Ben, KoS

08:14 pm: young left winger's quick rant
I don't understand racism.
I don't understand sexism.
I don't understand homophobia.
I don't understand the extreme right wing.
...and I don't like what I don't understand.

That is all.

12:42 pm: Classy is an understatement
Okay, I know this isn't part of the regularly scheduled program, but I had to share this...the Arsenal Mall in Watertown has a sign out front, like some malls do, but this one reads:

"FACE IT YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S COOL SO GET THEM A SIMON MALL GIFT CARD FOR BACK TO SCHOOL"

I think that speaks for itself.

12:06 pm: Okay, this is just creepy

My friend Jen asked me if I have a brother in Chicago, and after I said yes she said to tell him congrats on such a great role. Having no idea what she was talking about, as Jake isn't active in the Chicago theater scene, she sent me this link.

http://www.chicagoshakes.com/productionDetail.aspx?id=818

Rest assured, my friends, I've already spoken with Jake and he's going to handle the situation. There's enough room for just one ME in this world.

12:34 pm: I agree.

the Wit (56% dark, 39% spontaneous, 16% vulgar)

your humor style: CLEAN | COMPLEX | DARK You like things edgy, subtle, and smart. I guess that means you're probably an intellectual, but don't take that to mean you're pretentious. You realize 'dumb' can be witty--after all isn't that the Simpsons' philosophy?--but rudeness for its own sake, 'gross-out' humor and most other things found in a fraternity leave you totally flat. I guess you just have a more cerebral approach than most. You have the perfect mindset for a joke writer or staff writer. Your sense of humor takes the most effort to appreciate, but it's also the best, in my opinion. Also, you probably loved the Office. If you don't know what I'm talking about, check it out here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/theoffice/. PEOPLE LIKE YOU: Jon Stewart - Woody Allen - Ricky Gervais

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 46% on dark You scored higher than 33% on spontaneous You scored higher than 11% on vulgar

Link: The 3 Variable Funny Test written by jason_bateman on Ok Cupid

09:49 pm: Da na da na da na, da na na na na na na OLE!
Hello. Welcome to my new and improved livejournal! I searched around for a few designers, offering a bit of money...I got a reponse from a guy named Rey Martinez who said he'd do it for free. Awfully nice of this guy, I highly recommend him! Search for his contact info.

Man, I have the sudden urge to hit Taco Bell with this color scheme, don't you?

10:52 am: Putting the PANIC back in Hispanic
It's been a while since I've had any strange incidents, I honestly thought they'd passed.

I walked by a dance studio in Brighton on the way to the laundromat. There's a big sign that states the various forms of dance taught at this particular school-- "TANGO", "SWING", and particularly "SALSA" among them. Call me a bigot, call me imaginative, call me a jackass, but I looked at that sign, and I looked across the street to a construction site where about ten or fifteen workers were leaning against a wall, apparently on break. They were pretty tan, and most of them looked South American, save for a few Irish.

I had an idea. I looked at the salsa sign, and I looked at the construction workers on break, and I thought: how funny would it be if these guys started dancing together like the elusive Latino Night at the Ram Rod?

What I saw next made the laundry basket in my hands fall right to the ground, spilling my dirty clothes all over the ground (they were already dirty, anyhow). One of the construction guys seemingly pulled a jambox out of nowhere and turned the radio onto a salsa station, and every single one of the Hispanic men started dancing like no tomorrow. The few Irish guys looked like they were about to die by the shock on their faces. I haven't been so entertained in a while. That was f-ing HYSTERICAL. Good for them, though, for having such a great time! More power to 'em.

Kinda just happened when I thought of it, though. Weird, huh? I'm developing a hunch about these things...

12:05 pm: ATTENTION THEATER DEPT GRADS
Today is The Seventeenth of June. On this date, John Passanante got it on with a transfer student...and Joe didn't pay the rights for the show. At least that's what I's heards.

Oh, and it's Chrissy's birthday, but more importantly, the name of a show by Edward Allen Baker.

Thank you.

01:54 pm: Once again proving I wish I was black...

You scored as Mace Windu. </td> Mace Windu 69% Anakin Skywalker 67% Yoda 61% Obi Wan Kenobi 61% General Grievous 61% Clone Trooper 58% Darth Vader 56% Chewbacca 50% Padme Amidala 50% R2-D2 47% Emperor Palpatine 39% C-3PO 36% Which Revenge of the Sith Character are you? created with QuizFarm.com

01:01 pm: freezing rain in late May
Is anyone else watching several good things burn? It seems to be the trend this season...
All I can say is I'm getting a little sick of producers fucking over entire production staffs...it's enough to make me want to join Equity.

The latest: production company advertises auditions for show, holds auditions, holds callbacks, casts show, gets everyone very excited about show, cancels show the day before read-through. What the fuck? Why don't they just chop their arms off while they're at it? Who's gonna want to work for a company like that again?

As my only life is in the theater world as it stands, this is all I have to talk about...

This session of bitching brought to you by the letter B.

09:30 am: I've given up on real updates.

04:22 pm: Rock

You scored as Dionysus. You are DIONYSUS: the god of wine. Dionysus, who invented wine, appears in numerous myths, and it is probable that the "illness" he inflicted on mythological characters might have been related to wine. He was worshipped by the Centaurs, and accompanied by Satyrs and Maenads, women who always seemed to be mad with joy. </td> Dionysus 81% Athena 69% Artemis 63% Apollo 63% Zeus 63% HERMES 56% Aphrodite 56% Hera 44% Ares 38% Demeter 38% Hades 31% Hephaestus 25% Poseidon 25% If I Were A Greek God/Goddess, I Would be ... created with QuizFarm.com

08:50 am: Life busy, very very busy. Me imitate friends now.

10 Things You Hopefully Haven't Done

10) Stepped on a rattlesnake barefoot

9) Get cheered on by most of an entire London tube car to kick my best friend's ass

8) Smoke with the drummer from the band Boston--in front of the Wang, in the afternoon, mind you-- and several members of the film version of Jesus Christ Superstar.

7) Tell billionaire/auto mogul Ernie Boch, Jr. that he looks like Joey Bishop in the right light

6) Run naked across a field in broad daylight

5) Get propositioned by two Italian men on a train from Venice to Rome, asking if I wanted to 'experimento'

4) Steal 5,000 bars of soap and a lot of very uncomfortable blankets with Bryan Z.

3) Explain to my camp director what, exactly, a "chickenheart" is

2) Get hammered with several Broadway veterans, and more to come

1) Have a wisened old Armenian women tell me I am a "naughty boy"


...that's all, folks. Perhaps you've been involved in some of them, and can elaborate. Some are very clear, some are a little blurry

10:11 am: Oh, and my boss and I are going to have lunch with Terrence Mann next Thursday. Forgot to mention that!

:)

10:06 am: The blizzard of '05 (pronounced aught-five) finally ended, and yet we have another three to five inches today. I'm getting tired of this, and a little worried considering how few rehearsals we have left.

Also, the Brazilians shoveled out our walkway this morning before I even got up. Now if they'd only take my car out of the snow, but it's too close to 'traffic' right now (i.e. everyone going really slow). I looked out the window this morning, though, and I thought I saw a figure on top of a roof. Must've been a she, cause it had long, thick hair (couldn't make out the color, my eyes were still fuzzy), but the figure was looking over the scene for a moment. How the hell did she get up there? Wait...

...I just checked right now, and she's gone. F-ing weird.

11:39 am: so why don't you kill me






I am very unimpressed by my nerdom. There were no questions about monster trucks!

03:08 pm: So we got some snow out there today. Not much, but it made driving pretty tough last night. Every time it snows the Brazilians get out their shovels and do their walkway to the side of the house. I was just starting out the window at them as they approached our steps, and I just thought it would be nice of them to do those while they were out there. Nothing big, just a small token of neighborly goodness to compensate for the blaring music every morning. You know what? The lead guy looked up and saw me in window, I kinda gave him a small wave with a friendly smile. He just smiled back and nodded with a thumbs up and proceeded to shovel off our steps. That was nice.

10:05 am:

Your Dominant Intelligence is Interpersonal Intelligence

You shine in your ability to realate to and understand others. Good at seeing others' points of view, you get how people think and feel. You have an uncanny ability to sense true feelings, intentions, and motivations. A natural born leader, you are great at teaching and mediating conflict. You would make a good counselor, salesperson, politician, or business person.

Good to know! I will now base my life around this web-quiz.

Thanks Zimma!

12:13 am: The Brazilians who inhabit this house in 3 of the 4 apartments are very loud. However, they've been pretty good about shutting off the salsa beats when I yell about it. Now if only it wouldn't wake me up at 8 am every morning...

09:59 pm: Christmas cheer?
Merry Christmas! Or should I say, Feliz Navidad?

Yesterday afternoon I had to run and get some wrapping paper for some (you guessed it) last minute wrapping, so I drove over to the one grocery store in town-- what used to be Foodtown and became Edwards that became Stop & Shop (BUT FOR HOW LONG???)...very little seems to change in Highland Park, NJ. I got what I came for, and started outside when this venerable little lady dropped all her bags! It was a little sad and I had my hands full with my own bags, but I was awkwardly trying to put them down which was taking longer than it should have while she was trying to place her own groceries back together with some difficulty-- it was a pretty sad sight. While this was happening, I noticed the Latin American-looking bagger looking in the old woman's direction.

Now what did I think? Man, I really wished this guy-- whose attention was already in her direction-- would help this poor woman out, and like that he abandoned his post to pick some cabbage and a few packets of veal. What struck me as strange was that the guy looked me right in the eye as if he heard my thoughts, and complied. This hasn't happened in a while but it's just too much to explain sometimes.

Am I gifted? Am I running into the biggest coincidences ever? What's the deal?

02:27 pm: election day antics
Okay, so I get to the polls-- at least where I think I should be-- to vote. Naturally, right? I guess I'll make this the short version... We had a loud, Republican supporter at the polls. Really, really quite obnoxious and making sure everyone knew how he felt and why we shouldn't vote Democrat. Pretty racist dude. I held my tongue despite the desire to do otherwise, but as he was leaving the polls (five minutes seemed like forever) this group of kids were leaving school, young hispanic guys and girls...probably around 8th grade or so. I had the passing thought of these kids harassing a scrawny, white collared jackass...and guess what? These kids want to know who he voted for. Like wood to the fire, it was hysterical, and for a few minutes I really wanted this guy to get the bitch slap he deserved...not from anyone but myself, but hey. It can happen. I'm growing a little wary of my thoughts involving the whole wishing-Latin-Americans-would-do-things-they-then-fullfill...WTF? It's almost creepy.