I like to fuck a lot and drop acid!

Actually I have never dropped acid but I do love that phrase. It comes from the book 'Jarhead' by Anthony Swofford which was about his experience as a Marine in the first Gulf War back in early 1991. The phrase came in a letter they received while in Saudi Arabia addressed to "Any Marine" and later became a rally cry for Swofford's particular unit. It pops in my head from time to time when I feel a rally cry might be called for but, sadly, it is not very office appropriate.

The reason I bring it up here is more due to the current Iraq war. Well, not the war as is (i.e. at the moment) but as it was back in aught three; I recently viewed the HBO Miniseries from last year called Generation Kill! Which is based on a book by the same name I happened to read a bunch of years ago...Both the book and the miniseries are AWESOME! Sad, a little anyhow, but AWESOME! Jarhead (also a movie) is also quite enjoyable but comes with a more specific point of view, or bias, that Generation Kill does not have. I am not saying Generation Kill is without judgment, of sorts, but tends to be much more objective by comparison. That said, the two stories go together really well and they both kind of highlight the surprising dumb-assed-ness of our military in times of war. This from the dominant military on the planet!

And no, I am not anti-troop. I am anti-war and I am no fan of civilian casualties. Truth is though, there is simply no real way to put professional soldiers on the ground who are armed to the teeth in any place and not end up with dead people, or horrendous errors, misfires, mistaken identities, etc. Those people are trained to kill and trained killers are going to kill...It's the leadership that is at fault when shit like Iraq happens. Not that anyone will ever be held accountable or anything. The leadership has a chain and it goes all the way to the top (with a stopoff at the former VP's office on the way up and back down) and it's that fucker, and close compatriots, who should be paying the fiddler.

Sorry to open with more political ranting, but let me get this out the way right quick; my one beef with the new administration is that they are really backing off/downplaying any sort of recrimination/investigation in the wide variety of war crime, anti-American activities, torture, constitution shredding spy action and so forth from the last eight years. I see why they say things like this as they are busy looking and moving forward to some degree and a whole lot of investigations, trials, inquiries and the like are time and money consuming...But fuck, I commit a crime I don't get a pass due to semantics, or wars on terror, or my position of power, or some kind of "Timexecutive Privilege"...I go to fucking jail.

Isn't that why we bothered with all this constitutional law stuff in the first place? A crime is committed then shouldn't there be an arrest? Investigation? Judicial action? Just saying; after all the fourth amendment has been violated and the NSA just had yet another whistle blower come out and say that even the pretend notion of "monitoring international calls to terrorists" really meant monitoring all communication in the U.S. period. Big brother indeed...And here all the angry republicans are worried about the Democrats ruining America with their crazy spending.

Anyhow, the point here really is that 'Generation Kill' is very, very well done and I highly recommend the book or mini-series or both. The other reason I am thinking about stuff like this is that, unlike our nation, my home state of Illinois doesn't mind wasting any time by impeaching our governor in record time! I am not even sure if the guy is guilty of anything either...yet watching him flail around on national television like a big, purple dong at a kid's party and then show up at day three of his own impeachment and simply continue to flail around?! Man, dude...I am not convinced of much of anything and I have no doubt that the senate is right now impeaching your ass (by right now I mean right while I am typing these words). So, so long Rod...Thanks for the stupid toll road signs and all that...Now please just go away...Forever. While you are leaving, Rod, could you yell, "I LIKE TO FUCK A LOT AND DROP ACID!" while you are moving your shit out of the governor's office? That would be classic icing to a bizarre cake. That man is bizarre...The denial he must live in.

Those first few chunks were written right during the Illinois impeachment trial and then I ran out of gas...SOOOO...Let's change subjects!

Tonight and last night I helped out a currently rehearsing theater production by substitute acting for someone who had to miss an entire week of rehearsal just 2 weeks prior to opening. It's a show I was vaguely aware that the company is doing but I hadn't looked to closely at it nor did I have the foggiest idea as to what it was about, etc. I did know that it's dinner theater which is something I have no experience with nor do I desire any BUT when asked to help I will help and it did turn out to be quite the surreal experience. Best described as living out one of those, "went to school/work in my underwear" sort of dreams. The show itself needs A LOT of work thus far (not abnormal for something two weeks out) and the regular cast has just, kind of, gotten off book and are not very comfortable with their dialogue, their songs, the blocking, or their bodies (apparently) as it was...well...Shitty.

It is apparently about a cruise ship and has some very stereotypical Italian accents and themes and I was subbing for one of most stereotypical Italian accented themes and I have never officially done an Italian accent. Thus I dug real deep and ended up doing a so-so Santino Marella and went with it. The show has an improvish bend which normally would be awesome if it weren't for the fact that the awkward performers aren't there yet thus it was nigh impossible to tell when they were rehearsing and when they were just screwing around. Loads of extra talking and goofing off and the blocking seemed indirect and it is "set" in a dining area of a cruise ship so there is no one area where the audience was. That and it had songs. Really poorly performed songs and at the end of the whole thing there was a group song, "A Crazy Little Thing Called Love" by Queen in fact...And the poor cast had not, apparently, had ample rehearsal time with that one so it was literally a circle of "actors" (large cast too!) standing and awkwardly singing Queen. The first time through it sounded like a group of zombies were singing it. So, even with a script in hand I sit here awaiting day two with only a marginal idea of what the fuck was going on!?! Naturally, I cannot wait to do it again.

Related to this, a few folks have asked me if I have any plans to do another stage return this year and my answer is, Yes! At least, I plan to audition for another show right in the first week of march. The same group I worked with last spring is doing another comedic spring production and it appears it shall be a series of one-acts by David Ives. Never read the man but I am told he is "British funny" so we will see. Multiple plays with multiple directors and casts can be a recipe for logistical nightmares but more likely could be a very fun time. After all, my very first theatrical experience was an evening of one-acts so it is fitting to do one here near the end.

Ah, the theatre...What a bizarre, entangled bitch you are. The funny thing about me and theatre, despite all the shows I have done, the degree in it I have acquired, I fucking don't like it that much. It's true! I enjoy entertaining, I enjoy the buzz of performing, I respect the "art" so to speak but there are few things in the world I hate more than having to watch fucking plays. Being in the "world" (sort of) I have many, many actor/director friends who do many, many plays and productions and guess how many of them I see? Nearly none. I avoid it at all costs so if you have seen me at a show (and despite this rant, I do end up going once in a while) you have SEEN A MIRACLE!!! And yeah, sorry if I didn't care for your show very much either. I have never seen a play that I liked...Ok, once back in college but it was really, really funny...Other than that, I have seen a professional production that I liked (Spamalot) and every other show I have ever seen? Crap. Bullshit stinking, boring, tedious fucking shit. You were good in it though! The show just sucked and it wasn't your fault so don't feel bad about it. If it really were that good then you'd still be doing it then, wouldn't you? Right. You're not...Because it was shit. Do not worry, my shows were shit too!

In actuality, I just got burned out on theater after college. We did SO many shows and were required to see all the rest of the other shows so copious amounts of my ISU time was spent watching play after play after over-dramatic, poorly cats, poorly choiced, crappy, barely audible baloney (though every once in a while there were live tits!) that I wouldn't sit through again if you blew me during it. Theater...Fun to do...Painful to watch.