i'm a pixel here, myself

Um. The theater's managing director just asked if I would be interested in going on a date with the theater's scenic/technical designer (cute, skinny, soft-spoken, awesome-with-a-screw-gun Chinese guy). ::scratches head:: WTF? I need to figure out whether the managing director was operating on the scenic designer's instructions, or whether he was just playing Yenta.

Tonight's show was very uneven -- great in some parts, mediocre in others. I suspect it's because it was Wednesday and we're all exhausted. Five-nights-a-week runs are *brutal*, I'm finding, especially since we still have to do the things we do during the day. Strike is this Sunday; I'll be happy to have my life back, as well as a chance to start healing my voice. No new shows until my voice is back to normal!

[Go read this year's RPF Remix stories!]

So. Freaking. Tired. I'm up nearly two hours past my bedtime, but goddammit, the [Remix Archive] is open at last thanks to some super-cool pinch-hittery doings from two as-yet-unnamed lovelies. Go read and make guesses!

::collapses::

rpfremix assignments have been made and sent out. We have nineteen participants, which is smaller than the number I would have liked, but it's only the first year -- I'll take what I can get! Hopefully people will have a great time and I'll be able to do it again sooner than next year. Maybe when I'm not, you know, busting my ass at rehearsal for a show. Maybe.

Speaking of which, rehearsal today was really long, but really good. I'm definitely looking forward to the performances and we haven't even finished all the blocking yet! The fun I'm having with this show has encouraged me to talk to some of the other cast members about other shows they're auditioning for and other groups in the area to search out for email audition lists. The problem with going right into another show is that my parents are taking my brothers and me to Europe for two weeks in June, and that's pretty much just before summer performances begin, and during the time frame of auditions for early fall performances. So I may get screwed out of the next two rounds of auditions. But... Europe! I'll gladly take that (temporary) setback.

And now I go to bed, before I fall apart right here and now. Zzzzzzzzzzz.

You all got porn on your televisions. I? Got a roomful of disgruntled thirtysomething straight men and some really old sheet music. NOT A FAIR TRADE, WORLD.

...and that's all I'm going to say about that.

***

Apparently my background check cleared, because they want to know if I can start on Monday instead of Wednesday. I have to decide whether or not I want to -- I'm not hurting for cash, and the extra two days would be nice to finish up the things around the house I thought I'd get done by now. But on the other hand, the first few days are all going to be orientation and setup and whatnot anyway, so wouldn't I like to get that all out of the way? Decisions, decisions.

Dropped off my car this afternoon for oil change and service, and expected to have it back by tonight, but apparently they're keeping it overnight? Without telling me. Hmm. I did say I was flexible on pickup time. I wonder if they interpreted that to mean pickup "day" as well?

The time has come for me to just buckle down and do the matchups for remixredux. After I get some sleep.

Signups for rpfremix close in four hours! Well, sort of. I'll probably be asleep before then, so we're looking at an actual closing time of 9am tomorrow; if you want to sign up but haven't, now's the time. If you have friends you're trying to lure in, now's the time. If you have people you want to sign up on their behalf without telling them, now's the... oh, wait. Don't do that last one.

***

Tomorrow is a new week; we're doing a runthrough of all the chorus music for the show on Monday, a runthrough of ALL the music in the show on Tuesday, and then having regular acting rehearsal on Wednesday. Whee! Also, hopefully I will hear back from a couple of job people and maybe get some around-the-house things done, like planting herbs.

Last night, four of us ended up playing bridge for four hours. It was actually quite awesome, but means I'm turning 80 ahead of my time. Does anyone have a walker I can borrow?

A reminder that signups for rpfremix close tomorrow night! If you're thinking of signing up, now's the time. We still need more people, and CW RPS people specifically. I note quite a few people who'd said "participate, definitely" on the poll have NOT signed up, which perplexes me. Are y'all waiting for certain other people to sign up or something? Sign yourself up, then get them to do so!

***

I think I'm actively getting worse as a singer -- I haven't had a voice lesson in three years, and it's showing. I go for some high notes in rehearsal and they're much harder than they should be; I think my technique is getting rusty. At this point, I really should just stop, go for some lessons, and start again, but with the rehearsal schedule we've got, there's no time for that. I'm just going to have to ask our Music Director to work with me a little because there are a couple of times I have to sing really high (dear composer: high C is not an acceptable tenor note, no matter what you think) and I'm hitting the notes, but not *well* or *appropriately* -- my throat hurts a little afterward, and that's the sign of improper technique. :-| I used to be so good at this! And I'm still good *enough*, but that's not satisfying.

When my life settles into a pattern, I cease having interesting things to say, and so I lapse into not saying anything at all. Over the past couple days, I finished the test, turned it in to the HR guy, and got a note back from him saying he'd "sent it off for grading". Which, of course, means he has no idea what the test is actually about. Fun times. I haven't heard back from the company I interviewed with on Monday because they were in some weeklong international conference, so they had time to interview me but not to talk about me as a candidate or get back to the recruiter I'm dealing with. Despite all this, my week has been remarkably low-stress. It's been nice not to have to worry about working AND applying for jobs.

Yesterday, my friends and I had a loosely-Irish-themed party; I made Irish Soda Bread for the first time ever and it was hearty and wonderful and SO EASY. It might have been better with some whole wheat flour, but this was good with the cheddar one of the other guys brought. Here, have a ( recipe )

Only four days left to sign up for rpfremix! If you're still on the fence about it, why not give it a go? It looks like it's going to be a lot of fun. And if you're already signed up, how about convincing someone else to endure the pain enjoy it along with you? Remember, the more signups we have, the more overlap there will be, and therefore the more interesting matches that can come out of this.

Right now, we have a surprising lack of CWRPS people -- where are you all?

This has been your challenge-related announcement for the day.

***

Got a call this morning from ANOTHER recruiter at the company I've interviewed at a lot (CIIAAL). This time, the person wanted me to know SQL, which... I don't. But I will! I hedged his questions sufficiently to wrangle a "worksheet" (aka "test") out of him and when I send that back in, they'll let me know whether or not I've done well enough to continue with the interview process. I have five days and an SQL for Dummies book and my SAS database knowledge; I should be fine. It's just a question of the particular syntax, which really? They should be asking me about higher-level analytics than "what's the command for _______". The recruiter for the job with the other company called me to let me know that she likely won't know anything until Friday, as the department is in the middle of a worldwide conference and personnel matters are less important at this time. Oy.

For pi day (3/14), Roommate E and I are baking a pie. Naturally. Hopefully it will help me concentrate on SQL things!

Tomorrow: oil change for the car, gym, rehearsal, work on that job thing. Friday: sekrit recording project for my a cappella group! This unemployment thing is actually rather fun, if you don't bother sweating the details of actually, you know, getting employed. And, well. The weather is cooperating :)

People! This Justin Hartley clip is [old news]. Clearly the folks who have been freaking out about it have not been paying attention. You get a pass this time, but next time it's coming out of your final grade.

In other news: rpfremix! I'm going to send email out today to everyone who volunteered to help promote in the poll post from ages ago, and will do some promoting myself, but if you're in an RPF community, why not post a link to rpfremix or the [FAQ/signup post]? I don't have anything to offer but my undying love and appreciation, but it does come with a shiny certificate!

Because Brenda believes less is more:

Anyone who is willing to help me promote rpfremix in the various RPF comms out there, I will be eternally grateful. If you post, you can link just to the community or to the FAQ post, but definitely drop me a comment with what comms (and their fandoms) you've done that for, so I can keep track? Thanks! I know there were a bunch of people who commented on the poll a while back, saying they'd be willing to help, so I will hunt them down at some point when I have some more time to do so, possibly tonight after rehearsal.

***

Thank you to whomever left me a shamrock! ♥♥♥

Work is kicking my ass all the way up and down the block. Here, have last night's Trohman-Wentzes:

( an' a horsey! )

rpfremix! rpfremix! rpfremix! rpfremix! rpfremix!

Ahem. Go see the community, read the FAQ, and sign up. And then post about it on your LJ so we can get more remixers!

***

My interview went well; now I'll just have to wait and see if they liked me enough to hire me. Tonight I have rehearsal (quelle surprise!), but it's *music* rehearsal for the first time. And today's weather is perfect. HELLO MARCH I LOVE YOU MORE THAN FEBRUARY.

I think it's telling that I've started writing again. Everybody remembers when my fic took a nosedive, right? Right about when the boy and I started dating. And now that I'm getting over him (which I am, slowly), my creativity returns. Coincidence? I don't know. But I did spend part of last night writing more about the Trohman-Wentzes. Well, okay, just Mia. But she's the firecracker!

How the heck am I supposed to work when I know it's that gorgeous outside? I ask you.

Guys! rpfremix is open for business! Signups are today through two Sundays from now (the 18th) so help me spread the word and get as many signups as we can. Here is the FAQ post to which signups should be posted as comments:

http://community.livejournal.com/rpfremix/309.html

Remember, the more people who sign up, the more chances that your fandom will be represented and there will be enough people to actually have that fandom be eligible for remixing.

Oh noes! Hot Danceboy has left the cast. ::weeps:: Something about a "logistical concern", which I took to mean his living in the city and rehearsals being down here. Other than that, rehearsal was good, and I have managed to end up with *more* solo lines, if that's possible. The first party has been blocked, and we have Friday and Sunday nights off until mid-April, which is awesome. Tomorrow night I'm going to a party in the city, Saturday is more rehearsal, Sunday I'm helping A move, and Monday is right back to work again -- but it's my last week! Yipes. And then my in-person interview with the company that I've been talking with is on Tuesday. Time to talk to HR Woman about COBRA and see whether or not it's right for me. (My employment goes through the end of the month, but if I haven't been hired by then...)

There's sex in the story I'm writing now, but it feels really out-of-place for this particular story. I'm trying to figure out how to either write more lead-in with the sexin' characters, or reduce the importance of it. Frankly, I think I'm going to have to do the latter, since the characters with the sexin' are... not the main characters. Alas! It was such hot sexin', too. Anyway, it feels good to be working on something again, even if it's not in a fandom I'm all that familiar with.

rpfremix opens for signups on Monday! Go ahead and add the community if you'd like; that's where all mod-ly announcements will happen unless they're so critical that they require email. It will be low-volume, I assure you!

First things first: I re-sent the email to my bosses that I sent last Sunday, the one telling them that March 9 is my last day (before my three weeks of vacation carry me through the end of the month) because I *still* have not heard from them about this. Here's hoping they don't get all bitchy about it. ::crosses fingers:: Oh, and the in-person interview with the company I've been going back-and-forth with isn't until NEXT week.

Last night was useful, but not particularly fun. I cleaned up my headshot, got flirted with by the woman at the photo processing place (who, um, did not have a filter between her brain and her mouth, and just said anything and everything she was thinking), got two copies just in case, and did laundry. I also apparently managed, between Sunday and now, to write 1,000 words about the Trohman-Wentzes. What am I *doing*? I'm putting one line in particular from last night behind a cut, because I kind of liked it, but it's not like my whole flist is FOB fans. So.

( cut )

The other thing I'm working on in my total lack of free time is rpfremix. It's actually going to happen! The first post to the community will be the FAQ and signup post, so everybody keep an eye out for that. I'm sure I'll post about it a gazillion times and ask you all to pimp it out to your friends. Signups open this coming Monday! Go check out the community info for the timeline.

First rehearsal tonight. Eee!

The community info for rpfremix has been updated, somewhat. Go, take a look at the tentative schedule, and see if it makes sense for this whole thing. I will *definitely* be recruiting help for this, as the story due date is... two days after the show's performances start. Heh. I'm giving myself a week, therefore, to post the stories. With help from others, that should be totally doable. I'm thinking this will be a post-stories-to-the-comm thing, but it may make more sense to have a website. Downside of the website: more coding. Downside of the comm: LJ's formatting. Upside of the website: can post all at once, can make everything look perfect. Upside of the comm: tags and memories make for easy fandom differentiation. Thoughts? (And, speaking of tags, my new remix one: [the same only different]. I wanted a comma, but they use that as a differentiator, so that's a no-go.)

Applied for three more jobs at Google. A's just started there, but already has Connections, and is working them for me to the best of her ability. My friends win! Of course, having applied to Google jobs before, I highly suspect I will be ignored AGAIN, but having people on the inside poking around for me is helpful. It doesn't help that Google was named the best place to work in the country; that means they get just that many more applications. But they ARE growing at an insane rate, so.

There are Conversation Hearts in the kitchen. This does not bode well for my waistline, but YUM.

a. Had callbacks. A whole bunch of us danced (I dance poorly, FYI) and sang (I sing well, FYI), and I was let go in the first group. The director said "the only thing that you leaving now means is that you're leaving now" which was a roundabout way of saying that we're all still in the casting pool. I suspect that the people who stayed where auditioning for other parts later. No indication of when we'd hear, but probably in the next few days. Tomorrow unlikely.

b. Talked to the boy. And because I am a wuss, ( I didn't do what I meant to ). What we *did* talk about was: me looking for jobs, me auditioning, him getting mad at people for being stupid, him not yet taking his orals. It felt a lot like when we used to talk every night, only this time, I had a secret that I really wanted to tell him, but felt like I shouldn't. :-/

c. Thought about RPF remix, including a number of different permutations on scheduling. I'm trying to avoid the bulk of remixredux time, but I also don't want to bump up against the Lotrips remix (in June), and everything has to be done, posted, and revealed by June 1 at the VERY latest, since I'm going to Italy and France with my family for two weeks. Which will be awesome, but requires advance planning.

d. Acquired rpfremix. Mwa ha ha!

e. Need mindless entertainment. Post pictures of hot men in comments!

Audition in t-minus 5.5 hours. Now I need a performing arts resume. ::types furiously::

Phone interview with company Thursday morning. Phone interview set up with different company for Friday morning. In-person interview with second company (different location) set up for Monday at 8am (holy crap, that's early, given that it's in the city). Job hunting is going to be the death of me, I tell you.

The RPF remix poll seems to be gathering steam. If you or anyone you know might be interested in a RPF remix, [take the poll!]

This post brought to you by 4pm and my total lack of desire to do any work.

There seems to be at least enough interest to start the ball rolling on planning such a thing. If y'all could help me out by posting a link to [this post] where I'm gauging interest and fandoms, that would be super-duper helpful. If you'd take the poll yourselves, that would be even better! If you did both... well, I'm not asking for miracles, but that would make things wonderful.

So... I don't think I'm doing [Remix] this year. Which is a shame, really. I've (mostly) enjoyed it in the past, but my only eligible fandom is HP, and I'm kind of... done with HP. Last year, SPN was new and I managed to snag ignipes, who does both HP and SPN, and remix one of her stories, but given the direction the show has taken, I don't know that I could necessarily write a SPN remix anymore. ANYWAY. phaballa mentioned, offhand, the idea of doing a multifandom RPF remix, along the lines of remixredux, but just as remixredux uses only FPF, this one would be only RPF. Multiple fandoms, the possibility for writing something you've never written, the ability to play in somebody else's sandbox... doesn't this sound awesome?

To wit, a poll!

EDIT: to clarify, this would work similarly to Remix-Redux in that I would match fandoms, but not exclusively. That is, if A writes SPN RPS, SV RPS, and popslash, and B writes only SV RPS, I can still match A to B, or vice-versa. There would NOT be a match between people who do not share at least one fandom. /EDIT

[Poll #916384]

If you checked "participate, definitely" or "participate, maybe" above, what fandoms would you bring? Tell me in comments, as there are too many to list in checkboxes, and I would totally forget a dozen of them :D