(insert obligatory "it's been way too long" bit here)

I really do mean to post more, but then Life happens. I suppose that falls under the category of "good problems to have".

Anywhoozle - here's a brief wrap up to my recent past:

*Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson - This was a really fantastic experience. A long time ago, xtingu and I discussed the idea that I should get back into theater in some sense. Get back into is a very loose phrase here. Last time I did anything theater related was in high school, but I still had a hankerin for it every now and then.

I'm so very happy that I did.

The cast and crew were fantastic. What's more, they made me feel instantly welcomed and a part of the team. I don't know how (un)common that is, but it was really something I felt like I've been needing in a big way.

The show itself is... odd, but really fun. I reserved my judgement on how we did for a bit. I thought we were doing great, but I recognize the extreme bias that I had. That changed though, when I realised that review after review weren't just saying "Hey, this is fun - go see it!" or some equally generic, but positive message. Reviewers were using terms like 'game changer' and 'best' and other things that really bolstered my esteem.

By opening night, it seemed - well - fucking awesome.

I plan on doing more with City Theater . Possibly a lot more. The only question in my mind is: Am I now spoiled?

*Visiting w/ Family - This past weekend, I got a chance to spend some quality time with my family. Both of my brothers, their wives, and both of my nephews, and even Lucy were home for the weekend (at least in part) to celebrate Mother's Day. With that being the closing weekend of BBAJ, the visit was entirely too short (I was only able to come home for a few hours on Sunday) but it was another 'just what I needed' kind of thing. The kids were (as always) completely adorable, and Lucy shared her pen with me for a bit and let me snorgle her.

I was yet again reminded how phenominally lucky I am in the Family department. That's one of those things that never gets old, and I hope that I never, ever take it for granted.

*Jury Duty - Back on 4/18 I was selected for jury duty. I had a mixed reaction to the whole thing. One part of me was thrilled because I'd never gone through the process before and I was looking forward to seeing what it was all about.

I know, I know. I'm nuts like that. But it's the truth. It's a huge part of our society, and the idea of 'innocent until proven guilty' via a trial of your peers. Well, that just means something to me, as I think that it should to all Americans.

The other part of me - the one that DIDN'T want to take part was frustrated mostly by the timing of things. We would be heading into the trial right as the show was opening. That made me useless to the gang when it came to the show and meant we would have to find a backup.

Anyway - I was selected for the jury, and they said we were going to trial. It would start the following Monday (4/23) but when I called on Sunday night as instructed for the final "are you absolutely sure we're going to trial - no ifs, ands, or buts..." check, I was informed that we need not report. I'm assuming that meant the case was settled.

So Poop... but Yay!

*The Tardis - A friend of mine has a father with an impressive set of skills in the maker department. He built a large Tardis and she wanted to put it in her yard as a decoration. I volunteered to help with the prep work to make space for the Tardis and the drop off. The prep work proved to be a bit of an eye opener.

It had been a very long time indeed since I've done any kind of seriously physical work. I helped my friend by ripping out some shrubbery (insert Monty Python jokes here), removing/replacing some chain link fence, and tilling some soil. Good, sweaty, labor work.

Best day I'd had in... a long damn time.

I really made me realise just how much I'd missed making/building something with my hands. I took careful note, and this was part of what pointed me to BBAJ. Now that the show has ended, I'm looking around and trying to figure out how I'm going to get my 'physical fix'.

*Arden Soirée Part II - While I wasn't able to attend personally, the second Arden Soirée went extremely well. Tickets sold were just under the sold old level, and I'm hearing good things. It's impressive to see how much more 'simplified' the process of preparing for this one was, but I'm fearful that I may be looking through rose collored glasses because of my reduced pressence for this one.

* Grandma - I put this one down here because I really do not want to talk about it, and I'm not looking for sympathy responses.

Here's the short version: My father's mother - an absolutely amazing woman - passed away on April 24th. I will simply say this: If I can live a life even half as full as she had by the time I'm ninety and one half years old? I will consider my life to have been one well lived. You will never find someone who was more honest, hard working, and generous. They just do not exist.

Some brief plans for the week in case any of you care to join me:

Monday:
-Be there at 1100 when they come to pick up my old pick up. Make sure that the tow truck driver stays very far away from my motorcycle. If not? Break him - many times.
-Draw.
-Work on the new and improved Dragonbones.net. Shhhhh - it's a surprise.

Tuesday:
-Open Figure Drawing from Life at DCAD.

And the rest? Well, I haven't quite figured the rest out yet. I'll let you know when I do.

Just a quick heads up kids - Page 3 of 1100 is uploaded and should show up tomorrow. I'm going to try to stick to a Monday - Wednesday - Friday update schedule for a bit.

You know something? I've always found it funny how deeply movies seem to affect me. Tonight, on the long ride home from Va., Jimmy let me watch movies on his laptop. Two, in fact. It had been a very long time (for me anyway) since I had just sat down and watch a movie. Or two.

The two in question for the evening? Well, the first, I had actually already seen, but knew to be fun - Hitch starring Will Smith and the ever stunning Eva Mendes. Corny? Yes. Hoaky even? Absolutely. But I enjoyed it immensely.

The second? Equally cheesy, and at least as 'bad' - but these are the things I love - Click starring Adam Sandler. It's basically a re-telling of It's a Wonderful Life, if you ask me, but it really kinda did move me. It caused me to start thinking about the changes that I've seen in myself since I moved to De. and to the direction of my life. Not in the catastrophic sense that the movie portends, but rather in a 'watch the pendulum doesn't swing too far there Capt. Extremist' way.

Yes, I realize that I wasn't really in any danger of becoming a 'workaholic' or anything like that. Perhaps it would be better to say that it was what I needed to re-focus on the plus side of my life and re-notice all the amazing gifts that I have been given. Every day.

If you are reading this? I want to thank you for being a part of that.

/end Cornball

Heya kids.

Just a quick note to let everyone know that I think that I am going to revert to a predominantly public journal again. For a long time I was doing almost exclusively private posts with the exclusion of art dumps and stuff that I specifically wanted out in the ether.

Why go back you ask? Well... today I was looking through old posts. As in - the first few posts I ever made in this journal. I really enjoyed the sense of just cracking open my ribcage and showing the world my guts. I stopped when I decided to embed this journal into the front page of my site in order to utilize it for 'news and updates'. I wanted to keep the length of that page to a minimum to keep it within the size constraints of an 800x600 viewable screen. I still wish to keep within the 800 parameter, but the 600 just seems a bit inefficient, so we're going back to not worrying about it.

Yes, I realize that I was posting pretty much exclusively for the every lovely kar0na and her most excellent husband metikulos at the time, but it's the concept that matters here. The concept that it was given freely and there for anyone to read if they chose to.

I will, of course, occasionally write a 'friends only' or 'private' post - but for the foreseeable future, it's back to being public for Yours Truly. If you would like to see what you've been missing and you have a livejournal account, feel free to friend me and let me know and I'll likely (though don't be offended if I decline) friend you back so that you can read the backdated stuff. (I won't be switching the friends only posts to public.)

Will the world really want to hear all of the rambling gunk that my friends have been subjected to as of late?

Probably not, but here it comes anyway. ;)

In attendance tonight:

Mark, Katie, Krishna, Margaret, Ian, Elizabeth, Wes, Doug, and myself.

On the way:

Jeanine and Jill.

Life is good. I love these people. I love the way that they make me feel. This is the family that I have chosen for myself, and I have to say that I am more than a little proud of my selection.

More later.