Update (a bullet list)

Hello friends and blog buddies!  Here's a quick bullet list to catch you up on what's going on in my life.

• I've totally fallen off the wagon with this diet thing.  I just got tired of thinking about food!  And logging in to weight watchers dot com to look up the point values of what I'd eaten.  It just became a hassle.  Plus I've been all over the map emotionally (partially because of the season change-- I think I suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, frankly ) so I've been eating irrationally.  I'm an emotional eater- I've said it before.  I eat to make myself happy--- oh the joy of biting into snickers bar or a big juicy hamburger! 
  
• I love musical theatre-- but I hate that I've had Alice in Wonderland lyrics stuck in my head all week!  "Falling... Falling... Down Down Down.. Curiouser and curiouser... "
• Ophelia seems to be much more affectionate in the winter.  Maybe she wants to share body heat. In any case, if I'm sitting she wants to be in my lap. On related note- I really need to trim her claws.  
• I'm excited about going to see Quantum of Solace this week!  I've been preparing for it by watching some of my favorite Bond films.  Last night I watched From Russia With Love- the 2nd installment in the series and arguably the best.  But watching this Connery classic has brought up some mixed feelings about Craig's second installment in the Bond franchise.  I fear they might have turned the debonair man of mystery that I've idolized since childhood into an action hero-- more interested in explosions then espionage  (at least that's what Roger Ebert says).  I should withhold my own review till I see the film. 
• Speaking of film franchises that I love-- there's some news  over at Trek Movie.com.  The new trailer (already been leaked onto the internet) will be on the official site tomorrow.  The folks over at Paramount have also released images from the film including a glimpse at the new/old Enterprise.  I'm not sure how I feel about this.  I mean, I loved the idea of a prequel-- a film that explores a young Kirk and his journey to the center seat-- his early friendships with Spock, etc.  But why redesign the Enterprise?  What was wrong with Matt Jefferies' original design?  Hmm.. I'm trying to keep an open mind.   Don't get me wrong-- I'm very excited about the film and even more happy that it's coming out on my birthday (May 8th). Again, I won't pass final judgement until then. :) 

[UPDATE: Here is the Official Trailer for Star Trek!]

Election Ups and Downs

I have a lot on my mind today and, as usual, I'm having trouble filtering it down onto the page.  The page being a screen of course.  Last night's election results left me emotional.  I had tried not to get my hopes up too high.  I was let down in 2000 and again in 2004 so this go-round I had my guard up.  I didn't go to any fun election night parties or gather with friends around a TV.  I decided to watch the election results from home with my cat.  It was looking good... as they say "fool me once..."  Then Fox News flashed a headline "Obama To Be President" I looked in disbelief.  I quickly switched to NBC-- nothing.  ABC-- chatter.  Had Fox jumped the gun?  My fears were soon laid to rest when all the networks and CNN.com announced Barack Obama the winner!  I soon started crying-- tears of joy.  I mean this is history!  This is what we need!  This is hope! This is change!  This is America living up to its potential!  Suddenly I regretted not going to the election parties.  So I quickly started texting and messaging friends from my comfy spot on the couch.  Messages like "YAY!" and "GO OBAMA!"  I grabbed a Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich and munched on it while McCain gave his speech.  Later I was too emotional to eat  while Obama gave his inspiring speech.  I went to bed happy feeling like we were on the right track.  I was proud to be an American-- as proud as I was in my childhood when I happily pledged allegiance to a small flag hanging next to the chalkboard in Ms. Osborn's classroom.

But this morning I got the rest of the news.  Proposition 8 passed in California?!?!  How could this happen?  What went wrong people?  It just goes to show that we haven't come as far as we think we have.  And that we have a long journey to go for true equality.  That being said, I turn to President Elect Obama's words for inspiration.

"There will be setbacks and false
starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I
make as President, and we know that government can't solve every
problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we
face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all,
I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way
it's been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years - block
by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand. 

So let us summon a new spirit of
patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to
pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each
other. In this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people."

GO OBAMA!

Thoughtful Mike

 Hello friends-

I hope everyone had a lovely Halloween.  I have a couple of things on my mind-- and when that happens I often turn to my little blog.  Let's make a bullet list!!

• Election Update: This is my first election year in Ohio.  No one prepared me for the barrage of political ads I'd be subjected to living in a swing state!  My god!  It's insane! Not only have political ads taken over the TV, but they're filling up my mailbox now-- my real mailbox that is- not e-mail.  These ads are always so negative.  It's depressing in a way.   I'll be happy when this election is over.
  
• Weight Watchers Update: It's going ok.  I did stray yesterday quite a bit by indulging in some Halloween candy and baked goods at work.  I mean- what the hell.  It's a holiday- right?
• Reading Update: I may have abandoned my laundromat book "A Habit for Death".  I might pick it up again on some cold laundry day, but for now it's back on the shelf.  I've started "Running With Scissors".  So far it's absolutely fascinating!  I want to see the movie too-- but not until after I finish the book.  I love that now I have time to read things other than plays or textbooks that I'm not in grad school anymore! 
  

Catching Up

It's 2am and I'm somehow more awake than I've been in a long time.  I battled with some seasonal depression last week. It was finally really cold outside and all the leaves had turned. What some might find inspiring and beautiful I tend to see as reminder of the passage of time and imminent death.  Depressing, ain't it?  But this is a new week and I'm optimistic.  Fall has some real perks like the introduction of cute hats and scarves to my wardrobe.  That's always fun.  And the cycle of life should be celebrated- not feared. 

I also strayed from Weight Watchers last week-- in a bad way-- gaining back 3 pounds.  But Today I'm back on and doing well.  I have a plan for tomorrow and hope to really bring my water intake up to where it should be in addition to staying on target with my points the rest of this week.  I stocked up on veggies and low cal options today at the grocery store.

So- I'm in prep week for Alice in Wonderland.  Prepping for a show is very exciting.  It's a new beginning!  We all get to start fresh.  New production. New cast. New paperwork. New calendar. New To Do List. New script. New designs. New office supplies!  YAY PREP WEEK!

Ok. I'm gonna go read for a bit and go to bed.  Later-

Talky Blog

Tops covered:

• Weird schedule changes
• What I'm reading now-a-days
• I need new batteries!
• Where is the UPS guy?
• Why am I wearing at hat?

Weight Watchers Update

I've lost 6 pounds! 

I know that doesn't sound like much but I'm still very happy about it.  In fact, I did a little dance when I hopped off the scale this morning.  So far Weight Watchers seems to be working really well for me-- I don't starve.  I just make smarter choices and still eat my fill.  At the end of the day I have more energy and feel better.  The weight loss is like a bonus. 

So-- wish me luck!  I think I'm hooked now. :)

Ophelia

Ophelia
Originally uploaded by The Mike Jones

I was playing in my little photography studio this morning when Ophelia decided to pay me a visit. She was nice enough to sit still long enough for me to snap a quick shot. Isn't she beautiful? :)

Converting the sun room into a studio

Hey!  I'm VERY excited about this--- I've decided to convert my sun room into a photography studio.  I've already done one photo session in here already and it worked so well that I decided to permanently rearrange some furniture, move the litter box and create a little work space for my photography.  The sun room is perfect because I love using natural light and plenty comes in thru the windows here midday.  I've added some studio lighting for fill or sessions on cloudy days.  The windows are useful in other ways.  The blinds create a great effect when needed and the curtain rod at the end of the room can be used to hang back drops.  Here is a snap shot of my little studio as I was setting it up: 

Weight Watchers Update

So I've been on Weight Watchers for a couple of weeks now.  Honestly though, the first week doesn't really count.  I tried to just eat like normal and see how many points it added up to.  It was great- I learned a lot about where I spend my points.  I'll usually be on track (unless I go to Chipotle for lunch) until the evening when it all goes out the door.  In that last hour before bed I have a tendency to binge on foods with a high point value and blow the whole plan out of the water. 

With this problem in mind I headed into the 2nd week.  And I was doing pretty well until the dinner break of our 1st 10 out of 12 tech rehearsal.  Our director's wonderful mother brought food to the theatre to feed the cast and crew-- and oh my God it was delicious!  I jumped off the diet wagon and into the buffet line faster than  you can say gastric bypass!   Later I was munching on my 3rd sandwich from the Mom buffet when I decided: tech is like Christmas-- no one should be on a diet during tech. 

So once tech was over I jumped back on the wagon and so far have been doing pretty good.  So far I've lost 2 pounds, gained one back and now I'm on my way back down.  One thing that's actually helping me is my lack of social interaction.  You see, my favorite thing to do with friends is to eat-- but in Cincinnati all my friends are so busy and I'm always at the theatre so I've been eating out MUCH less often than I did in grad school.  At one point I was up to eating out a least once a day. 

Anyway- Wish me luck!

Talky Blog

Topics covered:
- Shows
- Weight Watchers
- Jay Brannan

MyFace... or FaceSpace... or MyBook... or...

It's Friday afternoon at 12:30.  I'm on day 4 of my 15 days without a day off-- don't get me wrong it's my own fault.  I'm currently working 2 contracts at once-- which was my choice.  Nevertheless, as rehearsals for The Seafarer start next week while Grey Gardens continues to run I will have little free time.  Strangely, I thought I would take this-- one of my last free hours, to blog about online communities. 

I know I've talked blogged about this before- but I'm addicted.  I've been on LiveJournal, Friendster, MySpace, Facebook, Plaxo (not to mention a few more 'adult' social networking sites) for years now.  Well I'm hearby parring it down.  I recently had a conversation with my friend Keven who told me that he is officially "offline".  Well, not really-- he still has a professional web page as an actor-- but he canceled his MySpace, Facebook and all that.  He sounded so liberated and free!  I kind of envied him and felt inspired to do the same.  Don't get me wrong- I'm not going cold turkey like he did.  But do I really use Friendster anymore?  Nope.  CANCELED.   LiveJournal?  Nope. ABANDONED.  What about MySpace?  Uhh... well... I kinda use it.  I mean, I check it every day.. but dont' really post anything there anymore.  I don't blog there or anything.  Let's come back to MySpace later.   Next?  Facebook.  YES!  I use facebook.  In fact, it seems to be a perfect resource for keeping in touch with colleagues I've worked with on shows in the past, a communication tool really.  I almost use it like a big online address book.  Oh wait-- doesn't that exist?  It does!  It's called Plaxo!  So why don't I just use that?  Well- most of my friends are not on Plaxo (yet).  So for now Facebook stays.  Plaxo will also stay. 
...  ...
So.. what about MySpace?  Ok- first let me direct you to a link.  Read the number 10 commandment in this list: The Ten Commandment of Facebook.  As the article says, MySpace is kind of glitter filled and juvenile.  I mean, Facebook does seem a little more "grown up".  Of course, is being "grown up" all that important?  Maybe I need some wimsy in my life and MySpace is just the right place for that.  I'm not sure.   What do YOU think?  Should I get rid of MySpace?? 

Grey Gardens is up & running!

Grey Gardens opened Wednesday night.  It's a great production on a really wonderful show.  I've been obsessed with Little Edie ever since I saw the documentary 2 years ago.  Doug Wright, Scot Frankel, & Michael Korie have done an amazing job of creating a musical based on that cult classic documentary.  Our production is one of the first regional productions of this Broadway hit. 

More info: www.cincyetc.com
September 10 - 28, 2008

Talky Blog - Update

Batman

I'm watching Tim Burton's 1989 Batman for the first time in years. I love to see what great directors and actors can do with good characters like Batman/Bruce Wayne and especially The Joker. Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger both turn out compelling interpretations of The Joker. In any case, this is a nice way to spend a Sunday evening.

Mike Update

I'm happily settling into new digs in beautiful Cincinnati. The apartment is way cute and my neighbors are nice. Ophelia seems to be settling in ok too-- except that she seems to want to wake me up at like 7am every day. I'm not sure if she hears the neighbors moving around then and it scares her or what- but suddenly she's all about laying right next to my face and smacking repeatedly with her tail. I roll over and scoot away to avoid her-- Then she'll move to the other side of the bed by walking over me and lay down on that side and wack me in the face. This continues for hours (though I occasionally kick her out of bed she comes back) till I finally give in and get up.

So, I started work yesterday! I settled into my desk a little, found my way around the building and asked a bunch of questions. It was good times. :) It feels so "right" to be back in Cincinnati. It really feels like home. I went to Church Sunday at the First Unitarian Church which is actually pretty near my apartment. It's a beautiful old historic church with Tiffany windows and carved wood. The people were all very nice of course and made me feel very welcome. I could see me settling in Cincinnati for a while. :)

Hmm.. what else is new? ...

Church Shooting

Amanda called me Sunday with a seriousness I've rarely heard in her voice. "Mike, there was a shooting at the Unitarian Church today." I met the news with a coldness. My church? There was a shooting at my little hometown church? I almost shrugged it off-- I didn't want to think about such a tragedy. It wasn't till the next day that it started really started sinking in. Now I'm kind of obsessing with reading about it - various news reports and blogs. Here is a good article at CNN.com that goes into the shooter's hate filled motives.

My heart goes out to members of the church. I haven't been to Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in a couple of years- since I started grad school actually. But I still think of it as home. My church is a place where everyone is welcome. They go beyond "tolerance" and embrace "acceptance". It's a quiet place of meditation and love.

I feel a sense of guilt. I should have been there. I was originally planning on moving to Ohio Monday so I could stay in TN for the weekend and go to church. The move was bumped up to Saturday because of my parent's work schedules (they were helping me move).

It angers me to know this happened because of hate-- a man who blamed liberals and gays for his own misfortune lashed out like an animal in a place that's full of nothing but love.

But together we can heal. Friends, please send your love, positve energy, and prayers to the congretation of the Tennessee Valley UU Church. The UUA has set up a blog for us to express our thoughts here.

It's the day of the show, y'all!

The Beaux Stratagem opens today! This is my final project in grad school-- I graduate in a week!! Stage Managing Beaux has been a treat. I hope some of you can come see it. :)


From ASF's Blog:
Starting this Friday we have our MFA production of The Beaux Stratagem,
a rowdy romp through 17th century England involving two young men's
scheme to woo and then rob young women across the countryside. What's
the only problem? They didn't anticipate a real love. Check out all the
facts behind this hilarious play at wikipedia
and see why love can cause the best of plans to go awry. Tickets on
sale now at the box office at 334-271-5353 or 1-800-841-4273 -or-
online at www.asf.net. We'll see you there!

Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati: '08-'09 Season

(from www.urbancincy.com)

The Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati
has announced their 2008-2009 Season. The lineup includes six different
works ranging from contemporary theatre award-winners, as well as, some
Cincinnati favorites.

Three of the works have been nominated forTony Awards. Grey Gardens has been nominated for 10 including Best Musical. The Seafarer and Gem of the Ocean have both been nominated for several (4 and 5 respectively) awards and are both nominated for Best Play.

In addition to those goodies you'll have the opportunity to check out
Alice in Wonderland (a musical retelling of Lewis Carroll's classic
story), Mauritius, and Don't Make Me Pull This Show Over: Dispatches From The Frontlines of Parenting.

ANOTHER Blog?!

The marketing department at ASF asked me to write about my typical rehearsal day for the Shake It Up Times ASF Blog. Check it out!

Link to the blog's main page is here.