Mel has a new job! I have accepted a job offer from the Wells Fargo History Museum, to be the Assistant Curator at the Minneapolis museum. I'll be working closely with the local school districts to develop tours and lesson plans that fit their standards and curriculum. I'm very excited to move back into my degree fields, and still have a job that allows me to do theatre on the side. My last day with Ameriprise will be Friday, February 10. I'll start at Wells Fargo on Monday, February 20, after Cowboy opens.
Stay tuned for an annoucement about celebratory drinking!
Monday, January 30, 2006
The Monday Update
Short and sweet:
I'm starting rehearsals tonight for Cowboy vs. Samurai, which will run 5pm-10pm every weeknight for the next two weeks, with some weekend times TBD (just for fun). God help me.
No puppy class on Saturday, which left Arrow wondering all weekend why we didn't go to see his puppy friends. Thankfully, he managed to wear himself out digging holes in the yard. God help us.
Adam made good progress on stripping the large window in the dining room. Only two or three more coats to go. God help him.
The moral of the story is, don't call me, call Adam!
I'm starting rehearsals tonight for Cowboy vs. Samurai, which will run 5pm-10pm every weeknight for the next two weeks, with some weekend times TBD (just for fun). God help me.
No puppy class on Saturday, which left Arrow wondering all weekend why we didn't go to see his puppy friends. Thankfully, he managed to wear himself out digging holes in the yard. God help us.
Adam made good progress on stripping the large window in the dining room. Only two or three more coats to go. God help him.
The moral of the story is, don't call me, call Adam!
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Puppy Picture Post
You want it. You need it. The desire burns in your veins. Well take a deep breath and calm down, I'm here with your fix. That's right. More pictures of the puppy.
Arrow has been growing quickly. Around 8 weeks, if you'll recall, we hit the vet for the first time and Arrow weighed in at 12.5 lbs. The 12 week visit had Arrow tipping the scales at just a hair under 20 lbs - I'm sure he's crested that mark by now.
We're doing some puppy obedience classes Saturday mornings. He's so gloriously exhausted for the rest of the weekend after that. When his energy levels are on the rise we take 'em back down with "Pint Sized Play" on Tuesdays. PSP is for dogs less than 20 lbs. Arrow is so awsome that the people running it are quite convinced he'll be able to come for a while yet. I'll bring him for as long as they let me - when he's too long away (come Thursday, Friday) he starts to go hyper-spastic.
Folks at the classes seem to like Arrow quite a bit. Perhaps it's the mystique of the mixed breed dog. Perhaps it's Arrow's dynamically physical demeanor. Maybe it's just an excuse to come speak with the handsome and rugged, yet sensitive owner. Or maybe it's just proud papa syndrome. Whatever the case, everyone in the classes seems to know Arrow's name.
Alright, enough with the jibber-jabber. Get with the pictures, already.
Nice photo work from Mel. It's hard to frame an active puppy.
When Arrow builds up too much steam it's out in the yard with 'im. Thank goodness for the fence.
Arrow with arch-nemesis and companion SqueakyMonkey.
Stinky puppies get to have a bath, even if they don't want it. I promise I'm wearing swim trunks here. Jump-up-puppy is far to dangerous to go au natural.
Wipeout - are you kidding? I totally meant to do that.
Ah, peace and quiet.
Arrow has been growing quickly. Around 8 weeks, if you'll recall, we hit the vet for the first time and Arrow weighed in at 12.5 lbs. The 12 week visit had Arrow tipping the scales at just a hair under 20 lbs - I'm sure he's crested that mark by now.
We're doing some puppy obedience classes Saturday mornings. He's so gloriously exhausted for the rest of the weekend after that. When his energy levels are on the rise we take 'em back down with "Pint Sized Play" on Tuesdays. PSP is for dogs less than 20 lbs. Arrow is so awsome that the people running it are quite convinced he'll be able to come for a while yet. I'll bring him for as long as they let me - when he's too long away (come Thursday, Friday) he starts to go hyper-spastic.
Folks at the classes seem to like Arrow quite a bit. Perhaps it's the mystique of the mixed breed dog. Perhaps it's Arrow's dynamically physical demeanor. Maybe it's just an excuse to come speak with the handsome and rugged, yet sensitive owner. Or maybe it's just proud papa syndrome. Whatever the case, everyone in the classes seems to know Arrow's name.
Alright, enough with the jibber-jabber. Get with the pictures, already.
Nice photo work from Mel. It's hard to frame an active puppy.
When Arrow builds up too much steam it's out in the yard with 'im. Thank goodness for the fence.
Arrow with arch-nemesis and companion SqueakyMonkey.
Stinky puppies get to have a bath, even if they don't want it. I promise I'm wearing swim trunks here. Jump-up-puppy is far to dangerous to go au natural.
Wipeout - are you kidding? I totally meant to do that.
Ah, peace and quiet.
Monday, January 23, 2006
But other than that
it was a nice weekend. Friday night I dragged Adam to see a play reading at Mu's New Eyes Festival, and then we went out to Azia for a while to have a drink and visit with people. We always stand around trying to think of somewhere else to go, and then we always end up at Azia anyway. I should just start making reservations there whenever I'm going out with Mu people.
Saturday morning we were at Puppy Class. Arrow was trying so hard to be the teacher's pet. He would stare at Molly (the instructor) as she was working with other dogs, and follow all of the commands that she gave. Then he would bark when she gave treats to the other dog and not to him. When she did come over to work with us, Arrow was so excited to see her that he could barely sit still. It was very funny. At home, we're working on the command Leave It!, which he does pretty well unless he already has your sock in his mouth. Then you have to physically take it out of his pointy little teeth. He was very good yesterday when we were working on the trim. We had been tying him out in the living room, but at one point, he came in from outside and sat in his crate and just quietly watched us. That was nice.
Adam was the real star of Thorne House: The Strip Joint this weekend. He did two coats on the door frame, and one coat on the small window. I did detail work on the last baseboard corner, and then on the doorway. Otherwise, I was on laundry, cooking, and cleaning detail. Which worked out well, actually. We only have one more weekend before I start rehearsals, and I don't know what my actual rehearsal schedule is. So, we might be waiting a few weeks to finish up the stripping and start on the wallpaper removal. Unless someone else wants to come over and help Adam when I'm busy. Call now--operators are standing by!
Saturday morning we were at Puppy Class. Arrow was trying so hard to be the teacher's pet. He would stare at Molly (the instructor) as she was working with other dogs, and follow all of the commands that she gave. Then he would bark when she gave treats to the other dog and not to him. When she did come over to work with us, Arrow was so excited to see her that he could barely sit still. It was very funny. At home, we're working on the command Leave It!, which he does pretty well unless he already has your sock in his mouth. Then you have to physically take it out of his pointy little teeth. He was very good yesterday when we were working on the trim. We had been tying him out in the living room, but at one point, he came in from outside and sat in his crate and just quietly watched us. That was nice.
Adam was the real star of Thorne House: The Strip Joint this weekend. He did two coats on the door frame, and one coat on the small window. I did detail work on the last baseboard corner, and then on the doorway. Otherwise, I was on laundry, cooking, and cleaning detail. Which worked out well, actually. We only have one more weekend before I start rehearsals, and I don't know what my actual rehearsal schedule is. So, we might be waiting a few weeks to finish up the stripping and start on the wallpaper removal. Unless someone else wants to come over and help Adam when I'm busy. Call now--operators are standing by!
An Open Letter
to the person who revved their car in my neighborhood for a long time at 11 pm:
Dude, what the hell is your problem? Let me set you straight on two things. One, that's not sexy. Two, a few weeks on my new/used Bowflex and I'm gonna come out there and find you.
Unless it's still this cold, and then you can just sit out there and freeze for all I care. Moron.
Sincerely,
Mel
Dude, what the hell is your problem? Let me set you straight on two things. One, that's not sexy. Two, a few weeks on my new/used Bowflex and I'm gonna come out there and find you.
Unless it's still this cold, and then you can just sit out there and freeze for all I care. Moron.
Sincerely,
Mel
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Thorne House II: Return of the Blog!
Well, I can assure you that the lack of updates to this blog is due to the fact that we've been busy, not that we've been lazy. (At least, not any lazier than normal.) 
Saturday mornings are now spent with six or eight other puppies, which is entertaining. Arrow is one of the youngest dog there, at 12 weeks. There's a Yorkshire Terrier pup who is 14 weeks. He's so small that Adam mistook him for a guinea pig! The other dogs are all about four months or older, but Arrow loves to run around and wrestle with them. We're pretty profficient at Sit, and we're getting better at Down. We've just started working on Stay and Leave It. Arrow is turning out to be pretty smart, which might cause all kinds of problems if we can't keep him occupied. He also has lots of energy, and he likes to make sure that you know that he's available to eat whatever it is you're eating, or play with whatever it is you've got in your hand. On Tuesdays, there is a small dog play hour, which Arrow is quickly outgrowing. At 8 weeks, he was 12 pounds. At 12 weeks, he weighed in at 20 pounds. Adam just bought him a new collar, which should fit him for a long time. (It has triangles on it, for Triangle Toss.) Our class instructor might start a second play hour on Sundays, for the dogs in the class, so Arrow would be able to go to that, even if he outgrows the first one. 
We've started stripping the paint off of the baseboards, and we've found that underneath the coat of white is a coat of mega-ugly pea-soup green. It's especially gross when it's mixed with the bright orange stripping gel. We're using a product called Citristrip, which is safe for indoor use. It smells like the biggest orange you've ever seen, but it's miles better than the usual chemical stuff. The baseboards are coming out a dark brown that was probably really beautiful when it was new. 96 years later, some parts are lighter, some darker, some pretty rough, and some still pretty nice. So, we'll see if we can get all of the paint off, and then then it will be wallpaper off, and paint on, and then we'll revisit the trim and decide how we'd like to finish it off.
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* * *
The ADD Version
After my family left, we had a day of work before New Year's weekend. I am in preproduction for Mu's Cowboy Vs Samurai, which starts rehearsals the end of this month. We are in Saturday morning puppy classes with Arrow, and Adam takes him to a couple of other play times during the week. We have also finalized our paint choices for the living and dining rooms, and begun the process of stripping the paint off the woodwork in the dining room. Viola, you're up to date, without all of that annoying editorializing that I am prone to do.
After my family left, we had a day of work before New Year's weekend. I am in preproduction for Mu's Cowboy Vs Samurai, which starts rehearsals the end of this month. We are in Saturday morning puppy classes with Arrow, and Adam takes him to a couple of other play times during the week. We have also finalized our paint choices for the living and dining rooms, and begun the process of stripping the paint off the woodwork in the dining room. Viola, you're up to date, without all of that annoying editorializing that I am prone to do.
* * *
The Peter Jackson Version
After my family left, we had a day of work before New Year's weekend. Adam was pretty smug that he had off all week, went to work on Friday, and then had a long weekend off of work. On New Year's Eve we went to a party at a friend's house. We didn't stay much past midnight, but it was nice to get out for a while. New Year's Day our friends Jen Cuff and Chris Smith had a brunch at their new house, just two blocks away from our house. They had plates of cookies, and fresh fruit, lots of coffee, a fantastic amount of pepper and chorizo omelette, and some delicious potatoes sauteed with butter, garlic and onion. Very, very good stuff!
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I have started preproduction work for the next show. Mu Productions is presenting Cowboy Vs Samurai, which is a play inspired by Cyrano de Bergerac. It is a story about three men in a small Wyoming town and how their lives change after the lovely Veronica Lee moves there. The script is very funny. I'm looking forward to seeing it come together. We'll have only two weeks of rehearsals, though, since the director is coming out from New York City, so we're having two read throughs before we start rehearsing and my actors have to be off book. It's a difficult way to work--it's much easier to memorize when you've got some movement to help you keep track of where you are in the scene. I just had a walk through of Mixed Blood Theatre, the space where we'll be performing. I've been there to see shows, but this will be my first time working there, which is exciting.
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Saturday mornings are now spent with six or eight other puppies, which is entertaining. Arrow is one of the youngest dog there, at 12 weeks. There's a Yorkshire Terrier pup who is 14 weeks. He's so small that Adam mistook him for a guinea pig! The other dogs are all about four months or older, but Arrow loves to run around and wrestle with them. We're pretty profficient at Sit, and we're getting better at Down. We've just started working on Stay and Leave It. Arrow is turning out to be pretty smart, which might cause all kinds of problems if we can't keep him occupied. He also has lots of energy, and he likes to make sure that you know that he's available to eat whatever it is you're eating, or play with whatever it is you've got in your hand. On Tuesdays, there is a small dog play hour, which Arrow is quickly outgrowing. At 8 weeks, he was 12 pounds. At 12 weeks, he weighed in at 20 pounds. Adam just bought him a new collar, which should fit him for a long time. (It has triangles on it, for Triangle Toss.) Our class instructor might start a second play hour on Sundays, for the dogs in the class, so Arrow would be able to go to that, even if he outgrows the first one. space
Just after Christmas, Adam and I finally bought an area rug for the dining room. We had been looking for a rug for a long time, trying to find something that we both liked, for a price that we could handle. The rug is a little over 8' by a little under 10', and we're very happy with how it looks. It's always fun to see how the room changes when you add a new piece to it. Now that we have the rug, we were able to choose the paint colors for the living and dining room walls. We're both excited to be rid of the yucky wallpaper.
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We've started stripping the paint off of the baseboards, and we've found that underneath the coat of white is a coat of mega-ugly pea-soup green. It's especially gross when it's mixed with the bright orange stripping gel. We're using a product called Citristrip, which is safe for indoor use. It smells like the biggest orange you've ever seen, but it's miles better than the usual chemical stuff. The baseboards are coming out a dark brown that was probably really beautiful when it was new. 96 years later, some parts are lighter, some darker, some pretty rough, and some still pretty nice. So, we'll see if we can get all of the paint off, and then then it will be wallpaper off, and paint on, and then we'll revisit the trim and decide how we'd like to finish it off.
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So, that's The Rest of the Story. Sorry it took so long to get this updated. Hopefully this means we'll now move on to returning voicemails, emails and letters, too. (And by we, I mean me.) Plus, stay tuned for more pictures!
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Which religious leader do you most resemble?
| Lao Tzu You two would probably really get along! |
| Founder of Taoism "In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don't try to control. In work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present." |
 |
Take the test yourself!
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