Happy All Hallow's Eve, webfriends. Yet another holiday based on an even older pagan holiday. Legend says that this was the one night of the year when the dead could cross over from the other side and wander the earth, so the people of ancient times used to dress in wild and outrageous costumes and parade around in an effort to catch the attention of the dead and lead them away from their villages and towns. Hence our custom of dressing in costumes and parading ourselves around to our neighbors. The roots of cultural tradition really fascinate me in the extreme. I love this crap.
Last night - my first full night back in Pittsburgh, I was invited to a party at Patti Kelly's house: A candle party. Patti was the hostess, and Brian Czarniecki was the representative of Party Lights Candles. It was a lot of fun, and in a way kind of weird. It was delightful to see Patti, Doug Rees, Brian, Jarrod Fry and his girlfriend Holly and David Crawford, too. And It was especially nice to see Cary Spear, who I've not seen since I came back from New York in July. And much to everyone's surprise, Patti's boss, Tracy Brigden accepted her invitation at the last minute and showed up at the party.
Here's a picture of Patti & Brian, near one of Brian's displays. Jeez, do you think there are enough candles around this room? I was really surprised to hear the Brian had taken up the candle party business, but as it turns out he's having a fabulous time at it, and there's the potential to make a lot of money doing this stuff - and not in a pyramid scheme sorta way, either. And on top of it all, he pretty much makes his own schedule!
I kinda felt a little sorry for him, 'cuz there's a script that he has to follow, and part of the presentation is a pitch to recruit new candle company representatives. He was playing to a pretty tough audience in that regard. And it didn't help that we were all heckling him mercilessly. We're evil that way.
So it wasn't long 'til he was deep into his schtick and the lot of us were sucked in like rubes at a traveling carnival. It was a combination of the fact that (a) we wanted Patti's party to be a success, (b) we wanted Brian's efforts not to go unrewarded, and (c) this was some pretty cool shit that he was selling. I learned more about the manufacture of candles and the difference between cheap and well made candles than I ever wanted to, or thought I could remember. (Truth be told, I think I've forgotten most of it - but I sure was spellbound at the time.)
Here's (from left) Tracy Brigden, the top of Doug Rees' head, and Liz Atkinson, who's the sound designer at City Theatre, where I've worked with most of these folks at one time or another. Doug turned out to be a fiend for the whole deal - he went candle crazy. All of us did, really, spending more than we'd expected. But what the hell, it was for a good cause, right? The beautification of our living spaces is a good cause, right? Or are we just pathetic, sheep-like consumers? Ah well, in either case, at least our sheep-pens will smell good.
To the right, of course, is the impossibly wonderful Cary Spear - from whom, you'll remember, I "subletted" the NYC apartment in which I was staying.
Next down, there's Jarrod and Holly. I snuck up on them with the camera. I'm, as I've mentioned, evil like that.
The party wasn't exclusively about candles, of course. This group being what it was, it was a chance for friends who don't see each other to catch up and share gossip and figure out where we've all been for the last six months. Doug's planning on moving to NYC by Thanksgiving, and I'm not going to be far behind him. I found out that Holly came in to Philadelphia to audition for the reading of Stinkin' Rich that I did (I think they ultimately didn't choose her 'cuz they'd have had to house her, and there was precious little money to be spent on the reading, what with Baby Case and the enormous drain it represented on the Arden's budget - but I have pretty high hopes that she'd be called back for the actual production... she'd be perfect for it), and that Jarrod had ended up taking my place in PICT's production of The Seagull when I had to pull out to do The Pavilion. And Brian, of course, has joined the candle cult. So here's one last photo - one I insisted on taking 'cuz I'm never in any of my own photos; I have this thing about (a) thinking that it's narcissistic to have snapshots of yourself, and (b) hating pictures of myself. To me, those extra five pounds are screaming out from this picture... Vanity, thy name is Schulz. Anyway, here's the gang: From left - Tracy, Cary, Doug, Brian, Patti, David Crawford, Holly (with me in front of her) and Jarrod. All in all a rather fabulous evening.
Last night - my first full night back in Pittsburgh, I was invited to a party at Patti Kelly's house: A candle party. Patti was the hostess, and Brian Czarniecki was the representative of Party Lights Candles. It was a lot of fun, and in a way kind of weird. It was delightful to see Patti, Doug Rees, Brian, Jarrod Fry and his girlfriend Holly and David Crawford, too. And It was especially nice to see Cary Spear, who I've not seen since I came back from New York in July. And much to everyone's surprise, Patti's boss, Tracy Brigden accepted her invitation at the last minute and showed up at the party.
Here's a picture of Patti & Brian, near one of Brian's displays. Jeez, do you think there are enough candles around this room? I was really surprised to hear the Brian had taken up the candle party business, but as it turns out he's having a fabulous time at it, and there's the potential to make a lot of money doing this stuff - and not in a pyramid scheme sorta way, either. And on top of it all, he pretty much makes his own schedule!I kinda felt a little sorry for him, 'cuz there's a script that he has to follow, and part of the presentation is a pitch to recruit new candle company representatives. He was playing to a pretty tough audience in that regard. And it didn't help that we were all heckling him mercilessly. We're evil that way.
So it wasn't long 'til he was deep into his schtick and the lot of us were sucked in like rubes at a traveling carnival. It was a combination of the fact that (a) we wanted Patti's party to be a success, (b) we wanted Brian's efforts not to go unrewarded, and (c) this was some pretty cool shit that he was selling. I learned more about the manufacture of candles and the difference between cheap and well made candles than I ever wanted to, or thought I could remember. (Truth be told, I think I've forgotten most of it - but I sure was spellbound at the time.) Here's (from left) Tracy Brigden, the top of Doug Rees' head, and Liz Atkinson, who's the sound designer at City Theatre, where I've worked with most of these folks at one time or another. Doug turned out to be a fiend for the whole deal - he went candle crazy. All of us did, really, spending more than we'd expected. But what the hell, it was for a good cause, right? The beautification of our living spaces is a good cause, right? Or are we just pathetic, sheep-like consumers? Ah well, in either case, at least our sheep-pens will smell good.To the right, of course, is the impossibly wonderful Cary Spear - from whom, you'll remember, I "subletted" the NYC apartment in which I was staying.Next down, there's Jarrod and Holly. I snuck up on them with the camera. I'm, as I've mentioned, evil like that.
The party wasn't exclusively about candles, of course. This group being what it was, it was a chance for friends who don't see each other to catch up and share gossip and figure out where we've all been for the last six months. Doug's planning on moving to NYC by Thanksgiving, and I'm not going to be far behind him. I found out that Holly came in to Philadelphia to audition for the reading of Stinkin' Rich that I did (I think they ultimately didn't choose her 'cuz they'd have had to house her, and there was precious little money to be spent on the reading, what with Baby Case and the enormous drain it represented on the Arden's budget - but I have pretty high hopes that she'd be called back for the actual production... she'd be perfect for it), and that Jarrod had ended up taking my place in PICT's production of The Seagull when I had to pull out to do The Pavilion. And Brian, of course, has joined the candle cult. So here's one last photo - one I insisted on taking 'cuz I'm never in any of my own photos; I have this thing about (a) thinking that it's narcissistic to have snapshots of yourself, and (b) hating pictures of myself. To me, those extra five pounds are screaming out from this picture... Vanity, thy name is Schulz. Anyway, here's the gang: From left - Tracy, Cary, Doug, Brian, Patti, David Crawford, Holly (with me in front of her) and Jarrod. All in all a rather fabulous evening.
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