Well, dear readers, I have no idea when these here notes will post because, yes, once again the site is down – and that was after I was assured that the problem server had been taken offline and would not be a problem while they figure out what the HELL is going on. Last I checked prior to rehearsal we were up and fine. I just called the emergency line and the on-call gal is on it. I’ve basically told both her and the host owner that if this isn’t fixed in thirty minutes there will be both real problems and real consequences. It’s not just this site, it’s Kritzerland, too, and every time that goes down we lose customers and sales. Given these endless damn problems I have asked (strongly) to have our sites taken elsewhere until they get their crap together – in other words, to have our sites put somewhere where there are no problems. Then they can take their sweet time fixing or changing whatever they like, but I’m sick to death of this nightmare and I am even sicker of dealing with it and sick of the traffic it’s causing to be lost here at haineshisway.com. I can be patient once, twice, maybe three times and then that’s it – my patience has been taxed as much as it’s going to be and there’s simply too much going on for me to have to deal with this. Thank you all for your patience and it will get fixed, I promise. Just please hang in there.
Yesterday, save for the endless problems here at haineshisway.com was quite a nice day. I managed to sleep about nine hours, then had a nice lunch meeting about putting together a cabaret act for a singer, which I think will happen. After that, I picked up a couple of packages and did some banking, after which I came home, did some writing, had some telephonic calls, had a visitor and then I decided to sit on my couch like so much fish and finish the motion picture I was watching before going to rehearsal.
Yesterday, I finished watching a motion picture, and I use that term VERY loosely, called The Place Behind the Pines. Why it is called that is anyone’s guess or I somehow missed it. This is basically everything I hate about movies today. It’s one of those Crash type films – you know the kind – you follow one story for a bit, then you’re asked to follow another story – yes, interconnected – and then you’re asked to follow a third interconnected story. The first thing that might help was if any of the stories were actually interesting, which they are not, at least to me they weren’t. The next thing that might help is if one of the three credited screenwriters (one of whom is the director) could actually write. The film sounds as if two-thirds or more was simply improvised by its cast – bad improv at that – certainly no writer could write such horrible dialogue. Then there is the MEANINGFUL and self-indulgent performances, filled with actorisms and “naturalism” (not), mumbling, above all, mumbling. I only knew three of the actors – Ryan Gosling (not a fan), Bradley Cooper (I’ve enjoyed him in other stuff, but not this), and Ray Liotta (I’ve enjoyed him in other stuff, but not this). The direction is exactly what you’d think it would be and the score is mind-numbing. I can’t imagine that I will see a film from this year that I like less than this one.
Then it was rehearsal, but I spent the entire drive there dealing with our web problems. Once there, we ran a few things to clean up and then had our dress rehearsal. It went better than last night’s – good energy and people are really starting to find what’s working for them, which is fun to watch. Still, stuff to clean up, hone, tighten and lighting cues to smooth out.
When I came out of the theater it was lightly raining, a real LA rain – not even anything you could call a drizzle. I got on the freeway to find traffic completely stalled – because, as we all know, LA drivers cannot handle a drizzle or even a few drops of rain – they just lose any semblance of driving and I could see it would take an hour to get home, so I got off, but unfortunately they have so screwed up the off-ramps that there was no easy way for me to actually go in the direction I needed to. Therefore, I made a quite illegal u-turn and got to Beverly Glen and that was pretty quick. Still, the twenty-five minute drive took about forty-five minutes. I stopped at Subway for a Subway Club, which I brought home and ate. And then I tried to connect to this here site and couldn’t, after which I went quietly berserk and began leaving really nasty messages on the emergency line and people’s cell phones. We’ll see if this is fixed before I have to go to sleep.
Today, I have a work session I’d much rather not have with our MD for the Kritzerland show. After that, I’ll have to grab a bite to eat, hopefully pick up some packages, and then head to the theater for another dress rehearsal. Before we actually begin, I have to get about ten light cues cleaned up and the way I want them.
Tomorrow, I have to finish both liner notes and commentary, then we have our first Kritzerland rehearsal – it ends at six-thirty and I am going to really have to hope that I can get to the theater no later than seven-thirty. This is the last time I ever let a musical director’s schedule dictate when we can rehearse. I don’t like being under this kind of pressure EVER. Saturday we’ll have our first real audience – it’s already sold out – and Sunday our second real audience – it’s already sold out. Then we have a week off.
Let’s all put on our pointy party hats and our colored tights and pantaloons, let’s all break out the cheese slices and the ham chunks, let’s all dance the Hora and the Rich Kid’s Rag, for today is the birthday of our very own dear reader KevinH. So, let’s give a big haineshisway.com birthday cheer to our very own dear reader KevinH. On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO OUR VERY OWN DEAR READER KEVIN H!!!
I’ve just been told the site is back up – yet something else unexpected happened and they don’t know why but are monitoring. Again, I’ve asked for our sites to be moved to a safe environment until they get their stuff together.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, write, have a work session, hopefully pick up some packages, and have another dress rehearsal. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your least favorite kinds of films, the kind you’d have to be dragged kicking and screaming to see – and of those kinds of films have there been any that you’ve actually seen and enjoyed? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, after which I will hopefully arise to an all up again website.