Michael Schilder

mikepictor @ 2009-11-08T12:23:00

2009-11-08T17:23:12Z

Oh my god! Why am I going go reahearsal, and then centrepointe to build sets, rather than taking the bike out to the Gatineau hills in this AMAZING weather. What a glorious sunny warm day!

mikepictor @ 2009-11-07T13:32:00

2009-11-07T18:38:13Z

A dilemma.

Auditions for Urinetown are Nov. 28, show is in March. Audition for Producers will be...march-ish, for a show in July. That could mean it is impractical to take an ASL class in the spring, I am not sure I can devote a night a week if I get into both shows. This bums me out a bit, I am still enjoying ASL classes more than any other schooling I have ever done. I really want to do level 4, but it's a hard lesson to learn in life that you can't do everything.

Now, there is a chance I won't get into Urinetown. Not for lack of talent I think, but it's primarily a Carleton U production, and I suspect they favour Carleton students if they get enough of them with talent to audition. I didn't get the part in Batboy, even though I am pretty sure I did a kick ass audition. So, if I don't get into Urinetown, I will then have a tough decision. I could take ASL, and hope I can jig the schedule for Producers such that it conflicts as little as possible, but I'd still probably end up missing the end of the course schedule. This also assume of course I get into Producers, which also isn't a guarantee, but I think I have a good chance at least at a chorus role.

One thing at a time I guess.

mikepictor @ 2009-11-05T10:20:00

2009-11-05T15:22:29Z

8.5 hours of sleep.

yegads did I ever need that!

mikepictor @ 2009-11-05T09:45:00

2009-11-05T14:55:51Z

Remember, remember the Fifth of November,
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,
I know of no reason
Why the Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.

I've got to go watch V for Vendetta again.

mikepictor @ 2009-11-04T16:57:00

2009-11-04T21:57:31Z

Best new quote ever

"Get your covet on, Gamorrah style"

mikepictor @ 2009-11-03T14:45:00

2009-11-03T19:49:53Z

Has anyone read any Scott Westerfield? Is he any good? I am getting crazy curious about his new novel Leviathan.
http://scottwesterfeld.com/blog/?page_id=1125
and not just because it has a cool trailer.

The audio book is read by Alan Cumming, that only increases my interest, because I strongly suspect he'd be a fantastic narrator. I am thinking of getting an audible.com account, I may as well just admit my addiction to audio books. Unfortunately, the audio book doesn't have the artwork that comes in the book....hmmmm, dilemma.

mikepictor @ 2009-11-01T23:57:00

2009-11-02T05:09:41Z

I have been pondering the SCA. I have done little SCA in the past year. I don't miss the activity itself, I have filled my time amply with other activities such as theatre (and others). I am not missing the social contact, as I have met and been able to socialize with a lot of people in other ways (both old friends and new). However, I do miss specific social contact with specific people. Simply losing touch with a friend and making a new friend is a mixed blessing. I do get to make a new friend, but I have lost some contact with an old friend with whom I had some level of rapport. I miss the post-revs, or meeting good friends on a Friday of travelling because I am staying with them for the weekend. My calendar is still very full (ridiculously sometimes), but it's been so long since I crashed on finitedancer's hide-a-bed, or geeked out with black5sugars, or heard Martin sing one of his quirky songs around a campfire, or danced Rostiboli with Helen, or received a backscratch from freya46, or given thirstysmurf a hug...

...and it's not like I can't simply make an effort to reach out to these people outside the context of the SCA, but there are simply only so many days in a month, and I haven't left myself with a lot of free ones. My fault certainly, and a state I don't regret for the most part, but I still definitely feel a need to crash an Kingston post-rev sometime soon.

mikepictor @ 2009-11-01T19:47:00

2009-11-02T00:54:32Z

OW!

Rehearsal was loooong today, long scene, involving all the cast, and ending up with me falling to the floor, obstensibly dead. However, I am not *actually* supposed to hurt myself, by say...landing wrong on my right shoulder such that it's sore enough that I have a hard time lifting anything with that arm.

Plus: I get an on stage kiss
Minus: The slap I receive afterwards is well deserved, Gaston is not a very nice person :)

I do have to say though, this over the top, larger than life villain role...pretty fun on many levels. There is something very engaging playing someone so obviously despicable, so ready to hurt people, so ready to use people to get his way. My ideal line up of characters this year (a long shot, but it's my ideal scenario), is an egotistical womanizer, a mean cop that arrests people for peeing without paying, and a nazi scriptwriter.

I think if I miraculously land all those roles, I will have to find a role next year of someone who loves to pet bunnies and give gifts to orphans.

mikepictor @ 2009-11-01T02:51:00

2009-11-01T07:53:53Z

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh *squee*

Sock n Buskin (Carleton U theatre company) is doing Urinetown this winter, auditions in November. I have long wanted to see Urinetown, but even moreso to be in it. I am so auditioning for it.

That's on top of Orpheus doing The Producers next spring, if I play my auditions right, this will be a very entertaining year for being in theatre.

Happy Halloween! Did you set your clocks back?

mikepictor @ 2009-10-28T08:26:00

2009-10-28T12:28:58Z

This...
http://gov.ca.gov/pdf/press/2009bills/AB1176_Ammiano_Veto_Message.pdf
...is an actual memo from the desk of the governor of California.

See anything interesting?

No?

Check out the first letter of each line. I laughed out loud. That HAS to be intentional. This is from gov.ca.gov, it's legit, or certainly seems to be.

mikepictor @ 2009-10-24T16:05:00

2009-10-24T20:06:01Z

Bah! Pocket watches? Not so easy to find outside of jewellery stores.

mikepictor @ 2009-10-23T14:16:00

2009-10-23T18:22:47Z

I saw the Drowsy Chaperone at the NAC last night with a couple of friends. That is a thoroughly entertaining show. I felt it had a slightly shaky start, with the band sounding out of tune a bit, but that may have been part of the gimmick...not sure. It firmed up though, and ended up being an incredibly funny performance. It's just pure farce, and uses a clever show within a show approach to storytelling, with the narrator essentially playing a record that comes to life for the audience, including some gimmicks of going back a few times in the record, and skips, and lots of poking fun at the conventions of musicals of the 1920s (oh that silly rampant racism and sexism). I will add that narrator role to my list of dream roles. I am attracted to roles that can be called a narrator, shows like Rocky Horror, Evita, Into the Woods all have good examples. I think it's the interaction with the audience, the permissions to break the 4th wall. It's fun.

mikepictor @ 2009-10-21T14:00:00

2009-10-21T18:08:02Z

Apple just announced 27" iMacs (and faster, and bigger drive, and more ram, and and and...)

Resolve wavering....

The fact my work will pay for 25% (ok...15% or so after tax taken off as it's considered a taxable benefit) has me pondering just how much I can get for my existing 24" model. Upgrading may actually not even be all that expensive.

mikepictor @ 2009-10-20T12:33:00

2009-10-20T16:36:53Z

The next show from Sexual Overtones, "Tales from the Strypt" (baddum tish), are now on sale at Venus Envy (320 Lisgar) or at Auntie Loo's Treats (507 Bronson).

As it stands right now, I am not in any of the acts, so will likely just be getting tickets like a normal person. They are changing venues to the big church turned community centre in the market (don't remember the name), so it should be a bigger crowd, and a much more scenic venue.

mikepictor @ 2009-10-14T09:47:00

2009-10-14T13:53:04Z

Some time back, I received a 6 dvd set of old silver screen musicals, stuff from the 30s-50s. I think it was from Helen's parents...I think...

Anyways, I had never opened it, it got buried in the move and I only recently unearthed it. I took it over to a friend's house yesterday, and we fired up 2 of the 20 movies in the set. One Fred Astaire film, and another staring Vera Allen. The latter in particular was a bit surreal. Filmed in 1946, it included a very spirited fun song about how the USA was awesome, and how the sky over Japan was a little smoky these days. It was quite catchy. Oh what a different world it is.

mikepictor @ 2009-10-13T15:16:00

2009-10-13T19:18:35Z

http://www.mysterygoogle.com/

Enter a google search, and you will get the search results of the person that came directly before you. IE: I search on car, you search on dog, you get results on car.

Reminds me of the Kawisha Mystery Cafe where you get the food ordered by the person ahead of you in line.
http://www.cabel.name/2009/09/kashiwa-mystery-cafe.html

mikepictor @ 2009-10-12T23:27:00

2009-10-13T03:37:36Z

Busy weekend all around. Friday I went to Orpheus to learn the stage directions I'll need to know (how the set moves, and when), and saw the second act of the show. I don't know the story of Little Women well, but the girl they got playing Jo is brand new to Orpheus, and a *stellar* actor.

Saturday, I helped Bix move into her new place, along with some paint application in one of the bedrooms, and we also went out to see Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs. Cloudy was side splittingly funny. I had a laugh headache (laughing so hard your head hurts) and tears in my eyes. One of the funniest animated films I have ever seen. Sunday was largely a lazy day, until I had enough of being lazy, and jogged 10.5 km. Woot. I still did the walk 10, run 1 routine, but even that stretched as a couple of times I checked my clock and realized I had been running for 12 or 13 minutes. My time was disappointing, 1hr, 22 min., so I figure speed is my next thing to work on, even if it means shortening distance initially. Sunday evening, I got invited for a Thanksgiving dinner at Bix's mother's house, which was a nice surprise. I even ate a brussel sprout to show a participatory spirit (it got blended with the potatoes, and the gravy, it was almost tolerable).

Today was also mostly lazy, and I didn't go running. I played on the computer a lot. I did go to a thanksgiving leftover potluck some friends were holding, and I tried haggis for the first time (wasn't actually a leftover, but purchased for the purpose). It was served with a full recounting of Robbie Burns' Ode to a Haggis. It was very tasty, with a very striking and interesting spice mixture. A+, would eat again.

mikepictor @ 2009-10-08T14:48:00

2009-10-08T19:01:27Z

I guess since everyone is doing it, I'd share my feelings about the google street view thing.

I don't care. At all. I like it. I think it has a lot of potential, a lot of practical application. However, I am also sensitive to the fact that I have friends who have a very big issue with it, and I am trying to be sensitive about that.

The way I see it is that it's no different than what is already publicly available. Hundreds of people in my area have already seen the view of my place (actually, it's hard to see my place from the street, but I checked the Lilibet house too..because..why not), they've seen no more, no less, than what Google offers them. They may even have taken pictures. I may have even been an incidental part of that picture. So, in effect Google didn't do anything that wasn't already being done on small scale. Google just took the scale up by a huge notch. They are actually being more responsible than they are probably strictly required to be. They are blurring faces and license plates. They take requests for further blurring if there is something you feel should be more obscured. There is nothing about this however that may not have already existed on Flickr, or Picasa, or...wherever. What it is, is more thorough, more organized, and more publicized.

Now...I can say something like "I don't care if the google car did catch me in a picture" (though I don't think they did), but I also realize I am 6'6" straight healthy middle class white male, and I think that leaves me with a challenge in truly appreciating why this touches a nerve with other people. So..all I can say is, if you hate it..I am doing my best to appreciate why, and trying hard not to dismiss your feelings on the matter.

mikepictor @ 2009-10-07T23:07:00

2009-10-08T03:07:55Z

Zombieland is epic

In other news, I am fasting for a blood test tomorrow morning. HUNGRY!

Feeling less tired though, amazing what going to bed before midnight will do for you.

mikepictor @ 2009-10-07T13:26:00

2009-10-07T17:28:34Z

3 sex trade workers in Toronto are suing the government seeking legalized prostitution, and the right to open a brothel.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/091006/canada/canada_society_prostitution_justice_court

Good for them! I hope they can garner a lot of attention for the case. We are long overdue for throwing out sex trade related solicitation laws.

mikepictor @ 2009-10-06T16:48:00

2009-10-06T20:57:19Z

I am exhausted today. I was kind of the same yesterday.

Wonder if I am coming down with something.

Had a fun rehearsal on Sunday. I am only in 5 scenes in the whole play, but each time I am the center of the stage, and the center of attention. I like it.

I am running out of motorbike weather, but I have not quite run out yet.

I bought a new watch online. Excuse me, time to go check the parcel tracking page again.

mikepictor @ 2009-10-03T23:20:00

2009-10-04T03:20:38Z

I will never wear pants to contra dancing again.

By which I mean a kilt is the best dance outfit ever.

....with bike shorts underneath (don't look at me like that)

mikepictor @ 2009-10-02T16:53:00

2009-10-02T20:55:21Z

A Texas judge rules the ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional
http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/breaking-texas-judge-ban-on-gay-marriage-unconstitutional/legal-issues/2009/10/01/4731

TEXAS!! Mind you...there is a loooooong road from the word of one district court judge past the state supreme court, past one of the most anti-gay state legislatures going. Still, a little ray of sunshine from ol' G.W.'s home state.

mikepictor @ 2009-10-02T10:22:00

2009-10-02T14:23:04Z

Quentin Tarantino is planning Kill Bill volume 3

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Tarantino-Promises-Kill-Bill-Vol-3-15004.html

I think I am excited, but I *really* didn't expect that.

mikepictor @ 2009-09-30T12:39:00

2009-09-30T16:44:06Z

bike ride this morning was....brisk. I may have to get my long johns out for future biking.

Did my first body pump class since getting my carpal tunnel. It went fine I think. I declined doing pushups because of the angle it places the hand and wrist and then applies pressure, but I did everything else. It went *twoing* a couple of times, but in very minor ways.

I have a bruise about 3 inches across on my back that is perfectly circular. I enjoyed getting it.