Skeleton Attack no more

A week ago today was Skeleton Attack's last show. It was a so-so show but the packed audience was about 75% friends of Skeleton Attack. When they came out for their suggestion, they had to wait a full 20 seconds to get it because the audience was clapping and cheering so much. And then at the end of their so-so show, the audience gave them a standing ovation. It was great to see people really liked and respected them as a team. The Harold Commission didn't. And it's hard to hate the commission since I know the people on it and I'm friends with a couple of the people on it. When the next schedule was released, only 2 Skeleton Attackers found themselves still on the schedule. This is a shame because those that got cut I feel have slipped through the cracks.

I feel like I no longer really understand what iO wants from its performers. I'm actually glad that I have this CSz newbie training to take me away from iO for a few weeks. Perhaps having been away from the theater for a few weeks will prove refreshing for me once I go back. I haven't been in a Rattlesnake rehearsal for 6 weeks and I'm back this Thursday. I'm looking forward to it. It will also be the first rehearsal for our new sit-in.

Harry Potter

When I got back from Montana, the release date of the 7th book of Harry Potter seemed closer than normal. I knew that with all my rehearsals and actually having to do work at my job, I wouldn't have time to read all 6 of the previous books before the next book was released. But I just had to. Therefore I decided to chip in a bunch of change and buy the audiobooks off of iTunes.

Starting on Tuesday, July 10, I started listening to the audiobooks as I did my work. It was fun to listen to the books but a few times it felt like a big chore. The first week I would switch off between the audiobooks to actual music just to switch things up and not make it boring for me. Then after the Pitchfork weekend, I did the math and I didn't have much time before the 7th book came out. It became my mission and so every minute of free time was spent listening to the audiobooks. Books 1 and 2 were finished in a day each but the rest of the book are much bigger. Book 5 alone was cut up into 11 parts that were each 2 1/2 hours long. That's around 23 hours of listening for just one book. I found that I was able to get through about 16 hours of listening each day!

I listened to it while on the train to work.
I listened to it while at work.
I listened to it while on lunch.
I listened to it while on the train back home.
I listened to it while I made myself a sandwich.
I listened to it while I went to ComedySportz rehearsals.

I couldn't listen to it while in rehearsals.

But then once rehearsal was done, I listened to it while I went back home.
I listened to it each night till around 1:30 or 2am. It was ridiculous. I will fully admit this was stupid but in the end it paid off. At 10:30pm on Friday - 1 1/2 hours before the 7th book was to be released - I finished listening to the 6th book. I then walked to Borders and waiting for midnight to come around.

There weren't that many people in costume at the Borders I went to - by Diversey, Clark, and Broadway - but that was okay. I waiting in line with my group - blue wristbands, the 3rd group in line - and didn't get my book until 12:45am. My roomie Tim got his at 12:10 he said - he went to Barnes & Noble. By the time I got back to the apartment, he was way ahead of me in the reading.

My mom came into the area on Saturday for a funeral for her aunt - my great aunt - and I went out to the burbs to see her. It was nice to see her since I rarely get to see my mom but at the same time, I was eating into my time to read the 7th book. I know, I'm a bad son. But my mom wanted to read the book too! While we waiting in her hotel room for the time to drive me back to the Metra train station, we both were reading Harry Potter - her the end of the 6th book (which she needed to do before she started the 7th book) and me the start of the 7th book. It's hilarious, I know.

I finished book 7 around 2am Tuesday morning. I'm not going to publish any spoilers. I will just say that I loved the book.

Careful Not to Burn Out

When I got back from my vacation, I had a bunch of things to do each night for 8 straight days.

7/5 10:30pm Skeleton Attack show
7/6 10pm Pennybear sketch show as part of Graffiti
7/7 10:30pm Rattlesnake High School show
7/8 9pm Skeleton Attack rehearsal
7/9 7pm first ComedySportz newbie rehearsal
7/10 7:30pm first ComedySportz rehearsal with the rest of the ensemble
7/11 7pm ComedySportz newbie rehearsal
7/12 8pm Rattlesnake show

I wanted to celebrate this long stretch with two nice days of listening to bands at the Pitchfork Music Festival but this was not to be. I'm not sure if I already wrote about this, but my bike has a flat tire. Instead of a quick release system for the wheels, I got safety locks put on the wheels so that you have to have a key to get the wheels off. I've misplaced the key in my room so my bike is still out of commission. This limited my mobility in getting to and from the festival. I went there on Saturday but only for a few hours and I was too busy Sunday to go.

Because my nights are taken up with these newbie rehearsals for ComedySportz, I've had to cut back on one of the sketch groups I was in. Perhaps when I'm done with the newbie training I'll have more time to devote to it. Maybe not; I'm not sure. I'm trying to be careful not to burn out.

Montana Vacation

My Montana vacation ended a little over 3 weeks ago. It was fun and relaxing. The experience was different from previous years because there were much more people there that I didn't know that well. I could have been a little more proactive in talking to people but I wasn't. I think I knew I needed some alone time in the wilderness and that's that I chose for the most part.

I took a lot of pictures on the trip and you can see some of them on my flickr account: http://flickr.com/photos/ehtysrofnahtanoj/