"Sit yo five dollah ass down before I make change!"

Oh well here we are again. You. And me. Together. Simultaneously. At the same time. Ahem. Awkward turtle.

Well back to the important news at hand. Festival. Thats right kids, its one hell of a Messtival of Festival!! Please do try to contain your enthusiasm. I'm competing in the Irene Ryan acting competition with my amigo Chris O'Reilly after months and months of working on just two scenes and a monologue ad nauseum. I'm not really even all that interested in winning the damn thing I'd just be perfectly happy to move on to the next round or make it to the finals. Anytime I've done the Irene Ryans I'm always struck by a giant "who gives a shit" mood. Acting competitions? Really? Who cares? Its not a goddamn competition. No one can settle on who the best actor is (settle down Marlon Brando fans) because its all so subjective anyway. Oh well I'll have fun either way I just felt like filling up my "yelling at stuff" quota.

Its currently snowing outside. Yay. More snow. Aren't there like starving eskimos right now who don't have any snow because we're taking it all from them? Poor poor eskimos.

Stay tuned for the exciting (and hopefully better written and more coherent) conclusion of the Kennedy Center Theatre Festival 2011! We shall either return as champions or retreat as chumps! Tally ho!!

Weekly Gratitude

So I guess there is this thing that some bloggerific people are doing where you write about all the things you're grateful about for the week. I decided to give it a shot to offset the cathartic but irritating bitchiness of the last post.

1. FINALLY beginning rehearsals for our production of The Odd Couple.  I can't say enough how having a character to work on has lifted me out of the depression of winter.

2. Friends. this sort of goes along with the last one. Seeing all my theatre peeps again has been great.  Nobody makes me laugh more than those insane thespians.  My old hometown friends are also still around kicking ass and taking names.  Yeah, friends are definitely the shit. I highly recommend them.

3. Food. Yes food. I have not eaten this much in one week in a looooong time.  Food of all shapes sizes and tastes. Burgers, chinese, tai, pizza, donuts, more chinese, pub food, lots of beer, cake, oranges, bananas, apples and so much more. Yay for having a fast metabolism!

4. A roof over my head.

5. The Ma who is the most insane lady in the world. No one else has a mom that was an honest to God nun, a world traveler, a lunch lady, and a nurse who wears polka dotted raincoats and swears at little children.  Ann Margaret Kennedy indeed.

6. Hair. Yeah I know weird but I noticed a lot of bald people this week who were quite challenged in the follicle department. So yeah go me for having hair!!

7. Actually being excited to go back to school. I don't know why I am but shit its better than hating going back.

8. Getting the chance to FINALLY get to see a certain ginger who I kinda missed. I mean its tough being in an interracial relationship and all but I can deal with the stares I get for attempting to date a "soulless" redhead.  Hopefully all goes well.

9. Blogs. I am really digging this idea of blogging. I like getting all my thoughts down and I can't wait to actually start really writing some good stuff once my new schedule gets underway.



I know I've missed a ton of stuff to be thankful for but it would go on for pages and pages and pages. Be thankful I stopped at nine.

"Mobilus in Mobile"

    Winter break: its the curtain drawn between the autumn before and the spring preceding. I suppose to many its a time to see family and friends and re-center yourself after a semester of pen marked pages and furrowed brows with a liberal dose of alcoholic intake.  For me its always been a somewhat melancholy reminder of things that once were and things that could never be.
    I see many of my high school friends dead, in prison, completely submerged in the haze of addiction or else stuck on a track to absolutely nowhere at 100 miles per hour.  A few of us have managed to make it out of the town unscathed and every break we return to eat, drink and gloat about how us "chosen few" crawled atop the backs of the dregs of Nowhereville.  We laugh while we joke about how Walker went AWOL and now works at a liquor store. How Brendan led police on a high speed chase through three towns before being caught for stealing a black pickup truck. "Stupid fuck," we say, "He was always the dumbest one of the two twins".  Cue laughter. Applause.  We all make fun of these fallen comrades hoping to somehow reassure ourselves that we'll be okay. But I dunno. Neither do the other guys.
   The isolation that occurs over my winter breaks from the lack of friends left always makes me itchy. Itchy to work. To get moving. To keep moving.  My whole life even, I've always had to keep moving on to the next big adventure or joke or character to play or person to meet.. The Ma (my mom for the uninitiated) always said I wasn't born but "blasted out of a fucking canon". I rushed onto the world and I've been rushing around ever since. My next semester will be filled with playing two characters at once (the psychological implications of that are just now beginning to frighten me) planning for a production of Richard III, auditioning, learning lines, schoolwork and on and on and on.  Story of my life.  My body is constantly pacing and moving while my mind within is grinding its gears in a manic fury. Mobilus in Mobile: movement within a moving thing. I just wish that for once I could sit back and relax and just not move but the fear of following former friends into the abyss is too great. Every joke is just a brief jab at the oncoming depression and failure that looms around the corner.  I know one day I'll be able to settle down and who knows perhaps have a FAMILY?! Hell will freeze over and thaw on that day.  And i'll be laughing except the laughter will be full of joy and contentment rather than fear and worry.

I don't even know if what I just wrote makes sense. Bed time. Nighty night!

Fancy meeting you here...

Well this is certainly exciting. Starting a blog of all things? I must say I rather like this blog. Its roomy, comfortable and is just the right temperature. Feel free to make yourself at home. No, really, go ahead. There's my nice comfy couch.  There's drinks in the fridge and a nice fire to warm yourself. My house is yours.

 Its snowing outside and apparently the world is going to end. Death by white crystalized rain. I can think of worse ways to go. There is nothing better than waking up and looking outside the giant window of my house and seeing the world outside look like one big black and white movie. Everything becomes completely still and quiet and you can daydream like its no tomorrow looking outside that window.

I'm not quite sure what prompted me to start writing in this but I'm sure it will soon be filled with the ravings of your friendly neighborhood Nicholas.

Until next time true believers this is Wakely signing off and riding into the sunset.