Thank You For Being A Beautiful Blonde

Hey all! A lot has happened since my last entry, so prepare yourself for a long post. Whatever that means for you. Some popcorn might be in order. In any case, I'm just going to jump right into the update.

My aunt, Sally, came to visit me two weekends ago and we had a perfectly lovely time. On the way to pick her up, though, I was joined on the "el" by an old man with big crazy hair, a neon orange zip-up and a baseball cap. At first, he just came over to say, "Thank you for being a beautiful blonde." I was flattered until he moved over and sat beside me and told me he was a poet and philosopher and that he could talk to dogs. Longest train ride ever. Once Sally got there, however, we had a lot of fun, going to shows such as "Baby Wants Candy" and "The Best of Second City." At "The Best of Second City," we met this group of fabulous old ladies visiting from Minnesota. We sat with them during the show and just had a wonderful time.

The weather was perfect when Sally was here, so we did a lot of walking and even ate at a cute little outdoor cafe called, "Old Jerusalem." I had my first falafel, which was delicious, but not near as waffle-like as I had expected. We also went to Coldstone twice, because the first time we went, there a cute and funny guy behind the counter. We joked about the ice cream cups being made by child labor in third world sweat shops. It was then that I realized that fate and sweet, sugary goodness had brought us together. I haven't gone back since to visit my Coldstone boyfriend, but I like knowing only as much as I do. He could turn out to be an anti-semitic satanist cult-leader or something, and that's not something I'm prepared to live with. I shall just hold on to that glorious moment in the ice cream shop.

Last week, I fulfilled one of my big dreams of performing stand-up comedy. In fact, I did it three times. I hit two open mics and performed for all of Comedy Studies. I must say, once you've done stand-up at a small seedy bar, nothing in the world can scare you. (The sole exeption is spiders. They are still wildly terrifiying.) All three times went well. I didn't kill, but I certainly didn't bomb, and that's all any beginning stand-up can ask for. My only fiasco was right after my first open mic. I was so excited that I had made it through without passing out, vomiting, or spontaneously combusting that I tried to skip off stage. In my excitement, however, my boot got wrapped in the cord and I pulled the mic out of the stand and proceeded to drag it back to my seat. Luckily, the drunk spectators found it hilarious. In fact, I quite enjoyed the overall stand-up experience and have every intention of honing my craft and seeing where it goes.

This past weekend, I went back to Warsaw to see Grace's production of "Little Shop of Horrors." It was so freakin' phenominal. I was so proud of all of David's work. David designed the set, costumes, poster, and played the starring role. He is so amazing, and I can't wait to see where he goes in his career. I was so proud watching it, I got a little choked up at points. David is one of my best friends in the world, and I honestly feel so lucky to be a part of his life. Everyone else was great as well. I got to connect with some old friends and even make some new ones. Ashlee was hilarious as the bag lady on Skid Row and Peaches was just all around fierce. I was so glad to be able to attend the show, but not being a part of it was killing me. I snuck backstage before the show and at intermission, though the sign said, "cast and crew only." Not being a part of that group for once was really weighing heavily on me. Don't get me wrong, I love it here in Chicago. I'm having the time of my life, getting hit on by old crazy men and falling in love with professional ice cream scoopers, but that group is a very special group of people and they will always have a place in my heart.

My ensemble is finally starting to write our showcase, and I can see that it's going to be amazing. This is going to be a show that I can be very proud of. Allow me a cheap, brief plug. There are shows on May 12th and 13th at The Second City Etc stage. Tickets aren't available yet, but I'll let you know as soon as I know anything. Alright, this was ungodly long and I have to go watch some Will & Grace for some homework. Seriously. Life is grand here. Keep on truckin'!

Intestines, Duck Feet, and Easter, Oh My!

So, if it prints the time on this, you'll see I'm updating at four in the morning. Why, you ask? Because, I feel like it! Geeze. Get off my back already. Actually, I'm writing at this odd hour because I did what I've done the past couple of nights. While actually intending to get things accomplished, I get tired and decide to "nap" for a few moments. I end up waking up at three-thirty in the morning, unshowered, with all the lights and my computer on. At that point, I shower and sleep for a few more hours before getting up for school. Is it a great system? Far from it, but it's hard to make yourself act like a normal, responsible person when you live alone.

My friends from high school, Chelsea and Meredith visited me last week and we had a lovely time. I do so enjoy showing off Chicago and my newfound knowledge of it. My favorite story from their visit was our "adventurous" attempt at lunch on Saturday. Meredith suggested finding some good Chinese food, so the intention was to go to a place that I really like in Chinatown. Not surprisingly, we woke up pretty late and didn't want to go quite that far out, but Casey told me that there was some good oriental food off Argyle, which is only one stop away on the "el." We ended up walking into three different restaurants, none of which had decipherable menus. We were still game to try something until we went into the last restaurant and saw what looked like intestines and whole duck feet being prepared in the window. Terrifying. I suggested Panera and we had soup and sandwiches.

School has still been so much fun, I don't know what to do with myself. In writing and history, we're discussing sitcoms, which is fabulous, since sitcom writing is something I have considered for the future. Last week I pitched my "I Love Lucy" episode entitled "Lucy Learns French." Ricky and Lucy made a wager, Lucy attempted to speak French, and wackiness ensued. The next pitch is a partner pitch for an original sitcom. I came up with the idea of a group of 3-5 men that have lost their jobs in the recession, but out of pride still put on their suits and pretend to go to work every day. They form a little club and spend their days hiding their secret from the world and scheming how to get enough money so they can all fake paychecks. There's much more to it, but I don't want anyone stealing this brilliant idea. If you don't think it's brilliant, that's why I'm in comedy school and you're reading this from somewhere less cool than Chicago. If you do, thank you. I always liked you the best anyway.

Easter weekend was fun, as I went to Wisconsin with my dad, Tim, and Amanda. It was really great to see my family. We're all pretty close, despite the fact that they're all a bunch of crazies. I jest, of course. (But no, seriously, they're a bunch of lunatics!) They're totally great and super normal. (Normal like a freakshow.) In all seriousness, I love them all soooo much and I'm really glad I got a chance to spend some time with them. I wish I could just move all the people that I love to Chicago and we'd all just go to improv shows together and eat at Panera. Although, I suppose that's what heaven is for.

It's almost four thirty, so I'm gonna call it a night, but there's been a few more things going on in this crazy life of mine, so I'll write a bit more very soon. It's ok if you don't believe me. I'm not sure if I believe myself. You're all fabulous! Have a lovely day. Keep on truckin'!

With A Little Help From My Friends...Ben and Jerry

Hey all! So, I've just been reading my past blog entries and feeling all sentimental about how far I've come in this experience. I'd honestly forgotten how scary the beginning of this adventure had been for me, but it makes me so proud that it all feels so easy now. I guess I'll mention that I wasn't just going through old posts because I'm so narcissistic that I love to read my own writing, however, I am and I do. I'm starting to write a play, based a great deal on my Chicago experience. It won't be my exact story or anything, but I'm hoping to include many of my actual events. This is all contingent on whether or not I can tear myself away from hulu.com long enough to get any writing accomplished.

This week, the musical director that I had my improv workshop with came by to help us work on our songs for our end of semester showcase. I think we have some really great stuff. I'd tell you, but I don't want to ruin it for those of you that will be at the showcase on May 12th and 13th. Hint, hint. You know what? There's no room for subtlety in this blog! Come to my freakin' showcase! It will be a lovely time, dang it! Don't make me twist your arm! No, seriously. I'm not very strong and you would probably just laugh at me. Anyway, tickets are free but must be reserved, and you can come either day. The tickets will become available this month, but I don't know exactly when yet. I'll let y'all know.

In Gellman's class, we're starting our Neil Simon scenes. I thought it would be a lot easier than the Second City scenes, because I've actually done this scene before. In fact, it's the scene I used to win state in high school. How in the world I thought a scene for Gellman wouldn't break my spirit is beyond me. We started blocking yesterday, and he must have stopped me ten times in four pages of dialogue. I have a lot to work on. It's really hard to hear these things, but I really appreciate how hard he pushes me. It's the only way I'm going to get better. I do know that Gellman likes me, and it helps that I know he only pushes me as hard as he does, because I can take it and he knows I can do better. Nonetheless, I had to be comforted after class by my friends, Ben and Jerry. No, I haven't met cute guys here. Fatty's referring to ice cream.

In history, we're discussing sitcoms. This makes me very happy, because sitcom writing is something I'm looking into as a career choice. My homework for Monday is to pitch an original episode of I Love Lucy. I've been training for this assignment since I was in elementary school. I've seen every episode and can quote about half of them. Hello, friends. I'm your Vitameatavegamin girl! Are you tired, worn down, listless? Do you poop out at parties?... Ok, you get the idea. I don't know what my premise is gonna be yet, but I'm so excited I could poorly re-wallpaper the apartment. I realize that's obscure and doesn't make sense, but I wanted to throw in another reference to cement my superior Lucy knowledge. Don't judge.

I'm off to work on my new play, but I'll be writing again soon. I'll keep you updated on when tickets are available, and Neil Simon scenes, and I may even be awesome enough to let you in on what I pitched for my Lucy episode. Have a lovely day all and enjoy this lovely spring weather...kind of. Keep on truckin'!