capitalism on parade!

CBC News
Police struggle to identify suspects in Wal-Mart trampling death

"When they [officials] were saying they had to leave, that an employee got killed, people were yelling 'I've been on line since yesterday morning,"' said Kimberly Cribbs. "They kept shopping.

90 years after the wars were supposed to be over

Down here, Veterans Day doesn't seem to be such a big deal. The banks are closed, but I think most people just go to work (or in my case school) like it's any other day. I had a class this morning that went til noon, so I asked my teacher if we could have a break around 11:11 so I could take a moment with the rest of eastern Canada. She instead offered that we all take a moment together as a class, which made me happy.

The moment of silence meant something different to me this year. I usually think about my grandparents who all took part in WWII, and how though I don't agree with war for any reason no matter how justified I can still respect those who have given their lives to what they think is helping the world. This year it struck me that right then, at that very moment, Canadians, Americans, people all over the world were killing each other and trying not to be killed. I wondered whether right at that moment if someone in one of the myriad of conflicts was being shot or was dying. This year, the moment of silence said something to me: We have to stop this madness and get our troops out of where they don't belong.

I've long been proud of Canada's history as a nation of peacekeepers. This time round, in Afghanistan, we started out that way but have now joined the US troops in being an occupying force and not peacekeepers at all. We are now without a doubt complicit in the bombing of innocent civilians, and I think that needs to stop now.

It had been lingering in the back of my head that once we had the election we'd be able to get the troops back, because the Liberals and the NDP would be in power and the Conservatives would be out on their ears. With this stronger Conservative government in power it distresses me greatly to see that such an idea isn't going to happen any time soon.

I'm not sure how to wrap this up. Maybe just: Never forget, and (please) never again.

I think I figured it out

I have a sneaking suspicion that I'll be doing Harvey Milk for my thesis production. My opinion might change in the next few days, but I'm pretty sure. The story is just so compelling, and timely given that yet another set of idiotic gay marriage bans have just been voted in...

inertia

I'm having a day where my work has slowed and I kind of can't (or won't) get anything done productively. I think it's something to do with the fall really setting in: It reminds me me of the scary post-summer times in my life when the seasonal work dried up and I found myself beginning to be confined indoors with nothing to do. I don't know why, but that's just a very lonely feeling.

It's funny how when I don't have a million meetings or classes I suddenly feel kind of empty. I wonder if that's the way I keep from examining myself, and as a result we get kinda freaked out when I have a moment to do it. Or maybe it's just jonesing for the adrenaline rush that a lot of work provides.

There's a lot of good happening in my life right now. Strange that I can still manage to feel lonely in the midst of it. Time to shake it off...

thesis!?

Next week I present my top three choices for a thesis production. This not only amazes me (how could I almost be done!?) but also kind of terrifies me. I really don't know which 3 I'll present, but I have a short list:

Akhnaten by Philip Glass
The story of an Egyptian Pharaoh who went against the powerful priests and tried to adopt a monotheistic religion. Didn't work out too well for him - perhaps he should have tried the slogan "change we can believe in"? The music is quite interesting and the libretto is very open-ended. I think there could be some good potential for a lot of abstraction in the set, giving lighting a lot more importance.

Harvey Milk by Stewart Wallace
I've known the story for a long time but only just found out about the opera. The story is very modern and compelling, and for a long time made me very angry with all concerned. The music is great and the piece itself is an interesting mix of opera and musical theatre styles.


The Crucible by Robert Ward, based on the play by Arthur Miller
An opera based on (and using most of the text from) a play with huge cultural significance. The issue of private life versus personal life as related to the role of the state and society give the opera some real meat. I always liked the play, and the opera is pretty fantastic.

The Adding Machine by Elmer Rice
I designed a severely edited version of this play years ago, and really loved it. It's on the verge of Symbolism but has a distinctly grounded American flavour. What do the Elysian Fields look like, I wonder?

Endgame by Samuel Beckett
I really love this play, possibly more than all other ones I'm thinking about for thesis. The only trouble is that since it's Beckett there's not a lot of design room. I might propose doing Endgame and adding a short to it (Krapp's Last Tape is a possibility) so there's a bit more to work with lighting-wise.

Other options include The Skin of Our Teeth (Wilder), and Venus (Suzan Lori Parks).

Who will make the final cut? Stay tuned...

well shit

So not only is the country now officially "more conservative," but my province is responsible for four of those new seats - arg!

There died all the strategic voting nonsense, I suppose. People (all 59% of us, what the hell is going on with my country!?) seem to have voted their consciences, and their consciences in many case were apparently leaning to the right.

I'm in the middle of a major project right now, and am having a hard time focusing on it. I think it's a combination of burnout from the show I just closed (successfully, by all accounts) all the election madness on both sides of the border, and the wedding that I recently attended that have created some sort of perfect storm of lacklustre feeling. It will get done, however, by hook or by crook.

I'm excited to hear the final U.S. presidential debate tonight, if only because it signifies a matter of weeks before the Yanks vote a septuagenarian and a ditzy northern secessionist into power. Then things will get really interesting down here!

only slightly dated