Since I'm quite behind on my blog, I think I might just do a recap of the month of December and make a new year's resolution to update more in 2011. Sound like a plan? Good. Done.
Lots of adventures last month! I performed for the first time at Carlin's Comedy Club in Waterford, Michigan. We had fun shows, although there were way too many people in the audience who were wearing reindeer antlers (Leave them at home, folks!). But, they laughed a lot, so I quickly forgave them for their poor choice in head wear.
That's me with the owner, Duane, and fellow comics Michael McDaniel and Chris Hegedus.
After Saturday's show, I slept for two hours, and then boarded a plane to visit my good friend, David, in Seattle. David and I worked together at PETA, and we also left around the same time. I had been promising him that I would come visit, and after a year, I made good on my promise.
My flights there (Detroit to Denver, and Denver to Seattle) were an absolute dream! I had my own row on both of them, and I slept most of the trip. In fact, I was so relaxed that I didn't even really pay attention to the fact that the Detroit runway was pretty much iced-over. Hey, if you're going to skid to your death in a plane crash, it's nice to know that you have two armrests of your very own to grip while screaming.
David lives in an adorable area of Seattle called Capitol Hill. It's artsy and hip, and there are vegan restaurants (and bars, too!) a plenty. Sadly, I didn't take many pictures other than shots of said restaurants and the food I consumed.
That's Plum, the fancy schmancy vegan place. I had some sort of quinoa nacho concoction that left me salivating for more.
That's the dish I had at In the Bowl, which is a vegan Thai restaurant.
And that's a shot from their lovely bathroom that has, get this, nature sound effects. It truly made me feel like I was peeing in a tropical rain forest. How delightful.
It rained most of the time I was there (surprise, surprise), but we did manage to see a lot of the city in the car. I even took this shot (in a park called Gas Works) in between downpours.
On the day I flew home, David's friend, James, graciously offered to drive me to the airport.
And she even took me for vegan donuts from
Mighty-O. Fantastic!
I had a blast in Seattle! I loved the vibe of the city, and it was so great to hang out with David and James (and James's adorable puppy, Grace). I left with a smile on my face, and most likely five pounds in my belly. Next time, I vow to take more non-food pictures.
As soon as I got home from Seattle, I took off to work at Stitches Comedy Club in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I worked with Chris Coccia (who I met when we worked together in the Outer Banks and he kindly offered to pull a splinter out of my foot) and David James. I absolutely loved the shows, not just because the crowds were fun, but because Chris and David are both so funny. I could learn so much from them!
If you haven't been to Lancaster before, it's in the heart of Amish country. Of course, I had to get a picture of this:
Tours by auto? Um, isn't that just a smidge disrespectful considering the Amish don't really believe in electricity and all? Isn't that kind of like touring the
Duggar home in a condom-mobile? On second thought, please somebody, anybody, tour their home in a condom-mobile! And go visit the folks over at
Teen Mom while you're at it!
My hotel was located in between a few outlet malls. And let me just say, if there is a hell, it would include outlet malls at Christmas time. But, I braved them and got some nice deals. And I managed not to assault anyone. So score on all fronts!
I then swung down to Virginia for a quick visit with the Pie Master.
P.S. That's fruit of the forest pie, not blood and skin falling off of his face (Although how cool would it be if it was the latter due to a really intense MMA fight?).
While in Norfolk, these happened (food porn alert!):
In retrospect, we probably should have frosted them to actually look like Christmasy things as opposed to creamy blobs, but I got a little lazy and figured that one can never go wrong with white frosting and sprinkles. Right?
After I returned to Michigan, I got to see another buddy of mine from PETA. This time, it was Nia! She and I met while she was interning in Virginia, and she came all the way from the UK to visit me for a week.
This is her posing with what might possibly be the coolest Christmas tree ever:
While she was here, I did a show at the Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase.
That's us along with Geoff Tate, Tim Rowlands, Russell Rabb, Mike Evitts and Andy Beningo.
After the show, we headed over to the Arena for some beer and karaoke, where Mike and I did a rendition of Tori Amos's "Crucify." I'm pretty sure we and a table full of lesbians were the only people who appreciated it, but we had fun.
Perhaps, next time, we'll try our hand at "Precious Things."
Nia and I also hit up the Detroit Historical Museum, and ate at this amazing new restaurant.
Here's what we put in our bellies: a raw, mock tuna sandwich and lasagna made from zucchini. Delicious!
On New Year's Eve, I performed at the Holly Hotel (and drank too many post-show shots of the kind of nameless, crappy liquor that makes Apple Pucker seem classy).
That's me with fellow comics Dean Mink and Steve Lind.
Nia, Diana, me and Steve.
On most of the days that Nia was in town, we hit up various movie theatres. We both love going to the cinema, and we saw the following films while she was here:
The King's Speech,
Female Trouble,
Black Swan,
The Tourist and
The Fighter.
Fellow comic,
John Burton, joined us at the State Theatre for The Fighter, and not only did we see a great film, but we also rushed the stage after the film. Of course, silly pictures ensued.
Here's a sample of some of them:
December was a bit of a blur because it was so busy. But, I had great fun, and I was surrounded by a lot of wonderful people! Here's to 2011 bringing the same amount of adventure and joy!
