Furloughed!

Today is my last day of work until June 7th.  We are having our summer furlough, part of our "cost-cutting measures".  I work for a nonprofit arts organization, so...whatever.

I am hoping for SUN next week during the furlough so that I can lay by the pool and read, but it's not looking too good for that.  SO I guess I'll load up on movies!  And chocolate.  Probably do some photography.

I think Shawn should come visit me that week.

Tales

I am a HUGE fan of writer Armistead Maupin.  Not only for his Tales of the City series of books, but his other books as well:  Maybe the Moon and The Night Listener.  If you haven't read the Tales books, well...you must.

If you have read them, then surely you know there was another Tales book released a couple of years ago, called Michael Tolliver Lives.   That book just made me sit and weep with joy, because it was great, and also because it was the only book I'd ever read that addressed the lives of people like me:  Older gay guy who has survived hiv (so far). 

Well, now I have learned - and I am THRILLED to let you know (if you haven't heard)....MR. MAUPIN IS DOING YET ANOTHER TALES OF THE CITY BOOK!!!!   It's called Mary Ann in Autumn: A Tales of the City Novel, and it is being released in November.  I am beyond excited.  I am beside myself.  I can't wait til November.

Between now and then, I will re-read ALL the Tales books.

Interestingly, Armistead Maupin claimed that the last book, Michael Tolliver Lives, was NOT a Tales of the City novel, even though the characters were all Tales characters  I presume he didn't want it compared to the rest of the series, for some reason.  But this new novel has Tales of the City in the title, so...I think we can conclude that Michael Tolliver was a Tales book.

There is also a stage musical adaptation of Tales in the works...can NOT wait for that!

Love me some Tales.  Thank you, Mr. Maupin!

Fashion for Bears

I'm not much of a clotheshorse or fashion maven.  I do like to watch Project Runway, though.  AND,  I could definitely get into some of these clothes by bear designer Walter Van Beirendonck

  

  Cool stuff, Maynard!  DAMN those bear models are cute!

"'Til I Hear You Sing" from "Love Never Dies", the sequel to Phantom of the Opera

This song is fantastic.  I was OBSESSED with the Phantom of the Opera when it first came out in 1987 or so.  Now there is a sequel, and it is very good!

I Like

I like candy.  And Turtles.  That's all I have to say for the moment.

Gotta Move

Well, it's that time of year again.  The time of year when I obsess about wanting to move to a new city.  Like the song "Gotta Move" says:

Gotta move, got to get out
Gotta leave this town 
Gotta find some town
Some big new town
Some bright new town
Some new town with new places new lights
And most of all some new faces 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udpu1jIxoX

Portland is a perfectly good city.  It's beautiful, progressive, full of art and music, bridges and rivers.  I have some good friends here and am fairly well-known in various communities:  Bears, Theater, etc.

But I just can't shake this feeling that I will never meet anyone here for a relationship (I'm entering my second decade as a single person).  And I do get tired of the rain.  Yes, it makes everything green and pretty and the air is fresh and clean.  But it rains A LOT here.

There are other cities where my income would go a lot farther, I'm thinking about Ft. Worth or St. Louis.  Maybe Austin.  My mother would like me closer to her, in Sacramento, but that city is, well, NOT progressive.  It is, however, close to San Francisco and Reno and L.A....a great city for going to other places. 

I'll be 50 in 3 years.  If I'm going to move somewhere, I think I need to do it by then. 

Until I make a decision, though, I'll be obsessively checking this website:  http.www.bestplaces.net.  I love this site for being able to compare cost of living between cities, and the other tools on the site.

Have a great week!

On An Island

There have always been people - bad people to be sure - who have said, regarding "others" they don't like, "Put 'em all on an island somewhere!"  Gays, jews, blacks, hiv positive individuals...

I wonder what would that island would be like, if in fact all the gays were shipped to one.  Would it be fabulous, glittery and full of music?  Would the "straight" world - sans gays - be gray and dull without us?

Would this Island of Gays be a fantastic tourist destination for straight people?   Would we allow them to visit, since they kicked us to the curb island?  Would we be allowed to go back and visit non-gay family and friends?

Would it just be gays, or would bisexual individuals be forced to go and live there, too.  Trans folk?

How would you imagine and island where all the gays were forced to go and live?  I wonder what the government would be like.

Tell me your thoughts, please.

Hands

I have a thing about hands; Particularly male hands.

I find them extraordinarily beautiful.

Meaty Paws, big vein-y hands.  Fat fingers.  Warm and strong.

One of the first things I notice when I meet a man are his hands.

Sometimes I stare at guys hands on the bus.  Today I took a surreptitious photo of a hot daddy on the bus.  The pic didn't turn out very well, but here it is:







I love my iPhone.

Lazy Day

Today I don't have to go anywhere.  No one is expecting me.  I like these kinds of days.

Along with this free time today, there are choices.  The DVR is full of programs waiting to be watched.  I have a movie from Blockbuster waiting to be viewed.  Books are stacked up that need to get read.  I should work on the play, the novel, the story...all these writing projects that are started and some that I haven't begun.  There is housework that has to be done, as well.

But the sun is out (this is significant here in Portland),  and a slight breeze is blowing in through the sliding glass door...

I may just have a nap.

Audition Adventure

My beautiful Ford Ranger pickup died, so I am now a pedestrian/bicyclist.  That's okay, but it sure makes getting around a different sort of adventure.  Especially when you have an audition...

I had an audition last night...at 10:00 pm on a Sunday evening (how weird is that?), for the musical Sweet Charity.  I had my song all prepared and rehearsed, it sounded good in the shower and as I was dressing.  I had my bus/bike route to the audition location all planned out.  I would ride my bicycle for three miles (across a very narrow bridge) to a place where I could catch a bus the rest of the way.  I loaded my head shot, resume, sheet music into a backpack and headed out.  I decided to take the bus that would get me there an hour earlier, so that I could relax, catch my breath and maybe go over my audition song a few times.

It started raining as I headed out, and I got to my bus stop without being killed.  Bus 35 was scheduled to arrive at 8:35.  Somewhere around 8:50 pm it finally showed up....and both racks that hold bicycles were FULL.   So now I have a choice:  Turn around and go home and just forget the whole thing, or ride the rest of the way on the bike, through the dark, twisty-hilly rainy highway that leads to Lake Oswego and hope I make it in time.

I chose the second option. Refusing to be benched because of a lack of a motor vehicle,  I pedaled my little heart out, pausing to walk the bike uphill and screaming as I careened down black, rain-slick curves.

I made it to the theater, wet, cold and out of breath.  There was no one waiting to audition, so instead of having a chance to tidy myself, warm up my throat and catch my breath, I was ushered directly into the room to face the panel and begin my audition.

I was game, so I sang.  I was sounding fine, and I was on point to turn in a great audition...until the very last high note...it came out sounding like "Froggy" from The Little Rascals.  It was horrible.  I began apologizing, explaining that I had to ride my bike, and was still kind of out of breath.  They asked me try again, and the note came out the same...a horrible, froggy croak.  Not pretty, not good.

"We'll let you know", came the reply from the sympathetic - if horrified - auditors.

Things change in life.  Being a performer in musical theater is something that I always have been.  That particular activity may now be something that is in my past.  This is terrifically difficult for me to accept.  But I think I may have to accept it:  I have not been cast in the last FOUR musicals I have auditioned for.  My voice just isn't what it used to be, at least not the soaring high notes that always got me cast.

Ah, well.  I still seem to be able to get cast in non-musical plays.  And I am still working on a script...it's possible that, in the future, my place in the theater will be offstage.  I don't know.  No more auditioning for musicals, though. I doubt that I will be cast in Sweet Charity.  And that's okay.

I will survive.

UPDATE 5/11/09 - The director called me today, and would love to have me at callbacks.  I may still get the part!  I'll let you know how it goes!

Welcome!

All right, time to get this blog going, yo.  Past time, really!

I had another blog, and it went through some unfortunate changes...all my fault, I kind of ruined it.  I won't be doing that this time...I've learned to be much more circumspect with what information goes on the blog!

Why is this blog called "This Little Record"?  Well, I work for a subscriber-based arts organization here in Portland, and when we send out the season renewal information to our subscribers for the new season, there is a CD included, with samples of music, and general information about the upcoming productions.  One little lady called me up after receiving her renewal packet and she was frantic:

"I'm calling because you sent me my seasonal renewal, but I don't know what to do about this little record inside!", she cried, referring to the informational CD.  "I don't have a record player this small to play this little record on!"

"It's a compact disc, Ma'am, do you have a compact disc player?", I asked.

"NO, nothing that would play a little small record like this!  Should I send it back to you, or bring it back down to the office?"

I assured the dear creature that it was okay to toss it away, or give it to someone else who might be interested in the information on the CD, but she was sure that she didn't know anyone who would have a little tiny record player to play the "little record".  

The phone call made me smile, and also made me realize that simple little things in life can be made so complicated and that I probably do this myself.  Also, the blog is a "little record" of my thoughts, days, evenings...afternoons.

So, thanks for reading the first post here...I plan it to be interesting, informative.  That's my hope.

Cheers, and happy weekend!