The Annekenstein Monster

I have a friend. Her name is Sasa Lele (pronounced Sass-ah Leh-lay). She is from Africa.

Okay, not really. But I have been inventing, bit by bit, a background for a fictional character named Sasa Lele. Where did the name come from, you ask?

On Quxxn Strxxt, there is a store called Hxxe Axxents. On their window, for quite some time now is a hand painted sign that says:

SASA SASA
LELE LELE

Well, not quite like that, because the L’s fall under the S’s and the E’s fall under the A’s. For the longest time (months, I’d say) I read it as Sasa Lele Sasa Lele. I figured it was a brand name. Then one day it struck me. It’s saying “Sale Sale”, only in an unclear way. Anyway, since that revelation I’ve decided that Sasa Lele is the name of some person.

Feel free to add some elements to her background.

…there’s a guy waiting to see if the smoke problem returns.

I was driving my ’91 Chevy Lumina the other day and we’re stopped at an intersection. For no discernible reason, smoke starts billowing from the neck of the steering wheel. Okay, so maybe not billowing. Maybe more like that first stream of smoke when one initially touches the hot-knife to the hash.
So, for like 10 seconds, the smoke is hot-kniving out of the neck of the steering wheel. I did not inhale, but I could smell the familiar scent of burning electrical wires. I began to imagine the car bursting into flames and exploding in a fiery ball of flames. Only after we ejected ourselves from our seats, of course. My wife started to ask if there was enough time to make it to a service station. As I watched the smoke plume, I dismissed all kinds of courses of action. In reality, I was only hoping to make it home. Our son sat bemused in the back seat.

Then, as soon as it started, it stopped. The smoke went away. The intersection light turned green, and off we went. I did the official test to see if anything was broken: I tried the directional blinkers and turned the steering wheel back and forth. My rigorous testing showed no difference than before the smoke. So, we drove home and did what, I think, most people do: we ignored the problem.

I am now waiting for the next smoke alarm before I take any serious action like taking it to a mechanic.

I don’t know very much about the implications of politics on a global scale. But I’m worried that Bush will get re-elected. I honestly do not understand how common-sense people can willingly vote to give him another four years. Perhaps I’m buying too much into the liberal media spin over the past three years, but I don’t think so. I really think there’s a fundamental difference in his opinions of The Right Thing To Do, and my opinions, and in the last year in particular, I consider his opinions dangerous to the world. For a while I’ve given him the benefit of the doubt because, well, he’s the President of the United States of America, and I’m, well, a nobody who doesn’t know very much about the implications of politics on a global scale.

I have a feeling that, if Bush wins, a great number of people who voted for him will, the moment the results come in (or get pronounced in court), have that sense you get when choosing between two things you thought were equally appealing (or unappealing, as the case may be).
You know, like when you say “I don’t know whether to eat the salad or the cheeseburger. I’ll flip a coin and if it’s heads I’ll eat the salad. Tails I eat the cheeseburger” At the time, you may honestly think you don’t have a preference between the two. But then, when you flip the coin and it comes up heads, you immediately realise that it was the cheeseburger you wanted all along. So you flip again, hoping this time it’ll be tails.

Only in the US, it’ll take four years before they can flip the coin again.

I expect the people of the US to come to their senses, and vote for Kerry in such numbers that there’s little question as to the country’s opinion about Bush policies.

I expect that, because I need to expect that. I’m also getting ready for a great disappointment.

I am in the middle of a week-long vacation. So far, it’s been a perfect vacation. Lots of video game playing, some reading, sleeping late, going to bed late, cooking meals that don’t get cooked when I work, doing unimportant things on a whim, etc.
I had planned to do a few things around the house, but so far, except for a half-afternoon of beginning to clean out the basement, I’ve done nothing. And I don’t feel guilty at all.
I’ve barely thought about work, which is the best part.
Now, though, it’s hump day, and I fear my head, from this point onwards, will be more and more filled with countdown-to-work thoughts.

To counter that, I’ll just have to play more GTA: Vice City.

Some random thoughts on baseball:
– This season, I’ve watched this much baseball: game 5 of Yanks/Sox from the bottom of the 6th onward, and game 6 of the same, from the 2nd inning onward. Both were great games. I’ll watch tonight’s game as well. I find myself cheering heartily for the Red Sox. I’m not sure if that’s because I want them to win, or if I want the Yankees to lose.

– My cheering for the Sox has got me thinking: Now that the Spose are no more, which team will I passively cheer for during the regular seasons, without really watching any games or paying attention to the standings? I’ve always been a National League guy (it must be that preposterous DH rule in the AL that keeps me from cheering that side of the league). Back in the 80’s, when I was an avid Expos fan (there was a time when I’d listen to regular season Expos games on the radio, if I could find a station [there was a time when I’d try to find baseball radio broadcasts anywhere on the dial]), I did find myself secretly cheering for the Pirates. But I think that was more about the audaciousness they had to wear those ridiculous too-tall prison uniform caps.
I’ve always had a soft spot for underdogs, so maybe I’ll start actively-passively cheering for the Cubs and/or Mets. Dunno, that doesn’t feel right, yet.
One thing for certain, I cannot bring myself to cheer for the Jays. I’ve never been able to cheer for any Toronto based team in any sport.
There’s no need to force a team upon myself. I’ll let it occur naturally. I’ll allow myself to discover my new team gradually, over time, as I more-or-less ignore the regular season next year.

– My choices for the name of the former Expos, now situated in Washington: The Washington Lobbyists, or The Washington Irvings, or The Washington Citizens Should Never Forget That Lauria And MLB Conspired To Destroy The Expos Thus Creating The Unfortunate And Unforgivable Circumstances That Snuffed Out The Love Of Baseball In Montreal And Brought The Team To Your Region (or the Washington Citizens, for short).

It’s spreading all over the internets, but I thought I’d point to it so that those of you who rely solely on me to get your news and entertainment stories will be sated.

John Stewart was on CNN’s Crossfire recently and took the opportunity to call out the hosts on what a terrible job they (and the media) is doing in covering the news. It’s a fascinating bit of television. I appreciate Stewart more than ever for having the balls to maintain his agenda. I know I wouldn’t have the guts to do what he did, even though it so needed to be done.

Here’s a link to a page that has video links of the event.

It really is worth seeing.

So, last night was the final night of this year’s Enemies. What did you miss, if you weren’t there?
-what I am sure is the Segway’s first appearance in any theatrical production on PEI. I would even guess the first time a Segway has appeared in a theatrical production in the Maritimes. (I am more than ready to be corrected on this)
-at least three too many jokes/references to the penis and/or testicles.
-me, chewing pubic hair.
-a discussion as to the meaning of the word ‘reap’.
-a detailed instructional on how a man might possibly be born with a gun in his hand.
-the introduction of the Benny Hill Show theme song to a whole new generation of Islanders.
-mis-firing pistols
-a real-live alien on stage (okay, an actor pretending to be a real-live alien).
-more drool than was necessary.

I found directing this year’s episodes to be a very Jekyll-Hyde experience. On the one hand, you want to make sure the actors know what they were supposed to do when they were on stage. We had plot points we need to reach in any scene, and it’s rather vital to the outcome of each episode that those points are actually achieved. Yet, on the other hand, you also want to keep the improvisational intent of the series. It’s improv that drives the excitement and entertainment of the shows, and if the actors have too much familiarity with what happens in each scene, then it becomes much harder to maintain that improvisational aspect.

I think, in hindsight, I guided the rehearsals with the intent that the improvisational qualities remained in the forefront, and focused much less (than last year, for instance) on hammering home the various plot points. In so doing, I probably didn’t afford the actors as much comfort and familiarity with the scenes as they probably wanted. Sometimes, for all of us acting in the show, this resulted in us looking a little lost at times on stage. However, it also created many hilarious moments of improv that simply wouldn’t have happened had we known the plot backwards and forewards.

So, last night was the final night of this year’s Enemies. What did you miss, if you weren’t there?

-what I am sure is the Segway’s first appearance in any theatrical production on PEI. I would even guess the first time a Segway has appeared in a theatrical production in the Maritimes. (I am more than ready to be corrected on this)

-at least three too many jokes/references to the penis and/or testicles.

-me, chewing pubic hair.

-a discussion as to the meaning of the word ‘reap’.

-a detailed instructional on how a man might possibly be born with a gun in his hand.

-the introduction of the Benny Hill Show theme song to a whole new generation of Islanders.

-mis-firing pistols

-a real-live alien on stage (okay, an actor pretending to be a real-live alien).

-more drool than was necessary.

I found directing this year’s episodes to be a very Jekyll-Hyde experience. On the one hand, you want to make sure the actors know what they were supposed to do when they were on stage. We had plot points we need to reach in any scene, and it’s rather vital to the outcome of each episode that those points are actually achieved. Yet, on the other hand, you also want to keep the improvisational intent of the series. It’s improv that drives the excitement and entertainment of the shows, and if the actors have too much familiarity with what happens in each scene, then it becomes much harder to maintain that improvisational aspect.

I think, in hindsight, I guided the rehearsals with the intent that the improvisational qualities remained in the forefront, and focused much less (than last year, for instance) on hammering home the various plot points. In so doing, I probably didn’t afford the actors as much comfort and familiarity with the scenes as they probably wanted. Sometimes, for all of us acting in the show, this resulted in us looking a little lost at times on stage. However, it also created many hilarious moments of improv that simply wouldn’t have happened had we known the plot backwards and forewards.

My beloved Miami Dolphins are winless in their first 5 games this season. Not only winless, but not-even-close-less.

The colossalness of their ineptitude has even made them the butt of a Jay Leno monologue joke. Having the team I support be the butt of Leno jokes hurts more than the actual losses, which, truth be told, are somewhat entertaining in a ‘the trials of Job’ kind of way.

I am now wondering when head coach Dave Wannstedt gets canned. Last week, popular opinion was that he’d be fired the day after their final game of the season. I say, assuming the losing continues (and there’s absolutely no reason to believe it won’t continue) that he’ll be fired the day after the game before their bye week.

And while prognosticating, I’ll say that Osama Bin Laden will be ‘found’ before the end of October. Also, there’ll be a major terrorist strike on the US before Nov.3.

So far this season, Law & Order:SVU has been pretty disappointing. The writing has fallen off the bridge and is very much lacking in subtlety. I still don’t watch L&O:Sunday Night (Criminal Intent?), because I never liked the writing and contrivances on it. Perhaps the wirters of CI have moved over to SVU. Certainly, there is some reason for the degradation in scripts.

I haven’t really watched the top of the heap Law & Order, this year with Dennis Farina. Seeing the quality of SVU drop off so much, now I’m a little nervous about doing so.