Woo Hoo!

Finished the trousers!












Yes my faithful readers, there were many cryptic steps like "Stitch as shown." and sew forth.









But I pressed ahead and now they are fit to be tried. On that is.












Oh, and somebody here said the material was so nice it should be made into unmentionables. We shall not speak of this further.

and it cuts like buttaah

So I stopped staring at a flat panel display long enough to actually do something with my costume. It was more funner than I thought it would be, except I am only at the easy "cut out the pieces" stage which is easier than all the much harder "put the pieces together and not make it look like crap" stages. When you read the instructions, even the ones in English, it still sounds like you really ought to leave these things to someone who knows what they are doing. The cutting out part is easy in the instructions, the other parts have far more words, some of which are in bold which leads me to believe they are important. No matter, I plan to forge ahead.

The material is a really nice weight and drape.
It is a wool silk blend and should be extremely comfortable.

Wish me luck all you fiber types.

Looks like I'll survive

Well, I'm over the lousy part of the cold after having mostly slept through Monday. Think I'll change my name to Van Winkle, cause that has a nice ring, "Bob Van Winkle". On second thought, never mind. Taking the time off was the right plan, I think I can avoid getting any sicker. (Thanks sweetie for suggesting I stay home.)

I definitely need to Get Started on the costume as time is passing without any progress at all. I think I'll get serious and cut up a couple hundred bucks worth of fabric tonight. First I'll make the trousers since I bought a tail coat over the weekend as a second costume piece/backup plan. I think I'll just have to sedate the dogs so I can concentrate. I probably need an incentive plan too; maybe "First trousers, then martini."

Of course, I will post pictures of my feeble impressive tailoring exploits. Expect to see frowns and confusion over things like which is the "right side".

Yes Virginia, there will be naughty stuff at fair

First day of Dickens Fair rehearsals today... there was a huge crowd, like two or three hundred people who are participating. Of course, almost everybody recognizes everyone else, except for the new people who got applause just for raising their hands at the morning meeting.

This year they are bringing back Naughty French Postcards! After 25 years! There will be actual sorta naughty stuff on stage (behind a scrim) but don't worry, the actors will be holding poses, not moving so you won't need your heart medicine. So don't say I didn't tell you about it in advance. The show runs every day of fair at 5:30 PM in the Victoria and Albert Theatre inside the fair.

Looks like I might be able to be in the show (yes, clothed) and that my stagehand experience will come in handy for the 25 vignettes in a 45 minute show.

Oh yeah, I'll also be playing Mr. Brownlow from Oliver Twist, AND singing with the Coventry Carolers. The rest of the family will be playing characters and singing as well.

If you want to come to see the later stuff only, the tickets at the door are $10 after 4PM, that's half off!

I can get you discounted all day tickets, just call or write. Do come see us at fair!

PS I put some mushy poems on the family site.

Time for drinkie.

Sniff

I am coming down with a cold. If the usual pattern holds I'll be down for a day in the near future, followed by a day or two of sounding like Barry White. Then I'll have congestion that will keep my ears in a pressure imbalance state that is really annoying. However, none of this ever affects my sunny personality, despite the testimony of those around me who say I am quite irritable when I am sick. (I secretly think they may be correct.)

What a great way to start the Holiday Season. At least it is coming earlier this year than last, when I got the cold right near Christmas. It makes it hard to sing for the Caroling Party.

I read through the pattern instructions for my frock coat for Dickens. It sounded like assembly instructions for a nuclear power plant, translated from German. Luckily I am not afraid of seemingly impossible tasks. I just have no idea how I'll do it.

By the way, the holidays will hereafter be referred to as NewHallowThanksMas since *the holidays* seem to blend into *one* large event that begins on labor day and ends in a sudden sober awakening on January 2nd, whereupon you say, "What the hell happened to my wallet waist?"

Note to self: Start shopping sewing.

I have a favorite song

Actually I have many favorite songs, all for different moods and meanings. This morning I feel like this song by Neil Young:

I am a child
I last a while
You can't conceive
Of the pleasure in my smile
You hold my hand
Rough up my hair
It's lots of fun
To have you there

I gave to you now
You give to me
I'd like to know
What you are
The sky is blue now
And so is the sea

What is the colour
When black is brown?
What is the colour?

You are a man
You understand
You pick me up
And you lay me down again
You make the rules
You say what's fair
It's lots of fun
To have you there.

I gave to you now
You give to me
I'd like to know
What you are
The sky is blue now
And so is the sea

What is the colour
When black is brown?
What is the colour?

I am a child
I last a while
You can't conceive
Of the pleasure in my smile

It speaks to the child in me, my wonderment with the world, and my desire to have someone ("You are a man, you understand") to hold me and assure me of what is right and wrong, what is fair, what the rules are. I need something I can stake my life on. Something I don't have in hand. I have looked in myself and I cannot find it.
That's just my mood for now.

Nice bike dude

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