Personals

Well, well, well... about time I got off my lazy ass and updated.

Actually, I have been involved in Columbia College's 24-Hour Play Festival, again. This time as a playwright. I met with the cast and director last night. We chatted a bit about moments of humiliation, going after what you want and cowardice. Along with loads of stuff about what you would like to do on stage, what you are good at, favorite books, movies, plays, etc. In looking for themes and things to hang my creative hat on, I left thinking about high school, westerns and unrequited love. Five hours later, I had the first draft of "Cheddar Moon," about lunch lady Doreena who is being pursued by Principal Tate but whose heart belongs to Nick who left her at the Winter Formal and died in a mysterious motorcycle accident twenty years ago. I slept for five hours, formatted and tweak the first draft and sent it off. I arrived at Columbia College at 8am to meet with the cast and the director, go over costume and prop requirements with the production staff, and eat donuts.

Since Columbia has quite a costume and prop library, I let my imagination go a little wilder than I normally would. While the costumes weren't a problem at all, a few of the hand props turned out to be sticky. I wanted a troll pencil - one of those really long, skinny pencils with a tuft of troll hair on the end - and couldn't find one anywhere. While I was out scouring the local stores, the actors and the fight choreographer figured out a brilliant way around it and used just a handful of regular pencils.

I left the actors and director at noon once I felt they had a strong handle on the piece. If you'd like to see it, it's free. It's a 8pm at the Classic Studio in the Columbia Theater Building 72 E. 11th Street between Michigan and Wabash. Roosevelt is the closest El stop. Come early as it tends to fill up quickly.

Of course, if you're doing your math, you realize I probably got home around 1pm. So, what's the deal with the really late post? Julie and I bought a new couch and it was delivered today!!! I broke it in by promptly and assuredly crashing on it.


Robowriters Assignment

Courtesy of Mr. Joe Linstroth

The assignment is to write a sketch inspired by online personal ads.
Whatever that means to you. They can correspond with someone or just
read a bunch and find inspiration.  There is also the added optional
challenge of centering the scene around a character of your opposite
sex.  We tend to anchor our scenes with characters most like us.
Here's an opportunity to try to break out of that.

THE BS NEWS QUIZ OF THE DAY

Yesterday, I asked...

"The winning entry of the 11th Annual Wacky Warning label Contest was found on a tractor and said what?"

15% said "Not for Competition"
- Are you kidding. Tractors are all about competition! Nothing like a drag race through the back 40.

7% said "Do Not Submerge in Water"
- I think that's a warning sign waiting to happen. If I have just inspired a lawsuit, please give me 10%.

No one fell for "Keep Gas in Gas Tank"

76% got it right with "Danger: Avoid Death"

According to the Associated Press, that warning was selected Wednesday as the winner of the 11th annual "Wacky Warning Label Contest," sponsored by Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch. The contest is part of an effort to show the effects of lawsuits on warning labels. Kevin Soave of Farmington Hills, a Detroit suburb, won the $500 grand prize for submitting the tractor's "Danger: Avoid Death" label. My favorite is the runner-up. The $250 second place was given to Carrianne, Jacob and Robby Turin of Greensburg, Pa., for a label they found on an iron-on T-shirt transfer that warns: "Do not iron while wearing shirt."