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.
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.
posted by Jenn at
10:48 AM
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