What's Awesome?

This is.

The Boy's 6th Birthday

Collin turned 6 on Thursday. We celebrated by going out to dinner to the T-Rex restaurant out by Legends.



We had been here several times before and its actually not that annoying.  It's dinosaur themed, of course, and different sections of the restaurant are set up as different stages.  The upstairs is the ice age, the back area is the lava room, and the bar area, where we sat, is under the sea.  The very first time we went here they sat us in the back, behind a boulder and next to the server station.  Not very fun for a child, and even more upsetting to an adult.  But we've had fun ever since.

Collin got to do something different this time.  They have a station set up in the gift shop where you can break a rock in half.  Special rocks with crystals in the middle.  It was pretty cool.

Saturday afternoon was his bowling party with a few friends from school.  We did this last year as well with twice as many friends, but decided to tone it down a little just to keep things less hectic.   

As you can see, he's a big fan of the orange fireball.

The Ups and Downs of Comedy

This Saturday was the first of the Second Saturday series of improv comedy shows at the Westport Coffeehouse.  Ed Doris and I have been planning these shows since last July.  We both thought that this could be something that could catch on, mainly because of the variety of shows that we'd be producing, and that if just one of the shows got a little press it would be hard not to mention the others in the same blurb.

The months leading up to the first show were filled with nothing but excitement and anticipation.  The week leading up to however, was a different story.  There's no business like show business.  Whatever can go wrong will go wrong.  What goes up must come down.  

UP - A week before the show we learn that there will be improv articles in both the Pitch and the KC Star.

DOWN - Monday rehearsal goes only so-so.  Plus we learn that one of the members of the Makeshift Militia, the troupe that the Trip Fives are splitting the night with, might not be able to play. 

UP - Wednesday arrives with the Pitch article and a mention in the Ink's calendar section.

DOWN - Wednesday evening our booth person remorsefully tells me that he forgot to mark the show date on the calendar and now has scheduling conflicts.  

UP - Thursday arrives with a mention in the KC Star's Preview section. And I find a tech replacement.

DOWN - Thursday night I get a call from Jen Roser, of the Trip Fives, who informs me that, due to reasons that were out of her control, she would be unable to do the show saturday night.

DOWN - Friday mid-afternoon to late evening.  Turns out my cell phone, one which I have been substituting for the improv reservation line, decided to stop playing the message when people called.  It would ring, like normal, but instead of going directly to voicemail it would just be dead air.  All. Day. Friday. 

DOWN - After two hours of speaking to Verizon customer service and tech support, they come to the conclusion that they don't know what's wrong with my phone.  They do know that it has to do with the messaging system and not the actual phone.  But they don't own the messaging system, they have a contract with them.

UP - Saturday morning.  I let my phone charge over night thinking that it's quite possible that the phone only acts crazy when it is not fully charged.  That oddly seemed to do the trick.  So I called back every number that wasn't able to leave a message and everything is fine.  Oh, and the KC Star article came out.  As I walked up the street and got closer to the newspaper machine, I could see the photo above in the top left corner of the front page.  Very cool.

UP, UP - Collin had his first basketball game at the Cleaver YMCA.  It was not at all as bad as I thought it was going to be.  There were plenty of coaches, assistant coaches and referees on the court to point all the kids in the right direction.  Collin played a lot but didn't take one shot, which is totally fine.  His defense however, was tenacious.  

UP, UP, UP - Now, I don't know this for sure, but I would guess that 50% of both Saturday night's audiences came because of the Star article.  Something felt different, in a good way. There was just this overall feeling of newness all over the place.  The Trip Fives/Makeshift crowd was way more than expected, and because we split box after rent, the two members of makeshift walked away with a pretty penny.  Thunderdome was close to a sellout, maybe by 10 seats or so.  But what please me was knowing that half of them were new and neutral.  And even though all three teams put on entertaining sets, the crowd picked the one that deserved it.

DOWN - The night ended.

Happy New Year!!!

It's 2009!  Hooray!!!  

Resolutions are so cliche that I don't even feel like doing any.  Its like the only reason people have them is to let other people know about them.  It is the one time to impress others with your own personal objectives.  So you better make them good ones.  How can I make my resolutions interesting enough to make people go, "Wow, I actually believe that person when they say this.  I hope they go through with it.  I'm rooting for them."  Of course, resolutions are things that people should be doing for themselves on a daily basis.  "I will NOT eat any more skittles today."  

In a sense, resolutions are a lot like blogs.  People only create them so other people can read them.  In the end, it's for your own personal pleasure.  

So, with that said, here are a few reasons Why I Am Excited About 2009:

• FAMILY

I love them dearly.  Last year was wonderful.  Our first full year in our new house.  Collin going through kindergarten.  Lisa loving her job.  Me not being a slob.

• SCHOOL

This spring semester will be the last of all my prerequisites.  The following semester I will begin the Graphic Design two-year program. One small step closer to a Associates Degree, which will then be another step closer to me obtaining a real job for the first time.

• SECOND SATURDAYS

Ed Doris and I have put together, what we feel is, a enormous variety of improv comedy shows on the second Saturday of every month. (Here's a link to the schedule)  What started out as just a way to figure out how the Trip Fives can do more shows on a regular basis, has grown into a full production of improv comedy.  And just about every troupe in town is involved in some way, whether they are splitting a show with the Fives or competing in Improv Thunderdome or writing for BareTV.  Even the name "Second Saturdays" feels like it could catch on here in KC.  It rolls right off the tongue.  

• IMPROV THUNDERDOME SEASONS 3 & 4

I hate to say it.  I can't wait for season 4 to happen, and season 3 hasn't even begun yet.  Don't get me wrong, I am extremely excited for season 3.  We've got a lot of Thunderdome vets back for more, and we've got a lot of new blood looking to prove why they belong. The talent is there.  Season 3 will be fun, but I am hoping it will be the end.  The end of an era.

In the beginning, my goal for Thunderdome was to establish teams by way of a draft.  With the format being so new to the community and certain performers egos getting in the way, there was no way of this happening.  So we allowed people to create their own teams.  Now, three seasons later, it is time.  We WILL hold a draft, create 9 random teams of 4, and they will compete.  I hope, that from season 4 on, this will be the way.

• BARETV

Back in 1999, I worked at the Westport Coffeehouse as the morning barista, on top of performing in the theatre on weekends.  It was my second home.  The owner, Tom, had the equipment and the ability to broadcast anything he wanted over the internet.  After a brief discussion behind the counter while Tom made himself a latte, BareTV (scroll down on the right.  Please do not watch) was born - A weekly 30 minute somewhat scripted/somewhat improvised mock talkshow that should have never been created.  

Nearly 10 years later we will give it another try.  We're all grown up, a little more professional, and a lot soberer than we were back then. The name will be the same, but the show will have some major tweaks.  The newer version will be a completely improvised late-night talkshow, complete with host, monologues, guests, commercials and live music courtesy of the very talented Billy Brimblecom Jr.  Aside from the main people on stage, a group of improvisers will work as a team backstage to supply the show with whatever it is called for.  Writers on the fly, if you will.  

Also, this show will be every other month starting in April.  Much, much better than weekly.

• SPORTS

King Carl is gone.  This can only lead to positive things for next year's Chiefs.  I honestly don't care what happens next season.  In my mind it will be a success because Carl is gone.  Should Herm be gone? Probably.  But personally I'd just like to see what he does with Carl involved.  If he still stinks, GET'EM OUTTA HERE!

The Royals won 75 games last year and didn't finish in last place. That's good.  They should win at least 10 more games in 2009.  So far I've liked what the front office has done with the exception of finding a new shortstop.  Other than that, I'm very exciting.  Which isn't saying much because I am very optimistic at the beginning of every new baseball season.

Here is the lineup I would like to see:

1. Coco Crisp - CF
2. Mike Aviles - 2B
3. Davis DeJesus - LF
4. Jose Guillen - RF
5. Mike Jacobs - 1B
6. Billy Butler - DH
7. Miguel Olivo - C
8. Alex Gordon - 3B
9. Alberto Callaspo - SS

As for the rotation:

1. Gil Meche
2. Zack Greinke
3. Brian Bannister
4. Luke Hochevar
5. Kyle Davies

But Jared, where is the necessary lefty starter?  My answer:  What good has lefty starters done for us in the past?  Chris Haney anyone?

The KU football program beat Minnesota in the Insight Bowl last night.  I do not expect the basketball program to have similar success.  Why should I?  They're national champions.  They lost their whole team.  Conference play is almost upon us.  These games will determine how good this team really is.

There.  I'm done.

GO GO GADGET 2009!!!