Zachary

The band

The other band

Cooking stuff (temporarily inactive...)

 
Fall is my favorite time of year. I melt in the heat, so it's such a relief from our often 100 degree summers. ("But it's a dry heat.") The trees turn beautiful, rustic colors, and leaves crunch under your feet. Our trees in the backyard put on a fantastic show between vibrant red and golden yellow. (I highly recommend Chinese pistach and gingko trees.) You get to bring out the sweaters. The weather is perfect. And the fall contains my favorite holiday: Halloween.

Have I mentioned we throw an elaborate party every year for Halloween? It's the 3rd annual radio drama and party. The first year was an experiment, trying to perform a script written in somewhat old English. There was lots of tripping on the lines, cumbersome logistics trying to get the microphones, and no one had time to prepare because the script got finished the night before.

Last year, was a pirate theme and we wrote a script based on the movie "Abbott & Costello meet Captain Kid". We fixed the logistic issues and everyone was a bit more experienced, knew to pause when they screwed up so we could easily edit the line out. The script was circulated a few days before. But, the sound pit was less than perfect and we had to figure out some sound effects the night of the party. A new tradition was introduced: contests with prizes. A costume contest (of course!) and a pirate ship race where our engineering friends constructed custom boats out of popsicle sticks, Legos, and other such creative materials. There was a prize for the coolest ship and a prize for the fastest across a small wading pool. Our friend that dressed up as the Dread Pirate Roberts won.

This year, it's a Scooby Doo theme! We're all of the age that SD is nostalgic. The radio drama is based on an episode with the Headless Horseman as the villain. :) Everyone with a "gang" part is supposed to dress up as their character. I got my Daphne costume all settled last weekend. And this weekend, I'm creating my diorama. That's the contest this year. I figured last year favored the engineer. This year favors the crafty soul.

I've also learned a couple lessons in the last two years and I feel this year is more under control. First off, I'm time boxing my activities. Last weekend was the only time I spent on my costume. By the end of the weekend, what I had was what I'd wear. This weekend, I will finish my diorama, for better or worse. The fall is way to wonderful to waste being stressed out. Next weekend I have Mom and a friend coming over to decorate - 1 day and that's it. And I made it potluck this year. The script will be ready record early this year!

All this makes for a happier Heather and I can also focus on getting ready for my Germany trip next month. :)
posted by hbt at 12:36 PM