In Memory of Brendan T. Gilchrist Mar. 11, 1978 - Aug. 4, 2007

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Brendan Thomas Gilchrist, 29, of Topeka, passed away on Saturday, August 4, 2007. He was born on March 11, 1978 in Topeka, the son of James W. and Shirley A. Thornton Gilchrist. He attended Elmont Grade School through fifth grade, home schooled through high school, graduated from Kaw Area Technical School, and graduated with an Associate of Applied Science in Industrial Technology with departmental honors from Washburn University. Brendan became certified as an engineer at Midland Railway in Baldwin City, Kansas in 1997 and was active there as a volunteer. He also volunteered at Topeka Civic Theatre. He was also a volunteer working on the restoration of the train at the Expocentre. Brendan worked primarily as a stage manager at Topeka Performing Arts Center where he helped set up for various events as well as working the spotlight and sound board. He also did this at the Expocentre and at the Lied Center in Lawrence. Brendan was a member of Calvary Lutheran Church. Brendan was preceded in death by his grandparents Thomas and Grace Gilchrist and George Thornton. Brendan is survived by fiancee, Michelle Haas; his parents, Shirley and James Gilchrist; his grandmother, Marjorie Thornton; his sister, Erin Gilchrist; his brother Daniel Gilchrist; his godson, Kenneth Williams; several aunts, uncles, cousins; and many friends. Services will be held at 1:00 p.m. Wednesday at Penwell-Gabel Mid Town Chapel, 1321 S.W. 10th Ave. Burial will follow in Penwell-Gabel Cemetery. Brendan will lie in state after 2:00 p.m. Tuesday at Penwell-Gabel Mid Town Chapel where the family will receive friends from 7:00-8:30 p.m. Memorial contributions may be given to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Attn. Kiki’s Butterflies, 950 Isom Rd. No. 104, San Antonio, TX 78216.

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I would rather be a failure doing something I love
than be a sucess doing something I hate.
- George Burns -
This quote was attached to B's door, and though I never knew it, looking back now, it's obvious that it was a motto he lived by.


Though it may not have been the very first time we met, the first time I remember meeting B was at a TCT cast party years ago. I can't remember what show it was, but I do remember chatting with him for most of the night, in what was I believe was a breakfast nook.
We worked together on various shows at Topeka Civic Theatre, and then later at the Topeka Performing Arts Center.
Over the years he became one of my closest friends.

We spent many an hour working at TPAC for whatever came around.
Broadway tours, concerts, local ballet recitals, wedding receptions, meetings, Topeka Jazz Festival, and who knows what else.
As changes came at TPAC, he went more to the stage managing side of things, making crew calls, advancing shows, dealing more with the clients, and since they kept him around, he obviously did it well.

Out of work hours, we spent a fair number of nights (during the "heydays" it was about once a week) at McB's (now Reed's Ringside) having a couple beers, shooting pool, telling stories, contemplating life, working over the pinball machines, and tossing rounds of darts.

I don't know too much about B's life as a railfan, but I do know that he had a lifelong interest in trains.
He was a certified Engineer, as well as doing other jobs, with the Midland Railroad in Baldwin, KS., he collected various model trains, had several train shirts that he wore (the most frequent one I, and I believe most others, saw was a Rock Island one, that he was also buried in), stayed up late and went out early to watch certain trains go through the area, and I don't know what else, but I know there was more.

From talking to some of our friends, it sounds like B had some truly great last days.
He was very important in making sure that Grape Escape was set up properly and went well.
He was going to Baldwin to do some work at Midland after a fair bit of time away, and I'm sure that was something he was looking forward to.
And he spent his last moments with Michelle. While I'm sure that it was a very difficult thing for her, I hope that it gave him serenity and helped his last thoughts be of all the good things in his life.


Michelle:
The last time we chatted, you said that I could call you if I needed to talk, and while I didn't specifically mention it, I hope you realize that you can do the same.
And I know that we talked a bit about how he was interested in you for so long without doing anything about it. I remember numerous times telling him to 'just do it', and suggested several things he ought to do, like find some informal thing to do together, see a show, and I don't remember what else, but I'm glad he finally got his act together.
Well, kind of not, because once he did, he started spending most of his time with you and left us poor plebs to our own nefarious devices.
Not that I blame him, I mean really, when I've got a girl I'm interested in, I tend to focus on her more than all else.
But seriously, I know he enjoyed every second that he spent with you, and I'm glad you both had a life together.

Daniel:
I can only imagine what it's like to be in your place, and I hope I never am (at least until many years from now).
I'm not sure if it's a regret or not, but I am sorry that I didn't stick around at McB's (it'll always be McB's to me) and have a drink with you, and everyone else, but as I think about it now, it was probably a bit of a defense mechanism, avoiding a place where B and I spent a fair bit of time and I'm not really sure I would have handled it well.
The next time I get back to town, you and I (and anyone else who's up for it) should go and have a beer or two in memory of B.

Adam:
To my best understanding, you were the one who suggested me as a pallbearer.
When Cole first called me, I knew I wanted to be there, though I thought could be difficult considering I was the only person doing my job.
When you called to ask if I could be a bearer, it wasn't a total surprise, but it certainly wasn't expected, especially since I live 700 miles away.
I knew without doubt that I couldn't not be there.
I always put my friends and family first, and I would gladly have lost my job to be there for my friend
I remember what you told me at Oscar's, and that took some heart to say.
What he said to you makes me think of myself a bit, in that I generally try to be fair to everyone (and hate them all equally).
I'm greatly honored to have done this for one of my closest friends, and I know he wouldn't have hesitated to do it for me.
Or you.
Or anyone else.

Chad:
I know that you were a lifelong friend of B's, and I'm sure it's been very difficult to lose someone this early in life.
I know that the strength you showed by being around so much while he was lying in state, talking with everyone, and going with people while they paid their respects was noticed by everyone.
It is without question that he was honored to have you as a friend, and as a bearer.
Oh, and next time I get back, I want to see that Scirocco fully restored.
Hmm, well, B probably wouldn't have fully restored it, so uhmm... well, just make sure it's running.

Jim, Shirley, Erin:
We've only met a few times, but I know that he cared for you all very much.
He sometimes spoke of you and things you were, or had, done. Like working on the railroad or going to college.
I hope that I never have to be in your place and lose a child or brother when they are so young, but I hope it brings you joy to know that B was such a good friend to so many, and touched all of our lives.

To everyone else:
We all know B had so many friends, and though I tried to mention a few of the most important people in his life, I don't know you all.
And if I did, it would probably take a week to get through the list.
I don't know anyone who didn't like B, and I know that he cared for every one of you.


It's been very hard for me to write this, and even now, approaching three months later, I can only spend short amounts of time reading and adding to what I've written.
It still seems so odd to think that I won't be seeing B the next time I come back to Topeka, and I know that's because I don't live there now, so it's as if it doesn't exist.
This is both good and bad because if I lived there, I would have to deal with it more and would accept it, but since I don't really have to see and do the things that we were involved with, it prolongs the sadness I have for losing one of my closest friends.

Another reason it's taken me this long to complete this is that I wanted to gather all of the condolences and messages from the Penwell-Gabel page and the Topeka Capital-Journal page and combine them so that they have a permanent home.

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Craig Haugsness
I am so sorry to hear about Brendan's passing. I had the opportunity to work with him and learn from his on several shows at TCT, including a show with Daniel. I don't know what else to say but we will all miss him.

Frances Dewell
Mr. and Mrs. Gilchrist, my name is Frances Dewell, I am the daughter of Roger and Mary Ann Taylor. Mr. Gilchrist, I believe that you worked with my father on the railroad. I want to express my deepest sympathy for you and your family's loss of Brendan. I worked with Brendan at TCT. He was a very kind young man. He will be greatly missed.

Gigi Sawyer Radding
Dear Shirley and Jim and Family,
I am so sorry for your loss. I can't imagine how deeply the death of one's child cuts, no matter that he has grown to be a man, wonderfully loving and loved. I know Mom would have been heart-broken for you as well. Find peace in knowing that she was present to make Brendan's passage more beautiful. Please know, also, that you are all in my heart and prayers. My love to you all. Gigi

Crystal Thornton
Aunt Shirley, Uncle Jim, Erin, and Daniel...

I am sorry to hear about Brendan. I am praying for you daily..I am soo happy I got to see him at Christmas and that it hadnt been years since I did. I been thinking bout all the times growing up and stuff we did...

Love,
Crystal

Debbie & Daryl Thornton
Thinking of so many memories of Brendan, Erin, and Daniel over the years, when the kids were growing up. He touched so many lives throughout the years in his various interests and hobbies. He will be missed by so many.
May the peace and comfort that can only come from the Lord be with each of you and Michelle during this time. You have our love and prayers.

Bill & Matie Grubham
Gilchrist Family,
Didn't know until yesterday. Our thoughts and prayers go out to you. The only comfort is in Jesus Christ.
May you feel His love during this time.

Ryan Dolan
My deepest condolences to Brendan's family and friends. I remember "B" fondly from my days at the Topeka Civic Theatre. He was a very funny and sweet guy. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Kelly Garcia
Shirley,
My thoughts and prayers are with you!
Kelly Garcia 300

Angie Wilson and Mark Jones
Erin and family,

We are so sorry to hear about your loss. Please know that you and your family are in our prayers. May God bless you in your time of need.

Janet Glassman
I was sorry to hear about B. I worked with him on a number of shows throughout the years. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Tanya Dorf Brunner
I've volunteered with B for many years at TCT. He's always been a good friend and a good teacher. I will miss him very much. All my thoughts and prayers are with Michelle and his whole family.

Darleen Bernhardt
Shirley:

Sorry to read about the passing of your son. My thoughts and prayers are with you at this sad time. May your faith keep you strong and may God comfort you.

Karyl Croft
Shirley,
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. May the happy memories of Brendan's life sustain you during the difficult times, both now and in the times to come. Please know that you are held up in the thoughts and prayers of many friends, neighbors and co-workers. May that bring you some comfort.
Karyl Croft

Rick Umscheid
Shirley, Please accept my sincere sorrow on the loss of your son Brendan. I also have a son age 30 and know how hard it would be to loose him. At such an age you can only hope that the good Lord has a better plan for him. My thoughts and prayers go to you and your family in this time of grief.

Bryan Briggs
My sympathies to all of Brendan's family and friends. Working with Brendan at TPAC since 2000 I was lucky to be a member of Topeka's theatre family with Brendan, his brother Daniel, and so many others who spent many long hours working side by side. Brendan was a great co-worker, friend, and family member. My thoughts and prayers go to all of Brendan's families.

Helen King
We were so sorry to hear of Brendan's passing. It seems like just yesterday that he and David were in school together. We can only imagine how hard this must be for you. Please accept our deepest sympathy.

The Everett King family

Geri Krumsick
Shirley & family- I am so sorry, I have been gone on vacation and just got word of you horrible loss. Please know my thoughts and prayers are with you. I pray God blesses you with the strength to face this and hopefully a future of peace and serenity with lots of memories. If there is anything I can do please let me know.

Cindy Livingston
Shirley and Family:
Sorry to hear of the loss of your son, Brendan. My thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time.
Cindy Livingston, KDWP

Bob and Beverly Holly (jr)
Jim and family I am so sorry for your loss may God put his hands on you and your family and guide you through this trying time.

Kate Armstrong
My love and best wishes go out to you. B will be terribly missed. I met B through Civic theatre and we always joked about how we share the same birthday. My prayers got out to all of you in Topeka. I wish I could be there.
I love you B.

Daniel and Jennifer Dawson
To Michelle and the Gilchrist family-
We have known Brendan for 11 years through the Midland Railway. We are sorry for your loss. He was a wonderful young man and since everyone at the Midland is family, we have lost a "little brother". We loved him dearly. He was always kind and never said anything bad about anyone. Our condolences to all of you. Michelle, he loved you so much!!! He treasured you beyond comprehension. We will all see him again in Glory.

craig senogles
Jim:

My heart-felt sympathy goes out to you and your family for the loss of your son, Brendan.

Craig Senogles

Mark Radziejeski
I got to know Brendan during my time at TPAC. He was a tireless worker, always ready and willing to help. I know that his presence will be missed by all his friends and family. My condolences to the family. You are in my prayers.

Patricia Loder
Brendan, was a wonderful young man! He helped me many times in just being a friend. I knew him from TCT and TPAC. All of his family will be in my thoughts.

Andrew Hill
Brendan was one of my great childhood friends, and I am saddened beyond words by his untimely passing. I will always remember those times he got dressed up like a knight and had play sword-fights with me and his brother Daniel in the back yard on hot summer afternoons when I came to visit.

Ronda Lang
Michelle, I am so sorry to hear of your loss. May god be with you through this trying time! My thoughts and prayers are with all that knew and loved him.

Angela Ford(Paulsen)
I knew Brendan as a child as we were the same age and both attended Calvary. It has been a long time since we have had contact but I remember him as a sweet and caring young gentleman. It is unfortunate, your loss, and my thoughts and prayers are with your family.

Quinton Loder
This is an unbelievably tragic loss for so many lives that Brendan has touched. My thoughts are with everyone. Much love!

Suzie Yeh
Dear Shirley,

I am so deeply saddened and shocked to hear the news about the sudden death of your son, Brendan. I am so sorry for your loss.

You are in my thoughts and prayers.

Accounts and Reports

Lisa Hockenberry
Shirley
So sorry to hear about your son. May God comfort you in your grief.
Lisa

Dale Brunton
Shirley and family,

I am so sorry to hear of your loss. I cannot imagine the grief you and your family are going through. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Amber Grigsby (Thompson)
Erin:

I wanted to let you know that your family is in my thoughts and prayers. And I am truly sorry for your loss.

Amber

gaye trimble family
There's no way to say how sorry we are about Brendon.Our prayers are with you in this time of sadness. If we can be of any help please let us know. love gaye & family

Blair Adams
It seems like I allways knew B. I can't really remember many productions happening without him. I was fortunate to work with him both at TPAC and the Midland. He made a positive impact in everything he was involved in. Im gonna miss you B!

Barbara Saker
Dear Shirley and family. I cannot imagine the pain you must be in at this time. I offer this prayer.
Lord, if there were words that could heal a heart, I would speak them. If there were songs that could fill the emptiness, I would sing them. If there were arms big enough to hold the loss I would extend them. But only you, Lord, can off these precious mercies. In Your grace, please grant them Lord.

Know that we are all thinking of you and offer our condolences.

Barb Saker
Business Office
Pittsburg State University

Scott Satterfield
I had the privilage of knowing Brendan through the Midland Railway. He was a very kind,trustworthy,hard working individual that will be missed. He was also a great engineer.

Sharon, Robert, David, Linda & Janice
Our dear cousin Shirley and Family,
We know that Brendan was a wonderful son, brother, grandson and friend. May those who were blessed to be part of his life find peace and comfort in special memories of Brendan. You are in our thoughts and prayers.

Jeannine Miller
So sorry for your loss. Shirley I know your were proud of you son and he was loved by many. In Gods hands may he lay with him.
(Topeka, KS)

Kathi Killman
Mr. and Mrs. Gilchrist, I knew "B" through Topeka Civic Theatre. He worked crew on several shows that I stage managed over the years. I always knew I didn't have to worry if he were running sound or spot for me. He was a wonderful, kind and very quiet guy who I respected greatly. It was a privilege knowing him. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family through this very difficult time.

DON SLOYER
SHIRLEY, SO SORRY TO READ ABOUT BRENDAN THIS MORNING. STAY STRONG SO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY WILL GET THROUGH THESE ROUGH DAYS. DON SLOYER

Gary Foiles
I worked and played along with Brendan in Topeka Civic Theatre's Laughing Matters and will always remember his quiet smile, his unflappable competence, and his constant support. He will be always be a part of our family, too.

Kristy Droegemeier
Erin and Family, I am so sorry for you loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you in your time of sorrow. Erin, if you need to talk, call me anytime. You have a great family, I am so sorry to hear this.

Karen Ingenthron
Shirley, Erin and Family,
My thoughts and prayers are with you in your time of grief. May your memories of your son and brother bring you comfort, and may God Bless you now and forever.
Your frind,

Barbara Montgomery
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. May God be with you.
Barbara Montogmery
Columbian Bank and Trust

Stefanie Brown
Erin and Family
I am so sorry to hear of your loss. You all will be in my thoughts.

Ben Perry
Jim, Shirley, Erin, Daniel -

Brendan was a great friend who inspired me in a lot of areas growing up. We did quite a bit together - 4H, theater, countless bus rides, games, everything. We will always remember him.

Jill Shehi and family
Erin and Family,
Our prayers are with you,

Rhonda Bell
Sorry to learn about your son. Thoughts and prayers being sent your way. I am George Brandenburgh's youngest daughter.

Paula Downey
Shirley and family. I was so sorry to hear of Brendan passing. I have some fond memories of Brendan when he was growing up and playing with Ben, and especially our 4-H times together. I know he will be missed greatly by his family and friends. He is home now and will be waiting for all of us. Thinking of you, Paula

Nikki Hurd (Fay)
Jim, Shirley, Erin, and Daniel - My prayers are with you in this time. I remember Brendan as a friendly, caring, giving young man. He will be sorely missed.

Steve & Mary Koons
Our deepest sympathy to Jim & Shirley on the untimely loss of Brendan.

Linda Bundy
Erin and Family--
My thoughts are with you

Gina Wagers
Michelle, I am praying for all you. Nothing is as bad as losing a child, brother or fiancee. God Bless You. I will all ways keep you in my heart.
Gina,Jaxson and Zach Wagers

Chris Munz-Pritchard

Lynn Philbin
Michele and family my deepest condolences are with you as you grieve.

Erika Johnson (Fay)
I am so sorry for your loss. I know Brendan was a sweet, sweet young man and he will be dearly missed.

Richard & Judy Frost
Erin and family we were so sorry to hear about your loss, may God hold your hand and guide you through this troubled time. If we can be of any help please let us know.

Robert Runion
Our sincerest condolences to Daniel Gilchrist and his family on this great loss. We send our prayers to the family and in their time of loss and sorrow.

Members of Albert Neese Masonic Lodge #248, Tecumseh,KS

Don Demore
No bond is as great as that between a parent and child. My deepest condolences are with you as you grieve.

Jason Mullen
Michelle, and Gilchrist family

What a tragic loss. B had such a huge impact on the arts in this area, I was lucky to be able to work with him at TCT, TPAC, and load in and outs at EXPO. Those are going to be some big shoes to fill. I could not have met a more genuine person. B will be truly missed. Thanks for the memories B!

Lohnie Gray
My condoliences are with each and everyone of you. I've know B for a long time. He was a gentle kind soul, no matter what he felt he got the job done. I will miss him alot. It's a tragedy, a loss so early in one's life. My thoughts and prayers are with you Daniel and family.

Foster family
Gilchrist Family~
Our sincerest sympathy to each of you. We were so sorry to learn of your grief and loss. Jack, Bengie, Tony & Steven

Dee Clark
I knew Brendan through the Midland Railway. He was a fine young man and a good Engineer. We have a picture of Brendan hanging in our family room - one taken of him with the Rock Island 652 locomotive. It's a great picture. We got it primarily because of the 652. That has changed. We will now cherish the picture of Brendan standing next to a locomotive.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and his fiancee at this very difficult time.
Roger and Dee Clark

Vik
This month there will be amazing light shows in the night sky. A combination of shooting stars, a total lunar eclipse and enhanced views of many constellations. I guess God needed someone really good to run the light board for Him.

I will miss you B. I'll remember you when the sun shines on my face and when the moon goes behind a cloud. You touched a lot of lives in your quiet gentle way and your spirit will live on in the people that love you.

Ginnie
Shirley and Jim,

I'm so very sorry for the loss of your son. Your family is so special to you and so very much loved. Thank you for sharing memories of your wonderful family events that have happened, the love you share with each other. Ed and I will keep you in our prayers and our daily actions.

J. Albert
Brendan and I did a bunch of hanging out in high school, and I am saddened to hear that he has passed. Our prayers are with you all the way from Florida.

Deb and Gary Johnson
We are so very sorry to learn of Brendan's passing. We have known him through TCT and have enjoyed the times we interacted with him. His family and friends will be in our thoughts and prayers.

Danielle Brunin
Erin and family,

I was so sorry to hear about Brendan. He was always such a sweet person with a wonderful sense of humor. I remember what fun he always was when would go on rock field trips back in our 4-H Days. Please know that you are in my thoughts and prayers.

Much peace and love,

Danielle

Diane Good
B had so many friends at TCTA who mourn his passing and will miss him so very much. He was the one who trained me and got me started working soundboard! While I did not know him as well as others, I did see what a tremendous impact he had on the "younger folks" at TCTA. He truly embodied the volunteer spirit that so many people lack and he passed that message to a great number of younger folks who looked up to him. B, we will miss your humor and your expertise. Know that you are not forgotten. Your legacy will live on in the hearts and minds of many.

Theresa Foster
Erin & Family~

So very saddened to get word this morning of Brendan's sudden passing. Please know that our thoughts and prayers are with you during this time. Peace be with you all.

~Theresa & Jon

Secretary, Albert Neese Masonic Lodge #248
Members of the Lodge send our sincerest condolences to Brother Daniel Gilchrist and his family on the loss of Brendan Gilchrist. Our prayers go out to Brother Daniel and to his family. God bless all.

Brent Venis
I first met B at a TCT cast party, that seems like forever ago. As we worked together at TCT and TPAC, he became one of my closest friends.

Over the years, we consumed many a beer, too many cigarettes, quite a few pool games, plenty of load-ins, and many good times.

I am deeply saddened to have you taken from us, and words cannot describe how much I will miss you.

Rest in peace, Grandmaster B.

Josh W.
I'm so very sorry to hear this, I just want to say I'm very sorry for the loss, I was fortunate to be able to work with him a few times at TCTA and TPAC helping with lights and sound, he was a great guy, and even though I'm 15 he made it seem like I had a talent.

Many thoughts and prayers to him and his family and friends.

Truly sorry,

Josh Witt

Suzi Daffron
I was so very sorry to hear of Brendan's passing. He was a terrific young man. I was fortunate to have met Brendan through my daughter Jo Daffron from TCT. He will be missed by all who knew him. Please know that my thoughts and prayers are with his entire family and friends.

Dominic Carreno
B was the most trustworthy and loyal guy I ever met. No matter how long it had been since we saw each other, he always made it seem like yesterday. He was a damn hard worker and funny as all.

Not too long ago he met my daughters for the first time. Like most kids mine are shy at first when ever meeting some one new. Not this day. She felt immediately comfortable and began joking with him as old friends. B had this effect on people. I am proud and disheartened to say I knew him.

Rest in peace man, we love you.

Dom

Loren Litteer
It was a shock learning of Brendan's sudden passing. I know I share the sadness of all Brendan's friends at the Midland Railway. I first met him when he came to the Midland as a member of the Topeka Explorer Scouts and went on to achieve his Engineer's certification. He was always a fine young man polite, responsible and one that could be counted on. We at the Midland will miss him and extend our condolences, thoughts and prayers at this time of your loss.

Terri Clure
I am so so sorry to here of such a sudden tragedy to your family. You probably know me as Lohnie Gray's fiancee. I just wanted to say for the short time Brendan and I worked together at tpac, he was a really wonderful man. I was just getting to know him in the last 6 months. He was always so kind, considerate, and fun loving. I send my condoliences.

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Class Warrior

Let's set the WABAC Machine for March 10, 2007.

I'm arriving at The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch in Beaver Creek, CO., where a company is having a conference and SuperDiamond is to be the entertainment after several days of meetings.

Apparently, the policy for Ritz-Carlton is that any person that is not a guest is to check in at "loss prevention" when coming onto the property.
This, in and of itself, isn't really a big deal, a lot of places "require" that.
The problem arose during the sign-in process.

They asked to see a picture ID. Not remarkable on its own.
The real problem arose when they "required" that they KEEP my ID for the entire time I was on property.
Now, the only picture ID I have is my (now) Colorado Driver's License.

So, let's be clear about how I feel about showing identification.
I really don't like leaving a credit/bank card with a bartender/waiter (yes, I know I was a bartender, and how hypocritical that sounds), but I do it because I am within a comfortable distance from my cards.
I also tend to find a place I like, so I get to know the staff, and thus, they learn that I'm not the type to run out on a tab (and that I'm a good tipper, provided I get good service) and don't have to leave a card.
So basically, my policy is:
I don't leave anything, anywhere, ever.

This didn't go over so well with "loss prevention"

On this particular day, I picked up a colleague, and drove us both to the gig.
He apparently didn't have a problem giving up his ID.
I guess he couldn't understand my objection to handing over my ID, as he asked me "What are they going to do with it?"
Apparently the "loss prevention officer" couldn't understand either, as they said they'd never had anyone refuse to surrender their ID before.

As I learned a short time later, my employers had done an event there for the last couple of years, and the first time, had to give up their IDs, but in subsequent years, apparently didn't deal with "loss prevention" and so didn't give up their IDs.
But it appears that that was not really intentional, and basically just happened.

Once I raised my objections to surrendering my ID for the better part of a day, they apparently realized that there were some people on property that hadn't checked in properly, and some "loss prevention" staff went up and raised hell with everyone else in my company.

So since I was unwilling to surrender my ID to Ritz-Carlton, I was not allowed on their property, and so I just drove back home.
I did try to compromise with the security people and offered to let them photocopy my license, but that was unacceptable.

I found it amusing that in order to get a parking access card, one has to surrender their license, but when I pointed out that it was illegal to drive without my license, they couldn't come up with a response for that.

It's unfortunate that it turned out that way, and I'm sorry that the people that did stay had to cope with one less person than was supposed to be there, and that the one person was the lighting guy, so they had to do things that weren't their specialty, but it was just something I couldn't live with.

As I said, I just don't leave anything, anywhere, ever.
But there's another reason why I was specifically against their policy.

As far as I'm concerned, it's discrimination.

Do they require that all the guests that stay at the Ritz-Carlton surrender a photo ID to check in and be on property? How about all the attendees of the conference?
Of course not.
If they did, anyone that stayed there would be appalled and outraged, and would take their money elsewhere.

But as a 'contractor', it's apparently assumed that I'd just not question their 'security' policy.

Because I'm not paying the daily rate ($650 and up) to stay at their resort, I'm suspect of something.
Guilty until proven innocent.
Since I don't have 30 billion dollars in the bank, I must be some kind of criminal, just waiting for an opportunity to rob their guests blind, blow up their hotel, or whatever other thing us po' folk are always plotting to do.

Living the Dream

So it's been a bit since I've posted and things have changed a bit.
I still live in Aspen, but I'm working for a different company than I was when I first moved here.

Originally, I was working for 'BellyUp Aspen', but for whatever reason(s) (and I'm pretty sure I know why), I'm not really working there anymore.
I've started working for another production company in the area.

We do a lot of 'Corporate' events.

Very broadly, in this industry there is 'Rock 'N Roll' or 'Corporate'
'Rock 'N Roll' being concerts (regardless of genre [rock, country, rap, etc.]) and theatre (musicals or straight plays), and 'Corporate' which is a term encompassing a (kind of narrow) variety of events ranging from truly corporate meetings/events to private parties given by companies or private individuals.
(Despite the generic 'Rock 'N Roll' label, if you aren't actually doing rock 'n roll, a common 'excuse' for doing things in a more laid back manner is 'Hey, it aint Rock 'N Roll', so there are certainly differences between concerts and theatre, for this discussion, my labels are appropriate, and I think a lot of people in the business would agree.)

Being in Aspen, the winter season (Thanksgiving through March) is mostly 'Corporate' gigs.
And honestly, it's driving me nuts.
I've always hated Corporate gigs.
I'm somewhat anal about things, and that fits well with parts of Corporate gigs, like keeping things neat and organized, but the typical corporate mentallity is rampant.
Too many Chiefs and not enough Indians.
A gig is spec'ed as one thing, but the underlings that are actually at the event want something else.
Or else it was miscommunicated somewhere along the line so it was expected that the Production Company would understand exactly what the Client wanted.
Sometimes that happens, but usually not.
Because the Client has absolutely no idea what the gear they spec'ed does.
And I can deal with that to some extent.
But honestly, this company and their cracker-jack operation is making me question my choice of vocation.

In some ways, it's good for me.
I'd kind of gotten into a rut, as it were, and become used to a certain standard of gig, with all its standard expectations.
This company makes me think a bit about what and how I'm going to do what needs to be done, yet at the same time imposes restrictions that shouldn't be there.
Not that it's directly their fault, though they are not blameless.

Things like getting to the event and realizing that you don't have enough sandbags to weigh down a light tree, or you're running short of power cables.
Just because the person that packed the gear didn't think you'd need any more.
Always, always pack extras of things like cables, tape, sandbags, zipties, wrenches, powerstrips, etc.
And the more I work for this company, the more I realize they're doormats.
It's one thing to do a favor for a Client or two, but when you do favors for every Client at every gig, you're a fucking doormat.
Not simple, generic favors like provide an extra outlet or taping down a cable for them, but things like hauling generators off site, being the IT person for their personal computers for their PowerPoint/DVD, putting up or taking down gear that isn't ours, troubleshooting the crap gear they provided so they could save $50 by not renting a proper one from us, etc., you're going too damn far.

In a Corporate world, you must live by Corporate rules.
Like the venue dictating the times you can load in and out rather than you telling the venue when you'll be there.
Corporate also has a higher standard for neatness than Rock 'N Roll, such as more concealed cable runs, pipe & drape, etc.
And I can appreciate that.
If you've ever been to a Corporate sponsored event, job fair, or similar, you may have noticed a lack of visible logistics like power cords and such.
That's the kind of thing I'm doing at the moment.

Part of the problem I'm having is that communication is a bit of an issue.
I'm not always getting all the info needed before the event.
And actually that isn't always the fault of my employers, being as that some of the Clients either don't realize or just don't care what that lack of information does do us, the Production Company.

A generic example is that we're allowed to begin loading in at 1PM, and the event starts at 6PM.
The problem comes up when we really have a full 5 hours of work to do, so we get rushed and are working up to 10 minutes before the event starts.
That's just irritating.
I hate being rushed for time like that.
Especially when it's because the Client can't make up their damn mind about how or where they want something, so we have to do it more than once.
Having done touring Broadway shows, I don't mind the rush of cues and such, but being rushed to set up for an event because the hotel booked a breakfast meeting in the same room from 8AM until 12PM, with the Corporate event to loadin at 12PM without expecting the meeting to run long just irritates the shit out of me.
They always run long and the venues are most guilty on that front trying to book as many events as possible to maximize their profits regardless of what it does to the vendors.

Once again, money win the day.
Shocker.

Anyway, supposedly, this company does more 'Rock 'N Roll' stuff in the summer season, which I know for a fact to be at least somewhat true, but I'm certainly hoping it's more true than 'somewhat', though I'm not going to hold my breath.

So basically, I guess I've decided that I like doing 'Rock 'N Roll' better than Corporate gigs.
Granted that Corporate usually pays better, but I'll be glad to take a minor pay cut to do something more interesting.

It's The Economy, Stupid

If you've spent any time reading my other posts, you should have probably figured out my view, generalized, though it may be, that people are morons.

Yeah, as much as I like to believe that there's intelligent life out there, people frequently cause me to question that belief.

If you've read my posts, you no doubt also know that I'm a gamer and computer guy.
Some other things I've read that also help reinforce the 'people are stupid' view are The Bastard Operator From Hell (and the original ones) and a recent find [GM]Dave's Bannable Offenses.
Both are at least based on reality, as the BOFH is/was an IT guy, and [GM]Dave probably is a GameMaster.
While they most likely haven't done everything they've written, I'm sure whatever they haven't done, they'd like to do, at least once or twice.

The club I work at has been a club for quite a long time. Something like 20 years or more.
When the current owner bought and remodeled it about 2 years ago, he had to put in an elevator to comply with the A.D.A. because it's below ground level.
I'm kind of surprised that he got such a cheap elevator when he spent so much money on other things in the club, like the sound and light systems, bars and tables, etc.
Yeah, that stuff is used by everyone and the elevator was mainly intended for use by handicapped folks, so I'm sure that's part of the reason.
But we use it to load in gear as well.
It's rather slow going between floors, not really big (basically big enough to fit a wheelchair and maybe someone pushing, if they aren't bigger than Calista Flockhart), and has no sensor for the door.
No eye to detect obstructions, no pressure strip to make sure no one is crushed.
It does have some kind of logic that deterimines if the door isn't closed in a certain amount of time that it's blocked and reopens.
So we generally use a key to turn it off until it's loaded then send it and they turn it off, ad nauseum.
It's rather touchy and doesn't like to be broken, so we won't discuss our use of it in a way that isn't really intended.
Sometimes the key isn't available and we just use the call button to keep the door open.
When we have new helpers around, it's explained about the no sensors issue.
I've had to tell a couple people several times not to try and push the door back open. Occasionally getting rude glances and the like.
I guess I'm just a codgy old fart that doesn't want to carry 30 or more cases that weigh 20-300 pounds up and down the stairs.
How inconsiderate of me.

Anyway, that's just an example 'stupid' story.
As you may guess, the post is supposed to be about the economy, and how stupid people are pertaining to it.
Just not the U.S. economy. Or any other country's economy.
Online game's economies to be exact.

Online role playing games have currency to allow players to buy and sell goods to other players. Or other creative ideas they come up with.
Each game has their own name, valuation, and distribution system of their currency ('C.' from here on).
Star Wars Galaxies has 'Credits'
Matrix Online has '$i' (short for $info, using the 'information = power' analogy)
EVE Online has 'ISK'('InterStellar Kredits', but is also the official abbreviation for the Icelandic Kronur, the currency of the game's developers home, Iceland)
Puzzle Pirates has Pieces Of Eight (POE) and Doubloons (Dubs) (both real currencies from the past)
Some fantasy games use a generic 'Gold' as their C., which is where the term 'gold-farmer' comes from. (Discussed later)
In some games 500,000 C. is a lot, in others it's almost nothing.

Missions are a common form of 'faucet' (entry point for C.) in games.
Players do X to get Y C.
Kill 10 Ogres for 50 C., deliver this to my friend for 10,000 C., etc.
Usually, missions themselves are not the most lucrative thing in a game to gain C., just the most prominent. Most C. from missions comes from valuable items looted from an NPC encountered at the end of a mission.
Players save their C. to buy new gear that they need, be it cloths, weapons, armor, ships, levels, insurance, healing, resources, or whatever else the developers and players decide is worth trying to sell.

Generally, people see what's what and play by the rules.
Goods and services find their natural price points and it's more or less a happy place.
Things are priced at a reasonable level for the quality of the item or service.
But inflation is a fact of game life just as it is in real life.

The longer you play, the more wealth you accumulate. This is always true in general, but is more pronouced in some games.
In games like SWG and MxO, there is a finite source of 'drains' or 'sinks' for C. to exit the economy. Actually exit the game, not just exit from your pocket to another player's.
So as a game ages, it's easier for the veterans to afford whatever they want, whenever they want it. Which drives prices higher.
There is some real life comparision to this in the supply and demand market system.
Low supply and/or high demand equals high prices and vice versa.
But an artifical inflation like accumulated wealth hurts the casual, and especially, new players because they can't afford the new gear they need as easily.

In EVE Online, the advanced versions of gear (Tech 2) are distributed by a lottery based on a mission system. Players accumulate points and are entered into this lottery every week and have a chance to win a blueprint for a T2 item.
There are a finite number of blueprints available for each T2 item, which creates the supply vs. demand.
Some items are in very high demand and are sold for several hundred to several thousand % over production cost.
Profit is a fine thing, and because some people can afford to pay any price, some people know no limits when setting their margins.
CCP is introducing a 'reverse engineering' field to allow players to take an item and obtain a limited run blueprint, say 3-5 uses.
Some people believe that the original limited number of blueprints was based on a lower player population and are now insufficient for current subscriber numbers. And they'd be right, as newer blueprints have more copies available.
Some folks believe that the reverse engineering and/or releasing more blueprints will increase the supply and thus lower prices, and they'd be right, to an extent.

Just as with the veterans that having more C. creates a higher standard price, with limited supply, players get used to paying a certain amount for an item, and while a larger supply will lower prices, I predict it will only be by 5%-10%. Not a huge difference really.

But that's still a bit divergant of the main reason for the post.

I mentioned 'gold farmers' earlier and here's a good place to expand on it a bit.
You can read what Wikipedia has to say, but in brief, a farmer is someone who (usually) does a task repeatedly to gain C. or an item to be sold for C. A 'gold farmer' typically does these tasks as quickly as possible and sometimes using other software to do it easily or by flat out cheating, to sell the C. for real money on various web sites.
There're various arguments for and against gold farming, and I'll not go into that here. Though I am against it, except where some designers allow it on purpose, like SecondLife.
EVE Online also allows some 'real' items to be sold for game currency, both buying a character from another player for ISK and selling game time cards for ISK are allowed by CCP, and anyone attempting to scam players on these items is dealt with accordingly. (Other in-game scams, like selling a ship saying it's 'fully loaded' when it's actually not, are allowed, so always caveat emptor)
In Puzzle Pirates, Doubloons are bought with real money, and 3 Rings allows Dubs to be traded for POE.
Generally, game companies word their terms of service to state that it's not allowed to sell in-game items or C. for real world money. Enforcement is usually haphazard as it's time consuming to track and sometimes hard to prove.

People seem to not have a clue about the economy and how they can affect it.
People don't look at a game economy and see the comparison with a real life economy.

The systems is going along on it's own and fairly well balanced and some nimrod comes along and twinks it a bit.
Over the long run, it balances itself out, but in the short term, and eventually the long term if often enough, it ruins the market for everyone else.

Two examples taken from my personal experience.
EVE Online - Item sells for an average of 75,000 ISK. I looted a couple from badguys and attempt to sell them on the market. I undercut the lowest bidder by maybe 2000 ISK to try for a quick sell. Next day, I check my sales, they haven't sold. I figured there could be someone undercutting me, I kind of expected it. What I found was 6-7 people listing the item for 5-10% lower than the lowest guy when they listed. So now it's selling for about 50% less than I listed for just 24 hours ago, at about 40,000 ISK.
You could say I brought this on myself by undercutting, and I can somewhat agree, but I was still within 5%-10 of the average price. I'm very conscience of what I list items for and the deviation from average and would have sold at the same 5%-10% under average regardless of what others had listed for.
The 'average' value players see when selling an item is based on the average of the actual sale price of an item over a period of time, say several months, not an average of the listed items price. Players will see the cheapest price is 50% below average and assume that it was overpriced and now this is a new standard.
These 6-7 people have just ruined the market value for that item.
Depending on how popular that item is, everyone now makes less C. when they sell it, which hurts the producers most, as their margins are usually very slim.
Eventually, it may or may not raise in price again.

Puzzle Pirates - Doubloons are used on the 'free' oceans as a way for the developer, 3 Rings, to make money on a pay-as-you-go system instead of a monthly-fee-subscriber system.
It works pretty well too.
All players can do the 'important' things like pillage and have clothes to wear using the basic items that only cost POE. But 'fancy' goods like nicer looking clothes, better swords, ships, etc., have a Dub cost as well. This allows 3R to pay for the servers and staff to run the game.
All items decay at varying rates from 30-90 days. Generally, the more expensive it is, both in POE and Dubs, the longer it lasts.
Dubs can be traded for POE, and vice versa, on an open, player controlled market.
Players put in buy and sell orders and they are traded when and if someone wants to trade for that price.
Some players have never bought Dubs for real money and only trade POE gained from pillages against NPCs. I've bought a few and traded for a few.
Hunter is the newest Dub ocean and prices average about 670 POE/Dub for buy orders, and 690 POE/Dub for sell orders. Recently buy price lowered to about 625-630 POE/Dub and the sell price lowered a touch as well, though I don't remember exactly how much.
Some genius listed a buy price for about 660 POE/Dub for 20-30 Dubs, and as such, the price went back up to 'normal'.
Obviously it was an artificial and temporary low price anyway, and was bound to rise again, but this Einstein ruined the chance for a lowering of the standard market value a little.
It's really a toss-up whether it was someone who regularly sold Dubs and wished for the prices to be higher, or some chowderhead that just wanted his Dubs 'right-bloody-now!'.
Whether it was an impatient prat or a regular Dub seller, they lowered most everyone's potential enjoyment of the game just a bit by manipulating the prices, whether they were conscience of it or not.

For some reason, a lot of people have to be 'better' than everyone else at a game. And for many, having more currency means they are the best.
Even if that means having millions of C. despite having absoulutely nothing to spend it on.
Even if it is detrimental to the game as a whole.
Buying C. from farmers, using programs to cheat, creating said programs and adding a key logger that sends you the login info of the unintelligent saps so you can steal everything they have, finding loopholes in the mechanics of the game to use to their advantange.

I know it won't really do any good, but I'll say it anyway.

Come on people, use some common sense and consider what you are doing.
Take that extra 5 seconds to think about how it's going to affect the game as a whole.
What would happen if everyone did what you are going to do?
You wouldn't actually go into a store and offer to pay more than the marked price would you?
You don't expect that someone is going to make a business of buying at wholesale and then selling for 1/2 the profit of everyone else just so they can sell a lot more units and do more work for the same profit that everyone else gets, do you?

Subtitles

What's the deal with the amount of subtitles going around these days?

Have we become so lazy that we can't be arsed to listen to what's being said?
We have to have it spelled out for us?

Obviously films in a language we don't know need subtitles so we can understand what's being said, and I've got no problem with that.

The problem is things like interviews and such with people who speak English, but with an accent.
Apparently either too many people complained that they couldn't understand what was being said, or a CEO or two couldn't understand and decided that everyone must be as stupid as they were and needed subtitles to know what the hell is going on.

Is it really that hard to listen to what people have to say?

An example that sticks in my mind is the 'white tea' commercial by Snapple.
I'm not a tea drinker so I didn't know what white tea is, and probably a lot of other didn't either.
So they asked the question, and an older man, explained that it was tea made from leaves of young plants, so it's very light colored and flavored. Ok, makes sense.
I don't know exactly where the gentlemen was from, it could have been India, Thailand, or some other tea growing country.
He did have a pretty good accent, but it really wasn't that hard to understand what he was saying.
I love my Snapple juices, but come on people, don't treat your customers like they're morons.

I know it can be tough to understand people sometimes, especially with some of the colloquialisms that don't make sense (Scots seem to have a few of these), but for fooks sake man, make the bloody effort.

Nudity

What is so wrong with nudity?

Why is it so wrong to see a boob or an ass cheek but watching 10 people get shot acceptable?

I fail to comprehend why American TV has evolved the way it has.

I suppose one could say that we've romaticized violence in myriad movies and TV shows, of which many are based on reality.

I recently watched part of 'The Godfather'. (Not for the first time)
No doubt that there was plenty of violence in that flick (and novel).
Puzo based Don Vito Corleone on real mob bosses Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, and many of the events are based on the exploits of these men and their accomplices. (I.M.D.B. Trivia for 'The Godfather')

The History Channel shows tons of footage from WW2, Vietnam, along with reenactments, which are obviously filled with violence.

Why is killing so acceptable in this country and nudity isn't?

About a year ago, ABC ran 'Saving Private Ryan' unedited.
There was some contraversy about that as well, with people saying that it was too graphic and a few affilates even refused to air the show.
Which does show that not everyone thinks we should show violence on TV.
But there are reasons to show the film as it was cut. Most notably, is that it's honest. As has been said before, war is Hell, and to edit it takes away from the meaning of the story, which was inspired by the true story of the Niland brothers.

I find it rather ironic that some of the same people who oppose nudity on TV have no problem supporting things like racism, sexism, and war.
It never ceases to amaze me the amount of ignorance and hipocrisy in humanity.

Europe isn't so uptight about nudity and violence is more taboo on TV than it is here.
I remember several years ago I saw a show on HBO on commericials from around the world. One that stuck in my head was an advert for a convertible car.
They showed a man having sex with a woman, with the woman sitting on the windshield and the man standing on the front seats.
I thought it was pretty amusing, and a rather creative change of the old standard of sex in a car.
It certainly wasn't obscene. It's been quite a while, but I believe that only the man's backside was visible, with perhaps a tad bit of the woman's breast.
Obviously they were 'doing the nasty', but it wasn't graphic, tasteless or derogatory in any way.

Mind you, I'm not saying we should be running 'Debbie Does Dallas' in primetime, but just lighten up a tad folks.

When's the show start?

It's not really clear where the problem started, but it's here.

In my business, it's not uncommon for a concert or play to start a few minutes late.
Sometimes the band was late because of weather delays, sometimes there's a technical problem with some important piece of gear, or it could be a number of other reasons.

Regardless, it annoys me when a show can't start on time.
(Or when the artists think is no big deal to play an extra 15 minutes)

Most of the times that I've observed, it's the audiences' fault.
They decide to be 'fashionable' and be late, or right at the last minute, or perhaps they just can't grasp the concept of 'two chimes means two minutes, sit the Hell down so we can start'.

But is it really their fault?

A few years ago, the community dinner theatre in Topeka renovated an old school to become their new home.
They've been around for about 70 years and have had a number of homes in the past.
Prior to their current (and probably permanent) home, they were in an old warehouse by the Kansas River, affectionately called 'The Warehouse On The Levee'.
In order to get to the theatre, everyone had to cross a set of railroad tracks, which were more or less bane of the theater.
Patrons were instructed to arrive at least 15 minutes early to hopefully avoid the trains and the delays they caused.
They had a pretty strict policy about getting beverages from the bar before a show.
If you arrived less than 10 minutes before curtain time, you could only order drinks for intermission.
For the most part, everyone was early, and enforcing the rule was not usually necessary, and when it was, the reasoning was generally understood by the patrons.

When they moved to their new theatre, they increased seating capacity by about 60%, from about 170 to about 280.
They obviously had to have an few extra wait staff to cover the extra seats.
The bar policy was not changed.

Since they were in a more central location in town with multiple routes and no rail crossings, the patrons realized they wouldn't have to be as early to shows anymore.

So they stopped coming early.

Well, not all of them, just enough to make a difference.

Of course, the Theatre wants to have happy patrons, so the policy was bent a bit, though signage and programs remind everyone about the policy and to be early.

Apparently, they just don't care.

So now, shows almost always start 10 minutes late.
And intermissions are usually 5 minutes (or more) longer than the intended 10-15 minutes.

Since the Theatre holds the curtain for the bar (i.e. latecomers), people feel that they don't need to show up early because the shows always start late.

A vicious circle.

A few touring shows have a very strict policy about when the show starts and seating patrons after the show has started.
Generally, that policy is once the show proper has started (after the overture or entr'acte is over and the curtain is up) no one is allowed to be seated until the first scene or song is over.
Obviously that can cause some irritation to the patrons.

But you know what happens?
Those people generally don't show up late again.

I love this policy.

Here's an angle that most people don't think about.
Someone has to set up those shows that everyone loves to see.
Actually, frequently, it's a lot of someones.
Crew calls can be anywhere between 2 or 3 up to 70 people depending on the show.
The load-in time can vary between 5am and 1pm.
Generally, the larger the show, the more people required, the earlier the call time, and the longer it takes to set up.
Some of us will be working during the show, and some will be cut in the early to mid afternoon.
Either way, we have to take it all back down and put it back into however many car trunks or semis it came in, which can take anywhere from 20 minutes to 8 hours.
So some of us will be working up to 16 hours a day.
As I say, it varies with every show, and generally, the shows that go through Topeka don't sit, meaning stay for more than one performance, so in some ways we have it worse than others.
It depends on the show and the scheduling, but frequently the road crew has to load-in again the next day, meaning the earlier they finish, the more sleep they get before working again.
The local crew can also have this issue. One 'week' several years ago, we had 8 shows in 9 days.
I ended up working about 100 hours that week.
But that's poor booking by the venue, and a different subject.

So the show starts 10 minutes late and the intermission lasts an extra 10 minutes.
The show now takes 20 minutes longer than it should to be finished for the night.
20 minutes by itself isn't such a huge deal, but add that up several times a week and you start looking at a significant amount of time.

Where I'm working currently, shows are generally on a smaller scale.
2-4 of us, along with the band, bring in the gear and set it up in an hour or two.
Generally, the club opens at 8pm with shows billed to start at either 9pm or 10pm depending on what day of the week it is.

For some reason, people in Aspen seem to be more into that 'fashionable' thing and everyone seems to show up about 30 minutes after the billed start time.

The management notices this trend, and hold the opening act(s) for 20-60 minutes.
Those that do actually show up on time have to wait for the show to start.

I think part of the reason so many show up later is because they don't know or care about the opening act, so they just don't show up to see them.
Obviously, the opening act(s) aren't the headliner, and sometimes it's a crap-shoot if the opener will be any good or not.

So why should people who want to see the openers have to wait for those that don't?

What usually happens (that I've seen) is those that showed up before the billed time end up leaving before the headliner is finished.
Maybe because they've got to work the next day, maybe they worked a long day and are just too tired*, they think the drinks are too expensive and go somewhere else, who knows, but they are essentially cheated out of seeing what they paid to see.
(* You wouldn't think that people could be tired at a concert, but believe me, I've slept at the mix position during shows, sometimes during bands I like, or was enjoying even though I'd never seen them before)

So next time, those that showed up early this time, will show up later, and the cycle is renewed.
Or perhaps they are more hesitant to see the next show because they don't feel they get their monies worth.

This cycle hurts the venue's profits.

The kitchen is open from 8pm-11pm, and if people don't show up until 10:30 because they know the show won't start until then, they will get their dinner or snacks elsewhere.
$8 per burger and pizza, $3 for a basket of fries, $6 for wings.
That adds up.

The bar loses sales because people will either start the evening somewhere else, or end up somewhere else.
They will usually spend about the same amount of cash, but maybe get one less drink if they spent the entire night at the venue, but it ends up being more money for the venue because drinks are slightly more expensive.
Let's say the venue averages $6 a drink, and the other place averages $5 per drink.
The guy that starts elsewhere has two drinks, so that's $12 the venue doesn't get.
Not because that guy really needs the $2, but because either some people just watch their money more closely (locals) and it adds up, or they don't want to be at a club where there's nothing going on.
Capacity at the venue is about 450, so lets say that 50% start somewhere else for 2 drinks before they head over to see the show.
That's $2700 in lost sales for the venue.
If it's only 25%, that's $1350 lost.
Those are both huge numbers for the production business where margins can be very slim and $100 is the difference between breaking even and taking a loss on a show.

Bottom line here is just show up 15 minutes before the advertised curtain time.
Sit the hell down (or jump up and mosh, whichever is appropriate).
Start your events on time regardless of who is or isn't there, excepting the artist.

The crowd has a good time.
The venue gets a better profit margin.
Everyone that works to bring these events has an easier day.

As far as I can see, there are no losers here.

It's all downhill (then uphill, then down again)

I'd been wanting a nicer bike than my ElCheapo Walmart/Target type bike for a couple of years, even though it did fit what I used it for, and now I've got one.
A Jamis Dakar XLT 20th Anniversary Edition (the 2005 model) to be exact.

Now that I'm in Colorado, I want to start riding more interesting terrain, and my heavy, rigid frame bike just wasn't going to cut it.

I originally intended to get a hardtail because the full suspensions were a bit more than I wanted to spend.
I'd rather have a nicer frame hardtail with good components than a decent full-sus frame with lower quality components.

I spent about two weeks browsing sites for specs and visiting local shops to test ride what they had and found that I liked the fit of Giant bicycles.
Their price point wasn't too bad and they really did fit me well.

I went to Ute City Cycles here in Aspen, but was unimpressed with them because they didn't carry any hardtails in stock.
After meeting Chris at the Carbondale store, my attitude changed.

I had been to pretty much every LBS in the valley and was leaning towards a Specialized bike, either the Rockhopper Comp Disc or the FSR-XC, or maybe a Giant Pistol.

Even though I only spent about 45 seconds in the Aspen store, I realized that I should check them out because as my roommate said, I should try as many bikes as possible (since I'm basically a newbie and he's done road racing and coaching of riding teams, I figure I ought to listen to him).
The Carbondale store is bigger than the Aspen store, and they were 30 seconds from another shop I had been to.

I told Chris what I was looking to spend and he showed me a couple of hardtail bikes in that range, and like any other salesman worth their salt, tried to upsell.

I knew I could afford the few extra bucks, it was just a matter of whether I wanted to afford it.

Chris spent a lot of time talking to me and was very helpful in answering questions that I had.
After I first test rode the Dakar, I had asked a few questions and then asked, essentially, 'If I were to buy this bike, is there anything you would suggest upgrading straight away?'.
The only thing he suggested would be the hubs and rims, the whole wheel essentially.
He basically said 'Sure, the stock equipment isn't top of the line, but it's good quality stuff. When you've worn down the stock gear, then yeah, let's upgrade a couple things.'
He gave me exactly the answer I suspected from my research and my roomie's advice.

I knew that anything I bought (or even considered buying) would be such a huge improvement over what I had, I wouldn't notice any difference between the best parts and the step or two down that would be on what I bought.
I knew before asking that I couldn't afford both the bike and new wheels, so that's going to wait for a season or two.
Maybe I'll upgrade the SRAM X7 shifters to X9, go tubeless on the tires, some clipless pedals, a different saddle, a different rear shock, or some other little improvement later this season or next, but for now, I'm happy with what I've got.

I pretty much knew that was the bike I wanted.
I went home to compare the Dakar with everything else I'd seen (I'd even made a spreadsheet to compare everything), and sleep on it.
I called the shop the next morning and told Chris to put it up on the rack and give it a once-over because I'd be there in about an hour to pick it up.

They did a great job setting up the machine for me, adjusting the shift levers, brake levers, saddle, derailers, and rear shock to give me a good fit that felt like I wanted it to.
He asked if I needed any other parts or accessories and I just couldn't think of anything I needed.
After thinking for a few minutes and nothing coming to mind, I thought a shock pump for the rear shock might be good, since it's an air preload type (Fox Float R) and he said I didn't really need one, but if I'd had an air fork, then yeah, I ought to get one.
And if I needed any adjustment on it, I could very easily go and have it done at the store in Aspen.
How's that for honesty?

I highly recommend paying Chris a visit if you're in the area and looking for a bike.

And so far, I'm really diggin' this bike.
As they told me at the shop, Jamis makes a quality bike, they just don't spend as much money on advertising as some other companies, and so they add value to their bikes with better components.

I'd love to stay and chat more, but there's a trail somewhere calling my name.

Moving

Moving is such a pain in the ass.
And I don't even have that much stuff.

When I was younger, about 10-14, I went to Colorado a few times with family and once one a Scouting trip.
I did enjoy my time there, but never realized how nice it was there.

If you've read some of my other posts, you should know what I do to pay the bills.
But in case you hadn't, I do concert and theatrical production.
Mostly lighting, but occasionally sound, set construction, grips, rigger, flyman, and pretty much anything else other than props or costumes, though I've done both once or twice.

Anyway, because of my work, I ws again given the opportunity to visit Colorado several times starting about 5 years ago.
Now I'm old enough to see how bitchin' this place is.
Scenery, fresh air, not too hot, not too cool, snowboarding in the winter, mountainbiking in the summer, just damn cool.

My very first time back up here, I realized that I wanted to live here.
Not that I came from someplace crappy, Topeka was ok on the air quality front, though it does tend to get a little bit warmer than I like there in the summer, and doesn't really get as much snow as we used to in the winter.

But, it was a dream that was out of reach.
I had a decent job doing a lot of work, which I really liked, overall.
There's always a gig that you have to do even though you don't like the venue, hands, food, or some other reason.
There just wasn't a lot of work for me here when I wasn't here with my company.
Because of my work for the Jazz Aspen/Snowmass festival, I made some contacts and got involved with the HBO U.S. Comedy Arts Festival.
They've had some great shows the last few years that I've been able to work it.
And I'd made some friends working on both of those shows.
One of whom had a job at a nightclub as a lighting person.
When she needed to be gone for vacation and such, she needed someone to fill in and there are very few people here qualified enough to do the job, so I got a call.
It's been nice working there. They have had some great shows including Gogol Bordello, Buckethead, Danger Kitty, Toots and the Maytals, Ben Harper, G Love and Special Sauce, Galactic, and others.

So I was here in February working for my friend, then went home for about two weeks, then was to come back again for the Comedy Fest.
That's when I found out a couple of interesting things.

Turns out that she is getting a bit tired of working 6-7 days a week in-season and they are wanting to hire someone to split shows with her.

Am I interested?
Of course.
Then, it turns out that one of her roommates is moving out April 1.

Hmm, so I could have a job that pays well, and a place to live that isn't much more expensive than what I already pay?

Guess I better jump on that one, eh?

So I did.
Besides, I was getting tired of driving out here 6 times a year to work.
700 miles each way tends to add up and cut into the profit margin from the paycheck a bit.

So now I'm here for two weeks in February, going home for about a week, coming back here for two more weeks, then going back to Kansas for a week to pack my crap, then drive back to Colorado once again.
Oh, and I've got to take my U-Haul trailer back to Denver too.

Many, I'm just a glutten for punishment I guess.

So, it turns out that it's cheaper to rent a U-Haul from Topeka to Denver than Topeka to somewhere closer.
Like $100 bucks cheaper.
So I can either spend an extra $100 to drop it off within 40 miles, or I can drive it back 160 miles to Denver and spend $50 on gas for both ways.
Gee, not much to figure out there.

I got back on a Sunday night and had plans to go out with some friends since I knew I wouldn't have much time to do anything the rest of the week because of packing and cleaning up to get my deposit back.

We had a lot of fun that night.

Monday morning, I woke to find I was not well.
Unfortunately, it had nothing to do with what I had consumed the night before.
So I got to lay around on the couch and watch TV and nap all day.
Neato, I've got 3 days to pack and clean, and now I'm sick on one of them.
But I got through it and started packing up on Tuesday morning.
When I moved last time, it was an in-town move, so it wasn't a huge logistics issue.
This time, I knew I'd have to get rid of a few things.
And I did. Nothing really important, old magazines, some clothes for Goodwill or whomever, things like that.
I got a number of nice sized boxes from my sister who works at a grocery store, and my father who works at a printing plant.

On moving day, dispite all my efforts, all my junk wouldn't fit inside the trailer.
Shouldn't really be a big shocker, and it wasn't but I didn't think I would end up as short on space as I did.
I had always planned to put some stuff in the back seat of my cab, and maybe a couple things in the bed of my truck (a Dodge Dakota, which I love and plan to drive Dak's until the day I die [though hopefully not this one]), but I ended up with a dresser, office chair, bicycle, skis, and a few other things cramed in back there.
I had set aside some things that I knew I could leave behind just in case I was running short on room, and despite this, I still got basically every thing I had loaded up.
There were a few books and some pictures that I didn't have anywhere to put, but that was basically it.
So it went into my parents vehicles to be stored in their basement.

The plan was to be out on Thursday afternoon/evening and have dinner with all the family that lived in town.
Come 5:30, I was out of the apartment and headed over to my folks place to clean up and rest for the nice long drive on Friday.
It was a good dinner and a good time was had by all.

My parents went above and beyond on Friday as they went back to my apartment and finished some light cleaning and to turn in my keys for me.

It was a mostly uneventful trip back here, and I got a few calls from friends and family which was nice, and not so.
Ya know how it is, they always call at inopportune times like when you've stopped to fill the one tank and empty the other, or right when you hit rushhour traffic.
I did appreciate the thoughts intended though.
Thanks.

So, I'm at my new home now and ready for sleeping as I need to unload all my crap on Saturday, so I can return my trailer on Sunday.
Man this was a tiring schedule.

But I got it all done, and even though I haven't quite unpacked all my stuff a month later, I'm basically settled in.
There's been some work, though not as much as I'd hoped for, but that's what I get for moving here at the beginning of off-season.
It'll pick up soon as we move into the summer season.

Podcasting

I get the concept of podcasting.
It's supposed to be like a radio broadcast, but it just isn't the least bit interesting to me.

I don't really consider myself an instant gratification type person, but they just take way too long to get through the whole thing.
With a text, I can skim through and find any relevant info that I want or need, easily reread parts that interest me, or copy it somewhere so I can refer back to it later.
Listening to a 40 minute radio show to find the info I want just doesn't appeal to me.
You can't really skip any of it because you will miss whatever it is you're looking for.

I've listened to a few for some games I've played and sometimes they have 'psuedo-commmercials' for fake products that are related to the game world.
I get this concept too, but I hate commericials.
They basically all are crap. The only one I can say I thought was really good was the M&Ms commercial where the M&Ms are eating M&Ms.
That was a nice, twisted mind that came up with that.
The fact that there's now a 5 minute break every 10 minutes for commercials also adds to my hatred for them.
Ever seen 'The Fifth Element'?
Ya know those cigarettes that everyone smokes? The ones with 90% filter and 10% tobacco?
That's how I'm envisioning the future of TV.
90% commercials and 10% show.
Having so many commercials impairs writers from creating quality shows with interesting stories because the available time for a show keeps getting shorter and shorter, and it makes it hard to complete the required parts of a story, introduction, complication/rising action, climax, resolution/falling action.

Anyway, I've diverged a bit, so back on topic.

Another TV trend that the podcasts are starting to follow is putting the info that everyone really wants to know as the very last item on the agenda.
If you can't hold an audience without resorting to tactics like this, that should really be a clue that you have no business trying to run a 1 hour show.