Where I am Puppetwise
Posted By Kathleen David on August 24, 2014
As of Noon Saturday August 23, 2014
These are all the puppets that I am bringing to Dragon Con 2014 in all the various states of done.
I am grateful that I have gotten this far.
No Strings Attached
Kathleen David's weblog
Where I am a week before I need to be done
Posted By Kathleen David on August 13, 2014
And where I was three days ago as well
Saturday 1pm August 9th
Tuesday 10 am August 12
Holmes and Watson
Today is all about the costumes. I am trying by tomorrow to be onto the next set for the Avengers sketch. I am doing 5 puppets at a time. If I can keep to schedule, I’ll be done with a day to spare.
I am grateful for what I have gotten done so far.
RIP Robin Williams
Posted By Kathleen David on August 12, 2014
This was a bit of a shock yesterday. I am on the iPad looking at some photo reference when my NYT news alert pinging me with the information that Robin Williams was dead at age 63.
Then I went to the article and found out that it was suicide by asphyxiation, my heart dropped to my knees.
Peter called Harlan and talked to him a bit about it. We sat there stunned at the news.
I never met the man. I knew plenty of people who knew him personally including Harlan.
The closest I got was when Peter and I were watching on HBO his new stand up routine. This was probably about 10 years ago. He was telling jokes in rapid fire and then he told one that had both Peter and me say aloud “Hey!?!?”
I looked at Peter. He picked up the phone and called Harlan.
“Hey Harlan,” said Peter, “We’re watching the new Robin William’s stand up. Got a question for you, did you tell Robin that joke that Kathleen told you?”
“Oh yeah,” said Harlan, “I did. It was funny and Kathleen’s jokes are rarely funny but that one was. “
Yes, I know that Harlan thinks I am one of the un-funniest people on the planet and I am OK with that.
Peter put down the phone after some other small talk and said, “Congratulations, you are an unsung gag writer for Robin Williams.”
That’s a close as I got and I did get a good story out of it.
Robin Williams was a brilliant performer. He was a better serious actor than anyone every gave him credit for. He also suffered life long from depression.
And I am hoping that the conversation that comes out of this tragedy is that there is a better understanding of what depression is and how it can affect someone who seems to have it all but probably didn’t think they had anything.
Depression is not just being sad. I know some seriously depressed people that you would never think of them as depressed at all. They seem so happy and outgoing but that’s a mask that they have learned to show in public. It’s not hard to do if one knows how.
I have stated before in on this web log that I have suffered from depression off and on through my life. I have a set of coping skills that help get me through the bad days along with a support system that helps me get back to center. I have had chemical help at times during the way but I am one of the lucky ones that doesn’t need it all the time to get my brain to stop with the dark thoughts and feelings.
Yes I have tried to kill myself. I was very lucky that I didn’t succeed.
I honestly wish I could go back to those times and tell myself that it does get better for me but I probably wouldn’t have believed myself at the time.
And that’s the problem with depression in a nutshell. When in the throes of it, one can’t see an up or an out. There is no ‘just smile and be happy’ or ‘think happy thoughts’. Depression is not something that you can just cheer up and be happy.
Again I can think of a number of people I know who suffer in silence. You would never know that they were depressed unless they told you or performed some action like suicide which makes all those left second guessing themselves for the rest of their lives.
Then you hear things like we are hearing now upon Mr. William’s death. ‘He had everything going for him, how could he not see it.’ ‘He was such a funny man how could he do such a thing?’ ‘He always seemed so happy and was always outgoing.’
I have heard depression describe, and for the life of me I don’t remember who first told me this metaphor but I have seen it used more than once, as a large black dog that comes into your life and doesn’t go away. It dogs your heels and sits on your chest breathing into your face.
It can be overwhelming and one can’t see anyway out except suicide to ease the pain within that won’t go away. Rather fatal solution to a problem that isn’t as bad as it seems.
This is the third suicide that I am dealing with this year. This one is a little further out since I didn’t personally know him but it hurts none the less.
So know I am here. You can get in touch with me via live journal messenger or my tumblr or my email kathodavid 9at9 me 9dot9 com or puppetmaker 9at9 gmail 9dot9 com or my facebook page.
I am listening. I am a really good listener too.
Let’s start the discussion about Depression and may be some good will come out of this terrible tragedy.
I am grateful I didn’t succeed in offing myself.
Shoreleave 2014 The Whole Enchilada
Posted By Kathleen David on August 4, 2014
Yep, I know I have become rather quiet. But I am still here and still blogging.
This past weekend was Shoreleave 36. It was also the 21th Mystery Trekkie Theater, which is about 20 years more than the guys thought it was going to go. Now Mystery Trekkie can drink. That also tells me that I have known Peter for 22 years now. We met originally so he could buy a Klingon puppet for MTT.
The drive down was a lot of avoiding things. We had an extra passenger in the form of our good friend Michael Jan Friedman so there was a slight detour to pick him up which saved us from dealing with an accident on the way down. We ended up getting around a bunch of serious slow downs to dead stops between using the GARMIN and the iPad map. I directed Peter around several hideous stretches of road.
This still added time to the trip so I arrived about the time my 6:00 panel about 6:10 and got to the panel about 6:30 with profuse apologies to my fellow panelists.
I spent most of the rest of the weekend on various panels on various subjects. We talked about the Villains Journey, Sherlock (of which I was the only panelist so I engaged the audience), Dr. Who, Game of Thrones, Mothers and Daughters in Science Fiction, a couple of costuming panels and being a workmanship judge for the Masquerade then being a stage judge. And I have probably forgotten something along the way.
I also got to hang with old friends and some new ones and just talk.
Caroline, being of age 11 and this being Shoreleave, had a room key and a badge. She spent the weekend in Children’s programming or wandering around with her friends. I saw her at meal times and at curfew. She had a blast. This is a convention that just about everyone on staff has known her since she was 3 months old. If something happens, she has a bunch of adults to go to. And if she misbehaves, she knows I’ll hear about it.
I know Peter was on a bunch of panels and signed a bunch of autographs. They did a good job of making sure that if one of us was free to take care of Caroline, which was kind of funny since she was doing a good job of taking care of herself.
The drive back was a lot of looking to our left and being very glad we were going North rather than South.
Now we are home and I am getting ready to pound out some puppets and get ready for Dragon Con.
Photos as I get things to a point where I want to post photos.
I am grateful that Caroline proved that our trust in her was justified.
So I was listening to NPR this morning…
Posted By Kathleen David on July 28, 2014
And two stories caught my ear.
One was about information avoidance and medical information and the other about people with purpose live longer than those without.
What if your purpose was to avoid medical information?
I kid, I kid.
There is a song in Avenue Q called “Purpose” where Princeton muses on finding his and makes it his goal to do so. He has graduated college with a BA in English and now is trying to figure out what is next so he makes finding his purpose, his purpose.
The study that the article was talking about said that it didn’t seem to make any difference when you found your purpose in life just that you did. Also it doesn’t have to be a life changing or earth shaking purpose just something that works for you.
I have had goals in my life may of which I have accomplished and a few I would like to accomplish. But I have also had purpose in my life. And that purpose has changed from one thing to another over time as my life has changed from one thing to another.
One that has stayed pretty much rock steady for me since the 80s is my purpose to educate people about puppetry. I believe that the information I have learned should be passed on to others to encourage them to share too. I am a fount of knowledge about puppets and all things puppety. I do this at conventions and online. I am willing to teach just about anyone how I make my kind of puppets and the tricks I have learned or been taught over the years that makes it simpler to do.
I have purpose as a mother and a wife.
I have purpose in various fandoms still. Because of professional reasons, I hide a bit when in that sandbox however there are reasons.
I have pretty much had a goal or a purpose most of my life. The only time I felt really adrift was at a rather low point. Once I got back on track, things got better. I know that doesn’t work for everyone or even anyone else but it worked for me. I know my brain is wired a little differently than others but I think none of us are wired the same.
Right now my immediate purpose is to get some puppets done and get ready for Shoreleave.
I am grateful for my purposes through out my life.
