A big thank you to all who came out to see the Laboratory this year.
We hope you all had as much fun as we did putting it on.
Various things that went wrong THIS year…as the curse of the Laboratory continues…
Bob broke about halfway through. This was a complete and utter failure on the part of Locktite Power Grab glue. DO NOT ever use the stuff for construction adhesive….it makes fine paper mache, though.
Fortunately I had packed heavy this year and had good ole fashioned wood screws to fix Bob up with but a short delay.
Prior to the show, the new product I was trying out for my makeup suffered a catastrophic failure. More on that in a right and proper review to come later.
But…Talia REALLY did not like that makeup, and judging by the number of kids that left the room early as it was…maybe the more adventurous makeup would have been too much anyway.
So, we pulled experiment 2 out of the bag, and it went over pretty well.
I’ve spoken before how the lab has a special place in my heart.
As it sits packed up in the truck, ready to head out tomorrow night, I am filled with both excitement and nerves.
The Lab has never had a smooth launch.
When I was 8, EVERYTHING…and I DO mean EVERYTHING went wrong. Friend ditching me, leaving me with no monster, crappy fake blacklight false advertising, lousy cardboard cutout skeleton. It just sucked, my first attempt at haunting. It left me more determined than ever to get this whole haunti
3 years ago when my Mother-in-law asked me to help her make a spook alley…little did she realize…in her mind was the old peeled grapes eyeballs and spaghetti intestines. I had a SHOW in mind. After all, it was a similar show in school that got me started. Best thing I can do is get more kids hooked. But, when I suggested either a Witch or Laboratory idea, she liked the lab…and I drew upon that failed run when I was 8. With only 20 days to prepare, however, that first year was rushed and incomplete.
Last year was the first “real” attempt at a full blown show. Weather conspired against us to destroy half my work. The Jacob’s ladder dead in the water (literally), flicker circuits on the fritz, lights breaking, and setup taking a lot longer than planned leaving me too hot and wet to allow proper makeup.
This year, we have focused on correcting what went wrong last year. New Jacob’s ladder can be disassembled for transit, allowing me to dry all components in the case of weather. Flicker circuits re-designed and spares in hand. New floor lamps…actual…REAL floor lamps, not my attempt at making some. The Tanks have been finished, leaks plugged. Everything simplified and retooled to make setup easier. And, we shaved my head this year, no need to worry about a bald cap.
That’s not to say everything is smooth sailing. We’ve been moved to an out-building. I’m not sure if the power will be sufficient, the door wide enough, or how far from the rest of the carnival this puts us.
There I go making myself nervous again….
Wish me luck. And, if you local, we’ld love to see ya at H Guy Child Elementary tomorrow night.
Browsing the other posters, however. I find myself at a loss. There is little I can find to interpret this particular poster as anything BUT scary. That middle clown is coming for YOU.
A whole carnival setup would be awful fun to do one of these years. And, as we went to the Zoo last weekend, this little plaza gave me a great idea if we ever go that route.
Still, spiders are a ‘thing’ for so many out there. And, there’s even Spiderfest going on at the Davis Graveyard in honor of that. Who knows…I might just get around to making a spider for that. Have a week business trip coming up, nothing to do for 4 nights, and the wife wouldn’t let me build a spider HERE. If I can’t find a suitable activity around town for early October, I’m sure housekeeping would LOVE having someone making spiders…
My son’s birthday, a party in boiling temperatures, and various plans falling through have all led to me not having time to work on anything.
So, finally having made my way back to the bowels of the shed, I pulled out failure 2 from the laboratory.
Next to the Jacob’s ladder, my second biggest annoyance was my…well, let’s call it the tank assembly.
It was a last minute addition. Modelled on a mixture of some very real science experiment videos that are a tad disturbing, with elements of The Brain that Wouldn’t Die thrown in just for fun. (YES, that’s a 3 star movie that has served as a major influence on my laboratory setup. Only the best.)
Well, half of the thing had to be scuttled as the silicone I had plugging some holes in the plumbing to pump the serum from the tanks to Bob on the table did not dry fully and blew a leak. Then, various other things went wrong, and it was generally bland, IMO.
