Thursday wrap-up

-Saw a little kid driving yesterday who looked like he was about 12 years old and maybe going through chemo. I felt a little bad for him but then I dug that he was out driving and then I got a little scared: was this his ‘make a wish’ dream? To drive a car in heavy traffic? Again, I’m totally cool with the ‘make a wish’ folks, but Atlanta traffic isn’t the place to have that wish fore-filled, unless you are looking for a death or near-death experience. Eep!

-Gave up on the novel for Nanowrimo. I couldn’t keep up and memorize a gajillion lines for Christmas Carol at the same time. Too much and I’m spread too thin as it is. Christmas Carol is fun, especially since it’s a three person version with me and another actor playing everyone but Scrooge. Having a conversation with yourself while operating a puppet that has a third voice is a bit, um, confusing. But fun. Bytheby, the director called me crazy the other day. And not like that Martin Lawrence “You so crazy” but like, “You are an unbalanced person” crazy. This because I was able to carry on a credible conversation with a puppet that I was also speaking for. Some call it crazy but I call it commitment.

-I’m auditioning a lot lately which is great, but I’m getting turned down a lot which is not so great. I have an audition this weekend that I thought I wouldn’t have time to do but turns out I will. It’s for the Buddy Holly story. Now I’m not auditioning for Buddy Holly, or Richie Valenze (sp?) or even the Big Bopper. By the way, how bad ass is it that his name is the Big Bopper? No one EVER calls him by his real name, Biggle Bopperwitz.

Anyway, originally when we spoke, they were like, “Oh you’ll audition for the radio dj or the manager guy” which are both non-singing roles. I’m cool with that. However last night they emailed and said, “You’ll be auditioning for the bassist of the Crickets.” OK, now I’m a little worried. Yep, I played bass for a few years and yep, it’s on my resume. However, I was thinking I’d just come there and read some stuff and that’d be it, but now I have to come in, sing, play guitar and play bass. Le sigh. And I’m auditioning for Julius Caesar and trying to get my lines and accents down for Christmas Carol. Oh yeah, and I’m still working my shitty job.

FYI, auditioners for the Big Bopper do have to do the “Hello ba-bay!”

-Favorite person’s name I’ve seen recently: Margarita Colon. I think the only way to cure Margarita Colon is to put salt on the rim.

-In an effort to sabotage myself, I’ve begun hiding my keys. Not sure why my subconscious is doing this to me but I’m hiding them all over the house and causing myself to be in a panic before I have to be somewhere. My wife suggested it might be a devious pixie that was hiding them instead. I’m not sure if that’s supposed to make me feel better, though: my lighthouse for rational thought telling me I’m either going crazy or that pixies are real. Addendum: had an audition yesterday morning and wrote down the wrong time for it. Definitely working against myself for some reason.

-All in the same week at my job: a bunch of folks got laid off, I was restructured under a new management team who aren’t quite certain what I do, I got a 6 month review (3 months late) from a person who doesn’t know what I do or have done, had to attend sexual harassment training (watch out, ladies…and gentlemen), and have had to attend multiple meetings with people who aren’t quite sure what’s going on. I’m hesitant to write this out loud but here goes: as 2009 rolls around, I won’t be working in a cube anymore. This could mean several things.
-I go to work somewhere like a grocery store or work security.
-I work as an actor in any capacity I can.
-I never work again and my wife, dogs, birds and I end up homeless.

I’m rooting for the second option. My wife is fearful of the third option. Somewhere between the first and second option seems most reasonable. But we’ll see. But I have moments of complete exhilaration thinking about it and then moments of complete horror. You know that moment in Pearl Jam’s “Even flow” video where Eddie Vedder falls off the balcony? Some say he jumped but it was more of a ‘let go’ than an actual ‘leap’. Anyway, that’s how I feel. Come January, or December maybe, I’ll let go and hope 1000 grunge kids in flannel shirts and Converse All-Stars will catch me.

-Oh yeah, we got another bird to keep Mr. Bram company. Her name is Angelou. She likes to sing. Get it?