The Numbers For 2013

For the first time since 1999 I went 365 days without a drink.

I made 1 major purchase, a Honda VTX motorcycle.

I went on 1 vacation to Richmond, VA.

I saw 88 movies in the theater.

I went through 1 breakup.

Deep Schwa had 51 shows.

Prime had 46 shows.

The Night Shift had 23 shows.

Rick had 9 shows and was cut.

The Hague was formed and had 18 shows.

I created 1 character: Pastor Dirk Deadman.

I did 2 auditions.

I got 1 callback.

I read around 40 books, my favorite of which was The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman.

We rebooted Groh Show and released 4 episodes.

Tisher, Tim and I released 10 episodes of Bubble Boys comprising Season 1.

We recorded 6 episodes of Bubble Boys Season 2, yet to be released.

I made two collages.

Beanpole and I collaborated on 1 project.

I played 2 games of chess, both I lost.

I went to 1 concert.

I went to 0 plays.

I went to 0 weddings.

I went to 0 funerals

I fell in love, once.

West Coasters

Periodically old members of Deep Schwa will come back and play. Last night Brian Jack, in town for the holidays, came back and brought Dave Hill formally of famed iO team People of Earth and Matt Jones formally of famed TV show Breaking Bad. Whenever we have guests or former members back I think we're all a little sharper, a little faster, more excited and eager

It was a real fun show with a packed crowd which seemed to really love it. I was trepidatious initially because 11 can be an unruly amount of people and whenever people come in from out of town and there are a lot of us I worry about getting in there and being apart of the show. We started off with real high energy and pace and were able to keep it going. Every scene had four or five people in it and we hit this pell-mell frenetics but never pushed over the border into incoherence or cacophony. Everyone played a part and got to be seen.

My favorite part by far was Jeannie coming on as Brooke Shields and then her and I reenacting a bizarre version of Blue Lagoon where the rest of the team were plants, rocks, and animals egging me on in my fumbling seduction.

It was challenging and a little chaotic and I think everyone involved, audience and performers, were entertained. I'm proud to be a member of Deep Schwa. It is one of my greatest accomplishments and greatest pleasures.

Graffiti 112

“Having a dissenting opinion on movies, music, or clothes, or owning clever or obscure possessions, is the way middle-class people fight one another for status...Hipsters, then, are the direct result of this cycle of indie, authentic, obscure, ironic, clever consummerism...It is ironic in the sense the very act of trying to run counter to the culture is what creates the next wave of culture people will in turn attempt to counter.” -David McRaney

"I'm just another stupid human." -Markus Zusak

Reprieve

It was 50 degrees in Chicago today. Encouragement from the city and the world at large. Comfort and reassurance that the winter months will pass quickly. And at the other end, warmth.

"A light wind swept over the corn, and all nature laughed in the sunshine." -Anne Bronte

Death Row Meal

One of celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain's favorite questions is "what is your death row meal" i.e. what would your last meal be if you could choose.

My mother's stromboli has been my favorite dish since she first made it when I was 12. Whenever possible I goad her into making it for me. Stromboli is a type of turnover filled with cheese and meat. Hers is simple and delicious. Our past couple Christmas dinners have featured stromboli and only by the gracious persistence of my sister did my mother make it this year. Good as ever.

Rounding out my last meal would be my mothers chicken chili(refrigerated and reheated the day after it was made), Brussels sprouts and a Cherry Coke Zero.

It would be a fine meal to end on.

'Her' A Review

Her is a science fiction romance set in an undefined future where a man falls in love with an operating system.  The film is murky and elusive. Every person seeing it will come away with their own feelings and interpretations it's theme or message is ambiguous.

Joaquin Phoenix plays Theodore a man struggling to recover from a divorce. He works at Beautifulhandwrittenletters.com(yuck) a company family and lovers outsource their correspondence to. He works, he plays video games, and he engages in bizarre sex chats before bed. Enter Samantha voiced by Scarlett Johansson an artificial intelligence operating system. Samantha gets Theodore's life in order and they gradually fall in love mirroring the problems and pace of a normal relationship. Other than Theodore's ex-wife everyone acts as if this is totally normal and acceptable.

The future that is portrayed is unassuming but sad and quietly horrifying. Technology is ubiquitous. The relationship which is the focus of the film is handled with grace and feels organic however a romance between human and computer feels hollow. Phoenix's performance is good but there is something unsatisfying, incomplete about his scenes with Samantha. He doesn't come off as pathetic or a loser but he is not particularly likable, in fact none of the characters are save maybe Samantha.

It's been said the film encapsulates the 21st century, has it's fingers on the pulse of our culture. If that is the case humanity is on a collision course with isolation, weakness, dependence, perpetual immaturity and fear. To me Her is a cautionary tale of a bleak future, a glimpse into the depraved socially handicapped society we may become. It is no doubt beautifully shot, excellently scored, and well acted but it is unpleasant.

The best scene of the film is about a minute long. The only scene Phoenix interacts with his ex-wife played by Rooney Mara. It's refreshing to see him interact with a human, makes you wish the whole movie would have actually been about his failed marriage.

Interesting and thought provoking but not enjoyable. And the high waisted pants don't make any sense.

Rent It.

A Different Kind Of Christmas

My family does all its activities Christmas Eve. We open presents between the four of us and then my extended family on my father's side get together and have pizza fondue for dinner.

For a long time the extended family would get each other gifts. The uncles and aunts would get the kids gifts until they were through college and the adults would draw names to get each other a gift. We gave up the gift exchange last year and at this point I only have two little cousins that get gifts.

This year was quite different. Marta and Nick just got engaged so there was a lot of excitement about that. My college-age cousins on my mom's side Iona, James, and John, in town from LA, spent the holiday with us. My mom's family is spread all over the country and some across the world so it was a great treat to have them with us.

In a surprise twist Tisher came and spent Christmas with us as well. Groupon is being progressively stingy with PTO so he couldn't make the trip back to Napa to be with his family. It was great and odd to have him there, like worlds colliding and I think he enjoyed himself but there is still something melancholy about spending the holiday with a family not your own.

All told that's nine people when our norm is four. The holiday was more crowded, a bit more stressful, and not as relaxing as it usually is. More often than not I spend the holiday lounging around and reading. This time there was a lot more running around, a lot more errands, a lot more logistics, and more entertaining to be done. Which was a nice change- fuller and more action packed. In the past I may have been put off by all the changes to our routines, but I was happy to mix things up and to be there for my family and friend to, together, have a great holiday.

I got my dad Undefeated on DVD. We watched it today before I came back to Chicago. We watched and cried, it was a wonderful Christmas.