You see that one? You see that utter and complete failure personified right there?

That represents my roll to keep this blog updated more often. Wow. Talk about critical failures. I haven’t updated in over two months. It’s certainly not that there hasn’t been stuff to write about, I just…I don’t know what. No inspiration? Lack of energy? Total eclipse of the heart?

Turn around, bright eyes.

Anyway, I thought I’d make some kind of lame effort to put content out here this morning as I’m up particularly early thanks to an overwhelming need to urinate and a gnawing hunger in my belly. Yes, you totally needed to know that.

Gen Con

The photo above was taken at Gen Con two weeks ago. Alex and I were there for what has become somewhat of an annual ritual for us, and we had an absolutely fantastic time. I cannot express how much it means to me that he at least has some kind of interest in gaming. Is he the hard core gamer nerd that I was at his age? Not by any means. In fact, he goes…outside…and shit. What’s up with that? Oh, and get this…he has a girlfriend! Feh. When I was his age I was much more interested in Spider-Man, the Transformers, and taking an Expedition to the Barrier Peaks. Yeah, definitely not the socially awkward “basement dweller” I was at his age (which is, quite frankly, a Very Good Thing), but he still seems to enjoy gaming and (more importantly) doing so with me.

Unfortunately we already know that we’re not going to be able to go again next year. I’ve been cast in The Taming of the Shrew, and the show will be running right over Gen Con next year. This bums me out, but hey…there’s always Origins.

Anyway, Gen Con was four days of non-stop laughs, smiles, and overall good times. We saw friends we haven’t seen in a while, we ate lots of good food, we got to meet Wil Mother Fucking Wheaton, and we got second place in the NASCRAG tournament.

Side note – I realize that meeting Wil Wheaton may not seem like such a big deal to those of you who aren’t huge nerds like me. If you aren’t aware of him as anything outside of “that kid I hated on Star Trek: The Next Generation” or maybe even “the one that got the leech on his testicles in Stand By Me”, Wil has gone on to become quite the prolific blogger and all around internet darling. He’s written several books, and he’s still acting as well. He talks about things that matter to me – Things like gaming, acting, and being a family man. He’s the reason I started recording The Cast In Order of Appearance (yeah, I know…I’m way overdue to update THAT as well), and his love for acting and his stories about his experiences doing so really strikes a chord with me. All that, and he’s just a damned nice guy. Getting to meet him, offer him the Iron Guard Salute, tell him about ShrinkGeek, and thank him for being an inspiration was definitely one of the higher points of the weekend.

I will miss not going to Gen Con next year, and I will miss it keenly. I have already warned David that I am likely to be incredibly mopey that entire weekend. Gen Con is much more to me than just “the best four days in gaming.” That said, I’ve also never had the opportunity to actually perform Shakespeare before, so accepting the role in Shrew was pretty much a no-brainer.

Acting

Right before we left for Gen Con Alex and I went to the Tampa Unified Auditions. Again I have to point out how awesome it is to have a kid who is interested in some of the things that I am, like acting. Hell, a week from now he’ll be attending the same arts high school I graduated from twenty years ago (with some of the same teachers!). It was an exhilarating experience. I haven’t actually gotten up in front of a group to do your typical “two monologue” audition in a very, very long time. I’ve been a member of the Jobsite Ensemble since it was created and, as such, I don’t have to attend their general auditions – they just call me for specific shows they want to see me in. That’s one of the reasons I felt it was important to get out there and audition for other companies. Do not get me wrong, folks. I love Jobsite, and I am immensely proud of the fact that I’m part of that group, but I realize that I’m kind of limiting my opportunities by not going out for roles outside of that group. I mean, there are only so many parts available in a six show season (and, regardless of what my ego may want to believe, there are other actors who are better suited to certain roles). After the general audition I had five companies who were interested in getting a copy of my resume, and Alex had one (unfortunately for him, there just aren’t a lot of roles for 14 year old actors). I’ve already been to one call back, and I have another one with a different company this upcoming Saturday. Even if I don’t end up getting cast in anything I think it is going to be good for me to get my face out there and to be thrown into some unfamiliar waters and forced to learn how to swim all over again. I’m comfortable with the Jobiste folks, and they are comfortable with me. We all know what to expect of each other.

Sometimes you just have to break out of your comfort zone.

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While there is more I could write about I have just glanced at the clock and I realize that it is time for me to finish getting ready for work. With that, I’ll end this little post with promises to update more frequently that shall likely go unfulfilled. I’m such a bastard that way.