Sketching for dollars.. sometimes.

The same people who make Chic o Stiks also make Peanut Butter Bars, which are perfectly shaped and sized, and absolutely one of the best things in the world. Thank you, Atkinson's: you rule. (They also make Coconut Long Boys - - delicious and weird! Well, done, you!)

Squirrel Nut Zippers - - also delicious. I am becoming an old fashioned candy snob.

Almost to the last week of sketch class - - it's felt good to have some pressure to write. I was reminded today that, as with most things, if one is prepared, one can do well. And if I'm half-prepared, I can create worlds of suck. Lame upon lame: I get a D for "at least you tried". Not what I hope to add to the world.

I've been trying to write more stuff for me, and if I'm not imposed with a direction, I will write about babies and kitties. I am capable of more, but, it seems my uterus talks more than my brain. This all being said, sketch class has been a blast - - I love this stuff. The sketches would be lovely to perform, but that's a different day.

I'm turning into a crank, if I wasn't already. Beginning to dread small talk in the work place - - we already talk to strangers all day long, why talk more? Because small talk is social lube, and makes the world go round. Accept it, Jen, and get over having to talk to people - - when you're not paid to talk with people.

'Went in for Tony n' Tina's last night. Yea! It's two and a half hours long! Basically! *blink* That's a long time to be doing what we're doin'. The cast is great. It's weird to have the element of interactive theater revisit my life.

It's one of those shows that 75% of your audience will leave screamingly happy from, as they have witnessed your character's horrible dysfunction, and it's not them. There's an art to performing it, but little Art in it. Whereas other venues (stand up, plays, etc.), there's more Art to be mined. Isn't there? Where does sketch fall? It's a spectrum! It's all different! What is art? What is Art? It's just a job! Is it more than a job? If you choose! Oh god!

Got to see my sister last night. We ate happy hour and I gave her cat-head salt and pepper shakers.

I have blathered a great deal.

The reward for a workin' weekend? S'mores and relaxing. 3 more shows left (one being two and half hours long), and then onto s'mores and relaxing. I can't wait.

Onward.

Faith in Humanity restored - - Mpls Farmer's Market

One of those times when Mpls shakes off it's sometime-assholishness and shines as pretty as it should. Rows of awesome fruits and vegetables, families and couples and old people of all shapes and sizes and creeds: Hmong girls at the smalltownMN bratwurst stand. Tamales and farm fresh eggs. $2 Roasted sweet corn, and $1 tomato plants. A group of eastern Indian IT guys, shopping together; the man from Apple Valley who knows ALOT about hostas. People are friendly, transactions are all cash based and forever. There's samples (homemade pickles!) and you can ask questions.

The cold weather kept away the stubborn crowd masses that this state is so brilliant at (upper midwesterners love personal space, but yet, Minnesotans will press themselves into impossibly small spaces - - Grand Ole' Days, the State Fair - - just to go. This still astonishes me).

I am happy. I have tomato plants and hostas to plant, plus a $2 bag of cherries. (which may be one of my favorite foods in the world. Coffee, red cherries, fresh eggs, some chocolate. Rockin'.) It was Minneapolis, all idealized - - but with the backdrop of grey cold weather. It's like Philly and Portland had a baby, for one brief shiny time. Nice work, you Minneapolis, you.

It was a nice chaser to walking through The Nickolodean Universe at the Mall of America last night. It made me feel like an alien. An overstimulated, astonished alien. I DON'T GET IT, but if I ever have kids, they probably will. This is also the Twin Cities, and probably where more of the future lies than in the Jen-idealized version of Minneapolis. Inner grumblings of my parents, who never took us to theme parks of any kind (Wall Drug doesn't count), but made sure we stopped by every army fort and museum from here to Yellowstone. I am my parents' kid. Sorry possible future children of Jen - - we shall not have fun. ;)

Today is the Brave New Youth's last performance for the 2008-2009 season. Realized that I've been coaching the youth, fairly consistently (there was that one spring I missed, three years ago, when I started at the Museum) for 8 years. That's... um.. good. And silly. I'm hopefully a lot better at it than when I started. And speaking of such things, I'm also now old enough to basically be one of their parents.

They're better than us all. Nothing to do with me - - everything to do with them. 4 p.m., Brave New Workshop in Minneapolis, Free!

(It's followed by a potluck, and I'm bringing egg salad and red cherries - - basically, I'm taking the kids what I would want someone to bring to me. Possibly unfortunately, I tend to have the food leanings of an 85 year old man. Some braunschweiger and a shot of Ouza would round out the entire taste experience.)

Onward.

I've been targeted...

Went to see "Little Ashes" with dear friend Jim tonight. My goodness, what an inconsistent movie, featuring that vampire boy and the excellent Javier Beltran. Ehhh? EHHHHH??? The settings were beautiful, the costumes were beautiful -- I couldn't tell if that Vampire Boy was a good actor or not - - and neither could Jim. It was NOT a GOOD movie (so inconsistent! So cheesy and then not! So.. What!?!?), but it was still strangely engaging. Probably the work of that damned sympathetic Mr. Beltran. Curses!

While at the beautiful Lagoon, the powers-that-be decided to show the trailer for "Away We Go", which looks like "Juno" for grown-ups, and of course, made me cry. Dammit! I've been targeted - - I am this movie's target audience.

a) I'm in my early 30's, in those waning years of GenX.

b) Listen to the soft, Nick Drake-like soundtrack! Not overproduced, yet clean and aching. Dammit!

c) I find Dave Eggers writes in a voice that my subconscious wants to drive around in the loop with. And then find "the loop" itself ironic, yet fascinating.

d) I love Flight of the Conchords. I read Bust Magazine (sometimes. Magazines are expensive.) A goodly chunk of my wardrobe maybe about as old as I am.

e) Snap pearl buttons? YES. Army jacket? Done it! Semi-ironic sunglasses? Oh, why not?!

f) Look at that cast! Just.. you know.. look at them! Don't we love them?!

g) It IS Juno for adults, isn't it. *sigh*

h) I can't wait to see it.

I think my washer might be broken. :( This sucks.

Onward.

Trouble/Not Trouble

Things that may be trouble:

- An MGM liquors opened up next to Whole Foods. There are two types of parking lots that suck - - liquor store parking lots and (someone self-absorbed unknowing reason) Coop/natural foods parking lots. The Wedge parking lot is a death trap! The Whole Foods parking lots is inconsistent and challenging! The Trader Joe's parking lot will eat you! And now a liquor store next door?! Trouble.

- Going to a doctor. I went to a doctor about a week ago for a check up. Now I'm full of chemicals (nothing life threatening, just annoying). And those chemicals won't be out of my system for about 10 days, and already mess with the chemicals I ingest daily. This will make me happy! Healthy! But right now - - Trouble.

NOT Trouble:
- Went down to Des Moines last Sunday for dinner with my old college roommate Kelly, in from NYC for a wedding. A lovely drive through cornfields and windmills, to the center of the Des Moines. Stopped by the most ghetto QT in Des Moines, to find it sparkly clean and filled with cops. Ate at the Old Spaghetti Works, which also has locations in Omaha and Ralston (teehee!). Drank a gin martini at the Hotel Fort Des Moines, which is to be said with a thick unyielding French accent. Kruschev stayed there once. Not trouble.

- Drove back through a beautiful electrical storm while Bach played on the radio. Baroque pentacostal music is made awesome by stoner lightning effects, courtesy of God and nature and humidity. Not trouble.

**********

Still looking for balance. Not feeling very balanced. Feeling tired and grumbly for no reason, which is dumb. Need to figure that out.

Onward.