Work

I worked online yesterday for eight hours rating TOEFL essays. Prior to that I had only done four hour shifts, which I learned are far more suitable for that kind of work. At 6 pm I closed my folder and logged off, after which I realized I was supposed to work until 6:30. So I logged back in and completed the final half hour. The online work is convenient but can be tortuous!

The Wrestler

Steve and I went to see The Wrestler tonight. We saw it at Cinema 21, a great old Portland theater. I am a fan of the director, Darren Aronofsky, who also did Pi, Requiem for a Dream, and The Fountain. Each of his films are very different from the others, but he does have some trademark characteristics. As Sasha Krane would say, his films end with question marks rather than exclamation points. The Wrestler is no exception. I thought Mickey Rourke did an excellent job as did Marisa Tomei. I liked both of them more than ever. There is a scene with Mickey Rourke and his daughter in which he cries. Later she takes hold of his arm to show him that she will give him another chance. For me the latter moment was more moving somehow.

Bees

The director of Apis told us that the title means "bee" in Latin, and that the behavior and life cycle of bees are the foundation of the play. It all makes sense: A group of men, who inhabit a cell overseen by a single woman, escape each day and return at night with hordes of money. That's how the play was described in the audition notices. Change "men" to "drones," "single woman" to "queen bee," and "money" to"honey" and you have it. Since I'm playing a prison warden, I guess that makes me a sort of chief beekeeper. Will knowledge of this underlying schema make the play more comprehensible to audiences? I hope not!

A Quote

"It's never too late to be who you might have been." --George Eliot

I came across this quote yesterday on the desktop of Thea's computer. It's my new life philosophy!

Sunday and Monday

I had a very full Sunday yesterday. To begin with, I worked out for about an hour at the gym. Then I met Jon for coffee at Trew Brew. I secretly invited our mutual friend Rob J, who showed up as a suprise guest. Next, I went to Thea's house and did something for her on her computer while she was at her Estonian choir rehearsal. When she got home, we and her mother went to dinner at the Bombay Cricket Club over on Hawthorne St. It is a very good restaurant. I'd been craving Indian food ever since seeing Slumdog Millionaire. I suspect that Indian restauranteurs are grateful for that movie. After dinner, I headed out to my parents' house to spend the night and help them with some things this morning. My mom forgot to tell me that they both had doctors appointments today, so I am here alone at the moment. Rehearsal tonight will be four hours. I'm going to stop by Goodwill on my way home to look for intersting suits that I might wear in the show.

One Week Down

One week of rehearsals is already finished and I'm still in--looks like it's a go. Next week we will rehearse 4 hours every evening. I haven't kept a regular schedule like this for some time--It's definitely an adjustment. But one I make very willingly. Can't wait to see what's in store next week.

Trial Week Countdown

Apis Rehearsal #4 today. Trial week is nearly over. It still seems to be going well, but I'm at a point where I want to feel it more. But it will come. After rehearsal, met Steve at the Doug Fir for a little birthday commemoration. The bartender forgot to turn in my order for Spinach and Artichoke dip, so she comped it. The Doug Fir is a cool place. It is part of the Jupiter Motel, which used to be a really sleazy east Burnside motel by some other name.

For Lisa

It's 12:20 a.m. & the early hours of February 5th. I'm writing this for my sister Lisa because she wrote me that she gets mad if I don't write something every day! We've had 3 rehearsals for Apis, and I think they are going pretty well. I like the energy of the group a lot, and am happy to be participating. It's definitely a different process than I'm used--very choreographic--but I'm enjoying it. By the way, it's my birthday now, since it's after midnight. Thanks Becky for the Birthday wishes on Facebook.

Rehearsals

Tonight was the second rehearsal for Apis. So far, it has been considerably less strenuous than I anticipated--at least for me. I am playing a kind of head prison guard or warden, and my fellow guard and I have far less gymnastic roles than the group of souls who inhabit our prison. It is all very interesting, very choreographed, and I am enjoying the experience.

Trial Week

Rehearsals for APIS begin next Monday. We will be rehearsing 3 hours a day, from 6-9 pm. I should mention that the first week is considered a trial week, during which actors may choose to drop out of the production with impunity, if they feel they are unable or unwilling to continue. The director also reserves the right to remove someone from the cast if he feels the person is "not right for the show due to certain conflicts." Yikes!

Big Easy

I booked my tickets last night for a trip to New Orleans. I'm going there the last week of March in order to attend the Tennessee Williams Literary Festival. This will be my first visit to the Big Easy. My friend Steve, who has been there once before, will be accompanying me. The timing is perfect. It will be just after Apis closes at Imago, and I'm sure I will be primed for a cool mint julep. By the way, our round trip tickets were only $162.00 each, so I decided to save my frequent flier miles for a more costly journey.

Movies and More

Today, I went with my brother David and his daughters to an event at their pre-school called "Doughnuts and Dudes." I was filling-in as a dude, since my brother couldn't be in two rooms at the same time. I thought perhaps the event should have been called, "Letting Children See Their Fathers Behave Awkwardly," as the other dudes looked somewhat uncomfortable, and none of them (us) interacted with one another. The kids were excited though.

Over the weekend, I saw two films: Revolutionary Road, and Slumdog Millionaire. I'm sorry to say that I didn't like Revolutionary Road at all, although I tend to like both Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslett. The period stuff all looked realistic enough, but I just didn't belive much else about this film, including the characters, the relationships, and the motivations. On the other hand, I loved Slumdog Millionaire, even though it's a most implausible story. Partly I think it was the movie's freshness, including fresh faces, that appealed to me.

Friends for Breakfast

I met my friends Jon and Jill for breakfast this morning at the Bijou Cafe in Portland. Both Jon and Jill used to work together there. Jill and I used to work together at the Virginia Cafe. Jon and I have been steady friends since we met more than 25 years ago. For Jill and me, there was a gap of several years where we weren't in touch. When I moved back to the U.S. I got in touch with her. She was living in Berkeley, CA & I was moving to L.A. In certain senses, it was as if the gap in time never existed and we picked up where we left off. It was great to see both Jon and Jill. Jill was in Portland to commemorate her 50th birthday. I gave her 2 Sandman pillowcases as a present.

Sandman

Getting ready to leave Astoria. I had an excellent fish and chips dinner last night at the Silver Salmon Grill over on Commercial St. Then I headed up to the Fort George Brewery to catch the Sandman show. The brewery is nice, hip, and has great beer. It was great to see Sandman's live act too. As I once wrote, his is a unique artistry. He is also an accomplished entertainer. I remember reading something about him where the writer was comparing him to Woody Guthrie. I got that same feeling seeing him in person. Got me 5 Sandman pillowcases--2 are for me and 3 are for gifts. I also enjoyed the 1st act, Woke up Wrong. Their first few songs reminded me of Greg Sage and the Wipers. They seemed pleased when I told them this, as they were familiar with the Wipers' music.

Astoria

At the Rivershore Motel in Astoria. It's a fine place! Goin' to see Sandman the Rappin' Cowboy tonight at the Fort George Brewery.

Notification

This email came from Imago tonight:

Congratulations!
You have been cast in Imago Theatre's original production APIS
Please respond to this email whether or not you are accepting the role.
You have been offered the role of: Ensemble Member (everyone is an ensemble member until roles are defined)

Yay!

2nd Callback

Got a phone call while working today. It was Jerry, the director of the piece I auditioned for at Imago. I must say, I was surprised to hear from him. He asked me to come to another callback tonight at 6:45. Another callback...

After the Callback

Tonight's callback at Imago consisted entirely of movement sequences. I was without a doubt the oldest person to be called back and I had not felt that agile during the 1st audition. After about an hour the director said we would have a 5-minute break and anyone who wanted to leave should. Of course I stayed--I wouldn't give up that easily. It was tough though, and I feel like I got my exercise in. We'll see what happens.

Odds and Ends

Thea and I went swimming today at Willamette View. It was crowded, so Thea got out and sat in the jacuzzi for a long time before coming back into the water. I was sharing a lane with a couple of people, so I alternated doing the crawl with breast strokes. I was feeling a bit peaked, and it was nice to slow down for a change. I did 40 laps--a mile in their pool is 48. Afterwards, Thea and I stopped by Fred Meyer's as I wanted to look for a T-shirt to wear to my callback tomorrow. She found a white T-shirt with a large bar code design on the front and the words "Generic Costume" printed underneath. We both thought that was funny. But now I'm not sure I'm going to wear it. Thea had previously given me a large black T-shirt that has a small abstract drawing and Estonian text on the front. I may wear that instead. Light or dark, yin or yang?

I have to work tomorrow from 10-2 rating writing tests online. Every time I do this work, I have to be tested myself to be sure I am rating appropriately. The last two times I worked, I failed the initial test and had to take a second, which I managed to pass both times.

Battlestar

Yesterday was the 1st episode of the final season of Battlestar Galactica. My sister, Penny had a get together at her home in N. Bonneville to watch it. I am a big fan of the show. Edward James Olmos is great as the captain, now admiral, and all of the acting is quite good as is the writing. I used to think I was losing it because I would tear up during some of the episodes. Then I heard, Eddie Olmos say that he frequently cried while reading the scripts. I once met 3 of the actors by chance at Fisherman's wharf in San Francisco. They were doing a photo signing promotion at a memorabilia shop there. I walked up to Tamoh Pennikett, shook his hand and said, "Best acting on TV." He jumped up in excitement, and thanked me profusely for saying that. Then, in his excitment he yelled to the other actors, who play Chief and Anders on the show, "Guys, guys, you gotta hear this--Best acting on TV, best acting on TV!" You would have thought I was Steven Spielberg or Martin Scorsese. I thought his reaction was quite sweet.