Leslie at Dante’s

I saw Leslie and the Ly’s at Dantes on Wednesday. It was charming from the beginning, and on top of it, we bumped into the tour van on the way out. Here’s some photos for your amusement.

Writing Projects

There are two writing projects on my development plate. One is in a holding pattern waiting to hear back from a query sent to a publisher. I’ll spill the beans on that project if it gets picked up for publication. The other is a pet idea that I’ve been working on for the last year called “Improv can save the World”.

That title is shaping up. It outlines our legacy of improvisation as a species for the last 100k years, why those very same skills will be needed soon, and how improvised theater training helps exercise and improve that skillset.

Byrne in Berlin

David Byrne just rocked my world. I went to the show with a few other Int’l Fest participants (Randy, Henk, Per). It was kind of a last minute decision that I’m glad I made.

I ended up down amongst the dancers right in front of the stage. It was so cool. I had talked Per out of his camera, and I snapped a bunch of shots. There’s some good ones too.

This festival is rocking. I took a little bit of a breather tonight and I’m getting to bed before 2am for once.

Tour Guiding

I’ve been a walking tour guide for almost 5 months. You just never know what you’re going to get from tour to tour. Last week I was sexually harassed by this phillipino guy from Seattle because I made the mistake of revealing my sexual identity (thinking that it would build some commonality, it built a little too much).

I was giving an “Underground” Portland tour to a middle school a few months ago. The tour itself focuses on ‘Underground’ topics more than actual subterranean locales. This 13 year old boy from the tour group trots up to me as I’m pulling away from the group to ask “Where’s vaseline alley?”, which is a dated term describing Portland’s now defunct strip of gay bars. After collecting myself, I told him it used to be at 10th & Stark, but that it’s not really there any more.

Many of my tours take place in Oldtown/Chinatown in Portland, and they are often invaded by crazy street people who have something to say. I’ve taken to calling them “Portland Flavor” to my groups once they’re gone and out of earshot. There was one instance where a homeless man was invading and asking questions, and a postman walked up and took him away as he walked by. Myself and the group were pleasantly surprised by this act of consideration from the postman, and my comeback to the group was simply “Portland, a city that works.”

Today, I was scheduled to give a private tour to the Pear Bureau. Yes, there is a pear bureau because, evidently, over 90% of the world’s pears are grown in Oregon and Washington. Well, the surprise was that the pear bureau was actually hosting some high end Russian travel and food show. So I essentially gave a tour to a Russian television show. I’ll be appearing to 56 million Russians as the guide who introduced them to Portland and Voodoo Doughnuts. They even filmed me walking and talking with the host of the show. There’s no end to the thrills in my life.

Holy Shit! I’m fucking done.

It’s the end of an age for me. I was awarded my Masters degree today after my thesis defense. It was funny that it offered few insights for improvisers, but it was the bomb for anthropologists and a few people from other disciplines. I’ve forgotten how much improvisers take what they do and know for granted.

One of my thesis committee, who was assigned as an outside observer to insure this was above the boards, asked me where he could see long-form in Portland after my defense.  Another convert to the cause.

What now? That’s the real question. School has been my life for the past 7 years. Back to work to pay off the $65k in education debt. <sigh>