England: Genesis
Wednesday, May 11
I left Chicago early Wednesday morning thinking, nay full out believing that I had forgotten something important. This is the nature of travel as an adult, however... one must not leave their home until they think they've forgotten something. Why? If you leave thinking you haven't forgotten anything, you most probably forgot something very important. If you leave thinking you HAVE forgotten something, you have, but it's generally not vital to your trip. Did anyone buy that? No? Moving on.
It took me a lot longer to get to Bones's than I thought it would. That trip from Chicago to Detroit is longer than it looks. Plus I'm an idiot... which makes things go more slowly. Regardless, I finally got to Michael Joseph's fairly late in the evening and felt a little guilty as Mike and Jennie waited for me to eat dinner. I could have felt worse had the whole family waited for me, but, thankfully they didn't. As such, I was able to have a nice dinner with Mike and Jennie... full of a nervous anticipation and a kind of relief on my part. After dinner we headed to a little ice cream place called (I think) Dairy Treat, or something like that. It is apparently a tradition to get ice cream from that particular establishment before a Pistons game... so I got this remarkably good brownie sundae and sat and watched the Pistons/Pacers game 2 at la casa de Bones. After the game (a Pistons loss, btw), I watched/helped as Mike semi-haphazardly packed for England. "What did you think of that I didn't?" he would ask... and I would try to figure out what I thought of packing that Mike hadn't.
Thursday, May 12
Thursday brought some of the same. Mike spent some time trying to check and recheck what he had packed. I spent some of my time trying to figure out what to leave and what to take with me. In an unusual stroke of genius on my part, I brought with me an extra satchel full of clothing (I used satchel because I like that word). The extra clothing meant that I could still change what I was bringing with me, even though I was far from my apartment... and I could leave everything I wasn't bringing with me in my car while I was overseas. Isn't that smart? I thought it was fantastically clever of me.
I had a lot of nervous energy that I had to deal with Thursday afternoon... I had almost wished we were going on the earlier flight because waiting all day to go on that flight took that whole day from me. And, with Detroit traffic and the amount of time one needs to arrive early at the airport now-a-days, the flight did, in fact, take the entire day from me. Mike and I arrived (thanks to his dad) as almost the earliest people there, second to Kopec and C Sad. We sat and talked and waited impatiently for others to arrive. It should be said that my anxiety and nervousness were at an almost all-time high. There were a few things that kept me from going completely insane... one of which being Bohne, then the stupidly expensive phone which I wasn't sure if it was going to work, then my focus on the fact that I knew very little about the songs we were going to be singing as I hadn't really even worked on them. I also knew that, because of the nature of the tour, I would be taken care of whether I wanted to or not.
Going through airport security was as easy as it was irritating. I had worried about my suitcase weighing too much, as the last time I flew (from Ken's) I had to pay extra because my suitcase was too heavy. Isn't that interesting? (Hint: no) I find it irritating though. I was actually prepared to fight someone on this point... I mean, they don't weigh the passengers, do they? If I decided to bulk up and gain twenty pounds before the flight, would they stop me from flying? Ah... no! They don't weigh passengers. They wouldn't know. It's ridiculous... and the more I think about having to pay extra that one time, the more upset I get about it.
But now I'm getting off topic. Let's get ourselves passed security and waiting for the plane. Mike and I found ourselves hungry before the flight... headed to the airport McDonalds. On our way back there was a surprise... our flight was boarding! Our flight was boarding at least 45 minutes early... I was floored. And I found myself eating a double cheeseburger in about a minute and a half (hint: not good).
On the plane, I was seated in an exit row. Hello leg room! I made some (in hindsight) inappropriate jokes about 'every man for himself' if there was a problem with the flight. Although, let's face it, just because I get a little extra leg room I'm going to stay on a burning airplane and get everyone else off first? Please... this is phuking America... we don't understand selfless acts. I would simply say "I'm going to exit this plane. Please follow me quickly." If you're unable to do the same... that's Darwin, bitch!
Regardless, the flight started, as always, with my favorite part. I LOVE the take-off. I love the feel of acceleration, the feel of lift, and the moment when you can feel that the airplane is off the ground. I absolutely love the take-off.
Later in the flight, I was my typical charming self with the flight attendant, Amy. I asked politely for a USA Today for Samata even though she had already passed our section, and Amy gave me the last one because, quote, "You're nicer than that other guy." Additionally, when dinner was served, I got an extra glass of water. That's right... those are the perks of being awesome to the max *gang sign*.
Let me also speak about airline food. Everyone talks about how terrible airline food is, but let me tell you something: I live alone. I am a bachelor who cooks and eats alone... and airline food isn't any worse than what I normally eat. Except for orange juice, which I made the mistake of ordering with my "breakfast snack." Orange juice, on an airplane, is orange colored water. Nothing more. And it certainly didn't taste like good water, either.
I only got about two hours of sleep on the flight, sleeping through National Treasure. The problem with the flight is that they kept giving us drinks and snacks and so the movie was the only time I really could get sleep without someone walking passed me wondering if I wanted something. I appreciate the attention, but on an overnight flight... let me sleep. Please!
Oh... BTW... British Airways is about a million times better than Northwest. I had to hear stories of personal televisions in each seat, choices of eight movies, and the fact that Emcee Dubs was on the other flight. What? Didn't think I'd be jealous that I wasn't on C Wage's flight? Just you wait... the trip gets better... :)
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Guess Who's Back
Back again...
Crazy's Back...
Tell a Friend
That's right, bitches, I'm drunk with revenge. What? I mean, I'm back in the states. And, to prove I successfully mocked, disrespected, and defiled England's greatest landmarks, I offer you some text and a picture. I will post more later, I promise... but, for now, enjoy!
[An excerpt from the "travel journal" passed around on the bus while we were in England. See if you can spot the blatant sexual innuendos!]
Mike '05 and John '03: "Well, well, well, little traveler's book...you are in for a treat today. We share with you our misc. musings and ramblings from Great Britain:
1. Yes, they drive on the left-hand side over here...but if you want to walk fast on an escalator, you pass on the left. To clarify, the walking passing lane is the left, whereas, the driving passing lane is the right. I wish they would make up their minds.
2. Even in London on a weekend, this country closes down by midnight.
3. WE have incredible teeth.
4. We hope that all choir balls will be held at the National Gallery in Bath.
5. Pictures just look cooler when you are emerging from a Gothic Castle.
6. For the first time in my life I don't feel bad about carrying around 'extra pounds.'
7. To sum it all up, the music has been good, the spirits have been great, and we're both so glad we came. If we were asked to, we'd love to come again!"
Ohhh Noooo!
Posted by Hello
Back again...
Crazy's Back...
Tell a Friend
That's right, bitches, I'm drunk with revenge. What? I mean, I'm back in the states. And, to prove I successfully mocked, disrespected, and defiled England's greatest landmarks, I offer you some text and a picture. I will post more later, I promise... but, for now, enjoy!
[An excerpt from the "travel journal" passed around on the bus while we were in England. See if you can spot the blatant sexual innuendos!]
Mike '05 and John '03: "Well, well, well, little traveler's book...you are in for a treat today. We share with you our misc. musings and ramblings from Great Britain:
1. Yes, they drive on the left-hand side over here...but if you want to walk fast on an escalator, you pass on the left. To clarify, the walking passing lane is the left, whereas, the driving passing lane is the right. I wish they would make up their minds.
2. Even in London on a weekend, this country closes down by midnight.
3. WE have incredible teeth.
4. We hope that all choir balls will be held at the National Gallery in Bath.
5. Pictures just look cooler when you are emerging from a Gothic Castle.
6. For the first time in my life I don't feel bad about carrying around 'extra pounds.'
7. To sum it all up, the music has been good, the spirits have been great, and we're both so glad we came. If we were asked to, we'd love to come again!"
Ohhh Noooo!
Posted by Hello
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Graduation: Euphonics Style
Well folks, this is it. This will be the last post on my blog for two weeks while I'm in England. I will, of course, keep writing while I'm across the pond... but, with nothing to tide you over until I get back, I had better make this post a good one. And, while I'm at it, I had better wish everyone an awesome mid-May. It will be quite some time before I'm back blogging again, so *hugs and kisses* take care. Now... time to gather around the good stuff:
Wednesday afternoon, I drove to Albion. I wish I could say that I wasn't nervous during the drive... but I was quite nervous. I was, basically, asked to be "album ready" with songs I had never sung and a group I didn't know in about a week. And, being the perfectionist that I am, I wanted to be as good as if I had spent the past few months rehearsing with them. And, being the pessimist that I am, I knew it wasn't going to be that good.
But that's the funny thing about being with good friends... it doesn't really matter. Bohne and I, instead of focusing on my worries, we watched Arrested Development. Bones humoured me a bit in that he let me look over the sheet music for all the songs... but I honestly equate that to letting me read a page of a foreign language in preparation for speaking it: I recognize some of what's going on, but it helps more to hear it than to see it. I think that's probably the way I've always been, as I used to memorize entire musical scores when I was in band in high school because of what I heard and not necessarily what I saw. This also made "sight reading" one of the most difficult portions of being in band... and was a constant source of frustration for me.
Speaking of music, to my surprise, after a few episodes of Arrested Development, we headed to a choir practice. I know I should have spent more time rehearsing and studying the music I'm supposed to sing over in England... more time being some time. It was good for me to get a chance to hear the music... because otherwise I might have had to 'wing it' in England. It didn't FEEL good to try to sing the music and look lost the whole time, but I know it was good for me. "Puts hair on your chest" as my dad would say, if I wasn't going to eat my vegetables.
Speaking of hairy chests (huh?), after the rehearsal we went to DRRs for the end of the year choir party. I waxed and waned between feeling like just another one of the choir and feeling like I was completely out of place. I suppose, overall, I didn't feel awkward. Bones was the big dog... and whenever you align yourself with the big dog, no one sniffs your ass. I think I got lost in my own metaphor. Regardless, we decided to try to get some sleep after the party was over, just so that we wouldn't suck at recording. Did that work? Not really. Bohne and I were up late talking, and then we got a phone call, I got poked (unfortunately not like that), and we shared the Euphonics' general overall nervousness, as, in retrospect, I don't think any one of the Euphonics said they got a good night sleep Wednesday night.
And, before I knew it, it was Thursday and time for recording. I unfortunately was chosen not only to drive, but to lead the convoy of vehicles from Albion to Ann Arbor. I hate leading... I think most people hate leading in that situation. Therefore, I am most people. That isn't a very good logical argument, I know... but the point still remains that I hate leading. And we, at one point, lost two of the four cars because the car behind me kept up but I couldn't see the other two cars. So I had a nerve-racking two minutes while I slowed down to let everyone hopefully catch up. Fortunately, we arrived safe and SOUND at the STUDIO. Sound studio, get it?! Ah ha ha haaaa.... nevermind.
After the group had gotten settled in to the recording studio, we received a LONG distance gift. Jim had sent us a gift box of all manner of breakfast food. It was a delicious blast from the past... I'm not exactly sure what I meant there, but you know what I mean. Thank you James P, the group really appreciated it. And I forget who said it, but one of them said, "I love Jim Shilander." So there you go. Buy people stuff and they will love you... love is as simple as that.
I then proceeded to sit back and watch the Next Generation of Euphonics (NextGen... or maybe Eu2?) RIP up their set list. They got through all 13 songs the first day of recording... and it was just another reminder of the amazing musical ability of this group. Yes, they still had fun, but even when they went "off task" it took about 2 seconds for them to go back to focusing on the music. They are incredible musicians, this group, and I proudly watched them tear some poop up. And then reluctantly watched them sing. I think I got lost in my metaphor again. Whatever... I nervously watched them, worried about phuking up the awesome musical chemistry of the group.
I realized almost too late why I thought I was a good vocal percussionist in the first place. I had spent so much of my time rehearsing the songs trying to figure out how I was going to impress everyone. I wanted the NextGen to say, "Wow... that guy's good," which is, of course, the complete opposite of what I had strived to do while a member of the group. Voc Perc is supposed to keep the beat... to keep the group together... so that the soloist (and the rest of the group) can shine. It's not meant to distract the listener, but to support what the listener is focused on. I remembered that important lesson just in time to lay some fairly good, if simple and basic, beats. And regardless of my apprehension, I still managed to somehow squeak myself onto about half the album.
After a day of singing, I could think of nothing I wanted to do more than attend a choir rehearsal. So, by-yiminy, that's what I did. I went to the England trip official pre-trip rehearsal/practice and felt a little better about singing those pieces since I had done it the night before.
After rehearsal, I took a dear friend to Denny's because I owed her eggs. Why? Because she owes me her eggs... for children! Get it?! I know I went to far... and I'm sorry. After that I find myself in the most delicious Chelsey/Chelsea sandwich outside of the Mae. That's something I've never understood, by the way. When people make "sandwich" jokes, they always refer to the people on the outside. No one says "I could really go for a bread sandwich." People refer to what's in between the pieces of bread. As such, I was in a delicious John sandwich later that night. That didn't work... and that's why people don't do that. Okay... moving on.
Friday's Recording went so smoothly it's disgusting. All the tracks were already laid... so all they needed to do was hammer out some of the rough spots. They also had plenty of time to talk about album titles and adding fun stuff to the CD (which I'm not going to ruin by letting you know about... heehee).
When I got back to Albion, I had a really good talk with Bohne... which was unfortunately cut short for both of us by various things. But, stupid Bohne, being someone good to talk to *yell face* even though that makes no sense. Actually one of the reasons I had to leave early was to go for a walk with MC Dubs. We talked for hours... and she even let me ramble on and on about how I want my house to be when I'm older. We also got caught out in the rain and were forced to seek shelter... in Ferg.
Graduation 2005... This event is way too important for me to glance over here now, as I'm kind of running out of time before I need to go. So, when I get back from England, I'll blog a little about my Graduation experience. But, to those who graduated... good luck and I love you. This world isn't as scary as it might seem.
Sunday I went and sat in on the other Conservatory class in preparation for the Level 2 audition I'm going to be missing on the trip. It didn't go as well as last week... as, when we did the fake audition, I quasi-froze up. I was so nervous doing improv with people I really didn't know that, during the montage I froze up and didn't step out. But I also found myself standing in the back line thinking "You're all going to fast... slow down! A montage isn't a race... take your time"... and I had trouble getting into it because it seemed to move too fast. I also nailed some woman in the head with a door on my way out. It was her fault for standing right next to a door... and she was pissed at me, like I'm the asshole for opening a door. What a bitch :)
Monday I spent running errands. I tried to get out and do them before it rained here in Chicago... the weather forecast said that it was going to thunderstorm all day. Did it? Ah... no. It actually only rained for about half-an-hour pretty late at night. But I'm getting ahead of my day. I started my errands running the library to return my Sherlock Holmes book. It pained me to do so, because I have visions of reading Sherlock Holmes on the England trip... a la smut in the US.
I then went to Dominicks to get Bohne's folks a little candy as a thank you. You know, for driving us to the airport and picking us up (I hope). Plus they're keeping my car for FREE in their drive-way... saving me mucho money on parking. So, yeah, a $20 box of candy isn't asking too much of myself, I don't think.
Right... anyway, I went to Second City after the grocery store and, on my way, I was stopped by a huge line outside of Zanies. Fortunately for myself (and my curiosity), I knew someone in the line. Sal, who I was in a show with, was one of the people standing in the line... so I asked him what was up. There was someone from NBC? looking for amateur stand-up comedians... and they were going to give everyone 3 minutes to make them laugh and show them what they can do. So Sal introduced me to someone who had just been on the Green Co (one of SCs touring companies), and I wished them both luck. If I had had the time to stay in line for a few hours... I may have auditioned for the hell of it. But the call-backs, surprise!, are while I'm gone... so that wouldn't have worked for me either. I was on my way to SC to get my SPP DVDs. A husband of one of the performers in the show made a DVD of the fourth show of SPP... which just so happens to be the show my folks and Jim came to see. So I spent some time Monday afternoon checking out the show and being fairly indifferent towards my own performance. It's still too new for me to hate myself yet, I think.
Before I saw the DVD, however, I made one last stop at Barnes And Noble. I purchased the same Sherlock Holmes book I painfully returned to the library earlier in the day. I also got "Truth In Comedy" a book by Charna Halpern and Del Close which is the basis for everything that they do up at Improv Olympic. Keith had Charna as one of his teachers so he's got his copy of the book signed. I, however, am still not ready to make the jump from SC to IO just yet. I'm young... and I've still got plenty of time to study up there (buy that?).
Speaking of SC, I just want to take this opportunity to discuss with you my Conservatory Level 2 Audition worries. I'm worried about my Level 2 Audition. Done.
Tuesday was also a day of errands. I started simply by going downstairs to see what could be done about the mail I'm about to have piling up whilst I'm gone. The building, of course, has nothing they can do about piling up mail... and I can't stop it in the building (I would have to stop it at the post office). I decided to ask Adam if he wouldn't mind checking it for me. He said he wouldn't... and I had to go to the South Loop to drop my keys off. It had been a long time since the last time I hung out down there... and Owen and Chip both seemed happy to see me. In all honesty, once I got there, I didn't want to leave. Particularly because the rest of my errands Tuesday were kind of crappy.
After I pried myself away from my friends and the world's largest free TV, I headed North to TJ Maxx. It had been pointed out to me very recently by the world's most attractive natural red-head that my belt is brown. This didn't pose a problem with my old shoes (also brown)... but the new shoes I own are far more black. I had forgotten to anal retentively take notice of my fashion faux pas until this past week. The quick and easy remedy is a new black belt... which is actually pretty kick ass looking.
After leaving the Maxx, I headed to a little luggage place called That's Our Bag. In light of recent travel advice, I wanted to get one of those backpacks that slings over one's shoulder (as, apparently, people like to steal stuff out of backpacks which are on one's back). I also wanted to get a power converter for my camera. The former proved to be the easier part of that plan, as I easily found a very cute little Swiss bag made by the same fine folks who brought you Swiss Army Knives (it's true). The latter, however, not to easy. They had converters and power adapters and plug adapters and the snozberries tasted like snozberries. I asked the men behind the desk what I would need for a camera and got a very complicated response basically boiling down to "You need to know more about your camera before I can answer your question." So that was a kick into my nuts. But I quickly eased the pain with some delicious Chipotle. Mmm... over-priced goodness.
Speaking of over-priced, I've been toying with getting new shoes for a while and after eating I headed to Kenneth Cole. I love their shoes... they're so comfortable. I wish I could say the same about their store. I did NOT feel comfortable surrounded by the judging yuppies (which, by the way, would make an awesome name for a band). So I left Kenneth Cole shoeless... and then went back in and got the shoes I was wearing when I entered the first time. I don't know why I left them. But then I went to Ralph Lauren... because I'm an idiot. I liked the vibe there better because I went up to a cute young lady behind a desk and said "What's on the second... oh!" when I noticed a big phuk-off sign right next to her telling me what was on each floor. She smiled and laughed... yes, I liked it there. But I didn't like the thought of spending $325 on a pair of shoes... so I left there too. I'll just go with the same ol' shoes I've been wearing since high school... and, maybe when I get a job, I'll go back and hit on, I mean buy those shoes.
After unsuccessfully shopping for shoes, I came back to my apartment and called Canon to ask them about a converter. They said my camera was already "travel ready worldwide" and that all I would need was an adapter plug. That was awesome news to me... as I had been toying with not bringing my camera at all. I was then actually so tired from all my walking that I needed a nap before I could go back out and finish my errands. I don't remember dreaming, but I do remember waking up after only a half an hour thinking I had been asleep for hours. Meaning I was in a VERY deep sleep... which is good for me. I then headed back to TOB for round 2. This time was much easier as I knew exactly what I wanted/needed and right where it was. Uneventful. So why am I mentioning it? I don't know. But the rest of the night was spent doing miscellaneous chores to try to get further ready for the trip. TOO MUCH TO DO! So much so, in fact, that I need to get going. And now, my final thought...
Well, kids, all that loot plus this last little tidbit will have to hold you over for a good long while. I hope it does. The last little bit? A few of my fellow trip-takers are keeping a blog of the trip for Albion's website. The Albion blog of the England trip is here. I expect it to be a very tame version of what's actually happening... but, if the gods are good, perhaps they'll let me post something. As I am obviously an expert blogger. And very modest to boot. Take care everyone... and I'll be sure to try to get a hold of you all in one way or another when I get back from England. I love you all... Bye for now :)
Well folks, this is it. This will be the last post on my blog for two weeks while I'm in England. I will, of course, keep writing while I'm across the pond... but, with nothing to tide you over until I get back, I had better make this post a good one. And, while I'm at it, I had better wish everyone an awesome mid-May. It will be quite some time before I'm back blogging again, so *hugs and kisses* take care. Now... time to gather around the good stuff:
Wednesday afternoon, I drove to Albion. I wish I could say that I wasn't nervous during the drive... but I was quite nervous. I was, basically, asked to be "album ready" with songs I had never sung and a group I didn't know in about a week. And, being the perfectionist that I am, I wanted to be as good as if I had spent the past few months rehearsing with them. And, being the pessimist that I am, I knew it wasn't going to be that good.
But that's the funny thing about being with good friends... it doesn't really matter. Bohne and I, instead of focusing on my worries, we watched Arrested Development. Bones humoured me a bit in that he let me look over the sheet music for all the songs... but I honestly equate that to letting me read a page of a foreign language in preparation for speaking it: I recognize some of what's going on, but it helps more to hear it than to see it. I think that's probably the way I've always been, as I used to memorize entire musical scores when I was in band in high school because of what I heard and not necessarily what I saw. This also made "sight reading" one of the most difficult portions of being in band... and was a constant source of frustration for me.
Speaking of music, to my surprise, after a few episodes of Arrested Development, we headed to a choir practice. I know I should have spent more time rehearsing and studying the music I'm supposed to sing over in England... more time being some time. It was good for me to get a chance to hear the music... because otherwise I might have had to 'wing it' in England. It didn't FEEL good to try to sing the music and look lost the whole time, but I know it was good for me. "Puts hair on your chest" as my dad would say, if I wasn't going to eat my vegetables.
Speaking of hairy chests (huh?), after the rehearsal we went to DRRs for the end of the year choir party. I waxed and waned between feeling like just another one of the choir and feeling like I was completely out of place. I suppose, overall, I didn't feel awkward. Bones was the big dog... and whenever you align yourself with the big dog, no one sniffs your ass. I think I got lost in my own metaphor. Regardless, we decided to try to get some sleep after the party was over, just so that we wouldn't suck at recording. Did that work? Not really. Bohne and I were up late talking, and then we got a phone call, I got poked (unfortunately not like that), and we shared the Euphonics' general overall nervousness, as, in retrospect, I don't think any one of the Euphonics said they got a good night sleep Wednesday night.
And, before I knew it, it was Thursday and time for recording. I unfortunately was chosen not only to drive, but to lead the convoy of vehicles from Albion to Ann Arbor. I hate leading... I think most people hate leading in that situation. Therefore, I am most people. That isn't a very good logical argument, I know... but the point still remains that I hate leading. And we, at one point, lost two of the four cars because the car behind me kept up but I couldn't see the other two cars. So I had a nerve-racking two minutes while I slowed down to let everyone hopefully catch up. Fortunately, we arrived safe and SOUND at the STUDIO. Sound studio, get it?! Ah ha ha haaaa.... nevermind.
After the group had gotten settled in to the recording studio, we received a LONG distance gift. Jim had sent us a gift box of all manner of breakfast food. It was a delicious blast from the past... I'm not exactly sure what I meant there, but you know what I mean. Thank you James P, the group really appreciated it. And I forget who said it, but one of them said, "I love Jim Shilander." So there you go. Buy people stuff and they will love you... love is as simple as that.
I then proceeded to sit back and watch the Next Generation of Euphonics (NextGen... or maybe Eu2?) RIP up their set list. They got through all 13 songs the first day of recording... and it was just another reminder of the amazing musical ability of this group. Yes, they still had fun, but even when they went "off task" it took about 2 seconds for them to go back to focusing on the music. They are incredible musicians, this group, and I proudly watched them tear some poop up. And then reluctantly watched them sing. I think I got lost in my metaphor again. Whatever... I nervously watched them, worried about phuking up the awesome musical chemistry of the group.
I realized almost too late why I thought I was a good vocal percussionist in the first place. I had spent so much of my time rehearsing the songs trying to figure out how I was going to impress everyone. I wanted the NextGen to say, "Wow... that guy's good," which is, of course, the complete opposite of what I had strived to do while a member of the group. Voc Perc is supposed to keep the beat... to keep the group together... so that the soloist (and the rest of the group) can shine. It's not meant to distract the listener, but to support what the listener is focused on. I remembered that important lesson just in time to lay some fairly good, if simple and basic, beats. And regardless of my apprehension, I still managed to somehow squeak myself onto about half the album.
After a day of singing, I could think of nothing I wanted to do more than attend a choir rehearsal. So, by-yiminy, that's what I did. I went to the England trip official pre-trip rehearsal/practice and felt a little better about singing those pieces since I had done it the night before.
After rehearsal, I took a dear friend to Denny's because I owed her eggs. Why? Because she owes me her eggs... for children! Get it?! I know I went to far... and I'm sorry. After that I find myself in the most delicious Chelsey/Chelsea sandwich outside of the Mae. That's something I've never understood, by the way. When people make "sandwich" jokes, they always refer to the people on the outside. No one says "I could really go for a bread sandwich." People refer to what's in between the pieces of bread. As such, I was in a delicious John sandwich later that night. That didn't work... and that's why people don't do that. Okay... moving on.
Friday's Recording went so smoothly it's disgusting. All the tracks were already laid... so all they needed to do was hammer out some of the rough spots. They also had plenty of time to talk about album titles and adding fun stuff to the CD (which I'm not going to ruin by letting you know about... heehee).
When I got back to Albion, I had a really good talk with Bohne... which was unfortunately cut short for both of us by various things. But, stupid Bohne, being someone good to talk to *yell face* even though that makes no sense. Actually one of the reasons I had to leave early was to go for a walk with MC Dubs. We talked for hours... and she even let me ramble on and on about how I want my house to be when I'm older. We also got caught out in the rain and were forced to seek shelter... in Ferg.
Graduation 2005... This event is way too important for me to glance over here now, as I'm kind of running out of time before I need to go. So, when I get back from England, I'll blog a little about my Graduation experience. But, to those who graduated... good luck and I love you. This world isn't as scary as it might seem.
Sunday I went and sat in on the other Conservatory class in preparation for the Level 2 audition I'm going to be missing on the trip. It didn't go as well as last week... as, when we did the fake audition, I quasi-froze up. I was so nervous doing improv with people I really didn't know that, during the montage I froze up and didn't step out. But I also found myself standing in the back line thinking "You're all going to fast... slow down! A montage isn't a race... take your time"... and I had trouble getting into it because it seemed to move too fast. I also nailed some woman in the head with a door on my way out. It was her fault for standing right next to a door... and she was pissed at me, like I'm the asshole for opening a door. What a bitch :)
Monday I spent running errands. I tried to get out and do them before it rained here in Chicago... the weather forecast said that it was going to thunderstorm all day. Did it? Ah... no. It actually only rained for about half-an-hour pretty late at night. But I'm getting ahead of my day. I started my errands running the library to return my Sherlock Holmes book. It pained me to do so, because I have visions of reading Sherlock Holmes on the England trip... a la smut in the US.
I then went to Dominicks to get Bohne's folks a little candy as a thank you. You know, for driving us to the airport and picking us up (I hope). Plus they're keeping my car for FREE in their drive-way... saving me mucho money on parking. So, yeah, a $20 box of candy isn't asking too much of myself, I don't think.
Right... anyway, I went to Second City after the grocery store and, on my way, I was stopped by a huge line outside of Zanies. Fortunately for myself (and my curiosity), I knew someone in the line. Sal, who I was in a show with, was one of the people standing in the line... so I asked him what was up. There was someone from NBC? looking for amateur stand-up comedians... and they were going to give everyone 3 minutes to make them laugh and show them what they can do. So Sal introduced me to someone who had just been on the Green Co (one of SCs touring companies), and I wished them both luck. If I had had the time to stay in line for a few hours... I may have auditioned for the hell of it. But the call-backs, surprise!, are while I'm gone... so that wouldn't have worked for me either. I was on my way to SC to get my SPP DVDs. A husband of one of the performers in the show made a DVD of the fourth show of SPP... which just so happens to be the show my folks and Jim came to see. So I spent some time Monday afternoon checking out the show and being fairly indifferent towards my own performance. It's still too new for me to hate myself yet, I think.
Before I saw the DVD, however, I made one last stop at Barnes And Noble. I purchased the same Sherlock Holmes book I painfully returned to the library earlier in the day. I also got "Truth In Comedy" a book by Charna Halpern and Del Close which is the basis for everything that they do up at Improv Olympic. Keith had Charna as one of his teachers so he's got his copy of the book signed. I, however, am still not ready to make the jump from SC to IO just yet. I'm young... and I've still got plenty of time to study up there (buy that?).
Speaking of SC, I just want to take this opportunity to discuss with you my Conservatory Level 2 Audition worries. I'm worried about my Level 2 Audition. Done.
Tuesday was also a day of errands. I started simply by going downstairs to see what could be done about the mail I'm about to have piling up whilst I'm gone. The building, of course, has nothing they can do about piling up mail... and I can't stop it in the building (I would have to stop it at the post office). I decided to ask Adam if he wouldn't mind checking it for me. He said he wouldn't... and I had to go to the South Loop to drop my keys off. It had been a long time since the last time I hung out down there... and Owen and Chip both seemed happy to see me. In all honesty, once I got there, I didn't want to leave. Particularly because the rest of my errands Tuesday were kind of crappy.
After I pried myself away from my friends and the world's largest free TV, I headed North to TJ Maxx. It had been pointed out to me very recently by the world's most attractive natural red-head that my belt is brown. This didn't pose a problem with my old shoes (also brown)... but the new shoes I own are far more black. I had forgotten to anal retentively take notice of my fashion faux pas until this past week. The quick and easy remedy is a new black belt... which is actually pretty kick ass looking.
After leaving the Maxx, I headed to a little luggage place called That's Our Bag. In light of recent travel advice, I wanted to get one of those backpacks that slings over one's shoulder (as, apparently, people like to steal stuff out of backpacks which are on one's back). I also wanted to get a power converter for my camera. The former proved to be the easier part of that plan, as I easily found a very cute little Swiss bag made by the same fine folks who brought you Swiss Army Knives (it's true). The latter, however, not to easy. They had converters and power adapters and plug adapters and the snozberries tasted like snozberries. I asked the men behind the desk what I would need for a camera and got a very complicated response basically boiling down to "You need to know more about your camera before I can answer your question." So that was a kick into my nuts. But I quickly eased the pain with some delicious Chipotle. Mmm... over-priced goodness.
Speaking of over-priced, I've been toying with getting new shoes for a while and after eating I headed to Kenneth Cole. I love their shoes... they're so comfortable. I wish I could say the same about their store. I did NOT feel comfortable surrounded by the judging yuppies (which, by the way, would make an awesome name for a band). So I left Kenneth Cole shoeless... and then went back in and got the shoes I was wearing when I entered the first time. I don't know why I left them. But then I went to Ralph Lauren... because I'm an idiot. I liked the vibe there better because I went up to a cute young lady behind a desk and said "What's on the second... oh!" when I noticed a big phuk-off sign right next to her telling me what was on each floor. She smiled and laughed... yes, I liked it there. But I didn't like the thought of spending $325 on a pair of shoes... so I left there too. I'll just go with the same ol' shoes I've been wearing since high school... and, maybe when I get a job, I'll go back and hit on, I mean buy those shoes.
After unsuccessfully shopping for shoes, I came back to my apartment and called Canon to ask them about a converter. They said my camera was already "travel ready worldwide" and that all I would need was an adapter plug. That was awesome news to me... as I had been toying with not bringing my camera at all. I was then actually so tired from all my walking that I needed a nap before I could go back out and finish my errands. I don't remember dreaming, but I do remember waking up after only a half an hour thinking I had been asleep for hours. Meaning I was in a VERY deep sleep... which is good for me. I then headed back to TOB for round 2. This time was much easier as I knew exactly what I wanted/needed and right where it was. Uneventful. So why am I mentioning it? I don't know. But the rest of the night was spent doing miscellaneous chores to try to get further ready for the trip. TOO MUCH TO DO! So much so, in fact, that I need to get going. And now, my final thought...
Well, kids, all that loot plus this last little tidbit will have to hold you over for a good long while. I hope it does. The last little bit? A few of my fellow trip-takers are keeping a blog of the trip for Albion's website. The Albion blog of the England trip is here. I expect it to be a very tame version of what's actually happening... but, if the gods are good, perhaps they'll let me post something. As I am obviously an expert blogger. And very modest to boot. Take care everyone... and I'll be sure to try to get a hold of you all in one way or another when I get back from England. I love you all... Bye for now :)
Monday, May 09, 2005
Misc Articles... Still Planning on an Epic Post Before England
The first news is not an article, but some of the best news I've received in a while. Verizon Wireless (my cell phone carrier) has an International Rental Plan... whereupon one may rent a phone to take with them abroad. Long story short, I will be able to receive FREE INCOMING calls while in England. That, in conjunction with call forwarding from my phone to the international phone, and one may call me for FREE for both of us on a night or a weekend while I'm in England. I think that's the coolest thing ever. So I'll call my folks when I land and then they won't be worried about me (like I know they will) because they can call me whenever they'd like and check in. I don't expect them to... but I know how huge a piece-of-mind it is for them to know they have that possibility. I leave Chicago on Wednesday of this week!!!
Is 616 the actual sign of the beast? Here's an article saying that new technology has shown that the Bible script referring to the sign of the beast is actually 616 instead of 666. First of all, there should be no doubt now that Satan lives in the greater Grand Rapids, Michigan metropolitan area. Secondly, and most importantly, this makes me wonder what other interpretations of the Bible that we've messed up. And all those Bible purists... those fundamentalists... everyone who thinks that the Bible is God's law without question... I hope they see this article. I hope they start to question how fallible the Bible might be... as it is a human book written by human hands. Interesting to think that we may have gotten some of the teachings wrong... that something important may have been misinterpreted. It's something to think about...
Here's a story about a Time Traveler Convention at MIT. I wanted to be the first to break this story... but on SNL's weekend update, Tiny Fey brought it up. She said that no one will show up because the people from the future already know how lame the party is. That's probably a much better joke than I would have come up with. So that's what we're sticking with.
All childhood memories of R2D2 are now tainted. The article which I linked talks about how the actor who was stuffed inside R2D2 was complaining about, well, being stuck inside a small robot for long periods of time. What did the props department do to appease him? They stuck pictures from pornographic magazines inside the costume. In defense of the actor, Kenny Baker, he IS 70 years-old now. In defense of our childhoods, it only talks about Episode III being tainted by the inner-costume-porno pictures. In a blatant attack of Baker, here's an article about his arrest for drunk driving. In an attack of Christine King (casting director of Episode III), do we REALLY need the original R2D2 guy? He IS 70 years old... why couldn't we get someone younger and equally 'vertically challenged'? Someone a little more willing to climb into the R2D2 costume? Hell... I'd do it. If only to be so wonderfully close to Natalie Portman *swoon!*
The first news is not an article, but some of the best news I've received in a while. Verizon Wireless (my cell phone carrier) has an International Rental Plan... whereupon one may rent a phone to take with them abroad. Long story short, I will be able to receive FREE INCOMING calls while in England. That, in conjunction with call forwarding from my phone to the international phone, and one may call me for FREE for both of us on a night or a weekend while I'm in England. I think that's the coolest thing ever. So I'll call my folks when I land and then they won't be worried about me (like I know they will) because they can call me whenever they'd like and check in. I don't expect them to... but I know how huge a piece-of-mind it is for them to know they have that possibility. I leave Chicago on Wednesday of this week!!!
Is 616 the actual sign of the beast? Here's an article saying that new technology has shown that the Bible script referring to the sign of the beast is actually 616 instead of 666. First of all, there should be no doubt now that Satan lives in the greater Grand Rapids, Michigan metropolitan area. Secondly, and most importantly, this makes me wonder what other interpretations of the Bible that we've messed up. And all those Bible purists... those fundamentalists... everyone who thinks that the Bible is God's law without question... I hope they see this article. I hope they start to question how fallible the Bible might be... as it is a human book written by human hands. Interesting to think that we may have gotten some of the teachings wrong... that something important may have been misinterpreted. It's something to think about...
Here's a story about a Time Traveler Convention at MIT. I wanted to be the first to break this story... but on SNL's weekend update, Tiny Fey brought it up. She said that no one will show up because the people from the future already know how lame the party is. That's probably a much better joke than I would have come up with. So that's what we're sticking with.
All childhood memories of R2D2 are now tainted. The article which I linked talks about how the actor who was stuffed inside R2D2 was complaining about, well, being stuck inside a small robot for long periods of time. What did the props department do to appease him? They stuck pictures from pornographic magazines inside the costume. In defense of the actor, Kenny Baker, he IS 70 years-old now. In defense of our childhoods, it only talks about Episode III being tainted by the inner-costume-porno pictures. In a blatant attack of Baker, here's an article about his arrest for drunk driving. In an attack of Christine King (casting director of Episode III), do we REALLY need the original R2D2 guy? He IS 70 years old... why couldn't we get someone younger and equally 'vertically challenged'? Someone a little more willing to climb into the R2D2 costume? Hell... I'd do it. If only to be so wonderfully close to Natalie Portman *swoon!*
Sunday, May 08, 2005
I will, no doubt, have a couple epic posts coming up before I leave for England (Wednesday)... but I thought I'd share a picture while I have time. I spent much of last week recording with the Next Generation of Albion College Euphonics. In this picture, I asked them to express, without words, how they feel about me. Notice I got the finger... classy.
Posted by Hello
Monday, May 02, 2005
I want to thank Emcee Saddles (C Sad?) for sending me a whole bunch of Charlie's Aunt pictures. I'm about ready to post two of my favorite pictures. In this one... look how cute I am.
Posted by Hello
Weekend Update
Friday I went out to Keith's. Trying to drive anywhere in Chicago on a Friday is like trying to pull teeth by entering through one's scrotum: it's painful, and you're pretty sure there's a better way to do it. The normally 45 minute drive took Adam and I at least an hour and a half... even though we left pretty early in the afternoon (around 3). Yes, there are THAT many people who leave work early on Friday. But we eventually got Keith's and guess what? No Keith. He had been involved in a charity (a REALLY good cause too) golf tournament in the afternoon and was late in arriving at his house.
While Adam and I were waiting outside of Keith's, I decided to give Miss Sarah Jean a call back. She had called me while I was expertly maneuvering through Chicago traffic so I, obviously, didn't answer. The conversation was interesting from beginning to end... as Eli answered Sarah's phone when I called. Is this, I asked myself, just a sign of things to come? Trying to get a hold of Sarah means I might get either of them? I think the reality of the wedding hit me harder than the simple act of Eli answering the phone should have led to. Regardless, Sarah asked me to stand in her wedding. Or, should I say Sarah and Eli asked me... as they were both there. I, of course, said yes! And that this would finally allow me to go to the wedding with Randi as my date... which is our destiny.
Once Keith arrived, we went down into the infamous "Basement." We did a few different scenes... but nothing as ambitious as a full herald. I feel like this trip was more about seeing my friends one last time before my trip than actually doing improv. And it was really good to spend some time with Adam and Keith again.
Saturday afternoon I was blessed to have a couple phone conversations. The first, a fabulous three-hour-marathon of feelings and intellectual stimuli... the other, an interesting display of early afternoon public drunkenness. *Clears throat* Uh... yeah. The marathon phone call was incredible... and flowed so easily. I only had to stop for water a couple times... and I admit I cramped up once, but the trainers rubbed it out (gross?) and I was back to the marathon.
I was also able to talk to Miss Amber online. In the fall, she is headed to Illinois Central College to teach FULL-TIME! Isn't that exciting? She'll have a full-class load and teach some writing classes and a lit class. As we were talking about it, I think I'm most excited for her to teach a lit class. People who really know their stuff (like Amber) should be teaching literature courses... and I think at least one lit class should be REQUIRED in college. I mean, we had to take that stupid writing comp test. Isn't reading as important as writing? Shouldn't we all have some common ground in our college experience... one or two books that we've all read and can talk about? Isn't that what the first-year common reading thing is supposed to be about? What the hell is my point? My point is that I'm excited for Amber. And I'm happy she gets to teach something besides writing to kids whose idea of a meaningful essay is telling us how much bonding occurred during their senior year high school football season (or how important football is to their identity).
Then Saturday night was an evening of Skybox shows. The first one I saw contained a guy, Jason, from my Conservatory class. He was good... I thought he was pretty funny... but I wish I could say the same about the show in general. Have you ever heard me talk about selling out a character for a joke? Well that's what this writer's "style" (if you can call it that) is. You can't get into any of the characters because you don't know if they're going to sell out their identity to make a lame (and a lot of the "hey it's a joke" jokes were quite lame) joke. Another problem was that this show is in the theatre limbo of being somewhere between ridiculous and realistic. That's a TERRIBLE place for a full show to be... some short scenes might be able to get away with it, but as a general rule, you're going to want to pick between realism and absurdity. Watching this show, you could see how much better it would have been had the writer stuck with realism... or how much more off-the-wall if he had stuck with absurdity... but it's somewhere in between and, frankly, the audience couldn't get into that. The audience, actually, was quite quiet. *pulls at collar* Eek!
The second show had Rebecca (also from my conservatory class) and a guy you've all probably seen from SC pamphlet's or flyers, Pip. If you've seen a black guy on any Second City flyer, it's Pip. And I found out why... he's REALLY good. He was on the touring company for a while... and now he's in a show with someone I get to work with every week! I was excited for Rebecca after I saw her show. They also do a set at a different theatre which is longer and includes an improv set. Interesting thing about her show: it was double-billed... so they had just gotten into it (or maybe I had just gotten into it) when they had to stop. It was a great show, though.
And the final show of the night (yeah... I went to three), was with Robert and Mike... two guys I was in a couple shows with. Their show (AisA, for future reference) was amazingly good. It was tight, it was fun... it had dance numbers, improved scenes and a song, a choreographed "Matrix"-like fight (using people to hold other people suspended in air), recurring characters... it felt like they packed a LOT into the hour-long show. They did pack a lot into that hour. I guess that's why it... who am I talking to? Okay... I'm stopping. But it was easily the best show of the night... and I'm glad I got to see them, even though they didn't want me in this show. *sniffle* I'll be fine.
After all the shows (and all the sitting), I felt a little restless. So I did something I've never done before... I walked around the bar scene on a Saturday night. I just walked all the way to downtown and then headed back North. It actually inspired a poem (more like a spoken word piece... but whatever), that I went back to my place and furiously started scribbling. Word to all the writers out there... ALWAYS have a pen on you. I do most of the time (I even have a pen pocket in one of my jackets)... but I didn't have a pen Saturday night which ticked me off because I had an idea in my head and I couldn't put it anywhere. So, heading back to my apartment Saturday night was a little like running to the bathroom when you know you're going to be sick: it was going to come out whether I wanted it to or not; but I hoped to have a good receptacle to put everything in so I wouldn't have to clean up the mess later.
Speaking of stuff I've never done before AND feeling like I'm going to vomit, I sat in on a different Conservatory class Sunday afternoon. I know you're sitting there wondering how visiting an Improv class can make one want to throw up... but visiting another class is like starting over. I didn't know anyone (except Katy... hi Katy!), and I didn't know how they act on stage, and I didn't know if I was going to be made to look like a fool or if I wouldn't be accepted... I mean, every single thing that would keep someone from doing improv in the first place comes back when you're faced with visiting a different class.
So I get to the class and in the good news/bad news category... they have a "substitute" teacher. Instead one of the women from the mainstage, it's one of the guys on the mainstage. This is bad news since I went to the class to have the instructor see me before the Level 2 audition that I'm going to miss (thank you England). But, this may have been a blessing in disguise because we played a name warm-up game so that Brian (the guy from mainstage) could get to know everyone's name. This helped me to learn, surprise, everyone's name. Then we focused on three person scenes... and I did a couple scenes before we broke for our... break. Right. Anyway, during break, one of the women in their class (Tammy?) came up to me and said that she thought I was good and was happy I came to sit into their class. I'm sure I either blushed or played it off TOO much to keep from blushing. I then went over and started talking to Katy and some of the other class members. I, apparently, talked to them with such easy that Katy asked me how I knew the people I was talking to. I'm a salesman, what can I say? It runs in the family. That reference made no sense. Moving forward, after break we did a couple montages. It was fun... it was a lot of fun, actually. I had to smile at one guy in their class... there's one guy in their class who is just so... wow, how do I put it nicely... it's like he's got the whole scene written before it starts and instead of just getting to it, he's going to, like, ask you a question such as "Do you know what this means?" He's lucky I wasn't in that scene with him because I'm too jaded to play that game. I would have said something like "It means you're an idiot"... to which he would have replied "No" (as that's what he did when the woman he was doing that scene with responded with whatever she said) but then not tell me what it meant... like I was still supposed to phuking guess (which is what he made the woman do. I wanted to punch him). But, other than that one guy, a very talented and fun class.
The class seemed to like me so much, in fact, that afterwards they invited me to Corcorans with them for a drink and some bar food. I didn't partake in the food, but I felt like celebrating my minor accomplishment (sitting in on a class) a bit. In an "unlike me" kind of way, I stayed with them for about an hour after class... talking to people I don't know, and joking with almost complete strangers. Katy actually had to leave before we went to the bar... so I didn't even have her at the bar to hit on. TALK TO! I meant talk to. Talk to. But I have the feeling that a couple of the young ladies in that class kind of liked me. Or, at the very least, I was mysterious enough that I intrigued them. I mean, they were talking to me about myself (my favorite subject!), and they made me feel very wanted ("Are you going to join our class now??!", "We're more fun than your other class, huh??"), and it was a pretty nice ego boost. And I think at least one of them was attracted to me... although I would appreciate if Katy didn't find out how her classmates feel and gratuitously let me know that I'm wrong. I would like to just go on thinking the lie that someone finds me attractive, if that's alright with everyone involved. Thanks!
Sunday night? NEW FAMILY GUY!... Family Guy is probably the only show on television that makes me consistently laugh out loud. I seriously laugh out loud at least a dozen times per episode... which is unreal when one thinks about writing a tv show: being able to make someone laugh out loud so frequently? It's incredible. That show... is incredible. I'm so glad it's back on. American Dad, on the other hand, is above average at best and mediocre at worst.
Friday I went out to Keith's. Trying to drive anywhere in Chicago on a Friday is like trying to pull teeth by entering through one's scrotum: it's painful, and you're pretty sure there's a better way to do it. The normally 45 minute drive took Adam and I at least an hour and a half... even though we left pretty early in the afternoon (around 3). Yes, there are THAT many people who leave work early on Friday. But we eventually got Keith's and guess what? No Keith. He had been involved in a charity (a REALLY good cause too) golf tournament in the afternoon and was late in arriving at his house.
While Adam and I were waiting outside of Keith's, I decided to give Miss Sarah Jean a call back. She had called me while I was expertly maneuvering through Chicago traffic so I, obviously, didn't answer. The conversation was interesting from beginning to end... as Eli answered Sarah's phone when I called. Is this, I asked myself, just a sign of things to come? Trying to get a hold of Sarah means I might get either of them? I think the reality of the wedding hit me harder than the simple act of Eli answering the phone should have led to. Regardless, Sarah asked me to stand in her wedding. Or, should I say Sarah and Eli asked me... as they were both there. I, of course, said yes! And that this would finally allow me to go to the wedding with Randi as my date... which is our destiny.
Once Keith arrived, we went down into the infamous "Basement." We did a few different scenes... but nothing as ambitious as a full herald. I feel like this trip was more about seeing my friends one last time before my trip than actually doing improv. And it was really good to spend some time with Adam and Keith again.
Saturday afternoon I was blessed to have a couple phone conversations. The first, a fabulous three-hour-marathon of feelings and intellectual stimuli... the other, an interesting display of early afternoon public drunkenness. *Clears throat* Uh... yeah. The marathon phone call was incredible... and flowed so easily. I only had to stop for water a couple times... and I admit I cramped up once, but the trainers rubbed it out (gross?) and I was back to the marathon.
I was also able to talk to Miss Amber online. In the fall, she is headed to Illinois Central College to teach FULL-TIME! Isn't that exciting? She'll have a full-class load and teach some writing classes and a lit class. As we were talking about it, I think I'm most excited for her to teach a lit class. People who really know their stuff (like Amber) should be teaching literature courses... and I think at least one lit class should be REQUIRED in college. I mean, we had to take that stupid writing comp test. Isn't reading as important as writing? Shouldn't we all have some common ground in our college experience... one or two books that we've all read and can talk about? Isn't that what the first-year common reading thing is supposed to be about? What the hell is my point? My point is that I'm excited for Amber. And I'm happy she gets to teach something besides writing to kids whose idea of a meaningful essay is telling us how much bonding occurred during their senior year high school football season (or how important football is to their identity).
Then Saturday night was an evening of Skybox shows. The first one I saw contained a guy, Jason, from my Conservatory class. He was good... I thought he was pretty funny... but I wish I could say the same about the show in general. Have you ever heard me talk about selling out a character for a joke? Well that's what this writer's "style" (if you can call it that) is. You can't get into any of the characters because you don't know if they're going to sell out their identity to make a lame (and a lot of the "hey it's a joke" jokes were quite lame) joke. Another problem was that this show is in the theatre limbo of being somewhere between ridiculous and realistic. That's a TERRIBLE place for a full show to be... some short scenes might be able to get away with it, but as a general rule, you're going to want to pick between realism and absurdity. Watching this show, you could see how much better it would have been had the writer stuck with realism... or how much more off-the-wall if he had stuck with absurdity... but it's somewhere in between and, frankly, the audience couldn't get into that. The audience, actually, was quite quiet. *pulls at collar* Eek!
The second show had Rebecca (also from my conservatory class) and a guy you've all probably seen from SC pamphlet's or flyers, Pip. If you've seen a black guy on any Second City flyer, it's Pip. And I found out why... he's REALLY good. He was on the touring company for a while... and now he's in a show with someone I get to work with every week! I was excited for Rebecca after I saw her show. They also do a set at a different theatre which is longer and includes an improv set. Interesting thing about her show: it was double-billed... so they had just gotten into it (or maybe I had just gotten into it) when they had to stop. It was a great show, though.
And the final show of the night (yeah... I went to three), was with Robert and Mike... two guys I was in a couple shows with. Their show (AisA, for future reference) was amazingly good. It was tight, it was fun... it had dance numbers, improved scenes and a song, a choreographed "Matrix"-like fight (using people to hold other people suspended in air), recurring characters... it felt like they packed a LOT into the hour-long show. They did pack a lot into that hour. I guess that's why it... who am I talking to? Okay... I'm stopping. But it was easily the best show of the night... and I'm glad I got to see them, even though they didn't want me in this show. *sniffle* I'll be fine.
After all the shows (and all the sitting), I felt a little restless. So I did something I've never done before... I walked around the bar scene on a Saturday night. I just walked all the way to downtown and then headed back North. It actually inspired a poem (more like a spoken word piece... but whatever), that I went back to my place and furiously started scribbling. Word to all the writers out there... ALWAYS have a pen on you. I do most of the time (I even have a pen pocket in one of my jackets)... but I didn't have a pen Saturday night which ticked me off because I had an idea in my head and I couldn't put it anywhere. So, heading back to my apartment Saturday night was a little like running to the bathroom when you know you're going to be sick: it was going to come out whether I wanted it to or not; but I hoped to have a good receptacle to put everything in so I wouldn't have to clean up the mess later.
Speaking of stuff I've never done before AND feeling like I'm going to vomit, I sat in on a different Conservatory class Sunday afternoon. I know you're sitting there wondering how visiting an Improv class can make one want to throw up... but visiting another class is like starting over. I didn't know anyone (except Katy... hi Katy!), and I didn't know how they act on stage, and I didn't know if I was going to be made to look like a fool or if I wouldn't be accepted... I mean, every single thing that would keep someone from doing improv in the first place comes back when you're faced with visiting a different class.
So I get to the class and in the good news/bad news category... they have a "substitute" teacher. Instead one of the women from the mainstage, it's one of the guys on the mainstage. This is bad news since I went to the class to have the instructor see me before the Level 2 audition that I'm going to miss (thank you England). But, this may have been a blessing in disguise because we played a name warm-up game so that Brian (the guy from mainstage) could get to know everyone's name. This helped me to learn, surprise, everyone's name. Then we focused on three person scenes... and I did a couple scenes before we broke for our... break. Right. Anyway, during break, one of the women in their class (Tammy?) came up to me and said that she thought I was good and was happy I came to sit into their class. I'm sure I either blushed or played it off TOO much to keep from blushing. I then went over and started talking to Katy and some of the other class members. I, apparently, talked to them with such easy that Katy asked me how I knew the people I was talking to. I'm a salesman, what can I say? It runs in the family. That reference made no sense. Moving forward, after break we did a couple montages. It was fun... it was a lot of fun, actually. I had to smile at one guy in their class... there's one guy in their class who is just so... wow, how do I put it nicely... it's like he's got the whole scene written before it starts and instead of just getting to it, he's going to, like, ask you a question such as "Do you know what this means?" He's lucky I wasn't in that scene with him because I'm too jaded to play that game. I would have said something like "It means you're an idiot"... to which he would have replied "No" (as that's what he did when the woman he was doing that scene with responded with whatever she said) but then not tell me what it meant... like I was still supposed to phuking guess (which is what he made the woman do. I wanted to punch him). But, other than that one guy, a very talented and fun class.
The class seemed to like me so much, in fact, that afterwards they invited me to Corcorans with them for a drink and some bar food. I didn't partake in the food, but I felt like celebrating my minor accomplishment (sitting in on a class) a bit. In an "unlike me" kind of way, I stayed with them for about an hour after class... talking to people I don't know, and joking with almost complete strangers. Katy actually had to leave before we went to the bar... so I didn't even have her at the bar to hit on. TALK TO! I meant talk to. Talk to. But I have the feeling that a couple of the young ladies in that class kind of liked me. Or, at the very least, I was mysterious enough that I intrigued them. I mean, they were talking to me about myself (my favorite subject!), and they made me feel very wanted ("Are you going to join our class now??!", "We're more fun than your other class, huh??"), and it was a pretty nice ego boost. And I think at least one of them was attracted to me... although I would appreciate if Katy didn't find out how her classmates feel and gratuitously let me know that I'm wrong. I would like to just go on thinking the lie that someone finds me attractive, if that's alright with everyone involved. Thanks!
Sunday night? NEW FAMILY GUY!... Family Guy is probably the only show on television that makes me consistently laugh out loud. I seriously laugh out loud at least a dozen times per episode... which is unreal when one thinks about writing a tv show: being able to make someone laugh out loud so frequently? It's incredible. That show... is incredible. I'm so glad it's back on. American Dad, on the other hand, is above average at best and mediocre at worst.
Sunday, May 01, 2005
Another Woman Emotionally Scars Someone She Loves Beyond Psychological Repair
Have you heard about this story where a bride ran away from her wedding and faked abduction? It seems as though a certain Georgian bride-to-be ended up in New Mexico (somehow by way of Las Vegas) after just up-and-leaving during a jog. She called 911 sometime during her trip to tell them she had been kidnapped at gunpoint. Once she got as far as Albuquerque (and had run out of money, coincidentally), she decided to call the cops again and say she had been freed by her kidnappers. She finally confessed to the hoax, and the Albuquerque Police Chief said she was "very upset." Can I just say this? What a phuking bitch! SHE'S upset?! What about the man you not only left in Georgia, across the entire country, but that you would rather tell you were kidnapped at gunpoint than marry?! The cops are saying there is nothing criminal about what she did, but I hope her fiancee phuking sues her ass. And, excuse me, it wasn't just like she left and needed a long drive... this woman concocted a story to cover herself AND cut her hair so she wouldn't be recognized. I'm disgusted by this woman's selfishness... thinking only of herself and not about her fiancee or, hey!, what about her FAMILY who thinks she's been KIDNAPPED at GUNPOINT?! Nope... didn't think of them either. She was only thinking about her own selfish... self. She's selfish enough to manage a Coldstone... *wah wahhhh* Everybody's a critic.
PS New story says they might charge her with making false statements to the police. What do I have to say about it? Good.
Have you heard about this story where a bride ran away from her wedding and faked abduction? It seems as though a certain Georgian bride-to-be ended up in New Mexico (somehow by way of Las Vegas) after just up-and-leaving during a jog. She called 911 sometime during her trip to tell them she had been kidnapped at gunpoint. Once she got as far as Albuquerque (and had run out of money, coincidentally), she decided to call the cops again and say she had been freed by her kidnappers. She finally confessed to the hoax, and the Albuquerque Police Chief said she was "very upset." Can I just say this? What a phuking bitch! SHE'S upset?! What about the man you not only left in Georgia, across the entire country, but that you would rather tell you were kidnapped at gunpoint than marry?! The cops are saying there is nothing criminal about what she did, but I hope her fiancee phuking sues her ass. And, excuse me, it wasn't just like she left and needed a long drive... this woman concocted a story to cover herself AND cut her hair so she wouldn't be recognized. I'm disgusted by this woman's selfishness... thinking only of herself and not about her fiancee or, hey!, what about her FAMILY who thinks she's been KIDNAPPED at GUNPOINT?! Nope... didn't think of them either. She was only thinking about her own selfish... self. She's selfish enough to manage a Coldstone... *wah wahhhh* Everybody's a critic.
PS New story says they might charge her with making false statements to the police. What do I have to say about it? Good.
This is me at Keith's... "The Basement." Notice two things: 1) What I'm saying is obviously important... look how important I look like I think I am; 2) Dogs love me. That's Bramble... he's Keith's dog and he's wonderful. That's us bonding.
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