I wound up watching none of the above movies and my recent purchase of Wallace & Gromit's newest and The Devil's Rejects will only further delay their viewing. Why do I rarely watch DVDs? I have too much good stuff on my DVR, I guess (that I don't have to move to watch DVR stuff plays a major role).
The DSI trip was fantastic. The Pygmies spent every waking minute laughing. Truly. From making Gary Glitter the driver of the car in the PS2 game Burnout 3's Crash Party mode ("I swear, I'm just going 'round the shop to get a twenty of Silk Cut. I'll come right back and fly to Vietnam for trial, honest.") to hypothetically trying to pick up toddlers ("You look like you were poured into that diaper." and "I can tell by your sneakers that you like Winnie The Pooh."*) to the constant shadow cast by my failure to finish eating El Gigante (it's a burrito at the Bandidos chain that you get a free t-shirt for finishing... I barely ate half... Jennings taunted me every fucking day as a result... moreso when he found out I tried to buy the shirt to hide my shame... at two different Bandidos), to beating Jeff "I'm in Mensa and also I'm a geniushead" Scherer in Scrabble, I don't remember having this much damn fun in a long time.
One big help was EthanK's generosity. The man (and his dashing roommate, Mike) housed us, taxied us, regaled us, massaged us and showed us the city he loves. He shared with us Thurgood Marshall's Guide To Writing Pornography. He somehow managed to sleep through our Katamari-ing. He played with us (and was a superb Saddam Hussein). I'm lucky to know him and will probably never come close to repaying his generosity. And to Jeff, Dave and Teresa, thank you for making the trip hilarious.
There were plenty of other amazing folks down there, as well. Zach is a sweetie pie, Corey is hilarious, Jennings is cruel (and yet, at the same time, a hilarious sweetie pie... go figure), Holmes is just as I remember him (and yes, that is a compliment), the little time I got to spend with Jesse was worth the trip, and I met many folks for the first time, too!
Asaf is nothing like I pictured him, but damn if he ain't one of the nicest folks I met there. Sandbag is a Helluvalot funnier than he takes credit for (and he makes a superb PA). I got to go on a pointless car ride with Ryloc (thanks, Jesse!) and I touched his monkey.
But my favorite part of the trip was bumping into none other than Chicago's own Bob Ladewig. I had no idea he'd be there! We caught up, made each other cackle (that the afterparty bar's menu listed Smoked Bacon & Crap Dip made it easier), and then we went to his hotel and he "burned me some CDs."**
There are many others I have forgotten and I thank you namelessly.
There was some incredible improv, too. The two Natural Selection shows were a treat (though they were ultimately upstaged by Jimmie "JJ" Walker... buy the DVD), as was the high school show and Mister Diplomat and BEATBOX and Coldtowne Heroes and The Reckoning and DSI New York. Sadly, I missed some shows I had hoped to see (Bob's team, International Stinger, had the best buzz of the fest and I've wanted to see Rare Bird Show for a while), but such is life.
I laughed more in the last week than I have in the last month.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to spend $1,000 at 5minutestolive.
*that one was Ethan's.
** this is a filthy euphemism.
The DSI trip was fantastic. The Pygmies spent every waking minute laughing. Truly. From making Gary Glitter the driver of the car in the PS2 game Burnout 3's Crash Party mode ("I swear, I'm just going 'round the shop to get a twenty of Silk Cut. I'll come right back and fly to Vietnam for trial, honest.") to hypothetically trying to pick up toddlers ("You look like you were poured into that diaper." and "I can tell by your sneakers that you like Winnie The Pooh."*) to the constant shadow cast by my failure to finish eating El Gigante (it's a burrito at the Bandidos chain that you get a free t-shirt for finishing... I barely ate half... Jennings taunted me every fucking day as a result... moreso when he found out I tried to buy the shirt to hide my shame... at two different Bandidos), to beating Jeff "I'm in Mensa and also I'm a geniushead" Scherer in Scrabble, I don't remember having this much damn fun in a long time.
One big help was EthanK's generosity. The man (and his dashing roommate, Mike) housed us, taxied us, regaled us, massaged us and showed us the city he loves. He shared with us Thurgood Marshall's Guide To Writing Pornography. He somehow managed to sleep through our Katamari-ing. He played with us (and was a superb Saddam Hussein). I'm lucky to know him and will probably never come close to repaying his generosity. And to Jeff, Dave and Teresa, thank you for making the trip hilarious.
There were plenty of other amazing folks down there, as well. Zach is a sweetie pie, Corey is hilarious, Jennings is cruel (and yet, at the same time, a hilarious sweetie pie... go figure), Holmes is just as I remember him (and yes, that is a compliment), the little time I got to spend with Jesse was worth the trip, and I met many folks for the first time, too!
Asaf is nothing like I pictured him, but damn if he ain't one of the nicest folks I met there. Sandbag is a Helluvalot funnier than he takes credit for (and he makes a superb PA). I got to go on a pointless car ride with Ryloc (thanks, Jesse!) and I touched his monkey.
But my favorite part of the trip was bumping into none other than Chicago's own Bob Ladewig. I had no idea he'd be there! We caught up, made each other cackle (that the afterparty bar's menu listed Smoked Bacon & Crap Dip made it easier), and then we went to his hotel and he "burned me some CDs."**
There are many others I have forgotten and I thank you namelessly.
There was some incredible improv, too. The two Natural Selection shows were a treat (though they were ultimately upstaged by Jimmie "JJ" Walker... buy the DVD), as was the high school show and Mister Diplomat and BEATBOX and Coldtowne Heroes and The Reckoning and DSI New York. Sadly, I missed some shows I had hoped to see (Bob's team, International Stinger, had the best buzz of the fest and I've wanted to see Rare Bird Show for a while), but such is life.
I laughed more in the last week than I have in the last month.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to spend $1,000 at 5minutestolive.
*that one was Ethan's.
** this is a filthy euphemism.
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