(insert obligatory "it's been way too long" bit here)

I really do mean to post more, but then Life happens. I suppose that falls under the category of "good problems to have".

Anywhoozle - here's a brief wrap up to my recent past:

*Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson - This was a really fantastic experience. A long time ago, xtingu and I discussed the idea that I should get back into theater in some sense. Get back into is a very loose phrase here. Last time I did anything theater related was in high school, but I still had a hankerin for it every now and then.

I'm so very happy that I did.

The cast and crew were fantastic. What's more, they made me feel instantly welcomed and a part of the team. I don't know how (un)common that is, but it was really something I felt like I've been needing in a big way.

The show itself is... odd, but really fun. I reserved my judgement on how we did for a bit. I thought we were doing great, but I recognize the extreme bias that I had. That changed though, when I realised that review after review weren't just saying "Hey, this is fun - go see it!" or some equally generic, but positive message. Reviewers were using terms like 'game changer' and 'best' and other things that really bolstered my esteem.

By opening night, it seemed - well - fucking awesome.

I plan on doing more with City Theater . Possibly a lot more. The only question in my mind is: Am I now spoiled?

*Visiting w/ Family - This past weekend, I got a chance to spend some quality time with my family. Both of my brothers, their wives, and both of my nephews, and even Lucy were home for the weekend (at least in part) to celebrate Mother's Day. With that being the closing weekend of BBAJ, the visit was entirely too short (I was only able to come home for a few hours on Sunday) but it was another 'just what I needed' kind of thing. The kids were (as always) completely adorable, and Lucy shared her pen with me for a bit and let me snorgle her.

I was yet again reminded how phenominally lucky I am in the Family department. That's one of those things that never gets old, and I hope that I never, ever take it for granted.

*Jury Duty - Back on 4/18 I was selected for jury duty. I had a mixed reaction to the whole thing. One part of me was thrilled because I'd never gone through the process before and I was looking forward to seeing what it was all about.

I know, I know. I'm nuts like that. But it's the truth. It's a huge part of our society, and the idea of 'innocent until proven guilty' via a trial of your peers. Well, that just means something to me, as I think that it should to all Americans.

The other part of me - the one that DIDN'T want to take part was frustrated mostly by the timing of things. We would be heading into the trial right as the show was opening. That made me useless to the gang when it came to the show and meant we would have to find a backup.

Anyway - I was selected for the jury, and they said we were going to trial. It would start the following Monday (4/23) but when I called on Sunday night as instructed for the final "are you absolutely sure we're going to trial - no ifs, ands, or buts..." check, I was informed that we need not report. I'm assuming that meant the case was settled.

So Poop... but Yay!

*The Tardis - A friend of mine has a father with an impressive set of skills in the maker department. He built a large Tardis and she wanted to put it in her yard as a decoration. I volunteered to help with the prep work to make space for the Tardis and the drop off. The prep work proved to be a bit of an eye opener.

It had been a very long time indeed since I've done any kind of seriously physical work. I helped my friend by ripping out some shrubbery (insert Monty Python jokes here), removing/replacing some chain link fence, and tilling some soil. Good, sweaty, labor work.

Best day I'd had in... a long damn time.

I really made me realise just how much I'd missed making/building something with my hands. I took careful note, and this was part of what pointed me to BBAJ. Now that the show has ended, I'm looking around and trying to figure out how I'm going to get my 'physical fix'.

*Arden Soirée Part II - While I wasn't able to attend personally, the second Arden Soirée went extremely well. Tickets sold were just under the sold old level, and I'm hearing good things. It's impressive to see how much more 'simplified' the process of preparing for this one was, but I'm fearful that I may be looking through rose collored glasses because of my reduced pressence for this one.

* Grandma - I put this one down here because I really do not want to talk about it, and I'm not looking for sympathy responses.

Here's the short version: My father's mother - an absolutely amazing woman - passed away on April 24th. I will simply say this: If I can live a life even half as full as she had by the time I'm ninety and one half years old? I will consider my life to have been one well lived. You will never find someone who was more honest, hard working, and generous. They just do not exist.

Just a quick heads up - this coming Saturday is a big night for the Wilmington music scene - first there's Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, and then, Joe will run over to the Nomad for a JT3 show. Interested? Check it out:

http://joetrainortrio.com/2012/04/the-joe-trainor-trio-with-noelle-picara-and-the-flat-twos-at-nomad-this-saturday-night/

Note - there's video interviews in the article:

http://www.delawarefirst.org/25592-bloody-bloody-andrew-jackson/

Fate. Destiny. Karma. I'm not what you might call a believer, but I do sometimes marvel at the timing of things.

So I was all excited. My buddy Russ is in an a capella group in NYC and tonight is their first show. What's more, even though it has slipped my mind until it was almost too late, I remembered that there's a 'cheap bus to NYC' available from downtown Wilmington.

I jump on gotobus.com and sure enough - there are tickets available for a couple different times that would get me into the city in plenty of time to get to the venue with time to spare. Hell - I'd have enough time to grab a quick bite before the show. lotusanddragon was headed up too, but he elected to head to Philly and catch the Megabus.

I ping my brother and his wife who are kind enough to offer to put me up for the night. I buy my ticket. I race through the work that I have to get done and then home to throw together an overnight bag. In the end, I get to the bus stop with about 15 minutes to spare.

And then I notice the sign in the window that is a notice from the City of Wilmington that the business is closed until it can pass inspection.

Awesome.

There are several of us who have purchased tickets online and we discuss it and decide that it might still show. After all - just because that location of the business is closed, there's no reason that the bus can't still do the route, and since you can purchase tickets online...

Yeah. Not so much. I spent a brisk hour waiting for a bus that never showed. What's more, that meant that I missed my window to get up to NYC by driving myself.

Noshowforyou!

/end SoupNaziVoice

So I glumly get back to my car and head back to the apartment. I'm so annoyed with the way it panned out that I almost don't notice Peggy.

Peggy lives in one of the assisted living apartment buildings in my neighborhood. She'd been out grocery shopping and was walking home. Apparently she has some kind of ailment which causes shortness of breath and when she felt a bout coming on, she tried to hurry to a nearby bus stop bench to catch her breath. That's when she caught her foot on a manhole cover and went for a tumble.

When I noticed her, she was already on the ground, looking a little dazed, and her groceries were splayed about her. I pulled over, threw on the hazards, and went to see what I could do. A couple (who probably split the age between Peggy and myself - maybe in their late 50s) also showed up and helped me get her to the bus stop bench she had been headed for.

She was more or less alright save for a nasty scratch on her hand and some pain in her knees, so I helped her collect her groceries and walked her home. Nice lady that Peggy.

Sucks that I missed Russ' show, but I'm glad the timing worked out.

Did some work on the storefront of my website. If you've got a couple minutes, I'd love some feedback.

Heya folks. Just wanted to jot a quick note to let everyone know that NeverMet is having a pretty huge sale for Black Friday through Cyber Monday. If there's someone on your list that is in need of some inspired RPG materials, I highly recommend checking it out.

I bumped up my time to one hour even.

How many calories? Not sure. The display stopped advancing after 999. :)

(Yes, I could do the math. Don't wanna.)

Yeah - so that would be another 50 minute session on the elliptical. Don't know how much I trust the computer in the HUD to be accurate, but it says I burned 910 calories.

So that doesn't suck.