I was scheduled to be in the Arnold Saturday at 7pm. I was also scheduled to be in the Saturday afternoon improv class that day as well. Well, Christmas day came along and the roads were packed...with snow. Classes were cancled by John...but the shows remained a go for the time. Saturday afternoon, my friend Chris came and helped me shovel snow off of the driveway.
Note to Self: I need to get a good shovel and a good pair of snow boots. This will keep the snow from falling again if I'm actually prepaired for it...that's how it always worked while I was still in public school.
Around 3pm, the snow was coming back down and everything that had been shoveled was starting to get covered again. I told Chris that I had a feeling that trying to get out to Bonner that night might be futile. No more than 5 minutes later, John called me to tell me that the shows were canceled because roads were still bad in Bonner. This made me feel relieved a bit because I didn't have to worry about getting out there that night. So Chris and I "finished up" what we could do and I took him to get lunch as part of the deal. I had promised $20-$30 and/or lunch to anyone who would help me shovel the snow. Before getting lunch, I gave Nifer a call to ask about the Sunday class. At the time, the class for Sunday was still on and she would call before noon on Sunday if she decided to cancel.
By the way, I know Nifer is responsable enough to let everyone from class know if she were to cancel. But with the driveway still needing to be finished (and redone what was already done because of the added snow) I wanted to have a plan of action to work with. If she had canceled the class, I probably wouldn't have cared. But class was still on, so Chris and I went across the street to a hardware store to get a snow shovel.
Note to self: Snow shovel: Check. Now to concern myself with getting some snow boots.
Sunday morning came. My family and I didn't get to church because of the condition of the driveway (and maybe even the rodes). Chris came back to help me finish the driveway. When we had the last 1/7 of the driveway to finish, a neighbor of ours (I'm not sure who or where he lives though...I only assume that he lives down the street) pulled his tractor into the driveway, lowered a pull shovel in back of his tractor, and cleared off the last 1/7. All we had left to clean off was the sides of the driveway where the cars had to drive over. Thanks to the help of this guy, Chris coming back to help some finish the job, and me having a new snow shovel, we got the driveway finished between 11:05am and about 1:25pm (with a 5 minute break around noon).
Nifer's class continued as scheduled. But it was just myself and Chris in class. So we did some quick warm ups and a few scenes and then at break, Nifer practiced some of her coffee making skills on Chris and I...and John popped up and had some coffee as well. I had a hot chocolate...by the way, I was Nifer's first hot chocolate customer...and by that, she said that she hadn't even ever made any for herself. Anyway, after break we got back together and discussed what we're going to be doing in our show coming up in about a month. Oh, did I mention we're having a show? Yes, we're having a show coming up in a month for an hour followed by an hour of Dial-A-Show! It's Saturday the 23rd and it's also got 92 Monsters at 9pm!
Tune in soon for anything concerning Monday night improv.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Warren Zevon title album Part 1
Here is my first new Warren Zevon video in over a year. The THE WIND album overview was originally made last December. I stop making the videos because I was having trouble with loading them on YouTube. I made this video this last week.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Christmas 2009
Okay, so, we've had a blizzard yesterday/lastnight/today. It sucked. Just the fact that it snowed sucked. I hate snow with a passion because of how much it represents death and distruction and depression and dispair. I'm so tired of everyone gushing over and making love to snow and commenting on how "beautiful" it is. Then, they get onto me for bashing snow. If you had a huge snarling monster running around killing everyone and stepping on dogs and eating them for breakfast, would you gush over the moster and call it beautiful? No. Yet, I'm the only one presenting the true light of the snow and I'm getting treated like a monster...and yet, their still complaining about being "pinned in". Well, don't cry to me, okay. I was the one who was dreaming of a green Christmas.
However, I did want to pass along and mention what I got for Christmas. The very first thing I opened was a new wrist watch! Yea! I haven't had a watch in about 6 months because the rubber broke (I use velcro wrist bands and the loop is rubber). I also got a guitar calender and many DVDs: Terminator Salvation, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, STAR TREK (the new movie), Star Trek Fan Collective: Q and Star Trek Fan Collective: Captain's Log.
Oh, and I've got money too. But you usually don't mention that when you're saying what you got.
Oh, and I found out today that my improv class is canceled tomorrow. There is a slight chance that the show will be canceled as well due to the weather. I'm hoping that the streets...side streets at that...will be plowed tomorrow...and I also home some neighborhood children will be willing to make $20-$30 in shoveling the driveway pay. The snow is too deep for my shoes. I should get some winter boots. Then, it won't snow anymore. That's how it always worked out when I was younger.
However, I did want to pass along and mention what I got for Christmas. The very first thing I opened was a new wrist watch! Yea! I haven't had a watch in about 6 months because the rubber broke (I use velcro wrist bands and the loop is rubber). I also got a guitar calender and many DVDs: Terminator Salvation, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, STAR TREK (the new movie), Star Trek Fan Collective: Q and Star Trek Fan Collective: Captain's Log.
Oh, and I've got money too. But you usually don't mention that when you're saying what you got.
Oh, and I found out today that my improv class is canceled tomorrow. There is a slight chance that the show will be canceled as well due to the weather. I'm hoping that the streets...side streets at that...will be plowed tomorrow...and I also home some neighborhood children will be willing to make $20-$30 in shoveling the driveway pay. The snow is too deep for my shoes. I should get some winter boots. Then, it won't snow anymore. That's how it always worked out when I was younger.
$25,000 R060t P@r@d3 Part 2
Okay, well, I never updated and I don't remember too much. Let's see what I remember:
Saturday's show was $25,000 Pyramid. I found out that I knew more about gambling than I thought, I knew absolutely nothing about herbs, and Nifer and Jessica (who Nifer was partnered with first) know a decent amout of Star Trek stuff. Anyway, second half had a mishap. I won't go into it but there was an injury that led to a 5-10 minute break (from the show, not in the injury). But there was an R.I. Spectacular show that went really well...from the point of view of an audience member. After the shows, we watched Dragon's Lair...it was fantasy before fantasy had a budget to work with and before the late Stan Winston had a studio...he's the guy who did the Dino effects in Jurassic Park and the T-1000 effects in Terminator 2: Judgemend Day.
Sunday: Regular church service and then came home and got ready to go to Nifer's class (finally, once again after a one week hiatus because of graduation). I think I did some leaps in that class. I tried to get myself to cry a few times.
Monday: In class, John tried the method actor approach on a few of us to get us to react the right way. Also, at one point I was a hit man for the secret service trying to protect the president's daughter. This was kind of a mistake because I took information I was given and interprated it a certain way that just caused confusion. But, I got to be a ghost for all of three seconds in a haunted library. Also, in the second half, we're now working with the iPod/mp3 shuffle that Omega Directive and Red Rubber Ball has used. Yea! In the end, I realized that something I need to do is to find the balance in my "Yes...and" responses. Sometimes, I'm too logical and sometimes I'm too "out there" wacky. A balence needs to be met. I've got both extreames and so somewhere in the middle can and needs to be found.
Finally, it's officially Christmas now. So whoever comes across my blog, I hope you have a Merry Christmas.
Saturday's show was $25,000 Pyramid. I found out that I knew more about gambling than I thought, I knew absolutely nothing about herbs, and Nifer and Jessica (who Nifer was partnered with first) know a decent amout of Star Trek stuff. Anyway, second half had a mishap. I won't go into it but there was an injury that led to a 5-10 minute break (from the show, not in the injury). But there was an R.I. Spectacular show that went really well...from the point of view of an audience member. After the shows, we watched Dragon's Lair...it was fantasy before fantasy had a budget to work with and before the late Stan Winston had a studio...he's the guy who did the Dino effects in Jurassic Park and the T-1000 effects in Terminator 2: Judgemend Day.
Sunday: Regular church service and then came home and got ready to go to Nifer's class (finally, once again after a one week hiatus because of graduation). I think I did some leaps in that class. I tried to get myself to cry a few times.
Monday: In class, John tried the method actor approach on a few of us to get us to react the right way. Also, at one point I was a hit man for the secret service trying to protect the president's daughter. This was kind of a mistake because I took information I was given and interprated it a certain way that just caused confusion. But, I got to be a ghost for all of three seconds in a haunted library. Also, in the second half, we're now working with the iPod/mp3 shuffle that Omega Directive and Red Rubber Ball has used. Yea! In the end, I realized that something I need to do is to find the balance in my "Yes...and" responses. Sometimes, I'm too logical and sometimes I'm too "out there" wacky. A balence needs to be met. I've got both extreames and so somewhere in the middle can and needs to be found.
Finally, it's officially Christmas now. So whoever comes across my blog, I hope you have a Merry Christmas.
Monday, December 21, 2009
$25,000 R0b0t P@r@d3 Part 1
I'll just briefly sum up this last weekend. Friday night was Robot Parade. Due to illness, another improv show in town, and simply not being ready, the cast consisted of Nifer, Julie, Jenifer, Ashley, Chante', and myself...with some guidence from John. So I wound up being the only guy from class in the show...and no, I'm not complaining. However, looking back, I don't think I performed much in the first half. The most I remember was being in a few Roving Imp Shows and a celebraty location which had myself and Chante' playing Elvis (assuming Presley) in Camelot. I think the most interesting thing I did was die...but fake my death.
In the second half, we continued to play 7-Minutes In Heaven. But we started with a cocktail party with the suggestion "Past Jobs". By the way, Chante' and Nifer are both unemployed currently and I, as I stated at the beginning of what I said, had been financially unemployed for the past 261/2 years. I went on to tell about my expierence with Borders and Blockbuster...both the Shawnee branch. However, most of the stories involved poop. One had to deal with teaching high schoolers about Viagra...and water towers that were huge...and being in a small town...you know, double meanings and what not. The very last scene was "AND MY POOP LOOKED LIKE THIS". So I came out and said, "and it looked just...like...me..." Then John called scene and asked for the moral.
Saturday in class, we worked with the Harold and the suggestion of "False sense of Security." We gave a monologue opener and then did the 3 groups of scene and game, 3 groups of scene and game, 3 groups of scene. The one that I was in was I was in an office but I had an issue with "the yellow man" because my charicter had faught in 3 wars in South East Asia...WWII, Korean, and Vietnam...and the guy couldn't get over the fact that he thought it was still 1958...while it was 2009...and he had to put up with the fact that you first of all, had to call "the yellow man" Asians and second, get over the fact that they weren't a threat. In the second beat, it was 1958 and I was in Korea...and I was exactly the same as I was back in 2009. It's been a while since I've had to work with a charicter who is the same person but changes over time. Lately in both classes, our charicters have been entirely different people from the start of the long form to the end. I need to get used to the idea of changing a charicter while still being the same one...changed over time instead of different physical person entirely.
Anyway, I'll talk about $25,000 Pyramid and the rest of Saturday and Sunday and my Monday night class after I get home from class.
In the second half, we continued to play 7-Minutes In Heaven. But we started with a cocktail party with the suggestion "Past Jobs". By the way, Chante' and Nifer are both unemployed currently and I, as I stated at the beginning of what I said, had been financially unemployed for the past 261/2 years. I went on to tell about my expierence with Borders and Blockbuster...both the Shawnee branch. However, most of the stories involved poop. One had to deal with teaching high schoolers about Viagra...and water towers that were huge...and being in a small town...you know, double meanings and what not. The very last scene was "AND MY POOP LOOKED LIKE THIS". So I came out and said, "and it looked just...like...me..." Then John called scene and asked for the moral.
Saturday in class, we worked with the Harold and the suggestion of "False sense of Security." We gave a monologue opener and then did the 3 groups of scene and game, 3 groups of scene and game, 3 groups of scene. The one that I was in was I was in an office but I had an issue with "the yellow man" because my charicter had faught in 3 wars in South East Asia...WWII, Korean, and Vietnam...and the guy couldn't get over the fact that he thought it was still 1958...while it was 2009...and he had to put up with the fact that you first of all, had to call "the yellow man" Asians and second, get over the fact that they weren't a threat. In the second beat, it was 1958 and I was in Korea...and I was exactly the same as I was back in 2009. It's been a while since I've had to work with a charicter who is the same person but changes over time. Lately in both classes, our charicters have been entirely different people from the start of the long form to the end. I need to get used to the idea of changing a charicter while still being the same one...changed over time instead of different physical person entirely.
Anyway, I'll talk about $25,000 Pyramid and the rest of Saturday and Sunday and my Monday night class after I get home from class.
Friday, December 18, 2009
$25,000 Pyramid
I had a rehearsal tonight for $25,000 Pyramid that will be shown Saturday at 7pm. The celebraties are myself (from 92 Monsters) and Nifer (in pretty much everything...but representing Biblioclast). In rehearsal, it was boys vs. girls. In the first round I started with Justin and ended with Patrick, who had a tag team. It was the other way around for the second half. Nifer had Jenifer Harmon before break and Julie Robison after break. I don't know how it will be on Saturday. But I found out that apparently, a camode isn't a toilet just for handicapped people (I thought it was)...but it's not the bathtub either.
Anyway, after rehearsal, we sat around and talked for a while and then played Scottland Yard. It's a mind baffaler.
Anyway, after rehearsal, we sat around and talked for a while and then played Scottland Yard. It's a mind baffaler.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Barenaked Ladies
I saw Barenaked Ladies tonight. They were awesome! I never saw Barenaked Ladies before...not live anyway.
By the way, for those who don't know, Barenaked Ladies in this blog update refers to the band that is known for the song "One Week". I'm not refering to hot girls wearing nothing but what they had on when they were born....just for the record.
By the way, for those who don't know, Barenaked Ladies in this blog update refers to the band that is known for the song "One Week". I'm not refering to hot girls wearing nothing but what they had on when they were born....just for the record.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Offically a college graduate...Officially
Weekend update going back to Friday:
Okay, well Friday night, I was in the tech booth for Coma Chamilion and then I was in the audience for Dictionary Soup. This was Keith Curtis's return to The Roving Imp since 1)Imp Fest and 2)the birth of his baby girl somewhere around a month ago.
SIDE NOTE: I was reading Jenifer Harmon's blog update about working tech for Anomoly Orange and I was inspired to write a blog update about working tech at the Roving Imp based upon my own personal expierence. Look for this someday hopefully this week.
Anyway, in Coma Chamilion, the animal was an Austrailian ant eater that's a mamal but leaghs eggs. The Coma part had Nifer in a coma because she was hit in the head with a lead pipe. My choice to black out on Chamilion was when they had become ants again and they were all on stage talking about odd things to their species as ants...which was done early on for them as ant eaters. As the person running the lights, it had gone full circle. In Coma, I dim the lights back and forth. I had problems a few times. But other than that, they worked out for the most part.
In Dictionary Soup, Tom Kessler and I put in most of the suggestions that were pulled in the first half. There were a few that were not ours but we had most of them...which took care of all of the first half. In the second half, there was a friend of Julie's who got to pick the word.
By the way, let me say (possably once again) that Dictionary Soup and Biblioclast are tied as my favorite shows...but in voting, I put Dictionary Soup first. Dictionary Soup was the first show to make anyone laugh and cry in one show. John and Keith are able to connect on an emotional level with eachother in a way that makes me jelious as an improvisor. There was a show once in which one of them was a charicter that gets inside the other and comes out as poop. And they still had humanly realisitic emotional connections with eachother as human and poop.
Anyway, after the shows, a few of us stayed around and watched Muppets Christmas Carol for Biblioclast Saturday night.
Saturday: For starters, I shave for the first time in about 2 weeks. Then, I went on out to the Imp for workshop. We got to play Let's Get Stupid again. I had asked John to keep an eye on my YES...ANDing because I tend to get logical with my anding every now and then. I've been afraid to start anding for a while. Now, I've learned to try it because usually my anding's turn out to be fun. Every now and then, I tend to throw logic in to my and's. However, one scene I was in with Nifer involved TV shows. She started as saying she was watching Dharma and Greg and that our lives were like theirs. Then we sprouted off TV shows. (I need to watch more TV shows by the way). Anyway, we went next door to Red Fortune and then came back and got ready for shows. I was in the audience for both shows. The first was Anomoly Orange's last show at the Roving Imp for this decade...presenting their new long form: The Office. Then 9pm was Biblioclast.
The Office was a long form that Jessica Robins came up with. My personal opinion was that it was like a Shakespearien Romantic Comedy for the modern day. It wasn't as long, nor did it have any cross dressing. But it did have other Shakespearien comedy elements...like mistaken identaty/ideas and a confused love interest that doesn't know how to manifest itself until a lot of quibbeling (done half way through in stead of at the end though) and a fool...who was actually a news anchor for Fox News. It was the first one publically shown so I'm not sure how the format works on a show to show bases. But I'm interested in seeing how.
Biblioclast, which is second only when the shows have to be numbered in a survey but otherwise too close to Dictionary Soup to not be a tie in my opinion of shows, started with the magnetic board. about 3/7 of the ideas there were mine. Then in the 2nd half, was the main show and then the drawed suggestion was Dodgeball for next month. By the way, this wasn't my suggestion. I wouldn't want to put them through that torture.
Anyway, after shows, we played the Extreame Edition of The Game of Life.
Sunday: I didn't go to Nifer's class today. Instead, I went with my mom and grandma up to Lawrence to walk across the stage and be like hey, I graduated. My sister was there with her youngest son and my friend Zach was there as well. I was feeling really down about it. And by down, I mean in a "it wouldn't be that big of a deal if I died in a horindeous car accident" type of down. That actually all changed becuase after I got signed in, I got a call from a certain someone...randomly...wanting to congradulate me and talk about meeting up sometime. We weren't able to talk long because of time and what not. But it did change my outlook.
Anyway, the ceramony lasted about an hour. Then my grandma, mom and I got dinner and came home.
That was my weekend.
Okay, well Friday night, I was in the tech booth for Coma Chamilion and then I was in the audience for Dictionary Soup. This was Keith Curtis's return to The Roving Imp since 1)Imp Fest and 2)the birth of his baby girl somewhere around a month ago.
SIDE NOTE: I was reading Jenifer Harmon's blog update about working tech for Anomoly Orange and I was inspired to write a blog update about working tech at the Roving Imp based upon my own personal expierence. Look for this someday hopefully this week.
Anyway, in Coma Chamilion, the animal was an Austrailian ant eater that's a mamal but leaghs eggs. The Coma part had Nifer in a coma because she was hit in the head with a lead pipe. My choice to black out on Chamilion was when they had become ants again and they were all on stage talking about odd things to their species as ants...which was done early on for them as ant eaters. As the person running the lights, it had gone full circle. In Coma, I dim the lights back and forth. I had problems a few times. But other than that, they worked out for the most part.
In Dictionary Soup, Tom Kessler and I put in most of the suggestions that were pulled in the first half. There were a few that were not ours but we had most of them...which took care of all of the first half. In the second half, there was a friend of Julie's who got to pick the word.
By the way, let me say (possably once again) that Dictionary Soup and Biblioclast are tied as my favorite shows...but in voting, I put Dictionary Soup first. Dictionary Soup was the first show to make anyone laugh and cry in one show. John and Keith are able to connect on an emotional level with eachother in a way that makes me jelious as an improvisor. There was a show once in which one of them was a charicter that gets inside the other and comes out as poop. And they still had humanly realisitic emotional connections with eachother as human and poop.
Anyway, after the shows, a few of us stayed around and watched Muppets Christmas Carol for Biblioclast Saturday night.
Saturday: For starters, I shave for the first time in about 2 weeks. Then, I went on out to the Imp for workshop. We got to play Let's Get Stupid again. I had asked John to keep an eye on my YES...ANDing because I tend to get logical with my anding every now and then. I've been afraid to start anding for a while. Now, I've learned to try it because usually my anding's turn out to be fun. Every now and then, I tend to throw logic in to my and's. However, one scene I was in with Nifer involved TV shows. She started as saying she was watching Dharma and Greg and that our lives were like theirs. Then we sprouted off TV shows. (I need to watch more TV shows by the way). Anyway, we went next door to Red Fortune and then came back and got ready for shows. I was in the audience for both shows. The first was Anomoly Orange's last show at the Roving Imp for this decade...presenting their new long form: The Office. Then 9pm was Biblioclast.
The Office was a long form that Jessica Robins came up with. My personal opinion was that it was like a Shakespearien Romantic Comedy for the modern day. It wasn't as long, nor did it have any cross dressing. But it did have other Shakespearien comedy elements...like mistaken identaty/ideas and a confused love interest that doesn't know how to manifest itself until a lot of quibbeling (done half way through in stead of at the end though) and a fool...who was actually a news anchor for Fox News. It was the first one publically shown so I'm not sure how the format works on a show to show bases. But I'm interested in seeing how.
Biblioclast, which is second only when the shows have to be numbered in a survey but otherwise too close to Dictionary Soup to not be a tie in my opinion of shows, started with the magnetic board. about 3/7 of the ideas there were mine. Then in the 2nd half, was the main show and then the drawed suggestion was Dodgeball for next month. By the way, this wasn't my suggestion. I wouldn't want to put them through that torture.
Anyway, after shows, we played the Extreame Edition of The Game of Life.
Sunday: I didn't go to Nifer's class today. Instead, I went with my mom and grandma up to Lawrence to walk across the stage and be like hey, I graduated. My sister was there with her youngest son and my friend Zach was there as well. I was feeling really down about it. And by down, I mean in a "it wouldn't be that big of a deal if I died in a horindeous car accident" type of down. That actually all changed becuase after I got signed in, I got a call from a certain someone...randomly...wanting to congradulate me and talk about meeting up sometime. We weren't able to talk long because of time and what not. But it did change my outlook.
Anyway, the ceramony lasted about an hour. Then my grandma, mom and I got dinner and came home.
That was my weekend.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Bring it down slowly...TOO SLOW!
I love going to the Roving Imp. Have I mentioned that before here on this blog? Because if I haven't, I do. Tonight was a rehearsal for ONE and Coma Chamilion. I'm not in either show but I am in the booth for both of them. In ONE, the location was a Mad Scientist's Lab. All of the years and charicters were conected and continued through to future dates. The ONE person was a guy named Bill (some Italian last name that I can't remeber) who sales used cars, is married to a woman who keeps having children through his best friend and a Mexican uncle who has been in prison so he's been REALLY lonely to the nth degree.
Tech wise, what I do for these shows is I usually black out at the end. For the most part, that's all I do so it's not very tech heavy. Strangely enough, this has been the one that was the hardest for me to grasp the blackout...but the first ONE that I teched was during the ImpFest and there was an issue with the camera that left me not sure where to end. But 2 months later, I feel confident.
Anyway, during the Coma Chamilion rehearsal, they did 2 animals. The first was my suggestion which was a Red Breased Boobie (which came up in a DANG game a while back and there was an issue on if it was really Blue Footed Boobie or if the Red Breased one actually existed...I looked it up on the computer at home and it actually existed...but this is back story now.) That went well tech wise and then they did a crab...which also went well tech wise.
The Coma part uses lights more. The person is in a coma, they say why (Chante' was ran through with a Christmas tree or something like that) and then they are visited in the hospital by someone. The visiter says something and then lights down...lights back up on the dream of the coma patient. After a few scenes, it's lights out. Lights back up and another visiter is seeing them in the hospital. The fade on the light board is slow. This was a problem at the Imp Fest (for me anyway...always remember that in my mind, problems are blown out of proportian more than they really are) in which I had started to dim but someone came on stage so I had to hold off blacking out completely. We worked some with this and this is where the title comes from. I was bringing the lights down and I would go too fast. Then, I went too slow. Finally, I got it just right. I like blackout because it will black out right away. The fadeing changes slowly.
Anyway, that show and Dictionary Soup (which is my favorite show at the Roving Imp when I have to count down but tied very very close to Biblioclast) are tomorrow night and then Anomoly Orange and Biblioclast is Saturday night.
Tech wise, what I do for these shows is I usually black out at the end. For the most part, that's all I do so it's not very tech heavy. Strangely enough, this has been the one that was the hardest for me to grasp the blackout...but the first ONE that I teched was during the ImpFest and there was an issue with the camera that left me not sure where to end. But 2 months later, I feel confident.
Anyway, during the Coma Chamilion rehearsal, they did 2 animals. The first was my suggestion which was a Red Breased Boobie (which came up in a DANG game a while back and there was an issue on if it was really Blue Footed Boobie or if the Red Breased one actually existed...I looked it up on the computer at home and it actually existed...but this is back story now.) That went well tech wise and then they did a crab...which also went well tech wise.
The Coma part uses lights more. The person is in a coma, they say why (Chante' was ran through with a Christmas tree or something like that) and then they are visited in the hospital by someone. The visiter says something and then lights down...lights back up on the dream of the coma patient. After a few scenes, it's lights out. Lights back up and another visiter is seeing them in the hospital. The fade on the light board is slow. This was a problem at the Imp Fest (for me anyway...always remember that in my mind, problems are blown out of proportian more than they really are) in which I had started to dim but someone came on stage so I had to hold off blacking out completely. We worked some with this and this is where the title comes from. I was bringing the lights down and I would go too fast. Then, I went too slow. Finally, I got it just right. I like blackout because it will black out right away. The fadeing changes slowly.
Anyway, that show and Dictionary Soup (which is my favorite show at the Roving Imp when I have to count down but tied very very close to Biblioclast) are tomorrow night and then Anomoly Orange and Biblioclast is Saturday night.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
It snowed...
And I really hate snow. And quite frankly, I can't really remember ever liking snow. There were times we would get about 6" of snow and they would not cancel school. Then when I was in high school, we would get ice storms where the ice was 2" thick and they wouldn't cancel school and my mom would be mad at me for having to go to school...she would have to go to work and therefore, have to leave even extra early to drop me off at school. Every now and then, we'd get the surprise storms that no one knew what to do because they'd come right after an Indian Summer (days in January where it gets up to 65-75) and then temps plummet to 25 and rain.
When I went to JCCC, they hardly ever canceled for snow. It would snow about 2 or so inches and they still would not cancle and people like to act like they can drive in snow but they don't know how to do so. A drive that usually took 30 minutes would take about 65 minutes. Then KU NEVER canceled at all. The only time they actually canceled was when there was a microburst in March of 2006. Then they canceled when the Men's Basketball won the championship in April of 2008. One or two times, a class was canceled because of weather, but more often than not, there wasn't a snow closing...I'd have to tell my teachers that I commuted and if it snows too much, I may have to miss class.
So yes, I got to the point where I just absolutely hate snow and I curse snow all the time whether it snows or not.
When I went to JCCC, they hardly ever canceled for snow. It would snow about 2 or so inches and they still would not cancle and people like to act like they can drive in snow but they don't know how to do so. A drive that usually took 30 minutes would take about 65 minutes. Then KU NEVER canceled at all. The only time they actually canceled was when there was a microburst in March of 2006. Then they canceled when the Men's Basketball won the championship in April of 2008. One or two times, a class was canceled because of weather, but more often than not, there wasn't a snow closing...I'd have to tell my teachers that I commuted and if it snows too much, I may have to miss class.
So yes, I got to the point where I just absolutely hate snow and I curse snow all the time whether it snows or not.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Rightiouson Disease
I had Rightiouson's Disease tonight during improv class. I can't remember which scene it got mentioned but the scene wound up having me getting very movey with my head and neck and jerking a lot and I said I had Rightiouson's Disease. As I said it, I was thinking of the disease that Michael J. Fox has but I couldn't think of the name...actually, I had two ideas of the name in mind. I didn't want to say the "wrong" disease. So instead, I made of a disease that doesn't exist. This offered me freedom in two ways. The first way was that, since it sounds like the name of a disease that could exist but just simply doesn't, I got freedom to do whatever with it. (Eventually, it got me...in another scene...up on a block doing a two step while windmilling my arms like a member of The Who on guitar while still jerking most of my body). The second freedom it allowed me was not exactly improv related, but gave me something that wouldn't offend anyone in the audience if it were a show.
The improv take on offence...at least what I've been told...the best idea is to not go out of your way to offend people...and if you're going to do so, play the heck out of the offensive thing. If you're playing a charicter in an improv scene who's a total racist, play that racist to the fullest...you're not making fun of the race that the racist is making fun of, you're making fun of the racist himself. And don't do it apolgetically...the audience can tell that you're not the offensive one if you over play the one who is being offensive to the max.
This is how I interprated how it's been told to me.
Anyway, for the portion in which we got out challenge, I was given the challenge to do a celebraty impersonation and make it real...not make the celebraty real but to play them as a real character. I didn't do it well but I tried for Christopher Walken...mainly because I've never played him before.
The improv take on offence...at least what I've been told...the best idea is to not go out of your way to offend people...and if you're going to do so, play the heck out of the offensive thing. If you're playing a charicter in an improv scene who's a total racist, play that racist to the fullest...you're not making fun of the race that the racist is making fun of, you're making fun of the racist himself. And don't do it apolgetically...the audience can tell that you're not the offensive one if you over play the one who is being offensive to the max.
This is how I interprated how it's been told to me.
Anyway, for the portion in which we got out challenge, I was given the challenge to do a celebraty impersonation and make it real...not make the celebraty real but to play them as a real character. I didn't do it well but I tried for Christopher Walken...mainly because I've never played him before.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
It's Not Winter Yet!
And already there's snow predicted. I hate snow. There is anywhere from a trace to 2 feet or so predicted for Sunday...a trace and 2 feet is a huge difference between whether or not I can get out...specifically to Bonner Springs for Nifer's improv class.
But the main snow storm is scheduled for Tuesday. If I must, I'll put up with snow Tuesday since I've got no where to be that day.
But the main snow storm is scheduled for Tuesday. If I must, I'll put up with snow Tuesday since I've got no where to be that day.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Happy Place
I got to go to my happy place tonight. It's the Roving Imp theatre. I didn't even do any improv myself either. I was in the booth working tech for the rehearsal of It's Debatable. This is a very easy show to tech because the lights actually never black out. They dim and come up and dim again but there is no cue to black out. The topics for rehearsal involved replacing eyes with x-ray vision goggles. The second involved free sex and drugs for middle school children. But they are discussed in the style of a high school debate (I assume...I was never actually involved with debate in high school. I'm just going off the discription of the show).
After rehearsal, we all played a game called LIST. This is a game in which you get a topic and then you go around 2 times to get something with that list. For example, a topic would be favorite fruit. Suggestions would be like Apple, Pear, Pineapple, bananna, blueberry, grape, orange...anyway, we go around the circle of people twice and get 2 list. Then, we go around once and everyone chooses one to eliminate. Like blueberry and Pineapple would get eliminated. Then, we go around twice and vote for which one to win the main one...we vote for 2 of them...but 1 a round. I actually won one. It was Maggie Gyllenhaal for what female celebraty would you want to have as your naughty cuddle buddy. I've never won a list before but I never expected it to be that catagory.
Anyway, it was a fun night.
After rehearsal, we all played a game called LIST. This is a game in which you get a topic and then you go around 2 times to get something with that list. For example, a topic would be favorite fruit. Suggestions would be like Apple, Pear, Pineapple, bananna, blueberry, grape, orange...anyway, we go around the circle of people twice and get 2 list. Then, we go around once and everyone chooses one to eliminate. Like blueberry and Pineapple would get eliminated. Then, we go around twice and vote for which one to win the main one...we vote for 2 of them...but 1 a round. I actually won one. It was Maggie Gyllenhaal for what female celebraty would you want to have as your naughty cuddle buddy. I've never won a list before but I never expected it to be that catagory.
Anyway, it was a fun night.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
The Wind
This is the video overview I did for Warren Zevon's THE WIND. It was his last studio album. This is actually one that YouTube didn't really touch. But I removed it myself to keep it from being removed by YouTube.
Shot hazzard
Hey, here's an update that doesn't have anything to do with improv at all except for the mentioning of it in this sentence...
So, I went to church today to take care of the sign out front I've been taking care of since late September I think. This is not a weekly thing all the time but I still need to check every week. But today, at the south west corner of the bushes that the sign is between, there was an open needled surenge. I mentioned it to the office worker there I think mainly as a witness. She picked it up and said it looked like one for an inselin shot.
Frankly, I didn't care how or why it was there or what it was used for. I didn't like that it was an open needle (no covering I mean), lying around and almost hiding in the grass, and could easily be fallen onto/stepped on by some child who happened to be out playing. Should they be playing that close to the street? Probably not, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't. I know, because when I was younger, I had no fear. I rode my scooter (they used to be bigger and wider if you remember) down my street which sloped down towards the street of Lamar in Mission, KS. I lived 5 or 6 houses up the street then and the street was not even half a block from a major street.
Anyway, I just didn't like that the syrenge (or however it's spelled) was there in the first place.
So, I went to church today to take care of the sign out front I've been taking care of since late September I think. This is not a weekly thing all the time but I still need to check every week. But today, at the south west corner of the bushes that the sign is between, there was an open needled surenge. I mentioned it to the office worker there I think mainly as a witness. She picked it up and said it looked like one for an inselin shot.
Frankly, I didn't care how or why it was there or what it was used for. I didn't like that it was an open needle (no covering I mean), lying around and almost hiding in the grass, and could easily be fallen onto/stepped on by some child who happened to be out playing. Should they be playing that close to the street? Probably not, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't. I know, because when I was younger, I had no fear. I rode my scooter (they used to be bigger and wider if you remember) down my street which sloped down towards the street of Lamar in Mission, KS. I lived 5 or 6 houses up the street then and the street was not even half a block from a major street.
Anyway, I just didn't like that the syrenge (or however it's spelled) was there in the first place.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Defeating Bowser
It was stated in a facebook status update that someone needs time off from their time off-ness and I said that I used to get a lot done on my days off...like defeating Bowser. But now I associate time off with days I don't go to Bonner Springs so I just sit around and mope.
Anyway, in improv class tonight, (just go with that segway why don't you) I found out that while I'm getting better with my own facial expressions, I'm not great with picking up on my scene partner's facial expression. As it turns out, this is one of those things I suffer from by being a man. We did a game tonight that was simular to "wake-up" in which everyone had been in a coma type state but regain conciousness...but we act with eachother through facial and body language. In a scene I was in, Nifer was my partner who started out really happy. I picked up she was really happy but I didn't pick up on what she was happy about. Her smile, to me anyway and only to me, looked more like a cunning smile as though she knew a secret/did something to me that I didn't know. It went from there but I was obviously off from the get-go.
John had told me before that lack of comfort in showing facial expression is inherent in the evolution of man as a gender...though that wording is my interpretation of what he said. I found out today that it is likewise in reading the scene partner's facial expression...and apparently, so is the ability in doing a scene without words. Predominately, without words, I am screwed.
This is my challenge for the month. Besides improving upon my own facial expressions...something I've already started working on, I need to work on reading the expression of my fellow performer.
Anyway, in improv class tonight, (just go with that segway why don't you) I found out that while I'm getting better with my own facial expressions, I'm not great with picking up on my scene partner's facial expression. As it turns out, this is one of those things I suffer from by being a man. We did a game tonight that was simular to "wake-up" in which everyone had been in a coma type state but regain conciousness...but we act with eachother through facial and body language. In a scene I was in, Nifer was my partner who started out really happy. I picked up she was really happy but I didn't pick up on what she was happy about. Her smile, to me anyway and only to me, looked more like a cunning smile as though she knew a secret/did something to me that I didn't know. It went from there but I was obviously off from the get-go.
John had told me before that lack of comfort in showing facial expression is inherent in the evolution of man as a gender...though that wording is my interpretation of what he said. I found out today that it is likewise in reading the scene partner's facial expression...and apparently, so is the ability in doing a scene without words. Predominately, without words, I am screwed.
This is my challenge for the month. Besides improving upon my own facial expressions...something I've already started working on, I need to work on reading the expression of my fellow performer.
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