Congrats, Beej! That must feel really good.

Talk about psychic income, Beej!

Erin, my step-mother has had her high school students do a Shakespeare performance pretty much every year for the last 20 years - I could hook you guys up via email if you want; I'm sure she'd love to help.

I did R&J with 9th graders, about half of whom were ESL, but we just did scenes, not the whole thing. It was easier for them to learn their lines if they only had to learn manageable chunks. I made them responsible for learning lines and doing the preliminary blocking, costuming, and props, and then during class each group would perform their scene for feedback from the other students, basically workshopping. That was all before moving to the theater for the "real thing." It helped them with the stage fright to perform for small familiar groups first.

Also, what juliana said about stage fighting. Do not give these people swords or yardsticks or tennis rackets. (Although, the prep-school Hamlet with Laertes and Hamlet dueling with tennis rackets the seniors did was pretty good). Even if they can maintain in rehearsal (ha!) they'll get wired during performance, unless you have a professional, or a scary PE coach, or something.

R+J used guns for the weapons, but I don't recommend that either, as much as it would fit your idiom.

aw, beth, I'm sorry. I hate that flaky feeling... it really sucks.

Just keep telling yourself what you already know, that in the long run, this really doesn't matter. Everything's OK. Nothing is ruined.

That's great news, Beej.

Here's an overview on slavery as it was practiced in different eras.

eta: But written in the 1930s, so it's got all kinds of weird biases about American slavery that are kind of fascinating if predictable.

Yipe!

The most hideous aspect of the trade in Sudanese was probably the making of eunuchs. The operation was performed in the Sudan before the caravan trip, and about one out of ten survived. Once these valuable slaves had reached the Mediterranean, they were generally well treated. Of course the eunuch is a familiar figure in the history of the ancient Near East, of the Roman and Byzantine empires and even of Christian western Europe -- the practise he represents was not originally Moslem in any sense.

One in ten!

ita, is profile address good? I can email the article.

flea beat me!

Thanks all. It really does feel awesome. Such a gift, I tell you what.

And a perfect counter to what I finally did for myself today. I'm good at my work, but I have struggled and sucked at putting together an image package/effective website/attractive wording/snappy materials for my business. In fact, I sort of suck at business in general.

Ironically, I've helped loads of entre and intra-preneurs improve their standing and enjoy their worklives more. Me? Not so much.

So today I gathered up all my pride and went begging to a couple of women I know who are awesome at pr and visuals. I've told them that I'm so paralyzed in this process, I don't even really care what they come up with...if it works, I'll do it. I'm that ready.

The truth is, I've helped each of them in the past...But somehow it feels different, since my service is so natural, to ask for material assistance in return. Regardless of my resistance though, I need help...no foolin'...and admitting that is a bit unsettling. But there you have it.

I just had a discussion with a couple co-workers about Napoleon Dynamite , which seems to be quite the polarizing movie. So I pose the question to the Bitches: Napoleon Dynamite: Pro or Con?

I'm Pro-Napoleon Dynamite. I just saw it again on Comedy Central recently and it made me LAFF.

I'm pro.

never saw it