... and dust and cowboy hats too!
The big show that our troupe worked so hard on premiered at the Wild Wild West Steampunk Convention.
Well to be honest in its beginning it was to be a show specifically for this Con, but it grew to be so much more. But this is what happens with you get a writer like Erin Lausten involved. In short this show is now the beginning of so many more with Short Stories to match!
Walking around on the first day we fell in love with all the creative costuming! Watching different acts and listening to some awesome bands, we drooled with excitement at the possibilities that lay before us. In finding locations for pictures we were awed to be standing in the same places that so many Westerns were filmed. (We giggled when someone behind us noted that one section looked like Tatooine.) In short we were overwhelmed with the ideas swirling around us and we needed to FOCUS!
The Slumber Party Returned
The first night found the three of us that had bunked together at Estrella War bunking together again! Let the giggling ensue...
Oh you bet we were giggling when we were trying to fall asleep. We were so tired from the preparation, packing, traveling and doing some last minute costuming that we were a bit Punchy. We were outright laughing when we thought of Estrella and Ms. DT!
The Giddyness continued
The next day because we stayed up late and got up early. (Early enough that three females could get a shower, get mostly ready for the day and get to breakfast by 9am. Amazing right?) That as we were finishing the last minute grommeting in the hotel room we couldn't help but giggle. AND when we were walking around the the Convention we were not as shy as we normally are when handing out promotional materials. I think we scared a couple of folks at Old Tucson Studios.
Of course the giddyness disappeared when OTS and the directors of WWWCon got their wires crossed with our performance times. We did take it in stride and got the consolation prize of attending The League of S.T.E.A.M. dinner theater. What a hoot! Especially after attempting to eat a 2 foot pizza. (I wish someone had gotten a picture.)
Not a total bust for the first day of our first Steampunk Convention.
There was, of course, two more days left!
Showing posts with label projects. Show all posts
Showing posts with label projects. Show all posts
Monday, March 21, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Projects, projects and MORE projects...
So this is where we once again talk about Trickster Time... He is getting so much publicity from me, I wish there was a way to bill and collect from this elusive artist.
This is a glimpse into what my life has become and it will only get more insane from here.
The troupe has performances coming up that we are really excited about and can't wait to do. Of course we need to make costumes and refresh ourselves with certain styles of Middle Eastern dance. These shows are fast approaching. As a group we are realizing that just because something is a month away, it does not mean that we have a month to work on it.
When you take into account the time you already have committed to work, children, spouses and other activities the amount of time available to actually do work decreases. Also, the time you need to take to create and sew a costume takes away from the time you can use for rehearsal. This works the other way around as well. On top of all these things you should really try to factor in the fun that Trickster Time will have with you. He likes to work with Nemesis to create problems with the sewing machines or computers you are using to work on costumes and music. Time will also play around with the day that you are working and give you the impression of having 8 hours but the 4 hour project doesn't get finished because you only really had 3 hours to truly work on it.
It makes me tired just thinking about all the things that Time can do to you when you have a deadline. It also wears me out just trying to explain how it all works. Or doesn't as the case may be
Now here's where it gets interesting or insane, take your pick.
I am networking for the troupe as well as trying to costume myself for the BIG show coming up in March. Having agreed to do some other work where I need another costume by the end of this month. Yes, 2 weeks from now. Along with rehearsals and the dance class I am teaching, I am sure I will find the time. (Was that convincing?)
Then there is the multi-level marketing that needs at least some attention. No more than 15 minutes a day really. But somehow that 15 mins seems more like an hour when you try to find it loose and free. A block of 15 free minutes is the Jackalope of my world. Truly, have you ever really seen it?
Add on to this craziness my personal quest to bring more money into my household. I now have 2 commissioned sewing projects. Well 3 if you count the project I was supposed to do during the summer. I need an hour a day to fit those in and have them done before the event they are to be worn at. ACK! (Yes, I realize I asked for this.)
And last but not least is the writing. It's always waiting for me. Like that old friend from college that is happy to hang out with you but you always leave hanging until all your other social obligations are taken care of. I am honestly writing a little something every day. But slow and steady is not the actual pace I want to be at right now. (Impatient? Me?)
Now as I return to planning and costuming I do regret that I am not posting as often as I'd like. Nor am I writing as much as I could. I also have lots of unfinished sections on that multi-level marketing website. But it's okay. I am blaming it all on that trickster Time. Otherwise my 2 hours a day would be enough to get everything done.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
This is a glimpse into what my life has become and it will only get more insane from here.
The troupe has performances coming up that we are really excited about and can't wait to do. Of course we need to make costumes and refresh ourselves with certain styles of Middle Eastern dance. These shows are fast approaching. As a group we are realizing that just because something is a month away, it does not mean that we have a month to work on it.
When you take into account the time you already have committed to work, children, spouses and other activities the amount of time available to actually do work decreases. Also, the time you need to take to create and sew a costume takes away from the time you can use for rehearsal. This works the other way around as well. On top of all these things you should really try to factor in the fun that Trickster Time will have with you. He likes to work with Nemesis to create problems with the sewing machines or computers you are using to work on costumes and music. Time will also play around with the day that you are working and give you the impression of having 8 hours but the 4 hour project doesn't get finished because you only really had 3 hours to truly work on it.
It makes me tired just thinking about all the things that Time can do to you when you have a deadline. It also wears me out just trying to explain how it all works. Or doesn't as the case may be
Now here's where it gets interesting or insane, take your pick.
I am networking for the troupe as well as trying to costume myself for the BIG show coming up in March. Having agreed to do some other work where I need another costume by the end of this month. Yes, 2 weeks from now. Along with rehearsals and the dance class I am teaching, I am sure I will find the time. (Was that convincing?)
Then there is the multi-level marketing that needs at least some attention. No more than 15 minutes a day really. But somehow that 15 mins seems more like an hour when you try to find it loose and free. A block of 15 free minutes is the Jackalope of my world. Truly, have you ever really seen it?
Add on to this craziness my personal quest to bring more money into my household. I now have 2 commissioned sewing projects. Well 3 if you count the project I was supposed to do during the summer. I need an hour a day to fit those in and have them done before the event they are to be worn at. ACK! (Yes, I realize I asked for this.)
And last but not least is the writing. It's always waiting for me. Like that old friend from college that is happy to hang out with you but you always leave hanging until all your other social obligations are taken care of. I am honestly writing a little something every day. But slow and steady is not the actual pace I want to be at right now. (Impatient? Me?)
Now as I return to planning and costuming I do regret that I am not posting as often as I'd like. Nor am I writing as much as I could. I also have lots of unfinished sections on that multi-level marketing website. But it's okay. I am blaming it all on that trickster Time. Otherwise my 2 hours a day would be enough to get everything done.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Here we Go!
It is now the end of 2010 and of course this makes most of us look back at the year we've just spent hoping would end quickly. Being the end of one year it also makes me in particular look forward to what is coming up.
I don't know about you all but there never seems to be a definitive end to one year and a definitive beginning to the next. For the last dozen years things just seem to blend together. The actual date only marks when things are due or when they are well and truly done. Otherwise we keep plugging away at similar if not the very same things year after year, day after day.
This may seem monotonous to some, to me it is an indication of what I've accomplished over the last couple of years. For things to continue happening it means that I have continously worked on them. I am fairly good at cutting people or activities from my life when they get too cumbersome, boring or toxic. I say fairly good because I probably give both my activities and acquiantances more chances then they deserve to get back into my good graces. Regardless, the point is that I don't have continuity due to inaction but due to a concerted effort to continue those things that I enjoy.
To this end I am now starting to at least think about my calendar. Yes, I have not followed my own advice again. I haven't plotted on an actual calendar yet. I swear I will hit the dollar store soon!
Even though I haven't written it down on paper, I can already see the weekends up until Summer filled up. And my weeknights are going to start filling quickly as well. I have to keep repeating to myself that this is all good! I have created this busy schedule nightmare with the projects I have taken on. This craziness will get the troupe the recognition we want, me the money I need to pay the bills on time and a of course a chance to for me to publish at least one of my stories.
This is the idea anyway.
Now myself and the friends I purposely have surrounding me are on to planning the next year and it's going to be a hard, fast ride! Hopefully everyone's ready and has their safety belts on. There's no slowing down this rollercoaster!
I don't know about you all but there never seems to be a definitive end to one year and a definitive beginning to the next. For the last dozen years things just seem to blend together. The actual date only marks when things are due or when they are well and truly done. Otherwise we keep plugging away at similar if not the very same things year after year, day after day.
This may seem monotonous to some, to me it is an indication of what I've accomplished over the last couple of years. For things to continue happening it means that I have continously worked on them. I am fairly good at cutting people or activities from my life when they get too cumbersome, boring or toxic. I say fairly good because I probably give both my activities and acquiantances more chances then they deserve to get back into my good graces. Regardless, the point is that I don't have continuity due to inaction but due to a concerted effort to continue those things that I enjoy.
To this end I am now starting to at least think about my calendar. Yes, I have not followed my own advice again. I haven't plotted on an actual calendar yet. I swear I will hit the dollar store soon!
Even though I haven't written it down on paper, I can already see the weekends up until Summer filled up. And my weeknights are going to start filling quickly as well. I have to keep repeating to myself that this is all good! I have created this busy schedule nightmare with the projects I have taken on. This craziness will get the troupe the recognition we want, me the money I need to pay the bills on time and a of course a chance to for me to publish at least one of my stories.
This is the idea anyway.
Now myself and the friends I purposely have surrounding me are on to planning the next year and it's going to be a hard, fast ride! Hopefully everyone's ready and has their safety belts on. There's no slowing down this rollercoaster!
Monday, December 20, 2010
Nemesis and Chaos strike again!
I bet you all thought that Trickster Time was my nemesis. This, however, is not true. Life has had so many bumps, traps and holes for me that I believe that Nemesis and Chaos are a tag team that dog my every crossroad. I am just not sure how I should take this.
Most religious and spiritual paths believe that trials and tribulations are necessary to get us where we need to be. That these obstacles will help shape a person's spirit and personality.
Personally, I think that there may be some intent, but I also believe that Chaos just likes getting into mischief with his good buddy Nemesis.
Right now I've had a series of these 'character building' events happen. Up to and including my vehicle being out of commission. This is the most severe of all the obstacles as this is how I get to and from work as well as get errands done for the family. One of those errands is paying the bills. Another is picking up the gifts for this holiday. Not usually a procrastinator with gift buying, I did need to wait until after payday this time around. Oh! We need to add cashing that check to this list of errands. I sure am envying the snow birds and their golf carts right now.
Chaos of course not to be undone by Nemesis' sly work with the 4runner decided that the troupe performance this weekend needed more excitement. Two dancers fall ill, that was half the show, and the organizer didn't organize. With only two dancers to do a four dancer piece and then a third joining in after not even hearing the music until 2 hours before the performance we were already nervous. The addition of the set list not being with the master cd for the show AND the gal with the set list being 25 minutes late. Woo Hoo! Chaos was having a grand time. We did show Chaos that while he could mock and make it difficult he did not win completely. We went on and while we didn't knock it out of the park we performed well. And really if you think about it we had the coolest music. Christmas Carols done with drums and an Oud!
Out of this I have learned that I have at least one more friend that I can count on in times of crisis. It is also making the fire under me burn a little hotter for getting some query letters out soon. Which means I need to spend more time writing in order to have something to shop.
And this is when Time steps in for a little mischief of his own. Projects that should only take a few minutes take hours. Because, of course, Time is not working alone. Nemesis made sure that my printer ink cartridges were clogged so that Time could chuckle whilst I spent almost two hours hitting deep clean and nozzle check. After all this time was spent, Nemesis was in for a treat as the cartridges became unclogged the ink was showing close to empty. Therefore a quick print project, (the document was already previously written and saved), turned into a long waste of my time. The boys got their kicks alright.
Here I sit once again the butt of their jokes, a piece (I am never a pawn) in the game that they like to play. Where will we go next and what ultimately is the purpose?
In my opinion it is just Life's way of giving me true competition. Mortals are just too easy to overwhelm.
Most religious and spiritual paths believe that trials and tribulations are necessary to get us where we need to be. That these obstacles will help shape a person's spirit and personality.
Personally, I think that there may be some intent, but I also believe that Chaos just likes getting into mischief with his good buddy Nemesis.
Right now I've had a series of these 'character building' events happen. Up to and including my vehicle being out of commission. This is the most severe of all the obstacles as this is how I get to and from work as well as get errands done for the family. One of those errands is paying the bills. Another is picking up the gifts for this holiday. Not usually a procrastinator with gift buying, I did need to wait until after payday this time around. Oh! We need to add cashing that check to this list of errands. I sure am envying the snow birds and their golf carts right now.
Chaos of course not to be undone by Nemesis' sly work with the 4runner decided that the troupe performance this weekend needed more excitement. Two dancers fall ill, that was half the show, and the organizer didn't organize. With only two dancers to do a four dancer piece and then a third joining in after not even hearing the music until 2 hours before the performance we were already nervous. The addition of the set list not being with the master cd for the show AND the gal with the set list being 25 minutes late. Woo Hoo! Chaos was having a grand time. We did show Chaos that while he could mock and make it difficult he did not win completely. We went on and while we didn't knock it out of the park we performed well. And really if you think about it we had the coolest music. Christmas Carols done with drums and an Oud!
Out of this I have learned that I have at least one more friend that I can count on in times of crisis. It is also making the fire under me burn a little hotter for getting some query letters out soon. Which means I need to spend more time writing in order to have something to shop.
And this is when Time steps in for a little mischief of his own. Projects that should only take a few minutes take hours. Because, of course, Time is not working alone. Nemesis made sure that my printer ink cartridges were clogged so that Time could chuckle whilst I spent almost two hours hitting deep clean and nozzle check. After all this time was spent, Nemesis was in for a treat as the cartridges became unclogged the ink was showing close to empty. Therefore a quick print project, (the document was already previously written and saved), turned into a long waste of my time. The boys got their kicks alright.
Here I sit once again the butt of their jokes, a piece (I am never a pawn) in the game that they like to play. Where will we go next and what ultimately is the purpose?
In my opinion it is just Life's way of giving me true competition. Mortals are just too easy to overwhelm.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Speaking of Time
It has been way, way too long since my last post. I looked back wondering what the heck happened and why so much time flew by. That Trickster Time did it to me again! I am telling you he is in for it now!
As I take my time and start to sort out the mess my life became I realize that I do have quite a bit to share. Once again I will have a short series. Because once again I got in over my head and have now resurfaced to discover that while most of what I needed to do got accomplished, there is always much more to do.
Our local ReCreation group has an annual event whose theme is basically a Barroom Brawl. It's great family fun! I volunteered, with three of my friends, to coordinate this event. At the end I must say that I learned a lot. One of the things I learned was that I still have no clue what I am doing most of the time. Another thing I learned is that I don't effectively communicate with men anymore. It is a skill I used to have and apparently have lost. Darn the fact that I actually have fabulous female friends nowadays! I also learned that folks in general have a really difficult time with change. I mean really just because something is always done one way does NOT mean that this is a good argument against doing it another way. Seriously folks. It's called progress. However, I also learned, most importantly, that I am surrounded by some pretty awesome people.
Mind you that while trying to coordinate this event I was also trying to help a friend move, failed in that by the way, trying to put together a lesson plan for a poetry section to teach at my son's school, got sick so had to reschedule that, write up a flyer and send in a contract for the dance class I want to teach come January (so close with that one), tried to do the NaNoWriMo contest, yeah so did not even get close and of course be the Nanny and Mommy that is always my job. Wife and Animal caregiver have to fit in there as well. Oh and herald, friend, troupe performance coordinator and general information finder. Yes I am crazy, busy and can't find my own behind wi.... well anyway it's a bit mad around here. I have also had a cold or more than one that have had me unable to breathe or sleep well for the last three weeks. I forgot to take my Vitamin D. Whoops!
Looking at the list my feeling is that I succeeded in one of my projects but failed in the rest. Yes this is how we learn and what I have learned is that I took on way too much at once. What do I do about that? I can't not do the things I love and that interest me. So I need to fix this somehow.
At the moment I have convinced myself that I need to take on only two projects per week. This week is getting my contract to whom it needs to go to AND try to coordinate a date to teach that Poetry class. I have help coordinating the next Troupe Performance so that one doesn't really count. Maybe I don't need NaNo to try to do something of the scale.... maybe I can do it on my own in an off month like say..... well I will get back to you on that because I can't think of a non-busy month off the top of my head. I know there is at least one!
Now back to the Nanny gig and later the Mommy one while I try to wrangle my life into some semblance of order.
As I take my time and start to sort out the mess my life became I realize that I do have quite a bit to share. Once again I will have a short series. Because once again I got in over my head and have now resurfaced to discover that while most of what I needed to do got accomplished, there is always much more to do.
Our local ReCreation group has an annual event whose theme is basically a Barroom Brawl. It's great family fun! I volunteered, with three of my friends, to coordinate this event. At the end I must say that I learned a lot. One of the things I learned was that I still have no clue what I am doing most of the time. Another thing I learned is that I don't effectively communicate with men anymore. It is a skill I used to have and apparently have lost. Darn the fact that I actually have fabulous female friends nowadays! I also learned that folks in general have a really difficult time with change. I mean really just because something is always done one way does NOT mean that this is a good argument against doing it another way. Seriously folks. It's called progress. However, I also learned, most importantly, that I am surrounded by some pretty awesome people.
Mind you that while trying to coordinate this event I was also trying to help a friend move, failed in that by the way, trying to put together a lesson plan for a poetry section to teach at my son's school, got sick so had to reschedule that, write up a flyer and send in a contract for the dance class I want to teach come January (so close with that one), tried to do the NaNoWriMo contest, yeah so did not even get close and of course be the Nanny and Mommy that is always my job. Wife and Animal caregiver have to fit in there as well. Oh and herald, friend, troupe performance coordinator and general information finder. Yes I am crazy, busy and can't find my own behind wi.... well anyway it's a bit mad around here. I have also had a cold or more than one that have had me unable to breathe or sleep well for the last three weeks. I forgot to take my Vitamin D. Whoops!
Looking at the list my feeling is that I succeeded in one of my projects but failed in the rest. Yes this is how we learn and what I have learned is that I took on way too much at once. What do I do about that? I can't not do the things I love and that interest me. So I need to fix this somehow.
At the moment I have convinced myself that I need to take on only two projects per week. This week is getting my contract to whom it needs to go to AND try to coordinate a date to teach that Poetry class. I have help coordinating the next Troupe Performance so that one doesn't really count. Maybe I don't need NaNo to try to do something of the scale.... maybe I can do it on my own in an off month like say..... well I will get back to you on that because I can't think of a non-busy month off the top of my head. I know there is at least one!
Now back to the Nanny gig and later the Mommy one while I try to wrangle my life into some semblance of order.
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