Apr. 20, 2003 - 5:09 p.m.
For those keeping score, it was four months prior to this letter when Meghan and I first began the Constantly Evolving Dialogue. - Vincent
Dear Meghan:
Now that lines are etching themselves into the corners of my eyes and my brown-painted hair is beginning to flake, revealing the grey baseboard, the question ‘do you have any kids’ seems to be surfacing with increasing frequency. I have long passed the point where ‘not that I know of’ is a suitable response; the answers now vacillate between ‘no’ and ‘not yet’. I try both answers on, like one would try on a new shoe. How does this one fit? How comfy is this retort? For reasons unknown to me, I tend to flash on my cousins when this question is asked. When my cousins (the girls from the small town) reach my age, many of their kids will be entering their teen years. In those moments, I often drift into what-if territory, and can spy my alter ego, bound into a small town, avoiding his ex-wife Kim, paying child support and just discovering his girlfriend Trish, who is overweight and still turned on by mullets, is pregnant. He hides under a mustache and John Deere cap and behind a bottle of Miller Lite. My alter ego spots me, and though he does not quite believe himself, he says, ‘whaddya lookin’ at, faggot?’ and goes one bottle further into forgetting who he is. He supports the war in Iraq, and dilutes any argument against war by routinely getting drunker, blacking out his intellect in sports and hunting, and finding comfort in lack of analysis. It is a silent hobby of mine to imagine me leading other lives, though I admit I never imagine lives better than the one I exist in.
“If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.” – George Harrison
We had grave concerns about Saturday’s performance going into it, this being Easter weekend and all. As it turned out, it was easily the best of the three performances so far, the nervous energy buoying us all up into throwing mad energy all around the stage. Others thought the first performance was the best so far, but as far as consistency and energy, I much preferred the third. Envy is a mighty inspiration; fear is a much more tangible one. Personally speaking, the troupe seemed a bit out of sync, with talk of romantic interludes and auditions peppering the pre-show pacing we all go through. I generally stay quiet, both listening to all the mini-conversations and trying not to hear them at the same time. Next Tuesday should be interesting, as we’ve scheduled a pick-up rehearsal/jawing session for the six of us and our tech folks. More later.
The after-show drink-a-thon was quite interesting as well. Terri, who has struck me as a bit of a lost soul since she joined the troupe last June, seems to be getting really centered. Certainly, of the six of us, she has made the most headway in finding who she is. Lauren had her Enigma-o-Meter on high – but she likes it that way. As I may have mentioned, I have spoken with Terri far, far less than Lauren, yet at the end of the day I have no idea who Lauren is, while I feel I have a good sense of who Terri is (or becoming). Jeb and I had a good chat about getting together and, inspired by some good drink and stuff, recording an album of material together.
The source of Good Friday is debated, naturally enough. There’s a school of thought that suggests that it was called God’s Friday when it was first observed (somewhere around 400 a.d., 300 years after the resurrection was first made into ‘print’ and 370 years after the guy apparently died) and that it morphed over time. The other school of thought is, as you suggested, the end result is ‘good’ – the whole salvation thing – hence the name. I’d lean toward the former, not only because religion is equal parts faith and good storytelling, but also otherwise it should be called Very Nifty Friday or Whew That’s a Load Off Friday from the get-go. For me, it is just a way to end a period in which someone has ceased eating chocolate because someone else allegedly died for his/her sins. Everyone has a good time, so that’s alright.
I have taken a cursory look at your colorlogues and I definitely think we’re onto something new and interesting here. I hope to allot a good chunk of time tonight blending our separate sets and to writing new sketches for the next show (whatever that’s a-gonna be). Wish me luck. If you’re online, I hope you’ll say hello.
Rambling,
Vincent
what they said - what they will say
