New projects, wanting to get a job, and I want a MacBook.

Well, I figured I’d just put up a crap post because I haven’t posted in awhile and I probably should.

First off, I am currently working on a new project with my good comrade Jacob Brown. I can’t really say much about it right now, but it will be a web-released episodic show. So check back here often to find out some more details as I slowly leak them out to you. It’s the only way I can get people to keep reading this drivel. Just kidding, I love you…but seriously…please keep reading. And leave me some comments, goddamnit, I want to feel special. I’m not desperate or anything, but I’d like it…

…seriously, leave me some comments…

Onto other things…I am starting to see why it’s so hard to get a job with the federal government. It takes an unbelieveable amount of time to proceed with the steps. I mean, I can understand why it takes awhile: bureaucracy and wanting to make sure you’re trustworthy and not a filthy pinko bastard, but seriously, please speed up the process. I’ve been trying to get this job as a TSA for months now and I’d really like the job. The waiting just kills me, though.

Speaking of things that kill me, I’m dying to get a MacBook now. Since my mother works at a public school’s library, she gets to take home alot of free Apple products because Apple likes to franchise and own public schools by giving them free shit. Anyway, I’ve been thinking about getting a MacBook for awhile, so she brought one home so I could try it out and play around with it and I’m really liking it. I’m actually typing this lovely blog on it right now. The sad irony is that I don’t have the money to actually buy one for myself. This MacBook is perfect for what I want a laptop for: web surfing, blogging, and writing. And it seems like this MacBook doesn’t overheat while using it for awhile and it has alot of cool features that I really like.

Anyway, that’s enough for now. Anyone want to send me a thousand bucks?

…just kidding, I’m not that desperate…

…but seriously, send it to me…I’ll accept PayPal…

Google Finances The Next X PRIZE

I’m not sure if any of you remember or know what the X PRIZE is, so I’m going to explain it. The X PRIZE Foundation is best known for the $10 million Ansari X PRIZE for private suborbital spaceflight, won by Burt Rutan and Paul Allen in October of 2004 for launching and returning a private spacecraft 100 kilometers above the Earth’s surface, twice within two weeks.

The basic point of the X PRIZE Foundation is the promote low-priced (relatively) privatized space travel. It’s a very exciting prospect and Google, in cooperation with the X PRIZE Foundation, is upping the ante. Google is offering $30 million to the first team that can successfully land an unmanned rover on the moon. That’s right…the fucking MOON. I just think this is exciting. For those interested, below are prize descriptions and prerequisites. Anyone want to form a team?

• GRAND PRIZE: A $20 million Grand Prize will be awarded to the team that can soft land a craft on the Moon that roams for at least 500 meters and transmits a Mooncast back to Earth. The Grand Prize is $20M until December 31st 2012; thereafter it will drop to $15M until December 31st 2014 at which point the competition will be terminated unless extended by Google and the X PRIZE Foundation.
• SECOND PRIZE: A $5 million Second Prize will be offered as well, providing an extra incentive for teams to continue to compete, and increasing the possibility that multiple teams will succeed. Second place will be available until December 31st 2014 at which point the competition will be terminated unless extended by Google and the X PRIZE Foundation.
• BONUSES: An additional $5 million in bonus prizes can be won by successfully completing additional mission tasks such as roving longer distances (> 5,000 meters), imaging man made artifacts (e.g. Apollo hardware), discovering water ice, and/or surviving through a frigid lunar night (approximately 14.5 Earth days). The competing lunar spacecraft will be equipped with high-definition video and still cameras, and will send images and data to Earth, which the public will be able to view on the Google Lunar X PRIZE website.

Official site: http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/

The Odd Couple ends, Mister Roberts begins…

Well, The Odd Couple just closed on Sunday and we closed strong. We had one of our best audiences there and it was a great show. All-in-all, the run was very good. It ran for four weeks and it was my toughest role that I’ve done so far, and I’m pretty proud of myself. I think the entire cast was the best that I’ve ever worked with and it was alot of fun.

However, the day after the show closed, I had a read-through for Mister Roberts. It seems like I just can’t get a break! That’s a very good thing though, and it feels good to know that other directors and producers want me as the leads in their shows because of work that they’ve seen me do previously.

The read-through for Mister Roberts and the rehearsal after it went really well. I think I’m going to like this show alot. I play more of a straight-man within the comedy and it’s a good break from playing Oscar.

Anyway, that’s all I got. Busy, busy with theatre work. I just hope that when I get a job, it won’t interfere too much. I go in for my TSA interview tomorrow morning.

I cannot escape…

Well, I’ve just wrapped up the third of the four weekends of “The Odd Couple” today. It was pretty hectic today, though. We had a decent crowd for a Sunday. After the show today, I then had to go to rehearsal for Top Hat Theatre Club’s production of “Oscar and Felix” which is an abridged version of “The Odd Couple”. I play the role of Speed in that show. It just seems that I am unable to escape this goddamn show. Neil Simon has a hold on me. Below is one of the cast pictures that we took for “The Odd Couple”.

[Top row, left to right: Jacob Brown (Felix Ungar), Clinton Ogilvie (Murray), Myself (Oscar Madison), Mike Saxon (Roy), Evan Engel (Speed) Bottom Row, left to right: Tara Werner (Gwendolyn Pigeon), Tara Schafer (Cecily Pigeon), Josh Parra (Vinnie)]

The cool thing about the “Oscar and Felix” gig is that I’ll be performing in a big 480 seat theatre that, according to their past shows, seat pretty close to 400-450 per night. This means that I’ll be playing for a big crowd, which is always nice. Anyway, I think that’s pretty much it to report about acting.

More Odd Couple

Well, “The Odd Couple” has been running at the Studio for two weekends and we still have two more to go. The run is going pretty good, and except for our Sunday crowds, everyone seems to be laughing and having a good time. Sundays are always tough because the people are usually from the church and as such, have absolutely no sense of humor.

But that’s besides the point. I got a phone call from James Gooden, the owner of Top Hat Theatre Club today and he wants me to play the role of Speed in his production of “Oscar and Felix”, an abridged version of “The Odd Couple”. They are taking it up to Saddlebrook to perform on October 10th and 11th. He said there isn’t alot of lines and the characters are simplified compared to the show I’m in now, so I decided to take him up on it. Unfortunately, he called while I was sleeping, so I had to leave a message on his home machine due to him going up to the lake to go boating.

I’m hoping he doesn’t cast it out to anyone else. I think it’d be pretty fun to play that role. I just hope it doesn’t interfere with any rehearsal for “Mister Roberts”.