The party on the 4th with folks from Unexpected Productions was just about the most fun I’ve had in months. The weather was scorching hot and we were on one of the ensemble member’s houseboat, a modestly-sized bachelor pad parked at a marina right next to where the fireworks were to be on display.
I was one of the earlier arrivals as I had gone to work beforehand so I would be able to park in the vicinity. It was still a good 25 minute walk or so, and I was ready to hit the lake pretty much on arrival.
Turns out there was a boat across from us on the slip where a bunch of folks were having a blast harrassing the legion of tourist ducks that were creating almost constant traffic, entering and exiting the water from the boat ramp right next to us. We got into it, loading up waterguns, swimming up to the ducks and firing mercilessly at the passengers as the boats kept crossing by. The reactions were mixed, but most of them seemed to take it pretty well. Word got out we were doing it, though, and some of the drivers tried firing back at us with their own waterguns, while a few of the more boring ones lowered the window covers on their vehicles in an attempt to block us out entirely.
It was about the most juvenile sport I’ve been a part of in a long time, but it was great. I took a few photos of the view from his houseboat:
Everyone brought meat of some form to the party, and the barbecue was fantastic. I’m not normally a big pork eater but the owner had marinated a huge tenderloin that got grilled by one of the ensemble members who doubles as something of a chef, and was without a doubt the most succulent pork I’ve ever tasted. Others brought sausages, steak shishkebabs and more. Once we were loaded up on meat and drink we hung out on the rooftop patio of the boat to watch the fireworks:
… I suppose that’s about the best quality I could expect from an iPhone taking pictures at night.
Anyway, it was pretty spectacular and a blast of a time with some fantastic friends. So glad I could make it out this year!
On Monday we shipped my big project to Apple, where it’s been in review ever since. If agreements hold up, it’ll be available on the 14th, which is when a massive advertising campaign begins.
It shipped with a few known and understood bugs and with some feature compromises in order to keep from jeopardizing stability of the build, but on the whole we managed to get it pretty damn stable in time for launch. I’m proud of it… the client is getting one hell of a deal from us. I’ve been taking it a bit easier this week, although they’ve already got me working on some other side projects while we negotiate and get a contract signed for versions 1.1 and 2.
Weather has been pretty great on the whole, with a few exceptions here and there. It’s as though we’re finally getting some payback for the lousy summers we’ve had the past couple of years. I was glad for the good weather Thursday morning, when I was on the highway driving to work and out of nowhere my front passenger-side window shattered in on me.
I shouted an epithet or two and navigated my way off the highway and into a nearby parking lot. I never saw what caused the glass to shatter but I assume it was a small rock or something kicked up by another vehicle. None of the glass hit me and fortunately there was nobody in the passenger seat, but I couldn’t very well continue the drive to Seattle. The next hour or so was spent learning what one does in these situations, as I called around to my parents, my insurance company, the car dealership and other glass repair places. There was no use going through insurance and the dealership said they could fix it for $300-$500, but also offered that an auto glass place might do it cheaper. They recommended a shop and I called them, and sure enough they would do it for $190 plus tax, but I became frustrated as the guy there had to make a call to check if they could get the glass for my car the same day or not, and after fifteen minutes still hadn’t called me back. I called him and asked how much longer it was going to take, as I had to make a decision about what I was going to do. He told me that it shouldn’t be more than fifteen minutes… I think he said it, though, too quickly to stop himself as he realized in that same moment that fifteen minutes had already gone by. He quickly added he’d call the guy over there again in another five minutes, and I accepted that, a little beleaguered that it took them so long just to check the inventory over at their warehouse.
I checked on my phone for another auto glass place, and the woman there was able to put me on hold less than a minute while she checked their warehouse inventory. She told me they could have the glass in by 2 PM, and they were five bucks cheaper to boot, so I gladly made an appointment and was half-way home when I finally got a call back from the first place and was able to tell them thanks-but-no.
So by the end of the day I was 200 bucks poorer but now have a new passenger window in my car. I know it won’t stay this way, but at the moment it’s eerily clean and without any sign of wear, and is so transparent that it still kind of looks like my car is missing a window.
I’ve been away from Theatresports ever since Fiddler opened and on since it closed again as I’ve been so burned out from work, but I made something of an unexpected return last night when an ensemble member emailed me asking if I could take her place. I agreed, and it was good to get back on stage and do what I love. My team did a respectable job and we wound up winning, although I think the judging was wonky. So it looks like I’ll be going back again next weekend.
I had a horrible time getting there, though, as the I-90 bridge has been closed heading into Seattle this week for maintenance, which means traffic on the 520 has been brutal. In fact, I wound up staying and working from home on Friday, the bridge traffic was backed up so far. My plan was to wait until the middle of the day, or the afternoon, or any time other than rush hour to get into the city, go to work, and then head to the theatre from there, but there was not a single point in the entire day where the traffic maps weren’t blackened out. So I left an hour earlier than normal and made my way in. Of course, on the way home they unexpectedly opened the 520 bridge (how they can see fit to do that when the only other bridge is under construction I have no clue), so I wound up taking about a 20 minute detour because of that. On the whole, Seattle traffic and the constant construction we’re experiencing right in the way of my commute are pretty high on my pet peeves list.
That’s about all there is to report. Gonna go outside now and enjoy the summer while it’s still here.
Dan.
