| Saturday, February 6th, 2010 |
| 1:29 pm |
Watching snow fall in Old City
Rachel got called in to work today to do non-stop reporting on the snowpocalypse. They put her up at a hotel in center city a block from work last night so she would be able to make it in. I've been hanging out at the hotel killing time for a few hours now and whenever they get tired of telling people it's snowing we'll make the trek back home. It's been a long time since I've updated the blog and I don't really have an excuse. I think I'm just not as motivated to blog because I've been happy. Things are good and so I feel no need to document the good times. Work has been a little slow, professionally things could be better, but personally I feel like I'm doing well. I had my first NACA gig recently. I've worked at colleges before but this was the first one I booked the hard way; going to a convention, talking to representatives from different schools, getting a showcase, the whole deal. It was a good show and they were very happy with it. Now I just need 40 more just like it. Rachel and I are going to Key West for a few days later this month for her birthday. I'm looking forward to warmer weather and seeing one of the few good street performing locations in the nation. Several of the acts there are legendary and I'd like to see them in their element. I've started performing Greg Kennedy's box routine (with his permission). It's a beautiful act and I haven't figured out how to present it yet but I have a few ideas and I've been trying different versions of them onstage and everyone is enjoying it so far. Here is a link to Greg's original presentation http://www.youtube.com/user/gregkennedy#p/u/29/3X_YtED4pes |
| Thursday, October 29th, 2009 |
| 12:39 am |
The instrument of innuendo
I tried to coach someone on how to play the didjeridoo tonight. There is no way to describe the necessary actions without sounding dirty. |
| Monday, October 12th, 2009 |
| 10:18 am |
Culinary travels
I did manage to eat some puffin last weekend before we left Iceland. It tasted a bit like liver. It was ok but not nearly as tasty as the reindeer or whale. This long weekend we are in Chicago for a wedding. We went to Pizzeria Due last night for deep dish. I'm trying to figure out what else we can eat that is quintessentially Chicago. I hear the steak is good here. |
| Wednesday, September 30th, 2009 |
| 6:32 pm |
Whale in the belly of the Dave
I ate a whale... for lunch. It was a minke whale, it was surprisingly good. Vaguely beef-like but chewy, fatty, and with a somewhat fishy aftertaste. I definitely would have served a red wine with it. Dinner was reindeer. This was incredibly delicious. Dense, dark almost purple meat that definitely was wild game but wasn't "gamey". Tomorrow I'm going to try to find a place that serves puffin for dinner. |
| Thursday, September 24th, 2009 |
| 5:55 pm |
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| Sunday, August 30th, 2009 |
| 11:15 am |
I married an old friend on Friday
I performed my first wedding ceremony on Friday for my old friends Brian and Leigh and it was a success. I think I was more nervous than the couple. Brian had written the ceremony so all I had to do was read it with the appropriate gravitas. It was a medium size wedding with about a hundred guests, many of whom were also old high school friends. I used my wireless mic and sound system and had a technical problem early on in the ceremony where the mic would cut out for a second at random intervals. Fortunately Greg Salmieri was scheduled to sing a song in the middle of the ceremony so I had a moment to step a few feet back toward the receiver and figure out the problem and return to my position well before the song was over. I hope it wasn't too noticeable or distracting to the audience. I read the ceremony from my Kindle which I had put on the largest font setting and was actually very convenient. Just hitting the button was easier and less obtrusive than turning a page and in it's black, leather cover it had the look of a bible. I highly recommend it to other officiants. |
| Thursday, August 27th, 2009 |
| 1:03 am |
Philly Fringe 2009
I'll be performing my new show "Cirque-Ular" at 8 pm September 11, 12, 18, 19 at the Greene St Studio, Philadelphia PA 19119. I'm very excited and nervous about it. It has, in many ways, been my most ambitious project. I have a large cast of circus performers and live musicians playing original music. I've been very happy with the results so far. Hope you all can make it. |
| Saturday, July 18th, 2009 |
| 3:34 pm |
Killing time in Boston
Rachel's cousin is getting married today so I'm killing some time while she gets her hair done. I stopped in a big and tall shop and bought a shirt that is too big on me but that I hope will shrink to fit. Even if it doesn't, I'm excited to own a piece of clothing that is too big. I'm sitting on Boylston street now watching a construction site. My maternal grandfather was a union crane operator for many years so it's interesting watching the crane. I'm sure things have changed since he retired but it's still nice to imagine that his life was filled with the kind of pleasant afternoons this operator seems to be having. He passed away when I was 6 so my memories of him are limited a most of my knowledge of him is second hand. We had a nice dinner with Greg and Karen last night. Unfortunately they had a family reunion to go to in Jersey today so that's all we got to see of them this weekend. The wind is blowing and the tree I'm sitting under is raining berries that look like large white rasberries. I'm going to move. It's hot in Boston and I've found a different tree to sit under. This tree is next to a few young men who are setting up their instruments. I suspect it will be time fir me to go before they finish. We went to Faneuil Hall/ Quincy Market this morning in search of a street performer and found one instantly. His huge crowd was hard to miss. He essentially only had one routine, a straight jacket escape that was done while suspended upside down from a 20 foot tripod he had set up. I've never liked escapes but this was probably the best way to do it for a street crowd and he did well with it. It's such a shame that Philly doesn't have a good street performing area. We were impressed by how crowded and clean and pleasant the market was. Maybe one day Philly will do something with it's waterfront that will be a similar draw for tourists. Posted via LiveJournal.app. |
| Wednesday, July 1st, 2009 |
| 1:21 pm |
The Yak Anniversary
Today is our one year anniversary. We are celebrating in the traditional way, with candy, flowers and a selection of exotic meats. I have to credit Rachel with coming up with this. She suggested a few weeks ago that we stay in and just cook a bunch of things we've never eaten before. So we went to www.exoticmeats.com and ordered an assortment of interesting things. I'm looking forward to the yak and pheasant the most though the crocodile tail and antelope also look good. As usual, Rachel makes my life more interesting. There are so many wonderful experiences I've had over the past year that I don't think I ever would have had without her. Tonight, we add a few more to the list. |
| Sunday, June 7th, 2009 |
| 11:45 pm |
Who wants absolution?
I am now an ordained minister of the Universal Life Church Monastery. It took me about 6 seconds to fill out the appropriate form. After I filled out my form the ULC website reminded me that I could now perform marriages, last rites, and absolve others of sin. So I hereby absolve you all of any and all sin that you may have accumulated up to the point. Let it be known. Sing it on the mountaintops. I'll be performing my first wedding on August 28th for two old high school friends. I hope it will be the first of many. I'm so looking forward to it. We're meeting soon to write the ceremony. The groom said that they chose me because they wanted someone they knew, someone who shared their beliefs (or in this case, lack thereof) and who had a "flair for the dramatic." I suspect they really chose me because I played Big Daddy, the leader of a religious cult, in our high school musical. I'm looking forward to putting some little reference to my high school role into the ceremony as an in joke to all the people in the audience who were also in that show. |
| Tuesday, May 19th, 2009 |
| 1:03 pm |
I'm a lucky guy
Rachel went way above the call of duty and put together a wonderful dinner party for a few of my closest friends Sunday night. We had originally intended to have a simple BBQ but as the weather threatened she developed a plan for an indoor meal that became a feast. I had planned to be around to help her after my morning show but I picked up a last minute job for the afternoon as well. So I came home to find that everything was just about ready. Our guests arrived, we had a lovely dinner followed by much conversation, then Rachel drank a Red Bull and went to work. As if I needed a reason for more gratitude, she bought me a Kindle last week. She would say she bought us a Kindle but I've been hogging it so much I don't think she's read anything on it yet. I finished Pride and Prejudice a few days ago and liked it. I've downloaded a bunch of classics onto it and I'm torn between doing more of the reading I should do and just reading bestsellers. If you love books and gadgets and have a remarkably generous girlfriend you should definitely get one. |
| Thursday, April 9th, 2009 |
| 2:28 pm |
Wow
I'm sitting at the Vespa dealership waiting for an inspection. I started doing some math related to mileage to see if their claims of saving you money on gas by buying an expensive extra vehicle hold any water (they don't) and then did a little extra math to discover that, on average, I drive 82 miles a day. I knew I drove a lot but I have to say that figure shocked me. Posted via LiveJournal.app. |
| Thursday, April 2nd, 2009 |
| 1:59 pm |
Weekly gig
It looks like our little jazz band (which still needs a name) will be playing weekly at Carmine's Creole Cafe in Bryn Mawr. We played there last night and had a good time. I feel like I'm becoming more comfortable as a musician. Posted via LiveJournal.app. |
| Monday, March 9th, 2009 |
| 11:27 pm |
Hope for the future
From the beginning of my career I have assumed that the college market was almost ideal for me. I was edgy but not too edgy. Likeable without being a pushover. Enough of a street act that I could draw a crowd but enough of a theatrical act to have something to say. I seemed almost perfectly suited for it. Unfortunately, the college market is difficult to break into. There is a an organization that brings entertainers and schools together for regional and national showcases of entertainers. Most schools send delegations of students commitees to hire acts. Getting into these showcases is very expensive. It's not just that it was expensive. Everyone in the market told me that it took time. It took a few years before you started figuring it out and getting work. It's a very lucrative market for those who get booked regularly but for those who are trying to get bookings and failing it's a money pit. So the alternative to going it alone and risking losing your investment is to have an agent represent you (and dozens of other acts) and they front the costs and make it back on your commission. This seems like a more agreeable scenario for my nature. I don't hustle well. So I have an agent in this market now and (purely by luck) she is very well known and respected in the industry. I didn't realize that when I started working with her but when I started finding out all the names she represents I was stunned. And not just in colleges but cruise ships and theaters too. So I went to a regional college showcase on Friday night with this agent and she introduced me to a number of people and I think we will get a few sales out of it. I stood in the booth giving little sideshow demostrations. One guy saw me do a little demo of sword swallowing and watched the video I brought of my second "America's Got Talent" appearance and immediately assumed I was too expensive for his budget. When he found out how cheap I was (relative to other college acts, it's still twice what I normally make) he was thrilled. He said he would definitely be calling. Fingers crossed. I learned a number of interesting things from the experience. Not the least of which is I really can keep swallowing the sword over and over again if I stay relaxed. My throat was a little sore the next morning but other than that I was none the worse for wear and finally in position to enter the market I feel I'm destined for. |
| Friday, February 6th, 2009 |
| 12:33 pm |
Killing time in AC
I'm doing a commercial for a car dealership in Atlantic City today. I haven't been down here in a few weeks. Showboat has had big layoffs and while entertainment was the last thing to go it finally went. It was nice while it lasted. I made almost $40,000 with them last year. Other than that things are going well. Business is good by February standards. I've been working at Woodloch Pines up in the Poconos every week and I feel like my stage show has gotten better for it. I'm doing a solid hour of material now so I'm hoping that this will be the year I start doing cruise ships. Personally things are going very well. I'm halfway through my move to Rachel's new house. I won't really feel like I live there until I get my desk and computer there but I need to find a good day to have Greg or Paul help me move it. I've been enjoying living there for the past few weeks. It felt good to shovel the .walk and clean the garage. I felt like the man of the house. I like being there to reach high things and open jars for Rachel. Gotta run, we're filming. Posted via LiveJournal.app. |
| Monday, January 26th, 2009 |
| 11:56 pm |
Long time no update
I'm sitting in my hotel room at Woodloch Pines trying to warm up. It's bitterly cold in the mountains tonight. The room is quite cozy but my fingers still haven't thawed. I played a song with my opening act tonight. I brought the electric upright and did a credible job backing Harry the singer/piano player on "Fly Me To The Moon." I felt like a musician and it felt good. When I get home I need to start packing up my things in preparation for moving in with Rachel. I don't really have that much stuff so it shouldn't be too hard. More on this subject later, for now I'm off to bed. |
| Friday, January 2nd, 2009 |
| 12:10 pm |
2009
Some things I'd like to do in 2009. Play more bass and play with more people. I enjoy playing with Paul and Dave and will continue to do so but I'd like to experiment with different styles. Work on the show that makes me money. I spent a lot of time last year working on my theatrical show and neglecting my commercial show. I think I'd like to spend some time this year exploring how I can get some of the ideas in my theatrical show into my commercial show. Create a new promo video. I need to focus more on selling my show and selling in in new markets. Doing so will take better promotional material. Take some piano lessons. I got a very nice keyboard for my birthday this year and I've barely touched it. I'd like to become more involved with organizations that share my ideals and point of view. There are some wonderful atheist organizations and activists in Philadelphia and I think I should spend more time with them. I'm a registered libertarian and perhaps I'll become more involved in the party. I should probably attend some objectivist conferences and hang out with Greg Salmieri more. I'd like to use my job as an entertainer to communicate ideas I care about to other people. But not in a bait and switch kind of way. I don't want people to walk in thinking they will be entertained and then preach to them. I would want people to walk away knowing how I feel and what I believe and have them be entertained whether or not they agree with me. I would like to read more. I would like to travel more, but I think Rachel will take care of that for me. I need only accompany her wanderings. I would like to spend more time at the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts. Both as a student and teacher. |
| Thursday, November 27th, 2008 |
| 12:47 am |
Home (briefly) for the Holiday
I'm visiting my parents in between shows and appointments. I was in the Poconos last night, I'm leaving early tomorrow to go do another show there. I'm doing stuff with Rachel's family on Friday and my extended family on Saturday. Between work and family obligations I'm driving about a thousand miles this week. The good news is Showboat is extending the entertainment contracts through the winter. The bad news is they are cutting hours and payment. I find out the details on Monday. My new electric upright bass is great for travel. It doesn't really sound like an upright but it feels great and I love playing it in the hotel room on the road. Posted via LiveJournal.app. |
| Sunday, October 5th, 2008 |
| 8:38 pm |
Quick vacation recap
A more thorough description of our epic journey will follow. For now I'm tired and just want to hit the highlights. In that I haven't been to Vegas since 2002 there were a number of things I wanted to check out. O was at the top of that list so as soon as Rachel told me we were going to Vegas I got tickets for that. I enjoyed it, but not as much as I hoped I would. I think that so many of my friends built it up to me for so long that the reality just couldn't live up to what I had pictured in my head. Fortunately, I knew nothing about Ka. I went in with a clean slate and loved it. It had the most explicit narrative of any Cirque show I've ever seen and was a better show for it. There is actually very little circus in it compared to some of their other shows but every act they do serves the narrative in some way. It was exactly what I wanted from them. We also saw Penn & Teller and got to speak with them briefly after the show. Teller looked exhausted so I wasn't surprised that he didn't want to hang out. My swollen ankle was the only downside of the trip and Rachel made up for it by taking wonderful care of me at every opportunity. She was so helpful to me when I was hobbling around the city and brought me Advil, ice, pillows or whatever else I needed when we were at the hotel. She bought me an ankle brace and crutches. At one point I had to sit down and rest while we were in the Venetian and I just felt so frustrated with my injury and disappointed that I couldn't enjoy the city to it's fullest. Rachel was so patient and comforting that I started telling her that I loved her over and over again. I don't think she understood what got me so worked up but she just calmed me down and told me she loved me until I was feeling better. I feel very lucky to have her. I don't think I've taken a real vacation since college and I'm taking two this month. We're going to Rachel's parent's summer home in Martha's Vineyard in two weeks. I'm not sure yet how many vacations we'll take in November ;) |
| Tuesday, September 30th, 2008 |
| 5:02 pm |
Dave 3.0
So my 30th birthday started out kind of rough. I fell down the stairs and banged up my ankle badly enough that I cancelled the show I was supposed to do that night in the Poconos. I called Rachel and she came over here and took care of me all day. Then she gave me my present. She's taking me to Vegas for the next four nights and bought us tickets to Ka. Suddenly the bruised ankle doesn't seem so bad. More later, have to pack now. |
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