I tried easing back into my regular rhythm of events this weekend. I actually stayed up beyond 7 PM Friday night, practiced with MWR (I actually remembered how to play the drums and the entire arrangements of the songs!), and checked out the opening night of TMKLS:AKM. I then went to bed Saturday morning around 1 AM and woke up around 10 AM. Things were looking pretty good. I then went to class from 1-4 PM. Things kinda went a little haywire.
When I'm away from an activity, I tend to rust. My theatre skills were a bit rusty walking in so I worked really hard on keeping what was going on during class in perspective with the last 4-5 weeks on non-use. I felt out-of-balance the entire time, awkward, and a bit scared. Overall, I think I did fine but I know my performances were very "heady" and overthought which most of the times I perform is the opposite case .
We went out afterwards for drinks and since I had put my car in the shop and needed to pick it up before 5 PM, I knew I would do my Sit-and-Chat-For-10-Minutes-Then-Jet ritual. For some reason though yesterday, I didn't feel well both mentally and physically after class (maybe one caused the other...who knows ). A lot of "talking shop" was going on and I wasn't in the mood to jump in. When the conversations steered away from that, I felt like observing and staying quiet. I could tell people were noticing, because I got a lot of "What's wrong?" questions thrown at me which I could only respond to with "Nothing" or "I don't feel well". The latter response was true while the former was bit of a stretch considering everything going on in my head. Plus, you can't really discuss your jet-lag, bowel movements, and insecurities in a loud bar with 10 other people (when I get more famous, THEN I will definitely talk about my bowel movements!)
After a bit of time, I stood up and patted my homey next to me on the back and announced, "I'm out."
*Kick in Bullet Time Effect*
The whole group stopped talking and looked right at me and seemed genuinely sad to see me go. I heard someone tell me "Hey, I'm sorry." like they did something wrong to cause me to leave . I told them to not apologize because they had done nothing wrong and that I honestly didn't feel well plus I had to pick up my car. At that moment I realized I may have looked like a complete jerk to these folks with my abrupt exit.
I tend to kick myself pretty hard when I am an anti-socialite, and I need to learn that it's ok to be that way at times. I thought my return to my life after such a weird, grueling, unwanted trip would be cinch. Perhaps I need more "Nelson Time". Another day...another thing learned.
I keep waking up at like 4 AM every morning wide-awake and ready to start my day! Dang jetlag! I've noticed that it's worse on return trip than on the departing trip for some reason. I went to bed last night at 7 PM and attempted to sleep straight through 7 AM this morning with moderate success (try waking up at 3 AM with massive hunger pangs and sleep through it ). Today I attempt to stay awake all day and all night and go to bed at a decently moderate time like a little after midnight to hopefully wake up at a regular time like 9 AM (even when I am at work, this is my ususal schedule).
While I was in India, I didn't honestly get to see a whole lot. The work needing to be done was on a short timeframe and I was on a mission to end it all early so I could return early to make my commitments backs home. I wasn't really interested in sightseeing or getting to know the country but rather get the heck out and make it to the first day of musical improv.
The Sunny Skies After a 15 hour direct flight to New Delhi from Chicago, we landed and got ready for our adventure. The second we walk off the plane, it smells like something caught fire, and the entire airport was smoky. Little did I know that the entire city was this way! Apparently Delhi has quite a problem with smog. Due to the massive growth in both population and industry (8.4%GDP growth last year) and little emissions regulation, smog is an ever present problem there. In fact, I kept seeing articles in their newspapers about how Pakistan and India blame each other for the smog in their countries . I've been to L.A. and have seen smog, but they took it to a new extreme! I had coworkers tell me that it used to be worse a few years ago and they've just started combating the problem so it's gotten better. However, when you can see the car in front of you while driving a mere 5 mph, that's not smog - that's mobile environmental cataractic vision impairment (MECVI)!
Hotel Motel Holiday Inn - Say What?! We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in New Delhi which is considered a 5 star hotel, and by the looks of the massive amount of humanity around, it truly was. Our hotel was in a complex of other buildings and was really impressive...if we could actually see the upper parts of it. Smog had claimed the majestic beauty of the peaks of the Hyatt!
We mostly ate at the hotel. It had 4-5 restaurants in there with mostly good food. Apparently Indians choose their restaurants by their location and the amount of people eating in there because we saw a lot of Indians as well as Americans/Europeans chowing down.
Here's a picture of me chillin' prior to heading out to start our business day:
Solid Man...Solid! Another daily activity I engaged in while I was in India was playing the part of the Paranoid American #2 regarding everything I ate and drank. India's water refinement, therefore, food preparation, is hit or miss regarding health standards. So, one must be extremely judicious in watching what they eat or drink. I was pretty good initially. I drank loads of bottled water (we got complimentary bottled water in our rooms every day), brushed my teeth with bottled water, made sure I kept my mouth shut to avoid swallowing any tap water while taking a shower (I tend to sing a lot in the shower amongst other things), avoided foods with a lot of curry sauce which would have more water content in them, and ate at restaurants I trusted or that the locals trusted. Even with all of that, I still got a massive case of the dreaded Delhi Belly.
I'll spare you precise details but have you ever strained so hard that you saw Jesus? Or went deaf? That's what my second morning consisted of . I luckily had packed Pepto Bismol pills with me to combat an upset stomach so I was popped a few. My boss luckily had some Immodium A-D, which if you've never taken it, will dry you out internally like a desert so you can continue your day. It's also a great way to dehydrate your body to the point you could be in some real trouble! I took a couple of Immodium since the Pepto wasn't strong enough to curb the pain, bloating, and water works. By the end of the day, I had it "under control" but was dehydrated like a mugg even though I was drinking quarts of water.
I popped Pepto every day but in less and less amounts as the days went on. The final two days there I felt I didn't required taking anything more for the DB. Perhaps my body was finally adjusting to the new food acumen...or that there wasn't any water left in my digestive tract to make perform a green apple quick step!
So, due to the DB, I had to become even more selective about what I ate because I would just look at some stuff and it would make me queasy . I avoided anything that could've been boiled in water like pasta, any real deserts becuase I didn't know what water content was in there to make them, and any fruits and vegetables. As a result of the water and food reduction in my body, I ended up losing 10+ lbs in the experience.
I drank as much water as I could but could never get rehydrated to an acceptable level. I still don't feel quite hydrated even today. The DB made a slight return a la a voodoo chile once I returned starting with the food change on the plane. For two days after I got back, I really didn't want to be anywhere not close to a bathroom. However, I chose this time to let it run it's course and whatever happened, happened. This morning I feel pretty good! Solid my man! Solid!
I Get Around The car industry must also be outsourcing certain parts of their industry to India, because by the way they drive, safety testing there must be the best in the world. It's a country where the lines painted on the road and the lights at the intersections are more like suggestions than laws . Traffic is bumper-to-bumper, people don't stick to their lanes, horns are more of a courtesy call than a warning message, and people are everywhere; they try to cross the street in the middle of the road in masses or are walking in the middle of the road trying to get somewhere. In fact, I saw people driving their vehicles down the wrong way of the street at times. The distance between people is inches, not feet. Check it out:
Accidents are common there but I was only involved in one. My driver's driver's side mirror got clipped off in a fender-bender (we rented a car but they only come with a driver so we had to use him!). We stopped in the middle of traffic and sat in the back while he argued with the other driver. Apparently, car insurance policies in India are nonexistent (Oh...how I wish that could be the truth here) because every car on the street is dinged up a bit or just has parts ripped off in certain areas (I should begin selling duct tape there and showing folks how to make their hoopties stylish!). So, the drivers argued for quite some time over fault and each demanded money on the spot for the repairs. I believe 1500 rupies (about $30) were up for grabs between them. After some time, our driver returns and gets in the car. The other driver is attempting to get him to give something back - his car keys! My driver got his keys to ensure the dude wouldn't drive off and not pay. My driver ended up giving the keys to another guy acting as a mediator between them. We drove off to another area close by where he got out and continued to argue with the other driver. Eventually, both drivers returned to our car to settle their dispute. We got dropped off at work and then they proceeded to go get car fixed. Talk about taking the law into your own hands!
Squaters and Hawkers India has 1.3 billion people in it. Of course, not everyone has the same level of wealth there. In fact, there is a lot of poverty. A lot of people set up their homes in make-shift shacks/tents on the side of the road. It reminded me a lot of Brazil with their favelas in Rio and Sao Paolo and illustrated the gap between rich and poor. There were a lot of children begging on the streets and were definitely in bad shape . I must be a magnet for these children becasue they seemed to always to come up to my window asking me for money or trying to sell me free newspaper/magazines. It was heartbreaking at times.
It seems that everyone is in the business of selling something. I would see shacks lined up selling chips and sodas along with clothes, shoes, and household items. Some sold food (of course I avoided trying any of it) and some I had no idea what they were doing.
Lions and Tigers and Bears...and Monkeys...and Elephants...and Camels... One thing I loved about India was how animals were everywhere. I saw the beloved cows hanging out on the side of the road or home just chillin'. Elephants were used to haul people and pull heavy items along the road. Camels were used to get around as well. It was surreal! There were lots of stray dogs everywhere also (it made me miss my Lola Rose who tried to make the trek with me by packing herself into a box):
Summary Overall, it was an experience. I learned a few words of Hindi, hung out with Indians all day and learned more about their culture (I even celebrated Lohriwith them) , and got a buttload of frequent flyer miles
I am incredibly glad to be home. I'll be posting up more pics as comments soon. Stay tuned.
One of the best things about traveling half way across the world and returning is that you literally miss at least 2 days of your normal life being strapped to a seat at 36,000 feet in the air. I used the time to sleep, reflect, and reaffirm my commitment to being happy. Cuz, trust me, I was hatin' for a while.
I got a call on Thursday January 4th from my boss asking me what I was doing the following week. I had classes, rehearsals, and QT needing to be done with the loved ones at home. OK. Scratch all of those items out. I needed to go to India to court a potential partner with my day job's products. Uhm, did I happen to mention that I had classes, rehearsals, and QT needing to be done with the loved ones at home? It turned out that the one guy who was completely qualified for the task was on vacation through January 15th...IN INDIA! However, no one could get a hold of him. I asked, "Why would I create this upon myself?" So, I spent the next two days:
1. Trying to get a hold of this guy in India to take my place 2. Calling up/emailing my directors for my shows letting them know about the trip, apologizing like hell, and hoping to gawd they allow me continue in certain productions. 3. Running around two to get a visa to allow me to enter the country. It only took me 4 trips to complete the process. I should've seen this as a sign of things to come in India because everything is 4 times harder to do there 4. Brushing up on my improv/technical skills to be able to present these products to aforementioned partners. 5. Spending as much time with my family before I left.
I never did get a hold of the guy in India before I left (of course, I got a strange feeling that dude would probably call the second my plane took off from the airport just to spite me ). I had to let my director know what was going on with the trip and wait to see what happened. A couple of hours later I find out they had made the decision to move on without me on the Mary Kay LeTourneau Story:A Karoake Musical and recast my parts. I completely, totally understood and agreed with the decision as I was going to miss out on a total of 6 rehearsals of which 2 were tech rehearsals which would've really put the rest of the cast in a precarious situation. So, I took the news in as best I could (I didn't cry but I was definitely upset at the India situation) and asked the director if I could go ahead and email the cast with my apologies. I got home later that night and crafted my email and sent it to the cast. I got a few replies from folks with positive responses and a lot of love thrown my way (thank you guys!). So, as painful as it was to send it, I did feel a little bit better that people understood.
I had a killer performance at Sketchfest with Salsation Theatre Company that Friday, so, that helped me feel a little better. Some of my castmates from my musical improv group Recapitulation showed up and showed a brother some love. Afterwards, we all went out to eat at Joey's Brickhouse across the street and talked about stuff like our performances, lives, and the occasional Michael Richard's rant We all had plans to audition for the Second City Musical Improv House Ensemble. I urged and supported those auditioning cuz I truley believe they all could make it all the while knowing that I may not even get back in time for me to audition myself . Another thing impacted by this dang trip. I also ended up missing my first days of class for both Musical Improv and Conservatory as well as the first day of rehearsal for the SCTC Level 5 Writing Shows.
So, my theatre stream has been rebooted a bit for 2007. I am looking at this in a positive way. There has got to be a reason why this trip came into existence and impacted my life so greatly. There's something to learn and I intend to allow it to sink into my life and cherish the experience. Otherwise, I'd be hatin' a lot at this point.
I've dropped off the blogging circuit due to an impromptu trip to India. Yes, India. Land of the cows, 8-armed dancing elephants, and specializing in creating smog so thick you can't see the buzzing car in front of you . Connectivity to the rest of the world here is limited and I've been either too tired or sick to want to log on in the evening. I haven't seen much between the hotel and the job site but enough has happened for me to post another blog about my experience at some later point.
I hope all of you are enjoying 2007 much more than I am at this point If you miss the blogging, let a brother know by posting up a comment here.
Currently listening : Bappiwood Remixes By Bappi Lahiri Release date: By 13 May, 2003
I'm writing to you all from the comforts of my own home! We made it back and ready for the 2007 action awaiting us.
To finish up what we did in Vegas, we did hit up Ruth's Chris Steak House (a.k.a. Roofs Criss) and had a lovely dinner there. The steak was so good, I was in shock!
Since I am such an international superstar, I also walked out of there with the hottest chick in all of Vegas!
We also hit up a bunch of casinos to get a crack at the crap tables. On the way to the Flamingo, we checked out the Christmas tree in front of Caesar's Palace (sorry for the cruddy quality...it look s a lot better on my computer):
I had dropped off the radar a bit while we drove marathon miles from Vegas to Dallas to Chicago. I decided to go to Dallas for a couple of days to see my parents. Here's the promo shot of me and my Dad for our next used Cadillac dealership commercial:
Texas was fine. I helped my mom and dad out with a few things while I was there and got to hang out a bit with my brother and his wife.
On the way back, we did actually stop at Hoover Dam and shot some video (still working on making a new video for it) and got to use the killer restrooms there with urinals from 1952!
I pulled a marathon session of driving from Texarkana, Tx to Moline, Il since I was just insane with getting home. Lola Rose was telling me to get home as quickly as possible:
We got home and we've been lounging ever since! We enjoyed our New Year celebration with our neighbors and let out dogs play together. It was really nice.
I'll be posting as comments a few videos here from the trip. Stay Tuned!
), avoided foods with a lot of curry sauce which would have more water content in them, and ate at restaurants I trusted or that the locals trusted. Even with all of that, I still got a massive case of the dreaded 
.
The distance between people is inches, not feet. 
. Another thing impacted by this dang trip. I also ended up missing my first days of class for both Musical Improv and Conservatory as well as the first day of rehearsal for the SCTC Level 5 Writing Shows.
