A Professional Kid.

It's hard to remember to lay the m & m's down when you are sprinting thru the jungle.

My intention was to record and track my steps along this journey so that I may not only share my experiences with others, but so that I, myself, in my wrinkly flapdom, may remember what it was like to step out into the world and embrace a dream.

I have already missed many breathtaking leaps, but there are some pictures remaining. I am forever in debt to Judd Farris for making that sacred pilgremage from Austin to San Marcos to Nashville to Louisville to Blowing Rock to Staunton with me. Four of the most deleriously amazing days of my life.

So for a quick catchup. We did Love's Labour's Lost in Zilker Park in Austin with the greatest cast ever. Poker games, basketball, many a kirby lane outting and washers tournaments. I said goodbye to many friends that left Austin before me: Travis, Kathleen, Catlin and Emily. Had two wisdom teeth removed and hernia surgery. Beautiful going away flippity-flop jaunts where I had to bid adieu to many of the people who have shaped who I am.

Got rid of most of the shit I have ever owned, thwacked ourselves thru a 4 day road trip, and now I live in Staunton, VA in an old house with three other dude actors and some centipedes.

I rehearse nine hours a day, six days a week. I'm playing three roles, and learning two dance numbers. I'm playing bass, guitar, melodica and beat-box respectively in 9 of our 11 Winter's Tale set songs, and I go to dat fricking YMCA. Beer, coffee, water, Rick Blunt's musings, Daniel Steven's world news reports, stretching and Chapelle Show have been my warm hugs at the end of the day.

I feel the need to write things interesting, funny or entertaining. But I think from here on out, just the truth should be enough. Where this blog was my creative outlet from the drudge of the service industry, it is now my chance to just be boring. An outlet from the entertainment industry. But 'entertainment industry' sounds more like an LA kind of idea. This does not feel simply like a job. It feels like I have truly found my calling, and I am like a kid again. But a professional kid.

How cool is it that I get paid for this?

We have plunged into Winter's Tale. We have three other plays, countless songs and dances and thousands of miles to travel. I only walk a few blocks to and from work, and haven't finished work on one play yet. It is already exhausting. We. Are. In. Conditioning.
 Long days, millions of things to learn and remember constantly. You may hear one comment or instruction in passing while you are on the way to do something else followed by four other challenges to solve, and it is absolutely expected that you make that little thing happen. Communication is essential.

It is important to focus, but it is is also important not to get obsessed. Heaviness and lightness must be a switch that you can flick at a second's notice. You must know when to crack a joke and when to shut up and listen. You must learn how people work, what they need, you must learn how they play, what they like.

The people here are warm, focused and ridiculously talented (if not flippin' BRILLIANT). This is really everything I hoped it would be and more. The anticipation of something big is scary, but once you throw yourself into it... sans anything stupid like amateur bear wrestling... it turns out to be magical.

I miss my friends, breakfast tacos, and places that are open past 10pm. But in conclusion:

I really hope that I get to do something like this the rest of my life.

...but this is what I say after three weeks, over ten months left to go.

(Please excuse all syntax and grammatical errors, I be a movin' man and English will have to catch up later.)