Dog is my co-pilot

Katie, hiding under the chair

The other day I was driving on 8 north, on my way to pick John up from work. There was a jeep on my right.  In the passenger seat was a beautiful grey Husky sitting with a seatbelt, bobbing his head with the wind.  That sweet pup made my day.  He was so happy to be driving along with the wind in his hair.

I have been blessed with some very awesome dogs.  They make me laugh at the silly things they do.  They have very different and interesting personalities.

First there is Baxter:

Baxter, guarding his pan

I got Baxter on July 18, 1999.  His parents were two of my fathers dogs.  He was 5 1/2 weeks old when I got him.   Not too long after I got him, he jumped out of my arms and landed on his head, he jumped up, tail wagging and was acting fine.  I called the vet and he told me to that puppies were made of rubber and just to keep aneye on him.  A few weeks later I took him to the vet, because I was having alot of trouble house breaking him, and he wasn't coming when I called him.  After a few tests, Baxter was diagnosed as deaf from trauma.  He acts like there is nothing wrong.  He runs around and plays like any other dog.

Next we have Katie:

John and I got Katie from the pound in September of 2004.  We had just gotten back from visiting my mom in Connecticut, and she suggested that we get a dog for Baxter to play with.  After looking for a while we went into the Summit county Pound and there were two fuzzy pups in a cage together.  One was black and tan, the other was tan and brown.  They were adoptable on the coming monday.  We were told that we could have the male or female or both, and that there was a lady who was before us and she was going to take the male first, and or both.  We were very lucky to get Katie.

Then we have the Crazy Neurotic Riley
If he looks terrified to you, well thats just Riley.   We rescued katie from the pound in September of 2004 in July of 2005 she had a litter of 7 pups.  John decided to keep one when he saw Riley.  We have had him since he was seconds old, he gets rigid if you try and pick him up. He whimpers all the time. If we could harness the energy from the wagging of his tail we would not have to pay for electricity ever again.

  Here is a pic of the puppies when they were 7 days old.

Next is Sasha.  Sasha is the orneriest dog I have ever met.  She is a Vizela Mix that we rescued.

Sasha and Katie keeping guard.



She is our biggest weighing in at 50 pounds, she is also the cuddliest.  She will lay on you and wrap one leg over your chest and nuzzle her head under your arm.  Vizela's are extremly smart, she is a problem solver, if she wants something she figures out how to get it.  She causes chaos and destruction if she gets bored.  Luckily she has Katie and Riley to chew on.

Next and finally is Priscillia.

Pricillia is one of Katie and Baxters pups.  We had given her to a friend when she was a pup.  After 6 years we were asked if we would take her back because she was aggressive.  In the year we have had her I have not seen her be aggressive. She is very timid and shy. She needs to be rubbed and loved alot.  We are looking for a home for her.  If we can find an older couple who are home alot and have another dog.  She has never been an only dog and will need to have company.  She needs alot of attention.  She will come over na lay on my chest and thump me with her paw until I start rubbing, and if I stop, I get thumped and licked until I start rubbing again.

She is very gentle and sweet.

I never wanted to have 5 dogs, I don't want to have 5 dogs.  I will never again have 5 dogs.

They are funny and sweet. They make me laugh, and comfort me when I am sad.   They may not be my children but the good thing is if they get mad at me they can not talk back and yell at me.  And I can send them to their cages.

The Closing of "The Drowsy Chaperone"

I am sorry it has been a while since I posted here.  I have been a busy boy.  I just finished a 4 week run of "The Drowsy Chaperone" at weathervane playhouse.  The cast was jam packed with talents.  The 16 member cast was singing, dancing and changing costumes into my heart. 

Michelle Chaho as Kitty, Kevin Kane as Feldzieg

I have had experiences where a person or two and I would connect.  I have never worked on a show where I have liked every singel person so much. 

I know in the theater world we rehearse a show, perform a show, close a show, then audition for the next show.  Thats just the cycle of life.  I am sad today because my daily interactions are now overwith.  Here comes the next show.

"Chaperone" is its own entity.  It has heart, spunk, sass, and its just a fun time.  Today I was still laughing at jokes Ihave heard 20 times.  I watched scenes that I have seen so many times.  I felt pride. 


Danny O'Donnell as Gangster #2, Jonathon Merechant as Gangster #1, Kevin Kane as Feldzieg

Last night an audience member told me that I should be in the greeting line with the cast as well.  I told her I was.  Everyone of the cast was wearing a piece of me.  That is one of the great things about what I do.  I take fabric, thread and imagination and stitch it all together and then an actor breathes life into the garment.    And sometimes the garment transforms an actor into a character.  

My favorite day of all days in tech week is first dress.  For those of you who do not know, the week prior to a shows opening is called tech week or tech.   Saturday is usually Dry Tech (no actors)  the lighting, sound, scenic designers, the stage manager and director sit down and write into the stage managers script where the light and sound cues will be called, and where any scenic changes will occur.  Then they run through all of the light cues.

Molly Weidig as Jane, Adam Vigneault as Reporter, Danny O'Donnell as Gangster #2, Michelle Chaho as Kitty

On sunday in the afternoon, the cast arrives and a cue to cue occurs.  Basically they start at the top of the show and run from light cue to light cue, sound cue to sound cue, and any scenic changes. Then fix anything that needs fixed.  Then a dinner break.

After the dinner break we have First Dress, this is the first time the actors are in full costume, hair and make-up. We run the show full through doing all lighting, sound, scenic and costume changes.
Amanda Davis as the Drowsy Chaperone
I love this night because it is a time when we can see ourselves diffrently.  You may have been a blonde with long hair when you sat down, but now you are a red head with short curly hair.  Its a night of transformation.  I love watching the final piece of the puzzle come together.  For weeks the actors have been creating a charcter and this is the piece that breathes a new life into the performance.  I love watching the actors transform, and comment to each other about their new looks.  It is transformative, if the actor likes how they look, they have a zip in their step and it becomes a small part of their performance.
Molly Weidig as "Janet Van De Graaf
My absolute favorite is watching the children get ready.  They are so young and happy. the squeals of delight echo down the hall.  In 2 weeks we start the tech weeks for "Annie"  The hours of work start to get longer, but its all worth it.

Here are some more pics for you to enjoy.


Alan Klesh as Underling, Karen Wood as Mrs Tottendale

Michelle Chaho as Kitty, Karen Wood as Mrs. Tottendale, Molly Weidig as Janet, Amanda Davis as The Drowsy Chaperone.

Patrick Dukeman as Man in Chair

Patrick Dukeman as Man in Chair, Molly Weidig as Janet

The Cast of "The Drowsy Chaperone"

All Photographs were taken By Scott Dies

The search

I got a phone call yesterday that totally blew me away for a few reasons.  It will take me a few minutes to get to the phone call.

When I was younger I spent a good deal of time with my maternal Grandparents Frank and Dorothy Jordan or as I knew them Pop-Pop and Grammy.  Grammy and I were very close, a good deal of my childhood memories include her.  We would sit together she would watch television with me or she would read and I would play.  She would talk to me about her childhood and her family in Boundbrook, New Jersey.  Grammy had a few issues, that she was dealing with, she was a bastard (her mother was not married to her father). That is not such a big deal these deays but in 1909 it was a scandal.

Most of the family belived that Grammy's mother Anna, had died from pneumonia.  I was told that Anna had been murdered.  That in 1922, Anna had been seeing a married man, and for some reason Anna had started seeing a second man.  The first man was not happy about it and shot Anna, the Second man, and then himself.  My sister also remembers this story.

I have tried to search the internet to find anythig that I can about the death of my great grandmother.  In June 2011, I emailed the Boundbrook, New Jersey library system, asking for some help.  I don't know much.  I know that her name was either Anne or Anna.  That her last name was either Krowman or Kroehner, She was living in Boundbrook, New Jersey.  My mother remembers the last name of Marlowe, but can't remember why.  I received an email back from Mary Nelson at the Library, ashe couldn't find much information.  But she did find info about a woman named Anna Knutter who died in 1921.  I didn't think that was anything, I thanked Mary and went about my life. Occassionaly typing  the words: Anna Krowman, Murder, 1922, Boundbrook, New Jersey, into the google search bar and not coming up with anything.

Now onto my phone call from yesterday. 

I received a phone call from Mary Nelson, she had found a series of articles about a girl named Josephine who had been stabbed 20-22 times in April of 1925.  Mary sent me some information through email.  I now know that this story has nothing to do with my Great Grandmother.  Josephine was 11 years old when she died. 

What really got me going though was that after a year, Mary was still searching on her own for me.  I was amazed.  I still am.

I will continue the search.  If anyone has any tips on how I can keep searching please let me know.

Fathers day

Today is a difficult dayfor me.  I have lost the three men who were my Fathers.  One was genetically my father, He  died of cancer 8 years ago.  One was my father because he choose to be, He died a year ago.  One was a father not by choice, but by cirumstances, He died 3 years ago.    I have Uncles who are great men, and by example taught me to be a man.  My Brother, is probably the best example of what a Father is.  He is the perfect mix of strength, love, and humour.  I love watching him with his kids.  They love him so much and also have a healthy fear of him.  When I have children of my own, I hope I am like him.

It's a weird day today, I feel abit like I am outside looking in.  I am not a father and I am fatherless.

I have to remember that just because you are not genetically a father, that you can not influence peoples lives.  I have the privledge of working with so many amazing kids, There is a few of them who have changed my life.  They make me see the world diffrently.  I want to change the world for them so that they won't have to struggle, I want to help protect them.  I have comforted them when they were upset, dried tears, given hugs, spoken words of encouragement.  I have loved them as if they were my own. 

Today I received a text wishing me a happy fathers day, wishing me love and saying that I was missed.

I know that I have done something right. 

So to those who are Fathers or who are Father figures.  Happy Day

The great outdoors, ohio style

For almost 6 months now, John, our friend Randy and me have been walking the ohio/erie canal towpath trail.  One of the things I love about ohio, at least the northeast part of it, is that there are huge metroparks through out the cities.  Akron has miles and mile of trails to walk, hike or bike on. 

When the weather is nice, this winter was very mild and we were able to walk alot, we try to do something fun with Randy.  Fun could be taking a walking historical tour of a cemetary, a tour of homes, a walking tour of a downtown district.

Randy is the kind of guy who decides that he wants barbacue, will get in his car and drive to Kansas City, then decide that the food he had was good, but not as good as this one place in St Louis.  So off to St. Louis he goes.  After he has eaten, Oh wow since I am in St Louis, I am not far from this house I like, so off he drives.  Then he thinks, wow I am not far from Minneapolis, I should take a drive there.  Then he will head back to Akron.  For this and many other reasons he is my friend.

I am not a huge fan of walking, it is too much like excercise. LOL.  Not far from our house is the Gorge metropark.  I don't like walking, but I do like history.  Dotted throughout the parks are historical markers, and sometimes markers about the park and land.  The history helps make the walking more fun. 

Info from two of the signs.
In 1759, a 12-year-old girl was captured in Pennsylvania by Delaware Indians and reportedly brought to a cave in present-day Gorge Metro Park, where she lived as a child of Chief Netawatwees. Young Mary Campbell, for whom the cave is named, unwittingly became the first white child in what was then the wild frontier of the Western Reserve. Mary later settled with the tribe in a village along the banks of the Cuyahoga River, not far from the cave. She was released in 1764 after a treaty ended the French and Indian War.

Thousands of years before Mary's adventures, the Gorge was cut when glacial debris blocked the former route of the Cuyahoga River (near present-day downtown Akron) and caused the river to find a new course. Today, the rushing water flows over a shale riverbed, between ledges made of Sharon conglomerate sandstone. Oak, blackgum, tulip and yellow birch trees are common in the woods that cover the valley walls.

John and Ryan walking in the gorge park.

Randy has decided that he wanted to walk the entirity of the walkable towpath trail.  I don't wantt o bore any of you with the history so if you want to take a look at some of the information here is the summit county metro parks website http://www.summitmetroparks.org/parksandtrails/TowpathTrail.aspx

So far Randy has walked 63 miles of the path.  John and I have walked 40 of it.  The thing I like about the towpath trails is that it is a free family inclusive thing. Two weeks ago we walked a stretch from Clinton ohio to Canal Fulton.  This stretch was 3.5 miles.  The canal was flowing for most of the path.  we were walking along this beautiful sction. the canal on one side, a small patch of land with trees, then the river and a section of pastures with trees along the river.  John stopped and was looking at the trees. " I can't figure out what that is?"  He kept looking at these things buy the trees.  "They aren't Rocks"

Look at the base of the trees. Can you make out what is laying there?

I tried to get closer.

As we were watching, We realized that they were cows.  One got up and walked closer to the river and mooed. 

Further down the path, A Canal Boat was in water and was being turned around by 2 men with long sticks, that they used to push along the bottom of the canal.  Once turned the boat was pulled by a team of 2 horses on the towpath. Which is how it got its name.

This past sunday the three of us went to Massilion, Ohio and did a walking tour of the historical downtown.  It was cool to hear the history of the downtown area and see some cool old architecture.  Then we walked 5.5 miles on the towpath.   From Navarre to Bolivar.  This stretch was not my fave, it was too long of a stretch and the scenery didn't change much.  It was also not a very heavily populated stretch.



Base of a girder from a factory in Massilion, Ohio.

Close up of the art work on the Girder. Circa 1912

After all that walking we usually eat.  Randy is an encyclopedia of local food establishments.  We are always on the search for the perfect meatball.  If you are ever in North Canton, ohio, stop in at "That Little Italian Kitchen"  The food is so yummy.  I usually get a "Bake" which is a pasta mixed with their Homemade tomato sauce and homemade alfredo sauce.  Um YUMMMMMMMMM.  They also have good canoli.

 

Also in Canton is Schnabs Burgers. http://www.schnabsburgers.com/  I had the best Chocolate Malted there.  The burgers were so good and fresh, and the Boys were really cute.

 I wish we would eat then walk.  I have not lost any weight.

 

I can't wait for our next walk and dine. 

 

Hope you are well. 

 

J

A break from sewing

I have been spending many hours in my small costume shop in the basement.  I am getting ready for the final show of my fourth season at Weathervane.  I am designing "The Drowsy Chaperone"  It is a great show.  Nice music.  I will add some links at the bottom, so any of you that would like to know more about the show can take a look.  This will be my 31st show designing for Weathervane, I am not sure what the total is off the top of my head, close to 80 I think.  I don't even want to think about how many costumes I have sewn or worked on over the 20 years I have been working on costumes. 

I often get asked about how I got started in costume design, and I giggle.  There are 2 stories that make this up.  When I was a child my grammy (my maternal Grandmother) sewed all the time.  She would take our long pants and cut them into shorts, take our long sleeved shirts and cut them into short sleeves. Clothes were expensive back then, and we didn't have lots of money to spend on clothing, so you made clothes last as long as you could.
 For those of you that are too young to know, there was a time when it was cheaper to make your own clothes, than to buy them at a store.  Clothing Patterns were much cheaper, now a pattern starts at almost $15.00, and the fabric is more expensive than it should be. 
Anyway, Grammy had read an article in the mid 1970's that said if you taught young boys to cook, clean, and sew, and if you allowed them to play with dolls, that they boy would grow up to be a better husband and father.  Grammy was a woman ahead of her times.  I learned to sew at her knee.  I started by helping her Iron hems and pinning.  One time a button popped off my shorts.  I threaded the needle and she had me sew it on.  Over the years I would help her do small repairs.  In the late 80's I was bored and i started sewing to keep my mind occupied.   I then didn't touch a sewing machine again until I was a senior in High school.  I had to make a shirt and shorts for my home ec class. 
When I started college in the fall of 1991, my work study job was to reshelve books in the library for 20 hours a week.  5 days a week, 4 hours a day, I walked around the library, in silence (those of you who know me well, know how hard it is for me to be quiet.) 
I was a theater major, I was cast in the fall show "The Comedy of Errors"


Comedy of Errors, Huntingdon College, October 1991

After about 3 weeks of my hating the Library job, I heard that the costume shop was looking for someone to sew.  I talked to Fiona Macleod, the head of the Theatre Dept, she had me sew something, and I was in.  Beth Atkins, was the Designer my freshman year.  She Designed the costumes for Comedy.  It was set in the 1920's during Prohibition.  The Idea was that we were all silent movie actors.  The costumes were all Black, White, or shades of Grey, By act 5 we all had a punch of color. 

The next year Beth, decided not to design any shows, I was still working in the shop. Fiona saw something in me and encouraged me to grow. 

I designed and acted in alot of shows at Huntingdon, I was in and designed "Buried Child",and I was not having a good time in the show, thats when I decided to stop acting for a while,  It was a long time before I stepped on stage again.



Shakespeare in Hollywood, Weathervane Playhouse 2011

Medea, Case Western Reserve University 2008

Dancing at Lughnasa, Weathervane Playhouse 2012

Tartuffe, Huntingdon College. 1999

Much Ado About Nothing. Case Western Reserve University



This summer I have an intern.  She just finished her freshman year of college and wants to be a Costume Designer.  Jamie has been with me 2 weeks.  She is so full of energy and a desire to learn.  I see so much of myself in her.  I can't wait to see her 10 years from know.

You have heard the old adage "Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, Teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime."  I have been taught to fish.  I have taken a simple every day task and with some natural talents have carved out a career.   I know how precious that is.  When ever I have the oppurtunity to teach someone to work in the costume shop with me, I know that this may be the seed to something wonderful for them. 

I have been blessed with many awesome people in my life.  Fiona Macleod, Danny Davidson, Dale Di Bernardo.  You are heros to me and give me inspiration.

If anyone is interested in learning about Weathervane Playhouse or "The Drowsy Chaperone" you can click below for more info.

Jasen

Weathervane

www.weathervaneplayhouse.com

The Drowsy Chaperone:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Drowsy_Chaperone

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKtGK1hcVoY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILywa8o5TLk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DohTfazLtJY&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0R_yNejh7y4&feature=fvwrel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FaiSp-u82w&feature=relmfu

It gets better.

I was just watching a documentary on www.logotv.com. that was entiteld "It gets better'.  It was a very interesting documentary, that dealt with the "It gets better" video campaign, as well as following 3 gay youths as they each went about completing a journey in their lives.   Each of the stories were interspersed with video clips of the campaign.
 I guess I am a voyuer, I love to see into peoples lives, and get a taste of what it is like to walk in their shoes.  That said I am not a fan of reality tv shows.  I do not consider "The Voice", "American Idol", "Project Runway" or shows of that ilk to be a reality show, I consider them to be talent based competiton shows.

This subject hits home for me in so many ways.  I get so angry at the people who think it is alright to make laws to deny a community of peoples rights.  I get angry that people can terrify someone into thinking that death is the only way to escape their pain.  I get pissed off that it is 2012 and that being gay is still an issue,a nd that some people think that they can make us go away by changing some laws or praying the gay away. 
A year ago, there were a grouping of teenagers who committed suicide, they were being bullied because they were gay. I think their deaths were tragic, and they need not have killed themselves. It is awful that they didn't have a support system of family and friends.  What is worse is that idea that they didn't think that their lives were worth fighting for, that the pain they were in was not going to end.  It does end! It does get better! You find a group of people who love you and support you not because you are gay, but because you are. 
 

I had a unique coming out experience.  My mother was, and to a point still is homophobic, My Father was gay.  At that time I was living with Dad, and it was easier to come out, he didn't make it an issue and I knew that I would have at least one parent to support me and love me.   Here is how I came out to my father.

Dad: So whats going on with you?

Me: Not much.  I met someone,

Dad: Thats great.

Me: His name is Thane.

Dad: That's Nice, Tell me about him.

The converstaion with my mother was not so easy.  She said she loved me and that if I wanted to be "healed" she would find me a doctor.  We didn't speak for almost a year. and when we did start speaking again there were conditions.  Because I wanted a relationship with my mother I agreed to the few conditions.  Fortunatley, I can say that my mother has had a change of heart in the last 10 years and we are open and can talk freely with each other.

My sister called one night not long before I went back to school for the spring semester.  She said "Aren't you tired?"  I responded that I didn't know what she was talking about.  Then she said" Aren't you tired?  Aren't you tired of living a lie?  Jay we all know.  Aren't you tired?"  That conversation terrified me.  But it but into action a few small events that changed my life forever.  The first few people I told I was so scared, but they all hugged me and thanked me for my bravery and strength.

We all live in our heads and tell ourselves horrible lies, I did, it was hard being gay and closeted. Having people call you a fag, when you are not even sure if you are. The Fear of gettting beaten up. I hope I live long enought to see a world where LGBTQ peoples can marry, and walk down the streets holding hands, without fear of being yelled at or getting attacked.

In the Documentary one lady said "It doesn't get better. But you get stronger."  I agree and disagree with her.  You do get stronger, you surround yourself with people who help build you up, strengthen you. You start living your life in the world an not in your head.  You find someone to love you, someone who wants to spend his/her life with you, building a future.  Thats what makes it better.  I am so blessed with friends and family that look at me and see a man, a friend, a confidant, a talent. and not a gay person.

Wow this is really long.  Thank you for reading.  I urge you if you know anyone that is questioning their sexuality to support them, let them know that you care and will help. 

For more information about the "it gets better project" or "the Trevor Project"  click on the links below.

Cheers

http://www.itgetsbetter.org/

http://www.thetrevorproject.org/