Get Up Off The Mat

I hope that you were lucky enough to miss what was posted here before. It was a misery-ridden, self-pitying pile of refuse. I was in a screenwriting competition, I did not make the finals, I was disappointed, I had a fairly strong flare of self-doubt, and, like an IDIOT, I immediately posted it on the internet. 

It sucks to lose. And yeah, I don't think I'll ever lose that part of me that says "you suck, you should give up." But I'm certainly not going to let it rule my blog. Fuck that.

Do like Isaac Jaffe says. Get up off the mat.

I couldn't find a clip of that particular moment in the show, but here's another good Isaac moment.

No Country for Clever Titles

I was in a craptastical mood yesterday but I got by with a little help from my friends. Some random good things.

• I may have forgotten to mention, but I had an opportunity to pass on the good karma last week. While rocking out at the Schocholautte show, something caught my eye on the ground, near where I was bouncing around. Closer inspection revealed it to be an iPhone, which I immediately turned over to the bartender and it was immediately claimed by  a guy standing nearby who thanked me and bought me a drink. After having my wallet returned, it was the least I could do. You see, nice things do happen in New York.
• MarioKart, MarioKart, MarioKart. I am obsessed. Also, Wii Fit is just about here! YAY! OMG when did I become a gamer?
• Gawker had this amusing Extinction Timeline.
• This amusing story about Jason Giambi's magic gold thong, which apparently is not working.
• And if you're in Germany, look out for Klaus the forklift driver. This thing deserves an Academy Award nomination for short film :) It's a safety video Sam Raimi would make.

More Inappropriate Puppet Humor Than Avenue Q

Today's Happy Thoughts:

• My taco lunch was a success. Every month, someone in the office brings in lunch for everyone. May was my turn so I made this pork-and-pineapple taco recipe that I had never made before and it came out wonderfully and everyone loved it. In fact, one of my coworkers is making himself another helping right now!
• As my office kicks ass, we got to have margaritas with lunch. And the guy who mixed them made them kinda strong. Whee!
• I love my new Bitten t-shirt that I'm wearing today. I know it's kind of odd to show love for something as simple as a t-shirt but it fits great, looks great, and is super soft. I'ma go get some more after work, they're only $9!
• I have a feeling about tonight, that it is going to be an awesome night. The Schocholautte Girl Groupies will be getting together before the show for dinner to bond outside of the band and I think the show is going to kick everyone's ass.
• And for a little humor, this is what happens when a conversation on a discussion board spills over into your band rehearsal and 4 beers later someone says, "Hey, I've got a video camera." Ladies and gentlemen, my friend Jeremy (the one on the left) singing "If You Had To Fuck a Muppet" (extremely NSFW)
  

That's All She Wrote

The show, she is over. Much to my great relief. It was fun and it had it's moments. It was also tough. Our leading man became an increasingly bigger jackass over time to the point that everyone wanted to smack, strangle, and otherwise maim him. Apparently he had many choice words to say about me behind my back, which our director wisely kept from me until after he'd cleared the building following the last show. The gratitude, I say, for coming in and doing a fantastic job under serious pressure at the expense of almost all of my free time, is ASTONISHING.

The show went...well. For what it was. People who came seemed to enjoy it. Lots of loved ones came from great distances to see it which was super-flattering and I almost felt kind of bad. I was not super-proud of the show. It was outdated and kind of a dinky story. It's not the show I would choose if I were to direct, nor is it the show I would choose to represent myself. At any rate, it's past.

And now what? Well, stuff. There are some events to be planned this summer. I'm attempting to hammer out vacation plans with Kris though I do have some...hesitations shall we say. And I really want to get back to the Nicoffeine remake. Which will of course require effort on my part. I feel...

To be honest, I feel 30 bearing down on me. Not like "oh God, it's coming, I'm gonna be OLD!" because that's not it. I have plenty of lovely friends who have already hit that benchmark and are by no means OLD. It's more that I'm running out of time where it's just me and what I want. And in that time I need to accomplish a certain amount. Hopefully enough to allow me to still continue to do what I want, once I have others' needs to consider. You shouldn't take this as some cryptic sign that I'm pregnant or on the verge of marriage or about to buy a house. But these are all things I want, sooner or later, and I'd like to not have to give up films to get those or vice versa. 

Happy Thoughts of the Day:

• The show is over and I have my life back.
• I get to go away this weekend and, God willing, relax.
• I have orchestrated a meeting of both families, to be held next weekend. It's important to me and something I've wanted for a while.
• I'm making pork-and-pineapple tacos for the office tomorrow and fully intend to blow them away. 
• I'm going out to dinner tomorrow night with Haley Jane and Marissa. Awesome first because, it means it's one of those rare nights where I don't have to entertain myself for hours between work and a gig. Awesome second because I get to bond with the girls outside of a band-related environment. Hee!
• Work is showing signs that I might get to do something interesting requiring brain function soon.
• I'm on Twitter. Please come follow me. I am totally a technology whore/Sarah's bitch who does whatever she's told.

For Sarah

Actually for anyone who needs something fun to watch. This is a soda-and-candy-powered Rube Goldberg contraption featuring two of Sarah's favorite things: Christmas and the Mythbusters. And she needs a bit of cheering up today :)

There are a bunch more featured here. As you can tell, I have jack to do at work today and am slightly resentful of the fact that I am even here since I have a show to do tonight. I haven't been this bored/resentful since the bad old days at the Big Grey Corporate Publishing House. Please, just let me go home and have a nice weekend, eh?

Getting Good

Things have decidedly settled since my last post. The first weekend of the show is over and done with. People keep asking me how it went and all I can muster is a 'fine,' which is true. It was fine. I did  have those super, opening night jitters, that was fun, but I think it was more of a reflex than actually being excited. It may just be that because I have been in the cast for such a short time, I haven't had enough time to become emotionally invested in the show. It may be that the show itself is kind of a dinky show and I have really only bonded with half the cast. It may be that I am So. Over. Acting. Either way, this feels more like work than anything. Not entirely un-fun work, but I'll be glad when I can get back to doing what I want to do.

That being said, the show has gone well, been received well, and been fun overall to do. I hope more people will come see it. I guess no matter what I'm doing, I'll always be desperate for others' approval :)

Work has been boring, though I may finally get to work on a decent solid project starting very soon. Things have been slowly turning around financially. And there are some fun things up on the horizon, including a weekend away, a long overdue Meet the Family BBQ on Memorial Day weekend, and Kris's sister's baby shower.

In general, things have been OK. Good, even, and getting better. Life, like the weather, is improving.

Happy Thoughts:

• Check out my new favorite band, Orba Squara. You've probably heard their stuff on a commercial, for iPhone or for Flat Earth Veggie Chips. They're neat. It's rare when I get to discover a new band, independent of anyone I know.
• I am in for a fun night. First, I will go shopping at the store where everything's on sale for no more than $8.98. Then, I will try a new kind of cuisine. And at long last I will get to hear my really most favorite band (plus this guy) at a new venue (for them). It's been too long since I got to see my man drum. It's gonna be a good night.