Hotter Than a Pepper Sprout

Thanks to the wonders of Facebook, I learned that the anniversary of Jim Henson's death was May 16. People of a certain generation often say they remember when they heard about the JFK assassination, but I remember when I heard the news that Jim Henson died. I was a sophomore in college and developing photos at UW-Eau Claire for my photography class. I was twenty years old. Yes, this was so long ago that it was before digital photography and we actually learned how to develop film. It was a cool class that amazingly I survived, despite my fear of technology, by having Chad and our friend Matt help me load my camera (I mean that literally, not euphemistically). At the time I was sad, and shocked, but I don't think I fully appreciated at the time how much the Muppets meant (and still mean) to me. Sometimes I tell people I'm Walter, the Muppet-obsessed hero from the 2011 Muppet movie, and I'm only partially kidding. (I am embarrassed to admit I haven't even seen ...

It's been just a little over three weeks since the last show I was in, "Click, Clack, Moo, Cows That Type," closed. Even though I've still felt pretty crazed trying to catch up on all the stuff I let slide while being involved with that show, I've had a chance to do some ruminating on the take-aways I've gained in the last six or so years since I got involved in community theater. It would be awesome if I could apply (most) of these nuggets of wisdom to the rest of my non-theater life. Be present, be aware, be in the moment. Listen. Acting isn't just about standing around until it's your turn to talk. Be prepared. Obviously, you have to know your lines, but there is so much more you have to know...cues, blocking, entrances, where you props are, what costume you need. Until you get a handle on this, you can't even start acting. Blocking (know where you are supposed to be and what actions you are supposed to be doing) is really hard, but ...

This is perhaps a strange offering to post on Mother's Day, but my mom always supported my geekly pursuits, and was a big Dr. Who fan herself. I'm always a little sad that my mom didn't live to see the whole new era of Dr. Who! Last weekend Chad and I attended Comic Con. It was my first SciFi convention in about 30 years, (the first one Chad has ever been to) and I had a wonderful time. What I loved most was the sense of excitement and enthusiasm in the air. I also loved the feeling of community. There are a million different ways these days to be a geek, and although I don't share any fan love for Harry Potter or the Power Rangers (much less all the aspects of geekdom that I know nothing about), we were still all united by some common bonds of geekiness and drawn together as a community. I'm also very happy to say that my niece, Kate, is part of this geek community and we got to spend time together at Con. Me and my niece Kate.  The highlight for me was get...