Type 1 Diabetes

I am getting ready to launch the first ever Havenworth Project! Havenworth exists to bring everyday people into contact with other everyday people. The average theater artist into contact with the average doctor, the average playwright into contact with the average construction worker (view our Mission Statement). Our first project will seek to create an artistically vibrant and eclectic theatre festival that stimulates social commentary on our evironmental atmosphere while raising funds to support research for curing Type 1 Diabetes (Juvenile).

Up until about four years ago, I didn't know Diabetes existed, that was until I met my now wife, Adrienne Hicks (I love you!). I began researching the chronic (lifelong) disease, and I have come to the conclusion that it ranks right up with some of the most horrifying diseases out there today. And, although Diabetes is controllable, the cost and final results of the disease are expensive and tragic as no cure exists. It is a disease, where in most cases, the child must live with the effects from early childhood through to their last breath at what one can only hope is as an elderly gentleman or lady.

This project is merely a dream and a seed idea, which I hope will see its final fruition near late Spring of 2011. It will take many hours of research, preparation, and constant interaction and involvement with many people from many backgrounds and stories. I hope you will become part of this tremendous endeavor, and that it will become an occasion worth remembering in the history of theatre, diabetes, and our global community.


This is my family...This project is dedicated to you Adrienne, and the other millions of children and adults challenged by this chronic disease! I love you!!!

Commenting

I can't help but be tempted to announce that I just discovered a technical difficulty with posting comments on my blog. So, if you have been wanting to leave a comment about what you have read, seen or thought, then please give it another try. I have updated the system, and fixed the problem. Many thanks to the folks at Nemestcheck for sending me a couple of e-mails, which allowed me to realize the glitch! Thanks again!!

Reading

I have been trying to read a play a day for the past month. I didn't really get started until about three weeks ago, and at this point I have read 15 plays. I read some Strindberg, Williams, Shakespeare, Brecht, Pinter, and I am still plugging away. I have developed a list of about 5o plays that I want to read, and about 30 books that I want to read. All within the realm of theatre. With all the recent reading I have done, I still find myself thinking back to when I first read Peer Gynt by Ibsen. It was the best play I ever read. I haven't had that kind of experience yet with any of the plays that I have read, but I am sure sooner or later I will find another play that takes me to the moon and back.

What stories hold a special memory for you?

New Year Re-developing

Howdy folks,

I have been away for a while on break, and now I am ready to start the new year with some redeveloping. I will taking Havenworth down to its bare necessities and re-focusing my energies. I want this project to grow this year, and I think that starts with refreshing my goals, my network, and my site. Please keep in touch as I continue to develop this project.

Jonathan

Portfolio Update

Howdy folks...I wanted to let you all know that my Portfolio is completed. Check in the list of links to the right and you will find a link that takes you to my Portfolio. I will also be working on a page where you will be able to read a brief description of the production.

While you are purusing the links to the right find something you are interested in and enjoy looking at the various sites I enjoy looking at...Also, you may find a number links within my posts...please take some time to check out these links as they are most often quite intriguing.

Thanks for stopping by...

J

Spiral Jetty

Sprial Jetty...an amazing work of art...!

I was doing some research on Installation art today, and I found this blog...

First, it is a great exploration into art versus capitalism, art versus corporation, and/or historic art versus forward future. What are cities, corporations, and people willing to give up or destroy in order to make money, learn for the sake of our "future", and compromise without understanding what is being compromised.

The site also offers a myriad of links to other eco friendly sites, artists, blogs, and journals. I can't wait to utilize the site to find more artists like myself who are interested in preserving art for the sake of our "future", while creating valuable opportunities for the environment, the next generation, and society.

2008 Presidential Elections

Me when I am OLD!!!

I am registered to vote!!! This wouldn't normally be something to shout out loud about, but a few days ago I was resigned to accepting the fact that I made a mistake and would not be able to vote in this years elections. I honestly thought that you could register to vote the day of elections...my brother, Norman, informed me otherwise...Thanks Norm! I am such a dork! Lucky for me, here in Massachusetts they let you register up until Oct. 15th, unlike in California where they require registration by Oct. 4th.

Anyway, I get the chance this year to make my vote for Barack Obama count. Who are you voting for?

Mystery visitor

I have been debating this question for a few months now, and hesitating because I don't want to scare away any visitors to my blog, but on occasion it is nice to know who the regulars are...especially if they never comment, but always visit. So, Pasadena, California...how about you introduce yourself...I am guessing I already know who you are, but put a name to the location and lets keep up a more enjoyable dialogue....

Thanks...:)

Sites to check out

Look to the right and scroll down a little...I posted a new list of sites that I will be reading for this week...enjoy!

Adventures in Delivery

Adrienne, Ethan, and I went to the Cooley Dickinson Hospital at 8:30 p.m. last night to test the hospital staff, doctor, and our own sanity...we got about an 80% and the hospital staff and doctor got an A++. They did a fantastic job, kept it light and fun and funny, while we just took in the experience and chalked it up as one for the books. Now, when Adrienne really does go into labor we know what we forgot to bring, do, and leave. I think we are lucky we didn't hop in the car and leave Ethan at the house we were so out of focus! Let me explain...We prepacked our bags, but had a long and tiring day (we walked the Holyoke Mall, to buy a new MacBookPro), so no bottles were clean, the daily used toiletries weren't packed, we had no food prepared for the all night stay, had we stayed all night, and to make it really bad...Ethan had no pants on, no socks, no shoes, no bottle, no snacks...luckily he had books in the car, and Adrienne keeps a small supply of snacks in her bag for blood sugar lows, so Ethan didn't starve. He was a great trooper actually...he was awake the whole time, running around and exploring, making all kinds of great memories for us.

Anyway, it was a great experience, a little embarassing, but it had to be done since we don't know the first thing about what we are doing (since Adge was induced for her last pregnancy...waiting for the baby to be ready is scary, nerve racking, and exciting).

This has been a part of

Blogging

Howdy all...I have not been keeping up on regular posts during the past week or two, and I do not plan to post a daily blog for a couple of months. I will be starting gradschool in a couple of weeks, and Adrienne will be delivering our baby girl very soon (it could be days or weeks, but we both figure days). So, keep checking in for little updates, and eventually I will be back in the swing of things and posting daily. Enjoy your blogging!

Charitable Organizations

I was thinking about money today...you know...green paper that has been redesigned to look like monopoly money...

Well, we all need it, most of us want it, some of us love it, a few worship it, and I can't figure out what to do now that I need it. I am getting ready to attend graduate school, and my loans will not be distributed until after the first day of classes, which means I can't pay my bills for the month of September until the loan checks come in the mail. Now, my biggest worry should probably be my family, and how we are going make this work, but since I have wonderful parents and siblings...I basically don't need to worry. So instead, my mind is obviously thinking differently about the situation...I am actually more concerned that I am not able to contribute to people in more need than myself (at least in a monetary fashion).

Before I lay out the rest of my thought, I want to state a brief disclaimer. I am sure there are enough people giving in mass quantities that it easily makes up for the idea I am going to explain, but let's just say, for the sake of argument, that in those cases (which I will explain soon) these people continue to give the same amount...we are adding those that aren't giving as much or at all into the mix of those that are giving more, above and beyond.

Anyway, my thought or idea is this...What would it look like if each citizen in a city the size of



Amherts, MA, was to donate $1 a day to a different charitable organizations for 365 days each year. As of 2000, that would be 34,874 people donating $365 each year and at least 365 different charities would receive a dollar (obviously more than 365 since we all believe in the work of different charities). We are looking at $12,729,010.00

That is just for one little hick town in Massachusetts. If we all gave $365 (a car payment, a few trips to the hair salon, a membership to the local gym, cable tv and internet, dinner out every week), then we could give so much more than the nearly 13 Million dollars. In fact, that is less than the normal 10% of our annual income that Christians (I chose this link because it is public and relatively factual rather than biased with emotional beliefs) and other religions believe is due to God or God. Like I said in my disclaimer, I know a lot of people are giving far more than this, but what if those people continued to give as they are, and then on top of that, everybody gave a mere $365 dollars. We could see some really wonderful things happen in our world. (I know there will always be those people that catch on to a good thing and try to scam us and ruin the amazing work, but that is just a chance we must take, and a problem that can be avoided if people do their research on the organization they are donating to).

I hope the few people that read my blog from time to time will really take this idea to heart in whatever small way you can. This is my challenge to you...what can you give from the abundance of God's gifts, or if you don't believe in God...what can you give from the abundance of your hard earned cash...???

Weekly Reading List

I have just updated my list of Weekly Havens to the right. I will be reading these folks blogs this week as much as I can, or if they are websites, then I will be learning about their work as much as I can. Each site is a link from my New Haven list of links to the right. I hope to add a few more sections to these soon, as well as make each blog its own unique outpost. Keep checking back for more developments and take a look at my Weekly Havens list...you may just find something you like.

100th Post

I am fairly new to the blogging world, but have been enjoying reading what other people are interested in and sharing what I am interested in. What was your 100th post about? Do you remember?

Finally

It took me a while...I accidentally got stuck looking at HTML. I have a hard time funneling through that sometimes, so I found my way back to a basic layout view. Now, I am still not totally happy with this look, but at least I am not in that boring old room. My brother suggested I buy the name for my blog. I think it's a good idea. So, you may find me moving around some more soon. Keep checking back for updates to my most recent exploits.

Re-Formatting

I am reformatting my blog's arrangement and look. The left side bar was getting too long, so I set up a list of categories that link to a list of sites, blogs, family, and friends. I am still working on the format of these specific sites as well, but this is a start.

I am also ready to start working on making the look of the New Havenworth site more creative, interesting...anything but what it is...It looks like I just walked into a room with really bad carpet and old smoldering cigarettes. Kind of reminds me of Prague...

Is blogging worth the time?

Check out Brody Harper's blog...It has a video from MSNBC about what blog's are doing these days for people and businesses...

Pilobolus

Check out this interview by Shoshanna Gross, Marketing and Audience Development Associate at The Joyce with Jonathan Wolken, Artistic Director of Pilobolus.

Capitalism

I appreciate family! They are always willing to challenge your ideas...to help you make them clear...even to pursue excellence. I specifically appreciate the way my brother Randy challenges. He asks a question...no better way to help somebody to rethink than to ask a question.

Funny thing...Randy sent me an e-mail entitled "your wrong" and then it said, "I don't think you know what you are talking about..." Now, this could have been in reference to a picture he posted on his blog yesterday that I commented on or it could be in reference to the blog I posted yesterday...I don't know which and I am obviously not waiting to find out. Either way he got me thinking about how unclear my latest post was for anybody except me.

So, here is my attempt to think deeper about why I posted the picture of the red guy shooting the blue guy...

I am not saying "NO" to capitalism with this picture. I am asking the question...what are we willing to do as capitalists in order to make money? Are we willing to deplete our oil resources to get where we are going faster...since, "time is money"? Are you willing to give up making art (food, music, theatre, products) the way you believe it ought to be made to make art for the sake of money and not its beauty? Are you willing to prepare food in mass quantities that is cheap, tastes good, but is ultimately bad for the human body just to make an extra buck (fast food chains)? The capitalist is willing to indirectly harm (in this picture directly kill) his customer in order to make the money he worked so hard for by making a product people would buy. This gets us into a whole other question of responsibility, but for now let's just look at the responsibility the capitalist has to running a business ethically even if it means sacrificing the higher profits.

I don't want to sacrifice the quality of my theatrical art so my bank account will grow. What about you...are you willing to sacrifice the quality of your art or your ethics to make a larger profit?

Change Over

We finished building a new set yesterday for the New Century Theatre production of The Rabbit Hole.



It is a set of walls, platforms, doorways and archways, cabinets, carpets, laminants, and various assorted props. I am very curious to see how this play shapes up and in some ways measures up to the companies previous production of Well.



(Although I am not so sure that different plays should be measured to each other...at least not in the same way that two different productions of the same play may be compared...). Unfortunately, I can't find a current review of Well, and The Rabbit Hole has not had a preview done of it yet...so, we will have to wait and see...perhaps, I will take some time to review the play if I happen to decide to see it twice.

Anyway, tomorrow we do a change over. We will take down the set for Well and put up (or in this case roll in) the set for The Rabbit Hole. I will set up some photos tomorrow of the set for Well and for The Rabbit Hole. I have been wanting to display some of the process of the art that I am doing. I think I will show the full process of the last show Arsenic and Lace. (I am not usually a big fan of Wikipedia, but it does have a lot of little tidbits...)


A couple of art bloggers (Michael Pearce and Rich Brimer) have been displaying their process on their blogs for quite some time, and I find it to be very intriguing and a lot of fun. To see what a stack of lumber looked like before the process begins...to what it becomes after many hours of designing, constructing, problem solving, and collaborating can create...a process that I enjoy so very much.