If at first you fuck it up...well....try. Just try.

Firstly, a bitta bidness:

Upcoming performance dates:

Friday, September 24th at the Upfront Theater in Bellingham, with the Stretch'd Mouth Rascals, Improv

Sunday, September 26th at Sketch in Time at the Arts Club Theatre on Granville Island, with Improv Outlet, Improv

Hopefully (yet to be fully confirmed, but very likely):

Wednesday, September 29th at El Cocal, Standup (Commercial and Parker)

Thursday, September 30th at Zizanie, Standup (7th and Fir)

Sunday, October 3rd at DV8, Standup (Davie and Seymour)

Am working on putting a box on the side of this thing that always has my show dates, but it requires html and that is not my forte.

So, had a totally crazy week, what with working, seeing fringe shows, being in a fringe show and doing shows in Bellingham. I am so impressed with the calibre of work at this year's fringe festival. I can't tell you how many good shows I saw. Seems like every day someone talked about something new that you just "had" to see. Remarkable. Had some pretty good schmooze time, too. My advice to you? When the Pick of the Fringe starts this week, go see Cactus and Father's Day. And, if you ever EVER hear of the Back Kitchen Release Party or Plentiful playing somewhere, go see them, too, because they were wonderful and more wonderful.

I drove all over hell's half acre today, delivering flowers, and, while driving back, had a rather emotional conversation with my popster. I think I have been neglecting my family of late, and what the hell good is life if you let your family slide away? Time to reorganize my priorities. I think here is a good place to point something out. Now, most of you already know this, because you know I talk about Phil so much, but I think he doesn't know this enough. He is an enormous part of why I'm good at being funny and fast, and my undying love for improv and comedy. I trundled along with him at a very early age to watch late night Theatresports at City Stage, back in the early eighties. A deep love of storytelling, teamwork, wit, and brains was instilled in me, and I remember having such great conversations with him about the art form. It seems to me that we had a very nice relationship surrounding writing and performing as I was growing up, but somewhere along the way that connection kind of short circuited. I think that I never felt like my work could live up to his. I mean, it's kind of intimidating to have parents who are geniuses at what they do. It's only now that I'm really developing my confidence in my skills as a writer, comedian and theatre artist, and, surely, I owe so much of my talent in no small way to my parents. In particular, I believe that so much of my understanding of comedy and improv come from my dad, Phil. (Listen, other parents, you'll get your own damn blog entries later, I don't wanna hear any complaints).

The funny thing is, no matter how much he tells me that he wants to be part of my work process, I still have this weird thing that I want things to be perfect when they land on his doorstep. You know how you want your parents to be proud. I want him to see that he has been so deeply ingrained in me, that it's like he's with me all the time when I'm working. I'm going to make more of an effort to include him in my process, even though I will feel quite nervous and naked about it at first. These things take some getting used to.

Why does it seem easier to say/write these things thinking they are just going off into the ether than to just say them right to him? My brain gets in my way sometimes, I think.

Anyway, Phil, I love you.

Now, I'm going to the Beastie Boys. Dance, dance!

x
r.

Rain, Weird Dreams

So much damned rain. Good thing I'm making rigatoni, I love rigatoni. I'd love it more if there was sunshine.

I had the funniest dream the other night. Well, I thought it was funny. I was having this affair with Ryan Stiles, and it was really hot and everything, very sexy part of the dream, and we were making out and all naked and stuff when he leaps out of bed and runs naked into the yard screaming at the neighbour to get his stuff off Ryan's lawn, and I can hear him yelling about the junk creeping onto his lawn when I realize he's yelling, "Goddammit, Joe Flaherty, I'm sick of your garbage on my lawn!". Yep, that's right. I dream of Canadian Comedy.

I am in this fringe show tonight, tomorrow night, the next night and the night after that. It's raining and raining and I've had the two busiest days yet delivering flowers, it's crazy at the store because of Rosh Hashanah, (the Jewish New Year). So now all I want to do is curl up with my book and some tea and not go anywhere. Eh, it'll be fun. Gotta go dress like a lesbian now!

x
r.

Gorilla Theatre

Hello, lovely friends, (and strangers, too, apparently!)

Here's how it shakes down today. Have had a remarkable week. It is very important that off the bat I thank some people.

Tallulah Winkelman, Tom Jones, Jeff Gladstone, Ryan Gladstone and Bruce Horak.

What a crew! We played as the Stretch'd Mouth Rascals this past weekend in Bellingham, at the Upfront Theatre. We arrived to food and drink, and were put up in a nice hotel, felt very special. We did two hour and a half shows back to back Friday and Saturday night and were greeted with full houses each show, and of warm and enthusiastic audiences to boot. People even recognized us on the street on Saturday and thanked us, for they felt starved for good entertainment. It was all a bit heady, frankly. Strangers hugged us after shows! Come on, Vancouver, step up to the plate!

The format for our improvised shows was wonderful, thanks to Keith Johnstone and Loose Moose in Calgary for ever having conceived of it. Very satisfying for both players and audiences, as there are built in conventions that make it fun for everyone to fail.

Sheila, Leslie, DK, JK, Tim....and all who work there...thank you for the care and feeding of us, and for the invitations to return. Truly, this was a wonderful experience.

Good grief, it has just begun to rain with purpose. I think I'll stay inside a little longer today. Reading an excellent book, anyway, Under the Banner of Heaven, by John Krakauer. All about murder and mayhem in the Mormon Church. Very, very addictive. Not to mention that everything I want to wear is in the dryer. So, in lieu of going out in pants that are too tight, or naked, I'll wait around for that to finish.

Hey, it's the Fringe Festival and I have a couple of recommendations. Please do yourself a favour and get your butt to Father's Day. A truly gorgeous show. Also, Patti Fedy in...The Hunt, is, as expected, lovely and charming and funny. That Emelia Symington-Fedy, she is something else.

Plus, I'm in a show Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights at the Lick Club at 455 Abbott Street downtown. It's called Good Morning Gaytown. Come see!

Then, once you've seen a show, come find me in the Fringe Club, where I always am. Flirting like there was no tomorrow. Why not see for yourself? It's quite a show. Heh.

x
r.

Points of interest

Listen, I have lots to tell. Seriously. But I'm very sleepy. So, in the mean time, I'd like to just let you all know, (all three of you who read this), that I have a few things coming up that really, really excite me.

One...this coming Friday and Saturday night I will be in Bellingham with Jeff Gladstone, Tom Jones (Vancouver's own, lest there be a mixup), and Tallulah Winkelman improvising our little hearts out as The Stretch Mouthed Rascals. We have two shows per night, each well over an hour, at the Upfront Theater, 1208 Bay Street. Owned by Ryan Stiles, by the way. Coool. Anyway, we've been working on a very fun format, not conceived by us, but borrowed and with a dash of us tossed in the mix, and we're all looking forward to playing our tushes off.

Two...for four glorious nights, Sept 16-19 at 8pm at LICK club at 455 Abbott street in Vancouver, I will be appearing in "Good Morning Gaytown", part of the Vancouver Fringe Festival. The darlings Michael V. Smith (Miss Cookie LaWhore) and Morgan Brayton (Daddy Rex Rexington) are the stars and creators and I am honored to have been asked to participate. Plus it makes my hanging out at the Fringe club every night have some legitimacy.

Working on some interesting writing projects with Ian Boothby, as well, who has been kind enough not to be disappointed in my jibber jabbery efforts. What a guy.

I think things are kind of falling into place. Quitting that job was the best thing I ever did.

Plus, Warren called me lovely in his blog, www.livejournal.com/users/talentlessclod and I really liked that.

Tonight I babysat Benjamin Bailly, the best two year old ever. What a wunderkind! Pix to follow soon. So cute, so smart, and the most amazing comic timing. The kid's a wicked good comedian.

Time for sleeping now, but tomorrow I will wax philisophical on the fleeting nature of love and lust and the joy found in work and the connundrum of politics. Etc.

x
r.

Oh, How Far We've Come

Dear Infidelia,

Why, why, Infidelia, does 90% of my brain seem devoted
solely to dirty thoughts? Why am I consumed by the
sweaty, grunting, moaning possibilities at any given
moment?

Oh, let's get serious, I:WP, (you don't mind if I call
you I:WP, do you? It's pronounced "I whip", in case
you were wondering), I don't really care why I'm
incapable of a moment where at least one part of my
brain isn't devoted to wondering what the barista's
fingers would feel like wrapped around my
throat....how many times a day do I fall in love? In
lust? Hundreds. Well, tens, anyway. And you know
something, I:WP, I love myself this way. I am a
dirty, dirty girl. There's no getting around it.

My only real question is this: can a dirty, dirty
girl like me be a one man woman? Can a one woman man
love a girl like me? Stay tuned, I suppose. I still
am. Haven't subscribed to spinsterhood yet, no
siree...but can a slut be a spinster, even if she
never marries? Oh, the questions burn. Like the fire
in my loins.

I eagerly await your advice, I:WP...eagerly, moistly,
excitedly await it. Hurry!

x
r.