it with seconds to spare, As soon as we sat down, the show started.
While I am sitting there in my seat hearing my Asthma wheeze inside my lungs like a broken squeeze toy, I am trying my best to cover it up and not disturb others until the cardiac arrest clears off and I can breath normal again. I am dripping with sweat as I was wearing a ski jacket while running in the cold and the theatre was incredibly well heated. The lady next to me seemed put off by something and kept leaning in to say something to her husband, Eventually she leans my way and says “I noticed you forgot your handkerchief, might I offer one of mine?” in a posh English accent. I accepted and smiled with a polite thank you. I needed to clear my nose but I thought at first I would wipe my forehead. As I proceeded to do so, she leans over again and says in the same posh tone but a bit more snotty this time; “it’s for your nose”. ….?
The show was absolutely funny. I was amazed at how much I laughed all the way through. At one point Lee Evans messed up his line just after a pitfall gag and the three actors on stage kept cracking themselves up trying to move on. The man is obviously made out of rubber. I recognized a few other actors in the show but I couldn’t tell you where from. If you ever wanted to see a play about a play about a gay Hitler and the producers who tried to make it as bad as possible, this one is for you. I recommend it highly. There were lines used throughout the show to pay tribute to Mel Brooks who wrote the play and stared in the same movie with Gene Wilder in the late 70’s. I noticed a few from Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, and History of the World Part I.
At the end of the show, I was tempted to offer the nice lady her slightly used tissue back as we exited the theatre, either that or wear it on my head as a cap to impress her, but I refrained.
Warmer in London
Arrived in London and all is well. The flight was probably the most non-frills flight I have ever been on, thanks British Airways. Going to see The Producers tonight for sure so looking forward to that. Planning on some sight seeing but not sure what so who knows what's to come.
A special thanks to whomever nearby the apartment has a wireless connection without password protection appropriatly titled "NETGEAR".
ta.
Rule Britania
Leaving for London tonight. I'm looking forward to a five-hour sleep on the plane as I have run myself exhausted this week. Look for picture phone updates on the photoblog.
Thank you & Goodnight.
Have a Miserable Shlumpy Day
Today, January 24, is statistically, the most depressing / miserable day in the year according to a BBC news report. Short days of winter, less sunlight, longest time till end of year festivities, finances after Christmas, etc.
Gee, couldn't tell by the weblogs I’ve read lately. But, chin up guy's, there is a cure.
Fixin' to here write this dang post
There is an interesting article on the PBS website about tracking American dialects. There are different thoughts on the number of dialects but it's interesting in the way they are categorized.
I fall under a Midwestern dialect but have not really thought of myself as sounding Midwestern or Southern even though it's the most common dialect found in where I grew up. But mine changes from location to location. I used words and phrases in Australia that where considered normal that I just wouldn't say in Oklahoma. After some time, they even became natural to say. It almost amazed me in how my brain could switch back and forth naturally in using these in the proper environment.
Australian -
Taking the piss out of someone = Making fun of someone.
Mate = Substitute for "Dude" or "Guy". It becomes pretty easy after a while.
Good on ya = "Good Job"
Oklahoman-
Yaw'l = from "you all", = "Are you all going somewhere?"
Fixinto = As in "I am fixing to go somewhere" (yes, I do still say it some times)
As the website points out as well in Midwestern dialect, pronouncing the differences in words like Cot and Caught and Don and Dawn. I say these words exactly the same even though they should be said differently. When I do however, even if it is correct, it sounds pretentious so I just don't. It's like listening to Madona try and sound English.
Interestingly, the Midwestern dialect is the group that most largely proclaims they don't have an accent. I thought that as well at one time. It was pointed out to me by my several trips back and forth to Australia that every time I returned, my Midwestern / Southern accent had a bit more notice to it for a short while. Every time I speak to my cousin in Los Angeles, it seems to reach maximum southerness.
Flash Potential
If there is a better use for Flash, I sure haven't found it yet.
The farting dot.
Poke the bunny.
Finding a way.
"I publish my life on the internet and it doesn't make people want to be with me."
I found this link today and I had several different reactions to it. My first one was critical at a guy who looked like he needed to get himself together. In his ranting though, he brings up some good points and even better, a look at a poignant moment in time for a generation who grew up with this unlimited connection to the world and yet somehow still feels alone as the one before it. Maybe even more so.
His pain is genuine and was uncomfortable to watch because I have been there. Most of us have in one form or another even if we choose not to acknowledge it. I remember feeling as alone as this kid in the video does and void of any answers.
When I was in high school, I used to drive my car out to a field in the middle of nowhere, Oklahoma just so I could scream alone at the top of my lungs. I did this odd ritual from time to time because I had no other outlet and I had no one to just simply say to me "it's cool, we all feel it sometimes and life will get better if you just keep at it".
I knew this anyway deep down but some reinforcement would have helped at the time and it doesn’t make the ride getting through it any less painful.
At the end of watching this, I admired Justin for putting this video on his website. Many of us started a weblog years ago, got personal with our feelings, freaked out when other people we knew started reading it, and eventually just started posting links or killed it all together. It's hard to be honest with your feelings with other people, for some more than others.
Another line Justin says towards the end was powerful as well;
"I'm alone because of what I did, and I'm going to be alone because of what I'm doing."
In the same way I wish for world peace, I also wish for a world where you can bear your soul openly to other people and it be met only with what you were hoping for when you did so.
good luck Justin.
Traveling Plans for 2005
Next week I will be going to London. I have not had much of an opportunity for traveling lately so it will be a welcome trip. Catching The Producers is on the agenda while there and hopefully some time to play in the city as well with friends. It's cold in London right now the same as in New York though. I am really homesick lately for the warm weather I became so used to.
The return ticket to Sydney is still good (from flight here in September) and due in March. If not good timing then perhaps it can just be rescheduled for a later date. Seems stupid not to take advantage of it. The return ticket may even be prepaid as well as I still have a return ticket I never used.
Considering a trip to Colorado next month, depending on weather and time. Maybe see the sis and her kid in Denver. Still just a tentative plan right now.
A trip to Slovakia is planned for July as well, with maybe some time to visit Prague on the way. I haven't seen much of central Europe so it will be an all-together new experience.
So not a bad year it looks like on the global sightseeing front. We will see what gets dropped and added later.
First Fight
Nathan was in his first fight today.
Nate actually did good in that he defended himself from being hit and tried to leave when he could. I say tried, because the other kid grabbed his coat hood and took a few more swings before it was done. Bloody nose and some tears; a right of passage I guess for a young boy, but still, pisses you off as a dad of the kid getting bullied.
Nate's okay. He recovered and the kid's dad got an earfull. Apparently, the other kid has some issues, the kind of issues that require medication.
Martin Luther King Jr.
"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."
"It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can stop him from lynching me, and I think that's pretty important."
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools."
"When you are right you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative.
"I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. That is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant."
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
"I submit to you that if a man hasn't discovered something he will die for, he isn't fit to live."
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
You make me wanna cry
Poor Ashley Simpson. She was boo'd offstage at the Orange Bowl halftime. If she wasn't abusing some sort of substance this time last year, she's bound to be snorting or drinking something like gangbusters now.
I feel a kind of sorry for the girl, even if she is a bit lacking in talent. What kills me is they gave a pass to Kelly Clarkson who was the first act. They are both cogs in the machinery of the music industry trying to make their name. Still, the promoters had to know that the core college football crowd is over 15, right?
MacWorld 2005 Expo
So what was with all of the buzz about the Mac Expo yesterday? A new iPod that’s nothing more impressive, only smaller and cheaper. A new small to-go pizza box mac mini that costs under $500 with no monitor or keyboard. Kind of neat but as much as I like Apple, Dell has a set up with monitor and keyboard and more for the same price. I am a long time Mac user but over the years the difference between Mac OS and Windows has become less like apple's and oranges to grapefruit and oranges. The differences are getting smaller and it's going to get harder to maintain user loyalty if the prices don't come down.
The new iLife has some added features, but should have just been a downloadable upgrade in my opinion.
What’s this mean? Apple has hit a brick wall on their computer speed. They can’t make the Laptops with a G5 processor yet and they can’t make the desktops faster than a current G5 without catching on fire or needing a replaceable ice pack. So what does the smart marketing guy do? Shift focus.
Apple has focused on two different areas; the iPod since it is the strongest selling item at Apple and remodeling the existing products to be more affordable. Good marketing but nothing to get overly excited about. I shouldn't complain really, my G4 laptop has enjoyed the longest time possible without becoming obsolete.
The Mac Mini is even sporting a G4 processor, not a G5. True geeks like myself can find a good use for it like running a slideshow, processing graphics and animation, or storing more MP3’s, but the typical consumer will probably stick with the all-in-one set up like the iMac wich has been around for a while.
Overall, I was disappointed with this year’s Mac Expo. Also, I am getting a little burned on the iNaming scheme. It's getting dated.
The Year in Cities 2004
Sydney, Australia*
Manly, Australia*
Christchurch, New Zealand
Singapore
London, UK
Chichester, UK
Edinburgh, UK
Paris, France
Oklahoma City, OK*
Los Angeles, CA
Tasmania, Australia
Ayer's Rock, Australia
Alice Springs, Australia
Bangkok, Thailand
Hong Kong, China
Brisbane, Australia
Fraser Island, Australia
New York, NY
Cities marked with an * were visited multiple times on non-consecutive days.
100 things we didn't know this time last year
The BBC news collected their most interesting facts of 2004 and put together a list of the top 100 entries over the last year. A few of my favorites are;
Freak conditions above Everest can cause the sky to "fall in". An analysis of weather patterns in May 1996, by University of Toronto researchers, said eight people died when the stratosphere sank to the level of the summit.
The Sydney Harbour Bridge contains just 16 nuts and bolts. The rest is held together by rivets, because it doesn't need to be dismantled.
Brazilians are the nationality most likely to read spam.
One gigabyte of information - about a quarter of the memory of an iPod mini - is the equivalent of a pick-up truck load of paper.
A quarter of Australia's population was born outside the land Down Under.
there are still about 100m undiscovered landmines in the world, just waiting to go off.
Bill Clinton sent just two e-mails while he was president.
We are the Aqua Teens, make the homeys say ho and the girlies wanna scream.
Yea, it's been one of those weeks.
The world hasn't crashed in and no tsunami's have devastated the world around me so take this rant in proper context, but it seems like there is a conspiracy this week to simply irritate the hell out of me in every possible way. Little things that are no big deal here and there but after the fifteenth amazingly odd screw up in a short period of time, you start to get a small twitch, grab an axe, and write paranoid pages of how the government is beaming thoughts from your head using satelites.
Perpetual mood going on for the time, I could really use one of those days where everything just clicks into place. Like for instance taking a flame-thrower to the UPS truck for screwing up my order. That might get things back on track, yea.
Fraser Island Home Movies
My last weekend in Australia, a few friends got together and went to Fraser Island off the coast of Queensland and had a great time four wheel driving on the sandy beaches, sea fishing, eating, drinnking, swiming, snorkeling, etc. All this over my Birthday to boot.
I finally made a video to send back to those friends and made a smaller version for the web to share here. [ view quicktime movie 5.3mb ]
Sickness and Boredom
I have been sick now for almost three strait weeks. I am starting to lose my mind. I have come to hate television and everything that is on it.
I am sorry television.
It had to be said.
We just need time apart.
Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast was a last min idea and a good deal from the TKTS booth in Times Square. It was a pretty good performance and good stage sets. I was impressed with the stylized backdrops given to the stage. Not a bad performance but I would suggest seeing this with discounted tickets if you can.
Endurance
My nephew dusty is a big kid. He's 6'2 and looks like he should be playing football as linebacker or a hired muscle for the mob. He's also bright and very considerate of other people around him.
A couple of weeks ago, Dusty came home from school and took a nap since he didn't feel well. When he woke up sometime later, he realized that he couldn't move his legs at all.
He was taken to the hospital and the doctor's couldn’t figure out why Dusty couldn't use his legs. He had some reflexes but not many. For a while those seemed to be leaving him as well and it was getting worse.
By the time I heard about all of this, Dusty was on a plane being flown to Bangor, Maine where he was going to get looked at with an MRI and have more tests run to see what was causing this problem. Alan, his dad, wasn’t allowed to fly with him and had to drive several hours. That had to be a hard drive to make.
After many tests and much poking and prodding of the kid, the best guess now is that he had a stroke.
He’s coming home in a few days and it looks like their family is going to have to make a series of changes. A new home with wheel chair availability to start. New routines, new adaptations. A new standard of normal in daily life.
If you know my sister of just want to send her and her family well wishes, please do so. She’s been very strong and for someone I always thought of growing up as a bit flakey, she’s been a solid rock for Dusty and her family through this. Both her and Alan and the kids have been strong and I am proud of them. Dusty has been keeping a positive outlook on his recovery as well. So far he has regained feeling and control in his left leg but not his right.
Stay strong guys.
New Years Eve 2005, Times Square
This is the madness that was Times Square when the New Year hit. (quicktimeVR by panoramas.dk)
