Day 1: The Beginning

Welcome to the first day of the 2009 rendition of the Minnesota Fringe Festival! Now the reviews start. And for those who like the randomness that has come to be a signature of this column over the years, that starts today, too.

First up, a point or two about the way this all works. I write this column in a certain way to accomplish a certain task. This is a place where you can't really guarantee anything about which shows I'll be seeing. Normally, the bloggers and the press cover very similar plays. Why? Well, they are the ones that get the most pre-Fringe word of mouth, whether that be because of past performances, or a particularly well-written description.

So... Many years ago, I came up with a completely random way of determining what shows I was going to attend. Short and sweet: I make charts for every hour of the Fringe. On those charts each show is assigned a number. Then I roll a d20 (a 20-sided die, for those of you who have never played a tabletop role-playing game) and go to a show according to that. If I roll a "1", then I don't go to a show in that time slot. If I role a "20" I go to a show of my choice. Otherwise, on a role of "2" through "19" I attend whatever piece of theatre has been randomly chosen for me.

It's a pretty effective method, really. What normally happens is I see a few of the hit shows, a few of the mediocre shows, and a smattering of the really bad shows. My Fringe tends to average out as "pretty-good" and some shows that wouldn't otherwise get any press coverage get an article on their work. Normally, at the end of the two weeks, I'm pleased.

So... my charts are done. My dice are with me. And I'm ready to roll for the first shows of the year. I hope you'll come along with me for the random ride.

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Now for the randomness:

• The fifth line down on page 56 of the book closest to me reads: "No para volverse loco esto que me esta pasando!"
• I just realized I have no idea how to make an accent mark or an upside-down exclamation point in this blogging program.
• 5'3" tall.
• A bit of trivia from Hooked on Facts: "A cubic mile of ordinary fog contains less than a gallon of water." -- I don't have a lot to say about that, other than "Fascinating"!
• The person in the next room provided me with the the following word to spur my writing: "Gibberish". I'm not sure if that is a comment on my writing, or what, but... there it is... So... Gibberish. I love the fact that a word that essentially means a bunch of made-up garbled words sounds like it is one in and of itself. Wow! I really don't have much to say about that at all. I see an unfortunate trend in my writing today.
• My daughter is now 10 years old.
• Squirrel!