It's a strange feeling to experience an epiphany. You stroll along through life thinking or acting in a specific way, and then WHAM! Out of nowhere, the littlest thing can turn a little switch in your brain and your entire perspective can be altered.
I am very much of the opinion that we are shaped by the things we go through and how we react to them. It is odd then, that when looking back on past relationships I seem to just shrug them off with a "thank God I got out of that." But there is a flaw to that. Yes those relationships ended for good reasons, but to just act like they were a waste of time is silly. I had some genuinely great times with those girls and I want to start remembering them that way. Recognize them as being a part of who I am, and not a regretted time and place.
Already this slightly shifted perspective has been fairly cathartic. I'm focusing on realigning myself at the moment, and this has been a positive result of some of that effort. Being unemployed sucks, but at the same time it's giving me a chance to get to know myself and spend a little more time with friends. And hey, it doesn't matter *when* the last horse crosses the line, as long as the last horse *does* cross the line.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Saturday, March 17, 2012
A Victory Nonetheless
I finally hit a stride with my writing. I haven't moved forward on my story yet but I've found a way to get the words flowing.
I heard about a situation an acquaintance went through, and after looking at it from different sides I decided it might make an interesting short narrative. So I sat down with no real structure in mind and started a guided free-write. I used the bare bones of the story and fleshed out the details and thoughts with my own personal ideas. I hit a good rhythm and before stopping to fix a spelling error, I had three solid pages of text.
It wasn't great work, and it may not have even been good. However, it helped forge a connection between my brain and the page. I'm going to make some other situational narratives and see if I can build some momentum, or even just get used to writing every day.
So far it's strictly recreational, and I have no desire to show them to anyone, but I do still think my story has an interesting setup, and maybe with some work it can be something I'm really proud of. I haven't been writing much in the way of music lately, so it's nice to have another vent with which to clear my head.
It's a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. Chapter 2 could be right around the corner.
I heard about a situation an acquaintance went through, and after looking at it from different sides I decided it might make an interesting short narrative. So I sat down with no real structure in mind and started a guided free-write. I used the bare bones of the story and fleshed out the details and thoughts with my own personal ideas. I hit a good rhythm and before stopping to fix a spelling error, I had three solid pages of text.
It wasn't great work, and it may not have even been good. However, it helped forge a connection between my brain and the page. I'm going to make some other situational narratives and see if I can build some momentum, or even just get used to writing every day.
So far it's strictly recreational, and I have no desire to show them to anyone, but I do still think my story has an interesting setup, and maybe with some work it can be something I'm really proud of. I haven't been writing much in the way of music lately, so it's nice to have another vent with which to clear my head.
It's a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. Chapter 2 could be right around the corner.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Nothing if Not Persistant
Well here I am. My head feels like it's got a case of Alien-Stomach (you know, Alien waiting to pop out, as seen in ....well...Alien...) and my throat has decided it's now sandpaper. Handy for those splintered wood shelves, not so good for anything else.
I'm surrounded by piles of different media. Star Wars and Evil Dead 2 in one pile, Wil Wheaton's book and an issue of Empire magazine in another, and Mass Effect 3 leering at me from in front of the tv. I've got indecision, and I've got it bad. I reach for the Empire magazine. I open to a page with a preview for the Clash of the Titans sequel. I throw the Empire magazine. I walk back over to it, pick it up, and throw it again.
I read a section from Wil Wheaton's book. It's about Star Wars. So I get distracted and start feeling the urge to watch Star Wars. I realize that I haven't retained the last two paragraphs I read. I sigh.
I read the two paragraphs again, and then finish the story. It's a great book, and so far it's winning in this battle of distractions. (Or is Star Wars winning? Since it distracted me from the book?....wait...what was I writing?...hm)
I bring in another option from outside the original choices. I open the story I'm working on. I change a few phrases. Satisfied, I try to pick up the feeling I was going with last time I wrote. I fail pretty badly. Seeing that what I just wrote is about to be erased, I push it and make it even worse and more ridiculous. I laugh and consider keeping it to show to people and act like I honestly think it's good. I "save as" under a different title and tuck the joke away for later use.
I hear the cat running across the upstairs rooms, from one end to the other and back again. I wonder if she's acting out what my brain is doing. Smug feline. "Just because you can run doesn't mean...uh...shut up" I yell to/at the cat. Yeah. That'll get her.
I've irreparably lost my train of thought and mutter cat insults while closing the Word document.
I look back at my book. I could swear Wil is now giving me a reproachful look from the cover. "You lost to the cat man. It can't even understand you." Shut up, Wesley.
I immediately apologize to the book. Then feel stupid for apologizing to a book.
I'm going to watch Star Wars. Life is weird.
I'm surrounded by piles of different media. Star Wars and Evil Dead 2 in one pile, Wil Wheaton's book and an issue of Empire magazine in another, and Mass Effect 3 leering at me from in front of the tv. I've got indecision, and I've got it bad. I reach for the Empire magazine. I open to a page with a preview for the Clash of the Titans sequel. I throw the Empire magazine. I walk back over to it, pick it up, and throw it again.
I read a section from Wil Wheaton's book. It's about Star Wars. So I get distracted and start feeling the urge to watch Star Wars. I realize that I haven't retained the last two paragraphs I read. I sigh.
I read the two paragraphs again, and then finish the story. It's a great book, and so far it's winning in this battle of distractions. (Or is Star Wars winning? Since it distracted me from the book?....wait...what was I writing?...hm)
I bring in another option from outside the original choices. I open the story I'm working on. I change a few phrases. Satisfied, I try to pick up the feeling I was going with last time I wrote. I fail pretty badly. Seeing that what I just wrote is about to be erased, I push it and make it even worse and more ridiculous. I laugh and consider keeping it to show to people and act like I honestly think it's good. I "save as" under a different title and tuck the joke away for later use.
I hear the cat running across the upstairs rooms, from one end to the other and back again. I wonder if she's acting out what my brain is doing. Smug feline. "Just because you can run doesn't mean...uh...shut up" I yell to/at the cat. Yeah. That'll get her.
I've irreparably lost my train of thought and mutter cat insults while closing the Word document.
I look back at my book. I could swear Wil is now giving me a reproachful look from the cover. "You lost to the cat man. It can't even understand you." Shut up, Wesley.
I immediately apologize to the book. Then feel stupid for apologizing to a book.
I'm going to watch Star Wars. Life is weird.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
In Which Our Hero Attempts to Write!
I have always been a fan of stories. Early on in my life, the stories I was obsessed with, began with "Star" and ended with "Wars."
I won a copy of the novelization of the Star Wars trilogy in the completion of a ridiculous dare to run up to a stranger, yell "hi mom!!" and hit myself with a water balloon. It's not the dumbest thing I've done on a dare, nor the worst prize I've been awarded for doing something stupid. I read the 600 page tome in about two weeks. I remember the next time I watched "a new hope" with someone I casually pointed out that the stormtrooper Leia shoots near the beginning of the movie got himself killed because he was smiling to himself and thinking of how he would be rewarded for capturing the princess. I knew this because I read the book. I felt smug and superior. I was not. I was closer to this.
My excitement and love for the book grew and I decided I would write my own story, using my favorite characters from Star Wars. How could it fail? I envisioned a bright future of fame, awards, and hot star wars girls. I was going places. The only thing I needed to do was write.
"The Jawa yelled 'help!' and ran away. Boba Fett shot him and looked angry." This is removed verbatim (not verbatim) from my story.
Ok it's been a long time and I don't know that that was exactly what I wrote, but I remember writing it, and saving it to a 3.5" disk that I very proudly labelled "star wars stories by David Logghe."
Good sense prevailed and I did not ever finish that story. I went on to start a number of different stories, some about star wars, some early attempts at a detective story (without having a real clue at what detectives do apart from sit at a desk and talk to themselves), and stupid little narratives to vent my annoyances (such as: The Cat who was also the devil).
Sadly this is a trend that has happened numerous times throughout my life. I no longer attempt to write Star Wars fanfiction, but I do find myself constantly under the binds of writer's block. Though I don't know that I can consider myself a writer when I've got a number of word documents starting with "Chapter 1" and none with "Chapter 2."
I have started another story, based on an idea I've been kicking around for a year or two. It's a simple little fantasy/sci-fi story that would probably work well as a short story but lacks the arc and polish needed for a true novel. I started working on it again a couple days ago, and found myself quickly in a spot where I didn't know how to proceed. I'm going to try to write a little bit every day, and even if it's trash maybe I can finally finish a story. That feeling alone would be pretty good I imagine.
Until then, I'm working on a new story:
My Novel: The butthead meanie that won't finish itself. Writing is dumb. The story.
by Dave Logghe.
I won a copy of the novelization of the Star Wars trilogy in the completion of a ridiculous dare to run up to a stranger, yell "hi mom!!" and hit myself with a water balloon. It's not the dumbest thing I've done on a dare, nor the worst prize I've been awarded for doing something stupid. I read the 600 page tome in about two weeks. I remember the next time I watched "a new hope" with someone I casually pointed out that the stormtrooper Leia shoots near the beginning of the movie got himself killed because he was smiling to himself and thinking of how he would be rewarded for capturing the princess. I knew this because I read the book. I felt smug and superior. I was not. I was closer to this.
My excitement and love for the book grew and I decided I would write my own story, using my favorite characters from Star Wars. How could it fail? I envisioned a bright future of fame, awards, and hot star wars girls. I was going places. The only thing I needed to do was write.
"The Jawa yelled 'help!' and ran away. Boba Fett shot him and looked angry." This is removed verbatim (not verbatim) from my story.
Ok it's been a long time and I don't know that that was exactly what I wrote, but I remember writing it, and saving it to a 3.5" disk that I very proudly labelled "star wars stories by David Logghe."
Good sense prevailed and I did not ever finish that story. I went on to start a number of different stories, some about star wars, some early attempts at a detective story (without having a real clue at what detectives do apart from sit at a desk and talk to themselves), and stupid little narratives to vent my annoyances (such as: The Cat who was also the devil).
Sadly this is a trend that has happened numerous times throughout my life. I no longer attempt to write Star Wars fanfiction, but I do find myself constantly under the binds of writer's block. Though I don't know that I can consider myself a writer when I've got a number of word documents starting with "Chapter 1" and none with "Chapter 2."
I have started another story, based on an idea I've been kicking around for a year or two. It's a simple little fantasy/sci-fi story that would probably work well as a short story but lacks the arc and polish needed for a true novel. I started working on it again a couple days ago, and found myself quickly in a spot where I didn't know how to proceed. I'm going to try to write a little bit every day, and even if it's trash maybe I can finally finish a story. That feeling alone would be pretty good I imagine.
Until then, I'm working on a new story:
My Novel: The butthead meanie that won't finish itself. Writing is dumb. The story.
by Dave Logghe.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
An Ode to the Running Joke
I've done shows in every genre out there, be they drama, horror, even an educational film about teachers who make prejudiced preconceptions. I could probably argue, however, that I'm most in my element with comedy. Apart from prat falls, my favorite element of comedy is the running joke.
I believe that repetition can be an ingredient for a huge number of laughs. The old formula I remember was:
1. Do it until somebody laughs
2. Keep doing it
3. Do it until it's funny again
It has to be the right kind of joke or else it just falls flat and becomes annoying. I was thinking about the topic during my rehearsal tonight and I came up with a list of my top five running jokes, so here they are. Feel free to disagree and state your case in the comments.
5. The knee Clutch - Family Guy
Seth McFarlane does not always make me laugh, especially as Family Guy grows older and seems to spiral further and further away from any type of sense, but the first time I saw this gag I laughed for a long time. I stopped watching around season six, but I saw it revisited a number of times, and I believe they hit the peak of this joke in the second star wars spoof they made, in which an Imperial Walker acts out the knee clutch.
4. Tobias' Sexual Orientation - Arrested Development
Arrested Development is possibly the funniest tv show ever made, and it is a damn travesty that it ever went off the air. One of the jokes that didn't stop being funny for the entire run, was Tobias trying to fight off everyone's suspicion of his true sexual orientation. The peak for this joke for me, is the episode when Michael tells him to take a tape recorder around and listen to the things he's saying and we got a load of out of context snippets that even make Tobias cringe. I know it has staying power, because every time I post about it on facebook, there will end up being 20 comments of A.D. quotes, usually from Tobias.
3. The Broken Step - Modern Family
Phil is my favorite character on Modern Family. He nails comedic timing and because of his ability, he lands some of the funniest physical comedy gags I've ever seen. My favorite involves the broken step on the family stairway that he continually trips on and then comments under his breath that he needs to fix it. It gets a laugh out of me every time, especially when I can see it coming.
2. The Slap Bet - How I Met Your Mother
In one of the first seasons of How I met Your Mother, they set up a slap bet between Barney and Marshall. (Spoiler Alert) Marshall wins, and is rewarded 5 slaps to be given out at any time. The first two were used up pretty quickly, but since then, the shows writers have rewarded faithful viewers with a slap at different times throughout the run, seemingly out of nowhere. My personal favorite (spoiler alert) was the episode when Barney put on his horrible one man show, and right when you can't take it any longer, Marshall walks up and slaps him, declaring another of his slaps to be complete. Top notch.
1. Has anyone in this family ever seen a chicken - Arrested Development
If you watch this show, you probably agree with me. The portrayal of chickens by this family is a sin against chickens, and it makes me laugh every single time. It is such a ridiculous joke on paper: no one in their family does a good chicken impression, but they all think they do. Make it funny. Do a dance. By God, they made it funny. This particular joke had one of the best final payoffs, in which everyone (except Job) does their horrible chicken impression at the same time, creating an amazing tableau of physical comedy that every aspiring comedic actor should be forced to study.
I believe that repetition can be an ingredient for a huge number of laughs. The old formula I remember was:
1. Do it until somebody laughs
2. Keep doing it
3. Do it until it's funny again
It has to be the right kind of joke or else it just falls flat and becomes annoying. I was thinking about the topic during my rehearsal tonight and I came up with a list of my top five running jokes, so here they are. Feel free to disagree and state your case in the comments.
Seth McFarlane does not always make me laugh, especially as Family Guy grows older and seems to spiral further and further away from any type of sense, but the first time I saw this gag I laughed for a long time. I stopped watching around season six, but I saw it revisited a number of times, and I believe they hit the peak of this joke in the second star wars spoof they made, in which an Imperial Walker acts out the knee clutch.
Arrested Development is possibly the funniest tv show ever made, and it is a damn travesty that it ever went off the air. One of the jokes that didn't stop being funny for the entire run, was Tobias trying to fight off everyone's suspicion of his true sexual orientation. The peak for this joke for me, is the episode when Michael tells him to take a tape recorder around and listen to the things he's saying and we got a load of out of context snippets that even make Tobias cringe. I know it has staying power, because every time I post about it on facebook, there will end up being 20 comments of A.D. quotes, usually from Tobias.
3. The Broken Step - Modern Family
Phil is my favorite character on Modern Family. He nails comedic timing and because of his ability, he lands some of the funniest physical comedy gags I've ever seen. My favorite involves the broken step on the family stairway that he continually trips on and then comments under his breath that he needs to fix it. It gets a laugh out of me every time, especially when I can see it coming.
2. The Slap Bet - How I Met Your Mother
In one of the first seasons of How I met Your Mother, they set up a slap bet between Barney and Marshall. (Spoiler Alert) Marshall wins, and is rewarded 5 slaps to be given out at any time. The first two were used up pretty quickly, but since then, the shows writers have rewarded faithful viewers with a slap at different times throughout the run, seemingly out of nowhere. My personal favorite (spoiler alert) was the episode when Barney put on his horrible one man show, and right when you can't take it any longer, Marshall walks up and slaps him, declaring another of his slaps to be complete. Top notch.
1. Has anyone in this family ever seen a chicken - Arrested Development
If you watch this show, you probably agree with me. The portrayal of chickens by this family is a sin against chickens, and it makes me laugh every single time. It is such a ridiculous joke on paper: no one in their family does a good chicken impression, but they all think they do. Make it funny. Do a dance. By God, they made it funny. This particular joke had one of the best final payoffs, in which everyone (except Job) does their horrible chicken impression at the same time, creating an amazing tableau of physical comedy that every aspiring comedic actor should be forced to study.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
The Joy of Real Back Pain
Instead of explaining why I started this blog, I'm just going to jump on in and begin posting. Hopefully the way the posts weave together will speak for themselves and this blog will not need an explanation.
I recently became unemployed. When I found out it was going to happen, I panicked. Thoughts of "how will I get by, what am I going to do now, I'm kind of hungry I wonder if there's any cheese left" all ran through my brain at a frightening pace.
Then something wonderful happened. A little switch in my brain moved from "panic" to "easy there fella." I calmed down and tried to look at the positive of the situation. Life in essence shook up my etch-a-sketch and handed it back to me. How many chances does one get to reset one's life and maybe take a different path?
One of the things I've picked up to fill my time (and the real focus of this post) is working crew for the Skagit Valley College production of "Into the Woods." For anyone who may not be "theatre savvy," many set pieces you might see during a show are run by a "fly" system. To simplify it, these different pieces are attached to ropes which line up offstage and need to be pulled in and out of different scenes at different times. This is my job for the show. I heave the mighty lines of rope and change the very world in which the production takes place.
Ok that might be over-dramatizing it, but it's an important piece of the theatre formula and one I had up until now had no experience with. Being an actor and taking center stage you sometimes forget the joy of real back pain that comes from a hard job done well. Taking a support role to help make other people shine is good for one's chi. I still feel the ache to walk out onstage because that's where my true passion lies, but I'm glad for this opportunity to play an important support role in the process, and it never would have happened if I had still been employed.
Sometimes I question the universe and its lack of sense (remember the pogo ball?) but for the time being, I'm ok with taking a couple side roads.
I recently became unemployed. When I found out it was going to happen, I panicked. Thoughts of "how will I get by, what am I going to do now, I'm kind of hungry I wonder if there's any cheese left" all ran through my brain at a frightening pace.
Then something wonderful happened. A little switch in my brain moved from "panic" to "easy there fella." I calmed down and tried to look at the positive of the situation. Life in essence shook up my etch-a-sketch and handed it back to me. How many chances does one get to reset one's life and maybe take a different path?
One of the things I've picked up to fill my time (and the real focus of this post) is working crew for the Skagit Valley College production of "Into the Woods." For anyone who may not be "theatre savvy," many set pieces you might see during a show are run by a "fly" system. To simplify it, these different pieces are attached to ropes which line up offstage and need to be pulled in and out of different scenes at different times. This is my job for the show. I heave the mighty lines of rope and change the very world in which the production takes place.
Ok that might be over-dramatizing it, but it's an important piece of the theatre formula and one I had up until now had no experience with. Being an actor and taking center stage you sometimes forget the joy of real back pain that comes from a hard job done well. Taking a support role to help make other people shine is good for one's chi. I still feel the ache to walk out onstage because that's where my true passion lies, but I'm glad for this opportunity to play an important support role in the process, and it never would have happened if I had still been employed.
Sometimes I question the universe and its lack of sense (remember the pogo ball?) but for the time being, I'm ok with taking a couple side roads.
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