Damn...That's a Cold Ass Honkey

Is this a comedy song? I don't even know. I'm giggling at my desk, but with these horns, rhymes, and clap beats, I'm for real digging it. It's a 10 no matter how you cut it.

Favorite lyrics #1:
Imma take your grandpa's style/

Imma take your grandpa's style/

No for real /
Ask you grandpa: "Can I have his hand-me-downs?"

Favorite lyrics #2
They had a broken keyboard/
I bought a broken keyboard

Wait Wait Don't Kill Me: Buried in a Shallow Grave

The cast of Wait Wait Don't Kill Me. Protect Neil.

The Wait Wait Don't Kill Me run at the Skybox is over. I miss it already.

Directing was a lot of work. There's so much that needs to be done, especially when your eyes are bigger than your time-stomach and you decide to make costumes for a cast of 7. But on closing night when Nat's dad asked me if I would ever do it again, I didn't hesitate to say yes. And this is why:

Our cast is the best. No one ever back talked or was high maintenance. We goofed off, we brought their creativity to the table each week, and we got serious about our comedy. It was so fun to grab the best ideas and encourage our team. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. 

I don't miss the show necessarily -don't get me wrong, it was a ton of fun and I love performing- but I simply miss the chance for all of us to get together. My favorite part of the week was the hour and a half before the show when we would hang out and do a goofy line-thru. There was stretching, touching (appropriate and inappropriate), singing, dancing, and lots of eye contact. We'd just bounce around like balls of energy and harass each other in one big flirt-fest.

All flirting, all the time.

I'm an old sap who loves to be with other people and these people are the best. I love my old friends: Becca Levine, Rammel Chan, Nat Topping, Ben Russell and Neil Arsenty. I love my new friends: Jax Loberg and Garrett Kelly. I love the other RvD folks who helped out and wrote amazing scenes: Joe Janes, Chris Othic, and Greg Wendling. I even love Geoff Crump who is a piece of shit.

Nat plays guitar among babies.

So much goodness. And a great reminder that everything you love will be torn away from you. 

Rammel and Neil dispose to Ben's body.

The Writing is on the Wall

I'm real hot on interior design right now. I found an article called "A Very Fine Line: A Brooklyn Artist Free-Associates on Her Walls" that profiles an artist who transformed her apartment into one huge piece of art. I'm a big believer that the stuff we put on our walls tells us (and others) who we are. This takes my theory to a whole new level. 

There are more pictures in the slideshow. Check it out. It's awesome!

Bears Bears Bears

On Saturday night, I went to my first Chicago Bears game. My friend Nat, from my sketch group, had tickets from this work and with my compulsive e-mail checking, I was perfectly positioned to edge out the rest of the email chain. 

The game itself was fun but my favorite part was mingling with the people there. Unlike the Bulls games where no one gives a shit about what's happening and wouldn't dare initiate conversation with anyone around them, the Bears fans are eager to interact. After hearing Nat and I improvise the lyrics to the fight song ("Bear, Bears, Bears...There are Grizzly Bears! And Kodiak Bears...Polars, and Pandas and Black Bears too...etc" ) he turned around made a request:

"Do me a favor when my brother-in-law comes back. He and his wife got this new Prius and it tells you exactly how many miles until you need to get gas. So he picks us up from the train station and the meter says we have 6 miles till the tank's empty. We all tell him we should stop and fill up, but he refuses. We pull into the parking lot here with one mile left. I mean, how are we supposed to get home? So when he gets back, just keep mentioning how you need to remember to get gas on your way home."

I won't speak for Nat, but there's few things I enjoy more than a challenge like this. So when this guy shows up -let's call him Bruno- I really laid into Nat, saying loudly, "I still can't believe we had to walk four miles because you won't pull over to get gas."

Our new friend is chucking to himself. Bruno whips around and says, "Wait! The same thing happened to you guys?" Nat and I proceeded to craft an entire narrative about what happened to us with Nat playing the part of Bruno and being like, "What can I say? I thought we had more left!" and "Hey, it wasn't a big deal!" Bruno is in total agreement with everything Nat says. I play the part of "Annoyed Wife" and keeping saying things like, "It wasn't a big deal, but it was an avoidable frustration" and "You never think of anyone but yourself."

It was so fun to play with these folks, but it was also uncomfortable because I really hate to play the nagging bitch. I whispered my concern to Nat and he was like, "At least you're not the retard!" 

Eventually we dropped the bit, but the fun wasn't over. About midway through the fourth quarter, Bruno sighed and said, "I'm gonna get a hot dog. Anyone else want one?" His wife sits there in shock and says, "Sit down. You've already have 5 hot dogs." She turns to me and mouths, "What the fuck?" and shakes her head with so much disgust. 

Then she lists off all the food he's eaten at the game: "You've already had nachos, and a brat, and chicken tenders, and popcorn, and fries, and Starburst." I'm positive that much salt would have choked my tiny woman heart. 

I don't think she's been attracted to this man in years. I hope I don't ever hate my husband. But let's not put the cart before the horse: Who wants to get married?!?!

Unlikely Look-a-Likes

I've been burning through Frasier on Netflix like it's nobody's business. I didn't realize it before, but Lilith, Frasier's frigid wife, is actually very beautiful. And then it hit me: she looks like a dark-haired Kate Hudson. Discuss.

Why is no one talking about this?

Has the whole world gone topsy-turvey?

Module 47 Wins 48-Hour Film Project Chicago

I had the chance to work with director Mitch Apley again on a 48-Hour Film Project. We've done well in previous years, but this year we crushed it. How the festival works: on Friday night, all participants are given elements they must incorporate into their film. You then have 48 hours to writer, shoot, and edit your film. This years bits:

1) Character: Charles or Charlotte Greenwich, Trainers
2) Prop: Stapler
3) Line of dialogue: "That's one way of doing it."
4) Assigned genre: horror (other genres included Western, Buddy Comedy, Silent, etc)

Our genre was horror. Here's a link to the video.

I got to play the part of "Susie", an office employee who doesn't hear the main character. 

Fun facts: 
1) There was no music playing in my headphones. I acted like there was though.
2) There was no elevator ding (or elevator!) . I acted like there was though. 

MOVIE MAGIC YA'LL!

These are the awards we won:
1) Best Film, Best Cinematography, Best Editing
2) Runner Up Best Directing, Runner Up Best Actor, Runner Up Sound Design

I am acting.

For more on the film that's not related to me, check out the article from SCREEN.

Disney Teaches Us About Mortality

Have you seen the video of little boys crying after they watched The Odd Life of Timothy Green? It's amazing.

For these kids, they'll always remember Timothy Green. In the same way that I remember Mufasa falling off that cliff in Lion King. Of course, I watched it in theaters, but whenever I'd watch it on VHS, I had to fast forward through the scene. To quote these young boys, "It's just too sad!"

I'm not even gonna post that Lion King video because I can't cry at work in our new seats. 

Art Class

Two weeks ago I started a painting class at Lill Street Art Center. I absolutely love it. If you're wondering when I'm happiest during the week, it's Monday nights from 6:30-9:30. 

Our teacher said something I like: good painters are good observers. The role of the artist is to see everything. That's why I like making art so much - it's like this big test in your observational abilities. How does the hip line bulge? How does the light hit the jar's rim? After about 20 minutes of studying it, I stopped having to look at the still-life altogether, I'd memorized it.

Not to mention, I love how it FEELS to paint and draw. 

The class brings out a perfectionistic side of myself I really hate. I get really really angry when I'm not doing something well. It's especially bad with art and sports. On the other hand, taking the class also gives me the opportunity to get better at it. To practice letting go and focusing on enjoying the moment.

We learned to do a test run before we paint. This is my charcoal drawing up close. 

A few months ago, I visited the Chicago School of Professional Psychology to find out more about pursuing a degree in arts therapy. It turns out I'm too poor and too busy to get any sort of degree in this, but this is something I'd really like to do. There's something so healing about expressing yourself through art. You get out of your head, let things flow, and are actively living. 

Neyla's Room

I was thrilled when Janae told me she was pregnant. And even more so when she asked me to paint her baby room! Janae and I worked together to figure out what kind of room she and Bryan wanted. Unlike a lot of parents, they realized that this room was as much for them as it was for the newest member of the family. 

Expecting parents are so excited for the baby. They want it to look like this quintessential baby room filled with "things babies like". Well, you know what babies like? Nipples and clean diapers. They won't even know what a teddy bear or choo-choo train is for another two years. 

I think it's smarter to create a soothing space for the baby to grow up in and for you to spend a lot of time in. Because let's get real. When you're up at 3:45 a.m. for the 5th night in a row and your baby won't stop crying, you're gonna want PEACE. Not a choo-choo that's mocking you with a big toothy grin. 

I painted spindly trees in an old apartment a few years ago; Janae remembered them and that's where we started. There was a lot of negotiating what kind of trees they'd be - Bryan and I had a great back and forth about what made a tree look "happy". 

Here is the progression of the two trees in Neyla's room. 

It's been a long winter.

I made the mistake of outlining too much in the beginning. It took me about four hours to get these stenciled and with two coats of paint. You really just need a solid trunk. At a certain point, you have to trust yourself with the branch work. 

Spring has sprung! 

Summer summer time!

(Please excuse the apparent change in greens. The first two photos were taken at night with the lamp on. The last photo was taken in daylight only.)

If this looks too serious for you, get off my back for JUST A SECOND and let me finish. Instead of painting typical baby stuff on the walls, we chose to accent with framed art. In my opinion, the wall paint should be something solid that can be there for years. Then accent with artwork you like. These colorful photos (and a few more) hang over Neyla's crib.

And the best news? I get to paint my sister's baby room in September! I think we're going to try something more challenging which I'm really looking forward to. Right now, I'm taking a taking a painting class to help me prepare. It's wonderful and I love every second of it. 

If You Don't Have Your Health...

Today my pride swelled as began to enjoy my SECOND salad of the day. I'm really taking care of myself, I thought. The joy faded when I looked down and was reminded I wasn't wearing any pants.

Lolla Review: Florence and the Machine

"I solemnly swear I'm up to no good."

I really wanted to see Florence and the Machine at Lolla but they played Sunday and I bought Saturday months ago. This is what Time Out Chicago said about her performance:

"What Florence and the Machine delivered Sunday night was nothing short of legendary. Led by the charismatic Florence Welch, the British group demonstrated an impeccable technical performance while fostering an amazing audience-performer relationship."

This is what Connor Tillman said: 

"Incredible voice. Dresses like a Wizard and acts like one too."

Florence conjures a spell.

Truth/Lies

Which are true? Which are lies? (Hint: There's only two lies.)

* I threw a soda can at a bird pecking another bird carcass.

* I cried while eating Taco Bell. 

* I grabbed some pushy girl's shirt at the Red Hot Chili Peppers and told her to "Chill the fuck out."

* I fell asleep with a mouthful of macaroni and cheese and woke up when the bowl fell out of my hands.

* I drew a cartoon of two people having naked breakfast to submit to the New Yorker.

* I peed in a crowd at Lollapalooza.

Whew. What a weekend!

Hyper Hypo

Hobbies

Our hobbies define us.


We don't choose our families. Or where we grow up. Sometimes we wear titles for years that we don't even like. But how we spend our time when there's nothing to do and nothing at stake, that's the real us.


Look at this guy. He's not fucking around.