Wednesday, April 25, 2007

OPENING NIGHT, Kant, and homophobia

Yeah, it's been a few days since my last post. Deal with it. I've had so much freakin' crap going on...let me just say I'm glad our windows are jump-outable-proof.

Tonight was opening night for ICARUS' MOTHER!!! It's the show I've been ASMing for like the last month. It's been a pretty great experience, and I think it's basically because I'm the cast's darling. Actually, I've been decently involved in many different aspects of everything, and it's been pretty cool. Plus, I feel partially responsible for not allowing our director jump out of a two-story window one night when he was drunk. If you can come and see Icky's Mom?!, you def should. See it twice. It is..mind..blowing. 'Nuff said.

I'm so glad I got to see tonight. Due Wednesday for Barry: huge, in-depth character analysis of my final character in Acting, 7-page paper on Modern philosophy, and all of my sketches for Intro to Design, which I found out were actually due Monday. Last night was intense. Just like camping [ba-da boom]. But I'm done.

Let me relate a funny story. Monday after lunch, me and my bud Genovese go walking back from Simpson to Mertz. At the corner of Sheridan and Winthrop, there is this cute ol' man in long socks and a goofy hat passing out flyers. He thrusts one to us, and we start reading. It's this long rant against homosexuals, including scientific research that says that lesbians are more susceptable to breast cancer. I can't argue with science, and these guys have a geocities website, so it's pretty legit. As we're discovering the true meaning of this flyer, a group of guys representing the gay club on campus rush past us with a poster.

Not needing to exchange words, Chris and myself charge back to the intersection. This is the scene we see: the old dude, in his hat and socks, debating his argument with some gay dude who is burning the flyer in front of him, and a Mexican dude selling ice cream from a cart in the background. It was beyond hilarious. I was hoping we'd see a grandpa/gay fight, but no such luck. And I didn't have enough money for ice cream. Alas, such is life.

I stood there taking camera-phone pictures, and everytime I flip open my phone, I smile.

Icky's Mom?! (love it, live it),
Barry

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

I know you want what's on my mind...I know you'd like what's on my mind...

For the last four days, I have been on this intense Stone Temple Pilot kick. It's pretty hard to shake. I just found a bunch of their songs on mytunes, and I can't get them outta my head. Yes, I've already tried hitting myself.

Other than that, the past few days have been somewhat uneventful. Lots of rehearsal, and lots of crap for school. I have to finish a model, sketches, an acting journal, a review, two philosophy papers, and a two page paper on "what culture is" (okay, maybe it's all not that hard). Then I'm outta here. Sinara, Loyola, for a few months.

I did finish a short screenplay for my Jesus Christ class. It's an adaptation of "The Grand Inquisitor" from the Doesvoetsky novel "The Brothers Karamazov." Now that I look back, it's actually the first screenplay I've ever really finished. Huh.

But yeah. I'm facing the intense rush of crap before the light can break through. I'm gonna go get my sword.

Tuesday, shoot me in the head (another lyric, not directions),
--Barry

Monday, April 16, 2007

It's blood...


Tonight I had one of the greatest cinematic experiences I ever had--GRINDHOUSE. Although the movie is already in freakin 10th place after one weekend and clocks over 3 hours, it's still ridic intense.


From the beginning, with starts out with a faux trailer for "Machete," which features Cheech Marin as a shotgun-wielding priest. "Planet Terror" starts, a crazy zombie movie featuring barbeque, that guy from Lost, and Rose McGowin with a machine gun as a leg. IT'S NUTS!! Everything is scratchy and there are whole "reels" missing for effect. It's crazy fun.
Then there are some made up trailers, my favorite being "Werewolf Women of the S.S." Next is Tarantino's car-slasher flick "Death Proof," which totally shifts gears from "Planet Terror"...no pun intended. Like everything else Tarantino, it's all dialouge based, and can lag in energy a bit. There are some cool sequences involving chicks' faces being ran over. Worth a look.
In the end, "Planet Terror" is bunches better than "Death Proof." It just is.
A note: See this movie in a crappy theater. Me and a few companions (I don't give a f**k about grammar) saw it at our local $5 ghettoplex, and it was great. See it with people too. By themselves, the movies ain't so great. It's the experience, man. Do it to it.
I wish I got a lap dance from Rose McGowin,
-The Barry

Sunday, April 08, 2007

Soxy Back

Today I went to my first White Sox game at U.S. Cellular Field. I decided they are the team I'm gonna get into. They have a cooler name than "Cubs," and they are generally "better" than the Mudhens.

It was against the Twins, and we won 3-0. However, it was frigid. April 7, and the temp is like 20 degrees. I thought my left index finger was going to come off. I mean, it was really nuts. I expected warmness and little birds and happy people, and all I got was cold. But the el was running pretty fast, and it was warm.

Later I went to the Ghettoplex to see "Blades of Glory," that new one with Jon Heder and Will Ferrel and Jenna Fischer (She's in some great outfits in the movie; see her naked below. Hooray!). It wasn't bad. Not as instantably quotable as Anchorman, nor as annoyingly random. My mom has made me watched figure skating since I was born, so I have a good amount of respect for the sport (alright, take your gay shots). Considering I really don't feel there are any real great figure skating movies, I liked this one. And I'm happy to see Heder do something positive with his life since Napolean Dynamite. In the end, I'd recommend it. Finally, I can associate the song "I Don't Wanna Close My Eyes" or what-the-f-ever by Aerosmith with a movie other than Armageddon. That is the movie's real redeeming quality.

The night is a dark time for me,
-Barrelface

Saturday, April 07, 2007

The Man-in-the-woods Retreat 2007

It's been a whacky Easter break so far.


After Icarus' Mother rehearsal on Thursday, five dudes went back to one guy's house to watch Borat, and drink two bottles of Barcardi. We did lots of shots, to lots of causes: Luke Wilson, fathers, driving, etc. We ran out pretty quick, so we headed off to the liquor store (taking a brief detour to the ghettoplex and very loudly prasing Grindhouse, which I hope to see tonight).


I was pretty hungry, so I picked up some crunchy peanut butter, which was a divine idea. We walked back to the house, taking long swigs of rum and talking about love.


Then the real fun started. We finished that last bottle real quick, and then the neighbor knocked on the door and threatened to call 5-o, so we decided it would be in our best interest to keep it down. Then some stuff happened, somebody grabbed a kitchen knife, and blood was spilt. He had cut himself on the shoulder, and this set off an avalanche. One dude broke down crying, getting snot all over his mustache. A few minutes later, another guy started to cry too, I think mostly because other people were crying and he was picking up on that energy. The kid who cut himself tried consoling the first dude, but ended up breaking down himself. It was up to me and one other guy to console these three bawling grown men. I was going up to everyone and was like, "Have some peanut butter, man, just take some." I was really worried about the cut on the one's arm. They had next to no first aid supplies, save for some small bandages I found in somebody's room. I put the bandage on, and then had to use Scotch tape to attach it, which ended up leaving huge marks. After about an hour of crying, everyone was good. We hugged, we kissed, and then we went home.


One ka-razy night, I assure you.


Next day, we had rehearsal at 12, and everyone was looking great. Not. The cuts on the arm were a lot deeper than I thought they were last night, and he also had this mysterious gash on his leg. He also hit himself in the eye with a zipper. Looking back now, he's really prone to injuring himself. He was supposed to go to the hospital, although that didn't end up happening, which I think might of been a mistake. We'll see. But, anyway, everyone seemed a lot happier Friday after the breakdowns, and we all had really hearty laughs about everything.


Also, my friend Courtney came up Thursday to view the school. After rehearsal, me, her, and Samira went to the Grand Lux downtown, which is a pretty hip place.


Here's some evidence:

Although the food was good, the real story was the trip back. We took the 30 minute el ride back safe enough. However, we decided to cross the street when it was flashing "DON'T WALK."
Yeah, we shoulda listened. Samira got hit by a car. No joke.
Luckily, she is fine, but the whole thing is nuts. Whoa.
Needless to say, Easter break has been eventful. And I've made good on my Lenten thing to give up soda, but it's getting increasingly harder in these last few days. Mmmmm...
Shoulder to cry on,
-Barry

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

BARRY'S LIFE FEB-APRIL! PICS! PICS! PICS!

Yesterday I got the powercord to my laptop back, so I can finally leave the computer lab forever and ever.




I promised some pics at some point, so here's a brief visual of what my life has been like the past few months. Hooray.




THE ST. VALENTINE'S DAY BLIZZARD!!!! AHHHHH!!!

WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR 8-RIDE VAN ON SPRING BREAK!! INTENSE!!


WHERE WE ENDED UP!! THE EARTH IS SOOOO RICH A CITY GROWS!


THE TWIN CITIES!!! THE TWO MOST EXTREME CITY EVER!!!


ME SCREWING UP A PEPPERMINT PATTY AT BGSU AFTER SJJ'S "CHILDREN OF EDEN"!! IT GOT ON MY SWEATER!!!!!


AHHHH!! I'M YELLING!!!
--BARRRRYYYYY!!!!