Engineering

As I walked out the door this morning, my roommate was also awake. While he normally gets up early for work, he doesn't usually get up this early. I asked what he was doing so bright-eyed and bushy tailed so early in the morning, and he said that some people from his work were going up to L.A. to see a taping of American Gladiators.

Ah, to be an engineer on a fun day.

Semi-Hump

Tuesdays and Thursdays are getting to be a little bit difficult. Not to complain too much, but the prospect of working one job in the morning, and then driving to a different job where you need to be there until around 10:30 at night is a little bit taxing, even for those of us who remind ourselves that we are taking definite, concrete steps toward achieving our dreams.

When you add the fact that I volunteered for phone duty tomorrow morning at 6 in the am, well, AC's prospects of quality sleep are vanishing into thin air like so many counted sheep.

Sigh. Even so, I smile.

Sleep

Have you ever been so tired that the idea of sticking toothpicks into your eyelids to keep them open seemed like a good idea?

Yeah, neither have I, but it's getting closer.

Regarding

In reference to my post from a couple of days ago about the audition that I got invited to, I found out yesterday that I got the part. Honestly, I was pretty surprised that I got it at all because I felt that, although my singing went well, my cold reading of the sides was pretty subpar, even though I got the directorial team laughing with each attempt. Nevertheless, I must have done something right if I got in, and by "done something right," I mean, "bribed the director."

While it stretches a bit into the new year, I will get to work for a theatre that I haven't had the pleasure of working for before. In addition, from how everybody I know has been talking about it, it seems like this production is going to have a pretty awesome due to the cast being full of pretty superb local actors.

Me, I'm just glad I keep getting to do shows. I loves it.

Cusp

I've got to start taking better care of myself. What with my day job and the show, I am essentially working two full time jobs, and so any deviation from my normal duties (ie, such as would arise by becoming ill) is not a very good proposition.

I feel myself on the cusp of being sicky. Thankfully, all I'm dealing with right now is a runny nose. I hope that's all I'll have to.

Country

I went to go see the movie "No Country for Old Men" yesterday. It was super violent, but it was a genuinely thought-provoking film. If you are looking for a film that is all about nihilism and post-modernism, you just about couldn't choose a better one.

Morning

A few days ago, I received a call from a theatre that is putting on Guys and Dolls, and they asked me to come in for an audition this morning. I hadn't been a part of the group of folks that originally auditioned, so it's quite flattering for me to receive a call out of the blue and be asked to audition.

I guess I'm doing something right.

Thanks

On this, the day after Thanksgiving, I humbly submit that I would very much enjoy having an additional Thanksgiving dinner from my grandma. Mind you, I had a very fine Thanksgiving dinner, but I no doubt missed some extra special deliciosity.

Mm.

Thanks

On this day, I'd like to just give a somewhat cheesy but very appropriate stanza for the day that is in a song in the show I'm in right now.

When you're worried, and you can't sleep,
Just count your blessings, instead of sheep,
And you'll fall asleep, counting your blessings.

Have a happy holiday, everyone.

Free

Sugar-free Rockstar is one of the most horrible-tasting substances that is advertised as being comestible. It's like I'm being kicked in the most by an irritated donkey who is simultaneously doing its business in and around my mouth.

Writers

I turned the channel from Monday Night Football to CBS at 8:30 last night so that I could see what I hoped would be a new episode of one of my favorite new shows, The Big Bang Theory. This show, in my opinion, is smart, funny, and the characters have heart, which makes it, well, it makes it a pleasant diversion from the normal monotony of sticking my finger into outlets. That's a big bang theory in and of itself.

Nevertheless, my rapture at the prospect of a new episode of a show I enjoy quickly fled my body as I realized that it was a rerun, which was no doubt due to the fact that the writers are on strike. Don't get me wrong, it's a funny show and the rerun was funny. I will however require new episodes.

Therefore, this is my suggestion to the WGA: all y'all should get blogs, and then put advertisements on them. You will make money hand over fist, guaranteed. Ask anyone who has a blog with ads, if you can get them away from shining their jewel encrusted snuff boxes and their diamond monocles. You will make houses full of money, and then you can get back to the most important thing in the world: entertaining me.

Thank you for your time.

Roar

As I passed an antique furniture store on my way to work this morning, I heard a load roaring sound. Obviously, this was likely just a large piece of antique furniture being scooted along the floor, but I, being tired from staying up late playing cards with some folks in the cast, briefly thought that there was a tyrannosaurus rex inside of that antique store, and he was roaring at me. I was petrified with the immediacy of the danger.

Because, you know, a dinosaur in an antique shop is the most likely explanation for a loud noise.

Do you ever take a minute to think about how on earth you manage to function in society? Yeah, most of my minutes are spent thinking about that, and, for the life of me, I just don't know.

Important

The important thing to remember is that when Marty Schottenheimer was coaching the Chargers, they won consistently. Kudos to the Chargers ownership for getting rid of their winning coaching team.

Who's

Who's Line Is It Anyways is still pretty funny. Do they even makes new ones anymore? Lord knows.

Idealism

If you would have told me, as a kid, that I would spend hours and days of my waking life wishing that I were asleep, I would probably have believed it. I was kind of a sleepy kid.

Nevertheless, when I sit at work and listen to "Evil Dead: the Musical" or sip on my eggnog latte, my mind is able to escape its exhaustion, briefly, and focus on the unbearable awesomeness of being.

Old

This is what makes me feel like I've got one foot in the grave: going to a store, and seeing many of the bands that I enjoyed in high school and college coming out with greatest hits cds.

I, like Diana Keaton, am on my last legs.

First

I did something tonight for the first time ever. I have, in the past, shunned doing this very thing do to the fact that I myself am no good with my hands, and therefore, watching others do something creative with their hands was not super interesting, no matter how creative they may be.

That's right; for the first time tonight I watched Project Runway.

And it was good.

Football

That the Chargers managed to beat the second best team in football, the Colts, on Sunday is nothing short of a miracle, especially since San Diego's offense (featuring, Phillip "I Push the Fumbled Football into the End Zone so that the Colts Can Get a Touchdown" Rivers) was horrible.
That their victory happened while I am in a Christmas show makes it a Christmas miracle.

God bless us, every one.

Read to Me

I spent part of my lunch break from work today at a bookstore in Horton Plaza. I was eager to look at the bargain books as a cast member had loaned me a book, and I wanted to see if I could pick up any of the author's other books on the cheap as I am loving this book (who are you Ken Follett, and how do you come up with such vivid characters?).

As I was kneeling and perusing the titles, a group of raucous thirteen and fourteen year olds entered the store. Another patron and I shared in a quiet laugh and an eye roll as the store, which had heretofore been fairly quiet, became filled with shouts of "Hey, look at this!" and "I don't like books." One of the boys approached me with a book and asked me if I worked there; I looked down at my ID badge from a different company to see if it was facing the correct way. I then looked him in the eye and told him that I didn't.

As I finished speaking with that boy, another boy approached me from behind with a hardcover book that I assume was about World War II as it had a large swastika on the back of it. I looked up at him, as I was still kneeling, and he said, "Will you read this book to me?" Normally, I would have smiled and played along for a moment, but for some reason, this boy ran into a cranky AC today.

"No, I won't," I answered, oddly curt. This seemed to confuse him, and he asked me if I could read, to which I replied that I could, but that I wouldn't read that book to him. Still confused, he walked away and rejoined his friends as they were exiting the store. I spent a little more time browsing the books, and I came across the book that he had had in the wrong place in the shelves.

This got me thinking: I had assumed that he had just been screwing around and asking me to read to him for the sake of bothering me, but what if he hadn't been? Sure, it's a pretty ridiculous thing to ask of somebody you don't know, but what if he had been in earnest when he asked me? Why had I dismissed him so systematically?

I'm not sure I understand how to be a grown-up. I'm pretty sure that when I do, I'll have become the person I never intended to be. I hope that that is for better than it is for worse, but with incidents like today being added to the canon of my life, the future doesn't look rosy.

Happiness

Happiness is having some free time on a Sunday to watch grown men clobbering whichever man has the oblong ball.

Sadness is watching the teams you picked for your football pool at work slowly not winning the games that you thought that they should.

Two

I had two shows of the Christmas show that I'm in today. I'll be having two shows a day three or four times a week until the end of the year.

If that doesn't get me into the holiday spirit, I'm not sure what will. Maybe eggnog. Mmm.

Old

The interesting thing to me about the show that I'm in is that when the movie version of it was made, people were so excited and interested in the concept of the celebrity that they liked to watch movies about people who were pretending to be celebrities (although, oftentimes these characters were often played by actually famous people).

Nowadays, people are so interested in the concept of celebrity that people are willing to watch reality tv shows that turn normal people (oftentimes played by normal people) into celebrities.

Which is better?

Money

That last post, which I apparently started at 12:11 am, and finished heaven knows when, is freaking hilarious to me. I think I fell asleep and woke up thinking that I still needed to post. That's money right there.

My favorite part is "seleep." Misspelling sleep: now that is tired.

Anyways, yesterday I had something like a twelve hour rehearsal, though I guess we did get a couple hours for dinner. Getting through the show was a little more slow-going than I think any of us expected it to be, which is disconcerting as we have audiences today. It's all right though; they are just preview performances, which, as any theatre person will tell you, are just a hair's breadth away from being a dress rehearsal. Just don't tell the fine folks who paid to see it.

Or, if you do, don't tell them I told you. Or if you do, don't tell me that you told them I told you.

Love

I wish i had some more seleep.

Perks

One of the perks of having a relatively small part in a musical is that you have a lot of free time during tech week while they "work on the dancing" and "run scene changes" and "snicker at AC for thinking he's an actor." To demonstrate just how much time I had today during rehearsal, let me tell you what I did: I read a 220 page book.

Mmm. Now that's some quality free time. Er, quality "free" time.

Tap

I am in awe of people who can dance well. In particular, I have always been amazed by people that can tap really well. I don't know what it is, but there's just something about lots of people stomping out a rhytmic percussive unison sound that just amazes me.

There is a big tap number in the show that I'm in right now, and it is amazing. Even the rough version that I saw in rehearsal last night blew me away. Wow. Just wow. This show is going to be fun. And cute. And fun.

Hero

I love Guitar Hero II. It is fun and difficult and an incredibly worthless way to spend an evening. Currently, I'm trying to beat the game on expert.

For those of you unfamiliar with the game, there are four levels of difficulty, easy, medium, hard, and expert. For me, at least, most of trying to beat the game on expert is equal to trying to just squeak by.

I did, however, spend probably two hours on one song yesterday, and I still wasn't able to beat it. Most of this song's difficulty is that there are 9 different guitar solo sections. These are proving to be too much for me. Nevertheless, I will plod on, as it is my custom in everything.

Rehearsal

The funny thing about having a decent sized part in a musical while not being in very many of the songs is that when you are a part of a group rehearsal, people start to ask you, "Are you still in this show?"

It's pretty funny.

Disassociation

In order to disconnect from any personal problems, I spend a great deal of time thinking about the arts (popular or otherwise), as if weighing my mind down with more lofty things would save me from myself stepping on toes (literally and figuratively). In doing so, I find myself saying things like, "It makes me sad that 'How I Met Your Mother' is sliding downhill," which, really, is a pretty lame thing to feel sadness over. With all the things in my life that I could feel badly about, I opt to feel badly about a comedy that, even in it's third season, is past it's prime. Good for me; I'm sure that they'll name hospitals after me for my gift of empathy.

Nevertheless, this is my critique, and it starts with my key point: Barney is the best character in the series. The other four main characters are flat both in comparison with Barney and standing alone. I can't quite tell if this is the fault of the actors or the writers, though I suspect that it's the actors. The actor playing Ted seems to think he's cooler than he is, the actor playing Robin seems to have relied too much on her looks and not enough on learning how to deliver lines, the actor playing Marshall is sometimes funny though generally tries too hard, and I'm not convinced that the actress playing Lily can play a different type of part. Nevertheless, the flatness worked when Robin and Ted were in a dating relationship, because, even if they were flat individually, they were cute together. Lily and Marshall were still flat, and not as cute as Robin and Ted, but they were planning their wedding, so at least they did things to advance plots.

Now, with Robin and Ted having broken up, they are back to being flat characters, which, in a roundabout way, brings me back to the character of Barney. Barney is a great character because he is as unapologetically amoral. Because of this, when Barney shows his sensitive side, it's very funny, because we, as the audience, know who Barney is supposed to be, and when he's sensitive, it's compelling because it's over the top. When he is his normal amoral self, he's funny because he does things that many of us secretly wish we could live with ourselves for having done.

However, with Ted and Robin broken up, the writers are trying to turn Ted into a Barney character, spending all of his time eagerly pursuing one night stands, threesomes, and generally all the sex he can handle. While this is amusing when Barney does it, to have two characters with the same M.O. is too much; it is overkill. Further, this just leaves Robin being awkward, which is not really enjoyable to watch the "pretty girl" of the show doing. Marshall and Lily are now married, so they're not even really pushing towards something anymore.

Further, everyone seems to be cheering Ted's sexual escapades on, which makes the show lose the cuteness factor that, in my opinion, was critical to its success. Season 1 had Ted pining for Robin, and season 2 featured Ted with Robin. Both of these scenarios were great to watch because you could see how in love with Robin Ted was, and that was endearing. Now it's just Ted with random girls, which is neither cute nor endearing, clever nor amusing. But I guess he's got to fill his empty life with something, right?

While there are still funny points to the show, overall, I'm just sad about it, because I think it has such potential. And that probably tells you more about me than I could ever write.

Sometimes We All Need to Feel Like the Hero

As I sit at my computer feverishly entering and revising data before month's end so as to not get into trouble with my superiors for, whether feverishly or not, not having entered and revised said data, I look up and notice that the clock has struck twelve. A smile creeps across my face as I realize that, on this midnight following Halloween, I will neither be bothered by ghosts or ghouls nor turned into a pumpkin so that a child with a dull knife can go to town on me.

Nope, I smile because I've done all that I can do. I've said my piece. I've given' her all she's got, Captain. Had I a hat and jacket, I would slowly rise myself from my keyboard, put them on, and walk deliberately to my car, while the music crescendoes and the screen fades to black.

Welcome to November.