The Numbers For 2013

For the first time since 1999 I went 365 days without a drink.

I made 1 major purchase, a Honda VTX motorcycle.

I went on 1 vacation to Richmond, VA.

I saw 88 movies in the theater.

I went through 1 breakup.

Deep Schwa had 51 shows.

Prime had 46 shows.

The Night Shift had 23 shows.

Rick had 9 shows and was cut.

The Hague was formed and had 18 shows.

I created 1 character: Pastor Dirk Deadman.

I did 2 auditions.

I got 1 callback.

I read around 40 books, my favorite of which was The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman.

We rebooted Groh Show and released 4 episodes.

Tisher, Tim and I released 10 episodes of Bubble Boys comprising Season 1.

We recorded 6 episodes of Bubble Boys Season 2, yet to be released.

I made two collages.

Beanpole and I collaborated on 1 project.

I played 2 games of chess, both I lost.

I went to 1 concert.

I went to 0 plays.

I went to 0 weddings.

I went to 0 funerals

I fell in love, once.

West Coasters

Periodically old members of Deep Schwa will come back and play. Last night Brian Jack, in town for the holidays, came back and brought Dave Hill formally of famed iO team People of Earth and Matt Jones formally of famed TV show Breaking Bad. Whenever we have guests or former members back I think we're all a little sharper, a little faster, more excited and eager

It was a real fun show with a packed crowd which seemed to really love it. I was trepidatious initially because 11 can be an unruly amount of people and whenever people come in from out of town and there are a lot of us I worry about getting in there and being apart of the show. We started off with real high energy and pace and were able to keep it going. Every scene had four or five people in it and we hit this pell-mell frenetics but never pushed over the border into incoherence or cacophony. Everyone played a part and got to be seen.

My favorite part by far was Jeannie coming on as Brooke Shields and then her and I reenacting a bizarre version of Blue Lagoon where the rest of the team were plants, rocks, and animals egging me on in my fumbling seduction.

It was challenging and a little chaotic and I think everyone involved, audience and performers, were entertained. I'm proud to be a member of Deep Schwa. It is one of my greatest accomplishments and greatest pleasures.

Graffiti 112

“Having a dissenting opinion on movies, music, or clothes, or owning clever or obscure possessions, is the way middle-class people fight one another for status...Hipsters, then, are the direct result of this cycle of indie, authentic, obscure, ironic, clever consummerism...It is ironic in the sense the very act of trying to run counter to the culture is what creates the next wave of culture people will in turn attempt to counter.” -David McRaney

"I'm just another stupid human." -Markus Zusak

Reprieve

It was 50 degrees in Chicago today. Encouragement from the city and the world at large. Comfort and reassurance that the winter months will pass quickly. And at the other end, warmth.

"A light wind swept over the corn, and all nature laughed in the sunshine." -Anne Bronte

Death Row Meal

One of celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain's favorite questions is "what is your death row meal" i.e. what would your last meal be if you could choose.

My mother's stromboli has been my favorite dish since she first made it when I was 12. Whenever possible I goad her into making it for me. Stromboli is a type of turnover filled with cheese and meat. Hers is simple and delicious. Our past couple Christmas dinners have featured stromboli and only by the gracious persistence of my sister did my mother make it this year. Good as ever.

Rounding out my last meal would be my mothers chicken chili(refrigerated and reheated the day after it was made), Brussels sprouts and a Cherry Coke Zero.

It would be a fine meal to end on.

'Her' A Review

Her is a science fiction romance set in an undefined future where a man falls in love with an operating system.  The film is murky and elusive. Every person seeing it will come away with their own feelings and interpretations it's theme or message is ambiguous.

Joaquin Phoenix plays Theodore a man struggling to recover from a divorce. He works at Beautifulhandwrittenletters.com(yuck) a company family and lovers outsource their correspondence to. He works, he plays video games, and he engages in bizarre sex chats before bed. Enter Samantha voiced by Scarlett Johansson an artificial intelligence operating system. Samantha gets Theodore's life in order and they gradually fall in love mirroring the problems and pace of a normal relationship. Other than Theodore's ex-wife everyone acts as if this is totally normal and acceptable.

The future that is portrayed is unassuming but sad and quietly horrifying. Technology is ubiquitous. The relationship which is the focus of the film is handled with grace and feels organic however a romance between human and computer feels hollow. Phoenix's performance is good but there is something unsatisfying, incomplete about his scenes with Samantha. He doesn't come off as pathetic or a loser but he is not particularly likable, in fact none of the characters are save maybe Samantha.

It's been said the film encapsulates the 21st century, has it's fingers on the pulse of our culture. If that is the case humanity is on a collision course with isolation, weakness, dependence, perpetual immaturity and fear. To me Her is a cautionary tale of a bleak future, a glimpse into the depraved socially handicapped society we may become. It is no doubt beautifully shot, excellently scored, and well acted but it is unpleasant.

The best scene of the film is about a minute long. The only scene Phoenix interacts with his ex-wife played by Rooney Mara. It's refreshing to see him interact with a human, makes you wish the whole movie would have actually been about his failed marriage.

Interesting and thought provoking but not enjoyable. And the high waisted pants don't make any sense.

Rent It.

A Different Kind Of Christmas

My family does all its activities Christmas Eve. We open presents between the four of us and then my extended family on my father's side get together and have pizza fondue for dinner.

For a long time the extended family would get each other gifts. The uncles and aunts would get the kids gifts until they were through college and the adults would draw names to get each other a gift. We gave up the gift exchange last year and at this point I only have two little cousins that get gifts.

This year was quite different. Marta and Nick just got engaged so there was a lot of excitement about that. My college-age cousins on my mom's side Iona, James, and John, in town from LA, spent the holiday with us. My mom's family is spread all over the country and some across the world so it was a great treat to have them with us.

In a surprise twist Tisher came and spent Christmas with us as well. Groupon is being progressively stingy with PTO so he couldn't make the trip back to Napa to be with his family. It was great and odd to have him there, like worlds colliding and I think he enjoyed himself but there is still something melancholy about spending the holiday with a family not your own.

All told that's nine people when our norm is four. The holiday was more crowded, a bit more stressful, and not as relaxing as it usually is. More often than not I spend the holiday lounging around and reading. This time there was a lot more running around, a lot more errands, a lot more logistics, and more entertaining to be done. Which was a nice change- fuller and more action packed. In the past I may have been put off by all the changes to our routines, but I was happy to mix things up and to be there for my family and friend to, together, have a great holiday.

I got my dad Undefeated on DVD. We watched it today before I came back to Chicago. We watched and cried, it was a wonderful Christmas.

Silent Season

closed mouths

tight lips

nothing said

nothing missed

cold above

cold below

hunker down

for winters lull

around the fire

yarns are spun

ambitions forged

songs begun

a quiet night

a frozen day

perseverance

come what may

'American Hustle' A Review

American Hustle is a crime dramedy loosely based on the 1978 ABSCAM operation. The plot is not confusing but describing it most certainly would be. Going into this film I knew almost nothing about it, thanks for the most part to the short length of the trailers and the lack of dialogue within them, and it affirms my belief that the less you know about a film the greater your enjoyment will be.

Across the board the performances are incredible bolstered by a tight, electric script. Christian Bale and Amy Adams put in two marvelously inspired turns as con-artists in love. Their chemistry is fascinating and the love they portray for each other is more engaging and believable then most romances. The individual characterizations are so densely layered it immediately encourages repeated viewing. They find humor, drama, heartbreak, despair, determination, joy, charm, sensuality, spite, shrewdness- they hit all the notes. The leads are rounded out by Bradley Cooper in his most ambitious and successful performance to date and Jennifer Lawrence in her first turn as a heel. If there is one flaw in the film it is Lawrence's accent- it comes and goes. The supporting cast is lead by excellent turns from Jeremy Renner and Louis C.K. who make an already great movie vibrant and balanced.

A great script which allows four great actors to put in four delirious, melodic performances.

Don't Miss It.

Engagement!

My phone is almost always on silent so I frequently miss calls from people. I'm also fairly lax about returning calls so my dad and I have an unspoken code. If he texts me "Call when you can" that pretty much means call right away. My sister texted me last night "Call when you can. LU" and so even though it was late I called her back.

Marta: Well...Nick and I are engaged!

It was a very excited, surprising and joyous conversation. I am truly happy for her and am incredibly grateful to be in a position where I can be present and share/delight in the news, to be one of the first people she wants to call and tell.

I restrained myself from asking the questions that immediately come to mind- where and when- but could not resist joking-but-not-really-joking with Nick about his potential groomsmen, angling for a spot.

It is wonderful news. Easily the blinding highlight of the holiday season.

Hamburgerman

Long before Hamburgerman was the host of the worlds most popular home improvement show A Patty Prepares, long before Hamburgerheads from all over the world tuned in each night to see the best way to sand their counters or paint their cabinets, long before fame created Hamburgerman there was only Burgerboy.

Burgerboy did not have a nice childhood. At school he was called a variety of hateful nicknames. Some relatively conventional, some more creative: Beef Breath, Mayo Brains, Grease Trap, Meat Mop, Onion Eyes, Glutton Guide, Burnt Buns, Cowlips, EColi Face, Mustard Tears and Temple Grandin by the kids in the agricultural know. His classmates would hold him under the hand dryer in the bathroom and dry out his patties. They would dowse him with water to soggy his buns. They would ridicule him for the stink of his cheese even though they themselves were ignorant in the ways of deodorant.

And no girl ever talked to Burgerboy.

The only school dance Burgerboy ever went to was prom. He went stag, decked out in a vintage 70's tux with ruffles. He had no friends and no date but he wanted the experience. The football team released five German Shepherds when he first braved the dance floor, they had been unfed for three days. As he fled the school grounds with the dogs in hot pursuit he could hear the roar of spiteful laughter from his classmates.

College wasn't much better. He started wearing a cloth sack on his head.

For a time he lived in Berlin, City of Freaks, and was unaccepted. Time passed.

On a weather induced layover at JFK Burgerboy met Richard Karn, famous for portraying Al Borland on the legend-in-its-own-time TV show Home Improvement.

Little did he know what a fateful meeting it would turn out to be.

Graffiti 111

I've always been drawn to eyes. The first painting I ever did, which was terrible, in 8th grade art class was a disembodied red and black eye floating in a maroon storm. Because of Lord of The Rings and folklore there's a ton of evil eye imagery in a lot of fantasy books. There's something deep and unknowable about the eye.

"The health of the eye seems to demand a horizon. We are never tired, so long as we can see far enough." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Every closed eye is not sleeping, and every open eye is not seeing." -Bill Cosby

Justice

Last night The Night Shift had a show at The Playground. Last Wednesday, tonight, and for a couple other Wednesdays in January we have a night with Yes Diggity and Squall, two other Playground teams. This week there were only two audience members and about half the members of each team so we decided to do two mash up teams instead of our three individual teams.

The first mash up team started off well- an established setting, an interesting premise, and some fun characters. It wasn't great but they were figuring it out. As the piece went on I noticed one guy off to the sides waiting, let's call him Doug. After a while Doug entered the scene and took over. Non-stop talking, steamrolling of others ideas, with no regard for give and take. Doug came on and it was apparent to me that he was judging the piece, figured it "wasn't going well" and had it in his mind to "fix it". That's a good instinct to have but how he tried to "fix" it was by talking over everyone, negating others statements and ideas, and by repeatedly calling one woman's character a bitch. This behavior is unacceptable.

In life there is rarely justice, I've talked about this before, but in improv there can and should be. Doug is a talented guy but his methods were not funny, not inspired, and made him look like an asshole. And there's a fine line between being an asshole onstage and being one off stage. That kind of improv is unacceptable and makes people uncomfortable, Doug needs to realize that. It is also on the other improvisers performing with him to let him know that.

When someone is acting like an asshole and treating people like an asshole in an improv show it is important that that person get their comeuppance. There's a fine and blurry line between the personal and the professional in improv shows and if we feel uncomfortable as a person in a show with what someone else is doing it is a valid feeling and we our entitled to act on it. In this show I was waiting for one of the other players to stop him, to call him out, to bring him down. What that looks like sometimes with people like Doug is talking louder than him. If he shouts- you yell, if he interrupts you- you don't let him get a sentence out without an interjection.

Sometimes you have to fight. Not physically or personally or off stage. But in an improv show if you feel put down or let down or called out or taken advantage of you respond in kind. Use your imporv, use your skill, use your wit. Turn the tides.

Take a stand.

Groh Show #17

Groh Show with Danny Groh Holiday edition. Danny shares with us his new alter ego Grizzly Groh, explains the true meaning of Christmas, chastises Daniel for not celebrating it, advised me to stop cooking, and gives us a little insight into his recent romantic parting of the ways.

And he tells us about his band which I'm still skeptical is actually a real thing that will happen.

Steve's Guide To Holiday Parties

1. Eat Up- More often than not there is a lot of food at such parties. Freely provided by the host or a pot luck type situations. Either it's free or mostly free. Indulge. And try all the cookies you can.

2. Drink Up- I don't drink but for those who do it's a good time to make merry. Shake off some of the winter doldrums. Stir the pot. If there is an open bar, take advantage. If its BYOB there's usually more than enough to go around. Give one, take two.

3. Stay Mobile- Don't get pinned in a corner. Stick and move. Engage with friends you haven't seen in a while and try to touch base with some people you may only know in passing. The energy at a holiday party can be a bit frenetic, ride it don't let it ride you.

4. Dance- If there's dancing and you like dancing- dance. If you're one of those people that is on the fence, survey the scene, if a lot of people are dancing and having fun join in. Don't be shy. This is our substitute for the Winter Solstice. Cut loose before buckling down for the long winter. Get those pheromones working.

5. Exit Strategy- Go in with an idea of how long you want to stay and try to stick to it. An hour, two, what have you. You don't want to get roped into something or get yourself into trouble. Have an excuse- work, a significant other, unattended Christmas shopping etc. You can also go in with the idea to stay all night, keep yourself open to the possibility of a kiss under the mistletoe or something a little more decadent. If that's what you're looking for stick it out till the end and see what opportunities arise.

6. Stay Safe- Use cabs, public transportation, and designated drivers if you plan to imbibe. If the holiday party is work related keep yourself reigned in around your boss. Try not to break or spill things. If you are directing your affections at someone be sure they are being welcomed.

The goal is to wake up the next day feeling satisfied not guilty.

'The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug' A Review

The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug is a fantasy film, the second installment of the Hobbit trilogy. The adventure continues where it left off with a brief, and contrived, flashback to catch up any uninitiated coming to the franchise for the first time. Bilbo and his band take refuge in the home of a skinchanger, traverse Mirkwood forest, are imprisoned by the elves, escape to Lake-town, enter the Lonely Mountain, and confront the dragon Smaug. A lot happens in the film and the adventure is engaging and pleasing.

Pervading over the whole experience however is the nagging question of why. There is no reason to extend this story into three films, the content isn't there. The Lord Of The Rings movies had a break neck pace and a good amount was cut from the books, even though there were three long films they were packed with story. The Hobbit by comparison feels bloated and lethargic. Because of the length of the films, the amount of digressions they make, and the fact there are three- a great deal of narrative momentum and satisfaction is lost.

The performances are spot on but because of the investment required by the audience a great deal of freshness is lost.

Entertaining and good for distraction but nothing more.

Rent It.

'The Last Days On Mars' A Review

The Last Days On Mars is a scifi thriller about an expedition searching for life on the red planet. The movie is a cookie cutter rehash of every monsters-in-space trope. So obvious it's boring, it achieves neither camp, horror, nor suspense. There is life on Mars, surprise, its bacteria that turns people into zombies.

An excellent cast is given almost nothing to do and nothing to work with. It's depressing watching great actors struggle with such mediocrity. Liev Schrieber, Elias Koteas, and Olivia Williams put in valient efforts with no effect, they seem either unaware of how terrible the finish product will turn out or determined to, by force of will alone, create a watchable movie. There acting isn't bad its what they're saying and what(little) happens in the movie that makes it D.O.A.

The Last Days On Mars makes Ghosts of Mars look like an innovative masterpiece.

Don't See It.

It's A Wonderful Life

Nicole surprised me with tickets to It's A Wonderful Life tonight, one of her favorite movies and one I've never seen. It started off a little stressful. The Music Box was packed and there was a line out the door. When we picked up the tickets we were surprised to discover that the seats were assigned and through some box office mix up our seats were one in front of the other instead of one next to the other. The theater was a chaotic mess and I clammed up, situations like that shoot my anxiety to the moon.

The family sitting to my left had reserved the remainder of the row but one of their party wasn't coming. They graciously acquiesced when Nicole asked for the seat. We had our own little Christmas miracle. My relief was palpable. Before the film started Santa and a faction of some Chicago choir lead the room in Christmas carols. I was skeptical at first but quickly joined in. It was a nice feeling, a room full of people singing those old familiar songs.

The movie started and by then I was in my element. I liked the movie a lot. I think it has an almost perfect structure and performances which walk a tight rope of sentimentality but never fall into it. I cried at the end.

It was a wonderful night. Sharing the experience with Nicole meant a great deal and I now understand why the movie resonates with her and so many others.

I'm not one for the Christmas spirit or seasonal sentimentality. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't moved.

Posion

"How may I help you?"
day after day after day
erodes empathy
and leaves a calculating cold.

Unwarranted and Unplanned
Maliciousness
targets those who answer phones
or make change
or conduct trains
or tear tickets
or serve spirits.
Conduits for discontent.

Temper is infectious
and can be leeched.

But serenity is better
and kindness best.

Goodbye Gary

Tonight was Gary's goodbye show. It was really fun and loving and sweet. There were two sets with Gary then a series of tributes/bits for him. All the expressions of affection were very genuine and there was a palpable feeling of friendship in the room. That of course was off set by some gentle and not so gentle ribbing.

Gary will be missed but there wasn't a pervading feeling of sadness because Gary is an amazingly talented guy and there is no doubt from anyone that he will do well in New York. Also there is no doubt he'll come back to visit. 

A lot of things were said about Gary- how nice he is, how talented, and how fun. What I will remember most, Gary's defining trait in my eyes, is his fearlessness. I've seen him again and again in improv shows and with his sketch and stand-up engage in dangerous material. Stuff that seems almost impossible to pull off. I wrote about one of my favorite bits of his last year: No Guts No Glory. He has the ability to walk a razor's edge of controversial material and make the content funny and at times poignant. Recently Gary and Carmen did a frat boy scene about date rape. As a concept it should have been awful but some how they managed to make it funny and make a point. Gary constantly delivered fresh innovative perspectives on perilous subjects.

Every time I watched Gary there was an element of courage, of daring, and it is that which I'll miss most.

Good luck my friend.

A Cold City

The Chicago winter has come on quick and vengeful. Kept temperate for the past couple years it seems this winter has much too prove. The city is not less welcoming but seems to be fortifying itself for a long siege, as do most of it's occupants. People travel less and with more purpose, bundled and distant. With thickening blood Chicagoans guard against the long dark. A temper of reservation spreads, anxiety and depressive traps are prevalent.

But time passes, the city pumps, and we preserver.

"I have struck a city - a real city - and they call it Chicago... I urgently desire never to see it again. It is inhabited by savages." -Rudyard Kipling

"A city is a place where there is no need to wait for next week to get the answer to a question, to taste the food of any country, to find new voices to listen to and familiar ones to listen to again." -Margaret Mead

'Nebraska' A Review

Nebraska is a road trip family drama dubbed a comedy by its director Alexander Payne. It follows Woody(Bruce Dern) and his son David(Will Forte) as they travel from Billings, MT to Lincoln NE in order to collect a million dollars Woody believes he won in a publishers clearing house sweepstakes. They make a stop in Woody's hometown where most of the action takes place.

The film is quiet, patient, and subdued. It explores family, age, and a certain type of America. The performances are extremely varied. Dern puts in a layered performance as an aging alcoholic father with selective and/or impaired memory. Forte plays the everyman, a well meaning, lost, blank slate, searching for connection with his father and direction in his life. The rest of the cast success varies with good turns from Stacy Keach and Bob Odenkirk but with some rigid, jarring performances from Nebraskan locals. At points the line delivery is stilted and contrived but not enough to detract from the fluidity of the film.

Nebraska is shot in a cool black and white and depicts the landscape and the people with a haunting beauty and authenticity. Certainly not a lively film, but a film that conveys a lot of truth with enough moments of excitement, inspiration, and affirmation to balance it's overall depressive feel.

See It.

The Improv Mind

The first couple years I performed I could remember every suggestion, every scene, every show. Weeks after I could recall in detail moves and characters and took great pleasure in holding on to them. At a a certain point my mind hit critical mass and I lost it all. I still remember some stuff and can be jogged into remembering more but for the most part most of it fades pretty quickly. I don't miss it, the recall, it seems fitting, my memory mirrors the transient nature of improv.

My short term recall has vastly improved. The holding capacity has transferred from the long term to the short term. In a thirty minute span I can juggle scores of character names, premises, locations, and narrative arcs. But the specifics dissipate shortly after the lights are pulled.

Being able to be present and hyper aware in a show is more vital than being able to reminisce after a show.

Hang Drum

Last night The Hague had a show at iO, it was probably our best show to date, everything came together in a very organic pleasing way. Our show was totally eclipsed, however, by The Dream.

The Dream is usually the second or third act in an improv show at iO. The host brings someone up from the crowd, interviews them about their day, then the improvisers do a piece based on the response. Sometimes it can be fun, most of the time its relatively sedate. Last night The Dream was very different.

The first striking difference was it was just seven of us, instead of the Deltones the second show was going to be a one person musical and that person wasn't going to participate. The usual number of people doing it is 15-30. The second thing was the guy that did it. His name was Perry and he was a new agey guy who talked about getting his tarot cards read, being a spiritual traveler, transitioning from being a telemarketer to a spiritual healer, and playing an instrument called a Hang Drum. He has a daughter named Truth.

As the interview progressed I started to panic. The stuff he was saying was not typical and once we started doing scenes it could go from fun to making fun of him very quickly. I was anticipating it to be very difficult and to go very badly. He had his hang drum with him and we invited him to accompany Dave on piano while we improvised. It has this resonate, sharp, bell like quality.

The piece itself was a shocking success. It was very organic with little to no scenic elements- a lot of narrating, physical transformations, and direct address. It was the first time in a long time an improv piece I was in felt almost solely artistic, we didn't try to make jokes or do bits at all, it had a very trance like quality- ethereal and fleeting. We ended it by all seven of us mirroring him playing the hang drum with its tinkling foreign tones filling the room.

It's relatively unsatisfying describing an improv show, I know, but this one was special, unique, and one I'll never forget.

Sand

Brunlieb, Thomas, and Scott are the improv team Sand. They had a show last night at midnight at iO. It was a great show and the crowd was packed to watch 'em. It was one of those nights that happens every once in a while where friends perform and they are great and the audience members are all friends who perform and the energy in the room is full and positive and loving.

It had been a while since I had seen them and I think, for me, iO is the best place to watch improv. I don't mean the best improv but the best stages, the best set ups, and I feel the best in them. So watching them last night I enjoyed them more and was able to be more open when I was watching. What struck me was there form, their structure. It is relatively rigid or seems so- they do a monologue then three scenes with the person who gave the monologue, another monologue from a second person then three scenes with that person, a monologue by the third persons then three scenes with them then done. They called their own out and just took a bow without a light pull. What struck me was given the spartan simplicity of the structure they could stop worrying about form completely and focus exclusively on the characters which they are wonderful at, its their strength.

It just seemed so genius to me and almost like a trick, have a form so set and firm that any thought of it vanished- freeing you up. I enjoyed the show as an audience member and laughed my face off but also felt liberated as a performer watching my friends be truly original not as improvisers but from a longer view as theorists, inventing a new canvas, a new solo, a new way to play.

A great team, a great show, an eye-opener.

'Philomena' A Review

Philomena is a English drama about a woman trying to find her son she was forced to give up for adoption. Martin Sixsmith(Steve Coogan) has been outed as a political advisor and is at loose ends when he is approached by the daughter of Philomena(Judi Dench) about helping her mother locate her first child she was forced to give up while confined in a convent. After some persuasion he agrees and Martin and Philomena begin a journey into her past following a trail that is very cold.

The most striking thing about the film is it's realism and authenticity. There is the feeling that these are real people in a real situation, a spotlight on a story that doesn't have great political importance but significant universal emotional weight. Dench and Coogan both give multi-faceted performances playing somewhat against type, Dench as a simple, dotty country Irish lady and Coogan as a distant, quietly angry man suffering a mid-life crisis. The chemistry between the two is enough to carry the film but the story contains enough twists and surprises to create a shocking amount of tension for what would seem, on paper, a rather conventional drama. Dench and Coogan's relationship develops as most friendships or partnerships do, slowly. There is no large change or transformation form either character but we get to know them as they get to know each other, in unfolds beautifully.

A moving, surprising, resonate story which elucidates a small secret with large implications.

See It.

Nastiness

I don't enjoy being nasty to people. I doubt most people do. But sometimes the pressure of the daily grind, the cold, or city living get a whole lot of emotions percolating and you need an outlet.

This week has been particularly grating. Talking to and receiving a substantial amount of scornful animosity from women creeping into old age. I've been taking, what feels like, a disproportional amount of calls from sour, bitter, unhappy, angry, entitled, unreasonable old ladies. Interacting with them is poisonous. I can feel their attitudes infecting me and I feel the impetus to lash out. It's unpleasant. I don't like feeling angry and don't like to be put in a position where I interact with aggression.

The feelings get stirred up and have to go somewhere. You have to release the pressure or the boiler explodes. Humor is the solvent. I've got friends with sharp and wicked senses of humor and a couple times this week used them as conduits to alleviate the bad juju. I can say nasty things to Tisher, not at him but about others or in general, biting things, tee off on this or that and say things I have no belief in, and he can laugh and commiserate without judgement, and there's no residue, it's forgotten. I chatted with Brunlieb a couple times this week and jokingly confronted him and challenged him about a couple things. He's got a considerable dark streak hidden under his unassuming lovable exterior and we went back and forth saying, what could be considered, some hateful shit. It was all in fun, or if not all was of no consequences, reflected no genuine malice.

It's nice to have friends you can rail at or to. The world can be an ugly place and no matter how hard you try to have it roll off your back it can effect you. It's good to have a place to channel that negativity, to dissipate it with laughs, to let yourself go with someone safe, to revel in it for a moment then let it go.

Don't keep it to yourself, don't revel in it for long. Negativity is toxic and thrives in the dark, secret, lonely places.

One Last Ride

Tonight I took what will most likely be my last motorcycle ride of 2013.

A friend of my grandfather taught my dad to ride his motorcycle when my dad was 18, he's never said much about it but I get the sense he thought it was really fun. The next year in college my dad borrowed a friends motorcycle and crashed it, got pretty banged up. After that he didn't ride again for thirty years. At 50 he got the bug- maybe because his friends were all getting motorcycles, maybe it was part of some typical male midlife crisis, maybe he wanted some danger or excitement in his life, maybe he just wanted to live more- I don't know. This time he fell in love, for a couple years he ate, drank, and breathed motorcycles. During this honeymoon period he got me to get my motorcycle license, taught me a bit, and we started riding together.

Motorcycle riders are surprisingly inclusive, it's a distinct commonality that ties all kinds of people together. When I started riding I noticed my dad and other riders gesturing to each other when we'd pass. They would extend their left arms and point diagonally down or gesture with two fingers like a peace sign. I asked my dad about it and he just smiled and shrugged. It's the motorcyclists secret hand shake, the high sign, the password.

It says- I see you, we share this wonderful, dangerous thing, ride safe and ride well.

A Fable About Indecision

There once was a lion with no killing instinct.
He could track and stalk and pounce but he could not kill.
Every time he brought down an antelope or oryx he could not deliver the final stroke.
His mothers had forced him out, he was too old to be fed by the pride.
He haunted the plains slowly starving.
When his jaws were poised over his cornered prey his mind raced.
Who was this creature?
Did it have a family?
Was it relied upon?
Who would be left waiting?
Would it suffer?
Certainly it would suffer.
Would it suffer long?
What comes after?
For this creature and for me.
What is beyond?
Then he would look down at his prey in dazed confusion and let it free.
His thoughts were long as he paced the sun kissed desert.
And his stomach ached.
Thoughts are not deeds.
And something must be done.

'About Time' A Review

About Time is a romantic feelgood movie about a young man who can travel back in time and relive/change parts of his past. The movie follows Tim(Domhnall Gleeson) as he moves to London to becomes a lawyer, falls in love, and starts a family. Tim meets Mary(Rachel McAdams) randomly at a blind restaurant and sparks fly. After a couple hurdles involving time-travel, paradox, and his own ineptitude Tim and Mary get together. The rest of the movie follows their burgeoning life together.

The movie is simple, heartwarming, and fun but at times problematic. Not much time is spent on getting to know Tim and for the first part of the story he comes off relatively sophomoric. There is also little time spent showing how and why Tim and Mary fall in love, there's a montage and were expected to buy that they are. The faults are out weighed by the time travel device and the ease with which McAdams and Gleeson navigate there some what contrived love story. The supporting cast is dynamite with the actors giving stunning depth to characters that must appear startlingly flat on the page, they bolster and patch any remaining flaws.

A buoyant cheerful love story with a cool time travel twist.

Rent It.

Suits

We wore suits for Prime tonight, I haven't worn one in a while and haven't performed in one in even longer. It felt good being dressed up but it was a bit constricting when it came to the flow of the show, the scenes were longer and there were less of them, sedentary.

Overall it was a great night, the shows weren't amazing- they can't all be, but the dreamer during the 8 o'clock show was this lovely, portly, newlywed Indian guy named Thomas and I gave notes to the team Morehead coaches Sonis. It was nice to look at a show like a coach again- to analyze, diagnosis, and give feedback.

I doubt we'll be wearing suits again for some time.