can i breathe yet?

A ridiculously long and busy weekend is finally over. Not to say I didn't enjoy it, I just have that been hit by a truck feeling. Friday I went to see my friend Tony in We Will Rock You, the musical based around the music of Queen. It really surprised me. I mean, I knew I would enjoy the music, cause, well c'mon. Queen. But the story really hit me. It takes place in the future when musical instruments are banned and being artistic or individual in any way is basically a felony. Of course multi track boy bands are the cause of this demise of art. Good stuff

Saturday was a benefit for a friend's cousin's school, and today saw a production of The Wizard of Oz that my friend Jay directed, and featured his brother Adam as the Cowardly Lion. The rest of the weekend was spent working on Out of Orbit in some way or another. My parents left for Florida Saturday morning, so I'm now able to work in peace. Very refreshing. I managed to move most of my projects outside to take advantage of the beautiful weekend. The wind kind of bit me in the ass when I started spray painting, but it was otherwise very enjoyable.

Two more days of work and I'm outta here. Whew.

i feel good!

Things are starting to shape up. I had a pretty good job interview last night. At least I think it went well, but maybe that's wishful thinking. Even if it doesn't work out, my backup job is sounding pretty damn good. More on both of those when I know more.....

I'm pretty glad to be moving on in the job area, cause yesterday proved that this AV stuff is wearing on me. I did a gig with the company I worked for a couple of years ago. It was nice to see some familiar faces, but the other people there were dumb as rocks. Actually dumb as one rock. Multiple rocks may be able to muster up some intelligence. It's easy work and good money, but highly unfulfilling. Time for something new.

Hmm...apparantly unfulfilling is not a word. Stupid spell check. I'm using it anyway.

Other than that I'm trying to work a little less this week and next to get ready for Out of Orbit.
Working on that has been up and down a lot lately, but I just worked out a down and it's starting to look good. I can't wait to get out there and actually do it

Oh what else....Red Sox swept the Yankees, and the Cubs are their normal selves but I love them anyway. The weather is nice and I have air in my bike tires and am dogsitting so I have a rollerblading partner.

it's really monday?

I worked most of the day yesterday, so it feels like Tuesday, maybe even a Thursday. I guess it doesn't really matter. Work was, well, work. I'm glad I wasn't on the show call, so I got to leave at 2 and make it home for the rest of the Cubs game. It was Jackie Robinson Day, and a lot of players wore #42. They even replayed the pregame events after the game so I didn't have to fully miss that.

Been kinda down lately. I'm trying to solidify job things for the next couple of years and it's really been wearing on me. To make it worse, my family won't leave me alone about it. I mention one thing to one person, then get 10 phone calls congratulating me on things that aren't even happening. I'm being considered for the lighting designer for an arena circus, and also may be on a theatrical tour later this year.

I'm also being completely suffocated in my living situation. There is virtually no privacy ever, and getting work done is a miracle. I'm very much looking forward to the weather getting warmer so I can spend more time not at home. Until then, I'll take a drink and a hug.

i heart baseball season

It's been a fun AND productive couple of days....

I experienced my first official baseball related disappointment of 2007 yesterday. A friend of Lauren's had extra tix, so we all called in to work/school and hopped on the Addison bus. The day started off with a random chick taking Lauren's picture on the bus. Made the rest of the ride very awkward. Our seats were in the 500s on the 3rd base line. For those of you that haven't been to Wrigley, that is prime location to take the 35 mph sw winds off Lake Michigan right in the face. It was FREEZING out there. We couldn't drink beer fast enough to stay warm. I normally don't mind freezing, BUT the Cubs looked worse than my 6th grade softball team. Soriano was blah, Izturis had 3 errors, and the bats were not pleasing. I however did get a kick out of the Miller billboard across Sheffield Av that read "99th time's the charm." I'm just glad I didn't have tickets for today...because this was the view from the field....

After the game we thought it was a good idea to see Blades of Glory...second time for me and Jenny. That movie is freakin' hilarious if you haven't seen it. We then came back to my place, ordered Chinese, and watched a Fish Called Wanda. Very random, but very fun.

I left work today around 1. It was snowing like mad, and right as I turned onto Higgins, my wipers stopped moving. That was the scariest 30 minutes of driving I've ever experienced. My car is now at the dealer and they have no idea what's wrong with it. Being carless I spent the rest of the afternoon/evening working on my light plot for Out of Orbit. Made some wicked awesome progress. Now it's time to park in front of the tv for a couple hours and free up some space on my DVR.

CTA: "On-Time, Clean, Safe & Friendly"

Hmm...actually it's none of those things. I love Chicago, and I love going to various places in Chicago, but it is a pain in the ass. I'm going down to Wrigleyville this evening. Options include car, train, bus.

Car: Parking is pretty non existent on a Friday night. The cheapest lot is around $20. And we want to drink. A lot. I can't take side streets home all the way from Clark and Addison.

Bus: Yeah, lets take the bus. It takes a little longer but it's pretty convenient. Oh wait no it's not. They stop running at 10:30 PM.

Train: Could take the Green line to the Red line. That would take like 2 hours though because we have a terrible rail system unless you happen to live in walking distance of a station and you are going to the loop. Did they really think that people would only want to travel east and west, not north and south? And even though the trains run till 1, we'd still be a couple of miles from home and the buses wouldn't be running.

The CTA is truly awful. I've never been on a train that's arrived on time. I've never gotten on a train less than 10 minutes after it was supposed to be there. At least half the trains I'm on stop for no apparent reason and sit there for at least 10 minutes. Yet they spent $100 million to implement new fare cards. Uh...I think the fare cards are the only thing I've never complained about. Oh and how about the advertising. They go all out. But where do they advertise? ON THE FREAKIN TRAINS AND BUSES. If I'm on the El, I don't need to read a poster telling me to ride the El.

AH. There. I'll put up a more amusing post tomorrow. Off to Wrigleyville....

you can't throw the baby out with the bathwater because then all you have is a wet, critically injured baby

I've got 9 job possibilities for the next 18 months. If anyone has any opinions on summer theater camps, cruise ships, non equity broadway tours, working in Australia and Europe, or circuses that take canned foods as admission, I'd love to hear them.

It's baseball season. Hope you're enjoying it as much as I am...especially the Cards being swept by the Mets part.

I also recommend Christopher Guest's most recent movie, For Your Consideration. It's similar to Waiting for Guffman, except instead Broadway hopes for a ridiculous musical, there are Oscar hopes for a ridiculous movie about a southern Jewish family celebrating Purim.

Nap time. Eamus Catuli!

Happy Birthday Uncle Joe, here's a palm

So I don't really go to church anymore unless my dad asks me to go with him. I've either lost touch with this whole Catholic thing, or am just completely fed up with it...probably a little of both. I do know that going regularly makes me more confused/angry/controlled/let down than when I don't go. I do go on Palm Sunday though. I'm not trying to be a Christmas/Easter Catholic, I just always have good memories from Palm Sunday.

I would always go to 9:00 mass with my dad and we would take many more than the allotted two palms per person. Then we'd stop at Cosa Nostra Bakery for fresh FRESELLES. Well, as fresh as a freselle gets. We'd then go to Gramma Jo's house and eat freselles with butter and coffee with some cousins, aunts, and uncles. You put the butter on the freselle and dip it in the coffee, and yes, coffee is surprisingly good with butter floating in it. We'd then get to making palm crosses. At a very young age, and thanks to Gram, I noticed the difference between Italian Catholics and Hispanic Catholics. The Hispanics make their crosses during mass, using no materials other than the palm. They are so complicated and detailed, I think they could build a house out of palms if they wanted. Well us deigos aren't so talented. Gram taught me how to make crosses using a stapler. And not just any stapler. I think it was actually purchased before WWI, and made of steel with horrible jagged edges that would always injure someone. I'm serious, the thing weighed at least 3 pounds.

Now it's just my dad and I that do this. We went to 9:00 mass today, but had to go to Riviera Bakery. Cosa Nostra has since been replaced by a Polish Deli/Video store like everything else in this neighborhood seems to be going to. We had our freselles along with some fresh Italian lemon cookies and made our crosses. We still make a ton of them, but take them to the cemetery instead of to our relatives houses. We went with my cousin Donna to visit Gramma Jo, and dozens upon dozens of cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. We even found my great grandparents who I never met. There is one of the mausoleum houses with the name Soverino on it. My dad remembers going there as a child with his parents. They would bring a hose to wash off the marble floor inside. We left so many palms that we used an entire roll of scotch tape attaching them to headstones and mausoleum markers.

One thing which creeped me out, was that a lot of my living cousins already have headstones. Just walking I noticed a Mickey Vaia and Joyce Vaia, next to Mickey's father, who are both very much alive. I talked to Mick yesterday. Creepy.

The last visit was to Uncle Joe, who's birthday it is today. He was my favorite uncle growing up. A one of a kind crazy old man who taught me about baseball and how to sneak booze at parties. I'll do a shot for ya later Unc.

Well sorry to bore you with family things if you've made it this far. Later I'm going to the Beat Kitchen to see RUE ROYALE, a co worker's band.

Another weekend gone way too fast.