Sunday Post

via GIPHY

  

 

LOOKING FORWARD to January

This week Zulfi and I made brownies together. He prefers cake but he did take a bite. I did some improv on Oozebear. 

On Thursday, I went to a body pump class at the YMCA and felt like a bodybuilder for a hot minute while doing squats and lifting five pound weights. I'd lift more, but I have to reduce any tension on my wrists. And yesterday I went to the Y in Eagan for Zumba class.

Eagan YMCA

It snowed a little bit this week and immediately turned into slush. I guess in Buffalo, Minnesota they received 5 feet of snow in one day and in the cities we received five feet this year.

Below is how you play Five Things (an improv game). I like to play it by saying Name Five things that didn't happen to you today.

Five Things

Actors stand in a circle. One actor initiates by pointing at another and asking him or her to say 5 things as fast as he or she can based on a category of his/her choosing: “Five songs you like.” As the student names off each one, the rest of the class will count along, cheering when five have been said.

SFAH (improv) at Invergrove Studio

 

ON THE BLOG

Reading

Watched 

via GIPHY

Sunday Post #amwriting #amjoy

via GIPHY

 

 

 

LOOKING FORWARD to January

This week Zulfi and I went to the YMCA to go swimming.  He had a fun time playing with the water toys including the boats. He explored a nearby library and enjoyed these reading corners that reminded him of the Star Wars movie.

Reading spaces at Woodbury library

On Wednesday I returned to the dentist after my filling popped out of my mouth.  While looking down from the second floor window of the dental office, I could see police officers escorting a psych patient back into the psych ward after his harried escape failed. And Thursday, I went to the Orthopedic clinic to get a steroid shot in my right knee. I had been having trouble taking the stairs for a few weeks now, and the shot seemed to do the trick.

We woke up to a few inches on Thursday morning. I did improv online and wrote a comedy sketch about a character who is an insecure bodybuilder.

Woodbury Library

 

ON THE BLOG

Reading

Trust your Vibes by Sonia Choquette

Sunday post

via GIPHY

 

 

LOOKING FORWARD to January

This week I spent some time dubbing indian films with other improvisers and it was absolutely hilarious. A lot of scenes had to do with people upset about eating their vegetables. 

My son Zulfi insisted I buy him an alien costume on Amazon. It's pretty cute. He has a similar Alien costume on Roblox. 

What is Roblox?

Roblox is a virtual universe that lets you create, share experiences with friends.  It has games like "Among Us" and a couple of my favorite "Block Fall" and "Mine Craft"

I also did some virtual improv. Doing it from your phone can be tough  because of ZOOM features like turning on and off your mic. We did some tongue twisters like the one below

My son putting together Star Wars LEGOS set

My friend Maureen playing the Violin

This week, I also made some brownies and I didn't have the right size pan so I had to get resourceful and ring up a couple of our neighbors in the building, luckily my male neighbor had a pan.

Finally, I had an introspective conversation with an improviser about how much you can learn about someone while doing improv, and she said "If I can see their flaws during improv, I wonder what they see about me!"

A Link to a fun improv session I was in.

https://www.oozebear.com/listen-to-recording.php?id=8c0b909f1aca24987fa0ae6d6d6c646f

Upcoming Events

Alexandra Bodnarchuk presents Rock, Paper, Scissors at The Southern Theater March 17 - 19.

Rock, Paper, Scissors is an evening length (dance) duet that explores the generational passing down of

rules and customs of our bodies.

 

ON THE BLOG

Reading

"The Measure" explores Fate.

Today, when you open your front door, waiting for you is a small wooden box. This box holds your fate inside: the answer to the exact number of years you will live.

From suburban doorsteps to desert tents, every person on every continent receives the same box. In an instant, the world is thrust into a collective frenzy. Where did these boxes come from? What do they mean? Is there truth to what they promise?

As society comes together and pulls apart, everyone faces the same shocking choice: Do they wish to know how long they’ll live? And, if so, what will they do with that knowledge?

The Measure charts the dawn of this new world through an unforgettable cast of characters whose decisions and fates interweave with one another: best friends whose dreams are forever entwined, pen pals finding refuge in the unknown, a couple who thought they didn’t have to rush, a doctor who cannot save himself, and a politician whose box becomes the powder keg that ultimately changes everything.

Sunday Post

 

 

LOOKING FORWARD to January

This week I took my son sledding and he had a blast. We used a makeshift sled made out of cardboard. 

We had a Disability Jam at HUGE theater. We played games like Pompous Man and a game called Whoosh. My six-year-old son  was able to come with and he loved being able to do improv with adults and included his own nuances into the games. I'm in the picture below with my son sitting next to me.  Here is how you play

'Whoosh'

Average Joe's (Improv Jam)

1.  Everybody stands in a circle.

2.  Start with one person, who waves both hands to his/her neighbor, saying `Whoosh`.

3.  The next person passes the Whoosh to his neighbor, and that way the Whoosh is passed around the circle.

4.  There’s 4 other sounds/movements that can be made:

5.  Whoa!: indicated by saying “whoa”, and holding up both hands in a stop motion. A “Whoa” changes the direction of the Whoosh.

 My son had several days off school so it was a few days at home watching K-Dramas and reading books and playing with LEGOs and drawing with my son.

Finally, I did a stage match at Strike Theater.

 

ON THE BLOG

Reading

Sunday Post #amreading #amjoy

Today's post will link up to The Sunday Salon, The Sunday Post and Stacking the Shelves for weekly updates.

So on New Year’s I ended up driving for LYFT.  It was a last minute decision because I didn’t drive for LYFT in a while and I had some missing documentation including an inspection and some tutorials to watch.  One of the tutorials had to do with boundaries (of course😛😜😝).

 But, all in a all i had a pretty good time driving.  I only had one person forget their phone in the car, in which case, I had to drive back to the shelter where he worked to return it.  

And Bonus!  I did not have anyone throw up in my car. I made a about $200 in three hours giving 10 rides which was pretty great.  I also made the mistake of asking if a pair of passengers was father/daughter. BUT no in fact, they were a couple, oops! Lol

I guess if I had drove for UBER, I could have made $25 for every six rides I gave. LYFT was offering some bonuses but it was like a few extra dollars here and there for rides given in Minneapolis.

 I remember thinking about how great it was.  A lot of my passengers enjoy telling me their stories, and I’m always one to give in to this small request as I take out a pen and paper and make cheerful notes on potential stories based on what they’ve told me.  It’s a lot of fun. I do remember getting stranded in places like White Bear and Woodbury. And I use the word "stranded" loosely because it’s not that I was stranded per say -It’s just- if you keep the app open long enough, you’ll end up further into these cities, and a lot of them have windy, twisty roads without any streetlights.  And after a while I get bored and it seems like I’m driving into the country side. Because smaller cities contrast entirely to Minneapolis and St. Paul. So while I’m in a ride, I’ll turn off any requests and start driving back to familiar territory. Sometimes you make more money giving shorter rides anyway.

You are The Universe by Deepak Copra
White Fire by Mooji


Becky Shaw at Gremlin Theatre in St. Paul, MN              

Write one sketch
Watch a few stand-up bits