See You Next Wednesday
The secret of anticipation is timing.I didn't see Emma on the weekend. It seems like an eternity since we were in Sydney and another enternity until she arrives this weekend. During these enternities I was sure I could find the time to walk past in the background of a scene in Jonathan's
film. This time is looking more elusive as the three day shoot runs into it's third day and the costume I will be propping up is not sewn yet. (I hope it fits.)
I moved the World's Largest Dungeon game to Thursday where it would be safe. This safety is also looking elusive. I may become double-booked by the vagaries of the film industry. However, as the scene I am in is an exterior night shot outside a closed restaurant, a clash of dates is not necessarily a clash of times.
In juggling news.The Martians are recalcitrant. They would rather try to set fire to a fish than change a trout for a torch in their routine. Statler and Waldorf have started a slow clap.
Excellent theatre.I went to the theatre with my mum last night. We saw
Page 8. It was brilliant; thoroughly entertaining and expertly performed. Mum is going again tonight with Karen.
Return to the World's Largest DungeonLast night the intrepid adventurers delved further into the realm of the shadow mastiffs. The creatures had their blending tactics figured out and gave the party more of a challenge, causing serious damage early in the day. Egon created his first undead (aww, I mean eww) and sent them after two which escaped from the slaughter.
With some good listening and a bit of luck the party followed the dogs into the heart of the region. (To a room described in the book as "The Room of Death", oh no!) An eversmoking bottle provided an excellent atmosphere to ambush the party, so the two injured dogs and their two completely healthy (and bigger) pack leaders did just that.
Gruk took the brunt of the attack and raged just in time to fall down. Urza cleaned up the two wounded dogs while Egon and Oscar restored Gruk who had barely regained his feet before the dogs brought him down again. Kerwin carelessly dropped a flame strike on himself, but redeemed himself with a flaming sphere which cornered the two big dogs. Oscar was forced to enter into melee as the shadow mastiffs made good use of the concealment in the smokey room. The good guys all nearly died, but they didn't; instead they won. Yay!
It's alive!Scooter told his uncle, J.P. Gross, the intergalactic juggling act was brilliant. His uncle, who owns the theatre, had a look. The act was not brilliant, the act was pathetic. But his nephew is not a liar so J.P. Gross has decided the act will appear and it will be brilliant, even if it is in the winter season. The end of last week was spent arranging the new rehearsal schedule, reprinting the posters, postponing the fish delivery, extending the chainsaw hire and painting the burning torches.
I love Emma when a plan comes together.Linda was paid last week, we thought we would visit Sydney so she could buy manga and I could visit my new niece, Koko. Emma was at Pirate Cove, hosting her aunt who was attending a wedding, so she also visited Sydney to seek textbooks for university. Linda and I went to
Comic Kingdom and then met Emma at
Kinokuniya. Emma and I visited
Abbey's and
Galaxy while Linda was busy in the Japanese section. Many books were purchased; mostly by Linda, Emma found the graphic novel
A History of Violence was based on, and I got my
Doctor Who collection up to date. I forgot to give Emma her book when we parted at the station (oh no, I will just have to read it). Koko was asleep when we looked in on her. Saturday was a good day.
Backstage.We received the fish delivery this morning.
Games are fun.Simon was away visiting his sick brother (get well soon), I had foolishly left Emma back at Pirate Cove, and Dave had a dose of CPS so the was no
World's Largest Dungeon last night. Instead we played
Carcassonne. After three games Jimbo read the rules and discovered how to score.
Juggling memos.Today is the last rehearsal for the late autumn season at Muppet Theatre. All my memos have words stamped on them in red capitals.
Some memos are about making sure the burning torches have a burning end and a catching end, and these two ends are not the same end.
Other memos are about what colour to paint the catching end, if they aren't painted, and if they are what colour are they and do they need repainting...
Every memo is top priority because today is the last day changes can be rehearsed.
... or was.The intergalactic juggling act has been given a bit longer to practise. From backstage it looks like a triage ward with the curtains on fire; but from the auditorium it just looks a bit clumsy. I shall have at least one, possibly two more weeks of standing between the aliens while they hurl tomahawks and bowling balls at each other. And I'm the muppet who has to arrange the dog's breakfast.
Ha ha! (I mean, eww!)I saw
A History of Violence with Emma-Jean on the weekend. It was laugh out loud violent, with cuts to 'here's one the special effects department prepared earlier' shots. "Funniest movie I have seen in a long time" said one patron on his way out. (If you're squeamish, close your eyes when you hear a gunshot and open them again when you hear the audience laugh.)
Backstage.I suspect the intergalactic juggling act will not be seen in the autumn season. The issue of what the Koozbanians and the Martians want to throw and catch has not been resolved, but the audience wouldn't know the difference anyway. The big problem is the barker who describes everything being juggled as "poor little tom kittens". However, the powers that be are currently distracted by the fuzzy aliens and may give the act a green light; or the barker may learn his lines by tomorrow.
YesterdayWe played in the
World's Largest Dungeon at Duffy Street last night. The Othermooners delved further into the new region and cleared out vermin from a potential new headquarters. Egon managed to get bitten and poisoned by the last spider on its last hit point, but the invigorating local water soon had him back in his armour.
Further in they came across a den of shadow mastiffs which was scary, particularly for Urza who ran away twice, and Turag who fled into a pit trap and died. (Oops. Scratch one lazy, treacherous NPC.) Gruk found a nice halberd and would have slain a shadow mastiff with one blow if we had remembered it's critical damage is triple.
Then they walked all the way back to their old headquarters.
TodayAt
The Muppet Show the Martians are practising their solos and the Koozbanians are practising their entrances. Yes, they are important parts of the show; but no, they aren't what requires attention. (Well, they don't require my attention.)
Work sucks.Emma came to visit last weekend. She took Friday off from work to get her car serviced, but I had to go to work. She was here all Saturday to play my
Dungeons & Dragons game, but I had to go to work. I am going to visit Emma this weekend and I would like to leave on Friday morning, but I have to go to work. (I do have Monday off and I can leave work early on Friday afternoon, but work still sucks.)
Meanwhile the intergalactic juggling act I have been choreographing for
The Muppet Show has been given an extended rehearsal block. The Martians keep dropping the ball and saying the Koozbanians are supposed to throw a club, not a ball. In fact, they actually say "yip yip yip yip yip yip, uh huh, uh huh, yip yip yip yip yip yip" and I have work out if it is the cow or the telephone they are frightened of. (Thank Kermit they haven't dropped a chainsaw. Did I mention work sucks?)
Dangerous Wayfarers.I was so late and players were so distracted we had barely got started before we were running overtime. Half a red dragon and a cloud giant was all they got to fight. They didn't even get to find out whose red dragon they gave the critical stomach wound to... :)
Waiting.I am waiting for a report on a sample of triggers to tell me if I can go and play my monthly
Dungeons & Dragons game with the Dangerous Wayfarers this evening. Today has been spent constantly waiting for other people to do things. I have been here for seven hours and I may have done seventy minutes of work. I did get a lot of things printed out for my game, but I would rather have been playing it. The game was rescheduled to six o'clock, I hope the players have fun while they wait for me.
