2002-01-29 - 11:46 a.m.

They'll pay. They don't think they'll pay, but they'll pay.

This has not been one of those silences where nothing happens. This has been one of those silences where everything is happening and I have to time to write it all down.

Let's get the top news items out of the way first.

Dateline Denver. j$ does not get that job, or even a second interview. An embittered j$ says the company in question lacks vision and was heard to mutter "They'll pay. They don't think they'll pay, but they'll pay."

Dateline Denver. BigSis' site goes completely bonkers for forty-eight hours for no apparent reason. This coming two days before the first big event makes it a catastrophe of immense proportions. Federal government refuses request for declaration of national disaster. j$ spends many tense and angry hours trying to get any kind of intelligible communication out of hosting company (By the by, never, ever, ever work with eBizHosting.com. They suck donkey.) to no avail. Eventually the problem seems to magically fix itself. An embittered j$ says the company in question lacks any form of competence and was heard to mutter "They'll pay. They don't think they'll pay, but they'll pay."

Dateline Boulder. Rehearsals for King Lear proceed apace. The cast and crew are confident that this will be a great production, and likely become the yardstick against which all subsequent performances of Shakespeare will be measured. Especially that Bastard. The cast and the director are in agreement, nobody does Bastard like j$. The director says "The first second I saw him I knew he was a Bastard. Then I checked the script and discovered there was a Bastard in the play, so I thought he'd be perfect." However, not all is caviar wishes and champagne dreams on the set. Just last night, rehearsal turned ugly. The Bastard was in the midst of rehearsing his big climactic sword fight last night, when the heavy, clunky helmet he must wear during that scene leaped from his head and broke itself on the floor. His protestations to the contrary notwithstanding, some members of the cast thought he might have done it on purpose. "He is a Bastard, after all." Regan was overheard to say. When asked for his take on the incident, an embittered j$ said the theater company in question lacks combat training and was heard to mutter "They'll pay. They don't think they'll pay, but they'll pay."

Dateline Denver. This Saturday a spunky new understudy made his way into the rehearsal space for Cow Place for the first time. Confused and bewildered by the bright lights, bad jokes, and this strange thing called "Improv" he nevertheless acquitted himself well. Much fun was had and many of the aforementioned bad jokes were strewn around. When asked if he had brought any sketch ideas with him, j$ immediately trotted out two well-thought-out ideas, complete with sample dialogue. They were immediately shot down. j$ enjoyed the process immensely and is looking forward to more rehearsals and maybe even performances. When asked about the merciless discarding of his ideas, an embittered j$ said the director in question lacks a sense of humor and was heard to mutter "They'll pay. They don't think they'll pay, but they'll pay."

Dateline Westminster. This weekend, j$ shared his increasingly rare time with his girlfriend with said girlfriend's three-year old son. The visit to the much-vaunted Duck Pond went well, with plenty of time for hand-holding and parental beaming. When asked about it, CutestBoy said it was "neat". The following day's visit to the Butterfly Pavilion was also at least marginally successful. Despite CutestBoy's need to run around incessantly, his ability to ignore butterflies for the sake of pressing buttons, and the j$'s preoccupation with the aforementioned BigSis' site, a good time was had by all. When asked about it, CutestBoy said it was "different". The subsequent trip to see CandyBarMan and RedQueenGirl was also successful. That couple are mad for kids and took to CutestBoy like a duck to water. Much fun was had on all sides for about an hour, until the batteries on CutestBoy began to run down. At that point he shifted into hellion mode, and threw an ongoing temper tantrum that lasted until about 7:00 the next morning (with a brief respite for sleep). When asked his opinion of CandyBarMan and RedQueenGirl, CutestBoy said "I want my Daddy". The following morning, a sleep-deprived j$ said the child in question lacks impulse control when he's tired and was heard to mutter "He'll pay. He doesn't think he'll pay, but he'll pay."

So there you have it folks. The highlights of the last five or so days. I'll try to check in sooner, but it's getting harder. Busy. A good kind of busy, but busy nonetheless.