The Long Summer Wistfully Wanes

It truly has been a while since a serious post. A post longer than a terse sentence tossed off at a coffee shop. Or a post not fettered with the dismal and pessimistic meanderings my mind had been wrought with in the earlier summer months.

I'm happy to say much of my silence has been due to an overload of activities...from both the positive and mixed bag lots.

Mid-July saw Ross and I off to a much parred down getaway up to Minnesota's North Shore. We've given up an ever having any semblance of a "romantic" getaway, as any time our mind wanders that way...even after reservations may have been made..financially reality settles in. Plans and reservations are canceled and much cheaper activities sort out. Though to think three nights at a bed and breakfast is by any means extravagant...

C'est la vie. Well, it's our life at least. And we thoroughly enjoyed our rain drenched nights until our flimsy nylon tent in Minnesota's Superior coastline parks. No moose were spotted, but many a waterfall was sought out, many miles hiked and many aches and pains commiserated. And our bounding in the Northern wilderness also brought out in both of us a desire to persue the outdoors even further...daydreams of backpacking Yellowstone, Yosemite and Glacier now dance across our vision. New hiking boots (well, anything sturdy than our tennis shoes) are definitely on the radar...

It was back to work for both of us the following Monday. I descended briefly into boredom at work with little to do on the show loading in from New York...at least until dress rehearsals and previews when all hell poured forth in the form of unnecessary passive aggressiveness. Apparently much work had been desired of us, though little was let known until so late in the game. So while the rest of the shop moved forward with the NEXT show, I busily painted and dyed away on the show we were to have little to do with.

I love my job. I love my work. And a large part of my job is to make the creative team look exceptional by putting my best skill forward to help them realize their visions. Only none of us can do that unless we know what is actually needed of us. In the end, the politics brought into play didn't really gain anything more than our usual best, while creating a briefly irritating and belittling work environment. Though through it all, my boss' were incredibly supportive, and largely shouldered the brunt of the politics. And we still provided our best work to the visiting artistic team.

That show has opened to mixed reviews artistically, though across the board it is spurring many a thought provoking conversation. One can only hope it has a healthy run once it moves to Broadway.

On to the next show...a new work...an adaptation of a locally written novel. A show that provided me with a wide range of projects to fret and fuss over. Dying fabrics and trims to the designer's desired shades. Distressing and aging costume from light wear and tear over years of use to the bloody and mud stained uniforms of WWI soldiers. Delicate and dainty women's straw hats and a few hardier and rustic men's felt hats. An accessory here and there. And a trio of ghostly masks. A cornocopia of tasks to keep my mind churning and fingers occupied.

I have no idea how the show will be percieved (in all truth, after reading the novel I'm not quite sure how such an eposodic plot following so many could be adapted smoothly to a two and a half hour staged event). But the work I loved.

Ross battled the typical corporate retail problems. Four a.m. shifts kept him busy unloading trucks, stocking and generally trying to keep a tight back room both pre- and post-inventory. And with the weariness of such early mornings already settling in, classes began at MCTC.

Yup, Ross is a college student once again...he's already put in four long hours before I even head out the door most mornings, and after a full shift it's off to a foreign language, debating ethics, fine tuning his grammar and writing skills or playing with an acetylene torch.

Yet he's still mustered the energy to get out and about. A few Tuesday nights caught us at free movies and concerts at a nearby park.

Weekends usually pushed us outdoors to a state park loaded with trails (to date we've hit Nerstrand Big Woods, Wild River, Gooseberry Falls, Tettegouche, Grand Portage, Jay Cooke, Split Rock, Temperance River, Cascade River and Lake Maria....it appears Itasca and the Mississippi head waters will be next weekend).

However the past few weekends have offered us a bounty of those delightful last minute summer events...the renaissance festival and the state fair. As different as both my be, in essance we attend both of the same reasons...food and people watching. The Ren Faire wins for people watching by far. Though the State Fair offers more tasty treats...any lipid drenched and on a stick. I believe the healthy item consumed was a bowl of strawberries. Laden under a blanket of heavy whipped cream of course.

Today's outting was not nearly as crowded or deep fried...a leisurely morning at the zoo. The trip marks our first visit. The strollers and screaming youngster out numbered the enclosed wildlife. And apparently no turd goes unnoticed by a seven year old. I'm looking forward to getting down there again just to watching our own mammalian behaviors at play.

One more week of work lays before me, before my next layoff. As much as I dislike the lack of a paycheck during these brief furlongs, the down time will be much appreciated. Perhaps a few of my own personal projects will come to fruition.

There is Halloween and a zombie pub crawl just around the bend after all...