A New Gig...

So, yesterday I got hired to play drums for another show, and I just got home from my first rehearsal of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch". There is nothing controversial about this show (insert sarcastic tone here).

Inspired by Plato's Symposium, Hedwig tells the story of "internationally
ignored song stylist" Hedwig Schmidt, the victim of a gruesomely botched
sex-change operation, and is dazzlingly recounted by Hedwig (née
Hansel) in the form of a sleazy lounge act, and backed by the rocking band, The
Angry Inch. Innovative, inspired, and oddly endearing, Hedwig is a spectacular
love story that has been "knocking the socks off New York theater-goers with a
much-needed jolt of twisted bathos and wigged-out histrionics." (The Advocate)

Gotta say though the music is really cool, and a lot of fun to play. My music experience pays off every now and then as I am quick on the uptake. Of the 4 songs we worked on tonight, I had only heard two of them once (via MP3 last night). I was given the soundtrack this evening so I will be up to speed fairly quick.

The show is being produced by the Lambda Players, and goes up September 15. As soon as I have more information (ticket prices, showtimes/dates, etc.) I will post it. The theater is very small, and the rumor is this show is going to be close to sold out every performance. Stay tuned.

Only 13 days left until Fugitive Hunter comes out. Order your copy today.

Saw the 40 Year Old Virgin last Friday. Holy CRAP is that one funny movie!
The critics loved it too!

I am currently enjoying the first season of "The Greatest American Hero" on DVD. Man does this bring back memories for me. I remember putting red longjohns and jumping off the roof, trying to fly...

To Kristin – You will come to your senses one day. He IS just a boytoy...

To all – Until next time, keep smiling and if things start to look sour, put on fuzzy slippers. You can't stay mad at the world wearing fuzzy slippers.

I am completely addicted...

to two things: Diet Vanilla Coke and Texas Hold 'Em. And beautiful female faces, OK three things. When things get slow, like this lazy Sunday evening, I often jump online and play Poker. Now, I will never play online for real money – not because I don't have any faith in my abilities, but because if I can think of a way to cheat the table online (which I have), then I know someone else has, because I am not that devious.

*****

I worked on a friend's computer today for 3 hours. Is it too late to rid the world of Window ME? Holy COW that is one POS operating system!

*****

I am in a quandry. One of my oldest and closest friends is completely despondent, and I have tried everything I can think of to help, all without any success whatsoever. It seems the harder I try, the more this person comes to the conclusion that their life is total shit and that it would be better for all involved if I just shoved off and allow them to rot.

The problem is I am not built that way. When I was a kid, my Father was in the Air Force and we moved around every 3 to 4 years, as did the kids I played and went to school with, so I never had friends for long periods of time. Though I learned how to meet people (I consider myself to be a rather amiable fellow), I also learned how valuable a friend is. I am not talking buddies or pals, those are people who you can have fun with, but they don't really have your back. A friend has your back always, no matter what. So to this person I say – 1) You can't push me away because as your friend I got your back... period. 2) If you could push me away, what then? You would lose the one person who doesn't forget you're there. How would that work for you?

I say to anyone out there whether you know me or not – don't forget who has your back. Life is too short to allow that to happen, and those are the same people who are worth celebrating the good things with. To my friends and family, I know who you are and appreciate the simple fact that you allow me into your lives.

This week's beautiful woman is just another testimony that I am addicted to the face. Some guys are breast men, some leg men, some ass men, me – the face!

"No Anonymous Comments"

Please, if you are going to leave a comment, sign a name to it, or register with Blogger and identify yourself. I could require everyone to register with Blogger, but I don't want to do that, not when you might have a simple comment to add. I truly welcome your comments. They make the blog more interesting. But I want to know WHO is taking the time to respond. Come on, I put MYSELF out there for scrutiny and criticism, just at least give me a name to go along with your thoughts.

Thanks.

Sometimes

You feel you have an incredible amount of things to say, but when it comes down to actually putting it out there, the words fail you. Not sure that has ever happened to me completely, but it would explain why I have started several projects (2 novels and a play) and never managed to put any kind of huge dent in them. In a way, I am hoping this forum can get me into that habit of writing things down – getting the creative juices flowing.

I do believe the fundamental ideas of the projects I have in production are worthwhile and if they ever get out of my head people would like them. Funny thing is, writing is something that has always come naturally to me and when I have been in a position where there is a deadline involved I have come through with good results.

For example, one of my hobbies is RPGs. I even created (along with great assistance from a friend Randy Van Metre – Dude, don't know where you are, but I miss ya', if you see this drop a line) my own rule system that combines what I believe are the best elements from two game systems. As the dungeon master of my last (and on the rare occasion ongoing) campaign, I had a party of six players, 3 guys and their wives – none of the ladies had much gaming experience. What I was noticing as we played was the guys were doing the majority of the playing and the women just going thru the motions – rolling the dice when told, etc. As the idea for the campaign came together I needed a reason to have this odd collection of individuals with different skill sets and races to actually travel together. Once I had that idea locked down, I had a brainstorm. I wrote 2 to 3 page backgrounds for every character in the party (based on the characters the Players created and how they intended to play them). I went into great detail, and within each storyline gave the Players clues that were unique to their story and were crucial to the campaign and its storyline. Deadline = job well done. The Players appreciated them and it actually help bring the weaker Players out of their shell and into the gaming experience (well... at least somewhat).

So maybe someone of import will read this blog and insist I finish one of my projects (or even a new one) with a deadline involved. For now, I leave you with something a little different. One evening I was sitting at my computer and I decided to write a poem (gotta say, I type significantly faster than I write by hand, so I really only can write with a keyboard). What came out of me is something I am proud of, but also puzzled by. I have absolutely zero frame of reference for this content, and the subject matter and tone go against my personality. Not everyone has gotten it right away, but I promise there is a fairly straightforward story here. I hope you enjoy it.

Choices

“It’s a boy,” they told me — I sat down and wept. 10 fingers, 10 toes, and a mother that’s doing fine. A part of me wanted to dance, shout from the highest peak, announce to all that my son has been born. I chose not to.

“He’s got his father’s eyes,” they told me — I stared out the window. A spirit that is ready to defy the world, and a mother to shape and focus it. I could see him as a leader, with knowledge as vast as Solomon and a compassion of equal proportion; an athlete of unparalleled skill, a hero in the eyes of young and old; a craftsman whose works rivaled the beauty of the finest sculptor. I was ready to guide. I chose not to.

“He took his first step today,” they told me — I went back to my book. A 40 foot reach and a mother to corral him. I envisioned his first scraped knee, his holding my hand as I magically took away the pain; his expression of elation as he chased the dog around the yard; his puzzlement as he strived to tie his shoes. I was ready to teach. I chose not to.

“He got cast in the lead today,” they told me — I continued my meal. A singing brussel sprout, and a mother to make the costume. I could hear him asking about birds and dinosaurs; TV and sports; a different voice wanting advice on girls and cars. I was ready to answer. I chose not to.

“He got his license today,” they told me — I made my bed. A girlfriend and a prom, and a mother to teach him to dance. I pictured his build, not unlike my own; the same wavy hair and unfortunate nose; feet that were too big and his mother’s eyes of green. I wanted to shake his hand. I chose not to.

“He got married today,” they told me — I sat down and wept. A life full of promise, and a mother with tears of joy. I reflected on his life, from his birth to the present; on good grades and achievements; spankings and discipline; favorite movies and terrible books. I wanted to participate. I chose not to.

“It will all work out,” they told me — I ignored them as usual. A wife who was expecting, a depleting bank account and no prospects. I remembered the face of a man lying in the snow; running until my lungs ached and being surrounded with lights; the blood on my shoes as I was unable to look my wife in the face. I wanted to have a future. I chose not to.

— Roger Clark

Brother's Grimm

Ok... saw this movie last night. Like all Terry Gilliam films, the guy has an amazing visual style. A friend pointed out that if he and Tim Burton ever collaborated -- HOLY COW!

Also, like all Terry Gilliam films, the films look great, usually have a cool story, but somehow "feel" long... even though it is under two hours. Takes a film buff maybe to understand it.

I enjoyed the film. Heath Ledger was very good in the role, being quite a departure from his usual fare. Matt Damon was well... Matt Damon. A good actor.

The female lead was Lena Headey ... looks like Jacqueline Bisset's younger sister. Very beautiful, and was convincing in the role.

Go see it. Have fun.

HOLY COW!!!!

I just found out I am only THREE DEGREES away from Kevin Bacon! I have touted the release of Fugitive Hunter in a previous post, and I was just directed to this website which can track your degrees of separation! Cool...

This just in...

A study conducted by UCLA's Department of Psychiatry has revealed that the kind of face a woman finds attractive on a man can differ depending on where she is in her menstrual cycle. For example: If she is ovulating, she is attracted to men with rugged and masculine features. However, if she is menstruating, or menopausal, she tends to be more attracted to a man with scissors lodged in his temple and tape over his mouth while he is on fire. Further studies are expected.

Thanks Cue!

Some thoughts...

OK, here goes...

I am 40 years old. That is something that just doesn't want to sink in for me. Ask me to describe the "typical" 40 year old, and with the exception of being follicle challenged, I don't feel I fit into that category. So I got THAT going for me...

Next, ask most single women what they want in a guy (based on my extensive research in this area) and they will tell you some of the most important traits include someone who is intelligent, funny, creative, loyal, and romantic. Well I have above average intelligence; I am quick witted (so I have been told); I am a musician, writer, composer, singer, and actor; my circle of best friends has been around for over 20 years and there isn't anything I wouldn't do for them; and on the rare occasion I do have a girlfriend, I have done everything in my power to go above and beyond the call of duty to make her feel special and loved. So I got THAT going for me...

What I don't have going for me is well – a girlfriend. Now what is wrong with this picture? I have women who are friends, even some who are unattached, and they all say the same thing – "There is someone out there for you..." or "You are such a Nice Guy..." or even "You are such an awesome guy, it will happen...." That last one happened one night while I was out with a girl who I thought was my DATE! I know some of these women would be ideal for me if they only took a moment or two to realize I seriously am the catch they so easily praise.

I call this predicament "Big Brother Syndrome". Somehow I manage to get close to women who say I am boyfriend material without them ever seeing that I could be their boyfriend.

I have tried things. I have a friend who has done extensive research on this, I mean full on book reading on "How To Get Any Woman" type of research, as well as textbook psychology tips and tricks. According to these sources, I need to play a series of games that will, on a subconscious level, endear me to the woman I am trying to pursue. Sorry, that's not for me. I firmly believe I am simply who I am (damn... sounded like Popeye there for a second) and that being myself is the best and only way to be, regardless of the company I keep.

I tried the Internet dating scene, and still have a couple of profiles floating out there. I have even met a few women, a couple of whom I have even had some chemistry and potential with, but nothing substantial has emerged. Outside circumstances seemed to get in the way, things as valid as simple unavailability due to work or school schedules in some cases to sheer lunacy (on her part – I am completely normal... really... I am) in others. Oh, and one website in particular (I won't mention names but the name sounds like a choir singing a well balanced "E" chord -- come on you crossword gurus, that was a good clue) wanted $50 a month to help me find my soulmate. I even tried it for 3 months (they were having a special) and though I was directed to quite a few women who I supposedly am highly compatible with in well over 40 "important areas", I met exactly zero of them in person.

Don't get me started on my lady friends who have yet to try to hook me up with their single friends – once I was in a conversation with several people including a woman I know who tried to hook up – the guy to my right – with one of her friends. Maybe I wasn't giving off the "boyfriend material" vibe that day.

Someone MUST have some creative input here. I am listening.

I refuse however to pine over this situation. To my Parents I will continue to say it is a two-person agreement, and for my part I am doing all I can. Enough said. I will continue to be open minded and ready for whatever is placed in front of me.

Enough of that…

I am listening to the CD Snow by Spock's Beard – for the umpteenth time. Damn this is one incredible album. I have given this CD as a gift on several occasions to friends. It falls in the category of Progressive Rock (Kansas, Yes, and Dream Theater also fall into this category). I am telling you, buy this double CD. When you sit down and listen to it a second time (which I know you will), wear headphones and really listen. It is truly a masterpiece of musicianship, vocals, and composition. Amazing! In particular, I love the "Overture" and the 4-part a cappella fugue at the end of "The Devil's Got My Throat".

Tomorrow I am going hosting a screening of The Brothers Grimm. I am a spokesperson for Sacticket and get to see most new movies several days before they open. I will let you all know what I think about the movie.

That is all.

Oops...

I didn't, in a public forum, acknowledge my brother's birthday yesterday. So, a belated Happy Birthday to my Little Brother, a man of little moral convictions: as is evidenced by his blog.

Another gig has come and gone…

The Shopkeepers played tonight at “On the Y”. We were the only band. Now I gotta say, that SOUNDS kind’a cool, but not when your band is still in its infancy and you only have about 30 minutes of material. The crowd was appreciative however, and we did sound a ton better than when we played there the last time. At least a good effort went into balancing our sound for the venue. Overall I give the performance a solid 6 (out of 10). This is up big time from the 4 I ranked our last time out. As long as things keep improving, I hold out hope for our band. I gotta say the songs are really good – kudos to the composition team of Little Mike, Big Mike, and everyone else who adds their touches.
Now I get to get up in 6½ hours for work. Yeah. When you are loading, unloading, setting up, taking down, loading, and unloading drums (even electric ones), you are apt to wonder why you didn’t take piccolo lessons instead. Here is what I was moving.




At least I had help… my personal roadie and equipment driver Michael “RJ” Campbell. Thanks buddy.

Good night one and all.

Warning...

Never buy an alarm clock with two alarms without the alarm controls being easily accessible. This morning I woke up, bright-eyed and ready for a day of... HOLY SHIT!!!! It was 8:30am! My F*&$#n alarm didn't go off! Turns out the night before I set alarm 1 and turned on alarm 2. Great! My second week on a new job with a boss whose first point of emphasis on day one was him being a stickler for TIME, and I WOKE UP thirty minutes after I was supposed to BE THERE!

Fortunately, after all was said and done (not to mention the complete absence of Highway Patrol Officers on Eastbound Hwy. 50) I managed to go from my bed to the office door in 30 minutes (from Sac State to Prairie City Road for you locals). Thankfully, there didn't seem to be any damage as my boss was very understanding. Thanks Jim. I think I just cashed in my "Get Out of Jail Free" card...

I have managed to amass quite a collection of lovely lady pictures from various sites around the web, mostly celebrities. I love to look at pictures of beautiful women. Just for kicks I thought it would be fun to post one a week (not necessarily a model) just to share. Since I haven't been keeping up on my file naming conventions, there are pics where I don't know the model's name. If I do, I will rename the file accordingly. Here is this week's pic:



Good night.

Dammit...

Another late night. The CD-ROM drive on my main computer has been jacked up for awhile and I finally got around to replacing it... at midnight.

Well the curtain on Gilligan's Island has finally dropped for good. It was an amazing experience for me, as I can count the number of times a cast I have been involved with has bonded so well on one hand. I already knew several of the cast members, and really made friends with the rest of them. This was a unique experience.

I gotta say, the lifelong "guy debate" of Ginger vs. Mary Ann has for me finally been settled by the two amazing ladies in this show. The answer is simple — they both stole my heart! To April and Marneé — You two are incredibly beautiful women who deserve nothing but the best in life and love! I wish you nothing but happiness. There are incredibly few men who are in your league, and don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise. Lord knows I am not one of them, but it gives me something to strive for both as man and as a person.

As of this writing, The Shopkeepers are going to be playing on Tuesday evening at "On the Y". More to come as the details are finalized.

My thanks to all of my friends and family who came to see GI... I know for a lot of you theater isn't your cup of tea, but it was truly an honor to perform for you all, and I hope you had a good time. Know that it is an amazing feeling to get on that stage and know there are people there who have specifically come to see you. Thank you all.

More to come soon.

Roger

The lights go down

Only 2 performances left of Gilligan. It will be a little sad to end it, but at the same time I relish the idea of regaining my time back. Now I once again have my weekends free to go on dates and... oh wait, we're talking ME here... Now I once again have my weekends free to sit at home with my favorite gal over a nice meal and... no, that's not it... Now I once again have my weekends free to sit on my ass and watch the world go by, my only companion the gentle glow of a TV screen or computer monitor -- Yeah, that's it.

Actually, looks like I will be focusing some more effort into the ShopKeepers. For those who don't know, that's the name of the band I am in. We are supposedly playing both Sunday and Monday nights at "On the Y" in Sacramento (Fulton and Munroe). Here is a pic of the band (minus one, the beloved Melissa who missed this rehearsal).



Keep your eyes open here or on my website for demo music.

Also in the works -- the movie I was in, End of the Law... err Fugitive Hunter hits the DVD shelves on September 13. I talked to John Jimenez (The Director) yesterday and he told me that pretty much every TV station in Sacramento as well as the local newspapers are going to carry a story about the "local movie makes good". You can go to www.amazon.com , www.bestbuy.com, www.deepdiscountdvd.com (my personal favorite as the prices are awesome), and even www.moviesunlimited.com (if you do a search on this site, my name even pops up in the movie description -- yeah, like I need my ego stroked). I am sure there are others, as this is being released by Lion's Gate. I even found out thru a friend last night who came and saw Gilligan that the film is going to be on NetFlix as well (but remember the royalty check will be bigger if you BUY it as opposed to renting it).

I finished my first week of work yesterday at Intel in Folsom. I am not an employee of Intel, I work for the company who manages the Help Desk Support for Intel. It's sort of like being a Valet on a Cruise Ship — it's a really nice place to work, but you get none of the benefits. I gotta find a way to get my "blue badge".

Breakfast time. Later!

Why…

Do I get so focused on projects late at night? New job and I have to get up at 6:30 in the AM so I am not late. But what do I do? Come home and start working on configuring this Blog (NOTE THE POST TIME). I was hosting this blog on my own FTP server, but I ran into some issues that were a little unforseen, and not really worth the effort to maintain the workarounds (Note to all computer geeks – YES I did get the workarounds working!). Mainly it has to do with the fact that (NOTE to all NON-computer geeks – You can skip to the end of this paragraph) Blogger wants to publish all my archives to the same URL as the hosted website. Since I don't have the web service enabled on my computer (for my own security reasons) there was some strange conflicts.

On a different note: I am still hoping to find a good way to work with a thumbnailed graphic on this thing. Like this:



I created the thumbnail myself via Photoshop and put that in one directory and simply inserted it into this post, then hyperlinked it to the actual image which I am hosting on my FTP server. If you know of a better solution, let me know.

Good morning

So, I downloaded the Blogger plug-in for MS Word. Here’s to testing it to ensure it can do what I was hoping it would.
CRAP. OK. Since you the reader don’t have the luxury of seeing all the stuff going on, let me tell ya… I tried to insert a thumbnail graphic linked to the real thing in here, but that is “currently not supported” by either Blogger or the plug-in (one or both). I can edit the Blogger file in FrontPage after publishing the fact and do whatever I want (the main reason I am hosting this on my own FTP site), but the next time I post, the file would be overwritten without the change.
I have to go to work now, so I can’t continue to futz with this, but I will continue to play with this. Remember to all of my friends who have yet to see Gilligan’s Island the Musical, there are only FOUR shows left starting this evening.
Here is the picture I was trying to post
Addendum:
DOUBLE CRAP! OK, due to the nature of how I have my blogger settings configured, when I tried to publish this post directly from Word using the new fancy tool, it posted to the wrong (non-existent) place. What kind of BS is this? So I had to go to the Blogger website and edit this post then re-publish it. So it looks like the Word plug-in is going to be unplugged until I figure out how to get it to behave. Anyone know where to configure that info within the plug-in? Drop me an email and let me know. Thanks.
Off to the grind.

Wow...

OK, I did it my way. I managed to setup my blog putting it exactly where I want it, where I have complete control. I am using the tools from Blogger to get the job done -- for now. To test my savvy, I have even added this graphic.

Bedtime for me.

My First Entry...

Here's to hoping I know what the heck I am doing.