big roundup

[ironymaiden]

what a weekend...

MBFGW III was at ArtsWest, which i officially adore. full house, responsive audience, real theatre space, pro staff. it felt great to be under the lights, and we sang well.

getting there was an adventure, since i was supposed to have the car, but C's frustration at negotiating taking Metro to the_monkey_king's house caused me to throw up my hands and have C drop me off. it also left me without the phone, entirely at the mercy of others. i absolutely hate/fear/dread such situations. too much time spent before 16 waiting hours for rides, carpooling with people i hated, etc etc etc. in fact, i used to have an irrational fear of the bus, which has subsided with experience, but i still sometimes think that i will get on an express going the wrong direction and be stranded far from home somehow. so when i borrowed a phone to call for my ride, i was told that i must take a cab. thump. i had been in a car service once in Florida. with my entire family. silly perhaps, but to call a cab and ride it alone from one strange neighborhood to another where i wasn't sure i remembered exactly what the house i was going to looked like on the outside, and wouldn't be able to call once i set out, pretty fucking scary. I DO NOT LIKE IT WHEN I AM NOT IN CONTROL. but it was frabjousdave's unbirthday, so i went, with some gentle prodding from chorus folk and friends. my driver was a very pleasant Sikh, and i was amused to note that the comfy leather-upholstered taxi was in fact the same model as a police cruiser. kinda fun, really. i arrived safe and sound to the_monkey_king and shellyinseattle's abode, to find a board game in full swing and D happily buzzed. all as it should be. i missed all the people i didn't know, but the taxi was enough novelty for one evening.

Friday led to Saturday, and Fahrenheit 9/11. i was in a packed house of the choir, who tended to clap at moments when i wanted to hear what was said. Moore's approach generally fails to move me - mostly because i associate that sort of jingoism with the right, but also because any time i can see that i'm being manipulated, it's no longer effective. nihilistic_kid sums it up here. i especially had difficulties with his portrayals of residents of a small town and the out of context young military men talking about playing music in their tanks. and why was there a thread in the movie about poor people of color fighting our wars, but almost every soldier who spoke on camera was white? still, the guy is funny. and i suppose the right shouldn't have a monopoly on editing out or neglecting the bits of information they don't like. i was glad to see some very graphic images of casualties in Iraq. ok, that sounded wrong, but that moves me more than couching political relationships in terms of classic television shows. C caught up with the group for a little decompression at Big Time.

C and I said our goodbyes, got Matt and Lisa to the grocery store, tanked up the car, grabbed our chairs and a bag of Red Mill burgers, and headed for Fremont Outdoor Movies. seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark with a horde of enthusiasts on a beautiful June night with the moon waxing is grand. next time we will arrive earlier and bring more people.

Sunday. mmm Five Point. Pride rally, we sing good. i meet up with D, who gets me to the library and the much mentioned goodbye dinner for msanborn and her charming husband. then an offer to keep D company until his play led to actually seeing the only okay production of Antony and Cleopatra, after discovering a dive bar complete with three legged dog. oh, and the revelation of the much in need of cleaning and little did we know soon to be flooded apartment. C may forgive me someday. but Consolidated Works is fun, and the performance space is screaming for something with industrial or circus elements. it's the right political climate for The Firebugs, and these guys had open flame on stage, so that could be particularly grand. or that Fornes piece where the actors stay in place and the audience travels. there's a couch that lights up inside. and unisex toilets, which you can buy naming rights to. maybe someday i can have my own soap dispenser - the mirrors are taken.

then our living room flooded.

Monday was all house maintenance and three meals out to salve our souls: Five Spot, Steel Pig, McHugh's. Steel Pig is being evicted to make way for more hotel rooms, and my love can not change that. fortunately, they're opening another location up Aurora complete with pool tables and an expanded menu. some magical animal, Lisa.

Tuesday was doubleplus work and no chorus, so Bon Voyage at the big picture with spazzychic (i finally delivered the toaster!) and a scad of other women who accompanied frabjousdave. the bar at the theater wasn't open until eight, so we were directed to drink at El Gaucho. the bartender was excellent, and the bar has a curve that is conducive to talking to the people around you. plus the edge is upholstered and it sparkles. the group sat so close to the screen at the movie that i didn't need my glasses for the subtitles. i'm ready to go there again - who can deny a 21+ venue with cupholders for your barware? the movie had Gerard Depardieu in it, but suffered from being many nice things, but not enough of any one to make a whole story.

today i finally really caught up at work, while C is clashing with management and wishes it was all over. i was willing to take a strike to stay home and snuggle, but he made me go out to King Arthur. all the best moments were lifted from better films, there's no magic, no love triangle, and no Morgan/Morgaine/Morgana. i almost walked out, but i had hope that it would improve. i don't think the Saxons (the film starts by claiming to be historical) adopted the turtle as a means to block arrow fire. and the "Woads'" (i am not making that up) blue war paint was multiple shades and appeared to have been applied with some small gauge paintbrushes and an airbrush. i thought it had to have been scripted by committee, but only one fellow took credit. i'm a little disappointed, since i think Guinevere is such a problem character and i was ready to think more on her.

i arrived home to find C considerably happier than he was when i left. now if i can just stop myself from being quite so negative, everything should be fine...

Comments

[frabjousdave.livejournal.com]

And here I'd been thinking it was a murder of women. "Scad" is much better. We have to get the same group together to visit James again, soon. Or maybe after next payday, and I'll be the one to take the taxi.

And I promise not to insist on the front row next time. That was a bit close after all, especially beneath that nose.

[ironymaiden]

oh, i like murder, as long as we can be thought of as ravens rather than crows.
the couch here is always available to you and often clean - and for a limited time the old bed is still here.

i think the small amout of Depardieu was one of my disappointments. i like strong features on actors. i suspect he would look quite normal on stage.