Blizzard '09!

Twice this morning Sara and I got up to shovel the driveway so that we could go to our jobs, which we believed to be completely asinine for making us come out in this blizzard. Twice our bosses let us know after the fact that we do not have to go into work today! (I actually still might have to go in since I was scheduled for a double and right now we're technically only closed for lunch!)
The snow is really pretty, and it's not supposed to stop anytime soon. In fact, after it's all and done we're supposed to end up with possibly 2 feet.

Tracer's Revisited!

Here is a link to the Baltimore Sun's review of 'Tracers'! It came out after the show closed and was supposed to talk up Standing O's next season. It's just a little something to fan the flames of my ego.

* I hope to attach some production photos to this post shortly.

4 O'CLOCK DOT COM

I want to design a website.

The website will be there to inform the public, and uneducated masses that most restaurants that are open for lunch switch over to dinner at 4PM. If you come in before 4PM you have a lunch server. If you come in after 4PM you will get a dinner server. If you come in at 3 and stay until almost 7 you have kept the lunch server there 3 additional hours past the end of their shift!

Not cool! Not cool at all.

The website will contain information for people who go out to eat and have never had to serve a day in their lives. The 4PM rule. Don't call people to join your table 2 1/2 hours into your meal. Don't assume a verbal compliment is as valuable as a cash gratuity. Don't walk into a restaurant at 5 minutes to close and act like everyone's best friend - no one likes you at that point! ETC! You get the point!

A Good Day Off!

Today was my first day off all week. I've arranged it so between rehearsals, and both jobs I should get a Sunday off occasionally. Today was jam-packed!

Sara woke me up early this morning with concern over a friend/acquaintance of ours. His Facebook status claimed he died in a car accident overnight. Too early for a mystery. Sara left for work and I tried to go back to sleep.

As I awoke I was perturbed by the possible death of this Facebook friend of mine so I signed online and started to peruse the internet for confirmation or denial of his death. (Turns out it was a hoax. The perpetrator is still unknown.) I receive an IM - instant message - from another friend of mine informing me that his marriage is over after almost a decade and a half! I was still on my first cup of coffee!

Redskins lost a close game to the undefeated Saints. I cook collard greens & sausage soup for dinner, and watched George C. Scott in 'The Christmas Carol'. Sara got home from work and we set up the Xmas tree and watched 'Gremlins' - a highly overlooked holiday movie!

Decorating the tree was difficult. I would hang an ornament that my mother created years before, bought for me recently, or sent me for a present. It would remind me of her passing. I feel I will have a particularly hard time of it this holiday season since everything reminds me of her & her love of this special time of year.

She loved Xmas music. She got me into theatre by encouraging me into local productions of 'The Christmas Carol'. Our tree is an artificial number we had growing up and Mom later gave it to me for the holidays. Over half of our ornaments have sentimental value to me because of my mother. The holidays will forever remind me of my Mom. This one, being the first since her death, will be especially hard for all of us.

The Clubhouse

The sign on the door does not read 'No Girls Allowed' but it's definitely a boys' hangout. A pool table, 2 flat screen TVs, free wifi, BYOB and the smell of cigar smoke wafting through the air. It's the new cigar lounge/store just a few minutes from my house. Buy a cigar and stay as long as you like.

Men and boys of all ages enjoy getting together to brag, lie and tell stories. This was no exception. I sat in the background watching the second half of the game and chuckled at all the whoppers that were being told. It was nice.

Sad But Thankful

I glanced over at my father after everyone had been served. It was the moment I had been dreading all week - the moment Mom would've normally said grace. She always spoke before the meal, and often cried. Sara and I had talked about what we should do this year. I'm not a prayer but I thought we should acknowledge Mom's absence at the table and remember her blessings of meals past. I looked at my father and he caught my eye and nodded.

I thought he was nodding to say, "I'm okay. We're all okay." In the next moment it became clear to me that he had been thinking about this moment, and perhaps anticipating the awkwardness himself. He opened his mouth and simply stated thanks for family, and togetherness. He expressed gratitude for so many years with my mother. It only lasted a few seconds but I will remember it for a long time.

Turkey was devoured. (I didn't even make it through 1 plate.) The kids giggled. The adults laughed. Later we ate pie and played games. It was a fun time, but part of me just wanted the day to end.

I missed my mother today from the moment I awoke. I've had mood swings all day long - from jubilant to melancholy. I've fondly recalled Thanksgiving from years past. I missed the sound of my Mom's laughter around the dinner table. The holidays were always her favorite time of year, and once her frustration bubbled over then settled down there was always plenty of laughter.

Sara and I hosted our first family Thanksgiving. It was a small, simple, fun, somber, and intimate affair. We did not serve rutabaga this year... sorry Mom!

2 Years & Counting

Yesterday was our 2nd Wedding Anniversary. Cotton or Calico or something like that. Once again Sara and I braved the mean streets of Downtown Annapolis, and wined and dined the night away. We ate at Aqua Terra. Sushi, duck pot stickers and bison burgers! It was an interesting, intimate meal.

It's funny to think about the first 2 years of our marriage. Many things have changed, plans have been altered, and loved ones lost. We still meet all challenges hand in hand; together.

And Cue the 'Taps'!

Another show is over. TRACERS closed earlier tonight, and I'm unsure how to feel about it. Our last performance felt a little off, but the audience seemed to like it, and it ended all the same. There's always the sadness when a show ends, and the happiness that you have your evenings back but this time it's a little difference.

I have grown to really like and respect this cast and crew. Sure we went through a rough patch right before opening but that's in the past. The show wasn't quite the play I had anticipated, but I have thoroughly enjoyed performing this script and sharing the stage with a great, diverse group of guys. I like everyone in the show, and it's been a while since I could say that about a production.

I will miss being a part of this show! I will miss the 2 characters that I can now add to my resume. I will miss the cast-bonding, and the ball-busting! I will miss my Brother's In Arms! It has been an adventure!

Sometimes It Feels Good To Be Busy...

... Sometimes it feels good to sit on your ass and do nothing.

This past weekend I opened a show - Tracers. Filmed a clean energy commercial. (Stay tuned for more details.) Auditioned for a show. Then started off the week with 2 days of double shifts, splitting time between my 2 jobs.

I am looking forward to tomorrow. I am off. I have a callback for the audition in the evening, and I may go in to the restaurant tomorrow to take my 'Server Test' so I can start making some money but other than that I'm free. Oh, and we have to clean the house since we'll be hosting Thanksgiving this year, plus my 2 year Wedding Anniversary is next week and I should try and plan something special...

I need a nap.

Tracers' Opening Night!

Tonight Is Opening Night! 7 actors will step out onto the stage, brave the spotlight and try to transport the audience back to the Vietnam Conflict! It's been a rough rehearsal process. We lost a soldier early on, and fought many small battles along the way. Tonight we'll see what happens!
'All right, get with your team leader. Team leader'll keep you alive, you keep him alive. We all come home alive. Lock and load! Let's get outta here and do this thing.'