Weekend!

38 Comments

1. A birthday party for someone special.

2. I don’t know, I’m lost.

   I will be checking the FCC website daily.

   • No matches found

3. I have some hop rhizomes that I need to get into the ground.
   A phone book I need to find.
   Mail from a previous tenant I need to deliver.

   I’m still going with the Civ IV, the Beyond the Sword add-on mainly.
   I finally found where the saved games were stored, and deleted a lot of them.
   A couple of scenarios in there I still haven’t played.
   Still resisting Civ V.

   • Keep on resisting Civ V, it’s irreparably broken– as in, mathematically impossible to fix.

     • How so? Not snark, I’m genuinely curious.

   • > I have some hop rhizomes that I need to get into the ground.

     Taking home brewing to the next level?

     • Thought I’d try my hand at it.
       I have Nugget, Willamette, and Mt. Hood going. Not expecting much for the first year.

       I do make an excellent Vienna lager that I’m considering entering in competition. That’ s the one I get most requests for.
       I’m more of a porter fan myself. For domestics, I like Anchor; for imports, it’s Zywiec.
       For some reason, I’ve recently become interested in brewing bitters.

4. I’m still lovin’ Skyrim (almost level 70). Either a play party or Easter egg hunt tomorrow with the little girl, depending on weather.

5. Medieval Fair in Norman Oklahoma tonight and all day Sunday…I’m not a dork only going to dress up on Sunday 🙂

   • The Normans have invaded Oklahoma?
     I guess it’s ok if it’s just a Medieval Fair.
     Otherwise, I’m not so sure I would approve of the Normans taking over Oklahoma.
     Who’s next? The Franks?

6. With any luck: sleep.

   • I slept most of today. I recommend getting sick, then it’s easy to sleep. It’s not very restful, though.

     Tradeoffs must be made.

     • Hope you’re feeling better soon.

     • Drink lots of fluids*!

       *booze

       • Yes, by all means, gargle with your Scotch before swallowing it.

7. Play practice, tonight and twice on Saturday. The weirdest thing to happen this whole year is that I’m singing live on stage (I’m assuming there’s gonna be a big demand for ticket refunds).

   • What’s your song?

     • “You Are Still My Boy.” Do you know the show? The woman I sing with has a beautiful voice, and I feel wholly overmatched.

       • Show tunes aren’t my thing.
         I do know all the words to JC Superstar though.
         Much of the music as well.

         I’ll pass this on, because it’s a really good technique.
         I can get my voice into shape where I want it in three weeks, no problem.
         Find the lowest note you can sing falsetto. Sing a scale beginning from that note. Go slowly. It’s the pitch that’s important.
         When you’re done with the one octave, begin the scale from the next note up.
         Do it for 30 minutes. Keep a glass of water handy, and drink often, even if you don’t feel dry.

         Something about the falsetto voice, but it makes the natural voice easier to control.
         Works for me every time.

         • It’s not a typical show tune. It’s a sad lament for a lost child, with a nice swing feel to it. Not the kind of thing that people will leave the theater humming, but one that might cause a few people to tear up.

         • I went to listen to it, so I could hear what you were talking about.
           The version I heard could have benefited form the use of dynamics. If you think of a jazz clarinet doing the vocal line, you’ll probably understand it. It’s a bit more tricky though. Music is all about anticipation and resolution, and a decrescendo coming out of a volume swell is a point where anticipation is heightened. You got to hit the next notes right on.
           I still think you could benefit from the technique I noted above (I swear by it), but there are two things that I should have noted that I took for granted go without saying. Every other day is more effective than every day, because your throat needs the rest, and if you feel any tightness at all, no matter if you’ve only got seven minutes into a session, stop.
           Other than that, the less self-conscious you are, the better you will be. There’s a disassociation where your mind is occupied by listening to the piece, and your body is free to do what it needs to.
           Myself, I am terribly near-sighted, and not being able to see the people, other than as an indistinct blur, helps me a lot. However, I don’t recommend it.
           Good luck with that.

           I think you’ll do well. And I think you’ll actually do better than you feel like you’re doing.
           As precise as you are with language, and in the distinction and categorization of ideas, I am fully confident that you would approach this with that same fastidiousness.
           The audience isn’t likely to be so hard on you as you are on yourself.
           I think you’ll do well.

         • Will,

           Thanks much for the advice and encouragement. Apparently I actually am doing better than I think I am or will. More than not hitting the notes (although a few are at the top of my range), my stress is forgetting my particular lines…just out of stage fright (I’ve been in well over 100 stage performances, and I still have a desperate urge to pee immediately before each performance, and I’m happiest when I’ve performed and never even heard the crowd–many’s the time I’ve not heard riotous laughter or applause–if that happens I’ll do fine.)

           And fortunately I’ve been a (really half-assed) musician for years, took music theory in high school, was in the band, and so on, so I have a good grasp of dynamics and pacing. In fact I particularly love the movement of this song. It swings, but so gently and movingly. But thanks, really. I’m nervous enough that I’ll take all the encouragement I can get.

         • Break a leg! (how’d it go?)

8. Home early today for a good workout and settling in for a relaxing night; off to the city Saturday; long run on Sunday.

9. 3 day weekend for me. 2 days in Eugene with a bunch of girlfriends and my sister. 1 day of sleep and/or chasing the toddler around begging him pick up after himself.

   • So where are the hot spots to hang out in Eugene these days? Gonna chill with the college kids at High Street Cafe, or splurge on dinner at the Electric Station?

     • Renny’s. Always and forever, Renny’s.

       Or for the more upscale evening, Joe Federigo’s.

       • I’ve never spent time in Eugene before. Perhaps I will check out one of these. The one with the college boys sounds promising 😉

         • Renny’s is indeed always and forever…and it will have college boys, too. For upscale I would also put in a plug for Ambrosia (at least it was good a decade ago).

       • Ooh I miss Renny’s too! Damn you Kelly, you always make me nostalgic for California and Oregon.

         • 🙂

10. Trying to relax after a week of parent induced stress (which wouldn’t be so bad if they were ~my~ parents inducing it). Topic of the week for “Weekly Short Story Contest” is “What’s in the closet?” so I might use this as an excuse to write another short story for the novel I’m working on to help me develop the world. Or maybe play some more Sims 3. I’d like to play some more Skyrim but I don’t have it yet and I blew my game budget on getting Skylanders for the 4 year old.

11. Right now I’m playing Neverwinter Nights 2 for reasons I can’t really explain.

12. Petting the cats.

    And a bunch of other stuff I will think about only when I am actually doing it.

13. I know a guy named Frank so you think he’s an advanced scout?

    • Any Goths in the area?

      • Actually saw quite a few at the Medieval Fair we must really be trouble

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