Cuff

"Every morning when the day begins,
I make up my mind but change it back again.
I'm a shifter of the shape I'm in.
Who did you think I was?"

-- John Mayer, "Who Did You Think I Was"

--

Before I go on, I have to say this: I don't listen to John Mayer. Personally, I'm not a fan of his solo stuff, so many oversimplification songs, prosaically produced. But the second section of the first disk of his live album, Where the Light Is, is fantastic. The John Mayer Trio (with Peter Palladino and Steve Jordan) lays down eight solid blues tracks, including the drippy-wonderful-slow "Out of My Mind," my favorite.

--

Been a while since I posted here, so a quick recap of the last week and a half (or so):

Hillsdale Homecoming. Came, saw, drove back through the night. Came back for a theatre alum party at George's house, after seeing Our Town performed by the Tower Players under James' direction. Wonderful show, one of the best I've ever seen at Hillsdale. And with so many mini-reunions at the after-party, it was worth the trip up. The trip down, however, was brutal. I started back at 3:15am because I had to be back for a rehearsal at 10. The first hour was fine, but in the second I felt myself drifting. With the help of an energy shot and the immediacy of an imminent sunrise, I made it back in time to get an hour-long nap before a six-hour rehearsal. Then I slept--no kidding--for sixteen hours.

Beauty and the Beast, Jr. We moved into the Taft Theatre in downtown Cincinnati and got our first look at a gorgeous and immense set. After a speedy two-day tech process, we hit the stage in front of an audience on our Friday opening. The show has only gotten better in the ensuing five performances, and today is a day off. We have morning shows all this week for school audiences and then two final public shows on Saturday.

After-school drama program. Because tech rehearsal overlapped with teaching time, I had to miss Wednesday's class, which had to be led by my assistant. We are in the play writing process, and today we must get final plot points nailed down: Why does the magic amulet destroy the Witch? Why do the cheerleader friends join the search for the kidnapped high-schooler? What exactly did you all mean when you said you wanted "spirit people" in the haunted house?

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Been sick for about a week now. Laid up three days of last week, didn't go to work, but still went to rehearsals and performances. Never underestimate the power of rest and Vitamin C, or an actor's contract.

During that time, I had the chance to watch a bunch of movies, including Synecdoche, New York; The Queen; and The Wrestler. Enjoyed them all--though the first one is not the best choice if you're sick. It'll make you want to overdose on sleeping pills because of the depravity and absurdity of life.

--

Off the cuff, driving back from a show last night, I came up with an aphorism. A quick Google search assures me that no one else has published it online, so for the moment at least, I'll claim it as an original:

God gave you two eyes so you could see everything in perspective.

-- me