Messages

901

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / musicals

« on: Aug 29, 2005, 08:25 pm »

Threatening them with filling the pit with cement seems to work wonders. And yes, I have worked with some absolutely ATROCIOUS community and
supposedly 'professional' orchestras. I have also worked with some great ones. All I can say is that they have always sounded supurb during the show.

Etiquette (stage/pit based) is often lacking in non-professional productions, and even in a lot of professional - I mean, I always dress nicely even if I am back stage - I make sure I am neat during shows, and I am not visible. The number of muso's I have seen comming in with holes in their shirts, and daggy jeans is shocking. I am a big one for bands/orchestras in uniform of some sort, even if chances are they will not be seen (at least black and whites).

That's neither here nor there. Maybe if I do some MD'ing of a show I will be able to comment.

I guess a lot of these issues are largely due to the fact that any professional gigs I do, are usually non union, who recruit average joe blogs' from the streets with no real experiance in a theatre - the number of back stage hands I have had to train to pull hemp ropes on the counterweights is ridiculous. At least most venues I have worked in have venue techs with riggers certificates so that I can actually do some work during bump-in, instead of spending my life up the fly tower with untrained flymen.

As for the lead chair I think I mentioned that miles above (this post, length wise has gotten quite long), however only in passing. I agree, with any band there needs to be some form of leadership.

902

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / musicals

« on: Aug 28, 2005, 11:41 pm »

You gotta have a MD - someone who not just is in charge of the musicians but also, tempo, dynamics etc - and generally the marriage of the actors with the instrumental sound.

Some directors like to do this. Esp. if you have a small band (ie a rock band, done a few with a 4 piece band), it is not un common for them to be on stage and therefore almost actors, and hence totally integrated with the rehearsal process. These are really fun shows to work on IMO, having the muso's in there from the start.

While the director is indeed the conceptual center in terms of vision for the overall piece, the MD is indeed his/her creative equal, same as choreo or any member of the design team, and in terms of the big choices on the same plane as the director. I patch the rehearsals for music, dance and acting work w the actors, and the MD rehearses the orchestra/band without any input or scheduling or concern from me until we get to tech. Attend orchestra rehearsals? I don't even know when they are. As long as I know it is getting done, which is the MD's responsiblity, I don't care until tech.

True, the MD often has a higher level of control over calls, I like to be able to keep abrest of what is happening, and since it is usually up to me to book the space and make any special arrangements, open the space, and often am required (contractually) to be there throughout the rehearsal, a lot of the times, the MD works under the same conditions the director does - ie all calls organised with me in advanced. Especially the after hours ones at uni, where there is a ton of paperwork that needs to be filled out to prevent them being kicked out by security.

THEN we work together to make sure the musicians have time in the space, time w the performers, a sitzprobe and so forth.

True, this is where the most organisation is required (and demanded)

As to inclusion on the contact sheet, I only tracked the orchestra/band members when they were our consistent musicians. The MD gives me their pertinents for emergencies but only the main and first-tier subs ended up on the final contact sheet (the one compiled for closing night of all folks associated w the actual running of the show), certainly when I was on the road and we had a pickup orchestra city by city. Had we been carrying the orchestra, as some shows do, I would have had all their info, but in my experience the MD (or suitable designate) chased down missing musicians. They operate from a different world, and an SM calling them would have been considered a breech of protocol. Of course, this may be different on big shows that travel with full complement, esp as we all get to know each other far too well.....

The shows I work with have always had a static orchestra, which means that I gather their contact details from the start. As for the MD chasing down missing muso's, in rehearsals, that is fine, but show time, seeing as I am the only one with a phone, and the one with the signin sheets, I see who is missing, and I call.

And I gotta disagree - one of my favorite sounds as a kid was watching and listening to the orchestra tune in pieces, and then together to A-440 as a collective before the downbeat (which, I might add, is the correct name for what you are calling the conductor's "standby." )

no, the 'stand by' is the raising of the hands to 'half mast', then both hands are raised to the top of the 'cycle', giving the upbeat which defines tempo etc etc etc, then comes the downbeat. At least they are the aussie terms.

I have rarely tuned to concert A, although I suppose it all depends on how you were 'raised', or how your MD was raised.

That sound was magic to me, and I loved it. Certainly, there are some instruments that can be tuned farther ahead than others, but how far in advance they can tune depends not just on the instrument, and whether it is string or wind or brass, but also on the house humidity and temp range from night to night.  This includes the piano.

I usually have not had the pleasure of having a propper piano. Usually I have keys (small pits, so no room), which means we end up tuning to the keys (lack of ability to properly tune). This means that most of the tuning can be done before the house opens inside the pit, although temperature does change slightly as the house enters and the lights warm. I do not mind sectional and complete orchestral tuning - it is, I agree a pleasent sound - that is the aural tuning. It is however the 'mucking about' on the instrument, playing first grade songs which, speaking from a strictly professional point of view, I find the offensive. Especially if working on a serious show. The only show I did not mind the muso's playing was when we had the curtain out as the house was open, and we had the actors wander out and 'bump in' the set before open - we even did a refocus of a few lights with the cougar. It worked wonderfully - especially since we refocused those same specials during interval.

903

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: musicians

« on: Aug 27, 2005, 06:59 pm »

mc has a lot of experience that I don't, (I've only done three musicals, none of which with more than 6 pieces in the orchestra; also done several small operas with a nine-piece orchestra) so I just wanted to raise some questions because it sounds like I've had some mis-understandings about the SM role with the orch.

Maybe it was just the MD's that I've worked with, but they all expected to be treated as equal with Dir and SM - and the orchestra always was their complete power domain.  I was told that I didn't set calls; that my presence was not desired at orchestra rehearsals; that they (the orch) didn't need contact sheets, nor did they need their names/numbers on the contact sheet.  I was told that it was the orchestra member's responsibility to be ready for the downbeat of the overture, and that the union rules kept me from calling them before that.  What I had to do was find out what the MD needed in terms of rehearsal time and space for the orchestra, and work that into the overall schedule; and as you said, coordinate cue sequence and vamp outs.

Yes, the MD has control over the Orchestra just as the Director has control over the Cast - however the calls for cast are agreed upon WITH the SM and Director, in fact all decisions for anything not artistic and directly relating to the directors process is in the end, the SM's domain (at least that is my experiance).

 Whilst I (as SM) do not decide which things are worked on in which rehearsal and what times they start (although often, the director will say to me "I want to work on this, this, this and this, make sure everyone who is needed comes" and I create the call list, which gives me control over times), once it becomes Production Week, the director is phased out a bit. So now, I have control over what is worked on, when and how. That means that _I_ set calls. After all, I have to be happy that the cast and crew are all in place ready for curtain up. Not the director. The same goes for the muso's. Whilst the MD has set calls previously, once production week starts, they work by MY schedule. I don't know the ins and outs of union rules, esp. in the US, but they have always been happy to come in at about the half hour call when I asked. Union rules cannot stop voluntary action.

As for the MD you worked with, he sounds far too power hungry. Sure you are not required at orchestral rehearsals, although I always like to attend the first to get managerial things sorted. A contact list is down right ESSENTIAL, at least for yourself. They don't need to be on the crew's contact list, in fact I recomend that they are not, however it is essential that you have the ability to contact EVERYONE involved in the production. I mean, you keep the numbers of your back stage hands on a contact sheet, they are far less vital in many aspects to the orchestra.

Also, is tuning in the pit while the house is open considered unprofessional?  I seem to recall hearing the orchestra tune as standard in most musicals I've seen (but I've not been to much Broadway - definitely fewer than 6 shows).

Tuning is fine. Tuning can be done in seconds. One starts with the lowest instrument, playing a concert pitch note, and you work up the orchestra by pitch. That process is done before house opens. Usually an orchestra will sustain a single concert pitch note (usually b flat) for a few seconds before the overture so that they can auraly check that they are still in tune. That is professional. It is when you see orchestras where they sit in the pit blowing out mary had a little lamb on the tuba, ode to joy on the clarinet and when the saints go marching in on the glockenspiel as the audience walks in that you loose respect rapidly.

Being in an orchestra myself (never done a musical though), standard operating procedure. Warm up back stage, enter stage, sit on stage, keep blowing warm air through instrument, aural tune, play opening. Tuning does change with the space that you are in, as does warming up the instrument with warm air, hence the aural tune before you start.

904

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / musicals

« on: Aug 26, 2005, 08:18 pm »

I will also be SMing a musical for the first time soon.  I, however, will have no children; an adult cast of 15 performing Fiorello.  There will not be an orchestra, but a small (probably 3 piece band).  I have yet to know of there is a choreographer, much less a music director (I hope the band is self-sufficient).  I am also working with a company that has never staged a musical before so it's going to be a wild ride.

BAAAD IDEA, not having a musical director. Very bad. It does not matter if the MD is a PART of the 'band', just make sure someone is dubbed MD. Idealy, you NEED to be able to cue someone in the orchestra who can easily signal the start of their playing for certain songs (ie overtures, curtain ups from interval, any songs that require scenic changes first). You also need to be able to cue the end of vamps (those small sections of songs that are repeated endlessly whilst a certain event is happening - ie scene changes, or actions on stage). Most often, this is a simple Red Light, Green Light cueing.

Bands need a standbye if they have wind instruments, and you can always tell a standby by looking at the conductor - in fact it is fairly useful to know how conductors indicate things if you have one - standby is usually their arms raised 'half mast' - often both hands, depending on baton usage. The down beat is your friend. Conductors weave a pattern with one (maybe two) hands depending on the number of beats in a bar. There is one consistancy between each pattern - the final beat is always at the top of the cycle, and the first beat of the next bar, is when his/her hand reaches the bottom. Very generic overview of conducting patterns. Standbys should be given about 10 seconds before the go.

How easy is it to break up music rehearsal and staging?  Is it easier to have some in one room singing and the rest blocking/working on the stage?  Coordinating two rehearsals with an ASM?  Or would it be wise (if time permits) to have specific nights to work on the songs (early on) and certain nights for blocking, etc.?

Here is how I usually break it up.

MD will do 'vocal' workshops with each principal, and the cast. That is after the second 'reading'. Then, about a week later, we bring in the director and we run propper rehearsals. First we start organic - so everyone sings. As the director gets a feel, they usually want to nut it out. This is where I usually begin taking blocking notation. As we nut out the scene someone - usually the director - will read out each line as each action is performed. Then you put it back with music and singing. Vocal workshops continue through the production.

Another thing about musicals - vocal warmups. Someone (not the SM usually) takes a vocal warm up before shows, and there is often a choregraphic warm up too - to loosen the bodies. Make sure you allow in your calls for them to spend 5 minutes on each. I have seen directors take an hour on warmups alone. (Not SMing at the time). MAKE SURE YOU TALK TO THE DIRECTOR. I cannot stress that enough. Establish the fact that you are allowing them 10 minutes warm up time in total. Tell them that they will only have 10 minutes in the space during performance time to warm up.

Also: Just a tip if you are working with muso's, STRESS to the muso's how important it is to warm up their instruments SILENTLY! it is possible - and it makes the show so much more professional than when you have trumpets blowing, flutes trilling and drums banging whilst the house is open. Same with vocal warmups if they are still going on backstage. Also stress their calls, so that you can have them in the pit, and the pit raised (if that is how you are doing it) before you open the house. I have had to hold the show for 15 minutes whilst an oboe player was late due to a missed bus because she decided that she would rather arrive 25 minutes late (ie 5 minutes before beginners) than 15 minutes early. As an SM, you often have VERY little contact with the muso's, as they usually fall under the TD's wing.

905

Employment / Big fish in a little pond or...

« on: Aug 19, 2005, 02:18 am »

There is a large difference between a large company and a small amdram company.

I have sm'ed a few amdram shows... The fact is though that it is seen as small scale - which it is. Your 'production meetings' may be 15 minutes after a rehearsal with jack all papperwork, your 'creative team' may only be 5 people, your 'crew' may consist of lx op, sd op, asm and a flyman.

I have also sm'ed a larger show (I've done more than one, but I am using a single show as an example). My production meetings were at least an hour every week, with strict minutes taken by my asm. The show was slightly unusual, due to the fact I was also in charge of the budget (more a producer/production manager job) as well as the regular jobs - that meant documentation for everything - You bought a $3 can of hair spray, receipt. You bought a pen. Receipt. You also have a lot more work with managing the space you work in - a larger company may have full length days with full access to a room for the entire rehearsal period, which is a hell of a lot different to having after hours access and having to re-mark the floor before rehearsals. I had a creative team of 15 and over 60 crew- including makeup, quick change costume assistants, fly men, backstage hands, lx op, sound op, radio mic guy, 2 asms, prompt, 2 av men, 3 camera men... the difference in my prompt books was major too. A larger company which is professional, requires a HELL of a lot more paperwork. I had 2 lever arch files. Full. Attendance rosters were not only compulsary for shows, they were required for rehearsals as well and they had to be kept. 3 page rehearsal reports including running times for each scene rehearsed, time had to be accounted for. Weekly departmental status reports were done - so I needed to contact each department, like set construction, and get a progress report - 'on schedule' was considdered unacceptable. I was also required to distribute pay cheques, and keep a log of that as well as maintaining the budget. I also had to have timelines for everything. The set had a castle in the background for example. I spent hours with the set designer and we broke it up into stages - pre cut matterials, 5 days. Create wooden mouldings, 2 days. Paint, 9 days Etc. I thank god that the departments were allowed to do the distribution of work themselves. I loved working on that show, although it had the most comprehensive documentation I have seen on a show to date!

In closing. If you are offered the internship take it. Not only will you see how things happen in a larger place (which I gather is where you want to end up), but you will also make industry contacts. You may work with a well known lighting designer, or a great director. Get business cards from them. Then one day you may be approached for a show, and they will say "Oh, we need a director... do you know anyone?" and you can say "Sure... I know xxxx, do you want his number?". Name dropping gets you everywhere in this industry.

I was interviewing for a sound designer, part of a pannel of five. He mentioned that he had SD'ed with one of the  top LD's in Australia - they would have barely interacted, but two people on the pannel were suitably impressed that he was considered for the position when they had that calibre LD on the show that he was hired. The rest of us were unsure, but due to lack of good applicants, he got in on that fact alone. Personally... I was not overly appreciative of his work (or that of the LD he worked with... that's another story, and largely due to the fact that I do both sound and light design as well)

906

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / what should I do when there is a death?

« on: Aug 17, 2005, 08:31 pm »

WIth something like this, it is always best to get someone in to council the cast and crew, both one on one and in a group environment. It is SOP for a number of places - like schools and large businesses (I even worked for one business that required 6 monthly manditory talking to a councilor (not in the theatre industry))

As for finding a replacement - do you have a replacement SM picked out?

Can you get them in early, so that you have a longer transition?

I would find a PA asap. Have them also start immediatly. Make sure both people are briefed on the situation. It is possible that the PA may cop quite a bit of flack from cast and crew. As with introducing any new 'team' member which the cast will spend a lot of time with, make sure you spend a few minutes doing an intro session.

Say something like: "I am sure (OLD PA) would not want us to just give up on this show. It is bitter sweet that I am introducig (NEW PA) to our team to try and pick up where he left off. (OLD PA) has done a fantastic job, and you all treated him well. I am sure (NEW PA) will do his/her best to live up to your standards, and I hope he will be given as much respect as you showed (OLD PA)."

907

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Scary Directors

« on: Aug 11, 2005, 10:54 pm »

You will find out when you talk to her. If you have read her stuff, you know what she expects - so try and one up it. If you try, and put a lot of effort into your work, one can almost guarantee she cannot complain.

If she is not as strict as you have assumed, then great, you will have impressed her. If she is, then you will meet her standards.

ASM's are a tricky breed. Their roles are not as well defined as an SM's. Finding a good ASM is really difficult. I have never done it, and I never want to do it. I like being an SM.

908

SMNetwork Archives / Interview question

« on: Aug 09, 2005, 09:58 am »

So, once one is dressed properly, of equal importance (i would imagine) is the interview itself. For those of you out there who conduct them, what are some of the questions you ask? What do you look for most in responses and in the person you're interviewing? What less tangible qualities do you try to ascertain when interviewing? How does this vary (if at all) for an ASM or PA or intern? Do you usually ask to see an intern's paperwork (I know there is a slough of posts on this topic) or just have an interview? What can make or break the interview?
For those of you who interview a lot, what questions do you find most consistently asked and/or challenging to answer? How do you prep for interviews?
Any other advice from either group of people?
(I realize nobody can tell you how to give the perfect interview, but I figured it might be an interesting natural progression to the dress chain)

I listed a few points above, but here are some that I have (and have been) asked... both in the Amdram and Pro arenas.

Q: What would you say is your worst habbit?
A: If it is something overly positive and answer immediatly, chances are they are being dishonest, -1 in my book

Q: If you won a million dollars tomorrow, what would you do?
A: If the answer is industry or skill related, +1, if the answer is "Give up work" -1, if it is something mundane like "Buy a new car", 0.

Q: In three words, describe yourself.
A: For this Q to work, you need to be able to read people fairly well to figure out if they are saying what you need to hear, or what you want to hear.

Q: In one word, describe how your teacher see's you.
A: See above.

Q: In one word, describe how someone working under your guidence sees you.
A: See above.

Q: What do you know about xxxx? (ie director, company)
A: If they give you entirely positive answers, chances are, unless they are really passionate about said director or company that they are saying what you want to hear.

Q: I see you have worked on.... What were some of the problems you encountered, and how did you get arround them?
A: If they say "There were no real problems", tune out and don't listen to them any longer ;-P~ God knows they are lying through their teeth.

Q: Do you know the story of ...? (if yes) describe it for me please?
A: Here, you do not want a coloured description of the show, you really want a basic outline, otherwise chances are you may end up with a second director instead of a stage manager (ie I am working on JC at the moment and the whole thing has been given this really odd, almost post modern twist (ie mary in a corset, judas dressed as a samurie/communist/nazi... it really is a worry). Although I do have pre-concieved notions about JC, I had to step away. The director commented on how he had done a show like JC (a popular musical) before with a different SM, and he had quit because the SM was a traditionalist)

I have a couple of pages of questions for interviews filed away somewhere in my office, but I have no idea where it would be.

909

SMNetwork Archives / Interview question

« on: Aug 04, 2005, 10:06 am »

You have to look neat and presentable. I would go with the shirt, tie and slacks, maybe with a ?sports? jacket... You need to present yourself as proud and confident. Confidence relies on how you are dressed. Are you comfortable in a suit? Will a suit make you nervous? How professional is the environment? A small theatre, in a bogan town you could walk in wearing a dressing gown and moccasin boots and get the job, for a large, in-demand job in a professionaly environment, it may well be worth it. My main suggestion. Don't go dressed as a penguin - ie use grey sports coat and pants, with white shirt, or use black coat and slacks with a coloured shirt... just make sure it is not fluro orange...

Interviews are largely psychological. Any boss worth his salt looks at everything. Are their shoes polished? Do they shine? What does their posture say? Did they bring a pen and pad with any of their questions? Do they write the answers down? Do they look me in the eye? Did they have a firm dry handshake? Do they ramble on needlessly, or do they know what they want to say, and say it? Do they take control of the room when they enter? Do they remain respectful? When asked to answer a question, do they hesitate?

There are millions of small things that your seasoned employer knows to look out for, if you face one of them, that little 'I am confident, I look professional' mask you are wearing for the interview will not fool them. If you are facing Mr Smith who is a librarian who also runs the local lyric theatre, you can get away with a clip on tie and a flanalette shirt.

Final piece of advice. Own the room.

910

SMNetwork Archives / PC vs MAC

« on: Aug 03, 2005, 09:36 am »

While I have seen how ultimately useful Unix/Linux can be in terms of security and so forth, my experience(watching someone else do it) is that they are very difficult to install, beyond the abilites of the average computer user.

2 years ago, I would have said yes, they are... recently... Easier than windows. MUCH. It is a piece of common knowledge that laptops usually are the hardest to find drivers for. I installed ubuntu linux on mine in 20 minutes, and had everything working fine... most was installed automagically and configured, the remaining item (wireless networking) was a matter of downloading the windows driver and using the ndiswrapper to install that... That is a fully functioning office machine really - Open Office.org, web browser, email, the Gimp etc. All there. I will admit, Ubuntu is probably the fastest and easiest distro to install (I gave about 100 copies to local PC shops to give away with new PC's, with great response)...

I am waiting to see how 'Windows Vista' (use to be known as Longhorn) takes to install, and how many million backwards compatibility issues there will be. Ideally, one should be able to seamlessly upgrade between one version of an operating system to the next, MS's most current offering (Windows Server 2k3/.net) is incompatable with a lot of my drivers that I used on windows server 2000....

911

SMNetwork Archives / PC vs MAC

« on: Aug 02, 2005, 06:27 pm »

With all you Mac people, I'll stand by the PC.  I'm a die hard PC user.  I don't care for the interface of OSX as it's too bubbly and doesn't make a whole lot of sense.  The formats are pretty much the same though like people say, it's a matter of preference.  Most theatre's I've worked at are PC based and it was easier to share files and information as well as jump onto their network with the same type.  Anything you can do with a Mac, you can do with a PC.  Laptop battery life's are the same especially with the Centrino's and the new AMD Turion's that are out there.  Speed is negligible as you probably aren't doing anything with the laptop that requires a whole lot of speed at work.

Mac's aren't immune to Viruses.  Don't be fooled into thinking they are less likely to get them then PC's.  People do the same thing with Linux.  When in actuallity, the viruses are just as prevalent but not as advertised.  It's a ratio thing however.  There are a lot less Mac and Linux users out there, so viruses aren't as broadcast.  It is a good idea to still use Virus protection and a Firewall especially if you aren't an experienced computer user.  

A lot of the virus issue has to do with access. A unix based system is inherantly secure. However the issues are in 3rd party software. Due to the open source philosophy, a lot of these are fixed within days of the hole being found... Unlike, for example, Outlook/Outlook express which seems to be updated in bursts - 10 or so holes at a time. Windows does not have the same level of issolation and security in the base system that 99% of unix systems have.

912

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Backstage or Booth?

« on: Aug 01, 2005, 03:32 am »

By back stage, TECHNICALLY, you are in the Prompt side wings... so you still have a view of the stage.

After a little bit of digging and talking to some SM friends: Calling a show from Prompt Corner is typical in an Opera environment (in fact it is virtually unheard of for an opera to be called from any other location).  The rest are usually venue based... I believe it has a lot to do with needing to see the musical director, and be able to cue singers. (in fact opera is one of the few that my friends and I believe performers can be given cues for. The rest they are expected to be able to cue themselves)... Just a question, I have been asked to prompt AND call, from one of those little prompt boxes at the foot of the stage... has anyone ever done that before... I can't see how I would be able to see the show with my head in a small box at the foot of the stage. I mean it is quite a nice little 'office' - has a table and lamp, just there is very limited movability. They cannot put me anywhere else they say... I want to take over the back 2 rows of seats, or the front two in the balcony.

913

SMNetwork Archives / PC vs MAC

« on: Aug 01, 2005, 03:24 am »

I love mac's but I cannot afford one ATPIT. Basically, it is now really personal preferance. OSX is unix based (even though they have screwed it up a bit), and being the computer 'geek' I am, I use unix on most of my systems, so I have no problems.

In this day and age, formatting problems etc are not as big an issue as you would think. Especially if you use <PLUG!!!!>OpenOffice.org</PLUG!!!>... or industry standards (exclude MS office here), like Adobe Photoshop, Macromedia products etc. etc. etc.

There are standards as far as networking protocols and filesharing protocols. Due to the infection known as MS, smb is the most prevalant network file sharing protocol, which thanks to the samba project will work easily on any mac or unix pc.

Way the pro's and con's. Are you likely to use specialist tools that will only work on a PC? Or on a Mac? Which environment do you prefer? Does style matter? Screen size? Options? etc etc etc.

914

Tools of the Trade / latest toyes...

« on: Jul 31, 2005, 09:16 am »

Okay, so pardon my Australian ignorance, what exactly IS a sharpie?

Ummm... Most aussies know what a sharpie is - I am an aussy. At least the newer generation does. My grandmother even knows what a sharpie is... although it may have been I asked her if she "Had a sharpie I could use" (not good when she is a diabetic... at first she thought I wanted a needle for drugs or something ::rolleyes:, after a few minutes explaining, then going out and buying one, showing it to her, she loves them too now. Bloody useful things. Only markers I trust on my CD's.

915

Tools of the Trade / latest toyes...

« on: Jul 27, 2005, 08:57 am »

I am thinking that addiction to stationary stores is genetic - my grandfather owned a stationary store, my mum enjoys stationary and to quote my father  I go "Totaly orgasmic when the latest stationary catalogue comes in the mail"... Personally I don't think I am that bad... I just used to disapear into my room for half a day when it came and the catalogue comes out with loads of black ink highlighting everything I want/like in there. Getting me out of a stationary superstore is really hard too... but I wont get into that.

As for my loves Sharpies, Jumbo Sharpies, Mini Sharpies (I have a whole sharpie family), folders, section dividers and stickers.

Excuse me, I have an appointment with a 600 page stationary catalogue