Well! Big week on the Boo front...Guess who's Minnesota Blog Of The Day? I'm actually very proud, and more than a little jealous! But as Boo has often tended to underrate his writing ability, I'm really happy to see that someone else thinks he's as talented as I do.
He sings too! I worked the assistant stage manager gig for One Voice Mixed Chorus this weekend (with whom Boo sings), which I have to say is about 1001 times less stressful than actually being the stage manager, which I've done several times for this chorus over the years. Instead, my friend Randy (no relation) did the heavy lifting, and I just did what he asked and offered the occasional advice. When asked. It really baffles me, over and over, year after year, how we can take this group on tour to places they've never been, and when it comes to lining up, getting on stage, not getting lost...they do just great! But. Get them home, and put them in their regular performance venues, and getting them to get on stage rapidly turns into a largely futile exercise in herding cats. I had to get out my "junior high school substitute teacher" voice at dress-rehearsal Thursday, and, after their ears stopped ringing (I can shout surprisingly loudly - I subbed in public schools for two years), they tried much harder to attend to what needed to be done. Which is good, because screaming at them when there's a hall full of paying audience is not very professional.
The show went smoothly (enough), they sang beautifully, and I have to say I'm really no closer to loving Robert Frost's poetry or Randall Thompson's music. But it was nice.
So, Andy didn't miss all that much, though we certainly missed him. Andy somehow manages to get this group lined up quickly and efficiently without screaming, and takes a huge load off the stage managers whenever he's around. Unfortunately, he's very far from being around, as he's in Cambodia at the moment. Andy is in year two of a round-the-world trip, and you can read about it by clicking the top link on my blog roll (or his name in this very paragraph). After saving up for several years, he set off on this journey, staying at hostels, eating local foods, taking local transportation. Kind of like he did when he lived here in Minnesota, I guess, but it's not a common way to travel, and I have to say I'm in awe. Though the junior high teacher came out again when I read about that little boat trip young man (22-Nov-05)! What were you thinking! "I trust I need not point out the folly of traveling with out a guide, local knowledge, or even a map" indeed! And the vivid tales of crossing the street in Hanoi? Yikes!
Andy's one of the few people on my blogroll whom I've met in person, and who knows me by another name. The others are Boo, ahem, Mamluke at Late Late Antiquity (duh!), and Grouchbutt at Thank You In Advance For Understanding. The more I read Grouchbutt's blog, the more I realize how much I miss his visits, since he is even funnier in person. He also has great taste in music, and great taste in handsome athletes. Sometime I may even pay attention to what sports they play. Besides, his post with a title I couldn't pronounce on a drunken bet Eu te amo mas eu não gosto de você muito para a direita agora makes me laugh til I pee. Because. Boo. Has. Shelves.
So, the rest of this week, I'm going to post about some of the other people on my blogroll who know me primarily by my nom de Internet, and why you should check them out too.
No, really. More than one post a week. I can do this.
Maybe.
1 comment:
Yeh! I am only two degrees of seperation from the "Minnesota Blog of the Day".
I'm sorry I couldn't be there for the One Voice Concert, I even like Robert Frost's poetry. (Some of that may be being on the road for a year and a half and "A Road Not Taken" has extra meaning at this point.) Actually OVMC isn't that hard to line up, after having Stage Mananged the last concert I don't want to do it again like that. Maybe it is easer because together we spit the roles up, I'll line them up and keep an eye on spikes, you do everything else. I thought of you all. I'll be back for the next concert, probably.
(Oh, staying at hostels, eating local foods ect... is not an uncommon way to travel, it is an uncommon way for Americans to travel.)
Oh and I thought I pre-empted your junior high teacher about my boat trip with the introduction, "To begin with I should point out that the following story is probably about one of the most unsafe, stupid things to do on this trip. I did know this at the time, but there are times when you do have to take risks or regret it latter. (This note is mostly so I don't have to get a letter from my mother telling me how stupid it was: I already know.)" And you count under the mother catagory. Actually most of One Voice does as it is filled with carring people who worry.
Any way doing stupid dangrious stuff is only bad when you don't know you are being stupid and dangrious. If you can say, "This is dumb, but I'm going to do it anyway." you will be ok. Or atleast you will notice when it is going south before it is too late. Otherwise we would never do stupid things like falling in love...
Yours, from Phnom Penh, Cambodia
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