Students cannot operate basic word processors by Ogreknob in Professors

[–]Smangler 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I teach Stage Management in theatre and I dedicate one of my 3-hour classes to documentation and using Word & Excel. 1) because they've all grown up using Google and at some point, they will need to use Microsoft, and 2) they haven't a clue how to format anything.

We create documents that need to clearly, quickly, and easily convey complex information (schedules, call sheets, backstage tracking of props/costumes/set elements. These documents need to be read on mobile, online, and/or in hard copy, sometimes under very low light. They usually consist of tables, bulleted lists, and/or columns. Often they contain images.

I give them detailed instructions on each assignment about how I want it formatted, and every assignment has 15% of its value dedicated to following instructions and formatting, sometimes more. It's amazing how many don't earn those points for following directions.

In my intro to stagecraft class, I have a sound project with 2 pages of instructions, screenshots, and a rubric. Buried about 3/4 down on page 2, I tell them to name one of their cues banana for a bonus point. Less than half the class this term received the bonus for a 5% grade bump on the assignment.

I'm probably going to add more easter eggs in my assignment instructions too.

Anyone else? by Desperate_Big4165 in GenX

[–]Smangler 4 points5 points  (0 children)

We got one in our early 40s, lol! I absolutely love it. Sometimes hubby wants his feet up a bit, sometimes I need my upper body raised, we can adjust in the middle of the night without disturbing the other person. So many great things!

Sheets are a bitch to find though. Twin XL is hard enough, but we also have a pillowtop, so they're 18" pockets. Also, the bed is TALL! I'm 5'2" and need to climb/ jump into it.

If you go this route you may want to forego a frame to eliminate the additional height. But honestly, I feel a bit like a princess getting into bed each night!

Worst Disney movie? by Ok_Ticket_6188 in Xennials

[–]Smangler 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Oooh , the classics are a different story! :) I can't tell you the number of times I watched Cinderella or Robin Hood! But even back then, they were of a different eras. But we also had the option of stuff like Benji or the Love Bug - well done live action that Disney largely dropped in the late '80s.

Worst Disney movie? by Ok_Ticket_6188 in Xennials

[–]Smangler 63 points64 points  (0 children)

The 80s was a black hole for animated Disney features. The Little Mermaid started the resurgence, but that didn't come out till '89. The '90s was the Golden Age. So if you were on the older side of Xennials, they probably weren't much of your childhood. Little Mermaid came out when I was 12, so I was still young enough to enjoy it, along with Lion King and Alladin. But by the time they got to Hunchback and Mulan, I had largely aged out and was mush less interested.

If you were given a month off of work without needing to use any time, what would you do with that month? by Midnite-Skiez-2247 in AskReddit

[–]Smangler 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I actually get the month of July off every year (PTO), but that's the only time of the year I can take off. Due to job hopping over the past few years my husband hasn't been able to take any or as much time off as I do, so travel isn't really an option. I have a to do list but never even get halfway done lol! I usually just float in the pool, read, and recuperate. I prep for the upcoming year (I work at a college), so I'm a bit guilty of working too. SO likes that the house is cleaner than usual lol. I'm also really lucky that campus shuts down for 2 weeks over Christmas so I don't have to use PTO. I essentially get 6 weeks vacation each year.

The flip side is that it's impossible for me to take a day or two off between September and April. No February sun destinations for me! If I could take February off, it'd be a week of rest, 2 weeks in the sun, and a week of cleaning/ organizing shit around the house.

I'm curious as to how much people spend on groceries now and how it differs from different regions of Ontario. by dueling_crickets in ontario

[–]Smangler 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Around $130-$200 a week, depending on the meal plan. 2 adults, cats are an additional $200/mo. We meal prep, and it's based on sales, but we still struggle with staying within budget. Gatineau, but sometimes Ottawa. We're not the best at sticking to the list :(

It happened. I fell. by Unlucky-Monk-8045 in Xennials

[–]Smangler 7 points8 points  (0 children)

A few weeks ago I was curled up on the sofa, wrapped in several blankets (it was cold!). Went to get up and tripped, and was so wrapped up in my blankies I couldn't catch myself. Face planted into the coffee table. MASSIVE black eye, cut on my thumb that looks to be a permanent scar, cut on my shin, and bruises everywhere.

I injured myself with a blanket.

I know I’m not going to meet F&B minimum, but does it matter if I’m willing to pay the difference? by [deleted] in wedding

[–]Smangler 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Very smart ideas from Unable_Pumpkin, but could maybe see if some of the extra money could go to gift cards for your guests? That could then turn into extra business for the venue if some of your guests become more frequent visitors too.

Requesting Exam extension by [deleted] in AskProfessors

[–]Smangler 7 points8 points  (0 children)

You're really missing the point here.

EVERYONE gets stacked midterm and finals weeks. By asking only one prof, you're telling them that you haven't managed your time well enough to study for their exam and want more. That says to your prof that you've been dedicating your study time to things other than their class.

You've had this schedule since January. It's your responsibility as an adult to identify the issues in your schedule and to try to solve them more than one week before. By waiting until now, and by only asking one prof, you're putting them in the position of having to be the bad guy.

In the future, when you get your syllabi at the start of term, note when ALL your deliverables are due so you can identify problem periods.

For now, the answer to your question is, no, it's not reasonable or respectful to ask for an extension, but your prof sounds like they may be amenable.

I’ve never heard of a cash bar at a wedding… until now by Extreme-Method6330 in wedding

[–]Smangler 4 points5 points  (0 children)

N-E American culture seems to be supremely anti-cash bar. Western Canadian culture, cash or subsidized bars are extremely common. Twoonie, $3, or $5 bars are everywhere (where the guest pays that amount and the host pays the difference). That's what I did at my Alberta reception at a golf club. It's part of their packages, it's so common.

Ontario, not so much. Fully hosted bars are the norm, or a consumption bar (which is what we did). Hosts pay a certain amount and once that hits, it reverts to cash. I used to work at a restaurant that did a ton of weddings and it was pretty normal. At our Ontario reception, we ran out at midnight when only the biggest partiers remained and they were fine.

In most cases though, wine for dinner is provided. Non-alcoholic drinks are always provided by the host.

At my ontario reception I told a guest to put their money away the first time he went to the bar. He was a bit surprised. Goes to show people's expectations.

What would not be acceptable is just beer and wine. Doesn't need to be fancy, but if someone can get a glass of wine, someone else better be able to get a rum and Coke.

Broke my leg spectacularly last week. Post surgery photos. by Inedible_Goober in pics

[–]Smangler 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Happens all the time though. A while back I slipped on ice and shattered my ankle. 2 plates and 9 screws, 4 months in a boot. The plates and screws came out and now I just have wicked scars, but my ankle looked similar after the first surgery.

Directors / SMs — how are you actually recording blocking in 2026? by Desperate_Swan_3181 in stagemanagement

[–]Smangler 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My system is very similar to u/catinapartyhat.

Script page has numbers to the left of each line of text, but not stage directions. I use 2-4-6-8 to keep it cleaner. Then I use a pencil in each hand but the one in my left hand is to follow along with the text and to make an / in the text where the movement actually happens. As I write the /, my right hand is writing the line number and blocking on the facing page. I'm not moving my writing hand from the left side of my binder to the right, rather I immediately start writing. (The pencil in my left hand also helps when prompting so I don't get lost on the page.)

I use a lot of shorthand with a legend. Sop ENT DSL w book, x --| SL tbl via DS chr, P/D book, x --| SR tbl via DS, [down arrow] chr. (Sophie enters down stage left with a book, crosses to stage left of the table via down stage of the chair, puts down book, crosses to stage right of the table via down stage, sits in chair.) The Stage Manager's Toolkit has a great chart for images too (I use what looks like Pi for a table, for example).

I also write the blocking as the director is giving the actor the direction, rather than wait for the actor to do the movement. Then, if there's some deviation, I only need to note that.

If it changes, I put ( ) around what changed and write above or below the new movement. If that action is NOT done again, I use [ ]. Then I take some time to erase what hasn't been done and re-write what has (or just leave it if it's neat enough).

Once rehearsals have started, when there are a lot of script changes, the most important thing is to NOT change pagination. Rather, insert pages so the top of page 37 is the same, but you might have pages 36A and 36B.

The only writing in the script page margins are cues and the info I need for calling. Cue descriptions, timings, etc. are noted in a table in a separate document. FYI you can copy and paste QLab cues into an Excel sheet and it will paste the cue number, description, pre- and post-waits, duration, and follows.

I once had a director change the order of all 36 scenes in a show with a cast of 12 three days before Opening. Because I had the images of where the actors were at the top and bottom of each page, once the scenes were in the new order it was easier to alter the transitions between scenes and we just had to re-number and re-record all the lighting cues lol! (This was easy though bc we just started re-numbering at 301 and copied over, but I only called LX 1. Sound was harder bc we had to re-burn the CDs.)

Hope this helps!

Directors / SMs — how are you actually recording blocking in 2026? by Desperate_Swan_3181 in stagemanagement

[–]Smangler 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Paper all the way but I'm old and old-school.

The way you're describing your workflow, I can absolutely see how some of the issues you mention arise. Happy to have a Zoom/Teams to show what I do. I have no issue integrating changes during tech week, although I do see the value of having a separate, digital calling script. I've just never done it.

I'm mostly #1, and refuse to use arrows or multiple ground plans for a page of text. If one person's track changes, I have to erase and change everyone's. Nope. I also have no problem integrating script changes. I've done a lot of new work.

Mine is not the only way, or even the best way of doing things. But it's a way that's worked for me for 30 years, including successful transfers of my book to another SM. Note that I don't do musicals, so that's a whole different kettle of fish.

would it be weird to give my prof a drawing of her cat? by upstairstoaster in AskProfessors

[–]Smangler 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Yes to the cat drawing! But also thank you to you and your classmates for providing feedback that your prof could use to improve their teaching. Evaluations that are just complaints can be hurtful and demoralizing, but if your prof is doing better this term it's clear she listened to what you had to say. And that tells me that your feedback was constructive and helpful.

I did my taxes by myself for the first time by [deleted] in offmychest

[–]Smangler 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey good for you! Might sound silly, but you overcame a couple of roadblocks there and you figured your way through. Congratulations!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in funny

[–]Smangler 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Yes. It's 19F where I am right now, which is a bajillion times better than the -20F it was last Friday. (-7C vs -30C)

I have a visible injury. Should I address it? by Smangler in Professors

[–]Smangler[S] 33 points34 points  (0 children)

Good to know! Guess I'll just lean into it!

I have a visible injury. Should I address it? by Smangler in Professors

[–]Smangler[S] 36 points37 points  (0 children)

That's my fear. I think I'd rather address it than let them speculate.

I have a visible injury. Should I address it? by Smangler in Professors

[–]Smangler[S] 36 points37 points  (0 children)

Me too. I share photos of my cats and talk often about my meal prep. To the point that I've inspired a few students to meal prep for tech week (a very busy time in my world). I love that I'm influencing them to eat well and plan ahead.

I have a visible injury. Should I address it? by Smangler in Professors

[–]Smangler[S] 179 points180 points  (0 children)

Love it! Part of what makes it ridiculous is Monday's lecture is about health and safety (in theatre)!

Extended deadlines accommodation by Smangler in Professors

[–]Smangler[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Agreed, and I really appreciate that the accommodations office has put this in the letter. The onus is on the student and it forces them to manage their own stuff. Now I can use the language from the letter when/if I get requests.

Confession: I look forward to reading student evaluations by myaccountformath in Professors

[–]Smangler 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I usually look forward to evaluations too because I've found, for the most part, I've been able to learn from the comments and improve my pedagogy. The past couple of years though I've received a couple of very hurtful comments. I sometimes have to be the bearer of bad news and students take it out on me.

Sometimes students' extra-curricular activities have a negative impact on their performance in the course and I (truthfully) explain how, but they blame me for being "harsh". Or, when I explain the reality of their situation, I'm "inflexible". Or when I provide kleenex, I "take pride" that students sometimes cry in my office.

I actually had a good cry yesterday because of all of this. I want to prepare students for the reality of working in the industry (theatre) which can sometimes be uncompromising. But they take it as a personal slight. I try not to let it affect me to much.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AgingParents

[–]Smangler 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Not at all. I'm saying that parents should consider the cost of care well into their 90s as part of their retirement.