A gun, a word processor and more rehearsals

Hmmm... Writely is a new(ish) web-based word processor, backed by Google. So this is a test of sorts to see how easy it is to use. So far it's taken me a total of about 15 seconds to figure out how to do things like log in and start a new document. I just went the website, logged in with the same info I use for Gmail, and clicked on "new." I'll get back to you later with how easy (or not) it all turns out to be.

Geez, what a week. In addition to trying to make sense out of the onling gambling BS, getting my money out of Party and Interpoker while they were still processing Neteller withdrawals, and hanging out to see where I was going to be able to get my gambool on, I've also been in tech for another show. I've been designing lights for an original play called The Eyes of God, for Pi Productions, a local company that is dedicated to producing new works by regional writers. This is the second show I've done for them, and it's so far, so good. So good, in fact, that I've committed to their next two shows and to serve as Production Manager to coordinate technical issues for those shows as well. My whole crew has signed on for the next show - Em & Me on lights & sound, Twitch on Set and Suzy on Costumes and Props. So that'll be cool. Suzy's been working her ass off all week on rehearsals for Amadeus, which she's currently costuming.

Oh, and Wednesday was Suzy's birthday. I got her a stuffed bear and season two of Lost on DVD. We don't really watch TV at all when it's first-run, it's just not convenient. So we watch a shitload of it on DVD, and Lost is one of those shows that makes me not want to wait for the DVDs to come in the mail from Ballbuster. We're going to see Sam Bush tomorrow night, but that's not so much a birthday thing for her as it is that Sammy coming to town just coincides with her birthday weekend.

If you're anywhere close to Charlotte next Saturday you should join me in going to see the Duhks at the Neighborhood Theatre. My crush on the singer for Duhks is well-documented, but add to that the fact that their newest album is smokin' hot and that Leonard can play anything with strings and solid kill it, they make for a fantastic show. So drag you asses up, down and over here to see them!

So I haven't told the full story of what happened to my wife while I was in PA for the Bash. I've hinted at it a bit, but here's the full deal on her robbery, and the aftermath.

Suzy has taken a part-time gig working as House Manager for the local community theatre, the same place I designed A Chorus Line for. So as such, she arrives an hour or so before the show starts, coordinates the ushers, covers the concessions area, and sits in the lobby as a babysitter for the facility while the show goes on. Once the show is over, she waits until most of the audience clears out, then she can go home. It's on the stage manager to lock up after all the cast, so she's not stuck as the last person in the building by herself.

So two weeks ago Friday, about 2/3 of the way through the show (which is performed with no intermission), three young guys walk into the theatre lobby while Suzy and the stage manager are chatting. There's a long chunk of the show with no light cues or shift cues, so the SM typically would come out to chat with Suzy during this time. One kid stands by the door as a lookout, one kid goes behind the bar and starts rummaging around for the cash box, and the third kid (and Suzy was unable to give me a real idea as to how old these guys were, but she referred to them as "young") walks all the way across the lobby, sticks a gun in my wife's face and starts asking her where the money is.

The whole encounter didn't take very long. The kid behind the bar got the money box and then came over to where Suzy and Andi were sitting and grabbed Suzy's purse, which was lying on a table in front of her, then they all started walking backwards out of the lobby. The box office guy started out of the theatre to see what was going on, and got a gun waved at him for his troubles. The director stuck his nose out to see what the ruckus was, saw what was going on, and called 911. Nobody was hurt, and no shots were fired. The TD had left the theatre abut 30 minutes earlier, and he and I agreed that it was good thing, as he would have possibly done something brave (stupid) and escalated the situation.

So these jackoffs risked 10-15 years in prison for armed robbery for less than $200 in beer money, the $30 in Suzy's purse, and a cheap purse and even cheaper cell phone. Then the pain in the ass started. Without ID and keys, Suzy was left making phone calls on the theatre's land line to get to me so that I could start cancelling credit cards, and trying to line up a locksmith to get her into our house and change the locks on a Friday night, since these shitheads now had her driver's license with address on it, and her house and car keys. It was after 3 AM when she finally got the car towed to her aunt's house and got home.

Fortunately she found her passport the next day, and had no checks in her purse, so we didn't have to worry with closing bank accounts and that garbage, but she did have to go to the dealership to get a new truck key, then get a new cell phone and deal with all that other shite. We stopped short of paying $500 to have the locks on the car changed, I had her buy a $25 Club instead, figuring if they were going to steal a car, they'd aim higher than a 1998 pickup with 130,000 miles on it, especially if they had to go all the way across town to steal it.

So that's where I kept disappearing to Friday night during the Bash, and thanks to everyone who offered help, especially Gavin, who offered up a plane ticket to bring Suzy to PA, Rooster and Blood who kept checking in on me, and Al for offering to have people killed for me if we ever find out who did it. I may still take you up on that.

And that, kids, is how my wife spent my summer vacation. And if you think I'm getting out of town for a poker game without her coming along, you got another think coming.

PS - this writely thing is pretty cool. Except I haven't quite gotten the hang of publishing to my blog from here yet. Hmmm...may need to cut & paste. And the forum is down. The tragedy of living on the bleeding edge, I suppose. Yeah, cut and paste still works. Maybe it'll work later...