So Much to Talk About, So Little to Say.  I haven't posted in a long time for several reasons.  As part of my comedy writing exercises, I've been journaling every morning even before I get out of bed, so many of the therapeutic benefits I previously got from the blog have transferred to the journaling. In trying to come up with material for the comedy act, I have been forced to look inside myself for issues, quirks and things that bug me.  This has brought up waaay more emotional stuff than I ever expected, and just acknowledging some of this stuff is very difficult.   Then, after acknowledging it, I have to think of something funny about it. Don't kid yourself, comedy is hard! I think I'm coming up with some decent stuff, though, and while it isn't gushing out of me like a fountain, I'm coming up with one or two decent ideas a day.  I am slowly organizing and cataloging it, and hope to be able to run some stuff by friends in a day or two.  I also have been dealing with another relationship disaster which is almost an exact repeat of something that went on two months ago.  Again, I failed to follow my true desires, let my ego do too much of my thinking, assumed way too much, and basically made a botch of things again.  This time I think I got the lesson, or at least some of it.  I am AGAIN refocusing, really making an effort to let go of some things that I mistakenly thought I had already let go, and vowing this: to only invest emotional energy in those things and desires that truly make me happy and fulfilled.   
 
Social Notes.  Some of the entertaining things I've done lately:
Saturday night at Elena Gallegos Open Space. This was about two weeks ago, and sounds about as fun as a root canal, but turned into a remarkably pleasant evening. The singles group went up there to have a light picnic dinner, and afterwards we listened to a great woodwind quintet called the Worldwind Quintet.  They played a lot of offbeat pieces and were quite fun and informal.  Afterwards, we had a very pleasant walk out to the wildlife viewing area.  Something tells me that this whole area isn't as well known as it should be.  Very beautiful and relaxing out there. 
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.  It ain't high art, but it is one of the silliest and funniest movies I've seen in an awfully long time.  This often surreal, sometimes Monty Python like goof-fest is a pure joy.  It captures a by-gone era of TV news anyone over 40 is familiar with, and features Will Ferrell's break out performance.  A classic lovable moron if ever there was one.  Great cameos from the likes of Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Vince Vaughan, Tim Robbins, and Fred Willard. Very funny and highly recommended.
Big Fish. Finally saw this on DVD and enjoyed it immensely.  This tale of a man trying to mend a strained relationship with his story telling father is touching, funny, often surreal and sometimes just weird, but certainly different.  It's probably Tim Burton's most normal movie, but that doesn't mean it actually is normal. Recommended for those looking for something unusual.  Also, this might hold the record for number of British actors doing Southern dialects, but that's okay.
The Santa Fe Opera: Agrippina.  I cleaned up real good last Saturday, put on a tie and went with a group of friends from church to see this obscure Handel opera.  Haven't been to the opera in over ten years, so I was really looking forward to this.  We did the whole thing, the fancy tailgating dinner complete with tablecloths, flowers in vases, plenty of wine, and the works. About an hour before the opera, the clouds came up and the rains started, slowly.  By showtime, the thunder in the distance was spectacular (the opera is covered, but open air on the sides). It got very cold and Sue and I were glad we brought a blanket.  The opera itself was a delightful comic opera, with the usual slamming doors, conniving and plot twists and turns.  It was set in Roman times and dealt with Agrippina's attempts to place her son Nero on the Roman throne. Oddly, the costumes were a bizarre mix of time periods and the set design was innovative, but minimal.  The singing, performances, music, plot and comedy were all fantastic and though the middle act dragged a bit, it was a wonderful experience. We finally made it back to Albuquerque at 2:00 am.  I did all this on only about 3 hours sleep this previous evening. I was actually in a good mood the next day too!Thanks Sheryl, for organizing all this. 
Friends, planes, and rain. I went to pick Sue up from the airport last Friday, and man, did I get an adventure. Sue was coming back from doing her research in Venezuela, and I was supposed to get her at 5:40 pm.  I thought "no big, deal I'll leave at 5:00, allowing for extra heavy rush hour traffic, should get there right on time." Wrongo, monkey boy. It rained heavily at about 4:30, but usually the rain evaporates almost immediately around here. Not this time. Heavy rains shut down the railroad at Broadway, so I went down 2nd street to Gibson.  Rains had washed away a lot of the construction on Gibson, and caused mud and potholes.  Gibson was closed from about the freeway to Yale. So, I backtracked to Cesar Chavez, and decided to go up Yale to the airport. So did everyone else in town.  It took me 30 minutes to get from Cesar Chavez to Gibson!  By this time it was 6:20!  An hour and 20 minutes to get to the airport.  I figured by this time, Sue had taken a taxi home.  Luckily, I walked in the baggage claim area, and there she was waiting at the carousel.  We went to eat some Mexican food, she filled me in on her trip and I vented about my personal relationship problems.  She helped me to process the situation, and I felt much better. Thanks Sue, for being a great friend.