What do "The Music Man" and "Macbeth" have in common?

Posted by Randy David Friday, January 30, 2009 3:54 PM 0 comments
Answer: Both may soon be performed in the nude. Seventy-six trombones, indeed! OK, probably not nude but sans costume at least. According to the Southern Oregon Mail Tribune burglars recently broke into the costume shop of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and made off with the costumes for both shows. They left behind a video camera and some cell phones.

The show's are scheduled to open on the 15th and 13th of February respectively. Since my wife helps with costuming at Young People's Theater, I understand how much work goes into getting a costume just right. I hope they come to their senses and return the costumes.

What are they doing with them anyway? Making their own movie?

Harold Hill: A man can't turn tail and run just because a little personal risk is involved. What did Shakespeare say? "Cowards die a thousand deaths, the brave man... only 500"?

Lady Macbeth: Screw your courage to the sticking-place.

Mayor Shinn: Not one poop out of you, Madame!
Mrs. Shinn: I think he means "peep"!

Second Witch: By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes.

Harold Hill (agreeing): Mothers of River City, heed that warning before it's too late! Watch for the telltale signs of corruption! The minute your son leaves the house, does he rebuckle his knickerbockers below the knee? Is there a nicotine stain on his index finger? A dime-novel hidden in the corncrib? Is he starting to memorize jokes from Captain Billy's Whiz-Bang? Are certain words creeping into his conversation? Words like "swell" and "so's your old man"? If so my friends, ya got trouble!

Macbeth: I am in blood. Stepp'd in so far, that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o'er.

Zaneeta: Papa, please! It's 'Capulets' like you who make blood in the marketplace! Ye Gods!

Macbeth: Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.



For God's sake, please bring back the costumes!

Snow in St. Louis

Posted by Randy David Wednesday, January 28, 2009 12:31 PM 0 comments
We had some snow in St. Louis. It didn't take long for Cards fans to make their feelings known. These are shots of the vacant lot next to Busch Stadium. They were emailed to me so I don't know who get's credit. Nice job and GO CARDS!

From Blogger Pictures


From Blogger Pictures


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College Hockey

Posted by Randy David 12:13 PM 0 comments
I'm a huge fan of college hockey. There are some interesting things happening in that sport this week.

First, the death knell has sounded for the College Hockey America (CHA) conference. The conference was down to four teams after some defections the last couple of years. With Niagara University and Robert Morris University jumping ship to join the Atlantic Hockey conference, only Bemidji State and Alabama-Huntsville are left. Bemidji as made it clear they intend to apply for membership in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) and the WCHA has temporarily lifted their ban on expansion. This clears the way for them to apply for membership. It is unclear if they have the support of enough of the other schools to allow them to become members for men's hockey. Their women's hockey team already plays in the conference so it would seem like a natural fit. What happens to Alabama-Huntsville's program? Will there be a re-alignment shuffle with a team from the Central College Hockey Association (CCHA) joining Bemidji in the WCHA? The two CCHA teams most likely to make the switch are the University of Nebraska-Omaha and Northern Michigan University. If that happens will this allow Alabama-Huntsville to join the more geographically advantageous CCHA? Without a conference alignment it would be very difficult for either program to survive for long. That would be a shame as both teams have good history and loyal fans.

If UNO and Bemidji make the move to the WCHA this would put my three favorite teams (Bemidji, UNO and Minnesota) in the same conference. What will I do, then? Oh, the humanity!

The other news big news is the departure of Andrew Conboy from the Michigan State program after he was suspended for throwing a cheap shot at a Michigan player last weekend. I think he will turn pro and leave the college ranks all together. Good riddance.




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You Decide

Posted by Randy David Friday, January 23, 2009 9:11 AM 0 comments
I'd like you to look at these photos. These are photos of my 15 year old daughter's room. They are posted here because I'd like a couple of hundred opinions. Is this room messy or clean? Pretty simple, huh? But not it my daughter's eyes. That lovely young girl who used to be charming and smart and NEVER told a lie, has suddenly become, well, a teenager.

Every two weeks my wife and I hire an outside company to come in and do a good house cleaning. Being a double career family it gets to be too much to keep up with some of the chores and still have ANY time to spend as a family. So call it a "perk" we granted ourselves and our children. In order for the cleaning team to do a good job we need to prepare by making sure that things in the house are put away so they can vacuum, dust, etc. They come to the house every other Thursday and the reminders start on the Sunday before they come. Is your clean laundry all put away? Is your dirty laundry in your hamper? Is your room clean? Since the kids' rooms are upstairs and the master bedroom is on the main floor, we don't walk by their rooms everyday.

Wednesday night as usual, we asked the final question: "Is your your room clean and ready for the cleaning crew tomorrow?" The 15 year-old rolled her eyes. She considers this nagging. She sighed, "Yes, my room is clean."

After everyone else had left the house yesterday, I noticed one last basket of my daughter's clean laundry sitting at the bottom of the stairs. Figuring I would do her a favor and carry the clothes up to her room, I headed up the stairs. You know those cartoon characters with the steam coming out of their ears? Well that's probably what I looked like when I got to her room. The pictures are my evidence.

She STILL insists her room was "clean" enough for the cleaning crew to do their job. I leave the final decision in your hands. Please vote below.


From Room photos

From Room photos

From Room photos

From Room photos





<a href="http://www.buzzdash.com/polls/does-the-room-in-the-pictures-qualify-as-145081/">Does the room in the pictures qualify as </a> | <a href="http://www.buzzdash.com">BuzzDash polls</a>


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What a Day!

Posted by Randy David Wednesday, January 21, 2009 10:46 AM 1 comments

I love our country. Watching on television as Barack Obama took the oath of office, yesterday, I was overcome with awe at the site of all the people on the National Mall. That alone spoke volumes about the hope the American people are pinning on our new leader.


President Obama did not sugar-coat things. He outlined the work ahead, and called on all Americans to do their part. He said, "What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility, a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task."

I love that part of his governing philosophy: government as leader, but not as provider. He also added, "In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom."

He offers the United States an opportunity to rebuild it's respect internationally. The most memorable line of the speech was, "To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist."


Did anyone else cringe with awareness that his predecessors were sitting a few feet away when he said, "On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and
false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics"
? Again when he added, "Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint."

It was a terrific speech. It's nice to feel more pride about being an American again. Good luck, Mr. President.

National Day of Service

Posted by Randy David Tuesday, January 20, 2009 10:17 AM 0 comments
Typically, I'm not a big volunteer kind of guy. What little spare time I have is usually reserved for reading or watching movies.

Recently I received an email from the Obama campaign with a video appeal from Michelle Obama linked to it. I briefly watched the video but what was more compelling was a link that was included. The website is called usaservice.org and it's a clearing house of sorts for volunteers looking to help out. I plugged in my zip code and several volunteer opportunities appeared on an interactive map. Suddenly I felt compelled to contribute some time. There was an event taking place Monday morning at a county park nearby. It required two hours of commitment walking the parks trails and picking up trash. The fruits of our labor would then be recycled. My thirteen year old son, Troyer, decided to join me so we signed up to be there and pitch in.

We showed up on a chilly morning at 9:00 AM to do our part. We met up with about two dozen people of varying ages, races, and economic situations. The event organizers were a very nice couple, Mary and Chuck Schubert. Mary is a park ranger in the national park system and Chuck is a retired Boeing engineer. They had everything set to go. We all signed in and recieved name tags and split into four groups to cover more ground. My son and I walked with Steve, who works at Pfizer and is from Michigan, his dog Blake, and Kevin who we later discovered is an out of work electronics worker. We covered a lot of ground, but quite frankly, it is a VERY clean park already. Troyer and I only filled about a half a kitchen-sized trash bag in a little more than an hour and a half.

Afterward Chuck and Mary invited everyone for coffee to the local St. Louis Bread Company restaurant. About eight or nine of us took them up on their offer. While we warmed up with some warm beverages we started to learn more about each other. Karen is a professional singer who offered Troyer encouragement with his love of theater. Chuck and Mary have been to a lot of national parks and shared their travel recommendations and adventures with us. Kevin is a very nice guy and I wish him the best in his search for new career and possibly going back to school. Troyer enjoyed the feeling that came with participating. I think it reinforced in him that there are a lot of nice people out there. I've never felt more like part of community.

This is one of the reasons I admire the Obama organization so much. They really know how to use the tools at their disposal. From facebook to twitter to asking for donations, they hit all the right notes. Now they possess a database of email addresses of people they can mobilize with a quick video email. Say what you will about race, I think the true change in this administration will be how they utilize that advantage. All I can say is that I have every confidence in our new president to bring us together.