
Ode to My Leatherman
Leatherman, Leatherman, where did you go? This morning I held you and now you no-show, Did anyone borrow you? Does anyone know? If somebody stole you, to hell they will go. Leatherman, Leatherman, where are you now? I need you, I want you, I miss you, and how. I miss the feel of your stainless blade steel Your holder is empty, how sad now I feel Somewhere on site, a Leatherman cries For its owner to find where it silently lies, Among good people who work side-by-side, And hop

Preface to “Stage Lighting: The Technicians’ Guide, 2nd Edition” by Skip Mort
Experience alone doesn’t always teach the right lessons. I once worked with someone who asked me to bypass the GFCIs that were protecting the final circuits for some outdoor lighting. (GFCIs, like RCDs or ELCBs, detect leakage current and will shut off the circuit if there is too much leakage.) I asked why. “Because it’s starting to rain,” came the reply, “and they always shut off when it rains.” Experience taught that person that using GFCIs can result in the circuit turning

Punk with Perspicacity
I had a head full of ideas about how to spend my vacation this week. I imagined myself leisurely jumping into each new day with an open calendar ready to read for fun, swim in the cool water of Lake George, jog the Warren County Bikeway through the Adirondack Mountains, or just meditate. The universe had other plans for me. As John Lennon said, "life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." Life, in this case, is turning out to be a marathon of maintenanc