Today is the day...

"Hey fellas! Where's the party at?"
"Right here under your shoes!"
"Hey fellas! What time is it?"
"Time to get wild and loose!"
----The Time

Those immortal lyrics from the early 80's Minneapolis music scene express my main sentiment for today. It's time for the Fringe to get up and shake its lovemaker! My Fringe trek will begin today at 2:30, if all goes well, or at 4 p.m. if I'm running a little behind. I have a few things to get accomplished first. The first and foremost is to print off the 34 charts that I've got put together for the time-slots that I will be seeing fringe shows. 34 shows! Holy leg cramp, Batman! That's going to be a lot of sitting! Remember that number would be higher if I weren't doing Carmen and Dandelion Snow. Yeah, then I'd be seeing over 50 shows. Insane!

Okay, so the rest of my tasks for today...

1. Buy 3-ring binder to keep track of charts.
2. Buy small spiral pad for taking notes.
3. Buy big-assed thing of water (I get dehydrated easily)
4. Buy snack food (I'm not sure when I'll get to eat, yet)
5. Charge my digital camera... this column will be photo-enhanced soon.
6. Find my Staff Pass (yes, I've already managed to lose it)
7. Stop by Fringe Central for fun.
8. Grab my dice
9. Grab a City Pages
10. Go to 2 or 3 Fringe Shows.
11. Prepare my Carmen script for the guy who is understudying me, so he can fill in on Saturday night.

Of course I have Carmen tonight, so I am limited in how many shows I can see today. There's only one show being offered at 2:30, and it isn't very random going to the only show that is available in a timeslot. So, my temptation is to not go at all to that one. There are two in the 4 p.m. time slot...1 at the Jungle, and 1 at the Illusion. That's 50% chance of seeing one or the other. That's enough. That can be decided entirely by chance. And then 5:30 p.m. the rest of the fest gets going. 15 total shows in that slot! Cool!

That'll be my last slot of the day, though. Cuz at 6:30 I need to hop in a car and book my butt to Jeune Lune for my 7 p.m. call. The Opera doesn't get done until 10:30 p.m. so I miss the rest of tonight's offerings.

Anyway, I ought to get started so I can get everything done before I run out of time... oh, but first, a bit of randomness:

• I asked a friend last night for my next topic of discussion, and he said "Mono Sodium Glutimate." I'm pretty sure that he suggested it just because it rolls off the tongue in an entertaining manner. And I don't know what to say about it really. I'm not sure what it does, or why so many people try to avoid it. Are they allergic? Does it make you fat? Anyway, I don't get it. I eat it whenever it is in something that I'm craving, otherwise I try to keep away from it, even though I don't know what it may or may not do to me.
• Today's tidbit from www.hookedonfacts.com: "The Pacific island of Nauru's economy is almost entirely based on bird droppings." -- It's good to be an American!

Happy Fringing Everyone!