Wednesday, January 30, 2008

shit's gettin' real, mothafuckas.

hi blog. someone told me they thought my blog was funny last night, and since someone else told me about chris gethard's weekly series of stories he's been posting, i've been all bloggy this morning. i am working on some ideas for something more creative to put in this blog, not just alternating between long-winded exposition on my daily exploits and the occasional humorous aside when i am bothered to think of one.

i am now in the midst of the THIRD cold i have had since xmas. third. that is unacceptable. each one's been a different kind of cold too, which probably means they are all technically different diseases, but frankly i don't give a fuck. they all suck wicked hard. i haven't been incapacitated by any of them, and bad data's had a nice lull in performances so i am not trying to perform all dizzy or whacked out, but it's frustrating since i generally take care of myself. i don't smoke, i rarely drink, and if i do it's never to excess, and i generally sleep at least 6 hours a night, which is pretty good, for me. (i do not ever voluntarily go to bed early. ever. i loathe waking up, even when well-rested, so i guess i try to put it off as long as possible. or something else equally self-sabotaging.) anyway, i've been fucking good and my body repays me by feeling a low-grade shittiness most of the time? wtf? i just want it to be spring already. boooo. i've been saying 'boo' a lot lately. it's fun.

other things: i actually got asked to audition for the thing i was putting together an actor's resume for, so that was both quite surprising and pretty cool; i was being unacceptably negative abou the whole thing, but i couldn't help it. i fucking hated everything about what i submitted, but i did it anyway so i am proud of myself, i guess. and a little ashamed.
i tried to be fucking cool as shit at the audition, and mostly failed, but whatever. i think the audition was fine, and i didn't look as nervous as i felt, but i would have liked my effort to have been a credit to my abilities, and not just 'okay'. i would have loved to have nailed it, you know?

however, i loved seeing a bunch of great people and friends hanging out beforehand, even though most of us were equally nervous, it was really fucking great to let off steam and just bullshit around. none of us were being assholes or cutting anyone down or fucking with people so that they'd be more nervous. it was supportive and fun and hilarious. love. it.

unfortunately, i was nervous ALL day before it, and then i proceeded to like OD on adrenaline for the rest of the day after it. douglas adams has a great passage about adrenaline hanging around in your body and going sour, and i was repeating it in my head like a mantra. and an hour of improv rehearsal immediately following it was not enough to stop me freaking out. and our rehearsal was kind of tough. we could NOT stop making the same mistakes over and over again. i hate that.

in conclusion, i have a huge and unacceptably creepy crush on carter beauford, who is a genius. there are many reasons i will never denounce my love for the dave matthews band, but the #1 reason is probably the awe and satisfaction i derive from his motherfuckin polyrhythymic bad-assery.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

books i want to read

and won't buy for full price because i am a cheap bastard.

the name of the rose by umberto eco
fragile things by neil gaiman (still in hardcover)
making money by terry pratchett (hardcover, yo)
anything by bill bryson
any social science or sociology book i've been recommended
any trendy fiction printed in the $12-$14 large format size

the watchmen
from hell
any other graphic novel i have been continually told to read

what else should i attempt to find for cheap at the strand youse guys? give me ideas!

Friday, January 18, 2008

lazy friday

i am trying hard to focus today. however, it's been a very long week. i started feeling absolutely awful about halfway through monday, and then proceeded to get yet ANOTHER cold. that's at least three this winter, wtf. i haven't slept well all week as a result, and have been very very tired the rest of the time. wednesday night i ate something my body hated and so i felt awful all day thursday. additionally, it's been a very busy, stressful week at work. i have a lot of work on my end, and my boss kept giving more projects and riding my ass about them because she was ALSO incredibly stressed. not a fun combination. yesterday was the worst, a real perfect storm of having a very achy cold, my stomach being in knots all day and not really having time to recharge. i didn't even get to go out and buy lunch to treat myself because she asked me to sit in the office and wait for her boss to come down to a meeting... and guess what she never came down. blah.

but today is much better! the boss is out of the office, i have had very little to do so far, and have little motivation to finish the one small project on my plate for this afternoon. i also got a croissant and iced caramel macchiato this morning, so that helps too. as does listening to my ipod.

it's been a good improv week though. harold night was fun, if one of the lowest energy crowds i have ever seen there. it was bizarre. bastian really pulled out an awesome show, it was a lot of fun. i have really enjoyed watching them gel over the past year, they are a really smart and supportive team. fwand had a great show too. chelsea had probably the moment of the whole night with her 'but daddy, the merpeople are good!' line. so perfect.

on wednesday, bad data found out that we have been tentatively scheduled for cagematch 2008. right now our date is in may, so we have time to really fucking work on some shit and get better as a team. i am really excited to perform at UCB with my team. i have been fortunate enough to have performed in front of big audiences at that historic basement of gristedes a bunch (for a n00b), but it will be REALLY cool to do it wif ma teammates. i have performed on that stage with jess and brett in class shows i guess, but not since like last march or some shit. but yeah, i will blog the shit out of that when the time comes, don't you worry.

last night was the cagematch 2007 (not 2008, captain) finals and c, c, + c improv factory won! they really fucking rock that monoscene shit, yo. reuben williams put on an amazing show as well though. i really love that team an embarrassing amount. joe's mimed threatening of anthony had me in tears. the place was PACKED, despite it being miserable and wet out, i almost didn't get in. fortunately i huddled in with the a huge pack of thank you, robots, stamp and coin clubbers, fat penguins and bad data and we got decent seats, even though i got pretty soaked.

this weekend should be fun; hitting up the under st. mark's show at 10:30, then maybe going out if people are up for it. saturday night is sherpa's anniversary show, which i am missing :( mark mcadam, musician and awesome guy extraordinaire, is doing a coney island swandive set at the parkside, so i will be there for that to rock my shit out. it will be hot. then i will be heading up to hop devil or where ever the fuck chris 'hobbes' d'ambroso has been dragged for his birthday. should be a fun time, i hope it's not too cold. and i get monday off! awesome!

<3 katey

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

tom cruise is a nutball

and i hope no one is shocked. in case you haven't heard, an indoctrination video from an upper level of the scientological echelon was leaked onto the internet yesterday. tom cruise laughs maniacally, and talks nonsense for 10 minutes. i do that too, but i don't try to make anyone pay me to tell them more of it*. see gawker for the video, i guess it's still exclusive.

anyway, i was perusing a forum thread on the video, and someone posted this question:


This is just a jumble of bad metaphors. What questions could possibly lead to
answers like this.


well, mr. internet sir or madam, i just happen to have those questions right here:

1) why banana pant a cymbal! thousand finger clam bake. stew a fantastic awesome sauce? FOIL! FOIL!! FOIL!!!!

2) how can i get in tight with the heaviest power players in hollywood without changing my name to silversteinbergman?

it really is that simple. scientology is bat shit crazy, but it's also a tool for suave players in hollywood. and an insidious one. scientology bothers me more than other 'religions' because it's really just a cult. the methods they use are the same techniques used to break down personalities in the >insert cult here<>insert cult here< size="1">* well i guess that's not strictly true, but i don't ask that anyone believes the shite i spout onstage.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

introspection is for SUCKAS

and i am a huge sucker. i realized today that it is my half-birthday. in 6 months' time, i will be 25. yikes. big number. quarter life crisis and all that. i don't feel like a particularly successful adult, in terms of adult things like bills and shit. i try to remind myself that i live in manhattan on my own, financially, and i am almost always actively pursuing my passion in life, but mostly that doesn't work and i get into an awkward one-person dialogue that i have to quiet by playing an unhealthy amound of ipod solitaire.

and writing overly complex sentences, stephen king would be so mad!

anyway, i am feeling somewhat introspective with 25 creeping up on me, plus i have an achy-cold (which i am pretty sure is technically influenza), plus i am trying my darndest to write an acting resume. i have weird issues with wanting to both be percieved as a competent performer and not wanting to be another actor doing stand up. also, i am fucking weird. i don't know, i have no illusions about how bad the resume is, i am just trying to push myself to get out there and do more. but i hate it so much! dragging my feet against my own better interests (i want to say 'angels', but this isn't west wing, and angels can suck it!) is so stupid, and yet something i do almost constantly.

i think this evening calls for some serious caramel macchiato and reading/writing action.

after i go to fedex/kinkos :\

Monday, January 14, 2008

for shame!

i need new sneakers.

i don't think they will be ruby this time... sad face. i've been all around shoe places in the city and i haven't seen them anywhere. they have the 'cordovan rose' ones online, but they are 5 dollars more on zappos, and i really am trying to save money :\

SOCK OH KNEE 4 LYFE.

bad blogger, i am one

hello, internets. i have been pretty bad at updating this since august. ugh. a bunch of stuff did happen in that next month... and in the months following. my not-entirely-successful excuse follows.

in early august, i got an interview through a connection from a friend of mine for a new, REAL job. one that required actual professional work, and not just sitting at a computer answering the phones like a little bitch. which i ended up getting offered and subsquently accepting. i really like it alot, despite it requiring actual work which consumes my thoughts and energy, and paying a little bit less than my old bullshit job. it feels goo to do something where i am gaining tangible career skills. i have mixed feelings about devoting energy to NOT-comedy, but i feel good about it most of the time. my parents are very supportive of my performance dreams, but sometimes i feel like a crappy adult, and at least this job gives me a tangible, non-comedy angle from which to view my life and future.

basically, as a result, i have had significantly less time to fuck around on the internet... yet i somehow manage to keep with various forums... unfortunately, forums are easier to keep track of and make a quick comment on than trying to consistently work on well crafted (or not) blog entry, while at the same time being generally less constructive.

also, improv totally and completely ate my life. RECAP MOTHA UCKAS!
my improv practice group became an improv PERFORMING team! and promptly afterwards we had two people decide they couldn't devote the time to a performing team, then a line up addition, and then a few weeks after that, a line-up detraction. however, we've a hit a great stride with the 6 members in the group: kim ferguson, patrick clair, jess wyant, brett white, melanie hamlett and myself. we are known as 'Bad Data', and have been performing regularly mostly around the independent (non-theatre) nyc circuit since september. we've had good shows, and a couple great shows, and fair few shitty ass shows. the good and the bad (and the very good and the very bad) seem to even out though. if we were to chart the quality of our shows, and eliminate the exceptional outliers, i would still say we are pretty good, and getting better. brett actually informed me that our show last night was actually our 18th show. not bad for a buncha n00bs, huh? we even applied to be a cagematch team this year! fancy!

additionally, i finished level 301 with the amazing Joe Wengert and enrolled and completed level 401 with the infamous Charlie Todd. i am set to start 501 with insert adjective here Anthony King in february, cause apparently i just can't get enough reuben williams in my life. i don't know why i said it like that, it's true. RW 4 lyfe, amirite? 301 ended well, although our class show was not nearly as fun as the class as a whole had been. i wasn't too pleased with my scenes, but i made some good moves in the show over all that i liked... the show never really came together though. 401 was tough at first, i was pretty overwhelmed being a class with 15 other loud and agressive players. i had gotten really used to my little 6 person team, and being one of the more aggressive players there. however, it really smoothed out after the 3rd week. i started being more proactive when i felt overwhelmed, and taking the notes i was given and HAVING FUN. we did a 4 minute harold structure that really pushed us into having as much stripped down, fun game play as possible and it was AWESOME. really drove home that improv is supposed to be fun, and i vowed to always 'play' and have fun on stage. and both class shows were both a blast as well, especially the last show where the great cory brown pimped me into being a retarded elf, which i had already stared playing like a 30's mobster. it was obviously awesome. i even got to use the line 'i don't have the mental capacity think that i'm drowin!' onstage. funk yeah.

in the midst of 401, i happened to be selected to be on one of the 3 on 3 wild card teams. my teammates were the bombastic ari scott; musician, photographer and improvisor extraordinare, and the joyous josh, one of my 401 classmates! it was thrilling to say the least. we warmed up back stage, and decided to use our 7 minute slot to do a monoscene, which is just one long scene, with generally the same characters and location throughout. it was a pretty bold choice, considering i was the only one of the three of us who had ever done it before onstage. however, i must say we ROCKED it. performing to a packed house at the UCB theatre, and hearing a real roar of laughter at you or your teammate's move is a sensation that i won't ever forget. as the pugilistic ben schwartz wisely told me 'yeah, you're going to chase that.' and he's right. our show was a fucking BLAST, and i was really proud of what we had done. the most notable highlight was probably josh pulling out an actual douchebag after i had been calling him a douchebag the whole show, and demand stridently that we look at an actual douche bag. to which ari and i both nonchanantly acknowledged before discussing the danger of douching and the ph-balance affects of the process on the lady parts. it was really fun. we were one of 4 teams that night to move to the semi-finals on the saturday after thanksgiving. we were up against some huge names that night, and while our show wasn't as good as our first show, we still pulled it out and had fun and ended well. we didn't move to the finals, which were later that night, but that's okay, it was a really fun night. i felt proud that we were the only wildcard team to advance to the semi-finals that had no UCB harold team people on it, and, in fact, one of the few teams in the tournament that wasn't comprised partly or wholly of ucb or other theatre's house team members. again, not bad for a bunch of n00bs.

bad data also started hosting a free monthly show with two other groups, L, D & the scientist and 'thank you, robot'. it was the gossip-mongering ben whitehouse's (http://www.improvoker.com/) idea back before we even started performing, because the three of us have nerdy team names, so the show is called SYSTEM ERROR (binary optional). it's really a lot of fun. we switch off hosting and producing duties (not true, but in theory someone else will book one someday), with two hosting teams and one guest team. we've worked hard to give the show a relaxed, fun vibe, which i love. i've done a lot of event and show production, and a professional yet relaxed vibe is something i try hard to maintain. plus we all perform better in that environment.

so that about wraps it up for improv + my life. one of my few resolutions this year is to not neglect my writing and stand up, which i definitely had been in the last quarter of 2007. i love stand up a lot, i just need to work harder at it, and push myself more. however, late one night at some bar, the interminable will hines and i were discussing comedy (shock) and comparing stand up and improv, and he said something to the effect of 'stand up is better for your career [sic], but improv is much better for your personality', which is a sentiment with which i whole-heartedly agree! har har har, more brandy for the gentleman! and more moustache wax, on the double!

non-comedy news: the formidable takacs, my old roommate and one of my best friends from college moved out to chicago to get his ph D and be smart for a living. i am really excited for him, and i miss him. we had a lot of excellently retarded conversations in our east harlem pad. if you don't have someone in your life who can and will take any silly conversation or comedy show to it's intellectual extreme with little to no provocation... well, i highly recommend you find someone like that, because it's great. fortunately he came to nyc for xmas ans new years, so we were able to hang out and catch up. i see other hamilton people a lot less with him not around, which is too bad, but i am trying to be better about it.

but that means i got a new roommate! the incredible, edible tay moved here from kansas. he's a former arena football player and looks it. for 2 months, he was looking for a job, but finally he found a job working the door and merch for the new bowery venue, terminal 5. that led to him PA-ing on a couple music videos, and now working full-time on the production staff for a full-length feature. he has loooong hours, and only has one day off a week. it's quite the difference, he used to be home all the time and now i am lucky if i see him twice a week. tay's pretty great, and is a big comedy and music fan, which, of course, we discuss ad naseum. it's pretty fun.

2008:
i am going to try to push myself to 1) be more frugal (i've alread cut WAY back on starbucks starting in august; two lattes during the week and one each on sat and sunday), 2) write a lot more. i am working on some sketch shows write now, and i am trying to get back into the swing of writing intelligently on a semi-regular basis. 3) date. i actually dated a teeny bit in 2007, so maybe i might actually become a somewhat normal adult in say, 2-3 years. i am still not totally sure if all that relationship stuff is for me, but i might as well try, right? 4) be nicer and more positive. also, somewhat counter-intuitively, be more direct about stuff that bothers me. i have been 1-1 for this year. i almost got into a bar fight because i felt the need to explain to some barwhore exactly how rude she had been to a friend of mine, but i also didn't stick up for myself when i was being treated without respect (to be as obfuscatory as possible). so i am going to work on that.