This Thursday (July 29th, 2010)
Roy Janik and I perform “Squirrel Buddies” two friends doing happy, positive improv

w/ Oh, Science! and Switch

$3 - 8pm

Tickets: http://tinyurl.com/yzgg34p

My marathon of one-off or temporary improv projects continues! This Saturday at The ColdTowne Theater Cage Match, 9pm - two teams, audience votes.

Come be part of the fun! It’s FREE, 8:30pm at ColdTowne Theater

And see the awesome other acts:
Ames and James
Improv For Evil

http://mondaynightmash.com/ | http://www.coldtownetheater.com

I’ve noticed a key difference in myself from years ago. This is not meant to be snobby or elitist in any way, but I’ve realized that I most often would rather not indulge in something if it’s low quality. Food is a great example of this. It’s more important for me that something is of good quality (whether it be ingredients, freshness, healthiness, environmentally sound) than to just have it period.

Last night my dad asked me if I wanted anything from the store. I’ve been on a big ice cream kick lately so I told him to get me some ice cream if he’d like to. Then I realized that my parents aren’t big into ice cream, typically, so I’d better mention that I only wanted it if it was a decent brand. At first I felt like a snob but then I thought about it and that’s a conscious choice I make every day. Essentially, if something is not good, I would rather go without it. Does that make sense?  Also — quality doesn’t necessarily mean that it is going to be more expensive, but oftentimes does. I think this is true mostly because are so used to this concept. Also — Food and materials are too cheap in this country for many reasons (corn subsidies, Walmart philosophies, etc…).

If I can’t wear well-made clothes or eat good food, I’d rather just have fewer / less of it, or not at all. The French really have that philosophy down pat.

Food for thought (no pun intended)…

I recently acquired an Alien Bee ABR800 Ring flash and I’m excited about it.

A good photographer friend of mine described it as a “one trick pony” but a “good trick”. I’m excited to explore it and push it’s boundaries creatively. I’m very interested in photography lately. I’ve taken a passel of photos for pleasure but haven’t shared them yet. There’s a mysterious and fun element to creating  and holding on until the right time to reveal.

Posing for photos

I recently returned from a trip to Ohio to see my good friends Ken & Allyson get married! It was the most fun I’ve had in a long time and totally relaxed the hell out of me. I was pretty on edge and stressed before I left Austin due to work and other things. But the weekend was absolutely perfect. They were married at the Columbus Athenaeum, a stunningly beautiful old theater located in the heart of downtown. Our hotels were just a few blocks away. Hilariously, there were two conventions staying the hotel. One was a gay bowling league and the other a women’s roller derby conference. There were tatoos and bowling laminates every where and made for a comical juxtaposition with the wedding crowd. You should’ve seen the pool!

Ken designed and ordered a custom gobo to shine upon the reception floor. Very neat!

Ken also gave me this lovely humidor as a wedding present. I will have to fight the urge to smoke cigars more often.

Mouth cancer, here we come!

Family time in Ohio was great too. I had to work on my laptop a lot of the time, but most people were occupied during the day anyway. I spent lots of time with cute babies and catching up. Overall, a  lovely time. Back to the grind in Austin. It’s hot, I’m tired, and desperately in need of some  alone time. Cheers to Ken & Allyson, old friends & family!