On the subject of Crushes and Kisses

Last night, it happened. Molly Ringwald charmed me again. Exhausted from work, I came home and on the television was Pretty in Pink. Boston Legal's James Spader playing a long haired cad far removed from the lovable Alan Shore. Jon Cryer was Ducky. Although a he was a puppy love filled nerd, I can identify with him.

This travel back into time began with my previous post, and suddenly I find myself stuck in a time that brought me so much happiness.

Then, this morning, my XM Radio had American Top 40, as Casey Kasem counted down the hits from November of 1980. And yes, I knew most of the words. My drive consisted of numbers 24 through 18. Christopher Cross (Sailing), Irene Cara (Out here on my Own) , Jackson Browne (that Girl Could Sing), Bruce Springsteen (Hungry Heart) and even Willie Nelson (On the Road Again) made appearances.

But the kicker was actually the kickoff. My radio was set to the 70's channel, as I was listening to Disco Saturday Night on my drive home. After hearing "here's a lost 45" teen heartthrob Rex Smith was on with "You Take My Breath Away." The memory rush hit me like a storm. Kristy McNichol was my crush back then. I think she was in a TV movie with Smith. I remember going to see "Little Darlings" two nights in a row just to see her. My parents let me stay up late to watch her in Family. I even rushed to buy the album "Jimmy and Kristy McNichol." The "bestest" Christmas present ever was a personally autographed picture of Kristy. I cried when i got it. When it came to heart throbs... Kristy was it.

That was until Pat Benatar came along, and suddenly, sensuality took a very sharp turn. Goodness in the form of Kristy became the badness of Benatar. Cute outfits on Miss McNichol were replaced by the spandex wonderment of this new Wonder Woman who could belt out a nasty tune.

I remember driving my blue Celica (I have a thing for blue cars.) On the back were bumper stickers from my favorite radio stations, both called Q107 (one in Washington DC, the other from Charleston SC - my summer home.) On my wall were posters of Benatar and Chris DeLisle (The Q107 Lips Woman.)

I had a boom box, a black and white TV, a CB radio, and a really cool desk where I could do my homework. I remember spending every afternoon on the blacktop basketball court of my neighborhood park playing a very rough game of playground basketball with Kenny Cassidy, Paul Gerrity and John McKenna.


Rewind to age 14.
My first real crush was on a girl named Shellie Donohoe. I took her on my first date (which I did not count as a date since it did not end with a kiss. We saw Young Frankenstein. I gave her a Polaroid Camera a couple of days later, which she would not accept. We remained friends, although she ended up dating one of the other neighborhood guys.

A little more than a year later, I received my first kiss in a men's locker room. Now wait a minute. Do not go jumping to conclusions! It was a rainy day at our neighborhood pool and the pool was closed. However, the neighborhood kids were there keeping the lifeguards, who we all liked to hang out with, company on a boring day. Then, the "scrooge" of the neighborhood - Hamilton Twitchell - showed up at the pool. He might have been a nice man, but we were scared of this older guy and thought we might get in trouble, so we ran into the men's locker room. There were three of us. Debbie Hill, and her sister Kim and me. I really liked Kim at this time. She was the older of the sisters, and very nicely put together... plus she had this Adidas swim suit that I really enjoyed seeing her in... but I digress.

We were all hiding in the changing area of the locker room when the subject of kissing came up. The Hill sisters could not believe that I was all of 15 years old and had never kissed a girl. So there it was, in a men's locker room, that Debbie Hill laid one on me. I was fluttering in glee.

This was the time of Grease and Billy Joel's Stranger album. While I was singing romantic songs of Joel, my inner Sandy was about to turn from innocent to well... a little less innocent.

Later that night, the gang was partying at Paul Gerrity's house. He had a converted basement that was the home to many a beer, lots of Springsteen, Who and Stones, and all of our neighborhood parties. I arrived late (I had been to something with my parents I think) and everyone was already a little drunk. Rarely would be the time I would have a beer, but I would from time to time. On this night however, Kim had one too many. The subject of my kissing history came up and next thing I know, Kim was grabbing me around the neck and planting a big one on me. What happened next was something of a surprise.

I was enjoying the kiss when she stuck her tongue into my mouth. I did not know what to make of it when she said "French! French!' I had no idea what was happening, but I went along and it did feel good.

She then proceeded to go back with her boyfriend and make out.

It would be a whole summer before I would enjoy that feeling again, when I had my first real girlfriend, Susan Kerdasha. She and I met at a dance on Kiawah Island, which was next to Seabrook, my island summer home. Our first date - The Muppet Movie. The date would end with that elusive kiss, and my relationships with girls officially began.

We dated for the two weeks she vacationed there, and decided it was love. the most awkward time of our relationship was when we decided that a non developed road would be a great make out place. Unfortunately for us, my friends spotted my car at the time (a station wagon belonging to my mom) . We were ambushed as I was trying to steal second. Needless to say, we were startled, but laugh about it now.

We bought matching bracelets, and wrote regularly. We spent Homecoming together and I travelled to New Jersey to go to one of her dances. Another trip took us to Great Adventure Amusement Park where we bought matching "Love is a Great Adventure" t-shirts. Puppy love was at its peak.

I don't remember how we broke up, other than the distance was too much, but I remained faithful throughout my junior year in school.

The next summer was indeed the summer of love. When you live on a resort island, people come and go, and with them, summertime romances. Think Dirty Dancing. Anyway, this particular summer began with a series of two week romances. The first with another Susan, then a Betsy and a Lisa who introduced me to Billy Joel.

In the middle of these romances were great friendships. Linda and Sharon Sovinski were sisters from West Virginia. They spent three weeks at Seabrook and I saw them every day as we were always by the pool or the rec center. I really liked Linda, but I think she was in a relationship, so I didn't want to wreck anything. Her younger sister Sharon was stunning - a cheerleader, and liked one of the others in our group, Albert Mikula.

The most vivid memory I have of the Sovinski Sisters was singing Breakfast in America by Supertramp, which we belted out in my car. They were wonderful people then... and happily, I found Sharon recently on Facebook. She is now a successful hair color designer and stylist in Los Angeles. She looks as I thought she would, and seems to be living a happy life. When I recounted the stories of Seabrook, she remembered them as vividly as I did... so it was nice to reconnect.

Towards the end of the summer, my friend Cassie Deveaux introduced me to a statuesque strawberry blonde named Sally. My taste in women took the turn from Kristy to Benatar. Sweet was replaced by sultry. If you watch Gray's Anatomy or Private Practice and know Kate Walsh (Addison), you have seen Sally.

We would travel north and south to see each other, and she gave me lots of new experiences, including my first ever look at ESPN. She had a thing for track shorts. I had a thing for her. It was as much fun as two kids could have while still remaining celabate. I would go into more of a story, but there were enough things that should remain private for many reasons... so I won't get into detail.

We went to prom together, first hers then mine. She was called the best looking girl at the prom, so I had that going for me. I remember that when we were ready to go, the tux I rented came with the wrong jacket. Luckily it fit. As for her dress... oh did it ever fit, with a slit up the leg that drove most of the guys at my school batty. We sang Fame badly, but it didn't matter... we were in love.

Our romance lasted my entire senior year and into part of my freshman year in college. Again, distance killed any chance of a long term relationship. She is happily married and just gave birth recently to her first kids... twins. We saw each other a few years ago, and age has treated her well.

In the midst of all of these romances came my longest lasting friendship... never a romance. Just a boy and girl who became man and woman and forever will be linked as "big brother and little sister." It's amazing to have a relationship like that that is so close when you are not family. Mess and I talk almost every week, and still share the closeness we had at age 15. It is truly a gift.

All in all I have an interesting perspective on life now that I have been married almost as along as I had been living back in those days that I can still remember so well.

Well, it's time for me to shoot back into the present day. I have to get back into the real world and go to work on this Sunday afternoon, but hope this trip back to the land of crushes and kisses can foster come great memories for all of you.

Yours truly,
Johnny Blogger

On the subject of Confetti

Ah, the glory days. Sleeping so long that the night could last all night long.

Oy, today. Sleeping so little that I can barely last until it gets dark.

Oh, to return to those glory days. The halcyon days - make that nights - where every day was Mardi Gras and every night was New Year's Eve. (Wish I could call that my own - but credit goes to the Aquasox PA announcer Tom Lafferty.)

The place was called Confetti. It was a larger than life nightspot that was located just off Greenville Avenue in Dallas. The theme of the place was the "never ending, ever lasting party," and God, was it. From the unique design on two and a half floors, to its amazing sound and video system for that day to the lip sync performances to the confetti cannons and blowers... every bit of it screamed good time.

The best part of it though were the people that worked there. Every first impression starts at the front door, where hundreds would line up to get in. The doormen dressed in tuxedo shirts splashed with neon paint. (Ask my wife how much I loved these shirts... I still had two of them until about 5 years ago.) It was not a place for snobs, although there were the high roller regulars. This was a place where you dressed up for a good time because no matter how outrageous your outfit was, someone working there would go one better. You see, to work at Confetti, you didn't interview - you auditioned.

I was one of the lucky ones. I was just outrageous enough where they took one look at me and said, come on in. It helped to have a co-worker who vouched for me, so I could become the lights and effects to his Dee Jay prowess.

But there was something more to this place. I don't know if this was a testament to my loneliness at the time, or because I just loved the place. I would go to Confetti even on my nights off and get into costume and entertain the customers with random acts. And few even knew who I was.

My costume was made up of parachute pants... yes, you remember those. Underneath, a dress shirt with a pencil thin tie (hip back then) and over the top, a white tails jacket with black velvet trim. And over my head, a larger than life mask of a cartoon character named Herman, which made my 6-4 body nearly 7 feet tall. I was anonymous.

I would dance with the dancers on stage, I would follow customers around and mimick their moves, clowning. I would give the ladies flowers and balloons and just go around making people smile. I was, in essence, the masked merrymaker.

On certain songs, I would break out of the costume and take the stage for a lip sync performance with some of my peers. Two I can remember very well were "White Time Is It?" which was me and some others doing Morris Day and the Time, with me playing the very white Morris Knight. We would do the Bird, complete with the Jerome/Morris Chili Sauce choreography.

The other one was Duran Duran's Reflex, which was a solo number. The place had bars that separated one stage from another but you could fit in between them if you wanted to. I would literally (and in hinesight - probably stupidly) leap off one stage and grab the bars, sliding down the 15 feet to the other stage like a fireman. I was a rock star. Okay. In honesty, I was probably the only one being entertained, but the leap usually got oohs.

Then I would be head back stage, where I would hang out with the dancers (most of whom I had huge crushes on.) They saw me as the big goofy brother type. And then it was back on with the costume to take the club by a storm of niceness again.

When last call was over, and the party ended at 2 AM, I would go back to my apartment, jump in the pool to get all the cigarette smoke off of me and sleep until noon.

In case you were wondering, I would work a couple of nights a week and did sports jobs on other days. Since my condo was paid off, I did not have to worry about making a lot back then.

And I did get a payoff for all those off nights I spent entertaining the folks at Confetti. I was the proud owner of a Teal and Black Satin Jacket with the Confetti logo emblazoned across the back and specks of confetti embroidered onto the jacket front and sleeves. I wore it proudly.

And the assumption that could easily be made was that as a man in his 20's, I probably spent most of that time buzzed on alcohol in the night club... after all, that would explain the goofy behavior. Truth was... the strongest buzz I got in those days was a Pepsi.

So how does that relate to who I am now?

I am lucky to sleep past 8 AM. I work long days and sometimes nights. I very rarely walk into a night club. I never get to wear masks.

However, there are more things that still are a part of me than you might think. The random acts of clowning and kindness still happen; the clowning on an improv stage, and the kindness whenever I feel the need to want to make myself feel that way. The costume goes no further than most of my shoes, which are usually a bright shade of blue because it's something about being different. My lip synching has become Karaoke, where I actually sang "The Bird" complete with the choreography. And while 2 AM has been replaced by midnight for a rare late night party, I still enjoy the fun of being out late, whenever I can steal away the time. And the strongest buzz I get is from a Pepsi (of which I only have 1 or 2 now as opposed to the 6-8 I used to have every day.)

And for the me that used to be at Confetti, I look no further than my 9 year old son, who just yesterday sang his brains out around the house, danced around Westlake Center at the holiday tree lighting, and loves to wear costumes and sometimes masks. I wonder if that is genetic?

So to all you former party people from the days of Confetti - I salute you!

Yours truly,
Johnny Blogger

On the subject of Being Thankful

One year ago, I approached thanksgiving with the strangest feeling. My prevailing attitude was that it had been another year that I just wanted to forget, and that my thanks were towards the calendar for the year to be close to being over.

What a difference a year makes. As I am lying down on my bed, resting from the soreness that is a given to a 45 year old who has just played football, I realize that this year, I am actually thankful for where I am and what I have become.

For the first time in the fifteen years since moving to the northwest, I feel like I have found an atmosphere in which I can breathe.

The biggest difference has been friends, and the fact that I feel like I have found some good ones. Just a year ago, responsibility and obligation seemed to take 100 percent of my time. Now, through a journey of discovery and cyberspace, I have found new creative outlets and, with them, great relationships.

It began with an incredible group of people in Improv 201 class in the spring. I arrived as an experienced student who was not sure what to expect. I arrived hoping I would be accepted for the person I was, not the person I had thought myself to be. Through eight weeks of scenes, socializing and tater tots, not only did I find acceptance, I found a group of incredible people that felt like friends.... fifteen years in the making.

From those friends, I discovered the joys of blogging, that has allowed me to hopefully entertain you, make you think, and feel like you might not be alone when you think you are. I have to thank Little Miss Notetaker and Adjil for providing the inspiration for the genesis of the blog, and to all the readers for keeping me going.

I have discovered the social network of Facebook, which has been an incredible part of enjoying life and sharing with others. Status updates and red dots can make my day, as even if it is in the relative obscurity of cyberspace, it still gives me a connection to friends, past and present.

I have to thank Teacher Doug for introducing me to Karaoke, and to Amy Winehouse for sending me to Rehab over and over.

While new improv classes came and went, there was never a feeling quite like that 201 class. Don't get me wrong, there were flashes of brilliance in those new groups, and I enjoyed them immensely. That chemistry, the illusive chemistry, was hard to recapture. Maybe I was trying too hard, or maybe it was just simple science.

The 201 class rejoined for some reunion events like karaoke, and we would go to shows together, and they always were among the best times I had this year.

Then last Sunday, the core group of the 201 class, with the addition of a few members of the most recent 201 class banded together for the first rehearsal of a new improv group. From the opening moments, we felt chemistry, and the desire to see where it might take us. In a word, it was awesome... not for the brilliant scenes, but for that feeling of chemistry, without effort.

Friends... real friends... not work friends... not shared friends... real friends. It was something I had not experienced in years... and it opened the doors.

It allowed me to see the joy of friendship without obligation, without work. I could enjoy the company of people not because they needed me to do something, just because they enjoyed my company - and I theirs. That, to me, was an unbelieveably new feeling.

So to my improv friends, thanks for giving me a new lease on friendship life. To my new friends via the blog and Facebook, thanks for including me in your cyberlife. To the people who have become my friends from coaching to life at the unnamed university to life outside of sports, I thank you.

And last, and probably most importantly, thanks to those who are closest to me for your love, your support and your kindness through the trying times of the past three years, and hopefully the joy to come. Honey, you are the reason I am able to wake up every day and tackle life. I just hope I can inspire you as you have inspired me.

And now, a new adventure begins... one for which I can thank each of you for giving me the courage to undertake... and it should be amazing.

Happy Thanksgiving All,

Yours truly,
Johnny Blogger

On the subject of Dot Dot Dot

Houston Hello! It's time for another edition of the blog brought to you in full Larry King vision.

I saw a friend yesterday who said the blogs were turning whiny... Yikes! It has been a stressful few weeks but I did not hear the sound of the whine, or thankfully wine....

What is it about wine? I have never understood the taste of it... Many would say I have no taste at all...

Now that the elections are over, people are back to discussing nothing at all... has anyone figured out that if we, as a country, stop talking about ourselves for long enough and actually do something, that we might just accomplish something...

And about the economy... why can't I find a parking place at the local shopping mall? I thought people were not shopping. And what's more, why is it that if no one is spending money, that my family had to go eat fast food after being told at three different restaurants that there was a one hour wait?

I filled up my car for less than 40 bucks for the first time in years yesterday... and it felt so good, I actually called home about it...

Without expecting it, I received a gift card for a local eatery/bakery for helping out my son's soccer team. So when my wife and I went out to lunch at this place, dumb old me pulled out a 20 and paid for the lunch forgetting the card. When we sat down for lunch, there was an elderly couple right across from us, enjoying a day out at the mall. I made eye contact with the lady and received the nicest smile. A little later, her husband shuffled off to the counter to look for some dessert. I told my wife I would be right back and went over to the husband. I asked him if he was buying dessert for his "date." He chuckled and said why yes. So I pulled out the gift card from my pocket and said "this one's on me."
I returned to finish my lunch and the husband brought a fancy carrot bread muffin back to her. He had the kindest look with a hint of happiness when he presented the muffin to his bride. It was so sweet.
As we were leaving, the husband was telling his wife what had happened. She looked up at me and said "you did this?' I replied, "yes I did, and it was because you took the time to smile and made my day, so the least I could do is return the favor."
It felt good... and I needed that. The couple reminded me so much of my own parents when they would go out on a lunch date late in their lives. It was just something I wanted to do and share the story not to be proud, but in hopes you might do the same for someone soon.

And while you are at it, one of my blog followers could use a nice thought sent her way this holiday season. Spending your first holiday without a parent can be so difficult, and I understand it totally... so good thoughts are heading your way from me... and my fellow readers as well I hope!

I love college football, but for some reason will be happy when this season is over. It was a very tiresome season for me, but someone out there is enjoying it. Good on you!

If it's British, I seem to be obsessed with it these days.

A friend from high school popped up on my Facebook chat last night as I was finishing my hockey game play by play duties. This guy and I played hoops together back in High School and I had not heard from him since we graduated. It is amazing how some things can seem like they just happened yesterday... and there are moments when high school fits in that space.

Speaking of high school... late night talk radio is not the same without Larry King and Jim Bohannon. King's moved to tv and Jimbo is not heard in this market. I can't tell you the number of times the last voice I heard at night was one of theirs.

Satellite radio sure sounds different these days with the Sirius/XM merger. They took away my disco station, but replaced my favorite Upop station with BBC Radio One. That was a good trade. Also, First Wave is a great find. Reminds me of the Resurrection Flashback Sundays that Jim Keller used to have on 107.7 The End and my days of listening to 99X in Atlanta.

My first improv rehearsal is tomorrow night. The new group is together and it will be fun to see where it might go. More details to come.

So those are random thoughts on a Saturday morning, hopefully Whine-Free. So go pop open a cold one and enjoy your weekend. I will, as usual, be working. Oops... maybe that was whining.

Good day to you all.

Yours truly,
Johnny Blogger

On the subject of Improv Videos.

When I tried to put videos online last time, I failed miserably... so here is my first You Tube attempt. Let's see how it works...

Here is Standing Sitting Lying Down. At any time in the scene, one of us has to be standing, one has to be sitting and one lying down. The suggestion is Asbestos. The result is comedy... or chaos!

Here is Alphabet. Each line in the scene has to start with the next letter in the alphabet. We start with G and the suggestion for the scene is Pez Dispenser. Sorry it's a little tough to hear... so crank those headphones!

And here is Chain Murder Mystery.... Lauren describes what it is all about before the scene...

More to come from

Yours truly,

Johnny Blogger

On the subject of Alrighty Then

I am alright.

When I turned on the answering machine this morning at my office, I received the kindest message from an old friend. The voice sounded familiar, but it was one I hadn't heard in over two decades.

The voice was concerned about what they were reading online on Facebook and here on the blog. Status updates like:

Jon is so used to instant responses, he wonders why his mail box isn't full at 7:45AM from a message sent at 2AM. Needs a chill pill badly. Any distributors?

Jon - BOOM!

Jon - B! O! O! M!

Jon is in mile 13 of the marathon.

Jon is waiting for a star to fall.

The voice was worried about me, and that is very nice.

Interestingly enough, these same status updates led someone to want to be my Facebook friend... someone I have never met. Her note to me that came with the request was something to the effect of "I can identify with your life."

That simple fact made me happier. Someone other than myself, understands the travails of every day life that I am running through. Simply put, I am not alone.

Fact is, I use the blog and the Facebook updates as a form of therapy. Yes, you dear reader are my therapists now. Do I owe you a co-pay?

It has been an unbelievably stressful time in my professional and personal life as mid life crisis seems to be creeping in. Questions like who do I want to be? What do I want to be doing in 10 years? Do I want to take a vacation?

Happily, the questions are not do I want to stay in my relationship? Do I want to buy an expensive car? Do I want to change everything? Those are NOT, I repeat NOT the questions.

So to answer everyone who has been asking, I am okay. And to the voice, I will be calling soon so you can hear this voice as well, telling you it's okay. Thank you for being so concerned.

And to my regular readers, crazy time is about to end, and the comedy will resume. I have my first get together with my new improv group this weekend - so there will be plenty to scribe about. So with that, as the tape in the machine next to me reaches its end, I am sigh-ning off for now.

Yours truly,
Johnny Blogger

On the subject of a "Different" Me

"Jon is slowly descending from the mountain top that holds the rare air of total happiness to see that there is still the real world to contend with below the clouds."
- Facebook Status Update from Today.

For a while, it was glorious. My wife said, "well at least you had some time up there."

Up there is happiness. Up there is where I want to be all the time. Up there is what I used to be.

A new friend went to my improv show the other night and had a very interesting comment. "That's a different Jon there."

A different Jon? Seems like a very familiar one to me, but the statement struck me. It appears that few of my friends really know who I used to be, and only know the stressed out, work obsessed, family driven person that I have become.

The comment took me back to the days of dating in Atlanta. I was seeing a woman named Pam Pyevich (yes - I am writing it in case she Googles herself so she can see I did eventually fall in love and marry.) We had been dating for a few months when I let the "L" word slip out. No, not the L word from television.... sheesh. To make a long story short, we broke up shortly after the utterance.

Early in our relationship, I took her with me to join my friends at a taping of World Championship Wrestling. The Atlanta Boys, as our group was known, was notorious for forcing the WCW production crew to add in sound effects and change their shooting because we were among the first groups to cheer for jobbers (guys who usually lose) or guys who were not getting the star quality we thought they deserved. Simply put, we were troublemakers, adn loving every minute of it.

It was in this light that Pam saw me for the first time - a mischievous, kid-like, devil may care guy who just wanted to smile, laugh and make others do the same.

When we broke up, she told me that the only time she thought she saw the real me was at that wrestling taping. She said I put on a different identity to protect my own and rarely let down my guard. She went on to say that she probably could have gone out with that "other guy."

Strangely, she was absolutely on target. I am one who likes to be liked and will go out of my way to please. I care what people think. I protect my reputation with a pit bull like mentality. I never want to be thought of as "that guy (rolling eyes)."

Being a boss, and a husband, and a father, it's difficult to be liked all the time. Many times, anything you do can just piss people off, even if you have the best of intentions. Other times, it's a no win situation.

Back to last Sunday's improv show. There I was in my Zinzanni hat, taking the stage and just acting the fool. I wasn't caring what people thought. I just cared that I was giving my all to entertain and I didn't care if I fell on my face (or my back in this case) as long as I was true to my heart.

The high that the show gave me, and the feeling of belonging to something truly wonderful filled my heart with joy. I had found a place where the old me, the different me, the true me could flourish. Now the challenge will be to figure how to allow this me to make peace with the me that lives every day - the one that has to be the boss, husband and dad.

There is hope, and it has to be protected from the failing economy, shattered dreams and everyday challenges of life.

So say hello to a different me, and I hope you get to see him some more. I am going to attempt to remember he exists and let him out for a run every once in a while.

And please no schitzophrenia jokes. None of you realize what role that plays around my life, which is one reason the new me has to be, and old me only appears as a special guest star.

Good night to all the mes and all of yous.

Yours truly,
Johnny Blogger

(Had to remove the video as it wasn't function properly. Kept saying "Yes, but.")

On the subject of Pez Dispensers

The candy was crap, but the packaging was always cool.

And while I was not obsessed in the collection of the dispensers that had all those great characters, I will always have a fond recollection of Pez after last night's Student Improv Showcase at the Historic University Theatre in front of, yes, a sold out audience.

The scene was done for a game called Alphabet. Each line of the scene was to begin with the next letter in the alphabet. The suggestion for the scene was Pez Dispenser and the letter we began with was G. Now usually these scenes go all the way through the alphabet, but X, Q and Z are usually the scene stoppers for the wrong reasons. Last night, X was the spot for the right reason.

I played a little kid with an Incredible Hulk dispenser whose mommy (played by Erika) wants him to get rid of all that candy. She makes him destroy his favorite dispenser which leads him to being sad. Being a little boy, my lines were very short, usually one word or two... but always appropriate. I seem to remember the last lines going something like this.

Me:Today?
Mom: Unless you get rid of that you'll be in trouble.
Me: Very well. (I stomp on the Hulk dispenser)
Mom: What do you think you're doing now?
Me: (Pulling a new dispenser out of my pocket) X-Men!

The scene was called there. I really don't know if Lauren was thinking we were running out of time in the show or she just thought that was the place to end it, but it got a big cheer and made me feel great.

Being on stage is a really wonderful part of my life now, and I look forward to doing it more and on a regular basis. Some dear friends of mine, including many of my fellow bloggers, are getting together to start a new group. We believe we are on our way to a great direction, and I can't wait to see where it will take me. I still am not sure I have all it takes to be awesome, but my heart tells me that there is some kind of magic still left in this 45 year old body.

To my fellow cast members from last night, my heartiest thanks.
To my future cast members, I can't wait to be awesome with you!

Yours truly,
Johnny Blogger

On the subject of Making Time

I wish I had 27 hours in every day. That would allow me to do everything I need to do, get some sleep and also have a couple of hours to enjoy myself with something fun.

Like right now. I am taking a short break from work. But I am doing it while double tasking. So every time you see this 8) - that means I had to go back to work and stop writing.

We spend so much time double tasking. 8) Like most of the time when I am watching TV, I am surfing the net, reading blogs and Facebooking. When a show nee 8) ds me to pay attent 8) ion I will shut down the lap 8) top and donate my eyes to the tube and my ears to the words.

At work, I will listen to the radio, and while rendering video (which is the world's greatest time waster for editors), I will take time to check in with Facebook or to see what Little Miss Notetaker, Adjil, Rosie or one of my other blogging friends has contributed to the blogosphere.

Taking time 8) to do just one thing is nearly impossible in my busy season. With kids, it's impossible. I am at work on a Sunday, and my son is standing outside my office. Even now he is asking me questions, causing me to triple task to answer, work and blog at the same time. My head is going to explode. 8)

Later today, I will be able to do just one thing, and that is hopefully be entertaining. 8) My student showcase for Improv is this evening and I am really looking forward to attempting awesomeness. Many times, I go to class with so much on my mind, between work and homelife, that I don't have my mind focused in on the task at hand - which is to be creative instantly. I am giving myself plenty of time to prepare and clear the mind of any distractions.

The pictures will be on Facebook, and who knows, videos may end up on Youtube. I'll let you know.

Until then, thespians and crowd, good night from,

Yours truly,
8) Johnny Blogger

PS - I just had to do a little quadruple tasking before I even hit publish.... anything to entertain you my blog readers!!!

On the subject of Marathons

26 miles, 385 yards.

Never had the desire to run it. Don't know if I ever will.

Friends of mine actually have run marathons, triathalons, and other athalons, but for me, just getting through the day is a race enough.

I am currently in my busy season. I work most every day from 8:30 AM to 10 PM, which can be a marathon.

Anyone that runs will tell you that pacing is important but sometimes circumstances call for starting with a sprint, kicking in the middle, and sprinting with a huge kick at the end. That is no way to run a marathon.

I need new shoes to do this.

Metaphorically yours truly,
Johnny Blogger

On the subject of Election Day

It's going to be over in just a few hours, and relief will hit my brain.

Gone will be the attack ads. Gone will be the constant bickering. Gone will be the marathon that should have been a sprint.

On Facebook, people will hopefully go back to being friends rather than spending their status updates on campaign messages.

Election Day is here, and it will be historic no matter the outcome.

I voted in a way I thought I never would. I went with my heart rather than my history. It was the only way I could.

That vote included one non-vote in a major race (not the Presidential one) where I found both people so sickening in their tactics that I could not in my right conscience vote for either one of them.

We can only hope that some of our system of government's problems can be fixed, or at least examined to admit there is something broken.

So I look forward to tomorrow with anticipation... where the first thing someone wants to talk about is something about who I should vote for. 

Good night, America. 

Yours truly,

Johnny Blogger