Facebook FRAUD!!!

How come facebook says it serves every University and College in the United States while it continues to neglect our little friends in Community College. This is a whole higher education student group that is waiting for some friggin' recognition. While I was home for The holiday of Yom Kippur (which my University chooses to celebrate over, lets see... VETERANS DAY!(I should call the VFW) ) I convinced my sister to register on Thefacebook.com, a site that has worked wonders for me and my contacts, old and new. Alas, when she entered in her school E-mail, the system rejected it as invalid. I checked the list of schools and lo and behold No MVCC, HCCC, ECC, or any CC I can think of was present on these lists.

Screw you facebook... Don't claim that I have access to all persons enrolled in higher education if you choose to ignore the thousands of Community Colleges across the USA. I happen to think they deserve the same service we have. Do you think Community Colleges are inferior to other, more reputable schools? I disagree, one of the most difficult courses in which I have ever enrolled was a summer online English 102 course offered at Mohawk Valley Community College. Their sense of integrity is no less than that of Yale's or Harvard's as far as I'm concerned.

Just let me friend my own sister for god's sake...Love you, Bethany!

Rainy Day at the craft fair.

I definitely have to start writing responses on the same day I am responding to in the blog, but for now, too bad.

Saturday was on of my first totally school free days I have had since rehearsals for "Myths and Hymns" started. Me and my lovely counterpart Amy decided that the craft fair would be a pretty sweet place to go. Am I whipped, you ask? Probably, but don't know Craft fairs, you can find a lot of cool things. But we will get to those now...

So, I walk to the CRAFT FAIR and what is the first item I see for sale at one of the booths? Tupperware. "Odd," I think to myself, as tupperware is essentially not what I would call a craft. "There must be something special about them, maybe she carves stuff out of them or glues them together to make bat boxes or something... ...Nope, just tupperware!" This was the only thing this Miss Cleo look-alike was selling? Now, I highly doubt that she makes the stuff, because I watched Mister Rogers when I was young and I know how tupperware is made. One would need a very large industrial machine that presses and heats the plastic sheets simultaneously to form them into tupperware containers, but not just one of these machines. Two machines for each size container and it's matching lid are needed. I highly doubt she had those. Again, tupperware containers are useful for craft material storage, but this was the ONLY THING SHE WAS SELLING!

The next Item on our list are known belovingly as "Skittens." No, they have nothing to do with cats, my dear friends. These are the long awaited combination of a scarf and a set of mittens. They look something like this:

Okay, not only is this one of the stupidest ideas I have ever encountered. It also is damn funny. First flaw; design: the scarf segment goes around the back of your neck, yet isn't long enough to wrap around on full time, an essential thing that has been overlooked. Scarves are meant to keep the whole neck warm. Also it was so small that it held your arms in a sling like fashion suspended from you neck. This presents a conflict with any sort of strapped duffel bag, back pack, WINTER COATS, and the ability to enjoy life's conveniences in general. Also, the mitten segment was equipped with no elastic, so any heat you generate is swept away by the frigid air that is sure to get in.

Second major flaw; aesthetics: It's fleece, but it's butt ugly. This is something that your regular country 4-H Matron wouldn't wear because it has no stylistic features whatsoever.

I may update this post if I can remember more of the items I saw at the Sweet Home Middle School Craft fair. But now it is time for rehearsal.

On the Passing of Mentors

It occurred to me a few years ago that everyone we meet can change our lives. Whether you know them for years, or for the ten minutes you stood next to them in line at an amusement park. Reaching back into my childhood, there was always a strong example that I came up with:

Till our meeting theatre for me had just been a hobby. Everyone knew I was probably destined for ROTC or Engineering, like my father. I loved this hobby, however and was not about to give it up in concession to Chess club or something nerdy. This is the story of my experiences with a man who changed my life. This is my story of Donald Rafte.

I was an eleven year old rapscallion of a lad with a love for Theatre (Notice I spell it the educated way...) and Music. This love grew into a need to express it more often than twice a year in the local children's theatre productions. I had missed the Autumn auditions for the Musical "Hello Dolly" to be done at Rome Community Theatre. So, ever the timid boy I wasn't, I showed up at the first rehearsal with a recommendation from my friend, Todd Quick, (Who had done everything the right way, you know, like AUDITIONING!) and pretty much asked to be in the show. To my delight this gruff and expressive looking man with a Jersey accent accepted. He said he had heard a lot about my work in the children's shows and Summerstage. So I was in, and I enjoyed the experience thoroughly. Little did I know how much of a role this man would play in my life that very next summer.

I would describe Donald Rafte as a bit of a collector of talents. He advertised that he was directing a second show for his new theatre company, Broadway Bound Youth Theatre, and I auditioned to be in "Godspell." I just made the cut-off age, I believe it was 12 to 19, so I was one of the youngest members of the cast. Again, my friend Todd was also among the ranks. Others included an extremely talented girl named Heather, and a rather effeminate and portly boy named Chris, both from Vernon Verona Sherril High School. Two more Chris's from Holland Patent High School, and many others from High Schools all over the area: Elise, Erin, Sara, Philbert, etc. I was among one of the most talented cast of peers I would ever know. I still don't know how Donald managed to attract all of the potential performers he had, and I never will it seems.

To get to the point, we were rehearsing the final moments of the play inside a local Lutheran Church. For any of you unfamiliar with "Godspell" it is the scene where Jesus is tied to a fence and Crucified with the entire cast mourning at the foot of this same fence. It was here, like a sign from god, and it may have been that I discovered that theatre meant a lot more to me than I had realized. I can recall crying in a show for the first time ever, knowing when and where and how to cue them. (god knows I have since lost this ability) I remember that whatever the cue was the whole feeling was prompted by what Donald was saying. I would love to impart these words, but the script is gone from my head, and all that is left is the memory of that amazing realization...

"...I want to be a Theatre Artist when I grow up!" But not too hasty, young Robert. You have a lot to learn first...

Yet now I find myself looking back on it all. Finding valuable lessons learned from great people. It has been eight and a half years since that summer. And Myself and Donald had our encounters working both together and separately. I grew up, being schooled with his children, Megan and Matt, learning valuable lessons about integrity and character from my experiences with this man. I won't pretend that every moment I spent with him was a happy one. Assuredly, they were not. I realized, however that I still cared for him even after we grew out of friendship. I never condemned him and he never me. The great schism in the theatre community of Rome, NY found us on opposing sides, and had prompted us to keep our distance. After all, he had an infamous temper. But we still stayed friendly and I continue to this day to be friends with his son and daughter.

I discovered in Church some two years ago that Donald's years of smoking seemed to be catching up to him. He was an addict to the true sense, a stress smoker mostly. He was diagnosed with Lung Cancer and placed on chemotherapy, something I was all too familiar with as my own Grandfather passed away from the same dreadful disease. I had also realized that I had not seen him or even talked to him in at least a couple years. I made a pact with myself to visit him soon, to catch up on old times, and tell him how much he has affected my life.

Less than one year ago, he was diagnosed as terminal and put on Hospice care. I said to myself I will go see him soon with the same intentions. I had not done so the year before.

I don't know what in hell I was waiting for...

I never got the chance to tell him how much he affected me, or to thank him. I never got to clear the air of our own personal smoke.

Donald Rafte Passed Away on Monday, October 17, 2005 almost a year after he had been put on Hospice care. I had almost twice as much time to visit him than others. He lasted almost twice as long in Hospice as many others, or so it would seem to me. Me who just kept delaying.

Perhaps I thought he wouldn't die. Now, I have become all too familiar with childhood adults aging and passing away, but Donald was 52. I think that my poor childlike will was grasping to some small hope that he would one day leap out of bed, fully healed, exclaiming his ever jolly "Hokey Dokey Folks!" and go on living to direct another day. I thought I would have more time to tell him. But the fact of the matter is I didn't, and now I have to say it to a tombstone.

This is a very grim thought, I know. Yet if you learn anything from this post, learn not to wait until later. Because no matter how long you believe you have, God has his own plans. And you can't control Nature's tidings.

For now, Donald, May you Rest In Peace. God bless you Mrs. Rafte, Matt, and Megan.

Another day

An incredible day. I woke up with a sore throat and after taking a midterm exam and listening to a delightfully entertaining Polish accent for an hour and a half, I am back home nursing myself to health, hopefully. Predictions are bleak, however because Jack said that he was feeling the same way on Thursday before he got REALLY sick on Saturday. Shall I be so undone by these germs? We shall have to wait and see.

The Theatre History Test was so much easier than I had expected, at least it wasn't making my throat hurt drawing plots of roman theatre Architecture...

Ah The Most difficult, yet most important thing for a director is the management of time in plays.

Highlight of my Day: 3 Berry Blast smoothie from Orange Julius
Low point: Finishing the smoothie

Wow! I promise that these entries will get more entertaining. Just wait till I have another rehearsal for "Myths and Hymns." you know that show which is pretty much ready to open. Only we still have a month left to rehearse for it...yeeeaaaahhh...
Byes!

I have recently discovered that I have this disabling need to have an outlet for my life. I have decided to build this journal as an attempt at self-improvement. I will be writing mostly in response to my life's actions bringing to them perspective and clarity. Read along, and Hopefully we will both learn something about the great mysterys of life...

First day of musings/Life is busy

I woke up this morning and rose out of bed, then promptly walked over to my alarm clock which I keep across the room. After setting a new alarm for twenty five minutes later, I then turned right around, walked back to my bed, and slept for another glorious half an hour. I try to tell myself not to do this (I even keep the alarm clock across the room for this reason) but I constantly rationalize and configure ways to condense my morning routine so I can rest longer. This morning it was "Half you're shower time and skip breakfast!" A usual excuse, for a rather usual day...

My dreams, as much as I recall them had been like episodes of a gripping TV drama. I wanted so bad to make them come back for conclusion in that half hour, but It seems it wasn't meant to be. I have a regressive side like that. There are many things that have happened in my life which I yearn to live again. Hawaii in August of 2004, My family's yearly trips to Florida to visit my Grandma(88 and surely counting, We will have a huge party when she is 90!!!! It hurts me that these vacations became impossible when us kids started college, the vacations never lined up). Living with my grandmother in Queens, NY for a whole summer. (an explanation: My grandmother was born and grew up in Brooklyn and moved to Bayside, Queens shortly after my mother was born, when my grandfather died, My Grandmother and Great-Grandmother decided to escape the winter of the Northeast and spend them down in New Port Richey, Florida.) One whole summer, gaining perspective on life from a very wise woman while working a fruitless internship. These events in my life define who I am. Wow, that is a bit too heavy. Gotta lighten up. Time to complain, hopefully for entertainments sake.

Today I had another Mind-Body integration class, taught by the infamous Kristopher "Doc" Bosch. I genuinely love this class, and I love Doc, don't get me wrong. It's the people, who shall remain nameless, that continue to use this class as their own personal physical therapy session that irk me. Shut up and do Pilates like he says. It wasn't so bad today, but on another occasion Doc was distracted for about twenty minutes making a diagnosis for any of the jerks that complain of problems that have nothing to do with the exercises. He is being paid to teach us a discipline, and this just gets in the way.

But I let it all roll, besides, my ipod, like my friend's (editor of thespectrum.org) ipod only days before was looping "Sir Duke" by Stevie Wonder. Ah, Moog Synthesizers are wonderful...She is right, It's a groovy song. So even Physics 101 couldn't get me down today.

Highlight of my day: Strawberry fields salad for lunch, made for me by FSA, which apparently means campus dining, I don't know what the acronym actually stands for. I have also decided that instead of snacking unhealthily, I will try legumes (nuts) for a while.

So that is the first musing. My life is a busy one. Hopefully I can look back (there I go again, regressive; Bad Tucker!!) and find value in these memoirs, but for now, "Law and Order" and Theatre History test preparation are calling my name...

P.S. It is so cool to see people you are acquainted with on "Law and Order." Peace