So my Halloween costume was a success. It seems my coworkers appreciated the costume anyways, lol. I had fun with all of the attention, but damn, looking good is hard work. I was trying to update inventory while sitting stick straight at my desk, and finally just said to hell with it and changed out of my corset, lol. I have a whole new respect for those girls in the goth community who wear them every day. I don't know if I could even pull off going to a show in one of those things, lol.

I got to eat lunch with my old man today, and he came buy several times during the day after that, and also has called twice since he left work, lol. He says nothing's wrong but I get the feeling he's not having a good time at home (more than usual), so I guess he just wants some extra attention, which is fine with me. :-) *snuggles and loves* I hate that I have to leave him behind in all this mess when I go next month.

So after working on inventory all day my eyes are about to cross, so I'm gonna try to head out a bit early. Me and Stephen are going out for some drinks tonight, so if anyone wants to join us at Awful's around 9, gimme a call or just show up.

In other news, The Anix put out a cover of the Smashing Pumpkin's "Eye". I really like it, but don't know how it compares to the original. So go get it here. In other music news, I may have yet another (small) job offer with another band. More on that as it happens.

EDIT:
Probably the best horoscope yet:
sagittarius (Nov. 23rd-Dec. 21st)
Don't let someone in your family push you into a blind date. Because just as you can pick your partners and you can pick your nose but you can't pick your partner's nose, your friends and family can't pick your partners or your partners' noses. Opt out gracefully from the set-up and no one will get hurt. We said just put down the blind date down and walk away... slowly, slowly.

Song of the Day: The Anix - "Eye (Smashing Pumpkins cover)" www.the-anix.com

So today was actually much better than I had even expected it to be. After waking up and being a complete bum for awhile, I headed over to the theatre to get ready for strike. Ran into Rafe, who was in an astonishingly good mood. So strike ended up being for the most part awesome. Went fast, easy...wow, good way to end my work there, you know? So that was cool.

During strike my big brother called, yay, so anyways, he's back home and is coming to see me this weekend!!!! (My feet and back are rejoicing.)

Afterwards I headed on over to Phil's for the cast party, and it was great...good food, lots of booze, and a hot tub. What more could you want? I had a great time, talked for awhile, and overall had I really enjoyable last cast party. Kinda sad knowing this is it for me, but I know I'm moving on to bigger and better things.

And now...I need to get my beauty sleep since I have to wake up early to goth out properly. :-D

This day has been pretty good! Work stayed simple; I did end up listening to some new albums and taking those in while I started work on the new blog. So far I have all of my articles from D1 I ever did in there, and started on the earliest RAM ones. I backdated all of the entries to accurately reflect the work I've been doing. I'm thinking of buying a seperate domain for it and just making it my standalone article page that will contain anything I ever write, be it for D1, RAM, Ecult, whatever. Hopefully it will start attracting attention to everyone's sites. I'll post a link soon. I wonder if Valdyr.com is still available, lol.

After work I was feeling pretty good so I gave Camille a call and we headed over to the mall to work on our Halloween outfits. We had a great time...spent so much time in Hot Topic, which was nice. I ended up with some great finds all day. We had first stopped in this really glam shoe store that just opened up and had some really awesome shoes and boots - the kind that you would really not expect to ever find in southwest Virginia. We found this one pair - I will name them my Fluffy Starr shoes - because I immediately thought of her to the point that I seriously considered calling her up and asking her what size she wears. For $10 it is worth it, lol. So I definately got a pair for me in any case. They're these hot pink and black sneakers...but...they're spiked heels. They're fabulous. Totally rocker chick.

At Hot Topic they even had some good deals - I got a really great corset. Shiny black pleather, rowr. Picked up some new fishnets and then found the completing gothic cross necklace at Spencers (along with a nice new belt for everyday use). So I now have a fucking wonderful outfit to wear to work on Monday, because yes, I am wearing a corset to work on Monday. What are they gonna do, fire me? Bwahaha. I will post pictures.

Checked in on the show tonight and all was well, so I wandered over to Evyl's since he was throwing a party for the band and such. So that was lots of fun seeing them all again. We ate, drank a little, watched some movies. Good times.

So now...finally...a good nights sleep is on the way. I'm cuddled up safely in my old man's t-shirt, and I don't have to be at the college until 3 or so...and that's including the extra hour of sleep we get tonight with the time change. Allllriiiight. Tomorrow we strike the set, and then what's promising to be a very good cast party later on...

So today was relatively easier than last week, thank god. Just a few last minute adds, but other than that, it's been peaceful. Once I got everything situated for the day I've just been chilling and listening to some of my new music. I've been thinking about starting another remotely hosted blog to repost all of my reviews and interviews I do for RAM, D1, etc., to get myself more publicity and to let people syndicate it. So I think I might set that up today.

This afternoon I'm gonna indulge in some self-appreciating shopping and go over to Spencers and Hot Topic to get some much wanted additions to my wardrobe...just in time for Halloween, eh? Might meet up with my old man while I'm out, but I'm thinking I really should just call Camille since we had to cancel our shopping last night, lol.

Handing in my resignation to the hotel today. Quitting never felt so good.

Song of the Day: Moth Complex - "Learned My Lesson" www.mothcomplex.com

I just had this gut instinct that I should stay late to make sure the show kicked off alright tonight. So glad I did. Around 5:30 I started going through my preshow stuff: walking the audience for trash and broken seats, dimmer check, unlocking doors...finally got to the sound. And it was wrong. Very wrong.

Hardly anything was working. I started troubleshooting and eventually was able to trace everything down and had it all up and running again before the house opened. But I'm very troubled. I really sat down at the board and with our equipment and this wasn't mindless crap. It was specific. It was targeted. The only things that were messed with were things specifically related to our show. None of the unused pots were messed with...but the cd players had been taken out of the correct mixes...the speaker backstage had had its input level turned down. Even the headset main station had been totally messed. And all of these things are in very seperate areas of the theatre.

Whoever did this knew what they were doing. That really bothers me. I'm glad I'm getting out of here.

Gonna head to bed in a few; gotta be at the hotel at 7:30 tomorrow morning, but I'm hoping that tomorrow will be infinitly easier than last week, lol. Got a bunch more promo packs in the mail today too, and I'm expecting a few more. Yay for free music! Maybe if things are quiet tomorrow I can get a few reviews in.

I'd like to close by saying, I like my old man. *snuggles*

Song of the Day: Eye Butterfly - "Pandora's Box" www.eyebutterfly.ca

So I officially handed in my resignation today, signifying my big "F You!" to the corporate world. I can't wait to get out of here!

I know it's been hard for me (and everyone watching and waiting) because I've been trying to get this business started full time for awhile, and there have been several changes in the plans. But this time it's really it. On November 30th, I'm free...and hopefully will remain so for the rest of my life.

*dances, has a beer, and generally rocks out.*

Talked to Jeremiah today - he got hurt at work...basically had a 20 foot ladder fall apart while he was hanging lights, but he seems to be pretty lucky. So here's some digital love to my big brother: *MUAH*

Other than that, all is well in Valdyrland, aside from still having a touch of the sickness. I finally gave up and came home early today; I'm still over on hours this week anyways. But it was good, because I got to go out to dinner with my parents and my grandma, so that was kinda cool.

Back to working on RAM...

Song of the Day: Korn - "Here To Stay" www.korn.com

If there was only one reason why I was glad that I'm leaving, it would be because I will never have to take anymore bullshit from coworkers.

So I basically just got run out of my own damn office because someone has decided to make it his life's work to just hammer and hammer away at me with unnessecary degrading comments every damn chance he gets.

So I've taken it upon myself to move back into my old office, and I'll be damned if anyone makes me go back upstairs. Fuck this job. 4 weeks and counting...

I think I'm on the downward spiral to getting sick. I was feeling pretty icky on Sunday after the concert, and haven't really recovered since then. So I'm just trying to plod along at work...because if I'm gonna be sick and sleeping, I might as well be getting paid for it.

...and how the hell did it get all cold so fast? There are some good things about cold weather, such as soup, hot chai, and cuddling with cute boys, but other than that it's not so fun. I stole my old man's jacket at work today so that I could cuddle up with it while I slept, so that was cute. *giggles* I like him. :-)

Other than that, still doing more work for HITL. I wasn't supposed to really be doing shows for them yet, but it already kinda happened. Someone contacted him about a show in December so that got passed on to me, but, in a way, it's good, because I can sort of walk my way through this first one with Tom's help to make sure I get everything done right, so it works out. Plus, more money now is never a bad thing. I spent most of the afternoon working on updating a show contract to use for them (which was surprisingly easy thanks to the amazing amount of sample band contracts on the internet...I'm thinking I may not even need an accountant at this point) plus I've been working on finding some reputable places to get their album reviewed so that we can add some press clippings to their promo kit. Their promo kit is gonna kick ass once I'm through with it. I'm having so much fun doing this already.

Been talking to a close friend over the last few days who is having a really rough time right now. I'm worried about him and hope he'll be ok. *hugs and loves*

Other than that, just trying to not stay sick. Gonna take it easy again tonight and perhaps try to churn out a few more album reviews for RAM. Speaking of RAM, I hit a new all-time low for a submission: a 14 year old pop country singer. *slams head on desk*

Song of the Day: Heretics In The Lab - "The Living" www.hereticsinthelab.com

Well, this week is better...I think...

Sagittarius (Nov. 23rd-Dec. 21st)
Consider yourself warned: There are some people who will assume that just because you're dressed as a cheap crack whore this Halloween, you want to be treated as such. So be prepared to point out the line between fantasy and reality. And practice saying the word no...and meaning it.

Anyways, been working hard on trying to get things figured out for management for HITL. So excited to be trying this out!

Had an easy day here...not much going on, so I spent a part of the day just chilling with DOM, which was nice. Apparently more things are going on...I shouldn't really say anymore, but it makes me feel both really good and somewhat confused at the same time...

Another cooking success: introducing Laura's garlic lime pasta.

(Those of you who know me well know that I'm a terrible cook, and that I'm always attempting to create my own meals with little success... But today, things were different. If you're like me you love carbohydrates...pasta in particular.)

I started boiling some pasta in water and immediately added some margarine, salt, and garlic powder. While that was boiling, I rummaged around my kitchen for things to make a good sauce. I ended up mixing a few teaspoons of the boiling broth with a bit of vegetable oil, a splash of garlic powder, a splash of oregano, and a bit of lime juice. Once I strained the pasta I poured this mixture over it (still in the strainer) and mixed it up (since I just wanted a hint of flavor). I suppose if you wanted a bit of a stronger taste you could have saved part of the sauce to put directly in the boil.

But yeah, good stuff!

So yesterday morning was pretty brutal...we had one group re-request A/V equipment from the day before so I had to set all of that up; the internet kept going out; the very large group needed a few last minute ads; and everyone and their mom needed help at the business center. Needless to say, it was not a fun morning.

After work I talked to my big brother (yay!) for about half an hour, so that was great. He's going to be in dry dock next week so hopefully I'll be able to talk to him more; too bad he's not closer or I'd go to see him.

Anyways, took a nap when I got home, then got up and gothed out and headed up to C-ville for the show. God I love that place. I always meet the coolest people there. I talked to everyone in Terror Couple for awhile, then met this cool dude that was wearing the neatest outfit - I asked him about it and apparently he and his boyfriend make their own clothing line, so I'm all about that. So we chatted awhile about that, about his band, about my site, and about how the lead singer of HITL is pretty hot (this comes into play later, lol.). I also met one of the guys from Die Maschine, so that was cool. HITL showed up and I talked to the singer (goes by h3) for awhile...to make a long story short, they're looking for a new manager, so we talked about that...had a really great conversation about everything really...so it looks like I'll be doing a trial run as their manager and see how that goes. So that's awesome.

...and with that, I kinda jumped right into that roll as the show got started. Terror Couple did a great set, but when HITL got up, h3's vocal rig went out. Now, as a technician, I have to restrain myself in these situations because a.) it's not my equipment, b.) it's not my venue, c.)it's not my job and I might step on some toes. So even though I tried in vain to get the sound guys attention, they finally got a direct line back into the board. But in the meantime, h3's mic stand had broken (they're a little rough on stage) and the next song he plays guitar on. So he grabs me and pulls me on stage, so I become Laura the Living Mic Stand for a song. Someone has got to send me a picture of that, lol. At the end of the song h3 gives me a big kiss on the forehead and everyone cheers. I go up to my cool clothing friend and ask if he's jealous, lol. Good times.

In the end it was a great night even if I was absurdly tired and none of my pictures really came out, lol. I talked to a lot of cool people and tried to convince everyone to come back for the 51 Peg show for my birthday, lol.

Now...time for laundry and the beginnings of my management bid...

Song of the Day: Heretics In The Lab - "Personal Apocalypse" www.hereticsinthelab.com

I think today falls into the catagory of the top 3 most annoying days ever at the Hotel.

Sometimes there's nothing worse than having to come in early only to sit around for hours doing nothing. I could still be sleeping. Anyways, we were able to fix a lot of the problems from last night, so hopefully opening tonight will be ok.

Song of the Day: Korn - "Falling Away From Me" www.korn.com

Today was a day full of highs and lows. I got woken out of my drunken stupor at 10 by my old man, so me and him met up for lunch and then chilled out for awhile before I had to be at work (he had taken today off.) What an awesome afternoon. He's so sweet. There was one point during the day where he said something...I don't even remember what it was exactly, but something along the lines of being glad that he had met me, and he looked at me and was so sincere, and so caring...it just made me feel so much better about so many things.

He's so cute...he keeps asking me about everything involved with this move to DC. He's so concerned about me moving and being able to live and all that. It's nice to know that someone is looking after me, even though I'd be damned before I let him or anyone else support me financially. I'll be just fine, and I know that. I can make this work. But he's still cute all the same.

The latter part of the day wasn't so hot. The short story is that yesterday I spent, what, 4 hours hanging that damn border to hide the CYC? Yeah...someone should have checked to see if that fabric was translucent or not. Damn CYC lights shine right through it. I cried.

So tomorrow I have to be in early so that we can hang flats behind the fabric. And by we, I mean me, I'm sure.

I hate this fucking show.

So...in the end, after a pretty dismal night of final dress (several problems happened all around, really) we went back out to AA and had a few. So I'm going to bed. All I have to say is, I like my old man, and I'm going to go to sleep wrapped up in his shirt now. :-)

Song of the Day: 51 Peg - "Rest Of Us (Live)" www.51peg.com

I'm ready for this week to be done. Soooo close. I got a lot of stuff done today; got the ghetto back border hung (by myself for the most part, I might add) and the painting finished. Should be able to knock out my last few lighting notes tomorrow before dress rehearsal, but all in all, I'm about done. This weekend shouldn't be too bad; working at the hotel from 8 - 2 on Saturday, then shooting up to C-ville for that concert. Terror Couple and Heretics In The Lab both have such a great show for stress relief.

Tonight a few of us are going out drinking again, so that should be fun. Nice to be able to hang out with people again.

My popularity on myspace is maintaining. Yesterday I was #9 in both Gothic and Industrial. I think that "top 8" feature may have a lot to do with it...I saw that my big sis Fluffy had hooked me up the other day (yay!) but then lately I've been going around and A LOT of people have done the same...so that's awesome. People rock like that, apparently.

Oh, I had another "no shit" freak-out last night. It was around 1:30, and I was downstairs watching Adult Swim and playing online when I start to hear this soft, high-pitch whine. So I turn off the tv, walk around the house, trying to find the sorce of this noise. I can't figure what the hell it is, then it goes off, so I just go upstairs to get ready for bed. Well, as soon as I get up there I heard this really loud rumbling outside, so I look out and see 4 fire trucks come flying up the street to our neighbors house.

Yeah, that's right. I heard the smoke detector from a house 500 yards up the road from me go off, even with my computer noise and TV on. That just can't be normal.

Song of the Day: Jimmie's Chicken Shack - "Strange" www.jimmieschickenshack.net

It's like Em & Lo are reading my blog:

Sagittarius (Nov. 23rd-Dec. 21st)
Secret affairs don't always lead to boiled bunnies, but they rarely end up happily ever after, either. Take The English Patient, for example. Sure, they had hot sex in the bathtub that one time, and a steamy encounter at the holiday party, but was it worth three deaths? We're not suggesting that any fatalities will result from your minor (or perhaps major?) indiscretion, but one thing's for sure: it won't be pretty. Get out now while you're still getting away with it.

Yeah, I was the champ last night (or not)...a bunch of us went out drinking after rehearsal, and I ended up worshipping the porcelein god after only 7 beers. Wow, I feel like a loser, lmao! LMAO, but good times were had by all...I had a great discussion with Phil about some of the theatre stuff around here, then a similiar more in-depth talk with Nathan and Charlie about the purpose of theatre and communication and all that. It was so nice to talk to people who have a better understanding of things like that. I told them of my rejected proposal to do a movement based ensemble piece, and they all seemed really interested...too bad we can't do it. But perhaps they'll mention something in class this week and get something going in that direction?

Also had THE most amusing conversation with Camille. We were chatting about some of the roadies she had "met" (nod nod, wink wink) working around here, and guess who one of them was? Steve gets around, apparently, rotflmao. It's a small fucking world...literally.

Oi...off to work with a hangover...

Song of the Day: Jimmie's Chicken Shack - "Quitter" www.jimmieschickenshack.net

Holy shit.

I just checked the myspace charts, and by views, RAM is #32 on the Electronica chart, #13 on the Gothic chart, and freakin' number nine on Industrial.

I rock.

I forgot to add that I am planning my birthday/goodbye weekend phenomenom already. Is as follows:

Wednesday November 30th - Laura quits her corporate job life, probably light drinking in Roanoke
Thursday December 1st - Laura's chill party, at the Cellar in Blacksburg as usual
Friday December 2nd - Laura & Jeff's combo bar hopping in Roanoke, as it's his 21st
Saturday December 3rd - Laura's drinking party, Outback Lodge in C-ville to see 51 Peg
Sunday - detox

Everyone is invited to everything.

After sleeping in and having wonderful leftovers, I got so much done today. I went out to Walmart to pick up some office supplies I needed to help get me more organized. While I was there, I found "Get A Divorce!" - apparently you can now buy a do-it-yourself kit to get a divorce at Walmart. Well, my work is done here.

In other news, I wanted to say something that's been bugging me for awhile. I feel fortunate that so far through this life I've only had very few instances where a friend I really cared about turned out to not return the sentiments. But I've had that happen again. I've been trying to ignore it and trying to pretend like I'm making it up, but I realize the only reason we still talk is because I make the effort.

It's the one thing you always asked all your friends to do for you; it's the one thing I always did; it's the one thing I asked you to do for me in return...but you have still been too busy to do just this one favor. Yeah, it's a small thing. But it's the one final small thing that really did it. You might think about that the next time you bitch on your LJ about how your friends don't support you...you get out of your relationships what you put in. And you don't put in anything at all. You really hurt my feelings - again - and I wanted you to know that.

Ok, end of rant. In other news, I have a new band on the site called Moth Complex. They're from Ireland, and are a kind of female-fronted industrial band the likes of older NIN stuff.

Not looking forward to work tomorrow other than I don't have to be in until 4.

Song of the Day: Moth Complex - "Insult to Injury" www.mothcomplex.com

Today was a lot of fun. I met Heather at the Salem Goodwill and we did much shopping; I found a good pair of black pants (pants are sooo hard for me) as well as two "goth/industrial" tank tops. I also got a nice bud vase and this killer goblet carved out of quartz. Afterwards we went over to a nice little Italian place for lunch, then perused through TRex in Salem...everytime I go into the TRex's around here I wish I was back in Blacksburg. The music scene is dead around here.

Later me and my parents went to Nawab, which was excellent as always. I'm already looking forward to my leftover paneer masala for lunch tomorrow, lol.

Got a lot of updates done to RAM like I wanted. I churned out 5 new reviews, plus Igot a promo pack from Delica (one of my new bands) containing their new cd, which so far sounds fabulous. Finally I feel like I'm getting caught up.

Speaking of getting caught up, guess what happened to my laptop again today? *growls* Fortunately, though, I learned a lot from last time and was able to disable the trojan and get the spyware off by myself this time. Stupid, stupid Internet Explorer...

Currently I'm working on trying to get some sponserships/endorsements/partnerships for RAM. You know, clothing manufacturers, merchendisers, etc. So if anyone has any ideas of companies to check into, send them on.

[00:16] ONEKRAZMOTHER: i was bought my first shot today
[00:17] Zeta Vande: that's cool
[00:17] ONEKRAZMOTHER: by a woman that was like 30 and was the winner of the tough man competition in a big city
[00:17] Zeta Vande: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
[00:17] Zeta Vande: that's going on my blog

I am so glad this week is over; and it really is...the new manager over at the hotel called and said my group cancelled for this weekend, so I have both Saturday and Sunday off. Allllllllllriiiiiiiiiiiiiight.

So tomorrow me and Heather are going thrift store shopping - FINALLY - because I desperately need some new clothes. So that's awesome.

I think I'll spend most of the rest of the weekend just working on RAM some more; I'm trying to be more fan-interactive; I'm starting a mailing list that I'll be sending out every week via email and myspace about the upcoming week's shows and albums, as well as site updates, etc. So hopefully that'll get more people around and back. :-)

In unrelated news, after taking a break I put our Alienhead demo back in my car today. After letting it rest, it actually wasn't as bad as I made it out to be. We did get really far, so that's good. Still can't wait to start working on my newer stuff...it's a good learning experience.

Before I go into work I remembered I had some awesome stuff I keep meaning to post...

First off, I just did a new interview with Claudia of Lunarclick, which is now up on the site and getting positive feedback. She's a total sweety, and talks about the upcoming album and future plans for the band.

A second interview "series" is planned; I've been talking to Celldweller's manager, and we're going to do a two part interview...a "before and after" the recording of the second album, so that should rock.

Then earlier this week I got a message from Manek about a lot of Ecult stuff, so I may be stepping up and taking on some more responsibilites for them, and that's mega cool. Australia seems to be a happening place right now, lol! I have a new promotions manager for that area, and she's partly in charge for a huge goth fest planned for early next year, so it may be that RAM gets majorly involved with that; and I think a trip to Australia would be awesome. ;-)

In other news, Corrie forwarded me a cool job ad for promo people in the DC area, so I'm gonna follow that up and see if I can do some occassional work for them when I move; pays pretty well, and it's uh, well it's what I do already, right? Haha. Good times. Now...off to finish my light plot...

I think at this point I'm going to have to convert my blog archives into yearly increments. I can't believe I've been doing this for this long.

Work frustrates me. Apparently I'm the only one here again today. On the other hand, the auditorium is in use so we can't do anything anyways. I think once I get back in there I'll finish painting today, and finish focusing tomorrow. I could use an easy day today.

The good news is that they've found board ops for this show, so I don't have to run it after all. So that means I get to see Heretics In The Lab and Terror Couple next week. Finally...Laura gets to go to a concert.

Next on the agenda: I need to get with Corrie to find out when a good time would be for me to come up and go apartment hunting. :-D

Song of the Day: Jacob Bock - "If" www.firewalkingmusic.com

So after how hard me and Tom worked yesterday, I get in today and find that nothing has been done. Without going into details, I'll just say this: I've been in a position in the last year where someone got hurt and I had to pick up the slack. I ain't doing it again. I don't get paid enough. So I worked from noon until 1:30 this morning, since at this point if I don't do it, it won't get done. Guess that's just me and my 'too high' standards for theatre. Maybe no one else cares, but my name is going on it...so I do. But once this show is done, I'm out.

In other news, I like my old man. :-)

Sometimes theatre frustrates me, but then I get images like this and it's worth it. I rock.

So yeah, tech went muuuuuch better tonight. We got through everything ok, and I'm pretty satisfied with everything now. So that's good. I had a great stage manager, and all of the professors were really nice. Even the one who was busting my chops the most asked me tonight if I would be doing their December show. So that's cool.

Work is getting more interesting though. My boss broke his thumb over the weekend so I got more work dumped on me. Ah well. It's almost over.

Had kind of a crazy convo with someone else today. I was talking about all the problems we had had in Radford, and he asked me "Have you ever had a perfect show?" and I'm like, no, of course not. And I kid you not, he said "After all the shows you've done, if you've never had a perfect show, then your standards are too high."

And that, my friends, is what seperates community theatre from good theatre.

Song of the Day: Korn - "Make Me Bad" www.korn.com

So the drama continues. You always kind of expect tech rehearsals to go badly. Honestly, I thought we were doing fairly well, but the dance teachers are devestated. So many missed cues, misinformation, and slow change tiems. Hopefully tomorrow will go better. The lights are looking pretty good. Still have some details to work out, but overall I'm fairly happy given the venue. One of the professors mentioned something about hiring me for the next show, so I guess that means both that they're pretty satisfied and that it'd give me a chance to do a better design now that I know more about this space. So I guess we'll see.

I could use an old man to snuggle with right now. :-)

Oi. And the saga continues. The TD was late again today, so the first part of tech was spent trying to figure out things he could have answered for us in 2 minutes had he been there. *slams head on desk*

For instance...I wanted to move the light board out to the house so I could program. We spent the better part of the first hour looking for some extra 5-pin dmx, but to no avail. The techs told me they had an RFU - but they didn't know where. So we take the board back up to the booth and I sadly attempt to cue from up there, but I'm so far in the ceiling I can't see a damn thing. So finally I resort to going to the house on headset and working off my papers and having a headset run to talk to the board op.

Having a board op would have been the key element missing. None of the techs had been trained on the board, so basically I'm stuck reciting key strokes to talk these guys through programming.

I very distinctly remember that I was in fact taught to run a light board this way. I also remember hating every minute of it.

I was in high school working for a big name LD that had come in with an outside show and she was VERY intimidating. So I tried desperately not to be that kind of experience for these guys. Anyways. We struggled through tech fairly well in the end, but we could have been done a lot sooner and I could have actually made the concert tonight. Ah, well...

Well, let me put it this way (in regards to my show in Radford.): the TD left in the middle of load-in to see a movie.

WTF?!

So, wow. I mean, things went great, but I have never worked with such a flake! He had his "workers" in (which were really college students with NO training...he was doing a lighting 101 with them when I arrived...all VT grads should be thinking about UUSA right now.) So I basically spent 4 hours teaching the lighting section of technical theatre to several kids while left in an unfamiliar house by myself. I mean, wow. I can't get over how he left untrained students and outside vendors alone in the theatre. Wow...just, wow.

But things went well. I was able to talk them through everything and we got it done in 4 hours like planned. So, rock on.

And the concert is tomorrow night, so I'm getting ready to go out with a hot guy instead. ;-)

Work was ok. Had to rebuild a table about 3 times because apparently no one can communicate correct directions these days. *sigh* But hey, I get paid for it, whatever. DOM came down with lunch, so that was a cute break in my day. *snuggles*

Now is shower time before my date.

I think the reason I keep getting tagged is because people know I'm a blog whore. LMAO. So here's two for ya.

I) Name 10 things that make your heart smile, and then tag 5 friends to do the same.
1. Coming to work and finding lunch on my desk.
2. Smelling my favorite cologne.
3. Sqooooooooooshing.
4. Going through old pictures.
5. Seeing random acts of love, kinda like the opening sequence in the airport in Love Actually
6. Hearing from/about Johnnie.
7. Waking up before my alarm.
8. Murphy (my giant stuffed puppy)
9. Getting a call from Jeremiah every Saturday.
10. A good Indian meal.

II) Rules of the Game: Post 5 Weird and Random facts about yourself, then at the end, list the names of 5 people who are next in line to do this.
1. I have a cardboard cut out of Mr. Spock in my bedroom.
2. I have a tribble.
3. I have a Klingon bat'leth
4. I run a Snape fansite.
5. I have no wierd or random facts not relating to science fiction.

I tag (for both) Jacob, Lance, Mike, Dana, and Cathy.

The latest internet rage is to go to Goggle and type in "(your name) needs" and list the top 10 sentences you get.

1. Dr. Laura Needs Your Support
2. Laura needs to stop thinking of herself as his wife.
3. Laura needs to talk to someone about why she's making these kinds of decisions.
4. Laura needs help to obtain air transportation, ground transportation, shelter, and funds to assist in the payment of out-of-pocket expenses.
5. Laura needs you now.
6. Laura needs to be downstairs, we'll convert the dining room for her, like we did when you had your hip replacement surgery.
7. Laura needs advice on her combi boiler.
8. Laura needs to teach Jenna the proper way to sit with legs crossed.
9. Laura needs to be moved into the morning slot on WABC so
it coincides with her other main stations.
...and my favorite...
10. Laura needs a boob job.

*yawns and stretches* Slept in for awhile, so that was nice. Work has been easy, but kinda sad in a way. I had a talk first thing with my boss about me leaving, and trying to work out everything so that it works best with everyone's schedules. He kinda wants me to leave a bit earlier so they can fill my spot before the next show, which makes sense. Plus, since I was planning on maybe taking some time off anyways, I guess it looks like it works out for us all. So...I guess I'll be giving my month's notice next week.

Kinda just made all of this more real to me. I'm excited but I'm scared, too. He did say, though, I could go to temp part time for the remainder of my time here if I wanted, so I could at least make a little more money. So, I guess we'll see.

Finally got some quality time in with my man today, lol. Every once in awhile he mentions me leaving...and that he wants to keep seeing me after I go. I wasn't expecting that and don't really know how I feel about it. But it at least lets me know he cares, which is cute. :-)

Tomorrow is going to be hell. I work here from 8 to 2. Then I have to be in Radford at 3 to load-in. I'm hoping to do a straight 4-hour union run and get out of there by 7...so that I can shoot up to C-ville for Interrogation's show, lol. I don't really need to go for the business, but I desperately need the show for my own sanity, lol.

Song of the Day: Interrogation - "Lady Imposed" interrogation.fleshdepartment.com

So I think this dance show is gonna be great. Lots of talent there, and diversity. A nice chance to flex the creativity again. The performance space is a lot like Glass' auditorium, so I'm feeling pretty confident about putting up a design in there. I'm hoping that I can get load in done in time on Friday to hit a show up in Charlottesville, too. Hehe...lots of driving.

I went over to Wherehouse music today before going to work. Wow, very cool...had loads of obscure stuff...I even found cds from Circle of Dust and Bella Morte. Saw a lot of indie bands that I remember Jacob listened to, too. So that's cool...I recommend it, though it is a bit pricy.

All of a sudden I'm getting an influx of interest in RAM. Guess myspace is paying off after all. I noticed I took a giant leap in the charts...I'm now usually in the top 40 by views every day now in the gothic and industrial lists. So, rock on. Changed the main page to the site around...made my intentions more clear, plus will be maintaining a "new artists" catagory to get people to keep coming back. Now I just need to write some damn reviews.

Missing my dirty old man. But back to watching rehearsal...

Song of the Day: Delica - "Snowing In Here" www.delicamusic.com

Had a pop punk band email me today about being added to the site. *slams head on keyboard*

In other news, in a world where people aren't completely mindless, life is going good. Did some much needed updates to RAM last night and polished off a bottle of wine while I was at it. Today has also been relatively quiet. Did some building early this afternoon, but now am just wrapping up before I head out; tonight is my first rehearsal down at Radford for the dance show I'm lighting, so I'm heading out early in case I get lost, lol. This weekend should be somewhat stressful, but in that good "getting a show up and running" way. Then things are downhill for the most part...the show here is going to be easy, and then once that's over...

Well, I guess I move, eh? I realized that setting up the business here and then moving would be a lot of unneeded work, so now I'm thinking I'll go ahead and get up in NoVA first half of November. Once I get a place to live, I'm just going to take the remainder of the year to get all the paperwork set up and my inventory in.

On the final note, I got some spectacular news today in regards to everything. Definately can't say what, but it reminded me distinctly of the night when I was offered my internship at D1. I remember going to the Cellar and running into Charles and saying "I made it...I made it - I got in, this is my break." If I felt secure the end of last week, it's nothing to how I feel now.

Song of the Day: Celldweller - "Fade Away" www.celldweller.com

Music Tag (Heather made me do it)

The Rules: List 5 songs that you are currently loving. It doesn't matter what genre they're from, whether they have words, or even if they're any good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying right now.

Post these instructions, the artists, and the songs in your Xanga, then tag other Xanga friends to see what they're listening to.

Collide - "Razor Sharp"
Marilyn Manson - "Tainted Love"
51 Peg - "Rest Of Us (live)"
Lunarclick - "Drift"
A Perfect Circle - "Counting Bodies Like Sheep To The Rhythm Of The War Drums"

I'm going to tag Jacob & Glen.

Had another good clash online today. Been doing a lot of online promo about RAM moving to DC, so I got a message from a small "dark music" label interested in some promotional work. So I checked out the site, the music, etc., and emailed the dude back about my thoughts on all of that. Mostly metal artists, which is cool, whatever. I told him I could help in some ways, but that I may not be the best person because my personal focus was on genres slightly different from his.

Got a fairly snotty reply back, about how people should ignore commerically defined genres, and that if they'd be labeled goth/industrial they'd be offended, how it was obvious I wasn't open minded about music, blah blah blah, and I'm thinking...

What part of my site doesn't say "the best in indie glam/goth/industrial/synth rock" on it?

So I wrote him back and am like, dude...it's not a question about the art. It's about marketing. How effective is it going to be for me to pitch black metal to a synth rock fanbase? I was honest with you and told you I couldn't do it well. I could have been a dick and just taken your money. Christ. I just don't get it. Why whould you ever want to be an ass to someone you're trying to get to help you?

Starting this business is definately a learning experience.

Anyways. Been ok today. My grandma is in the hospital again, so that's kinda sad. Don't know what's wrong with her. Work has been quiet. DOM came down twice today and chilled out with me for awhile, so that was cute. Got some quality cuddling in. Then, for the most part, I've just been working online. Update RAM a bit, and just trying to get things moving again.

Wow, it was soooo nice to be painting again! I didn't even really do much that was "decorative", more of the measuring, taping, and basing, but it all came out really well. We're doing the kids' rooms, so we did this really awesome striped wall that I'm itching to try out here. Learned a few neat tricks today too that will undoubtedly make painting easier in the future.

Had a great time catching up with Lisa, too. She's now in the "oldest friends I still talk to" catagory since she's known me since my sophomore year in high school. She's always been very caring towards me, and though I don't think 'role model' is the correct term, me and her are a lot alike and I almost kind of feel she's sort of "paving the way" for me as she's always a few steps ahead and can relate to any situation I'm in.

So I spilled it to her; the good, the bad, and the ugly from the past couple of years, and I really appreciated the understanding and the non-judgemental attitude she showed me. Made me feel more comfortable about things, and also, like with my talk with Lou, made me feel like I've got a better handle on things than I originally thought, and know that I've got good people behind me as I do this.

We talked about some upcoming shows I might be involved in with her in the near future, so that's cool. All around a damn good day.

Song of the Day: Celldweller - "Own Little World" www.celldweller.com

So last night ended well...got off early so I called up Chris and crashed his bachelor party, which was fun. Poor guy, though...he must've been so hungover today.

The wedding was nice. Afterwards we headed over to the hotel for the reception and dinner. I got hooked up totally by one of the guys working the bar...I think I payed less than $5 the whole night, lol.

I still look like a drag queen in a dress, but at least I only have to wear one once or twice a year. It was still pretty bad, in all honesty. I'm so awkward in these situations. Having a few drinks didn't help like it usually does...actually made things worse this time. Apparently in the course of the evening I was readjusting my slip (you guys don't know what we girls suffer with formal dresses) in what I thought was an unobtrusive way, but in reality made my manager say "WHAT are you doing?!" So that was great. Then I also managed to dump a bit of every part of my dinner on me at some point during the night...you know...trying to cut chicken and having it fly into my lap...getting to the bottom of the ice tea where you have a big chunk of ice come crashing out...all those fun things. Thank God for quick drying fabric I guess. But I'm just about as ungraceful and as unpretty as they come at these things.

But at last the dancing came, and at least that I can do. When I've had a few. So I rocked the Macarena, the Electric Slide, and even to Lady Marmalade. Towards the end of the evening I started chatting again to one of Chris' friends, and that eventually led to him asking him to join him and some friends at Macados later on this evening. So I thought, score, and headed on over after the reception.

Nope. Nada. Got stood up. Welcome to my life. So I'm probably gonna have a few more beers here, and go to sleep in preparation for working with Lisa tomorrow, and pretend like having no social life is my choice.

Song of the Day: Concrete - "I Alone" www.myspace.com/concretemusic