brettsing

Headaches & Frustration & Sondheim

“Look what a little Catholic rebellion will lead to… Paul would kiss me and I would think: Oh! I’ve got my very own Jew!” -from Company

I’m writing this from my old MacBook Pro that Harold now uses.

On Sunday we saw “A Little Night Music” in Evanston at Light Opera Works. Like the last Light Opera Works show we saw, this one was also fantastic. If you haven’t seen “A Little Night Music” and like clever, funny, sophisticated, and musically complex shows, I think you’ll like it.

I stayed home from work Yesterday, which I rarely do. I had (and continue to have) such a terrible sinus headache, that I can barely stand the thought of moving. I spent most of the day on the couch. Yesterday morning I was still able to sleep so I slept until about 10, then woke up and watched movies all day. He’s Just Not That Into You, then The Breakup and then switched to a couple of Sondheim musicals while slicing up the new design for this website. (Hopefully you’ll like it, I do)

I upgraded to the newest version of WordPress and got about halfway done converting the Photoshop file into HTML & CSS before stopping to quickly set up the backup disks on our new Airport Extreme to function as drives for Time Machine. I couldn’t get this to work so I decided I would run the firmware update on the router. This opened up ‘Software Update’ which kept locking up around 20% into checking for software… not downloading it… just checking for it. I noticed earlier in the day that any new files I created were not coming up as searchable in Spotlight…. I decided a restart was definitely in order, maybe it would fix all of these little issues. It didn’t. I restarted and my computer got stuck on the gray apple with the spinning spokes screen. About 20 minutes later I shut it down, cleared the PRAM, and as of yet have not been able to get it boot back into OS X.

Harold ran the firmware update on the router which then had to restart itself. He didn’t realize that I was watching something on Netflix on TiVo. Having lots its connection during internet play, TiVo locked up. Upon restart, the audio track for the movie I was watching loaded about 1 second before whatever was happening on screen. It was about then that I lost it.

I decided I must leave the house. I needed to go see the pretty lights of downtown, take in a little bit of night air, and get out of the house and away from all the non-functioning electronics. While out, I stopped by the Bad Times Burger King for a diet Coke. Naturally, they gave me regular and I had to go back through the line to exchange it. We returned home and I checked one more time to make sure my computer still wouldn’t start up, took some pills as instructed by Harold, and the moment my headache went away was finally able to go to sleep around midnight.

The medicine must have worn off around 2pm, b/c that’s when I woke up. The busy noises of Irving Park (we live on a pretty major road) which usually are my comforting friends who help me sleep, are now my enemies. Its no matter though, with my two hours of sleep I’m now wide awake.

I would work on my website some more, but I can’t get to the files. How I wish I had thrown them on a network drive. I decided to put on Stephen Sondheim’s ‘Company’ on Netflix on TiVo (which Harold was able to fix) and try some more things on my computer

I’m pretty sure the hard disk on my new computer may have failed. In addition to not booting to the hard disk, my brand new 17″ MacBook Pro also will not boot to the TechTool Deluxe CD. I was finally able to get it to boot to the Mac OS X Leopard install disc. It ran through normal setup procedures (you know, it checked the CD and everything) and when it finally tried to install the operating system to the hard disk…. I got this fantastic “Install Failed’ screen. I’ve been through this before on my old PowerBook G4. Basically these are the same events that happened when its hard drive failed.

I’m pretty sure I’ve lost all of the work I did on my website yesterday, which totally sucks. I noticed that if I hold T while starting up, it will boot into transfer mode, so I thought perhaps it might be worth a shot to see if I can pull the files off of it that way, however I don’t have a FireWire 800 cable, and the new MacBook Pro does not have a FireWire 600 cable. My guess is that it doesn’tmatter though, if the Hard Disk really has failed, I’m sure it wouldn’t actually work.

On the plus side, after trying for about 10 seconds on this computer, I was able to get it to see the network drives for Time Machine Backup. Yay! The other positive here is that I haven’t had the computer for very long. The only files I don’t have on this computer are a few Musicals I downloaded since I got that comptuer and those website files. Who knows, maybe I’ll hit an odd spur of luck and actually be able to get them!

Additionally, on Friday the blower motor for my cars A/C stopped working. I found out it I didn’t have to drive to Mid-Missouri and that it could be fixed here in Chicago so I made an appointment. It promptly started working again, and has not stopped since. I figured they probably couldn’t fix it if they couldn’t see how it was broken, so hopefully if this issue decides to manifest again, it will happen sometime during the next 6,000 miles… because after than my warranty runs out and then it would be expensive to fix.

Well, that’s all for now. Wish me luck!

Brett Patrick Casey :o)

Everyone’s vagina’s got a monologue…

Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me

This is Martin Short’s one man show (which has a 5 person cast) which ran from late 2006 to early 2007. A tour for 2007 is in the works. The show parodies one man shows… and everything else. The songs were written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, The cocreators of Hairspray. Marc Shaiman was also the co-writer of the songs from the movie South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut.

The story is this:

The cast tells us about the opening of yet another one man show. Another Curtain Goes Up Martin Short shows up and begins by asking the audience to love him. All I Ask (Is You Love Me) After describing how perfect his life is, and how the audience would rather see pain and tragedy Three Gorgeous Kids he begins
telling the true story of his life, even if that truth is full of lies.

He’s born in 1976 and immediately knows what he wants: Big Titties. His mother, Judy Garland, sings of his father The Salesman That Got Away. Martin tells us a little about his family members and discusses his own indecisiveness Sittin On The Fence. “Being part of a dysfunctional family is the bestest training in the whole wide world if you want to go into show business.” and to escape this dysfunctional family he sneaks up to the attic and has his own television show. The Jackie Rogers Jr. Show. Since his parents have moved and he’s now 23, he decides its time to leave the attic. But where would he go? Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba Broadway.

He heads for Manhattan and sings about what it’ll be like when he gets there. The Hello Boy Now, in 1972… off off broadway being obsessed with two things, full frontal nudity, and the Lord Jesus Christ… he lands the lead in the all new tribal rock musical of the second greatest story ever told: “Step Brother to Jesus.” The music of which is very similar to that of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’. We hear two songs from the show: The Strumpet of Samaria in which Jesus’s step brother tries to stop his mother, a prostitute, from being stoned. The people stop and ask him where he came from. Step Brother To Jesus

Marty and another cast member, Nancy, discuss the improbability of someone doing a musical about cats and their admiration for one another. “Backstage Courtship” She agrees to go on a date with him saying “You make me think, and I don’t get to do that a lot.”

In the next scene, Marty and Nancy are already married. Nancy tells the audience about being Married to Marty in a song that feels very much like a few songs from Stephen Sondheim’s ‘Company’.

Aside from his wife, he met another lady… lady temptation. He discusses his cocaine, marijuana, alcohol, and sex addicion. Jodie Foster tells us that Marty went to rehab, and emerged a changed man. Then returned to broadway with his comeback show entitled “A Dry Martin, Straight Up…With A Twist.” He tells us the sob story of his addiction and recovery, pointing out that his rock bottom is still your wildest dreams. He sings a song from that show about his recovery Twelve Step Pappy. The twelve steps: 1: Pick up your head 2. Change your sheets since you wet the bed. 3. Coffee and a last line of blow 4. a $20 so the hooker can go 5. A Phone call cause you must make a mends. 6. A crack den to say “bye” to your friends. 7-11. A month at Betty Ford 12. On stage to grab your Tony award.

Marty gave us the first half of his life nice and easy, but now he’s going to give us the second half nice and rough. He starts spewing off things that have happened to him… you want to hear pain… he’ll give you More, More, More. At the end of the song he exclaims “If everything I’m sayin’ isn’t the truth, the whole truth, and nothin’ but the truth may God strike me dead!”God strikes him, indoors, with a lightening bolt and he is rushed to the hospital.

Joan rivers promptly shows up to help one of the other cast members (who tap dances when he’s nervous and therefore does so randomly through the entire number) find a new headliner. Would You Like To Star In Our Show? As they seach they encounter Ellen Degeneres, Britney Spears who drops her baby whenver she sees anything shiny like a diamond or a chicken mcnugget, and French Canadian Royalty: Celine Dion who has come all the way from her “creepy show in las vegas” because she “is so worry about the Marty Short”.

The second act which a song in the show actually points out follows the first without intermission. Though he’s not a fan, Jimminy Glick shows up to investigate the “celebrity wreck”. I Came Just As Soon As I Heard Marty’s condition worsens and he dies. The cast sings that he’s died, but the good news is that now there is more room for their names on the Marquee. A Wicked Memorial. al la the end of “No Good Deed” from ‘Wicked’.

Marty’s brother, Micheal (who has a very thick Canadian accent), shows up and sings a song he wrote when he’d heard of his brothers death. Michael’s Song The song is based on a poem written “by a little Rawandan girl just after she had witnessed her entire village burned to the groond.” The subjects of the sentences in the lyrics of this song are only clicking sounds.

They proceed to showbiz heaven which is full of dead celebrities, some that you’d expect, and some that you wouldn’t expect, to be there. Heaven, Heaven. The Showbiz God, Irving Cohn, shows up. He sings a song that declares “up here in heaven your number never ends” Up Here In Heaven. As his song is ending, he’s interrupted by someone who tells him: “Hey old man, its time for you to shut up. Don’t you know what time it is? Check your watch, take your bow, and get the hell out.” She says that since the show is wrapping up, its time for her to sing… because that’s how you make a show a hit: A Big Black Lady Stops The Show. She tells Marty that if he promises not to lie, and just be himself, they’ll send him back. She tells the audience that they have the power to bring Marty back if they would only clap their hands. (a la “And I Am Telling You” from ‘Dreamgirls’)

Marty returns to Earth and thanks the big black lady, he has learned his lesson: No need to spill his guts, its fine to just entertain. Finale The cast discusses the fact that they’ve learned more about Marty they they really wanted to know, the curtain comes down on another one man show.

Marty is asked by another cast member if he really learned anything “Lesson Learned” and sings that indeed he has learned something. He’s glad that (even though if he’d saved his money he wouldn’t have to be here doing this show) he’s was glad that he was, because he met us, the audience. Glass Half Full

A bonus track included on the CD is sung by the friend of a woman who always makes her go to one man shows, and she discusses how she hates them. Freida May’s Lament Based on the text, I would imagine this song was originaly performed before the opening number, but was unable to find any information to support that hypothesis.

I like this show quite a lot, and though I’ve never been a fan of Martin Short… I recall a particularly strong dislike of him when the whole Jimminy Glick thing was going on… I hated that… Anyway, this has actually made me like him quite a bit more.

Brett Patrick Casey :o)

Everyone’s vagina’s got a monologue…

Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me

This is Martin Short’s one man show (which has a 5 person cast) which ran from late 2006 to early 2007. A tour for 2007 is in the works. The show parodies one man shows… and everything else. The songs were written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, The cocreators of Hairspray. Marc Shaiman was also the co-writer of the songs from the movie South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut.

The story is this:

The cast tells us about the opening of yet another one man show. Another Curtain Goes Up Martin Short shows up and begins by asking the audience to love him. All I Ask (Is You Love Me) After describing how perfect his life is, and how the audience would rather see pain and tragedy Three Gorgeous Kids he begins
telling the true story of his life, even if that truth is full of lies.

He’s born in 1976 and immediately knows what he wants: Big Titties. His mother, Judy Garland, sings of his father The Salesman That Got Away. Martin tells us a little about his family members and discusses his own indecisiveness Sittin On The Fence. “Being part of a dysfunctional family is the bestest training in the whole wide world if you want to go into show business.” and to escape this dysfunctional family he sneaks up to the attic and has his own television show. The Jackie Rogers Jr. Show. Since his parents have moved and he’s now 23, he decides its time to leave the attic. But where would he go? Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba Broadway.

He heads for Manhattan and sings about what it’ll be like when he gets there. The Hello Boy Now, in 1972… off off broadway being obsessed with two things, full frontal nudity, and the Lord Jesus Christ… he lands the lead in the all new tribal rock musical of the second greatest story ever told: “Step Brother to Jesus.” The music of which is very similar to that of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’. We hear two songs from the show: The Strumpet of Samaria in which Jesus’s step brother tries to stop his mother, a prostitute, from being stoned. The people stop and ask him where he came from. Step Brother To Jesus

Marty and another cast member, Nancy, discuss the improbability of someone doing a musical about cats and their admiration for one another. “Backstage Courtship” She agrees to go on a date with him saying “You make me think, and I don’t get to do that a lot.”

In the next scene, Marty and Nancy are already married. Nancy tells the audience about being Married to Marty in a song that feels very much like a few songs from Stephen Sondheim’s ‘Company’.

Aside from his wife, he met another lady… lady temptation. He discusses his cocaine, marijuana, alcohol, and sex addicion. Jodie Foster tells us that Marty went to rehab, and emerged a changed man. Then returned to broadway with his comeback show entitled “A Dry Martin, Straight Up…With A Twist.” He tells us the sob story of his addiction and recovery, pointing out that his rock bottom is still your wildest dreams. He sings a song from that show about his recovery Twelve Step Pappy. The twelve steps: 1: Pick up your head 2. Change your sheets since you wet the bed. 3. Coffee and a last line of blow 4. a $20 so the hooker can go 5. A Phone call cause you must make a mends. 6. A crack den to say “bye” to your friends. 7-11. A month at Betty Ford 12. On stage to grab your Tony award.

Marty gave us the first half of his life nice and easy, but now he’s going to give us the second half nice and rough. He starts spewing off things that have happened to him… you want to hear pain… he’ll give you More, More, More. At the end of the song he exclaims “If everything I’m sayin’ isn’t the truth, the whole truth, and nothin’ but the truth may God strike me dead!”God strikes him, indoors, with a lightening bolt and he is rushed to the hospital.

Joan rivers promptly shows up to help one of the other cast members (who tap dances when he’s nervous and therefore does so randomly through the entire number) find a new headliner. Would You Like To Star In Our Show? As they seach they encounter Ellen Degeneres, Britney Spears who drops her baby whenver she sees anything shiny like a diamond or a chicken mcnugget, and French Canadian Royalty: Celine Dion who has come all the way from her “creepy show in las vegas” because she “is so worry about the Marty Short”.

The second act which a song in the show actually points out follows the first without intermission. Though he’s not a fan, Jimminy Glick shows up to investigate the “celebrity wreck”. I Came Just As Soon As I Heard Marty’s condition worsens and he dies. The cast sings that he’s died, but the good news is that now there is more room for their names on the Marquee. A Wicked Memorial. al la the end of “No Good Deed” from ‘Wicked’.

Marty’s brother, Micheal (who has a very thick Canadian accent), shows up and sings a song he wrote when he’d heard of his brothers death. Michael’s Song The song is based on a poem written “by a little Rawandan girl just after she had witnessed her entire village burned to the groond.” The subjects of the sentences in the lyrics of this song are only clicking sounds.

They proceed to showbiz heaven which is full of dead celebrities, some that you’d expect, and some that you wouldn’t expect, to be there. Heaven, Heaven. The Showbiz God, Irving Cohn, shows up. He sings a song that declares “up here in heaven your number never ends” Up Here In Heaven. As his song is ending, he’s interrupted by someone who tells him: “Hey old man, its time for you to shut up. Don’t you know what time it is? Check your watch, take your bow, and get the hell out.” She says that since the show is wrapping up, its time for her to sing… because that’s how you make a show a hit: A Big Black Lady Stops The Show. She tells Marty that if he promises not to lie, and just be himself, they’ll send him back. She tells the audience that they have the power to bring Marty back if they would only clap their hands. (a la “And I Am Telling You” from ‘Dreamgirls’)

Marty returns to Earth and thanks the big black lady, he has learned his lesson: No need to spill his guts, its fine to just entertain. Finale The cast discusses the fact that they’ve learned more about Marty they they really wanted to know, the curtain comes down on another one man show.

Marty is asked by another cast member if he really learned anything “Lesson Learned” and sings that indeed he has learned something. He’s glad that (even though if he’d saved his money he wouldn’t have to be here doing this show) he’s was glad that he was, because he met us, the audience. Glass Half Full

A bonus track included on the CD is sung by the friend of a woman who always makes her go to one man shows, and she discusses how she hates them. Freida May’s Lament Based on the text, I would imagine this song was originaly performed before the opening number, but was unable to find any information to support that hypothesis.

I like this show quite a lot, and though I’ve never been a fan of Martin Short… I recall a particularly strong dislike of him when the whole Jimminy Glick thing was going on… I hated that… Anyway, this has actually made me like him quite a bit more.

Brett Patrick Casey :o)

Hey! Hey old man, its time for you to shut up!

So, I’m unemployed. I may have mentioned that before, not sure. But yeah its true, and I have to say that I’ve never found myself surprised to be unemployed twice in one year before, much less so close together.

I’m not sure if my place of employment is staying open or not, but I guess the guy who was sort of managing it with me and myself won’t be running it anymore if it is. In short, because of many, many, many, delinquent bills, and unpaid taxes, as well as several other things, we had to close the store. Leaving me sort of with a job… I guess… but quite without a paycheck which equals quite without a job. I’m not ab out to let the government drag me off to anywhere or try to fine my broke ass because I left a store open that they said wasn’t allowed to be. I feel really bad for all of the mailbox customers though. I know someone who may be looking into opening up a new franchise of the store here in Jefferson City, hopefully that’ll go better. Who knows, maybe I can work there? The work and the job weren’t bad, just the slow descent into a total lack of services and I suppose eventually, utilities as well.

Yeah, so it was a crazy-ass and very broke weekend. I’m so broke now that I’m unemployed, which is good in a way because it forced me to do things without spending a lot of money… I still spent some money, it just belonged to my parents. I guess they’ve started to get checks from one or two of my Grandpa’s life insurance policies that was left directly to his kids instead of my Grandmother like the rest of them. Thank God for my parents looking after me until I can find a new job.

Thursday Byron and I went to see Pump Boys and Dinettes, because he had some tickets that he somehow received through work. The show was quite fun, and I’d only heard a couple of the songs before on XM Radio. The play was quite fun, and the music was well performed.

Friday, Tim and I went to A&C and I performed ‘Family’ from Dreamgirls because it seemed semi-appropriate (and I’m disappointed to report that it was a mediocre performance at best) for the Rain of Missouri fund raiser. They raised quite a bit of money anyhow, I believe over $1700 that evening alone.

“Family” from Dreamgirls

What about what I need?
Curtis says its the best thing for the group.
What about whats best for me?
He feels the Dreams can crossover.
What about how I feel?
But when we’re famous I’ll write great things for ya, Effie do it for me.
What about me? What about me?

It’s more than you, it is more than me
No matter what we are, we are a family
This dream is for all of us, this one can be real,
and you cant stop us now because of how you feel..
It’s more than you, It is more than me
Whatever dreams we have, there for the family,
we’re not alone anymore now there are others there,
and that dreams big enough for all of us to share,
so dont think that your going,
your not going anywhere, your staying and taking your share, and if
you get afraid again, I’ll be there..,
We are a family like a giant tree branching out towards the sky, we are a family we
are so much more than just you and I we are a family like a giant tree,
growing stronger, growing wiser, we are growing free..we need you..we are a family..

That evening, a friend won tickets to a Cardinals game that was to take place on the following day. I begged (just a little) to go, and stayed with another (new) friend who was set to go to the game with us the next day as well– actually, someone from the play the previous evening. I did end up driving back to Jefferson City early Saturday morning so I could shower and change (I guess while slightly intoxicated, I hadn’t planned through the whole going to a Cardinals game in bar clothes thing.) The drive, and even certain parts of the game, were pretty fun though we did lose 13-0. After, we went to Freddie’s for a spell, and then returned to Columbia.

Saturday night, since already in Columbia, I met up with Byron and we went to SoCo. I have to say that Atheena Voce’s Babes In Boyland show just keeps getting better and better. Each time I go I enjoy myself more that the last. Though there were only four performers, they each did quite a few songs and all made fantastic song choices. Dancing with DJ Muffie is always fun, but even more so this week because he put out a song request list. You know the gay people requested some gay ass music too. I danced (completetly sober, mind you) almost the entire evening. I think I only sat out one or maybe two songs. Thanks to Atheena and to SoCo for a fantastic evening. I promise to update your website this week. :o)

Sunday, I painted all day until around 7pm. I was going to quit then, meet up with my new friend from the play (Kent) and Byron and watch Dreamgirls in high definition. Because I stupidly (and I didn’t find this out until I went to take a shower) stuck my head in the wet paint on the ceiling when I was working on the walls, I got a ton of paint in my hair which took forever to wash out. I think there is probably still some there too.

I finished painting the living room this morning, and in doing so messed up the satellite tv. I think I’ve just figured out how to fix it though. (I looked at mine… I’d hooked some wires up incorrectly. Apparently there are specific inputs for different kinds of things, though they all look the same.) Anyway, my living room is all brownish gray now.

As for the rest of today its going to be all about designing posters, updating websites, and fixing satellite tv connections.

I’ll see you kids later,
Brett Patrick Casey :o)

Happy New Year B

So yeah… Happy New Year to all of you kids, my fantastic and loyal readers! Many apologies for not coming on here and typing at you more frequently during the 2006 Holiday Season. You know how it is… you get busy and all that… I still have a large amount of Christmas Cards that I wrote and sealed and never even sent out…. perhaps I should send them anyway… I think I probably will.

Tim and Debra came over for dinner tonight, I made this eggplant dish stuffed with beef and cheese and tomato sauce and the insides of the eggplant. Today is was day 5 of Phase 1 of The South Beach Diet which I’ve done several times before. I’m doing pretty good this time though as far as not cheating… not even a little, and I’m really not even eating more than I’m supposed to either. Sometimes its tempting to eat too much health food, but I haven’t even been doing that. My clothes seem to perhaps be ever so slightly looser, though since I’d gained around 25lbs back from where I was last year at this time, it’ll probably be a while before I notice much of a difference in anything. I’m not really weighing myself either… well I guess I am but not every day, and not on a routine schedule. Over the past year, I got so sick of seeing that I’d gained weight that I actually broke myself of the habit of weighing myself every day. Now I just do it once in a while… I did it for the first time on day four… though I had no idea if I’ve lost anything or not since I hadn’t weighed myself for so long before that. I suppose I’ll do it again after we’re done with phase one. You’re supposed to expect to lose between 8 and 12 lbs in the first two weeks. In previous experiences with this, I’ve lost around 10 in just a couple of days but I think most of that was cutting out a lot of salt. If I haven’t lost much up to this point (day five) I’m pretty sure I’ll do a little better starting now though… one of the most important parts of weight loss is getting enough sleep and all the later part of last week and this weekend I was seriously deprived.

After eating we went to Walgreens to pick up a prescription and then Tim entertained Debra’s son Ryan while she and I undecorated and disassembled the Christmas tree in my room. I love Christmas but its nice to have everything back to normal, except for this one lamp that goes on my dresser… its packed downstairs somewhere… I suppose I must find it soon. I guess I’ll have to work on my part of the decorations around the rest of the house over the next couple of days, I have some handmade garlands that I started doing last year (which if I do next year will have to be redone b/c the lights in them are now shot) to take down and put away… and some other foliage-esque things, and some wreaths. Ahhh…. the joy!

So, I was late for work this morning. I was really confused and for some reason I thought that I was working 2p-10p but when I got a call at fifteen after eight this morning, asking me when I was not at work… I realized that I was incorrect. I’m not exactly sure when I work tomorrow, but I’m pretty sure its at 7am, so I believe that go in then just in case. We don’t appear to have a schedule posted at the moment. Hopefully we can correct that tomorrow.

I’ve been feeling a little bit depressed for a major chunk of the day. Usually I can get myself out of stuff like that pretty quickly and without a lot of effort. Today- not so much. There’s crap going on in one of my friendships that I’m sad about and I keep thinking about it. There’s nothing I can do about it. I can’t change the way that other people feel, and I know that… and I know its also pointless to worry about it because that doesn’t accomplish anything. Its just…oh well. Its really kind of tearing me up today. Hopefully I’ll be better tomorrow.

Well its getting late and I suppose I should go to bed so I get plenty of sleep to be up at 6:20 in the morning to get ready for work.

Ta for now, I’ll do my best to update more often!
Brett Patrick Casey :o)

And I am telling you, I’m not going….

Miss Jennifer Holiday, 1982 Tony Awards 

And I am telling you, I’m not going….

Miss Jennifer Holiday, 1982 Tony Awards 

Dreamgirls