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| This is my home now. |
1. Classes at iO. I'm currently a few months away from graduation. I set out to do this when I moved here and did it. [√]
2. Internship at iO. Returning for my final session in January. An unplanned bonus. [√]
3. Auditioned for the Conservatory. Second City's professional training program rejected me after I shit my pants in an audition. Turns out auditioning is hard. Really hard. [X]
4. Audition for the Conservatory, part II. Yep. Auditioning still hard. Better, but still bad. Back to the drawing board. [XX]
5. Asked to join The Chiefs of Medicine. My first improv group. There's an actual doctor on our team. Legitimacy! [√]
5.5 The Chiefs are in a rocky place. No practice for a month and scheduling conflicts to crash an Outlook calendar. I hope we're not breaking up. [?]
6. Started this blog. I hadn't written anything but academic papers for a couple years and it feels good to get reacquainted with my keyboard. I've missed her. [√]
7. Tried to start a band. Answered a Craigslist post for a hardcore band. Hoping the dude wasn't scared off because I'm old. I'm not old! Am I? To be continued. [X]
8. Formed an improv group from my level 1 class at iO. Tina with the Weather consists of some of my best friends in Chicago. You should have seen the ridiculous list of names almost called ourselves. [√]
9. Formed a sketch group with my good friend, Nate. We're in the infant stages now, but this little guy is going to be up walking around in no time. [√]
10. Performed with Mick Napier, co-founder of the Annoyance. After a summer intensive at the Annoyance, Mick asked me to perform with him. My instinctual response was to cower in fear and start rocking back and forth in my chair, but somehow I managed the words, "Absolutely. Just tell me when to show up." The show he invited me to was called Skinprov, a midnight show involving an all-male cast that progressively strips down to nothing but their fancy underwear. Improv is hard. Improv in your underwear is the most vulnerable I've ever been. I got some really nice Express underwear out of the deal. [√]
11. Played on the iO stage. As part of our 4B graduation shows, all students got to perform at the theater. Coached by the indelible Jason Shotts, our team, Shotts of Glory, played our asses off for twenty-five minutes, completing the Harold. We killed it. [√]
12. A dozen shows in the Chicagoland area. Mullen's, Mad River, Studio Be, Annoyance, Playground. I feel like I'm collecting baseball cards. For now, iO and Second City! For now! [√]
13. Appeared in a pitch reel for a pilot for a reality TV show about iO. How's that for a sentence? Having looked down upon reality television most of my adult life, I was surprised by how eager I was to be a part of this project. Soon I was spitting venom and oozing drama like the best of them. It was gross and if it gets picked up, I will disappoint all of you with how low I stoop. [√]
14. The Nevada Museum of Art is featuring an exhibit based on a book by Renoites Jeanne Jo and Mac Schopen called The Wrong Side of Reno: Three Decades of Punk and Hardcore in The Biggest Little City. Art and records from dozens of Reno bands will be featured. Running now through March 6, 2011. My old band, This Computer Kills, is among them. Things I made in my Dad's garage with friends are going to be featured in a museum. Take that, Art. [√]
15. Flew back to Reno for some shows with Empire Improv's Hostile Greetings. Not much makes me happier than playing with these guys... except telling people I'm flying across the country to perform. "I'm out of town on business." That feels pretty good. [√]
16. Read Anna Karenina and Moby Dick. Two big ones down, ten thousand to go. [√]
17. Still working a day job. [X]
18. That job is part-time. [√]
19. Haven't given up yet. [√] [√] [√] [√] [√] [√] [√] [√] [√] [√] [√] [√] [√] [√] [√] [√] [√] [√] [√]
13. Appeared in a pitch reel for a pilot for a reality TV show about iO. How's that for a sentence? Having looked down upon reality television most of my adult life, I was surprised by how eager I was to be a part of this project. Soon I was spitting venom and oozing drama like the best of them. It was gross and if it gets picked up, I will disappoint all of you with how low I stoop. [√]
14. The Nevada Museum of Art is featuring an exhibit based on a book by Renoites Jeanne Jo and Mac Schopen called The Wrong Side of Reno: Three Decades of Punk and Hardcore in The Biggest Little City. Art and records from dozens of Reno bands will be featured. Running now through March 6, 2011. My old band, This Computer Kills, is among them. Things I made in my Dad's garage with friends are going to be featured in a museum. Take that, Art. [√]
15. Flew back to Reno for some shows with Empire Improv's Hostile Greetings. Not much makes me happier than playing with these guys... except telling people I'm flying across the country to perform. "I'm out of town on business." That feels pretty good. [√]
16. Read Anna Karenina and Moby Dick. Two big ones down, ten thousand to go. [√]
17. Still working a day job. [X]
18. That job is part-time. [√]
19. Haven't given up yet. [√] [√] [√] [√] [√] [√] [√] [√] [√] [√] [√] [√] [√] [√] [√] [√] [√] [√] [√]
That's a hell of a productive year. Well done, sir.
ReplyDeleteYour level 1 (through 3) class was the bomb diggity. Hopefully when I visit Chicago in the next two months I get to see Tina perform.
ReplyDelete@Gabe. How's LA, Buddy? Grad school? Pilots? Epic WINS?
ReplyDeleteSounds really productive! You should be proud!
ReplyDeleteLA's good! As for grad school, I'm applying to them. Some MFA programs all over the place. And Pilots? I've written some more of them. And epic WINS? I just got an internship at Gary Sanchez/Funny or Die, which I started on Monday. So that's been really cool. LA's fun, but I miss Chicago tons.
ReplyDelete