Does anyone know anything about life insurance?  It's occurred to me that that's one of those grown-up type things that might be good for us to have, at least enough to cover any funeral and burial expenses, but googling it is a little overwhelming, since there seem to be more kinds and options than I can easily wade through.  Do any of you understand this stuff, or can you point me in a useful direction?  We have renters and auto insurance through Liberty Mutual, so I'll likely go through them unless there's a reason to go elsewhere, but apparently my agent is out of town for a few weeks, so I can't just ask him right now.  Thanks! 

FYI, I'm still here, and still reading regularly if not posting much.  But in case LJ goes boom, I'm gilana on dreamwidth as well.

lillibet got Aaron and myself gift certificates for a mushing lesson with Hilltown Wilderness Adventures as a Chanukah present, and we finally managed to schedule that for this weekend.( Read more... )

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays, and it's Aaron's, too, which makes it even more fun now. When we woke up this morning the Halloween Crustacean* had left a Haunted Mansion antenna topper for him, and when we went out this afternoon Aaron solemnly told me that the HC had deputized him to get me a Disney Villains make-up bag, but that he thought I might want to pick out which one myself.  It was a tough choice -- they're all pretty gorgeous -- but I finally went with an awesome Evil Queen one from Snow White, with an apple pattern inside.  He had also been desperately wanting the limited edition Haunted Mansion Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom card from Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party; over a month ago I posted to some Disney bulletin boards asking if anyone was going to the event and would be willing to part with the cards, and someone picked some up and sent them just in time to arrive today, so I got to surprise him with that, which was the icing on the cake.


We dressed up in slightly Halloweeny normal clothes -- skeleton shirt and jack-o-lantern bandanna for him, Jack Skellington shirt and big dangly monster earrings for me and went to the Asian market to get some groceries.  We each picked out a weird food item to have as a trick or treat -- we weren't sure which it would be!  I picked out an item in the candy aisle called Haw Flakes and he went with fish-shaped mango-cream-filled pretzels.  Both of them were odd and kinda... tasty.... ....maybe? and definitely new and different, which is always fun.  And certainly better than the durian wafers we tried last time.  Blech, durian.

Soon he'll head off to rehearsal (he's stage managing Whistler in the Dark's next show) and I'll settle in to do some design work, and some time in the next few days we'll watch Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow and maybe It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and eat ourselves sick on candy corn (luckily, the dollar store has some without gelatin.)

Happy Halloween, everyone!

*One of the local schools apparently has some sort of crustacean -- it's not clear whether it's a lobster or crayfish -- as their mascot.  Every fall they hang a banner with this creature on it advertising their Fall Festival, and we've built a whole mythology around it. The Halloween Crustacean travels around the world every Halloween, giving gifts to spooky little boys and girls.  And big ones.

Anyone intersted in creating a video game with my fiancé?  He's looking for someone proficient or willing to learn XNA, which is Microsoft's tool set for Xbox Live arcade and indie games. His understanding is that it's essentially C++ based.

He's got the storyline, he can get artists and musicians, but apparently nobody he knows is willing or able to create a game. It'll probably be rather a lot of work, but I'm told some of the best games on Xbox Live arcade are low-budget games made by small teams.  So if this is something you're at all interested in, or know someone who is, and you have too much spare time on your hands, let me know! :)

My almost 16-year-old stepdaughter-to-be dances competitively, and she's looking for a song for her next Musical Theatre solo.  Should be upbeat and energetic, and something that you could build some character and story around.  Her strongest group number in her last recital was a French cabaret dancer sort of thing to "Speaking French" from Lucky Stiff (which I had never heard of before), and we'd love to find something that can use that same sort of saucy and playful character, since her last few solos have been more on the goofy side (a 50s high school dance wallflower to Dancing With Myself, and a number in pajamas with fabulous bedhead to a Bjork song). 

The songs don't have to be from Broadway shows, they can also be from TV or movies, although she is ideally interested in going a little more classic this time.  My thoughts so far have been The Stepsisters Lament from Cinderella, and That's How Young I Feel from Mame.

Any suggestions much appreciated!

You know how you worry before you introduce a new partner to your friends, for fear they won't see in him all the things that you do?

I got to introduce an audience to 84 Charing Cross Road tonight -- and thankfully, they fell in love with it as much as I did.  I sat in the dark theatre and listened to them getting caught up in the story and living it along with the characters, until I myself got too caught up in it to pay attention to anything other than what was happening on stage.

I'm so very proud of my actors, and frankly proud of myself, too, for all the work I've done and the decisions I've made that helped this production to be what it is.  And I'm so grateful for a wonderful group like T@F that provides a supportive environment to have experiences like this.  I cannot wait until tomorrow night to do it for a hopefully full house!

Business cards for a writer with a focus on the Elizabethan era. She showed me some samples images from a book that appealed to her, I noticed a page from a book that looked like this, and suggested she use the business card as a short writing sample.  I love designing really personal business cards like this, that can visually give you so much more information than just the contact info!

It's official -- 84 Charing Cross Road has been selected for the next Bare Bones!  My blurb:

In 1949, a struggling young New York playwright sent a letter inquiring about second-hand books to an antiquarian book store in London. So began a 20-year friendship between Helene Hanff and the booksellers at 84, Charing Cross Road. Taken from their actual letters, this story will amuse you, charm you, and send you running to your nearest library.

It's a really sweet and funny show, and I can't wait to see it brought to life in front of an audience.

Auditions are on March 15, and the show will be one night only, Thursday April 19, so mark your calendars now, or better yet, go sign up to audition!

Since some people seem to have missed this...

I’m going to be acting in Theatre@First's next Bare Bones, a week from Thursday!

WHAT: Theatre@First’s Bare Bones staged reading of “The Oldest Profession” by Paula Vogel
WHEN: One performance only! Thursday, November 17, 8pm
WHERE: Unity Somerville, 6 William Street (corner of College Ave.), Davis Square, Somerville
HOW: Come to the show! The event is unticketed, with a suggested donation of $5.

Visit www.theatreatfirst.org for more info.

SUMMARY
Paula Vogel's The Oldest Profession takes place in New York, just after Reagan's election in 1980. Five elderly prostitutes sit on a park bench, discussing diminishing clientele, increased competition, and aching joints. With wit, compassion and humor, they struggle to adjust to changing circumstances.

Note: The subject matter is not really appropriate for younger children – it would likely be rated PG-13.