Cooper: Diane, last night I dreamed I was eating a large, tasteless gumdrop,
and awoke to discover I was chewing on one of my foam disposable earplugs.
Perhaps I should consider moderating my nighttime coffee consumption.
-- "Twin Peaks" |
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After 5 years of using this format (the free greymatter blogging software), I've decided to try blogger.com. Yes, I'm very patient. Starting now I'll be updating dlog3. I hope to be adding and arranging stuff when I get around to it -- the layout, the extras -- so the look around the postings might be in flux for a while.
[Karma: 88 (+/-)]
Dan on 03.20.10 @ 03:16 PM CT [link]
Cary Grant was the skipper of a submarine in "Destination Tokyo", a pretty straightforward war movie. And the cook was played by the father of The Skipper! It's pretty amazing seeing all the people smoking in the sub. I don't know, maybe that's how it was in the '40s.
In this atypical Cary Grant movie, "The Talk Of The Town", he's a political activist arrested for arson and murder who escapes from jail and hides out at the house of an old sweetheart, who happens to be renting it to a law professor! I guess it's not entirely atypical, what with the romance and comedy aspects, but it starts out from a pretty dark place. I also enjoyed the realization that Cary Grant was 38 when this came out -- and he was the youngest of the 3 leads. The love interest, Jean Arthur, was 42, although her character was obviously much younger. His rival (and opposite in so many ways), Ronald Colman, was 51; but his character was the "older man" in this little triangle -- at 40.
It's been a year (yesterday) since Snooks died. Did you know I've got 15 of his records on CD? And thanks to the internets, there are lots of videos of him performing. Like this one.
[Karma: 80 (+/-)]
Dan on 02.19.10 @ 07:01 PM CT [link]
"That Touch Of Mink" is a Cary Grant movie I wasn't familiar with. It's full of wink-wink early '60s innuendo and running gags about hearing half a conversation and thinking a character is gay. Hilarious! Actually I'm being sincere. I did laugh out loud. It was all just as comical and sweet and innocent as you'd imagine a Doris Day movie would be in which Cary Grant is a super-wealthy playboy executive used to having his way with women and Doris Day is a, well, sweet and innocent small town girl living in the big city.
As I walked past the beer display I thought, man, I ought to be drinking. But how could I? It's now been two and a half years -- that's 30 months, Jack! -- since I drank any alcohol. And once anything has some age attached to it, I just hate to toss it away.
[Karma: 112 (+/-)]
Dan on 01.24.10 @ 06:47 PM CT [link]
I don't know if you're aware of this, but "Lost" is the second-best television show there ever was. No joke. I recommend watching the whole thing, but if you can't spare the time to watch the first 5 seasons, set aside 8 minutes and 40 seconds for this condensed version.
And now you're ready to jump into the 6th and final season in February!
[Karma: 40 (+/-)]
Dan on 01.22.10 @ 08:10 PM CT [link]
Despite my recent contrary comments, I went and auditioned for "Oklahoma!" this week. And I got invited to the callbacks -- although given the level of turnout, that wasn't too surprising. What is surprising to me, after all the auditions I've been to, and given that I did a decent job playing the same part I was reading for based on recordings I've seen of that earlier production, is that I can still go in there and make such a horrible impression. There were 3 other guys reading for the same part and the production staff was, as the kids say (maybe ten years ago), ROFLMAO -- at each one of them. Or something. You get one minute to show your stuff, be amusing, interact with the chick in the scene, and bam!, it's over and I'm thinking, how'd I mess that one up.
But the really memorable part of the night came later when the girls were learning a new audition dance and the guys were just hanging around waiting for their turn. I didn't know any of them and I wasn't talking, but I heard them discussing the casting of shows and one show where everyone was surprised when this 40-year-old guy got cast, which I guess seemed old for the part, but worse, his love interest was played by a 19-year-old. (Oh, the horror.) And everyone thought that was just terrible and poorly done and people in the audience thought it was just wrong, man. My first thought was, what's the problem. It's a show. And even in real life, it sounds like a win-win for both parties. But even more than that, I wanted to scoff and tell them my story of playing Ali Hakim when I was 41. The girl he's with most of the show (Ado Annie) -- and whom he kisses several times -- was played by a 17-year-old. Such an abomination. And there were women and children in the audience!
[Karma: 112 (+/-)]
Dan on 01.21.10 @ 07:51 AM CT [link]
It would be nice if Rock Band's leaderboards were as useful and easy to use as rockbandstats.com and rockbandscores.com. Here's a little banner generated by rockbandstats.com, which includes my 3 best songs by star ratings, which I guess shows which ones are the closest to perfection.
[Karma: 37 (+/-)]
Dan on 01.19.10 @ 11:00 PM CT [link]
This is from an 1899 magazine article about how John H. Patterson got more out of his employees at National Cash Register by treating them swell. Ah, the hard working 19th century American, rewarded by only having to work 52 and a half hours a week, compared to, I'm guessing, those slave drivers over at the buggy whip factory putting in a full 60 hour week. Of course, they didn't have any decent TV shows back then.
========
To encourage home life and comforts, the hours of work were reduced for men from ten to nine and one-half hours, and for women from ten to eight hours, while the rate of wages remains as on a basis of ten hours. In addition to this the young women have ten minutes’ recess, morning and afternoon, and they come an hour after the men in the morning, and leave ten minutes before them in the evening. Saturday half-holidays for all employees have been the rule during the past year. A kindergarten for the little children and a cooking school for the older girls and young women have been provided at the company’s expense.
[Karma: 51 (+/-)]
Dan on 01.11.10 @ 10:22 AM CT [link]
At the end of the year, let's look back at the decade -- which is the same as looking back at all of history for me and "acting". I went to 52 auditions and was in 33 shows. And now I will rank the shows, in order of lasting impression of overall goodness. You know: the show, the cast, the rehearsals, the circumstances, the whatever. Basically my personal opinion of my personal experience. But lacking complete craziness and motivation -- I don't see how people make "top whatever" lists every year -- I'll just put them into 5 categories, instead of a one through thirty-three ranking. Five categories is hard enough. Within each category I'll just put them alphabetically. By definition, some of them will have to go into the bottom category, which doesn't necessarily mean those shows were worse than getting a gingivectomy -- although it's possible that some were. A gingivectomy isn't all that bad, when you get past the smell of burning gum flesh. But I digress. I'm already equivocating by only grouping them instead of declaring one of them to be #33. So I won't go any further and do something like naming the categories "Super", "Great", "Excellent", etc. I hate when everyone's a winner.
Nirvana -- Better than best; if someone could teach me how, I'd gush:
Oklahoma!, 2006, Starlight Theatre (Wilmette)
Tops -- Wish I could relive, or at least see played back:
Annie, 2004, Round Lake Area Park District Community Theater
Babes In Toyland, 2004, Round Lake Area Park District Community Theater
Bye Bye Birdie, 2007, Round Lake Area Park District Community Theater
Charlotte's Web, 2007, Round Lake Area Park District Community Theater
Disney's Beauty And The Beast, 2008, Round Lake Area Park District Community Theater
The Fantasticks, 2008, Round Lake Area Park District Community Theater
The Mousetrap, 2003, Round Lake Area Park District Community Theater
Narnia, 2006, Round Lake Area Park District Community Theater
Upper Middle:
Let Your Hair Down, Rapunzel, 2004, Round Lake Area Park District Community Theater
The Nutcracker, 2005, Round Lake Area Park District Community Theater
The Odd Couple (female version), 2007, Round Lake Area Park District Community Theater
Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella, 2004, Round Lake Area Park District Community Theater
Sleepy Hollow, 2006, Stage 48 (Libertyville)
The Story of Hansel & Gretel, 2005, Round Lake Area Park District Community Theater
Take Five, 2004, Waukegan Community Players
You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown, 2005, Waukegan Community Players
Lower Middle:
All In The Timing, 2006, Waukegan Community Players
And Then There Were None, 2005, Bowen Park Theatre (Waukegan)
Enchanted Sleeping Beauty, 2007, Round Lake Area Park District Community Theater
The Nutcracker, 2006, Round Lake Area Park District Community Theater
The Nutcracker, 2007, Round Lake Area Park District Community Theater
The Pale Pink Dragon, 2005, Round Lake Area Park District Community Theater
Peter Pan, 2008, Round Lake Area Park District Community Theater
Seussical: The Musical, 2009, Round Lake Area Park District Community Theater
Carp -- Bottom dwellers; one of these barely missed out on the Lower Middle, but some should have provided lessons of what to avoid in the future. Who am I kidding. These are still better than a good day at work:
Brigadoon, 2008, PM&L Theatre (Antioch)
Butterflies Are Free, 2006, Waukegan Community Players
The Fantasticks, 2009, Waukegan Community Players
Marie's Nutcracker, 2008, Round Lake Area Park District Community Theater
A Midsummer Night's Dream, 2009, Round Lake Area Park District Community Theater
Rapunzel, 2008, Round Lake Area Park District Community Theater
Sly Fox, 2008, PM&L Theatre (Antioch)
Sweeney Todd, 2005, PM&L Theatre (Antioch)
[Karma: 81 (+/-)]
Dan on 12.31.09 @ 01:53 PM CT [link]
I often wish I had an inventory of all my stuff. And there'd be at least some info about each item, including the date acquired and how much it cost. Then I could look back fondly at that River's Edge poster and know I purchased it back in '92 and paid 20 bucks. I just made up those numbers, since I don't have such a detailed inventory at my fingertips. But I did dig through the old hall of records to find the origin of my main TV, whose picture is gradually fritzing out on me. With my magical inventory it would have been a lot quicker, but I did find that I bought this 31" JVC television in March 1994 for $830 at the old land-based Circuit City. Now I can rest easy. Except for the fact that I can't picture in my mind what TV I possibly replaced with that one. And finding any record of that would take even longer, and who's got that much motivation. The only other TV in my memory was just 13" and it's hard to imagine having something that small in a living room, even in a small apartment, let alone an actual house. There might have been another one in between, but who knows. It was a different time. When kids had to share the family set instead of there being one in every room of the house. And the possibility of having a 13" TV in the living room -- though remote -- isn't entirely unimaginable.
[Karma: 83 (+/-)]
Dan on 12.27.09 @ 11:02 AM CT [link]
And so the Great Men of Science petered out by the end of 1994, another project left incomplete. The final two represent new possible categories for expansion, along with the Scientists of Doom expansion. March 1994 had a "fictional scientist" entry, and August 1994 saw the only entry for a type of scientist instead of a specific person.
Great Men Of Science, Part 18
-----------------------------
If you're into collecting fungus and mold
Dr. Venkman's your pal. He traps spirits cold.
He's not the gate keeper. He's not the key master.
But he'll make you laugh louder, harder and faster.
Great Men Of Science, Part 19
-----------------------------
Tears are falling but don't blame Kiss.
Why not blame the meteorologist?
He claims to predict the rain that you're hatin'.
If he really knew that you'd think he's working with Satan.
But you can count on this guy to be usually wrong.
He's not pounding a drum or banging a gong.
He's an anonymous sort, but scientific no less
With his rumpled old clothes -- and on Tuesdays a dress.
Parts 1-4
Parts 5-7
Parts 8-12
Parts 13-17
[Karma: 11 (+/-)]
Dan on 12.26.09 @ 09:53 AM CT [link]
Even with everything that we save now -- people take hundreds of pictures a night and don't delete any of them! -- a lot can be lost in a thousand years. Like the details of pop culture, which might get a little confused after 50 generations.
[Karma: 79 (+/-)]
Dan on 12.24.09 @ 11:09 AM CT [link]
In the last half of 1993, my selections for this super kids' science book seemed more infamous than famous; so I envisioned a darker section of the book called the "Scientists of Doom Club".
Great Men Of Science, Part 13
-----------------------------
Nitroglycerin was unstable and kind of lame.
Dynamite had kick and gave Nobel his fame.
To Alfred's regret, it was soon used to kill.
His Peace Prize paid off society's bill.
This left his wife, Becky, homeless and poor.
She used her straight hair as a man-trapping lure.
She hid dynamite in their pate foie gras,
Kept their money secure in her well-padded bra.
Great Men Of Science, Part 14
-----------------------------
Gatling made a gun that used a rotating crank.
It was best used in wars, not in robbing a bank.
He was already rich from his steam powered plow.
He could kill all your neighbors, then harvest their chow!
Great Men Of Science, Part 15
-----------------------------
Oppenheimer was the leader of the A-bomb team.
He hung out with commies and listened to Cream.
All those years at Berkeley must have messed with his head.
Near the end, he would only eat warm cheese on stale bread.
Great Men Of Science, Part 16
-----------------------------
The V-2 rocket was made for long range killing.
Wernher Von Braun was both eager and willing.
He spent many years creating and designing
At the lab where he couldn't hear his little kids' whining.
More than forty-three hundred were launched in the big world war.
German merchants let Wernher have anything in the store.
He picked up babes at the HaufsBrau by offering to show them his rocket.
Wernher said, "Though we lost, life is good. Who would knock it?"
Great Men Of Science, Part 17
-----------------------------
Some gots to die to pay for their crime.
It used to be messy: all that blood, gore and grime.
But Dr. Guillotin of France took their heads off real quick.
Just for fun, crooks went free when the blade thingy'd stick.
It was handy and useful, this guillotine tool.
You could cut tin cans with it which was really quite cool.
It required no power and amused young and old.
Order now while you can. They'll soon all be sold.
Parts 1-4
Parts 5-7
Parts 8-12
[Karma: 81 (+/-)]
Dan on 12.17.09 @ 07:14 PM CT [link]
Still more Great Men Of Science, in which we learn of Heisenberg's blimp, and Alex Bell's fondness for bratwurst. These are from June and July, 1993.
Great Men Of Science, Part 8
----------------------------
Tesla worked a lot with magnets and stuff.
He was soft on the outside but his insides were tough.
He thought, "I want to reach the masses, the unwashed hordes."
So he started a band with just a few power chords.
Great Men Of Science, Part 9
----------------------------
Johannes Kepler liked to stare at the stars.
He determined planet orbits and he really dug Mars.
He said, "Life is geometric -- Pythagoras Rules!"
And he was quick with a lighter for the ladies with Kools.
Great Men Of Science, Part 10
-----------------------------
Heisenberg's blimp became a ball of flame.
Oh, the humanity! Could he clear his good name?
Wait, that was the Hindenburg. His rep took no hurtin'.
He proved that in life, all things are uncertain.
Great Men Of Science, Part 11
-----------------------------
Orville and Wilbur were the Wright boys from Dayton.
Their standards were high: spent their whole lifetime's waitin'.
But in the meantime, they learned how to fly.
They had everything but what money can't buy.
They lived the good life from when they were kids.
Their bicycle shop kept them off of the skids.
They moved to the suburbs to get them some rest.
They'd rather have none if they can't have the best.
Great Men Of Science, Part 12
-----------------------------
Alexander Graham Bell like to talk on the phone.
But he had to invent one first.
Then he called up Becky so they could be alone.
"Bring the grill, I'll bring the bratwurst!"
Parts 5-7
Parts 1-4
[Karma: 74 (+/-)]
Dan on 12.11.09 @ 05:48 PM CT [link]
Here are some more entries for the Great Men of Science book. These were from the first half of June, 1993. They include the first woman in the collection and the first use of more than two rhyming couplets. And if it wasn't clear that I'm not being pedantic about all this back when I claimed Newton's favorite color was red -- if it was, I'm just a lucky guesser -- then it must be really obvious at this point based on the inclusion of Marie Curie's devotion to the Gap and Galileo's extra-scientific usage of his telescopes. Which isn't to say that it still wouldn't make a great kids' book!
Great Men Of Science, Part 5
----------------------------
Marie Curie didn't take no crap.
She bought fly threads at her local Gap.
She discovered radiation. And her Nobels? They thrilled her.
Isn't it ironic: 'Twas radiation that killed her.
Great Men Of Science, Part 6
----------------------------
Louis Pasteur couldn't hold his liquor.
He tried drinking milk but it made him sicker
Than a dog with the mange till he thought: "Try it heated!"
Now the kids are all sober and their party plans defeated.
Great Men Of Science, Part 7
----------------------------
Galileo was sure that Copernicus was right
About the sun and the earth and its orbital flight.
The Inquisition didn't let him teach for very long
But later on the church agreed they were, in fact, quite wrong.
It was at that Pisa Tower that he got people's attention
By dropping objects off the top, and Oh! Did I mention?
He was really into telescopes. He had a lot of fun
Watching his neighbor's daughter's friends, tanning in the sun.
Parts 1-4
[Karma: 1 (+/-)]
Dan on 11.28.09 @ 03:10 PM CT [link]
Look what I found in the archives. I once had this idea for a children's book which would have a short rhyme about a scientist on one page, lots of whitespace, and some kind of drawing on the facing page. The drawing could be something comical about the scientist and/or the poem -- maybe even an outline to make it a coloring book. From June 1993 to August 1994 I came up with 19 entries. I had always imagined having 99, but maybe 50 would have been enough. Of course, I never came up with any drawings (or even concepts) to go with each scientist, either. It's just another in a long line of unfinished projects. But I'll throw them up here over the next few days. Here are the first four, from June 3, 1993. I think it all started when -- for some unfathomable reason -- the name of L'Hopital came up at work.
Great Men Of Science, Part 1
----------------------------
L'Hopital, L'Hopital.
What a guy.
He gave us his rule.
I don't know why.
Great Men Of Science, Part 2
----------------------------
Pascal was a man of art and science.
What is time but a contrivance?
He wore a wig on his little heady.
"If God exists you'd best be ready!"
Great Men Of Science, Part 3
----------------------------
Isaac Newton's favorite color was red.
One day a piece of fruit struck him on the head.
"What can cause things to fall from the sky?
I'll call it 'gravity'. I'm a pretty smart guy."
Great Men Of Science, Part 4
----------------------------
Benjamin Franklin was an inventin' dude.
He liked good wine. He liked good food.
To test out lightning, he risked his life.
He advised young bucks: "Get an older wife."
[Karma: 123 (+/-)]
Dan on 11.26.09 @ 10:00 PM CT [link]
One month until "Seussical: The Musical" opens: 4 shows the weekend of December 11th. I have two small roles, but if you've been waiting to see one of my shows, you might want to make it this one. I can't guarantee there will be another.
[Karma: 64 (+/-)]
Dan on 11.11.09 @ 12:27 PM CT [link]
I was thinking tonight that "Bye Bye Birdie" might actually be my 2nd favorite show that I've been in. It's definitely in the top 5, but it could be #2. That was 14 shows ago. I wish I had a recording of that one. I do have a bunch of photos. And one short clip (in quicktime).
I was reminded of those long ago days when I saw a big lineup of people at tonight's dance rehearsal for "Seussical: The Musical". in which I'll be Yertle the Turtle and the Grinch. This will be my 33rd show. It runs the weekend of Dec. 11th.
[Karma: 36 (+/-)]
Dan on 09.22.09 @ 09:58 PM CT [link]
The first song I've gold-starred in "The Beatles: Rock Band" is "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds". 63,562 points is good for 1660th on the PS3 leaderboard. Granted, it's a song in the easiest of the 7 difficulty categories, but it's still a gold star score. And it's my first. On the other hand, after much more time with the non-Beatles songs, I've only managed to gold-star songs in the lowest and 2nd lowest tier of song difficulties. But then, I'm no spring chicken. (And I am within 4000 of the leader on Social Distortion's "I Was Wrong"; a gap I don't see getting any narrower.)
I'm talking guitar, of course. I don't think I've ever gotten a gold star score on bass. And I definitely have not on drums or vocals. I don't think I've even played drums or vocals on expert.
Get your Portable ID!
[Karma: 32 (+/-)]
Dan on 09.21.09 @ 10:33 PM CT [link]
Another way to promote one of the top 5 bands on Prairie Lane? As the DJ, I feel it would be expected to slip some of my own stuff in among the professionals. 
If you click play, I think it'll play the 3 most recent postings on my station. And if you click the "Larzzz" link, it'll take you to my blip.fm site, where you can hear them all; assuming I ever add any more.
[Karma: -52 (+/-)]
Dan on 08.29.09 @ 10:20 PM CT [link]
Yeah, my Playstation account looks like somebody's grandpa's.
Get your Portable ID!
[Karma: 44 (+/-)]
Dan on 08.18.09 @ 07:43 PM CT [link]
The tribulations involved in building your dream house were as true 60 years ago as they are today, based on people I know who've done it, and the movie I just watched. In Cary Grant's "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House", we see the well-off middle class New Yorker -- making 15 grand a year! -- looking for the comfort and serenity of a place in the country. And naturally nothing seems to go right.
"To Catch A Thief" is the third Hitchcock movie for Cary Grant, and another of his many films with a much younger leading lady, Grace Kelly. He was only 25 years older than she. In this one, he's a retired jewel thief trying to clear his name in a string of recent robberies. It's certainly enjoyable, if just a bit predictable. And it's got some beautiful scenes. It won the Oscar for best cinematography.
I realized recently I never updated my list of books -- even though I had, in fact, read a book in 2008. Two, actually. So: Books I've Read
[Karma: 81 (+/-)]
Dan on 07.24.09 @ 08:53 PM CT [link]
In "The Howards Of Virginia", Cary Grant is a common man of Virginia who somehow is buddies with Thomas Jefferson, which gives him access to the high society types, one of which he makes his wife. Naturally, she isn't comfortable in his backwoods world, but she brings along a slave or two and they make a go of it, despite their very different backgrounds and attitudes about independency.
