The Realm of the Sun King

Royal Greeting

Welcome to the Realm of the Sun King!

His Highness, the SolarMonarch, welcomes you to his corner of the internet. The place is stacked high with anecdotes, lectures, round-table discussions, laments, caprices, and, of course, proclamations. Mind your step, but don't mind the madness.

Be respectful, share your thoughts, and have some fun - but if you can't be nice, carry on to Junebug's Isle with y'moon face and moody self.

Current Month

Apr. 6th, 2009 @ 08:54 am Whither, Weekend?!

Jiminy Christmas. This weekend was busy! Fun, sure, but busy as all get out. As lazy as I have been in recent months, it was a nice change to look back on everything I had accomplished, though. Check out this brief ( recap... )

I miss having lazy weekends, sure - but if all this stuff I'm doing pays the dividends I'm hoping for, these extra days of work will have been terrific investments, indeed!

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Apr. 2nd, 2009 @ 09:06 am Don't Touch the Queen!

"No matter how silly the idea of having a queen might be to us,
as Americans we must be gracious and considerate hosts."
-Frank Drebbin (Leslie Nielson), The Naked Gun
So, on BBC World News America last night, the big story was the Michelle Obama/Queen Elizabeth II "hug heard 'round the Palace" - even though the consensus among the reporters from BBC America seemed to be "eh, Her Majesty didn't seem to mind." There's an article from Time.com expounding upon the hug - and denoting that the Queen touched the First Lady's back first. If you haven't seen the video of it, the way they were standing, this touch naturally lead to the sideways, intercontinental embrace.

My personal favorite line in the story, though, was this: "Less explicable was when President George W. Bush winked at the Queen." His legacy lives on!

Now, I don't know all of the politics and whatnot in the UK, but in my almost complete ignorance, I must say that a hug between national leaders can only be a good thing. Furthermore, and this is a complete assumption on my part, I would reckon the Queen lives a pretty isolated existence. Perhaps a hug every now and then would be welcome in such circumstances.

But, that's just me - your opinions may vary.

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Mar. 31st, 2009 @ 11:10 am The Dog Is Smarter Than He Acts...

So, this morning I awoke to a cold, dark, drizzly day. I pulled the blanket off the pooch and he looked up at me as if to say "You have GOT to be kidding me." I gave him a scratch on the head, picked him up out of his warm spot, and took him outside for his morning potty break. When we came back inside, I disconnected the leash and prepared his breakfast and a pot of coffee. When I turned back around, though, he was gone.

Little devil had snuck into Ms. K's room to get his snooze on.

So, I went about the morning routine - showered, dressed, got all my stuff together - without my usual canine shadow. "I guess he's alright with missing his 'goodbye treat,'" I thought to myself.

As soon as I picked up my keys, I heard the muffled "k'thump" of him jumping off Ms. K's bed, and the jingling of his tags as he ran to perch by the front door for his customary morning Milk Bone.

Little stinker. I'd wager a dollar to a doughnut that after he finished he went straight back to her bed.

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Mar. 30th, 2009 @ 11:39 am Happy Birthday, Buddy!

Current Mood:

cheerful

Well, the pooch turned 2 on Sunday. We celebrated with a slice of sandwich ham and a romp in the backyard. The cute little devil has been behaving so very well of late! He makes his daddy proud. :-)

In other news, I got a call from the out of town theatre that booked us for May - and we're going to be inking a HUGE contract in the next couple weeks. Granted, in the greater scheme of things, there are many contracts that are much bigger - but this is a first for me.

I'm not used to that many zeroes!

On the whole, everything is proceeding beautifully - even if I'm left feeling a bit wrung out. At the end of the day, the fruits of my labor will be sweet, indeed. :-)

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Mar. 3rd, 2009 @ 10:08 am The Fractured Fairy Rides Again!

In much the same way that any airplane the President is on automatically becomes "Air Force One," whenever the Flying Buttresses take a road trip, the car becomes, for the moment, The Fractured Fairy. This weekend, Miltie and Fanny will be hauling out of town for the cobblestone streets and decadent dining of our favorite destination: New Orleans!

I haven't been on trip out of town in 22 months. The respite will be most welcome! :-)

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Feb. 27th, 2009 @ 10:28 am Improv Clip of the Week

Current Mood:

amused

Tags: etc

Okay, so, the Extemporaneous Theatre Company is now putting a "Clip of the Week" on the website.

So, if'n you need a chuckle on this (in Birmingham, anyway) stormy Friday, then go ahead and watch some funny! (Please note - the clip contains the word "sh*tty" - so watch at work at your own risk. Or with headphones.)

Aren't they brilliant?!

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Jan. 30th, 2009 @ 09:21 am ...and another thing!

Two headlines from the Yahoo! News dealie - right next to each other:

Economy shrinks at 3.8 percent pace in 4Q (AP)
Signs advertising sales are seen outside a hardware store in Islip, New York January 29, 2009. The number of Americans claiming jobless benefits hit a record high in mid-January, while orders for long-lasting factory goods fell for a fifth month in December, according to data on Thursday that showed the economy in steep decline.

...and...

Exxon Mobil shatters US record for annual profit (AP)
Exxon Mobil Corp. on Friday reported a profit of $45.2 billion for 2008, breaking its own record for a U.S. company, even as its fourth-quarter earnings fell 33 percent from a year ago.

This just goes to show that tripling the price on a de facto indispensable product will make you tons of money and leave everyone else grasping at financial straws.

Congratulations to Exxon Mobil Corp. You've just been awarded the Royal Order of the Insufferable Jackass - and a one-Monarch boycott - for being Profiteering Bastards™.

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Jan. 30th, 2009 @ 08:54 am Today's Big Question of the Day

So, this morning, I see a news story online - the lead paragraph for which is:

The woman who gave birth to octuplets this week has six other children and never expected to have eight more when she took fertility treatment, her mother said.

Fertility treatment?! Really? When you already have SIX CHILDREN?! REALLY?!

In the interest of being fully informed, I went ahead and read the whole article just now. ( Full Text Here )Is it just me, or does there seem to be something seriously creepy and unbalanced about this thing? Granted - I'm seeing it all in plain text through the eyes of a reporter, so it's difficult to say for certain exactly what's what - but there seems, IMHO, to be something out of whack with this whole thing. Who sired all these kids? And why is Grampa "Ed" being so secretive and confrontational? His quote to the reporters that "You are never going to know where [our huge house] is" seems almost taunting and threatening to me. Then again - I didn't hear his inflection, and I don't know if he was trying to escape dogged paparazzi when he said it.

Anyway. 14 kids. If they have 14 kids who have 14 kids... this lady will have almost 200 grandchildren over 2,500 great-grandchildren. Christmas is gonna be a bitch!

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Jan. 27th, 2009 @ 02:42 pm *sigh*

I opened my snack drawer in my desk just now.

NOTE: Yes, I have a drawer in my desk where my snack stash is stored. I rarely carry cash, so I buy snacks in bulk at the bookstore. In my last office, half my drawers were committed to long-term storage of old crap, so when I moved, I didn't have enough stuff to fill up my desk anyway.

There's nothing in the snack drawer but a couple of empty bookstore bags and two containers containing the leftover dust from their long-ago-eaten cargo of chipotle flavored peanuts.

Fond as I am of chipotle dust, I reckon I'll be heading to the bookstore when I finish writing the page I'm working on.

Only a little more code to go. We now return you to our regularly scheduled work day.

*Muzak*

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Jan. 21st, 2009 @ 02:20 pm Being a Sorcerer Ain't All Cracked Up What It Oughtta Be

So, tomorrow night we open Camelot. I never thought I'd make it.

Last night, I was disturbed to see one of my nymphs (I'm surrounded by 5 of them whenever I'm onstage - they represent my magic) kept having to run out the stage door and be sick in the parking lot. This morning, I was even more disturbed to feel as wretchedly nauseated as I did.

I've never once hoped so badly that I had consumed an ill-prepared meatball hoagie. If it was the sandwich that left me on the couch all day today, then I'll be hunky dory for tomorrow. If not... I may be in misery.

I don't think my nymph nodes are swollen... (See, it's a pun on "lymph" because... nevermind. Very tired again all of a sudden.)

So - chicken foot! Bad meatballs beats pernicious gastrointestinal unpleasantness any day of the week.

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Jan. 12th, 2009 @ 02:29 pm Like Archimedes - only Clothed and Dry

So, I was bemoaning last night the sorry state of my cast iron grill pan. See, when I first got it, I wasn't nearly diligent enough in my cleaning of things immediately after use. This has left a seemingly impenetrable layer of burnt on stuff. (See, I used to use it at WAY too high a heat, and, well, carbon fusion happened.) The tough bit is the tight space between the grill blades.

Today at lunch, I had a thought: Dremel tool + wire brush disk = TADA!

This is how I will spend my night off from rehearsal. With any luck, it'll be good as new, and reseasoning before bedtime.

Y'reckon I need safety goggles for this?

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Jan. 12th, 2009 @ 08:56 am Working on Midsummer in the Middle of Winter

Well, the Head Lady of the Shakespeare dealie came out to one of my troupe's rehearsals yesterday. She watched our regular silliness for about an hour before I released all of my players who aren't going to be part of her production of A Midsummer Night's Dream in May. Then, we did a table reading of all of our scenes.

When J'Mza, as Thisby, cried "OOOOOO!" at being frightened by the Lion, I swear I thought our guest was going to collapse from the hilarity. She was left red-faced and streaked with tears by her uncontrollable fit of mirth.

This show is going to be freakin' hilarious!

I still can't believe that we've been in business for less than a year. We've developed quite a following, and our reputation for quality comedy keeps growing within the tight-knit theatre community. While other companies in town are running out of money, I can't keep us in the red when I'm trying to!

Really, if I'm going to have a problem, that's a great one to have! :-)

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Dec. 18th, 2008 @ 09:32 am Hilarious Puppets

So, I finally saw "Avenue Q" on Tuesday night.

I was expecting foul-mouthed puppets and ribald humor, but I didn't expect to be emotionally moved by the show. I didn't think I'd be wiping tears away as I exited the theatre for the intermission - but what can I say? Kate Monster made a fine, fine (and heartbreaking) point.

All in all, a fantastic show - and one that I'm disappointed I can't go see again while it's here in town. The funny parts were extremely funny. While I've heard "The Internet is for Porn" and "Schadenfreude" on the soundtrack, it was awesome to see them live and in context. Furthermore, I didn't know how the mix of bunraku and live actors would work on the stage, but I LOVED it! Those actors did some fabulous puppetry, and the expressive movements with which they endowed the puppets merged flawlessly with their own leg movements for the dancing and "body language" of puppets that included only the portion of the characters' bodies from the waist up. I was also fascinated by the actors who voiced more than one character and had to provide two voices in the same scene while operating only one of the puppets.

It was really freakin' cool.

So, if it's coming to your town, don't miss it - and if you're in Birmingham, you still have a few days left to catch it!

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Dec. 16th, 2008 @ 12:52 pm Matlock: The Restaurant - Part II

What follows is an update on the ongoing lawsuit brought against my parents by that restaurant at the lake. To go back to the beginning, follow breadcrumbs from Part I of the story posted in April.

So, as you may remember, when last we left the judge, he had imposed a temporary injunction placing certain restrictions on the dates, times, and volume at which music could be played. Furthermore, there was arguing in the briefs (*snicker*) wherein the Restaurant accused my parents of playing "vulgar" music.

Tomorrow, a special nisi hearing will be held in the First Circuit Court of Mayberry because one of the parties has violated the injunction. ( Can you say "Contempt of Court?" )

My only disappointment is that with the end of term upon us, I am unable to take a day off and go watch the hilarity in court. However, come Hell or high water, I'm going to make it to Mayberry for my parents' jury trial this Spring.

...and I'm bringing popcorn!

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Dec. 12th, 2008 @ 09:45 am Game Break

Okay, so at last night's shindig, the new boss, The Big Stanner, received a ping pong set capable of converting our conference table into a bona fide, if oddly shaped, ping pong table. A few minutes ago, I heard the "ta-pock ta-pock ta-pock" sound of ping pong balls, and had to nip over to the conference room to investigate. We all took a turn trying out our game with each other, and giggling about the tournament we're going to have when we do our open house.

Watching The Big Stanner play, though, I was reminded of my godfather's father - Mr. L - who always laughed as he told me the stories of socializing with my "Sears Junk!" grandpa when my father and godfather were in school together. One of the things that amused Mr. L to no end was that Grandpa always wore a tie - even while playing ping pong.

I have to admit - he had a point. It is a fairly amusing sight. :-)

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Dec. 12th, 2008 @ 08:30 am It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Oy - and I am SO not prepared this year. At this point, I have gotten exactly *one* present bought - not counting, of course, the Non-Denominational Fourth Quarter Work-Sanctioned Social Gatherings with accompanying Dirty Santa games or the stocking stuffers I've bought for the dog. I've got three of those office dealies this year - and they're always fun.

The first was with the old co-workers, who were strangely insistent that I go. (I think they didn't want to miss out on my annual hash brown casserole.) It was a lovely bring-a-dish deal with a brutal game of Dirty Santa that nearly came to blows behind a set of cordial glasses and a vanilla scented air freshener thingy. I walked away with a pound of coffee and giant new coffee mug.

Last night was the second one - with my new co-workers. This was even better - an evening at the pub near the theatre where the troupe usually goes after shows. I had the AWESOME chicken club (add jalapeños, of course) and a delightful selection of fine beers. (I think the old office staff would be more fun if we had beers at those parties. On the other hand, though, there might have been a donnybrook in that whole Dirty Santa thing...) Last night's gift - a brand new laptop computer! This thing has everything on it - an LCD screen, letters, shapes, and even a fun game where you move a honey pot around and try to catch dripping honey. The congratulatory cries of "Good job!" from the naked bear REALLY bolstered my self-esteem and helped me get to the bonus level.

This weekend, the improv troupe will have our shindig, and another game of Dirty Santa. I can only imagine what sort of things will come out that! The thing's going to be at Chez K, so tonight and tomorrow are all about getting the last of the cleaning and straightening done. I've got the tree and stockings (for Horatio and me, anyway) displayed by the chimney with care. I found H a paw-print shaped stocking (trés adorable) and liked it so much, I got Jr's giant dogs giant versions. Don't tell H, but there's already a pig ear and some rawhide in his stocking. I think he's gonna be a happy boy on Christmas! :-)

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Dec. 4th, 2008 @ 02:28 pm I DID IT!!!!!!!!

*ahem*

Excuse the outburst. But a Monarch has to toot his own horn from time to time when he can't afford a Royal Tooter.

We now return to our regularly scheduled program(me): Changing the Reports Because a Big Giant Head Prefers the Word "School" to the Word "College"

*happy dances anyway*

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Dec. 4th, 2008 @ 08:47 am I Needed a Laugh Today

So, this morning I woke up late, the pooch was distressingly willful, and just before I left the house, I remembered it was garbage and recycling day. In the rain. Blech.

So, when I got to work and logged in to see the morning news, I was drawn to the link that said "Obama taken for prankster." I couldn't help but smile and think of an old MAD Magazine clip out poster that said "Good government needs a sense of humor - throw a pie at a congressman today!" I clicked on the link - and here's the ( story... )

Here's hoping we can all find a laugh on a grey, gloomy, drizzly day.

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Dec. 3rd, 2008 @ 09:51 pm Fox Rocks!

Okay - I know I talk about a buncha silly crap here - but I've seen worthy television.

That's right - I appeared on the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon, and THIS I consider worthy.

FOX debuted "Secret Millionaire" tonight. If you missed it - don't miss it next week. This is the best I have felt about humanity in YEARS!!!!

Kudos, FOX. 100,000 bonus points for you.

...and no, don't tell me any "secret truths" about this show. I want this delusion to last if it isn't real.

Seriously.

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Dec. 2nd, 2008 @ 06:00 pm Animal Pictures!

Okay - I've been posting a lot about animals of late - here's some pictures:

( Cut for your LJ viewing pleasure. )

I do love the Chez K Animal Axillary - they're a pile of fun!

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