What *I* would have said

Bush (paraphrasing): "The commander in chief cannot say 'wrong war, wrong time, wrong reasons'."

If Kerry were my puppet: "But see how I'm NOT the commander in chief. I'm the guy who wants the job because I'll do it better by recognizing these things before invading."

With the followup: "It is not demoralizing to the troops to admit to a mistake. It is demoralizing to insist everything's fine while they DIE."

In a more heartening aside:
I didn't see the debates last night due to rehearsals (well, I caught the last 10 minutes, about).
Many in my high school cast got increasingly squirrelly throughout the night, wanting to be DONE so they could go watch the debate.
And a few had turned on the tv in another room so they could watch it when they weren't onstage.

They are engaged and interested and surprisingly well-informed.
Unsurprisingly, given their obvious interest in the arts, they seemed adamantly anti-Bush.
And the one Nader supporter in the group has already realized that Nader is just a Bad Idea right now. (He's a senior and may actually be old enough to vote.)

Also heartening: signs up at the high school "Hey Seniors! If you're 18 by November 2 - VOTE!"

Improved Mood

My mood and my confidence have increased since my whine-fest of earlier in the week.

Largely because - as I suspected might happen - I've gotten through creating most of the blocking and choreography now. I've even had a chance to go back and revise some blocking and choreography I wasn't happy with.
After tonight, there is only one scene left to block (the last scene in the show). Not complex at all, actually. Oh, and one goofy little dance interlude to figure out.

But I have till next Wednesday.

So, my week of coming home from rehearsal and having to put in another 2 hours (either late night, early morning, or over lunch) is done.

My mood is tipping back to the "gosh I'm clever" side of the spectrum again.

And after a bunch of "quiet downs!" last night, I came up with a new plan to keep control and get attention at rehearsals.
(I will NOT use a whistle. I was in a show where the music director did that for one night. He stopped after one night because I believe he saw the incipient homocide in our eyes.)
I cannot whistle myself, so that's out.

Instead, I will launch into "OooooooooOOOOoOAK!-lahoma, where the wind goes sweeping down the plains..."

That oughta get their attention. And it will feel less angry than hollering "hey!!" every five minutes.

Alas, we are not going to Duluth this weekend. But this is actually a positive. The thought of leaving town was doing more to stress me out than to make me happy, at this point. It also means we can attend Ms.Ethel's Iron Alcohol Party. Yay!
I would like to go to Duluth some time. I've never been.

Of the few minutes I saw of the debates (till I get that tape from Mr. Kingsley), my favorite moment was Kerry, in essence, saying that the President's plan for Korea/China was stupid and reminding people that Bush has a problem with the truth.
And the moderator turns to a rebuttal from Bush (huge paraphrasing): "Do you have anything to say? He brought up Truth. Do you have a response? Does that bother you?"
And Bush...has no real response. It's not like he delivered a decisive statement either. He didn't say, "I have stated my plans, I believe they are sound, I feel no need to respond."
No. He stuttered. He fumbled. He dropped the ball hugely.

Look, vote for Bush if you want. It's your right (and I will defend your right to do so). But don't try to tell me he's any good at public speaking or speaking extemporaneously (does he even know what that word means?).
Now, the fact that you want the "leader of the free world" to look like an uneducated ass in most public situations is your own choice...

Playing Tourist at Home

Okay, I'm a transplant to Minneapolis. I've been here over 10 years. But there's alot of things - basic things - that I've never seen or done here in the Twin Cities.

So, tell me: what do you recommend to your out-of-town friends? Things to see. Places to eat.