things you learn

same project, not all learned at the same time...
-always leave extra room for electrics to get access
-make sure that you know everything there is to know about what you're drawing/designing before you work on it
-always fill out the title block if you want them to build it... even for a cnc path
-no one ever reads the notes... not even the call-out leaders
-sometimes people are very nice and take the time to show you where you made mistakes, how they were fixed and what it cost... even if you were on a family vacation when it all happened.

the cutest neighborhood ever

Today was beautiful, official high of 64 degrees, sunny, light breeze, just perfect really. I went for a long walk up Broadway, over to Sheridan, west on Montrose, with some meandering along Sunnyside, back to Montrose at Damen, south on Lincoln, east (headed home) on Grace, south on Southport, and the rest of the way home on Waveland. Lincoln Square and Ravenswood are super-cute. And affordable too. Phooey on Lakeview/Wrigleyville, these are really nice neighborhoods. I also found an art center called Lillstreet, I think that I might take a class.

Wow, I didn't think that I had anything to write about tonight, but now that I'm starting (and so sleepy too) I can think of lots of things to be excited/happy about and share with others. Really, the reason that I opened the window was to ask some questions of the more experienced folks out there. How do you know how much you can afford for rent? I'd rather that this not be a trial and error activity. Is there a chart somewhere? Does that level include utilities or just what you pay to the landlord?

A friend has just suggested this breakdown... and I'd like some input.
--1 week of raw (pre-tax) pay for rent
--1 week for taxes (assuming the 25% tax bracket, which is pretty much where I am)
--1 week for utilities (including food)
--1 week for me (this is where cable tv and the car go)

Anyone got any other ideas? Beuller? ... Beuller?

Keep Smiling! =)

There are no bad ideas: Worlds collide

There are no bad ideas: Worlds collide

David seems a bit worried about connecting two otherwise totally separate ends of his life... but he needn't do so.

Hanging out with Stephanie got me thinking though. I wonder what Marisa is going to do post-theater, since it seems like David's theater-world girlfriends have to go on to be something uber-successful in a totally different field. Stephanie is a lawyer. Dr. Debra Gilboa is, well, a doctor. Hedge makes soap (but I don't know if she's uber-successful at it). I'm under the impression that there's another lawyer out there, but I have no idea who it is. Maybe Marisa will join the clergy? become an activist? who knows.

And the very important part of the tire story is that before she left, David told S. "don't wreck the car." He had just gotten his truck, and she was driving the car to work. Then the giant truck tire came bouncing down the bridge towards her, smashed into the passenger side, and obliterated all of the windows and the passenger side of the car. *Poof* And all she could think of was, "oh my god I wrecked the car. David said, 'don't wreck the car.' and then I wrecked the car."

Unfortunately for David, he didn't have to respond to her email with his phone number, since I have it saved in my cell from the days of advisor-on-call, for her to be able to barely-semi-drunk dial. Good times.

Keep Smiling! =)

A gold star

Its good to know that in a conservatory program, you learn skills that are directly applicable to the "real" world. After how many years (3+, I think) of estimating materials for scenery in school, I have successfully done the first pass at it for a real, commercial shop. And KZ did not throw it back in my face. I suspect that it was a little slow for his tastes, but we had the sheets to the dept. heads by lunch, tagged and everything. That's another thing that I like about this project management gig... I don't have to estimate the labor as standard procedure. Labor estimation was never my strong suit in school, and now I just have to estimate the non-construction depts. That is still tricky stuff, but I personally am not the one to do it right now.

You know, I'm probably not as smart as I feel sometimes, I've just had good luck. If you go to college-prep high school, you should be able to do well in college. If in college, the models upon which your education is based are YRT/YSD and CSSI, then when you go to those places, you should be able to do well. Not that I'm complaining, mind you.

Keep Smiling! =)

killing time

in a CompUSA training center. Today, my second day as an employee of CSSI, I am going to a Level 1 MSProject class. Tomorrow, Level 2. There are no more levels. Not knowing how traffic would be in the 8 o'clock hour as compared to the 6 or 7 o'clock hours on Lake Shore Drive, I left my home much earlier than I needed to. Then, instead of comparison shopping on parking, I just went to the first one I found (which it turns out is going to be really expensive, we'll see if the reimbursement is approved) and got back to the training center. Thusly, I am very early for my class.

In my internet-surfing-time-killing, I discovered that this store has a filter on the internet that prevents access to livejournal. Probably because their employees were playing on lj instead of working, but it has no problem so far with blogger or meetup.com

Time to work.

Neighborhood Info Guide

Neighborhood Info Guide: "Conservative
budgets suggest allocating between 25% - 35%
of income for housing expenses. The following
table illustrates how much you can spend on
rent based on your annual income."

So, it looks like I should be looking for something between $600 and $875/month max to be within reasonable affordable housing limits... that sounds like a lot for an apartment. I don't want to stretch it too thin, what if I suck at managing my money? But then again, being cheap I always seem to end up with a horrible apartment or a crazy roommate, so maybe spending a little to get a little isn't such a bad idea?

"You like me!"

I got a job offer! Now I just need to figure things out. Does anyone know how to find an apartment that doesn't suck with roommate(s) who aren't insane? I am not known for great skill in this department and I'd like some pointers.

Time for Alias, blog more later

RSL Employment

RSL Employment

Does anyone know who these people are? I imagine that I could do the job of Assistant Technical Director, so I think that I will contact them tomorrow. Yup, I really think that I will. And take a look on Mapquest to see where they are located.

Goodtheatre.org: Who the heck are you?

Goodtheatre.org: Who the heck are you?

I haven't mentioned this site on any of the blogs yet, but I thought that this was as good a time as any to give a shoutout to Ben and his crazy ideas. I have 43 connections and a rating of 64. If you can't see my page, want in on the project that is gt.o and are involved in the industry, leave a comment and I'll invite you.

On the cusp of two generations

I've been a lazy bum recently on the job search front. Which makes the reports from behind the masking flat really unexciting. However, "things are moving forward" in Chicago. I don't know what that actually means, but it wasn't a "life sucks, we have no money to hire you, go away." So maybe its good. A load-in for the auto show is keeping them busy, so we are scheduled to talk monday afternoon.

Today I worked for dad because Bob was sick with the same stuff Andrea has, and so I had to do an install. Normally installs take around 2 hours. I was there for about 6 today. This was the most high maintenance man EVER, and that's saying a lot for a sign customer.

***Request for information***We now interrupt your reading to ask the public a favor. Go to this site (http://www.generations.com) and leave a comment if you can figure out what BridgeWorks does, or what the "Generational Puzzle" is or why it needs to be solved.***End Request***

Nothing was right, he thought that he knew what he wanted but then when he got whatever that was, it was still not right and he didn't know what to do. I was one of 3 installers there today; me, the security system installer and the IKEA FURNITURE ASSEMBLERS!

Who hires people to put together their desk and shelves from IKEA?? If you aren't going to realize the cost savings of ready-to-assemble, particle board, flat-packed, self-serve furniture by taking it home in your car and putting Bolt 34 into Hole A on Panel C4, then get some real furniture from a regular furniture store. Don't get IKEA furniture and have it delivered and assembled by people that you have to pay.

End Rant. Its been a long day. The install was a lesson in smile and nod, undermining, and insanity. I'm going to go read now.

no further progress

I should definitely NOT go to grad school. Why not? Because eventually, in my third year, I would have to write a thesis. I would have the cleanest apartment in New Haven and my friends would all have lovelyknitted scarves, embroidered dishtowels and marble magnets, but I would not have a thesis. I can't even get myself to write a cover letter or make a cold call. Somehow, I keep thinking that they phone will just ring. I am wrong, but I only appear to understand that on the intellectual level.

Maybe tomorrow will go better and I will write a cover letter. The problem is that I think that someone should hire me because they need someone and I'm good enough at what I do. Its not like I've ever had my ankle broken from scenery that I built and rigged falling from the sky. And I have a desire to work, not sit on my grandma's couch and drink beer while I grow into the couch and my skin rots away from being unwashed. I can even be a future industry leader if I have a chance to be entry-level and gain confidence amongst my peers. I promise not to go home for two weeks and fall off the face of the earth while my show goes to shit, and then come back and not really know what's going on or why people are mad.

This is all. Please hire me. Please, someone, show me how to use the hello bloggerbot to post photos to the web.

eek

So, I called. I hope that I hear back. I hate making that phone call. But at least I got voicemail, so its in Mr. Hamilton's court now. If anyone has any pull to get me a job offer, feel free to use it.

Courage is sometimes a kick in the butt

Says Shannon. She's right. Today, before 3pm, I am going to call Ross at CSSI and say that I am just calling to touch base since I haven't heard from them in a while and its definitely after the first of the year. Nick pointed out that if they are going to say "No, go away" my calling with some made up question isn't going to change their opinion, so being honest is the best policy. Now I just need some courage. Or a kick in the butt. My kick in the butt is really that I don't want to have to tell anyone (read: mom and dad) that I chickened out. So yeah.

questions

I need to call Chicago Scenic Studios, Inc (aka Bob and Ross) with questions, as they seem to have forgotten to tell me yes or no "after the first of the year." The problem is, I don't really have any questions, because I've never had a real job so I have no expectations beyond a regular paycheck, humane treatment and regular lunch breaks. The following have been suggested:

• What are the hours?/How many hours?
• Will I need to travel?
• What will I be doing?

I imagine that these ones would be bad:

• So, did you decide yet?
• How much would you pay me? (but maybe I'm just filled with manners that tell me its impolite to discuss money)
• Can I have a pet monkey at my desk?

I am asking you, the reader, to help me out on this topic. I need plausible, non-stupid question(s) to call or email about that don't make me sound desparate. Remember, I spent about 6 hours with these people when I interviewed, so I can't ask them how big their facility is or how many project managers they have or any of that stuff. I already know those answers.

Another day

Another dental emergency. I was supposed to work for my dad today until 1-ish and then go and do errands and generally be liberated from sign store purgatory, but one of the women whose children I babysit broke a tooth and called me at work to babysit. So, I had even better reason to be liberated... er... leaving... at 1, made some extra money and still did my errands afterwards.

On the job search front, no progress has been made. This week I would like to try contacting Showman Fabricators. Some other shops are on my mind, but I'm not as certain that they would be open to receiving cold call type resumes. Here they are: Pook Diemont & Ohl, Inc, Adirondack Scenic, The Design Group and The Goodman Theatre.

Re-looking through the Goodman's employment section on the website, I noticed a job called "Scene Shop Assistant"... it appears to be more along the lines of "we don't let you actually build scenery, but you make it so that the real carpenters can get it done without worrying about the little stuff like hardware stock and if the van has gas." Also, they just re-posted the ATD job to ArtSearch, with a revision of being available July 2005. I already applied for that gig in October and never really heard back. Would it be bad if I applied as the Scene Shop Assistant with the hopes of moving up to ATD if I was a good little helper? Would it even be appropriate to mention that I wanted to make that move? The SSA job is right at my level... organizing, maintaining and not too much actual scenic construction. I prefer to be the brains rather than the brawn to most any task. But if I have to do the heavy lifting, I don't want a wishy-washy supervisor. Either figure it out yourself, or let me do it.

This is getting rambly, I think that maybe I am back in sign store purgatory tomorrow. We got new carpet and the store was repainted over the weekend, so most of my time today was taken up with getting the phones working again (who knew there were so many different ways to hook all the pieces together?) and the tools and supplies back on the shelves. Oh, and taking the opportunity to throw shit away that has been sitting around since (sometimes) before my dad even bought the place, no one has ever used, and yet he insists on keeping "just in case." In fact, we have trashed about 35 clipboards. I have no idea why there are so many, but they don't stack nicely, we don't even use one of them, they collect dust and take up tons of space. Yeah, yeah, should've taken them to a needy community group or charity thrift store or something, but that's how the stuff builds up for so long, no one ever actually takes it that far and it just keeps sitting around. So now, I am horrible and wasteful and sending stuff to the dumpster. We still have some more, if you want them. Let me know.

Smart, Organized and Unemployed

Since this page is already bookmarked by people, I am not going to make a new blog. But I am going to be changing the topic from "Crew Reports for the Duchess of Malfi" to "Katy Kelsey's Hunt for Employment that Actually Uses her Ridiculously Expensive Education." The most interesting changes (besides the content, of course) will be title and template. Its a new year, it'll be a new blog. Of course, the "Crew Reports" will still be available in the September-December 2004 Archives for interested parties to peruse.

I am changing the title temporarily to "Hire Me! I'm behind the Masking Flat!" and presenting you, the nonexistent public, with a list of new title choices. Vote/Rank/Deride/Suggest Alternatives in the comments. And now for the new title options.... drum roll please....

1. Smart, Organized and Unemployed
2. Tales of a Slave to ArtSearch
3. Will TD for Food
4. Jobseeking TD Person (if you vote for this one, you are off the island)
   
5. Drafts, Budgets, Plans, will Travel
6. Hire Me and My 9.75 Fingers
7. Today: Unemployment Line, Tomorrow: Blueline
8. My Resume Got Struck Last Sunday
9. "Cover Letter? Where is that on the plan?"
10. Bandsaw. Not just for breakfast anymore.
11. No nails were harmed in the construction of this blog
12. What's so maybe about Katy?
13. The Real World Needs Scenery
14. Your first job will start at 7 a.m.

And others rejected due to being better for other demographics:

• Will Tech for Food (stage managers)
• Have nuts, will bolt (boys)

So leave your opinion and suggestions in the comments and expect a change by the end of the weekend.

Gremlins

I got drawings from Noah today. I had Nicole convert the VectorWorks "as of focus" plot into an acad file so that I would be able to navigate it. Unfortunately, give me a vw file and you may as well have handed me two bricks and a stick and said, "go make some dinner." It just won't happen. I have no idea what to do. But if the conversion went correctly, which I think that it did, then I have found 2 gremlins so far.

1. The part of the proscenium that actually moves in and out is not in his plot, resulting in the thickness of the proscenium being 2'-2 1/16" in my groundplan and 1'-10 3/8" thick in the lighting designer's groundplan. That is 4" right there.
2. In my groundplan, the Show Portal is situated under lineset 5, mostly downstage of it, but a with some upstage of the lineset as well. In the lighting designer's gp, the show portal is entirely downstage of lineset 5 and is also shown with 1/2" less thickness.
3. The distance between the most upstage edge of the fire curtain track and the downstage edge of the Show Portal is 3'-4 1/2" in my groundplan and 3'-2 13/16" in the LD groundplan. There is another 2" so now we are up to 6" accounted in discrepancies between the TD's as-built groundplan and the Lighting Designer's as-of-focus groundplan.

The next step is to get into the space with a tape measure and see which of these drawings is correct with regards to reality, or if neither of them is correct, what does reality say. In both drawings, the Fire Curtain Track is 4" thick, which sounds slim compared to reality, but we'll see.

More updates to follow after I measure stuff tonight. woohoo!

Ouch

News from before the notes session:

• Ethan Hova cut his hand on the stair flashing. I hate that someone got hurt on the set. I feel bad and horrible and 2 centimeters tall.

From the notes session:

• the hand bounces... ewww... that is super gross
• ethan got a hard-core papercut from the flashing
• the gun is being troublesome
  

Continuing news:

• proscenium masking is on the stage management list to try to make it not suck.
  

Schedule that effects me tomorrow:

• Space is unavailable due to acting notes 2:30-5:30
• 8pm curtain tomorrow
• 11pm reception in Studio A for the opening.
  

notes out my ears

So, the notes took WAY longer than expected today. But the stairs spin. However, it is a big hassle to reset the scenery, so there will be a sign on the Fire Curtain box before the crew call that says something along the lines of "Don't run the fire curtain unless ther is an ACTUAL fire onstage because the set will move and the reset is annoying and time consuming."

As I type this, I am thinking about how to keep the stairs from pulling away from the lower platform, and it seems that a small cylinder acting as a pin would work, plumbed off of the main cylinder with Tees, but I'm not sure how to make it so that it actually holds without preventing the fire curtain actuated motion. Suggestions? Please comment.

The flashing is on and looks nice. I used the not-smelly contact cement this time. It takes longer to dry, but no one complains about fumes.

The doors have been wiped down. I guess that they are cleaner, there was some dirt/dust on the rag. The escape railing that was loose is now tight.

The proscenium masking is not any better, but I didn't get to that today, so I wouldn't expect it to be any better.

There is production management homework due tomorrow. That makes me sad =(

I still smell bad. Ick. Should go home and solve that problem. All day I have been working toward that goal. It is the prize for finishing the notes... a shower. But then the notes took forever, so I had an intermediate prize of soup for lunch.

Another realization as I type this... I didn't dress the air hose up off the floor. Got to do that or someone will eat my face. toodle-oo

Final Dress

The stairs seem to have slid forward.... pressure in the system should fix that. Argh..

1. Clean top of the doors... ladder and simple green and a rag
2. Stairs need to be pressurized to hold back... didn't anticipate that problem, as it hasn't been one before there was a cylinder
3. Flashing needs to be put on early in the day tomorrow for the lower platforms (10:30am... after Management Seminar)
4. Proscenium Masking clamp... spoke with Matt Hales... he says that the Arcadia masking only looked good because Stevie made sure that no light ever went onto the blacks, but told me what he thinks that Avery did to make it look better, so I'm going to try making them myself
5. Chandelier clunked... note taken... make sure that it is run in preset
6. Dan has told me that the railing on the escape platform is falling off... so I'm going to be looking at that in a few minutes
7. Dave Boevers came to tech notes tonight.
   
8. Don't frantically pester people with 2 guns in their hands... its just common sense people!

Tomorrow:

1. work from 10:30 on to get all the notes done... I have no classes after that
2. Tech Tables need to go away tomorrow... Becca is talking to Todd about it.
   

What we did today:

• Cleaned up the mess backstage on the Cinderblock Wall Wagon (thanks Harumi!)
• Got the cylinder installed (woohoo!)... now its time to troubleshoot
• the railings were cleaned today (yay for the run crew!)