2003-08-14 - 10:10 p.m.

Another Show

I had my graduation show on Tuesday.  I missed the final rehearsal at Laura's house on Monday because I had to work late.  My plan was to get a good night's sleep and not get too caught up with work so I would have plenty of energy for the show.  That did not work out so well.

I started getting nervous before the show. That never happens to me.

I showed up at the theater on time and met up with the others.  We  met with our groups and talked about what we wanted to do in the show.  I had no particular preference for scenes.  I just wanted it to be different from the last graduation show I had.  Since we were in the small theater we could  not fit all 12 of us on the stage at once, so we took turns in groups.

The first group was good. But by luck of the draw the stronger personalities wound up in my group.  The first half of the show was about 30 minutes.  The show was sold out.  Which means there was about 50 people there.  When it was our turn on stage I bounded out with the rest and started talking to the audience early.

We did a warm up called categories.  I won!  I sat out the first scene where they pulled an audience member up on stage and made him direct them as they did a scene about his life.  The audience loved it and it was very  funny.  We did a new game called "the box" where four of us took turns doing rotating scenes.  It worked out well.  I got to be Arnold Swartzenegger.

Then there was a scene I was sort of forced into that required a "dance-off."  I was so mad.  But it worked out and I got to end it with some line or another.  In these scenes the end comes on some line or action and the lights go out.  It is called a black out.  I can't even remember what I said.  But it was funny.  I can usually rely on the audience to laugh at whatever odd thing I say.

At the end of the show we all got on stage and did "99" jokes.  I stink at this.  It works this way. The audience gives a suggestion, like "elephant."  And then we all line up and take turns making up jokes on the spot in this format:

99 elephants walk into a bar. The bartender says, "We don't serve elephants here." And the elephants say, "I'll never forget this."

Or some other pun on elephants.  I can usually think up something lame after about a day.  Everyone else is really good at it.  The idea is to make it so bad the audience groans.

Tommy and his girlfriend came.  And so did Ben and Kay.  Everyone else bailed out and it is just as well, there would not have been room for them.

I had more fun in this show than any of the others.  I am really going to miss having the class every week but I could use a break.  I'll come up with something though.

Back to work the next day. I was late for a meeting with the president because traffic was so bad.  I knew I would be late but I didn't really care.  He told me he does not go to meetings when people are late.  I explained to him that I had left the house early but there were several accidents that kept me from being on time.  Kevin was also late for the same reason.

I did not mention the two meetings he missed because he just plain forgot about them.

Later in the afternoon I went out to a hotel in Duluth for a client meeting.  I stood in front of them and answered questions about our product.  They were very nice.  I can just see my workload getting bigger and bigger.  I would really like to leave my job soon.

I am starting to get the feeling that it is actually possible.

Jimmy
 
 

previous - next