or
Big Changes
As captain of this particular love boat, allow me to welcome you aboard with a lame, form letter explanation...
No need for any introduction here, as there are no new readers added to this email.
I'll try to keep this brief, as I know that you are busy peoples. Some recent changes have made themselves known in my life and I thought I would make you aware of them.
Here goes...
Starting the last week of April, I begin working at a new job. Largely due to the political machinations of my good friend, Ed Conkle, I am the new House Manager/Technician at the Metropolis Performing Arts Center in Arlington Heights, Illinois. When you say it all in one burst like that, it sort of sounds like an important position. The pay is better by two dollars and they seem eager to work with me. They've been very positive in their communications. Personally, I am looking forward to the new job, because I miss working theater with Ed. He was my old boss, back at the Capital, in Bowling Green and he was always patient with my excess of personality. He's also a good teacher and I owe everything I know about technical theater to him. So, that will be a good change.
The down side to the new job, is that I may have to walk away from Second City for a while. The new job at the Met is so far away and sounds like it is going to take up so much of my time, that I really don't see any logistical way to balance both jobs and give either of them the effort that they deserve. I think it would be better to walk away from Second City, while I can do so pleasantly, rather than slowly sour their feelings for me with late arrivals and half ass efforts. Maybe, I'll go back there someday. I know I would like to. They are great people to work with. Time will tell.
For those of you, concerned that my car would not return from the hibernation that I've resigned her to, have no fear. I climbed into her just the other day, to start her, on a whim and she started without hesitation. I drove her around the block a few times, partially to breathe life into her tired, old battery and partially because thee was no parking. She is doing fine now and I look forward to warm days, when I can drive through the city with the sun roof open and annoy people with my tapes of tango musica!
With the phoenix-like rebirth of my car, one less obstacle stands between me and my brief vacation back in Lexington. For some of you, this is old news, for others, reason to hide. I will be coming back home, with my copilot, the world's finest Basset Hound, for a five day visit in July. By my calendar, I will arrive in Lexington on Sunday, July 15th and see the final performance of The Scottish Play (I intentionally used the alternate title for my more superstitious friends.) That Monday night, director willing, I will try to attend a rehearsal of "Shrew" and catch the new Boone play in Harrodsburg the following Tuesday night. On Wednesday, I catch the opening of Our Town and head back home some time Thursday. So, lots of theater in a very short period of time and I think I may even get comped for most of those shows. It pays to
know people.
As an added incentive to return, Mo Daly has graciously agreed to let me teach an Improv workshop at Boone, Monday through Wednesday of that visit, in the wee, early hours of the morning. I am excited to get the opportunity to share some of the things I've learned from my Improv classes at IO with new friends and old ones that I haven't seen in some time. Due to the lowered cost of life in KY and the anticipated demand for the class, Mo and I have worked out a ridiculously low admission price for the class. Something around twenty bucks for three class sessions. So, if you have twenty bucks lying around and three days to waste and a hankering to get up on some sort of a stage and be introduced to new theater games, I would urge you to contact Mo Daly at Boone (1-800-A-Phone-Number) and let her know that you are interested in attending my class. She and I have worked out a potential double class schedule, so I think there will be plenty of room for you to join. So, consider yourself invited. Yes, I admit that this was a shameless plug, but a sincere one.
Corina is a very busy bee, these days. While she might be too humble to discuss her recent activities, I am not. So, let me toot her horn for a bit. My girlfriend has gotten herself a position, either stage managing or running the boards for no less than three different theatrical productions. The children's show, "Free to be you...and me," received very strong reviews in the Chicago Reader. So, that is something to be proud of. Her second show, "BS " is a long standing Chicago tradition. A free formed Improv parody of television's "ER," this show is also receiving good reviews and recently moved into a much larger, more prestigious space. Corina is sharpening her Improv skills, as she is developing her own innate sense of timing. Ending scenes that are going no where and coloring the emotional undertones of other scenes, with lighting. Finally, she is in the running for one of the shift stage managers at Chicago's Blue Man Group. If you've heard of them before, your nipples just got hard. If not, rest assured, that they are a very tight, professional theater "experience" that will look really good on her resume. And no, she can't get you tickets for them. Heck, she can't even get me tickets for them.
One of her coolest stories from BMG came from this past Sunday, when she was backstage, running crew for the show and she was taken onstage with the rest of the crew for curtain calls, to a standing ovation audience. I am so proud of her. I am sure you are too. If you want to write her about it, her email address is Myexgirlfriendsemailaddress@hotmail. com. Maniacs on my mailing list are encouraged to send any demented rantings to her, via my email address, myomailto:myoldemailaddress@aol. com.
And finally, my last note for this email and the real reason I sat down at this computer and started hammering this thing out. I have been thinking about this long and hard for several days now, and have come to a decision.
Until further notice, I am retiring this email group and this series of emails. No more of my pointless ramblings, for now.
I am stopping this for several reasons. The last email that I sent out, the infamous "Black Bag" email received some very negative feedback. Some of you are really tired of receiving emails from me and you chose this particular one, in an unplanned group effort, to let me know about it. Some of you are not content to delete unwarranted "Spam" from me. Instead, you would like it to stop, at the source and I respect that.
Couple that with an email that I wrote for Miss Laurie, that was a profound disappointment for me and you see a pattern forming. I could not express what I wanted to say, succinctly, to save my life. It was a sloppy, rambling mess that I wish I could've "unsent" but alas, that technology is not an option.
The final straw for me, was a verbal laceration last night from a dear friend, concerning my recent piracy of his email address. He was so incensed that I sent him anything at all, to his private email address, that he ripped me to shreds so completely, that I have yet to recover. I really liked him and cherished his friendship and was completely unprepared for the ferocity of his attack. In truth, the whole affair has soured me on writing email letters to anyone. I am discouraged by all of the recent trauma and these emails are no longer a pleasure for me.
Now, when I sit down, to write to you guys, I feel like I am committing some sort of social offense. I thought that by personally replying to anything you had to say to my emails, I was removing the coldness of the Mass Email, but some of you seem to think otherwise.
It's just not fun for me anymore. I think it stopped being fun for you guys a long time ago, but you've just been too polite to say so.
To clarify, I am not deleting this email name. You can still email me any time that you want to and I will always respond ASAP. I am not going to forward any more emails to anyone. People genuinely despise receiving anything that was not written specifically for them. (And some people, even despise them too.) So, no more surveys. No more petitions. No more trivia. No
more stupid anecdotes. And no more Mr.B In Chicago.
I will send you information on anything important, you know, job changes or address changes or birthday greetings. Otherwise, I am retiring from the mental masturbation that I have subjected you to, for six months now.
For those of you, who have responded to my emails with kindness and support, please know that I am grateful for everything you said. Any time you told me how much you laughed at something I wrote, or shared it with another person, you made my day. All I wanted, was to touch your lives, to remind you that although you do not see me daily, I value each and every one of you and still want to be a part of your lives. So much so, that I refused to lose contact
with you. Every response that you sent me was a precious gift and to tell the truth, I saved them all on my computer, to look back on, whenever I am discouraged. Thank you.
So, with a heavy heart, I will bid you all good-bye. And wish you all well. And remind you that my email-box is always open. And remind you all that you are individually, very important to me, otherwise, I would've never included you in this mess, in the first place.
Be well,
Write Often,
Over and Out,
Mr.B
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