Weekend Ramblings

I can't say I've ever had any good friends act in plays, never had any bad friends act in plays either, but a guy from Allianz who I like a pretty decent amount does some acting here and there, and Friday night I went to see him in action. I tried to get others to go but between tending to dogs, nursing injuries and going out of town, potential accompaniers fell through the cracks. So I anted up and went solo... and was very glad I did. It's one thing to act in movies or TV where you can shoot a scene until you get it right. It's completely another to act live on a stage without do overs as an option. There's something pure and intimate about it, and I particularly enjoyed seeing Mr. Ben Tallen in action. I had seen enough just around the office to know he possessed dramatic flair, and he proved to have the stage presence to go with it. The kid has game, and in our brief conversation afterwards, he said he's going to be writing and acting in a Shakespearean version of Pulp Fiction this August. Count me in...

I went on a run down by Calhoun Saturday morning....errr.... afternoon after I got up. The eliptical and treadmill at work can start to wear on you. But when you spot someone running up ahead of you who doesn't appear to be running very fast... and you look up again three minutes later and he's widened his lead on you.... that can wear on you too. Dad, thank for you still calling me Wheels, that's nice of you. Unfotunately it's no longer accurate...

Bar crawl down Lyndale with the Allianz crew on Saturday. Herkimer, Moto-I, Bulldog, CC Club. Those were the four establishments I entered. It's pretty cool how many great people I've managed to surround myself with at work. The group is just oozing with quality. Not gonna name names, you know damn well who you are. Two outsiders showed up too, and yeah I kinda really like them a lot too. There's the love fest for all you sentimentalies....

Last year Nate and I were headed to his place to watch the Antonio Margarito/Shane Moseley fight that he had recorded since we were at a concert earlier in the night. Well of course on my way to his place, I get a text from my brother that said, "Down goes Margarito." Outcome known, plan foiled. Same scenario Saturday night, on my way to a different friend's to watch Manny Pacquiao/Ricky Hatton. I know I'm gonna be a few minutes late but should only miss the first two rounds or so. And of course, three minutes away I get a text from Brent that said, "That didn't take long." I showed up five minutes later to watch the replay of Manny's destruction, but it wasn't nearly the same. It wasn't quite Wolff's beloved "Ultimate Fail," but it's getting close...

Golf in New Richmond with my brother the doctor, who is not really a doctor but I now call him that all the time and if you know what that is from then I like you a teeny bit more than I did previously. I finally figured out how to hit my irons solidly and occasionally majestically, which rules. I still suck balls off the tee, hitting low screamers to the left every single time. If there was ever a gallery watching me, they would have to start calling me The Lopper. My kid bro can really stroke it though, it's pretty cool to be around. He didn't have what he would consider a great round today, but it won't be long before he's putting it all together every time out. Hopefully he lets me caddie for him when he's on the tour. I could dive in lakes after balls for him and give him putting advice while wearing one shoe....

I enjoyed the movie State of Play at the theater tonight (Ben Affleck surprisingly old but suprisingly good), I enjoyed the company I was with (she didn't request the buffer seat like Nate does, lucky me) and I enjoyed the fact that Southdale has officially gone to the dark side with the price of movie tickets. Not. The $10 barrier has been broken. There's no telling what might happen next.

And to the five, maybe six people who read this and will know what this means:

Happy No Substance Day. May 3, 1998. A day that will live and live...