More Practice, More Fun

I've been having the issue of the Level 2 slump that apparently everyone goes through. My whole class has, I think. (Actually it is now dawning on me, hearing stories of others, that this "slump" often extends deep into Level 5... horror!) Just being stuck in my head. I am fully aware of the cause of this. Improv, especially long-form, has a bunch of "rules." These rules are not hard and fast, but are most often just a series of things that help you avoid the many many pitfalls that folks often fall into. The idea is that you learn them, make them "muscle" memory and then forget about them.

But after Level 2 and the start of Level 3 you have gathered a tons of DON'Ts. You haven't done enough scenes/Harolds to run into the same problem twice, so you are always hitting a new "wall." You are (or at least I am) still thinking about what went wrong LAST time, that you stumble over something else. I know it is all part of the process, and I am extremely passionate about it, but I am also hyper-analytical.

So what gets lost is the "fun."

But today we had a practice class. Six of us. And, with the help of our coach of the week, Ben Schwartz, I finally was able (in a small way) to just let it happen. Certainly not in every scene, but when it happened, it was so so sweet. Like an embrace. Yes, a damn embrace of sweetness. I also allowed myself to get bigger in my characters. I also started to trust my instincts more.

It is also a thrill to "perform" with someone whose work you have admired for awhile. For the last few minutes, Ben joined us in a montage. When you are with someone who just makes such fascinating moves, it is inspiring.

(If you are curious about Mr. Schwartz, check out his site RejectedJokes.com.)

Now I have to go write some sketches and drink my tea.

Humph.

Good class today. We got a tiny bit chastised for not having 'fun.' Valid point. We are all getting in our heads. But we are moving on to doing more Harolds now. I think that will help.

Reading through others' blogs tonight. Made me a bit sad. I returned to one that always brings me pain. It is a beautiful place, with a beautiful eye and a beautiful voice. But it always reminds me of those things that I have shut myself off from. What have I denied myself because of my own imbalances.

The fact is that I am an idiot. Yep. An idiot. But I am also selfish and quiet and shielded. And inconsistent. My knowledge and wisdom are no match for me heart and desires... so I have put those off into tiny boxes. Which is so not healthy.

The fact is that I have been happy as of late... but I am so frackin' scared of hurting people that it is going to be extremely hard to bring people in close again. I'm not scared of being hurt myself (well, of course I am), but I really don't want to crack someone else's life again.

Because the fact is that I am a brilliant liar. Especially to myself. And it would be so easy to slip into a groove of someone's arms and life. And I can't do that again. Not now at least.

I am very selfish about my own time right now. I am laughing a lot more now. I forget I time when I've laughed this much.

Humph.

Gears of War. w00t.

So I went to that Texas Chainsaw/Gears of War event at Lincoln Center in NYC. No photos (unless you want to see the snazzy GoW t-shirt they gave use... or the less snazzy 360 cap. (I didn't take the proffered 360 cheap ballpoint pen)).

My thoughts?
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning is not a good movie. Not a horrible one but not good. R. Lee Ermey was very entertaining. But I wasn't there for the flick. My quick poll of the audience leads me to believe 6 out 7 weren't there for the movie.

Gears of War: Pretty darn amazing. Not ground-shaking-OMGBBQ amazing, but really really fun. First we watched one of the developers play the first level of single-player. Or at least part of it. Pretty pretty pretty. One the movie screen at least it looked next-gen, not just shinier current-gen. (By the way, when does next-gen stop being next-gen and becomes current-gen and current-gen becomes vintage?)

But getting my sweaty palm on some multiplayer was so so good. They had two games of 4-on-4 deathmatch, first team to three rounds. Not a lot of time but enough to end my fears. See, I usually have a really hard time at 3rd person games. I have a hard time playing GTA for jebus' sake. But it is so tight over the shoulder that it's not an issue.

Also, you don't spend a whole lot of time running and shooting at the same time. When they kept saying it was all about cover, they meant it. You'll be riding the A button a lot. A button to crouch-run. A button to take cover. A button to hurdle obstruction. Works amazingly well. The only problem is when you're trying to cover a lot ground through an area with a lot of cover spots. But I learned within minutes how to dash from cover to cover quickly.

The game play feels fast and furious but a lot more strategic than, say, Halo 2 (to compare apples to something that is not an apple). Because cover is so important, flanking is vital. My team (of folks I hadn't said a word to until we sat down in front of the screens) quickly started to work together, sending two players down the middle and the other two sneaking up along from opposite sides. Catching the other team in a three-direction crossfire was immensely satisfying.

But not as satisfying as the chainsaw. It is really a last ditch weapon (as charging in the open was a quick way to die), but when you get up in the enemy's face and rev that sucker up? Slam it into their shoulder, splattering the screen with think blood? Heaven. Pure gaming heaven.

I don't say this lightly but.... woot. Woot, indeed.

Practice, practice, practice

We have a "practice group" set up for our improv group today. I'm very excited but unsure how many folks are actually going to be there. Hope we get at least five. I get very intense in class, trying to absorb every little nugget of knowledge. Today I want to play. Characters! I need to play characters! Perhaps I will play a sea captain/pimp today. Pimps at Sea! (If you know what I am referencing, you are officially a nerd. Go nerds!)

After class it is another recording session for The Terrible Red Show podcast. Looks like we're going to get more actors which is good. I wrote half a dozen or so sketches this week but not all that many on topic ("School"). I also have no idea if any of them are funny. There's a dueling one I like, but definitely not on theme. We shall see if any of them make the cut. Luckily my ego isn't tied to them so I'm not concerned.

On that topic, go to the TRS forums and vote for next weeks theme. If you vote for "Obligation," the dueling sketch might get on.

What goes best with your Saturday morning coffee?

How about some Muppets?

Best Theme Song Ever

Beats Peter Gunn by a hair.

Cowboy Bebop - Tank!

We're all doomed

Robots think we taste like bacon.

Now that they've tasted human blood, there is no turning back.

A bit harder...

Well, not surprising, class was harder. Which is good. It should be challenging.

The teacher pegged me on a bad habit of mine. A bad habit I, in my subconscious, treated as a plus. I start initiations with questions. Leading questions, sure, but still questions. Somehow I though I was gifting my partner by giving them something specific to respond to. But in truth I was kind of trapping them into an answer. I was also setting myself up to the possibility of being denied or blocked. Good to learn.

I found the evocation opening to be difficult to get into the vibe of. I release it takes practice practice practice. But it is my favorite opening to watch and I have studied it when groups like Mailer Daemon do it. So in my head I was sure I would rock it. Of course I didn't on the first try. I was of course way far in my own head.

But it was good.

301, week 2

Second class is going to start soon in an hour and a half. Goody goody.

A majority of the class went to Harold Night at UCB on Tuesday and it definitely seems like we have a groove going on. Today will be interesting since we all now have high expectations and now we get down to the brass tacks. My one goal today is to play at least one character that is not "me" but also "grounded." Eeek. That's all I got to say. Eeek.

And to got with my last post: Mr. Rogers plays Donkey Kong (via GayGamer).

(Well, he doesn't play. But we also get David Keith as the Coin Collector. Silky velvet voice.)

How much would you pay to PLAY a song?

(For those who don't know, Guitar Hero is a rhythm videogame that uses a special guitar controller. The game plays a song and gives you signals to when to play what. You "jam" with the game. It's like Dance Dance Revolution with a guitar. If you don't know DDR, think follow-the-leader. Or Simon. Rock and Roll Simon.)

Well, they have announced Guitar Hero II for the Xbox 360. They have mentioned that since Xbox has such an intergrated online element and a decent sized hard drive, that this will be perfect for "microtransaction." Hell, I suppose I have to describe those now. "Microtransactions" in the video game world are extra elements you can buy online for an already purchased game. You have a racing game with say 50 different cars you can drive. Online they might offer a new car. You buy the car for a dollar and now you can use it in a game. Simple as that. Most "microtransactions" are between $1 and $5. With Guitar Hero II, it would be the ability to purchse new songs for the game.

There has been an ongoing debate on how much to charge for these things. Some seem way over priced (like a couple of dollars for some decortative armor for a horse). Personally I think a dollar is too much to pay for a car. I mean, it might handle a bit different from other cars... but it still basically the same. I tend to think most of these things are over priced.

But songs are different for some reason. We have prety much established $1 per song via iTunes and such. Some argue it is too much, but since a CD costs $10 to $15, $1 seems fair. So would I think twice about spending $1 to be able to jam with my favorite song? Not at all.

Any thoughts?

The Terrible Red Show

Not only did this go up on Monday but it went up early early Monday.

Someone once told me when I said that I wanted to do a podcast, "No one wants to hear you." Prove them wrong.

The Terrible Red Show.


Oh and here's some cat heads on human bodies performing Hamlet.

Post #101

I just realized that my last post was my 100th post. In honor of that I bring you how Wikipedia is helping very targeted information.

Lists of fish on stamps. (via fark)

Going On's

Just got back from doing some voice work in some sketches for a podcast. I mean, you isn't at this point?

It was fun. Apparently the episode should be up tomorrow (which is pretty quick turn around). I am guessing John Robert doesn't sleep. Sounds like it may be a regular gig. Yeah, like I need another non-paying gig. Actually, I do. Gets me out of the house. Here's the site: The Terrible Red Show. Enjoy or not. See if I care.

I'll be hitting Harold Night at UCBNY on Tuesday. I'm doing the whole night because I'm excited about seeing Sensory Depravation at 11pm. Improvs with out sight and improvs without sound. Of course not at the same time. Improvs with just the senses of smell, touch and taste would probably end up messy.

Improv Level 301 - after class updates

Woot!

Man, am I happy. I love the teacher. But I expected that. Everyone had praised him. But it is wonderful to listen to his notes and to watch his mind turn.

In some way more importantly, I love my classmates. I am very very happy with them. We just seemed to gel right off the bat. They all seem to "get it." I feel the desire to step up and I feel challenged and I am excited.

What is that thing called chemistry? I don't know and I don't care. I just think our class has it.

Woot!

Impov 301

So I'm starting my third level improv class in an hour.

I didn't write about the second level class because what I most wanted to talk about was how much I disliked some of the folks in the class. I really liked the teacher but I had frusteration with a lot of my fellow students. One of those deals where you are told what the excersize is and what it is about and then it seems half the class doesn't have a clue about the very basics of it. I don't mind people just being bad but I got frusterated with people just not "getting it." Which makes me sound like an ass. It all ended fine and I think I learned a lot, but I lost a lot of the 'fun.'

So this time I am going for fun. I am going to go in positive postive postitive. And I am going to try force commeraderie amongst us. Wish me luck.

Propped Up

I read that people used to have shorter beds because they would sleep propped up. This fasinated me. I thought that if I could get this trend to catch on, I could start a line of short beds for people in studio apartments. So I've been trying it out.

Not with much success.

Me. Bad.

I have been sad and in denial. I have been cruel and mean to those who love me because I don't want them to see me this way. I have been lazy and stupid. I am amazed at my own capacity to hurt those around me, to burn bridges my pure neglect. I enjoy intensity but unable to process it or accept it.

I am still doing improv (which I am loving). I think I have some skill at it. It makes sense. It has rules. It lets me be someone else. It lets me be the center of attention and it lets me hand the attention to others at a moments notice. I love finding group mind. Ilove the laughter of my peers. I get extremely excited by analyzing the funny in things. I adore the moments when everything melts away except the scene.

I really enjoy Big Brother. First season I really have. It makes me feel guilty.

I wish I knew how to connect safely with people and not push them away. I wish I knew how to build meaningful friendships that didn't become co-dependant.

I dreamed of a woman I knew recently, one I hurt and spurned. I missed her into my toes... but I seem incapable of giving right now. Even words sometimes hurt to give up.

I really need to start eating more fruit.

Bits and Pieces and Bubbles

(I pulled this from Flickr a few days ago and now i can't find who took it to credit them. Ooops!)
Last Friday was the bubble battle. Nice and soapy.


Saturday's improv performance was fun. I was (for the most part) quite pleased with my scenes. I started my level 200 class yesterday (more on that in the next post) and I am very excited. I'll definitely miss my classmates from the last one. We were starting to get into a groove. But suppose that is the way it goes.

CAPTURE THE FRACKIN' FLAG!

This Thursday (June 22). Meet 7:30 at 14th Street and Irving Place (one block east of Union Square). Link for more info.

Oh, Connie Chung! Please stop.

I... there really isn't anything to say about this.

Except everyone involved better have been very very drunk during that planning meeting.