The Answer is Blowing in the Windy City
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Monday, November 7, 2005
Kind of....
So, life goes on, stuff continues to happen. STILL no job--I got denied a position at a fucking GROCERY STORE! Why, you may ask? Because, in the next 90 days, I will need 8 of them off so I can visit my family for the holidays. Employers are worthless fuckers (unless you hire me, in which case you are elevated to demigod--sorry it's the best I can do).
School is fun and challenging, and another reason why I can't get a job. Dammit.
Ummm....does anyone know Kurtis Wiley's phone number? He actually left me a message saying "this is my phone number", which didn't actually INCLUDE his phone number. I'd like to call him back, but don't know how. I blame W.
Anyway, that's all I really feel like writing, so those of you who were hoping for a long, detailed update from the Aryan Fucker (for those of you who don't know me, I did NOT give myself this nickname), I'm sorry that you must continue to be disappointed. I'll try to be better about it at some point, but I don't know when.
Thursday, September 1, 2005
because I'm still a little beside myself with the awesomeness of 'The Rawker'. I just saw it, and I've rarely had so much fun listening to such awful singing. you should check it out-- www.therawker.com
that is all
Sunday, July 31, 2005
OK, also because it's been a few months since I posted anything, but mostly because Mike said so...
Here's the low down. I've just finished a show at Act One Studios that has been a lot of fun and fairly challenging. I played a lonely truck driving Vietnam vet. It was a lot more fun than it sounds, just ask Denise, Rian or Adam. At any rate, it worked out very well for me, I think. In the middle of the process, I got an offer from the head of the school (Steve Merle, who anyone taking Managing a Performance Career will hear from shortly) to attend their new Conservatory program with a scholarship (not a full scholarship, but still a pretty big chunk of money). The program will involve on-camera classes and other acting techniques, as well as a chance to work with working directors who've done projects at a number of big theaters in the area and elsewhere (the Steppenwolf, Goodman and Arena Stage), as well as a showcase at the end of the two years for the area casting directors and agents. I'm going to do it, because I want to, debt be damned!!!! I just think it sounds amazing, and don't want to miss out on a chance to get in for less than full tuition.
On the job front, I'm still without a fulltime/parttime job, though I'm working with a temp agency for the time being, and filling out applications for restaurants in the area, hoping to get behind the bar eventually. Right now, my sights are set on the House of Blues, because there really can't be anything bad about working at a bar that tends to attract cool shows and its fair share of heavy drinkers(which means heavy tips). I'm going to try to remember to update once I get some kind of job.
Adam and I are looking for a new roommate, and moving at the end of September, and, all in all, I'm pretty happy at the moment. I'll be much happier if I can find a lucrative job with evening and weekend hours, as the Conservatory is a 10am-5pm commitment.
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
I'm taking a Meisner class at Act One Studios. It's great, and makes me happy. What makes me happier is that, in working with my partner tonight while sitting in a Chili's downtown, I saw the most amazing thing ever. Everyone has heard of the Oscar Meyer Weinie mobile, right? Well, I didn't see that. I saw the Hershey kiss mobile!!! That's right, it's about 20 ft long (give or take) and has three Hershey's kisses, complete with the little flags. I nearly shit myself, it made me that happy.
Just so you know.
Thursday, June 9, 2005
OK, for those of you who haven't seen this...go to http://www.chrisharding.net/animation/shoebox/playmovie.html (again, my browser doesn't support the richtext environment--I'm not just lazy). This makes me very happy.
For those of you who have seen it. Watch it again. I know where you live.
Saturday, June 4, 2005
Right, so, where to pick up... ummm..... OK, I am now a high green belt in Eagle Claw Kung Fu, which puts me at a little less than halfway to black belt. This makes me very happy. What didn't are the aftereffects of my test...namely the sparring. I had to go for four minutes against a third degree black belt who also knows Brazilian Jui Jitzu and is currently on his way to becoming an army Ranger (which is pretty damn badass). Also, we were sparring without pads--yes, it was light contact, but it still left me with a few marks to show for it. Very fun, but I sprained my wrist, and the damn thing is being slow to heal, so I haven't been to class in about 2 weeks.
Did an audition today for Act One Studios. More or less, it's just to get back in the habit, cuz I've been slackin'. It was a lot of fun though, and I'd like to do the show. Again, just to get back in the habit.
On the other hand, I've learned that insurance brokerage just isn't what I'm cut out to do. The boss feels, essentially, that I'm so unhappy doing it that it's affecting my performance, which is very correct. I've been miserable with it pretty much since I started, and he actually told me "I can see how miserable this makes you. You're working as hard as anyone I've seen, and the work ethic and attitude are great, but I can't teach you to enjoy this." So I've got about a month to find another job, during which I'll be doing clerical stuff that they don't have anyone else to do (and desperately need). All in all, I feel pretty good about losing this job, to be honest. Despite the shortcomings, I've got two guys at the company who'll speak very highly of my work ethic and attitude, which is never a bad thing, and I've decided that, when you loathe the idea of working at someplace so badly that your boss sees you fighting it to get the work done, you probably shouldn't be there.
Anybody got any fun job ideas for me? I've found a couple, but I'm looking to stay the hell away from insurance and have no experience elsewhere (except McDonald's, and I'm not going back there), so I'm open to suggestions!!!
On top of all that, I'm finding my optimism and energy to be slightly different from what I expected they would be, considering the job status.
That's about it from the windy city so far...hopefully I'll be better about updating in the coming months.
Thursday, January 27, 2005
I HAVE A LANDLORD!!! I'VE ACTUALLY SPOKEN TO HIM!!! After months of wondering what the hell is going on, I'm about to find out!!! It makes me very happy, and, for some reason, I thought I should share it.
Also, what makes me very happy: I'M GETTING HEADSHOTS NEXT WEEK!!! The luck that my Mom and Dawn accuse me of having has held up for this headshot thing. I was talking to the photographer, and she said she usually books a month in advance, but she'd have to look at the calendar. When I called to book the shoot, she had just had a cancellation for next Thursday! It makes me very happy.
Today is a happy day for me. Hope all you people in LJ land have happy days too! I've got errands to run, but hopefully I'll be able to give a bigger update sometime this weekend.
Current mood:  happy Current music: Feelin' - Van Hagar (aka van halen w/sammy hagar)
Monday, January 10, 2005
OK, so my last update was a fair bit shorter than I'd wanted it to be. However, at the time, laziness took over and I decided not to actually post--so here's what's going on.
Christmas was an absolute blast. It didn't start out that well, to be honest. As usual, O'Hare was backed up, so I was about an hour late out of the gate, and then they stalled for another forty minutes while we were on the plane. But our wonderful airport system proved later to be worth it's weight in shit the next day, when a reportedly drunk pilot managed to MISS THE RUNWAY. That's right--at the intersection of Richmond International's two major commercial runways, some jackass managed to drive his plane off the road and into the mud, which cancelled numerous flights (including my grandfather's), and brought the airport to a standstill on December 24, for over six hours. I don't know about you guys, but I am impressed. Fortunately, my immediate family was all together, and we managed to have a good time. On December 25, we managed to start drinking at 7:30 am. All of us...
Which is mostly my fault. True to form, my sense of humor kicked in on Christmas eve at about 11pm, when I asked my sisters if they'd be willing to wake up at 6 am and wake my parents up (y'know, like we used to do when we were kids). Unfortunately for my parents, all three of us have the same general sense of humor, so my sisters thought this idea was only just shy of pure genius. Then we slept in...until 7 am. At this point, we all went downstairs, crept up to my parents' bed, got right next to their faces, and started whispering "mom, dad, it's christmas" over and over until they woke up. They weren't terribly happy, but when we offered them bloody maries and mimosas, they perked right up. And thus it was that the Pilkingtons began drinking well before noon. I am personally very proud of that-because it's all my fault.
So we opened presents, drank, and had a good time, until about 3pm, when we went to see "Phantom of the Opera". I can sum it up in two words: let down. Gerard Butler is an OK actor from what little I've seen of him, but a singer he is not-which proves to be a problem when he's playing the Phantom. Emmy Rossum was pretty damn good as Christine, if you ask me--she's the only Christine I've ever heard that hit the last note of "Think of Me" in a way I really just enjoyed listening to (I'd even say that Sarah Brightman gets a little screechy, but she pulled it off quite well). Patrick Wilson was alright as Raoul. Billy told me he'd heard Wilson sing in "OKLAHOMA", and he's wonderful, so I'm gonna split the fault right down the middle with the actor and the musical direction, which resulted in a rather whiny and slightly effemitnate(sp) Raoul. That, and they added a lot of footage that I think was just Joel Schumacher saying "hey, wouldn't this be cool?" and a bunch of sycophant's following him around going "yeeesss Mr. Schumacher". Minnie Driver was absolutely hysterical as Carlotta, even if a little over the top. I give it 1.5 stars.
I saw a couple of old friends, one of which is currently over in Germany with the army, and will be moving to Iraq in the next year or so, and it was good to see him one last time before he shipped out. The other is in the secret service, and had more than a couple of fun stories to tell about that training (my favorite was the pepper spray story). It was good fun.
New Year's wasn't that great. I couldn't afford to go to any of the big parties, and the group I was hoping to spend it with had been invited to another party, and there wasn't room. Next year I'm definitely planning a little farther ahead.
And now for the real fun of the update: I'm only working three days a week at the insurance gig, and doing actor stuff for the rest of it. I'm currently in search of a bartending/tablewaiting gig for the weekends, so I can make the money to have a little bit of fun while doing the actor thing. I've had two headshot photographer interviews, and Managing a Performance Career has definitely helped. I think they were more nervous than I was, as I'd done more than a little preparation for it. Unfortunately, I'm probably not going to use either of them, but at least I got a little practice with the photographers that I didn't really want to use, and I'm more than ready for the photographers I really liked, who I'm interviewing tomorrow and Thursday. Emily Glass told me once that the best classes she took at CNU were Voice I and Managing a Performance Career, and, from my own experience so far, I can only say that she is one very smart lady.
It's really odd. At this point, my financial situation is the most up in the air it's ever been, and I'm infinitely more happy than when I was stable and working full time in a job that I hated. Funny how that happens, isn't it? Seems to prove my point of going after what you love in spite of poor odds--at least the pursuit will make you happy, and I'm ecstatic!
And now, another movie review: Meet the Fockers was great, I think. Yes, it's a Ben Stiller movie, but the situation was just funny, and I've never seen Dustin Hoffman or Barbra Streissand that damned funny. It was a blast. Not what I'd call 'high quality cinema', but very entertaining, nonetheless.
Bryan and Kim came in town last weekend, and we went out on the town for a while, which was great. We got to see a Second City show, and it was lightyears beyond the last SC show I saw. I almost laughed myself to tears. It was a great weekend. Next weekend, another old friend is coming to visit. I haven't seen him in four or five years, which is kind of odd, and for about 3.5 of those years he was out of contact, but he suddenly popped up in Iraq a few months ago, and he's out on leave, so he's coming in and we're going to play catch up. I'm really looking forward to it.
Lastly, is the weekend of the 22nd. My dad is coming up to town, and he, Bryan and I are going to see Spamalot. Our seats are three rows back in the orchestra on house right. You can envy me now, hahahahahaa.
So, umm. that's what's up in Chicago. You wonderful people from NN and NOVA should come visit. It would be fun. Til the next update!!!
Current mood: a little sick, but still happy Current music: Girl All the Bad Guys Want-Bowling for Soup
Tuesday, January 4, 2005
12:50PM
So, the new year is turning out alright so far. I'm calling photographers, setting up appointments, and getting ready for headshots! This also means that, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I don't have to do the insurance thing, which makes me very happy.
Hope everyone's holidays were great, and all of your New Year's resolutions should be to get up here and visit me (Denise Santomauro is the exception, as she's going to be my new roommate). Otherwise, get your asses up here!!(to be read with mock anger)
At any rate, Dave Barry is on hiatus, and this makes me sad. However, his blog is still regularly updated, to give us such gems as this wonderful site:
http://penisland.net/ (would've made a link, but my browser 'does not currently support the rich text environment--sorry)
No, ladies and gentlemen, that is NOT a typo. A misunderstanding, yes, but not a typo. Enjoy!
Current mood:  bouncy Current music: Styx-Rock and Roll Feeling
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
OK, so I can't actually remember how long it's been since my last update, and I'm too damn lazy to check. Here's a little bit of what's going down:
Adam is no longer here. At least, for a while. Things have gone bad with his dad, and he's making the most of the time that's left. Keep him in your thoughts, and those of you with some Faith, keep him in your prayers. I don't really know how he's taking it, be it his decision not to burden me with that kind of pain or the fact that it isn't there just yet, so I don't know how I could have helped him if he'd stayed.
In January, I'm taking the plunge! I'm cutting back to part time work at Travis-Pedersen, and using the other time as my 'acting time', in which I'm going to pursue the art I've spent the last four years studying. It's both the most exciting and incredibly scary decision I've yet made. Exciting in that I'll be in active pursuit of my dream, and scary in that, by my calculations, I'll have about 20 bucks per month that I don't need to spend... Fortunately, Amanda's brought up a good idea for fast money that I'll be looking into (thanks), so it should work out. In any case, it'll be more exciting than the last six months have been.
I'm going home for Christmas, which promises to be fun, and there's a case that I might see a guy from high school that kinda 'lost contact' during college. Basically, he stopped talking to me and a couple of other friends from high school for no damn reason. About 4 months ago, he popped back up on the radar...in Iraq. However, he's been good about keeping in touch, which has been good, and hopefully we'll manage to bump into each other. I'm also going to get to see one of my best friends before he ships off to Germany (which, I've heard, is a funny way of spelling 'Iraq'). It promises to be a good time, despite what's ahead for most of us--namely that period of time in which you only see your old friends once every couple of years.
On the upside of living alone, I now know what it's like to live in a clean apartment for more than two days. Adam's a great guy and all, but 'cluttered' doesn't begin to describe it. Now, it's clean, and there aren't dishes mounting up in the sink (which, Billy and Casey can testify, annoys the shit out of me).
That's really about it. I'm in the middle of packing, and learning what a pain in the ass it is to bring Christmas gifts home in a suitcase(and tomorrow, I get to learn the fun of carrying them through airport security--there's no way in hell I'm getting my mom's gift in there).
Also good news, I'm going to be living with Denise Santomauro for a while, which makes me happy. She's definitely one of my favorite CNU friends (which says a lot, considering how highly I think of most of them), and it'll be good to be living with someone who wants a performance career. Adam's been fun to live with, but it's really hard to go dream-chasing when you live with someone who doesn't know what they want to do, or at least, it has been for me. It takes a little more discipline then I have to work at something when your roommate doesn't even want to work to keep your apartment clean...
Oh, well, enough bitching for me. Doesn't happen often, but damn I'm whiny when it does. (HAPPY!!!!)
OK, so that's what's up! I'm going home for Christmas, which makes me happy, hopefully to bump into some old friends, and to spend time with the family, and when I come back, I'M GONNA BE AN ACTOR!!!
Merry Kwanzahanadanimus, Everybody!!!!!!
Current mood: Generally good Current music: Happiness is a Warm Gun
Thursday, December 9, 2004
You ought to enjoy THIS little jem as well
Wednesday, December 8, 2004
OK, so moderate wasn't really an option for party, so I picked the one closest to my own beliefs. Funny thing is, everyone in my cabinet is from the complete opposite side of the spectrum--which makes me kinda happy. And, by the way, I'm sorry about the puppy.
Monday, December 6, 2004
[my name is]: Craig
[in the morning i was]: Tired
[all i need now is]: Alcohol
[love is]: great, when you can find it
[i'm afraid of]: boring people
[i dream about]: not having to work 9-5
** Series one - your:
-- Middle name: Dale
-- Birth time: No idea
-- Birthplace: Atlanta, GA
-- Last place travelled: Richmond and Milledgeville, GA for Thanksgiving
-- Eye Color: blue
-- Nail Color: All Natural, BABY!
-- Zodiac Sign: Cancer
** Series two - describe:
-- Your heritage: quarter English, quarter Scotish, i believe a quarter German (though I can't swear to it), quarter Cuban--and NO I am not joking.
-- The shoes you wore today: brown casual shoes.
-- Your hair: blonde, not as long as I'd like it to be.
-- Your weakness: I'M INVINCIBLE! unless you're boring. boredom is my kryptonite
-- Your perfect pizza: anything from Giordano's--if you don't know it, you should visit Chicago :)
** Series three - what is:
-- Your most overused phrase: probably 'shit' other than that, I can't really think of one.
-- Your thoughts first waking up: see above. without the last 9 words
-- Your current worry: getting my acting career started
-- Your plans tomorrow: work, then Kung Fu
-- Your best physical feature: Probably my smile
-- Your bedtime: when I'm tired, because I'm an adult, and I can do WHATEVER I WANT!
** Series four - you prefer:
-- sunrise or sunset: Rise
-- gore or horror: gore--horror movies almost never scare me.
-- eastside or westside: south central
-- stripes or polka dots: stripes--damn that Bill Murray is funny
-- Planes or trains: planes--they're essentially the same, but you go faster in a plane
-- metal or hardcore: metal
-- Boxers or briefs: boxer briefs--so there
-- Pools or hot tubs: depends on the air temp. hot day: pool, cold day: hot tub
** Series five - do you:
-- Do you think you've been in love: nope
-- Want to get married: yes, just not now
-- Like to take baths: God, yes.
-- Get motion sickness: no.
-- Like talking on the phone: NO
-- Like thunderstorms: Yes, they're my favorite sedative--for some reason I always sleep like a baby through them
-- Play an instrument: Some guitar, if you gave me a really loooonnnnggg time, I could play a song on the piano, but my sightreading blows. Does singing count?
-- Workout: I know Kung Fu
-- Like reading: hell yeah
** Series six - favorite:
-- Body part: legs or back
-- Kind of fruit: kiwi
-- Music to fall asleep to : whatever I'm in the mood for
-- Car: nope
-- Number: 88
-- Thing to do: have fun
-- Color: blue
-- Food: Most Mexican food
** Series eight - the future:
-- Age you hope to be married: no plan on that one yet
-- Numbers and Names of Children: As many as my wife wants to have: at least two, and I don't know their names yet (they aren't born yet, duh?)
-- Describe your Dream Wedding: to the love of my life, and followed by a kickass party
-- How do you want to die: having fun (but not skydiving--it would be a little odd to see death rushing at you in the form of the Earth)
-- What do you want to be when you grow up: I won't grow up. Period
-- What country would you most like to visit: Germany during Oktoberfest
** Series nine - opposite sex:
-- Best eye color: no specific on that one
-- Best hair color: no specific there either, just so long as it looks good with her eyes
-- Best personality trait: sense of humor
-- Best height: not too tall, not too short
-- Best articles of clothing: yeah, I don't know what any of her physical features are, but I know what she's gonna look good in--gimme a break
-- Best first date location: probably one of the street festivals in Chicago in the summer, or a play
-- Best first kiss location: wherever it happens.
** Series ten - finish:
-- I eat: almost anything once
-- I think: occassionally
-- I am: funny. I hope. Please say I am... I desperately need acceptance...or not.
-- I adore: my best friends.
-- I suck at: time management. sitting still
-- I am obsessed with: music
-- I can: do anything I put my mind to, except anything gender specific to women
-- I can't wait: For Jan 1, when I start working part time and pursuing my acting career
-- I am annoyed with: boring and stupid people who won't face the consequences of their actions
-- I miss: being with all my college and highschool friends--man, guys, we'd have a KILLER party up here.
There, Carol, I hope you're happy. I've taken your survey. I only wish it could be more entertaining, but whoever wrote this is so detail obsessed you kinda have to be semi-serious.
PPPHHHHHHBBBBTTTTTT!!!!!!! (and that's all I have to say about your little 'immaturity' answer.)
Current mood: eh... Current music: The Lost Christmas Eve--TSO
Thursday, December 2, 2004
It's the mmmooooostttt wonderful tiiiiimmmmeee of the yeeearrr.....So let's go do some drinking and spread some good cheeeeerrrrrr..... it's the WHOA!!! help drunken Santa stay on the rooftop!!
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Thank God for Dave Barry, who has brought us such wonderful tidings of great joy in his BLOG. Everyone should visit. It's got lots of fun stuff.
Also,
Dear Sterling and Jordan,
Danny is right. You should join LJ....I don't know why we're posting this on something you don't subscribe to, but I'm throwing peer pressure your way anyway. Why? Because I can!
Craig
Also also,
Finding Neverland was phenominal. It gets 4 stars...two thumbs WAY up. Everyone should go see it. That's all I have to say about that (namely because my review for Garden State was really long, and Amanda told me "it looks stupid, see something else" and I don't want to waste a lot of effort for her to contradict me again... That hurts, Amanda...It hurts me right here (indicating heart)....
So, ummm....yeah, that's about it from my end.
Bye.
Tuesday, November 30, 2004
In light of the fact that some celebrities are going off on 'original' or 'creative' or 'fruity' names, I'd like to post a site that I recently discovered. They should have sent the names to this person first--that would've fixed 'em.
http://www.notwithoutmyhandbag.com/babynames/index.html
I read through a lot of it at lunch break, and laughed so hard I cried. Hope you enjoy this.
Monday, November 29, 2004
OK, so the holiday was fun, despite missing connections with a few people I would have liked to see. I didn't bag anything on the hunting trip, which is pretty much a habit. I sit in a tree for hours at a time, and Bambi laughs at me as I drive home without anything to show for it. However, it was fun seeing family again, and with one somewhat antisocial exception, we all had a blast.
The Christmas tree is decorated, and I've met my sister's new cat, which kicks ass (and bites one's hands repeatedly--not that I didn't ask for it...he kinda likes to wrestle, and my hands are showing the effects). All in all a successful trip.
Some of you may be wondering why I've subjected this 42. Some of you saw it, and might be going, "funny, but why?". Still others might have heard this news before me. However, I'm in a state of Joy because in six months or so, the inaccurately named "Hitchikers Trilogy" will begin. That's right. The first of the 6 movies in the 'trilogy' is hitting theaters on May 5, 2006, and will undoubtedly leave a mark more powerful than even the worst Vogon poetry. And I will be there for every second of it. You should be too--and go check out the website. I'm too lazy to just link it here, because I don't have it bookmarked. Just look it up on Yahoo, and they'll even play a trailer for you. It makes me happy.
That's all, folks!
Thursday, November 18, 2004
OK, so here's a quick rundown of the last few days:
Tournament: Not happy. Good, but not happy. I was MCing the damned thing, and new less about what was going on than probably 70% of the people there. On the upside, I met Harold Ramis (Egon from Ghostbusters, and co-writer of animal house) He was a fairly friendly guy, for the 6 seconds or so I spoke with him--I was trying to announce ring assignments, figure out why the sound was fucked up, and entertain those not competing at the same time. He was also very tall, which I didn't expect. There's this great stereotype that all famous people are short, and, more often than not, it's correct. Harold Ramis is about 6'5". He most definitely breaks the 'short' stereotype. He also gave a lot of money to St. Jude's, which, for what little experience I have with him, puts him in the 'cool people' category in my book.
Post-tournament: Very happy. A group of people ended up in one of the hotel rooms, and we got plastered. Really cool thing: you can order booze from your hotel room--Not the cheap roomservice booze, where you pay for what you'd assume is a fifth of something or other and wind up with two shots--a liquor store actually delivers it to you. Everything from beer to wine to liquor. It made us all very 'happy', and by happy, I mean 'drunk'. But don't tell anyone (what happens at the tournament, stays at the tournament--despite the fact that the youngest person in the room was 22, and there was nothing illegal going on).
My dad came in for a night on one of his business trip stopovers, and that was fun. We saw Farenheit 9/11. I am, on the whole, very disappointed. I know a bunch of you are going to hate me for this (please send all hate mail to booster_gold69@hotmail.com), but that movie made me mad. Not because I disagreed with it's views (though I do), but because it was boring as sin. Honestly, I've had whole days at work that felt shorter than that two hours. Michael Moore is apparently submitting it to the Academy under 'Best Picture', and if it wins, I think I might cry. There is no way something that boring should get best picture. I'd rather watch grass grow. I'm considering writing Michael Moore and asking him to give me the 3.50 I spent to rent it back.
Last night, I went to Kung Fu, and one of the seehees (male students of a higher belt rank than me) really put us through the works. I was sweating like a pig before we'd finished the warm up, which doesn't really happen that often. Then we did sparring drills, and got more of a workout. After class, we went over forms, and I left feeling lightheaded, but very happy.
Adam is out of town for two weeks. He got a gig with the professional stalking in Texas, I believe, so I've spent the last few days all by my lonesome in the apartment. The really interesting thing is how much neater it is without him around to drop his shit everywhere.
Also, as it has come into question, and numerous people have forgotten (no names will be mentioned coughcoughSarahSmithcoughcough). I'm going to be in town for the Sat. night R & J performance. It's possible to get in early, and I'd like to visit with people, so give me a call if you want to get a group together for dinner: 3123398847..
That's about it, folks, have a good Thanksgiving!
Current mood:  working Current music: none.
Sunday, November 7, 2004
OK, I'm gonna start with a funny story. Adam was out job hunting a while ago, and ran into this old lady (he did not literally run into her) on the "L". After a few minutes of the obligatory silence, as demanded by damn near everybody on the "L", this old lady looked over at him and asked him if he'd like to go home with her (wink, wink)--or maybe she showed him a newspaper clipping that had gotten her a little miffed. She handed this clipping to Adam and asked him, quote "can you believe this?". Adam read the article, which was entitled "Cheney Claims to Declare War on the U.S. if Kerry Wins". That's when Adam noticed the name of the publication: the Onion. It made me quite happy to think that there are people out there who are unable to tell a joke publication from a serious one--if only because it means I can laugh at them.
Now, let's skip forward about...oh...two or three weeks(there hasn't been a lot of excitement here yet), and relive the wonder that was Halloween. For those of you who've yet to ride public transportation in costume, I highly recommend it. Adam and I were going to a party in Roger's Park--about an hour north of us by "L", dressed as a man in an 8 year old's horse costume and Thor, respectively. It was almost as much fun at the party as it was watching the people stare at us in costume. About twenty minutes later, we had a wonderful little party on the train, with a bunch of fellow wierdos in costume, including one girl who was dressed as David Bowie in his more androgynous days--that one was my favorite. Then, at the party, one of the other guests decided he should hit me. This was primarily due to a deceptively soft chest plate, which he thought was a little more solid than, say, foam. It's really hard to tell somebody it's OK and you don't blame them for hitting you when you're laughing so hard you can't breathe. I was fairly amused at the whole thing.
Also, more good news, Bryan Wakefield, me and my Dad are going to see Spamalot (it's my dad's Christmas gift). We're sitting in the house right orchestra--if ticket master would update their technology, I could tell you exactly where, in relation to the stage, but I'm left to guess that we're about 3 ROWS FROM THE STAGE!!! It makes me very, very happy.
I'm just going to avoid the whole election thing. But thanks for "It's time to Vote Once Again", Tim. That made me happy. And congratulations on the Styx Anthology--I've got a copy too, and it's amazing. It also makes me happy, as well as Van Halen's Best of Both Worlds, which has a ton of great songs from both of their major 'eras'--David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar.
Adam has a job again, and the perks are great. He's currently employed at an insurance fraud investigation company, and the term I like to use to describe this is 'professional stalker'. He's actually getting paid to follow people around and film them. I guess it's a good thing I don't have any claims right now, huh? At any rate, let's go ahead and get to the perks: aside from money for rent and health insurance, he also gets a rental car every once in a while, and will soon be flying around the country to investigate these 'frauds'. On top of that, if he gets pulled for, say, speeding, he can apparently get off with a warning, as he's got to keep an eye on his mark. Also, he gets paid when, say, he gets arrested on the clock.
That's right, Adam got arrested yesterday. After losing one of his targets for the day at a draw bridge, he decided to try and serve some woman some court papers. To put this in perspective, let me tell you that she was IN NO WAY in trouble, and the courts sent her a check to pay for gas and her time as she came in to court to help DEFEND ONE OF HER RELATIVES. Doesn't sound like the kind of service I would mind, as they're paying me for the trouble of doing something that I'd have done anyway. However, the delivery was in the 'ghetto' area of the city (I don't know which 'ghetto' area, by the way), and apparently, when anybody from the court system show up, they run like hell, or send their boss out to fend off the affending party. After a couple of rounds of "She's not in trouble, and you're committing an obstruction of justice by getting in the way", the owner of the store called the police to get Adam. Adam had talked to his boss and told him they were calling the cops, and his boss said "let them". This is because, while they can't help you serve someone, they can't throw you out if you have reason to believe the person you are serving is in the building (which she was)--in any case, Adam was doing the right thing. What he didn't count on was a racist cop who wouldn't let him explain himself to her. She interrupted his story at least 4 times, never letting him get to the "I have to serve this woman official court papers", and then decided to arrest him for criminal trespassing, which included the whole handcuffing, shoving him in the back of the car thing. Upon arriving at the precinct, he was then (as he told it) paraded through the station, which apparently hadn't EVER arrested a white guy. So he spent two hours (on the clock) in an interrogation room, listening to the cop who arrested him call him a liar behind the two way mirror. She also made a couple of remarks about Adam's hair (which, at times, can be mockable, but not like this), saying that, with hair like that, "he's gotta have some chocolate in him somewhere". Then, after a superior came in and talked to him, he was released, based on the fact that HE'D DONE NOTHING ILLEGAL. So he got one more car ride with Racist Bitch Cop, during which she adamantly refused to apologize to him, despite being ordered to by the superior officer. That's when he discovered that the rental car had been broken into, and all of the company equipment stolen, as well as his leather jacket--which is the only thing that really makes him mad about the whole thing. Funny thing is, the superior decided to send someone out to arrest the store owner who obstructed justice to defend a woman who should have been happy to accept the papers, which asked her to come defend a relative of hers, who just so happened to be the store owner who got Adam arrested. That's Adam's story, and I'd like everybody to do me a favor: email Adam at adowns2@yahoo.com, and bitch at him for not having an LJ, because I'm too lazy to update for him anymore, especially after a book like this.
Next on the schedule of "wow, this is fucking cool" is what's going on this weekend. The Kung Fu school Adam and I study at is hosting a tournament at O'Hare on Saturday. The idea of a tournament is cool enough, but we've got some kickass shit goin down here, yo. And no, I don't know why I felt compelled to go 'ghetto' with the announcement of how cool our tournament is going to be. We're going to have all the normal Kung Fu stuff (weapons, forms, point sparring and all that), plus a few other things that are really cool. First, we have a guest coming for some seminars on Chen Tai Chi (Angela, what kind of tai'chi are you taking? If it's Chen Tai Chi, then envy me and Adam) his name is Master Chen Zhenglei, who is the heir of the Chen Tai Chi style, essentially, he's the best in the world, and every major martial arts authority is willing to admit as much. And we get to meet him and pick his brain on tai'chi. Lastly, there is the full-contact Lai Tai sparring tournament, which I get to Emcee. If you've ever seen Ultimate Fighting Championships, it's kind of like that, only our styles are limitted to Kung Fu, Karate, and TaeKwonDo (and the derivative styles of each. Basically, we're giving two people mouth pieces and sending them in to kick the shit out of each other. Sifu said that there's a very good chance we'll see some knockouts, and I'm going to be emceeing the whole thing! It makes me happy, in that violent kind of way.
If you want to know a little more about it, go to www.goldeneaglemartialarts.com. It has tournament info, as well as general information about Eagle Claw Kung Fu (our style--also Pai Mei's style in Kill Bill 2).
That's all I've got to say right now, except that I'm going to be in NN on the 20th for R & J, so break a leg, cast and crew.
Current mood:  awake Current music: Babe, Styx
Tuesday, October 5, 2004
I made the call. The free party is WHENEVER I WANT!!!! Yeah for stupid raffle contests!!!
Current mood: happy Current music: Carmina Burana-Trans-Siberian Orchestra
I used to be one of those people who never one anything just because I put my name in a box. I always put it in, but nothing but spam came from all that effort. That has just changed. "What happened?", you may ask. Well, my friends, I just won a free VIP party at a club called Zentra. Basically, I can invite anyone I want, and anyone who gets there before 11 gets in free, anyone before 1 gets in for $5, and there are free vodka drinks from 9-10. If 40 people come, we get a free bottle of champagne.
Doesn't that sound great? Not as good as you think. God is making a joke of me.
This Saturday is the day of my free party. However, this Sunday is the Marathon, which costs $80 to run. That is why I know that God is using me for His/Her personal entertainment. It makes me happy and sad at the same time. I'll try to call and see if I can reschedule. Maybe God'll be nice to me...all the fun in a practical joke comes from the first reaction anyway, right?
And now, in other news: Having a full time job sucks. Not for the traditional reasons, this time. This time it's very specific. See, this Sunday I got a call at 6pm, from Adam. It turns out that Fred Arsenault was in town with his show (good!), but I had work the next day, Monday (very bad). So we went out drinking, which was fun, but the cast was great fun to talk to, it was terrific seeing Fred, and I had to leave early so I could, y'know, function, at work. Talk about killing the mood, especially when I found Rian crashed out on our futon the next morning and realized, "she probably won't wake up til noon", and got really jealous. Then we went out again with Fred after seeing the show on Monday (show was tons of fun, btw), and stayed out until one in the morning. That is probably the only reason surprise visits aren't good for me. I get caught up in the moment, and become stupid, which makes me fall asleep sitting up at work. Thankfully, nobody caught me, I think--I'm pretty sure they'd wake me up.
But, in the long run, I'm happy, so long as I can change the date of this free party--I don't think it'll work, but it's worth a shot.
Then I can laugh with God at me for this little 'debackle' (which I'm pretty sure I spelled wrong, but I'm not about to look the damn word up, so bite me, spelling freaks --or just give me the correct spelling (ONCE WILL BE ENOUGH))
Current mood:  chipper Current music: All Things Dull and Ugly (Monty Python)
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