Back to Chicago
Well, I'm back here in Chicago, where the weather doesn't match my mood. It's over 40 degrees here... and there's a great deal of sun outside. You can guess what my mood is if it's the opposite of that. I spent an amazing week catching up with people and spending time with my family... and here I am again, all by myself in Chicago. Chicago... the noisy city.
Why do I say that? When I was at home, I noticed something again when trying to get to sleep. Whenever I go home to BR and am lying in bed, completely dark with the lights and my computer off, I notice what can only be described as a deafening silence. My ears literally ring from the silence. I don't notice it when I'm in Chicago, but there must be constantly sound here. Even when I have my computer off and there's nothing on in my room... there's enough noise so that when I'm home and there's ACTUAL silence, I can't handle it. It's so hard to fall asleep at home. Stupid city.
Although, I will give Chicago one thing... Chicago makes me feel young. I noticed on my birthday that I was the second oldest person in my group of friends (only to Nate... he's the geezer). Katie, tactfully, even sounded astonished by how old being 24 made me. It was weird to get old in a place where I feel old, as opposed to getting old here, where I feel young. Why do I feel young here? Well, for instance, in the Assistant Director's Cut I was working with two married men--one who has a son--and I was the youngest cast member by six years. Yep. Most of the people I work with are a whole lot older than I am. Even in my Basically Awesome show, I'm the youngest by at least a year.
Hey! If every year of my life was an hour, I have now lived for an entire day. That's the only thing I can think of that accompanies being 24. Ooo! And 24 is now my favorite show. Even though I haven't seen it. Now it has to be.
I did get an unexpected birthday/Christmas present while I was home. Nate gave us all a copy of a double-CD: The Kenobis, Live in Big Rapids. It's a CD that he made from the concert they gave for Ken in December of 2002. That concert was attended by Courtney, Amber, and Mr. John Sellers. The concert also had a really interesting cameo from a certain Amie Mae who I dated for what seemed like a million years before we actually dated. Anyway, she and her friends showed up half-way through the show and I can hear her laugh distinctly about three times on the second CD. It's interesting... because I always felt like she and I shared something about our laughs. Mine is the laugh that can screw up a high school production of "Cheaper By the Dozen"... and her laugh is just as loud. When I heard it, I really missed her laugh. She had such a great laugh. *shakes head* ANYWAY, this CD also contains the last performance of Outer Core (TRIVIA!) and I was able to hear my own voice, the way I actually sing, for the first time in my car stereo. Yes, I know I've got that rap in Sexual Healing... but that's not me being the way I really sing. We played VanDeCar Road, arguably my favorite Outer Core song. So I was interested to hear it. And I found out two things: 1. I hate my speaking voice. Man, I sound like an idiot. Speak clearly! You mumble! COME ON! 2. I like my singing voice. The song sounds pretty good, even though we hadn't played it in two years. It sounds so good, in fact, that I'm trying to figure out how to put an audio file on this here blog. Yay for me! I could even put Sexual Healing on the blog! And then you could hear how they use the ONE (the 1!) take that I messed up for the CD! Beth's an idiot! Hooray!!! (BTW, I really miss The Kenobis. I liked watching them play. At least the CD contains every song that they've ever done ever) I listened to the Kenobis whole double CD on my way back to Chicago.

Last night was the tech rehearsal for my Basically Awesome show. This is something I'd been dreading ever since I left the last rehearsal. Our show is so rough that I can't imagine it actually being on a stage with sound and lights. And I honestly didn't want to have to perform it again... if everyone in the group is going to be amateur about the rehearsal process. And, as we walked through the rehearsal... it seemed like everyone in the group finally "got it." The tech actually took longer than it was supposed to, but our TD, Chris, didn't "have his stuff together" so he didn't charge us extra. I don't know how else to describe it... but it seemed like everyone in the show is ready for the show to be a show. *Shrug* I'm glad it happened, even if I had to wait until less than a week before the show.
After the rehearsal, Amy offered to share a cab with me... as we live literally a block away from each other. I told her that I didn't have money for a cab, and that it was no big deal for me to walk. But she insisted, and I took only my second cab ride ever. (The first? When I went to Chicago in high school, with Mrs. Compton in the front seat and about four other guys with me in the backseat) I mentioned that I've only taken a cab once before to Amy and she told me that this was her fourth cab ride that day. Wow! I know. She then went on to say that cabs are her vice... as she has no car, doesn't smoke or drink to excess. I didn't tell her what my vice is... but I thought about it. I'm not sure what my one vice is, if I were forced to just choose one... but I know that I have three vices: each one I would choose over anything else. The three? Football, video games, and women. I know... I didn't put my car there. But I would honestly rather watch football, play video games, or be with a woman than drive my car. And of the three... I can't really decide which one I like more than the other two. There are some football games I would rather not watch; there are times when I'd rather be with people than play video games; and there are times when I'd rather be alone watching football or playing VGs than being with some chick. Well... there you go. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go watch some football.