I'm a terrible blogger...

I'm sorry. It's been nearly a month an no updates. What the crap is my problem?

I guess I've just been really busy. With what? Well, work, Max, improv...the whole lot. I'm about to finish level D at Second City. Our show is this coming Sunday the 11th at 2:30pm in the e.t.c. Theater at Second City. Should be a good time. I know I'm excited. Only catch is that it's the same day as the Chicago Marathon, so traffic and parking will be horrendous. Ick.

I'm 2 classes away from finishing level 1 at iO, all signed up for level 2. Brilliant news: I got the internship at iO. I'm so super excited about it it's ridiculous. I mean seriously...incontinent with excitement.

I'm also planning to audition for the Incubator program in a couple weeks. Things are going to get busy, right? But I figure, I worked 3 jobs, went to school full time, and raised a kid...so this should be easy.

I feel like everything I'm writing is terribly lame. I think it's because it's more stream of consciousness than well-thought-out blog entry. Plus I'm catching you all up on things that have happened over the course of nearly an entire month. (This is why we start improv scenes AFTER the "Hey how are you" moment.)

What else? Well, my birthday is this month. October 23rd I'll be 29. That's crazy. I mean, seriously weird. The last year of my 20s? Are you kidding? Where the heck did the time go? I'm not saying that I'm old (although, some might argue that I am...) nor do I feel old (although this time of year the cold weather makes my joints hurt...and recently if I eat anything after 8pm I get heartburn...) but it just feels like the last 4 or 5 years just flew the eff by. Like I blinked and bam...I've time travelled to age 29.

It's been making me really introspective...and also, a little be more willing to take risks, I guess? I'm not sure how to explain it.

Last week was busy at work, so I only caught the jam and Blackout, in terms of improv. Saw a really fun Halloween Burlesque show Saturday. I recommend you check it out if you're a fan of hilarity and burlesque dancing. Risque, but classy.

This week I'm crammin' in more improv...Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Break Saturday to chill with Max, and cap the weekend off with my Level D show.

It's gonna be a wild ride. Hang on tight.

i like bananas

I only titled this blog that way because I just finished a delicious, not yet ripe, organic banana.

In other news, last week in improv was quite eventful.

Saw Tj and Dave again, although Dave wasn't there because he was out of town and another very funny improviser filled in for him. My favorite quote from the night was "that fire is really finger-banging that house!" You had to be there?

Afterwards, I hightailed it to the red line, which is always a bit scary at like 12:30am. But I managed all right. Enjoyed people-watching from the platform and the bumpy ride to my stop.

Thursday was an awesome class, followed by Open Court at the Playground with B and Baby K. I'm still shaky when it comes to longform, but I love trying it nonetheless.

Friday, I went to B's before the jam where we ate salads and chit chatted. Then we headed to Wrigleyville, where we ended up at a mailbox party. The last time I went to one of those was in 2005...on a first date...with a real...um...yeah, the guy wasn't very cool. And I mean in that whole, "what the fuck, dude?" way.

This time was totally by accident (actually, the first time was by accident as well...) and the place was virtually empty. So we moved to Goose Island and then headed to iO for the Jam.

Can I just say? B and I had a really great experience in our first scene. The audience seemed to dig it, but beyond that, bigger than that, was that we seemed to mesh so well on stage. Just building off of each other, and heightening the scene. It's happened in class before, but it was different this time.

This time, it was kind of like we stepped out of the rehearsal hall, and straight into the recital...audience and all. And it was a magical moment for me. It was also quite humbling. To realize that I am surrounded by so many talented people, in class, and in all the shows that I've seen. It makes me realize that even in moments such as the scene with B, there's still so much to learn and strive for.

Maybe it's the writer in me...never quite satisfied to the point of feeling like I've conquered something, but instead always finding new things to learn, new ways to explore, new goals to set and hopefully reach. I feel truly passionate about improv in that respect. Much like the way I feel about writing.

And maybe that's my beginner's naivete, and maybe some of you reading this will find it pretty sappy. But what can I say? That's just my take on it.

Anyhow, Saturday I caught the 10:30 Harold with Henrietta Pussycat and Bullet Lounge, and then the midnight The Late Night Late Show reunion, where I had the opportunity to sit about 5 feet from David Cross, and later shake his hand. I laughed so hard during both amazing shows that my dimples were literally etched in my cheeks for an hour after I'd stopped laughing. I mean, my face honestly hurt a little.

I managed to make it back to the red line, and later my car, and even later, my bed, safely...even though it was incredibly late and scaries were out in full force.

Tomorrow, I'll be catching Tj and Dave again, and then I've got a few other things planned. Should be another stellar week in improv.

Also, here's B and I as we presented "Wig":

ooh friday

So, it's finally Friday again. I'm tellin' ya, there is nothing like Friday these days. I tend to get more work done. It's like a Pavlovian response to fun.

I know that at the end of the tunnel lies some good times with great people, so, if I work my ass off the entire day, I feel rewarded. (Although, maybe it's not so Pavlovian, because I feel that if I dicked around all day, I would still be rewarded by fun. Whatever. )

But I haven't dicked around all day. I'm like freaking lightning today. Spitting out work like it's my---job...yeah, I realize that it IS my job...so that didn't quite work as a simile.

Again...whatever.

More to the point: Jam tonight. Love the iO jam. I've recently started going to a jam at the Playground on Thursday nights. I'm still getting used to it. It's mainly longform...and I'm not schooled in longform...yet. But it's really fun for me. It's also fun to work with new people and watch other talent. Seriously. It's inspiring. And, eventually, I'll get better at it...I think?

I hope.

But back to Friday. iO jam. Love it. Aaaaaaaand, I'm pre-partying with B and Mimi. Last time we did this, it was a BLAST. Super fun because we girl-talked and then eventually ended up working on characters...organically.

Only about 2.5 more hours of work and then I'm headed off to B's to get ready for tonight. I'm pumped. PUMPED.

I suppose, I should stop dicking around and get back to work. Much to do, and I'm 3/4's of the way done.

I'll leave you with one of my favorite things about summer and living in walking distance to the laundromat/ice cream shop:






















Bubblegum FlavorBurst Cones. Holy shit these are delicious.

Oscar-winning moment

I'm about to break it down dramatic-style for you all.

See...yesterday I took Max to the park. Now, being a young parent, I don't really have any other parent friends...and I don't always relate to other parents in situations such as the park. I did some observing and noticed other parents there, just sitting around, watching their kids or pushing them calmly on the swings.

And here I was, talking in a New York accent, pushing Max on the tire swing, telling him I was Tommy, the tire swing concierge...and that by pushing him, I was doing him a favor. A favor which I'd like returned. I told him I was going to push him 10 minutes into the future and his job was to tell me how different it was.

He was laughing like a hyena. (So was I.) This went on for 20 good minutes or so. Then, I got on the tire swing and noticed him mimicking me to an extent. And that's when I realized something: improv has made me a better parent.

Maybe that's sappy, but it's true. It's helped me to stay in the moment and really listen to Max. And I've noticed that when we spend time together, it's a lot more full than it's been before.

I started taking classes because I've always wanted to be an improviser, and because I needed to polish my wit for work. But what I've found is that improv has unlocked this part of me that I never knew existed.

There might be some who think that perhaps I'm not looking at improv the right way, but I would have to disagree. It's an art. Indeed, I know this. But along with that, I've found it's almost a metaphor for one way to live one's life: Stay in the moment and listen.

I realize how sappy I sound...but look, 10 minutes into the future, I have a Popeye arm...just one gigantic arm...the right one to be exact.

...and if it weren't for improv, I wouldn't have been able to prepare myself for that.

Friday, Friday, Friday!

It's finally freaking here. Ahhh. Thank goodness.

Tonight will be jam-packed with some Harold-watching, a few libations, and then the iO jam. It's one of my favorite nights, for sure.

Then tomorrow, there's a SCTC Faculty show at 9pm, followed by me heading back over to iO to watch some friends/acquaintances etc., in a 10:30pm show.

I've also discovered Open Court at the Playground. I LOVE IT. Got to do a mini Armando yesterday. Although my long-form experience is limited to spectating, I didn't think I did too terribly bad. I think if our team (named "Olivia" for the night) wouldn't have gone first, I might have done better. But whatever. Everyone had some great moments. And it was fun to play in a completely new way. This will likely become a regular thing for me.

Also, stopped in the bathroom today at work. Since moving upstairs, I now must use the "poop" bathroom...designated so because it's far away from everything else in the entire building. This particular bathroom sports a mural of aquatic life. And this guy here always makes me wonder:




















I mean, I'm assuming those are currents created by him swimming swiftly through the sea...but part of me can't help but wonder if he's actually farting. None of the other fish have these curly lines near their rear ends. And in a bathroom labeled the "poop" bathroom, I find the latter explanation much more fitting.

Also, it's really hard to feel comfortable doing any form of business with this guy directly staring down the sink and toilet:






















I mean, he's really got that "I'm a pervert...but I'm gentle" smile thing going on. Doesn't he?