The Artist’s Way

artistsway

 I am in Week 5 of the Artist’s Way which is a creative self help book, an artistic creative recovery of sorts. I have been diligently following the work book (I am proud of myself for that) but as of now it just doesn’t feel like it’s working. I have 7 more weeks to go.

 

Slump

imgres
I am in a comedy slump. I am fortunate to have Solas and I should use the opportunity to perform as much as I want, but instead I do 12-18 minutes.  Shouldn’t I be doing 30 or 45 minutes? That is how you one gets better by doing. The past two nights I was out in Manhattan and instead of “hanging out” or doing a mic I chose to go home and watch tv. This is very out of character, but I am just not feeling it.

 

5 Sets in One Night

3D ZAHL 5

I did 5 sets in one night and I was neither inspired or excited, in fact I was bored. This seems like the wrong feeling since as comedians  we are constantly looking for more stage time and more opportunities. Finally I was given that stage time and I didn’t even appreciate it. I think it means I need new material.

California We Out, Los Angeles

no-babiesOur last stop was LA. We stayed with a good friend of mine which was super fun. Highlights included making ceviche, going to a waterpark, and no babies. The shows were very hit or miss which was rather disappointing. It’s tough in town when you don’t know which is the “good show” to head to first when they are both at the same time. Seeing friends = excellent. Comedy scene = so so. I will be more strategic next time. I wasn’t too excited to come home to NYC, but now that I am back I’m cool with it.

California Here We Are, Big Sur & Hearst Castle

An official two nights off from comedy! Think beautiful mountain and ocean views, visiting a mountaintop mansion and relaxing. I wasn’t driving which was a win win for us all, meaning myself and the other cars on the road. We used Airbnb which was excellent in Cambria, (near the Hearst castle) and so-so in Santa Barbara, but Santa Barbara rocks. If I ever have an opportunity that takes me to LA, Santa Barbara will be my hot spot.url

California Here We Are, San Fran

punchline

In San Francisco we had one night where we ran to three shows in downtown San Fran, Haight Street, & Oakland. It was an exciting night. The shows got progressively better, but it was fun show hopping. The Punchline, the major comedy club in San Fran has Sunday nights where lots of local comics can perform. It is a nice opportunity. It’s kind of like late night except up and comers get up during the regular show, not after the show. A slew of comics hang out there in the hopes of getting up. So it’s an opportunity to get stage time as well as hang out. In San Fran, we stayed with friends who had a 12 month old (and a three large dogs). We also hung out with my friend who has a 2 and a half year old so we were catching the life cycle in hyper fast mode.

California Here We Are, Lake Tahoe

lake tahoe carousel2Since this was a working vacation we had a few nights off. The original purpose of the trip was to go to a friend’s wedding in Lake Tahoe. The wedding was all it was cracked up to be. We took a chairlift to the top of the mountain which was fun, pretty and well a rather novel idea! In Jewish weddings the bride traditionally circles around the groom seven times. Since the couple was egalitarian they circled around each other 3.5 times. The guy who officiated was so good he could have been a stand-up comedian. I was asked to MC the reception which pretty much meant I got on the microphone introduced the guests giving toasts, and well that’s it. I made a few zingers after all I was given the mic so what do you expect? There was no stand-up comedy during this weekend and I was happy about it!

California Here We Go, Sacramento

Screen Shot 2015-08-11 at 12.53.30 PM
I just came back from a two week adventure to California. At first I wasn’t excited to leave New York, but I felt optimistic about the vacation. First stop was Sacramento where I stayed, ok we stayed, (I was with my boyfriend the whole time) with friends. Somehow, it feels wrong to write “I” instead of “we”, since his presence was a seminal part of the trip. Oy, I have become that person who uses we instead of I. Well let’s just hope I don’t drop the line “my boyfriend, my boyfriend” every chance I can get. Yeesh. Our host had a 6 month old baby and hanging with babies became a throughline for the trip. We did non comedy related activities such as a wine tasting, going to the California State Fair, and a highlight was picking grapefruits and rosemary from our host’s garden! Sacramento was a surprisingly enjoyable time. We checked out the comedy scene which was also surprisingly fun. I raced around town and did a club spot at Laughs Unlimited which was a hit! It felt nice to do well in a club. Then drove, yes drove, to an independent show in a black box theater that had a cool vibe to it. We were only in town for 2 nights which was perfect. Sacramento was a hit.