UPDATE '08

Nothing is as far away as one minute ago ~Jim Bishop Christmas happened. Stop reading that pre-Christmas poem. Obligatory update: 2008 (or UPDATE '08 for short) My birthday is this Sunday. I mention it now because I probably won't post again before then. I will be turning 24. So I'm an adult now (for the most part). I have a 9-5 with health benefits and a 401K, I get an enormous sense of satisfaction from cleaning my apartment, and I get grumpy if I'm not in bed by 10:30. And I think I’m old enough to buy cigarettes. On the flip side, I'm reading a story about teenage vampires, I recently beat Resident Evil 4 on the Wii, I'm waking up early to watch Angel on TNT every morning, and I'm requesting that until March next year you refer to me as "Jack Bauer" in honor of the important number I have reached in years. The theatre bug is being appeased right now. I'm in a One Act Festival called Hot from the Oven: a la carte. It takes me back to the olden days of the TAP One Act Festival, the highlight of the theatre semester at GCC. These are just as fun. I'm in two of them. One is called "Kung-Foolery," and is about a man-child preparing for his mother-in-law's annual visit by dressing as a ninja in order to fight her. The other is called, "Embrace of the Afterlife," and is very dramatic, abstract, and supposedly has a surprise ending that's really revealed in the title. It's great for me because they're two very different parts, and I get to show my range. "Kung-Foolery" is the first time I've ever done a lot of physical comedy (unless you count, "Magic Theatre"), so it's really stretched me as far as my comfort zone and physical boundaries. Basically I think of what Jonny Zungz would do if he were Trey-shaped. And in "Embrace" I get to do the crying thing, which is a challenge to do every night. I get to act like a diva and tell people I’m getting into character. I’m serious when I say it, but it still strikes me as odd… Right after this I'm going to play Ernst in a production of Cabaret. It's cool mainly because Roundabout did the big revival, and I feel like it takes me back there a little. Actually I think the director was in the NYC run. And I'm very excited to polish my German accent. I also have an audition this weekend for "The Wiz." I think it's about time we were brave enough for an all-white version of this show. (I'm going to racist hell) Then my theatre schedule gets interrupted because my idiot best friend decided to get married in the middle of July (pretend with me that this is a preposterous time to wed). I'm very excited about this wedding. Randi's my long time best friend (don’t call it 'BFF'), and I'm helping plan the event as well as singing in it. If you've been to any weddings where I've sung, you know we're all in for spectacular music… and then some shame-riddled crying into a microphone. I’ve had six months to adjust to having a roommate. Things are going pretty well. We got some Christmas cards addressed to both of us, which seemed domestic and cute. We’ve done some collaborative decorative projects involving my expertise and Brendan’s love of cartoons. We might be having a party in a week or so. Luckily I did an overhaul on the cleaning last weekend. I’m still very happy that we have our own bathrooms. The more I look at it, the more I love where I live. Sure, it’s not terribly close to work, but the commute is worth the accommodations. The utilities are very reasonable (some would say it’s unreasonable that we have to pay them), it still feels brand-spanking new, and it has cool things like an actual kitchen and a fireplace. Work is average. I eventually came back to the company where I temped before. I’ve been there since mid-November. There are few thrills, but I know that work will last longer than a month-long contract and will be steadier than free-lancing. But it’s crappy enough to keep my motivated eye on grad school prospects. I just have to decide whether I’ll still be here in another six months or if I want to try some place new. I should probably decide soon so I can plan accordingly. My GCC computer is finally on its last leg. It’s a toss-up whether it will work or not. I can no longer burn CD’s, and it won’t let me upload pictures from my camera anymore. I discovered today that I can email pictures I take with my phone. This is probably common sense to most people, and in my defense it was common sense that brought me to this realization, albeit very slowly. Anyway, this means that I can post pictures again. And I will. Soon. That about wraps it up for the update. Comment. Let me know you're still reading. Or if you'd like to continue...