Street Talk 23

On a crowded rush hour brownline train. Fullterton stop. A man is playing some middling electronic/pop/R&B loudly on a portable stereo. I suspect the music is self produced.

Woman: Put your headphones in.
Man: What?
Woman: Come on. Listen on your headphones.
Man: Who do you think you are. Shut your mouth bitch.
Woman: Just put your headphones in. No one wants to hear that.
Man: No one else is saying anything. Whats your fucking problem. Mind your own fucking business. Your lucky I don't hit women. But I know people. I could get people to take care of you.
Woman#2: Give it a rest. Turn that crap off.
Man: So disrespectful! Why you being so disrespectful to me! Keep yourself to yourself and leave me alone.
Woman#2: Disrespectful!?! You're the one that's being disrespectful to everyone on this train. And making threats-
Man: I didn't make any threats.
Woman: Yes. You threatened me.
Man: No. I said...I said I don't hit women...but I know ladies who do.
Woman: Your being rude.
Man: I'm being me and you're going to have to deal with it. You can't tell me what to do. I'm going to do what I'm going to do and you can't stop me.

The man turns up his music and the train is silent other than the refrain of the pulsing chorus "fuck love" repeating over and over again.

Four stops later at Southport the man is about to exit.

Man: What's your name?
Woman: Mary.

The man exits the train. Both women who have spoken to him clap and cheer. They are joined by a smattering of other commuters. Mostly though everyone has politely ignored the whole interaction.

A Disturbing Dream 17

I am in a large house. I'm staying with a friend or an acquaintance.

I wake up from an afternoon nap and the house is empty.

For some reason I'm drawn to the basement which is also a partial garage.

A begin searching through the boxes, bikes, and miscellaneous equipment.

Behind a box I find my dog Pepper who was put to sleep five years ago.

She has three legs. A new development.

She hobbles out to me, her tail wagging, and I collapse on the floor stunned and elated.

She climbs into my lap, I cradle her, she licks my face.

I wonder if she has been alive this whole time. If my dad did not in fact put her to sleep five years ago. That maybe he simply set her loose, unable to go through with it. And during the course of those intervening years she lost a leg. Or, I think, maybe that was the price she had to pay to comeback.

I find a leash in the garage and take her for a walk. We are in LA and its warm. Pepper is as excitable and joyous as I remember. We walk along basking in the sunlight, I contented and feeling whole, Pepper sniffing everything she can get her nose in front of.

I fade out of the dream and into my bed slowly, filled with a deep melancholy for my loving and loyal companion who has moved on.

Social Contract

I may be getting older
or not as prey
to technologically induced myopathy
as some of my fellow citizens-
I still value propriety,
space,
and privacy-
expect a certain polite distance
when waiting in line
at Mariano's
or when selecting seats
at the movie theater.
I do not force
my inane blather
or irksome eccentricities
on strangers.
Public is a common space
for a quiet, calm, and reserved face.
Private. Well. Do what ever it is you like.
I'll not impune on you
and simply ask the same in kind.

On Friendship

Read this at Quenchers tonight, I wrote it for my friend Heather. We've been friends since working at summer camp together in 2000. She leaves Chicago after 12 years in June.

I've never been great at making friends. I can be reserved, isolated. Sometimes aggressive or awkward. But for whatever reason I've had incredible luck when its come to friends. I, with no trace of irony, am blessed with the most gracious, kind, and giving companions. Spoiled by the inexhaustible gifts of friendship I have the fortune to receive. I hope I have been able to return a fraction of these gifts with loyalty, concern, and care.

Over the past year many friends have left Chicago and that trend shows no signs of slowing. As we age new paths are carved out before us, new adventures present themselves for exploration, and we outgrow our current circumstances. Many have felt it is time to move on and justly so. Forward lies the future, further out lies the seductive unknown.

Soon one of my oldest and dearest friends will leave Chicago. It hits me harder than all other departures that have gone before. It may cause me some personal discomfort but this is not a cause for grief only celebration.

Each of us is on a journey. Often times we walk together sharing company and love. But life, ever complicated, has surprises for us all. So you may be called to go your way and I may be called to go mine. But the bond thats connected us will not dissolve in time.

And although miles may separate us and experience diverge our lives you are my always, constant, loving friend until the day I die.

Graffiti 158

"An idea, like a ghost, must be spoken to a little before it will explain itself." -Charles Dickens

"To merely observe your culture without contributing to it seems very close to existing as a ghost." -Chuck Palahniuk

"Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." -Stephen King

Creative Satisfaction

This afternoon Tim and I put some finishing touches on the first three episodes of season one of Hindsight Hour- our new podcast. It's been a great editing process, things have gone a lot faster then they did with Bubble Boys because we figured out and learned a lot from that experience. This has been much more streamlined.

The editing has been very collaborative between Tim and I, going into it I didn't have any firm ideas that I wanted implement just a couple reference points and a general goal of experimentation. Because of that a lot of the transitions and audio accents came up organically and it has exactly the type of serio-comic abstract feel that I was going for.

After listening to the first couple episodes it turned out exactly how I wanted it to. The idea that I had last summer we were able to realize almost perfectly. Whether it will be successful as far as some of the broader goals or even be entertaining remains to be seen, I'm eager to put it out there and get some feedback.

Regardless of how it will be received its incredibly satisfying to have an abstract idea and to be able to translate into something(more-or-less) tangible and concrete. To be able to create something that mirrors that thought in your head. I think people will like it, I think its engaging, I hope people respond to it. But even before people get a chance to hear it there is immense fulfillment in the act of creation in and of itself.

Anti-Cruise

When I was fifteen I happened to turn on HBO when they played this documentary called The Cruise about a double-decker bus tour guide named Timothy "Speed" Levitch. Its shot in beautiful black and white and follows Levitch around as he waxes philosophically and inspiringly about life, love, and NYC. It altered and elevated my outlook on creativity and the human condition.

One of his main points of discourse is his ideology- The Cruise- compromising adventure, experimentation, experience, and basically living life to its fullest. The force, he says, opposing this is the anti-cruise manifesting itself in things as small as roadblocks or detours to organizations as large as law enforcement and the government itself. The anti-cruise is to be evaded and thwarted at all costs.

A couple years ago I noticed these signs going up around Chicago "No Cruising Zone". Upon some investigation it appears it is in reference to an ordnance which makes people who drive through these neighborhoods more than once in an hour subject to a written warning and eventual fines. The stated intent is to relieve congestion. Any time I see these signs I can't help but think of Levitch.

This sign is a very clear manifestation of the anti-cruise. And I have no doubt the intention of the Chicago Municipal Code is to restrict its citizens sense of adventure and exploration. To restrict, contain, and control.

Chicago, the sprawling metropolis of the middle west, holds untold mystery and beauty if you are brave enough to seek it out.

Watercoloring

The sky began to tilt,
a shift of light toward the higher clouds,
so I seized my brush
and dipped my little cup in the stream,

but once again I streaked the paper gray
with a hint of green,
water began to slide down the page,
rivulets looking for a river.

And again, I was too late-
then the sky made another turn,
this time as if to face a mirror
held in the arm of an outstretched god.
-Billy Collins

'Ex Machina' A Review

Ex Machina is a science fiction thriller about a young mid-level computer programmer Caleb(Domhnall Gleason) that gets the opportunity to meet the genius reclusive CEO of his company Nathan(Oscar Issac) and inspect what he has been working on- a humanoid AI named Ava(Alicia Vikander). Caleb travels to Nathan's secluded and uninhabited mountain stronghold/laboratory for a week and sits down for a series of interviews with Ava in order to administer a Turing Test. As the days pass Caleb becomes fascinated by Ava and more and more suspicious of Nathan's motives and designs.

The three leads are virtually the only characters we see within the film and they shoulder the bulk of the screen time beautifully creating a vivid and layered world of intellectual innovation and emotional volatility. Although, or maybe because, Gleason is the audience surrogate in the film he is the least effective. He is rather bland and doesn't go through, or is the least successful at conveying, an emotional transformation. Issac and Vikander, with less of the narrative burden, give incredible performances with tons of complexity and nuance. Issac gives an award worthy performance, he plays the reclusive genius not as nerdily eccentric but as a heavy drinking frat boy. He balances his considerable charm with sinister moments conveying genuine danger with flashes of wild humor. There is an improbable and riotous drunken dance at one point. Vikander gives one of the best AI performances in history. Subtle and deep. With much left to be inferred by the audience. Its not what she does but what she doesn't do that sets her portrayal apart.

The film has genuine hilarious moments that come out of no where and give it a much needed sense of reality and levity. The science of it is explained the perfect amount, we get enough to satisfy our curiosity and further the plot but we are not bogged down by scene after scene of useless jargon or exposition. And the pacing of the film carefully builds the tension to the inevitable and satisfying conclusion. The twists, turns, and revelations of the story garner genuine interest, surprise, and shock.

Original, visually striking, emotionally compelling.

Don't Miss It.

The Layoff Consultant

I did not expect the beauty
of Anna Kendrick or George Clooney.
But I was shocked to find
the sweating toad sitting next to our CEO.

A fat man in a JCPenny Outlet suit
with a droning lisp that promised disrepute.
I cannot imagine this greasy troll
the object of anything but ridicule.

So strange,
this simpering shell of a man will usher us into an unknown future.

Tempo

Both in the Schwa show last night and the Salute Jive show tonight I felt a little off. I had a good time, discovered some fun characters, but I felt like my inner metronome was not working. I never had an impulse to edit or any internal urgency. Both shows had a pretty slow pace which isn't inherently bad but can easily become static and difficult to reverse. I felt exclusive reactive during both shows and because of that I don't think I really did my part.

The pacing of a show can frequently be as important as the content. It helps shape the audiences expectations and experience. If the pacing is lethargic, if it changes without purpose, than the show as a whole can stumble. Timing not only in the delivery of punchlines but in regards to scenes and shows as a whole is integral to successful improv.

In a song the lyrics and melody matter but so too does the placement of the verse, chorus, and bridge. The structure of the song is just as important in conveying the meaning as how it is played. Generally happy/angry/energetic songs are fast, sad/depressing/introspective songs are slow. So too in improv.

There is fast and too fast, slow and too slow. Monitoring the pacing of a show, speeding up and slowing down, heating up and cooling off, establishing a pattern and a rhythm, taking the audience on a journey, providing a complete experience, is as important as the lines that are said and the characters that are created. It's a lot to keep in mind but if you can strike a balance between finding honest inspiration in the moment and being attentive to the tempo of a piece shows can go from good to great.

Graffiti 157

"I think the love-hate is fundamental. Everyone hates reality television, and everyone's watching it. Everyone hates Facebook, and everyone is on it." -Bo Burnham

"Everybody is continuously connected to everybody else on Twitter, on Facebook, on Instagram, on Reddit, e-mailing, texting, faster and faster, with the flood of information jeopardizing meaning. Everybody's talking at once in a hypnotic, hyper din: the cocktail party from hell." -Maureen Dowd

"You might not like that Facebook shares your political opinions with Politico, but are you really going to delete all the photos, all the posts, all the connections - the presence you've spent years establishing on the world's dominant social network?" -Al Franken

"Despite our ever-connective technology, neither Skype nor Facebook - not even a telephone call - can come close to the joy of being with loved ones in person." -Marlo Thomas

Sunsets #6

 3/20/15 Chicago, IL

 4/4/15 Santa Monica, CA

4/15/15 Middleton, WI

TourCo Show

The good thing about being at this work conference in Wisconsin is that I've been able to spend a lot of time with my sister Marta and her husband Nick. We've been able to have dinner the past couple nights and visit a bunch which has been wonderful.

One of Marta's friends got a group of people together to go see a Second City show tonight. Luckily one of them couldn't make it so I got the extra ticket. We all went out for a bite to eat and then headed over to the show.

The theater was beautiful, 2000 seats and all filled. Jamison and Sabine's touring company happened to be the ones performing so it was a real thrill to get to see them do a show on the road. The show itself was great, there was a lot more improv that I was anticipating and the archive material was all exclusively from the past couple years. It was fresh, had tons of energy, and the audience was very responsive.

We chatted with Jamison and John a bit afterward and even though I had just seen both of them recently it still felt extra special to see them perform and be able to catch up outside of our normal routines. Doubly great to share the whole experience with Marta and Nick.

Conference

I'm in Middleton, WI for a work conference the rest of the week. I sit at a booth all day while the attendees go in and out of presentations. During the sessions the common area is deserted(as you can see), the only time people come up to me is during lunch or the three allotted breaks. Not a ton of traffic, not a ton to do. Pretty boring.

I've only talked to a handful of people so far all of whom have been very friendly. All except for one crazy old man who I'm not positive should actually be here. Below is part of our thirty minute discussion.

Old Man: Obama is a demon. He's been a liar his whole life. Trying to take over, trying to control us. Hilary is a demon too. They're both demons, that's what I call them.(touches my arm) You. You afraid.(touches my arm again) You afraid of the government?
Me: No.
Old Man: Why not?
Me: I don't have to explain to you why I'm not afraid of the government.
Old Man: OK. Fine. I'm afraid. I'm terrified of those demons. Listen(touches my arm). Listen. You seem honest. You'll give me a straight answer. Do you think insurance will ever be good? This is what I'm saying. Obama the demon and his manipulative exclusionary exploitative health insurance, will we ever be able to recover?
Me: I can't speak about health insurance or government run insurance programs. I work for a private company that sells malpractice insurance. I'd be happy to answer any questions on professional liability.
Old Man: OK. OK. But Obama and Hilary are devils, demons. Watching us all the time, tracking our emails and phones, they know everything we do. Scott Walker is just a little demon. OK? Listen.(touches my arm) I'm a teacher and a counselor. I've taught in 37 countries. I'm honest and I know what's going on. You seem honest?
Me: Sure.
Old Man: And I know you'll probably give me the answer you're suppose to give. But. Let me ask you. Is your insurance company a good company?
Me: Yes. Its a straight forward company.
Old Man: We'll just have to agree to disagree.

Hospitality Clones

The man who rented me a car at Enterprise
looked exactly like the man at Marriott who checked me in.
Both large men. Wide and fleshy. Former fullbacks I imagine.
With slate grey wedding rings desperately clinging to their sausage fingers.
And the same look of pinched exhaustion that must come from being constantly pleasant, apologetic and accommodating.
Voices pitched to a soft deferential tone, almost mewling, incongruous to their hulking frames.
Odd these ogre men have chosen lives akin to servitude, shackled behind desks, forced to kowtow and suffer the griping bleats of the eternally righteous consumer.
In their eyes and sagging builds you can almost watch the erosion of their spirit.

The US must be full of these displaced men. Once farmers, miners, assembly workers, now all in dire service to the Customer.

Garp Prepares To Lift Death

The World According To Garp is my favorite book. I first read it when I was 15 and I've reread it about once a year since. Each time I revisit it different parts of it hit me or I discover something I had previously overlooked. I think because I'm getting older and some older family friends have passed away recently this particular passage jumped out to me. It's about death.

Garp, the titular character, has gone to the chapel where his father-in-law's service will be held in order to handle some of the arrangements. The patriarch of the Percy family(Fat Stew) who Garp was contentious with growing up has also died and he gets roped into being a pallbearer. He isn't recognized by the family and in order to avoid any conflict he provides a pseudonym- Jack Smoans.

“Mr. Smoans?” Midge nudged him.

“Uh,” Garp said.

“The coffin, Jack,” whispered the hearse driver. Stewie Two, bulging beside him, looked seriously toward the enormous casket that now housed the debris of his father.

“We need four,” the driver said. “At least four.”

“No, I can take one side myself,” Garp said.

“Mr. Smoans looks very strong,” Midge said. “Not very large , but strong.”

“Mother,” Stewie Two said.

“Yes, yes, Stewart,” she said.

“We need four. That's all there is to it,” the driver said.

Garp didn't believe it. He could lift it.

“You two on the other side,” he said, “and up she goes.”

A frail mutter reached Garp from the mourners at Fat Stew's funeral, aghast at the apparently unmovable casket. But Garp believed in himself. It was just death in there; of course it would be heavy—the weight of his mother, Jenny Fields, the weight of Ernie Holm, and of little Walt (who was the heaviest of all). God knows what they all weighed together, but Garp planted himself on one side of Fat Stew's gray gunboat of a coffin. He was ready.

Metamorphosis

And the caution of winter falls away, like a discarded chrysalis

And the spirit of adventure spills out onto the streets

And the engine of desire begins to turn and heat

And people, cloistered for a season, emerge grinning

And pale and neglected flesh is gleefully displayed

And truculence is washed away by sun

And hope sprouts and buds and blooms

And noses flare to soak up all the scents of growth

And everywhere chatting happy faces

And those once lonesome seek out romance

And those in love revitalize their connection

And those out of love cut loose the weighted past

And the birds, multiplied, sing loud and long

And ambitious plans are laid

And big ideas, now incubated, are hatched

And the future, so bright its blinding, whispers promises of dreams made manifest.

'White God' A Review

White God is a Hungarian drama about Hagen a mixed-breed dog who is separated from his young owner Lili due to her father's unwillingness to pay a government imposed "mongrel" fee. Lili disconsolate over the loss of Hagen gets into a series of scrapes. Hagen abandoned, alone, and naive gets taken advantage of in various ways with increasing levels of abuse. After a long and violent journey Hagen ends up in the pound about to be euthanized. He, along with the hundred plus dogs in the pound, rise up and invade the streets attacking humans indiscriminately, reeking vengeance.

Conceptually sharp with the potential for engrossing metaphor and biting commentary the ideas in the film are almost unilaterally unrealized. There are significant deficiencies in the script predominately with the human relationships. The relationship between Lili and her father, all the humans that interact with Hagen, virtually every person in the film is unbelievable. The ugliness, petulance, misunderstanding, and miscommunication between the characters in the film has no basis in reality. This could also be an acting issue but it seems as if the performers are doing their best. The script is so clunky, the story so bloated, the emotions so unreal the wonderful idea at the heart of White God is totally neglected. The only effective element in the film is the absolutely compelling acting of the dogs and their beautifully choreographed orchestration.

Theoretically intriguing, narratively inadequate.

Don't See It. 

Perpetual Summer

Perpetual summer
must effect
the mood

lackadaisical and loose
people stroll
through the perennial warmth

without the bleakness
of changing seasons
harsh reality seems distant

and dreams
nurtured over years
are made solid by the heat

illusion feeds ambition
bolstered by the warm suns rays
and everywhere contentment with no intent.

It cultivates a yearning for the bite of cold
the serrated edge of chill
the depth that comes with gloom.

'Furious 7' A Review

Furious 7 is the latest installment in the Fast & Furious series the street racing based action franchise. The movie opens on the villain of Fast & Furious 6 Owen Shaw in a hospital bed with his brother Deckard Shaw(Jason Statham) swearing vengeance against Dom(Vin Diesel) and his crew. Deckard sends a bomb to Dom's house where his sister and brother-in-law Brian(Paul Walker) are getting ready to take their son to school. No one is hurt from the explosion but the house is destroyed and Dom gets his crew together to hunt Deckard before he gets them first.

The movie is corny, formulaic, with ludicrous improbable action sequences. There are numerous callbacks to the other installments in the series and the mantra of family and living life "a quarter mile at a time" is once again trumpeted. The movie is saved from being an outright melodrama only by the surprising sincerity imbued by the actors, even so some of the dialogue is so cheesy it is cring worthy.

Fans of the series will certainly be satisfied with Furious 7 especially with the heartfelt and meta dedication to Walker at the movies conclusion. And as always the action is ambitious and sleek enough to be thrilling. But ultimately anyone unfamiliar with the Fast & Furious mythology will be lost and the installments have inflated to become so divorced from reality the world they inhabit is almost nonsensical.

Rent It.

Murals 4

Like Richmond, LA has a ton of murals decorating a lot of would-be-blank building space.

This was in an alley, virtually hidden from the street.

This was in a parking lot.

Such a casual acceptance of street art, its enviable.

The prevelance of murals and graffiti really make LA feel alive, evoke a sense of personality. If only all cities were as liberal with public art.

Ghosts of Hangovers Past

At some point on the return trip from LA I got a cold. The past couple days its been a bit of a struggle to get back into the swing of things. As a sober person I rarely get sick and when I do those cold and flu symptoms- nausea, fever, fatigue, general acheyness, insomnia- always bring back that time in my life when I was perpetually hungover. The physiological unpleasantness recalls very visceral distressing memories of my drinking days.

I feel irritable and overwhelmed. Decidedly not myself. I'm struck by the unfairness of it, after quitting drinking haven't I gained the privilege never to be sick again? Shouldn't my daily reprieve from the obsession to drink extend to other more pedestrian illnesses?

Of course not. Everyone no matter what is sick occasionally, it is simply human, and the irascibility that sometimes accompanies a cold or flu is normal. No one is above or beyond weakness and it is self centered to think accomplishments or some degree of moral living makes you deserving of reward. Like with so many things you work through it, you do the best you can, you take care of yourself, and then you get better. That's life, maybe one of the more mundane irksome aspects of it but there it is.

It's jarring I guess, to be sick, because along with those old familiar physical feelings come old habits I'm trying to shake. Being short with people, shirking responsibilities, guilt. But even that is all just part of living, its all a process. You manage and navigate as best you can, make apologies where you need to, give what and when you can, and keep moving forward. That's progress. That's being an adult. It was foreign to me for a long time.

Graffiti 156: Los Angeles

There was a lot of cool graffiti all over LA. It is much more prevalent and kind of implicitly accepted than in Chicago or NYC.

Vampire Coffin.

Hairball Monster.

"Television is a medium of entertainment which permits millions of people to listen to the same joke at the same time, and yet remain lonesome." -T. S. Eliot

"All television is educational television. The question is: what is it teaching?" -Nicholas Johnson

Familiarity

Within forty-five minutes of arriving
I saw a Tim I knew
and it was good to see my friend
on the sunny streets of LA

but I discovered this place
held no strangeness for me
which was both comforting
and sad.

The Big Orange

Alex dropped me off at LAX a little after midnight so I could catch my 5am flight back to Chicago. A miscalculation on my part because I was unable to sleep at the airport or on the plane. Now, back home, I'm exhausted certainly worth it though. Some thoughts on the experience as a whole.

The best part of the vacation was spending time with Alex. We had been close since we went through classes together some years ago at iO, roommates for a year, but after that grew apart. Not for any particular reason just in the way people do as time moves on. Our old chemistry was still there, the inside jokes, the silly slang, it all came back quickly. We reminisced a bit during the visit but mostly just joked, enjoyed each others company, and told each other about our lives now. Shared our fears, triumphs, and plans. Reconnecting with Alex and discovering our friendship as solid as ever was easily the most fulfilling part of the trip. The second best thing was swimming in the Pacific, the third- tacos from El Flamin' Taco.

With so many people moving over the past year I couldn't help but view LA as a potential destination and a lot of people asked me if my visit was to scope it out. My reaction to LA was similar to that of NYC which was I could live there. Previous to my visit the concept of LA was daunting and I certainly suffered under the misconception that people there were shallow or self involved.  I found the city much more manageable then I had anticipated- the lay out of the different neighborhoods and suburbs made sense to me. There were a lot of cool bookstores, restaurants, and parks. The people, on the whole, were outgoing and approachable. I noticed eye-contact between strangers seemed to be normal which I found rather odd but kind of endearing. Taking all of those elements together I think I'd be capable of living there, that it wouldn't be too overwhelming or unwieldy. However I realized it wasn't terribly appealing for me without some kind of motivation- a job, an opportunity, a school.

The weather was beautiful, all that's said about LA weather is true, it's like forever summer. I found this kind of bizarre, the five days I was there it was cloudless and 80, unchanging. Without the shifting of the seasons, the mercurial movements of the weather, I would be lost. I mentioned how weird the perpetual sunshine was to me to one of Alex's friends and he agreed saying "When I'm happy it's great but when I'm depressed it's almost mocking, cruel." A nice environment to visit during the Midwestern cold but it'd drive me crazy if I had to live there.

The interpersonal climate was interesting and different. Alex called LA "a city of extroverts". There was something disarming about how chatty people were but it also made me a bit wary. Everyone seemed unilaterally content and either they genuinely were or there is a reticence to say anything other than "I'm great! I love it here!" Either way I'm accustomed to a little more edge. There's also an urgency about commercial success, a concern about auditions and managers, about meeting people and making connections, which at this point I don't share. Not to deride that mindset it strikes me as necessary to move forward but it seems grueling.

A wonderful place to visit but at this point not a path I want to tread.

Getty and Beach

This is my final day in LA. We went to the Getty Museum on the way to Santa Monica. The compound is set on a hill and we had to take a trolley to get there.

The complex is large and incredibly beautiful. Clean architecture and an amazing garden. We didn't walk through many of the exhibits just explored the grounds.

Caroline and Alex are not only incredibly gracious and accommodating hosts but fun and funny travel companions. They've been so great about doing what I wanted to do and making me feel included in their lives for a little bit.

When we got to Santa Monica we headed straight to the beach. Swimming in the Pacific was the thing I'd been looking forward to the most about the trip.

Alex and I swam and the ocean was as invigorating and playful as I could have hoped. I've only been in the Atlantic two or three times in my life, never in the Pacific, so the whole experience was very special.

After we got out and dried off we watched while the sun set. It was majestic and big, almost cliche in its picturesque beauty.

In the evening Alex and I walked around the Santa Monica Pier and then through the Third Street Promenade which is basically an outdoor mall. We grabbed a bite at ShopHouse and then sat by the beach and talked about the future, comedy, ambition, and dreams. A nice ending.

Downtown LA

Alex, Caroline, and I explored downtown today. I suspect I'm making them do tourist type stuff they wouldn't normally do as actual residents.

On the way downtown I made them stop just so I could take this picture of the Scientology Center.

Something I've noticed in LA is the diversity. Not only all types of people but all those people mixed together. Highlights the rigid geographic segregation of Chicago.

One of the places I wanted to stop was The Last Book Store, one of the largest used book stores in the country. It was very cool, the store was enormous and they had furniture made out of books.

City Hall.

Downtown like the city at large is sprawling, doesn't seem to have much of a focal point, however there are a lot of fun murals.

We were all pretty worn out from walking around most of the afternoon so Alex and I napped while Caroline went to yoga.

In the evening I met Alex at Rafa's Lounge where there are two shows produced by former Chicago folks. There were a lot of friends and acquaintances there including Mark who was on my first harold team FireCup, I was hoping to see him on this trip and it was really wonderful to be able to reconnect with him. We hadn't talked in around three years and we picked up right where we left off. It's very refreshing and affirming to find a friendship undeteriorated by space and time. Mark is very direct, absurd, and darkly funny. So great to see him.

We didn't stick around too long because Alex had a show at iO. We got tacos from a food truck, the best meal I've had out here, maybe the best tacos I've ever had. He dropped me off and I went to bed early. I think I may have planned on doing a little too much without allotting time to rest.

Urban Hike

Today Alex and I walked around his neighborhood Los Feliz, down through Silver Lake, and ended in Echo Park. 

It was a beautiful sunny day, as I'm suspecting it is most of the time out here.

We walked by a lot of shops- some cool, some pretentious. The coffee places especially were very sleek and hip, not a drip coffee to be found. As we were walking by a particularly squat odd storefront Alex got roped into conversation with the guy who ran what turned out to be a vintage eyeglass frame store.

The Time Travel Mart had some fun kitsch for sale, after buying a shirt for Nicole the salesmen let me know it has a sister store in Chicago. The stores are supplements to the writing and tutoring classes they provide.

We relaxed for a bit at Echo Park which had some good people watching. One fifty year old man was awkwardly roller skating in cargo shorts.

The streets here are very lively and colorful, maybe a result of the weather.

Most houses had flowers or some kind of color in the yards. There were also a lot of murals around, something Chicago is pretty restrictive about. It all creates a very unique feeling, a laid-back comforting atmosphere.

Later in the evening we went out to eat with Joey before going to a screenplay reading of some of Alex's friends at UCB. The UCB complex reminded me a bit of the new iO- large and industrial feeling. We hung out there for a while then went to iO West.

So far the comedy and the comedy people here aren't that different, there is a sense of being focused a little more on marketability, on connections, a little less on experimentation. I think with the proximity of the industry and how much more attainable it feels out here that's understandable. Everyone I've met has been incredibly nice and open. The comedy community in general, both Chicago ex-pats and otherwise, have been very welcoming, it feels inclusive, certainly not what I was anticipating from the improv folks of Tinseltown.

La La Land

I flew to Los Angeles today to visit Alex and see the city. I've never been to the west coast before and am very excited to soak in the sights and the sun. One of the first things we did is hike up to the Griffith Observatory which is right behind Alex's house.

Griffith park is beautiful, a big sprawling patch of green in the middle of the city. Lots of panoramic views.

From the top you could see the Hollywood sign, cliche but still cool to see.

Everyone talks about how great the weather is but until I got here I didn't realize how pleasant and slightly bizarre perpetually sunny skies can be.

Although LA is in the midst of a drought most of the vegetation seemed relatively healthy. The hike was very meditative. It gave Alex and I a good amount of time to catch up and gave me a chance to gradually soak things in and adjust to the LA frequency.

Walking through Alex's neighborhood there were lots of flowers in bloom. Something I've been missing.

In the evening Alex, his girlfriend Caroline, and I went to a solo showcase that Alex's was performing in with a number of other Chicago folks. There's a huge former-Chicago contingent here in LA. It's great to see so many familiar faces and to be able to reconnect with some people I haven't seen in a while. It's comforting to see so many people I know, not only at the show but even walking around Alex's neighborhood. It makes it feel like I'm visiting a community I'm already a part of.