An Amuse Bouche for the Weekend

Have a great weekend!

Changes on the way

The look of this site is just the beginning.

Good News and Bad News

The Bad: A small spot of bleeding was discovered in my left eye during my eye exam this AM.

The Good: I'm sporting a whole new style! Check out these shades!

What do you mean this look isn't going anywhere?

Gotta Work on This...

I'm not a well-travelled fellow. Bad fellow, no biscuit!

The World:



create your own visited country map
or check our Venice travel guide

The Country:



create your own personalized map of the USA
or check out ourCalifornia travel guide

30 Questions!

It's like 20 questions, with a bonus!

1. In two words, explain what ended your last relationship? Distance & Longing

2. When was the last time you shaved your legs? The last time I performed in drag... um, over ten years ago, I think.

3. What were you doing this morning at 8am? Hard at work.

4. What were you doing 15 minutes ago? See #3.

5. Are you any good at math? Nope.

6. Your prom night? Which one? I had 4...

7. Do you have any famous relatives? I'm pretty sure that Reese Witherspoon is a distant cousin. But I'm still trying to verify that.

8. Have you ever taken out a loan to pay for school? Hell yes. Undergrad is paid off; working on the grad.

9. Do you know the words to your MySpace song? I have no MySpace page.

10. Last thing received in the mail? Shoes from Zappos!

11. How many different beverages have you drank today? Coffee and water.

12. Do you ever leave messages on people's answering machines? Sometimes, but I try to keep them brief.

13. First concert? Billy Idol

14. Do you draw your name in the sand when you go to the beach? Yes, right next to the sand castle.

18. Do you like the ocean? Yes

19. Have you ever received one of those big tins of 3 different kinds of popcorn for Christmas? Not for a while.

20. Have you ever been to a planetarium? Yes

22. Something you are excited about? Acting and Theater, Politics, History, Cooking

23. What is your favorite flavor of JELLO? Peach. It was my Mom's favorite during her chemotherapy.

24. Are any of your great-grandparents still alive? No

25. Describe your keychain? A brass fob with the word "STAR" on it. A gift from my Mom years ago.

26. Where do you keep your change? My pocket and then our piggie at home.

27. When was the last time you spoke in front of a large group of people? I gave a presentation at the TAG Conference in Baltimore.

28. What kind of winter coat do you have? A surplus Navy pea coat.

29. What do you think of the person you copied this from? Goddess of grammar and wine.

30. Do you sleep with the door to your room open or closed? Open

Johari Window

I usually don't go for these online personality things, but I think Johari Windows are cool. A friend at Kenyon did one of these things on me for some pysch project and it was very interesting. Anyway, I invite you to participate in mine.

Just pick five or six words that you think best describe me. Feel free to remain anonymous.

The Great Kidnapping of 1986

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the greatest birthday I've ever had.

It was my senior year of high school (yes, my wife has already established that I am The Oldest Person Ever^®), and 1985 had featured three different hijackings: TWA flight 133 by two Shi'ite Muslims, an Egyptian airliner that was stormed by Egyptian troops in Malta, and the passenger ship Achille Lauro by the PLO. My friends and I were sitting around our lockers one morning before Christmas break and someone was reading an end-of-year wrapup in the paper that mentioned these incidents. I then made the following remark: "You know, I've always wanted to be kidnapped." According to lore, my best friend Dave looked at my girlfriend who, in turn, looked at our friend Gail who, in turn, looked at another friend Karen...

And thus, a plan was born.

So, fast forward a few weeks. It's the weekend before my birthday, and I've got a TheaterSports tournament to go to that Friday evening. The minute I get home I get a frantic call from my Mom who asks me to pick up a friend of the family at some address I didn't recognize. This friend cannot drive, so I get back in the car and go to the address. For some reason, the fact that a classmate answers the door doesn't tip me off at all. She shows me in and says that her Mom and this friend had stepped out for a moment and would be right back. So we begin to talk about the English class that we share when all of sudden two tall masked men dressed in black explode out of a closet, push me against a counter, pull my arms behind my back, slap handcuffs on my wrists, and finally blindfold and gag me. They then proceed to lead me out of the house and into the backseat of a big rumbling car. They push me down on the seat, and then proceed to drive me around for almost an hour, thoroughly disorienting me. (Did I mention that "Aida" was playing over the speakers and no one said a word to me?)

At long last, the car stops, the engine dies, and the front doors open. My captors get out and then pull me out of the back seat by my feet. They stand me up and then lead me down a grassy hill and into a building of some kind. The threw me into a chair and then removed the handcuffs. "DON'T MOVE," one of them yells at me, and they both back away. At this point, I begin to feel the presence of other people in the room. A LOT of other people. Someone laughs. Then someone else. "ALL RIGHT," the same guy says, "TAKE OFF YOUR BLINDFOLD." So I do. "SURPRISE!!!" cheers the crowd. I looked around the room and saw everyone I knew. I'm not stretching the truth that much: there were over 50 people there and then I was told the following things:

• EVERYONE I knew was in on this. Even my parents and teachers.
  
• They had to improvise that day because one person had to bow out for some reason.
  
• I was the easiest person to fool in the world.

After the party, I was bustled off to the TheaterSports tournament that evening (we came in 2nd place!), and then some quiet time with my girlfriend. All in all, a pretty bodacious day!

I don't suspect that today's events will be quite so dramatic, but I did make a bunch of pulled pork "BBQ" for my birthday lunch. I'll be sharing that with some coworkers along with chocolate cream pie.

So, have a great day today! That's the best present you can give me.

4x4

Four jobs you’ve had in your life: Men's Clothing Salesman, Line Cook, Actor, Data Entry Clerk.

Four movies you could watch over and over: "Pi", "The Godfather Part II", "Blade Runner", "Midnight Run".

Four places you’ve lived: Gambier, OH; Garrison, IA; Adelphi, MD; Fairfax, VA.

Four TV shows you love to watch: "CSI:", "Mythbusters", "Good Eats", "Lost".

Four places you’ve been on vacation: Ljubliana, Slovenia; Clear Lake, IA; New York, NY; Pasadena, CA.

Four websites you visit daily: washingtonpost.com, Eschaton, Salon, Crunchland.

Four of your favorite foods: Channa Masala, Pulled Pork BBQ, Fried Chicken, Waffles.

Four places you’d rather be: New York, NY; Clear Lake, IA; Gambier, OH; Seattle, WA.

Four albums you can’t live without: "London Calling" by The Clash, "Achtung Baby" by U2, "1200 Curfews" by The Indigo Girls, "Blue" by Joni Mitchell.

Top 25

Rock Songs!

1. "What's So Funny 'bout Peace, Love and Understanding?" Elvis Costello

2. "Gimme Shelter" Rolling Stones

3. "Let's Have a War" Fear

4. "indifference" Pearl Jam

5. "Hey Joe" Jimi Hendrix

6. "Highway 61 Revisited" Bob Dylan

7. "No Surrender" Bruce Springsteen

8. "Love Reign O'er Me" The Who

9. "We Are the Champions" Queen

10. "When the World is Runnin' Down You Make the Best of What's Sill Around" The Police

11. "Fame" David Bowie

12. "Mr. Self-Destruct" Nine Inch Nails

13. "Broken Wings" Mr. Mister

14. "Killing in the Name Of" Rage Against the Machine

15. "Fresh Tendrils" Soundgarden

16. "Julie's Been Workin' for the Drug Squad" The Clash

17. "Love is Blindness" U2

18. "Joy" The Sundays

19. "Still Can't" The Cranberries

20. "Dig Me Out" Sleater-Kinney

21. "Down by the River" Indigo Girls

22. "Big Yellow Taxi" Joni Mitchell

23. "Do You Wanna Touch Me?" Joan Jett

24. "Never Take the Place of Your Man" Prince

25. "San Quentin" Johnny Cash

Tale of the Tape

I've been talking around my weight loss for the past several months. Maybe it's about time that I actually talk about it. Oh, and my losses to date? 36.5 lbs.

The Who

Well, that would be me. Because of the wonder of genetics, I inherited broad shoulders and wide hips. And that helps when most of your weight is deposited between those two points. One of the folks who was not fooled by this anatomical illusion was my Doctor, natch. For several years now he's been on my case to lose a bit of tonnage. And like most lazy Americans I did absolutely nothing about it.

The Why

• First and foremost, Dad got very sick. Now his sickness had nothing to do with his weight, but the fact that he went downhill so fast was very alarming. "Could that happen to me?" I wondered. "Yep," said my guilty conscience.
  
• At the funeral of a dear friend and fellow actor this summer, I ran into a man who I had worked with on several shows. Ed is a retired Brigadier General of the U.S. Army. He commanded troops in Vietnam and is no stranger to telling people what to do. This makes him a very good Director, but sometimes he can come across as a bit blunt. My Sweetie had never met him before this day, and so was completely taken aback by what he said to me after we exchanged pleasantries: "Gosh Tom, you need to lose some weight!" It had been several years since I last saw Ed, so his assessment of my physique was like a bucketful of cold water in my face. He then told the story of another actor who had put on much weight and dropped dead of a heart attack as a result. "Don't end up like that, Tom," he implored. As we walked back to the car, my Sweetie was fuming. "He has a lot of nerve to say that!" "Well, he's right, Sweetie."
  
• When the director called me to offer me the role of Lindbergh in "Hauptmann", she did so hesitantly. Now I'm used to being cast (or not) because of my looks, it's a fact of life in the acting biz. But the following aside still felt like a left hook: "And I wouldn't mind if you lost a few pounds."

The How

Ok, I got the message! But where to start? And what to do? All my previous attempts at weight loss were coupled with some sort of exercise program, usually a strict one. But my Dad's health situation precluded any kind of regular exercise schedule, so I made a decision: I'll work on the food first, then exercise later. So all of my weight loss has been through dieting alone.

I didn't deprive myself of any particular type of food, but I did limit my intake. And how did I do that? With a wonderful program for my Palm Treo called Diet & Exercise Assistant. It tracks your intake in a very easy way and you can customize it nine ways to Sunday. I set myself up with a 40/40/20 (protein, carbohydrates, fat) ratio and then tried to stick with that plan. Believe me, I rarely hit all the targets, but I did keep myself honest about the amounts various nutrients I was getting in my diet. And that leads to...

What I Have Learned

While the weight loss has been great, the knowledge I have gained about my body and how it processes food has been the real prize in this journey. Among the things I've learned:

• I need a big breakfast, one that includes a nice dose of protein (eggs, soy, lean meat). The old carbo-heavy breakfast I used to have just doesn't cut it.
  
• My mood greatly affects my metabolism. How much, you ask? Well, consult this snapshot of my progress I made a few weeks ago:

• I've worked out a very simple ratio that I use to evaluate food items: if you can get at least 1 gram of protein per 10 calories of a serving, then it's cleared for consumption. That has saved me from making many a bad food choice.

The What's Next

Um, that would be exercise! I'm pretty sure that come Springtime I'll be pedalling around in something shiny and fast and fun, but I am examining other options. But I am encouraged by my recent losses, and look forward to a few more.

Book Meme Question #6

Pass this meme along to three other people.

Well, that I cannot do. At least on the internet. So I'll take this offline as soon as I can figure out three people to ask.

And yes, my head still feels like a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon. Thanks for asking.

Book Meme Question #5

Name five books you would take to a deserted island:

Another toughie, but here's the list of the moment.

Moby Dick

Probably my favorite novel.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

Do I have to explain this?

How to Cook Everything

Not only tells you how to cook things, but pick them out and store them too. Great illustrations!

The Boy Scout Handbook

(Apparently, the BSA doesn't want you linking to stuff. So click the link, enter the site, and then select the "Literature" and then the "Boy Scout" categories and then scroll down.) Yeah, I have problems with the organization, but I was a member once. I remember the handbook as a great reference book for the outdoors.

A People's History of the United States, Volumes 1 and 2

I was given this to read by my dear friend Hugh while in college. I've reread it several times since and it is so fascinating. I always discover something new.

Book Meme Question #4

What are you currently reading?

Oh, you know, something reflecting the current seasonal change.

And this was the Valentine's Day present from my wife. I have the greatest wife of all time!

The link choice also reflects where Sweetie purchased the book. She was in Denver on business back in February and wandered into the Tattered Cover. She really liked the store, and loved the amusement of the sales clerks when informed that this was a V-Day present for me.

Book Meme Question #3

What was the last book you bought?

The Plays of Anton Chekhov, translated by Paul Schmidt. I purchased this volume for the Directing class I took over the Fall and Winter. Another classmate directed a scene from "Uncle Vanya" and I really loved the translation. I went to the library (here's looking at you, Joe!), perused it thoroughly and bought it the next week. I love Chekhov almost as much as I love Shakespeare, but most translations of his plays are too academic for my taste. This guy got it right; his translation of these plays are active and wonderful to work with.

Sometime in the future I'll treat y'all to my full-on rant on how high school English teachers are ruining theater in this country, but I'll leave you with this thought: plays were meant to be seen and heard, not read. Paul Schmidt clearly understands that, which is why this book is now included in my theatrical library.

Book Meme Question #2

Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?

Never felt the need. Why? Because, as an actor I have...

• Kissed them,
• Made love to them,
• Raped them,
• Had my heart broken by them,
• Broken their heart,
• Killed for them,
• Died for them,
• Killed them, and
• Been killed by them.

I think that about covers the spectrum, wouldn't you agree?

Oh, and just so we're clear, I think that list covers both genders, as well as some imaginary beings as well. I'll have to double check my resume...

Book Meme Question #1

You are stuck inside Fahrenheit 451. Which book would you be?

This is the hardest question of the bunch, because you have to choose a book that is meaningful to you but has not been chosen by anyone else. In Fahrenheit 451, the "book people" pass their books down to their children and so on. My choice is An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser. It's an ungainly book, with a lurid story and a rather unsavory hero, but it is a thoroughly American story that appeals to me. I read this in high school and its impact has not faded. And since most of the kids in my class hated the book, I think it's a pretty safe bet that none of the other book people have chosen it.

Stay tuned for question #2...

Mondays

"So why don't you have your own blog?"

Well, now I do.

Be careful what you wish for!