The post show funk

So, the show is over. It was better than I expected, honestly. Going into the last week, we (the cast) were still not where we needed to be. We got there, though. It is a shame we only did one "real" performance, but it was great nevertheless. We got a standing ovation right away and the energy was orgasmic during the curtain call.

...and there was a little bit of a different feeling for me. I've done other shows, but this was the first one I've ever done where I helped with direction and production. I'm really proud of my cast mates and what they were able to do with the show.

Hopefully my next show will be South Pacific, later this year. What am I going to do with myself until then?

http://www.youtube.com/WheelzOfFortune

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR

Tonight is the "real" performance. Yesterday's was for school children, but today the audience will be packed with people that paid up to $45 per ticket! I am so thankful to be a part of this show. I've wanted to do Superstar for so long and I am finally in it. Now I just need to be in Les Miserables, Pippin, 1776, Mamma Mia!, and Into the Woods and I can die happy.

http://www.youtube.com/WheelzOfFortune

Another opening, another show

Our first performance of Jesus Christ Superstar went surprisingly well. I didn't know we had it in us. Of course there were a couple of minor snafus, but overall I'm happy with how well we did and I am very proud of my cast mates.

Tonight I am off to NYC yet again. This time I am going to see a couple of friends in Guys and Dolls.

Then another Superstar show tomorrow. By the way, did you know that Jesus had a foot fetish?

http://www.youtube.com/WheelzOfFortune

How to Dehumanize a Person (YouTube video transcript)

Hey all, I had a different video planned for today, but something happened to me in the last 40-45 minutes or so and I've got this topic on my mind now. It has to do with handicapped rights and more so the rights of humans, I guess.

So, I'll explain what happened that made me think of this. I mean, it is something that's always on my mind, but it was brought to my attention again today because of this occurrence.

I was at rehearsal for this show I am doing and I came out when rehearsal was over and there was a car parked right next to my handicapped van that has a lift, so I can get into the van. And I'm not sure if you've noticed, but some handicapped spaces have extra space beside them with crossed lines whether they're yellow or blue and sometimes they have signs that say "No Parking Any Time." The reason for this is that people that have vans with lifts need to use those lifts to get out of their car, so if someone's parked in the space next to it, they can't get out or get in their car.

So, I was parked in the handicapped spot and someone was parked in the space next to it that specifically says No Parking Any Time. So, as I'm coming out of the building, the car that's parked in the No Parking Any Time space moves. So, I go up to the driver and said "hey, what does that sign say?"

He said, "what sign?"

"The one in the spot where you were just parked."

"It says No Parking."

So I said, "well, why were you parked there?"

He said, "But I moved when I saw you."

And I was like, "you know, that's not really the point. The point is that you are not supposed to be parked there. It says No Parking Any Time. If you weren't in your car and you couldn't move your car, then I or whoever else may need to use that spot wouldn't be able to get in their car."

And basically he went on to insult me more and say that I was only complaining because I was upset, which is obviously true - I was upset, but it is not really about me. It is about all handicapped people. It is the principle of the matter. You're not supposed to park there because those spots are designated for people to get in and out of their cars.

Thankfully, someone else was there and came up to me a little later while I was sitting in my car thinking about what had just happened and said that they were happy that I stood up for myself and happy that I stood up for all handicapped people, really.

But when people do things like that, abuse handicapped spots, the spots next to them, or anything like that, it makes us (anyone with a disability) feel like less of a person.

I'm pretty sure you can see that I'm not in the greatest mood right now and that is because of this. Right now I really do feel like less of a person. I'm not just saying that, that's actually how I feel.

So, I guess the moral is if you are watching this video, please think about things before you do them. Don't park in those spots that say "No Parking Any Time" even if it is just for a second because that is one second too long.

And in general, just try to be nicer.

[End video transcript.]

I had more recorded for this video, but I messed up at the end and since it was almost 2am and didn't want to rerecord the entire thing (and editing/splicing wasn't working). The last bit that I cut out was supposed to say (after "one second too long.")

"And in general, just try to be nicer to people. Anyone. Whether they are handicapped or not handicapped, black, white, purple, Jewish, Muslim, Christian - it doesn't matter. Just try to be nice, try to be considerate. I guess that is all I have to say."

[End extra video transcript.]

So now I don't want to go to rehearsal tonight because I'm worried that this man will be there again. I love theatre more than just about anything else in the world, but thanks to this person I don't even want to do that. This is what happens when you treat someone like a second-class citizen.

When I was in the NYC the other day one of my friends said "you know, I always forget you use a wheelchair." Normally, I do, too. It seems so natural to me that I don't think I am different than anyone else. I am only reminded of it when things like this happen.

Oh well, c'est la vie, I suppose.

http://www.youtube.com/WheelzOfFortune

Tech Week

My favorite part of the rehearsal process for shows is now upon us. Jesus Christ Superstar tech started today with the sitzprobe. It went surprisingly well and things really seem to be coming together. I had a ball today singing and rocking out with the band. It is hard to believe that the show will be over by the end of this week.

http://www.youtube.com/WheelzOfFortune

What a party that was...

I went into NYC yesterday to see a show with a theatre friend of mine. The show, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, was AMAZING! There were a couple of scenes, though, where the main characters, 3 drag queens, were verbally and physically assaulted because of their lifestyle and I was greatly bothered by that fact. I realize it is just a show, but sadly those things do happen in real life. It just reminded me how much I wish that people would be more accepting of each other no matter what differences they may have. Thankfully, overall the show was very up beat and I was very happy afterwards.

...and then I had a sleepover at said friends' apartment with several other theatre friends. It was SOOOOOOOOO much fun. I really love my friends. <3

http://www.youtube.com/WheelzOfFortune

Collections: Part 3

The time has come for me to talk about my guitar collection. I have pictures of most of them, but I'll just list them first.

Electrics:
1. PRS 513
2. Gibson Les Paul DC (Double Cutaway)
3. Parker Fly
4. Gibson Gothic Explorer
5. Peavey Jr.

Acoustics:
6. Martin 000-28EC (Eric Clapton Signature Model)
7. Martin D-1
8. Martin D12-1 (12 string)
9. Martin Backpacker
10. Generic Beginner's Acoustic

Basses:
11. Ibanez Soundgear
12. Galveston Acoustic/Electric

Other:
13. Cordoba 25SK Soprano Ukulele

If you've watched my YouTube music videos, you've probably seen a bunch of these already.

PRS 513 and Wolfie (000-28EC)

12-string (D12-1) and I Miss You Wolfie (D-1)

Les Paul and Ibanez bass

Gothic Explorer

Backpacker

Parker Fly

Galveston bass

Cordoba Uke

Those are the ones I have pictures of. Now just a sentence or two about each of them.

The PRS is easily my favorite electric. It was the most expensive, but the sounds that I can get from it make it worth every penny. it also plays like a dream! The Eric Clapton Martin is my favorite acoustic and as mentioned above is nicknamed Wolfie (after Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart). The other Martin acoustic I have is known as I Miss You Wolfie because I got him when Wolfie had to go in for repairs one time.

The Parker Fly is the lightest guitar I have and I actually keep it on my bed and play it nearly every night before I go to sleep. An interesting thing about the Parker guitar is that it is able to be used as an acoustic and an electric AT THE SAME TIME. It comes with a special jack that splits in two and can be plugged into an acoustic amp and an electric amp simultaneously.

The 12 string is a cool sounding guitar, however it has a very thick/wide neck which makes it a bit more difficult to play than the others. The Backpacker, too, is a neat guitar that is also tough to play. The reason for this is it's shape. It is hard to hold the guitar in a comfortable position for playing. However it is nice to have on road trips or camping trips.

You'll notice that the Gothic Explorer is mounted on the wall. The reason for this is that it is the heaviest guitar I own and is in fact so heavy that it is actually uncomfortable for me to play for an extended period of time. I don't use it much anymore, so that it why it sits on the wall.

There are only a few more to talk about. The two basses will be first. Neither of them were supposed to be mine initially, oddly enough. The Ibanez was my sister's, but she didn't use it much, so it found it's way to my house. The Galveston was my friend's, but he decided he didn't want to play anymore, so he sold it to me.

I bought the ukulele because I basically got up one day and thought "I want a ukulele." :-p It is a fun little diversion from playing the guitar and probably should practice more with it.

That only leaves the Peavey and the last "generic" acoustic. The Peavey was my first electric guitar. The unique thing about it is that there was an amplifier built into the guitar case. I'm really not sure what brand of guitar that "generic" one is, but it is worth mentioning because it was my very first guitar. It was given to me by a family friend when I was around 9 or 10.

Whew, I think that is it.

LEGO sets, guitars, sports cards, memorabilia, pocket knives, and fridge magnets. Oh my!

(That may have been the WORST Wizard of Oz reference ever.)

http://www.youtube.com/WheelzOfFortune

Collections: Part 2 - Electric Boogaloo

So, I covered 3 collections of mine in yesterday's entry. Today I will go over my most prized collections. Guitars and sports cards/memorabilia. ...and I think I will save the guitars for last.

Sports cards/memorabilia:
It is amazing that I can remember the first sports cards that I collected considering I cn't even remember what I had for lunch yesterday. Yet, I distinctly remember buying packs of 1992-93 Topps basketball cards and getting a Michael Jordan card out of the set. I was SO excited. That was Shaquille O'Neal's rookie year, too, and I currently have bunch of his rookie cards from various sets.

Over the years, I've spent a ludicrous amount of money on sports cards. (Probably over $50,000). I would almost say that collecting cards is an addiction since I do tend to have cravings/urges to open packs every so often.

Some of my top cards are:
1986-87 Fleer Michael Jordan PSA 8
a 1994 Score Alex Rodriguez Call-Up PSA 10
2007-08 Topps Finest Kevin Durant Blue Refractor BGS 10 (remember, I LOVE blue things)
2007-08 Topps Finest Derrick Rose Blue Refractor BGS 10
2009 Leaf Limited Barry Sanders Material Monikers 04/10 (That means there are only 10 in the world)

Thanks to my mom collecting baseball cards when she was younger, I have some old ones like Yogi Berra rookies, a Stan Musial, and some others.





I'm not as fervent a collector of memorabilia as I am of cards because as I mentioned I get a rush/high from opening packs or boxes of cards. I don't get that with memorabilia, though. That said, I have a few autographed mini-helmets (remember how I like miniature things?), a couple of autographed footballs and baseballs, an autographed baseball glove, etc, etc.



The top helmet in this picture was autographed by Barry Sanders, the middle one by Drew Bledsoe, and the bottom one by Ray Rice.

Since this post was a bit longer than I expected (and I didn't even cover about 90% of my collection), I am going to devote a separate post to my guitars.

http://www.youtube.com/WheelzOfFortune

Collections: Part 1

Everyone collects something, right? ...

Anyway, I collect a variety of different things, but my main ones would be sports cards (baseball, basketball, and American football) and other sports memorabilia, pocket knives, fridge magnets, LEGO sets, and guitars.

Pocket Knives:
I guess I'll start with my pocket knife collection. I started this one when I joined Cub Scouts (and later Boy Scouts) back when I was a wee lad.

This was the first knife I owned:


Since then my collection has grown to about 30-35 different knives. I have an affinity for Swiss Army ones (particularly blue ones) like this:


I have several very small knives (3 inches of less when folded) since I like small things for whatever reason. I intend to have a display case for them all at some point, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

Refridgerator Magnets:
Next, I think I will talk about my fridge magnet collection a bit. This one is my newest collection. I started it on my trip to Europe last year. I bought a magnet in every place I visited. So, from Europe currently I have Sorrento, Tunisia, Barcelona, Monaco/Monte Carlo, Nice, Livorno, Pisa, Rome, Vatican City, and Frankfurt Airport. I also decided to go back and buy some magnets online of places in North America that I've been to. Boston, Seattle, Cleveland, Washington DC, Tampa, Wilmington, Key West, and Vancouver.

The one thing I am slightly disappointed about is that for the Europe ones, I got every one in the city/country while I was there EXCEPT Nice France. I didn't have enough time to find one while I was there, so I had to buy that one off eBay. =\


LEGO Sets:
Yes, I do in fact still play with LEGO sets once in a while. My favorite set themes are the Forestmen/Castle, Star Wars, and Pirates. I have too many sets to count, although I estimate there are probably over 40. One, in particular will probably always be my favorite. The Black Seas Barracuda.


I got that one as a gift from my parents after my first major spine surgery.

Another favorite is the Camouflaged Outpost. I don't remember when I got that one as a child, but I always loved the secret doors it had.



I have to get ready for rehearsal, so I will post about my sports cards/memorabilia and my guitars tomorrow.

http://www.youtube.com/WheelzOfFortune

Bye bye mole

So I actually did end up having the mole removed today. The procedure took about 5-7 minutes total and was fairly painless. ...however, while waiting in the the "operating" room (which was really just a regular exam room that just happened to be the room where the surgery took place) I started thinking about all of the other operations I've had in the past. I don't really know how to describe the feelings that came with remembering that stuff. Oddly enough the next song I will be uploading is one I wrote about having various surgeries and hospital stays over the years when I was younger. Fair warning, it is rather depressing. When my sister heard it, the first thing she said was "oh wow, are you okay?"

http://www.youtube.com/WheelzOfFortune