So, technically, this post counts for Saturday, since it's after midnight, but it's really for Friday. And I'll throw up a text-post as well. (Yeah, it hurts me too to have to go to the text-post so early in the game...but I'm a busy guy. What can you do?)
Excited tomorrow about my weekend trip south. Going to see some friends in a play, and then I'm picking up my brother and sister-in-law at an airport and driving to her mom's house. They're so close to me, and if they've flown this far across the country, I feel like I want to do all I can to see them. As usual, I'm excited to see them.
I'm also excited about eating some In-N-Out Burger. I'm recommitting to a healthy diet and lifestyle on Tuesday, so I've got to live it up this weekend.
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Saturday, February 05, 2011
Monday, June 21, 2010
ten things i learned on vacation
1. I'm good at traveling
I went on a ten day excursion to Sleepy Hamlet and Las Vegas - two very different climates and two very different atmospheres. And yet I managed to fit everything into a carry-on-sized bag. Winner.
I also left my laptop at home, relying on my Palm Pre and iPod Touch, and had no internet access in Vegas other than my phone. If you've ever met me, you know that's a minor miracle.
2. I can't treat my body the way that I used to
One of the few positives of my crappy temp job is that since I don't take lunch breaks (because I don't get paid) I bring healthy food to work. I've kind of shifted into a grazing mode: a handful of almonds and cranberries here, an apple there, a turkey sandwich at lunch. Occasionally I'll have a bag of chips or some chocolate, but that's the exception to the rule. Dinners have been pretty light - mostly chicken or fish with some vegetables. I've also been working out pretty consistently these days, and I've cut back on the drinking.
On vacation?
Multiple drinks most nights. I got completely hammered at least three times, and had one of the worst hangovers of my life. On a different morning, I woke up still drunk from the night before. I ate loads of red meat and greasy food. Salt. Fat. Sugar. Very little exercise (unless you count "twelve ounce curls" as working out).
Five years ago, I could eat that without skipping a beat. Now? I feel sluggish, bloated, slow. I went grocery shopping tonight and I've never been so excited to buy fruits and vegetables. This must be a sign of me getting old.
3. I'm ready to go back to Sleepy Hamlet
The first leg of the trip was spent in my old stomping grounds, and I had a great time. My man Leprechauna Jones and his lady came up from LA. I stayed with an extremely cool chick who we'll call The Prodigy (another story for another time). I saw all my old peeps. Everyone had such nice things to say to me, and more than one person said, "They need to bring you back here." Normally I just laugh stuff like that off...but this time was different.
I hate admitting that I want acting jobs, because that opens up a whole can of worms, but I really want to live there again, to work there as an actor. Never thought I'd say that.
We'll see if it happens.
4. I miss having a community
One of the reasons that I love Sleepy Hamlet is because of the network of friends I have there. Not only do they know me, but they know and like each other. I feel like I have a real clump of people who have my back. I love them like family. It was really hard to leave them this time...but then I went to Vegas and met up with my actual clan...
5. My family is remarkable
I had a great time in Sleepy Hamlet, but it was exhausting. I really wasn't looking forward to spending four days in Vegas for a birthday party/family reunion. I've got some crazy family members who get on my nerves, and I was afraid that it was going to be a disaster.
Instead, it was delightful.
I spent some quality time with several cousins that I hadn't seen in years. We ate, we drank, we gambled, we sang, we prayed, we laughed. And I was really reminded of my legacy. I am related to some remarkable, talented, intelligent people.
One experience stands out. We had a Father's Day brunch on Sunday, and my brother had already agreed to sing one of his songs. As always, my cousin who generally plays the MC tried to get me to perform something. My attitude is generally, "Why? Who wants to see a monologue out of context?" But she kept badgering and badgering, and finally I relented. I got up in the little room we had reserved and busted out forty lines of my best Shakespeare.
I have never received such an ovation in my life.
If you've never had the change to have several generations of your family applaud you and give you hugs and pounds and kisses, you really have to do something to make that happen. It's an amazing feeling. To be able to share your art with your own flesh and blood - and to have them get it, really get it...wow.
The coolest part was that my brother played after me, and then my father got up and said that he was proud of us, and proud of the whole family for working to make it possible for us to get to the place where we're able to share our gifts. He talked about talents of previous generations who didn't get the chance to shine due to various circumstances, and said that my brother and I are reminders that you can really do anything you want to, if you're willing to work hard. It was really great to hear him verbalize that. I don't know that I've ever been prouder of my dad.
So yesterday was a great day. Then I hopped on a redeye back to New York, got home at six, crawled into bed at eight, and couldn't stop my brain from racing. Because, over the past few hours, the following realization had crept over me:
6. I'm not in a good place
While the validation from my family was great, in some strange way it magnified the misery I've been feeling lately. I hate this temp job with a passion, and I feel like it's keeping me away from doing what I want to do. I had just spent ten days with two great communities that I belong to...only to come back to New York and realize that I don't have one here. Sure, I have great friends here, but they're all individual friendships; there's no greater connection to a whole.
On the female front, I've been rejected by girls I liked twice in the past two weeks, and I kept having this visceral reaction in the pit of my stomach whenever I would see couples holding hands, or kissing. At first, I thought I was just turned off by PDA a little more than normal, but as I thought about it more and more, I kept returning to the horrible conclusion that I first blurted out to my therapist a couple of months ago, which is:
7. I want to be in a relationship
It really hurts me to admit that. I feel like I'm supposed to be independent right now - after all, I was with Maxine on and off for almost eight years, and during most of those "off" times I usually had someone around. I feel like I'm supposed to be ok with being alone. But I have to face facts, and confront the truth: I would really love to have a partner.
You know what the worst part of this is?
8. It's logistically impossible for me to be in a relationship right now
I realized that truth last night, after reading an e-mail from The Prodigy telling me that she wasn't interested in having a relationship with me. Now, there's a bit more to the story than that, but nevertheless my feelings were really hurt. After thinking it through, however, I realized that my travel schedule over the next few months and my economic condition isn't so conducive to a healthy relationship. Sure, I could make something work long-distance, but I've already done that, and I don't know if that's the kind of relationship I want right now.
9. I don't know how much longer I'm going to be in New York
Something else I realized in my talks with The Prodigy (it was an intense few days) is that I'm not sure how much longer I want to be here. I'm not living the kind of life I want to lead. My competitive nature is the one thing keeping me here; I feel a need to prove that I can compete with the best actors in the world, and land parts in high profile projects. But I'm broke, working a lousy job for lousy pay, and I'm not auditioning right now, and my apartment (while a great deal for the city) is tiny and expensive. I just keep thinking, "Why am I doing this? For what?"
Why shouldn't I move to a smaller regional city, like San Francisco or Seattle or Washington or Denver or Minneapolis and work a lot and teach on the side? I could have an apartment, get a teaching job, meet a nice girl and settle down and get married and start a family. Why not?
Because, if I never gave New York a fair shot, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. I don't want to be 55 looking back and saying, "Oh, I could've done this and that, blah blah blah." I want no regrets. So, every though I deny myself pleasure after pleasure, I have to keep pushing. It's immensely frustrating.
So, in summation, what did this week teach me?
10. I have no clue where I'm going
For most of the past decade, I've been able to tell you what I'm going to be doing five years from now. Not with any freakish degree of accuracy, mind you, but I could say, "I'm going to be an actor based out of New York, and I'm going to be with Maxine." Breaking up with her last fall changed all that. Suddenly my life had no anchor. I was free to move in any direction I wanted. Sometimes that has been pleasant, but most of the time I've felt paralyzed. I suppose, however, that recognizing this is some small victory. You have to know where you are before you know where you're going, right?
Two things to close with. Yesterday, I was sitting with my mother in the hotel room. She was trying to give me money, as usual. As usual, I was trying not to take it. But my poverty trumped my pride, and I relented. My mother bent down, cradled my face in her hands, and said, "I just hope that you find whatever it is that you're looking for."
I almost bawled. I have no idea how I held it together. I think I muttered thanks and looked away quickly, but I was just in amazement that she could see right through me like that. I guess that I shouldn't be that amazed. She is my mother, after all. She just wants the best for me.
Which brings me to the other thing.
We got goodie bags for the whole weekend, and much of our swag was cancer-related. (Several of my family members have battled cancer, so many of us are involved in cancer fighting charities.) This was the night of my massive hangover, so I was feeling particularly crappy. I took the bag from my cousin, who pointed out something in their that she didn't want me to lose. Perched on top of the purple tissue paper was an elastic bracelet wrapped in plastic. In the center of the bracelet was a grey bead with a single word printed on it.
It spoke to me. It was just what I needed. I ripped open the plastic, and put it on my wrist straightaway. I'm wearing it now.
It's a reminder. Things may be tough now...but tomorrow brings endless possibility, of brightness just around the corner.
Hope.
That may be all I have, but it's a pretty powerful something.
I went on a ten day excursion to Sleepy Hamlet and Las Vegas - two very different climates and two very different atmospheres. And yet I managed to fit everything into a carry-on-sized bag. Winner.
I also left my laptop at home, relying on my Palm Pre and iPod Touch, and had no internet access in Vegas other than my phone. If you've ever met me, you know that's a minor miracle.
2. I can't treat my body the way that I used to
One of the few positives of my crappy temp job is that since I don't take lunch breaks (because I don't get paid) I bring healthy food to work. I've kind of shifted into a grazing mode: a handful of almonds and cranberries here, an apple there, a turkey sandwich at lunch. Occasionally I'll have a bag of chips or some chocolate, but that's the exception to the rule. Dinners have been pretty light - mostly chicken or fish with some vegetables. I've also been working out pretty consistently these days, and I've cut back on the drinking.
On vacation?
Multiple drinks most nights. I got completely hammered at least three times, and had one of the worst hangovers of my life. On a different morning, I woke up still drunk from the night before. I ate loads of red meat and greasy food. Salt. Fat. Sugar. Very little exercise (unless you count "twelve ounce curls" as working out).
Five years ago, I could eat that without skipping a beat. Now? I feel sluggish, bloated, slow. I went grocery shopping tonight and I've never been so excited to buy fruits and vegetables. This must be a sign of me getting old.
3. I'm ready to go back to Sleepy Hamlet
The first leg of the trip was spent in my old stomping grounds, and I had a great time. My man Leprechauna Jones and his lady came up from LA. I stayed with an extremely cool chick who we'll call The Prodigy (another story for another time). I saw all my old peeps. Everyone had such nice things to say to me, and more than one person said, "They need to bring you back here." Normally I just laugh stuff like that off...but this time was different.
I hate admitting that I want acting jobs, because that opens up a whole can of worms, but I really want to live there again, to work there as an actor. Never thought I'd say that.
We'll see if it happens.
4. I miss having a community
One of the reasons that I love Sleepy Hamlet is because of the network of friends I have there. Not only do they know me, but they know and like each other. I feel like I have a real clump of people who have my back. I love them like family. It was really hard to leave them this time...but then I went to Vegas and met up with my actual clan...
5. My family is remarkable
I had a great time in Sleepy Hamlet, but it was exhausting. I really wasn't looking forward to spending four days in Vegas for a birthday party/family reunion. I've got some crazy family members who get on my nerves, and I was afraid that it was going to be a disaster.
Instead, it was delightful.
I spent some quality time with several cousins that I hadn't seen in years. We ate, we drank, we gambled, we sang, we prayed, we laughed. And I was really reminded of my legacy. I am related to some remarkable, talented, intelligent people.
One experience stands out. We had a Father's Day brunch on Sunday, and my brother had already agreed to sing one of his songs. As always, my cousin who generally plays the MC tried to get me to perform something. My attitude is generally, "Why? Who wants to see a monologue out of context?" But she kept badgering and badgering, and finally I relented. I got up in the little room we had reserved and busted out forty lines of my best Shakespeare.
I have never received such an ovation in my life.
If you've never had the change to have several generations of your family applaud you and give you hugs and pounds and kisses, you really have to do something to make that happen. It's an amazing feeling. To be able to share your art with your own flesh and blood - and to have them get it, really get it...wow.
The coolest part was that my brother played after me, and then my father got up and said that he was proud of us, and proud of the whole family for working to make it possible for us to get to the place where we're able to share our gifts. He talked about talents of previous generations who didn't get the chance to shine due to various circumstances, and said that my brother and I are reminders that you can really do anything you want to, if you're willing to work hard. It was really great to hear him verbalize that. I don't know that I've ever been prouder of my dad.
So yesterday was a great day. Then I hopped on a redeye back to New York, got home at six, crawled into bed at eight, and couldn't stop my brain from racing. Because, over the past few hours, the following realization had crept over me:
6. I'm not in a good place
While the validation from my family was great, in some strange way it magnified the misery I've been feeling lately. I hate this temp job with a passion, and I feel like it's keeping me away from doing what I want to do. I had just spent ten days with two great communities that I belong to...only to come back to New York and realize that I don't have one here. Sure, I have great friends here, but they're all individual friendships; there's no greater connection to a whole.
On the female front, I've been rejected by girls I liked twice in the past two weeks, and I kept having this visceral reaction in the pit of my stomach whenever I would see couples holding hands, or kissing. At first, I thought I was just turned off by PDA a little more than normal, but as I thought about it more and more, I kept returning to the horrible conclusion that I first blurted out to my therapist a couple of months ago, which is:
7. I want to be in a relationship
It really hurts me to admit that. I feel like I'm supposed to be independent right now - after all, I was with Maxine on and off for almost eight years, and during most of those "off" times I usually had someone around. I feel like I'm supposed to be ok with being alone. But I have to face facts, and confront the truth: I would really love to have a partner.
You know what the worst part of this is?
8. It's logistically impossible for me to be in a relationship right now
I realized that truth last night, after reading an e-mail from The Prodigy telling me that she wasn't interested in having a relationship with me. Now, there's a bit more to the story than that, but nevertheless my feelings were really hurt. After thinking it through, however, I realized that my travel schedule over the next few months and my economic condition isn't so conducive to a healthy relationship. Sure, I could make something work long-distance, but I've already done that, and I don't know if that's the kind of relationship I want right now.
9. I don't know how much longer I'm going to be in New York
Something else I realized in my talks with The Prodigy (it was an intense few days) is that I'm not sure how much longer I want to be here. I'm not living the kind of life I want to lead. My competitive nature is the one thing keeping me here; I feel a need to prove that I can compete with the best actors in the world, and land parts in high profile projects. But I'm broke, working a lousy job for lousy pay, and I'm not auditioning right now, and my apartment (while a great deal for the city) is tiny and expensive. I just keep thinking, "Why am I doing this? For what?"
Why shouldn't I move to a smaller regional city, like San Francisco or Seattle or Washington or Denver or Minneapolis and work a lot and teach on the side? I could have an apartment, get a teaching job, meet a nice girl and settle down and get married and start a family. Why not?
Because, if I never gave New York a fair shot, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. I don't want to be 55 looking back and saying, "Oh, I could've done this and that, blah blah blah." I want no regrets. So, every though I deny myself pleasure after pleasure, I have to keep pushing. It's immensely frustrating.
So, in summation, what did this week teach me?
10. I have no clue where I'm going
For most of the past decade, I've been able to tell you what I'm going to be doing five years from now. Not with any freakish degree of accuracy, mind you, but I could say, "I'm going to be an actor based out of New York, and I'm going to be with Maxine." Breaking up with her last fall changed all that. Suddenly my life had no anchor. I was free to move in any direction I wanted. Sometimes that has been pleasant, but most of the time I've felt paralyzed. I suppose, however, that recognizing this is some small victory. You have to know where you are before you know where you're going, right?
Two things to close with. Yesterday, I was sitting with my mother in the hotel room. She was trying to give me money, as usual. As usual, I was trying not to take it. But my poverty trumped my pride, and I relented. My mother bent down, cradled my face in her hands, and said, "I just hope that you find whatever it is that you're looking for."
I almost bawled. I have no idea how I held it together. I think I muttered thanks and looked away quickly, but I was just in amazement that she could see right through me like that. I guess that I shouldn't be that amazed. She is my mother, after all. She just wants the best for me.
Which brings me to the other thing.
We got goodie bags for the whole weekend, and much of our swag was cancer-related. (Several of my family members have battled cancer, so many of us are involved in cancer fighting charities.) This was the night of my massive hangover, so I was feeling particularly crappy. I took the bag from my cousin, who pointed out something in their that she didn't want me to lose. Perched on top of the purple tissue paper was an elastic bracelet wrapped in plastic. In the center of the bracelet was a grey bead with a single word printed on it.
It spoke to me. It was just what I needed. I ripped open the plastic, and put it on my wrist straightaway. I'm wearing it now.
It's a reminder. Things may be tough now...but tomorrow brings endless possibility, of brightness just around the corner.
Hope.
That may be all I have, but it's a pretty powerful something.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
today's melancholy
I'm fairly sad today.
Today is my last day doing this show. This group has been together for six months; some of us did this play three years ago in Steak City.
Doing a play on the road is a funny thing. You are thrown together with a group of strangers, and somehow, over the course of a few weeks, you become family. It's always a little bit sad knowing that you'll probably never have the group together in a similar situation again. Sometimes the bond lasts; more often than not, you may exchange an e-mail or two, or chat at an audition, but that's the extent of the future interaction.
That's part of what made this production special - we got the family back together again!
I've been thinking back to the dinner break after our first rehearsal in Bluff City. The six of us who had done the play before went to a little restaurant, crammed into a tiny booth, and picked up exactly where we had left off. It was almost like no time had passed at all. It's rare to have that kind of a bond with your castmates.
Unfortunately, when something like this ends, you really know that it's not ever happening again. And spending six months with the same people...well, real relationships form. I'm as close to two of the people in this cast as any of my friends in my life. (Thankfully, one of them lives in New York.)
I feel so lucky to have spent this time working on this show with these people. And I am excited about what's next for me (more on that next week). But right now, moments before our final show begins, I'm mourning the end of this experience.
Today is my last day doing this show. This group has been together for six months; some of us did this play three years ago in Steak City.
Doing a play on the road is a funny thing. You are thrown together with a group of strangers, and somehow, over the course of a few weeks, you become family. It's always a little bit sad knowing that you'll probably never have the group together in a similar situation again. Sometimes the bond lasts; more often than not, you may exchange an e-mail or two, or chat at an audition, but that's the extent of the future interaction.
That's part of what made this production special - we got the family back together again!
I've been thinking back to the dinner break after our first rehearsal in Bluff City. The six of us who had done the play before went to a little restaurant, crammed into a tiny booth, and picked up exactly where we had left off. It was almost like no time had passed at all. It's rare to have that kind of a bond with your castmates.
Unfortunately, when something like this ends, you really know that it's not ever happening again. And spending six months with the same people...well, real relationships form. I'm as close to two of the people in this cast as any of my friends in my life. (Thankfully, one of them lives in New York.)
I feel so lucky to have spent this time working on this show with these people. And I am excited about what's next for me (more on that next week). But right now, moments before our final show begins, I'm mourning the end of this experience.
Monday, December 22, 2008
fam comes first
via e-mail to one of my co-workers at my side gig
Could you check with [the guys] and see if they want to pick up my shift on Sunday December 28? Trying to squeeze out a bit more family time before I take off again. Let me know...thanks much...
Could you check with [the guys] and see if they want to pick up my shift on Sunday December 28? Trying to squeeze out a bit more family time before I take off again. Let me know...thanks much...
Friday, November 28, 2008
a mostly good Thanksgiving
Back from my quick jaunt to grandma's for Thanksgiving. It was excellent. We kept my cousin away from the turkey, and it was delicious. We also had nine desserts, for fourteen people. A bit excessive? Maybe.
The only thing that sucked was listening to my blowhard cousin and his wife tease me and Maxine about not being married. I wanted to smack him. Actually, I wanted to put him in his place, but I didn't want to ruin Thanksgiving for everybody. Sometimes I hate being an adult.
Pictures coming soon.
So now I'm back in Bluff City - for three days. Back to NY on Monday, just in the nick of time.
The only thing that sucked was listening to my blowhard cousin and his wife tease me and Maxine about not being married. I wanted to smack him. Actually, I wanted to put him in his place, but I didn't want to ruin Thanksgiving for everybody. Sometimes I hate being an adult.
Pictures coming soon.
So now I'm back in Bluff City - for three days. Back to NY on Monday, just in the nick of time.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
my grandma is awesome
It's her 81st birthday today, and I just got off the phone with her. I haven't talked to her in a few weeks, so there were two big things to go over.
First, G'ma broke her leg pretty severely back in early August; she was in the hospital for a few weeks before moving to a rehab center. Yesterday, she was finally allowed to go home. And, believe me, she was thrilled. Having privacy, and being able to prepare her own meals...I know she's excited about that.
Second, of course, was the election. My grandma's mind is sharp - better than mine, actually - and I always love hearing her take on things. She was very excited, of course. She said that she hadn't seen crowds like that in Times Square since "the end of the war" - meaning World War II (I found out she was in the Square when that happened). She also talked about the changes she's seen in her world, from seeing "Colored Only" signs and not being served in restaurants and stores to being forced to sit at the back of the bus. "I never thought I'd live to see the day, but I always hoped that you and your brother and your cousins would," she said. It was pretty moving.
She's an amazing woman, and I love her very much.
First, G'ma broke her leg pretty severely back in early August; she was in the hospital for a few weeks before moving to a rehab center. Yesterday, she was finally allowed to go home. And, believe me, she was thrilled. Having privacy, and being able to prepare her own meals...I know she's excited about that.
Second, of course, was the election. My grandma's mind is sharp - better than mine, actually - and I always love hearing her take on things. She was very excited, of course. She said that she hadn't seen crowds like that in Times Square since "the end of the war" - meaning World War II (I found out she was in the Square when that happened). She also talked about the changes she's seen in her world, from seeing "Colored Only" signs and not being served in restaurants and stores to being forced to sit at the back of the bus. "I never thought I'd live to see the day, but I always hoped that you and your brother and your cousins would," she said. It was pretty moving.
She's an amazing woman, and I love her very much.
Friday, July 25, 2008
the BBQ invite
written via Facebook - maybe i should have invited all of you guys!
Hi friends -
Late July means that my parents are in town for my brother's birthday, which means that we're having our annual BBQ (which means that you can hear my mom's voice, and watch my dad talk about sandwiches). The details are all below. Let me know if you think you're coming, and maybe we can coordinate transportation details. Hope to see you up there!
Hi friends -
Late July means that my parents are in town for my brother's birthday, which means that we're having our annual BBQ (which means that you can hear my mom's voice, and watch my dad talk about sandwiches). The details are all below. Let me know if you think you're coming, and maybe we can coordinate transportation details. Hope to see you up there!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
murphy's law strikes again
written on an Amtrak train, somewhere west of Lancaster, PA
I’m sitting here, working my way through the New York Times – it took two hours, not bad – when my cell rings. Unknown number. That usually means it’s the temp agency I work for.
And I’m right. They have a job for me, finally. It’s at a company that I’ve worked at before; the place pays well, the environment is relaxed, and I know several people that work there. And they want me until I leave at the end of July, meaning I would financial security for months.
The catch?
It starts tomorrow.
They had to give it to someone else. That sucks. But what can you do? Plan your life around hypothetical phone calls?
Besides, not to be overly sentimental, but spending a couple of days with my parents far exceeds any amount of money I could earn at a temp job.
I’m sitting here, working my way through the New York Times – it took two hours, not bad – when my cell rings. Unknown number. That usually means it’s the temp agency I work for.
And I’m right. They have a job for me, finally. It’s at a company that I’ve worked at before; the place pays well, the environment is relaxed, and I know several people that work there. And they want me until I leave at the end of July, meaning I would financial security for months.
The catch?
It starts tomorrow.
They had to give it to someone else. That sucks. But what can you do? Plan your life around hypothetical phone calls?
Besides, not to be overly sentimental, but spending a couple of days with my parents far exceeds any amount of money I could earn at a temp job.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
rate your restroom!
When I was a little kid and my family would go out to eat, I would always have to use the bathroom in the restaurant, without fail. It happened so often that my parents would joke that I was rating the bathrooms. For a while I would come back with a star rating.
So when I found this website today, I knew that I would have to send it to my family. (And, quite frankly, I can't believe this even exists!)
There's a vote for the top restroom in America; let me know which one you pick. You can probably figure out which one I'll be picking...
So when I found this website today, I knew that I would have to send it to my family. (And, quite frankly, I can't believe this even exists!)
There's a vote for the top restroom in America; let me know which one you pick. You can probably figure out which one I'll be picking...
Saturday, February 16, 2008
that nice clean feeling
I just cleaned my bathroom, and it feels SO good...
I admit that I'm a bit of a neat freak. I also go on cleaning sprees. My mother is famous for them - she'll just exclaim, "I can't take this mess!" and starting picking up and mopping and vacuuming everything in sight. I am the same way.
Anyway, I cleaned the toilet and sink a couple of weeks ago when I moved upstairs, but today I actually got in the tub and started the arduous task of getting rid of mildew. Good times. Then I mopped the floor; I have no idea when that last happened.
It just makes me happy to have a clean house. Plus we're having an open house tomorrow to replace the bad roommate, and then StefStar and I are having a mini-dinner party, so I can't be havin' filth all over the place, know what I mean?
All right. Maxine (who I haven't seen in two weeks due to our travel schedules) is coming over and I'm making her dinner, so I should probably get dressed. See you tomorrow...
I admit that I'm a bit of a neat freak. I also go on cleaning sprees. My mother is famous for them - she'll just exclaim, "I can't take this mess!" and starting picking up and mopping and vacuuming everything in sight. I am the same way.
Anyway, I cleaned the toilet and sink a couple of weeks ago when I moved upstairs, but today I actually got in the tub and started the arduous task of getting rid of mildew. Good times. Then I mopped the floor; I have no idea when that last happened.
It just makes me happy to have a clean house. Plus we're having an open house tomorrow to replace the bad roommate, and then StefStar and I are having a mini-dinner party, so I can't be havin' filth all over the place, know what I mean?
All right. Maxine (who I haven't seen in two weeks due to our travel schedules) is coming over and I'm making her dinner, so I should probably get dressed. See you tomorrow...
Saturday, November 24, 2007
awesome!
We had a big 80th birthday party for my grandma today, and she got the coolest gift: an album containing our family tree. It's a little confusing how it's laid out, but it's really neat to be able to trace my family back to the 1790s - most blacks in this country can't do that. I don't want to bore you with the details, but I found out some interesting stuff...
Now I've got a bunch of family downstairs, and I'm gonna go socialize. Headed back to the BK t'm'row - next post should come from there...
Now I've got a bunch of family downstairs, and I'm gonna go socialize. Headed back to the BK t'm'row - next post should come from there...
Friday, November 23, 2007
leftovers
Just finished a rather satisfying meal of Chinese food.
What? Why were we eating Chinese food the day after Thanksgiving instead of leftovers? I'm glad you asked. Two reasons.
1. Today is my dad's birthday, and he basically spent most of today preparing for his mother's birthday party, which is tomorrow. We spent a few hours at the church decorating and moving furniture. My brother decided that he needed something special done for him, so we let him decide on a meal. He picked Chinese with jumbo shrimp involved. It cost $120, but it was worth it.
2. You're kind of not going to believe this one, but my cousin actually took/borderline stole a lot of our leftovers. He and his wife flew back to Cali today, and apparently he brought a bunch of containers with him. He reportedly said that if he was coming all the way out here for Thanksgiving, he was going to be damned if he didn't take some food home with him. I hope security confiscated it all.
This cousin was particularly delightful this holiday. (Sarcasm intended.) Remind me to tell you in the next couple of days about Frying the Turkey.
What? Why were we eating Chinese food the day after Thanksgiving instead of leftovers? I'm glad you asked. Two reasons.
1. Today is my dad's birthday, and he basically spent most of today preparing for his mother's birthday party, which is tomorrow. We spent a few hours at the church decorating and moving furniture. My brother decided that he needed something special done for him, so we let him decide on a meal. He picked Chinese with jumbo shrimp involved. It cost $120, but it was worth it.
2. You're kind of not going to believe this one, but my cousin actually took/borderline stole a lot of our leftovers. He and his wife flew back to Cali today, and apparently he brought a bunch of containers with him. He reportedly said that if he was coming all the way out here for Thanksgiving, he was going to be damned if he didn't take some food home with him. I hope security confiscated it all.
This cousin was particularly delightful this holiday. (Sarcasm intended.) Remind me to tell you in the next couple of days about Frying the Turkey.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
i would love to put up a longer post...
...but I'm having such a fantastic time with my family that I don't want to leave. I brought Maxine and the Flying Squirrel up with me, and I couldn't have made a better decision. So I'm going to go downstairs and grab dessert #3 and watch some more football (and then American Gangster, which my cousin bought a bootleg of - I'm not sure how I feel about that) and spend some more quality time.
I'll try again tomorrow.
I'll try again tomorrow.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
a life in the theater
First of all, happy birthday to my mom. She's 56 today, and looks 40-ish. I hope I age that well...
Today (well, technically, yesterday) was a strange show day. In my show, I have this dramatic moment in the latter half of the play where I compose myself before rushing offstage. It lasts maybe 5 seconds, but it's just me on stage, and the audience is usually all, "what is he going to do?" and the silence is deafening.
Well, in the matinee, some guy belches HELLA loud, right in the middle of my moment of silence. And you could hear a woman's voice, right after, whisper, "Oh my GOD," like some old guy's being chastised by his wife for disrupting the show. I couldn't help but shoot a dirty look in his direction before leaving the stage - something you're not really supposed to do.
In hindsight, that was hilarious.
I was cruising along during the evening show, and I come off stage for my quick change before the tail end of the show, when all of a sudden I had to go to the bathroom. The last three scenes of the play are each about ten minutes long - and I'm onstage for almost every minute. And my change was too quick to go then.
So I got dressed, and headed to make my entrance. The guy who is in the first of the three scenes (he shares my real name, by the way, which is always confusing during rehearsal) is holding a prop for me, per usual. As I grab the prop and we head backstage, I tell him, "I gotta piss, so I'm going to do this at rain speed."
And I did. We finished 4 minutes early, which is a ton of time to take off a show. But when you gotta go, you gotta go.
Need to sleep - a big day t'm'row!
Today (well, technically, yesterday) was a strange show day. In my show, I have this dramatic moment in the latter half of the play where I compose myself before rushing offstage. It lasts maybe 5 seconds, but it's just me on stage, and the audience is usually all, "what is he going to do?" and the silence is deafening.
Well, in the matinee, some guy belches HELLA loud, right in the middle of my moment of silence. And you could hear a woman's voice, right after, whisper, "Oh my GOD," like some old guy's being chastised by his wife for disrupting the show. I couldn't help but shoot a dirty look in his direction before leaving the stage - something you're not really supposed to do.
In hindsight, that was hilarious.
I was cruising along during the evening show, and I come off stage for my quick change before the tail end of the show, when all of a sudden I had to go to the bathroom. The last three scenes of the play are each about ten minutes long - and I'm onstage for almost every minute. And my change was too quick to go then.
So I got dressed, and headed to make my entrance. The guy who is in the first of the three scenes (he shares my real name, by the way, which is always confusing during rehearsal) is holding a prop for me, per usual. As I grab the prop and we head backstage, I tell him, "I gotta piss, so I'm going to do this at rain speed."
And I did. We finished 4 minutes early, which is a ton of time to take off a show. But when you gotta go, you gotta go.
Need to sleep - a big day t'm'row!
Monday, October 29, 2007
busy busy bee!
Very busy weekend for me, which explains my absence from this spot. A quick recap:
Friday - went up to Rockport to see my friend Big Bird, who helped me shoot an audition. The big theater in Valley City - a place I've wanted to work for years - well, a couple of their people saw the show I'm doing now, and they've asked me to send a tape or DVD to the director of one of their plays. I usually shoot two or three auditions on tape a year, but, of course, I don't own a video camera. So I ended up spending several hours out there getting that done. I was there so long that I wasn't able to drive back to Valley City before my show, so I ended up sitting at a coffee shop for 45 minutes. Then I did my show. Then I hung out with Fred and Ginger.
Saturday - my parents came into town! It was awesome. They LOVE Rockport, so we ended going up there between shows for dinner. They really liked the play, which was nice. After the second show (which my parents and Big Bird and his wife saw) we all went back to Valley City and had drinks at a very loud club with Fred and Ginger.
Sunday - I drove my parents to the airport at an ungodly hour, and I was too tired and hungry to go to sleep. So I did a couple of things around the room, and then headed to a sports bar to watch most of the Steelers-Bengals game (which my team won 24-13 - five and two, baby!). Then I did my show. After the show, I got dressed as fast as humanly possible and drove to Valley City, because several of my friends were doing a play that ended 30 minutes after mine ended. It was great. After the show, I grabbed some dinner and figured that I was going to crash on the couch for the rest of the night...but Trouble called and invited me up to Rockport to carve some pumpkins. I hadn't done that in forever, so I headed up there, and it was lots of fun.
Today - I worked on putting the damn DVD together all day. I was only expecting it to take a couple of hours, but I didn't finish up until halftime of the Monday Night Football game. My computer was being weird, which kind of scares me. Bad times. I did get a lot of internet-type stuff done today, so that was good.
So now I can relax, and I'm probably going to do something that I've been putting off for a while - assembling a Facebook profile. Several friends have been bugging me to do this for a while. I had thought that I was too old for Facebook, but now that some of my late-30s friends are joining, I really have no excuse. So I guess I'm taking the plunge.
Back tomorrow with more. I'm back in New York one week from tonight...
Friday - went up to Rockport to see my friend Big Bird, who helped me shoot an audition. The big theater in Valley City - a place I've wanted to work for years - well, a couple of their people saw the show I'm doing now, and they've asked me to send a tape or DVD to the director of one of their plays. I usually shoot two or three auditions on tape a year, but, of course, I don't own a video camera. So I ended up spending several hours out there getting that done. I was there so long that I wasn't able to drive back to Valley City before my show, so I ended up sitting at a coffee shop for 45 minutes. Then I did my show. Then I hung out with Fred and Ginger.
Saturday - my parents came into town! It was awesome. They LOVE Rockport, so we ended going up there between shows for dinner. They really liked the play, which was nice. After the second show (which my parents and Big Bird and his wife saw) we all went back to Valley City and had drinks at a very loud club with Fred and Ginger.
Sunday - I drove my parents to the airport at an ungodly hour, and I was too tired and hungry to go to sleep. So I did a couple of things around the room, and then headed to a sports bar to watch most of the Steelers-Bengals game (which my team won 24-13 - five and two, baby!). Then I did my show. After the show, I got dressed as fast as humanly possible and drove to Valley City, because several of my friends were doing a play that ended 30 minutes after mine ended. It was great. After the show, I grabbed some dinner and figured that I was going to crash on the couch for the rest of the night...but Trouble called and invited me up to Rockport to carve some pumpkins. I hadn't done that in forever, so I headed up there, and it was lots of fun.
Today - I worked on putting the damn DVD together all day. I was only expecting it to take a couple of hours, but I didn't finish up until halftime of the Monday Night Football game. My computer was being weird, which kind of scares me. Bad times. I did get a lot of internet-type stuff done today, so that was good.
So now I can relax, and I'm probably going to do something that I've been putting off for a while - assembling a Facebook profile. Several friends have been bugging me to do this for a while. I had thought that I was too old for Facebook, but now that some of my late-30s friends are joining, I really have no excuse. So I guess I'm taking the plunge.
Back tomorrow with more. I'm back in New York one week from tonight...
Monday, January 29, 2007
perspective
Just when you're up to your neck in your whiny little complaints (see post below), real life happens, and reminds you that there are more important things.
I got a dreaded early-morning phone call from my grandmother informing me that my great-uncle passed late last night/early this morning. I won't go into the dynamics of my family, but all you need to know is that my extended family is HUGE (like, around a hundred) and my great-uncle was someone with whom my brother and I actually had a relationship. His wife is one of my favorite people.
Not feeling so sad right now as much as profoundly disappointed.
There will be more to tell about this later.
I got a dreaded early-morning phone call from my grandmother informing me that my great-uncle passed late last night/early this morning. I won't go into the dynamics of my family, but all you need to know is that my extended family is HUGE (like, around a hundred) and my great-uncle was someone with whom my brother and I actually had a relationship. His wife is one of my favorite people.
Not feeling so sad right now as much as profoundly disappointed.
There will be more to tell about this later.
Saturday, December 30, 2006
the holidays were happy
I'm such a slacker when it comes to posting on here lately.
Good reason this time, though.
Spent the last few days with the fam. It was amazing. I had loads of fun with everybody, got a couple of cool gifts, and ate some TREMENDOUS food. My brother made a brunch so good, I think I could have eaten forever. Crab quiche, creme brulee french toast (with Grand Marnier syrup), ham, and a giant fruit plate. I'm salivating at the memory.
And now I'm hip-deep in packing. I've managed to do something remarkable - I think I may actually leave here with LESS stuff! That would be sweet.
Headed to LA immediately after the show to ring in 2007. See y'all on the other side! Happy New Year!
Good reason this time, though.
Spent the last few days with the fam. It was amazing. I had loads of fun with everybody, got a couple of cool gifts, and ate some TREMENDOUS food. My brother made a brunch so good, I think I could have eaten forever. Crab quiche, creme brulee french toast (with Grand Marnier syrup), ham, and a giant fruit plate. I'm salivating at the memory.
And now I'm hip-deep in packing. I've managed to do something remarkable - I think I may actually leave here with LESS stuff! That would be sweet.
Headed to LA immediately after the show to ring in 2007. See y'all on the other side! Happy New Year!
Monday, October 02, 2006
baseball
This weekend I went to my first Yankee game. It's kind of a travesty that I've never been to one before, considering that my father is actually from the Bronx, but that's another story for another day. Yankee Stadium was MUCH better than I thought. Of course, it didn't hurt that my friend has great seats - you feel like you're playing left field.
I used to be a huge baseball junkie when I was a little kid. I remember being four years old and reading the sports page, struggling to pronounce "DeJesus". I played for ten years, going from being the worst kid on the team when I was 11 to the best when I was 15. But when my junior year came along, I realized that I couldn't do three hours of baseball practice immediately followed by three hours of rehearsal for the school musical AND keep my grades up. So I ran track instead (practice for that was only an hour and a half), and the dream died.
It's very similiar to what happened to my father, actually, He played all through high school. The Mets offered him a tryout contract, but my father turned it down because he wanted to go to college. He was all set to play with the college team when the coach came up to him one day. I obviously wasn't around, but, knowing my father, I beileve the conversation went something like this:
COACH: Sandwich, can I speak to you a minute?
DAD: Sure, Coach. What's up?
COACH: Sandwich, I noticed that you've got your major listed as engineering here. Is that right?
DAD: Yessir.
COACH: Well, son, engineering is a really tough major. Those classes are long and hard. Lots of math.
DAD: Yessir. I like math.
COACH: Well, our players generally have a...lighter schedule, so to speak. You should probably look for another major.
DAD: But, Coach, I want to be an engineer.
COACH: Let me put it like this, son. You're either on my baseball team, or you can study your engineering. (smirks) You get my point?
DAD: Loud and clear, sir. (pause) Good luck with your season.
I swear, sometimes I'm so much like my father, it's scary.
Kind of inspired to blog, so there may be a few new posts in rapid succession - especially since I will now be moving into full procrastination mode, to keep from packing...
I used to be a huge baseball junkie when I was a little kid. I remember being four years old and reading the sports page, struggling to pronounce "DeJesus". I played for ten years, going from being the worst kid on the team when I was 11 to the best when I was 15. But when my junior year came along, I realized that I couldn't do three hours of baseball practice immediately followed by three hours of rehearsal for the school musical AND keep my grades up. So I ran track instead (practice for that was only an hour and a half), and the dream died.
It's very similiar to what happened to my father, actually, He played all through high school. The Mets offered him a tryout contract, but my father turned it down because he wanted to go to college. He was all set to play with the college team when the coach came up to him one day. I obviously wasn't around, but, knowing my father, I beileve the conversation went something like this:
COACH: Sandwich, can I speak to you a minute?
DAD: Sure, Coach. What's up?
COACH: Sandwich, I noticed that you've got your major listed as engineering here. Is that right?
DAD: Yessir.
COACH: Well, son, engineering is a really tough major. Those classes are long and hard. Lots of math.
DAD: Yessir. I like math.
COACH: Well, our players generally have a...lighter schedule, so to speak. You should probably look for another major.
DAD: But, Coach, I want to be an engineer.
COACH: Let me put it like this, son. You're either on my baseball team, or you can study your engineering. (smirks) You get my point?
DAD: Loud and clear, sir. (pause) Good luck with your season.
I swear, sometimes I'm so much like my father, it's scary.
Kind of inspired to blog, so there may be a few new posts in rapid succession - especially since I will now be moving into full procrastination mode, to keep from packing...
Monday, July 24, 2006
wake up, hamlet!
Big family BBQ yesterday. Good times. Good eats. Meat of all shapes and sizes - my brother even made a lamb burger at one point, which was high comedy. If you missed it...well, it's your loss, 'cause we all had a great time.
Off to Sleepy Hamlet t'm'row for three weeks of educating the youth of America. It's going to be weird being back there for a long period of time. My previous trips, I could rationalize not being involved in the shows: "I've got a couple of days off," or, "I haven't started rehearsal yet." But there will be no getting around the reality this time. I'm not sure how it will feel.
Not that I've been a champ at posting anything lately, but my presence online will be even more sporadic while I'm there - I'm pretty much working 16 hour days, so I'll be pretty exhausted when computer time comes around. I'll try to put short blurbs up, but don't expect too much of my keen insights or anything. (This, of course, means that you'll be treated to three straight weeks of thousand-word posts.)
Keep it real...
Off to Sleepy Hamlet t'm'row for three weeks of educating the youth of America. It's going to be weird being back there for a long period of time. My previous trips, I could rationalize not being involved in the shows: "I've got a couple of days off," or, "I haven't started rehearsal yet." But there will be no getting around the reality this time. I'm not sure how it will feel.
Not that I've been a champ at posting anything lately, but my presence online will be even more sporadic while I'm there - I'm pretty much working 16 hour days, so I'll be pretty exhausted when computer time comes around. I'll try to put short blurbs up, but don't expect too much of my keen insights or anything. (This, of course, means that you'll be treated to three straight weeks of thousand-word posts.)
Keep it real...
Sunday, June 04, 2006
The Wedding Of The Century
I'm exhausted. What a weekend! I've gotten about 15 hours of sleep over the past three days, and I'm headed for the same amount tonight. But it was all worth it. The wedding was amazing. It was classy but comfortable - the kind of ceremony where people make jokes and it doesn't seem out of place or rude at all. And my brother and his new wife looked amazing.
One of the many stories that will come from this day: it was really cloudy here all day. Sis-in-law was processing with her parents through the park to the edge of the water where the wedding party was. She was to follow a path through the park, and then step off the path for the last 20 feet or so. As she stepped onto the grass - and I'm totally not making this up - a ray of sunlight burst through the clouds and literally illuminated her and her parents. It almost looked like theatrical lighting. It was amazing.
The only damper of the day - and it was a big one - was that my father passed out right after dinner. He got up from his chair and literally keeled over. Paramedics were called, they put him on oxygen, took him out on a stretcher and over to the local hospital. He's had spells like this before (including a very scary one in Colorado five years ago eerily similiar to this) but it was still a little freaky. He was at the hospital for a few hours, but they let him go because his tests all came out clean - all they know is that his blood pressure dropped rapidly, but they're not sure why. Very scary, but he's out, and he's ok.
I could tell more stories - and I will - but I've got to get some sleep. Hope that everyone had as good a weekend as me...
One of the many stories that will come from this day: it was really cloudy here all day. Sis-in-law was processing with her parents through the park to the edge of the water where the wedding party was. She was to follow a path through the park, and then step off the path for the last 20 feet or so. As she stepped onto the grass - and I'm totally not making this up - a ray of sunlight burst through the clouds and literally illuminated her and her parents. It almost looked like theatrical lighting. It was amazing.
The only damper of the day - and it was a big one - was that my father passed out right after dinner. He got up from his chair and literally keeled over. Paramedics were called, they put him on oxygen, took him out on a stretcher and over to the local hospital. He's had spells like this before (including a very scary one in Colorado five years ago eerily similiar to this) but it was still a little freaky. He was at the hospital for a few hours, but they let him go because his tests all came out clean - all they know is that his blood pressure dropped rapidly, but they're not sure why. Very scary, but he's out, and he's ok.
I could tell more stories - and I will - but I've got to get some sleep. Hope that everyone had as good a weekend as me...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
