Week 44 – 1992 Revisited – Did I mention I travel in time

One of the nice things about touring theatre is I get to go back to places I don’t get to too often. This week my tour took me to southeastern Michigan, with performances in Monroe and Jackson. So I called upon an old friend (whom I have not actually seen in almost 12 years) and told him I would be in the area. He, being the immensely cool dude that he is, said “Dude I have a spare room with your name on it, if you want”

So here I was, spending my first actual night in Ann Arbor in years (the last time I was out the was for an Ozzfest concert, a trip that included an unfortunate incident with some poison ivy, but was still a great time)

I got to spend time with old friends in a place that I truely enjoy going. There was a moment or two when I was sitting there, laughing and catching up where I thought “I wonder if UProd is looking for an associate producer or and assistant Production Manager”

Of course, I don’t think I would really take a job in A2, I am a New Yorker, living anywhere else full time would be kidding myself.

But I had a great time – went to my first professional Roller Derby, the Detroit Derby Girls, I got to see the Detroit Pistoffs beat the D-Funk Allstars at the Masonic Temple, and the head ref of the bout was my old friend from college, aka Iggy Slop.

 

The only thing is that there was just not enough time to see everyone and do everything I would have liked to – the next time I get a weekend off I would love to head out there, maybe go the good old Nectarine Ballroom (now simply as Necto) for a monday night industrial flashback. And a trip to Angelo’s for some of that delicious French Toast.
When I finally make it big, I will get myself a place in out there tho -

Countdown Week 45 – on the Road Again

I am writing this from the back seat of Dodge Sprinter Van, as we cruise down I-81 in southern Virginia, about 30 miles South of Lexington, VA.

That’s right, folks I’m on a Theatreworks USA tour of “A Christmas Carol”. Getting to see some of Red State America (VA, IN, OH) and some of the redder areas of Blue States (IL, MI)

On the road just 1 day and I have already seen the giant roadside crosses all lit up, and “Covenant” Hauler tractor trailers out of Chattanooga, TN with “its not a choice, it’s a child” stenciled on the back of the of the truck.(not a sticker, its stenciled on, apparently its company policy). I will be spending more time in Indiana on this tour, than I have ever before, should be interesting.

Oh and to top it all off I have to go through Columbus, OH! Oh is there no mercy? In Columbus there is a radio station that is playing nothing but TV theme songs. A little research turns up that its a temporary thing until the station launches its new format in mid december. (an interesting choice, I guess seasonal music has been taken.)

So I will be blogging from the road for the next three weeks – I will be back in NYC right before Christmas.

Week 46 – Love and the modern Geek

Week 46  to Midlife Crisis– Love and the modern Geek

The past few Countdowns have been focusing on my professional life, what shows I am doing, who I am working with etc,  while I know what you all want to hear about is the many romantic conquests being a Eligible Geek in NYC affords me.

I am single, obviously, and that is by choice.

Ok stop laughing now, no really stop laughing…

It really is a choice, not that I don’t want to be in a relationship, its I don’t have the time, or the stability of lifestyle to truly have the type of relationship I would want to have. Finding fulfillment in all aspects of anyone’s life, personal, professional, and any other facets of one’s life simultaneously

I have blogged in general about relationships, sometimes in reaction to specific events going on in my life,

To be honest my track record when it comes to women is not great, I do have a habit of getting my heart involved with women who don’t or can’t reciprocate.

My now infamous 3 rules of dating had really curtailed my social activities for a while, and while not completely abandoning them, I now  use them as a guideline, but I won’t date anyone who breaks all three rules – I just can’t see me doing that.

So who have I been dating lately?  No one regularly,  and I have been stood up a couple times in the past month,  I haven’t really been putting myself out there too much. Its so time consuming isn’t it? Meeting some one, wooing them, building the emotional connections to make, and then by the time I get something resembling a romance going, I usually end up having to leave town for a few months for work. (some of you in my biz may be familiar with that, or maybe you are someone who has gone through it with me)  And because of that I have been prone to dating women who I have already know, and feel there may be a connection with.  It saves a lot of time,  date 1 seems more like date 5.

There are 19 women on my “top friends” on my myspace page – of them I have been romantically involved  with 5 of them but am not at this time, 2 of those are now married. 1 of them I have occasional hook up relationship with, when our schedules allow, and 9 others I would be interested  in, if it probably wouldn’t destroy any friendship I currently have with them.  And that is just the ones in the top 24!

I seem to value those friendships, even tho, to be honest, I don’t think I would have started them, if I didn’t, on some level find myself attracted to them.  I commented once, that men and women don’t often become friends,  or that men become friends with women they are attracted to, and women become friends with men they do not .

That is not to say that I don’t think of these women as real friends or anything – I do.  If I didn’t I would probably be aggressive about persuing one of them romantically, but I play it safe – keep them as friends. 

Countdown – Week 47 – Delays and Strikes (originally posted 11/19/07)

Ok ok OK! I get it, David where is Crisis! We want more Crisis! David are you actually having your midlife crisis and can’t handle writing about it

Work and life just got in the way, I have been rehearsing my latest show which opens on tour next week, and commuting and forth to NJ to help my mother, who just had her hip replaced last month, and still needs a hand around the house from time to time. So I haven’t had much time to sit in front of the computer to type up a blog. But….

I did get sometime on the bus, (when I didn’t need to nap) to get a lot of thoughts and outlines and even some partial essays written for future blogs – Look forward to my upcoming thoughts on – Movie Blockbusters, the Fall TV season (and the impending end of new episodes due to the writers strike), riding the subway, and of course, women.

But today I am finally going to discuss the IATSE Local 1 Stagehand Strike that has closed down most of Broadway.

A lot of people I know have asked me what is going on with the strike, and how does it affect me. The “how it affects me?” part is really easy – Not in the least, At least for now. Since I am not a member of that union (much to many of your surprise) and I am not working on broadway show produced by a League of American Theatres and Producers (sadly). But here are my thoughts about it.

As most of you know, I am pro-union, pro-labor, and fairly left of center politically, so I do support the stagehands and their right to strike, but I do not sympathize with them emotionally, like i did for the musicians back when AFM 802 had their Broadway Strike a few years ago. Stagehands are very well paid, and have a great support structure, all to the union’s benefit and hard work, something they have been able to do without ever having to go on strike before.

The union is doing what it supposed to do – protecting their members and their jobs. As I understand it, and (if someone else knows more, please tell me) the key issue appear to be the number of stagehands needed to perform a show, and the inflexablity of the union to change a work call on a show once it starts, that meaning, if a show goes into production and during technical rehearsals or previews an effect, or a scene with gets cut, and you hired a crew member to work specifically on that scene or effect, the person still has a job, even though their reason for being there is no longer in the show. And they are required to pay this person for as the show runs (so a stage hand on a show like Cats, or Phantom, whose job got cut early on, would have remained on the payroll for the entire run of the show) Is that truely fair? Certainly an actor who was cast in any scene that got cut does not get to keep collecting a paycheck if they no longer have a part in the show.

Also this is the height of the broadway tourist season – hundreds of thousands of visitors come to NYC this time of year to shop, see the tree at Rockafeller Plaza, and see Broadway Theatre. Producers stand to lose millions, and the tourists who spent their money on tickets, and travel/hotel costs will be out that money. Those tourist who were able to cancel their plans now cost the city money in lost hotel and resturant revenue. I hear that a few airlines have cancelled a flight a day to NYC due to a drop off in demand.

My biggest concern is for the actors and stage managers of the closed shows (since I am a member of that union, and some of those folks are my personal friends) There are some shows that may not survive the strike, costing many actors and stage managers their jobs (which they are not getting paid for – and now have to live of 1/3rd or less of their salaries on unemployment)

- Week 46 to follow almost immediately after lunch so come back soon LOL

Countdown – Week 48 – Weird Week (Originally posted 11/4/07)

OK -  another week with out a blog – sorry about that.  No real excuse other than I pushed it off til the weekend (used that extra hour thinking about what to write.)

Let’s talk about what I thought about this week -

It was Halloween this week  and I really didn’t partake too much, on the weekend.  Been a little out of the loop socially to be honest and didn’t get too many offers. (Quel surprise?), Hope you all had fun tho -  heard lots of good times were had.

Halloween day I did do a few things – I went out and saw the kids trick or treating – lots of power rangers, princesses and vampires in my neighborhood.

I did have a job scheduled for this week – but since construction was working behind schedule it didn’t happen. And since I start rehearsals on Monday on A Christmas Carol (Is it really Christms time??) I can’t do the other gig,  it wasn’t that big a deal – just out the money which I could have really used.  That has been the reason I did little else this week – Been a little cash poor these past few weeks.

But for the next couple of months it is not such a issue.   Yeah for Union Contracts  8 more weeks of work,  so its actually been a busy year for me for AEA work,  42 weeks on contract – and they are spread out nicely so I am good for heath insurance thru March 2009 at least.

Thanks to Marni Penning (the lady Hamlet) I got tickets to the B-52’s concert at Roseland on Halloween night.  A fun show,  I wouldn’t have minded seeing that other 80’s band that was playing a few blocks down town, but oh well

Oh yeah My mother had her hip replaced this week, on Wednesday, she got home from the hospital on Saturday already.

I had a date planned last night, but got stood up (well she had cancelled, very late) So that sucked too.

Not my favorite week – so I’m glad its over and that I have work to look forward to this week.

Hope you remembered to reset your clock this week

I am off -

Countdown – Week 49! (originally posted 10/29/07)

OK -  so I actually had to turn down work this week.

Kinda sad actually, it was with a really well reknowned company, not great money, but a definate foot in the door, as it were.  I litterly signed the contract  a few hours before I officially turned down the 2nd job.

I am still not working this week.  Somethings will come up, I have a few coals out there, as it were.

I do start rehearsals on “A Christmas Carol” next week.  which is a cut down version that will tour the midwest and south east this holiday season.

I also have not had a soda in over 2 weeks -  kinda weird -  this is the hardest time, cause i still crave one from time to time.  I have not actually step on a scale since I started this.  I better do that soon to see if this is even helping

Did you check out that ghost blog I put up?  Pretty cool huh?

COMMENTS, PRAISE, CRITIQUES WELCOME

Happy Halloween

D

Sorry for the delay

Hey there

I set some lofty goals for this blog -  I haven’t been keeping up with them tho

I have been blogging tho -  using the Myspace blog  So without further delay here are my last 4 weeks of blogs