And we'll all have a really good tiiiime

Still having a pretty good time with the kids at Stages. The script can be a mouthful for some of them at times, but I am having fun. Signing our autographs on the kids programs the weekends is a kick too. A fair amount of mentally disabled kids and adults have made their appearances too. They get a charge out of our attempts at British accents.

It's uncommon to really relish in the experience of showing up and performing. Oftentimes you just want to finish a run and have it done with. But I'm thankful for 3 more weeks of "P and P". Maybe it's the youthful energy of the teens in the show that charges me up (I know it ain't everyone's cup of tea). I'm kicking myself for missing the CTC general auditions (whenever they happened), but I think I like the idea of pursuing more childrens theatre. I think, for good measure, I'll send my h/r over there regardless.

Yo, Adrian!

Kudos to the Vikes for their 7th overall pick of Adrian Peterson, who will inject some excitement into the offense for 2007:






Badass RB will be the terror of the Midway. Rowr!

Also picked was youngling WR Sidney Rice from South Carolina (he'll turn 21 in September- no parties for you, sir!) in the 2nd Round. Not bad at all. B+ draft according to Mel "Hyper" Kiper for da Vikes (barring any injuries, knock on ethernet wood).

"This is your new thing now"

I feel slightly blissed out today. Amy comes home tonight from L.A., there's money in my bank account, and I opened a show this weekend. I'll also be doing another show for Exposed Brick next Friday afternoon, which is good. The Vikings will hopefully draft a kick-ass offensive player this weekend. Life is pretty O.K. right now.
I dunno, I guess I go into funks and feel excluded on a semi-regular basis. I didn't get the artist's initiative grant, I didn't get into the MN Fringe Festival (couldn't make a BYOV work either), I didn't get cast in at least 5 plays I wanted to be cast in. I quit the theatre company I was involved after 2 years of several trying experiences to make a cohesive and rewarding environment (I saw that I was removed from the Wikipedia entry). I made it mean that I was intentionally edged out because of some failure on my part. Not necessarily true. I mean, we actors can generally sense when we've "nailed" an audition; felt good about the monologue or the cold-read we had for the director. I had that feeling for all 5 of the auditions mentioned previously (save for the one that I know sucked ass: the Jungle), but to no avail. But that's everyone's story, right? And I really don't feel so bad about it. I mean, I am not defined by any individual or entity like that. The Popularity Contest that pervades this town is a fleeting and everchanging beast. And it matters diddlysquat in the long-run.
I think I want to start my own thing. I tried once, but it fell flat. Probably because I had no base, design or support to it. I just wanted to "do my show". I mean, I'd like a venue or means to do work that I want to do. Work that I think needs to be addressed. I don't know what it looks like, but something new would be a welcome change. There's just that whole "trust issue" thing to navigate around.

"Tick-Tock Tick-Tock, Clarice..."

Still waiting to hear from St.Croix. I must say I'll be disappointed if I am not cast in any of the shows, as I really would like to be up there in some capacity this summer. I had a good time last winter doing "Hans Brinker". The trip is not as bad as one might think.



I hate the tiny angst of waiting to hear about an audition. Even after doing this for as long as I have, the butterflies still come, as I am sure they do for all actors in this place. But I feel invested somewhat, having been a cast member of the "new regime" since the last winter show. I'd like to see the theatre continue successfully, and to be a part of that.



I dunno. I have nothing else lined up for the rest of the year. I have had really good solid auditions for several shows these last few months with nothing to show for it. Oh, well...


I know, Remarkably Succinct Talking Baby, I know... we've been down this road before.

Mirror, mirror

I am reminded that I am in the same fix as last year.

Exactly one year ago, I was at a temp job that gave me no work to do. I walked out because I despised everyone there.

This year, I am at a temp job that really has no work for me to do, but the woman I took over for is back from her "medical leave" unexpectedly. I am being shifted around from desk to desk with really no place to go. The people here are ok, though.

Hotmail is down.

So, I am probably bitching about really nothing at all. I have my temp rep "looking into it", and would be willing to go somewhere else that really needed me. Although with my show opening next week, and matinee schedule conflicts soon to follow, I am a little worried. I am willing to stay and hang out, earning dough that I need while attempting to look busy, even though we all know that's bullshit. I feel as though I have no choice at this point (which is bullshit, too; I know I could make more powerful choices).

Angst. Something needs to shift. I need to shift. This isn't working.

Efficiency

Man, I've had some boring temp jobs before, but this is one of the most de-active" I've had in a while. It's almost cliche to say it should be expected; working for local government, that is. For a reception job, it's LOW-KEY (with business casual!). The last one like this was unbearable, and I walked out- some bullshit HR gig where I was given NOTHING to do. At least the people here are cool, and acknowledge somewhat that it can be dragging at times. Got a cool view of the river though (right next to the fax-machine).

I have caught up on some reading, though. Bill loaned me "True and False" by David Mamet, which was a very good read. I like it when books are informative, and still give you the sense of "Hey, I knew that (or felt that) too!". He talks about the Great Actor- the one who's in it for the glory, and we pretty much hand it over to him. The Great Actor also doesn't take risks or present anything really new, and pretty much relies on "looking good". There's still alot of that in this town, but it's refreshing to see that the tables turn every once in a while where a small group of folks do something unique and get lauded. Not even necessarily perfect, but unique.

So, even in my small way, I trudge on. I mean, we all want attention and acknowledgement for our work, and there's nothing wrong with that. But it's really not about US. If it were, the director wouldn't be harping on our volume and diction, dig?

Oh, #82:

Why can't you be more like #84?

The greatest trick the devil ever pulled...

...was convincing me that I needed a credit card.

I got in trouble once before, but only recently did I take up the cause to possess one "in case of an emergency".

Well, my first significant purchase (besides the new computer) is a car repair I get to look forward to paying today.

I have the fantasy that someday soon I will live in the country without a vehicle, and work on my modern art in a barn with Marcia Gay Harden nagging me day and night.

Oh, and I'd bike to the general store and back; drunk and weaving with a 24-pack on my handlebars.

The Sixth Sense...

The cleaning woman here at my temp job just told me she saw a ghost on our floor last Wednesday night. She apparently saw some man at the end of the hallway while she was emptying the trashcans by the main desk. Having experienced such visitors several times before, she quietly observed the still and shadowed figure, who eventually disappeared from sight when she turned to look again. Similar experiences have happened to her in this building. Sometimes M & M's will be scattered over the carpet in an office area already cleaned by her. Other "figures" have appeared on other floors.

Details are sketchy, partly due to her thick Caribbean accent, but also in her "as a matter of fact" tone in which she tells it. How they were dressed, or what they were doing, or even the manner of their appearance escaped me.

A college friend of mine had ghost stories to tell, and he told them in a similar manner to the cleaning woman: interesting, but "as a matter of fact" that the spirits or visitors are supposed to be around and about.

I really only have one "ghost" story to call my own.

My last college house with 3 other roommates was, by our account, haunted. My own experience centered around that time of the morning when you wake up 2 minutes before your alarm is supposed to go off. My roommate Bill and I planned to clean up our backyard before our moveout date first thing that morning. As I lie half-asleep, I distinctly remember my bedroom door evenly opening a crack. I thought I observed a figure on the other side looking in on me. A few seconds later, and the door evenly closed and clicked shut. Thinking it was Bill checking in on me to see if I was awake, I waited until the radio alarm went off to change into jeans and t-grungy T-shirt.

Needless to say, I went downstairs and discovered Bill still asleep in his room. So was it a dream I had? Probably. But coupled with other happenings in the house, it left me to wonder still. Among these were a figure seen in the stairway window close to my bedroom by another roommate from outside, a rainstick turning full blast upside down in the middle of the night, and footsteps heard going from my bedroom upstairs back and forth to the bathroom (I came home 5 minutes later to find my roommate Joe wondering how I got downstairs and out the door and back without him noticing).

Here we goes...

I am really at odds with posting blogs.

On one hand, I think it is self-indulgent bullshit, and on the other it is a connective diversion to the etherscape. And a handy cheap tool to have to call a "webpage" my very own.

There are times when I figure that I'll post something that irritates me. That irritation may or may not involve other people in my life or theatre career, so self-incrimination is a hazard. From what I gather, there is a protocol to this sort of thing, where one names a particular person by a chosen codename (preferably not something along the lines of "That Rat-Bastard"). Or even just saying He, She, the Person, or perhaps inserting a picture into a sentence, for example:

"So,

was a real bitch to me today".

I am sure I will become more adept and creative as the situation warrants.