This can be between you and members of your cast, or cast members among themselves or production crew having issues with the way people are treating the props. You must make sure that you give everybody a big thumbs up and a pep-talk when they need it. This is when you truly show what you are made of. A good director will be supportive and professional even at times of great stress, and performance-nights are part of those times. Remain calm and in control. It is okay to vent after the performances are over but definitely not before or during. Even if things go wrong during the dress-rehearsal, show the people around you that you have rock-solid faith in them. It will make them feel better and therefore work better. All will benefit from this. Especially if they are new to the stage, make sure that you establish an order of who goes on stage first and who follows who. Also make sure that the person in the middle thinks of a signal to start the bow, such as squeezing the hands of the two people who are standing next to him, who then pass this on so that everybody knows it is time to bow. It would be sad to end the play with a sloppy bow.  You will only join them in this ritual at the end of the final performance.

Summary: Once the time has finally arrived for your production to hit the stage, tensions may run high. Practice the bowing at the end the performance with your actors.


Disconnect any other power sources for the tank as well so there is no risk of electric shock while you perform maintenance on the tank. But don’t remove the electrical devices yet. Wear rubber, water proof gloves for this. Take out any objects from within the tank. Put them aside on clean paper towels. Do this with an algae sponge. Use deep, kneading like strokes for each inner surface. Make at least two or three passes each on the bottom and sides. Slide the filter out of its position in the tank and set it aside on clean paper towels near a wash basin or sink along with the decorations you removed earlier. Run the filter, decorations, and fake plants under warm water. Rinse off each thoroughly with water to ensure no excess grime remains. Put the objects back on clean paper towels. This is usually a composite material tube with a siphon connected to a faucet or bucket to collect the extracted water. Push the gravel cleaner end into the bottom of the aquarium’s gravel layer until it reaches the bottom. Debris will rise through the siphon with the gravel and water. Once the water starts to clear, you should close the hose’s valve or pinch the hose above the gravel to allow the rocks to fall back down. Pull the gravel cleaner up, and put it back down to an adjacent area to repeat the process. Do this until approximately a quarter or one third of the water has been removed from the tank. Measure the temperature reading in the tank. Use a thermometer safe for water. You might ask the pet store for one for aquariums. Use the thermometer to adjust the water out of your tap to match the water temperature already in the tank. This step is more about not stressing the fish with sudden changes. Fish species can vary with the temperature they require, but a normal range to aim for would be 74-82º F (23-28º C). You can also manually fill a bucket to restore water levels in the aquarium to normal. Add any chemical treatments, such as de-chlorinator, while the tank is filling. If you’re using the bucket-method, then add the treatments to the water before pouring the water into the tank. Put the decorations and fake plants in first. Put these in more or less the same position you had them previously. Slide the filter back into its proper slot. Reconnect the electrical systems of the tank once your hands are removed and thoroughly dry. Turn on the pump.

Summary: Unplug the aquarium heater. Remove all decorations, and fake plants. Scrub all sides of the aquarium. Turn off the pump. Clean the filter, decorations, and fake plants. Connect a siphon gravel cleaner. Adjust the water temperature. Switch the faucet pump to run water into the tank. Place the decorations, fake plants, and filter back into the tank. Plug in the heater, and start the pump.


Where the shellac finish appears stained or has dirt embedded in it, try the following first:  Sprinkle a mild abrasive compound over the surface. For example, pumice or rotten-stone. Work this in. Rub off with a cloth. If the surface looks good again, you're spared having to remove the shellac.

Summary: Work to avoid jobs rather than create them when restoring furniture and woodwork! Buff with a clean rag.


Heat your oven to about 400 °F (204 °C). Put a pan containing the plastic in the oven and heat it until it is completely melted.  Parental supervision is suggested Make sure the plastic is in a pan large enough to support the melted goop. Allow the plastic to cool enough that it is still pliable. Do not let it harden. Carefully shape the plastic into sunglasses with eye-holes. This allows you to fit the accessory to your head quite well. Cut off the earpieces in a shape like this. _/\_  Then, drill small holes in the ends of the shapes /\ and \/. Finally, screw on the earpieces to the main plastic part of the sunglasses. Cut out the acetate sheets to the size of each lens with a little extra around the edges. Then glue the acetate sheets to the plastic mold. If the plastic is still pliable, feel free to insert the acetate inside the plastic.
Summary: Melt some plastic. Let the plastic cool. Mold  your sunglasses. Make the earpieces. Make the lenses.