The Ramblin' Guy Speaks, er, Writes

Earlier this week, I started reading Steve Martin's memoir Born Standing Up which looks at the development, rise, and eventual demise of his stand-up career. It's a relatively short book and amazingly quick reading and also a really fascinating look at how Martin toiled and fretted and crafted a pretty revolutionary stand up persona.

What I find particularly interesting in reading this book is Martin's philosophy of comedy and what he wanted his persona to be. I don't know that I've ever read such a thoughtful analysis of comedy and what makes something funny.

I can vaguely remember Steve Martin the Stand Up from when I was a kid. I remember the arrow through the head and the catchphrases. I had "King Tut" on 45 that I would listen to frequently, particularly after my parents drug me to see the exhibit when it hit Chicago. (I think I was only excited to go BECAUSE of the Steve Martin record). I can remember my mother hating him and saying how stupid she thought he was -- an opinion which makes sense as I read how Martin crafted a comedy that eschewed any sort of punchline and often mined humor from the lack of any discernible comedy. I remember, too, my older brother finding Martin absoluely hilarious, but he was a teenager and perhaps more in tune with the shifting trends in comedy. Perhaps his constant refrain of "Well, excuuuuuuuuuuuse me" had a little something to do with Mom's hatred. (I will say, though, that Mom DOES like Steve Martin the Actor and seems to have forgiven/forgotten her 70s loathing of him) I've heard Martin's comedy albums years after Martin had retired from stand up and can remember sitting on the floor of a friend's apartment laughing until I thought I would pass out from lack of oxygen. I can only imagine what it would have been like to experience them as "new" rather than cool nostalgia to a bunch of Gen-X slackers.

I also really admire this book because Martin isn't afraid to bare his demons and discuss his insecurities and the anxiety attacks that often left him sure that he was about to die and which led him to swear off drugs completely. Steve Martin is an intelligent, sensitive, tortured man -- so much more than the "character" we have come to associate with him.

If you get the chance to check out this book, take it. Even if you're not a performer or a fan of Steve Martin's, it's still a really entertaining and fascinating read.

She's Crafty!

Another guilty pleasure of mine is design shows on HGTV. (Congratulations to Jen for winning season 3 of Design Star. She was my pick from the very beginning. I can't wait to see her show!!) I love watching people far more talented and artistic than myself (which isn't saying much -- artistic I am not!) take things and make them spectacular. After watching many hours of Color Splash and Myles of Style and Junky to Funky (which is actually on DIY) and their brethren, I decided this week to tackle my own project.

I have this old wood side table that I inherited from my grandmother. Once upon a time, it was part of a set of three nesting tables. Over the years, one of the tables broke, one of the tables was "donated" to my theatre department, and the third ended up sitting on the front porch of my old apartment for many years being battered by the elements. Structurally, the table is still in decent shape, but exposure to rain and snow and wind has left it looking pretty icky and in need of some TLC (Tender Loving Craftiness!).

I came up with a plan -- I would paint the table and refinish the top of it with more weather-friendly ceramic tile. (Okay, I'm sort of copying a table I saw in the Pottery Barn catalog, so it's not exactly an "original" design.) Today, I sat outside on my patio and began the project by painting the table with some white interior/exterior paint I found in my garage. I've decided to go with blue ceramic tile along with some lovely painted tiles I found at Lowe's this weekend. (I wish I had the artistic ability to buy cheaper, plain tiles and paint them myself, but alas it's not going to happen). All told, the refurbished table will end up costing me just a little over $20 (closer to $30 if it hadn't been for the "free" paint in the garage) -- a slight savings compared to the nearly $200 table in the Pottery Barn catalog. I'll try to post a picture of the finished project when it's all completed.

Design Star Season 4 -- sign me up!

For Those of You Who Are Fierce, We Salute You

As many of you may know, despite my attempts at culture and pretension, I have many, many guilty pleasures where pop culture is concerned. I personally like to think that I've managed to find a middle ground between high brow and trash. My DVR records both Great Performances and America's Got Talent. That's not to say I don't turn my nose up at things even too trashy for me to find entertainment value in (I'm looking at you, Living Lohan), but I try to not let myself get so mired in high culture that I become, as my sis has accused me of on more than one occasion, snobbier than Frasier and Niles Crane combined. (Oh, what great company, though!)

So it was with great guilty excitement that I stumbled across this first promotional picture for the newest season of America's Next Top Model. I'm sure many of you are thinking to yourself, "Mel watches ANTM? SHOCKING!" Well, I fought Tyra and her Tyra-bots for many, many years until one cold winter afternoon when I was home in bed with a nasty cold and stumbled across a marathon on VH1 and was riveted. This is camp entertainment at its very finest. Drag queens and delusional ex-supermodels and delicious British photographers and girls crying at the drop of a hat AND Janice Dickinson? Who could resist??? I hid my ANTM viewing for quite some time, watching marathons in secret, going to "work" in my bedroom on Wednesday nights to catch the newest episodes. I finally came clean a few cycles ago (the CariDee cycle, for those of you who know ANTM) when my sis caught me in the act of not only watching an episode of ANTM but CRYING while watching an episode of ANTM. She scolded, she mocked, she roared with laughter . . . and then she sat down on the end of the bed and got sucked right in. Bwahahahahahahahahaha!! Both of us are now thoroughly and unabashedly hooked. We watch, we mock, we place bets on winners, and we cry every damn season when the new winner is announced. You shoulda seen the tears when "fattie" Whitney won last season. Our addiction is so serious that when I was at Wal-Mart, I called my sis screaming with tears of joy to tell her that Whitney's CoverGirl ad was on display.

So the new season will be starting shortly. Who will be this season's bitch (ala cycle 9's loathed Bianca who was recently arrested for getting into an airport brawl with Hairspray's Nikki Blonski)? What will the pressure be like on this season's token plus-size girl now that one of them has won the crown? Who will have the sob story that will keep us on the edge of our seat? Who will be the early favorite who will be sent home shockingly early (ala last cycle's Claire)? Only time will tell. But I will most definitely be there watching the debut -- about 30 minutes late so I can fast forward through the commercials courtesy of DVR.

For those of you who share my ANTM love (and you don't have to admit it), be sure to check out fourfour each Monday during the season. Rich writes the hand's down funniest recaps of ANTM EVER. I can only dream of being as clever and witty as Rich.

My New Enemy

Meet my new arch nemesis -- crabgrass.

Today's project du jour was to go out and try to attack the weeds that are sprouting around the perimeter of my crop circle. Some of you may remember that when I moved into my house, I "inherited" a large, empty, circular patch in my backyard where there had clearly once been a swimming pool. (A fact confirmed by my friend Harriet who frequently reminds me that the people who lived here before had a pool -- with the not-so-subtle question being why I don't have a pool. Also, I found an empty pool box in my shed.) Earlier this summer, I pulled all the weeds from the middle of the crop circle and put down a seed blanket which promised a lovely array of wildflowers. Right now, all I have are some sprouts. (I fear I planted too late to get any blossoms.) Around the perimeter of the sprout area, though, I have noticed weeds growing and starting to creep into the sprout area. So today, I went out to get rid of them.

Have you ever tried to get rid of crabgrass? That shit is nearly impossible! It's long and the roots go so deep and get so tangled up in each other. In short, it was a borderline nightmare! I managed to put enough away from the edges to protect my sprouts, but I have a feeling it could be a continuing battle. I've done some research online as to how to get rid of crabgrass, and it's not particularly encouraging.

Any suggestions?

A Saturday at the Market

Here's something I love about Saturday's: the Farmers' Market.

Here in the 'Burg, there's a downtown parking lot that gets closed down each Saturday from 9:00 to Noon and opens up to local farmers vending their goods. You can walk in with $20 in your pocket and walk out with bags full of sweet corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh herbs, potatoes, peaches, and more. Today, I even managed to score some amazing looking portabella mushrooms that I can't wait to grill (using the fresh oregano I purchased from a neighboring vendor). I always bring my own totes and just load up with whatever delicious goodies catch my eye. I love the old-fashioned air of the farmers' market and the idea that I'm purchasing stuff that was maybe in the ground just a day or two ago and will be in my tummy very shortly.

The other thing about the farmer's market is that it is impossible to walk through there and not run into a good half dozen people that you know. Today alone I ran into former professors, a co-worker, an acquaintance from high school, a couple people from church (who of course chastised me for not having stepped foot in church in ages. Hey, church conflicts with Meet the Press, and it is an election year, baby!!). It really enforces the sense of community that is one of the things I like best about living where I do.

As as added bonus, a nearby cooking supply store was having a sidewalk sale today, and I was able to buy three adorable new coffee mugs for $10. I had just been complaining how I needed some new coffee mugs, preferably some smaller ones than the ones I currently have, and these are perfect -- smaller and funky at the same time.

The Top 10

My best friend Danielle has started a topic over on her awesome blog Mission Improvisational where she discusses her top ten favorite films and encourages readers to list their favorites. I listed mine there with the promise of discussing each film a little more in depth over here. (Way to get more readers on the old blog, eh? I'm dying to reach 200 hits!)

So . . . without any further ado-whack-ado, here's my top 10 list:

1. Tootsie -- It's only been recently that I've come to realize how much I LOVE this movie. It's such a great cast and absolutely hilarious in that "real" sort of way. Of course, my love for Tootsie has sort of ruined my sis's enjoyment of The Closer when the other night I turned to her and said, "Don't you just feel sometimes like Kyra Sedgewick is just doing her best Dorothy Michaels impersonation?"

2. Some Like It Hot -- Confession time. One of my biggest all-time celebrity crushes is on Jack Lemmon. I absolutely adore him. He can seriously do anything -- comedy, drama, farce. It doesn't matter. I "forced" myself to choose just one Jack Lemmon film for this list (even though I had a hard time choosing between this, The Great Race, and The Apartment). I ultimately chose this if only for the sheer comic genius of Jack in drag. Hmmmm . . . my top two films involve men in drag. I wonder what that says about me. (I think we already know *cough* hag *cough*)

3. When Harry Met Sally -- Confession time part deux. I am a sucker for a good romantic comedy. I laugh in all the right places, cry in all the right places, and I'm sure a lot of you will notice the abundance of rom-coms on my list. As you can also see, I tend to gravitate towards the older ones back when men were men and women were broads. (I kid!) When Harry Met Sally, though, has always been the "one" for me. Perhaps it is because I've always sort of identified with Sally Allbright -- the uptight chick who thinks she's low maintenance but is really high maintenance. I remember when I first saw the movie being shocked to see someone on screen who had some of the same quirks I did -- the ordering thing, the checking the mail slot between each letter thing. It was a little odd. And the final scene where Harry declares his love for Sally makes me cry every single time. This is also the movie that introduced me to the music of Harry Connick, Jr. I loved the music so much when I saw this that I went right to Musicland and bought the soundtrack that same day. It still has a spot in my permanent CD rotation.

4. The Philadelphia Story -- Kate, Cary, and Jimmy. Who could resist? My favorite character, though, has always been precocious little sister Dinah. That kid is a riot!

5. Gone With the Wind -- I'd second everything Danielle says about this film in her blog. It is probably the greatest film ever made (Sorry, Citizen Kane). It's a sweeping, beautiful epic. Whenever I used to feel blue, I used to put this movie in and just sit and cry for a good 3 hours. No matter how bad I thought things were, seeing Scarlett deal with war and broken hearts always made me feel better and inspired to face another day. And when you factor in all the drama that went into even making this movie happen (see the play Moonlight and Magnolias), it makes this masterpiece even more gorgeous and inspiring.

6. Almost Famous -- The most recent film on my list, which is sort of sad, isn't it? I remember when I saw this movie, I was just so moved. It came out at a time when I was heavily into Phish and traveling all over the country to see them live, so this portrayal of how vital music could be in a person's life just touched me deeply. I remember just sobbing during the "Tiny Dancer" scene where Patrick Fugit's character says he has to go home, and Kate Hudson (WHO WAS ROBBED OF HER OSCAR) just turns to him and says, "You are home." Those of us out there who had done even a portion of Phish tour know that feeling, I think.

7. Romancing the Stone -- This was my absolute favorite movie in high school and remains on the list out of loyalty and nostalgia. I think within the course of about a year, I saw this movie over 20 times thanks to HBO and videotape. I could recite the entire movie by heart. Kathleen Turner was my idol (and kinda still is, especially after seeing her amazing performance on stage in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?). I loved then (and still do) how this movie is such a brilliant mash-up of romantic comedy and action adventure film. It is flat out awesome -- even with the presence of the alligator biting the dude's hand off, a scene I've never seen without the filter of my fingers in front of my eyes.

8. Waiting for Guffman -- Spinal Tap is great, but I think this tale of community theatre gone desperately delusional is Christopher Guest's finest hour. As someone who has toiled in community theatre, I've seen these people up close and personal, and Guest really didn't even scratch the surface!

9. His Girl Friday -- This movie is sheer perfection and the perfect example for anyone looking for pitch perfect comic timing. I've made kids on my speech team watch this to help with their pacing.

10. Singin' in the Rain -- I had to have a musical, and I went with this one. Despite the fact that the dream sequence in the third act really kills the momentum of the story, there's no denying Gene Kelly's brilliance as a dancer. When I was in college, my roommate and I would frequently put this movie on when finals stress was getting the best of us, fast forward to Donald O'Connor's "Make 'Em Laugh" number, and just laugh our stress away before returning to our books and outlines and papers. That look on Gene Kelly's face when he looks up and smiles as the rain hits his face gives me goosebumps every single time.

Hail to Alma Mater!

Knox College, my alma mater, was recently named by the Princeton Review as one of the top colleges in the midwest. The Review's ranking also looks at a variety of aspect of student life at a college, and Knox ended up ranked 9th overall for its radio station, WVKC; 16th in the percentage of students happy with their financial aid; and the theatre department was ranked 17th overall (one above Carnegie Mellon -- and NYU and Northwestern aren't even in the top 20 list).

WOW!

It's one thing to know you went to a good school; it's entirely another to see it in print. I know, I know -- whoop-de-doo. But Knox has always felt like this "secret" -- this great school that no one has ever heard of if you travel much beyond Illinois. I'm sure that people who went to Harvard or Yale or Stanford are all jaded about how great their schools are, but when a little school like Knox gets some recognition, it's a big deal.

My years at Knox were a pretty incredible time. I made a lot of friends who have been with me through thick and thin, who have cheered for my victories and held my hand through defeat and sorrow. I truly cherish the years I spent at Knox, whether it was the hours spent dj'ing my own show on WVKC, working in the theatre until the sun came up, sitting around and talking about whatever came to mind, or even the hours I spent in the library (pictured here).

So thank you, Princeton Review, for recognizing a place that is and always will be an integral piece of my heart.