Sunday, October 30, 2005
Mile High (literally)
I'm in Denver with Puppetry of the Penis. Arrived yesterday afternoon for what was supposed to be the show's load-out. But, sales have been good so they've extended the show for Fridays and Saturdays for the next three weekends. It wasn't a total wasted trip, though, as I subbed for the stage manager for last night's performance.
Other than calling the show last night, I have basically hung out in my hotel room. We're at a Ramada, and the room's not that bad. I've actually succeeded in getting some writing done in the room, which makes me happy.
In other news... My little brother moved away from home today. He's 22 and didn't go to college, so this is sort of tough on my mom, as it's her final kid leaving home. He's living about 2 hours away from home, in a place called Werthersville (a suburb of Reading). (Yes, Reading has suburbs.)
So that's about it for now. Back to L.A. tomorrow...
Other than calling the show last night, I have basically hung out in my hotel room. We're at a Ramada, and the room's not that bad. I've actually succeeded in getting some writing done in the room, which makes me happy.
In other news... My little brother moved away from home today. He's 22 and didn't go to college, so this is sort of tough on my mom, as it's her final kid leaving home. He's living about 2 hours away from home, in a place called Werthersville (a suburb of Reading). (Yes, Reading has suburbs.)
So that's about it for now. Back to L.A. tomorrow...
Monday, October 17, 2005
Tell me why...
...I don't like Mondays.
Yawn. Have to be to C. Jay's in approx. 30 min., but thought I'd bang out a quick post on the blog.
My good friend Cuong is in Los Angeles this week, from Boston, for a conference. He took me out to dinner last night, and we went way upscale, dining at Spago. (No, not Sbarro, the food court staple.) I was on the lookout for celebrities, but didn't see any. The crowd seemed more bridge and tunnel out for a fancy dinner than the rich and beautiful grabbing an overpriced bite to eat. The meal was good, but not earth-shattering. I had a risotto appetizer (good, though the rice had a little too much bite), and a rib eye steak that was just a smidge tough. The potatoes were too creamy. Dessert was decent, but the focus was too much on presentation, not enough on flavor. (Speaking of desserts, Alex and I went to Grand Luxe Cafe on Saturday, where we had the beignets for dessert, a truly amazing experience.)
A direct quote from MSNBC: There was an abandoned red knapsack on an outdoor subway platform north of Los Angeles, so the news helicopters were swarming and the news anchor seemed to be praying for an explosion while she was on the air. So here's the quote: "I don't want to speculate on the contents of the backpack, but if it were a homemade bomb, what kind of damage could it cause?" she asked a homemade bomb expert. The thing that I don't get is this: If you don't want to speculate about the contents, THEN DON'T SPECULATE. Pretty simple, you'd think?
Anyway, now I've really got to hit the road. It should be a pretty easy day, though.
Yawn. Have to be to C. Jay's in approx. 30 min., but thought I'd bang out a quick post on the blog.
My good friend Cuong is in Los Angeles this week, from Boston, for a conference. He took me out to dinner last night, and we went way upscale, dining at Spago. (No, not Sbarro, the food court staple.) I was on the lookout for celebrities, but didn't see any. The crowd seemed more bridge and tunnel out for a fancy dinner than the rich and beautiful grabbing an overpriced bite to eat. The meal was good, but not earth-shattering. I had a risotto appetizer (good, though the rice had a little too much bite), and a rib eye steak that was just a smidge tough. The potatoes were too creamy. Dessert was decent, but the focus was too much on presentation, not enough on flavor. (Speaking of desserts, Alex and I went to Grand Luxe Cafe on Saturday, where we had the beignets for dessert, a truly amazing experience.)
A direct quote from MSNBC: There was an abandoned red knapsack on an outdoor subway platform north of Los Angeles, so the news helicopters were swarming and the news anchor seemed to be praying for an explosion while she was on the air. So here's the quote: "I don't want to speculate on the contents of the backpack, but if it were a homemade bomb, what kind of damage could it cause?" she asked a homemade bomb expert. The thing that I don't get is this: If you don't want to speculate about the contents, THEN DON'T SPECULATE. Pretty simple, you'd think?
Anyway, now I've really got to hit the road. It should be a pretty easy day, though.
Monday, October 10, 2005
Ahh, vices...
Haven't posted in some time, so here goes...
I've started up with a favorite vice of mine, pot. Yummy, mood-altering, munchie-inducing pot. For the first time in quite a long time, I actually did work towards some jokes for stand-up comedy, a clear indication that pot must be good for you.
In all honesty, though, I have felt that since going back on the green that my creative juices have been flowing more freely.
Okay, now some random observations about what's beeng going on in my world, and the world at large.
First, and certainly not most importantly... Do you think Tina Fey sat at home all pregnant about herself and thought, "God, Saturday Night Live really does suck." Maybe her being out of the studio will give her some perspective and allow her to come back from maternity leave and deliver a quality 90 minutes of entertainment. My most important suggestion: Beginning, middle and end. If your skit doesn't have it, don't do it. It would be so wonderful if they could end a skit properly, but alas...
Other television observations:
Commander in Chief. While I thought the first episode (for the most part) sucked, I am willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. What I thought lacked from the first outing was "sweep." I wanted grand, I wanted regal. I wanted the swearing in, even at the residence, to be bold and moving, I wanted her first moment in the Oval Office as POTUS to not include a bitch-off with the former president's secretary, and I thought they could have shelved the humorous "First Man" tour and the odd snipes at Hillary to come in a later episode. And finally, I don't care what you think of your mother's politics, if your mom is going to address a joint session of the Congress, you get your cranky-ass twat off the sofa and you put a ballgown on and you fuckin smile.
Desperate Housewives: I watched my first full episode of the show last night, and it wasn't bad. I don't think I'm hooked, but a friends advice to "keep in mind it's supposed to be a comedy" throughout the episode helped. It does seem awfully cartoon-y, but I suppose that's what they're going for.
News-watching has been boring. I wonder if the newsmedia would prefer if things like earthquakes had names, just like hurricanes. That might make for better storytelling and provide better pre-segment graphics. Then, maybe they could name earthquakes and tsunamis after well-known terrorists, thereby providing a cross-pollination with the War on Terror.
Personally, things have been good. I took Puppetry of the Penis to Denver last week and got that show up and running. They're there for a four week run. I'll go back for the final weekend to load the show out.
Work with C. Jay is good, as always. And Menopause the Musical continues to plod along. There were rumors circulating that they'd be posting a 6-week closing notice, but it hasn't actually happened yet. Regardless, I suspect that even with a 6-week notice, the show will continue into the New Year.
My writing has slowed to a crawl. I had some great ideas regarding the "After Life" project, but have failed to get them fleshed out in a script. Courtney gave me the advice to "just start writing," which I think I will try tonight... Just start slamming on the keyboard and see where I go.
Other shit to worry about:
I've got to lose weight. Not sure when it will start, but it's gotta be soon.
I'm paying for a gym membership... Gotta use it.
I have money in my account for the first time in years... Need to not blow it, but instead retire some debt.
I've got to finish a spec script.
I've got to take Tessie up Runyon more often.
Other than that, nothing else is going on right now...
I've started up with a favorite vice of mine, pot. Yummy, mood-altering, munchie-inducing pot. For the first time in quite a long time, I actually did work towards some jokes for stand-up comedy, a clear indication that pot must be good for you.
In all honesty, though, I have felt that since going back on the green that my creative juices have been flowing more freely.
Okay, now some random observations about what's beeng going on in my world, and the world at large.
First, and certainly not most importantly... Do you think Tina Fey sat at home all pregnant about herself and thought, "God, Saturday Night Live really does suck." Maybe her being out of the studio will give her some perspective and allow her to come back from maternity leave and deliver a quality 90 minutes of entertainment. My most important suggestion: Beginning, middle and end. If your skit doesn't have it, don't do it. It would be so wonderful if they could end a skit properly, but alas...
Other television observations:
Commander in Chief. While I thought the first episode (for the most part) sucked, I am willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. What I thought lacked from the first outing was "sweep." I wanted grand, I wanted regal. I wanted the swearing in, even at the residence, to be bold and moving, I wanted her first moment in the Oval Office as POTUS to not include a bitch-off with the former president's secretary, and I thought they could have shelved the humorous "First Man" tour and the odd snipes at Hillary to come in a later episode. And finally, I don't care what you think of your mother's politics, if your mom is going to address a joint session of the Congress, you get your cranky-ass twat off the sofa and you put a ballgown on and you fuckin smile.
Desperate Housewives: I watched my first full episode of the show last night, and it wasn't bad. I don't think I'm hooked, but a friends advice to "keep in mind it's supposed to be a comedy" throughout the episode helped. It does seem awfully cartoon-y, but I suppose that's what they're going for.
News-watching has been boring. I wonder if the newsmedia would prefer if things like earthquakes had names, just like hurricanes. That might make for better storytelling and provide better pre-segment graphics. Then, maybe they could name earthquakes and tsunamis after well-known terrorists, thereby providing a cross-pollination with the War on Terror.
Personally, things have been good. I took Puppetry of the Penis to Denver last week and got that show up and running. They're there for a four week run. I'll go back for the final weekend to load the show out.
Work with C. Jay is good, as always. And Menopause the Musical continues to plod along. There were rumors circulating that they'd be posting a 6-week closing notice, but it hasn't actually happened yet. Regardless, I suspect that even with a 6-week notice, the show will continue into the New Year.
My writing has slowed to a crawl. I had some great ideas regarding the "After Life" project, but have failed to get them fleshed out in a script. Courtney gave me the advice to "just start writing," which I think I will try tonight... Just start slamming on the keyboard and see where I go.
Other shit to worry about:
I've got to lose weight. Not sure when it will start, but it's gotta be soon.
I'm paying for a gym membership... Gotta use it.
I have money in my account for the first time in years... Need to not blow it, but instead retire some debt.
I've got to finish a spec script.
I've got to take Tessie up Runyon more often.
Other than that, nothing else is going on right now...
