1:46am

It's pretty damn late, and I'm not even really that that tired yet.

The best news of the day is that our apartment was rented out, so I no longer have to deal with the management company SHOWING the apartment! Which isn't that big of a deal, but since I'm also trying to pack, it's been a challenge. Trying to keep the house decent looking, while also slowing tearing everything apart to pack it.... not easy. But hey, now I don't have to worry.

Ok, it's a bad sign - I'm watching the George Lopez show because it's the only thing on.

Time for bed.

The Facts (take 4)

I blatantly stole this from Brownlee about 6 years ago.

This is the fourth time I’ve updated “The Facts”.

I am 38 years, 1 Months, 0 days old

I have lived in Chicago (total) for 11 years, 5 months & 11 days

I lived here in 99-01 for 1 yr, 11 mo & 5 days

I moved back here in 03, which now equals 9 yr, 7 mo, & 6 days (and counting)

I have lived in 6 different apartments – but I’m FINALLY moving to house in 3 weeks.

Once we complete a couple of small renovations and secure a mortgage, said house will be ours.

This house will be my first time living in the suburbs.

We’ll have a room mate again, but this time it’ll be family (Sara’s mom)

Sara and I have been together (officially) since August 9, 2001.

However, we now have a new anniversary day to celebrate – 7/16/11, our wedding day.

I no longer work at my day job.

When I lost said job, I had worked there for 9 years, 4 months, 26 days

I have produced 4 shows in Chicago.

I (still) have mixed feelings about all of them.

I haven’t worked on a show since November 2012. And due to the move to suburbs, it’ll probably be awhile until I do again.

I knew only 1 of my great-grandmothers. She still spoke with an Irish brogue.

I have been to many funerals.

I am 2 degrees from Kevin Bacon. (Although it’s been almost 6 years since I typed this originally, and I can’t for the life of me remember the connection)

I have skied many mountains, many times.

I have owned 3 cars. In a couple of weeks, we’ll have a 4th

I have been in 2 car accidents. (::knock wood::)

I have ridden in 1 ambulance.

I have had 0 moles removed.

I had a throat abscess “lanced” when I was 16. My only hospital stay to date.

I am about 20 credits shy of a BFA in Theater. There are a couple of professors who are still convinced I graduated.

I still keep in touch with a few friends from high school.

I have many fillings, three crowns, and 2 missing teeth (thankfully, not in front)

I have had 0 broken bones. (::knock wood::)

I have been in 1 fist fight.

I have lost 1 fist fight. But became best friends afterward (we were 12)

I have never shot and killed an animal.

I have visited 28 states. God bless road trips.

This does not include Puerto Rico, which is not a state (yet). But, I’ve been there. But again, it doesn’t count (but it should…)

Red Sox opening day is in 24 days. And they open the season at Yankee stadium.  Game on.

The Bell Jar

I suppose I could change the title of my good 'ole blog to now read "Fun-employed!!!", because being unemployed is FUN!!!! <sarcasm>. Yeah, so, I'm unemployed. And yeah, it's not fun.
Here's the weird part - Sara and I are moving to suburbs (yeah, I'm moving) in a few weeks, so searching for a job in the city is stupid, and it's still a little early to apply out in the 'burbs. I'm in kind of an employment bell-jar, if you will.
So that's how my life is going - how's yours?

I spend my days trolling job sites, looking for free deals on Craigslist (hey, Sara and I will have a house to care for - I'll get all the free supplies I can), packing boxes, keeping the house clean so the apartment can be shown, washing dishes, cooking dinner for Sara, pack some more boxes.

What to write about? I used to write about my commutes. Yeah, no commuting right now. I'd write about shows I was working on. No shows right now, or any more in foresee-able future. I'd write about fun trips and things Sara and I would do. Yeah, trying to keep the spending in check, so haven't really done anything fun or interesting other than go to the movies a couple weeks back.

Gawd... This whole entry sounds so DEPRESSING. Ignore it, ignore it all.
I'm spending quality time with the cats, I'm taking care of my wife and my home(s), I'm selling things on eBay, I'm doing a tiny bit of sewing for a friend for a little bit of moolah on the side.
Life isn't THAT bad......

Time keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping....

Lots going on in life right now.

Working full time still. (Thank goodness)

Doing some individual shows here and there (Next up, "Put my ___ in your ___" with The Mammals)

Saving for a house.

Oh, and Sara and I are getting married!

The Civil Union law in Illinois passed many months back, but it went into effect on 6/1/11. We already picked up our license, and we plan on getting hitched at City Hall sometime in the next few weeks. But THEN --- we're going to gather a bunch of family & friends in January and have a nice big celebration!!!!

Here's the geeky part: I set up a seperate Blog, to keep family and friends informed on details, but also to keep a diary of the plans: http://diannaandsara.blogspot.com/

Nerdy, I know, but also it'll serve as a nice diary and timeline of the events as they happened when we look back later on down the road!!!!

In other news.... patiently awaiting the pre-sale for Paul McCartney tickets.

Cross your fingers for me.

Inspired by something inspirational

I wrote a great blog post for “National Coming Out day”, and then I left it on my work computer and couldn’t post it on the actual day – so I felt it had lost some luster and I wasn’t going to post it at all.

And then my old friend Jenn Adams posted a truly brave blog post – read it, it’s wonderful – and it inspired me to grab this 3 days old post and put it up.

*******************************************************************

It’s National Coming Out Day, and I have a secret.


You see, I’m not gay.


Wait…what?



That’s right. Not gay. Never have been, and most likely never will be.

You see, I have always always ALWAYS identified as Bisexual. It took me so long to come to terms with how I felt inside. As I was growing up, I knew what “straight” meant, and I knew what “gay” meant. I had never met anyone who was out, but I had certainly seen “gay” represented on TV and movies – heck, I was in theatre – it was always around, even if it wasn’t acknowledged.

But I had never heard of the term “bisexual” – I didn’t know that it was out there, that it was an “option”. Frankly, I just thought that I was weird.

I had boyfriends – long term boyfriends. And I had sex, plenty of it. (sorry Mom & Sara). But I always felt that women were attractive too. I just couldn’t shake it. I was in relationships, and was perfectly happy with what I had, but I would notice attractive men AND attractive women. And I just didn’t know what it meant. I would step back and say, “Maybe I’m gay?”. And I’d think it through – yes, I found women attractive and intriguing…..but I also felt the same way about men.

I came to the conclusion that I must just be sexually perverted. That there was something terribly wrong with me. So I just bit my lip, and tried to stash those thoughts away. I took those feelings and bottled them up, and tried to forget about them. I would avert my eyes and look at the floor whenever I was in the dressing room for a show, or in the locker room before a practice. I didn’t want anyone else to know what I was thinking.

Then, I went to college – and there’s wasn’t a big “A-ha” moment or anything, but I was in a more relaxed mode, as well as surrounded by people who were very different from the rest of the college and were terribly proud of it. My synapses relaxed a bit, and it all just became apparent. And on 10/11/94, National Coming Out Day, I approached my theatre pal Danny Swain, who was the gayest man at Salem State Theatre (Sorry, Brent & Jay, Danny wins…), and I told Danny “I just wanted to let you know today on Coming Out Day, that I’m Bisexual”. And Danny just hugged me and said “That’s GREAT!” And he meant it.

All those years of feeling like a deviant just melted away. I was finally able recognize who I really was, and that THERE WAS NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF.

So I went forth – and dated men, and dated women, fooled around with men, fooled around with women, flirted like crazy, made some great connections, had some fun times, made some mistakes (as 22 year olds are bound to…), but no matter the mistakes I never EVER felt ashamed of my feelings. Whether it was 6 months of dating or 5 minutes in a bathroom (I’m looking right at you, Amy McHugh), it all made me comfortable with who I am. And as trite as it may sound, it made me a better person.

And I guess I’d like to add that to the “It Gets Better” movement. I’m in a happier place now than I’ve ever been in my entire life. I am proud of who I am and who I love. Sara is a kick ass chick. We’ve been together 9 years now, and we’ve both really grown into the adults we’re going to be while we were with each other. I am living the cliché – everyone always says that the physical attraction and the looks will fade and your partner you choose better be someone you like spending time with. I don’t just like spending time with Sara – I love it. She makes me laugh more than anyone else ever has, and I genuinely enjoy her company, her conversation and her companionship.

I’m able to receive love from Sara, because I first had to love myself and be true to who I am in my heart and in my head.

My head a-splode

It usually takes something big to boot my ass out of radio silence.

I haven’t posted a blog since April – life has been busy, and I honestly haven’t had much to say lately. Well, not anything Blog-worthy, I’ve of course been quite pithy on FB and The Twitter.

But sometimes a story gets under my skin, and just grates and grates until I think my brain is going to explode – usually due to stupidity and ignorance.

The ridiculously titled “Ground Zero Mosque”.

The rhetoric and bullshit surrounding this whole NON-issue just makes me want to scream. First of all – it is NOT A FUCKING MOSQUE. It is a planned community center. There are plans for a pool, Recreational facilities, a library, child care, cultural exhibitions, a separate mosque (open to all), and a 9/11 memorial and “quiet contemplation place open to all”.

Well, we better close that shit down! How dare they give back to the community and have a place of fucking PRAYER located so close to something that happened that was so ungodly? How can you even THINK about reading in a library or swimming in a pool so close to what Former Governor Dipshit says is “hallowed ground”????

The idiocy involved in this whole argument astounds me. And that it comes from people who have spent the last few years touting the fucking constitution everywhere they go (“right to bear arms!” etc etc), they seem to forget that people have freedom of religion here.

I think Sara said it best last night when she said “So, I guess the next step is that they’ll need to make sure all the Muslims move out of Lower Manhattan – oh, and just to be safe, let’s ONLY allow the relatives of the 9/11 victims near the site”

I had been thinking how ridiculous this whole argument is, and hadn’t really had anyone to chat about with this – and then my pal Bilal re-tweeted a link to a NY blogger who visually put into words everything I was thinking. See the post here (http://daryllang.com/blog/4421) . Absolutely brill. Now some others have picked up the story (http://gawker.com/5614428/the-hallowed-ground-near-the-ground-zero-mosque/gallery/) , and have helped spread the gospel of WHAT THE FUCK.

And the sane and peaceful place amidst all this crazy-ass bluster? The website for the proposed community center. (http://www.park51.org/vision.htm) I urge you to look through it – be informed, see what their plans and their mission are, know that they are good people, and know that they are committed to creating a community center that serves the COMMUNITY.

Note to American Theatre magazine:

I got a survey emailed to me from TCG, wanting to know why I didn't renew my subscription to American Theatre. Here's the thing:  I tried a subscription for a year - I just assumed it would keep me up to date on a lot of the goings on in the theatre industry and don't get me wrong, it did in some ways. I just got irritated that the coverage in the big feature articles were always very New York-centric. There would be an occasional short article on some regional theatre that was doing something different or outside the box - but that would be it.
In the survey, they asked "What was your NUMBER ONE reason for not renewing?". None of the multiple choice answers worked for me, and there was a "OTHER: explain" with a blank space to fill in.
This is what I wrote:
"TOO MUCH NEW YORK! You need to come to grips with the fact it is no longer considered the "hub" of new theatre that it used to be. Your branching out to other cities/regions needs to intensify. It's called AMERICAN theatre magazine, but you may as well call it "NEW YORK Theatre Magazine, with an occasional bone thrown to Chicago/LA/Seattle/St Louis/ et.al.” "