Go. Do. Now.

The title of this entry or post or whatever is called is something that means a great deal to me.  It was a message from an improviser in Chicago named Jake Schneider.  It was his advice to me after I got the opportunity to improvise with him, pretty much saying I need to go out and do as much as I can.  I think about this a lot, and think it is a great saying to apply to everything I do.  I feel like when I first moved here I had it in my head that I would eventually move back.  As I have taken classes and met some great people, I have realized that improv is what I am here for; it is what I want to do (did i use that semi-colon correctly?  I was never sure).  

I had a discussion with a longtime friend of mine named Lauren who also moved out here recently.  She is not, what she calls, a "theatre kid" and does not always understand why there are guys in their 50s who have been performing improv for 20 something years.  *DISCLAIMER, in case Lauren ever reads this, I know she was just trying to get under my skin, a beautiful privilege of life long friends.  What Lauren was saying was not all completely her belief, but it did make me defend what I am doing, which I appreciate*  She said people who do this are trying to work themselves up to be rich and famous.  It is hard to argue this, because often the result of a great performer is being rich and famous.  But that is not the motive.  A high school teacher of mine once said, "If you want to be famous, move to LA and get a show on the WB.  If you want to be an actor, study from the best."  I think, rather know, that's why I'm here.  I'm in the heart of the premier place for improv.  For that, I am eternally grateful.  

If you would have told me a year ago that a year from now (rather then...you get it) I would be taking classes in one session with the woman who founded iO, the next with a Sonic commercial girl (sorry if you ever read this Katie, but that's how I knew you a year ago) and getting a drink with a man who can tell you what it was like the day when John Belushi died, I would of laughed and said, "Uh-huh." (not very climatic...sorry)  I feel bad that I'm rambling, but what I am trying to say is that in my improv life I have read and been taught all these great lessons that I feel like I never had heard but have always known.  That they've always been there, I just needed someone to put them into words.  It was Michelangelo (not the turtle) who said, "Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it."  That is how I feel about these lessons, just like Shneider's, "Go.  Do.  Now."  It is something in all of us.  I recommend you find it within yourself.  It makes life exciting.

Things I love that lead to other things:  

1) I love coffee.  Since I am in Chicago, there is only Starbucks.  Local coffee shops do not exist, or I am yet to find one.  This leads me to...

2) Starbucks' pick of the week.  A free download of a song of their choosing off iTunes.  This is great, because I love new music.  Speaking of iTunes...

3) have you tried the Genius playlist on your iTunes?  It's relatively new, and finds similar songs of the one you're listening to and creates a whole playlist based on music you have.  It's a great way to listen to music on your computer.

From my cozy apartment,

CB