David Prov

Save Community

2012-01-19T04:10:00.001-06:00

Put out by College Humor

200th post

2012-01-17T05:25:00.003-06:00

This is coincedentally my 200th post. I wish it could be more special. But at the momment, I'm jonsing this song...

This is Romeo and Juliet by Dire Straits. But I'm currently into the Killer's cover of this song. I love covers...especially when they are done well...gives respect to the original while throwing in a bit of the new artist's style.

When I was born...music

2012-01-13T03:25:00.002-06:00

I was born in June of 1983. The day I was born, there were 2 songs that topped the chart...one in the U.S.A. and one in the U.K.

This was my U.S. Birthday song:

This was my U.K. Birthday song:

2011 Part 1

2011-12-27T12:14:00.003-06:00

With the year 2011 coming to an end and 2012 almost here, I'm going to have a series of significant end of the year things. Since I've been under the weather for a few days, I'm going to update with posts of JibJab's New Year videos for the last few years leading up to 2011. Enjoy:
2005

2006

2007 - This is my favorite one, by the way.

2008

2009

2010

2011 - I'm a little sad they didn't include the Snowpocolypse. That was kind of a big deal.

Christmas Spirit...

2011-12-23T04:03:00.003-06:00

Are you in the Christmas Spirit yet?

How about now?

Ask David Some Weird Crap Episode 2

2011-12-13T01:46:00.002-06:00

Hey, this never posted when I tried to load it. Let's try it via YouTube!

Coming Soon...new question video

2011-12-09T05:42:00.003-06:00

I'm getting ready to do a new "Ask David some Weird Random Crap" video. Since nobody asked me anything, this one will be all questions taken from song lyricis. I will not say here what the questions are. But the artist and bands include ASIA, Bob Dylan, Bowling For Soup, Bruce Springsteen, The Elders, Jackson Browne, Meat Loaf/Jim Steinman, Huey Lewis & the News, Warren Zevon, and Green Day.

Look for it by sometime this coming Monday.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T03:26:00.002-06:00

I swear, I'll make this the best Thanksgiving we've had since you married me...
back in May!

-Local man rehearsing in the bathroom mirror.

Okay, no, I made it up. It's a joke. Deal with it.

Jackson Brown sings "Don't Let Us Get Sick"

2011-11-17T05:32:00.003-06:00

I was listenig to 4 different versions of this song on repeat for about 2 hours. What? Do I NEED to cry or something? Oh look! Version number 5!

October Okay! Geeze!

2011-10-31T23:56:00.005-05:00

Here: It's October Awareness! Get used to it!

Somewhat new song

2011-10-21T04:00:00.002-05:00

Bob Seger has a new album coming out. It's mostly a Greatest Hits Vol. 2.5. Most of the songs appear on either Greatest Hits 1 or 2. But it will have this which is a new recording of an old song by Tom Waits.

Halloween is almost here!

2011-10-19T02:47:00.001-05:00

And with that in mind...

Matthew of the IHOP Restroom part X: Final Part

2011-10-07T02:19:00.003-05:00

About ten that morning, Matthew and Mary went into Mass Street music with the extra strawberry syrup from IHOP. They were looking for some place that an inter-dimensional portal would open up but they couldn’t find it. Mary continued to look while Matthew got distracted by the guitar that he had had his eye on for some time. He picked it and started to play it. There wasn’t a real specific song he tried to play; it was just the one he had been writing. The guy who was working came over to ask what he was doing. But at the moment he hit the seventh bar to the song, the room started to swirl around him. “Okay, what did I do?” Matthew asked.
The guy who came over to investigate wasn’t sure what to make of it. He was going to tell Matthew to put the guitar down but he was awestruck. “It looks like you’ve just opened a portal to another world! I’m getting out of here!” he said and ran out.
“Wait a minute,” Mary said, “you really are the chosen one!”
“Yeah, I know, we’ve been through this already. I’m Matthew of the IHOP Restroom. You would remind me of that all the time…well, you used to anyway.”
“No, you don’t understand,” she said. “The legend of the 18th dimension tells us of a true chosen one who would bring peace between the Planet of Stroganoff and the Shipgoes. They say the chosen one would open a portal to our dimension with his bars.”
“I just played a song on the guitar. That’s all I did,” Matthew said. “It was the opening to some silly little song that I…” he paused. He thought for about two seconds and then said, “that I wrote myself…” All the time he was arguing with the fact that it was fate that brought him to the 18th dimension when all along, it was the opposite.
“And to think that I was given to and owned by the true chosen one,” Mary said. “Oh, if only I knew…” she paused and her thoughts drifted.
“You’re right, Mary Ann, I do own you, and we’ve got business in the 18th dimension, to take care of. And I’ve got some wrongs to right.”
“Oh, yes sir,” Mary said. They walked through the portal where they immediately found themselves back on Captain Bill’s ship about an hour after they had left for the third dimension. In that time, the Shipgoes who had attacked were beaten off and The ENVOY was heading back into port. “Uncle Bill!” Mary called.
Captain Bill turned around surprised to see the both of them back there. “What are you doing back? Iiiiiiiieeeeeee thought you went to find the holy grail.”
“We did,” Matthew said as he and Mary held up the syrup together.
“Oh miiiieeeee gosh, it does exist!” Captain Bill said. “Iiiiieeeee need to get you two to Klapertoes McAmsterdam.” There was no way to get them to Klaper by sea. So the ship remained an air ship as they sailed on the breeze to where Klaper was. As the ship was hovering over his exact location, Captain Bill called out “McAmsterdam!”
Matthew and Mary came down and handed Klaper the canister of Strawberry Syrup from IHOP and said that it was the Shipgoes’ holy grail. When Klaper asked how they got back to the 18th dimension, Mary told him how Matthew played a song that he wrote himself (making that part very clear) on a guitar that opened up the portal. Klaper got excited and told Matthew that he WAS in fact the true chosen one.
Klaper took the canister of syrup and contacted the Shipgoes who were peaceful and gave them the syrup. This fulfilled the prophesy that the chosen one would bring peace between the planet and the Shipgoes. Of course, the fundamentalist Shipgoes started battling with the peaceful Shipgoes because they didn’t see them as following in the “true” footsteps of Pinky. But that’s their own separate story to be told and I’m not quite through with Matthew’s story just yet.
In the land of Nude, there was a parade and a feast in Matthew’s honor. Klaper told him that he could come and go anytime he liked but that he would always be treated like a king. Matthew insisted that he had to go back home but he had one more thing that had to be taken care of. He had to go to the path of desire. So he, Mary, and Klaper went to the path of desire. He made the wish he had to make, but nothing happened.
“What happened?” he asked. “I made my wish but nothing happened.”
“Did you wish with your heart or with your head?” Mary asked. “If the wish you tried to make isn’t from the heart but from your head, you’ll need the Path of Necessity.”
With that, Matthew asked Klaper to take him to the Path of Necessity. When they got to the Path of Necessity, Matthew made his wish and it worked. But Mary started to feel funny. “What’s happening?” she asked.
“I told the path that I needed to free you and let you return to your life as a wind gnome. The Path of Desire wouldn’t let me but you said come here so I did.”
“Wait, you did that just for me?” Mary asked. She began to cry. Or rather she would but she was already back to her wind gnome state. And wind gnomes don’t cry. They’re just sad. And then, Mary floated away. Matthew didn’t know exactly why Mary was sad. Neither of them would have to put up with each other ever again. With that same idea in mind, he didn’t know why a part of him was sad as well.
Matthew eventually found his way to a portal that took him back to his own dimension where he went about with his everyday life. But the next day while he was waiting for class, the unthinkable happened. Katie Waller came up and talked to him.
“Hey Matthew,” she said, “can you help me figure out something?” she asked.
“Mary Ann!?!? What are you doing here?” Matthew exclaimed.
“Mary Ann? No, I’m Katie. Katie Waller. We have this lit course together. I wanted to know if you had some idea what the connection was the teacher wanted us to make between James Joyce and Edgar Allen Poe since you are in class every day.”
“Oh, sorry,” Matthew said. “No, I don’t think I know. I’m sorry.”
As she went in, he found himself thinking almost humorously that he now knew three things about her, she was hot, she had a class with him, and she didn’t know something that he didn’t know either. At least they had two things in common. A moment later, he was once again disturbed by…Katie? “Hello stranger,” said the girl.
“Katie,” Matthew said, “I’m sorry, I don’t know the…” he paused and looked up and realized that it wasn’t Katie at all.
“No, not Katie! It’s Mary Ann! You remember me, don’t you?”
“Uh yeah, of course I do,” Matthew said. “What are you doing here?”
“Oh, you know,” Mary said, “the usual. I went to the Path of Desire, asked to be made human again and to be brought here to the 3rd dimension so I could see you again.”
“But,” Matthew said, “I thought you hated me.”
“I thought so too,” Mary said, “but then all of a sudden and before I knew it, I fell head over hills for you. And when you freed me with your mind because your heart couldn’t, I just knew that somewhere along the lines, you felt the same way.”
She paused when she saw Matthew give her a happy, kind of excited but also confused look. So she said, “My uncle gave me an album called MR. BAD EXAMPLE and it has a song on there called “Searching For A Heart” and contained the lyrics, ‘They say love conquers all, you can’t start it like a car, you can’t stop it with a gun.’ I knew then that I would never stop feeling this way and I had to let you know.”
Matthew didn’t need to hear anymore. Katie Waller would never even think to quote Warren Zevon to him. But Mary had. “Mary Ann, you went searching for a heart and you found mine,” he said with a smile that melted Mary’s heart. She saw that he did feel the same way and that he was pleased to have someone feel that way about him. That was enough to satisfy her.
So, this brings us to the end of Matthew’s story. Well, the end of the part that absolutely has to be told. So the song lyric I opened with came full circle at the end after all. But life is full of coincidences. It’s also filled with other things as well. At first they seem wrong. But they can become so right. So remember that everyone makes mistakes. But maybe you’ll find your grail. And maybe everything will work out in the end for the better. Then maybe, just maybe, you will find your own personal happily ever after…
(Whatever happens, hopefully it’s not as clichéd as this ending.)

I love Key Of Awesome Parodies...

2011-10-06T03:00:00.002-05:00

Memories are a funny thing...and there not always the same in everyone's eyes for some reason. Oh well...

New Beginnings and eventual death...

2011-10-01T00:17:00.008-05:00

ATTENTION: The following is in association with church related stuff. I don't usually blog about this in an entry only. But it's been an issue lately and has put certain things on hold for awhile like the Part 2 of summer stuff telling about improv related things...don't worry, I will get to that. This entry, however, isn't going to be what some would call "overly religious" but, involving my church, there will be the occasional religious thing getting pointed out. Involving something that has pissed me off for the past week, there may also be the occasional blue streak coming up that I will try my best to keep to a minumum since I do want this blog to remain family friendly.

Caution: Everything that will follow is a combination of facts and my own opinion. Anything involving dollar ammounts will be taken from facts that I have.

Now, are we ready to begin this discussion?

I attend a church in Mission, KS called Countryside Christian Church. It's named for the city that it was built in when it was first built back in the 40s or so. (Mission and Countryside were once 2 seperate cities. They have joined cities around the late 90s but there you have that brief history).

I have been going to this church since somewhere between 1989 and 1990 (I was in lower elementary at the time) and I was baptized in 1992 (which makes me a member there physically and, I believe, a member of the faith no matter what churches you go to during your life...but I'll get to that later). During my time there, I have been in a Youth Group, a Kids of the Kingdom music group that we had for children 3rd-6th grade, I have been a deacon for three years and I have also been on the audio/visual group for the contempary service and I have been the person who changes the sign in the front yard (if you look in the picture, that's the sign that is somewhat covered by bushes). I was also in a short lived drama team and was briefly part of the short lived Green Team.

But enough about my involvement and on to why I'm typing this entry. In May, we got into these mini-groups called New Beginnings. Very few of us were actually aware of what this was about (I thought it was a Bible study at first). In the meetings that were 1.25 hours long aprox. and went from May 22 to the first Sunday in July (but really needed a retreat over the course of 2 or 3 Saturday afternoons) we found that, 60-70 years after being built, the church is in trouble in more than one area:

1. There is something called a "Water Table." This wasn't a problem when the church was first built. But due to erosian (sp.) that has happened over the years, there is water pooling around there and, if it weren't for the west wall in the santuary, the santuary would be in 4feet of standing water.

2. There is an electrical fire hazard. The wireing of some of the lights in the church are super old (for wireing). They are beyond repair and need to be replaced. A fire hazard is there. We don't know when or if it will happen but the potential is there. If a fire marshell walked into the building and inspected it, s/he would be forced to close the church right then and there.

3. We have mold REALLY bad on the ceiling of the santuary. We have had several leaks over the years and the moisture has gathered in the air of the santuary and it CAN'T be removed. The mold is in there deep and is multiplying and simple bleaching isn't going to get rid of the mold.

4. We have a daycare at the church. The daycare is actually very successful. There is one problem though. There is a child to toilet ratio that legally must be maintained. I'm not sure what the ratio is but the children have only 2 toilets to use. We can't legally take in more children until we fix the lack of toilets.

5. All of the above must be paid for to be fixed/corrected. There is aprox. $15,600 in the checking account. We require money from loans, grants and/or gifts to pay for what we are not getting from the offering.

6. We severely lack in communication within our own members. Unless someone is involved with something within the church, they don't know what's going on...and then, they only know it from within their own group. I heard about a kid who answered the phone one time and, when asked what the church does for the community, the kid said we did nothing. For record, we do do things for the community. We have a food pantry. Our youth has gone on mission trips and always had. I went to Texas to build a house once. Some have gone to Juarez, Mexico. Some have gone to Colorado. A group went to Greensburg after the tornado hit there a few years back and also to a city in Kansas that was hit back in May or early June by a tornado. When I was in the Youth, we took a trip to Harvester's and did some work. When I was a deacon, we did many community services. Last August, we put on a musical extravaganza to help raise money for the childcare department that I mentioned. We do things. But propper communication isn't one of them.

7. We aren't getting as much money as we need from the offering. Here's why: The average age there is around 75. The church is in a neighborhood of people 35-45 so there is a serious problem of reaching out to the community. Also, people who are members are leaving by a few possable means. They are leaving because they have found another church that fits their schedule and/or meets their calling. They move away (a lot of people my age and younger have left to go to college or start a family in another location). Or they are dying off. Our member count of out-going is growing while the number joining is static. The more members that leave mean less cash inflow in the offerings.

After these meetings, we found that the plan was to get the congregation ready for a proposal that would have us joinging with a church congregation called Cherokee Christian Church. This would involve packing up all we want to keep and taking it to this other church building where the congregation was ready to accept us. By the end of the advent season, we would have been relocated. Then, both church corporations would close and then reopen with a completely different name and mission statement...further on down the line, we would end up building a whole new church building that incorporated the new congragation.

Here's the thing, from what we learned from New Beginnings, Countryside will more than likely have to close up in 3 years...Cherokee has all the facilities we need including the childcare toilets. They don't have a water table...what they do have (or they did back in July) was 6 months before they had to close. This new merger was going to be perfect and all the signs seem to say that this is what God most wanted us to do.

And then Hell broke loose. All of a sudden, everyone was remembering that they grew up and got married at Countryside. That is more important of a thing following the will of God as a church congregation because God didn't take into account the pwecious wittle memories. Then everytime the time came to vote on what to do, it kept getting pushed back. People starting blaming the ministers for not doing their jobs right. One minister was being too busy visiting patients in the hospital and doing marriage counceling, one was too busy being a preacher and trying to get a message across, and one was wasting time leading the youth. I mean, how dare they do the job they were given. Grrr. (Please note my sarcasm in this paragraph).

We've had 2 votes on it...one pushed it back from Labor Day weekend to this last weekend. The problem is that it wasn't enough time to change anyone's mind. Everyone was just as much for it or as much against it as they were to begin with (if not more so). On this last Sunday, we voted on how to go about doing this. First we voted to do one of the following 5:

1. Collaborrateion with other congregations.
2. Alternative Location(s)
3. Securing necesary fundig throgh loans, grants and/or gifts
4. Formation of a satellite congregation.
5. Lots and lots of prayer.

If you're keeping track, we voted as a congrgation to accept one or more of these stratagies. 1, 2, 4 actually involve leaving the church building. 3 involves getting money from sources that we don't even know we can get them from since we're already in the hole practically and based upon a system that you're expecting to get something (but I've never studied business), and 5 dosn't seem like it'll be much help if you've given listening to the obvious signs anyway. Anyway, on Sunday, aprox. 130 of us voted to either Yes: join corporately with the other church and then form a whole new church or No: we don't want to do that because then our precious wittle memories will ugh...and boo hoo hoo. Well, the No's had it. The majority decided to kill the church (though that wasn't their intention, that's what they pretty much did) because they already voted to go with one of 5 things where 3 involved leaving, 1 is stupid because it's imaginary and 1 is relying on prayer after they have basically said "F**k you, God! Die in the dirt already!"

If you can't tell, I was pretty pissed about it. A number of us and a few others are going to start actively leaving the church and seeking new congragations starting at or after advent. This is, currently, including me. This has been affecting me in the head all week and then I got even more pissed off when I read (by the way, have I said pissed off enough time in this entry for you to catch my drift? Yes? No? Whatever...) this letter that was sent to me:

September 28, 2011

Dear David,

After a large turnout for the congregation meeting Sunday, September 25, 2011, I thank all of you for your prayerful participation. We dealt with several very important issues, and now we need to unite as never before to face the tasks of moving ahead. 140 members signed in at the beginning of the meeting, but quite a few had to leave before teh ballot was taken. We are nearly evenly divided on how we will face the future. We run the risk of losing up to half of our members without prayerful cooperation from everyone as we seek to determine God's will for our future.

The Council is holding a special meeting on Tuesday, October 4th to begin addressing many of the issues voiced by the congregation.

However, we immediately need to face a pressing financial problem. At the beginning of the month, as indicated on the handout for the meeting, our checking account balance was $15,600, and we have "borrowed" almost $80,000 from our other funds. In spite of a very high attendance Sundaay, the collection waas down to $4,300. Currently our expenses require approximately $7,500 per week. We are being very selective about what bills are paid each week, annd the Council will consider requesting more "loans" from memorial funs to stay current unless donations come in at a sufficient rate to covver our expenses.

The Council will discuss more active follow up with the membership, goals for measuring progress, reviewing duties and responsibilities of various ministries and staff, and attempt to maximize our resources. We will also discuss Capital Improvement and Stewardship campaign strategies.

In short, our collective tasks are just beginning.

Please continue to pray for God's guidance aas we embark on this program.

After reading that letter, I had this to update my facebook status with:

I got a letter from my church informing me of everything that has to be done as we move forward and that we risk loosing 1/2 our members and I thought, yeah, no $iht! I'm one of those members you risk loosing.

I have said before that I don't want to be part of a dying church. And it seems that the majority of the congregation has already voted to let it die through unwillingness to leave the pass behind them and move on and also it seems to me that they have actively turned their backs on God so I don't know what good praying will do if they've already stopped listening.

I intend to stay at least until the end of October. The senior minister is stepping down and retiring and instead taking on the role that he's really been best at all along which is visiting patients in the hospitals and counceling. He will still get paid for that service but it is a pay cut...mostly so that funds can be focused better onto other matters. Then, I will probably start actively looking for another church.

Oh, but before this gets posted, I want one thing to be mentioned. There are some who complain that there are too many paid staff members. They should instead be unpaid volunteeres. Now, here is why this pisses me off: That doesn't work. Okay, I do volunteere work. I change the sign (as I stated). I've been doing it since at least 2008...maybe even 2007. I am a little burned out on it because I can't really put it on a schedule...I have to either ask if it needs to be changed the Sunday before I am considering coming up or get called about it. I drive from North-East Shawnee to the church to change it...not a huge deal when you consider I drive about the same distance (or maybe even furtehr) to go out to Bonner Springs just in the opposet direction. The reason I keep going up as the one to change the sign is for 2 reasons: I like feeling needed and two...volunteerism doesn't work...there is nobody else to tag team with me.

This is pretty much what's been going on at my church...especially for the people who have been asking me.

Mario Kart the Movie

2011-09-29T00:44:00.001-05:00

I'd see this movie...

Weird Al's "Polka Face"

2011-09-27T00:32:00.002-05:00

Weird Al has a video for his polka medley Polka Face! Check it out here!

Summer 2011 Part 1

2011-09-23T23:43:00.005-05:00

Now that Summer for the year of 2011 is officially over, I am going to put together a review of what happened with me this summer...mostly the movies I saw (at the theater), the books I read (yes, I did read some books) and my improv involvement as well as some other odds and ins if I get to it. To make sure I get everything involved, I'm going back to mid May
MOVIES
The first "summer" movie I saw this year was THOR. At best, I would say it was OK...and to me, calling it OK is being nice. I didn't really care for it. Maybe I had to be a fan of the comic and I never read the comic. Maybe I should have known something about Nordic mythology. I really don't. When it comes down it, I just all around didn't care for the movie. I have been falling out of love wwith super hero movies for some time. Super heros have to be a certain way for me. I don't know. Anyway, for me, THOR was really underwhelming.

I have noticed that one thing that I do enjoy in super hero movies is when children are the super hero and they have cope with being different in a world they already struggle in anyway with school (high school or collage). So, countering the worst super hero movie I saw this summer with the best super hero movie I saw this summer was X-Men: First Class. Now, I loved this movie. I don't know if it's supposed to be a prequel or a reboot to the other X-Men movies or what. But I genuinly really liked this movie. Maybe it was the cast. Maybe it was the fact that it felt like an X-Men movie the way it should feel like (X-Men 3: The Last Stand was underwhelming...but maybe I should watch it again). But up to this time, X-Men: First Class was the best movie I had seen this year up to this time...but before was THOR and The Green Hornet...so as far as I was concerned, it didn't have much compatition.

The third movie I saw this summer was also a Part 3. It was Transformers: Dark Of The Moon. I thought it was really good. But then, I'm a little biased because it had Leanord Nimoy in it...and then went out of it's way to reference Star Trek almost every single chance it got. I also enjoied that a major part of the action took place in a city that I've been to before, Chicago, IL. Yeah, I don't get out much. Finally, though not exactly better than the first Transformers movie from 2007, it was better than Revenge Of The Fallen from 2009.

The last movie I saw this summer was ironicall also the last in a line of series and books: Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2. I saw this the day it came out in IMAX 3-D. This movie was built up and, as far as I'm concerned, it delievered. There were some differences between the book and the movie (besides the fact that the book was not seperated up into 2 parts). But unlike Harry Potter and the Half-Assed Prince (yes, I was upset with the 6th movie) Deathly Hallows Part 2 had everyone rising up against the Death Eaters and had an all out battle between good and evil. This was one of the things that was going to piss me off if it was left out. Snape had some very significan memories and I was also going to be mad if that was left out. There were whole movements in the theory that Harry Potter should have died in the book. I was going to be mad if the director decided to go ahead and kill him off. About the only major deviation from the plot of the book was the lack of Dumbledore's history. Though this wasn't needed for the movie (even though they had led up to getting this information in Part 1), it's really the only thing that I was upset to see left out. Okay, well, not the only thing...some really minor character detail moments for Harry Potter. But overall I loved this movie so much...and I don't usually like seeing movies in 3-D.

BOOKS

I read a lot of books this summer. The first book was actually the first in a series of 3 books called The Hunger Games. Book 1, I mentioned in my top 5 purchases from Borders update. I won't say much more about it than Katniss is this girl who, along with a boy named Peeta, gets sent off to die (basically) in a reality type survival game show.

Catching Fire was the 2nd book in the series and also, the second one I read. Basically, in this book, a revolution is getting started. Katniss has to go back to the games. But the revolution actually starts in the games themselves. Since this is a seris book, I won't go into much more detail.

Mockingjay was the final book in the Hunger Games series. The Revolution is already in full swing and Katniss, though not the leader, basically becomes the mascot of the revolution. These books, though I can't say I really liked them and that I was happy with the way it ended, did leave an impression on me.

Next I read The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magicicans Nephew. You know, I never got much pleasure from reading when I was growing up. I just didn't. So I'm reading a lot of children and young adult fiction while in my upper 20s. This is the first Chronicles of Narnia books going in chronicallogical order...which is how I choose to read them. This book is really about the birth of Narnia and how the white witch wound up in power.

Next, I read The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. As mostly everyone knows, this is the Easter story told from a fairy tale land of Narnia point of view. I don't really need to go into more detail than that. I still have yet to read any of the oher Narnia books.

Next, in less than 2 hours time, I read a book called Werewolf Haiku. Over the course of 136 pages, the main character, a mailman, gets attacked by a dog(?) while on his route, turns into a werewolf, tries to court a young lady and gets into trouble with the law told through the 5-7-5 style format of Haiku...the entire story is writen in haiku. By the way, this isn't the only werewolf book I have. It's just the only one that tells it's story through poetry.

Finally, and also, about the time that Biblioclast did Hitchhicker's Guide To The Galaxy, I finally read the book So Long And Thanks For All The Fish. This is the 4th book in the Hitchhicker's Guide series in which Author meets a woman who fasinates him (not Trish...they had a falling out, apparently) and Ford Prefect goes looking for Author...and Author meets a rain god who, no matter where he goes, can't get away from the rain. After this book, it's part of the Ultimate Hitchhickere's Guide, so I also read the short story "Young Zaphod Plays It Safe."

Anyway, that's all the books that I have read and finished. I've read on a few others but I haven't finished yet. I'm going to wind this entry down now. It's taken me a long time so everything else I wanted to mention will go in the entry Summer 2011 Part 2.

Update

2011-09-22T23:56:00.005-05:00

Have you cheecked out my friend Hannah's new web series, One Of Us, yet?
If not, then let's journey back to my blog entry from 1.5 weeks ago in which I gave a short advertisement for her show.

Now, I genuinely enjoy this show and it isn't just because Hannah is my friend that I say I like it. But I wouldn't have known about it if she didn't advertise it first. And, as a friend, I'm trying to get the word out...so that others may hear about it simular to how I did.

Also, I've got some friends who still live in America and who I perform improv with at the Roving Imp who will be playing charicters in the show in 1 or more upcoming episodes...not entirely sure when...but upcoming! They will be playing the main charicter's family.

Now, since the entry I mentioned earlier, 2 episodes have been uploaded. And I'm going to provide you with links to where you can find them...
Watch One Of Us (The series's webpage).

Vimeo...especially if you want to watch it in HD (yes, this is where I fall in...)

It is also availble on YouTube. I watched episode 2 on my phone on YouTube!

And now, before I say anything else, let me just say that One Of Us is on Twitter.

On a side note, Summer 2011 officially ends in the next 2-4 hours. Tomorrow (Friday) I will update my blog on the summer of 2011.

9-11 "political" issue...

2011-09-13T01:37:00.003-05:00

I take issue with the fact that some people take issues with 9/11 first responders rescue workers needing healthcare. I should warn anyone who reads that this is one of my few political uploads. I don't understand why some people support the idea of denying healthcare to the rescue workers and first responders on 9/11. So I made these inspirational spoof posters depecting the exact opposent of my point in a mockery fashion. That seems to be the best way (and more entertaining way) for me to get my point across...

Let me restate for the record that I don't agree with what I said. I said what I said mocking those who do say what I said...
I don't get it.

One Of Us...Coming very soon

2011-09-10T04:18:00.004-05:00

My friend Hannah The Mott has been over seas in a place called Poole, England. For her, it has also been called school. After graduating from KU and dabbling some with improv at the Roving Imp, she headed off to get her Masters in film. With her year being up, it's time to work on her master project: a web series called One Of Us.

Hannah is the director, producer, co-writer and basically the brains behind One Of Us. Mike Histon is also the assistant director and Co-writer of the series. The story is about a girl from the Midwest who, board from the Midwest, decides to move to England. But why read my boring words when you can get the lowdown from them personally...

If you are not interested yet, you may just be not quite right in the head. If you are intrigued, then all you need to do, come September 14th, is head over to the website of Watch One Of Us.

Star Trek met it's 45th year!

2011-09-09T02:22:00.001-05:00

Star Trek first aired on September 8, 1966. That means yesterday, Star Trek turned 45. Unfortunately, The History Channel left that information out when, on it's fan page when it gives what happened on that day in history, it did mention that the Oprah Winfry show first aired on yesterday's date back in 1986.
I always have to make commentary on the History Channel's This Day In History. So here is what I said about it...

The Oprah Winfrey Show broadcasted nationally for the first time today in 1986. But Star Trek first aired today in 1966...a full 20 years before hand. Therefore, Oprah has to step up her game...like 10 movies (and a reboot), 4 spin-off series (and a cartoon series) and she must invent new nerdy things that become main stream in 40 years (like cell phones and skype) before she is legit.

Anyway, in other news, there is something big coming up next week...September 14th. I'm not necessarily involved. But a friend of mine is and I said I would put an advertisement for her thing up on here...yes, it's something to be advertised.
I just want to make sure I have enough time to give it the full credit it deserves.

Borders

2011-09-07T23:57:00.010-05:00

In less than a month (maybe even less than a week in places) one of the biggest bookstore chains, Borders, will be closing their doors for good all over the country. It's only fitting that my return to blogging on a somewhat regular basis has me saying something about the store, one of my favorite stores ever to exist, closing their doors for good. Borders was the book store that I would go to even if I didn't really have anything in mind to get...I just liked looking at books. I have even tried...on about 3 or 4 different occasions...to actually get a job at Borders. There were some little things. But that's not what is important in this particular blog entry. In this blog entry, I was going to list my top 5 favorite (in no particular order) purchases from Borders.

5. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead. The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon by Crystal Zevon. This book came out in 2007. It came out before my bithday but I wasn't able to wait for my bithday so I went ahead and got it. I didn't finish it right away. In fact, I didn't finish it until a year ago when in July or August when I would go up to the Roving Imp for reading night but I'd get there early while the Monday night class was still winding down. This was a book about one of my fvorite artist, Warren Zevon, who passed away due to a rare form of lung cancer called Meslotheslioma (sp.) on September 7, 2003...coincidentally enough, 8 years ago of the day that I offically started this entry. This book was in with the rock an roll biographies. And when I got the book, it was when I was REALLY gettin into the music of Warren Zevon and I was currious about the person himself.

4. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I decided to read this book because I had at least 2 friends reccomend it...one specifically reccomended it to me. I wound up getting this book in paperback at the Borders in Shawnee in May and I finished the book in about a week. This is a young adult novel but it deals with a girl named Katniss who is sent from her district to fight in the Hunger Games...24 children ages 12 to 18 enter...only 1 child survives. This is entertainment for the people of the nation's capitol and used to keep order in the districts to prove to them that the capitol had supreme athority. Or as I liked to refer to it...Ancient Rome had the reality show of Survivor...only they were killed instead of voted off. This was also the first book I read that was getting turned into a movie since I read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

3. The Accidental Time Machine by Joe Haldeman. This is probably my most favorite book I ever bought randomly. It's a novel about a man who travels through time using a device that he invented to be something else. Each time he goes forward, or the time machine rather, it goes forward through an incriment of time that quadruples (or something like that) from the previous time. It was about 5 chapters before I really got into it. But then the rest of the book was a breeze and I read through it in a matter of a week all together.

2. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowlings audio recording read by Jim Dale. A year ago between May and July, I read all of the Harry Potter books. But I decided to get some assistance with Order Of The Phoenix. Enter Jim Dale...who has actually won a Grammy for his audio work on the Harry Potter series. Jim Dale's reading of this book was such an expierence that when I reread the series this year, I listened to the rest of them (except for the 1st and 4th) just to hear the Jim Dale take.

1. Life'll Kill Ya by Warren Zevon. This is the only one on here that I can rightly say that it is located at the correct rank of number 1. This album was originally released in 2000. But for whatever reason, it's rare. I had to order it. It was the first Warren Zevon album I ever ordered. This is the CD that is on my list of albums that I want to take with me if I ever get stranded on a desserted island with a CD player. This album includes "I Was In The House When The House Burned Down," "For My Next Trick, I Need A Volunteere," a cover to Steve Winwood's "Back In The Highlife," and a song I can't say on a family friendly blog but censored as "My $iht's F**ked Up." And one of my all time favorite songs, "Don't Let Us Get Sick." You can even find my overview of it by clicking here.

Well, I think that list came full circle. I started with a book about Warren Zevon and ended with one of Warren Zevon's albums. Yes, this is my list.

Good bye Borders. I will miss you.

2011-08-18T02:22:00.004-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Here's a slow-jam for the Harry Potter series put out by The Key Of Awesome...a subgroup for a group that is, like me, Barely Political...

Status updates

2011-08-02T02:10:00.006-05:00

Since I haven't posted in a while...and I don't want to be up all night typing a bunch of stuff, I want to post a few status updates I've had recently...

Friends who know something about quarters: Do you know what they are doing now? I got a quarter back in change that is Gettysburg on the back. Are they now doing sites of famous addresses...memorials, or is that a national park?

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck of a woodchuck would get stoned?

I need to get some new *nice* cloths. I haven't worn slacks since I ripped the butt seam on stage back in April playing a chicken.

I'm unsure as to why stores sale striped buttoned shirts with the stripes going side to side as opposed to up and down. I'm perfectly capable of looking fat on my own without the help of cloths, thank you very much.

And by cloths, I meant clothes.

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today because it seemed like a good idea at the time.

On a hot summer night, would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses? What do you mean no? You mean to tell me that since it is a hot summer night, you've chickened out of Meat Loaf? Come on! It's not even as hot as it has been.

It's been really hot in KC lately...

So what do I look like? A discruntled ex-employee of Wal*Mart hellbent on taking over the world? Because that's just silly.

You can't always get what you want. But if you try sometimes, you might find...
That it still doesn't always work out that way.

Does anyone remember that new horescope sign they found in the sky 4 or 5 months ago that really pissed off the people who give a huge damn about what there sign is. I can't remember the name and it never gets listed in the paper with the rest of the horescopes.

I found out from Allen who had to Google it that it was "Ophiuchus". Great, I want to use this in a new song parody...but how am I going to rhyme it when I'm not sure how to spell it?

Lord Voldemort is your daddy.

"I will protest weddings until I can marry the woman I love," says stalker to random gay dude in New York.

I enjoy it when my phone tells me that there is a thunderstorm. It provides a scene that reminds me of the escape through flight in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.

To raise awareness of humans, please change your profile picture to a picture of yourself. My hope is to raise awareness of human life on this Earth...and to figure out what you look like.

There are a lot of comments like this involving the changing of profile pics...my current one is me in my 3-D glasses seeing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.

I asked this on another status that was related to the situation: Where do transsexuals go to the bathroom? They don't have a stick person representing them.

I think I may have used the wrong word here because the comments I got seemed to refer to crossdressers...anyway.

Royals beat the Indians 12 to nothing...
Seriously!

The Royals are not having a good year. But every now and then, they do have a good night...and once in a blue moon...a VERY good night.

Can one of my friends who still play farmville send me a cow that I can throw at one of my friends who still play Mafia Wars?

I feel old. Not satisfied with the spelling of a word and not getting any leads from autocorrect, I got out a dictionary to look it up. Then, with the correct spelling, it turned out the word didn't even fit grammatically...that, and I'm 28.

One of my favorite authors was born today in the year 1965. Yes, it is J. K. Rowlings...who shares a birthday, ironically, with Harry Potter.

Turns out I used Ironically wrong. I have a record 25 comments (a record for me) on this status update about it...when I meant it as a joke like I didn't get the connection.

One shouldn't spend all their time in the past. Looking back too much will put a crick in the neck.

I think I may have finally said something that has meaning to some people!

I think we should just not bother paying our debt to China. That's what they get for poisoning our children's toys with lead. That should make our debt to them noll and void. Copy and paste if you think this makes as much sense as anything else right now.

Joseph Priestley discovered oxygen on this day in the year 1774. I guess he was living under a rock and forced to breath his own methane output. I don't know, what did humans breath before oxygen was discovered?

I get a lot of status updates like this from the History Channel fan page.

I tried to post this from my phone but unfortunately, it didn't post well...

I will never understand the fashion industry. I don't care who made the clothes. I don't understand the concept of getting paid to put clothes on. I am a guy and not wired like that. The only reason I bother to get dressed is to keep from getting arrested.

That's all I'll say about that.

I'm sorry to have just another status update about the heat. But it got up to 104 today in the KC area and tomorrow, they are predicting 106 or 108. Might I recommend a jacket made entirely of ice cubes?

Take from these what you will...

Matthew of the IHOP Restroom Part IX

2011-07-12T01:31:00.002-05:00

It's about time I posted part 9, I thought!

“You do realize that Matthew of the IHOP Restroom isn’t going to come after me, don’t you?” Mary said. “Kidnapping me will just be a waste of your time.”
“But why would he not come after you?” One of the Shipgoes asked while swaying back and forth to the car’s motion. “As you said, we kidnapped you. Doesn’t he want you back?”
“Are you kidding?” Mary scoffed. “He loathes me with every inch of his being.” She paused for a second. “Or something along those lines. Anyway, I love him too so it’s completely fine.”
The Shipgoe was completely confused. “Wait, what now? I don’t get it. It’s completely mutual with him hating you but you loving him?”
“Love,” Mary said, “eww…who said anything about love? I said he loathes me and I loath him. They’re completely different words. In fact, they are 100% anagrams of each other. I should know what I said.”
“Yes, you probably should know what you said,” the Shipgoe said, “and it was definitely not any thing resembling a word for hate.”
“Look,” Mary said, “we have a mutual hate towards one another because he owns me and he’s wanted to get rid of me since we met. I’m owned by him and I’ve wanted to get away from him since we met. It’s as simple as that. He probably saw you kidnapping me as finally being rid of me. Of course it kind of leaves me stuck here in the third dimension though.”
Mary was distraught by the fact that she was actually brought down with a Freudian slip. She would be even more so if she had an idea who Freud was but since the psychological always just sort of came together in the 18th dimension, names of doctors and their theories never really came together. But she knew that she actually did say love instead of loath and she couldn’t stand the idea that it could possibly be true. And maybe she really wanted Matthew to come save her before getting the Strawberry Syrup to the Mass Music Store…which is where her uncle’s studies had said to take it. But Matthew would probably not know what to do with the syrup once he got there.
The Shipgoes continued to drive out of control. At one point, they passed a police officer who had an early morning speed trap out. When the officer turned his lights and sirens on, the Shipgoes remembered they had their ability to sort of teleport out of there so the put the car on cruise control, transported out of there and appeared several miles away already in the Lawrence city limits. The car itself wound up crashing into a woodsy area off of K-10 where they were “driving”. The police officer was stumped and had to think about what to do.
Meanwhile, back with Matthew and his friends in his car, they were behind the Shipgoes several miles. Since the Shipgoes were driving manically, they stayed ahead several miles and growing. Jim was finally starting to get sober and asked Matthew to tell him once again where they were going.
“We’re going to the Quick Trip in Lawrence. My friend Mary Ann is there.
“She’s the one you came out of the restroom with, right?”
“Yes, and she’s in trouble.”
“Oh my gosh, Matthew!” Jim exclaimed. “Did you get her pregnant?!?!”
“No. I told you what happened about the 18th dimension and everything.”
“Oh that.” Jim said. “Oh I didn’t believe that.”
“Wait a minute,” Dan said poking his head up from the backseat, “you’re talking about Mary Ann, the hot girl we saw you come out of the IHOP restroom with?”
“Yes, because we came back from the 18th dimension together. She’s in trouble and we have to save her. And do me a favor,” Matthew said, “don’t go calling her hot, okay. There is so much about her that you don’t understand and the fact that she’s hot has something to do as to why she and I are both in this trouble.”
Then Dan said, “oh my gosh she is pregnant and you impregnated her.”
“NO!” Matthew said.
“Oh okay,” Dan said. “But at some point, you’re going to have to admit you kind of like her because we know you do.”
“You know what,” Matthew began, “I’m not talking to you anymore.” With that, Matthew continued to drive West to Lawrence. It was shortly after arriving in Douglas County that they saw the car that the Shipgoes had taken smashed and being taken away by tow truck. Matthew knew no one was in the car. If there was a Shipgoe in the car, a lab coated scientist would have been there monitoring the body. Finally, after the slight backup caused by the accident (which fortunately wasn’t much since it was about 4am) and all the road construction along the highway, Matthew, Jim and Dan had made it to the Quick Trip in Lawrence.

Fiction...Parody to Alice Cooper's "Poison"

2011-07-08T02:06:00.002-05:00

Original song with lyrics:

Fiction, the song parody I wrote:
Your tale‘s divine
It does, entice
One page, I’m hooked
I’ll read, your book...

I wanna meet you but you’re just too fake (too fake)
I wanna see you but there are no pictures to see
I wanna touch you for goodness sakes (-ness sakes)
I wanna love you but your author says that you’re fiction
You’re a figment of someone’s imagination
You’re Fiction
Just one more complication

My mind, can see
Your hot beauty
Just leave, your page!
Your literary cage....

I read your description and it’s driving me nuts (me nuts)
I joined Deviant Art just to glimpse at your fan-made pics
Don't mean to stalk you but your book never shuts (won’t shut)
I should stop fantasizing about someone who is totally fiction
Your imagery keeps me up all night
You’re Fiction
Am I messed up or am I alright?
Fiction...

One chapter, One book
I’ll buy your nook...

I hope the movie, it comes out real soon (real soon)
If for nothing else to help put a face with your face
I’ll need a cold shower if it’s a kiddie cartoon (cartoon)
You never know when you deal with someone who’s fiction
I wanna put down your book and read your lips
You’re Fiction
Fantasies of you are like an acid trip
Fiction (Fict-ion....)

I wanna love you but you’re paper and ink (and ink)
I can’t wait to meet you in my own fan-made story.
I hope your author doesn’t raise a stink (a stink)
You can always have a happy ending when you work with fiction
Yeah....
Barns & Nobles has got my bill
Fiction
Your sequel will be quite a thrill
Glad to hear you got a movie deal
Fiction
Fantasies of you, they haunt me still
Fiction

2011-07-02T04:05:00.002-05:00

I'm coming up with the concept for a new song parody.
Want a hint?
Watch this video/hear this song...
will my parody idea ever see the light of day? I don't know. But the concept is coming to terms in my head using this song...

Ask David Some Weird Crap

2011-06-27T05:06:00.002-05:00

This video was inspired by Ask That Guy With The Glasses. A couple of years ago, he had a contest to get viewers to answer stupid questions that he would usually answer. I of course didn't have a webcam at the time. But now I do!

Hey, submit your own questions for episode 2!

Google Street

2011-06-24T02:12:00.003-05:00

I enjoy google street view. There is just one problem. I personally have a lot of road rage. And even though it seems at time as though I'm about to get ahead of the car in front of me, it never happens. This is because they are going the same speed if not faster in real time as the van that went around taking the pictures. Then, when I finally gain on them, it's a completely different hour...maybe even different day.
About a year ago, somebody posted this:

This reminded me a little bit of google street view because I would more than likely be listening to Warren Zevon as I go riding.

Improv in Bonner Springs...and beyond..?

2011-06-23T02:15:00.000-05:00

First off, I have a personal announcement: I will be performing in the 2nd season of The Next Big Improv Show.

Last I heared from John, there were 2 spots left.

Second, I can finally note for sure that we are (for the summer anyway) leaving our Lawrence location where we have been performing improv and Thursday nights and we are moving to The Great Mall of the Great Planes in Olathe, KS.

Only, instead of performing on Thursday nights, we'll be performing out there on Wednesday evenings. As it says on the Roving Imp page about our first show out there: "The Roving Imps take the show on the road to the Great Mall of the Great Plains for the first of a series of shows highlighting games, fun scenes, and hilarious longer made up plays. Join us from 6:30-8:30pm for this FREE show!"

Finally, as much as I would love to do my own version of "We Are The World" for this, I just don't have the rescourses to do it on my own. Even if others joined me, I'd still need your help! But it's more important to follow this:

As stated from it's page on the Roving Imp website:
Kansas has a reputation... and it's not a good one. Whether it's the topic of evolution or the arts, we've gotten a lot of bad press. It's our firm belief that lack of artistic opportunity in the state of Kansas will lead to another generation of boring, selfish, television watchers. Kansas needs to make opportunities to learn a creative skill - and that's where the Kansas Improvisation Foundation comes in.

The KIF will create opportunities for the people of Kansas to be exposed to the many varieties of improvisational acting. KIF will use its funds to give scholarships to take improv classes, to bring in outstanding teachers from other cities, and to provide classes and performances to areas with no other access to this kind of art form.

The KIF is just getting started, and needs funding to make its launch official - that means it needs 501(c)3 status to be able to apply for grants and other help.

Don't let the forces of evil win. Help spread the fun and skill of improv all over the state of Kansas!

The amount that needs to be raised is $520. That is $20 to file in the state as a non-profit. Then $400 need to be rasied to file with the IRS. Then, we need the final $100 for legal fees and fund-raising charges to make it happen.

There are things you get if you go to this website:

For a donation of $1:
A heartfelt thank you on the KIF web site (included at all levels of giving!).

For a donation of $10:
Two tickets to an improv show at the Roving Imp Theater (supporting partner of the KIF).

For a donation of $20:
Two tickets to a show, plus two coffees of any size at the Roving Imp Coffee Shop.

For a donation of $40:
Four tickets to a show, plus four coffees.

For a donation of $60:
One month of free improv classes at the Roving Imp Training Center AND a month of free improv shows.

For a donation of $100:
Two months of free improv classes, two months of free improv shows, and opportunity to take part in up to four improv shows as an actor, tech, or volunteer.

For a donation of $200:
We send to you a one-of-a-kind video of an improv scene or game personalized to include details of your life, or a favorite hobby, AND a month of free improv shows at the Roving Imp.

For a donation of $300:
A one-hour private comedy show for you and up to 60 of your friends at a mutually agreed-upon location AND a month of free improv shows at the Roving Imp. This perk has a limited geographical range. Contact us... we'll talk about it!

That last one is so great, I don't really have a decent new link to provide for it.
So yeah, if you even remotely come across my blog here, please check it out!

Lawrence shows...

2011-06-17T04:23:00.002-05:00

There is a big change happening involving the Thursday night Lawrence shows. First of all, we're movie to a new location and maybe even time. Unfortunately, I can't say anything here just yet. But don't worry, there will be something to say when it happens!

Original song vs. Parody

2011-06-14T03:39:00.003-05:00

Sometime ago, Katy Perry did a song called E. T. with Kanye West (for some reason).

Anyway, Barely Political did a parody to it:

Now here's the thing: I heard the song/watched the video for the parody first. This is actually common for me. I usually listen to classic rock songs and so to me, I'm finding these new songs because of the parodies. So I usually get it in reverse order. For example, I saw this video first:

Then, to figure out what the original song was like, I looked up:

I want to do a video of this song but unfortunately, I can't think of anything other than something Transformer movies related since Megan Fox is in the video and won't be in the 3rd one.

Yes, I am a dork and proud of it!

Okay, so some people take issue with parodies. I, quite frankly, love them when they are done right.

2011-06-10T00:20:00.002-05:00

A friend of mine sprained their ankle pretty bad and using crutches. They don't know how long it will take before they can stop using the crutches. I posted this video of me using a crutch as an air-guitar. Please note that I did not have music for this originally.

Matthew of the IHOP Restroom Part 8

2011-06-08T01:59:00.001-05:00

“You do realize that Matthew of the IHOP Restroom isn’t going to come after me, don’t you?” Mary said. “Kidnapping me will just be a waste of your time.”
“But why would he not come after you?” One of the Shipgoes asked while swaying back and forth to the car’s motion. “As you said, we kidnapped you. Doesn’t he want you back?”
“Are you kidding?” Mary scoffed. “He loathes me with every inch of his being.” She paused for a second. “Or something along those lines. Anyway, I love him too so it’s completely fine.”
The Shipgoe was completely confused. “Wait, what now? I don’t get it. It’s completely mutual with him hating you but you loving him?”
“Love,” Mary said, “eww…who said anything about love? I said he loathes me and I loath him. They’re completely different words. In fact, they are 100% anagrams of each other. I should know what I said.”
“Yes, you probably should know what you said,” the Shipgoe said, “and it was definitely not any thing resembling a word for hate.”
“Look,” Mary said, “we have a mutual hate towards one another because he owns me and he’s wanted to get rid of me since we met. I’m owned by him and I’ve wanted to get away from him since we met. It’s as simple as that. He probably saw you kidnapping me as finally being rid of me. Of course it kind of leaves me stuck here in the third dimension though.”
Mary was distraught by the fact that she was actually brought down with a Freudian slip. She would be even more so if she had an idea who Freud was but since the psychological always just sort of came together in the 18th dimension, names of doctors and their theories never really came together. But she knew that she actually did say love instead of loath and she couldn’t stand the idea that it could possibly be true. And maybe she really wanted Matthew to come save her before getting the Strawberry Syrup to the Mass Music Store…which is where her uncle’s studies had said to take it. But Matthew would probably not know what to do with the syrup once he got there.
The Shipgoes continued to drive out of control. At one point, they passed a police officer who had an early morning speed trap out. When the officer turned his lights and sirens on, the Shipgoes remembered they had their ability to sort of teleport out of there so the put the car on cruise control, transported out of there and appeared several miles away already in the Lawrence city limits. The car itself wound up crashing into a woodsy area off of K-10 where they were “driving”. The police officer was stumped and had to think about what to do.
Meanwhile, back with Matthew and his friends in his car, they were behind the Shipgoes several miles. Since the Shipgoes were driving manically, they stayed ahead several miles and growing. Jim was finally starting to get sober and asked Matthew to tell him once again where they were going.
“We’re going to the Quick Trip in Lawrence. My friend Mary Ann is there.
“She’s the one you came out of the restroom with, right?”
“Yes, and she’s in trouble.”
“Oh my gosh, Matthew!” Jim exclaimed. “Did you get her pregnant?!?!”
“No. I told you what happened about the 18th dimension and everything.”
“Oh that.” Jim said. “Oh I didn’t believe that.”
“Wait a minute,” Dan said poking his head up from the backseat, “you’re talking about Mary Ann, the hot girl we saw you come out of the IHOP restroom with?”
“Yes, because we came back from the 18th dimension together. She’s in trouble and we have to save her. And do me a favor,” Matthew said, “don’t go calling her hot, okay. There is so much about her that you don’t understand and the fact that she’s hot has something to do as to why she and I are both in this trouble.”
Then Dan said, “oh my gosh she is pregnant and you impregnated her.”
“NO!” Matthew said.
“Oh okay,” Dan said. “But at some point, you’re going to have to admit you kind of like her because we know you do.”
“You know what,” Matthew began, “I’m not talking to you anymore.” With that, Matthew continued to drive West to Lawrence. It was shortly after arriving in Douglas County that they saw the car that the Shipgoes had taken smashed and being taken away by tow truck. Matthew knew no one was in the car. If there was a Shipgoe in the car, a lab coated scientist would have been there monitoring the body. Finally, after the slight backup caused by the accident (which fortunately wasn’t much since it was about 4am) and all the road construction along the highway, Matthew, Jim and Dan had made it to the Quick Trip in Lawrence.

2011-06-07T02:53:00.003-05:00

‎1984 was published on June 6th in 1949. It would be the last Van Halen album with David Lee Roth and features songs like "Jump" and "Panama" and "Hot For Teacher" all taking place in a distopian future with the T.V. show called Big Brother...wait, somethings not right...

This was a status update I had on facebook today.

Distopian Futures

2011-06-02T03:45:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I'm not really a fan of Distopian futures in Sci-Fi Fiction. This is mainly because Utopian and Distopian aare all realitive to the surroundings fo the main charicter...or as I say, one man's distopian future is another man's utopian future. And yet, I've started reading The Hunger Games and I can't seem to put it down. Of course, I do have to sleep sometimes.

Oh, and my friend Chris has linked to a Star Wars parody of the song "Friday." I've posted the James@War parody, "Friday."

Harry Potter In The Hood

2011-05-27T23:38:00.000-05:00

You should totally check this out!

2007...yeah, that seems like a good title.

2011-05-19T01:10:00.005-05:00

I want to go back to Spring 2007...as me...but knowing now what I didn't know then. I've got my reasons.

Matthew of the IHOP Restroom part VII (or 7)

2011-05-16T02:19:00.001-05:00

Matthew thought, Lawrence, Kansas? Figures… Lawrence, Kansas almost always winds up as being a significant location to science fiction stories. Lawrence is, after all the center of the universe, in cording to one of the google.earth sites or something like that. So it would be no wonder that the Strawberry Syrup would have to be taken there.
“You need to take it to a building that has the name Mass Street Music,” Mary said. “Do you know where that is?”
Matthew knew where it was indeed. He had wanted to go in and purchase a Stratocaster guitar he had seen there once. He had been saving up for it. He had a song in his head that he tried writing but hasn’t sounded good on any guitar yet…but maybe that one…but that was beside the point.
“Yes, I know where it is,” Matthew said. “But we can’t just take the Strawberry Syrup. That’s stealing.”
“Allow me guys,” Dan said. The waitress was coming over to find what was going on and as Dan went up to her, he said, “why hello, sexy. My friends here are in desperate need of taking the Strawberry Syrup. Is there anything I can do to persuade you to let them take it? You will get a huge tip. Oh, it’ll be MASSIVE.” As Matthew and the others expected, the waitress slapped Dan in the face. This fortunately was hard enough to cause Dan to sober up instantly and he was no longer intoxicated. “Whoa! Ouch! Hey, does anyone know what just happened? Oww…” He said rubbing his jaw.
“Okay, besides anything he has to say,” the waitress said pointing to Dan, “what’s going on here?”
“Miss,” Matthew said, “with the exception of the pervertedness of my friend here, what he said before about us needing the Strawberry Syrup is correct. We specifically need the strawberry syrup in the specific container. I promise, you will get a big tip, and by big tip, I actually mean money, unlike my friend here who you have made sober now…thank you for that by the way.”
“Well,” the waitress started. She would have continued. But as she was continuing, three Shipgoes came charging out of the restroom. One of the Shipgoes came and knocked down Matthew while another one grabbed him by his shirt. Jim and Dan were leaning up against the table, hiding the syrup from view as well as the sweetener and the silverware with absolutely no clue as to what was going on.
“Ah-ha, Matthew of the IHOP Restroom; we have followed you here to the third dimension. Where is the Holy Grail?” shouted the Shipgoe holding Matthew by the shirt.
“Unhand him,” Mary said as she kicked the Shipgoe in the growing who was holding Matthew. Matthew was confused. Not because he was just dropped to the ground about two feet, but because he could have sworn that Mary just defended him? He passed it off as though all it was was that she just wanted to see the mission completed. It would have been out of her character otherwise. After all, she had already stated to him how much she loathed him. It was obviously an ordeal with a common enemy.
The Shipgoe crouched down to the ground in pain and shouted, “grab her!” She was grabbed by the other two and taken outside as Mary yelled back, “Matthew, get the syrup to Mass Street Music!”
The Shipgoe that Matthew assumed to be the leader looked down to him and said, “you will have no need to go there. If you want to see your friend again, you will have to do battle with me personally…here.” He slammed a map down with a sword onto the table that showed the location was at an old abandoned gas station in Lawrence. With that, the Shipgoe left. Matthew took a close look at the map and decided it must have been old because where the battle was planned; there was now a Quick Trip.
Matthew looked at the waitress and asked once again to take the Strawberry Syrup container. “What strawberry container?” she asked.
Matthew faced the syrup and pointed to it and started to say this one only to see that the waitress had up and left already. He grabbed the syrup and left IHOP and going to the car, he said to Dan, “Now Dan, for future reference, how many times have I told you there are certain dangers to falling in love with your waitress. Besides, you don’t want to go cheating on your date with the vacuum cleaner…”
“Oh, that’s right,” Jim said to Dan. “You’ve got a hot date with the vacuum cleaner. That’s what you told us,” he said as he started to laugh.
“A date with a vacuum!?” Dan said. “Well that sucks.”
Matthew drove out of the IHOP parking lot and began to drive to Lawrence. He wasn’t sure if he minded Mary being gone but he knew that he absolutely had to rescue her from the Shipgoes. He just wasn’t sure why he wanted to save her. Was it because he promised Captain Bill that he would take care of her? Was it because she saved his life so he would decide to save hers? Or could it possibly be because he was starting to actually like her and he personally didn’t want to see any harm brought upon her?
No. Absolutely not, Matthew thought. He couldn’t stand her. Not in the slightest. Why would he even begin to think that he actually liked her? If anything it was one of the other two. But one way or another, he had to get to the Quick trip in Lawrence to get her back.

That's A Good Charicter!

2011-04-28T02:57:00.003-05:00

What is it that makes or breaks a charicter?
First off, a good charicter is real. S/He has real emotions, real thoughts, and real relationships with those who are around them. A bad charicter is one who is basically a steriotype or charicature of a charicter. A good charicter can still fall into those steriotypes. But they need something different about them to set them apart.
For the record, this isn't just in improv. This is part of good story telling/writing. One of the things that makes good science fiction or fantasy good is when aliens or robots or whatever is science fictiony about them has human like qualities about them...they think...they feel (about things AND towards those who are around them)...they have wants and desires that are unique to them. This is why B-Rate science fiction pics from the 1950s and 1960s were so MST3K worthy because they were all around bad. Aliens who came to earth were a representation of the "communist threat." This means that, no matter what an alien was doing, it was evil by default. No matter what, it was..."THEM...The Other Guy...The Outsider." The evil ones were usually giant spiders or giant praying mantises...or blobs...or just something to run...not walk away gingerly from. Even the good ones (The original Day The Earth Stood Still) he was bad because he wanted earth's nations not to destroy eachother...so, naturally, he was evil and had to be shot down (I'm being sarcastic here).
But I'm going off on a science fiction tangent on a blog entry simply about charicters. What I'm trying to say is that charicters become better when they are developed 3-dimensional charicters with real wants and desires, feelings, and relationships. When I read the Second City Almanac of Improvasation, there are a section in it devoted to charicter in improv performances (workshops, rehearsals, or shows) that your charicter is so much better without the usual steriotypes and cliches that come with the charicter you're playing. The Italian doesn't always have to be a mafia hitman who eats pizza all the time...or a plumber for that matter. An Asian doesn't have to be incredably good at math while being bad drivers. I can't remember word for word. I just know those are a few of the steriotypes that exist.
Now, if you have a charicter that just follows preconceived steriotypes, all you're doing is going for the easy laugh or a joke. This may or may not be ok when writing a story...depending on what you want from the story. But if you do this in improv...well first of all, you shouldn't. You shouldn't go for the easy laughable joke in improv anyway and if your charicter is just a joke to begin with, you will loose the interest of the audience before the scene/show ends...but good luck to you if your try and pull that stunt. Hopefully, you're new to improv if you do try it. It's easier to forgive beginners with that since they are new to it.
However, like any work of fiction, if you're doing an improv scene, your charicter should have good real relationships with your scene partners' charicters as well as a real wants and real charicters.
I'd probably have more to say about charicters if it weren't after 3:30am. Maybe I'll come back to this subject sometime.

Yeah, that's what I said.

2011-04-23T02:36:00.002-05:00

Have you been up to Lawrence for improv yet on Thursday nights?

April 14th was the first night that we performed for the Roving Imp up in Lawrence on the KU campus. We're performing in the ECM building between the Kansas Union and the new hotel...this new hotel was built where the campus bar was when I was at KU...and I only graduated in 2009.
Anyway, we continue on with the 5th episode of Maddox Family Wrestling Syndicate Saturday night. This is the one where I'm playing Harry Wallace. John provided the audiance Thursday night with a little preview by performing as Cranston Maddox giving the worse advice in Good Advice, Bad Advice, Worst Advice.
Also, while speaking of Lawrence shows, Thursday night this week was the 2nd show out there. I claimed on facebook that my personal highlight was singing the last verse of a protest song about campfires. I'm one of those weird people who finds musical games very relaxing...for the most part. Irish Drinking Song, Hoedown, Protest Song...about the only one I'm not extreamely comfortable with is Beasty Rap. It's one thing to come up with a rhyme yourself...or come up with a word that someone else has to rhyme with...or knocking down a rhyme you were set up with. It's something else to have to come up with the rhyme AND drop the hints to your team can guess what it is you're wanting to say. Sometimes it's easy...the word you're rhyming with is Book. You want your team to say "hook". "I'm Peter Pan fighting Captain..." "HOOK!" That's easy provided you know who Peter Pan is and you can hear and understand the hint. Sometimes, if you are a member of the possy, you can't understand the hint because of the beat or the hint means nothing to you. There was one time in rehearsal I was on a team with John and Ashley. John was trying to get Ashley and I to say bar...using the hint to refer to the bar that a lawyer has to pass. I know this now because I was there. I had no idea what John was talking about. Fortunately, Ashley is a lawyer so it made perfect sense to her. The fortunate thing about the other song games, except for Irish Drinking Song, you set up your own rhyme. I love rhyming by the way. Irish Drinking song, you set up the rhyme for whoever is the number 4 person whenever you're number 2. Provided your word is easily rhymable, the number 4 person can come up (in theory) with anything in the world to rhyme with and make a complete sentence.
Anyway, I just really like rhyming/singing games for the most part.
Anyway, on the subject of Improv, congradulations to John and Keith for getting accepted to the Duo Fest again this year!
Now before I post this, I'm going to say that I'm going to sincerely try and keep this updated more often.

Matthew of the IHOP Restroom part VI

2011-04-20T02:33:00.001-05:00

Captain Bill’s ship sprouted propellers from the deck which started to swing around and around like the propellers of a helicopter. This caused the captain’s ship to lift above the water and take flight. Matthew had never seen anything like it. He wanted to say he saw something similar to it in a movie but he couldn’t because he hadn’t. He was equally surprised to see that the ship covered itself in metal once it got up to about 2 miles above the planet. It the ship took on the form of a space ship. The ship was no longer a sea port ship or an air ship but a flying saucer.
“So, the ship can fly and it can go up into space?” Matthew cried. “Is this even possible?”
“Oh please,” Mary said, who was really the only one who noticed Matthew’s peeked interest in all things ships taking flight…or whatever it would be called; “you’re just not thinking 18th dimensionally. All pirate ships can fly into the air and into space.”
“Really?” Matthew inquired. “I guess that would explain why the holy treasury is relying on captains like your uncle to fight there battles.”
“Well,” Mary said, “IHOP Restroom over here has finally figured one out on his own.”
Matthew was either flattered or insulted…or maybe a mixture of both. It was the first assumption he had made that was correct. Then, he remembered that it was already stated by Captain Bill that they were a pirate ship and they were at war. So he figured Mary was just being sarcastic with him. If that were true, he thought, it wouldn’t surprise him. But before he could fully decide whether Mary was being sincere or sarcastic, he looked out the window and noticed that they had reached space. In the distance, he saw a ship that he only assumed belong to the Shipgoes. A shipmate came in the room and said that the captain wished to see them on deck.
Matthew and Mary followed the shipmate to what Matthew assumed to be the bridge. As they got there, another shipmate said something to the captain about the Shipgoes trying to communicate as they appeared on a screen in the front of the room. This was the first time that Matthew saw a Shipgoe and the first thing he noticed was that they looked like giant rats. They said something to the captain that didn’t make any sense to Matthew. It was nothing but a bunch of squeaking.
“Rodent talk will get you nowhere with me,” Captain Bill said to them.
“I don’t have the proper translation track down, Captain,” said another shipmate, “I’ve got it…now.”
“Hopefully, now we can understand each other,” Captain Bill said. “Iiiiiieeeee am Captain Bill of sea, air and space ship ENVOY.” The captain’s ship being named after a Warren Zevon album intrigued Matthew. But what made him smile and caused him to have to hold back a laugh was how the rat-appearing shipgoes responded.
“Oh great, we got the pirate who emphasizes the I!” one said but trying to look as though he didn’t say that. “We came for the Holy Grail, Captain, where is it?”
“Iiiiieeeee have no holy grail on miiiiieeeeee ship. Nor is it on the planet. You will have to look elsewhere.” The Captain said.
One of the Shipgoes spotted Matthew and said to the other, “look, behind the captain, it’s the Chosen One! It’s Matthew of the IHOP Restroom!” All the Shipgoes in the screen looked at each other. Matthew was worried. So was the Captain because somehow, he hadn’t even seen it coming. “ATTACK!” yelled the Shipgoe who had spotted Matthew.
“FIIIIIIIEEEEEEEE-RE CANNONS!” cried Captain Bill. He turned to Matthew and Mary. He saw that Matthew had a questioning look on his face. “It’s okay,” he said to Matthew, “cannons can be fiiiieeee-red in space. They just have to be shot with enough force. Anyway, you shouldn’t be worried about that riiiiiieeeeee-ght now.
“I wasn’t worried about that. If I was home in the third dimension, I would question the science. But I’m not a scientist. All I’m worried about is getting out of here,” Matthew said.
“Matthew,” Mary cried, “you need to go back to the third dimension to get their holy grail. I saw the plans for it in Uncle Bill’s quarters. What they seek can only be found in the third dimension.”
Matthew was intrigued. Not that it was starting to make sense to him, but it was the first time that Mary had called him Matthew…just Matthew…no IHOP Restroom or anything like that. But after spending five seconds thinking about that, he realized that he had no idea what to look for when he got there, how to get back there, or even how he would come back to deliver the holy grail to the Shipgoes.
“I don’t know how to get back. Klaper never said anything about it,” Matthew said. “I don’t even know what to look for.”
“I’ll go with you,” Mary said.
“Are you sure?” Matthew asked.
“You currently own me. Remember?” Mary said. “I doubt I really have any say in the matter.”
“Oh yeah,” Matthew said. “I guess I kind of forgot.” It was strange how Matthew had forgotten that very important matter over which they had just been arguing pretty much the entire day up to that point. But since the Shipgoes started attacking THE ENVOY, there isn’t anymore time to talk about Matthew and Mary arguing. Both sides were fighting mad.
“Iiiiieeeee’ve got a portal opener on this ship. It’s down in the cargo hold. Iiiieee never had any need for it. Someone sold it to me in exchange for a three copies of the song ‘Just What Iiiieeee Needed’; one biiiieeee The Cars, one biiiieeee Sister Hazel and one biiiieeee Poison.” Matthew agreed so the Captain took them down to the cargo hold. But as they were heading down, seven Shipgoes spontaneously appeared on the ship. They were trying to capture Matthew but the shipmates held them off. “We’d better hurry,” the Captain said.
They made it down to the cargo hold and the captain dug it out and turned it on. It started to swirl around. They started to enter when the captain said to Matthew, “take care of miiieee niece. Got it?” Matthew agreed and they step through…but not before they heard him scream in attack. It was too late to actually do anything because at that exact moment, they found themselves right outside of the IHOP restroom.
“Alright Matthew!” shouted Jim and Dan, “coming out of the restroom with a hot chick!”
Matthew looked at a clock that said it was 3:05am. He realized that nothing had changed. The only difference was that Mary was with him this time. “So he looked at her and said, “Don’t mind them, they’re drunk.”
“Hey Matthew,” Dan shouted, “I just scored a hot date with that little number right over there.”
Matthew looked over to see that it was the vacuum cleaner he tried hitting on earlier. “That’s a vacuum cleaner, Dan.” He said. “Anyway, we don’t have time for this.”
“We need that canister of red liquid,” Mary said.
“We need Strawberry syrup?” Matthew asked.
“Yes, and we need to take it to a place called Lawrence, Kansas.”

I don't know what's going on.

2011-04-19T05:09:00.009-05:00

Okay, so it's been a while since I updated. I've been wanting to post a video but for some reason, my new computer won't let me load video to blogspot...or blogspot won't let me post video from my new computer. Either way, I don't know what's going on.

Also, with the new computer, (by the way, have I mentioned on here that I got a new computer recently? Because if not, I did.) I'm wanting to transfer my music to rhapsody so that I can use my new lap top for my mp3 player. Unfortunately, it doesn't know how to load my music that I transfered over from my old computer with the data transfer. Anyway, whatever it is, I don't know what's going on.

Starting last Thursday, (April 14th) the Roving Imp started doing shows in Lawrence on the KU campus in the ECM building. At first, it was going to be in the Carnagie Arts Center which it's not called that anymore. Then there was going to be a show at the Union Station/Visitor Center. But it's now taking place in the ECM building. I have a realitive idea as to what's going on.

Last week, I accidentally washed my memory stick in the washing machine and didn't find out until the end of the dryer cycle. Turns out it doesn't work now. This is the memory stick I use for the powerpoints at the Roving Imp. So I had to get a new memory stick. It just so happens that the new memory stick has 4GB of memory availible. But the computer at the Roving Imp doesn't want to read it. Also, the new powerpoint - PowerPoint 10 - saves files as a pptx as opposed to ppt. It's kind of screwy and I'm going to be doing some more expieramenting with what my options are. I have an older memory stick that holds 64mg and I can save it as a '97-'03 ppt file which I learned about Saturday night from Chris. Didn't know about that before hand. Also, I'm going to try and save a version of it and e-mail it to John, to see if he can save it on one of his memory sticks and load it from there. Here, I've got an idea as to what is going on.

AF1 - April Fools Day

2011-04-01T23:40:00.002-05:00

Good evening. All day today jokes went far and wide around the world. And you were probably laughing at something that was deemed totally frickin' hillarious. "Freakin' Hillarious." That phrase just isn't gramatically correct in the English language. We really don't care though because it's a holiday. We will be united in the bonds of laughter. Perhaps it's fate that today is the First of April, and you will once again be fighting for our laughter... Not from knock-knock jokes, fart jokes, or bad puns... but for your health. We are laughing for our high cholestoral and fat content. To belly laugh. And should we laugh beyond today, April Fools will no longer be known as a jerk-off's holday, but as the day the world declared in one voice: "My gosh, that was really funny!" My belly will shake like a bowl full of Jelly! We're going to laugh on! We're going to L-O-L! Today we celebrate our April Fools Day!

2011-04-01T03:14:00.002-05:00

Here it is! This is a preview of the upcomming Roving Imp Showcase for the 4th anniversary of the theater. This year, it features The Beatles.

Trouble at the Ministry of Magic

2011-03-31T01:32:00.003-05:00

And by that, I mean I'm using a Harry Potter reference here to resemble real trouble I'm having.
Man, first I have issues with logging onto facebook on my laptop. Now, it seems that the fan on my laptop doesn't work right and the motor on the laptop over heats. For the record, I've had it since May 2005 for graduating from JCCC. It's fine for about 20-40 minutes and then it just shuts off...as though the chord came unplugged. Now, there is another computer in the house. But I can't use power point with it which means I'll be limited to what I can do for the powerpoint for the Imp this weekend.
Anyway, I'm hoping to get another computer soon. I've been kind of saving up for it.
In other news, earlier this month (about 2 weeks ago now) I went to a clinic, stepped on a scale and I, for the first time in my life, weighed more than 300lbs. so now I'm trying to loose that. I'm doing it gradually.

Maddox Family Wrestling Syndicate Episode 3

2011-03-28T15:07:00.004-05:00

Okay, it's been a week and a couple of days and I've had a few other issues...time issues and computer issues and personal... But I wanted to update this about the 3rd episode of Serial Cereal's Maddox Family Wrestling Syndicate from the 19th.
The third episode had to do with using the bathroom...well, that was the suggestion anyway. As Harry Wallace, I gave Marvin some advice that finally made him able to come around with his daughter's desire to wrestle. Also, Harry's disturbed past involving why his wife and 10 year-old daughter isn't in the picture. Turns out that his wife and unborn daughter were shot down 10 years prior and left him "in the spiritual sense." As much as he wanted to, Harry wasn't able to take down the shooter. Telling the story to Mad Ox, he calls Harry a coward and tries to get him to rematch from the episode before. Somehow, Harry winds up pinning Mad Ox...and neither of them knew how that happened.
Also, Gretchen finds that Harry's "wise sayings" just don't make sense to her so it's a good thing he doesn't usually try to use his proverbs with her.
Candy thinks that Harry has hired prostitutes to lay prostrate on the ground to make designs or something. (This may be off due to the fact that it's been 1 whole week since.)

Monsters - Parody of the Killer's "Human"

2011-03-10T03:55:00.006-06:00

This is a parody I wrote about a month ago to the Killer's "Human" It's MONSTERS. I placed my lyrics over the music and original lyrics so it can be seen just where the new lyrics are supposed to go.

Maddox Family Wrestling Syndicate Episode 2.

2011-03-07T23:42:00.002-06:00

Last Saturday, was the second episode of Maddox Family Wrestling Syndicate...also known (but very little anymore) as Serial Cereal. I would give another update on what I have discovered about my Harry Wallace charicter, but I don't think I'm ready for that because I'm not 100% sure and John says whatever issues my charicter has I should go ahead and say it on stage.
Anyway, here is the Maddox Family Wrestling Syndicate promo that was shown at the theater for the first time Saturday night.

Maddox Family Promo from Roving Imp Theater on Vimeo.

Film major

2011-03-04T02:44:00.002-06:00

For a very brief time while I was at KU, I was a film major. This was during the Spring of 2006 and was set up at accident. Between Fall '05 and Spring '06, I was kicked out of the school of Journalism. This was fine for me because I had discovered that I had no business being in Journalism and, with the exception of the fact that I was undecided once again, was more than happy to no longer be in Journalism. But I HAD to say something in order to stay at KU. So I said English (to go into Creative Writing) but due to an interest that I had in it, I also said to be put down for film. Of course, the following semester, I was only in 2 classes. Fiction Writing I and Intermediate Spanish I. So by the end of the Spring semester, I was full time English major...I felt I had found my calling with Fiction Writing. But as it turned out, I was labeled as ONLY a film major. So there was more involved than just saying I wasn't a film major anymore. I had to go through, dorp one and add the other. I can't remember the exact details anymore (being 5 years now) but I do remember it was awkward.
Looking back, I wish that I had at least minored in film. I always enjoied making films. In fact, when I was in my journalism and broadcasting courses, it was always my film work that I got my highest marks on. Even though I got kicked out of the the school of Journalism, the 2-person group project that I did in class with my partner wound up being the one that got showed to the entire class that represented our lab (we had one miniture auditoriam class and about 7 or 8 mini group labs).
So, looking back, I kind of wish I had at least minored in film. I probably would have if I had some idea how the whole minors thing worked. I could have probably even survived film homework along with English homework because film work always came that naturally to me...except for one thing. I've never really been exceptional with a camera. It's always been in editing that I've always been any good. For the most part, I absolutely love editing...the only thing I don't enjoy about editing is when movie maker freezes up on me as it would do whenever I'd make thos Warren Zevon videos or the ad I made for the Tiny Group Fest. But I would have probably been able to use a different editing equipment.
Anyway, when it comes down to it, I wanted to briefly talk about the fact that I was a film major for about 4.5 months or so (out of 4 years at KU and 7 total years in college). And looking back, I think it would not have hurt to (and in fact, I wish that I had) at least minored in film.

Survey 005

2011-03-03T02:08:00.002-06:00

I currently can't see my facebook on my computer at all...neither internet explorer or Firefox. I can see parts of facebook. But I can't do anything on facebook. And I can't do anything FROM facebook on my phone because it doesn't know how to do links. So in the mean time, here is a survey.

Will you talk to the person you like on the phone tonight?
No.

Ever had a near death experience?
Who hasn't..? Okay, really, I don't know.

Where’s your cell phone?
By my bed charging.

What is the last thing you thought about?
I wondered if the MST3K guys did a RiffTrax to the movie Lost In Space. Guess they didn't.

Do you regret anything?
Yeah. Why not?

What are you going to do this weekend?
Well, it's the second show of Serial Cereal...The Maddox Wrestling Syndicate. I'll also be in the R I Spectacular long form.

When was the last time you talked to one of your best friends?
Monday

Do you prefer revenge or just pure jealousy/envy?
Revenge. I like to eat cold things, like ice cream. And since Revenge is a dish that is best served cold, it's very cold in space. I think I just threw a few Star Trek references together. What was the question?

Who would you like your next “fling” to be with?
My next "fling"? I'm not even sure what that is. But in the mean time, I'll just say a hot girl and hope that fits into the description of what a "fling" is.

Would you curse in front of your parents?
What? Like the Imperious Curse? And give away my secret? Are you kidding?

What kind of camera do you have?
One that takes pictures that usually suck when I take the pictures.

Would you rather go to a party or out of town?
Dude! Why can't I go to the party that's out of town?

Are you slowly drifting away from someone close?
Feels that way sometime.

When was the last time you held someone’s hand?
Does improv scene count? I don't remember but if improv counts, it was sooner than otherwise.

Who can you tell everything to?
I can't...I got to be very careful because otherwise, I just weird people out.

Can you play guitar hero?
That depends. Can switching to Geico really save you 15% or more on car insurance?

Is any part of your body sore?
Yes.

Are you missing someone right now?
Yes.

Is there someone on your mind that shouldn’t be?
Of course.

When was the last time you saw the person you last kissed?
Person I last kissed? I saw them in my fantasies if that counts. If not, it was late last year.

Do you like your phone?
No. I desperately need a new one.

Last thing alcohol beverage?
Are you saying that my phone is an alcoholic beverage? Or did you just ask me an incomplete sentence?

Have you ever slept in a bed with the opposite sex?
No.

Have any of your best friends ever back stabbed you?
Maybe.

If you had to move in with a friend, which one would you pick?
I don't know. I don't trust moving in with friends because that's usually what tears friends apart.

What’s the seventh text message in your inbox say?
I don't know. But I think it is improv related.

When is your next road trip?
18 of March, I'm going to Ottowa, KS in the morning to do an improv show, if that counts.

What did you do the weekend?
What did I do the weekend? What did I do *with* the weekend? I destroied it and it is lost to the past. Why do you ask? But I did a few shows this last weekend if that's what you're asking.

Met anyone new in the past week?
No.

What does your bestfriends call you?
David...there used to be a whole OOA Man thing but I don't do that anymore.

Who was the last person to go to the movies with you?
My mom and I saw The Green Hornet.

Are you currently fighting with someone?
I don't think so.

Last time you had butterflies in your stomach?
When I performed in Next Big Improv Show taking someone's place in the elimination round 3 months ago. Other than that, I don't eat bugs.

Who/What would you like to see right now?
There's some people on my mind I'd like to see.

Are you mad at someone right now?
No. If I were, it wouldn't help anything.

What’s the nicest text in your inbox say?
It's one I saved from about 6.5 months ago.

Do you mainly use your house phone or your cell phone?
Cell phone.

Is there an empty place in your heart?
Why yes, I do have a void that needs to be filled. What's up with that?

Do you count down the days till anything?
I've been known to do that.

Are you looking forward to something as of right now?
Yes...for starters, R I Spectacular rehearsal in about 14 hours.

Have you ever been called a tease?
Isn't that something flirtacious girls get called?

What are your chances of getting with your crush?
About 1 in a million...1 in a billion...1 in a googooplex...

What is the farthest you’ve traveled with a friend?
Chicago with my improv friends.

Are any of your friends so close that you consider them family?
Used to. I try to avoid making friends like family...so the closest I get is saying that they are in the family of certain parts of my life.

Anyone told you a secret this week?
No. And no offence, if they had, I wouldn't pass it along.

Do you ever turn your cell phone off?
Yes...and sometime it even shuts itself off on me...look back at answer to whether or not I like my phone.

Do you hate anyone?
No.

Last time you wore the opposite sex’s clothing?
Why does this survey think I'm a transvestite?

What do you want in your life right now?
To travel, to have a girl friend, to have a freakin' normal sleeping schedule...oh and a legitamte job.

When was the last time you laughed so hard you thought you were going to cry?
Watching Biblioclast last week as they destroyed American Psycho. I'd say what the opening line was, but I try to keep this blog family friendly.

Did you tell someone something today?
Yeah...what, you think I lost my voice or something?

Do you trust people easily?
Probably too easily. I'm an improv actor so you thing I'd know better.

What were you doing at 9pm Friday night?
Last Friday? That's when I saw Biblioclast destroy American Psycho.

Music - New vs. Old

2011-03-01T01:29:00.003-06:00

This is not a blog entry about how I prefer classic rock over the newer stuff that's out now (which I usually do wind up doing) but about how annoying I find it when people say they ONLY like the early stuff of an artist. It annoys me that it's always an artist's earlier stuff that gets any play on the radio as though that's the only thing that's any good. If an aritst doesn't improve with time, then they have no business being in music anyway. For example, you can't say that the Beatles are so awesome when you've only listen to "I Want To Hold Your Hand" but never listen to the album Let It Be. I usually use the example asking why it is that "Werewolves of London" is predominately the ONLY song by Warren Zevon that people know when that came out in the late 70s on his third album Excitable Boy. His musical carrer continued on up to 2003 when he passed away but just before that released his last studio album The Wind. As far as I'm concerned, if you only like the first and or second album of an artist or band from between the 60s and early 80s who are still making music well into the 2010s, then you aren't really a fan of the band. In all reality, that's fine. But don't say they are so awesome but then ignore all of their best stuff. As far as I'm concerned, that is the musical version of someone saying that they are a vegitarian but they still eat fish or chicken.
But then again, I'm kind of the weird one. I actually prefer an artist or bands later material. I have every album put out by the band BOSTON. Probably my favorite is Corporate America which came out late in 2002. Don't get me wrong, I still like their earlier stuff. But that album is so awesome to me. Now, it could be the fact that 2002 was the year I graduated high school and started college. It could also be the fact that it was less than a year after that album came out that I saw BOSTON at Verizon Wireless Ampatheater in Bonner Springs, KS July 2003. Also, it could be the fact that it was the last album BOSTON came out with that had Brad Delp on lead vocals for 1/2 of the songs before committing suicide in March 2006.
I could probably write a paper on how much Warren Zevon's Life'll Kill Ya (2000) and The Wind (2003) means to me but for the sake of those who really know me well and/or who have read this blog before, I'll try and limit that paper's worth of information to this paragraph. I'll say that almost all Warren Zevon albums from Transverse City to My Ride's Here (which is every studio album between about 1988-2002) had to be ordered.
I could go on and include artist or bands like Bob Seger, Bruce Springsteen, John Fogerty, Van Halen, Meat Loaf...
I don't know. Maybe I'm just set in my ways. I'm just saying it annoys me when people say they really love an artist or band but only focus on thier earlier stuff. It's like Ricky Nelson said (and later covered by John Fogerty) in the song "Garden Party":

If memories were all I sang, I'd rather drive a truck.

Hello, my name is Harry Wallace

2011-02-28T00:49:00.002-06:00

So, last Thursday, we had our first and only rehearsal for a new "Serial Cereal" and we had our first show Saturday night. The sannopsis is this wrestling family named the Maddoxes consist of sick grandpa Cranston "Mad Ox" Maddox(played by John), his nurse/former card holding girl (played by Denise), grandpa's son "Marvelous" Marvin Madox who can't wrestle for his life (played by Derek), and granddaughter Gretchen Maddox who can wrestle but nobody in the family believes her because she's a girl (played by Julie). Then I play the next door neighbor Harry Wallace.
In our rehearsal, we talked about what our charicters were like and what their back ground was. I said the following about Harry Wallace:

I live next door to the Maddoxes and I'm 31 years old. I was married once and had a child right out of high school but I haven't heard from then in 10 years. I'm still "legally" married. I'm looking, but I have trust issues with women. I've lived next door to the Maddoxes since before they moved in. I don't enjoy wrestling but I love their infatuation with it. I tend to spend as much time at their house as possable and I try to give sage advise but I just come across as crazy and a neucence. Except for helping the grandpa with his "medacle issue" even though I have no medacle training. I just want to be accepted. I have an associates degree from a community college and I still have no idea what to do with it.

After we read through this, we did some scenes and then did video for the show. Some of this info got rehashed in making the video. Then, I drove home in the snow storm.
Saturday night was the actual show. I learned some new things about my charicter between what I wrote about him and the end of the show. It turns out my child I haven't seen in 10 years is a daughter. This was not planned but it turned out that Harry Wallace sees Julie's charicter Gretchen as a daughter figure...which makes me want to get her family to accept her as a wrestler...which leads to me trying to give her father Marvin proverbs and metaphores to incurage him to accept her as a female wrestler. Of course, my proverbs get turned around...for example, I was telling him that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree...unless the tree is on a steep slope in which gravaty takes over. So now, Marvin sees that Gretchen is the apple to his gravaty. Somehow, Marvin, who is about 15-20 years older than Harry, sees his proverbs as wise. Oh, and Harry picks up Pizza for the family. And as it turns out, Harry comes across as a little creepy to Gretchen and too willing to talk about his feelings in front of Cranston. Also, he and Candy both think I'm trying to hit on them.
Anyway, that's my charicter of Harry Wallace after the 1 and only rehearsal session and the first of 6 episodes Saturday night. Since this will be a requring charicter, I thought it would be a good idea to update my blog with a charicter study after each episode. Now, I don't know when I'll update again. But I want to make sure that I do update after each episode with a bit of a charicter study.

John Fogerty (and Bruce Springsteen) tell it like it is

2011-02-19T01:10:00.002-06:00

I find this song to be my theme song a lot of the time.

I'll have a more informative blog update next time I update. I promise.

The Roving Imp Tiny Group Fest

2011-02-07T05:09:00.007-06:00

This video is to help advertise the upcoming Tiny Group Fest at the Roving Imp. I wasn't able to share all info. For starters, I do't have a graphic for everyone. But the groups I don't really have any info on include The Mix-Up Duos, Legion, Screenplayas...and a few performing Thursday night that are simply listed as "and more."
There are some awesome workshops avalible. On Friday from 3-5:30pm, John leads a class called Scenic Blitzkrieg.
Saturday from 11:45-2:15pm, Rick Andrews from New York leads a class called Small Group Workout (the keys to two & three person improv). Then 2:30-5pm, he leads a class called Listen (To Yourself).
Sunday from 11:45am-2:15pm, Jennifer Dunne, also from New York, leads a class called Real Improv, Real Characters.
Then on Sunday from 230-500pm, Tim Marks from Improv Abilities in Mission, KS leads a class called Let's Not Fight.
The pricing of the workshops are as followed: $35 for one, $40 for two, $45 for three, $50 for four, $55 for five. All proceeds go to the instructor/performers to help cover their travel costs.
At the moment, I can't find the prices for the show nights. Hopefully, someone who knows will read this and help out by leaving that info in a comment. The schedule is like this:
Thursday, Feb. 10, 7pm: New Group Night!
Featuring Jen/Aron, Justin/Patrick, Lady/Boys, and more!

Friday, Feb. 11: 7pm - the Next Big Improv Show, Lavon & Mavis, Slow Pitch
...Friday, Feb. 11: 9pm - Dictionary Soup, the Cascade, the MixUp Duos

Saturday, Feb. 12: 7pm - All of the Above, Special Guest Star, Legion
Saturday, Feb. 12: 9pm - Biblioclast, Screenplayas, the Cascade.

And one more thing for me personally, I'm teching Saturday night and Next Big Improv Show.

Matthew of the IHOP Restroom Part V

2011-02-01T05:50:00.000-06:00

Matthew was worried. The thing that stuck most on his mind was getting called Matthew of the IHOP restroom even more than he already was getting called. Then, the sudden terror of knowing that whoever this pirate was, he knew Mary. He had no idea how the pirate would react to him “owning” her. He decided to focus on the mission at hand which, in itself, was shrouded in mystery. He didn’t know if he was supposed to attack the Shipgoes, wait for them to attack, or find their holy grail for them? He froze in thought when he met the pirate who came out and introduced himself.
“Iiiieeeee am Captain Bill Stein! And who be you?” Captain Bill said. He didn’t look much like what Matthew would expect a pirate to look like. He did have a red bandana on and a pirate’s hat. But he wore what look like a band tee-shirt from a concert and also wore some jeans and some sandals. Matthew was also intrigued by the fact that he enunciated the “I” when he introduced himself as opposed to using a roaring “R” like all pirates did. He decided to wait until he knew that he was on the Captain’s good side before he asked such a question.
“I am Matthew,” he started to say, stuttering a little.
“Matthew,” interrupted Captain Bill, “of the Iiiieeeeee Hop Restroom?!” No one ever would expect to see you here meeting a piiiieeeee-rat! How exciiiieeee-ting it is for me that you chose this vessel! Who brought you?”
“That would be me, uncle Bill,” Mary said.
“Mary Ann!” Captain Bill exclaimed. “You’re in human form too? This is great! Please, both of you, come into miiiiieeeeee quarters.”
“It’s not as great as you may think, Uncle Bill,” Mary said as they walked into the captain’s quarters. “I didn’t choose this for myself. It was chosen for me.”
Captain Bill look confused. So Matthew went ahead and told him. “I might as well be the one to tell you since it was my doing anyway. I was at the Path of Desire and somehow I made a wish that I could have a girl who was just like this one girl in a class I have in everyway. As it turned out, Mary Ann was the most compatible with this Katie Waller back in my dimension.”
“Well,” Mary said, “don’t forget to mention the fact that she’s the hottest girl you know and that’s all you know about her.”
“Well, Iiiiieeeee guess that would suck,” Captain Bill said. “But I guess it would be better off in the long run for right now.” This shocked both Mary and Matthew who shouted out “WHAT?!?!?!” at the same time. Captain Bill looked at Matthew and said, “Iiiieeeee can’t condemn you, Matthew of the Iiiiieeeeee-Hop restroom. You’re a human of the third dimension. You have a thing or two to learn, especially the difference between love and lust. So, for the tiiiiieeee-me being anyway, you own miiiieeeee niece. Iiiiiiieeeeeee don’t have to liiiiieeeeke it, but don’t you hurt her.” When the captain saw Mary pout, he turned to her and said, “Well, let’s face it. You could learn something from this too. After all, let’s face it, you honestly are kiiiieeee-nd of a jerk to others.”
“Uncle Bill,” Mary cried “I need to speak my mind.”
“Oh, there is no problem with speaking you’re miiiieeee-nd. But you don’t have to be a blatant jerk about it.”
“Okay, fine,” Mary said. She turned to Matthew and said, “Matthew of the IHOP restroom, I’m…” she stuttered. “I’m sorry for being a jerk. You’re obviously too much infatuated with this Katie Waller to think strait.” She paused long enough to change her tone. “But I’m still not your biggest fan.”
“I have enough fans here in the 18th dimension. At least you see me for what I really am. And I’m sorry for taking you from your world the way I did. Oh, and I’m not particularly too fond of you either. But we are stuck with each other for a while,” Matthew said, trying his best to make a peaceful front with Mary. For the present, peace was made. With their quarreling behind them, Matthew decided to ask Captain Bill what kind of pirate he was. His ship was a submarine, a ship, an air ship and a spaceship. But every kind of pirate Matthew would ask about, the answer was no. When he couldn’t think of anymore, he finally just asked the captain what kind of pirate he was.
“Iiiiieeeee’m a music piiiieeeee-rat. Iiiiieeeee’m involved with music piiiiieeeee-racy,” he said. Matthew looked stunned. “Look Matthew of the Iiiiiieeeee-hop restroom, here in the 18th dimension, music pretty much comes along on the wind. It’s from a combination of the 9th, 12th and 15th dimension that we get music.”
“But why music piracy?” Matthew asked.
“Put it like this, do you have any iiiiiieeee-dea what artist liiiiieeeeke Elton John, Pat Benatar and Warren Zevon go for?” Captain Bill asked.
Matthew raised an eyebrow. “Did you just say Warren Zevon?” he asked.
“Iiiiiieeeee got 250 platinum coins for the song ‘Werewolves of London’. Very iiiiieeeee-ronic how hard it comes by considering that was a number one hit in the 3rd dimension,” Captain Bill said.
“Oh, don’t get me started,” Matthew said. “‘Werewolves’ wasn’t even his best song. It’s a fun song, don’t get me wrong. But he’s got so many better songs!”
“Iiiiieeeee know, Matthew of the Iiiiieeeee-hop restroom,” Captain Bill said, “why he’s only my favorite artist of all time.”
Matthew could talk all day long about Warren Zevon with Captain Bill. The only thing he knew better than the entire library of Warren Zevon’s music would be how to make a peanut butter milkshake. But at the moment, he really wanted to know why Captain Bill put all his enunciation on the long “I”s as opposed to the “R”s.
“All piiiieeeee-rats enunciate the ‘R’s and Iiiiieeeee liiiiieeeeke to go against the grain. So Iiiiiieeee go with the ‘Iiiieeeee’ instead of the ‘R’. Simple as that, riiiiieeee-te?”
“Excuse me, Uncle Bill,” Mary said, “I hate to interrupt this love fest you’ve got going on, really I do,” she said more with sarcasm than sincerity, “but we are actually on a mission; a quest rather.”
“I was sent here,” Matthew said, “to help with a battle against the Shipgoes. I’ve been told that they seek a ‘holy grail’ that no one on the planet of stroganoff knows what it looks like and since their fundamentalist in their religion; they’re ready to kill for it. And I believe I’m here either to do battle with them or to find it for them.”
“We were actually hoping that you would know something about what it looked like or how to find it,” Mary said.
Captain Bill was just about to say something when one of the ship’s crew came into the Captain’s quarters and announced that there was a Shipgoes ship that was trying to get one of their main communication satellites…which as it would turn out, was how Captain Bill wound up getting about 40% of the music because there was an inter-dimensional portal that linked to a communication satellite in the 3rd dimension.
“Sorry, you two,” Captain Bill said, “Iiiiieeeee think Iiiiiieeeee may be able to help you. But first, we’ve got a battle on our hands. This may be a piiiiiieeee-rat ship but we are at war.” With that, Captain Bill gave the order to send the ship into the air and then, into space.

2010 Part 2: Books, Movies and Music

2011-01-30T23:00:00.003-06:00

So, I finally got back to this. I'm about to name off the books I read (100% on my own), movies I saw at the movie theater, and new music I bought. Then, based upon how long it took for me to get this, this will be my last update about 2010.

Books:
The following are books that I at least finished on my own (no part aloud in groups or with audio help). These books are not in any order.
1) The Second City Almanac (barrowed from Nifer).
2) Harry Potter and the Chamber Of Secrets (Sorcer's Stone was read aloud).
3) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
4) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Goblet of Fire was read a little aloud and Order of the Pheonix was audio recorded).
5) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
6) I'll Sleep When I'm Dead: The Dirty Lives and Times of Warren Zevon.
7) Basket Case (barrowed from Allen).
8) The Restaurant At The End Of The Universe (Hitchhicker's Guide was read aloud at the Roving Imp).
9) Life, The Universe, And Everything.

Movies: The following are movies that I remember seeing at the movie theater but not necessarily in any order.

1) Sherlock Holmes.
2) The remake of The Wolfman.
3) Date Night.
4) Shrek Goes Forth.
5) Toy Story 3-D.
6) Alpha And Omega.
7) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.
8) Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
9) Gulliver's Travels.

Music: The following is new music that I purchased...not all music published in 2010. But I bought it in 2010...or got as a gift...in no particular order.
1) Warren Zevon: Transverse City (Ordered).
2) Warren Zevon: Learning to Flinch (Found).
3) The Killers: Day and Age (Found).
4) Meat Loaf: Hang Cool Teddy Bear (Day it came out).
5) Meat Loaf: Midnight At The Lost And Found (Found).
6) John Lennon: Legend (*Bought from Nifer at the R. I. Garage Sale).
7) The Elders: Gael Day (Found).
8) Trans-Siberian Orchestra: Bethoven's Last Night (B-Day gift).
9) Trans-Siberian Orchestra: Night Castle (B-Day gift).
10) Bruce Springsteen: The Promise (Christmas gift).
11) Bob Seger: Mongrel (Steve gave this one to me).
12) Bob Seger: Early Seger Vol. 1 (Found).
13) Paul Simon: Graceland (*).
14) Johnny Cash: American VI: Ain't No Grave (*).

Well there it is. These are the books, movies and music that I have seen/bought/got in 2010. I could go in and say something about them but I've done that before on a few of them. I will go ahead and say that the top movies in 2010 were Harry Potter, Dawn Treder, and Date Night is tied with Wolfman. Reading the Harry Potter books probably very much changed my life...or at least the way I look at things. The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon took the longest for me to finish because I started it in 2007. All the others, I started last year. Basket Case had some help from Warren Zevon...hince the reason it was loaned to me. Unfortunately, I don't get into crime novels to well but I still enjoied it. I only added 14 albums to my music library but I wound up selling about 50. I was new to liking the Killers last year...I liked them before with "All These Things That I Have Done" but I really got into them last year. Warren Zevon's Transverse City was the first album I bought last year. It snowed the night before and I shoveled the snow...then found out it was in. My purpose for shoveling the snow was because there was a rehearsal that night and the first ever rehearsal for Dimensional Rift.

I did not include the movie Trust Us This Is All Made Up with TJ and Dave because, even though that was seen at a theater, it was at the Roving Imp Theater as a special night thing...not a let's go to the movie theater and see a movie thing. In other words, it was to hang out and watch an educational video about improv. But because I do think it should get honorable mention, I'm giving it its own paragraph. We saw it on Friday, January 1, 2010.

If I were to include a few other first time cultural things, I went to Chicago for the first time ever with my improv friends in April. But I talked about that a few times already. But I also saw an opera for the first time last February. It was out at KU and was being stage managed by Jenifer Harmon. I've also talked non-stop about this but I also went behind the scenes for the KC Improv Fest in September.

That's about it. There: 2010 summed up in a 2 part blog entry that took forever to finish.

2010 Part 1: Improv.

2011-01-17T01:52:00.007-06:00

A few weeks into 2011 and I want to think of 2010 as a play-doh ball where all the parts of it consist of memories that come together nicely but apart from eachother makes me want to, I don't know, emote somehow or something. There are parts of 2010 that I want to proudly parade around. There are parts I'd like to toss back into the confines of my own personal memory banks of my brain and look back on when I'm farther removed from 2010 and consider my growth since then. I'd actually like to remove it from the ball and change the shape but it's in the past and, due to lack of technology, that doh has gone hard and can't be re-shaped. And then, there are the parts that I want to take out and ponder them as to what exactly they are doing in the ball...and then remind myself that, yes, it is a part of what makes up 2010 and therefore, it's in the ball. I call these 3 parts "Yay! Awesome!" "Aww crap, man!" and "Wait, what?!?!"
Unfortunately, this is all a very simple way of looking at it. The "Yay! Awesome!" part has sprinkled in with it parts of the other two.
The highlights to 2010 for me revolve around improv and reading. Some of the Improv highlights, in my opinion, in clude the new but short lived Dimensional Rift which was strong for a while but didn't survive to the fall. Joining the group going to Chicago...although I took a different workshop than everyone else that went to Chicago, I actually enjoied
the workshop I took. It involved doing a long form improv show with an audience member. Almost everyone else that went were accepted as an apprentice team members taught by a guy who, if I understand it correctly, didn't know improv well enough to teach but knew it well enough to wind up on SNL. I think John might have apprecieated the workshop I took because it wasn't until he and Keith went to Phillie in early October that he got inspiration to do a show called Special Guest Star. Special Guest Star is a long form show that John does with an audience member that, by now, he has done 4 times. My mom, pictured, was the first. Anyway, the group didn't recover from that until they took a class in May with Dave Razowsky. This was a class that, due to lack of exspierence, I wasn't able to take. And due to misunderstanding, I didn't take the workshop that I would have been able to take with him. But the spring turned into summer. Then a lot of changes started to take place between July and September.
In July, I did my last Dimensional Rift show. I also started doing the powerpoints for the shows and keeping track of show totals. Then I got to join R I Spectacular and had my first show with R I Spectacular in mid to late August. Then in September, I got to be back stage at the KCiF. Also around this time, I started to take on more responsabilities in the tech booth. But about a week before my first R I show, Nifer moved to Chicago which switched caused a lot of things to switch around schedlewised and what not. It also lead to the breaking down of some groups, like Red Rubber Ball and the new but even more shortly lived Dimensional Rift reboot. Within a month of Nifer's moved, Hannah moved to England and Patrick dropped out for school and job stuff. All of them taking with them there unique style...good news though, Nifer and Hannah still return...just few and far between.
As Summer turned into Fall, I found I got stronger in short-form games but I wasn't getting casted in longforms that much for reasons that I still need to work on. I found myself having a knack for games like Shakespeare Switch...Thank you
English major! I also got to perform in Dial-A-Show for the first time during the 2nd annual Imp Fest!
But I also, as I said, got more tech responsabilities. I wound up helping with lights for Omega Directive, Deep Space Emily, and Dictionary Soup when they performed at the Living Room...even though, unfortunately, the lights didn't help with the theater background of Kansas City. I helped set up the tech for a scripted show at the Roving Imp that dealt with traveling shows in early October. I also did the lights for Dictionary Soup and Biblioclast during Imp Fest 2. I'm proud of having done the tech for Dictionary Soup for making the appearence of the fire dance along the back wall. I'm proud of having done the tech for Biblioclast because I found and played the game. The unfortunate thing is, I have also learned that weird light things affects the focus of the camera. Live and learn.
As fall turned into late fall/early winter/holiday time, many people couldn't make it out to the Imp due mostly to prior engagements and family related stuff...and a few can't do the drive things. I wound up performing in someone's place in an elimination round of The Next Big Improv Show. Thankfully, I wound up in the middle so I didn't need to worry about getting judged...something that laid heavily on my mind the entire day that day. I also wound up performing almost once each
weekend, which is fine with me, and winding up in the tech booth a lot...a few times for the entire night, once again, fine with me.
This is winding down part one of my review of 2010 part 1, the one all about my 2010 involvement with improv. To end, I'm posting a picture of me in the Halloween show as Arthor Dent from Hitchhicker's Guide to the Galaxy. By the way, lesson learned, while it may be good to keep your towel with you at all times, it'll just get in the way in improv scenes.

Next time: 2010 Part 2: Books, Movies and Music.

Update: 12:12 AM Monday morning 1-10-11

2011-01-10T00:12:00.002-06:00

I fully intend to update this sooner or later...especially over the events of 2010 as a whole. In the mean time, I'm updating this with something random.
Now please excuse me while I go find something random.

Matthew of the IHOP Restroom Part IV

2011-01-02T23:43:00.001-06:00

“Matthew,” Kalper said, “I think it’s about time that I told you what the situation is with the battle.”
“Really,” Matthew began, “right now, I’d like to find a way to get rid of Mary Ann over here.”
“I’ll have you know that the feeling is quite mutual,” Mary said. “I’d like to get away from him also. But here’s the problem: He wished specifically ‘to have a girl who was just like his beloved Katie Waller in everyway’. I know because that’s what the wishing star told me and the wishing star makes a living out of careful listening to desires.”
“You wished specifically to have a girl that was just like her in everyway?” Klaper asked.
“Do you have to…” Matthew began. He was going to ask why Klaper had to rub it in but then he was more intrigued by something else. “Why did you put the emphasis on the word ‘have’ like that?”
“Well, then,” Klaper said, “there’s not really anything that can be done. The wishing star, because of your wish, gave you Mary Ann. She is yours until you die. You own her.”
“This was not what I asked for! I didn’t even know I made the wish! She’s just on my mind…” Matthew paused because he finally understood the proverb Klaper told him about the path knowing what the heart desires but the brain is stupid. “…I think I finally got that proverb you told me.”
“So Klaper told you the proverb about the brain and you didn’t listen to him?!?!” Mary cried. “That’s just great. Now I’m yours until you die.”
When in the Path of Desire, if one asks specifically for a person, then either that person or an embodiment of that person is literally given to them by the wishing star as their property kind of like a gift. This person must remain with this person as though on a leash; chained to the wisher’s hand and this last until the owner dies. Mary actually has a lifespan of about 765 earth years and was really only 20 earth years. She would outlive Matthew a long time and will be able to go about wind-gnoming for centuries after Matthew dies. However, wind-gnomes can’t be touched, Mary, in human form, could. This added to her despise for Matthew.
“Matthew of the IHOP Restroom,” Mary said, “you may own me at the moment time; but I want you to know that I hate you, despise you and loath you with every core of my human-form body.
“Yeah, well, guess what Mary Ann,” Matthew said, “the feeling is mutual. I don’t even know what your issue is. I didn’t ask for this!”
“Oh yes you did,” Mary said, “the problem is that you don’t even know enough about this Katie Waller who I look like to even have a decent judgment on what you wanted.”
“OKAY, OKAY, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!” Klaper cried. “I’ve had it with this whole I hate you well I hate you too arguing!” Matthew was stunned. This was the first time he had seen Klaper blowup at him like that. “Now are you interested in knowing what the impending battle is that could get you killed or not?”
Nobody moved. Matthew was still in awe at Klaper’s outburst and at the same time, wanted to know what it was that could kill him. Mary already knew what the issue was and was merely board…or at least tired of arguing her way out of being someone else’s with the wishing star and also just plain arguing with Matthew. Either way, she was really only interested because she was there, and it could lead to her freedom.
“Now,” Klaper said, “we’ve been fighting a group of Shipgoes for the past 30 years. It’s a crusade. The Shipgoes are from the planet Splirk which is the next planet over. They seek the holy grail and they think it’s on the Planet Stroganoff,” he said.
Matthew was stunned. He wasn’t sure what it was that surprised him more. It could have been the fact that the Shipgoes were looking for the holy grail on the planet or that they were from the planet Splirk as opposed to the Planet Stroganoff which doesn’t sound anything like a planet while the Splirk does. But the only thing he could ask was, “so they came to the Planet Stroganoff to find the cup of Jesus?”
“No,” Klaper said. “That would be the Holy Grail in your dimension. The Shipgoes have been looking for a holy grail of their religion. Their fundamentalist in their religion and think everyone knows what they’re looking for. But honestly, no one on this planet has any idea.”
Matthew went from confusion to fear to excitement to fear to confusion to fear again. He was always interested in the concept of finding the Holy Grail, he just didn’t think it would be one for a religion foreign from any he’s ever either studied or read about. He was excited for the quest to find a holy grail. Mary wasn’t because she simply had to follow him since those were the rules. Klaper felt the need to explain one more thing…
“You look like you’re gearing up to look for it to find it yourself,” he said. “Let me just say that I have no idea where it is but we all think it wound up in your dimension if anything. It might explain why we can’t find it here. And what we really need is someone who can do battle with them.”
Matthew thought and then said, “but don’t you think if we could find it, and then give it to them, they may stop fighting?”
“That’s a good point,” Klaper said, “but first we’d have to figure out what it looks like.”
“I know someone who might know,” Mary said, “or maybe at least studied it before. You know, it would be that much closer to you dying”
Matthew didn’t really like the sound of that but expected it from Mary. He asked who could help and she asked him to take her to the sea. Klaper lead them to the sea where Mary pointed out a ship that appeared to double as a submarine. Klaper said that it was a pirate ship and, being a holy man, couldn’t go near, so he left Matthew and Mary to go to the ship. When they made it to the ship, Mary called out to one of the men on board. “Is your captain on board?”
The man nodded and went to the captain’s quarters. Matthew turned to Mary and asked, “how exactly do you know the captain?”
“Oh, he used to be a wind-gnome as well,” she said. “But he went to the path and asked to be human. So he was made into a human. But you should know that he’s a very unusual pirate. And he will have a ball with you, trust me, Matthew of the IHOP Restroom.”
“Oh great,” he said, “he going to go calling me that as well?”
“You’ll see exactly what I mean,” Mary said.

End of the year Improv Annalisist

2010-12-24T01:30:00.003-06:00

This isn't going to be a review of improv shows I've seen this year...though I could probably do a blog on that. What I'm doing here is giving an update on the annalisist of my personal improv expierence and where I'm at now.
I got started with improv in July '08 when I "joined a troup" and then started taking classes at the Roving Imp on the 19th of July that year. Back then, I had every issue that a new improvisor could start out with wrong with me...except for an enthusiasm for improv...and the drive to get better.
Unfortunately, very few people are "born-with-it" and everyone learns at there own pace. 2 1/2 years later, I have finally gotten comfortable with moving my body, having an emotional relationship with my scene partner, playing the game...
Okay, well, I've always been comfortable playing the game. It's finding and recognizing the game I've had trouble with and still have trouble with sometimes.
Emotional relations was probably the absolute hardest hurdle for me to get over and get over seriously...in other words, real emotion, not something fake. This is one of those things that come with the territory of having a Y chromosone (I'm a guy, therefore, having an emotion and selling it are two different things).
I have always been better at short form games...the games someone sees played on the show Whose Line Is It Anyway...and not so strong at Long form. I have been trying desperately but it's been lacking. I've been in 2 long forms in the last 4 months. In September, I was in a plus rounde in which my charicter was shy but trying to fit in in a town where naked is the norm. On December 11, I was in a La Rounde that had magical potions and people died and came back as chickens and I wound up getting pregnant.
One of the reasons I haven't been strong at long form is because I've been afraid to add information...I might say something that contradicts something that someone else already said. Sometimes, it is still hard for me to find an emotion and I might wind up going for a logical response (which is also a product of having a Y chromosone). I have recently discovered that I don't catch on to my physicality.
Months ago, I had an issue with personal placement in relation to my scene partner. I would be on one end of the stage and they would be on the other. However, I have recently discovered that I've been standing too close to my scene partner. This closeness suggests something to the audiance that I don't see while I'm on stage. I've pretty much wound up putting myself into romantic situations with my scene partner that I don't notice from where I stand on stage.
Also, in scenes, I will tell a joke. There are a few problems with telling a joke in an improv scene. One is that it doesn't take the show anywhere and can, in fact, kill the scene. It sets you up for the responsability of telling more jokes. It's not needed...pure and simple. What improvisation wants is to be real and in the moment. A joke requires thought. Improv should be more actual gut reaction and not planned out preperation. Seriously, an improv scene in which a person's reactions are closer to real life emotional reaction, the better.

So now I've come to the point where I want to state the nitty gritty of where I am at in my improv for the end of 2010:

As far as I'm concerned, I've come along way in the past couple of years. I've gotten emotional. It hasn't been 100% clear what all the time but in class, I'm getting called down a lot less for it.
I've moved my body in ways that I had no idea it could move.
I've succeded in facial exspressions and, occasionally, accents.
Along with emotional, I've been responding more emotionally and less logically lately. It not where it could be. But it's a lot less.

One of my goals for going into 2011 is that I want to make absolutely sure I feel towards the other charicter. I really don't care what that feeling is, just as long as I feel something for them...love, hate, ect. I want there to be a without a doubt feeling towards them.
I want to be aware of my physicality on stage or at least be able to see it from the audiance's point of view.
Finally, I would like to be able to get by with just reacting realistically...no logical or joke responses. I also want to be able to realize when I'm about to say a joke and not do the joke. The same goes for inventing things that weren't there before...not to be confused with adding information. The information I add can be done without inventing anything new.

Anyway, this is where I see myself standing for my improv as I go from 2010 to 2011.

Matthew of the IHOP Restroom Part III

2010-12-19T23:47:00.001-06:00

The Path of Desire and the Path of Necessity were special places. To Matthew, it looked like a nature trail. But to the people on the planet of Stroganoff, it was so much more. The Path of Necessity would read your mind and give you what you truly needed. You’re hungry; the path would provide for you a sandwich; or some other form of sustenance long enough to get by. The Path of Desire had the same function only, for the same need, hungry in this situation, cake and ice cream would be provided. It is written that the Path knows what the heart desires; but the brain is stupid.
“That is a lame saying,” Matthew said to Klaper after Klaper told Matthew the exact same saying I just said to you.
“You have no idea some of the things people have wished for when they’ve entered the Path of Desire,” Klaper said. “A chosen one that we got eight years ago made a wish that this place would be known as the land of Nude. And so therefore, all the legal documents were automatically changed for this land to be known as the land of Nude. He was kind of a pervert.”
“Why did you never change it back?” Matthew asked.
“Before that chosen one was killed in battle, a law was passed to keep the Path of Desire from changing the names of places so since then; it’s just been the Land of Nude.”
Klaper didn’t want to go into detail about the law but the simple fact of the matter was that the land’s name had been changed several times in its history. The very first name ever given to the land was the Land of Peace and Tranquility. This lasted until the very first chosen one arrived from the 3rd dimension who decided to call it The Land of Boredom. Later, the name got changed to the Land of Your Anus (which seemed to make sense in the guy’s mind then but had no real relevance to anything) and various other rude and crude names before becoming the Land of Nude.
“Well, go ahead,” Klaper said, “make a wish or three.”
Matthew had three things on his mind that he desired. For starters, he desperately wanted to relieve himself since the last time he went to use the restroom, he got swooped out of his dimension and brought to this very odd place. He was also hungry and wanted a decent breakfast. And above all else, he wanted to have a girl who was just like his beloved Katie Waller in everyway…nothing really special about that one since she was on his mind all the time anyway.
As luck would have it, right there in the middle of the path, without out saying anything at all, a nice clean restroom appeared that looked like it came straight from a hotel room. After he went in, used it, and was able to wash his hands (which is significant because had he been on the Path of Necessity, he may have just simply gotten a Johnny on the Spot) he came out to an enormous breakfast that looked like it was set for world leaders. He sat down at the table, invited Klaper to sit down and they began to have breakfast. Then, five minutes into breakfast, Matthew heard the voice of a young woman.
“Hello, can someone get me down from here?!” cried the girls voice. The voice came from up in a tree. Klaper gave Matthew a look like what all did you wish for while Matthew looked for some rope or something.
Matthew quickly found a ladder that just appeared since he needed something that would get the young woman down from a tree and the ladder was the greatest possible tool for getting the woman down. Okay, well, the ladder was diamond studded so that probably added to the extravagance as opposed to the need.
As the young woman came down, Matthew looked right at her and said, “Katie, Katie Waller?!” Matthew thought she looked everything like Katie: blue-green eyes, the perfectly shaped nose that seemed to round at the bottom and the tip, the long flowing brown hair, the lips that made her look gorgeous without making her look skanky, the breast…
“No, I’m not your beloved Katie Waller,” said the girl with a hint of rage that turned into mild but annoyed sarcasm. “I’m just like her in everyway.”
“Who are you?” asked Klaper, “and what are you doing here?”
“My name is Mary Ann Stein,” the young woman said, “I was sent here to you, Matthew of the IHOP Restroom by a combination of the Path and the Wishing Star and a few other heavenly beings and, no Matthew of the IHOP restroom, while my name is Mary Ann Stein, I’m not related to Frankenstein.”
“Wait,” said Matthew, “the Path has a wishing star?”
The Path did in deed have a wishing star. Some wishes are greater than the Path can provide. The Path could only provide inanimate objects. When a wish calls for a living, breathing person, one must go, investigate said person, find the heavenly being that was most compatible, Mary in this case, and present them in the form of the person asked for.
“So, you’re a star of some sort?” Matthew asked.
“More like a wind Gnome, I kind of…float around on the wind like a steam or a gas or something like that,” Mary said. “So, McAmsterdam, have you told IHOP Restroom over here what he’s the chosen one for yet?”
“I wish everyone would stop calling me that name!” Matthew said. “I go to IHOP Once at three in the morning, go to use the restroom and all of a sudden, I’m Matthew of the IHOP Restroom!”
“Yeah, basically,” Mary said.
“I have not,” Klaper said, “I’ve been trying to avoid it.”
“Yeah, about that,” Matthew said, “why am I here? You won’t give me valuable information because I’m an outsider and so far, everyone you’ve gotten from my dimension has died more than likely with a lack of knowledge. Why can’t you just tell me what I need to know? I don’t want to just simply die without any knowing either what it’s really for or how to prevent it.”
“You know, you dieing would actually work out well for me,” Mary said. “I can get back to my wind Gnomeing business.”
“You know, Mary Ann, what’s your deal? Why are you like that?” Matthew said. “If you’re everything like Katie Waller, you should be sweet and pleasant and fair and…”
Mary stopped him by scoffing at his ridiculous notions. When Matthew questioned why she scoffed, she asked, “do you know anything about this Katie Waller of whom you speak? You’re speaking like some gallant knight of the middle ages of your dimension who’s practicing the art of courtly love but in reality, you don’t know anything about her. Do you?!”
“I do so,” he exclaimed. “I know that she’s in an English class with me and that she’s hot.”
Klaper got out of the way because he knew that this was one subject that he didn’t want to be involved in. Matthew heisted because he knew that Mary was right. She was picked because psychologically, she was the most like Katie Waller. So she probably knew that there was more to her than he knew.
“You can’t go basing who you fall in love with based on the fact that they’re hot!” Mary exclaimed, “Trust me on this. I knew of a commit that fell in love with a distant star once. And you know what happened to the commit? It melted. That’s because commits are made of ice and stars are hot. So, I ask you if you know anything else about this Katie of yours…”
Matthew had absolutely nothing. Mary cursed the wishing star for getting her stuck as being the love interest of some guy who knew nothing of the love interest she was portraying other than the fact that she was hot…oh, and they had a class together. Klaper, who came out from hiding, decided maybe it was time to go ahead and tell Matthew about the impending battle that could potentially kill him. That should lighten things up a bit, he thought.

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead CD 2

2010-12-17T15:27:00.008-06:00

Well, here it is. It's the second CD in the I'll Sleep When I'm Dead Warren Zevon anthology. This took about as long to put together as the previous one took to load. I'm hoping this doesn't have any problems.

A Fighting Chance Is Better Than No Chance At All

2010-12-14T23:52:00.002-06:00

Last Friday, I got to perform in The Next Big Improv Show.
Before I say anymore, let me direct you to my friend Chris's blog entry from Thursday September 23 that actually tells about what The Next Big Improv Show is.
It's okay, I'll wait.
Ho-Hum-Ho-Hum...
You read it? You're up to date? Okay then.
Anyway, one of the performers wasn't able to perform that night. John knew about way way in advanced. There have been some performers who haven't been able to make it and they have been cut on elimination nights because of this. But 2 performers, 1 of which already had a back up, told John months ago that they couldn't make it. The one I performed in the place of was going to his wife's graduation.
John sent an e-mail out about it back on Monday, the 6th. I was tempted to say something. But I didn't want to perform if the situation was that the guy who was getting filled in for would be eliminated if we were voted off. It's one thing to get voted off under your own merrit. It's something else to get voted off because somebody else sucked. By the time I went to rehearsal Thursday night, nobody still didn't fill in.
Early Friday morning, I sent an e-mail to John saying I would go ahead and fill in. Because of what I said in the above paragraph and the fact that the challenge was an emotion challenge...something that hasn't always been my strong point and I've only really recently gotten better at (in my opinion anyway) I said I would fill in until John found someone he considered to be better at emotional work than I was. Well, show time came and he didn't find anyone else so I wound up performing. Fortunately for me, I got to perform in the R I Spectacular show just before that due to someone else being ill.
I had an all day panic attack over it because of the possability that if I got cut, the guy would be eliminated. But if nobody stepped in, he would have more than likely been eliminted anyway because that's how it works. I had basically decided that a fighting chance was better than no chance at all.
At the end of the show, I wound up in the middle 3 (out of 9 contestants). So the good news was that the person I stepped in for would get to perform in the next one. The top 3 were judged and a winner picked and the bottom 3 were judged and the one sent home was picked. The two of us that filled in for somebody made it into the top 6. So both of our people will be coming back to the next show.
Getting to perform in the R I show before that did a world for my nerves because in that, I was playing on my own merrit. And my personal highlight was that part of the show where I did a historical interprative dance as George Washington at Valley Forge to the music of QUEEN!

Life, Death, and Something in the Between

2010-12-08T23:51:00.002-06:00

Almost every day, I consider the possability that I or someone I love won't be here tomorrow...either through anger, last minute move, or death in an accident or something. I don't know why it is that this is an engrained thought, but it is. I could delve back into my personal history and talk about my grandpa's death and how, in my mind, I see it as he was murdured by Robert Cortney (the guy who diluted chemo drugs about 10-15 or so years ago), or watching my uncle take his last breath. You could look at the fact that a friend of mine died in a flood the day after he turned 18. You could look at the fact that I've been to about 10 funerals and only 4 weddings in my life. You could look at something other than death that I've lost a lot of friends to long-term moves recently and never even got to say good bye to a good number of them to their face (this has really affected me a lot).
Anyway, whatever it is, I'd like to say that I live a life that respected the people and places that are present in my life every moment of my life. I never know when that moment will be the last moment I get to have with them. I will even, if I want to do something with my friends, say that "I'll be there if I don't die tragically in a severe car accident." While this was to convey my desire to be present at said event, it really just kind of creeped my friends out.
I'll admit that I'm not exactly normal; and therefore, I don't exactly know how to exspress myself and instead, I just come across creepy or weird or the kind of person you might put on a suicide watch list. I've even been told before that I have suicidal tendencies because I've invisioned myself getting hit by a bus before. This may be "suicidal," but it's never been a desire. It's just something I have envisioned as having the possability as happening. If there's one thing I hope I have made clear in this entry, it's that I never know what's going to happen. I never know if I'll ever get the chance to see certain people or be in certain places again. If this is a suicidal tendency, to want to take in as much time with certain people as I can, then maybe I'm suicadal. I don't know. But I don't believe it to be so. What I do believe is as I've said already, is that life needs to be respected and also, as I updated my status back about the time I was starting this entry a week ago:

(David)reminds you to respect and charish your time with others. You never know if that chance will come again.

The video I open this entry with is a song by the band RUSH that was going through my mind a week ago when I started to type this. Of course, YouTube had to be jerks and yada-yada. You know the rest by now. The following clip is a live recording of the song "Don't Let Us Get Sick" by (duhh) Warren Zevon. It feels right in this blog entry. You should know, though, that the video wasn't made by me.

Short, Quick and to the point

2010-12-04T05:19:00.003-06:00

That's what she said...

Today, I changed my profile picture. Due to the fact that children get abused, people on facebook are posting pictures of cartoon charicters from their childhood. I chose Pinky from Pinky and the Brain.
Granted, he's from later in my childhood, but Anamaniacs, in which Pinky and the Brain originally aired, came out when I was in 4th or 5th grade. I updated my status about the thing in Pinky fashion.
Egad, Brain! Children are abused on a regular basis?!? We should do something like post pictures of cartoon charicters from our childhood. Because trying to get a monkey to wear pants, well that's just rediculus. For the record, I realize that I basically call out the rediculus of adding a cartoon image to help stop child abuse like it actually works. But you know, it's fun. And unlike brest cancer, there is not really a secret code on what it's about.

Second, I went out to the Roving Imp last night to see a belly dance show. It was the second belly dance show I had seen. The first one I saw was at the Roving Imp but it was held back in November 2009. Man, the changes that have been made to the Roving Imp in the last year...

Anyway, that's my update for Friday/Saturday morning. I'm in a show Saturday night!

Thanksgiving Auto Work

2010-12-01T03:26:00.003-06:00

Okay, so a week ago Tuesday, my car started smoking really bad. It turned out that an air bubble got into the radiator pipe and it burst causing radiator fluid to wind up all over the inside of the hood of the car. No lights came on or anything. But the temperature guage was all the way above hot. Some guy had me pull over and he took a look at it. I was with my mom and grandma at the time. We were heading to Perkin's to get some dinner. A tow truck came and took the car to CarMax. It was about 8pm so there was nobody there really to do anything. I was able to give them my keys and then wait for a cab.
On Wednesday, I got a call telling me what all was going on. But it had to stay over night because parts had to be called for. This "over night" just so happend to be going into Thanksgiving weekend. They were closed Thursday-Sunday. I even got a call Friday reminding me that nobody was there. And the shop is closed Saturday-Sunday anyway.
On Monday, they found something else wrong. They localized it to a cracked pipe.
Oh, I forgot to mention that my car was also leaking (the guy used the word "puking") oil. Not very plesant word when referring to what the oil in your car is doing...or not talking about oil at all.
Anyway, I got my car back Tuesday around 2:00 pm. This made it just shy of a full week by about 6-7 hours. I had a $50 co-pay on an extended warrenty that covered everything but what was found on Monday. Parts and labor brought the total bill to $119 and some cents.
Now, I'm going to update my blog in another day or so about the improv this last weekend. And I also thank Chris Hurt for the lift he provided with his car so that I could participate out at the Roving Imp this last weekend. But like I said, that's another blog entry for another time.

Seattle has Football Fans.

2010-11-29T04:18:00.003-06:00

I wanted to go ahead and post this while I still have access to the facebook profile page of a friend of mine. There is a slight chance they won't let me see their profile after this. But I thought it was too good to pass up.
On their status, they said:

‎"I find it hard to believe that seattle has football fans....isn't it kind of artsy and gay?"

I couldn't help but respond with this:

Yeah, football kind of is artsy and gay. =D

I seriously thought that was too good to pass up.
Oh, by the way. I don't really care all that much about football.

Matthew of the IHOP Restroom Part 2

2010-11-25T20:55:00.001-06:00

Matthew sat down in the holy man’s office and waited for about thirty minutes. He hated waiting; always had. In the thirty minutes he was there, he came to the conclusion that he seemed to be on Earth. Nothing about the place suggested to him that he was on a distant planet. What got him was that it seemed he was in a mixture of the Roman Empire during the time of Caesar with a Religious sect involved. Finally, the holy man entered the office.
“Sorry it took me so long to get here, Matthew of the IHOP Restroom,” he said with what seemed to be the most sincere of apologies. “I had to go stand in a flowing river to purge myself before I could be in my office with you since you are, after all, the chosen one.”
“Well, okay, you are the holy man,” Matthew said. He didn’t want to get in the way of whatever religion the guy had that made him such a spectacle that the holy man had to go purge himself ritually of any sins by standing in flowing water. He frankly didn’t care. What he really wanted to know was where he was and why he was there.
“Matthew of the IHOP Restroom, please allow me to introduce myself.” He paused. Matthew waited for him to introduce himself. He did nothing. That was with the exception of after thirty seconds, he changed his tactics to begging, “Please, Matthew of the IHOP Restroom, Please, I implore you to allow me to introduce myself.”
“Okay,” Matthew said, “please, go ahead and introduce yourself.” Matthew didn’t get why he had to beg like that. But as before, he just assumed it was one of those ritual things certain holy men had to do.
“Thank you, Matthew, of the IHOP Restroom,” he started. “My name is Klapertoes McAmsterdam. I am the high priest of the land of Nude.”
“Klapertoes McAmsterdam?” Matthew questioned. “Would you mind if I just called you Klaper?”
“If you so wish, Matthew of the IHOP Restroom.” Matthew was starting to get tired of having his name associated with the IHOP restroom. But he didn’t want to interrupt Klaper anymore or else he’d never find out why he was there. “Anyway, this is the land of Nude. You may also want to know that this is the planet Stroganoff in the 18th dimension. We…”
“Whoa!” cried Matthew. “Planet Stroganoff in the 18th dimension? How can this be?”
Klaper was shocked at the fact that it shocked Matthew. “Well, as you know, Matthew of the IHOP restroom,” Matthew, who had had it with that begged him to just call him Matthew when he was talking to him and seeing as how he made Matthew beg, Klaper promised and then went on. “The second dimension is on a flat piece of paper. The third dimension is, where you’re from I believe, where things stick out and are not flat. The fourth dimension is time. The fifth through the 17th are psychological, mental, spiritual, super natural, superficial, and a combination of space and time in with those. And the 18th dimension is where all of the previous combine into one.”
“So what you’re trying to tell me,” Matthew said, “is…” Matthew didn’t honestly have an idea. He thought he did but it escaped him.
“Everything you would call science fiction and fantasy where you’re from would be reality here,” Klaper said.
“Okay then, now, would you mind telling me why I’m here?” Matthew asked.
“Because you are the chosen one!” said Klaper. “Fate has brought you here.” Matthew didn’t like the sound of that. The only reason, he thought, that fate brought him there was that he had to use the restroom at that exact moment. Fate had nothing to do with it. It was a necessity. Klaper continued. “Anyone could have come through the portal but it was you who came.”
“That’s been established already,” Matthew said, “everyone knows I came here because I’m the one who stepped through the portal. What I want to know was why there was a portal sent for me to go through?”
“Oh, well, if that’s all you wanted to know, why didn’t you just ask?” Klaper asked. “A portal was sent to get you because there is a battle of epic proportions being fought and you need to lead it.”
“Shouldn’t you have gotten someone already?”
“We did,” Klaper said. “We celebrated his coming, showed him around, sent him out in battle and he died.”
Matthew felt uneasy. He wanted an explanation as to why he was now chosen and the term fate wasn’t good enough for him. But in reality, he didn’t even believe he was the one who was supposed to be there. Fate could have brought anyone there. If they needed someone who could prepare a chocolate dipped cone, he was there man. If they needed to know an alternative version to “Werewolves Of London,” he was there man. They want someone to fight a war, he needed something. And no Oreo Mint Blizzard was going to help them fight the war. “How are we supposed to fight?” Matthew asked.
“Oh, that I can’t tell you,” Klaper said, “It’s classified.” Matthew dropped his jaw. “Look, Matthew of the IHOP Rest…oh, yeah, sorry, look Matthew, just because you’re the Chosen One doesn’t mean we can tell you all of our secrets. You’re an outsider.” Matthew’s look of despair, confusion and whatever that look is that reminds drivers of deer with headlights in their eyes convinced Klaper that he couldn’t just conceal it. “Okay fine,” he said, “I’ll explain it all to you when we go to the Path of Desire and the Path of Necessity.

Fun Filled Magical Weekend

2010-11-22T01:44:00.002-06:00

You know, I don't really just comment about my days and or weekends anymore. And since I don't really feel like posting a long entry about the weekend, I'll sum it up into a few highlights of what when on.
Starting with Thursday night (because that's when the fun really got started) I got to witness an Omega Directive rehearsal since I'm teching the show this next coming weekend. Then I got to be involved with a rehearsal that one might say was quite an R I Spectacular rehearsal. (What, it's my blog, I can pun if I want to).
I am starting to find myself feeling really comfortable breaking into song and dance duirng improv games. I don't know if it's natural or not. But it feels right sometimes.
Friday morning, I woke up early to go out to Studio 30 in Olathe, KS to see the IMAX showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I. In case you haven't guessed, this is why it was a "Fun Filled Magical Weekend." I saw it with my mom and then afterwords...well, for a good portion of the day infact, we discussed the movie and book compairison on an intilectual level. This is something that feels weird but refreshing to do to just discuss a movie in this way.
Friday night, I went to see the musical FAME at Sumnor Acadamy because one of my friends from the Roving Imp teaches there and directed the show.
Saturday night, I was in the show and I was most recognized for singing about using a plunger. But I also died in a snow ball fight with an audiance member. And I asked questions inside a Chinese restaurant. ONE and Deep Space Emily were good shows as well. I got to tech Deep Space Emily.
Sunday afternoon, my family and I went to Metcalf South (wish it were a) Mall to see A Star Trek Christmas or Beam Me Up Santa. As you can probably tell, this was a holidy comedy special. The show was followed with an operetta called Hamletta...basically, if the 3 Little Pigs were an opera.
After this show, I headed out to the Roving Imp for a movie watching. Nobody knew what we were going to watch. We took 2 movies and voted to eliminate one and vote for 2. The movies I took to be voted on were The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy (which 1) won and 2) was also my vote for this coming Friday night's Biblioclast...I don't know if it'll be picked but it's the one I voted for). The other movie I had was Stranger Than Fiction.
Anyway, that was my fun filled magical weekend summed up into a nice short blog entry.

Survey 004

2010-11-15T04:59:00.002-06:00

It's another survey thing.

1. Have you ever been searched by the cops?
No, I have never been searched by the cops for anything except for when I was in Texas because I kept making metal detectors (and various other alarms) go off.

2. Do you close your eyes on a roller coaster?
Yes. There is no telling what could go flying into your eyes at 3.6Gs.

3. When's the last time you've been sledding?
I haven't gone sledding on purpose in a long time. However, we had so much snow last winter that my car went sledding a few uncomfortable times.

4. Would you rather sleep with someone else or alone?
Nobody else could keep up with my schedule. It would be nice to have someone present sometime...you know...with a couple of Xs in their cromosomes.

5. Do you believe in ghosts?
I believe in human spirits. Is that the same thing? I would think it would be close since it's the spirit that leaves the body at death and becomes a ghost if there are ghost.

6. Do you consider yourself creative?
Not at all. I spent 4 years at KU for Creative Writing just to say I went to college. Oh, and yes, I do.

7. Do you think O.J. killed his wife?
How am I to know? I trusted the system when I was in 6th grade for some reason.

8. Can you honestly say you know ANYTHING about politics?
Not on my own. If I were on my own, I wouldn't care because if I were on my own, I'd be my own government. It would be the United States of David-Prov. Cool! I'm going to spend the weekend in the state of Spleen.

9. Do you know how to play poker?
Yes. I know that inorder to win, it has to not matter for me to win. If it matters, I loose everything. If it doesn't matter, I'm getting like 3 A's and a King.

10. Have you ever been awake for 48 hours straight?
Not willingly, no. I tried to avoid anything over 24 hours. I've gotten to 23.7 hours before, but not 24.

11. What's your favorite commercial?
It's one I saw today. It was for the Nissan Leaf. This polar bear walked up to the driver of the Nissan Leaf (eco friendly car) and gave the guy a big (not bear-hug pun) hug. It was like the were aiming that commercial right at me. =)

12. Who was your first kiss?
I've got 3 answers for that. I don't want to say who on a public blog. But let's just say I've got 3 answers. My very first kiss was an eskimo kiss I got by accident due to the rules of a game we were playing. Then there was a regular kiss...well, regular except for the fact that I was in 2nd or 3rd grade at the time and didn't really get it...but she was in 2nd/3rd grade too so it wasn't anything naughty. Then, there was my first on-stage kiss. There, that's 3 answers. Like I said, I don't want to say who they are in blog form.

13. If you're driving in the middle of the night, and no one is around you, do you run a red light?
No. And I don't hear a tree fall either.

14. Do you have a secret that no one knows but you?
Yes, the secrets in my head.

15. Have you ever been Ice Skating?
No...can't. I've got a bad ankle.

16. How often do you remember your dreams?
Most of the time, actually.

17. What's the one thing on your mind?
What am I doing up doing this survey. It's almost 5:30 in the morning.

18. Do you always wear your seat belt?
Not always. I only wear my seat belt when I'm in the car.

19. What talent do you wish you had?
The ability to hypnotizing people would be pretty cool.

20. Do you like Sushi?
No. I don't even get the appeal. To me, it sounds like raw sea food.

21. What do you wear to bed?
Cloths...believe it or not.

22. If you could do one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Making people laugh.

23. Do you know anyone in jail?
It's possable.

24. What food do you find disgusting?
Beef steak...Oh my gosh! My grandma brought home a steak she got from Applebee's for Veterans day and the smell just made me want to...well, not puke...but leave the room.
BEEF - It's what's wrong with America.

25. Have you ever made fun of your friends behind their back?
Not lately, no. And not usually my friends. I usually take down the one's who do make fun of my friends behind their backs...well, I tried that in Middle school anyway. I was in detention a lot in middle school.

Matthew Of The IHOP Restroom Part 1

2010-11-10T22:36:00.002-06:00

Back between Christmas of 2007 and starting back to classes in the Spring of 2008, I started to write this story called Matthew of the IHOP Restroom. It took me until May to finish this 10 part story. I posted it on Facebook and MySpace. But I pulled it from Facebook and I rarely use MySpace anymore. So I have decided to start posting the 10 parts here on blogspot...and when I finish that, the parts of the sequel: Dan of the Grocer's Freezer Aisle (formerly "A Bank On Metcalf"). There isn't going to be much order in when I post these. I just will.

Matthew of the IHOP Restroom Part 1

Warren Zevon once said, “They say love conquers all, you can’t start it like a car, you can’t stop it with a gun.” He also said, “I went home with a waitress the way I always do. But how was I to know that she was with the Russians too?” What does this have to do with this story? Absolutely nothing; except of course for the fact that Warren Zevon was the greatest influence of our hero, Matthew Albertson. He grew up in a town in Kansas just outside the edge of the Kansas City suburbs.
Matthew, who didn’t like his name shortened to Matt because, as he would say, he wasn’t thrown out on the floor to be walked on, was currently in college, worked two jobs during the summer, one at the local Dairy Queen and the other at a Price Chopper store. When he wasn’t in school or working; he enjoyed writing songs using his guitar or hanging with his friends. He was also madly in love, well, he would say madly, with Katie Waller who he had an English class with. She of course would never know this until much later and at the time, Matthew, knowing he had nothing much to offer since he did just work at Dairy Queen and Price Chopper and wrote music, chose to leave it that way.
Matthew’s story starts out like any other story where a guy decides to hang out with his buddies and get breakfast at the local IHOP restaurant at 3am when his buddies were drunk and he was stuck driving. This is, however, the first time that I personally have ever read of a story where buddies decided to hang out at IHOP and so maybe it’s not like any other story at all. And little did Matthew know that going to this particular IHOP on this particular date of March the third would wind up changing his life forever.
But this story doesn’t have to do with what Matthew ordered to eat, or that one of his buddies, Jim, had to argue with the waitress because he wanted Pepsi and no, a Coke was not the same thing as a Pepsi nor is it about his other friend, Dan who tried hitting on the waitress, the hostess working that night and a vacuum cleaner they had out trying to clean the floors since he was, after all, the drunkest of them all. This is about what happened when Matthew decided to use the restroom after giving his order. Matthew opened the door to the restroom and suddenly found himself entering a bright light room.
“Hello?” he called out. He didn’t get an answer. He walked in, couldn’t find anything, so he went back to the door to find that it wasn’t there. “Hello?!” he called out again, this time more urgent. “Is anybody there?!” He began to move, float rather as he felt himself moving faster and faster. He was afraid he was going to hit the wall on the other side. But before he could hit any wall, the bright white light came whizzing around him in more colors. First, the light changed to pink, followed by red and the rest of the spectrum colors when Matthew realized he was no longer in an IHOP restroom but in some kind of rotating vortex or a wormhole of some kind.
This is impossible, he thought. He started to scream for help and then realized that it wasn’t getting him anywhere. He unfortunately wasn’t very good with science. If he had been, he could have simply stated that a wormhole had formed in the IHOP restroom that was large enough for him to pass through. But then again, if he were a scientist, he’d scratch that idea off and say that it was impossible because there would need to be two black holes placed in the right location and it’s kind of hard to harness one black hole.
In fact, the only things that Matthew would be able to say would be how to prepare a Peanut Buster Parfait, what’s the right kind of meat to get for a party, the lyrics to every Warren Zevon song including ones that were never released, anything involving guitar or song writing and anything from English; which Matthew probably wouldn’t even attend that class if it weren’t for a chance to see Katie Waller every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Before Matthew ever even conceived that it was really a portal to another dimension that only specially trained holy men in that dimension could open, he wound up in that dimension surrounded by many men who he could hear cheering as he entered in a matter that seemed to sort of be spitted out onto the floor.
“The chosen one has arrived on our soil!” cried one of the holy men. “Praise Sampsonite!”
Matthew shot up and said to the holy man, “wait a minute, do you mean me?”
“Yes!” exclaimed the holy man. “We have brought you here because you are the chosen one. If you weren’t, it would have been someone else who was picked. You are the chosen one. Please, say your name and where you just came from.”
This had to be a dream, Matthew thought. I thought I wasn’t the one who had anything to drink. But, deciding it would be safer to play along, he said, “I’m Matthew Albertson and I just came from the IHOP restroom.”
Suddenly, every man, woman and child stood up and bowed to him after saying in unison “ALL HAIL MATTHEW…OF THE IHOP RESTROOM!” This was too bizarre to Matthew. He tried to insist to them that it wasn’t really the IHOP restroom he was from but rather the city but before he could think to tell them that, he started thinking about the fact that they were hailing…HIM.
Matthew didn’t see himself as any kind of leader or warrior or anything like that. He didn’t have the slightest idea what they wanted him for but it was clear to him that it was for one of those purposes. Before he could listen to the crowd chanting his name and the fact that he was from the IHOP restroom any longer, he asked the holy man to take him aside and explain to him what exactly was going on in private.
“It’s none of my business what goes on in private,” said the holy man. “If I worry too much about what goes on in private, I’d be considered a snoop.”
“NO!” Matthew argued. “I mean could we please step aside in private and you tell me what’s going on without all these on lookers watching my every move.”
“Oh, okay,” he said. He pointed to his office for Matthew to go into. Then he announced to the crowd, “Matthew, of the IHOP Restroom, has just asked to speak in private with me!”
Matthew would normally be weirded out with the idea that the holy man had to announce the fact that he was going to talk with the holy man privately. But that wasn’t what got to him. What got to Matthew was the fact that not just did the holy man say it with such enthusiasm, like a child at Christmas who just got a personal visit from someone in a Santa suit, but that the audience cheered and some even reacted like they were jealous.

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead Part I

2010-11-03T20:10:00.007-05:00

I'm now trying to, once again, load the album overview video for Warren Zevon's Greatest Hits 2CD set album I'LL SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD. I think I'll call this "third time's a charm." I hope the second part won't be this hard to load.

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead...and load when I feel like it.

2010-10-28T21:39:00.002-05:00

I have made a video for the album overview to Warren Zevon's Greatest Hits album I'LL SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD CD1. There are 2 CDs in this set and I finished part 1. But for some reason, I'm having trouble loading it. It could be because it's about 13 minutes long. I don't know. Long story short, it isn't loading right now. Hopefully it will load sometime within the next week. Or I may go back and shorten it some.

Star Trek Rocks!

2010-10-26T03:25:00.002-05:00

I started getting in the process of making a video for the album overview of Warren Zevon's I'LL SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD Anthology 2 CD set. Somehow in the process, I found this image. I don't remember what it was under. But previous to this, I thought only the Star Wars one existed.

15 albums and 15 movies

2010-10-25T05:35:00.002-05:00

A lot of people on facebook are posting the top 15 albums and top 15 movies that they can say will always be with them or something in a matter of 15 minutes each. So I wanted to do this too.

15 albums that will always be a part of who I am or something.

1. Life'll Kill Ya - Warren Zevon
2. Like A Rock - Bob Seger
3. Footloose Original Sound Track
4. Bat Out Of Hell - Meat Loaf
5. Born In The U.S.A. - Bruce Springsteen
6. Running With Scissors - "Weird Al" Yankovic
7. Enjoy Every Sandwich: The Music of Warren Zevon - Various Artist
8. Man Of La Mancha Original Broadway Cast
9. Corporate America - Boston
10. The Wind - Warren Zevon
11. Blue Moon Swamp - John Fogerty
12. Then & Now - The Who (Yes, I know it's a greatest hits album. It's the only album with "Real Good Looking Boy")
13. Making Movies - Dire Straits
14. Day and Age - The Killers (Very rarely do I find new groups I like. This was my first Killers album).
15. Racing The Tide - The Elders

That is my list of 15 albums that will always be a part of who I am (or whatever the list is supposed to be). And now for movies:

1. Star Trek: First Contact
2. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
3. Forrest Gump
4. Stranger Than Fiction
5. The Lion King
6. Back To The Future
7. Jurassic Park
8. Terminator 2: Judgement Day
9. Stardust
10. Star Trek - 2009 (If not just for it's own merrit, then who all I saw it with)
11. Armageddon
12. Hitchhicker's Guide To The Galaxy
13. Robin Hood (Disney version)
14. The Land Before Time...the Original...the first one
15. Independence Day

Here are my top 15 albums and 15 movies that will always be a part of who I am or something. I realize the campy/crappy value of some of the movies I mentioned...like Armageddon. It's still going to be one of those movie.

Album cover

2010-10-19T02:07:00.002-05:00

I found out from Chris Hurt's blog update from last Wednesday about this thing involving making an album complete with band name, 1st album, and album cover. First of all, you need to go to Wikopedia and go to random artical. At the random artical, I was given Hiroyuki Hamada. I have no idea who this is really. But right away, Wikapedia gave me this information about him...

Hiroyuki Hamada was Born in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima on October 29, 1925. He was the founder of Nihon Koden Shindo Ryu Karatedo and master of Felton Messina.

This was the name of the band. I was then supposed to go to a random quotes page and go to the last random quote it gives me. From that quote, I was supposed to take the last 4 or 5 words. (I cheated a little bit and went with 6 so it would make sense). The words put together were

I happen to be a quack.

This was the title to my first album. Then I was supposed to go to flicker and get the 3rd photo (no matter what) from the last seven days. The one I found had a hold on it so I had to "print screen" it and take it to Paint before I could do anything with it. For this reason, I will not be posting the picture by itself. I will, however, post the final project that I got between PowerPoint and Paint.

You Know What's Annoying? 004

2010-10-09T02:56:00.002-05:00

You know what's annoying? Political ads. I'm so sick and tired of political ads. I live in Johnson County, KS and I have yet to see many political ads for any one or any issue that I'll be voting for or agaisnt. 98% of all the political ads I've found are all Missouri ads. I'm not political enough to care about issues that Missouri has on the ballet. But the news I get is from Kansas City. There are no issues up to be voted for other than issues soley on the states and all the ads I've been seeing are for Missouri. Then at the primaries, I got political ads for Kansas but I wasn't for any of them. I found it annoying when they would talk about a certian canadate being pro NRA like it was a good thing. Then, it didn't even matter because August were the primaries which means ONLY Democrats and Republicans got to vote (by the way, I've got my own issue with this but that's another story). And there is no cross voting like their is in the general election. I didn't even know that there were any Democrats running because all the ads were Republican.
By the way, for those who don't follow politics or do follow politics but may be by some chance reading from overseas or something, in the primaries, you vote for who you want to vote for in November. It's like the Democrats have 3 guys and the Republicans have 3 guys and the one with the most votes go head-to-head in November.

Another annoying thing about political ads is that, once again, I live in Johnson County, KS. This is very much Eastern Kansas. You can't get much more Eastern without going into Missouri. There are issues that as a Kansan, I vote for or against, but as a Johnson Countian goes against things that I'm interested in. For example, I'm 27 years, 3 months, and about 21-23 days old or so. I've lived in Kansas all my life. I just found out that we actually have "small towns" in the last 5 years. I thought small towns were something Hollywood just came up with in Superman stories to make us look rural. There are small town/farm land issues that are never going to affect me.

Bottom line, I'm sick and tired of political ads for peole or issues that I'm never going to be voting for or on...not out of spite...but for the main and simple reason that I don't even live in the state they are campaigning in or their views and beliefs, when they are directed to me as a voter, go against what's most important to me.

By the way, this is probably my most politically driven blog entry to date. I don't like getting political on blogspot. But this isn't so much political as it is about the advertising of politics. I don't really want to talk about a specific political issue because it usually just gets me angry or somehow overtly passionate.
My mom told me something she heard on the radio is that this guy isn't going to vote for any of his canadates because their political ads don't say anything about what they do, they just talk about what the other canadate has done wrong.

Cancer Awareness

2010-10-07T00:38:00.002-05:00

For about a week now, I've had friends on facebook update their status saying where they like it...I like it on the kitchen table...I like it in the hall...I like it on the door knob...I like it in the woods...I like it between someone's legs in the passenger seat...
The list goes on. Of course, we all know what they're talking about, right? Brest cancer. These are my female friends updating their status saying where they like to put there purse...which obviously teaches me something about Brest Cancer.
Ok, no, I'm joking. Telling me where they like their purse by saying that they like "it" in a certain location tells me nothing about Brest Cancer at all. As I said on a friend's or 2 status updates this evening...

I'm not any more aware of Brest Cancer than I was 2 months ago. But I am more aware of how kinky some of my female friends are.

Here's the thing, if you're going to make people aware of something, you should give something abscure that tells nothing related to the subject. Back in January, even more of my female friends were posting the color of their bras for Brest Cancer awareness. This made just as little sence because they only posted a color. When I found out what the color was, I suggested they should also post the color of thier panties to help fight cirvical cancer...it did about just as much the same work as saying what the braw color was. But I didn't get much feed back. So I decided to take my own tactic. I decided to post the color of boxer shorts I was wearing and say that with that, I'm helping to fight testicular cancer.
I actually got more of a response from that. I've done something simular this time. Since the girls were posting where they like to put their purses...something that is a feminine thing (it's a feminine thing...if a guy has a purse, it's called a murse or something like that). So I took a more manly thing and said...

I like car keys in the egnition. Since cars are manly, I just made you all aware of testicular cancer.

Bottom line, if you're going to make people aware of Cancer, do something about it or come out and say something about it. Don't beat around the bush and talk about something unrelated.

I Can't

2010-10-06T05:01:00.002-05:00

I'd like to think that I have it all together. I'd also like to believe that I'm all that and a bag of chips/da bomb digity/whatever phrase is used now to mean cool. But I can't. I can't even get on the computer at night without realizing that the sun has already come up before I'm through on the computer. I want to have a regular schedule but I can't even get on the computer until about 12:15am. Now, it's 5am already and I haven't got caught up on everything I wanted to do. I haven't even update this blog since I posted the album overview to Warren Zevon's Learning to Flinch album.
I've been wanting to a full on movie review of this movie I saw a week ago with my mom for her birthday called Alpha and Omega. Since I'm not going to have enough time to do a full on review of the movie, I'll just try and do a quickie here:
The idea behind Alpha and Omega is that these 2 wolves, one is an alpha female and the other is an omega male (which is supposed to represent their social status in the pack) get shipped off to this park reserve in Utah or Idaho or something (where isn't all that important) in order to repopulate the species there. The male likes this because he likes her. The female likes him but doesn't like-like him (it's a kid/family pic so of course it's got that dynamic). The female's family was set to mate with the alpha from this other pack wolves but then she wound up missing (when the 2 wolves got sent to the park). While they try to find their way back, the packs become offended with the other pack...while the alpha male from the one pack starts to fall for the sister of the alpha female...who is actually an omega.
As it turns out, it works because the 2 that ran off together wind up both liking each other and the ones who stayed liked each other. The day is saved.
I found the movie to be very Shakespearean romantic-comedy-esk in nature...no pun intended. It may have just been obvious to me since I've studied enough Shakespeare to recognize the connection when I see one.
What sucked: I say it like this because there are parts that sucked about it. And for the most part, I can forgive it. There were things that were very irrational and cartoon-like and just simply wouldn't have happened in the real world. Even in the way they moved (the female wolf did a lot of mid air summer-salts* for example). Since this was a cartoon, I didn't mind it too much. It was logical enough for the storyline. The female wolf went through training to be an alpha (she went away to school to learn to be an alpha...like I said, cartoon). The human attributes they put on the wolves is why it could get away with being illogical. The other thing that sucked...and the only thing about this movie that I personally couldn't forgive was that when the wolves would howl, they treated it like a pop song. This is something I just could not stand. It was annoying. To me, the howl of a wolf is one of the coolest most awesome sounds in nature. And it seemed like what they did by putting it to a pop song sound was bastardizing it in the worst way. And not good pop like pop-rock...bad pop. The kind that made my part ways with my family on what radio station to listen to 10 years ago.

Yes, coming up, we've got the BackStreet Cubs...followed by N*Trail. Then coming out the rear, it's Justin Beaver! Why? Because they're wolves and he's a beaver so they ate him and digested him and now they're pooping him out.
-Radio DJ of the forest.

I really can't stand pop-pop...at all. I hate it. This is music that I was forced to listen to when I was younger and I wanted to stab the members of the Backseat Boys, N*Stink, and run after Hanson with scissors...if for nothing else to cut off their hair. I still do sometimes. I hate Hanson so much with every fiber of my being. I would be a lot happier if they had never been born.
But personal torture put on to me by pop bands aside, that's my review of the movie. I liked it for the most part except for that which I just ranted about.

Anyway, the time is now 5:40 so it took me almost 45 minutes to type this. This is another example of how not-together I have it. It took me half an hour to write a review of a family movie at least. Some of it was ranting at the beginning of this entry and here. But it shouldn't take that long to just type a movie review.

Now, I'll try and go to bed. Please notice my foot note.

*By the way, I'm not sure how to spell summer-salts. This is the spelling that Firefox doesn't have an issue with. I can't guarantee that it's right.

Learning To Flinch

2010-10-01T14:11:00.004-05:00

Okay, this is the album overview of Warren Zevon's LEARNING TO FLINCH. It is a kind of a combination greatest hits and live accoustic album.

1 Year with David-Prov

2010-09-30T02:03:00.004-05:00

1 year special and everything was ruined. Figures. I wanted to have a video I could edit but everything seemed to work against me. I wound up getting this from my phone. It saved on real player. Unfortunately, real player doesn't work on Windows Video Maker. So there was no editing...which I was looking forward to doing. Oh well. That's what I wanted to do. Maybe when I get the chance to, I'll redo the video with everything I wanted to do with it.

Arguement and Conflict

2010-09-28T04:51:00.002-05:00

As it turns out, improvisors in the KC area tend to have scenes full of conflict and arguments more than any other improv community. Why is that? I don't know.

Watching an argument on stage is like watching an argument on stage.
-John Robison (about a year ago)

In our Monday night class tonight, we struggled to avoid conflicts and arguments. As it turns out, I have an issue where, even if I'm trying to avoid an argument, I would be less than entusiastic for some reason...as John said it was The Glass Is 1/2 Empty mindset. In stead of "Yes...And"ing, I would "okay...fine...but..."
My goal for next week is to have a more possative/enthusiastic attitude.

Random Quote 001

2010-09-25T04:42:00.002-05:00

If you're not entertaining, you're doing nothing.

-Warren Zevon to Jackson Browne when Jackson was surprised to find that Warren Zevon considered himself an "entertainer." I know it because it's in the CD booklet for the Warren Zevon album STAND IN THE FIRE.

1 Year coming soon:

2010-09-24T04:39:00.002-05:00

I'm getting close to it being exactly 1 year since I started David-Prov the blogspot blog. My very first blog entry was posted at 3:34am on September 30, 2009. That was one year ago this coming next Thursday. I need to have some kind of special post. But I don't know how I'm going to do it or what I'm going to do it on. I've thought about doing a video review with me actually physically giving a review to a camera and loading that. But I don't know if I can get my webcam to work because I've never used it before. I've had it since about 4 months before my first blog. But I'm pretty sure it will be special. And in fact, I may even be doing it the night of the 29th and post it early in the morning on the 30th to stay consistant with how I usually post.
I'm also in the process of making the video (getting images that is) for the album overview of Warren Zevon's Learning To Flinch album. But I would want my special blog entry to be a 2 video overview...say a video for the 2-Disc I'll Sleep When I'm Dead Warren Zevon Anthology and have 2 videos but post them on the same blog entry.
Anyway, I don't know what I'll do. If you want to give me any suggestions of something you'd like to read (or hear) my perspective on, feel free to leave a comment.

You Know What's Annoying? 003

2010-09-21T05:07:00.002-05:00

You know what's annoying? When friends move away to locations that are more than a state away. Well, not that so much. Even more so is when they move away and you loose the chance to tell them "bye" to their face.
Now, typing it like this, "tell them 'bye' to their face," is a very dumb downed simple version of the whole thing. When a friend moves away, just saying "bye" isn't going to cut it. But getting a chance to talk with them before they leave with face to face contact makes all the difference in the world. I personally don't like waiting until after they left and trying to contact them through text message or facebook messages. I prefer face to face contact. But within the 7 weeks or so, I've had to do all 3 to 3 seperate friends. All 3 moved to different locations. One of them had a show that was sold as her last show before moving. I got a chance to go to that and talk with her briefly before leaving. She was the only one I got to actually say fairwell to in person. If there are any questions, she moved to up-state New York.
Another friend, the first one in the last 7 weeks to move away, just uped-and-left. Or at least that's the way it seemed at that end of the move. Then, she was back for one day but I lost the chance to say fair-well to her. I sent her a text that evening stating that I'd like to see her before she left to say bye. I didn't get an answer and I assumed the entire night that, being limited to 160 charicters, my phrasing was weird and creepy. The entire night, I couldn't sleep because I couldn't relax until I said the closest thing I wanted to say with the 160 charicter limit. It was this friend's departure that inspired my blog entry on texting. It was driving me crazy because as hard as I tried, I couldn't get one thing I wanted to say condensed to 160 charicters. How do you tell someone in a text that they mean the world to you as more than just a friend but a mentor and a teacher and the one who told you that it's important to let others know how you feel about them and their move felt like death and you'll miss them like crazy? Well, you can't. It has to be condensed. But by the time I actually got said in about 158 charicters (which by the way, includes spacing), it was just after 7:30am. Thankfully, I got a reply back within 2 minutes thanking me for the kind words and I could finally sleep.
A third friend moved just this last weekend. This was another friend of mine from the Roving Imp who was moving away for school and there was no clear sign that they would be coming back other than to visit. However, unlike the other 2 who I was actually able to make plans to see for their last show and the other who left unexpectedly, I knew this friend would be moving for a few months but for some reason, I thought I'd be seeing her again before she left. The last time I saw her was 8.5 days before she left. Missing my chances in the following week to say bye, I stayed up late the night before she left and typed out a message on facebook...since I didn't have her number. She left KC before I finished typing the message. It was about 8:15am before the message was finished and sent. This was Friday morning. I didn't get any reply until about 24 hours later at least. She was greatful for my message. But Friday was just horrible. I was awaken an hour earlier by my grandma than expected so she could go get involved with this scam that she accepted the true more than the "too good to be" part. I wanted nothing to do with it and did everything I could to keep her out of it including leaving my car parked behind her car. But she moved my car over and got out while I napped because I only had 3 hours of sleep and I was working the improv festival that night but the guy trying to scam her just kept calling and calling ever 5-10 minutes until finally I answered and said that no, my grandma wasn't there, go f**k yourself. Okay, I didn't say that but I was thinking that all weekend. But that's a story for "You Know What's Annoying? 004".
The long story short here is that the Facebook message didn't provide me with any relaxation when I sent it because I was up all night thinking about how I wanted to word it just to send it 3 minutes too late and not even know if my friend received it until the following day. I had a horrible day that day all day and was going on maybe a total of 4 hours of sleep. I didn't feel relaxed about it until I received the reply the next day that suggested my friend appricieated the kind thoughts and words I had said.
Now, the question on my mind is why can't I even admit to feeling the way I do in the words I say until after a friend leaves. Am I afraid that if I say it to their face when they're still in town, they'll choose to never see me again but if they've moved, I've got nothing to loose? Okay, yeah, that seems about right. I wish I could do this because I feel so much at peace once I actually say something...except for not knowing how their response would go. Before getting a reply to the note I sent Friday morning, I had a fear that my friend would be creeped out and defriend me (or unfriend me depending on what you prefer).
Anyway, that's what's annoying: friends leaving and not being able to say how I feel about them to their face/not getting the chance to say it to their face.

Leaning Tower of CDs-uh

2010-09-15T02:55:00.002-05:00

So I had a dream while taking a nap Saturday or Sunday afternoon. It involved the fact that I haven't cleaned my room since May of last year. I had a mess of books, CDs, DVDs, paper and various other what not around my bed. But in the dream, it was by my bedroom door. I wasn't able to close my door without it turning to rubber and doing the whole curve at the middle of the door thing you would see in a cartoon or slap-stick comedy. And my door was busted. So I decided that this week, I was going to clean my room. I started today.
I started with the previously mentioned pile. I got all the books up and then the CDs. The CDs I had in a tower...not a tower like you place CDs in, a tower like one on top of the other until your stack of CDs is taller than you with no support. Before I could finish the tower, the stack would fall every single time. I eventually decided to take some of the CDs that I haven't listened to for a long time (a long with some DVDs and Gamecube games) to Vintage Stock to sell to them. I wound up getting $26.55 for all of them. That's not too bad. Of course, the most I got for any one item was $3 and the least was $0.05. Some of these, I tried to sell at the garage sale at the Roving Imp back on the first Sunday in June.
(Wow, has it been that long)?
Anway, I now have 5 stacks in the middle of the floor...neater than scattered around. But now, I need to figure out what I'll do with some of my DVDs I still have as well as books...
I'll do that tomorrow after I have a chance to take care of business like paying for my car's plates and getting a dust mask and getting my oil changed...

Mix CD

2010-09-10T04:25:00.002-05:00

So, I've borrowed a lot of CDs over the past year from some of my improv friends...mainly a large number from Nifer for letting her rip a bunch of my music. There are also a few CDs from Steve and one from Chris. What I'm wanting to do is take a bunch of the music that I really like out of those and burn them onto a CD so I can listen to them when I'm in the car or so.
Some of the CDs I borrowed include (All barrowed from Nifer unless other wise mentioned):
The Beatles - Abby Road
The Beatles - Let It Be (though I barrowed it from Nifer, it had to be returned to the library afterwards...which I did).
Ben Folds - Rockin' The Suburbs.
Blink 182 - Take Off Your Pants and Jacket.
The Boy Least Likely - The Best party Ever
Carl Perkins - Go Cat Go (Barrowed from Steve).
Carole King - Goin' Back.
The Cars Anthology (Barrowed from Steve).
Coldplay - Viva La Vida.
Drop Kick Murphys - Do Or Die.
Drop Kick Murphys - Sing Loud, Sing Proud.
Warren Zevon + R.E.M. - Hindu Love Gods (Barrowed from Steve).
The Killers - Hot Fuss
Less Than Jake - Anthem
Monty Python
Pete Townshed - Empty Glass (Barrowed from Steve).
Queen - Greatest Hits
Sammy Hagar - The Essentual Red Collection (Barrowed from Steve).
Simon & Garfunkle - Essentual
Streets of Fire (Barrowed From Steve).
Transformers Soundtrack 2007 (Barrowed from Chris)
Train - Drops Of Jupiter
White Stripes - White Blood Cells
Grosse Point Blank Sound Track
Corrina, Corrina Sound Track...

Yes, I realize that this is probably a lot to fit onto 1 burned CD. I won't be burning all of them. But I'll probably take what I would consider to be a fair ballance of as much as I can.

Transverse City

2010-09-07T23:58:00.004-05:00

This is the overview to Warren Zevon's Transverse City.

Limit

2010-09-04T03:32:00.003-05:00

Okay, I'm not exactly sure what my psycological limit is. I know we all have limits where we get to a brink of what we can handle psycologically and then we break. We all have them at a different level. I don't know where mine is. But I do know I passed it up today going near the speed of light. On facebook, I requested to be let off at the proverbial curb before I through up the metephorical chunks.

Yes, I had gone well pass that level today.

Hindu Love Gods

2010-09-02T14:28:00.007-05:00

Here is my album overview of the album Hindu Love Gods. Hindu Love Gods is Warren Zevon as lead singer with the members of REM minus Michael Stipe. The album is 10 tracks long and rare. I wound up barrowing this album from someone.

August

2010-09-01T02:06:00.002-05:00

Okay, it is now oficially September. This means I want to give a recap of the highlights of August. Don't worry, this will be short. Unless I chose to post the bad and annoying. But that's already up for you to read...
1) I had my first R I Spectacular show as a member of the group on the 21st.
2) We finished the book Serenity at the Roving Imp just in time to quit read-out-loud Wednesday.
3) John found some Ice Cream sandwiches to sell at the Roving Imp that are Peanut Butter Ice Cream. I have turned back to my old ways because I have caused the peanut butter ones to sell out at least twice now.
4) I finished reading the Warren Zevon biography I'll Sleep When I'm Dead: The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon.
5) Not good news, but it happened. I got a staph infection on my eye lid. I've got no idea how I got it (the dr. suggested I could have been bitten by a spider and it got infected or an eye lash got infected or something). That was this last weekend. Good news, the dr. says I can be around others as long as I don't make eye-to-eye contact.

Anyway, that's all I've got right now.

R.I.PowerPoint

2010-08-29T01:53:00.002-05:00

I've been working on the PowerPoint at the Roving Imp for about a couple of months now. But there is a picture on one of the slides that has never really impacted me until tonight. The picture has 6 members of the Roving Imps (they now go by R I Spectacular) playing what looks like the warm-up of "Where have your fingers been?" This picture was taken a little more than 2 years ago because the people who are in it are the main people who were in the group when I started taking classes. It's now 2 years later and there are only 2 of those members left. I won't go into what I've heard about the reasons why some drop out. I'll just say what I know for sure and the most recent 2 that have left were Nifer who moved to Chicago and Patrick who is spending time...along with a job...at KU. And the first 2 that left, I'm not going to go into. But it's now down to just John and Julie...who had been there since the Imp opened. We do have Justin, Chante', Ashley, Hannah (who will be leaving soon), and myself currently who are members of R I Spectacular. The picture has the main people from when I started hanging out there 2 years ago. It's just something I am forced, by who I am, to be effected by.

Robot Parade

2010-08-28T03:26:00.003-05:00

Okay, so tonight was my first Robot Parade show since the last Friday in February. This was because I chose to take ONLY Saturday class for level 2. However, as I said earlier this week or maybe last, the Saturday class has been canceled and everyone who was in the Saturday class had been bumped to Monday night class. This was a difficult transition for a few reasons. I won't go into them because I think I've gone into them before recently. But the Arnold was destroied and the Monday class was (fortunately) very welcoming of us...by us, I mean only 2 of us made it to class. That was myself and Steve. Chris is doing Ottowa University stuff for 8 weeks. Shannon teaches high school. And Marti couldn't even make it to class on Saturday sometimes. Nifer moved to Chicago...but since she was in Level 3, she wouldn't be in class anyway because everyone from Level 3 was told to take only Level 3 so that everyone from Saturday could fit into Monday. The Monday night class consisted of Mary, who was there back when I was still part of it in February, Hannah, who is part of R I Spectacular...but also joined Nifer's class about 10 months or so ago, and Greg, who was also in Nifer's class for a long time.
Anyway, tonight was our show. Thankfully, Steve and I got to perform after having only 2 classes this month...the 7th and the 23rd. This was also Hannah's last Robot Parade show. She's moving to England on the 17th of September for school.
By the way, you know how many people are leaving us lately? Nifer moved to Chicago. Hannah's leaving to go to England. Patrick is offically leaving the Imp to work and study at KU. Patrick came out of the green room at one point and said, "I can't believe you're in R I Spectacular and I'm leaving." I said, "I can't believe you're leaving by your own choice."
Anyway, the show was a lot of fun. I didn't feel confident playing this one game of Fairy Tale News Cast. This was based upon some bad expierences I had during the rehearsals of it.
DISCLAIMER: the bad expierences were probably in my head. So I told John before the show that I felt a lack of confidence in myself in that game. It was a good thing I did. Turns out he had more confidence in me for that game than I did. My lack of confidence didn't change anything.
I wound up being paired with Hannah as one of the news anchors. The fairy tale was Sleeping Beauty. Steve was the "in the field" reporter and Mary was the interviewee. At one point, she told about Sleeping Beauty eating a bite of an apple and falling asleep. The only thing that came into my head was...is Mary confusing Sleeping Beauty and Snow White? When it came back, I said, "This just in: apples are the best way to get girls to sleep."

By the way, back when I was doing graphic designs for shows, I did this picture (which took me a long time to put everything together too by the way) for Robot Parade. It's only fitting to put it up for the blog entry dedicated to it:

Anyway, I updated my facebook status about the show saying that I "would change nothing about Robot Parade tonight; except for it would've been nice if someone was in the audiance who couldn't be. But I wouldn't change anything about the show itself. I'm quite happy about it."
Tell me, does it look like I'm refering to someone inparticular here. If it is, I've got a feeling that nobody is going to know who it is I was thinking about when I typed it. I hesitated posting it because I had the feeling that everyone might think I was refering to someone else...then again, the only people I invited who were able to make it were my mom and grandma. I did however get a call this morning from a friend who said they wouldn't be able to make it. I very much appriciated them calling to tell me they couldn't. It was as though they cared enough about my feelings and how I feel/think of them to let me know ahead of time as opposed to just not show up.
I was actually kind of refering to her. I wanted her to show up. She couldn't and she let me know, but I still wish she could have. But in the meantime, I'm not really JUST limiting it to her. I wish others could have been there tonight also who couldn't show up because stuff like can't find a babysitter, or they live to far away, or any number of reasons that they didn't have when they said they would. But oh well. I've got more of a show on the 18th and they get to participate in the jam that night if they want to.

George Washington is THE TERMINATOR

2010-08-27T01:30:00.002-05:00

So I got this dollar bill about a week ago in change and it had been ripped at George Washington's eye. Therefore, I couldn't help but do the following:

Genius: The Best of Warren Zevon

2010-08-26T04:00:00.017-05:00

This is the third Warren Zevon album to carry a Greatest Hits name with it. The first 2 were "A Quiet Normal Life" and "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead (An Anthology)" "A Quiet Normal Life" can barely be called a greatest hits because it's limited by the fact that it came out in 1986 and only has 5 studio albums out of 14 to pull from. Yes, I'm including The Wind in that total even though all greatest hits were out before The Wind was released. "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead (An Anthology)" is bigger and pulls from not just 12 albums, but previously unreleased material and some TV programs that Warren Zevon sang for the opening credits. Genius is purely a Greatest Hits compilation that pulls from 11 albums. It doesn't pull from any live albums and, unfortunately, pales when it comes to some albums. But it's a sampling of the Warren Zevon library leading upto 2002 (the same year as My Ride's Here came out) put onto 1 CD. And it was also the 2nd Warren Zevon album I ever got. The first was The Wind. I would listen to this album a lot my first semester commuting back and forth to KU during the week. To be completely honest, I would have been happy if there were some previously unreleased songs on it. But at the time I got it, it was one of the most intriging albums I ever listened to and it has brought me hours of entertainment.

Texting

2010-08-25T05:42:00.005-05:00

So, I've been a little happy lately. I've been sad also. I had a good day today but a horrible night last night. I had gotten to sleep around 10:45pm. This is early for me by 4-7 hours or so. But then, I woke up around 1:30am and couldn't get back to sleep...that was until 7:30am when I finished a text message I was revising all night. I was sending a text message because time had run out to see the person I wanted to say something to and also, I just didn't want to send the message through facebook. That seems to be a jerk thing to do. So I worked with a text. And re-worked it. Then I re-worked it again. Wanting to get everything said when you're limited to 160 charicters (which just has to include spaces) is really nerve racking. It reminded me of a project we had in an improv class back at the beginning of the month that consisted of two word lines. The objective was to get rid of everything with the exception of the MOST IMPORTANT WORDS.
Unfortunately, texting doesn't make that easy. I could say, "I hope to see you soon!" That uses 23 of the 160 charicter limit. If I were to say "Hey, let me know when you are leaving for the show tonight," I just used 58 charicters. I can shorten that down by saying, "Hey, let me no when u r leaving 4 the show 2nite," and I have it down to about 48. That only removes 10 charicters. You can get "hey" down to "Ha" but then it might read like "HA!" like you're laughing. Texting charicters is like moments spent with a loved one. Every charicter should count. Unfortunately, shortening all the important stuff to fit 160 charicters can caused the reader to read it a different way than you intended.
Now for the sake of my purpose in writing this text, I'll say that this is what happened. I tried to send a text around 8:50 the night before. Dealing with the 160 charicter limit, I shortened it so that just the most important stuff stood out. Unfortunately, the "most important stuff" didn't even scratch at the surface of what I wanted to say...or it came out sounding weird or creepy to the reader. Therefore, I never received a text back which I was hoping for some comment.
After working on it from about 2am in the morning to about 7:30am, I had reworded it to the point that it didn't say anything about what I was wanting but said everything about why I was wanting it. Anyway who reads this blog on a regular basis who doesn't come here following a Warren Zevon video link from YouTube might know who I'm talking about with this text. For those who don't, I felt like I lost a friend last week in a they're dead type of way. They didn't die, wrather they suddenly moved away and never bothered to say bye or anything. I finally got a reply back about 7:30 after sending it when I said what I felt like and then, I was happy. I didn't get to do what I wanted to do, but they did know I cared. And then, I was happy enough so I was able to sleep.

Bottom line, if someone moves away or otherwise you won't see them again but they're still alive, sending a message over facebook is like when Sprint laid off their workers through e-mail a few years ago. It's better if you can see them. But if that's not do-able, then texting can allow you to say what you want said...provided you can say it in 160 charicters or less. But for this purpose, I don't REALLY like texting either.

Now one last thing, in a round about way, this is related: I had my first show with R. I. Spectacular last Saturday night. The Saturday afternoon class has been shut down due to scheduleings and a lack of instructors at the Roving Imp. This Saturday class was the ONLY improv class 2 years ago when I joined. (This weekend would be my 2 year anniversary class show). Now, it's no more and everyone from class who can make it is now in the Monday night class. This was heartbreaking but at the same time, releaving because as I found out before the show that night, I had a lot of energy.
Also, it was nice because I finally got to be in a show with Hannah again before she moves to England for school next month. It was bittersweet because it was also the first night of shows that Nifer was 100% gone. She has moved to Chicago and we will see her no more except for once a month starting in October. In fact, speaking of improv friends moving, a friend of mine from high school who I've been seeing a few times in Stitch Tactics is officially moving to upstate New York and never coming back. I was fortunate enough to see her last show before she left to tell her fairwell personally. If you couldn't tell by my first few paragraphs, the ability to actually say bye to someone personally is important to me.

Anyway, I don't want to end this on a sad note. So I'm going to post some pics from Saturday's show:

Survey 003

2010-08-18T22:31:00.002-05:00

This looked like a fun one. This will be typed at the Imp while Chris reads...

1. What color is your toothbrush?
The stem is green and white but the bristles are blue, yellow, and white.

2. Name one person who made you smile today?
Well, Joey showed up at the Imp before reading and we recited Pinky & The Brain.

3. What were you doing at 8 am today?
Laundry...reading The Restaurant At The End of the Universe...while trying to fall asleep.

4. What were you doing 45 minutes ago?
I think I was on Facebook.

5. What is your favorite candy bar?
Reese's Whips

6. Have you ever been to a strip club?
No

7. What is the last thing you said aloud?
I let Chris know where I left on in the book we're reading.

8. What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
Mint without chocolate.

9. What was the last thing you had to drink?
Water

10. Do you like your wallet?
What an odd question. It's green and not leather. But the card holder is all falling apart.

11. What was the last thing you ate?
Pizza.

12. Have you bought any new clothing items this week?
No.

13. The last sporting event you watched?
Probably something I caught glimpses of at Applebee's.

14. What is your favorite flavor of popcorn?
I can't eat popcorn.

15. Who is the last person you sent a text message to?
Chris...about the end of Saturday afternoon class at the Roving Imp.

16. Ever go camping?
Yes, hated it.

17. Do you take vitamins daily?
If they are in what I eat.

18. Do you give to church/charity?
Yeah, why?

19. Do you have a tan?
I don't really think so.

20. Do you prefer Chinese food over pizza?
Not really.

21. Do you drink your soda with a straw?
I don't drink soda anymore. But when I did, I'd only have a straw if I was eating out.

22. What did your last text message say?
Like I said, it was about the lack of Saturday classes at the Roving Imp.

23. What are you doing tomorrow?
R. I. Spectacular rehearsal tomorrow night. Can't wait for that.

24. What is your favorite color?
Green

25. Look to your left, what do you see?
Chante' reading a book seperate from Chris and myself.

26. What color is your watch?
Sort of silver, gray and black.

27. What do you think of when you hear Australia?
Like it's not the best song by the Elders but it's okay.

28. Favorite hobby?
Does improv count?

29. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru?
I don't do fast food anymore.

30. What is your favorite number?
I don't really have a favorite number anymore. Let's just say it's 42 right now.

31. Who's the last person you talked to on the phone?
I don't know. I didn't recoginze the voice or number.

32. Any plans today?
It's read out loud which we're in the middle of.

33. How many states have you lived in?
Just Kansas.

34. Biggest annoyance right now?
Well, situations at the Imp...including but not limited to the end of the Arnold class.

35. Last song listened to?
Bruce Springsteen covering Warren Zevon's "My Ride's Here".

36. Can you say the alphabet backwards?
I could try.

37. Do you have a maid service clean your house?
No.

38. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time?
I'd like to wear sandles.

39. Are you jealous of anyone?
I have been.

40. Is anyone jealous of you?
Do you really think they would be.

41. Do you love anyone?
Yes, but we won't go into that.

42. Do any of your friends have children?
yes

43. What do you usually do during the day?
Sleep...and sometime in the evening, I usually go to the Roving Imp.

44. Do you hate anyone that you know right now?
I don't think so. I do know some jerk-offs though.

45. Do you use the word 'hello' daily?
Or some version of it.

46. What color is your car?
White

47. Do you like cats?
Cats are fine. I'm more of a dog person but cats are fine.

48. Are you thinking about someone right now?
I do that a lot.

49. Have you ever been to Six Flags?
I've been to 6Flags over Texas...the park and the water park.

50. How did you get your worst scar?
The worse scar that is still visable is on my wrist that I got by punching my fist through a glass door. Don't ask me why. I was something like 2 at the time. Yeah, I'm not the strongest person but I've always been strong enough...a little too much for my own good.

Okay, that was more entertaining than my last survey. I hope you enjoied it.

Karma

2010-08-18T04:39:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I don't really know much about Karma or how it works. But someone told me recently that I had built up some good Karma for myself for the things I've been doing for others (like giving rides to those whos' cars won't work). I'm waiting for that good Karma to kick in. It seems things have been becoming suckier and suckier and so either that good Karma has been put away in a Karma bank or, in the process of giving rides, I injured the earth more so the Karma balanced out. If I did save any up, I'd like to know where it is. And if it's merely waiting for me to take some kind of action, I don't know what that is. So, if anything, if it would be worth it, I think I'd like to hand it over to someone who desperately needs some good Karma because it doesn't seem to be doing anything for me and if I can pass it off to someone who can use it, I'd rather do that.
Or maybe I used it up in July...what with Hitchhicker's Guide getting picked for reading and getting in R.I.Spectacular.
I've also been treated like a jerk lately around people or something. There were at least 3 times I commented on someone's status on facebook...not anything offencive...and it would get deleted. So maybe I've been a jerk also and therefore, I've got normal Karma that's balanced out.
But I don't know if that's how it works because I don't know how Karma works.