Just A Peck 0068 // October, Bambu, Expressionism

Just A Peck

Welcome to the latest issue of Just A Peck. I’m glad you’re here!

JOURNAL

Last Sunday I celebrated my friend Jonathan getting married. The wedding was in the Teatro where he and Emily met, with Robert officiating, and improv following the ceremony.

Jonathan and Emily's wedding ceremony in the Teatro

October! Sorry to keep including pictures of leaves, but it’s so pretty in our yard right now! (I’m not actually sorry at all. Who doesn’t like autumn leaves?)

Brilliant October leaves in Duluth
Trees in peak fall color
More autumn foliage glowing red, orange, and gold

Now that the stair repair is finished, I’m able to make some progress on my workshop. I set up my 3D printer (a Bambu P2S), ran a test print of a cute little boat, and started printing elements for the peg wall. The garage wall is currently covered in reflective foil insulation, which I don’t think is doing much and will make mounting the printed pieces more difficult, so I’m considering pulling down the foil insulation and adding a layer of Comfortboard over the drywall instead. (And then a layer of plywood over that.) This will all take longer, but it will be a better long-term solution.

Configuring my Bambu Lab P2S 3D printer
Test printing a little boat
A cute little test-print boat
Printed threaded fasteners for the peg wall

I had a double-header of German Expressionism with live accompaniment this week! First, on Thursday I went to a screening of Murnau’s Faust with an original score played live by the band ten thousand lakes (xkl). I saw them in Duluth last year with their Maya Deren Project and loved the experience, so I was excited to see that Duluth made it onto their multi-city tour again for their Faust project. It was awesome, and I snagged a signed, limited-edition poster!

ten thousand lakes performing their live score beneath the screen during Faust at the Zinema
The signed, limited-edition xkl Faust poster

Then, on Friday, I got to see another masterpiece of German Expressionism, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, at Sacred Heart with live organ accompaniment by renowned organist Aaron David Miller on a historic Felgemaker pipe organ, and now I never want to watch it any other way.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari projected inside Sacred Heart Music Center

On Saturday, Jody and I drove to Sarona for our friend Carolyn’s open house. It was an unexpected mini reunion with so many friends. At the end of the day, we all sat in her lovely new screen porch and laughed together. (Also, there was a zipline.)

Friends gathered at Carolyn's open house in Sarona
Friends laughing together in Carolyn's new screen porch
Carolyn on the zipline

We drove back to Duluth in time for me to catch Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom in the Lab. This was a co-production between the Playhouse and the Sound Company. It was cool to see that space set up as a traverse stage!

The Lab at the Duluth Playhouse set up as a traverse stage for Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom

WHAT I WATCHED THIS WEEK

Faust poster
Faust (1926). How are special effects from 1926 this good? The first half of this is great. Emil Jannings' mugging as Mephisto gets a little tiring once Gretchen enters the story. But it doesn't matter, because it's all so gorgeous to look at. I saw this with live accompaniment from ten thousand lakes playing an original score. Those guys rock. Murnau rocks. But neither of them rocks as hard as the geniuses at Ufa who were inventing elaborate visual effects techniques while cinema was still in its infancy.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari poster
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920). I watched this at Sacred Heart with live accompaniment by renowned organist Aaron David Miller on a historic Felgemaker pipe organ. The design still feels as inventive to me as the first time I saw it in my German Film class 35 years ago.

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK

Finished:

The cover of Backwards & Forwards by David Ball
Backwards & Forwards, by David Ball. It has been decades since I last read Backwards & Forwards. Ball's classic book on script analysis and dramatic structure oversimplifies things at times, but the refresher was worth my time.
The cover of Centroeuropa by Vicente Luis Mora
Centroeuropa, by Vicente Luis Mora. This Spanish novel was fascinating, both in theme and structure. It takes place in the early 19th century, where a recently widowed farmer uncovers the frozen body of a soldier while trying to bury his wife. No matter where he digs, he continues to uncover increasing numbers of frozen soldiers from different wars, past and future.

Finished Plays:

In Progress:

BOOKS I PURCHASED

MEMORIES

5 years ago, Corey and Kaylee were helping Grandma and Grandpa split wood for the winter.

Corey and Kaylee helping Grandma split wood for the winter

10 years ago, Kaylee was closing her production of School of Rock at the Playhouse. (I don’t have any great production photos of that one, but it was a really fun show.)

Kaylee and her director after the closing performance of School of Rock at the Duluth Playhouse

15 years ago, Corey was in his final high school production, Teahouse of the August Moon, which involved an actual army jeep, a goat, and some elaborate set pieces.

Corey on stage in his high school production of Teahouse of the August Moon

WHAT I'M EXCITED ABOUT

This week, Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play opens at UW-Superior. Some of our 2023 Mr. Burns cast will be attending as a kind of mini reunion. Get your tickets!

Promotional image for UW-Superior Theatre's production of Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play

MY FAVORITE QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldn’t it? Look at these maple branches. Don’t they give you a thrill—several thrills?”

— L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

That’s it for this week. Stay safe, friends. Thanks for reading!

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