Da Count - through the eyes of others

2 old friends commented to me this week that they admired my constant re-invention of what I do. One jokingly said that they were almost afraid to blink when they are around me because of it. Both also commented that despite all the evolutions they have witnessed the core of me remains constant. Needless to say I am most humbled by this heaping compliment.

What I do is not dependent or motivated by the admiration of or validation from others. Yet when it does come I do have to admit that it does feel good. I used to feel quite uncomfortable of it in the past but have since learned to accept it with grace. I have come to accept that we define ourselves through our actions... and when the acknowledgment and reflection of that through the eyes of others does come it can indeed be very gratifying. This also extends to recognizing "that look" of being seen through the eyes of friends, children, parents, peers and lovers... the one that says it all without a spoken word.

That is my count this week... our value reflected in the eyes of others who see us for who we are and what we do.

To find out more about Da Count click the flashing sign above.

Da Count - blogger/blogspot

Blogger is what I started blogging on. In March 2005 SSM and I chatted about how our friend Generik had a blog. We checked it out and I admit was both befuddled and intrigued by it. SSM started a blog and I soon followed suit. Then a pod of local RL friends began blogging as well including APJ, and Jaded Ed Gypsy . Then friends from across the pond joined in Such as Kien, Vert and my long lost cousin Lelly. So, our little pod of bloggers began growing.

By blog surfing ran across the likes of Carlyjayjay, who at the time was a struggling actress who was singing in a band... Ms. Bees who took a disturbing yet entertaining delight in the art of murder... and Aughra, a very attractive (and well written) wife and mother who worked in an adult store and introduced us to HNT and the mighty OS. Carly has since gotten married (a wedding I attended through a webcast) and is now in a hit show Evildead the Musical, Ms. Bees is on a little haitus from her murderous spree, and Aughra has a new baby.

Through HNT and the Emperor OS, I have met wonderful people like the delightful Lime, the prolific horror author Mark, the lovely Tish, the always fascinating Cosima, and the stalwart salt of the earth Kfarmer who remains one of my oldest bloggy friends... just to name a few. Please do not feel left out if you are not mentioned on this post... if you are on my blogroll know that you are special to me.

All of this through blogger which is why I am counting it today.... and in so doing I am counting all of you! I liked it for it's ease of use in the attempts of me expressing myself but I think the time has come to move on to a platform that is a little more stable. I will continue blogging and I hope you (at least the few who are regulars) will continue to visit on the new platform. So, once again, thank you blogger for providing me with the opportunity for expression (like HNT and Da Count) and for the honor of meeting all of you. I will continue here until the new digs are set up so don't be strangers. Cheers!

To find out what Da Count is all about click the flashing sign above.

* BTW KaMotion has joined the ranks posted a count early. Oh, and I have begun VLOGGING... so come by this weekend for that.

Da Count - sign posts to the possible.

Sometimes on this journey we shed what we have carried for so long and wonder what may lie ahead. We walk with a mere inkling. We take a few steps toward what we think may be a new journey never really knowing if this inkling will pan out or if it was just a flight of fancy. But we move ahead... and a sign post comes into view. We draw nearer... it confirms that we may indeed be on the right path.

I came upon such a sign post this week. I got a paying gig in the the area of video production. My stride is a little more confident and sure than it was before. This is my count.

If you want to fing out what Da Count is all about click the flashing sign above.

EDIT: Friday 9:30 AM
Haven't been blog surfing to visit some of my favorite blogs in the last few days for a couple of reasons.

Reason # 1: Because of the heat there have been power outs around here... simply because folks have been cranking up their air conditioners... and can you blame them? It hasn't been too bad but the outages can be a trifle inconvenient when trying to traverse around the blog universe or attempting some work on the computer.

Reason # 2: There has been a sudden surge of social and professional (at least I hope) activity in my life at the moment. It's all good.

So, I'll remedy the no-visit situation soon.

BTW... I was doing an email interview for a newspaper back in Malaysia for Frogway and the said power went off resulting in me losing all of my brilliant quipy responses to the interview. Now I have to work myself up to another quipy froth before attempting it again.

Oh and a new vloumentary will be up this weekend where I will unveil the new name and logo of Lecram Enterprises. Come back for that... there will be some sweet moments in it.

Have a great weekend!

Da Count - sharing the blame

Well, the interview is now on Fresno Famous. Go ahead... read it... I'll wait.

::whistle::

::whistle::

Done? OK. After reading it today, it brought to mind my count for this week. It is "the many" who over the years have bought into my insane schemes and made them happen. From mounting the odd wacky plays... to backyard theatre... to a theatre company... to an arts festival... to some other projects, activities and events that I'll remain silent on for the moment. But without them none of it would have been accomplished. I could name all of them but it would take easily a year if I started now. It just goes to prove that no one is an island and that things can happen when people pull together. That whole "village" thing that was bandied about some years ago happens to be true. Whether it be in the personal, professional or practical parts of our lives.

So, to those of you who have... and those who may not know you have... please know that you count. Not just on my crazed schemes... but to everyone around you in your everyday lives. I am not foolish (or vain) enough to think that these accomplishments are mine alone... they are ours. And this is hardly the end. Cheers!

To find out what Da Count is all about click the flashing sign above.

Oh, BTW... the HNT shot below was done straight... no photoshop magic in that one except for cropping out the barbecue. The setup took all of 5 minutes.

If you are in and around the Big NO this weekend come see THIS & THIS. Here is the promo video again just to goose you along.



More later... perhaps,

EDIT: 11:30 AM, Friday
So, I just got done having lunch with Mum. While I was doing so I flip open the newspaper (which I rarely do) and lo and behold... the interview is right there (picture and all) in the entertainment section. I left there for her to read if she so desires to.
.

Da Count - hangin

The ability to just hang with friends without an agenda. That is becoming more and more of a luxury these days... so when the opportunity arises I jump at it. Like tonight, I got to hang with Solitaire and Kowboi and it was really nice to just shoot the shit and down the beers. No big production number planned... just sitting around enjoying each other's company... talking about this and that... just hanging. So, that is my count today... hangin... and I've really been needing it of late.

To find out what Da Count is all about... click the flashing sign.

EDIT: Found THIS STORY on Frogway linked to my latest Picture Daze post.

EDIT 2: Just a thought on the story in reference to me being/working from NY. (Sure, a couple of my plays have been done in Brooklyn... but still!) This is not the first time it has happened. On another occasion yet another writer had me living/working in SF. For some reason they seem to think that placing me (as a playwright) in these cities somehow adds a certain "gravitas" to my persona (or perceived quality of work) to the reading public. For the record... I have never ever in my 27 years here said that I lived/worked anywhere other than Fresno. I am proud to call this place my home... or I wouldn't still be living or working here.

EDIT 3: The widgets were fun but they were hanging up the page load of my blog. So, they are gone.
.

Da Count - a break from the triple digits

It was a balmy 95 today... and it's slated to be 98 tomorrow. A welcome relief from the crazed triple digits that had a lot of folk cantankerous and/or crazed. Now it is a given living in this area that there are going to be triple digit days... but what recently passed was exceptionally oppressive. So, when the temps dropped... boy, was it welcomed with open arms. So, that is my simple count today... pleasant weather.

To find out what Da Count is all about click the flashing sign above.

* On YouTube Subscriptions - only 9 more to go! (see post below) UPDATED: 1:00 PM!
* Is that it? - If I'm so inclined... there is a good chance I just may extend this post later. So, look for the edit. Right now I have to go dumpster diving... don't ask.

EDIT: OK... if you live in and around the Big NO... a few of us are meeting at the Starline Grill, 7 PMish for "Tempt The Fates Friday the 13th". Yeah, its just a bad excuse to get together and have a few drinks... so, feel free to join us!

Da Count - in the moment

There was something the lovely (and talented) Joy mentioned in her post about Sunday night that got my noggin cranking. She wrote about knowing that it was good but feeling emotionally numb. Strange, but I have often felt the same way... after it (whatever "it" might be) has happened. - only a few years ago I think I finally understood why... at least for me.

Very simply put... what was is over... it is not happening anymore. Like we actually expect some kind of instant-replay-best-of reel will hit us in vivid Technicolor accompanied by the swell of lump-in-the-throat soundtrack by the likes of John Willams! Godot ain't arriving. You see, the conventional collective psyche has pushed several ideas over and over again that frankly society has now been brainwashed by certain notions. NOTION 1: It's all about the goal. NOTION 2: Live your life to make memories. NOTION 3: If you do not have a rocking "afterglow" at the end... it (there's that "it" again) couldn't have been good.

How many have of us have ignored life as it was happening because of this? I confess that I bought into this whole package as well... until I realized one day that I was actually enjoying something WHILE I was doing it or WHILE it was happening. That "being in the moment" is not (for the most part) ground moving or earth shattering. Not unlike enjoying the company of a friend while it is happening... or savoring that meal as the taste explosions erupt in your mouth... or how heady the forest or the ocean can be just because you are there... or heck... even completing a post for your blog! It's easy... it's happening... it's now. There won't be an epiphany right after or an awards ceremony down the line. Have we been so programed to believe that if a "big movie moment" doesn't occur that the section of our lives we just experienced is of no consequence? Seriously, try to chronicle 5 minutes of your life tomorrow... heck, why wait... go for it today - every action, sensation, thought, observation, emotion, intent, etc... it may just astound you how much is actually happening.

So, my count is appreciating the moment as it is happening... even the not so pleasant moments because through each one we are made aware that we are indeed alive and living. It is true that some will be more memorable than others... but all of them are ours.

To find out more about Da Count click the flashing sign above.

EDIT:
BTW... if you live or are near the Toronto area... check out Barry's (Jesus In Montana) & Baba's (Rap Cantubury Tales) shows. They are fringe performer friends and their shows totally ROCK!

Da Count - memory trigger

So... on Monday, I finally burned the songs from Frogway. I popped it into the cd player in the house. Mum listened to it and it triggered memories from 27 years ago when it was first produced. Happy memories. Memories of pride. I finally told her that it was being produced again. She beamed. I know that in her mind... that is the only show I have written... but thats OK with me... very OK. If that doesn't count... I don't know what does. For the past few days... that is all she has been buzzing about. Thank you, Mike.

If you want to find out what Da Count is all about... click the flashing button above.

EDIT: 9 AM Friday

These fine talented folk are appearing on stage July 1.
So, we'll see you there... right?

Da Count - when it quietly goes right.

No fanfare. No earth shattering epiphany. No big production number. Just when things fall into place what a rush that can be... albeit a private moment... and anything intruding is on yout list to be beheaded. And on the surface it all seems so... almost mundane. But for that moment it makes all the difference in the world. You know it is not going to be forever... but for the moment it is prime. It is those moments that makes your heart well up and you know you are in the "groove". It can be as ordinary as achieving just the right crease whilst you are ironing.... or something more momentous. I'll let you fill in that blank via the comment function.

To find out what Da Count is about... click the flashing sign above.

EDIT: Time Wasters.

• Sorted Books - funny and interesting groupings of titles.
• Hmmm
• Perhaps I should pick up chess.
• The Museum of Hoaxes
  

Da Count - watermelon

Yes, I said watermelon. Especially, on triple digit temp days like we've had for the last 2. Fresh cut watermelon from the fridge... ya just have to count that sometimes. Heck, I had it for breakfast this morning... slurp!

To find out what Da Count is all about click the flashing sign above

Da Count - gonna let the music say it

So, I've been posting about Frogway all this time that you are probably sick of it. Well, ::drumroll:: here is one of the new songs created by the M & M Song Factory for the show - music by Mike and lyrics by Moi. This version is actually a demo that was cut about a month ago to sell the show to the producers. There have been minor tweaks that have occoured since... but for the most part this version is pretty close to what is now. My count is that it came out pretty well. Yeah, I do think they'll be snapping their fingers to this as they file out of the theater.... at least, I hope so.

Enjoy! And when you are listening... just do what you're feelin!



If you want to find out more about Da Count click the flashing sign above.

EDIT: Posting this early as I'm going out tonight for ArtHop. Whoknows this post may extend after that.

Da Count - notions realized.

It's a haze at first and over time percolates enough for you to commit it to paper. Strings of words with questionable rhyme endings. You work on it some more. A tune arrives and you continue reworking so that it scans just right. Then it arrives in a realized form you listen to it and are actually amazed that the whole thing works. It happened to me this week.... songs from Frogway professionally recorded were sent to me. A private pride welled within and brought tears to my eyes. It may not mean much to anyone else but me at the moment but it's my count for the week. Can't share any at the moment as things are still under exclusive production wraps... but as soon as they are off you'll be able to hear them here. Until then... just do what you're feeling.

To find out more about Da Count... click the flashing sign above

Da Count - dementia & memory loss

Granted these are strange things to count. They relate to my Mum who is going through it now. Let me explain. For a few years I worried that she was going to shuffle off this mortal coil as a sad and bitter person. Until about a year ago... this would have been the case. But something gradually happened in this process... her feelings and memories of "not being given a fair shot" began to slowly erase. For the most part it has been replaced by a sweetness and gratitude.

I use to stock the fridge with 5 gallon tubs of ice-cream... that she would devour in 3 days or less. I had to stop this as it was causing water retention and swelling up her feet. When I told her this last week she claimed that a "little girl" would come into the house 5 or 6 times a day to eat the ice cream. I couldn't help but smile at this. I guessed that the combination of dementia and memory loss had conjured up the little tomboy she used to be. The one who used to climb trees in her grandfather's house and get into all sort of scraps. The same one who loved home-made hand churned ice cream that was a specialty of my great grandfather who whipped up a batch every Saturday afternoon.

She is pretty lucid (or at least appears to be) for the most part. Now I am mindful that the combination of memory loss and dementia mixes in past, present and yearning into one clump. Yes, there are other aspects of her condition that continue to be challenging. Though for now what her brain is pulling and mixing in with the present are some of the happier memories of her childhood... and that is definitely worth counting. So now, once a week she gets a treat of ice-cream... not a 5 gallon tub... but maybe a quart on a Saturday afternoon.

To find out what Da Count is all about... click the flashing sign above.

Da Count - the little things

It's been quite the week. Never a dull moment around here. I don't see the ride stopping anytime soon... just brief sojourns of quiet and solitude before the next episode revs forward. Just have to go with it.

Times like these I can't help but think about the little things that make all the difference. I am very appreciative of the big ones though I don't value the small ones any less.

You know what I'm talking about. The smile and nod of recognition. The call or note to inquire. The door held open for one to enter or leave. The forgotten favor done. The touch of reassurance on the shoulder. The offer of a simple glass of water on a sweltering day. A compliment, an apology or a verbal hello when it's least expected. Sharing food. Just the right "look" at a crucial time. A quiet presence. There are so many more... (feel free to add your own to the list)... none earth shattering but making every difference to enriching the quality of this brief time we share in this life.

To find out more about Da Count click the flashing sign above.

EDIT: TIME WASTER OF THE DAY
Time To Trip Out
.

Da Count - limitations

Hushed conversations imagined upon reading the title of this post.

"Limitations for da count???!!" "I think he's finally lost it. Totally gonzo!" "Perhaps he's just come up to his limit of counts." "What's so good about limitations?" "He's a damn pinko commie... that's just unAmerican, I tell ya!"

Yes, it is "limitations". You read it right. Those that force you to get creative. In fact, limitations count as the primary impetus, motivation and inspiration for most of the creative ideas mankind has ever had. Without limitation there would not have been a need to create something to meet that need. The need to sit created the chair that you are sitting on that in turn resulted from the limitation of a place to park our butts.

From the practical to the aesthetic... it has always been limitations that have spurred on inventive solutions. In the world of the arts it has often been the imposition of limitations that have often created the exquisite. So, my count today is limitations. May they always exist to continually fuel our creative energies and juices.

To find out more about Da Count... click the flashing banner.

EDIT:
WIDGET CRAZY... which is what I did last night. Created one for Jungle Webs and one for this blog. If you are insane enough to add these to your blogs... go ahead. Just click "get widget"... and if you do you can customize the look for your own blog. Think of these Blidgets as a direct feed.

Da Count - the outreached hand

I am not known for being helpless but I am (and have been) facing a period in my life when I do feel that way. So, my count is for those who have (and continue to) reach out to me to offer and to help without having to be asked. I just wanted you to know that you are pure gems.

Da Count - 22nd Horizon Awards

Thanks to those who came from far and near... those who couldn't... and even those who wouldn't. The real honor was the opportunity to have worked with you building it. Not much else to say... I'll let the pics speak for last night.

Da Count - a "re-do"

At 9:50 PM tonight I completed a good working draft of a play that I first wrote 27 years ago. As some of my friends would claim (and they would be accurate) "Frogway began all this trouble with you." Revisiting this show was an interesting experience to say the least. It provided me with the opportunity to not only rework an earlier piece but also provide a backward peek into that personal telescope from whence I came.

When it was first created, I have and always acknowledged that at the time, I was riding on Mike's coat-tails. Really, the original play was barely a script. The production of the show was sold primarily on the music and a devil-may-care tenacity. Very soon after it was produced in Malaysia, I arrived on these shores. With suggestions from my mentors in college I reworked the script and it was staged here. Though it grew into a more credible script it was still Mike's marvelous score that really made the show.

While I was reworking it this time there was a temptation to throw everything out and start from scratch. Perhaps I would now finally be able to craft a slick and sophisticated piece that was deserving of the music. Instead, I took the tougher route. As I rewrote I paid special attention to preserving the original charm of the show yet tighten the plot and it's devices... more of a nip and tuck. I can walk away this time knowing that it is a tighter script. Will it still play to an audience today... I really don't know. What I do know is that having the opportunity to rework it has quelled my own long feelings of inadequacy I held all these years about it's original creation. That shadow has dissipated. The music is still wonderful and will still be the sparkle of the show... though now I think the script at least facilitates it better than before.

So my count today is the opportunity to re-do this show. And by doing so, coming to a resolution that it's not about wiping out what was... but knowing that improvement is always possible and attainable.

To find out what Da Count is about click the flashing sign above.

Da Count - sense of humor

Despite the challenges that life throws my way it has been my sense of humor that somehow has pulled me through. Sometimes light... sometimes dark. I think it is so essential to be able to laugh or smile and not take ourselves too seriously. It is also an acknowledgement that things could always be worse... and if it does somehow reach the state of worse... that it could only get better from there. So, my count is a sense of humor (which can be sick and wrong)... that often makes an appearance at (what often is considered) the most inappropriate times (often privately) that reminds me that the state of change is a constant.

To find out more about Da Count click the flashing sign above.

Da Count - to breathe

It's that time of the year when I become acutely aware how we so often take this simple (yet essential) bodily function for granted. It is used as a metaphor in other areas of our lives as well... but the simple act of breathing is my count for today.

If you want to find out what Da Count is all about... click the flashing sign above.

BONUS: Click for a live version of Pink Floyd's "Breathe"

and...

Yeah, we've heard it for years... Dark Side Of The Moon and Wizard Of Oz... here is the first 7 and a half minutes (featuring "Breathe"). (Can't believe some one actually cut this together.)



OH HECK... here is the whole damn thing! Talk about a time waster! LOL!