The MacGyver Holiday Special

We're having "issues" with our mission over here.  There's very little question of that.  ISSUES.  I'm going to let Sara cover hers all by herself, if she so chooses.

As for me, there is a whole lot of Scenic Shuffle going on for The Return to the Forbidden Planet.  I worked on it Saturday, Sunday night,  Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.  Thursday I took the day off and helped Ursula with the set for The Cripple of Inishmaan at nimbus theatre, then more Planet today, more tomorrow, and load-in is all day Sunday.

The themes, for me at least, have been "Injury and Innovation."

Injury because somehow my right forearm and elbow decided that THIS was the week to pitch a fit and seem all overused.  It is amazing how much stuff my right arm just takes care of.  Some stuff it's not a big deal to relegate to my left hand.  Some stuff it is a problem.

The thing that the designer, Philip and I have laughed about a lot is that it's only very specific motions that bother this injury.  Lifting a hundred pound platform - no big deal.  Lifting a coffee cup?  Very big problem.  It is all about what I'm asking this one little crabby muscle to do, I think.  In the case of the platform, not a lot - mostly it's other muscles, so...no problem!  In the case of the coffee cup, a lot of it must be on that muscle, so...left hand, you are  on duty.  I am trying to take care of it (KT tape, ultrasound, etc. etc.) while at the same time I still have to take care of business.

As for the Innovation...

Yesterday I went and worked with Ursula and when I work with Ursula during a tech week, my MO is to take and complete the little tasks that she doesn't really want to deal with.  I often staple fabric to things, paint stuff, fix stuff.  This time there was some sanding to do.  I asked if there was a dust mask (gotta respect the lungs) and was told there was and was handed one...that had no strap.  Then while Brian was looking for one with a strap, I decided to rig up the strapless one with safety pins and a couple of pieces of tie line.  It worked and I felt like MacGyver.  But with hair that is both longer in the front and shorter in the back than his EVER was.  Plus, I'm kind of a girl, though he might be prettier than I am.  I am almost positive he is.

Today I had some basic painting to do for Forbidden Planet.  BIG pieces of flat styrofoam and plywood, so I set out the tarp in the big room and noticed for the millionth time that the big tarp had a lot of little bits of dry paint and leaves and stuff.  Since I was there by myself, I thought it was the perfect time to take care of this once and for all with...the shop vac.

When you go to vacuum a loose tarp with a shop vac, the question is:  Do I use the hose or the floor sweeper attachment?  And the answer is:  No.  In both cases, you just end up with tarp suctioned to the vacuum and not a lot of stuff gets cleaned up that way.

So I rigged up these little sled runners to the floor sweeper attachment  (made out of a broken in half paint stir stick and some skinny gaffers tape to provide an enforced gap between the hose and the tarp:

Room for the holy ghost, as it were.  It was not perfect, it's not especially durable, but it got the job done.  Again I have the hair that is shorter in the back and longer in the front and am not as pretty as Richard Dean Anderson, but getting the job done through creative use of materials at hand.  Which I love.

The other cool thing - all those pieces of 2x4 that we really should not have saved because they're kind of short to have saved...well, they're getting used in this show.  And I don't have to paint all the shortie 2x4 legs because a lot are already painted.  Vindicated in my stupidity.  Yes.

Should I be cleaning, folding, packing...something right this very minute?  Yeah, probably.  Because there are so many aspects of my life that can't be made to work with safety pins, tie line, a little tape and a broken paint stick.  But I'm so, so tired and I know there is more tomorrow.  And the day after that.  And Monday...there are also factors, but hopefully I can get back to regular on, say...Tuesday?