Friday, January 20, 2006
too much running
it's easy to say yes to work. In Toronto work = moral strength. I've heard that described as very protestant, but Muslims, Catholics, Jews, Atheists, Confucians, etc, from around the world live here and we all have to plug into or resist the same clock. This might be a bigcity thing, though it's not always that way in every bigcity.
In my dreams, there are places that don't seem so blatantly workaholic. I've seen some: Bogota, Montreal. Places where people frown at you when you're busy on Sunday.
Our version of busy-ness:
A celebration of efficiency - a prioritization of utilities - a squeezing of opportunity - a festival of calculation.
somewhere in there though, for those who are sometimes looking, little beautiful things still poke through the rush.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
A smell of oiled wood and moist dust
The days have been getting better, slowly coming up from a fantastically dismal pit the day before yesterday. At work, issues about getting decisions and juggling people. A friend is in difficult straits. The days are busy without breaks.
...The litany of things I'm willing to talk about here is long, but I don't like getting into specifics tonight -- so my bitching sounds like a list of fortune cookie sayings from the Dark Side, written by a vindictive clerk in a small room who longs to be a James Bond Villain.
Communication is impeded. An exciting opportunity is withdrawn. You will spend a day with seven surly teens.
Saturday, January 07, 2006
rehearsing Dostoevsky
That's JP disappearing into the white after another day in the theatre -- this time Artword. I'm production managing this one, and have had a bit of a head start on it, so the production feels like it's moving well. Amazing cast.
Had a meeting today for another piece I'm working on -- a Rhubarb show which, at this point, is a kind of spectacle-oriented piece inspired by the industrial revolution. Since we go into the festival in three weeks, and there's not much on the table, I'm either going to get anxious or just chill and have a good time being there. I think there will be running involved, microphones, and a frantic attempt to build a steam engine out of stuff we find lying around the house.
Thursday, January 05, 2006
january back to work-ism
The week after a long holiday (if you had a long holiday) can be pretty grueling. I guess I didn't have too much time off -- I spent three days renovating at home -- but even so, the memory of leisure lingers like the feel of a warm shirt fresh from the dryer. I want it back.
This shot was taken in a Christmas market in Berlin -- little markets had sprung up everywhere in the city where there was room, either in little wooden Bavarian-style huts or the more common trailers, tables, and tents. These dolls were so realistic they scared me. Especially stacked in rows, with price tags on them.
It's raining today, again. Last night I heard thunder. In January. In Toronto. It seems ridiculous. One problem with global warming (I refuse to call it "Climate Change") is that when you see it in action it is fascinating. Surreal. Like seeing a bizarre natural phenomenon, or witnessing history, or a car crashing into your corner store. You want to see unusual things, and global warming is a hugely significant event that you can only see it in bits. The net effect, the real damage, is more elusive.
