First bra

Ok, I promised something substantial. Hope this will suffice.

What is it about a boy's first encounter with a bra that makes him retarded? Especially when the bra is on a classmate? And there is nothing quite like the retarded collective I faced daily in the 4th grade as I became the very first girl in our class to wear a bra. They had a hard time adjusting to the fact that yesterday, I was the chunky girl, but today, I was somehow irresistable. The boys loved me all of a sudden, and the girls absolutely despised me. It would be my only popular moment in school until junior high, when I sang in public, on a stage, for the very first time. But that's another story.

There was a day at recess when a group of the collective surrounded me at the swing set. They took turns popping the strap of my new garment each time I swang back into their reach. Could I have fled from this negative attention? Perhaps. But it would have been a jump from a high place and I didn't want to fall face-down into the red playground dirt. They continued snapping it until it finally gave way and broke. That was an awkward moment. They laughed and ran away and I sought out my teacher for assistance. Mrs. Vickery, the coolest 4th grade teacher ever to enter an elementary school, always had a solution. I explained my odd situation to her, as best I could in my mortified state, and she took me to the girl's restroom and loaned me her very gigantic teacher purse in which to place the damaged garment. She said she would keep it at her desk, with the other 'confiscated' items, and I could get it back from her before I went home. I walked around for the rest of the day without it, and even though what breasts I had were small and still somewhat insignificant at that time, it was still very uncomfortable for me.

At the end of the day, I waited until everyone was gone and went to retrieve my double-A from Mrs. Vickery's desk. Unfortunately, it was nowhere to be found. Someone had taken it. And the culprit was never found. Luckily, my mother had bought me a gross of them from Sears so I had plenty, but it was just a little disturbing to know that one of the boys I sat in math class with every day had one of my bras in his possession. Or maybe it was the janitor. Eww.

This is a true story. I'd actually like to make this into a joke. How's this for the punchline:
So at the end of the day, I went to get it back, and it was gone, so I just took what was available from the 'confiscated items' drawer. The Yo-yo's worked out ok, but I couldn't figure out what to do with the Pixie sticks.

For an unemployed chick, I'm really busy...

Hey folks. I have a few moments before I have to run off again, so I thought we'd catch up.

Hmm, what's been going on? Didn't get the job from the kick ass interview. Had another kick ass interview but haven't heard back yet. Starting some part-time work from home stuff today for a lady I used to work for. But now I feel like I have to clean my entire house before I'll feel comfortable working in it. How nutty is that?

Went to watch open mic at Hyena's on Thursday nite. Ouch. That was painful. They had 3 so-called 'headliners' who went up and weren't funny. At all. And everyone knows I usually laugh at everyone. There was little laughter at our table. After about the 10th unfunny person, the audience started to leave in large, noticeable chunks. But that's an open mic for you. I decided not to go up as I don't think I could take yet another huge blow to my ego before my show next weekend. But, on the bright side - I did get to meet some new people and glad-hand and shmooze with a lot of folks. It's what I do. Luckily, I'm good at it.

I realize that people don't bring their 'A' game to open mic, but they should take it at least a little bit seriously and not fuck it off completely. We're out there really looking for funny people to do shows that they're going to get paid for. We saw nothing that we would pay money for that nite.

So I've had a whopping 10 minutes of stage time in preparation for my show. We have open mic this Wednesday, so that will help. But I'm not worried, I know it's going to be a rockin' show. Everyone who is performing is great and I'm sure the audience will be huge! Yay! They've had lots of calls about it, so the advertising is working. Plus, I have my own little fan club here at home who cheers me on, even when I don't feel funny.

The production company is suddenly taking off! We have 3 shows booked, and at least a half dozen in the pipeline. At the moment, we're booked thru the end of September. We even got a referral from a guy with a new club about 2 hours away who wants to do a monthly show! So much to do. Gotta get the DBA and the business cards and fliers for the next two shows done and work up some contracts. It's a good thing I love comedy.

Evan ref'd at CSz last nite for the first time in a year, I think. He did a great job, as I knew he would. He's off tonite, (finally, a nite off!) so we're going to do something with the kids. Well, the kid. Just the boy this weekend. We were ditched by Emily for the weekend, she'd rather hang out with her friends. Ahh, teenage girls.

I will try to write something substantial today. I have something in mind. But have to run for now. Hope you're all having a lovely weekend.

Reviews

First, the Gong Show. I was gonged. Totally my fault. I started out strong, they were with me on the dirty stuff, then for some reason I decided to change gears and do a kid joke. Not so much. The guest judge gave me the gong. Bitch. lol. Seth did well. He didn't get gonged, but he didn't win. Most of the acts were gonged. There were a couple of karaoke singers, a guy who took most of his clothes off (shudder), and the winner was a guitar playing chick who was way cool. She invited us to an open mic tomorrow nite, which we plan to attend. I think I'm going to talk to her about having us produce a show for her. She was really good and super nice. Overall, it was a fun evening.

Second, we went to see Clerks II tonite. Yes, it was funny. I didn't find it as funny and clever as the first one, but it had its moments. My favorite part was the uber religious kid who worked in the fast food place, who had an affinity for Lord of the Rings and Transformers. And if you go see it, be sure to stay all the way to the very end of the credits. Trust me.

We've just scheduled our second show thru our production company. August 12th downtown. Gotta get the flier done and I'll post it. It's going to be all young comics - no one over 20. It's our friend Van's 'going away to college' show. He's a great kid, he does stand up and theatre. There will be a band too. Sound like fun? We're calling it "Van's Warped Farewell Tour". Ha. Evan's so clever.

Went to workshop with Evan. I didn't participate, I just sat in the back and went over some show details and business stuff with the owner's wife. This is going to keep me busy. Yay!

That's all I got. Peace out.

Come see me tonite.

Good morning bloggers! It's a beautiful day in Plano, Tx. The sun is shining and it's a bearable 98 degress. Of course, it's only 9:30 AM, so by noon my sunny disposition may disappear. I hate summers in Texas.

Tonite, it's the Gong Show. I would say I'm nervous, but I won't be feeling that until much later. Right now I'm just giddy about the fabulous prizes they're giving away this year. The winner of the finals gets $2500 cash and a CRUISE. A cruise! I want that cruise. I could use the cash too, but how much fun would the boyfriend and I have on a cruise?

Show starts at 10 PM tonite. I'll be there a bit early, and sadly, I'll miss the CSz show. I've been to every one of them since Evan's return, so I don't think he's too upset. We always support each other in comedy, and he and the gang (ok, not so much a gang as a handful) are heading down to catch me as soon as their show is done. He missed my set last year, but he arrived just in time to hear them announce me as the winner for that nite. God I hope I don't suck this time. Details:

Ben's Half Yard House
7102 Greenville Avenue, Dallas
(@ Greenville and Park Lane, next to Enchilada's)

There's no cover charge as far as I know, and their drink specials usually kick ass.

CSz had a good show last nite. Unfortunately, the owner's wife was at home sick, so Ann Marie and I were put to work. She took the money and I helped seat people. We tried not to look completely lost. I always love to help out when I can.

Coffee time. Hope to see you at the Gong Show, and if I get gonged, try not to rub it in. Thanks. :)

Happy Friday

Here's part of my horoscope for today:

"Remember that thoughts are usually repetitive;
they reflect what you think is true, but not the truth itself. "

It always seems to say shit like that when I'm in the midst of doubting things. Thanks, astrology.

I forgot to mention...you know what the best part was about open mic on Wednesday? Introducing myself to people I didn't know and having them say, "OH! I've heard of you!"

That was a cool feeling.

Evan's got two ComedySportz shows this weekend, so we'll be downtown a lot. I'm apartment hunting with The Teenager, probably tomorrow. Clerks II opens today. I need some coffee and a shower. Have a happy Friday.

I heart comedy

Would you believe it if I told you that we had an audience of approximatley 40 paying people for open mic last nite? No? Well, it's true! Still hard for me to believe.

What a great nite! 32 comics (and 40 audience members, makes for a nice size group!), a few who were on the list didn't show, and a couple who weren't on the list came in and had a big bitchy fit because they weren't on the list, but hey, you can't make everyone happy. Not that I don't make a huge effort.

I have to say though, I was a little offended by the fit-throwers. First off, I didn't organize this thing. The only reason it happened was because of Bob, and he should be thanked profusely for putting the thing together. Yes, I helped out, as is my nature, but I wasn't about to take over his whole operation. So, if you didn't get on the list, it wasn't because I didn't put you there. Our email and Myspace lists only reach so many people. Second, would it have killed them to say 'hello' instead of just walking in with an attitude and yelling at everyone? Not a very nice first impression for the folks who own the space now. They probably could have gotten on the list had they not stormed out and made such a scene. We ended up having more spots than we initially thought.

End of rant. I had some more bitchy things to say about the whole ordeal, but I'll bite my tongue for now.

Many thanks to Van for bringing, I think, his entire graduating class! I was a little worried because they looked so young, but no one (besides me) was just downright offensive. And even I wasn't as blue as usual. A couple of old jokes, a couple of new ones, some not dirty at all. Ok, one. But I had a good set.

It was one of the best open mics I've ever seen. The audience laughed and had a great time, and there was only silence during the set of one guy who obviously had too much to drink. All the folks who are performing at the August 5th show did great! Two CSz folks went up too which was way cool. I appreciate the support we're getting from the troupe.

Damn I've missed this. I'm so glad to be back. Met lots of new people, although sadly, still very few women. Got to see all my buddies again who I haven't seen in months. Feels like years though. No one went too far over their time. When they got the light, they wrapped it up. We tried to stick with 3 minutes per comic, which worked out really well. And the majority of the audience stayed for the entire show. We ran about 2 hours and 20 minutes. Not bad at all.

Looks like it's on for next week. I'm pretty sure the owners made enough money last nite to cover their expenses, so they're willing to open up for it again.

I heart comedy. Thanks to everyone!

I'm going to attempt the Gong Show this weekend. Holy crap. Come out and see the show!
It's at Ben's Halfyard House on Greenville Avenue. Good times.

Cool!!!!

OMG! I just read on MySpace that they've made a movie out of my favorite David Mamet play!

"Edmond", starring William H. Macy. Are you kidding me? How incredibly cool is that?

Getting ready to head downtown for open mic.
40 comics. 3 minutes each. No liquor license.

This should be priceless.

Life. Is. Good.

Howdy folks. Got a lot going on, which makes me happy. Yay! Here's a rundown...

Had a great day yesterday with the boyfriend. We went to the farewell open mic at Pitcher's in Arlington last nite. (Thanks, Dodgen). I loved it. It's a shame that it's going away, as the bar regulars really seemed to have a good time. It was so great to see everyone again, but even better, it was fantastic to perform again. My little 4 minute set went ok, my new stuff seemed to do well so I'm gonna stick with that for the open mic on Wednesday. Some of my old stuff didn't hit, still trying to figure out why. The show was supposed to start at 9:30, but somehow got pushed to 11. We got home so late! But it was fun.

I've been out of touch with my comedy peeps for a while, but last nite I felt like I was back in my 'element'. Wow. Those guys are awesome. Not a lot has changed. A few new faces, a lot of new jokes, some lost pounds amongst a couple of the guys, and the people you expect to be funny still are. Ahh, comedy. I love it. Like the annoying little sister I never had.

The Den Mother is back. Oh yeah.

Job-wise - my Raytheon gig is pretty much done. After they hired that other chick on as a full-timer, they realized that there just wasn't enough work for 4 people. Sadly, the people there liked me better than her, but that's ok. I had a kick-ass interview for a full-time job yesterday, and they want me to come in for a half-day 'working interview' on Friday or Monday. Rock on. It's for an office manager/payroll type thing, which is right up my alley. Plus, a lady I used to work for may need me to do some part-time stuff for her from home, which would be cool. I wish I could just work from home all the time. I hate driving.

Evan taught his first Frisco class on Sunday and it went really well. I sat in on the last hour and the people were laughing a lot and having a great time. I'm helping him get court lists and make calls and such, which means they will pay him more per class, as long as we're willing to do all the legwork. Cool. With that and the producing and everything else going on, I hope I have time for a full-time job!

Open mic downtown on Wednesday at 8 PM. Bob has asked for my assistance with timing the comics and giving them the light. Three minutes means three minutes, people. Seriously. And we may have a line on a place in Richardson to do an open mic. More details to come on that. I'd love to run/host one again. We need one in this area.

Our fliers for the August 5th show are out and about. They're on the tables and in the programs at Comedy Sportz. The scheduled performers are handing them out. We're getting some advertising, thanks to CSz and Dallascomedy.com. I'm really looking forward to it. We have some ideas for future shows as well. Doing two good feature shows a month would be perfect, and there's plenty of talent out there to book. We've set up email and a Myspace page for our production company - Wombat Cookie Productions. Comedians can contact us thru those, here they are:

wombatcookieproductions@gmail.com
www.myspace.com/wombatcookieproductions

Let's see, what else. Oh! Evan wrote a new joke out of a conversation I had with The Teenager yesterday. There are two versions, let me know which one you like better:

Version 1 (tried this one last nite)
I was talking to my daughter, and she said a co-worker had offered to get her some pepper spray since she rides the train a lot.
I asked her, "Have you had a problem with people on the train harassing you?"
She said, "Yeah, didn't I tell you about the drunk Mexican guy I stabbed in the leg with a pen?"
My response? "Um, NO! Pretty sure I would have remembered a stabbing." I'm not sure if I should be proud, or scared.
Later she told me she was going out and asked if she could stay out late. I said yes.
She was holding a Sharpie.

Version 2
I was talking to my daughter, and she said someone told her she should carry pepper spray with her on the train. And she said, "But salt spray would be better, cuz I can use that on my food and stuff."
Yeah, you know Towelie from South Park? That's my daughter, in terry cloth form.

Please vote now.

Life is good.

August 5th Show

Damn I'm happy about this. Look what my awesome boyfriend made for the show! I love that man. Almost as much as I love comedy. Ok, maybe a little more. I hope all of you who are local and read this can make it to the show. You can also purchase tickets online at www.comedysportzdfw.com. Just look for the "Tickets" link.

Kids say the darndest things

As an adult, you think you're smart. You think you know things. You think you know how to handle certain issues in your life. But the words of a teenage girl showed me that I was wrong.

My daughter Emily is a very cool kid. I'm not just saying that because I'm her mom. She truly is very unique and interesting, and sometimes I'm surprised that she sprang from any combination of mine and her father's genes (although I credit myself with her amazing wit). Of course, I do have some bias. She is my child afterall, and I love her. But more than that...I admire her.

She doesn't follow the crowd. She dresses in her own way - she made earrings out of guitar picks and carries a wallet made from duct tape. She wears skirts over jeans and socks that don't match. She doesn't care if she leaves the house with or without makeup. That doesn't matter much to her. She's funny in a way that most kids her age just don't get. And she's wise beyond her years.

I wrote about grudges recently, how I am a harborer of them. How they eat at me. How I can't let them go. I only wrote about a few, but there are many more. I was discussing one of them with her, because she's at that age where I feel we can talk on a more meaningful level. I explained the grudge and how I worry about it still, how I could be made to look so stupid, how I'm concerned about being able to know for sure that I'm safe from that; how I wonder if and when what I expect to happen actually will.

And this is what she said to me.

"You'll never know for sure if it will or if it won't, but you can't let that hold you back. Just let it go mom."

Ahh. Simple, yet profound.
I wanna be like her when I grow up.

Open Mic is BACK!!!

Hey folks! Open mic will be happening again in the West End at the ComedySportz Arena, beginning July 19th at 8 PM. Bring friends. Bring enemies. Just bring someone. Call/email me for more details. If you're on my email list, you should be getting something about it.

Stand-up Showcase!!!!

Our return to the West End officially has a date! Are you excited? I know I am!

Stand-up Showcase
Saturday, August 5th
10:30 PM
Comedy Sportz Arena (formerly known as the West End Comedy Theatre)
601 Munger Ave.
Dallas, TX

Tickets are $10 at the door. The line-up (subject to change) includes:

Seth Cowles
Corey Sutton
Billy McFarland
Tom Devenport
Bryce Richardson

I'll be hosting the show. Please come see us, this will be a comeback for several of us who haven't been on stage in a while!

So, what does Dallas taste like?

Not urine and pidgeon shit, as I had imagined.

The Taste of Dallas is on this weekend downtown in the West End. Lots of food and noise, uh, I mean music. You have to purchase coupons to partake in any of the treats. There were many items on a stick, funnel cakes galore (and we know how I feel about cake), as well as dishes that were hard to eat while walking, such as lasagna and Thai chicken with mango sauce. Several bands will be playing throughout the weekend (Most notably, G-Love and Special Sauce at 11 PM tonite). Parking is an absolute nightmare. We took the train down to avoid the hike in parking fees. The lot that would normally cost $4.00 was magically transformed into a $10.00 parking oasis. Wait, I didn't see a fountain or any camels.

The train ride itself was interesting. I don't mean to sound racist or classist, or any other kind of 'ist', but we don't exactly appear as the type of people who would be found on the train. Perhaps as morning commuters, but not the weekend variety of train-riders. But no biggie. We contemplated the empty space and tree-lined areas along the train route, and where we thought would be the best place to hide a dead body. Which brought us to the conclusion that, with today's technology and forensics, you'd really have to leave it in chunks. There were a few people directly within earshot, but if they actually heard this conversation, I doubt they would have mentioned it.

Many of the CSz folks had the same idea; of taking the train, not of random killings.
We were getting text messages from Jill informing us of her whereabouts. She was approximatley two trains behind us. We met up with her at the West End stop and walked through the various booths, and were accosted only a couple of times by people wanting to give away samples of something. Some players were out fliering (is that a word, as in 'handing out fliers'? It is now.) for the show. I sent Evan on his way and I met up with Big E's wife, Ann Marie, for drinks, as is our weekly thing now (when we don't have the kids), while the guys are getting ready for their show. We usually have at least an hour to kill before the show starts. I met her last summer and I just really like hanging out with her. I think her son has a little crush on my daughter, tee-hee! How cute is that? She's a very cool mom chick, like me, and we have a lot in common, so there's always much to discuss. She and Big E will be celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary next month. That's a lot of monogamy. Yay for them. Hopefully we will all go out and do something fun for the occasion, as it's also very close to my man's birthday. Wow, we'll both be 38 this year. Dammit.

(On a side note, I was actually married for 11 years. I know I make it sound as if I go through relationships like socks and that monogamy is completely foreign to me. Not so much.)


The plan for the evening was to do the regular show at 8 PM, followed by a more adult version at 10 PM, which would have been a great idea if they'd had a little more time to advertise for it. I'm thinking, as they were, that at least a small segment of the expected 300,000 people would be interested in some indoor entertainment, especially after being outside all day in the heat. Alas, it was not to be. The first show went well. They had a smallish audience but they seemed to have fun. Two brown bag fouls on the audience. Evan did "5 Things" for the first time since his return and he was great, as usual. And the new guy they had on their team, Craig, was very good. It was his second time to perform, and I can see him becoming a regular player. Very funny little guy. "Interrogation" was a little rough for the other team, as their new guy just didn't seem to get it. But I'm sure with more time he'll do fine. It was his first show, it takes a while to find your groove.

The show ended, I helped clean off tables, and we waited for a 10 PM crowd to enter. But come 10:05, there wasn't a soul in a seat. So instead of playing to an empty theatre, they work-shopped a bit, and Ann Marie and I, as well as the other family-type people who were there, were allowed to sit in and watch. It's fun to see them practice. They did a couple of games, one I hadn't seen before. Jill, Eric and Evan are all amazingly funny, and I love watching them interact. (The other people are funny too, I'm just especially partial to a handful of them. And the way the three of them work together is really fun.) You can tell who's been doing it for a while and who's new. Jill was trying her best to get Ann Marie and I to jump up and do something. It would have been the perfect opportunity, or "my big chance" as Eric said to me later. But, as much as I like attention, I just don't think I'm ready for improv, although the game they were playing is something I think I could do. I know that Ann took some improv classes last year and she enjoyed them, but she really has no interest in being on stage. I, on the other hand, can't wait to get back up there and do what I do. But that's just it - I do stand-up. I know exactly what I'm going to say and how I'm going to say it before ever getting to the stage. I may try the improv thing at some point. I see the need for more women in their troupe, and probably elsewhere as well. Maybe I'll go to a few workshops and see how it goes. Evan and I play a couple of the games with each other. He always wins, of course, getting me to the point where I can no longer think of something clever. He's been trying to get me into doing improv for a while, although he's never been really pushy about it. As I mentioned in my "26 things you never wanted to know about me", I suffer from terrible stage fright. And I'm also incredibly self-conscious, so doing something that I think is funny in a group is terrifying, because what if they don't think it's funny? Then I look stupid. And I hate that. Maybe this would help me get over those fears.

So, we watched them all be funny for a while. It was getting late and many of us had to catch the train, so we headed that way. The bands and eats were still going on. We entered our names in various drawings to win motorcycles and such on the way. At the train station, we met a young couple from Boston who were incredibly tipsy and chatty. The girl was just really cute and silly. Why she chose to come up and talk to the lot of us is a mystery, I suppose we seem like approachable people. She was a little too huggy on Eric for my taste, but he's not mine, and her boyfriend didn't seem to mind, so I didn't say anything. Besides, Eric is just a big, huggable kind of guy. Turned out that her boyfriend is doing a summer internship at the company I'm working for - small world moment. She was a school teacher. We had fun talking to them and making fun of their accent, and of course invited them to see a show. Will they remember? Who knows.

Got home late, tired today. I'm out of coffee and that doesn't make me happy. But, I have the day to myself while Evan teaches a class, and I'm going to do a whole lot of nothing, and love every minute of it.

Oops.

No more of that serious stuff. You folks don't seem to like that.

We got our Cable internet installed today! Goodie! Wow, it's fast.

Nothing else to report. Thanks for playing.

Grudges.

Ready for some drama? Good, cuz this isn't funny. I may take this post down later, I just needed to get it out for now. Thanks in advance for not offering me a firearm.


Do you ever feel like you’re drowning?
I do. I’m drowning in grudges.

I hold grudges. Long, painful, destructive grudges. I don’t mean to, and I know it’s not healthy, it’s just that they get in my head and I have a terrible time of letting them go. I don’t think the people who I hold them towards are ever sorry for the things they’ve done. Or at least, they never offered a convincing apology. It started long ago, and is most likely a learned behavior from my mother. (Thanks for that grudge, mom.) I’d like to air my grudges, not all of them, but some of the older ones, because I can’t seem to speak of them, and there are people in my life who just don’t understand why I’m so bitter.

My first husband, the father of my 17-year old daughter. He’s dead now, and I’m still angry at him. For what? For 15 years of no child support. For three years of complete and utter misery in our relationship. For running off with our daughter that time when she was just a few months old, and staying gone for two days, leaving me in our crappy little apartment with no car and no phone and not a clue how to find my baby. Can you even imagine what a terrifying 48 hours that was? I never forgave him for that.

For lying to me. For cheating on me. For bringing his junkie friends and his nasty addiction into my home. For exposing me to things that a 20 year old girl from Mesquite should never have seen. For just generally being one of the worst people I’ve ever known.

My mother. I love my mother, but I have a little grudge against her too, for not telling me that I had three sisters earlier in life. I still haven’t found them, and I’m angry about that. I hope to meet them someday. I just wish I’d known about them a long time ago. Perhaps knowing them would have made some sense out of other things for me.

My father. We haven’t spoken in over 3 years. I hold some grudges against him. For being too hard on me in school. For not accepting that, hey, maybe I’m just not good at math like you, dad, but did you see that I made Honors English again? Not good enough, huh? For cheating on my mother. For destroying what was a decent childhood up until the divorce. For marrying a woman who treated me like garbage. For ignoring me.

Myself. For never letting things go. For not being able to trust. For loving the wrong people and believing the wrong things. For shutting people out. For burning bridges. For letting all of this get to me.

I hold grudges against people for holding them against me. People I don't know. People who don't know me. I am angry. I am bitter. And I take it out on the people I love. I’m sorry for that.

I hold grudges. I have so many more, too many to detail here, and I hope that I’ll learn at some point to let them go. They’re killing me. I don’t want to drown.

Sex, lies and electrical tape

Ha. That was a funny title. Got your attention, huh? Sadly, I have nothing clever to go along with it. Made you look!

13,000 people have looked at my ramblings since I created this thing in February of 2005. That’s a lot of people with way too much time on their hands. But I’m thankful that it’s read. Thank you to those who still follow my very small chunk of the world. Unless you hate me and you read this out of spite. I'm not thanking you.

It’s official – I’m a producer again. Hoping to put together our first showcase in early August. Still need to hash out the details with the owners, and I need to get in touch with comics and see who’s available. And also, I’m looking at putting a show together for a certain comedy duo who I’m nutty about (ahem, Beth, ahem, tell them to call me). The club owners want to do this right, with contracts and the whole shebang, and I’m very pleased with that attitude. I’m a little bitter about how we all got screwed by the other folks, so this is good news.

Oh, and the Gong Show is back. Am I up for that kind of pressure and humiliation, you ask? You bet your ass I am. We just have to work around Evan’s performance schedule and find a Saturday nite that works. I’ll keep you posted. I'm penciling in for the 22nd. I don't expect to win this time, as I haven't been on a stage in four months. But it will be fun anyway.

Evan will be doing 4 shows this weekend. Four! My god, how did we ever live without being on stage?

I am feeling enormously sad today, as if I've lost something important. Ken Lay died, but that's not it. Can't quite put my finger on the source of this angst. I'm sure it's nothing. Probably just stress and lack of sleep. And my desperate need to write something of substance. This certainly wasn't it.