Siege - Day 106

Theater news?  Broadway won't open this year.

Locally, various theaters are trying video and tiny audience and outdoor shows... we'll see if any of these attempts work.  Since Actors' Equity isn't allowing members to sign contracts right now, it's all experimental.  And at least one theater person I know is at their wits end on how to make a living right now.

Especially in Texas, where the coronavirus is spreading wildly.

My studio here is more full this week - my on-again-off-again home office mate is back (thank goodness!) because now three people in his office have sick family, so have been exposed and could potentially expose everyone in the office.  Home behind the blue door again!  Let's hope it's safer at home.

But I was out briefly this morning to early-vote in the primary.  I wondered how safe that would feel, but actually it was fine: lots of room, lots of precautions.  November may be different.

Siege - 100th Day!

Really?!

I'm not sure if I'm more shocked that I've been hanging out at home this long... or that I've gotten this behind on my blog.  (Who am I kidding?  Only the length of my home-stay is surprising.)

So... 100 days, huh?

Well, I've gotten some reading done.  Some writing - though less than I planned.  Listened to pod casts and watched surprisingly few TV shows or movies.  Eaten surprisingly many homegrown tomatoes.  Sewn some face masks, the latest with cute pink flamingos on it.  I've built a lot on Minecraft.  Drawn a few things.  And I've learned A LOT about epidemiology and systemic racism.

Hermit energy.

Now I have, actually, left the house during this time: lots of walks; less than weekly trips to the grocery; two Home Depot runs; one art-supply visit to Hobby Lobby and one curb pick-up from Asel Art; a handful of restaurant takeout trips; four meals outdoors! in a park or on a restaurant patio; one business meeting; and one, today, a just-gotta-see-inside-a-bookstore treat to Half Price Books (which made it feel safe with few people, lots of space, lots of masks.) Oh! and a crazy-exciting drop off at the hazardous waste / electronic recycling dump.  Wild times.

So let's round that off to about 20 outside the house trips in 100 days.

I'm not going to break the Count of Monte Cristo's record on solitude... but it still seems like a loooong quiet year so far.

Photo from The Count of Monte Cristo film of 1913 - public domain

Siege - Days 69-74

I love the typo-title of my last post!  It was not, however, actually Day 64068... it just felt like it.

Since then?

Well, my companion in coronavirus-safety is now back at the official office.  Although doing as much as personally possible to stay safe, some of his clients - first responders! - are requiring in-person meetings and not social distancing or wearing masks or taking this health threat at all seriously.  One Head of Response to Epidemics says that since it's mostly those folks catching it and he's a healthy not-old white guy he's not worried.

So that's good.

(Insert horrified face emoji here... maybe that face from The Scream?  Or this innocent below - This is How I feel All the Forking Time lately.  The world has gone mad.)

public domain image of me, being shocked, all the time

If Texas survives this plague I swear it will only be because of the heat of our weather saved us in spite of ourselves.

Meanwhile the Texas sun is ripening my tomatoes.  We've eaten, so far: 3 lovely ripe cherry tomatoes and 1 big tomato! (Okay, slightly bigger than ping pong ball sized.  Delicious.)

I've been continuing with writing and finishing up that colored birthday map and listening to Masterclasses... right now I'm listening to director Ron Howard.  

Every theater director should listen to Ron Howard's segments on collaboration.  Especially toward the beginning of "Collaboration Part I" where he explains the proper relationship between the director-as-decider and the creative team - which in film includes the director of photography (who does lighting too) and the production designer and composer etc.  I'm paraphrasing here, but it amounts to the director knowing the effect they want, then freeing the design team to make suggestions that get really listened to.  A collaborative director multiplies their imagination and problem solving abilities.  And - my favorite part! - the director should strongly retain their roll of ultimate chooser and decider... because that frees the designers to spitball and make crazy suggestions, knowing that these will be evaluated sensibly.  YES!  That freedom is worth gold.  THAT is the attitude that I, as a designer, hope for in a director.

So the Ron Howard class is great so far.  Steve Martin's was also very good - focused on standup comedy mainly, but with a lot of insight into writing too.  His comments on films like Roxanne were enlightening.  Honestly, I haven't hit a dud class yet.

Neverending Siege? - Days 64068

The big project lately - which has shoved all others off my board as I desperately try to make a deadline - is a big hand drawn and colored birthday certificate.

(I just hope Blogger will let me upload this... it's been cranky and difficult lately... which is why that last post had no illustration.)

Here goes...

So far so good - the photo loaded to the page, we'll see if it loads to the website.

What you should see is the B&W under-drawing.

Otherwise... Well, there hasn't really been any otherwise, just this for the last week.  

Though we did risk a barbeque run yesterday - take out, of course.  The BBQ was very tasty, but we won't be going back to that BBQ joint again until the virus situation calms down.  They just didn't have their act together.  I was one of only two people out of twelve wearing a mask correctly (the bartender had hers protecting her chin and eight had no mask at all).  There was some space between people, but in spite of ordering and paying ahead by phone, I still had to wait a long time in line (with the unmasked lady who said she was going to spread word of their food - and virus possibly - when she went home to Nashville).  And I still had to use their grubby pen to sign my receipt, so what was the point?  And open several doors.  Just not good enough.

Frankly, I think we're in trouble here in Dallas.  (And Nashville will be shortly.)

Seriously people!  Take this pandemic seriously.  Wear a mask at least, for everyone else's sake.

Siege - Days 59, 60, 61, and ... wait for it... 62

Ouch.  That's a lotta days in seclusion.

Actually - and this could change without notice! - I'm feeling okay with my sequestration right now.  Texas' statewide stay-at-home order and perforce Dallas County's orders have now expired so, theoretically, it's the wild west all over again.  But prudent people - who can - are staying home anyway.

That's me.

(Though I did, daringly, eat lunch Monday at an outdoor terrace restaurant.  Great burger!  But nerve-racking.  Won't repeat anytime soon.)

So, you know, mostly hanging at home.  And okay with that.  A friend used the phrase "hermit energy" to describe this state. That's perfect.  That's what I feel.

So I'm hermiting... which turns out to be rather scholarly.  A couple architectural continuing ed. seminars.  And, as I mentioned in the last post, I signed up for those Masterclasses you've seen advertised and have been enjoying them.  First listen was architect Frank Gehry - very good, very personal and honest.  Second, and even more useful to me at this moment, was writer Neil Gaiman.  Surprisingly indepth, with good illustrations of his points using his work.   (All ones I've read before - big fan.)  There's a lot of information, including a workbook, so it's taken me a few days to get through it all.  Now I'm listening to a quite different writer, Dan Brown, whose thrillers I've read several of... who hasn't?  Completely different experience to Gaiman's, but equally earnest about helping the aspiring writer with useful suggestions.  My goal with all this is primarily to improve my writing, but I plan to listen to as many and as varied presenters as I can find time for in the next year.

Otherwise, I'm working on a huge, overly-ambitious map for an upcoming birthday...

And two ripe cherry tomatoes!

A teeny, tiny cherry tomato salad - mozzerella bocconcini, small basil leaf, teeny tiny cherry tomato

Siege - Days 55 and 56

An unsettled day today.  My office mate here at home is back at his official office... and it feels all wrong.

Part of this feeling is because at present a routine is comforting and my newly established routine is now scrambled.  Part, of course, because not being in lockdown is obviously riskier than being (you hope) safe at home behind the newly blue door... so I'm feeling anxious.  For no reason I hope.

Meanwhile, being unable to settle to anything major today - not even one of the stack of books I have waiting - I've been watching some of the Masterclasses I signed up for.  Right now it's architect Frank Gehry, giving a personal view of his design thinking and practice.  Very interesting!  Next I plan on listening to the whole roster of writers, including Neil Gaiman.  (Big fan.)

Siege - Day 30

Mostly recovered from my funk of yesterday.

It is no coincidence that today I am wearing my happiest yellow socks!

(Okay, okay, but yellow socks can't hurt.  Sometimes any mood enhancing measures that can be used should be used, whether that's pizza for dinner, favorite shirts, or upbeat music. 29 days of this weird hermit-life is a loooong time.)  Thank goodness the sun is out today.

Public domain image, modified... he's probably wearing yellow socks too

  Another hour of professional continuing education - this time on Building Envelopes.  Plus several productive hours updating my set design book, Alice Through the Proscenium.

I guess Today's Lesson Is:  Keep Going...

I should embroider it on a sampler.

Siege - Days 19 and 20

Weekends do still, somehow, feel more relaxed than work-weeks do.

Yesterday me and my housemate baked cookies together.  I'm not sure we've ever done that before, though cookies have certainly been baked and eaten around here in the past.  It was nice.  It added a sort of Christmasy vibe to the days around Palm Sunday.  And the chocolate chip cookies and powdered sugar dusted molasses cookies are tasty.

(And what a Lent this has been!  Someone quipped that they "hadn't planned to give up quite this much for Lent."  I feel that too.)

Leaves are breaking out on all the trees now, even our newly planted one!  Birds are noisy.

In a minute here I'm going to start an hour of architectural continuing education - online, of course.  Just to prepare for a future that might still be on... sometime.  Who knows?  It can't always be Lent.  Sometime it will be Easter.  Just as it can't always be winter and never Christmas.*

Public domain image from Pxfuel HERE

It seems right now like a very long slow walk to normal again.  A poem a friend found reminds me that we must make patient progress...

Grandma once gave me a tip:

During difficult times, you move forward in small steps.
Do what you have to do, but little by bit.
Don't think about the future, not even what might happen tomorrow. Wash the dishes.
Take off the dust.
Write a letter.
Make some soup.
Do you see?
You are moving forward step by step.
Take a step and stop.
Get some rest.
Compliment yourself.
Take another step.
Then another one.
You won't notice, but your steps will grow bigger and bigger.
And time will come when you can think about the future without crying. Good morning

Elena Mikhalkova, "The Room of Ancient Keys"

(I'm not sure if this is a fair-use, well, use here... If the poet objects I will, of course!, remove this.  Meanwhile, thank you Elena Mikhalkova for this present comfort.)

*  And it's a good time to reread hopeful classics.  Narnia.  Lord of the Rings.  The Little Princess or Little Women.

Siege - Day # 18 Friday!

Why is Friday still a thrill when there's no practical difference between week and weekend any more?  

Curious.

Since Dallas has just been put into lockdown until May 20th... I'll have lots of Fridays to consider this question.

Yeesh.

Today my officemate had to go into his, like, actual not home office for a few hours.  Before I let him back in I almost made him sand himself down in the Virus Mitigation Chamber that was once our front hall.  Much decontaminating ensued.

(Now we'll wait two weeks to see if it worked 😁)

Also on the coronavirus front, I finished my first two cloth face masks.  By hand, because my sewing machine is broken.  We've only recently started wearing masks when going out, but the couple of paper masks I had left over from hospital visits months ago aren't supposed to be reusable - and aren't cleanable.  

There IS a theater connection to all this... I'm will be making masks from scraps of fabrics used on sets.  Ha!  (Especially looking forward to the future pineapple print mask.)  But the first two masks recycle an old shirt whose embroidery I like - mine's the fancy embroidered mask (why not?) the other wearer's is just plain.  The elastic cord comes from lanyards that once held credentials for an architectural convention. 

I'm using (more or less) a Japanese pattern from off the internet HERE.  There's also a no-sew, pleated version HERE.

Siege - Days 12 & 13

Taxes are done and sent!  Woohoo!  Turns out that my little Off-Broadway adventure was a money loser, when I fully counted hotel stays and eating and Lyft rides and so on.  But I'd do it again for the sheer thrill... and the small loss helped some on the taxes... if you can afford that kind of help.

Yesterday was our big grocery shopping day - picking up necessities and a few treats from Jimmy's Italian Grocery, Central Market, and the liquor store.  All went well.  There's now metered entry to Central Market ( a great, up-scale grocery for those who don't know) and red tape on the floor at both grocery stores to keep customers back a bit from the counters and staff.  Many people wore latex gloves and there were some face masks and one girl in almost complete zombie-apocalypse-chic: black hood-up hoodie - drawstrings tight - face mask, gloves... everything but the machete'.

Speaking of jungles... the tomatoes are visibly growing!

Jack and the Tomato Stalk!