|
SubscriptionsSites I Read
|
|
|
|
| So here I am, living in the Scranton area. Specifically, I'm living in the Borough of Olyphant ("No one back home's ever going to believe that I saw an olyphant, Mr. Frodo."), in my future in-laws' house, with my beautiful fiancee, Tara. We're staying in her room until our apartment is finished (at this point it looks like the end of the month - if we're lucky). But to update things from the last post (cheese-and-rice, that was a while ago!), I have a job. The job is not, unfortunately, with Barnes & Noble, but rather with one of their partners: Starbucks. Yes, I'm slinging coffee for the better part of 40 hours per week at the brand-spanking-new Starbucks at the Shoppes at Montage, across the parking lot from the Cinemark movie theatres. Believe it or not, it's actually a lot of fun. The folks I'm working with are generally enjoyable to be around (our assistant manager is specifically a lot of fun - very acerbic sense of humor), and it's a company with a highly developed sense of corporate citizenship. Pleasantly surprising, that. For anyone who is wondering, I'll be at the Hudson Valley Mayfaire the first weekend of May, the middle two weekend of June I'll be at the Virginia Renaissance Faire with the Mad Mechanicals, and I'll be playing Shakespeare once again for the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire this year - third year running! I believe that's longer than anyone else other than Joel Kabick from a decade back. It's a part that I've very much grown into, I think. I really think that I'm growing with the character. Incidentally, I've set up a MySpace account for Shakespeare. But that's enough babble from me. Get on with your lives, you intrepid few that actually care to read this drivel. I hope you're all doing well. "Be well, do good works, and keep in touch." - G. K. Love, Dan | | |
| "And I heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight, 'Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a good night!'"
I hope yours was as glorious as mine.
Posting shall begin anew in the New Year, 2007. Until then, wishing you all a partridge in a pear tree from your own true love. | | |
| I suppose that it's about time I put this up here ... Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears. On the 30th day of September, in the Year of Our Lord 2006, I proposed marriage to Miss Tara Lynn Clifford - and she said YES!!! That's right, dear friends, I'm gettin' married! We're looking at sometime in late 2008, giving us about two years two plan and just plain enjoy ourselves before we are legally, spiritually, ecumenically, and all other ways bound to each other for eternity. So, join in my happiness. The video of the proposal is soon to come. Love, Dan | | |
| No offense to the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, but I'm stealing the title of their traveling show unrepentantly to title this particular blog. On with the show! Yesterday (Sunday), I returned to the streets of Mt. Hope in rather limited fashion, which, although feeling restrictive, was good for me, teaching me to keep myself healthy and all that. Today was our first kids' day, however, and there was no one to cover me, and even though I am no longer in Chess for a while, I still had five shows (counting Finale) to be in, plus answering all of the children's questions and being the celebrity that is William Shakespeare. You know what? I felt better, physically, than yesterday, on which I felt better than the day before and so on. I am getting better, albeit slowly. The actual sickness is leaving me, although my energy is definitely lagging. But all of that aside, I had the single best Shakespeare in Person that I've had all season, with a crowd of children larger than all of my previous crowds COMBINED. It was a glorious day. Shakespeare taught an impromptu workshop on romance and poetry writing to 7th and 8th graders, explained Romeo & Juliet to a 5th grade class, and even had a 6-year-old be my Flying Implement of Doom for the one-man show. R&J and 12th Night went rather well, Queen's Lineage went surprisingly swimmingly considering I made last-minute cuts and Cassie and I haven't rehearsed with each other since mid-August. It was a great day: shows, kids, the whole nine yards. Friends, for all off my gripes against my job, and believe you me I have them; for all of everyone else's problems with my job/place of work, and they are there; for all of the crap that we go through as artists and performers and people, this was a fantastic day, a glorious day. The sky was beautiful, the air not too hot, and the crowd engaged. This was a day that you live for as a performer in outdoor interactive theatre. This is the day the Lord hath made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. I am not overly religious, but I saw the Almighty's hand in everything today, my sickness included - ironically, it is making me a better performer. Whatever your beliefs, believe this: it was a great day, and for a moment, the angels smiled. That being said, goodnight, dear friends. Wish good thoughts for Tara as she goes in for a job interview that, if gotten, would give her a nice midddle-class salary and benefits, and peace of mind. Your continued wishes and thoughts of wellness towards me are also appreciated. Do something nice for each other today, too. Go to Chili's and eat food to help children at St. Jude's Children's Hospital. Donate to Sal-Val. Help an old lady across the street. Just be there for each other. Thanks. Love, Dan | | |
| | You know, that old saying really IS true! A day without Shakespeare really is a day without sunshine, as the weather outside will attest, since today, alas, I am not William Shakespeare, celebrity poet and playwright. I have mononucleosis, or - as it is more commonly called - mono. I more than likely received it from my girlfriend who had it several years ago and boy, let me tell you, it's nasty. I ache all over, I have a never-ending headache, it seems to be increasing my allergies, I've had a low-grade fever for well over two-and-a-half weeks now, and there's an on-and-off cough. Simply put, I'm reasonably miserable. Still and all, it's not all bad. Brian had me take the entire week off of rehearsals, and leave the grounds, so I stayed with Tara and her family in Scranton from Wednesday 'til last night. There I lounged, drank a lot of water, watched some TV, and tried to sleep, which, strangely enough, is not too easy right now. Today, more of the same. I've been taken out of the Human Chess Match until further notice so I don't do harm to my spleen, which could rupture on not-so-hard contact apparently; and for the rest of my shows, either people are filling in for me today or the shows are being reworked around my absense. So, as always, the show must go on. I'm going to ease back into the schedule tomorrow, beginning with Romeo & Juliet (with altered fight choreography), then my one-man show, and then we'll see. The idea is that I'm in enough of fighting-form for Monday, which is our first school day. Hopefully, within another week or two I'll be back at full- or close-to-full-strength for the final stretch here at the Faire. This is probably going to be my last acting job for a little while, and I really want to enjoy what's left of it, ya know? So, I'm off to drink my peach/mango V-8 fusion drink and get some rest, maybe read a book. Actually, strike that. I need to edit a script for Catherine and I for Monday which is too long. Ahh, work! Strangely enough, it feels good. Take care, friends. Drink plenty of fluids. Sleep 7-9 hours per night. Enjoy random moments of happiness and silliness. Try not to get mono. Love, Dan |
| | |
|
