Sicko

Regardless of what anyone else says, Michale Moore does make a good film. All one has to do is look at Sicko, his most recent documentary, to see that. The movie is sarcastic, insulting and dark yet somehow manages to evoke some of the strongest feelings of sympathy I have ever felt at a movie. It's a bittersweet catharsis the like of which I haven't felt since watching Bowling for Columbine.

I'm from Colorado so it was no surprise that I would connect to that particular work by the inflammatory documentarian. But one aspect of his film making always bothered me. His method of interviewing people who were antagonistic to his cause. When he practically assaulted U.S. congressmen and representatives for his Fahrenheit 911 movie, I almost disregarded his entire point.

Sicko has none of these inflammatory interviews, and even though his brand of sarcasm is easy to misinterpret, especially when he is interviewing French speaking Parisians, it's hard to hold it against him considering how insane some of his topics of conversation become. He does a good job of expressing the benefits of Socialized medicine in a good manner. Admittedly, he does miss a few key facts, like Cuban doctors earning less than Cuban bartenders, but his movie hits some very impressive key points.

Of course, the master of dark humor couldn't help getting one last parting shot in. The owner and operator of MooreWatch.com was recently forced to begin to close his site down due to the illness and subsequent health care issues of his wife. Moore, in a brilliant display of black generosity (the practice of doing good deeds to make others feel inferior or stupid, rather than for the purpose of helping people), donated the cost of the health bill anonymously. He may not be able to get away from his need to make people feel stupid, but at least he's doing some good while he's at it.

Sicko was an eye-opener, but it deserves more research and SHOULD NOT be taken at face value. Certainly I have been a longtime supporter of Socializing health care, ever since a trip to France in 8^th grade. And I am proud to say that I would vote for Hillery R. Clinton, if only for that reason. But Sicko is exactly the kind of inflammatory brilliance that could make a nation stand up and take notice of the problems that plague this 'great' nation.

Muah!
Lyrinoir

Alice (Experiments) in Wonderland: Day 3

Looooong day. Stayed up way too late and got up even earlier. We rerouted all of the Digital feed through a pair of converter boxes. Digital mumbo-jumbo aside, we accomplished almost nothing other than cutting down the amount of cable being used by about 25%. Not bad, but nothing to boast about.

I got started on the lighting design, but until the new projection screens get here, I'm stuck on that front too. Of course, it took several hours to realize this.

Tomorrow is just a work day. Maybe we can get something done.

Muah!
Lyrinoir

Alice (Experiments) in Wonderland: Day 2

Well the computers are all set up and the system was ready for a connectivity test when the directors decided to put it off until tomorrow. Which ultimately is good because the sound system is all kinds of messed up at the moment and one of the speakers isn't working.

I felt sort of bad about my minions today, if only because I didn't have a lot for them to do. Computers are really a one or two person job at most, at least at the scale we're working on. But I've started teaching them how things work and soon I won't have to do anything anymore! Hopefully.

Now I can start turning my attention to the lighting aspects of the show. I'd have hung them already, but our screens haven't shown up yet so I'm not sure exactly how everything is going to work out.

In the meantime, I found a wonderful little diversion in the form of a mass market paperback called The Looking Glass Wars. It's a little reworking of Lewis Carroll's original world. The writing is twitchy at best and downright overworked and redundant at worst, but it's an enjoyable read that's taking my mind off the real 4lice.

Alice (Experiments) in Wonderland: Day 1

Today was the first day of Alice Early Back. For those of you who are unfamiliar with college theater, the first show in the semester generally starts rehearsals before classes are back in session, to let the actors work without the stress of homework and tests. And so the designers have a large, unpaid labor force to put the show together. This is an excellent arrangement.

I'm the lighting designer for our site. And the Master Electrician. And the newly appointed IT (internet technology) guy. Which means I have a little crew of minions who have to do my bidding. It's a sweet gig.

That being said, I have a lot of work to get done in not a lot of time. We moved all the random junk out of the Lab Theater today and started setting up the new boards and computers that will be needed for the production.

Alice (or 4lice as I've started referring to it) is an inter-medial production linking three theaters on three different campuses together via Internet 2 hookups. Screens at each location display the events of the other two locations, as well as showing each site's off-stage green-screen set. The process isn't horrifically complex but it's not simple either. There's a whole lot that can go wrong and we only have two weeks to get everything shipshape.

Wish me luck

Muah!
Lyrinoir

Another New Year

Another new year has come and another old year has gone. I can't say that everything is fine, but even if its just for a few hours that really does not matter. I'm headed back to school early this time around to get started early early and maybe do better in life.

Regardless of reality, I hope that my readership is enjoying the new beginnings that a new year can offer them. I'm certainly going to. Best wishes and good luck.

For those of you who have regrets, throw them away and try to live life for today. Few things are as refreshing as our culture's arbitrary reset of the world every 364 days.

Muah!
Lyrinoir