Month: May 2007

  • The Daily News

    1  So...Jerry Falwell walks into a bar...

    2  What a peach.

    3  Okay Jer, bon voyageee.

    4  Moving on: The DN suddenly took a turn for the worse around a month ago. I had been simply copying and pasting names on the mailing list, and one day AOL didn't work, so I switched to Mozilla. Evidently Mozilla cut off some names and people suddenly aren't getting the DN.

    5  Hmmm.

    6  If you have an older one, like around November, could you send it to me so I could cut and paste the list? I stopped doing "groups" a long time ago. It is much easier to me to cut and paste the names and then send it off, but evidently only AOL will send all the names.

    7  I never even got a notice from Mozilla, so the only way I'm finding this out is that people are asking where it went. It even cut out my own mom and dad!

    8  G-r-r-r-r.
                                                    
     
                        

    9  Anywho, I'm workin' on it.

    10  It's been a rough row to hoe on the DN this year. I STILL can't get pictures anymore, unless they are already saved in my docs.

    11  Moving on:  Fear not, I'll continue writing all this nonsense, because as I've said, I don't really write it anyway. It just goes right through me, like a bad beer.

    12  Or a bad analogy, which I am the king of. Of which I am the king.

    13  Or is it the mixed metaphors? Love 'em.

    14  Nothing better than being a cheap hack.

    15  Moving on, Part Two: Is My Space still a big fad, or is some other thing now the big deal? What's that one, Facebook? Tom sez no.
                                             
                                                

    16  Meh.

    17  Something.
     
    18  Moving on, Part Three:  That pumpkinhead Billy Corgan is re-uniting The Smashing Pumpkins for an eight-show extravaganza at the Fillmore in SF beginning on July 22. 25 bucks a pop, and tix go on sale Sunday morning at 10 a.m. at ticketmaster.com and livenation.com. Limit is 2 per person. Yeah. Right.  Pumpkinhead Corgan will be joined so far by drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. Uh...and...

    19  I always forget. Weren't they Smashing Pumpkins, and then changed their names to The Smashing Pumpkins, or did was it the other way?

    20  Anyway, I guess that's a very big deal.

    21  Meh.

    22  Didn't Chamberlin play a doctor in an old TV series? Or was he one of Shakespeare's homies?

    23  Okay, okay...

    24  Pray for me Jerry.

    25  Another Jerry, the one who got in.

    26  M'bad.

    27  I better go.

    28  You guys have a wonderful Wednesday.

    29  And Warriors fans, it was a great run.
                                           
                                                      

    30  Send me an old DN. The Doctore is in.

    31  Peace.



    ~H~


     

     

            

     

    http://www.xanga.com/bharrington

     

     

     

  • The Daily News

    1  It's May 15.

    2  That's amazing.

    3  Usually a school year seems to drag on forever, but for some reason, this year is flying by.

    4  I'm guessing it's the job.

    5  Like one minute I'm worrying about how many cops to throw at a Friday event, and the next instant I'm guessing how much cake to order for a party of 350.

    6  Ah, it's a livin'.

    7  Moving on:  The shoelace thing happened again. I can't seem to get a break when it comes to shoelaces. I always feel that the ones I buy don't stay tied. Drives me crazy.

    8  I begin imagining Shoelace Designer Guy sitting down while I take him down about eight pegs.

    9  "Let me get this straight...all you DO is design shoelaces. It's WHAT you do! Has it ever occurred to you to make a shoelace that STAYS TIED?!?!?!"



    10  The other day they brought out this basketball shoe that costs fifteen bucks. They had all sorts of basketball players test it out, and it came away with mixed reviews. They did show all that went into shoemaking though: the cush on the front, the uppers, the comfort in the rear, the ability to breathe, bendability, etc.

    11  It was clear from the commercial that they have scientists and shoemakers busying themselves with gadgets and controls, inventions, and incentives on how to build a better shoe.

    12  I'm guessin' guys have been fired and hired based on how well they can come up with the perfect product.

    13 I can't help but think that the shoelace industry MUST be somewhat competitive, but alas!

    14  I string new laces in a shoe, and they will inevitably untie themselves, and I'll look like an eighth-grader walking home from school, the one lace flopping around on the cement with each step.



    15  Moving on, Part the Second: If that's my only trouble, I have no troubles.

    16  Still...

    17  Maybe it's just that it's Tuesday, and I just need somewhere to vent my frustrations and angers stemming from having to work all day, and that much of it is pent up insecurities from something that happened to me when I was just a little guy.

    18  Pop psychology.

    19  Maybe I'm just tired of going to work, like everyone else.

    20  Or maybe I just legitimately am fed up with shoelaces, and it's just that simple.

    21  Ah, goodness knows.

    22  I'm just happy to be walkin' around.

    23  Even if my shoes DO come untied.



    24  You know that saying. I complained about my shoelaces, and then I met a man who didn't have any shoelaces.

    25  Count your blessings.

    26  Have a WONDERFUL Toozdee.

    27  Peace.

    ~H~

  • The Daily News



    "Oh! Hullo there!"


    1  Okay, here's one comin' right atcha. Freddie Lewis. There's a name we've all heard. Ever heard of him?

    2  Well! The Giants brought him up the other day and just yesterday and he proceeded to hit for the cycle.

    3  Ah, that's just fun.

    4  What else? Ah...the Warriors got beaten by one huge three-pointer last night.

    5  Happens. Gonna be a tough go from here.

    6  Moving on: Bullshot again delivered on Saturday night. I really love the show. From the opening scene to the very fun ending, the Workshop has just pulled it beautifully. They go up again this Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 so come on down and enjoy this fun show! Bring ten friends.

    7  Moving on, Part 2: Yesterday someone asked me what time it was, and I  said that the only clock I have that is accurate is my cell phone.

    8  But I started looking around.



    9  I have a clock everywhere I turn. There is a clock over my kitchen window, and it is four minutes fast. The clock on my refrigerator doesn't tell time, but the one on my stove does, and it's six minutes fast. The microwave clock was just blinking on and off the other day, the result of a blackout that I just sort of clearly ignored. It's now five minutes fast. The coffee pot is two minutes fast, and the one on my computer appears to be within a minute of correct. Right next to that one is a clock radio I have in the event I fall asleep at the computer. It's exacty seven minutes fast, and is the one I tend to go by. I have a gift pocket watch from the Pigeon Players, and I have it set a bit fast as well.

    10  The clock on the television is on Eastern time, so I have no idea really what time it is, except it's a three-hour difference whatever the time.

    11  The clock on the stereo in the living room is always on, but I've never consulted it.

    12  Too unreliable.

    13  One of my two printers also has a clock.

    14  Someone really thinks that time is of the essence.

    15  I remember in my mom's house growing up. We had one clock in the kitchen.  If we needed to know the time, we could always look at that clock. If it was off, we just called POPCORN, where a woman who must have been the mother or grandmother of the current POPCORN lady would tell us the time in a very officious, robotic manner. But it was on World time, and as accurate as a Swiss watch.

    16  Unfortunately,  my attention span was as solid as Swiss cheese.

    17  So yesterday this old song by Chicago came on the radio.

    18  It was called, Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?

    19  I started looking around at all the things that have clocks in my house and I was pretty astounded. EVERYTHING has a clock, which is why EVERYTHING now comes with a CD that you need to consult in order to set the time correctly.

    20  That song just made a lot of sense, only in a different fashion than its original intention.

    21  I always love when every now and again a student would walk up to me and ask, "Do you know what time is it?"

    22  No, but if you hum a few bars...



    23  Anyway, the real time is that it's Monday.

    24  YOU know the rules.

    25  Make yourself scarce.

    26  Make yourself invisible on Mondays.

    27  Fly low.

    28  Then go straight home.

    29  It's the least you can do.

    30  If someone tries to stop you, just tell them you have to get home to count
    your clocks.

    31  They'll think you're eccentric and may just leave you alone for the rest of your career.

    32  Have a wonderful Monday.

    33  And don't think too much about what time it is. Or even what time is it.

    34  Just live.

    35   Peace.

    ~H~

  • The Daily News


    Graffiti now painted over at Camp Anytown, 2004

    1  The Drama students officially kicked off ANOTHER show last night to the delight of a bewildered and amused audience. I don't think the audience knew quite what to expect, which made the entire night rock.

    2  I left in awe of how those students continue to keep shows going long after I had thought it could no longer be done. Bullshot is clearly the defining moment for these guys, as it is the first full-length play in years, AND it has so many technical devices it's almost explosively funny just watching the things fly in and out.

    3  It's almost as though someone took all the cheap tricks you see in a Drama class and threw them into one hilarious show.

    4  I'm still spinning from laughing. These guys did remarkably well with very little guidance.

    5  I should qualify that, for the record. Paul Zawilski is the Drama advisor and has been kind enough to represent the students, and for that we should give him sound applause.Tracy Wolcott likewise sent e-mails to the staff encouraging them to help the students any way they could. And so there are saints, and Tracy and Paul are two of them.

    6  They were both there for the students last night, and deserve great praise for going above and beyond.

    7  In terms of the show proper, however, the students have molded themselves into a Drama machine. It's always so good to see the laughter and good spirit going on in a major production, especially a production of the magnitude of Bullshot Crummond.

    8  I hope everyone can get out there and see this show. It was so stupid it was funny. Great way, really, to look at it. It had such fun acting, lines, sight gags, and all the rest that you couldn't help but go home with a great big smile on your face.

    9  Congrats to the entire Company for an outstanding job.

    10  I just had a nice time.

    11  You guys rock.

    12  And Tracy, thanks for all the support over the years pal.

    13  We'll see y'all  soon. No show tonight but there will be another on Saturday.

    14  Expect to laugh.

    15  And laugh.

    16  And laugh,

    17  Peace.

    ~H~


  • The Daily News


    1   OPENING NIGHT!!!!. I always LOVE Opening Night! Ah, the excitement and wonder of a new show, especially a show as amazingly complex and hilarious as Bullshot Crummond! Live it, breathe it, remember it!

    2   Headline in yesterday's Merc News sports: Harrington unveils new energy in Round 2.

    3   Ain't it the Truth.

    4  The fighter still remains. He's pretty bashed in, but his remains seem still somewhat intact. But fear not, the fighter still remains, indeed. Go Bullshot!

    5  Moving on: That's pretty cool about King Herod's tomb.

    6  Yep.

    7   King Herod all right.

    8   I'm darned tootin' excited about it.

    9   Moving on agin:  I'm feeling all rejected and emo these days. Po Po pityful me.

    10   Ah, just kidding.  It's just my job. I feel like I totally suck at it and that everybody in the place despises me. Makes me feel a bit barmy. You know, that feeling of barmy.

    11  Otherwise, no issues.

    12  Moving on, part 2:  Sorry. <sniff>  I need to move on...

    13   dot...dot...dot...

    14  Ellipses. Emo guys LOVE elipses.

    15  I THINK that's how you spell it.

    16  Series of dots. Ellipses.

    17  Moving on, Flower Child Dept: I wrote a poem.

    18  THAT's how emo I have become.

    19  It goes like this:  ?        !

    20  Like it? I LAHK it.

    21  Something like that. I think it needs a kitten.



    22  Moving on, part the Next:  Need some laughs? Need a boost? Go see YB's Bullshot Krummond tonight at 7:30. I think it's only 3 bucks, but I got in to watch some of the rehearsal yesterday and they looked and sounded really good! Amazing how much kids can do in one day.

    23  Opening night. Extraordinary how potent cheap music is.

    24  To the Cast and Crew of Bullshot Crummond: Go out tonight and give us all the love you can. You get only six shots at kicking our asses, so you now own the destiny of this marvelous jewel. It's a powder keg. And a treasure, a very funny, brilliant and meaningful. And you know: just plain hilarious. You've done well. Now take it home.

    25  You guys have all earned it. Deliver it. I absolutely love everything about the show, and it would appear that it has finally arrived.

    26  You have arrrived.

    27  Godspeed. That's it. Kick ass.

    28  Peace.

    ~H~

     

                                                                         

     

  • The Daily News


    1  Wow, I got home WAY late last night.

    2  I helped the kids with lights, and it went on forever.

    3  In so many ways it worked for me.

    4  I haven't done a lighting design in quite some time. I'm actually no longer designing; they are. The students. The ones who are pouring their hearts into a complex play that opens Thursday night.

    5  It's one of the most heroic stands I've ever witnessed. You would think that Drama at YB was going through its own Renaissance.

    6  As long as those amazing students maintain hope, I shall also.

    7  I wrote Drama off even before this group did a fall show, and they've now done two runs and are beginning their third wave this school year.

    8  Not bad for a group that was written off by everyone as being done.

    9  They continue to battle, and to fight, and to put everything in their lives into making it happen, so it's difficult not to throw in my own personal support.

    10  I got home WAY late again last night. Got hungry because all I had all day was a Starbuck's, so I decided to hit Iguana's downtown REALLY late.

    11  We had spent a large part of the evening last night doing lights and cues, which is time-consuming work, but fun work as well. At Iguana's, they had just finished a long evening as well, so it slowed down and I enjoyed an atomic burrito at around midnight.

    12 You're not supposed to do that.

    13  I got home and found I had nothing at all to read.

    14  Yeah, if you read the DN, you know what I'm SAYIN'.

    15  Collapsed and just awoke.

    16  Those students need support from top to bottom, and especially now from the teachers.

    17  If you can come out Thursday or Saturday nights, it begins at 7:30.

    18  Tell absolutely everyone and bring a posse; these guys just haven't given up.

    19   In a funny way, I haven't either.

    20   Anyway, go out and enjoy your day.

    21  Peace.

    ~H~

  • The Daily News


    1  Right now Craig Ferguson is talking about Paris Hilton's being unaware of life as we know it.

    2  I always think Ferguson is hilarious and WAY more talented than Conan. Just one guy's opinion.

    3  At one point, Ferguson just stopped and said, "Well what ELSE am I gonna talk about tonight?" Well...Ty Pennington's career, which walked into a bar last night, for instance.

    4  Ah, I saw THAT one coming a mile away. Alcoholic steroids. I used to do 'em. Well, good luck man.

    5  Moving on: I just blew in from YB tonight, again assisting in the technical magnificence that is Bullshot Crummond. The show is HUGE, and the cast is just beginning to realize that they are working on a REALLY big production, the first full-length play in quite some time. They are exhausted, but want to keep working and making it better.

    6  It's really tiring and yet amazing to think that this group of students did this predominantly without adult supervision.

    7  Oh, I've come in the past few days to offer a little support, but these guys are all over it.

    8  Anyway I'm just hitting the DN here and I'll be off. We ran around getting furniture and props, painting huge posters and moving monstrous flats around. Tried to do a bit of lighting but ran out of time.

    9  It's times like these I wish I were a duck.

    10  You know, just walking along a beach with a buncha other ducks, trying to find someone stupid enough to toss a hot Cheeto my way, then waddling along, hopping in a lake and riding the currents.

    11  No worries.

    12  Unfortunately, I'm not a duck.

    13  Just a guy offering a little hep.

    14  Their show is this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights and they also go next weekend, closing on a Sunday afternoon!

    15  Anyway, fun show, a LOT of work, but they're doing it, and I'm really proud of them.

    16  Why a bunch of students putting on a major play without an adult really directing them DOESN'T constitute a Senior Project is beyond me.

    17  I guess because everyone is into their own thing.

    18  This entire thing took way more planning and preparation than any Senior Project, kept the entire Drama program alive at a school that seems not to want it around anymore, and is a wonderful gift to the school and to the community.

    19  I stand proud. These guys have battled everything anyone can name, and they go up Thursday night, making this THREE major productions in one year, WITHOUT a drama teacher or adult director.

    20  Just amazing.

    21  Anyway, I just thought I'd throw out some "props" to the students who have been sacrificing so much for the drama program at YB.

    22  Great work, all of you.

    23  And may this show save Drama for you. You all deserve praise and recognition for keeping one of the greatest fine arts alive at the school. You've much better vision than a lot of people who clearly don't.

    24  Take it home this weekend.

    25  Peace.

    ~H~



  • The Daily News



    Every day in every way it's getting better
    and better...
                                           --John Lennon, Beautiful Boy

    1  I'm just beginning to see some of that.

    2  That rollercoaster ride continues, each and every day, but ultimately, it does get better. Or maybe I'm just one of those idiots who sees the glass half full all the time.

    3  I guess it's because I see everything in life as a bit of a lesson.

    4  I'm not really sure at which point in life we begin to see that sort of thing, but I just notice that I have a different outlook about everything these days. The lessons being taught are pretty amusing, really.

    5  I see some of the behaviors that annoy me now are the very same behaviors that I used to do routinely at a younger age. You know, as you get a bit older, you think everyone else is reaching the same conclusions as you, and that they've all experienced the same changes and all.

    6  But it simply isn't the case.

    7  I think the first time I saw this was this time around a million years ago when my car engine started on fire. There was smoke pouring out of the engine area, and when I pulled over, the whole thing was on fire.

    8  I completely lost it. I was on the side of 280, by the Crystal Springs reservoir headed South when I first noticed the smoke. I pulled over immediately, but when I saw the flames, I acted like a madman, signaling the traffic to circle WAY away from my car.

    9  To them, I must have looked like a semaphor clown, jumping around and making big gestures that made utterly no sense.

    10  My feeling was that I wanted them to move three lanes over before thing would blow. I fully expected an explosion and a mushroom cloud. I didn't want to come back down with wings and a harp.

    11  "GO! MOVE AROUND! MY GOD, CAN'T YOU SEE??? WE'RE ALL GONNA BLOW!!!!" I kept jumping up and down like a red-headed stepchild.

    12  Finally, this car pulled right up behind me, and this old fellow got out. I ran up to him and shouted, "DON'T PARK HERE!!!! MY CAR IS GOING TO EXPLOOODDDDE!!!! RUN, AND FOR GAWDSAKES DON"T LOOK BACK!!!"

    13  He didn't say a word. He nonchalanty moved to the rear of his car, opened the trunk, and took out a gallon of water. He then walked over to my car and poured the water on the fire. It went out. He walked back to the rear of his car, put the water in his trunk, closed the trunk, got to the door on the driver's side, tilted his hat, and drove off.

    14  I remember standing there staring, and then looking back at my cooling engine, and then smiling.

    15  Someone had taught me a nice lesson in life. That was the only way I could see it.
    16  Anyway, every day, in every way I'm realizing that we get those sorts of lessons each and every day.

    17  Last night just before I wrote all this, I had a sudden burning in my eyes. I scratched, rubbed, and then looked at the TV. It had Vincent Van Gogh on it. He too had scratchy eyes and put some Visene in them. He then winked at all of us, and his image moved into a frame, and the backgound became Starry Night.

    18  I smiled.

    19  Every day, in every way it's getting better and better.

    20  Listen to your dreams. The TV just said that in a commercial.

    21  So yeah, listen.

    22  That's the end of today's lesson.

    23  Peace.

    ~H~

  • The Daily News

    1  WARRIORS!!!!!

    2  You're a Warrior fan, you're smilin' big this morning!

    3  You're not, you ought really just to share the fun of a Bay Area team doing the seeming impossible. Baron Davis played on a flat tire. They took the Mavs to school.

    4  Some fun. Warriors' fans, it's a sweet day for you! Enjoy it man.

    5  Moving on: We never let it be known that Tom Posten walks into a bar...

    6  Who?

    7  Ah, well, he did.

    8  Moving on, Part 2: This is funny, albeit a bit embarrassing: I went into Barnes and Noble yesterday, and at one point decided to go into the restroom.

    9  Things took a bit longer than I had planned, and as I pondered my plight, it occurred to me that I had nothing to read.



    10  Think about that.

    11  I did.

    12  Then I chuckled.

    13  God's little joke. Nothing to read. Barnes and Noble...

    14  So near, and yet so far.

    15  I just felt that if I had a hanger that could reach out the door,  I'd have been able to pick up on some pretty spiffy gardening tips.

    16 Or maybe I could polish up on the Essential Works of Marxism. I wondered freely if Karl Marx had ever been in a fix like this.

    17  Or even Groucho.

    18  I thought of writing a poem about my plight, but alas! No writeable paper.



    19  I thought of all the other books and magazines that were but a short wall away:

    20  The Godfather. I had been listening to the CD in the TOOOOOONDRA, so it was fresh as a Tuscan painting in my mind. Not much there.

    21  I thought of Charlie Brown books in the humor section.

    22  And the Tao of Pooh...

    23  But eventually I just chuckled, and goofed on how it would make a great little piece for the DN, but that I'd never be able to pull it off with any form of grace.

    24  Pray for me.



    25  In the end, I spruced myself up, and went directly into the music section to lay down a few ducats on a Duke Ellington CD.

    26  I just wanted to hear a little of the Duke.

    27  I was sent back in time, and eventually pulled up a Triple-Venti Caramel-Mach, a Godiva Milk Chocolate', and wandered out the door, as dandy if not dandier than when I went in.

    28  Just thought I'd share that.

    29  Life's good. I never got out to the Spidey craze, so no report on that one. Hope you Spidey people had your night. Musta been fun.

    30  And...um...what else?

    31  Ah, nothin'. Just have a great weekend everybody!

    32  Peace.

    ~H~



    .

  • The Daily News
    1  No sooner do I finish telling everyone that there's always a dame mad at me when I run into the Psycho Dame from Hell.

    2  I won't go into too much detail, but...well...there's this paranoid schizoid who enters my world every now and again.

    3  She asked me my whereabouts yesterday because she needed me for something or other, but I had other things to do, and I was discussing stuff with my boss.

    4  Long story, but she started badgering me and accusing me of not doing the job, and became almost scary about it.

    5  Part of my concern is that I'm seriously not used to people just not believing me when I tell them the straight-up truth. Something came up yesterday that was unavoidable and I got pulled away from HER gig. The thing that came up was a HUGE issue in my own world, and pretty important.

    6  She became Hecuba. She almost did spells on me.

    7  This was just yesterday. She came at me with rage and hatred in her eyes because of whatever it was she thought I was supposed to do. Her broom almost put my eye out hitting me straight on. I veered a bit to the left and she turned her Medusaic gaze at me. Road rage on the ground. I kid you not.

    8  Long story, just sorta uneasy about people who get THAT psycho.

    9  Anyway, I'm tired this morning. That crap can wear you out. No big. I used to dish it out, but not at THAT level. Somethin' just wasn't right. It was downright scary.

    10  Moving on: I drifted over to YB last night to help a bit with some tech, got the backstage clean and organized for the students, and watched a little. The Workshop was going, and things looked pretty good.

    11  I went home and tried to chill, but it was already WAY past my bedtime.

    12  I'm just amazed that the students are still pouring their hearts into the Drama Workshop, and I"m proud to see them fighting to keep it all going. I helped them organize backstage a bit as they painted anything within range. There musta been four thousand paint brushes goin' yesterday, cardboard palettes every two feet, and sixty rollers and pans.

    13  Their show goes up next week. I think they'll get there with bells on, and I'm really proud of them for all they've done without any support whatsoever.

    14  Gotta hit the hay and then awaken and maybe seem to make it happy.

    15  That's about it.

    16  Some kook is viciously upset with me.

    17  I'm innocent I tell ya.

    18  Gotta rest.

    19  Look at the sky today and face this day with a smile.

    18  Peace.

    ~H~

bharrington

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