The grown-ups hung out in the dining room, with the Emergency Back-up NYE Ball ready in case the Times Square version should encounter trouble.
Chris asserted that you should never drink champagne before midnight on New Year's Eve and here's proof that he's probably right - I would ordinarily know better than to let a consultant do his own rigging and wiring:
I hope your celebrations were as merry!
11 comments:
I work in IT, and I probably would have done the same thing that Chris did! :)
Enjoy New Years day...
Heh...it wasn't Chris! :)
As an ETCP Certified Entertainment Electrician, I should probably comment on the wiring. But it's actually almost legal. I'll leave the rest for a Certified Rigger, though I'm not sure if it qualifies as "Theatrical" or "Arena".
Of course, consulants do whatever they want anyway, legal or not. :)
Alec installed it and then sat right under it himself, which I figured was fair. :P
My question is, did it fall at Midnight on time? How did the technician who dropped it manage to drop and kiss his or her sweetie at the same time? Did Ross or Lars stay awake until midnight? This blog might turn out to be like a soap opera for 2007!
@Grandmoo:
1) The ball in Times Square didn't fail, so we didn't have to resort to the Emergency Back-Up.
2) Yes, as he has now for 14 (!) New Years Eves.
3) Ross and Lauren made it, Lars did not - he's asleep in the picture. Lindsay and Jack (not pictured) both went to bed long before the ball dropped.
we went to a house party as well where all 8 kids and 9 adults made it til 1:30am before we callesd it quits. we had our ball available, but not ready - guys were palying darts and girls burning fingers on hot glue guns while making crafts with kids! All in all a VERY jolly celebration, and a great start to the new year! glad yours was too!
You know what its like in these off off off Broadway houses. You just end up having to jury rig something.
I suppose the biggest criticism of my work might be that the cable lacks a strain relief and the chandelier it's dangling from isn't a rated asembly and wasn't installed with welded proof coil chain.
However, in my defense...
The schedule was arduous and the accelerated implementation left no time for a reasonable RFI process. The original contract didn't call for rigging, only the provision of electricity, and though I requested a change order to cover the additional expenses ("more champagne please"), including the provision and installation of an extension cord that was neither specified nor mentioned in any portion of the verbal agreement, I still haven't had a written response from the Owner of the emergency back-up ball. Please also note that the overall functionality of the installation has not been called into question.
I shoulda been a contractor...
Alec needs to hand back his theatre consultant membership card.
A more appropriate connector for that application would be an inline NEMA ML2 or perhaps a Neutrik PowerCon.
At the very least given his TD background I would have expected a solenoid actuator to achieve the ball drop.
And where is the champagne deployment show control system with bubble-machine interface?
All in all very disappointing.
PS: Betcha didn't know I was checking up on your blog, did ya?
I didn’t realize you were checking in on my blog! Good thing I haven’t written anything disparaging about your colleague that you didn’t already know/wouldn’t have written yourself. I suppose, given Alec’s TD background and current consultant status, that I ought to have offered accolades for his willingness to do anything at all in advance of a problem actually happening?
Ambient bubbles or no, I thought the champagne deployment system was perfect – I don’t recall my glass being low or ever having to ask for a refill. And you guys ought to start specifying wireless power so that someone will toss a few million into developing it. Then maybe next year the too-short extension cord won’t be a factor and the drop mechanics won’t be dead-hung.
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