I am just beside myself with glee. The wondrous chain of events continues.

These little guys are my new best friends. I picked them up at Epcot about a month ago. I've been meaning to get a maneki neko (lucky cat) for years now, but never did. And the daruma is pretty wonderful, too.

For those who don't know, the cat isn't waving- he's beckoning, inviting in the good stuff. In this case, because he's holding a coin, he's leaning towards cash. His gold color helps with that, too. The daruma, as you can see, has only one eye. When you buy a daruma, they have no eyes at all. You make your wish, and concentrate on it while drawing in one of his pupils- I filled in the wrong one, but he still seems to be working. You fill in the other eye when your wish comes true. I hope the wrong eye thing doesn't, like, come back to haunt me.

Anyway, they're sitting on the china cabinet facing the front door. You want your neko to beckon out the front door.

So what's made me write about them tonight? Well, a couple of days ago, my acceptance to FSU became "actually" real when my file became complete. I now have an FSU email account, and access to student services online. When I go down to find a place to live, I can even pick up my student ID. Which leads to the next thing- living arrangements. I should have a contract to sell my house in TN tomorrow or Monday, all ready for me to sign. Marjorie and Harry are quite happy with the notion of closing ASAP and letting me "rent" from them til August 1. That means I'll be able to get the money I get from the sale BEFORE I actually have to leave- which is very good because of the next wondrous event. I got a call from the loan officer at my bank today, and he's pretty darn positive I can get an FHA mortgage to buy a house in Florida. This is great on a number of levels. First, rent in Tallahassee would be more than my current mortgage payment. Second, an FHA loan will have a much lower interest rate than my current mortgage. I mean a LOT lower. Third, because I'll have a more sizable downpayment than FHA requires, and with the lower interest rate, I'll be able to buy a house a third more expensive than my current house was AND I'll pay less each month.

I tell you what, this internet thing is pretty fantastic. A whole lot of what I've been able to do- and the unexpected rewards that are coming from what I've been able to do- has been based on information from the internet. You have to sift through a lot of crap, but I swear, if there's something you want to do, you can probably find a way to do it on the internet. Especially if you want to improve your credit and do something like buy a house. For instance, did you know that USDA Rural Development has a program for low-ish income people to buy homes in "rural" areas? And I mean for people who make, like, poverty line money. As a matter of fact, they offer the program in the town I'm looking at in FL, and if the bank doesn't make me a good enough offer tomorrow, I'm going to see what USDA can do for me. Oh, and if there's anyone reading this on limited income who lives in Cookeville, the program is available for pretty much ALL of Putnam county outside the Cookeville/Algood city limits. You can probably buy a house through this program, and it'll be less per month than renting. They'll even make the downpayment FOR you. The USDA Rural Development office in Cookeville is in that little strip mall near KMart, Fountain Square. ;)

So that's the news from here. If I get my selling-the-house contract over the weekend, and if they have good news for me tomorrow, I will probably go to Tallahassee on Tuesday to try to find a place to live. I might actually stay for a while. Mom wants to come help, and she can come down on Friday and stay all week. She'll bring my nephew, and she told me she'll pay for the hotel and for food while we're there, so I may stay in Tally a week or more. So that's good- and I can work my normal schedule from the hotel, and we'll take a day to go to Busch Gardens. Once I've got my student ID, I can go ahead and get my Florida Residents Annual Pass- which is the same price as a regular single day admission! Whoo hoo!

I swear, y'all. I don't mean to gloat. And I'm really not gloating. I'm just amazed and shocked at how well things are going, and I have to share it. And, well, I do have to pat myself on the back a bit- I've worked really hard for it. I'm just... surprised. Surprised that it's paying off. I've always had a tinge of pessimism (it won't work out!) but I went ahead and tried anyway- and it worked. Life is good!

I hope all is going well for all of you. If it isn't going well- hang in there. Work hard. You'll be OK. :)

Ego

It's 3:30 in the morning, and I'm on the front porch listening to the rain. We're having lovely, intermittently torrential rain tonight, and I love it. I've spent the past few hours reading interviews and biographies of some people whose work I admire (specifically Jim Henson and Frank Oz) and catching up on the doings of the Henson company.

I'm having some trepidation about going into the directing program at FSU. Not so much that I won't do it, of course! But those typical "Am I good enough?" "Can I do this?" kinds of thoughts. In the third year, I'll direct a season show. I know that quite a few grad students have an idea of what their Big Final Project will be before they even start. Me? Hell, I haven't even finalized my capstone project for the Storytelling degree... and I really need to have that project ready a year from now. And what about the show at FSU? I trust that my explorations there in the first couple of years will lead me somewhere. But honestly, so far, most of the work I'm proudest of has been brought to me, like, "Oh, Curtis, I think you should do this." So what do I want to do?

Gosh, I don't know. Perhaps those people who have it all planned out are so wonderful and talented because they're so focused on their artistic and philosophical and spiritual and technical and whatever-else goals. Me, I'm scattered. I'm all over the place. I don't think you'll find many people as interested in "The History of Department Stores in Nashville, Tennessee to 1985" as I am, or, I don't know, "Edie Sedgwick as Cultural Marker." My mind moves from one esoteric subject to the next, dragging me along with it. So my final project at FSU? I dunno. Maybe a musical. Maybe not. Maybe something with puppets, or children, or.. hell, I dunno. Do I have the ego to say? We'll see! I'm excited to find out.

Florida

OK, I'm looking for a place to live. If anyone who happens upon this blog can help, please, please comment. I'd like to buy a house for under $100K within a 30 minute drive of Florida State University. 45 minutes if the house or area makes it worthwhile. All I know about the area is what I saw in the 10 hours I was there earlier this month. I'm beginning to freak out! Here's what I wish for the dream home: At least 2 bedrooms. I don't want to hear gunshots. I don't want to worry about leaving the bedroom window open while I sleep. I would really like to have a yard for the dog to play in, though it's not essential. Is that too much to ask?

More kismet

Oh, my GOD, I sold the house. Took all of 8 days, got my full asking price, selling to really good friends so both they and the neighbors will be happy. Wow. Just waiting for their agent to get me the contract. AND they probably won't want to take possession for a couple of months. Wow.

Interest

Selling the house:

I put an ad in the paper- it started on Tuesday. Someone came to see it Tuesday afternoon. I put a sign in the yard. I saw someone stop and write down the number. He and his wife came to see it today, and either they're really good actors or they REALLY like my house. I put an ad on craigslist Tuesday night. 2 people have asked for interior photos. Wish me luck!

So much to do!!!

Anybody wanna buy a house in Johnson City, TN? Asking price $87,500. *read the following out loud in happy lady advertising voice:* "Walking distance from the University and in a very friendly neighborhood! 2 bedrooms and an office or 3 bedrooms. Great for first-time home-buyers or investment property. New interior paint, full basement for extra storage, large fenced yard, and a relaxing front porch, complete with swing! With a spacious eat-in kitchen, welcoming entry parlor, and architectural details like 6-inch ornate baseboards and multiple built-in bookcases, this charming 1930's bungalow is just what you're looking for!"

Gonna put out a For Sale By Owner sign and an ads in the paper and online while we get it ready to sell. Hopefully we'll get some bites during that time. Then, in a couple of weeks, go to an agent if I have to. An agent's commission would probably eat up any profit I might make. I'll have an open house, too, once I get it ready.

IN OTHER NEWS: Eric and I had a mostly wonderful time at Disney World. I shouldn't have spent the money, but I'm still glad I did. We stayed at the All-Star Movies Resort inside Walt Disney World. It's one of their "value" resorts. I really liked it, though Eric wasn't as impressed. I loved the theming- we were in the "Mighty Ducks" section, but he was underwhelmed. The room was small, but comfortable, and housekeeping was darn good and the sheets were not scratchy. I hate scratchy sheets.

Wednesday morning we went to Hollywood Studios, which isn't as good as I'd remembered. Since the Tower of Terror now goes up AND down a random number of times, the first drop is nowhere near as intense as when it was only one 13-story drop. It was disappointing. The Rock-N-Roller Coaster was better than expected, Eric didn't care for Star Tours (though going into "Star Wars Hyperdrive" is more than enough excitement for me). Muppet Vision 3-D was still the best attraction in the park, I think. So we left there around lunchtime and hit Future World at Epcot, and had a great time. Let me tell you, Mission Space (the one the guy died on from intensity) is AMAZING. Easily the best non-coaster ride I've ever done. I mean really, really incredible. Test Track is a lot of fun, too. Eric wished there were more "thrill" portions, but I enjoyed the whole thing. We also went to Animal Kingdom on Wednesday. Since we'd heard that it wasn't that great a park, we only hit the three rides we'd expected to be really good: Expedition Everest is FANTASTIC; Dinosaur is the best dark ride we've ever been on, and the spinning mad mouse was a lot of fun.

Thursday morning we were at the Magic Kingdom at 8 am for the Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, Peter Pan's Flight, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and It's a Small World. I made a mistake with Small World. We did it first. I love love love love love It's a Small World for two reasons: It is the PINNACLE of mid-century graphic design. I think it's visually BEAUTIFUL. AND I love it for its place in Theme Park History and entertainment history, two subjects I love to explore. Eric HATED It's a Small World. I mean HATED. It tainted the rest of the day and neither of us think he'll ever recover. It was enough to make him denounce the entire Walk Disney Company until we were nearly home the next day. After lunch, we went back to Epcot for World Showcase and Soarin'. Our fastpasses for Soarin' gave us 2 and a half hours to kill, so we went to World Showcase. Eric hated it, I got tired and cranky, we snapped at each other for 2 and a half hours, and even though Soarin' was really good, it wasn't worth the misery we went through for it. Eric was sick of Disney enough that he didn't want to go back to the Magic Kingdom for Space Mountain and Tomorrowland and the fireworks, but after a nap, I decided I would go alone. So I went back and as soon as I walked in I found myself in a great spot for the SpectroMagic parade, which rocks (Eric wouldn't care for it) and for the fireworks. The current fireworks show, "Wishing," is amazing, timed perfectly with the audio, and more than made up for the miserable afternoon.

All in all, it was a good vacation. It would have been great if I hadn't fallen into the trap of "IpaidalotofmoneyforthiswehavetoGOGOGO!" I think the best thing to do would be to go every 5 years for 3 days each time. 1st morning, park for 4 hours, then long break, then 4 hours at night, maybe at a different park. 2nd day no parks. 3rd day, 4 hours in the morning, then break, then go back that night if you feel like it. Leisure time should be leisurely.

So, back to the move. On the way out of town, we stopped at IKEA in Orlando for a couple hours. I've never allowed myself to order furniture from their catalog because I was afraid it would be crap. How comfortable can a $150 sofa be? How good can a $30 coffee table look? The answer is VERY comfortable and VERY good. We'd planned to have a yard sale before we left. Comedians have said that IKEA is Swedish for "cheap crap." It IS cheap, but it's NOT crap. And if your $30 bookcase falls apart after 5 years, so what? It was $30 and lasted 3 years longer than the more expensive one from Target or Wal-Mart. Since IKEA is 3.5 or 4 hours from Tallahassee (in Orlando or Atlanta), we're now going to have a HUGE yard sale. Big enough that there will be stuff in the yard, and we'll invite people inside like an estate sale. We're going to sell pretty much everything we own, and use the money to get new stuff at IKEA when we get there. We don't need 75 plates and 30 coffee cups. We don't need a couch and 2 recliners and 3 other chairs. We need one couch and ONE chair. We've decided we're only going to take what we can fit in my car and his truck. No U-Haul this time. SO if there's anything you've seen at my house that you want, come up to Johnson City in a couple of weeks and take it home with you. You're welcome to sleep on the floor (since we'll hopefully sell one of the beds and the sofabed and the air mattresses). Like my recliners? They're YOURS. Though with gas prices what they are, that cool round mirror for $3 might not be a bargain if you live in Cookeville.

That's all from here. I'm absolutely overwhelmed. Enough so that I'm sitting on the porch freaking out with a beer instead of, like, pressure-washing the front of the house. Again, wish us luck. There's a slight chance Eric might be able to wangle a transfer with the company he works for to their Tallahassee office, which would be the best thing in the world. Oh, and did I tell you I got a tuition waiver, an assistantship, AND I get to keep my job? I'm sure I can drop down to 20 or so hours a week for work. Whoo hoo! I got a daruma (look it up) from Mitsukoshi at Epcot- put your wish-making powers into it for me!

The Immediate Future

I got in to Florida State. I will start the MFA Directing program in August. :)

I'm at Disney World. I'm really happy. :)

Huh?

I can't believe I considered, even for a SECOND, the notion that I could move house and not take the angels with me.

Wish List

OK, here's my current wish list. Cross your fingers, pray, do whatever it is the hell that you do.

1. I get in to Florida State.
2. Even though the deadline has passed, they want me enough to give me a Fellowship.<
3. They ALSO give me a GA position.
4. I need either a Fellowship or a GA. If I only get one of the two, the school must to allow me to keep my job on a part time basis.
5. I can sell the house quickly and for a profit.
6. Graduate student housing apartments at FSU aren't already full.
7. IF I can get in, and into student housing, that
   • I can reconcile with the idea of someone fostering my Precious Angel Baby Girl Kitty Wells for a while.
   • Someone worthwhile is willing to do it.

Those are the wishes. Please make them for me!!!

Oh, and I did just fine on the GRE this morning. And I have a new wheel for the car. :) And my applications are in, and transcript requests sent, and letters of rec lined up. I have had a busy, busy week. Now all I have to do is clean the house tomorrow. :P

Overwhelmed

The past few days have been a whirlwind.  Here's why.  OK.  Let me do a little prefacing.

As you may know, I'd decided not to go get an MFA in Directing when I finish the Storytelling program.

As you may NOT know, the Storytelling program is set up so that I could take no classes this fall and spring, take classes in the summer, and graduate then.

SO- OK, I'll make a long story short.  On Saturday morning I was told by an old friend that Florida State may have an opening in their MFA Directing program for next year.  The head of the program wasn't sure what he'd do if the last accepted person declined.  Then he told my friend, who had mentioned me, that I should submit a resume.  I just want to point out here that I've never contacted the school, not even for a brochure.

So I sent a resume.  Yesterday morning, I got an email saying that if it turned out there were an opening, they'd be contacting me in the next few days.  I got a phone call this morning... and I'm going to Florida next week to meet with them on Tuesday afternoon.

So- I know I'm starting every paragraph with so: bite me- um, one of the best schools in the country for what I've ALWAYS wanted to do with my life basically contacted me out of the blue, and if all goes well, I'll be moving to Florida in August.  Eric would stay here till next summer to finish his degree, I'd come back to finish my current degree program,  sell or rent the house, then he'd come to FL to join me.

SO- I've got a lot to do.  Gotta get letters of rec, apply to the university, get transcripts sent, take the GRE on FRIDAY (no time to waste), replace a bent wheel on my car, all sorts of things.  There's a lot of kismet going on. Every time I start to freak out about some aspect of this, something IMMEDIATELY happens to negate the freaking out.  For instance, I said, "I'm not completely sure I can afford to go to Florida next week!  Gas is insane!"  God said, "Oh, I didn't tell you, but I just had citibank increase your credit limit.  By enough to finance FOUR trips to Florida. Try not to use it." I'm just shocked and overwhelmed.  And EXTREMELY excited.

Wish me luck. Cross your fingers, and hope for orange juice, hurricanes, and palmetto trees.

Decent food, FINALLY

I'm so excited.

I've finally found a GOOD restaurant in the Tri-Cities. Not a decent one, not a good-enough one. A GOOD one. Before, we made do with Carabba's, the Italian-esque chain. It's not bad- actually pretty tasty, but it's heavy and kind of expensive and the service is AWFUL (I do like to get caesar salads for take out).

The place I found is (I think) called "Volcanoes Bakery." At least that's what the little sign says to make checks out to. The banner out front says something like "The Real McCoy Tamales Tortas Tostadas" Painted on the side of the tiny little cinder-black building are the words "Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo's Gallery." Huh?

Anyway, they have two tables outside. Inside, there's one table, but it's pushed up against a wall so only 2 sides are usable. There's also a long bar-shelf on the long wall with stools. Opposite the bar is a display case full of fresh-made pastries, a cooler filled with ice and Mexican sodas (no Coke here), a table which appears to be used for food prep, and a small case with desserts inside and the cash register on top.

They make the best tamale I have ever had in my life.

I was having my brakes done at the Meineke next door ($353- oof!), and had been meaning to try it out. The reviews are fantastic: check out the Roadfood.com forum discussion on the place.  The chicken tamale I had was the best tamale I've ever eaten.  The tostada de tinga (a tostada covered in chicken and onions in a red chipotle sauce, lettuce sour cream, cheese, and a slice of avocado) is hard to describe.  It's a wonderful mixture of crunchy and soft, hot and cold, oh, it's just wonderful.  So I'm happy happy happy.  And I'm going back tonight.

He's a demon on wheels

Can I just tell you how excited I am about the upcoming Speed Racer movie?

Speed Racer IS my childhood. I don't know it for a fact, but I probably watched reruns of it as a little bit in Japan (I know I watched Kamen Rider. Anyway, after a year and a half of Japanese TV as an infant, when I saw Speed on TV back in Tennessee, there was something familiar and wonderful about it. This show, which began airing in Japan in 1967, has been a major cultural touchstone for me. I absolutely love Speed Racer.

So then they began making a movie, and I was scared. It could be great, but it could also be AWFUL. Seeing the trailers, I'm so excited I could DIE. I watched a 4-minute trailer on the film's website today and almost wet my pants. They even had Speed in the bizarre arm-across-the-chest pose from the TV show's title sequence. I'm a bit worried about the introduction of the Mach 6... but we'll see on May 9.

Everybody's Job

With a title like "Everybody's Job," I bet you think I'm going to talk about saving the planet, or the children, or something. No, not at all. I'm going to ask, "Why do I know how to do everybody's job better than they do?"

So for the past couple weeks there's been a little crack in the topcase of my MacBook. Aspreading crack. Now, I already knew MacBooks are prone to this. It was just a matter of when to get to Knoxville to have it repaired, for free, of course. So, after some of my past experiences is dealing with the Apple Jeenyuses at the Genius Bar, I called AppleCare. I was hoping they'd be able to check inventory at the store (for the needed part), and let me know whether or not the Knoxville store does repairs onsite, since I can't really afford to have my computer missing for days and days. The AppleCare guy was good, but they can't check store inventory. He did take down everything that happened, and assigned me a case number, so the store would know what was going on when I got there. And they'd know that I'd already contacted Apple.

So I called the store- because I wasn't going to drive to Knoxville if the part wasn't in stock. She gave me the canned answer that no one was around to check the stock and that even if it were in stock, the repair would take 3-7 DAYS because I'd be placed in a "Repair Queue."

First instance of me knowing a job better than the person doing it: When someone calls to ask if you have a part in stock, because they live two hours away, and it costs $20 in gas to get there and back, you find someone who CAN check the stock, and then you might even ask if there were a way to get the repair done quickly. And if there's no one around to answer those questions, you get the customer's number and call them back. I don't care HOW you've been trained to brush people off. It makes a difference, and even if your manager doesn't recognize it, I promise that the manager above that recognizes it- especially when they get letters and emails saying what a good job you did.

So I decided to risk it and went to Knoxville. I knew that if they had the part in stock I could get it fixed. The repair itself only takes a few minutes, and I've read numerous forum posts from people saying they got theirs repaired in no time. And if they didn't have it in stock, I'd ask them to order it and call me when it came in. And if they wouldn't do that, I'd resort to the tactic that I've had to use to get good service at that store before- throw a fit and fight with them until they do what they ought to do just to get rid of me.

Here's a little story about that- Eric bought a MacBook there about a year and a half ago. When we got to the car, we opened it up and discovered there were two dead pixels in the screen. So we went back in to exchange it. The manager told us that a couple of dead pixels weren't reason enough for an exchange. I said it was. That went on for a few minutes, during which I told her that I understand pixels go dead sometimes- however it is perfectly reasonable to expect a pixel or two to die over time- but there's no reason to expect dead pixels to begin with. Back and forth. When we got to the point of "If you opened a new monitor to put it out on the floor as a floor model, and found it had two dead pixels, would you leave it on the floor as an example of what a new monitor should be?" When she said that no, she wouldn't, she agreed to exchange the computer. We opened it right there in the store to verify the monitor. The whole exchange took three-quarters of an hour. And I knew she only did it to get rid of us, as my voice carries quite well in a small store, and customers were leaving in droves.

Anyway, so I took it in to the store at my allocated appointment time. The guy pulled up the stock, discovered they had four topcases, then went to the back to ask if they could fix it right then. Guess what!? They COULD! He said it would be an hour, and they'd call me when it was done. So I walked around the mall for an hour. An hour and fifteen minutes. An hour and a half.

So I went back to the store, where I was greeted with Smiling Smug Apple Lady.
"Hi!!!!!! Can I help you?!?!?!"
"Yes, I'm here to see if my repair is done."
"Did they call you?"
"No, but they said it would be about an hour, and it's been over an hour and a half now."
"Well, if they didn't call you, it's surely not done yet. They're very, very good about calling as soon as repairs are done!"
"Well, I was thinking they might have gotten busy and forgotten to call, or it might have gotten lost in the shuffle."
Instance number two of me knowing a job better than the person doing it: When this happens, you get on that handy high tech headset you're wearing, and ASK IF IT'S DONE.
She said, "well, if you really want to be really sure..." she said this as though I'd asked her to vote for Hitler for President... "you can go back and ask one of the people in the blue shirts at the Genius Bar."

So I went to the back, sat down, and looked at the Genius Bar for a few minutes, knowing that eventually someone would come to ME to ask if I needed help, because I didn't want to fight my way through the crowd.

Dude said, "Are you waiting for something?"
"Yes, I wanted to see if my repair is done."
"Did we call you?"
"No.
"Which repair was it?"
"Cracked topcase."
"What was the name on that?"
"Curtis Y."
"Let me go check."

Guess what? It WAS done. They'd put it on the top shelf and the person who makes the phone calls NEVER NOTICED IT.

I made sure to tell Smiling Smug Apple Lady that on the way out. Her smile faded.

New Title

If you know not only the name of the movie it's from, but also the name of the character who says the new title of my blog, put it in comments and maybe I'll, like, send you a Holiday World postcard.

More fun in Theme Park World

Today, I took my friend Marjorie to Dollywood, and we had a blast. Marjorie is 65, a grad student studying Storytelling, known all over Michigan as Mother Goose (complete with costume), and quite enamored with the notion of retiring to East Tennessee.

We got a late start, so we didn't make it to the Apple Store in Knoxville, but went straight to Pigeon Forge. On the way, I discovered that not only had Marjorie not been to Dollywood, but she'd never been to the area at all. So after taking my shortcut from Sevierville all the way around Pigeon Forge, we headed up through Gatlinburg and into the National Park. It was a misty, misty morning, so the views were pretty limited, but the Park itself is glorious no matter what the weather. Turns out Marjorie is a kayaker! We came back around and considered having lunch at Pancake Pantry, but for some reason, Gatlinburg was absolutely packed, so we hit the bypass and headed to the Theme Park, which was really only about half full. After picking up a Q-bot and reserving a show, we started looking for lunch, and, of course, ended up at the Giant Delicious Super Wonderful Hot Dog stand. I wasn't sure if Marjorie was a Ride Person, but after taking one look at the Thunderhead, she said, "Well, I've GOT to ride THAT!" We pretty much walked on, and had a nice chat with a ride attendant who asked me about the Voyage since she noticed my Holiday World t-shirt. She asked if it was really a better coaster than the Thunderhead, and I told her "I hate to say it, but yes." We chatted a bit about Holiday World- the ride operator said she really wants to go check it out. She said she thought the reason Holiday World beats out Dollywood was because of the free sodas. I said, "May be." What I wanted to say was that it's the free sodas, the ticket price that's $20 less, the included water park, and the fact that it's so clean you could lick the sidewalk if you wanted to. I wanted to say, quite honestly, that it's just a better park. As much as I love Dollywood, Holiday World really is just a better park. What I did say was that the two are similar in a lot of respects, and that Dollywood is the only park I would compare with Holiday World.

Anyway, Marjorie had a GREAT time on the Thunderhead, and yelled her head off. She told me she hadn't been on a ride of any sort in about 15 years, and I said that she couldn't have picked a better one to start back up on. So it was drizzly and chilly. The Timber Tower wasn't running in the morning, and Mystery Mine was a bit much for her- I made sure she knew about the 2 93-degree drops before she even considered riding it. We headed up to River Battle- and since it was rainish and chilly, no one was riding- except one lone family: Mom and Dad and a little girl. I made sure to blast them with a water cannon, and they sprayed me right back. Big smiles all around. On around to Blazing Fury, which had a 10 minute or so wait. Behind us in line were two little girls, so excited about the ride that they were talking excitedly to strangers (us) about it. "We've been on it six times in a row! After five, we said only one more but we have to do it again and THEN we won't ride it again and I love Blazing Fury and Mom bought me a necklace and do you like the Thunderhead and I like it when Molly says she's going to jump and Luther says he has a bad back!"

We caught a few minutes of the Zambian Vocal Group show, discovered that the Dollywood Express wasn't running today, and caught a show of Heartsong, one of my favorite things in the park- a multimedia paean to Dolly's love of the Smokies. It's really well done and emotionally manipulative, and gets me a little choked up every damn time. Marjorie loved it, of course. Then the 65-year-old grandma and I hopped on the Dizzy Disk, had dinner at Aunt Grannie's (and the sky opened up and it poured for the rest of the day), then saw the Russian National Theatre show (which is much better this year than last year). At one point four of the women came into the audience, picked out male partners, and had them dance onstage. One poor guy, a big guy in his early twenties, really experienced some Plumber's Crack Showing every time he bent over. The audience giggled, and I thought, "Oh, Lord, his family will be talking about that at Thanksgiving and Christmas for years." "Remember that time at Dollywood when you showed your ass to the whole audience?!?!?!"

After that, we hit the Chasing Rainbows museum, and saw the Coat of Many Colors, which Marjorie hadn't realized was REAL, and she announced she could spend all day in there studying the construction of Dolly's costumes. And then we headed home. It was a really nice time with someone who is pretty darn cool, and she really loved the park. She decided that a trip to a theme park is a NECESSITY when you're in the middle of a really stressful time- like during the crunch at the end of a semester at grad school.

So that was my fun, wonderful, quite low-key day. It might have been better had the weather been a little more cooperative, but it didn't stop us from having fun, and probably helped, since we had no push to make the water rides, which meant a more leisurely stroll around the park and not having to find time to fit them in.

One other thing stands out. We went into a woodcarving shop I'd never been into before, and they have the most wonderful custom-carved mantles for over fireplaces. They're carved and painted with thin paint or stain, just lovely. They start at $800, and if I were in a house I was planning on settling in, I'd absolutely find a way to get one. Most were plain rectangles, with scenes carved in bas-relief. One was a mountain scene with a peaceful little cabin. The carver told us that if you ordered one, you could give him a photo of your house, and he'd replace the cabin with YOUR HOUSE! Isn't that great? And there was one that was not bas-relief, but full 3-D, from the top and the front, of a stream, complete with trout, and pebbles, and a life-sized raccoon on top of the mantle reaching into the stream. It was spectacular. The same shop had a coffee table, and the top was about 4 inches deep- a 3-D stream bed, as though looking down into the stream, with fish, a turtle, and even a discarded fishing reel, all covered by a plate of glass. While it wasn't they style of a place I would probably furnish, it was absolutely lovely. And at $799 (more than I would ever pay for a coffee table), it was much less expensive than I had expected. I'm sure they could sell it for $1200 and still find buyers.

So that was today at Dollywood with a friend. Next weekend, if I have my schoolwork done, I may actually head back, since Dolly herself will be touring the park. Another friend wants to go. While three weekends in a ROW at Dollywood is probably overkill, I do love to get my money's worth for that season pass, and I sure would love to have Dolly wave at me as she passes in the parade. Kinda like the Pope, you know, but very, very different. :)

Ribs, bitch!

I love to barbecue. I love pork.

And I've figured out good ways to do it in my gas grill, using LOTS of soaked hickory chips. I'll usually smoke a pork shoulder for about 12 hours. And it's better than any restaurant- well, better than any restaurant around here, anyway. I'll never best Tops or the now-defunct Three Little Pigs in Memphis. Today, I thought I'd try my hand at ribs. So I put them in about 4:30. I didn't think they'd take too long because they're so, well, THIN. Five hours later, they're still not done. I think another half an hour, maybe a full hour, and then I'll be eating WELL. I also made some homemade barbecue sauce, and it's turned out ALMOST just the way I like it. Good time.

Tomorrow, I'm taking my friend Marjorie to Dollywood. She's a fellow grad student, retired and very cool. It's my chance to FINALLY see the shows, because Eric has no interest in the shows and he's not coming. So tomorrow I get to hang out with a cool friend in one of my favorite places, have another gigantic, delicious Dollywood hot dog, and see some sides of the park I don't often get to see.

Speaking of Memphis, I never thought I'd say this, but GO TIGERS!

Bible Stories

So I'm taking a Group Storytelling Class this semester. I took it last year, too. Last year, we made a little "story theatre" piece out of a bunch of Jack Tales and "youngest daughter tales." This time, we're working on stories from Genesis. We're trying to focus on them as stories, but dogma seems to be getting in the way for a lot of people. When I told my version of Joseph and the coat and the pit, and named his brothers Bobby, Peter, Greg, Cindy, Jan, Marsha, Keith, Laurie, Danny, and Rueben, there were a few looks of consternation. Anyway, my prof wanted me to co-direct this year. And I was up for it. I was expecting to really CO-direct the show. And I had expected my part would be to focus mainly on the visuals, staging, and imagery, since that's what I'm best at (and most interested in).

It hasn't turned out that way. We perform this thing in three weeks. And I'm just now figuring out that when he said "co-direct," my prof apparently meant he'd work in an advisory status. He's a forceful guy. I'd expected to be the advisor, the right hand, the second. Seems he was thinking that was his position.

So I've spent the past few days trying to bang out a script, using what the rest of the class have written. Combining them into something. But there are a number of stories we're working with that the class didn't write down- they extemporized. So I did what I could. And now I'm exhausted. I ended up not just compiling, but actually writing about a third of it, which is really not what the class is about. And the script that I turned in has a few holes in it. Things that no one wrote. I don't think any more of it should be my words. That's not what this class is about. I've had a few ideas beyond the stories I was originally assigned- my favorite of these is Noah's sons as the Three Stooges- but I can't conceptualize new versions of half of Genesis in a week. And though the class lends itself well to my own Pop sensibilities, well, I'm not the whole class.

Anyway, tomorrow morning- in 6 and three-quarter hours, actually- we'll be reading through what I put together from what people provided to me, and what I added. I don't think it illustrates the themes we're work with: scattering and reconciliation. But I think once I hear it read I'll be able to take that and re-write to draw out the themes. And then there will be a scant few hours of class time and a few extra rehearsals to actually stage it. So that's all I'm going to be able to think about for the next few weeks. Of course, I have another, very intensive class on educational research methods that is absolutely KICKING MY ASS. Luckily, most of that work is done now... I hope. We'll see how that professor responds to my rough draft. If it's positive, then I can devote my time to the Bible Show. If not, well, I'm fucked.

In other news, my mortgage goes adjustable in the middle of June. Time to find out how to refinance with mediocre credit and no cash on hand. And Friday (if she's free) or Saturday, I'm taking another Mental Health Day and taking my friend Marjorie to Dollywood, dammit! Eric's not coming- so we'll get to see the shows. I've been trying to see the shows for two years, but Eric won't see them. So we're going without him. HAHAHAH!

They've done it again

You know, I'm not a big gamer. I love old school video games, you know, where the story is short and you can't save and all that. Today, they call those "platformers." Today's platformers have more in-depth stories and such, but it's a very, very rare game that captures my attention enough to play it all the way to the end (I really miss the days when games didn't have ends).

Anyway, I love the Playstation 3, for its beautiful graphics and mostly for its Blu-Ray player. But so far, not a single game on the PS3 has kept me interested for more than an hour or two. The Nintendo Wii, on the other hand, is pretty great.

I mentioned a few months ago that Super Mario Galaxy ranks up there with the best games ever created. Prior to it, the only modern games I'd played all the way through were Final Fantasy VIII and Kingdom Hearts, and really, I'd lost interest in both of them by the time I was done. I just finished them because I'd already put so much time in.

Well, Nintendo recently released Super Smash Brothers Brawl. It was their present to me, because it came out on my birthday. I didn't get it for my birthday. But I got it as an Easter Bunny present for myself and for Eric. And it's FANTASTIC.

For those of you who don't know, the Smash Brothers games take characters from the most popular Nintendo games, like Mario, Pikachu, Kirby, and Zelda, and put them into a fighting game. It's a Nintendo-fied fighter, though, because there are all sorts of bizarre "weapons" that you can use. New for this edition is the "Superspicy Curry," which will make your character breathe fire for a few seconds. There are 35 characters in all, and a number of them have to be unlocked. Plus, for the first time in a Smash Brothers game, there are some characters that aren't owned by Nintendo, like Sonic the Hedgehog (I haven't unlocked him yet).

In addition to the fighting game, there's a platformer with a story featuring all the characters that will take probably 10 hours to play. I'm about 8 and a half hours in, and it's loads of fun. I haven't tried it yet, but it also has online play, so you can battle against people all over the world.

Like I said, it's loads of fun, and you don't have to know the original games the characters are from to enjoy it... I certainly don't know all of them, and there's even one playable character who is from a game that wasn't ever even released in the U.S.

So the Wii is just wonderful, even though it isn't in high def (it will support 480p as its highest resolution) and even though it has virtual surround sound (Dolby Pro-Logic versus true 5.1), it has absolutely the best games. After the dominance of Sony's Playstation 2 for years, I'm really glad to see Nintendo on top again. The Wii outsells the PS3 four to one in Japan, and apparently they're still hard to come by here in the States.

If you've got one, go get Super Smash Brothers Brawl. You won't be disappointed.

The Future

Today, I'm thinking about The Future. I'm starting to think that, as much as I would really love to teach theatre at the university level, I'm not so sure I want to go to school anymore. I'm already really in debt from student loans, I'm 36 years old, and, honestly, I'm kind of tired of school and work as my entire life. So I'm thinking about what kinds of jobs I could do with a BFA in Theatre and an M.Ed in Storytelling. Really, there are lots of things I could do that would be useful to lots of companies, but the problem is the companies don't realize that this position would benefit them. I could create training programs. I could motivate. I could work in creative advertising. I could do all sorts of things.

If I'm not working directly in the theatre (oof- no stability) or in education (oof- no opportunity), my dream job would be to work in the theme park industry. With my love (and deep understanding) of what makes rides and park shows work, along with my grasp of pop culture, imagery, and most especially, my knowledge of Story- and I mean DEEP Story, I could head teams that would turn the ride and attractions business on its EAR. in fact, I just had an idea for a show/ride attraction for Dollywood what would really, REALLY be popular. I'm not going to say what it is. :) But how do I get into that line of work? Most of the parks don't actually create their own rides. The attractions are contracted to various companies, who are remarkably nameless. I've found one company, Thinkwell Attractions, that I've been planning to put together a proposal to. They're based in LA (which would be great weather for Eric).

The only other company I've found that deals directly with this is Disney Imagineering. Another dream job, and one I would really be quite perfect for. But for the life of me, I can't seem to find any inroad there except internships- and that's something I really can't afford to do.

The point is that I would be extremely valuable- if only someone else had done it first! I've always wanted to Make My Own Path- but damn, figuring out how to do it is a bitch.

Spring Planting

Yesterday, it snowed for about 3 or 4 hours. Didn't amount to much because it had been so warm earlier in the day, but there was enough of it to dust everything. Judging from what was on the table on the deck, must've been about a quarter inch. It was still there this morning. But today, Spring is here. It's so beautiful out that I did a little planting. I bought some iris and tulip bulbs in the fall and never got around to planting them. 50 tulips and 40 irises. I figure they won't grow, but I might as well try. Turns out the packages say now is the time to plant them, but I'm not sure. They've been under the deck for the past six months, and all the tulips have sprouted; so have about half the irises. So I planted them all, and let their little green tips just barely stick out where they could get some sun. Just BARELY. If you know better, let me know. I also planted 50 caladium, the edges of the raised beds and in front of the boxwoods along the front of the house. I'm sure they'll grow. I love planting. Actually, I hate planting, but I love plants. And I do not have a green thumb. Plants die when I simply get near them. But since we moved here, I've gotten better. My pansies bloomed through the whole winter outside and are still thriving, even though I killed my palm plant. It didn't like being inside over the winter. Anyway, the buttercups are coming up all over town. I just wish there would be some buds on the trees. After last year's late (very late) snow and freeze, followed by a really bad drought, I worry about them. I'm afraid my dogwood may not come back at all, and the rose of sharon looks pretty piddlin'.

So that's the news from here. My jaw still hasn't unlocked ( haven't been able to eat a hot dog without a fork since January), so I'm going to have to go to the dentist for it. I can afford to go to the dentist- but I can't afford the TMJ treatment. I've tried some stuff myself- massage, magnesium, glucosamine and chondroitin- but I still can't open my damn mouth. Which sucks since Spring makes me want to sing!!!

Be good.