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10/31
Winter arrived yesterday morning, about 9:00 in the morning. I was working on
wrapping up a special project for a client, and I had the doors on the trailer
open as the rain began to beat an infrequent tattoo on the canopy. I felt the
temperature drop. I would say something like, "plummet," but that's
just so cliché. But it was the big turn, and it arrived right in time
for Halloween. Suddenly, the hot weather has abated, and my Saturday breakfast
meeting was moved from breakfast to a cozy Hut's Hamburgers lunch. Grilled Buffalo
(meat) Burger is just better on these cold, winter mornings.
I worked at a Halloween party last night, doing my thing, as it were, and I went dressed in costume — means I put on my cowboy hat over the things that I usually wear. No big deal, although, much later in the evening, I did hear a comment from passing waiter, "Kramer? I didn't recognize you in costume."
10/30
There's a columnist carried in the same section that I'm carried in, and through
her Friday's column, I found out that the Austin online journal folks are getting
together. I just wish I'd heard earlier because I'm working at the bookstore
that day. Bummer. Be interesting to put authors and faces together. Of course,
it also sounds a little like a poetry reading, and I'd wonder about that, like
when spoken word becomes written word, or the reverse.
10/29
The funniest comment I heard all day came from Bubba, "I'm living proof
that you shouldn't trust wine or condoms from a truck stop south of Ft. Worth."
Or, in answer to a question, "I'm in touch with my feminine side: if I
can't feel it, then I fake it." We need to get that boy a girlfriend. But
the funniest thing I read all day came in an e-mail, in response to my comment
about my lifestyle:
>besides you live like a monk right? go do some matins
or wear a hair
>shirt or something....
I did figure out that the afternoon cost a lot less money when I went into Congress
Avenue Books BEFORE going into the coffee place next door. I just couldn't find
a text that really attracted me, and the latest issue of Texas Sports had a
beautiful picture of a deer on it. Now, if that had a been a bass.... A Gemini
buddy surfaced from the "404" file, and we caught a quick dinner,
then did some serious CD shopping at "Cheapo Disks" — a supermarket
sized used CD place. I thought I was doing pretty good when the kid behind the
counter suggested that I had a two disks which didn't belong to next to each
other. Ted Nugent Live (Gonzo) and the B-52's Party Mix. And then a little Gustav
Mahler thrown in, for culture. Add a Left Field disk, and I thought I was doing
pretty good for weird, even in Austin.
10/28
Halloween colors. Just a short little click, a result of too much coffee, or
an exciting little Leo, or maybe even the Aquarius. I can never tell. But there's
a change in the weather coming soon, and we've really hit the ideal days, but
along with the clocks, there's going to be a big change soon. I can feel it
for sure. There were big, fluffy clouds, laden with moisture, billowing up from
the coast yesterday. Weird dreams, again last night, something to do with Star
Wars. Considering I never saw the latest installment, it makes me wonder why
I was dreaming about it.
10/27
Priorities. That's what I keep thinking about. Don't ask why, I'm not sure.
I had lunch at Magnolia Cafe, [once again] with a real writer, and we were discussing
some tech issues. Maybe not really issues, just shooting the breeze, as it were.
The discussion was gratefully devoid of a lot of buzzwords, although I did have
to show off my phone at one point, but I was trying to make a point, like, how
are you going to surf the web, or even read serious e-mail, via a screen that's
only about 20 characters wide with maybe five lines? Moot point, something better
will be along next week, I'm sure. Then, in the happiest of circumstances. I
wandered into "Adventures in Crime and Space" bookstore, just as they
were starting to unpack the latest William Gibson novel. The prepublication
buzz is good on this one, and there are scenes from some of the author's previous
work that are etched in my memory.
10/26
Saucer Wisdom by Rudy Rucker, and, by the title, one would be able to
surmise that it's just another UFO book full of not so interesting stuff, unless,
of course, you're really into that sort of thing. But I've been reading various
works, usually just the Science Fiction, by Professor Rucker for many years.
Did I mention that he teaches Computer Science and does [I know, check the bio
sheet] something, like maybe has an advanced degree, in mathematics? What that
means to me is that this isn't a typical book about UFO stuff. No alien anal
probes. Now, the problem I have is the frankly "metafiction" aspect
wherein the writer writes himself into the storyline pretty heavily. Of course,
I've been doing that with my scopes for years now, but I don't always like it
when an author I respect does that. But there you have it. And it's really not
so bad. As a literary device, he pulls it off pretty well, at least so far,
but I'm only about half done with the book. So far, though, I would certainly
recommend it.
10/25
I've found a nifty little cool weather shortcut to get to the bookstore, and
walking along the train tracks, I feel like a kid again. Then there's the deluge
of "after reading" mail, too, stuff that keeps me a lot busier than
I like to be, especially on a Sunday night. To exacerbate the situation, when
I stopped by Thundercloud for an evening menu choice, the good Gemini wasn't
working. I'm not complaining, but I missed her cutting, acerbic wit. "What
good on the menu? The burgers across the street, bubba."
10/24
Texas won, and we could hear the crowd in the stadium all the way down here
on the South Side, I suppose this all means something, but with the picture
perfect weather, I was more concerned with exercise in the great outdoors, especially
since I have to spend a better portion of today inside, doing readings at the
bookstore. At least, it's the most pleasant of circumstances, one of the truly
nifty little hole in the wall kind of places left on the planet. I did try for
a bit of Sagittarius adventure as I escorted a Sag girl downtown to Sixth Street.
Best I could do was hop in the cigar place for a quick cigar. I do believe my
friend was getting a little worried that she would run into one or both of her
daughters, what the girls would say about Mom with some long haired white guy
with no rhythm and poor fashion sense, or how her daughters might be attired.
Must be tough to be a mom.
10/23
The mornings are bitterly cold, even the cat snuggles up close to me at night,
and then the day gradually gets back up to a more normal range, something where
I don't have to have on shoes or shirt. I've been playing around with a Beta
version of some astrology software, and it came with really nice color printing
ability — only, the first time I tried to check out the color printing,
I discovered that color ink jet cartridges don't keep forever, and the first
one I popped into the printer was at least a few years old. I was always meaning
to print up some fancy color charts, only, I never got around to it. So I finally
sprang some big bucks for a new color print thing, and I spent a large part
of the evening making lots of mistakes and trying to get dandy color charts
printed out. The nicest feature of this software is the fact that it's really
forgiving about dates. The old version had to have the data exact, 3 letters
for the month, one or two digits for the date, and all 4 digits for the year.
New version? Pop in the month, say, 11 for November, and it does all the work.
Finally, we're up to date. The fuel for the night was provided by Texas Chili
Parlor Frito Pie. The waiter was aghast when I ordered the three pepper version,
and then licked the bowl clean. I like it hot.
10/22
Ain't many things I hate in my life. There isn't much that requires me to be
responsible when I'd rather not be. But Ma Wetzel was heading into town for
something, and her lawyer was coming by to fetch me from the trailer (Ma Wetzel
thinks trailer life is tacky), and I got call yesterday morning from a Virgo
Bass Master. Harem Master, too, as this particular fellow has about three or
four gorgeous women living under his roof. He just wanted to go, "air the
boat out some" on the lake yesterday, I had to miss it. So it was a nice
lunch with Ma and the lawyer, but it was also just about the same. Then, much
later in the evening, I was having some vegetables at Threadgill's listening
to the band warm up, and I was appreciative of just how sweet the yellow squash
was. And I know I've got to finish up my report on the Beta Software. This morning,
I was awaken by a Robert Earl Keen song, drifting through the window, it'll
be stuck in my head all day, "The Road Goes On Forever and the party Never
Ends."
10/21
I snuck by Ruta Maya to score a bag of coffee beans because my supply of Dark
Roast Espresso was running dangerously low. Just rounding the adjacent corner,
I almost ran over a female form with green hair, then I heard, like a voice
from the past, "Hello Kramer." I spun around, and it was a voice from
the past. A retired witch is back in town. No, not a another word that rhymes
with "witch," but an old friend from certain pagan circles. It was
fun to see her again, if only in passing for moment. We did the quick catch
up on each other, threatening to get together soon. I barely recognized the
girl, now that her hair is short, and certainly not its natural color. Me and
the Virgo with the big red truck went shooting out to Texas Chili Parlor for
a quick bite, and then amended our plans to include a coffee stop at Book People
which then became a quick book purchasing expedition. Thought for the day: Martha
Stewart and the WWF both doing an IPO; is this not a sign that the end is near?
10/20
I went downtown to stop by the bank and the post office yesterday, and as I
was standing in line at the bank, the person in front of me was asking the clerk
for some scary Halloween stamps. "We don't have anything scary...."
the clerk was saying, and my eyes noticed some great stamps that would be perfect
to scare just about anyone, little hearts, frilly pink border, roses, a design
left over from St. Valentine's Day? What could be more frightening? Shortly
after that, I was picking up a cigar from the humidor at Ruta Maya, and I stumbled
into a highly esoteric conversation along metaphysical lines, now, the night
before, after being so burned out from work and travel (what is it about airplanes
and airports that burns me out so?), I had been reading a little "Zen Flesh,
Zen Bones," and there was a very short story that made great sense. And
I applied it to the discussion in the coffee house. The Buddhist understood
completely. I had a chicken fried steak for dinner, to seek that balance point
between high level philosophy and Bubbahood.
10/19
For the last year or two, I've watched my buddy Grace the Psychic grow and change.
Her eldest male child has joined the army and is getting shipped off to some
war zone now. And Grace has a new husband, a strapping, healthy lad from back
East someplace. He kept making untoward comments about Texans, and on his most
recent round-trip, he was figuring by the time he got to Dallas, he was halfway
home to his new wife in El Paso. Dallas is a real long way from El Paso. Listening
to his travails was amusing, and watching his eyes light up when I popped a
large Jalapeno pepper in mouth tickled me, but more fun, was watching the newlyweds.
Watching them cavort about during that afternoon, including a late lunch at
Forti's Mexican Elder, it was like watching two kittens play. One minute, they're
swiping at each other, testing the mettle, another second, it's all hugs and
little terms of endearment. I was too entertained by the whole show.
10/18
The weird weather pattern, and the way the events I work in El Paso seem to
share in a strange, but coherent rhythm. We show up in town, and there is precipitation.
There's a pattern, and I wish the local populace would be a little more appreciative
of the good stuff we bring, i.e., rain, or, if you believe the reports,
even flurries of snow. And to think, I packed sandals and shorts for the day
after, looks like that's a bust. It was one of the cold and clear, definitely
winter mornings by the time I crawled out of the hotel bed this morning, and
I didn't really want to to look at e-mail, or another astrology chart, for the
rest of the day. But my work is never done, never completed, so I logged on,
and tried to field a few questions. Then the hotel broke the net connection
I had, so I took that as a sign I might be a little late in getting the daily
journal updated. Goal for today: get boots fixed. (There is a computer "boot
block" thing, but this is a pair of cowboy boots which need to be resoled.)
The Franklin Mountains look beautiful with a dusting of snow which became visible
as soon as the little cap of clouds lifted from the peaks.
10/17
Red eye is a perfect name for those early flights. And how easily I forget that
time is a relative thing, and subject to one's position on the planet. Like
in El Paso, "ten minutes" means within half an hour, standard time.
Call the hotel, "We'll have the van there in about ten minutes." So
it was good lesson in time, and I was reminded that I was in El Paso, once again.
Relax, take a deep breath, and here come the Scorpio's. And Gemini's, too. Or
two. They always show up to surprise me. And I finally got to meet Bubba, Grace's
husband. We're going fishing soon, I hope he knows that. Got the usual, "The
shark was so big it pulled the boat..." story. From the daily readings,
and after the stock market drop yesterday, turns out the only folks I saw today
were school teachers, or so it seemed.
10/16
Because I have a red eye flight to El Paso this morning, I was trying, yesterday,
to get up early, and get going so I'd go to sleep early. No naps, no rest. I
hit the newspaper machine and got a single copy of the day's paper to see if
the scopes ran. Did they ever. I then cleaned the machine out papers because
I was the side bar teaser on the first page. Now, was it vanity? Or was I just
being practical because I wouldn't want anyone else here at Shady Acres to know
I was on the front page of the paper? Bubba called before 8, "I'm sitting
here at the office, looking at the front page of the paper..." "I
know dude." "Yeah, and I was having a cigar with you just yesterday
afternoon..." But I wasn't recognized when I was out. Might have been because
my head was turned sideways for the photo shoot, like a lot of things that I
do, about 90 degrees off from "normal."
10/15
I figure that "best of Bach" is pretty good stuff. Gets the old blood
thumping. I went sliding down to Magnolia yesterday to meet with a few clients,
do a few readings, and get a good meal. "Mag Mud" (heart attack in
a bowl) was the starter, then some gingerbread pancakes. From there, I wandered
through downtown, intending to hit a bookstore when Bubba rings me on the cell,
"Where are you?" "Crossing Sixth Street, I think I'm going to
the Texas Tobacconist and see what they have for my El Paso trip..." We
met there, I bought him a drink in billiards parlor, and listened to his sheep
and goat jokes for a while. And folks wonder where I get this material.... then
as I was leafing through some reading material laying around the trailer, I
found an interesting quote in the London Times, Sep. 18, 1999, "Weekend"
section, 'Geoffrey Chaucer — father of English poetry — but who can
quote of line of him?' Actually, I have one of his quotes in my hammered Middle
English as an alternative E-mail sig file. Which then reminded me of an old
joke from the joke list, "Accounting majors ask, 'how much?' Science majors
ask, 'Why?' Engineer majors ask, 'How?' and Liberal Arts majors ask, 'Paper
or Plastic?'" I've amended that to, "So what's your birthday?"
10/14
Music for the day: Bach, Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. I've had BBQ, with the
same Virgo ("Kramer? I wouldn't touch him with yours!") three
times in the last week at the same place. Artz Ribs on South Lamar. I had to
help her do "manly" things like move heavy furniture that a delicate
Virgo girl can't seem to move. And I had to help her load a door into her truck
so she could return it. Don't even ask about that project, the door is stuck
shut on it. I took it upon myself to get her to swing by sporting goods store
where I wanted to look for fishing tackle. She was amazed at the row after row
of fishing lures, the appeal of the bright plastic worms, the size of the hooks
for some catfish. Then, as I was trying to find a new lure for an earring, she
found a perfect blue and silver one to match my eyes. The only problem was it
was marked at "1/2 oz." While it's great for casting, it's just too
heavy for dangling from my ear. Her comment? "If you're going to wear earrings,
then take it like man."
10/13
I had to slip back into the backless gown for part of yesterday morning, trying
to get some more of the artful hack work out of the way. One thing I'm proud
of, I can shift style and "writerly voice" long enough to get into
that gown for this ghost work. It looks like they will run with my stuff soon
enough. I just hope the check gets here. And after spending years advising clients
how publication schedules get screwed up, I'm a little worried about the stuff
coming up in the paper soon — but that's another project.
10/12
The after burn of the big weekend extravaganza finally sunk in last night. The
trailer was quiet, and I was laying on the couch with a cat asleep on my chest.
The Neighbor knocked on my door and offered me some leftover Chinese food. "Here,
you look fried." Last Thursday's "dinner in a styrofoam box"
was a sweet gesture. I didn't get any exercise, but I did manage to get the
suitcase packed for El Paso this coming weekend. There's a pile of work around
here that desperately needs my attention, and I did sit down and pay a few bills.
I found one bill left over from August 15, and I guess I was a little behind
on that routine paperwork at home. The red headed Capricorn did shoot by for
a moment, she was all excited about the new dollar store, and we did check it
out. Good junk, better than most, and of course, everything was only a dollar.
Sometimes, it's just the little joys derived from such treasures that a make
it a good day.
10/11
I can stare at the proof copies of the weekly scopes for the web for days, weeks,
months, and a typographical mistake or two always slips by that I can't catch
until the stuff goes live on the web. "Hey, you dipstick running a quart
low (webmaster, the boys in the back room, somebody else except the Virgo proof
reader), you missed this one!" Doesn't do much good, I seem to be the only
who works around here. And I worked all day Sunday, dressed up, as it were.
Yeah, I know, I've heard it before, "I think you look better with clothes
on, Kramer...." I do have a hot dating tip for the guys, though, I spent
a large part of the weekend swimming in estrogen, awash with wave after wave
of the stuff. This is what we refer to as a "Target Rich Environment."
There are more females, subtly and not so subtly, cruising. What better place,
boys? Get with the plan. I also had a brief moment of glory, as I got a chance
to talk to Robert Curry of Equinox, a London [Covent Garden] based astrology
shop, and he's one of the few astrologers that I have rather deep and profound
respect for. We shared a chuckle about one of his comments, one of those interesting
and weird congruities which showed up in one of my horoscopes, and one of his,
at the same time. We used the same song from Pink Floyd, and I just found that
ever so amusing. Of course, I was sure I was first, but I don't know.
10/10
I figure I must getting too old for the "Whole Life" show. By the
end of the evening, I was too beat to do much of anything. It was another Sagittarius
and Taurus day, with their numbers overwhelming me, and then to make for an
even odder coincidence, I wound up with not one, not two, but three different
folks with my exact same birthday. Too weird, even for me, and even for the
setting. I left a little early because just about everyone was at the big speaker
thing, and I was literally too worn to care. Going for the Sunday look this
morning, going to try the jeans, pressed shirt and tie look. Bolo tie, of course.
Saturday night I was so exhausted I couldn't even dig through my closet to find
a decent pearl buttoned shirt, just some dowdy Oxford cloth thing with lots
of starch and a button down collar. Charge slips, got to remember to bring charge
slips. And more business cards, went though a pile of them yesterday. Underwear?
Nah, won't need it today.
10/9
I guess I looked a little different from my compatriots, "brothers in arms"
as it were, at the big expo. I wore "Austin Formal" for the day, a
clean baseball hat with "Shakespeare" [fishing line] label, a Hawaiian
shirt (same one from yesterday, I mean, I only wore for the photo shoot), and
some shorts. To get really spruced up, I even wore underwear, again, a distinct
change. Boxers or briefs? That is the question. And I spent the day sitting
in front of the little computer, doing readings, and trying to figure out just
where the printer should be, how to arrange it all for maximum exposure since,
in a comic twist of cosmic irony, my booth is right by the Women's Rostrum.
Don't laugh, they really did screw up the booth numbers, and that's what I wound
up with. Ain't that a pisser?
10/8
It starts today, the big new age event for Austin, and I can only hope that
I'm all prepared. I've been pounding out weekly columns, and I had that sudden,
sinking feeling when I started to do the math. "34 inches — can you
get it down to about 800 words next time?" Nothing like looking an editor
in the eye, a Cancer editor at that, [with Mars and Venus in Gemini] feeling
a sinking sense that I've been here before. I figure that will be about 66 words
per sign. 66.6, to be exact. I wonder if there is some similarity? I did have
fun clowning with the photographer, though. It's just too bad he ran out of
film before we got to the upside down pictures. And my mother was worried about
the publicity shots, "Why don't you wear one of those nice shirts?"
They're all at the cleaners, that's my excuse. So the first headshot will be
me in a Hawaiian shirt — some surprise there, with a fishing lure for an
earring, some surprise there, too. After the photo shoot, I whisked off to meet
one of my favorite authors, Joe R. Lansdale. He was signing books, and I didn't
get much of a chance to chat with him, other than to observe that the English
seem to like his books just fine. Pretty strange for an author deeply rooted
in East Texas to be so popular over seas, I thought. Naturally, I'm very fond
of his work, and I've been following his publications for years now, SF, Fantasy,
Horror, a couple of Comic Books — excuse me — Graphic Novels, and
his more recent stuff which falls in the Mystery section. He had a deep East
Texas twang drawl, and he was a Scorpio, with a long Scorpio nose. I purchased
a special imprint of his most recent novel. Even got it inscribed to me. Made
my day.
10/7
And the news is errands — I spent the day with a Virgo, yet another Virgo,
and no matter where I went, I just couldn't get everything done on time. While
I was standing in the checkout line at Sam's, I asked the check out girls if
they needed a hand with the groceries, they looked at each other, and started
to clap. So much for humor. Worse yet, when I got home, the net software was
screwed up on my home computer. I wound up doing the Wednesday night AOL chat
from my PowerBook Good thing I have a back up. I heard from ANOTHER editor today,
and I've got a third possible writing assignment going on now. Just one more
weekly column to do. Fortunately, the editor didn't want too much verbiage.
I was comparing my scopes to other scopes, and there's a big difference in volume.
Mine are about twice the size as other weekly scopes. Song for the day? "Freebird."
Book for the day? "Coyote Blue" by Christopher Moore. (Hey, if you
don't know who sang "Freebird" you probably shouldn't be reading this
— it's the Southern Anthem.) And I wish Fredlet would make her page load
faster. I just don't have the time right now to straighten out all my links
for her.
10/6
Scorpio is back on top, according to the numbers the guys in the back room shoot
on over to me. The weather is cool in the morning, in fact, I found it necessary
to wear a shirt for a while. A little later in the day, though, I found myself
strolling downtown — looking for adventure, whatever comes my way. I happened
into a bookstore for some diversion, and although I was only there last week,
I just needed to "check on something" [Joe Lansdale will do a book
signing on Thursday afternoon — I've wanted to meet him for years], and
it turned out to be a fortuitous visit. I found a very rare hardback copy of
an English (as in England, UK — English) imprint of a book that has gone
missing from my collection: Armageddon: the Musical (Rankin, Robert.
London: Bloomsbury, 1990). It even looks like a first edition. The copy which
has failed to turn up in many moves, long gone from that collection over the
headboard in my bedroom was paperback, as I recall. A little later, a little
further down the road, I was sipping on a concoction made from Amy's Mexican
Vanilla Ice Cream, Ruta Maya espresso, and I was meandering home along the river
with my shirt off, thinking to myself, "Self, it just don't get no better
than this."
10/5
Yesterday dawned cool and clear, a welcome relief after a weekend of toil and
trouble. I'm getting ready for the big Whole Foods New Age Exposition and Carnival
coming up this weekend. Monday always seems to fall apart, and after chatting
with a red headed Capricorn, we decided, or she decided and I followed, for
a quick hike around the lake then a lovely afternoon repast at the Hula Hut,
on Lake Austin. Two lakes in one day, all along the Colorado River. Made for
a Capricorn day, too, as we had a Cap server bring us Fish Tacos, Shrimp Flautas,
Coconut Shrimp, the lovely Garlic home fries thing and grilled salmon. And then
the most curious item, pistachios in the salad. The evening was more simple
fare, a cigar, a little Monday football with the Neighbor, some relaxation was
in order. Nothing too serious I think it was a boring game, but the evening
fell into one of those times when I lost belching contest, and that indicates
the direction the night went.
10/4
I don't know what's been more fun, yesterday, at the end of the day, I was attempting
to fold a large tablecloth, and as I stepped into the center of the room to
shake it out, I had a sudden whim, and I wrapped it around myself. One of the
late fair attendees took it upon herself to show me how to drape it more effectively.
If I hadn't been wearing a shirt and tie, I would have had one breast exposed.
I concluded the day while sipping ice tea as a particular Pisces slammed beers
with a Virgo sipping on Margaritas, and a Sagittarius girl who joined us a little
later, sucking on Corona beer — we were on the patio at Guero's. We stayed
late, and the Cancer waiter seemed a little put out with us, especially after
the Pisces kept trying to pop her purse straps and making suggestive sounds.
10/3
I knew I was in trouble when I had to do a little pirouette to prove that I
was wearing jeans and boots, not a dress, or a "man wrap." So much
for Saturday morning at the psychic fair. As I was setting up, stringing cable,
and digging stuff out of my bag of tricks, two other psychics approached me
with problems, one with a computer problem, and another with a tape recorder
that wouldn't work, "Here, Kramer, Elaine says you can fix all sorts of
electrical stuff...." (Just turn the switch to "on"....) Dinner
after the show was big affair with Bubba and yet another Virgo joining me and
a Pisces. Me and that Pisces, we discussed menu options, "You know,"
she pointed out, "shrimp are the roaches of the sea; they suck stuff off
the bottom." Shrimp was out. "And check the anatomy of a lobster —
it's a large insect." Chicken? "Chicken sure, no problem, except they
scratch around in their own [excrement]." Burger? "Don't even start
me on beef...." I had a vegetable plate. A little later, the Virgo piped
in as the discussion got even more animated, "You may call it Tequila,
but I call it estrogen."
10/2
I had to layoff the ghost writing for a day — I've found that payment for
services is intrinsic to what I do, and when an entity contracts me for a service,
my ability to produce is directly tied to my hunger factor. I've also found
very few of the restaurants I prefer take "I'll pay you in about 45 days"
as an acceptable way to sign my tab. Grocery store is about the same way. But
it never hurts to upset the routine a little, and I had lunch with my lawyers,
a little nap, then a quick hike around the lake, just to check on a few fishing
spots. Going to be quiet night before a big weekend. I'm still wondering if
I can fit in that little outfit today — just to upset the routine.
10/1
Anybody coming out to see me this weekend will probably be very disappointed
because I won't be wearing a dress. See the previous entries for that allusion.
Or illusion — whatever. I did get out to see a rousing "Shakespeare
under the stars" performance of "All's Well [that ends well]"
and there was nice announcement about the stuff coming up in the next season.
If this year's season is any indication, the Austin Shakespeare Festival is
trying for a new level with Julius Caesar and Midsummer Night's Dream next season.
Having just had a good day, I dropped ten bucks in the bucket. Even by the half-time
(technical term is "intermission"), I was very impressed. Some of
this is material that I've covered before, but the Fool was particularly well–played,
and his (her) lines really rang true. There was the best spoof on a spoof (on
a spoof, if you know your Shakespeare play acting history) because even through
the part of the clown was played by a woman, the character he (she) was supposed
to marry was a woman played by a man. It was by no means the center point, but
one of those added bits that showed the play's production was rather well thought
out. It was set against a psychedelic Sixties backdrop, sort of an ambiance
that wasn't too distracting, but the use of music, specifically, stuff from
the mid–sixties, really added depth. I still liked the clown best. Add
a little Amy's ice cream to cap off a night with a Virgo.