So last week finished up three weeks in a row in the Los Angeles area. All very busy weeks, so sorry if I didn't get to see you. Did get to eat way too much at Todai with my brother from another mother, Menji (yes that's his blog in the links). As much as I dislike the amount of travel I do, it is great to see people when I travel. The other thing I had time to do was tweak the blog a little. Got a GPS program loaded on my phone, so now the map on will show where I was the last time I turned it on. I'll be changing the calendar to reflect where I'm going versus what I'm doing. If you want to know what I'm doing - give me a call.
So this week off to Seattle. Was going to drive, but don't know if I trust the road, so I'll end up training or planing depending on which schedule is better. Way too much to do, and too little time, but hey, that's the way it is for now.
What I did last summer
And now for the promised Fiddler pictures.
These are from our tech rehearsal.
This is me hanging with Tevya.
Yes, the beard was real, but now it's gone.
Here is me as a bottle dancer...
(We had black coats for our performances)
and me in winter (in the tan coat).
Here is my Lovely Wife - as Frumah Sara.
Here's a wider shot of the dream scene.
I'm hiding in the background.
Here are a couple with Laura as a villager.
She's the one in red.
And look, I'm in the first one too.
It was a wonderful experience being in Fiddler with my Sweetie. We had a great cast and when it finally came down to the performances, we put so much heart into it, we had as much fun performing as the audience had watching. Would I do another play? Well, maybe, if it was a story I liked, but if I had the chance to do Fiddler again, I'd be there in a heartbeat.
These are from our tech rehearsal.
This is me hanging with Tevya.
Yes, the beard was real, but now it's gone.
Here is me as a bottle dancer...
(We had black coats for our performances)
and me in winter (in the tan coat).
Here is my Lovely Wife - as Frumah Sara.
Here's a wider shot of the dream scene.
I'm hiding in the background.
Here are a couple with Laura as a villager.
She's the one in red.
And look, I'm in the first one too.
It was a wonderful experience being in Fiddler with my Sweetie. We had a great cast and when it finally came down to the performances, we put so much heart into it, we had as much fun performing as the audience had watching. Would I do another play? Well, maybe, if it was a story I liked, but if I had the chance to do Fiddler again, I'd be there in a heartbeat.
Only a few more miles, but many hours
Well, that one 22 hour day I was going to work ... well, turned out they canceled my flight, couldn't get me there until late afternoon, and couldn't get me home until Wednesday morning. So my day trip turned into a three day trip - stupid holiday travelers wanting to get home to their families. But the trip was successful and I made it home for Thanksgiving.
... And miles to go before I sleep.
Today's one of those days you just have to get through. Up at 3AM to catch a flight to Los Angeles - I plan on being home about 1AM, if they haven't overbooked my return flight (I think they have). A 22 hour day just seems to be a little long, but at least at the beginning and end, I'm in my own bed.
Mr. Magorium
We took the gang to see Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium tonight. I really liked it. It wasn't exciting enough for the older boys, too old for the younger kids, but I liked it. It was a very simple story, but with heart. Not a rush right out and see it movie, but a fun little movie nonetheless.
The Great Soap Making Event
Well, I plan to attempt making a batch of shaving soap this weekend. If all goes well ... well, it will be fun. If all doesn't go well, there will be pain, heartache and a huge mess to clean up. So for you do it yourselfers out there here's the recipe I'm using.
Modified from http://www.teachsoap.com/shaving.html
Ingredients:
12 oz. coconut oil
10 oz. lard
12 oz. olive oil
2 oz. castor oil
14 oz. distilled water
1 heaping tablespoon of bentonite clay
5.3 oz. lye
mixture of essential oils for scent
Instructions:
1. Heat your oils (no scent) until they reach a temperature of 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. With all your SAFETY GEAR on pour the pre-measured lye into 14oz. of distilled water.
3. Mix in a glass or unbreakable, heat-friendly Pyrex bowl with a stainless steel mixing spoon. Do NOT breathe the lye fumes. This mixture will heat all the way up to approximately 180 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Cool this mixture to approximately 115 degrees.
5. When both the oils and the lye water are within 10 degrees of 115 degrees, pour the lye/water mixture into the melted oils.
6. If you have a stick blender, now is the time to use it. If you do not have a stick blender, hand stir with a whisk or stainless steel tool. If you're using a stick blender, you should see trace (the point where you can see faint soap trailings when you drizzle the mixture over the surface) within 5 minutes. If you're using a hand propelled mixer (a spoon), this process could take up to a full 3 hours.
7. Once you've hit trace, add your clay, scent and mix in well. Wait for a minute to make sure that the soap is fully traced and is not going to separate in the bowl (and thus, in your molds).
8. Pour the thick, white, creamy soap mixture into your molds. Your soap will need to sit out for a full 6 weeks before using.
Modified from http://www.teachsoap.com/shaving.html
Ingredients:
12 oz. coconut oil
10 oz. lard
12 oz. olive oil
2 oz. castor oil
14 oz. distilled water
1 heaping tablespoon of bentonite clay
5.3 oz. lye
mixture of essential oils for scent
Instructions:
1. Heat your oils (no scent) until they reach a temperature of 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. With all your SAFETY GEAR on pour the pre-measured lye into 14oz. of distilled water.
3. Mix in a glass or unbreakable, heat-friendly Pyrex bowl with a stainless steel mixing spoon. Do NOT breathe the lye fumes. This mixture will heat all the way up to approximately 180 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Cool this mixture to approximately 115 degrees.
5. When both the oils and the lye water are within 10 degrees of 115 degrees, pour the lye/water mixture into the melted oils.
6. If you have a stick blender, now is the time to use it. If you do not have a stick blender, hand stir with a whisk or stainless steel tool. If you're using a stick blender, you should see trace (the point where you can see faint soap trailings when you drizzle the mixture over the surface) within 5 minutes. If you're using a hand propelled mixer (a spoon), this process could take up to a full 3 hours.
7. Once you've hit trace, add your clay, scent and mix in well. Wait for a minute to make sure that the soap is fully traced and is not going to separate in the bowl (and thus, in your molds).
8. Pour the thick, white, creamy soap mixture into your molds. Your soap will need to sit out for a full 6 weeks before using.
A View
There is no such thing as fair. Fairness is perceived equality, but in the various vagaries of individuality there will always be advantages in any situation.
Welcome ... to a strange place
The imagination is an infinite realm, harshly bounded by the familiar situations of our experiences. The ulitimate exercise of imagination is to seek the truly alien.
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