We sorted all the teams out yesterday and everybody seems pretty happy. I want them to at least last through until December...till June would be even better, but that's hoping for a lot. Today is my first day directing shows. In the past Rodney always did the 6-8 and 9-12 shows, and Allan did the K-2 and 3-5. Since Allan is busy being an author these days and Rodney is not as familiar with the younger shows, it left it up to me. Rather than get into a lot of theory aboout the characters (since their mostly on the silly side) i hope to move quickly through and just make sure that everybody understands the movement patterns first. Speaking of which...i should get moving...~w

One show down, three to go. Yesterday i watched the four new teams run through the high school show, they are 98% off book it seems which is a good place to be. Still there is some polishing and tweeking to do, but it's getting there. We've been swapping partners around though, so today we need to settle on who will be working with who. It's tricking matching looks, types and personalities to ensure that not only do they look good together, but they work well on stage and won't hurt each other after 8 hours in the car. Most of them are pretty amiable and flexible, there's just a couple of snags that require careful adjustment. By tomorrow we should have all that sorted out. Somewhere in the middle of that i learned a few new poems myself that have been added to the show and ran through it with John who'll be our "relief pitcher" out of the office. The good thing is that i spent a year on the road with a couple of different people doing the bulk of these shows so i still have them buried in my subconcious.

With that...i'm off to run errands and pay bills before the day starts.~w

I learned to swing dance last night and boogied to Frim Fram Sauce until my feet were blistered. That was after a full day of rehearsal.

This morning i overslept a bit...so i'm on my way out the door.~w

Yesterday the rollercoaster began clicking up the first hill and some time today we'll hit the crest and lose our breath as we go cascading down into the sillyness of rehearsal. I mean you can't help but be silly when your trying to cram 80 poems into your head in 10 days. Fortunately, most of this year's crew seems on top of it and well on their way. I still have to memorize the new poems that were added, so that means about 8 for me to learn on top of the rememorizing. The bibliography is half done, but not on the website yet. However, i won't have time to worry about that until this is all over. I'm feeling a little giddy already. I think that's a good sign.~w

I feel like yesterday i tumbled through the whirlwind and i'm hoping sometime today my feet will find ground again. Much was being done, but i'm not sure if i did anything yesterday except listen. I suppose someone has to listen. Otherwise, what's the point of talking.

I'm lazy and late today because it's the last day i can be. Still...there's stuff i kinda wanna get done. Better get a move on...~w

Yesterday i played the hermit. But, i got stuff done for myself around the house. I didn't manage to return emails or phone calls, but i guess that's what being a hermit is all about. I did catch up on my reading, did a little writing (for myself), and even played the piano and flute a bit (though not at the same time of course). I also finally got around to posting the new showlists on the Poetry Alive! site. I just needed a day off from the world i think. Tomorrow the actors arrive in town for rehearsal. That means meeting a bunch of new people and being patient and cheerful. So, yesterday was my day to be mopey and lazy and grumpy. I wasn't all that grumpy, but i milked the mopey and lazy for all they were worth. About midnight, when i was all tucked into bed, i finally woke up. It was kind of annoying, but i found myself leaping out of bed to do some chores in order to make myself tired. I didn't do much, but the trash is out at the curb and the dishes are all clean and put away. Eventually i fell asleep and woke up immediately when the alarm went off. I think i'm ready to tackle the next two weeks now.~w

Blogger is as slow as me this morning...or my connection is or something. I was out late last night, so that's my excuse, i don't know what the computer's excuse might be.

Last night Sons of Ralph played at Jack of the Wood. I've decided to call what they play "new-age-bluesy-grass." They started out with fiddle, mandolin, acoustic guitar, electric bass and drums. However, they also throw in banjo, electric guitar and even accordian for a couple of songs. The image that still flickers in my mind this morning/afternoon is of some woman in pink satin tennis shoes, a black & white dress, sunglasses, and a fuzzy black hula-hoop dancing on a table in front by the band. It's not that big of a space and i was a bit afraid of the hula-hoop, but i guess that's why she got on the table, so she wouldn't wack anybody. I kept thinking "wow, my sister needs to hear the way they play Devil Went Down to Georgia" cuz i remember her loving that song as a kid and wanting to play fiddle because of it. Now i've never been one to listen to much of this kinda of music. I tend to prefer jazz, classical, alternative, funk...pretty much anything that doesn't twang. But, somehow these guys sucker me in and i find myself having a good time. I guess as much as i try to avoid it, i still got enough country in my genes that it sparks something in me. I even danced a bit with, god forbid, a man wearing cowboy boots. I think i'm now in need of a raucous poetry reading to cleanse myself. I'll have to find one. Actually the actors come in on Tuesday for rehearsal and i'll be crazy busy until they leave on the 8th of September. So, today i'll do as little as possible without neglecting the chores before diving back into the fray.~w