Watson Wisdom Wednesday

It didn't happen often but once in a while there'd be free food. Mostly it was just ok but it saved thinking about a meal and once in a while it'd be something good.

So Rich looked as forward to these days as the rest of us but he had a secret. Took a while to figure it out but Rich would wait until people ate their fill and then he'd disappear. A while later he'd return with a tuperwear, fill it up and return it to his bag. It kept him from worrying about dinner, and sometimes breakfast and lunch.

Always carry a corn-tainer because you never know if there will be free food.

Loading out

The posts were carefully boxed, loaded onto a truck, driven to the next town, delicately unloaded and set up. All of this done with great precision and attention to detail by the folks at
Chin off the Pipe

Ok so maybe it was more of an AV pack

Letter to my Phone Pouch

Dear Nite Ize,
Why did you move to plastic clips on your pouches?
This is the second one I've broken on a lift.
I <3 belt loops.
Please bring them back.
Your Valentine,
That One Guy

Where do I go?

A hospital had speeches,a walk through and activities for kids in preparation for its grand opening.
Yeah hospitals have grand openings now.
I was never told where to meet.
Like a game of stagehand hide and seek.

Double Time Equals Doubly Exhausted

Friday I began a call at 11:30 pm.
It ended Saturday at 10am.
I made a lot of money and went home to hang out, nap and go to sleep.
That didn't work out for me.
My phone rang with a desperate plea to help out.
After being awake well over 24 hours I'm still up and coming down from 2 separate gigs.

As I posted on Friday my phone and I were having a fight. At around 10am I awoke wondering the time and since my black out curtains were drawn I had no idea the time. It was then I discovered I missed an 8 hour call as an AV assist and my phone and I had a falling out. I managed to go back to sleep pissed off at my phone and how smart it is in a stupid way and woke up at 4pm, fucked around for six hours or so, stayed pissed at my phone and then drove to scenic Everett Washington.

When I first got this called I had 6 choices: Trucks, Overnight LX, Overnight Carp, Daytime LX, Daytime Carp or Projectionist. I asked for projectionist but my skills weren't quite up to snuff so I took the overnight LX figuring it wouldn't be too bad, it'd be a check and I wouldn't have to do much heavy lifting. As it took us under 2 hours to unload the 5 trucks and the 8 loaders were sent home in time to make last call. I was jealous but figured my choice was right. It was a gamble, especially if the trucks had been staggered and some got to sit around doing nothing most of the night, but I took my chance.
Turns out a guy no more than 30 names below me got none of those choices so it was in my best interested even if I would have preferred to be a projectionist.


I didn't sign a NDA for this gig but let's say I was working at the factory of a company that's name can become Boring by adding 1 letter. They were very up on security as was discovered when the van at the parking lot could take us to the security gate but no further. Not much help since this plant is huge and none of us knew where we were going. Standing at nearly midnight in the parking lot one guy went out as a scout. Traveling with the van the rest of us waited and stood around in the cold.

This was the trend of the gig. Waiting for the van, waiting for security, waiting to get to the job site, waiting for carps to finish making the truss, for the riggers to drop points, for the truss to be rigged and then flown, and waiting out the clock for breaks and meals. Then at the end of the day waiting for the van to go to my car to go home.


There was one question I kept getting on the job: Where were you on Monday?
It seems there was some screw up and I was supposed to be on a load in. My name was called and I wasn't around. A few of my fellow stagehands were concerned that I wasn't there. Like some Mitch Hedberg sketch they feared something happened to me since I don't bail on gigs. One guy even took me aside saying he was concerned and asked around about me. I wondered if this was some sort Mitch Hedberg style routine.

I can't be too certain but it sure felt that way. What I am certain of is people kept telling me that I was replaced by Budgie and they would have much preferred me being there. And I'm not a huge fan of this guy because he talks more than works, is a big annoying and has this need to tell you his resume of work on a regular job site. As if the fact him working in San Jose is impressive.
In fact can San Jose ever really be called impressive?

But I digress. I'm supposed to be talking about an overnight.

The first 5 hours weren't too bad. There was a safety speech about wearing a hard hat and safety glasses. Ok it's a factory so it makes sense and those of us that didn't have some were issued some. The hard hat wasn't great but wasn't horrible but the glasses had this odd distortion around the peripheral that was odd but not too bad. Like having a few drinks before jumping on unloading the trucks.

We made quick work of the truss and lights. Arranging movers and laying out cable. Setting up for when the truss flies and we can get it in near show readiness. And waiting the waiting continues. Coffee comes and goes and a bit more is done on the truss and then breakfast. Eggs, bacon (the crunchy bacon was on the bottom), sausage and potatoes.
Good offerings at 4:30 am, some toast would have been nice but the bacon was crispy, the eggs not too bad and the potatoes had peppers and onions in them so it was bonus.

The problem on the overnight is gorging on free food, getting weighted down and passing out on a road case, ending up back on the truck and then you're in another city with the faint taste of breakfast as a reminder of when things went wrong. I only had a bit of eggs, crisp bacon, sausage, potato, a 5 hour energy, 2 cups of coffee, and some oj before returning but still the near dawn drudgery set in. It got tougher, time moved slower. I hated the fact I wore a watch as I'd check it and time slowly ticked past. At one point my cloudy mind forgot how to put a choke on some cable for strain relief. The distortion of the safety glasses gave me a near hang over headache and the lack of natural light, slow moving time and Niacin flush made this post breakfast time harder.

Second coffee came and I sat at a table talking with some friends and one put down his head and nearly passed out. I drank a pepsi and some coffee. Still felt a bit warm and my mind was cloudy but I wasn't too bad. Just getting off the glasses and hard hat made this break worthwhile. The pinch and distortion were much harder than the exhaustion of this random overnight. Yes I wasn't totally prepared for it but doing it without those safety devices would have been much easier. I need to get my own cover and glasses because it would have made a huge difference.

The last two hours were cloudy but past constantly. I watch the sky lighten through a sky light that was pointed out to me by a fellow electrician. And we did a few things trying to save a few tasks for the day crew. After all why should we get all the fun? Eventually 10am rolls around, I sign out, wait for the van, get in my car, onto the highway and head home. Debate whether getting a bloody mary and some breakfast, or maybe a beer and burger, either way some sort of alcohol to celebrate a night well done.

The jitters of too much caffeine, the after effects of the 5 hour energy and just a plateau of exhaustion led to the decision to get some teriyaki, drink plenty of water, curl up in a warm bed and get some sleep. And as I lay in my warm bed, full and content I drifted off to sleep for a while listening to Rick Steve's Europe.

Snapped out of a groggy exhausted state I get a call from my head boss at a theatre. They were ass out, needed a tech to come in for a few hours to be there for a rehearsal. He wasn't begging but he was in a rough spot not being at the theatre and needing someone to come in. Allowed me to park in an exclusive spot to show the urgency and despite the level of my exhaustion I throw back on my blacks and head out.

That second gig wasn't hard as I patched a DJ into the sound board. Answered a couple of questions, drank a second 5 hour energy (the grape is pretty good), and waited for that shift to be over. I was tired but the edge was taken off. In the end this bit of exhaustion would work in my favor and as there's a quick blackout down town knocking out the elevator and making our house lights act odd I accept that I made the right choice. Going to regret it later but right now I'm content with my decision and should get some shut eye knowing I made a good chunk of change and my phone and I have made up.

Letter to Auto Ring

Dear Auto Ring,
You cost me a gig by not ringing a number that you were instructed to always ring. You are dead to me.
Get off my phone,
That One Guy

Saved the Day?

I'll say this about this co production I've been getting more work. Like this dinner before opening night. Once again running mics for a room full of board members and major donors of two theaters. Folks more important to my field than I'm fully aware.

And it was a well planned event except for house music. In the rush of opening night, tech and other things the sound designer spaced on this.  But there was some jazz left over from another one of these I did which I had playing.

The designer thanked me for having it running and saving the day.
Yeah not so much.

Just Add Bleach

My blacks go through stages before my life style and work ethic forces me ton replace them.
It usually goes:
Corporate blacks
Show blacks
Work blacks
Painting blacks
Distressed blacks
Rags

Today I did a load of laundry and some bleach joined the party.
Unfortunately I was doing a load of blacks since it'd be a bit and I have a few gigs that call for them.
Suffice it to say a pair was permanently dropped a level.
Not so good since they were relatively new blacks (about 3 months old) and I liked them but it could have been worse, I suppose.

Watson Wisdom Wednesday

Rich, me and a few of the crew of the ice show would go to vegas once a summer. Being 5 hours away and having a day off we'd leave after our last show, spend the day there, and then come back the following morning before the first show. This was Rich's one vacation a year and he'd usually start it in the same way: he'd drink a beer, then go into the bathroom to take a shit and have a smoke.

The things you find most enjoyable things usually the ones you can rarely do.

Mistakes were made

A friend texted me this
Friend: Dammit!! way to drop all the half-hats into the wrong slot ;p
Me: Just keeping it interesting for you and I swear I put 1 in the proper slot
Friend: That's what she said!! (LX #2) put all of his in the right slot. =/
Me: I'll show you the color slot; bend over
Friend: yes, please!!

Loading Bricks...

And reading about orcs.
Now that's a super Sunday.

Last Day of Camp

I never read “Anne of Green Gables”. Call it a failing of my public school elementary education, a lacking of my catholic high school, and my college level children’s lit having us read “Little Princess” instead but I’ve never read the story about a plucky red head that gains acceptance in a Canadian town. In fact my understanding of the Maritimes comes from Kate Beaton and a few Vinyl Café episodes. Mind I did watch mini series of “Anne of Green Gables” in Las Cruces in ‘02 and my sister watched “Avonlea” back in the early 90s but I’m hardly an expert.

For me it began on October 29th when I got a call from dispatch asking me if I wanted to do a deck run on this show. I texted a 4 friends and 3 said ‘yes’ 1 said ‘no’ after a month it was apparent the dissenting vote that was right. That show was dull. A wasted three hours of show that went nowhere.
If there is a conflict it is a superficial one between Anne and the town. An orphan up against the Victorian ideals of Canada, a youth with no family and no history dropped into a Podunk town where her nature and looks cause her to stick out. So let’s call it an Anne versus society but this is never resolved. In fact beside a few hints when she is first introduced to the town and by a resentment by Josie Pye this conflict goes no where. Mostly it is resolved by the beginning of act 2 when Anne saves Minnie May but instead of the show ending with everyone accepting this ginger and bringing her into her fold in a fools-esq song the show continues for a hour where Anne goes to college, Mathew dies and things are dragged out so the show runs nearly 3 hours.

No conflict is fine if the show has great characters but no so much this one. All of them are one dimensional characters. The closest any character gets to change is Marrilla because she goes from not wanting Anne to finally accepting her with a hug and revealing how much love she actually had for Anne in a sentimental moment right before the final number. The change is never shown. Marrilla mentions it but there isn’t a sequence of scenes with Marrilla and Anne getting closer and closer or even having a close and tender moment after Mathew dies, possibly in song, how much he meant to them and how he brought them together and revealing their feelings that way it has some depth and seems natural instead of coming out of nowhere.

In fact there is a line just before what could have been a romantic scene where Anne and Gilbert Blythe finally express their feelings and end up kissing or at least something beside ‘being the best of friends’. Not saying we need to pull out the shed again and then they have a hot, steamy time inside the shed but something beside this banal moment where they want to be friends. I digress the line was one of the guys says ‘It’s too bad Gilbert won’t be going (to university) we always had such fun’.
When?
When did you guys have fun with Gilbert but in the first school scene where everyone runs amok. Outside of that moment Gilbert goes fishing (or rather says ‘Put down your poles and join me’… which might have been fun) with these guys after seeing Anne but I see that as a moment where a guy tells his friends ‘Bros before Hos!’ after being spurned by a girl and possibly trying to have sex with them in a fit of desperation and Budweiser. But I’m a cynic.

I don’t say anything about this show that reviewers didn’t beat me to. The songs are boring, they go nowhere and are slow. As Michael Strangeways at Seattle Gay Scene said “The music also fails. A fellow theater critic whispered into my ear at intermission, “They have two melodies; a slow one and a slightly faster one…” And, I added, “Neither one is very interesting.” ( source) It’s absolutely true.
In fact nearly every review said the cast was great but the music wasn’t. And these critics saw it maybe once. I saw it 84 times and the bonus of it being so lackluster is no song got stuck in my head. There was one moment that did and it was the final song of Act 1 when the much of the ensemble goes ‘Marilla”. There was some words before it but I have no idea what they are it all seemed noise. Blurred together by my standing by to fly the BOC and the fact it was mixed for audience and I was standing in the wings.
So bonus?
I think so.

This will be a show I forget fairly soon. It’s something that wasn’t great or memorable and I didn’t even have some great backstage antics. I had a few but most happened last year and those are a different story.

Really Audio

And you wonder why you get a bad name.

Watson Wisdom Wednesday

One time Rich and I were loading in a new show, we showed up at 5 am, finished loading it in, took breakfast, came back prepped for a run, did that, went into the house to be reamed by the TD about how we didn't do it so well, did another run, back for a reaming. One final run at around 5pm and we knew once again we were going to be reamed for not doing a perfect run.

Now the odd thing was the TD told us we did a good job that day, we'd have it perfect for opening in 5 days and suggested we take a break and then clean up and call it a night. After a long day of being told we sucked Rich spoke up, 'Look Jack we've been here since 5am, how about we just clean up and go home?'

There's no point in taking a 15 minute break 30 minutes before going home.

Should Have Cooked It Longer

Personally I like them a little runny with salsa on toast.

Stats

Weeks I worked on it: 13
Number of shows: 84
Length of Show: ~ 2 Hours 45 Minutes
School shows: 4
Set pieces used once: 6
Miles I drove to Issaquah: 21
to Everett: 31
Total miles driven: 1976
Poinless scenes: 7 (at least)
Songs stuck in my head: 0
Days I came in sick: 0
Caricatures drawn: 40
Set pieces I was behind: 1
Huge Set pieces: 3
Times I pilled the wrong line: 3
Show Crushes: 2
Hours I wasted per day: 5
Missed cues: 2
was it important? No really
Calls I missed: 9
Late Cues: 6
Reason: I spaced out
Number of Red Heads on the show: 3
Crew that made it the whole run: 3
Crew members replaced: 7
Who was allowed to park in the loading dock: Not me
Sexy Costumes: 0
Total Moves I had: 38