Monday, March 18, 2013

A List Now That I'm Back

Blog, I've been absent since I've gotten back to the Northland. The sudden familiarity of home combined with my dedication to Bash have made for a writer's block when it comes to spilling my thoughts to the internet. I'm still feeling stuck, but I want to do what I can to dish, so a list it is...

1. Being back has been great, though odd since I don't have a job. The plethora of time at my disposal has allowed me to become somewhat organized in things like money and laundry. I feel productive but also directionless. I can't tell if I"m enjoying it or not.

2. Bash has been going incredibly well. It's a good show that is worth seeing. If you can make it all the way out to Chanhassen to spend the ten dollars it costs to get into the theatre, you won't be disappointed. I say this in confidence. I'm not sure if it's because I believe in my performance or if it's because this show is actually super interesting once you get to know it. There are three "plays" separate from one another, yet tied together with novel little nuggets that one would hope to get out of being an audience member. Since I'm rather dense about these things, it's taken multiple viewings/readings of each play for me to appreciate the ties between each act. Still, I'm urging you to see it. Seriously worth it. And I'm not saying that becuase I happen to make up what is act III. Also, our largest audience has been 11 people. I'm taking anything I can get at this point.

3. Today I took the bus to the Riverview Wine Bar where I watched some jazz happen and then I went to a "sound bar" known as Cause in Uptown to watch some comedy. It felt amazingly good to jump back into the Minneapolis scene that I left back in January. I saw people I haven't seen since I left and they added the flavor of home that I've been missing since I got back last weekend. Finally I'm starting to feel a little bit connected again.

4. My bed is amazing, Blog. It's amazing. It is warm and cozy and comfy and it's my favorite place in my entire house. When I'm bored, I climb into my bed and let my comfortor settle its weight on top of me. When I'm cold, I put on clean, warm socks and curl up amidst the pillows and blankets. It is clean, it is comfy, and it is mine. No matter how luxurious the hotels were that we stayed in, not a bed matched what mine has to offer when I was on tour. I am a firm believer that this would be true for everyone if they went on tour too.

5. It's been a long winter. I haven't felt the brunt of it because of my time in The South, but now that I'm back, I'm realizing that this winter is wearing on my friends. While I welcome the familiar burn the cold leaves on my hands as I walk down the street, I am reminded by everyone that it is March and still 18 degrees. A blizzard is expected tonight. Fresh snow covers old snow in that late-winter way where summer is the most impossible thing to imagine when looking at it all. People are ready for it to be over. Cabin fever is running rampant and all they can do is wait it out. A few more weeks now and it should start melting for real. I have to admit that for all the pining I did for winter while I was in North Carolina, I'm now appreciating the fact that I missed the worst of it. People are going crazy while I'm just settling into the comfort of bundling up when I go outside.

I wanted this entry to better than it is, Blog, but I'm going to have to accept it for what it is. There will be better things to say in the future. For now, I need to sleep in the bed that I was pining about in point #4. Here's to a more interesting entry next time we dish.

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Just a Little Freak-Out Spill

Blog, I am more petrified and excited than I have been in a long time. Isn't it funny how excitement is usually accompanied by a crazy sense of doom? Well, that's what it's like for me anyway. I feel like I've got all sorts of amazing things lined up and also like I've got nothing going for me. I wonder why that is. Maybe it's because tomorrow is our last day of this tour and we'll be on our way home. Saturday night I'll be in Minneapolis with no job and a myriad of travel plans; hence the excitement and doom combo.

I have to keep reminding myself that it's more interesting than sitting at a desk for nine hours a day only to go and sit at home for the rest of it.

I'm going for a swim since tonight's hotel has a super sweet pool. Then I'll ramble on for 40 minutes as I rehearse my monologue for Bash. Then I'll try to fall asleep despite the excited doom that is consuming my mind. North Dakota, Chicago, Mexico, and Philadelphia are all going to experience my presence over the next two months. The fear of the consequences to saying yes to these things was easier to accept than the regret of saying no. That's a good thing, right?

Monday, March 4, 2013

Spring Fake-Out Week Seems to Have Struck Again

Blog, I'm going to write a short post about the weather because I like to rant about tedious things.

First things first, I'm in South Carolina and it's 50 degrees outside. I'm winning right now.

However, Facebook has made me aware that this past weekend was what I like to call "spring fake-out week" in Minnesota. It was melty and wonderful out. People probably ditched their parkas for short shorts and roller-blades as they made their through melted slush in a burst of cabin-fever-related insanity. It happens every year. I'm doubt my absence has caused any change in this.

But remember Blog, it's "spring fake-out week". This means that winter has made you think that it's ok to wear short shorts and roller blades, BUT DON'T LET IT MAKE A FOOL OF YOU.

While this weekend's Facebook posts consisted of excitement and joy pertaining to the reminder that summer is a thing, this Monday's posts have turned to school cancellations (in North Dakota anyway) and the usual curmudgeony grumbling about an endless winter. It's still March, Blog. Blizzards are a thing. For me, they're a thing until April.

As I mentioned, I'm in South Carolina. It's 50 degrees outside. I'm one lucky S.O.B. right about now. However, I return to the land of lakes on Saturday evening. I'm beyond excited to be home and see my friends and know my way around again. I can't wait to sleep in my own bed and see the Minneapolis skyline. But Minneapolis is in Minnesota and it's March. This is my spring fake-out week. Hell, it's been spring fake-out months. It all seems nice and easy and warm and wonderful now; like this is how life ought to be. But in a mere five days, I'll be reminded that winter is still a thing and I won't be in the clear for another two months (by my standards). A blizzard is happening at home as I speak. Who cares if it was just 40 degrees and amazing up there? IT MEANS NOTHING.

Time to make the most of the warm air and clear roads while I still can. It won't always be this way, Blog. Also, I need to eat some BBQ before The South and I part ways, but that's another tedious entry for another day.