Bouncing Baby Girl

On this day of the year, some time ago, my parents gave birth to a baby girl. That baby girl would become my only sibling, my friend, my protector, and my confidant.

I say all this because my sister and I were raised in the military. Because of that, we moved to different parts of the country, and often would have to count on each other to be our first friend in a strange location. I believe this gave us a bond that some siblings miss out on, but something that has always been there, no matter how many miles separate us now.

I have great admiration for my sister and her ability to persist. You see, she has always been someone who has seen a direction for herself, and has made it happen. She is accomplished academically. She has always been revered in her workplace. She has overcome some great personal trials in her life, and some ongoing. None the less, she is always holding her head up and moving forward.

My sister is very generous. She will help and provide advice when ever she can. She will extend herself in whatever means she can.

Today, I honor my sister. For all the reasons listed and so much more, I wish her a very happy birthday. Here's to you!! I love you!

The Dark Opinion

Well, i have joined millions in being a viewer of...The Batman/The Joker. And if your wondering, yes, i have commentary... but not about the movie.

My commentary is about how you are treated when you don't agree with the populace on their majority opinion. It seems that people take The Batman very seriously.

For the sake of this commentary, my opinion of the movie is this... Heath Ledger as the Joker was incredible, captivating and left me wanting more. The rest of the movie i felt was decent, but not worth the hype. The last 20 to 30 minutes felt forced, and The Batman had a terrible case of lock jaw and laryngitis, and the comparison to the current administration was a bit of a push. Nuff said.

That being said, I would like to state for the record, it is an OPINION.

I attended a party with my wife last night, where the topic of the movie came up far more than once, and naturally i stated my opinion. You would be amazed at the reaction. You would think that i told everyone that puppies were the devils work sent here to eat small children. Immediately people went on the defensive to squash my opinion by displaying their deep knowledge of Batman trivia, names of producers, directors, actors, PAs, and my inability to see the warm hug DC was trying to give to its fans with this film.

I don't know what it was, but this opinion seemed to affect the relations between friends of old to new acquaintances. I felt judgement that i have not felt before, all over a movie. A two and A HALF hour film about a vigilante in a costume saving a city from destruction. I can see where this story, which is clearly based on truth by every one's reaction, should cause a reevaluation of friendships based in REAL life.

For the record, i have been a fan of Batman since childhood. If there is any doubt, ask one of the members of The Outtakes*. I have plenty of room for the success of The Batman, unfortunately my opinion says... too much hype.

So... a warning. If you found the film not matching all the buzz, be careful who you express your point of view to. It could cost your credibility. The majority will not stand for dissension. They will come at you with great vigor to have you conform. To the majority i have only one thing left to say....




















*The answer to a commonly asked question for a suggestion.

Puddin Baby

You have a 17 month old child dressed in a diaper, and he is covered in chocolate pudding head to toe. What do you do?

A. Leave him do his own devices and hope that his little tongue can reach everywhere.

B. Give him to the dogs to lick clean in about 10 minutes, but deal with dog breath baby all evening.

C. Let him finally play in the dogs water bowl.

D. Tell his sister that you have a treat for her.

E. Get him to bed early, and let mommy discover him in the morning.

F. Tell the teenager that he had a blow out, and you need him to clean him up.

G. Bathe him.


Ready. Set. Comment.

To a Good Home-

He has a name, although he doesn't know it, or respond to it. He is affectionate at all times, but does not know when to stop. He loves his toys. When anger is thrown his ways, he is oblivious to it because of his disposition. He weighs 65 pounds, and is awkward with his body. He has a tough time navigating and coordinating stairs. He is 3 and a half years old and he is deaf. Because of his lack of hearing, he has a very childlike attitude. He just wants to play all the time. He couldn't hurt a fly if he tried. He is currently our foster child. We are giving him as much love and care as possible, but it is coming close to a time to let him go. We are hoping that a good family adopts him, as he has been through other foster families that have not been kind. If you have it in your heart, and are ready to bring a child into your life, we would be happy to discuss his adoption. I have included a picture below.

Leave It to Felix- Starring Jason as the Beaver

I will recognize this for its ray of light that i have been looking for. There has been a dark cloud hovering over me for quite some time. So much so that i have named it. I call him Felix. Felix has shown me that he really enjoys my company, and has worked hard to stay by my side. Just when i have thought that he might be leaving, he doubles up and hits me with a bolt of lightning. Oh Felix, your so unpredictable. Felix has made sure that the light stays away as much as possible. I have to give him props for his dedication. He has really hung in there... until today. Today, Felix could not stop some light shining through no matter how hard he tried. That little ray of light came in the package of a JOB.

And so, it has happened. My temping has come to an end and given me a doorway unto benefits, PTO's, and job security (unless i go nuts one day, and they "release "me). I am happy for my family mostly. In the "non-recession" that we are experiencing, i am considering myself lucky. So now i should have benefits, and with kids, that is cause for celebration.

I'm sure this has a tone of reluctance, because it does. It is bittersweet. The job is not in the field I have been wanting to go back to, but the field i have been trying to escape. Right now, there isn't much choice with so much economic uncertainty, so i must move forward, and hold my head high. I will just have to continue to work on my portfolio and hunt for the graphics position with hope that i will return to it full time. Eventually someone will want to higher the old guy with lots of client experience but who has been out of the field full time for about eight years. It has to happen. For sanity.

There is another upside to this job, and that is that i get to wear jeans most of the time. (Comfort is everything)

Well Felix, your powers seem to be weakening. I can only hope this is a trend, as your dark green and black exterior no longer frightens me. If anything i shall look back at you with fondness. I could be getting ahead of myself, so I will leave it at that.

Assurances? Oui.

Once again, the medical industry has gone above and beyond to not impress me.

On Monday evening, i was playing a game of softball with The Skirt Turtles. I was playing center field when a ball was hit to me. I went to throw the ball in, when a loud crack came from my shoulder, causing a lot of uncomfortable pain and the inability to lift my arm up. (you will be happy to know that the runner made it home safely, which is not a good thing. ) I did end up finishing the game, but I did not assist my team to a victory, as we lost.

The next day my wife made me an appointment to see a Dr. on Thursday at 3:30. I got a voice mail yesterday morning, day of the appt., that the Dr would have to cancel my appt., and that i could call in to reschedule. Annoyed, i called them back right away and explained that i had already scheduled time off work to come in. I believe the nurse, who seemed to hate her job, sensed my annoyance with this fact and explained to me that "Dr. John* was sick and couldn't come in today, Dr.s get sick too ya know, and there isn't much you can do about that, so oh well." Really... Okay, whatever. Trying to stay pleasant about the situation i asked if i could please see another Dr. at that time. She said that no one was available, and that she would transfer me to the advisement line to see what they could offer. The woman who answered this line (after 12 min of hold music) was very pleasant. I couldn't believe it, i thought i had fallen in to some parallel universe. This woman was very attentive to my needs and understanding. I couldn't believe that she allowed us to hold a status that was equal, and held a conversation that two adults would have over the phone. Could this change my opinion of the medical profession... no. Why? Because she told me this... " Lets see, you were suppose to see Dr. John*... lets see why they cancelled that... oh yes.. Dr. John will be on vacation for a month starting tomorrow, and i guess he wanted to get a jump on that. " Are you F#*!ing serious???? I just got lied to AND made to feel guilty because "Dr.s get sick too", and the truth is this guy couldn't see me because he wanted to double check that he packed his water wings and SPF 40 for the MONTH vacation he is about to take. SERIOUSLY!?!?! Health care professionals SUCK ASS! What ever happened to the patient??? This made my day unpleasant. Not only that, but they couldn't get me into an appt, so i had to go to urgent care. I wont even go in to detail there about how the receptionist was an elitist bitch, and the Dr. was Bambi on steroids and dumb juice.

Lets just say that it turned out that I do NOT have a torn rotator cuff as i thought i might, so the Dr. "guesses". He believes it is a severe strain which in his words "mine as well be a torn rotator cuff, because it has the same symptoms and outcome". So, i was referred to an orthopedic Dr. (sarcastic YAY!), if i think i want to consider surgery, as "my arm wont be the same the rest of my life, and that i will have to live with the pain"... and inability to have the powerful throwing arm i once had. Ugh

That is that. I am pretty sure I will be moving to France in the older years, as health care is free and the quality of care is top rated.






* Not real Dr.'s name. I don't know why, but i feel like i should protect this ignorant man's identity, even if he is sitting in the Caribbean sipping on a Corona rolling in my insurance money laughing as it sticks to his body covered in SPF 40 .

...Update and Run...

Just a quick post to let people know that i am here.
I will write a much longer, deserving blog in the near future.
Just a heads up though...

1) I am dealing with a possible torn rotator cuff. Should know this afternoon for sure.

2) July 4th was good. More later.

3) 24 Hour Improv Marathon is this weekend, and once again Larynx will be kicking off the festivities. Come see us at 10:30 pm Sat. There will also be many other talented groups performing, including some of the the groups i direct and coach. http://www.bravenewworkshop.org/events.php





4) There is also a possibility of a change on the job front. More later.

Ciao for now

Re(turn) to /Re(cap) of /Re(covery) from TCIF

The Twin Cities Improv Festival was a great success, again. I want to tip my hat to Five Man Job, Jill Bernard, the staff at the BNW, and all the improvisers who put great effort into making this past weekend a memorable event.

I was fortunate enough to be apart of it all as a performer with Larynx, Stevie Ray's, and as an audience member.

Our Larynx set, with out a doubt, had to be our strongest to date. After a couple of rough rehearsals before show time, we managed to pull a strong set that opened the TCIF festival. Needless to say, I was very proud of the product we put up. Both Dave Kappellhoff and Josh Eakright were on their game, and i felt like we hit the sweet spot of improvising. A big part of that success also came from the keys that underscored us, graciously provided by Jen Scott. Her talent really helped us shine and push into some new areas. Thanks to the three of them for giving me an improvisational high to kick off the festival.

The Stevie Ray's set came an hour later, and was just as fun. I hung back a little more in this set, mostly due to still trying to come off my ride with Larynx. Without naming all the performers, everyone on the team brought some strong scenes to present what a fun, funny, and professional troupe that we are. Stevie had the crowd from the start and before we knew it, it was over. As always, Michael Erickson provided the keys which is a strong backbone to our success. Thanks you guys for making my lack of jumping less noticeable by your ownership of stage.

The rest of the weekend felt like a blur of improvisation. Some highlights for me...
SCRAM, amazing for the depth of characters. Five Man Job, bringing a real sensibility of play. Pimprov for the over the top characters. Brave New Workshop for screwing with each other. Bassprov for experiencing the nuances. Neutrino for making it look easy. Mustache Rangers for the range of patience. Lastly, Buddy Daddy, just for the cuteness of a dog(come on, a puppy on stage, you cant lose).

The after party at the CC Club on Saturday was great as well. Was nice to meet so many other players, and catch up with friends. It felt like a rare chance to have our improv community together to bond. I think it is something we should strive to happen more outside of a festival. Maybe a quarterly party for Twin Cities Improvisers?? Maybe that is an undertaking to consider. Ill make note of it.

Lastly, i want to thank Vitamin Water. Not only was it provided free to us by Coke, but it was awesome to have a product become the inside joke for the whole festival. Way to go sugar water.