for all the negative that is put out there in the universe about the internet and social media and smart phones taking us away from "real life" and "genuine face-to-face connections with people" (which definitely has some merit to it), i had to stop and take note tonight, as i walked into my house, and reflect on how much GOOD that whole world of technology has done for ME...this week alone!

-the world of facebook got me in touch with an old mission companion of mine, russ lyman, from our days in the west virginia charleston mission for the LDS church.  18 years later, thanks to social media, we were able to catch up over dinner at masa 14 here in washington dc while he was in town on business, and spend about 3 hours talking, laughing, reminiscing, and catching up on a tuesday night.

-another connection a few years ago on the world of facebook was with my old centennial high school choir teacher, barb oldenburg, from meridian, idaho.  21 years after graduating from the halls of CHS, through the magic of using the 'find a friend' feature, i was able to sit down at jaleo in crystal city/arlington, virginia and talk about the tapas, a life in the arts and memories from the halls and classrooms of centennial.  one of the more delightful wednesday nights i have had in awhile...topped off with a toasted marshmallow milkshake from good stuff eatery.  perfect.

-connecting with old high school classmates has been one of the biggest delight with the world of social media.  and tonight for the second time in under a year and always with facebook to thank,  i was able to enjoy a meal and lots of laughs with a fellow patriot from the class of '92, samuel blaine...back in town for work, and ready for another night of eating that included lots of chips and salsa and cheese...all provided by cactus cantina on a thursday night.

it made to stop to think with so many great experiences like these in a single week, could it be that social media and the internet might not be the problem....but instead how we choose to use them?  just some food for thought...which is the best kind of food after my week of eating and socializing.

my top 10 professional theater experiences

so i've been sorting through the past 8 or so years of theater moments in my mind, and i thought it would be a fun little walk down memory lane for me to go through and choose my favorite 10 experiences from my career on stage.  there is no science to these choices....i just went through everything i had done (from workshops to dc fringe shows from education programs to main stage full blown productions) and put my favorite 10 in numerical order.  so, without further ado...i give you tonight's Top Ten list.

#10:  Detective McDevitt/History on Foot with Ford's Theatre

(2011 & 2012)

i started this exciting program a little over a year ago with the ford's education department, and i have to admit that after i learned the 31 pages of information and script, i have grown to really love it.  the program is also coupled with a classroom version that i do via skype to classrooms around the country in a small studio in front of a green screen at the ford's administrative offices...and i love it as much as the walking tour.  the tour tells the story of the conspirators involved in the lincoln assassination, and traces the steps of where they all were and what was going on in washington that night.   (it is also a program that, although i am technically "retired" from theater, i will be continuing to do in the immediate future because i love and the people i work with in the ford's education department.)

  #9:  Grease at Olney Theatre Center

(fall 2011)

i've never been a huge fan of the movie or stage show 'grease'.  sure i like the music, but ultimately, it's a really terrible show with a really terrible message that says lose your standards and morals to be cool.  but who cares...in the summer of 2011, my good friend bobby smith, famed actor and director, asked me if i would come up to olney theatre center and play the role of vince fontaine in the production he was directing.   and boy am i glad i did for a few reasons - none of which were my awesome wig or suit.  first off, the company of actors was the most energetic and fun group i have worked with probably ever.  like just thinking about how high energy they were makes me tired right now.  second, i got to spend a lot of time with the ever-delightful delores king williams, who played the other "adult authority figure" in the show.  and finally, i was on stage for a total of like 12 minutes.  literally.  10 minutes right at the top of act 2...and then another 2 minutes at the very very end of the show.  the rest of the time i sat in my special red chair in the green room and watched tv, read books and magazines, laughed with gannon o'brien and just hung out.  it was, for all intents and purposes, the greatest and easiest contract i have ever worked...and i was thrilled to be a part of the experience.

#8: Orphie and the Book of Heroes Reading - Kennedy Center

(2012)

last fall, i got a call from the kennedy center theater for young audiences office, asking me if i could be a last minute replacement in their reading of a new musical at their annual page to stage festival.   after hearing about the show and the cast (comprised of people i really love working with), i said sure.  and it. was. awesome.  the show is a new musical for young audiences called 'orphie and the book of hereos' about a young girl in ancient greece looking for a girl hero among all the male heroes.  i got to play a mean boy, a siren, and a pegasus flight attendant.  type-casting!  the book and music were written by michael kooman and chris dimond, and it is one of the sweetest, funniest, thoughtful shows for children that i have ever seen or heard.  the process of our reading for the festival was only a few days...but the audience loved it, and i think that it is going to be making an appearance in a sooner-than-later season at the kennedy center - and when it does, run do not walk to see it.  i still hear some of the songs in my mind at random times...and it reminds me how grateful i was to be a last-minute replacement in a reading of a piece that has a long life ahead of it!

#7:  Liberty Smith at Ford's Theatre

(2011)

in 2008, i was another 'last minute' replacement in a workshop/reading of a show that ford's theatre was developing called 'liberty smith'.  it was a show that was basically forrest gump meets the american revolution meets disney animated musicals land....and i loved EVERY minute of that workshop.   so imagine my joy when after the reading, ford's decided to do a full blown production of the show in the spring of 2011 - and extended an invitation to some from the workshop to be in the world premiere!  i accepted quickly and had the time of my life through that experience...thanks in part to the show, and in part to the fantastic cast of friends i got to spend february - may of 2011 with.   it was another show where i played a plethora of fun characters...with a number of quick costume, wig and shoe changes, all while singing my face off and dancing my feet off.  it was my first time on the ford's stage, and it was about as big a show as i had ever been in up to that point....all because i decided to 'dare but to dream'....

#6:  Willy Wonka: The Musical - National Tour with the Kennedy Center

(2005-2007)

so this was the event that got a career in theater started for me.  augustus gloop on the kennedy center's national tour of willy wonka.  we played/visited 47 states from the time we left in august 2005 until the time we returned in may 2007 (with breaks in between here and there.)  it was such an adventure!  exploring states and cities i never thought i would get to.  taking the show to large coliseums and to small podunk theaters in the middle of nowhere.  spending nearly 2 years as part of a rock star company to 3rd-6th graders across this great nation of ours.  and to top it all off, driving every inch of the tour in a 15 passenger white van.   there was lots of laughter....some tears...tons of music...lots of cheesecake...endless hotel stays....a wheelchair....a power outage in the middle of the show....friends from coast to coast...and enough happy memories for 2 full lifetimes!   couple all of that with the chance to form friendships with people who today are some of my favorite people of all time, and i would say that all in all, it was a fantastic experience that changed my life.  and it made me hate kit kats.

#5:  Super Claudio Brothers: A Video Game Musical - DC Fringe Festival

(2010)

sometimes the unknown projects turn out to be the best.  i was in a show in the 2009 dc fringe festival and thought it was such a great experience that i probably wouldn't do another fringe show in following years because nothing would compare.  then 2010 rolled around and i got approached about playing an EVIL PLATYPUS in a musical spoofing the super mario brothers nintendo games.  it was to be called 'super claudio brothers: a video game musical'....and it turned out to be smart, entertaining and funny as anything.  the company was made up of theater friends (a few wonka tour pals) and the show itself was so well written (by the fantastic marshall pailet and drew fornarola) that we couldn't help but have a blast doing it...first at the fringe festival and then on a 2 week extension after the fringe festival closed.   this is another show (like 'orphie' from above) that is going to have a life far beyond a little black box theater in washington dc...so if you see it turn up somewhere, run and see it...and imagine me as the evil platypus...who is really just misunderstood.

#4: Ford's Theatre Annual Gala 2011 & 2012

so i've done a few different galas in my day, but there is nothing quite like being in the cast of the ford's theatre annual gala.  for the "work" of singing harmony on a few show tunes and old standards, you get rewarded with some of the most amazing experiences you can have in washington dc - like a private reception in the capitol building, where you pretty much have free range to wander and see everything you want to see, rub shoulders with stars of stage, screen and american politics, and a black tie dinner in the atrium at the portrait gallery to celebrate after the show.  my highlights were definitely meeting and getting a picture with the incomparable julie andrews (who was an honoree) in 2011 and hanging out with and getting pictures with the civil wars (who were part of the entertainment) in 2012.   such a blessing and event full of some of my happiest memories with some of my favorite friends in all of dc theater!

#3:  Willy Wonka Tour performs in the East Room of the White House

(2006)

what more can you really say?  our tour was invited to perform on the first monday in december in 2006 in the east room of the white house - a performance to help kick off the holiday season.  every year, the white house invites a group of children (in 2006 it was children who have a parent or two serving in the middle east) to enjoy a performance in the east room.  there have been bands and ballet companies and broadway shows...but we were the first children's musical to perform.   we got to see much of the main level of the house - the east wing, the east room, the red room, blue room, and green room, all decked out in white house holiday glory - we got to meet the president and first lady, who were absolutely lovely to us - and we got the excitement of being flown home from our tour (which was in sacramento, ca at the time), put up in a hotel here in dc, and then flown back out (to seattle, wa) to meet up with our show again before we had performances.  there are no words to describe the experience - but magical and unbelievable come pretty close!

#2:  The Rise and Fall of Annie Hall at Theater J

(2009)

i have done my fair share of new pieces and works in my 8+ years of theater...some have been really great pieces (highlighted above) and some....well, let's just say some have NOT been so successful.  in 2009, i got the distinguished honor to work on a new play with a small company of actors that holds the place in my heart and mind as my most favorite experience ever from beginning to end.  from a director with a clear, concise vision (my friend, shirley serotsky) to a cast of people who probably had way too much fun together, we took part in a show that holds a special place in my heart because it challenged me in a lot of ways.  (the least of which was having to play a stoner - and having to learn how to smoke fake pot in a number of different apparatuses.  oh the day we had 'pot school'....i will never forget.  such a delight.)  it was a show that struck a chord with me about friendship and ambition and forgiveness...and it is one of the times in my career that i can say i felt like an active participant in this "process" from the very beginning to the very end.  i will forever be thankful for my experience with this show.

#1:  2012 - Shows With Eggs That Hatch

all of my other experiences listed here are single experiences with a show...but my #1 favorite experience in theater has been the entire year 2012.  first of all, it was the year that i realized my priorities have shifted, and i decided to take a bow out of this business...and i think the ability to realize that is worthy of noting.  but beyond that, 2012 is the year that i a) did 2 of my most favorite shows; and b) did 2 shows that both discuss/deal with eggs that hatch.  one literally, one metaphorically.   and what shows they were!   1776 at ford's theatre has been one of my most favorite shows for a long, long time.  i love american history - i am ridiculously patriotic - and i just love the book of this fantastic musical.  i had the chance to play lewis morris from new york - and for 2 months, i had the joy of abstaining, courteously from our vote for independence.  it was another cast made up of good friends, and it was a strong cast of male actors, and it was a breathtakingly beautiful production from top to bottom.  i loved that experience of "hatching" a new nation every night!  and then fast forward to the end of 2012, where i took to the stage as horton the elephant in seussical the musical at imagination stage in bethesda.  i rarely say i am perfect for a role or a show - but if you know me and you know this show, it really is a role that was seemingly made just for me.  and the joy of sharing that story - with a company of new friends - was such a great way to round out the year and this journey for me.  lots of laughter - a few tears - and so many hugs for delighted children after each and every show!  

oh the thinks i have thought over the past 8 years!!!

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honorable mention:   

doing a les miserables number for a campbell's soup convention in town - 2010

(not so much a highlight...more just down right hysterical.)

precious memories with bayla whitten.  TO THE BUSES!

a final bow....for now...

8 1/2 years ago, i fell into what i thought was a dream:  the opportunity to make a living as a stage performer.  doing theater and getting paid...two things that, up until that point, had never been spoken in the same sentence in my life.   after a bit of careful consideration, i decided that it was something i simply had to do.  so i quit my "real" job, packed some bags and set out on the adventure of what would soon be known in my life as "living the dream"....or as a few of my friends like to call it, being LTD.

and what a dream it has been!  for a kid from idaho, who never really thought he would ever get to do anything like this in his life, there have been so many wonderful moments and memories throughout it all.  from an almost 2 year national tour of a musical to performing at the white house for the president and first lady, from performing on the stages at the kennedy center for the performing arts to performing my most favorite musical, "1776", on one of the most famous stages in american history, ford's theatre, i have found a way over the past 8 1/2 years to make a living by getting paid to do theater.  isn't that ridiculously awesome? 

with that quest to 'live the dream' came some challenges and "consequences", as well.  (many of which make sense, but i didn't really think about when i jumped in head first.)   because being an actor is oft times very "short term" employment (many contracts run anywhere from 2-5 months, normally), you are always on the look out for the next gig and the next gig and then the next gig.  (can you imagine if office jobs were like that?  only 2 or 3 months long ever?  and you just had to keep lining them up?  awful.)  also, because you are an actor who wants to work, that means you have to take jobs when they come.   it doesn't matter if they coincide with holidays and vacations and family events.  for the most part, you take the jobs and you keep getting jobs because you are available and present and work hard.  and no matter how much you work, chances are high that the money isn't that great...so you probably will have a 2nd (and 3rd or 4th) job to make ends meet...and to fill in the spaces when you can't find that "next gig" for awhile.  but these are all things that you learn to accept because in the end, you want the chance to tell the stories or sing the songs or wear the costumes or be in the spotlight...or a combination of them all.

i have accepted these "conditions" of the job and have apologized over the years for missing holidays and gatherings and trips and events...and the people in my life have been wonderful and understanding and very supportive at every turn.  i really have been blessed through it all with an amazing foundation of support from people who i have always felt were cheering me on and rooting for my success.

2012 was a year of record for me for a couple of reasons....one is that i got the chance to do 2 shows that i really, truly love and have been dying to do ("1776" and "Seussical"), and the other is that after it's all said and done and the costumes are put away and the lights are turned off, i have decided to put this adventure of "living the dream" away for awhile (may be a year, or 5 or 12) and focus on the parts of my life that have been patiently waiting in the wings.

i think this all came about because 2012 was definitely a year of change within my family.  my oldest niece got married - my 3 oldest nephews all graduated from high school - and a majority of my nieces and nephews (14 in all) suddenly were young adults with full, active lives and taking part in events (mainly the sporting type) that i was missing clear across the country.   what made it tough was having commitments to shows in washington dc and not being able to make a quick trip home for a graduation or a wedding (or my 20 year high school reunion.)(that's right.  20 years.)   if they lived down the road it would be one thing - i'd get an understudy to go on so i could go to a wedding or watch a graduation.  but when they live 2,300 miles away, it's more than just a day out of the show, and there are always hefty travel fees involved.  you're looking at being gone numerous days, and having to choose one niece or nephew's event over another since you couldn't possibly do all three or four AND still keep your job/show.

these decisions to miss life moments started weighing heavy on me earlier last year, and i started to re-evaluate what i am doing and what is keeping me away from the people who have known me the longest and loved me the best.  what i decided was this:  20 years from now, those kids aren't going to care if i did 'shlemiel the first' or '1776' or 'shear madness' in a theater in washington dc...but they will probably say that it kind of sucks that i'm not in their wedding albums or in the photos of their graduations.  they will barely remember the name of the character i played on the 'willy wonka' tour, but they will remember that i never actually was able to take the time to watch them play in their state basketball tournaments or in their sophomore volleyball tournaments.

none of this is to say that there isn't something to the fact that i (an uncle, a brother, a son, a friend) took a risk in stepping into the unknown to follow this dream of mine...and came up somewhat successful in many ways.  there are lessons i'd love for my family and friends to take away from what i have done - to take more chances, to follow your heart, to get up after you face plant in the middle of the stage in front of a sold-out house and go on with the musical number, to find something you love and find a way to do it every day.   i am proud to say that i went on this incredible journey of being a professional actor, and i found my way through it a lot on my own at first...just through trial and error...and then with the guidance of the wonderful friends i have gained through it all.  in the end, it has been an exciting, thrilling, humbling, scary, joyful, rewarding and marvelous experience.

what it boils down to is that in 2012, as i got another year older, my priorities shifted...as they are known to do.  i realized that what was important and necessary for me 8 1/2 years ago has changed today.   that's not to say i want to abandon my theater connections all together - i will keep my membership in my union, i will continue working with the ford's theatre education department on the programs that i do with them (more on those another time), i will seek out opportunities to do readings and workshops and to choreograph and maybe direct.   but what i will try to not do is be in a situation where i have to miss more of the life events that are happening in my family.

as i took a final bow today on stage during our final performance of "seussical the musical" i was hit with a wave of emotions...joy for the past 8 1/2 years and for the highs and lows that i have had in my theater career, appreciation for the people this adventure has brought into my life and whom i consider some of my dearest friends, love for the support i have received from friends and family across the miles and over the years as i lived this life on stage, and excitement for what the ending of this adventure means...and for the beginning of the next chapter of my life.

there is more to come in future entries on what is next - but know that it involves more time popping out of boxes, cheering at ballgames, visiting friends, seeing the world, watching more theater...and on and on and on.   there will always be stages to perform on...and i have not ruled out the possibility that somewhere down the road i might want to be back on one...but for now, i'm excited to see what 2013 has in store for me and my family and friends...and to be an active participant in all that this new year has in store!

my simple plan in 2013

blogging in 2012 did NOT go as i had planned.  i had grand visions of what i was going to accomplish last year...as you can see from my splattering of posts through january 2012 and maybe a couple in february 2012.  and then there was silence...which is pretty hysterical if you go back and read about all of the projects that i was launching last year on my quest for happiness.  it was going to be a grand march to the throne of joy!  if they gave points for good intentions, i think i'd be winning.

sadly, it turns out points are not awarded in the intentions category.  i wouldn't exactly say i'm losing because of it, but still, 2012 is littered with the things i didn't do:

-blog through the year.  making it to february 15 isn't even really a valiant effort.

-finish my 3 random magazines a month challenge.  it started out strong...but it petered out in may.

-finish my 'picture a day for a year' project.  the best showing of my failed projects...i made it to mid-august.  but still missed the last third of the year.

-attend my oldest niece's wedding.  i hate using the excuse of work...but work.

-attend my 3 oldest nephew's graduations.  more work.

-attend my 20 year high school reunion.  stupid work.

-work at the london olympics.  SURE it was somewhat of a pipe dream...but so was vancouver 2010, and i was there.

-travel much...if at all.  i mean, a quick trip to nyc or philly...or the virginia suburubs doesn't really count.

don't get me wrong - there were a lot of wonderful things that went right in 2012.  all i'm saying is that the grand plans i had last year at this time were interrupted by life marching by.

so in 2013, i'm not going to make a lot of grand plans.  they don't appear to do me much good.  here is my very loose and general plan:  i want to continue to focus on being happy...i want to write more....and i want to find what is the next "thing" for me.  (in the next week or so, i will write more about this, as i take a huge step away from my 8 year career as a professional actor and start on a road to...something...else.)

i still find a lot of joy in writing....so i'll set aside the gimmicks and failures of 2012 and hopefully get back to the basics of just writing my thoughts and observations and experiences.  i don't even really need anyone to read them...i just want to do it for me.

i can't wait to see how far i get!

stepping off the path

i want to know more. not about anything in particular....just about the world around me. it's a pretty incredible world...and is full of so much to explore. there is a lot that i just don't get...and beyond that, there is just a lot that exists that i don't even know about. so i can't even get it!

so part of my plan for a happier 2012 (which is going really well, actually...thanks for asking..) is to expand my mind. (please save the wisecracks!) i want to step off the path and explore more of the world around me - and find more of that happiness that comes through the process of learning.

so in january i started a project along these lines that i read about in a book last year. (i kind of took it and adapted it to my life and my plan for increased happiness in 2012...and it works for me!) i went to my local barnes & noble and i stood in the magazine section and i chose 3 magazines about things that i know nothing about. nothing. and i spent the rest of the month reading them...like i was a subscriber who just got their long-awaited new copy of that month's periodical. but aside from that, i spent the month telling people about this new project and not only talking to them about how it fits into my plan, but about the things i was learning in the magazines.

i am going to do this once a month...and thanks to the generosity of some friends as a birthday gift in january, i got a couple of gift cards to help out with the first couple months. (your average magazine is gonna run you $5-$8, so it's not a CHEAP plan to increase happiness...but i feel like it's a worthwhile investment.)(gift cards to B&N are always accepted here at the manderson report....)

so let me tell you about my january start. i had a couple of set backs when i first went to get my magazines, because the line was long and i was meeting people and couldn't wait...so i quickly replaced 'LaCrosse International' and 'Metal Jewerly Making'...and when i returned a couple of days later, i couldn't find them! (were they bought? cancelled? misplaced? I will never know!) so i stood and waited for something to speak to me, and eventually, i walked out of B&N with: Track and Field News, Moment - Jewish Politics Culture Religion, and Backyard Poultry. (you can see all 3 below.)

i don't really know what i expected to learn...so my bar was pretty low going into it. but this exercise of stepping off the beaten path of my life was a fascinating, informative and really happy experience.

-TRACK AND FIELD NEWS taught me all about the collegiate recruiting world of track around the country, as well as the argument in the sport of the 3-per-nation rule competing at world and olympic events versus the truest top athletes in the world (it's a HUGE debate!) i also learned who to watch on Team USA for this summer at the london 2012 summer games. AND i ended up with a poster of dwight phillips (triple jumper?) fold out, if anyone wants it.

-MOMENT was named by elie wiesel after a vibrant independent jewish magazine (Der Moment) in warsaw, poland from 1910-1093. It was the most fascinating find to me because of two articles i read in it: one that was an inside look into the lives of jews living in iran today (a photo essay that was so interesting) AND an incredible article/story about a catholic priest who has made it his "holy mission" to travel across eastern europe - mostly in the ukraine - to identify the unmarked and sometimes unknown graves of more than 1.5 million jews murdered during world war II. his story is remarkable, as he searches out people who lived in the area who are still alive and will finally, after 60 plus years, tell what they saw or know. amazing reading.

-BACKYARD POULTRY i decided would be a fun laugh...but was maybe more eye-opening than the other two. WHO KNOW this world existed? the sub-line on the magazine says it is "dedicated to more and better small-flock poultry." the edition not only gave owners tricks and helpful hints for winter egg production, but there was a fascinating look at the fight to legalize chickens in your community and what you can do. my favorite of these suggestions on the legalization article was tip #12: have a few gorgeous mellow hens that can go to neighborhood and community meetings to show off. sold. "my that's a gorgeous hen. and so mellow. i vote yes!"

january was full of lots of learning, in so many ways....but particularly with this journey. like i said, i didn't set out to LEARN anything specific...but was open to whatever came along. and in the process of doing this, i'm not looking to become an expert in any of these things. but i just wanted to step out of what i know to learn about what i didn't.

next time you're in a barnes & noble or a grocery store magazine aisle, take a look at the vast world represented there. vast amounts of knowledge exist...and many of it is printed on a monthly or bi-monthly schedule...and it is yours for the taking. just make sure to pay for it first!

up in february: VELO News 2012 Olympic Cycling Preview, Popular Communications (Shortwave Listening, Scanning, AM&FM, Radio History), and ODE Magazine - for Intelligent Optimists. feel free to join my magazine revolution!!!!

JANUARY 2012

catching up on 2012 in pictures....

january 23, 2012
life. organized. for a moment.


january 22, 2012
gold mine of old photos FOUND!

january 21, 2012
sneak peek of new ford's center for education and leadership

january 20, 2012
feeble attempt at winter, mother nature...

january 19, 2012
yarn. duh.

four-thousand words

my year of pictures continues...

january 15, 2012
the fleet


january 16, 2012
i live in a rough neighborhood.

january 17, 2012
the window is speaking to me.


january 18, 2012
something for everyone in the various shops in georgetown.

the unexpected hero

yesterday, i was walking in georgetown and i stopped into a small candy store that had posted that they were closing and having a clearance sale. don't mind if i do.

as i stepped in, i found myself the only customer in the store, and got a quick hello from the woman in charge who was trying to keep track of her very active grandson, who seemed to be about 4 years old. he would run from the back of the store to the front of the store to the back again, on a never-ending loop, while grandma shouted warnings the entire time, "don't trip!" "watch out for that gentleman!" "not too fast!"

after what seemed like 100 trips back and forth while i scanned the gummis and clusters, the little boy stopped RIGHT beside me and i could feel him starting at me. i turned and said, "well hello there." and he said "you. look. like. BATMAN!" and took off running again.

now i think we can all agree that i look like a LOT of things, but BATMAN would be no where on that list. (and knowing how honest kids can be, i can only be thankful that something else didn't come out of his mouth.) i can't for the life of me think what would possess him to see Batman in me and my layers of black and brown winter clothes, but it was a delightful surprise, nonetheless.

as i left the store, with a new-found desire to fight injustice and protect the unprotected and this little man continuing his laps, i said "see ya, buddy!" and he replied without even missing a beat, "bye BATMAN!"

i'm happy being a superhero for a day...even if it is to just one kid, hopped up on sugar at his grandma's failing candy store.

now, to the bat bus! were did i put my farecard?

picture post

January 13, 2012
Eddie from Ohio is even good from behind a post.

January 14, 2012
Computer screen....meet floor....

i took an unexpected walk...

on a unexpected beautiful january day, and found an unexpected gem in a completely unexpected location....and i thought to myself, "i need to take more unexpected walks."

i just might.

seriously, how cool is this thing? at some random office building on 20th street?
start walking...see what you find!

january 12, 2012

the side of a building tucked away on sunderland place NW between 19th and 20th in washington dc. a nice surprise on a thursday afternoon.

happiness and the law

part of my reason for re-starting my blog is because when i think back to things over the past 10 years or so that have made me happy, i realize that the time i spent blogging, both on my tour and after, was filled with a lot of joy. this year, i decided to focus on being happier in my life (which i think you will see is a common theme going forward.) that's not to say i'm unhappy now - i've had my ups and downs (and 2011 was rife was both), but all things considered, i'm happy and always have been. but i want to take the chance this year to harvest even more happiness in my day to day life.

this idea of happiness has been on my mind a lot this week because i was explaining this 'new outlook on being happy in 2012' to a friend last week and they asked, very honestly, "why is this so important for YOU personally? right now?" and at the time i didn't have the exact answer, but i found the answer earlier this week in the strangest of places.

i was on jury duty monday and tuesday at dc superior courts. now, if you live in washington dc, you know that it's not uncommon to get called to jury duty every 2 years or so. since moving into the city 8 years ago, this was my 4th time being called...but the previous three times, during jury selection, i was released and didn't have to serve. but my luck changed this time...and i was selected to sit on what turned out to be, as far as serving on a jury goes, a pretty light and easy case.

the issue at hand was one count of possession of an illegal substance (for those of you wondering....it was PCP....which does not stand for 'primary care physician' in this case.) the judge in the case was very specific when it came time for us to deliberate and laid out guidelines we were to follow when deciding the defendant's fate. the biggest thing he gave us was the definition of what 'possession' is, according to our legal system. breaking it down, there were 2 possible types of possession: either 'physical possession' which means the drugs are on your actual, physical person (in a pocket, in your hands, on your lap, etc.) at the time of arrest, OR 'constructive possession' which means the drugs are in your immediate area and you have demonstrated the power and intent to USE them at some point.

as we engaged in a rather spirited discussion about this case, i started to realize that in this legal definition of 'possession', i just might have found my answer for my friend. you see, i think that happiness is out there for all of us. we are all going to find it different ways, and it is going to mean different things to each of us, but i have a firm belief that it is one of the most basic, simple reasons we are here. to be happy. we have a father in heaven who loves us unconditionally, and has given us a life full of happiness all around us. the only thing we have to do to cash in on that happiness is to (excuse me for the borrow, nike) just do it. find that happiness in our day to day life and share it with others. it's a pretty basic tenet of living. and it's not a matter of 'physical possession' of happiness - you're not going to leave it in your pocket at night or have to water it to grow it so you can actually pick it - but it's more a case of 'constructive possession.'

to my friend who was wondering: it's important to me right here, right now in my life because i'm finally realizing in my mid-thirties that i can decide each day if i want to be happy, no matter what is going on in the world around me. it is my choice...i have the power and intent and i just have to decide to utilize what is there. and by doing that, by choosing constructive possession, i feel like i am strengthening my relationship with my father in heaven, in a very simple way that i was missing for 37 years. like the days in idaho falls, idaho when i was little, and my dad sat around our living room playing his guitar and singing and sharing his music with me, bringing me closer to him and making me want to be like him (and now having a career for the past 7 years where i have used that gift of music he gave me). music wasn't anything that i could physically possess, but it was around me, and the power of it has always made me think of my dad, and has made me want to be the kind of man he is. so it is with the power of happiness - i want to be happier because i want to be better. i want to be more like my father in heaven. when the time comes for me to return to live with him, i want to be found guilty of unfathomable counts of constructive possession of happiness.

so i am going to turn my mind more to the good. i want to explore more of what makes me happy and focus on sharing my happiness more with those around me. i want to love more, laugh longer, take more pictures, see more cities, catch up with more old friends, make new friends, write more things down, sing louder, dance more often, eat delicious things, and the list goes on and on and on.

in 2012, i want each of us have the power and intent to possess as much happiness as possible.

January 11, 2012
a pin...up close and personal.

ps - we found the dude in the PCP case not guilty. he got lucky the prosecution's case was so weak. he had the power and intent to possess that PCP, but the silly prosecutor couldn't prove it beyond a reasonable doubt.

January 10, 2012

another reminder to look UP....the top of the temperance fountain structure in DC where pennsylvania ave, indiana ave and 7th st NW all meet.

a new year...a new outlook

well hello there, 2012. looks like my old blog is still here...who knows if anyone still checks in here. but that's not what is important. what IS important is that we survived 2011...and i am back to kick my blog back into gear. low? middle? high? i guess only time will tell.

one of my new projects for 2012 is a picture a day. why? because i'm learning that it's making me look at the world around me more often and with new eyes. and after 9 days, i'm loving how the world is looking.

right now, i want to share MY first 9 days of 2012 with you through the pictures i've snapped on my iPhone. 357 photos left! if you're doing the math...remember...it's leap year!

and i'll be back soon to expand on my new year and new endeavors and new thoughts...and probably some old ones, too!

January 9, 2012

a day of jury duty at DC superior courts

January 8, 2012

wacky january weather made for a beautiful sunday in DC.

January 7, 2012
a lunch with emily levey is a perfect saturday.

January 6, 2012
sometimes, to find beauty, you just need to look up.

January 5, 2012

sometimes, i just can't believe people on the metro.

January 4, 2012

lights are OUT in glover park for part of the night.

January 3, 2012
a perfect day with josephine block.

January 2, 2012

celebrating new years with dale rainville...as he models some of my handiwork.

January 1, 2012
a new year...a new hobby....

happy new year...and new adventures!

A Video

Here is a quick video of our director, Matt August, talking about the show on the first day of rehearsal.

Livin' The Dream....2011 Edition

friends! family! random followers!

so it's kind of been a long time! last we met, i was traipsing around the vancouver 2010 winter games in canada, and you were all off on your various adventures. since then, a lot has happened - to all of us, i'm sure - but what has brought me back to the blogosphere is a new show i started working on a week ago. i thought it was something big enough and exciting enough to get the blog out of the closet and dust it off - and give you all a front row seat to this latest adventure.

so - remember THIS? in the summer of 2008, i worked on a workshop of a new musical that ford's theatre was developing and thinking about doing. fast forward to 2011, and that workshop has turned into a full-blown production, and that production is now in full-blown rehearsals, and we are slowly but soundly marching towards our first preview of this world premiere on march 23rd! opening night is march 30th! the show is called LIBERTY SMITH - and the quick explanation is that it's basically a character like forrest gump - who meets the american revolution. and hilarity ensues. naturally. and since you're dying to know, i play the role of that ol' statesman, sam adams - as well as a slew of other characters throughout the show!

it's been an exciting first week! on our first day, last friday the 11th, we did a read/sing through, and it was fun to see everyone - meet all the folks who are new to me and see the group of good ol' friends who are in the show - and hear the script with everyone reading it. a lot of the music is the same from when we did the workshop - and one of my favorite songs is still in place. i found myself especially touched by it that day, for i'm sure of a variety of reasons. the song is called 'i was here' - and is sung by the title character. part of that song says:

people will say i'm an innocent fool,
living my life for a dream.
i'll never listen to those who will doubt,
living a dream is what life's all about.

all i'm saying is that it struck a chord with me that day. that's all. it just reminded me of this crazy journey of being LTD - of living the dream!

anyway, since we started, there have been costume fittings, music rehearsals, marching with guns, sword fight staging, staircase rollings, homemade pop tarts, baby tossings, a really long country ball, and we are still just in the first week! the cast is fantastic, the creative team has an incredible vision of the show, and the ford's staff has been amazingly professional and so easy to work with! after a few....shall i say 'challenging' show experiences, this is a delightful and welcome change.

so come follow the process of watching this world premiere musical go up at ford's theatre - as seen from my perspective. i'm excited to be on this journey - and hope to bring you all a glimpse into the magic and excitement of it all....this Little Bit of History!!!!!

first day - cast around the table listens to the director and other designers explain the look of the production.


Top: our enthusiastic director, matt, explains the set. Bottom: my dear friend, donna, looks at the costume designs.

L: lauren gets her rehearsal skirt on with the coaching help of michael. R: gia shows off her marie antoinette skirt.

a couple of scenes from staging the opening number of the show. liberty (geoff) on his knee in the top picture.