As Tara relates:
Due to unforeseen circumstances, we will need to postpone the Teen Cabaret.Early August (~ August 1) looks like the target time for attempting this again.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
DMTC's Teen Cabaret This Weekend
Davis Musical Theatre Company
Teen Cabaret Dessert Benefit!
Friday, June 6, 7:30 pm
Come see DMTC’s teen performers light up the stage with great music and dance in the third annual Teen Cabaret! Dessert is provided and all proceeds from the event will fund scholarships awarded to graduating high school seniors. Come enjoy an evening with family and friends and support our teen performers.
Tickets include dessert: $10*
*There are no comp tickets for this fundraising event.
Please share this e-mail with friends and family, and encourage them to buy their tickets in advance, on-line at http://www.dmtc.org/
See you on Friday night!
Davis Musical Theatre Company
Teen Cabaret Dessert Benefit!
Friday, June 6, 7:30 pm
Come see DMTC’s teen performers light up the stage with great music and dance in the third annual Teen Cabaret! Dessert is provided and all proceeds from the event will fund scholarships awarded to graduating high school seniors. Come enjoy an evening with family and friends and support our teen performers.
Tickets include dessert: $10*
*There are no comp tickets for this fundraising event.
Please share this e-mail with friends and family, and encourage them to buy their tickets in advance, on-line at http://www.dmtc.org/
See you on Friday night!
The End, Or Not?One can hope:
“We pledged to support her to the end,” Representative Charles B. Rangel, a New York Democrat who has been a patron of Mrs. Clinton since she first ran for the Senate, said in an interview “Our problem is not being able to determine when the hell the end is.”
Desperation In Orem
Focus, focus:
Focus, focus:
A woman called Orem police Friday afternoon needing help because her battery died and she was locked inside her car.
When police arrived, they found the woman sitting in the car, unable to get herself out. She couldn’t hear the officers instructions through the rolled-up windows so she motioned to them to call her on her cell phone, according to police.
Once officers were able to talk to the woman on the phone, they were able to tell her how to manually operate the slide lock mechanism on the inside door panel to open the door and free herself.
“I'm just glad she had a cell phone to call for help,” an officer said.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
"Secret Garden" - In RehearsalLeft: Rick Eldridge as Dr. Neville Craven and Kaylynn Rothleder as Mary Lennox. Opening June 13th at DMTC.
Making It Official
Oh, okay:
Oh, okay:
After two years of below-average rainfall in California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a statewide drought on Wednesday.
Yesterday's Election Results
I was surprised Kevin Johnson did as well as he did in Sacramento's mayoral race. I figured Leonard Padilla's smear campaign would cripple Johnson, but voters apparently cut sports stars more slack than they would others for similar offenses.
The tree branch that fell on Heather Fargo's party at Vallejo's Restaurant looked like an omen; as the Chinese might say, she had lost the 'mandate of heaven'. I voted for her, but it was an unenthusiastic vote for 'Progress': her machinations over the years led to the rapid development of North Natomas, and to the risk that billions of dollars will be lost if/when that deep basin eventually floods.
I had thought of voting for Muriel Strand, since I once met her (on a bike ride from Chico to Sacramento in 1992), and liked her, but I couldn't stomach her insistence that global climate change is the biggest challenge facing Sacramento. Wrong scale of action for the Mayor of Sacramento.
Of course, I once met Leonard Padilla too, and liked him, but I found his intense focus on Johnson to be too smarmy.
On to the mayoral runoff election in November!
I was surprised and pleased that Prop. 98 went to defeat, and Prop. 99 won. Very perceptive voting on behalf of the electorate!
I was also surprised that Tom McClintock won the District 4 Republican primary over Doug Ose. It signals a deep ideological commitment by the Republican primary electorate, and it also signals a highly-polarized campaign this fall for John Doolittle's seat. More interesting than I would have anticipated!
I was surprised Kevin Johnson did as well as he did in Sacramento's mayoral race. I figured Leonard Padilla's smear campaign would cripple Johnson, but voters apparently cut sports stars more slack than they would others for similar offenses.
The tree branch that fell on Heather Fargo's party at Vallejo's Restaurant looked like an omen; as the Chinese might say, she had lost the 'mandate of heaven'. I voted for her, but it was an unenthusiastic vote for 'Progress': her machinations over the years led to the rapid development of North Natomas, and to the risk that billions of dollars will be lost if/when that deep basin eventually floods.
I had thought of voting for Muriel Strand, since I once met her (on a bike ride from Chico to Sacramento in 1992), and liked her, but I couldn't stomach her insistence that global climate change is the biggest challenge facing Sacramento. Wrong scale of action for the Mayor of Sacramento.
Of course, I once met Leonard Padilla too, and liked him, but I found his intense focus on Johnson to be too smarmy.
On to the mayoral runoff election in November!
I was surprised and pleased that Prop. 98 went to defeat, and Prop. 99 won. Very perceptive voting on behalf of the electorate!
I was also surprised that Tom McClintock won the District 4 Republican primary over Doug Ose. It signals a deep ideological commitment by the Republican primary electorate, and it also signals a highly-polarized campaign this fall for John Doolittle's seat. More interesting than I would have anticipated!
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Cutoff Lows and Australian Climate
It seemed to me that the rain event of May 31 - June 2 in Queensland & northern NSW was a near-perfect example of why the reentrainment of cutoff lows into the general circulation is so important in Australian climatology. Otherwise, what sort of event can be relied upon to bring moisture to such dry latitudes during the dry months? Similar events occur in northern Mexico and the southwestern USA too. The Americas are better situated, in general, for rain, and so don't rely quite so heavily on cutoff lows. Australia is in a jam locationwise, however. No cutoff lows passing near southern Queensland in the dry months means little or no rain.
Statistics on these events would be interesting.
It seemed to me that the rain event of May 31 - June 2 in Queensland & northern NSW was a near-perfect example of why the reentrainment of cutoff lows into the general circulation is so important in Australian climatology. Otherwise, what sort of event can be relied upon to bring moisture to such dry latitudes during the dry months? Similar events occur in northern Mexico and the southwestern USA too. The Americas are better situated, in general, for rain, and so don't rely quite so heavily on cutoff lows. Australia is in a jam locationwise, however. No cutoff lows passing near southern Queensland in the dry months means little or no rain.
Statistics on these events would be interesting.
Reading Bill Bryson's "In A Sunburned Country"
Very funny travel book regarding Australia. Bryson focuses on those oddities most likely to amaze American and British readers.
Bryson relates a tale told by his friend, Catherine Veitch. It's a very Australian story from the bucolic past, long ago....
Very funny travel book regarding Australia. Bryson focuses on those oddities most likely to amaze American and British readers.
Bryson relates a tale told by his friend, Catherine Veitch. It's a very Australian story from the bucolic past, long ago....
In the 1950's a friend of Catherine's moved with her young family into a house next door to a vacant lot. One day a construction crew turned up to build a house on the lot. Catherine's friend had a four-year-old daughter who naturally took an interest in all the activity going on next door. She hung around on the margins and eventually the construction workers adopted her as a kind of mascot. They chatted to her and gave her little jobs to do and at the end of the week presented her with a little pay packet containing a shiny new half crown.
She took this home to her mother, who made all the appropriate cooings of admiration and suggested that they take it to the bank the next morning to deposit it in her account. When they went to the bank, the teller was equally impressed and asked the little girl how she had come by her own pay packet.
"I've been building a house this week," she replied proudly.
"Goodness!" said the teller. "And will you be building a house next week, too?"
"I will if we ever get the fucking bricks," answered the little girl.
Monday, June 02, 2008
Artistic Differences Preview & Review ShowLeft: Maggie Hollinbeck, Ian Cullity, Michael R.J. Campbell, and Kevin Caravalho sing 'Quartet' from "Chess".
Sunday night featured singular delights, as Artistic Differences' performers sang tunes from "bare", "Falsettos", "Hair", "Chess", and other shows that hopefully may be staged by Artistic Differences in the near future. Various fund-raising devices to help launch these projects included a raffle and a silent auction.
The show, hosted by Ryan Adame & Kristen Wagner, was presented at the Benvenuti Performing Arts Center at 7 p.m. The hosts regaled the audience with amusing patter, often along the lines of: Musical theater is so gay, isn't it? And boy, is it ever! But that's another topic for another day. What mattered was that they were funny. And funny is hard.
I wondered how long Artistic Differences had in order to work out their routines, presumably rehearsed elsewhere, on this particular stage. Probably not long: Lighting Designer Nic Candito said he had started working on lights at 3 p.m. and was busy right till opening. Nic clearly loves the rush of deadline adrenalin: myself, nothing is quite so chilling as running out of time!
The show seemed to be late starting: I arrived ten minutes late, as is my flagrant custom, but I was still too early: the audience sat waiting for the show to start. I wondered fleetingly if Erik Daniells had staged this entire event just to deprive me of time with my clogged sewage line at home. But then, after a while, I wondered if lateness served a purpose. Maybe the show had already started, unbeknownst to the audience?
Ensemble members, dressed for the opening number of the show ('Epiphany' from "bare") gathered on the fringe of the audience, speaking and acting rather flamboyantly. Waiting for the show, they were the show. Two people were close enough that I could hear a portion of the extravagant stream-of-consciousness flowing forth:
....I was talking to my priest, and he told me to stop, but I didn't. But he knows what he is talking about!.....Everyone calls me Jungle Jim, but actually my name is Allan. It's not Jim. Or Jungle.....Very odd! Very amusing!
Here are some pictures from Act I (before the camera's battery failed):
Left: Kelly Daniells as Sally Bowles in 'Mein Herr', from "Cabaret".
Left: 'Mein Herr' ending tableaux, from "Cabaret". Starting from second from left; Joelle Wirth, Kelly Daniells, and Maggie Hollinbeck. The other three, I don't know, but may be (from the program, in no particular order) as Sara Perry, Stephanie McCall, Whitney Claire Roeder, or Amanda Galang.
Left: 'Epiphany' from "bare".
Left: 'Epiphany' from "bare".
Left: Kevin Caravalho sings 'Marriage Proposal' from "Falsettos".
Left: Joelle Wirth sings 'Hippie Life' from "Hair".
A Preview Of The Democratic National ConventionFeaturing my living room furniture, currently overwhelmed with superfluous chairs....:
Chair: The Chair recognizes the Chair from the great state of North Carolina.
NC Chair: Thank you. I am a genuine hickory chair, made in 1949!
Chair: Thank you! We are all proud of the heritage of the North Carolina Chair! The Chair now recognizes the Chair from the Golden State of California.
CA Chair: I am a Love Seat. Anyone who pleases can now marry anyone they wish!
AL Chair: Fine! Go marry yourself then!
Chair: The Chair from Alabama is out of order! The Chair from Alabama is out of order! The Chair from California has the floor!
CA Chair: I yield the floor to the unfortunate Rocking Chair from the Great State of Florida, which now has only half a seat.
FL Chair: This is highly irregular, and I must protest! Senior citizens have trouble enough with our ballots, and now this!
Chair: The Chair from Florida is out of order! This matter has already been addressed by the Rules Chair.
FL Chair: I yield to my fellow in pain, the Chair from Michigan.
MI Chair: The Chair from Florida is right! This is unfair! We have half seats, but we refuse to concede that we are half-assed! If this continues, we will have to become wheelchairs!
Chair: These matters have already been settled! There is no point in passing once again through this mill of ambiguity and despair! The Chair now recognizes the Chair from the state of Tennessee.
TN Chair: Musical chairs anyone?
Looking Under The Back Porch AgainSigh. It's that time of year again, generally every spring, when growing tree roots invade the sewer system and lead to a sewage crisis.
Stage 1 of the crisis is when water backs up under the back porch. Pictured at left is the cement pit under the porch this morning just after I cleaned out the standing water. The cement pit was the house's original water closet area, circa 1908. When the bathroom was moved indoors a couple of decades later, the toilet and sink were removed, but the concrete remains, as does the pipe leading directly to the sewer line from what used to be the toilet. Sewage water generally appears here first, triggering a cessation of use of the washing machine.
Stage 2 of the crisis is when the water bursts from the sewage drain clean-out and floods the basement.
Stage 3 is when drainage from the bathroom grinds to a complete halt and personal hygiene is definitely disrupted. Definitely, definitely disrupted.
I'm at Stage 1 now, but the expensive roto-rooter apparatus I purchased several years ago just for this purpose developed a kinked cable, so it's useless to clean out the roots. The crisis will persist unless I call someone, or get the apparatus fixed. Should I call Joe The Plumber? Hmmmm.... Hmmmmm.... I think it's all a conspiracy of some sort....
Hey, It Happens
Keep an eye on the food stocks:
Keep an eye on the food stocks:
A JAPANESE man puzzled by food mysteriously disappearing from his refrigerator got a shock when he discovered a woman had been living in his home for months without permission, police said today.
The 57-year-old man who lives alone - or so he thought - in the western city of Fukuoka installed a security camera and called the police when he saw images of someone walking around his home while he was out.
"We searched the house in the man's presence. We found the woman in the closet," said a local police spokesman.
The woman, named as 58-year-old Tatsuko Horikawa, was found in a flat storage space only just big enough for a person to squeeze into lying down.
She had sneaked a mattress and several plastic bottles into the cubby hole, police said, adding that the women had been arrested.
"She told police that she had nowhere to live," the spokesman said.
"She seems to have lived there for about a year, but not all the time."
It is unclear how she managed to enter the home undetected. Police suspect she might have been closet-hopping, moving from house to house.
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Artistic Differences Fundraiser This Evening
From Erik. Lots of good singing! The show is over there at Blackrock & Del Paso, in North Natomas:
From Erik. Lots of good singing! The show is over there at Blackrock & Del Paso, in North Natomas:
Tonight is Artistic Differences' 2008 Preview Show and fundraiser. See some of the top performers from Sacramento, performing songs from AD's past and present at the Benvenuti Performing Arts Center. We will also be serving complimentary refreshments and will be holding a silent auction and raffle with our grand prize : TWO tickets to Mamma Mia in Las Vegas plus airfare. For more information please visit artisticdifferences.net/current.html. See you at the theater!
Erik Daniells
Executive Producer
Box office #-916-708-3449
Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door
Australia Pulls Troops from Iraq
And the vaunted "Coalition of the Willing" fades away:
And the vaunted "Coalition of the Willing" fades away:
Australia, a staunch U.S. ally and one of the first countries to commit troops to the Iraq war five years ago, ended combat operations there Sunday, a Defense Department official said.
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was swept into office in November largely on the promise that he would bring home the country's 550 combat troops by the middle of 2008.
Rudd has said the Iraq deployment has made Australia more of a target for terrorism.
The combat troops are expected to return home over the next few weeks. Local media reports said the first of the soldiers had already landed in Australia on Sunday afternoon.
``Our soldiers have worked tirelessly to ensure that local people in southern Iraq have the best possible chance to move on from their suffering under Saddam's regime and, as a government we are extremely proud of their service,'' Defense Minister Joel Fitzgibbon said.
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