Back In Business, The Next Five Years

Site's back up.

Email's back on track - although the reboot did dump a lot of the older messages I was still parsing through, so I'm glad I downloaded them all a few days before to the laptop. Phew. Figured out that interface just in time.

The problem - totally my own doing.

Back when I first purchased the domain, back on May 23, 2001 (I know), I was still under my previous (first) email address, which I'd had for several years.

So, since the new email account hadn't yet been set up, that old email address was the default for contact for things like, oh, messages saying, "Hey, your domain name registration is about to expire."

And I never changed it.

So, the warnings this time went pinging off into the ether, maybe bouncing back, maybe never to be seen again.

Only thing is, I never got 'em.

First time I signed on for the domain, so we could begin developing the site, I signed on for a year.

May 23, 2002, I re-upped for five years.

Which would put the new drop dead date at May 23, 2007.

It came. It went.

And down went the site.

In unraveling what had happened, my web guru friend discovered the email issue.

First thing I did was went into the account management software and updated to the current email address.

Then I re-upped retroactively for another five years (the max they allow).

May 23, 2012

Kind of makes you stop and think.

The original site didn't even launch until November of 2003 (Thanksgiving Weekend, my 20th high school reunion).

By then, I had my first Fringe blogging season behind me, and I'm about to head into number five. The TV show Cue To Cue launched with spotlight episodes on the Fringe Festival is heading into year five as well.

The site's about to go through a major overhaul.

Since I first purchased the domain, while it was still in development, I crewed my last two AIDS Rides as a member of bike parking.

Saw Studpuppy hit the stage for the first time at Allegheny College - with 9/11 landing right in the middle of our tech week.

Worked on my first musical, The Hopes and Fears of All The Years, out at Cal State Fullerton. Even tried my hand at song lyrics for the first time.

And since sticking my own little flag down on the surface of the internet, there have been seven passes at the old 24 Hour Play Project with Theatre Unbound (the last of which I realize I still haven't posted yet), four go-rounds with the Chicago Avenue Project for Pillsbury House Theater, a couple of servings of Thirst at Joe's Garage, a Play Date, and a mythological adaptaion.

There's been a Fringe show of my own, the last gasp of a local ten minute play festival that used to mean a lot to me, and another mounting of Studpuppy.

There's also a been a little bit of publication, with monologues from Studpuppy, Heaven and Home, and Leave (The Surface of the World).

Just had the pleasure of spending another fall developing a new play at Allegheny College. And the videotapes of that endeavour, But Not For Love, just arrived in the mail the other day - right as the website was gasping for some attention, and renewal.

And now I'm heading into the home stretch on a workshop project funded by the Minnesota State Arts Board, the larger play, Love's Prick, from which the Allegheny play last fall was spawned.

Where will I be in the next five years, when May 23, 2012 rolls around and the internet wants a little attention, and some additional outlay of my money, again?

Good question.

The last five years haven't been as filled with missed opportunities as I'd feared, looking back.

Gives one hope for the next five year plan - particularly since I'm going to be a bit more deliberate about it.

Not that bouncing around hasn't yielded some interesting results...