And the verdict...

Talked to the director of my Short and Sweet - Singapore entry. The performance went well. All of the plays in my group were performed twice, since the first performance completely sold out. The actors and the director apparently did a great job bringing the silly words I wrote to life.

There are a couple of different judging categories. Out of the 10 plays that were performed alongside of mine, I tied for third in the judges voting. This is better than I expected since the judges were actual theater people, and I'm as new to this as can be. However, there's a People's Overall Choice where audience members vote for the best play out of all of the groupings. In that, I came in second.

So the people paying for the tickets like me a lot. I wish I could have seen it. After trading emails back and forth with the director, I could tell that she and her actors were having a ball (and working their butts off) putting this thing on stage.

Go Team.

"Every time I look at you I don't understand why you let the things you did get so out of hand."

It's Easter. The local classic rock station is playing Jesus Christ Superstar. I love Jesus Christ Superstar. The music is good. The conflict between Jesus and Judas, as well as the inner conflict of both of them makes this one of my favorite musicals ever. The neighbors will probably call the cops on me soon because my stereo is playing it so loudly.

Anyway, it's Easter. I celebrated it by rereading a little bit of Towing Jehovah, by James Morrow and a bit of Beckett's Waiting for Godot, while getting over a bit of a rowdy night that involved a case of Corona, a lot of rum, naked pirates, an Elvis clown, and something that may or may not have been absinthe. I'm getting way too old for those parties.

If you celebrate the holiday, I hope you had a good one. If you don't, I'm guessing you were as annoyed as I am that everything is closed. I really wanted to buy a new four track recorder/mixer from Guitar Center today.

I'm posting part of story in the library. It's a work in progress, but some folks I showed it to already said it's fairly entertaining. Enjoy it.

10 Random Letters.

1. Dear Frank Miller,

I really liked 300. Yes, it's a visual hymn to violence, aggression, facism, and a score of other -isms, but damn that movie was awesome. This is a movie that made my balls bigger as I watched it. Women who were in the theater with me were surprised to find out they'd grown their own pairs of balls when they left. It was more visually pleasing than that time Mary Jane Chubbycheeks let me look under her skirt in the 7th grade. It's a movie that will change a person's life.

Especially if he goes out drinking afterwards.
Especially if he goes out drinking afterwards in a crowded bar.
Especially if he goes out drinking afterwards in a crowded bar where some asshole should have watched where he was going or at least said "excuse me" when he bumped into you, saving you the trouble having to go all Spartan on his ass by stripping down to your underwear, coating yourself with baby oil, and then smashing his head into the pavement before taking the spear out of the back of your car and driving it into his chest.

Just saying...You might owe me some bail money.


2. Dear Nancy Pelosi,

Okay, so you want to piss off the president by visiting the leader of a country that openly supports terrorists. I get that . Pissing off the president is fun.

Why are you wearing the headscarf? You're a government official in a country that (at least on paper) believes in equality for everyone, yet you put on a symbol of female submission under the guise of "respecting local customs". Way to go lady.

Did you get a female circumcision while you were there?

3. Dear Richard Dawkins,

You sir, PWN.

Seriously dude, you PWN God.

I've been reading you for years. The Blind Watchmaker is probably responsible for moving me from the weak squishy agnosticism where I spent my immediate time after escaping fundementalism, into strong, proudly declared, atheism. As influential as that book was, The God Delusion is 100 times better. It's funny, poignant, and full of truth that millions of people will ignore. I've read it three times, and listened to the audio book more than I can count.

PWND.

4. Dear South Park,

The Easter 2007 episode of your show is now a classic that will have to be played in my home every dead Jesus day. It was awesome.

Will you guys marry me?

5. Dear M.C. Chris,

Your latest album is the bomb. However, nothing compares to this.

6. Dear guy in coffee shop,

No, I don't respect your religion. I do not believe I am required to. Your religion is not sacred to me and I'll probably write offensive (though funny to me) stuff about it very often. However, I respect your right to believe in and practice your religion. If you don't see that as an important distinction, I don't know what to say.

Also, regardless of what the folks at the Kingdom Hall told you, people do not deny the existence of God just so they can get away with drinking, partying, or screwing around as much as they want.

7. Dear Barnes & Noble,

If you're going to have a display of books about religion and faith you should include religions other than Christianity. If you do this, I will stop putting Dawkins and Sam Harris on the same table as the Bibles.

8. Dear Joss Whedon,

I just read the first 2 issues of Buffy Season 8.

Yes.

Yes.

I need a moment.

Yes.

Thank you.

9. Dear folks at office,

Please stop telling the Jewish woman next to me to "have a nice Easter."

10. Dear Bacon and Money (or is it still PBRStreetGang?),

There is no way in hell you are getting your Runaways back. I now must steal these, memorize them, and burn them so no one else can experience their greatness.