I'll try to keep this short. We flew Delta out to Georgia and back from Florida. Both ways we had a layover in Atlanta and changed planes. All four flights were delayed, and they lost part of our luggage going down and all of our luggage coming back.
Now, I know that Delta can't control the weather, so the delays are not entirely their fault, but the way they handled the delays was simply idiotic. I don't understand why they wouldn't announce that the flight was being delayed until it was time to board. For example, leaving Tampa we were supposed to get on a plane that was coming in from Atlanta. Well, since we're flying to Atlanta, I know from my itinerary that it takes an hour and a half to make that flight. That means that if the plane is supposed to arrive in Tampa at 3:00, then it needed to take off at 1:30. But Delta for some reason didn't announce the delay until 2:50. I don't get it. Then in Atlanta, they had their message board showing for a while that the incoming flight was scheduled to arrive at 10:20, and that we were scheduled to depart at 10:45. Now, I've never cleaned up an arriving plane before, so I don't know how long that takes, but I know it takes at least a half an hour to board everyone, so it just seems ridiculous to expect us to believe those times. This kind of thing went on consistently throughout the trip.
And then they lost our luggage. They said that it would go out on the first delivery trip of the morning, which left at 7:00am and could take up to 4 hours to get around to reaching us. Fine. No problem there. At 12:30 I called to find out where the luggage was. The woman said, "Well, you know sir, it can take up to four hours." I almost couldn't control my temper. I explained to her that four hours had been up an hour and a half ago and asked her to please find out where our luggage was. She called the delivery company and came back to tell me that they were swamped and it would be there by 2:00pm. You know what? If they had just told me that in the first place, I would have been fine with it. If they had just told me that our plane was being delayed as soon as they knew, I would have been fine with it. Really, the reason I feel compelled to now tell everyone I meet not to fly Delta is because they insisted on treating us like children.
Phew. I'm glad I got that off my chest.
Friday, February 04, 2005
Thursday, February 03, 2005
3 - people getting drunk because pirates didn't invade.
Well, actually no one seems to be clear on what the pirates actually did, but everyone was definitely getting drunk.
Every year in February, Tampa celebrates "Gasparilla." Basically, it's a rip off of Mardi Gras with a pirate theme. Apparently, there was once a pirate named Jose Gaspar who terrorized the Florida coast. And for no apparent reason, in 1904 when Tampa city officials were looking for a motif for their spring festival, they chose pirates and named the festival after old Jose.
What happens each year is this: the "pirates" sail into the harbor on a replica pirate ship and "invade" the city. Then they parade through town sharing their "loot" in the form of beads thrown to the crowds. Then everyone gets drunk.
We were there for it. It was silly.
Every year in February, Tampa celebrates "Gasparilla." Basically, it's a rip off of Mardi Gras with a pirate theme. Apparently, there was once a pirate named Jose Gaspar who terrorized the Florida coast. And for no apparent reason, in 1904 when Tampa city officials were looking for a motif for their spring festival, they chose pirates and named the festival after old Jose.
What happens each year is this: the "pirates" sail into the harbor on a replica pirate ship and "invade" the city. Then they parade through town sharing their "loot" in the form of beads thrown to the crowds. Then everyone gets drunk.
We were there for it. It was silly.
2 - two more movies that I saw, and 4 CDs that I bought.
While in Bunnell, we drove down to Daytona and saw:
1) - "Meet the Fockers." I wasn't expecting much from this movie, and I got even less. The big surprise was how good the cast was. Streisand especially impressed me. I'd just like to pause here and quote the Onion's review of the movie: "Watching a cast this good tackle material this bad is like watching the 1928 Yankees play the Special Olympics softball team."
2) - "Sideways." I had been dying to see this. And I have to say that it didn't live up to the hype. Part of it may have been that I was not in good surroundings -- there were a lot of people in the theater talking, which was very distracting. And part of it may have been that nothing could live up to that hype. And part of it may have been that I just felt like it was good but not great.
While in Athens, I bought:
1) - "Our Endless Numbered Days" by Iron and Wine. They're featured on both the "Garden State" and "In Good Company" soundtracks, so I wanted to hear the whole album. It's great! Super mellow, folksy, acoustic stuff. Really beautiful.
2) - "In Good Company" soundtrack. This was not as awesome as I'd hoped. But it's still really good. There are 3 Iron and Wine songs on the soundtrack, and two of them are on "Our Endless Numbered Days," but the third song, called "The Trapeze Swinger," is a 9 1/2 minute epic that was worth the cost of the whole album. It's amazing.
3) - "Travel Edition 1990-2005" by Saint Etienne. This is pretty good stuff. Trancy jazzy songs. Some are pretty, some are punchy. After awhile, they all start to sound the same, but the first 4 or 5 songs are really good.
4) - "Push The Button" by the Chemical Brothers. Not the Brothers' best work. A couple of the songs are good, but over all this whole album just sounds like everybody else. Not nearly the kind of work I expect from them.
There you have it.
1) - "Meet the Fockers." I wasn't expecting much from this movie, and I got even less. The big surprise was how good the cast was. Streisand especially impressed me. I'd just like to pause here and quote the Onion's review of the movie: "Watching a cast this good tackle material this bad is like watching the 1928 Yankees play the Special Olympics softball team."
2) - "Sideways." I had been dying to see this. And I have to say that it didn't live up to the hype. Part of it may have been that I was not in good surroundings -- there were a lot of people in the theater talking, which was very distracting. And part of it may have been that nothing could live up to that hype. And part of it may have been that I just felt like it was good but not great.
While in Athens, I bought:
1) - "Our Endless Numbered Days" by Iron and Wine. They're featured on both the "Garden State" and "In Good Company" soundtracks, so I wanted to hear the whole album. It's great! Super mellow, folksy, acoustic stuff. Really beautiful.
2) - "In Good Company" soundtrack. This was not as awesome as I'd hoped. But it's still really good. There are 3 Iron and Wine songs on the soundtrack, and two of them are on "Our Endless Numbered Days," but the third song, called "The Trapeze Swinger," is a 9 1/2 minute epic that was worth the cost of the whole album. It's amazing.
3) - "Travel Edition 1990-2005" by Saint Etienne. This is pretty good stuff. Trancy jazzy songs. Some are pretty, some are punchy. After awhile, they all start to sound the same, but the first 4 or 5 songs are really good.
4) - "Push The Button" by the Chemical Brothers. Not the Brothers' best work. A couple of the songs are good, but over all this whole album just sounds like everybody else. Not nearly the kind of work I expect from them.
There you have it.
1 - the scary motel we stayed at in Bunnell, FL.
Well, technically the motel was in Flagler Beach, FL. But our show was in Bunnell, and it's all really one big area.
The area was pretty standard Florida beach zone. Crappy tourist traps and dive bars for the locals. A few chain places by the highway. Lots of beach.
The Topaz Motel was right across the street from the beach. It consisted of three buildings and a pool. The two side buildings were pretty standard motel-type room areas. But the main building was an old mansion. On the outside of the building hung two huge paintings, portraits of a man and a woman in Victorian outfits. I have no idea who they were. Inside, the first floor held the lobby and a restaurant. I think the owners lived on the second floor. Every time I looked in the restaurant, everyone in it was over the age of 60. The lobby was decorated as if your grandmother's evil twin lived there. It held three kinds of items:
a) lots of religious signs and stickers -- pretty hard core stuff, too, like "The end is coming, how's your soul?"
b) framed articles and clippings that all dealt with horrible disasters -- including a large display devoted to the Titanic.
c) framed pictures and mementoes of two children -- a boy and a girl. We're pretty sure the girl was the woman who checked us in, and we met the boy the next day. He's easy to pick out because he's a midget. Nothing terribly unusual about that (there was also a midget working at the hotel in Charlotte), except that he looked very creepy in the pictures of him as a child. And the mementoes included letters sent home by his teacher in which the teacher would say things like, "Mark spends too much time talking and doesn't concentrate on his work." It's odd enough that someone would save bad reports from the teacher, but then in each frame are young Mark's rebuttals: "Teacher lied." "Teacher always had it in for Mark." And I have to say, picturing the creepy young midget crying, "Teacher lied!" was almost enough to send us running back up the highway.
The rooms were actually pretty nice for a motel, and it was nice being so near to the beach, even though the weather didn't cooperate. But man, that was one creepy lobby.
The area was pretty standard Florida beach zone. Crappy tourist traps and dive bars for the locals. A few chain places by the highway. Lots of beach.
The Topaz Motel was right across the street from the beach. It consisted of three buildings and a pool. The two side buildings were pretty standard motel-type room areas. But the main building was an old mansion. On the outside of the building hung two huge paintings, portraits of a man and a woman in Victorian outfits. I have no idea who they were. Inside, the first floor held the lobby and a restaurant. I think the owners lived on the second floor. Every time I looked in the restaurant, everyone in it was over the age of 60. The lobby was decorated as if your grandmother's evil twin lived there. It held three kinds of items:
a) lots of religious signs and stickers -- pretty hard core stuff, too, like "The end is coming, how's your soul?"
b) framed articles and clippings that all dealt with horrible disasters -- including a large display devoted to the Titanic.
c) framed pictures and mementoes of two children -- a boy and a girl. We're pretty sure the girl was the woman who checked us in, and we met the boy the next day. He's easy to pick out because he's a midget. Nothing terribly unusual about that (there was also a midget working at the hotel in Charlotte), except that he looked very creepy in the pictures of him as a child. And the mementoes included letters sent home by his teacher in which the teacher would say things like, "Mark spends too much time talking and doesn't concentrate on his work." It's odd enough that someone would save bad reports from the teacher, but then in each frame are young Mark's rebuttals: "Teacher lied." "Teacher always had it in for Mark." And I have to say, picturing the creepy young midget crying, "Teacher lied!" was almost enough to send us running back up the highway.
The rooms were actually pretty nice for a motel, and it was nice being so near to the beach, even though the weather didn't cooperate. But man, that was one creepy lobby.
Monday, January 31, 2005
Greetings from my own home!
Just a quick note to say that we're back. The last couple days of the trip were rough. I'm not very coherent at the moment, so I'll write more later to tell you about:
1 - the scary motel we stayed at in Bunnell, FL.
2 - two more movies that I saw, and 4 CDs that I bought.
3 - people getting drunk because pirates didn't invade.
4 - reasons not to fly Delta airlines.
5 - anything else that pops into my head.
See you then!
1 - the scary motel we stayed at in Bunnell, FL.
2 - two more movies that I saw, and 4 CDs that I bought.
3 - people getting drunk because pirates didn't invade.
4 - reasons not to fly Delta airlines.
5 - anything else that pops into my head.
See you then!
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
Greetings from Athens, GA
Well, this is a lovely little town. The journey here on Sunday certainly had it's problems (the less said the better), but we finished up with a lovely dinner at The Grit (a nationally renowned vegetarian restaurant) and drinks at Transmetropolitan (a small local bar more cozy than its name might indicate).
Monday we explored the town a bit. A local TV station interviewed two of the actors -- not about the show, but about Johnny Carson's death. Sigh. I bought some CDs. Had a great show. Stayed out way too late drinking with college kids.
Today we went into Atlanta. Ate at The Varsity (the world's largest drive-in restaurant) -- try the chili dogs if you're ever there! Visited the World of Coca-Cola. Tasted sodas from around the world. Got kind of sick. Ate dinner at a Cuban restaurant. Came home.
I know that it may seem that all I talk about is food. Well, first of all, it's a very important subject when you're on the road. And second of all, I worry that most of the rest of the stuff that goes on is pretty boring. Ask if you ever want to know more about something!
Monday we explored the town a bit. A local TV station interviewed two of the actors -- not about the show, but about Johnny Carson's death. Sigh. I bought some CDs. Had a great show. Stayed out way too late drinking with college kids.
Today we went into Atlanta. Ate at The Varsity (the world's largest drive-in restaurant) -- try the chili dogs if you're ever there! Visited the World of Coca-Cola. Tasted sodas from around the world. Got kind of sick. Ate dinner at a Cuban restaurant. Came home.
I know that it may seem that all I talk about is food. Well, first of all, it's a very important subject when you're on the road. And second of all, I worry that most of the rest of the stuff that goes on is pretty boring. Ask if you ever want to know more about something!
Sunday, January 23, 2005
Greetings from Wilson, NC
Well, despite the fact that most of North Carolina seems to be in a terrible panic over the 1.5 inches of snow that fell in some parts of the state on Wednesday, we seem to have missed every flake of it. It rained a little bit here today, but hardly enough to even mention. This is the most northern point of our trip, so hopefully things will warm up again once we're in Athens tomorrow. And even if it's still cold there, at least we're not in Chicago! (They had 14 inches of snow today!)
Wilson is a pretty dead town. It's not as bad as Iola, KS was, but that's about all I can say for it. We did have some good barbeque for lunch today, but last night we drove in to Raleigh (about an hour away) to find someplace nice to have dinner. We also got to hang out with Jenny's brother and his girlfriend there, which was nice.
We did have a great show, though. I sometimes forget how cool we must seem when we come into a small town like this. Somebody has to bring hope to the few smart people trapped here!
Two of our Florida shows were cancelled, so we're going to have a couple of days off next week. We've decided to spend them in Athens, GA. I hear that it's a really cool town, and it's not far from Atlanta. I know we're hoping to see the Coke Museum, and I'll keep you updated on any other cool things that end up happening.
We're leaving pretty early in the morning tomorrow so that we can catch as much of the football playoffs as possible, so I'm heading to bed now.
Wilson is a pretty dead town. It's not as bad as Iola, KS was, but that's about all I can say for it. We did have some good barbeque for lunch today, but last night we drove in to Raleigh (about an hour away) to find someplace nice to have dinner. We also got to hang out with Jenny's brother and his girlfriend there, which was nice.
We did have a great show, though. I sometimes forget how cool we must seem when we come into a small town like this. Somebody has to bring hope to the few smart people trapped here!
Two of our Florida shows were cancelled, so we're going to have a couple of days off next week. We've decided to spend them in Athens, GA. I hear that it's a really cool town, and it's not far from Atlanta. I know we're hoping to see the Coke Museum, and I'll keep you updated on any other cool things that end up happening.
We're leaving pretty early in the morning tomorrow so that we can catch as much of the football playoffs as possible, so I'm heading to bed now.
Friday, January 21, 2005
Greetings from Pinehurst, NC
Well, that's over. Tonight's show was a one-act, mostly improv performance, in the ballroom of a country club, with no lights and crappy sound, with terrible sight lines, for an audience of retired-stockbroker Republican golfers and their wives. But it went pretty well :)
Okay, on to the important stuff: yesterday's movies! First we saw "Spanglish," which I enjoyed quite a bit. The reviews on it had been so mixed that I really wasn't sure what to expect. It wasn't the greatest movie ever, but it had some great performances and some great scenes and we had a good time watching it. Then we went into another theater and watched a little bit of "Elektra," and let me tell you, a little bit was more than enough. What a piece of garbage. And finally we saw "Ocean's Twelve," which was a nice fluffy piece of movie candy. Not a lot of meat on it, but tasty while it lasted. I'd be happy to have a more in-depth discussion of any of these films (or any film in general!) if anyone wants to drop me a line.
Okay, on to the important stuff: yesterday's movies! First we saw "Spanglish," which I enjoyed quite a bit. The reviews on it had been so mixed that I really wasn't sure what to expect. It wasn't the greatest movie ever, but it had some great performances and some great scenes and we had a good time watching it. Then we went into another theater and watched a little bit of "Elektra," and let me tell you, a little bit was more than enough. What a piece of garbage. And finally we saw "Ocean's Twelve," which was a nice fluffy piece of movie candy. Not a lot of meat on it, but tasty while it lasted. I'd be happy to have a more in-depth discussion of any of these films (or any film in general!) if anyone wants to drop me a line.
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Greetings from Charlotte, NC
Well, here we are on our third day in Charlotte. Let me just begin by saying how freaking annoying it is that Holiday Inns never have a business center. It's pretty much my only complaint with them, but it's a big one.
We taught some workshops in Wilmington on Sunday, then drove in to Charlotte. It's gotten quite cold down here actually. Tuesday's high was 34 degrees. Not Chicago cold, I know, but definitely not balmy! Sunday night Brendan and I went to see "The Life Aquatic." It was really good. I love Wes Anderson's films!
Monday was our big day off. I think it's the only day on the trip where we have absolutely no obligations -- no driving, no shows, no workshops. We took the opportunity to do laundry. I had the cast's show clothes dry cleaned. We went out to dinner and did some shopping at Target. I got a new tattoo.
Yes, you read that right! I can't wait to show it off when I get back. Dave took a lot of pictures to document the process, and I'll try to remember to post some of them so that those of you reading from afar can see it. But that won't be until we get back. Until then I'm going to keep it as a surprise :)
Tuesday we went to a matinee of "In Good Company." It was GREAT! I was not expecting much from it, but completely loved it. As Brendan put it, it was the movie that "Garden State" should have been. Much more realistic and less heavy handed. And the soundtrack included many of the same bands as the "Garden State" soundtrack. I love the "Garden State" soundtrack, by the way, and can't wait to buy the "In Good Company" one. That'll definitely happen before the end of the trip. Speaking of which, on Monday I was at a coffee shop and picked up a cool 8-disc CD set of all local Charlotte bands. I'm really enjoying it so far.
The show last night went really well. This morning we did a kid's show for a bunch of school groups, and now we're off for the rest of the day. We're gonna go see more movies! I'll report on them soon.
We taught some workshops in Wilmington on Sunday, then drove in to Charlotte. It's gotten quite cold down here actually. Tuesday's high was 34 degrees. Not Chicago cold, I know, but definitely not balmy! Sunday night Brendan and I went to see "The Life Aquatic." It was really good. I love Wes Anderson's films!
Monday was our big day off. I think it's the only day on the trip where we have absolutely no obligations -- no driving, no shows, no workshops. We took the opportunity to do laundry. I had the cast's show clothes dry cleaned. We went out to dinner and did some shopping at Target. I got a new tattoo.
Yes, you read that right! I can't wait to show it off when I get back. Dave took a lot of pictures to document the process, and I'll try to remember to post some of them so that those of you reading from afar can see it. But that won't be until we get back. Until then I'm going to keep it as a surprise :)
Tuesday we went to a matinee of "In Good Company." It was GREAT! I was not expecting much from it, but completely loved it. As Brendan put it, it was the movie that "Garden State" should have been. Much more realistic and less heavy handed. And the soundtrack included many of the same bands as the "Garden State" soundtrack. I love the "Garden State" soundtrack, by the way, and can't wait to buy the "In Good Company" one. That'll definitely happen before the end of the trip. Speaking of which, on Monday I was at a coffee shop and picked up a cool 8-disc CD set of all local Charlotte bands. I'm really enjoying it so far.
The show last night went really well. This morning we did a kid's show for a bunch of school groups, and now we're off for the rest of the day. We're gonna go see more movies! I'll report on them soon.
Saturday, January 15, 2005
Greetings from Wilmington, NC
Well, I was hoping to post from every city we visit, but I missed one. Yesterday we were in Conway, SC, and I wanted to post, but the hotel only had one computer in their business center and every time I tried to use it there was someone already there.
We were only in Conway for less than 12 hours. After 2 good shows in Hilton Head, SC on Wednesday night, I got up early on Thursday to run some errands and stop by an internet cafe and grab some computer time (the hotel in Hilton Head didn't have a business center). But when I went to leave the hotel, the van wouldn't start, so I ended up using all that extra time I had given myself finding someone to jump start the van. What a great way to start the day. But at least I was able to take care of it BEFORE call time.
Then we drove 4 1/2 hours up to Conway and checked into the hotel, which was very nice, but was in this weird touristy mall sort of area. For example, in the mall were a Planet Hollywood, a Hard Rock Cafe, a Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville Restaurant, and a Murray Brothers' Caddyshack restaurant. Across the street was the NASCAR Cafe. That kind of place. So we didn't want to eat at any of those places, but when we went back out to the van, it wouldn't start again. I sent the rest of the cast off to lunch in the car, while I went back inside and made Budget send us out a new van (we had also had trouble with it not wanting to start back in Columbus, GA on the fourth day of the trip). Once I had the new van, I ran the errands that I had wanted to run that morning, but couldn't get on the computer (as I mentioned above).
So then we did a good show in Conway at Coastal Carolina University, packed up and drove on in to Wilmington. The place we're staying at isn't fancy, but is kind of fun -- it's all suites, so each room has a full kitchen, and the rooms with two beds actually have them in separate rooms. We didn't get in until right around midnight, but their computer was in use, too! So I just went to bed.
We had an early call this morning because we're doing two kid's shows today, as well as our normal show tonight. Right now we're between the two kid's shows and I'm typing this in the office of the theater's production manager. Oh, and speaking of this theater (Thalian Hall in Wilmington, NC), it turns out that I've been here before! Way back in November of 1994 when I was first touring with Second City we did a show here. Isn't that crazy!? I feel kind of weird about it. None of the staff even worked here at the time, but they still have our poster up on the wall, and I remember it quite clearly. Beth didn't think we had been here before, but it was before she took over as producer, and once I saw the space I was sure of it.
Anyway, I have to go open the house for the second kid's show. Peace out!
We were only in Conway for less than 12 hours. After 2 good shows in Hilton Head, SC on Wednesday night, I got up early on Thursday to run some errands and stop by an internet cafe and grab some computer time (the hotel in Hilton Head didn't have a business center). But when I went to leave the hotel, the van wouldn't start, so I ended up using all that extra time I had given myself finding someone to jump start the van. What a great way to start the day. But at least I was able to take care of it BEFORE call time.
Then we drove 4 1/2 hours up to Conway and checked into the hotel, which was very nice, but was in this weird touristy mall sort of area. For example, in the mall were a Planet Hollywood, a Hard Rock Cafe, a Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville Restaurant, and a Murray Brothers' Caddyshack restaurant. Across the street was the NASCAR Cafe. That kind of place. So we didn't want to eat at any of those places, but when we went back out to the van, it wouldn't start again. I sent the rest of the cast off to lunch in the car, while I went back inside and made Budget send us out a new van (we had also had trouble with it not wanting to start back in Columbus, GA on the fourth day of the trip). Once I had the new van, I ran the errands that I had wanted to run that morning, but couldn't get on the computer (as I mentioned above).
So then we did a good show in Conway at Coastal Carolina University, packed up and drove on in to Wilmington. The place we're staying at isn't fancy, but is kind of fun -- it's all suites, so each room has a full kitchen, and the rooms with two beds actually have them in separate rooms. We didn't get in until right around midnight, but their computer was in use, too! So I just went to bed.
We had an early call this morning because we're doing two kid's shows today, as well as our normal show tonight. Right now we're between the two kid's shows and I'm typing this in the office of the theater's production manager. Oh, and speaking of this theater (Thalian Hall in Wilmington, NC), it turns out that I've been here before! Way back in November of 1994 when I was first touring with Second City we did a show here. Isn't that crazy!? I feel kind of weird about it. None of the staff even worked here at the time, but they still have our poster up on the wall, and I remember it quite clearly. Beth didn't think we had been here before, but it was before she took over as producer, and once I saw the space I was sure of it.
Anyway, I have to go open the house for the second kid's show. Peace out!
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Greetings from Hilton Head, SC
Spent all day yesterday driving, and the hotel here doesn't have a business center, so this has been my first chance to post. I'm at an internet cafe up the street from the hotel.
The weather yesterday was beautiful, even though we were in the car most of the time and couldn't really enjoy it, but it made for a nice drive. Had a nice long walk on the beach last night! Today has been cooler and rainy. I'm sure you're all feeling really sorry for me :)
Just dropped Brendan and Niki off at the venue to lead a workshop, and am now headed back to the hotel to pick up the rest of the cast. We have two shows tonight at the Coastal Carolina Arts Center, and then tomorrow we're off to Conway, SC.
Gotta go change clothes! Bye.
The weather yesterday was beautiful, even though we were in the car most of the time and couldn't really enjoy it, but it made for a nice drive. Had a nice long walk on the beach last night! Today has been cooler and rainy. I'm sure you're all feeling really sorry for me :)
Just dropped Brendan and Niki off at the venue to lead a workshop, and am now headed back to the hotel to pick up the rest of the cast. We have two shows tonight at the Coastal Carolina Arts Center, and then tomorrow we're off to Conway, SC.
Gotta go change clothes! Bye.
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Greetings from Pensacola, FL
Pensacola's not far from Niceville, so there's not much to tell about the trip, but I do have two brief items:
- Yesterday we went to the beach and laid out for a couple of hours! In January! Sometimes I DO enjoy my job :)
- Most of you know what a connoisseur of strange products I am. Well, I forgot to mention that on Monday I tried a very interesting new product: Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper! "I like all those things, this would have to be great." And it was.
Had a GREAT show last night at University of West Florida. Today we have a 9 hour drive to Hilton Head. Off we go!
- Yesterday we went to the beach and laid out for a couple of hours! In January! Sometimes I DO enjoy my job :)
- Most of you know what a connoisseur of strange products I am. Well, I forgot to mention that on Monday I tried a very interesting new product: Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper! "I like all those things, this would have to be great." And it was.
Had a GREAT show last night at University of West Florida. Today we have a 9 hour drive to Hilton Head. Off we go!
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Oops
We're still in Niceville, FL at the moment. Heading to Pensacola, FL tomorrow. Today was going pretty well until I got a call from the venue asking why we hadn't arrived yet to teach our workshop..... I had known that a workshop was a possibility, but it was never confirmed with me, so I had assumed that we weren't doing one. Too many layers of communication :) We rushed over and took care of everything and it wasn't a big deal, but I had a couple of bad minutes during that phone call!
The show tonight went well. Not much else to report.
The show tonight went well. Not much else to report.
Monday, January 10, 2005
Greetings from Niceville, FL
Not much to report -- except that today was a good food day! After yesterday's 24 hours of bad food decisions (from just not eating breakfast, to lunch's misguided search for fried chicken that ended up being dinner because it took so long and then wasn't even good, to the late night snack of buffalo chicken pizza), today was a delight. Lunch was at exactly the kind of down-home country restaurant that we were trying so desperately to find yesterday. And tonight was a local seafood place right on the bay. We sat on the deck and looked out over the water, enjoying the company, the atmosphere, and the delicious food. I had the shrimp and lobster bisque, pasta with seared tuna, and deep fried cheesecake for dessert. Everything was delicious, and everyone else seemed to really enjoy their meals as well. All in all a lovely day.
Sunday, January 09, 2005
Greetings from Columbus, GA
Yesterday: Had lunch at a popular local Italian restaurant. Had possibly the worst waitress ever. Bought some pants at Target. Two pretty good shows. Went to a bar and watched two guys from the nearby military base who had just gotten back from Iraq get into a bar fight that ended with one guy being taken out to an ambulance. Then went to a different bar, drank too much and stayed out too late.
Today: Visited the National Infantry Museum at said nearby military base (Fort Benning). Saw lots of guns. Learned about the history of dogs in war (narrated by Martin Sheen). Spent far too much time trying to find fried chicken for lunch. One good show and one great show! Got some late night pizza and beer. Stopped in the hotel business center to write this. Will now go to sleep.
Tomorrow: Off to Florida.....
Today: Visited the National Infantry Museum at said nearby military base (Fort Benning). Saw lots of guns. Learned about the history of dogs in war (narrated by Martin Sheen). Spent far too much time trying to find fried chicken for lunch. One good show and one great show! Got some late night pizza and beer. Stopped in the hotel business center to write this. Will now go to sleep.
Tomorrow: Off to Florida.....
Friday, January 07, 2005
Our story so far...
Well, so far we're not off to an auspicious start:
-- Due to a mix-up at ticketing (partly Carlson Wagonlit's fault, partly Delta's -- and partly mine for not figuring out what was happening sooner), we ended up with half the cast on one flight to Atlanta and the other half on a separate filght. Not a big deal; it just meant that some people waited longer at O'Hare and some people waited longer in Georgia, but still annoying.
-- Both flights were of course delayed. Not that anyone was willing to admit that until right at the time when boarding was supposed to start. I kept calling the Delta hotline all day, because I figured that this would be the case, but of course they kept saying "No, come to the airport now!" I think they're in cahoots with the airport vendors' association.
-- Delta then managed to lose two cast members' bags. They were delivered to the hotel today, so again not a big deal, but again a pain in my butt.
-- And the hotel only had our reservation as being for Friday and Saturday. They didn't have a problem with adding an extra day, but it took a long time at check-in. And since we didn't get to the hotel until after midnight because of all the flight delays, extra time at check-in was not really what we wanted at that point!
So, all in all nothing we can't handle, but added all up, an annoying start to our trip. Hopefully now that things are more fully on our shoulders, we can keep the ship sailing smoothly. And that's today's update. I'm off to lunch. Ciao!
-- Due to a mix-up at ticketing (partly Carlson Wagonlit's fault, partly Delta's -- and partly mine for not figuring out what was happening sooner), we ended up with half the cast on one flight to Atlanta and the other half on a separate filght. Not a big deal; it just meant that some people waited longer at O'Hare and some people waited longer in Georgia, but still annoying.
-- Both flights were of course delayed. Not that anyone was willing to admit that until right at the time when boarding was supposed to start. I kept calling the Delta hotline all day, because I figured that this would be the case, but of course they kept saying "No, come to the airport now!" I think they're in cahoots with the airport vendors' association.
-- Delta then managed to lose two cast members' bags. They were delivered to the hotel today, so again not a big deal, but again a pain in my butt.
-- And the hotel only had our reservation as being for Friday and Saturday. They didn't have a problem with adding an extra day, but it took a long time at check-in. And since we didn't get to the hotel until after midnight because of all the flight delays, extra time at check-in was not really what we wanted at that point!
So, all in all nothing we can't handle, but added all up, an annoying start to our trip. Hopefully now that things are more fully on our shoulders, we can keep the ship sailing smoothly. And that's today's update. I'm off to lunch. Ciao!
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Hello, stranger
Things have been and continue to be crazy around here. I've been filling in on the Second City mainstage for most of December, and although they still need me in some ways, I have to leave tomorrow on a 25 day tour! Sadly, it's easier to find someone else to fill in here than to find someone else to go on this bear of a tour. I'm sure it'll be fun, but it's gonna be a long time out on the road. We're starting in Georgia and hitting Florida and both Carolinas along the way. At least the weather will be nice!
Monday, October 25, 2004
White Wedding
Had a fantastic time this weekend at the wedding of two very good friends of mine -- Chris Walsh and Mandy Harbut. I was the best man, and even with an insider's view, I have to say that everything went swimmingly. We had fun at the bachelor party on Thursday night, fun at the rehearsal dinner on Friday, fun at the wedding on Saturday, and fun at the post-wedding brunch on Sunday.
We ended up keeping the bachelor party pretty simple -- we went out for a fancy dinner, then headed to a dive bar with Karaoke to while away the hours forcing each other to sing silly songs, and finished up with a brief but obligatory visit to a strip club.
The food and drink at the rehearsal dinner were excellent (as was the dessert -- it was an entire weekend of excellent cakes). I'm not sure what the bridesmaids received from the couple, but the groomsmen all received T-shirts with humorous sayings on them. Mine says, in very small print, "If you're close enough to read this... You now have SARS." Hee hee!
The wedding was beautiful. Very simple and elegant, exactly to my taste. We looked good, if I do say so myself. I'll post some pictures soon! The photography didn't last too long, and then we were off to the reception. The speeches led off the evening, starting with the bride's mother and the groom's father, then the matron of honor and myself. I thought that my part went pretty well. At least, several people told me afterward that they had enjoyed it. I had been agonizing over it for weeks, and I can at least definitely say that it went better than the last best man toast that I gave, where the reception was outside and there were no microphones, so I was shouting my speech :) Makes it hard to get any nuances across.....
The DJ was kind of cheesy, but the music selection was pretty good. Everyone got really drunk and danced a LOT. Oddly, many of the songs we had sung at Karaoke on Thursday turned up in the mix, which gave an those numbers a little added pleasure. After heading out of the restaurant, a select few of us spent a final hour enjoying the ambiance at the hotel bar, where a very silly 80's cover band was playing. All in all it was one of the most enjoyable evenings I've had in a long time.
[Except for the fact that there seems to be some part of the human genome that is activated only at weddings and causes people to walk around asking every unmarried person present when they plan on tying the knot. I must have answered that question a dozen times over the course of the weekend. Sigh. ]
And then Mandy's mother hosted a brunch today, where there was enough food to have an entire second reception, and we all sat around watching the Bears lose and cooing over the three babies present.
Now that's my kind of weekend!
We ended up keeping the bachelor party pretty simple -- we went out for a fancy dinner, then headed to a dive bar with Karaoke to while away the hours forcing each other to sing silly songs, and finished up with a brief but obligatory visit to a strip club.
The food and drink at the rehearsal dinner were excellent (as was the dessert -- it was an entire weekend of excellent cakes). I'm not sure what the bridesmaids received from the couple, but the groomsmen all received T-shirts with humorous sayings on them. Mine says, in very small print, "If you're close enough to read this... You now have SARS." Hee hee!
The wedding was beautiful. Very simple and elegant, exactly to my taste. We looked good, if I do say so myself. I'll post some pictures soon! The photography didn't last too long, and then we were off to the reception. The speeches led off the evening, starting with the bride's mother and the groom's father, then the matron of honor and myself. I thought that my part went pretty well. At least, several people told me afterward that they had enjoyed it. I had been agonizing over it for weeks, and I can at least definitely say that it went better than the last best man toast that I gave, where the reception was outside and there were no microphones, so I was shouting my speech :) Makes it hard to get any nuances across.....
The DJ was kind of cheesy, but the music selection was pretty good. Everyone got really drunk and danced a LOT. Oddly, many of the songs we had sung at Karaoke on Thursday turned up in the mix, which gave an those numbers a little added pleasure. After heading out of the restaurant, a select few of us spent a final hour enjoying the ambiance at the hotel bar, where a very silly 80's cover band was playing. All in all it was one of the most enjoyable evenings I've had in a long time.
[Except for the fact that there seems to be some part of the human genome that is activated only at weddings and causes people to walk around asking every unmarried person present when they plan on tying the knot. I must have answered that question a dozen times over the course of the weekend. Sigh. ]
And then Mandy's mother hosted a brunch today, where there was enough food to have an entire second reception, and we all sat around watching the Bears lose and cooing over the three babies present.
Now that's my kind of weekend!
Sunday, October 17, 2004
Home Sweet Home
I just flew in from Virginia, and boy are my arms tired!
And pretty much all the rest of me, too. Just returned about an hour ago from a very long exhausting tour that included stops in Washington, Oregon, Virginia and ended tonight with a show back here in Chicago. All in all we were gone for ten days. For the most part it wasn't too bad, but it was a lot of travelling. If it had just been Washington and Oregon, I think we would have been okay; by the Virginia leg of the trip we were all pretty beat. And little things just kept going wrong! Traffic jams, flight delays, lost keys, etc. The shows went really well, though, and I really enjoyed our time in Seattle. That's a city I could visit again.
While there I picked up a few books -- the one I've started reading (and am almost through) is "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell" by Susanna Clarke. I'm enjoying it, but not loving as much as I had expected to. I also picked up a Steven Brust book that I hadn't even known existed (I just finally read his "To Reign In Hell" last month), and "The Briar King" by Greg Keyes, which is at last out in paperback now that its sequel has been published. Speaking of sequels, I'm rather peeved with George R.R. Martin, whose book "A Feast For Crows" was supposed to be out last November, and has been pushed back four times -- it's now scheduled for December 30! And ditto for Atari games which was supposed to release the updated version of Sid Meier's "Pirates!" in April and has pushed it back to November. Oh, and for those who don't know, Terry Pratchett has a new book out!
And pretty much all the rest of me, too. Just returned about an hour ago from a very long exhausting tour that included stops in Washington, Oregon, Virginia and ended tonight with a show back here in Chicago. All in all we were gone for ten days. For the most part it wasn't too bad, but it was a lot of travelling. If it had just been Washington and Oregon, I think we would have been okay; by the Virginia leg of the trip we were all pretty beat. And little things just kept going wrong! Traffic jams, flight delays, lost keys, etc. The shows went really well, though, and I really enjoyed our time in Seattle. That's a city I could visit again.
While there I picked up a few books -- the one I've started reading (and am almost through) is "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell" by Susanna Clarke. I'm enjoying it, but not loving as much as I had expected to. I also picked up a Steven Brust book that I hadn't even known existed (I just finally read his "To Reign In Hell" last month), and "The Briar King" by Greg Keyes, which is at last out in paperback now that its sequel has been published. Speaking of sequels, I'm rather peeved with George R.R. Martin, whose book "A Feast For Crows" was supposed to be out last November, and has been pushed back four times -- it's now scheduled for December 30! And ditto for Atari games which was supposed to release the updated version of Sid Meier's "Pirates!" in April and has pushed it back to November. Oh, and for those who don't know, Terry Pratchett has a new book out!
Wednesday, September 29, 2004
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
