You know you've MADE IT when...

You know you've made it as an actor when you get paid to dress up as good and bad cholesterol.

Ahh, getting paid to distribute flyers while doing bits all for a drug company at 5:30am in the cold rain on opening day at Wrigley Field.

It would've been miserable if it weren't for the fact that it paid well. Look how happy Corey is!

Success!

To answer your question.... the show was GREAT!!!

Again, we couldn't be happier. We did 3 scenes from our last show. Two of them were scenes that went well the first time, but didn't hit quite as hard as we knew they could. So, we edited them a bit, tightened things up and they killed. Our 5 new sketches got huge laughs too. Again, we plan to edit and pare down a couple of our scenes to make them even better for the next show.

This has been such a fun process. Having a show like Grafitti where you can try out material is so helpful. We've got some more work to do to tie all our scenes together, but I'm confident that we're going to blow it out of the water. It helps that we have such a great director. Kate Duffy is awesome. Besides being hilarious and having a great eye for knowing how to make the scenes better, she has a way that really helps us feel confident, and of course that can only help the show. Next up is the Gilda's Club show on April 19th. Get ready Rock Island.

We'll also likely do another Grafitti show at the end of April and have been told that we can do a one off at iO in a month or so. That's the one that'll help get us our run. We don't have an exact date yet, but we'll definitely post it here as soon as we know. Be prepared to show up to that one in numbers. We'll be calling in any and all favors to pack the house.

Thanks again for all the support!

At the end of the day

Come see us perform some more of our sketches. This show will be about a 20 minutes set. We're gearing up towards a run of the full show we've been writing.

This Friday at 10pm at The Playground.

DrinkStrong

The staged reading of my Family Guy spec script, "DrinkStrong" was held last night at the iO Theater.

I worked hard on the script and hope to eventually send it to an agent to get representation. The point of the reading was to get honest feedback from a real audience. I even had questionnaires for them to fill out so I could get blunt critique. From there I'll take the surveys home and continue to edit it, before sending it out.

I couldn't have been happier. The turn out was great, as was the response. The actors did a great job of bringing the characters to life. After just briefly looking over the questionnaires it looks like I only have minor tweaks to make. Everyone was super positive and thought I captured the feel and the characters of the show accurately. Plus I got a ton of laughs, which is really exciting. Now I just need to improve or edit a few of the jokes, maybe make some changes to one of the story lines. The biggest struggle with this is that it's now all a matter of opinion. One person may love a joke while another isn't so thrilled with it. I'll have to figure out if there are any common denominators and otherwise just trust my gut instincts. Thank goodness Corey's such a wonderful supporter/writer/editor to help me out.

I'm really enjoying writing in general. It's so fulfilling to work hard on written material and make people laugh. After I finish this script I'm going to write another one along with continuing to build my portfolio with sampels of my work so that an agent has plenty to read if he's interested.

Next up...
Corey and Monique: at the end of the day (A sketch comedy show)
March 28th, The Playground Theater - Graffiti 10pm
Stay tuned for more details.

- Mo

Colorado: The Customer Service State

Sorry for the sporadic posting. Real busy past couple of days. Mo and I were booked on a show in Pueblo, Colorado on Thursday so we flew out a day early to see our good friends the Schwartz's in Denver on Wednesday first. We got to hang out with them and their kids all day and then Mo had a gift certificate for a free night at a Marriott that we used that night. We then met up with our friends Chris and Lillie back at the Denver airport the next day and drove 2 hours to Pueblo to perform, stayed the night in Pueblo, drove back to Denver on Friday, flew home to Chicago, drove straight to the theater where Mo performed two more shows and I bartended them. Whew.

Now, I know Missouri is the "Show-Me State" and Texas is the "Lone Star State", but I never knew that Colorado was apparently the "Customer Service State". Everywhere we went, it was like a seminar in how to give excellent service. Maybe because we've had so many issues with our condo developer and association, as well as little issues here and there like when we had to get new tires, etc. but I guess we had a little "good service karma"built up and it all got cashed in this week.

It started out at O'Hare Airport and United Airlines. In a ridiculous twist of fate, things went smooth sailing there, and the most shocking part, United landed us in Denver AHEAD of schedule.

Then in Denver, it continued. We went to dinner at Chili's with Brian and Michelle, their kids Macey and Avery (ages 3 and 5), Michelle's cousin Tovah and her boyfriend Dan (KU grads!). Dinner with larger groups can be iffy. Add in two little kids, it gets real dicey. The waiter at Chili's was awesome! He was always there when we needed him, but didn't hover. Wrote down and remembered everything, and just nailed it from start to finish. Everytime he would do something else above and beyond, Brian and I would look at each other and say "aw man, we really gotta tip this guy well now." And that just kept happening again and again. So we did, but it was also definitely worth it.

The great service continued that night when Mo and I checked into our hotel. The front desk girl named, I kid you not - Sugar - was so nice and sweet (I know) and even gave us a complimentary mini-bottle of wine upon arrival. Mo asked if the hotel had a bar, and Sugar told us they didn't, but said she could probably hook us up with a bottle of wine. Mo, jaded by all our customer service issues in the recent past, asked how much that was going to run us. Sugar repeated that she could give us a bottle of wine. Mo said again, "and that will cost how much?". Sugar just stood there and looked at Mo. Then it clicked. Ahh, she would be able to GIVE us a bottle of wine. Sorry, Sugar. We've just been through a bunch of crap lately. The wine was a nice touch.

We headed back to the airport the next day, and our shuttle arrived within 10 minutes of the scheduled time - pretty remarkable for them. The car rental went smoothly. The folks at the college in Pueblo where we performed were so gracious and hospitable. When we went out for a drink after the show, we found a little dive called The Downtown Bar, and the bartender was this awesome dude name Mark who happened to have previously lived in Chicago. Not to mention New York as well as growing up in Switzerland. The drinks were perfect, Mark was great, and the four of us had a blast sitting there, talking and playing cards, as we were the only people in the joint. Hell, even the Colorado weather was nearly perfect as it was sunny and in the mid to high 50's during the day. Such a welcome relief from the unending cold of Chicago.

We're back in Chicago now, things are still crazy busy as friends are coming into town (Dan W. today, Billy and Ali B. later this week), Mo is putting finishing touches on a spec script that will have a public reading on Thursday, we're still working on our sketch show which will be performed at the end of March, we're both working a ton at the CCC theater, and we really need to get our taxes ready to go as there's only a month left to do that. Actually, what the hell am I doing sitting here typing this?

- Corey

I did it!

I did it! I did it!
I ate an entire portion of tuna steak!

In my quest to eat new (and healthy) foods, I've been working on acquiring the tastes of different foods. I'm so sick of the same meals. We even had Boca burgers for lunch, just to change things up.

It took me a while, but I finally started liking shrimp. I still hadn't started liking fish...until tonight. In the past, I've offered to buy fish for Corey to make hoping I'd eventually acquire the taste. Usually I'd eat about half of it and then push my plate away. Mostly it's a texture thing, I catch myself wishing I were eating a steak or chicken.

Well today is a new day folks! Corey made tuna steak, seared on the outside but medium-rare on the inside. It was delicious! I ate the entire thing. Maybe it's a small thing, but I'm very proud of myself and happy to expand my repertoire.

Next up sushi. Stay tuned....

- Mo

Day One

So, what's new with you? I've been good, thanks. Last night I did a little improv show at The Playground with my friends Ryan and Emily. We played as the team from KU in a "March Madness" tournament they're having there. We did some cool scenes, but ultimately lost to a really funny group from William and Mary. Oh well, it was really fun playing with those guys, so in a way we're all winners. And if you think about it, the winners were the audience. And also improv. But really The College of William and Mary.

Oh yeah, also my life of self-employment has begun in earnest today. I actually got up before noon, so I failed on that goal, but otherwise it's been great. Mo and I went to the gym, and I ran 30 minutes on the treadmill, lifted a few weights. I'm gradually working my weight down and I'm feeling good. I've had to move in a notch on my belt, so that's a good feeling.

After the gym and a little lunch, I've been working on lines for a custom corporate show that I'm doing tomorrow for a Salvation Army group, booked through Chicago Comedy Company. Then I went through my closet picking out potential clothes for the new headshots I'm getting taken on Wednesday. I have a few other items I need, though, so Mo and I are going to do a little shopping this afternoon. Finally, tonight is the last week of the Level 102 improv class I'm teaching at CCC.

So, all in all, a productive day. This week is going to be fairly busy, too. The whole month of March looks good, actually. Ask me again come April or May, though.

- Corey

Me Groin!

I've injured myself again. I strained my adductor muscle, also known as my groin.

Apparently I over did it last week when working out. Mostly it just hurts when doing lateral movements, rolling over or crossing my leg. It's pretty uncomfortable when I sit for long periods of time since that muscle attaches to my knee as well as my butt. Sigh

Per the physical therapists orders, I'm on "active rest." Mostly I just have to take it easy and not do stuff that hurts it, such as running. I can use the stationary bike (like that's real exercise).

So tonight I am watching TV with a hot pad stuffed down my pants, heating my groin. Jealous?

- Mo

Forecast Calls For A Severe "Psych"

I feel like I've been punched in the gut.

It's my final week at this job. It's hard enough to be motivated to come into work. Add to that temperatures in the teens. Additionally, it's snowing. And has been snowing since last night. Here's how my morning went:

6:45 am - Walk out the door. It's cold, and still snowing. The walk to the train is a filthy trek through nasty slush. Lovely way to start the day.

7:00 am - Standing at the Western platform, thinking to self, "You can do it, only 4 more days."

7:45 am - Arrive at Davis stop in Evanston. Head down to the street. Am not hit by a bus...but only barely.

7:55 am - Walk into the lobby of the building where I work. Several co-workers are there, awaiting elevator. We're told there's a power outage in the building, and only one elevator is working.

8:15 am - One (of three) working elevators has not arrived. Decide to join two co-workers in walking up to our office. On the 9th floor.

8:17 am (approx.) - It's only the 5th floor? Regretting decision.

8:20 am (approx.) - Arrive at 9th floor. Hang up coat. Hear the "ding" sound of the elevator arriving at our floor.

8:25 am - Office manager explains to staff that we have only auxiliary power. Lights are on, but no computers, no phones, no restrooms, etc. He asks us to hang tight while they figure out what's going to happen.

8:35 am - Complete today's sudoku puzzle in the RedEye.

8:45 am - Office manager assembles everyone again. Explains that we have to wait until 9:30 to make a decision. If we still have no power at 9:30, they're shutting down and sending everyone home. If we get power before then, we can be operational by 10:00 and they feel that's worthwhile for a day's work. Reasonable, I guess. Annoying? Certainly.

9:15 am - The countdown has begun. Some around the office are whispering about plans for the day, some are openly humming "The Final Countdown". Ironically the title of the previous post here.

9:27 am - The power comes on. Let me pause now and let that sink in. NINE EFFING TWENTY-SEVEN.

Words cannot fully describe the feelings right now.

- Corey

It's The Final Countdown...

Good luck getting that tune out of your head. And you're welcome.

So the countdown is currently 7 days. Or 9 days, if you count the weekend. I don't. I'm saying 7. That's 7 working days until I'm done at my current day job. Cue the trumpets: I have officially given notice, and am out of here at the end of February. I'm taking the leap into self-employment. During a recession apparently. Oh well, I have optimism for the future.

While in this lame duck position at my current job, it definitely makes it that much harder to get up and out the door in the morning. However, I am enjoying a more casual approach to my daily grind. Don't worry, mom, I'm not totally slacking off, however I'd be lying if I said I didn't think to myself "What are they going to do, fire me?" at least a few times each day.

Things I won't miss about this place:

• the lack of temperature control
• micromanaging bosses (an actual email: "Try saying 'how MAY i help you, rather than how CAN i help you.")
• talking to idiots on the phone (a caller argued with me that I was cheating him by a day because his membership this year ends on 2/29 and next year it expires on 2/28. Really.)
• the herculean effort it takes just to take a damn day off
• having to sign out a key to use the restroom
• call monitoring

Things I will miss:

• health insurance

So that's that. February 29th is my last day working for the man. As of March 1, I am a freelance artist, for reals. Living solely upon the income from performing shows, tending bar, teaching improv classes, and odds and ends work for the Chicago Comedy Company (soon to be Laugh Out Loud) theater selling corporate shows and other various business-side of the theater work. I'm living the dream!

And just as soon as I started to get nervous about dropping the steady income, I get booked for a couple corporate gigs in March with one theater company and am about to book another for this summer with my own company. All before I actually leave the day job. Yeah, this is going to work out fine.

- Corey

The going ons...

I am going to be really sore tomorrow. Not just from the good workout I did, but also from the fact that I bit it hard walking home from the gym. Our sidewalks are like an ice rink. They are solid ice and though I was careful, I fell right on my side.

Hotel Rwanda is a great movie. I've been meaning to sit down and watch it and finally had the chance tonight. It's very touching and sad. It's also very hard to work on comedy writing directly after watching it.

The past week was surprisingly busy. More shows, including a last minute booking with improv playhouse. We did a fun improv set for a bunch of boyscouts. They were so adorable, especially when a teeny tiny little guy lead and commanded the attention of all for the pledge of alligence and scout oath. Too cute.

Tomorrow we're doing two big shows for a highschool out in the suburbs. Ahh, to make money performing! It'll be a good opportunity to introduce the high school leagues that I'm putting together and running for Chicago Comedy Company.

Also last week I did the hair and makeup for the on-air talent of the Latin NBC channel for a photoshoot. It was an interesting experience to say the least. The first group on Friday were comprised of the head anchors, the 'bigger' talent (and boy did they know it). It was quite the character study.
The second group on Saturday was the weekend crew. They were super nice. It was a great resume builder and hopefully will lead to further work.

Male readers will be happy to hear that the photographer from that shoot talked about using me for makeup on a shoot with these twin 'girls.' He shot them a while back and their pictures made it in the Playboy college edition. They need new pictures for Valentines Day and I might get to do the styling. I'll keep you updated.

Hectic and Cold

As many of you know, it's freezing here. We got a huge snowfall that started last night and has continued into today. Depending upon where you are in the city, there's anywhere from 6 to 10 inches of snow on the groun. Also, the gas tank fiasco almost happened a second time this week. After the first experience of not being able to open the door, I paid close attention and figured out how to do it myself this time when I filled up on gas. At least I thought. Apparently there's a cable in the door that latches and unlatches. And apparently I broke that. Now the door is constantly ajar. At least I can put gas in the car.


We'll just get that fixed when we buy new tires this weekend. Yep, perfect timing, balding tires in this snow storm. I'm sure it's why I slid right through an intersection at a red light in yesterday's snowy downfall. Scary!


It's been another hectic week around here. We haven't had much of a chance to work on our show. Our first rehearsal was supposed to be yesterday, but because of the weather we rescheduled it. I've also been writing for Big News. Anyone can submit their sketches and two-liner jokes for the weekly news show. My goal is to submit at least something every each week. This past Monday, one of my sketches made it in!


Then on Wedesday, I got to play professor at Columbia College. My friend (and owner of CCC) was sick and asked me to take over her improv classes. It was a lot of fun. The main lesson I learned was that college students are sick little bastards. Next time I'll stress to the class to try being smarter than just dirty jokes. Otherwise, I really enjoyed teaching. I hope to have the opportunity again in the future.


- Mo

Corey and Monique: LIVE!

Last night we previewed parts of our sketch show. Though we were pretty confident in our material, it can be really vulnerable to put up work that you wrote, rewrote, rehearsed etc. It's not like an improv show where you are making it up as you go. You deemed this material to be good enough to put up in front of an audience and now it will be judged. The night before I dreamed that I couldn't remember a single line and had to keep reassuring myself that there had to be at least some laughs, it wouldn't an entire show of awkward silence. Needless to say, we were a bit nervous.

The Playground was packed. Besides other performers, few were there to see us. We had kept the invites pretty minimal. This was a true test of how an audience would react.

The show was GREAT! We had one sketch in particular that we weren't even sure if it was funny. We knew each of the others were pretty strong but this was was a test drive. It was funny the first time we improvised it, but then we deconstructed it, rewrote it, changed it, rehearsed and rehearsed it and by the end couldn't remember what had made us laugh about it in the first place. Corey flat out hated it. Still, we gave it a shot and it got a lot of laughs. Definitely a keeper. The only thing I would've changed last night were some minor tweaks here and there with our performance and that will only get stronger as we do it more.

Hopefully we'll have a run in the spring. Enjoy some pictures from the show...

Worst morning ever

This morning I headed out into the cold all bundled up. I didn't want to leave the house, but I had a doctor's appointment. It took me a month to get that appointment.

I knew the car was low on gas and was debating on whether to fill up before or after the appointment. Once I got in, the gas light came on, so I no choice but to gas up right away.

Let me take this moment to remind you how cold it is in Chicago. According to http://www.weather.com/, it's 10 degrees here, but feels like - 5. According to me, it feels like a 40 below. It's so damn cold here. Still, I figured I'll just quickly get the gas and get back in my car and get the heat blasting. The car didn't have a chance to warm up on the way to the station.

And so begins the drama. The gas tank door wouldn't open! I tried everything! A couple of men even tried helping me. At one point we used a screw driver and a knife to jimmy open the door. Nothing. At this point, my toes were starting to hurt because it's so cold. I went inside to ask for some de-icer and of course they didn't have any.

At this point I'm almost in tears from the cold, I missed my doctor's appointment and now have to drive to another gas station in hopes that they'll be able to help me. That and hope not to run out of gas completely.

At the second gas station, I again got help, but this time I also got a lecture from the attendant. I think he was trying to be funny, but the more he said, "well this wouldn't have happened if you got your gas here instead of somewhere else" the more frustrated I became. Jackass! I don't care. Just help me here. I don't know if it was just the de-icer that helped because they also had me open the trunk so they could hook up a cable that had apparently frozen or come undone. Then as I filled up my take he started lecturing me on needing tires. Eff you dude. Leave me alone! I'm cold! And now I have a warped gas tank door!

I jump back in the car to get home as fast as I can to warm up. Then I got stuck behind a funeral procession, further delaying me getting home and warm. AHHH! I have the worst luck ever. Someone died?! Thanks a lot dude.

Finally I'm now safely in my home wearing double socks and a blanket and I'm filled with warm oatmeal and hot tea. Father Winter, you're a dick. A real cold dick.

- Mo

5 years!

This day in history, five years ago is the day that Corey and I went on our first date. A date that pretty much never ended. Best decision ever!

Time flies by when you're happy. Ok, stop gagging... sorry. Seriously though, I can't believe it's been five years. Through the ups and downs (mostly ups) we've done so much...

Moved to Chicago, took classes from some of the best improvisers in the country, gotten engaged, then married, performed together, traveled together, bought a condo, went on a cruise, paid off a crapload of debt (just this month!), flew in a hot air balloon, worked together so I could quit my job (hopefully Corey's next), went through more hair colors than I can remember, wrote our own show, constantly laughed together... and we have so much more planned.

I'm not usually one to celebrate every "anniversary" but this one seemed like it was worth mentioning.

Preview

We just found out that we'll be previewing our 2 person sketch show next Friday the 25th, 10pm at the Playground theater. This is part of their series called, "Grafitti." It gives performers a chance to work out their sketch show in front of an audience while it's a work in progress.


Yikes! This is really happening.


It won't be the whole show, just a 20-25min chunk. Come check it out if you're around. Help us figure out if this thing we wrote is funny.

New Serious Sports News Network Article Is Up

I've got a new article posted over at Serious Sports News Network. Since you never know when they'll update the site and my story gets buried, here's a link directly to it:

My Article

I'm letting you know about this article for several reasons. It's part shameless self-promotion, but more so it's my attempt to move Monique's last post, particularly the disgusting picture, out of my line of sight when viewing this here blog.

Enjoy.

- Corey

Boom

My head is going to explode! Ugghh. I hate being sick. It's either from the change in weather or the lack of sleep lately...lots of insomnia. Either way, the congestion is pretty miserable.
I would blog more, but I need to clean up the brain matter off my computer.

- Mo

Sketchfest

It's January in Chicago (and in other cities I suppose). That means it's time for The Chicago Sketchfest.

We got too late of a start on writing our own show, but we hope to be a part of the festival next year. If you can't make it out here, check out a video or two from Hey you Millionaires.
They are one of us the most talked about sketch groups out here right now. Unfortunately we missed their show last night.
Fortunately it was because we were watching KU win the Orange Bowl!
Enjoy!

Cute Puppy Helps with Laundry (And why won't Corey let me get my own puppy?)

The Support Group

Catching The Gay

Holiday Pictures

I finally downloaded my holiday pictures.
This year's Christnukka theme was "fancy."

Nothing says fancy like steak and shrimp!

And of course for any special occasion, you must have Guitar Hero.Pete and Kristine are very serious.

Put not as serious as Ali and Mo are about throwin' down tunes
Even first time player, Anne rocked out.

With this amazing display of star quality, Collin and Corey should start their own band.

Ladies and Gentlemen, your Chicago Comedy Company performers, back stage on New Years Eve.
Apparently Corey didn't realize we were going to take a picture.

I like to call this pictures, "Artistic Comedy"

Happy 2008!

Happy New Years!

We spent last night performing at Chicago Comedy Company. It was a blast, reminded me of the New Years shows as Comedy City. Except that this time Corey didn't take his pants off (long story).

We started the new year off right by sleeping on and off all day, watching football and being as lazy as humanly possible. In fact I can't believe I'm writing this blog. It's the most active I've been all day.

M
(too lazy to finish my name)

If only life were still this simple

This was forwarded to me today and made me giggle.

If only life were still this simple.

A week in the life of the Madrittmasters

This has been yet another busy week. It started off with The Procedure. Corey had to get some work done on his toe. I won't go into complete details, but it involved removing part of his toenail. Gross!

Grosser was the fact that I kept looking at it while the Doctor was working on it. AHHH! It was like a bad car accident. I couldn't help it.


So now he's hobbling around. It's not so much the pain that bothers him, but the bulkiness of the bandage makes it uncomfortable in his shoe. Oh yeah, wiping out on the slick sidewalk didn't help his toe either. That's the doctor's handiwork on the toe, by the way. Oh, Dr. Kim, you're such a kidder.



I dealt with my own frustrations, as well. We went to Rock Island for more ComedySportz shows. Never mind the bad weather driving down. My devastation was the midget Santa at the show location. Midget for most real life Santa's. He was huge for a stuffed Santa Claus. Perfect for my size, which would've been a nice holiday treat, but it was also perfect for looking down my shirt. Santa Claus? Try Santa Perve!

- Mo

Hope Hath No Halflife

My friends Nick, Chris, and Dan asked me to be in a short film they made for a "Hundred Hour Film Project" they participated in. They got a topic (the future) and a surprise element (turning off an alarm) and then had 100 hours to write, film, edit and submit a short film. Here's the final product. I think it's pretty funny.

- Corey

Happy Hanukkah!

Happy Hanukkah Corey! And by default to me. :)

For those of you that don't know, tonight is the last night of the holiday. We're going to have a traditional Hanukkah evening. We'll start by going to Corey's Dr. appointment, stopping at some fast food joint... (Subway does kosher meals, right?) and shoving food down our mouth as quickly as we can so we can make it to our writing class at iO.

In fact, that's how the whole holiday has been. Classes, rehearsals, writing, rewriting, shows, workshops and heading out of town for more shows. Tis the season for craziness.

Thanksgiving pics

I don't have a lot of time to blog before we head out of town tomorrow. Here for your viewing pleasure are pictures from Thanksgiving.

These are from Dan's party which is turning into an annual event. We Rocked

Because it's Dan's house, we of course sang Karaoke OnDemand.

Show tunes... such nerds... such gay nerds

Man I miss Minksy's pizza.

There was even a Tom Farnan sighting. (Corey didn't want to let him go.)

Briette and her husband Michael were even there. He didn't quite know what to think of the show tunes marathon.

Yeah, yeah, it's been a while

Sorry for the lack of posts. I know. I'm the first to bitch about it when others don't update their blogs and here I am with my last posting from before Thanksgiving. I'm a jerkpod, I have no excuse. So much to talk about since the Thanksgiving trip back to KC. The vacation was nice, got to spend time with family and friends, attended the big KU-MU game at Arrowhead and even though the Jayhawks lost, we still get to go to a BCS Bowl, so it's all good. There are pictures galore from that weekend which I'm sure Mo will get around to posting eventually.


Since then, it's that busy holiday time. There are holiday improv bookings, both in town with Chicago Comedy Company and out of town with ComedySportz-Quad Cities. In addition, Mo and I have started rehearsing for a show that we'll be putting up in the spring, just the two of us. We're improvising with a coach right now, who is helping direct us in taking the funniest stuff from that process and scripting a show. We'll let you know all about it when the performances start to go down, don't worry. In fact, we don't even have a name yet. "The Corey and Mo Show" sounds too boring, so feel free to make suggestions in the comments section. That'd be great.

In the meantime, I'm very busy with this:











That's right. For the Wii. My band, Stinkfist, is making it's way up the charts. We rock.



- Corey

Weirdo Cab Ride

We are at the airport now, heading home for Thanksgiving. Of course something weird happened, because something weird always happens when we travel (remember "Eww on Clark?").

This morning we had to get to the airport by 5:45am in order to deal with the travel craziness. In order to avoid leaving at 3:30 in the morning, we decided to take a cab. Our friend Vinnie also needed a ride, so we split the fare. The plan was to be picked up at 4:20am, pick him up around 4:30am and be on our way.

Issues right off the bat. First, the taxi was late. Of course it was. At least it was raining though, so that helped keep things running smoothly. Ever see the movie, "Men in Black"? I think the whole aliens disguised as humans ie; taxi drivers, is true. This dude was so weird. A) The car smelled like pot. Reassuring. B) He drove ridiculously slow. Really? Isn't a major plus supposed to be that these guys drive like maniacs, cutting in and out of traffic to help you get an edge? C) He rambled on and on about a letter-writing campaign he was heading up, championing the cause of the cabbie. Something about the system, the governor and the rights that were being taken away from the passengers as well as independent drivers. To prove a point on how much he rambled, I will now recreate the exchange in conversation we had... For sake of clarity, we will name the driver Carl.

Carl - "These partitians between the driver and passenger are not safe."

Corey - "Oh really"

Carl - "It's all a part of them taking away the rights of the people."

Mo - "So why was it installed in the first place?"

Carl - "So what?"

Mo - "Why was it..."

Carl - "I can't hear so well."

Mo - "Why was it..."

Carl (to Corey) - "I can't hear so well, what did she say"

(We go back and forth for 3 1/2 minutes before the conversation moves forward. All along we're trying to move on to our own conversation, but am constantly interrupted)

Carl - "Would you like a brief history on the systems they put in place?"

Corey - "Umm, well..."

Carl - "So I've been doing this since before Mayor Daly died. That's how long I've been doing this. And I.... ummm, what was I saying. Sorry, I got hit by a car 18 years ago and sometimes go in and out of rambling, I'll get off track but then once I get back on track boy do I get going!.... blah, blah, blah.... seatbelts..... I'm crazy.... no way to let them know if a passenger is being carjacked or is bleeding....letter writing.... the government....blah, blah."

Mo - "Oh, good! Vinnie's here." (thank God we can focus on something else)

This guy was nuts. We finally got to the airport on time, but not without being lectured on paying in cash and how he's putting together a, yes, you guessed it, letter writing campaign to take away credit card machines, because again it's not our fault, it's the government's.
Yikes! There goes your tip buddy.

See you all in KC soon!

- Mo and Corey

Whirley Ball Strikes Again

Briette is in town again to help me with work so her husband Michael drove in town to spend the weekend with us before they head to KC for Thanksgiving.

To show Michael a great time in our awesome city, we had to play our favorite... Whirley Ball.

Seriously, it's so much fun. I actually made two shots! That's two more than I made last time.

Warning though for those who haven't played yet - Watch your knees. Instead of a wheel, you use a crank to steer the car. If you get bumped and of course you will and you knee is in the way, it hurts... bad. The pain is worth it though.

"Jesus loves Warner more than Kitna"

Hey everyone, check out Corey's latest article for Serious Sports News Network.

It's the FEATURED STORY!


-Mo

Awwww

My Fantasy League

With sports, mainly football being the constant obsession in our home, I'm constantly fighting for the attention of my husband. My competition are eight men. The eight starters in Corey's fantasy football league. And to make it worse, he's in three leagues, so really I'm competing against twenty-four men. Still, if Corey can have his fantasies, then so can I. So here now is my Fantasy Football League, fantasy of a different kind....


Tony Gonzalez: Team - Chiefs
Position in Mo's fantasy League - Captain/Tight End







Hines Ward:Team - Steelers
Mo's fantasy - Tight End

Ronde Barber: Team - Buckaneers

Mo's fantasy Position - In between the two!

(would have enjoyed a Ronde/Tiki Sandwhich, but Tiki no longer plays...sigh)

Matt Leinert : Team - Cardinals/

Position in Mo's fantasy League - that's right, Tight End

Jason Taylor: Team - Dophins

Mo's fantasy - such a nice Tight End

Will Demps : Team - Giant!(s)

Position in Mo's fantasy - Anywhere he wants

Game time!

What is Corey known for?
Among many things 1. being hilarious and 2. being into sports.
Now he's getting a chance to combine the two.

Corey is now a contributing writer to The Most Serious Sports News Network Ever!

It's a website similar to The Onion = funny + news, only about sports. He's staying pretty humble about it. Partially because that's how Corey is and partially because the site is well... a little primitive. Apparently it's a work in progress, the site is a little messy and they update it too often. Still, Corey's work is in there and true to his form it's funny.

Usually they don't cite writers (again much like The Onion), however other times, like today's story, they did include his name. Again, it's a little weird and inconsistent. That means you may not automatically know which one is Corey's story, but hey it could be a fun game to figure it out. Feel free to send him or the blog your guesses on which article he wrote. There's also a place on the site itself where you can comment or ask about the author (hmm... lets get him some notice).

Feel free to link it from your blog and check it out from time to time. Hopefully if the site gets some popularity it can be improved.

If you're choosing to play, "Which One Did Corey Write?" here are some hints. He's written 3 stories so far, one per week. He usually submits his work on Wednesdays. Not on purpose, but his 3 articles so far have all involved baseball. Good luck!

Mo

Amateur

Thanks to my friend Jeff A. for the tip on this video. I don't want to spoil it, so just watch the video to the end. It will all make sense then.

- Corey

My first hockey game

Corey's anniversary gift from me was a 5 game season pass to the Chicago Blackhawks, the local hockey team. The first game was this past Friday. My only goal was to see a fight and blood. I got my wish!

I also learned a few things at my first hockey game...

* The "cheerleaders" are retarded. Not literally, it's just that their job title is misleading. They don't cheer or even encourage the players. They skate on to the ice between periods wearing skimpy outfits and they scoop up ice with a shovel. That's it, that's all they do.




* The Blackhawks have an unusual obsessive love for their organ player Frank. He's great, I get it, but seriously do you need to devote all 17 minutes between periods to Frank?

* 17 minutes between periods... weird number.

Oh yeah, and the Blackhawks beat the Avalanche 5-3, but it was a good, close, exciting game.... well at least that's what I was told. I only sort of knew what was going on and only part of the time. Mostly I was busy rooting for fights.


- Mo

5 Things

No, not the improv game. Ryan tagged me (and/or Mo) to answer this "meme" thingy:

List 5 things
that certain people (who are not deserving of being your friend anyway) may
consider to be "totally lame," but you are, despite the possible stigma, totally
proud of. Own it. Tag 5 others.

Given a week or so to think about it, here's what I got for you.

1. I have only bounced one check in my entire life. And that was due to someone bouncing a check they paid to me. I'm obsessive over bank records and making sure that my checkbook is balanced. To me, online banking is one of the greatest advances of modern technology in the last 30 years. Less checks to keep track of, and ease of balancing accounts at any time...I love it.

2. I remember pro-athlete jersey numbers with savant-like precision. Often even somewhat obscure players from teams I've followed as a kid. KU's Steve Woodberry? #20. The Chiefs Albert Lewis? #29. The Royals Greg Pryor? #8 (edited: dammit. it was #4. my bad). I've been known to use this skill to help me remember phone numbers. My cell phone number is 913-Bill Maas-Troy Aikman-Danny Manning-Warren Moon-George Brett.

3. I love cereal. I love it so much that Monique has to continue shopping while I take my time in the cereal aisle. I take a while because I enjoy all the options, and I there's usually something new to try. Plus, I refuse to ever get the same box of cereal twice in a row. Refuse.

4. I have an uncanny ability to identify actors by their voices. This usually happens when watching TV and a famous or even semi-famouns people are providing the voiceover to a commercial. I'll blurt out the name of the actor, and Monique will freak out 'cause I'm always right.

5. As a kid, I would draw all the time. But not just kid drawings, I would try and copy things. I'd draw product packages and corporate logos, etc. I was really good, and much of my drawings looked like they were traced, but I did them freehand.

So there you go. Now, I tag Pete, Randy, Crescent, Freddie and Keith.

- Corey

Road Trip!

Sorry for the sporadic posting lately. Busy times, y'all, busy times. That's a lousy excuse, I know. "We're all busy, Corey. We make time to come view your little page, the least you could do is write something new." Wow. I didn't realize you were so passionate about it. I'm sorry. Here's some new stuff now. And quit whining, it's kind of off-putting.

Ohio! Monique and I, along with the lovely and talented Sarah R. and Freddie S. took a roadtrip for the CCC to do a show in Mansfield, Ohio on Tuesday. We actually drove to Mansfield Monday night, got up and did the show on Tuesday afternoon, and then drove straight back to Chicago.

Mo, Sarah and Freddie picked me up Monday after work in Evanston in our sweet rental PT Cruiser to head out of town. We promptly drove 2 blocks and then stopped to eat dinner. After some decent Bar Louie grub, we then hit the road in earnest. Traffic in Chicago being what it is, it took a little while to get out of town. Either due to construction or us just not paying attention, we missed one of our turn-offs (which is not a turn-on, zing!) and it took us a little while to get back on track. On the plus side, we all saw much more of the south side of Chicago than any of us had previously.

Directions rectified, we were off and running. For what seemed like forever. Across Indiana, into Ohio, with stops for bathrooms, gas, food, etc. all in all a 5.5 hr drive turned into something like 9. Exhausted, we crashed hard at the lovely Mansfield Fairfield Inn. The good news is, according to Mo, they had the best continental breakfast ever! And she's a huge fan of continental breakfasts. A nice older lady was running things, making sure everything was stocked, cleaned, coffee was made, and griping about the new toaster which isn't as good as the old toaster even though it's brand new. She even made me a waffle. And not some stupid toaster Eggo frozen crap. Made from batter on a waffle iron. Nice.

The show was at THE Ohio State University - Mansfield campus. A quaint little satellite campus for the main institution located about an hour away. They hold a monthly Tuesday afternoon event where they host some deal in their Student Union, give the students free pizza and pop from12-1 and they get a turnout of like 200. Also, the show was great. We all had moments where we shined, and best of all the crowd loved it. I even knocked down the faux brick wall backdrop they had set up on the stage for us. Because everything is funnier in front of pretend bricks. It was an accident, but we played it off nicely and everyone enjoyed a few laughs. No harm done.

The trip back was pretty smooth. There were many road jokes, lots of fun stories, too much junk food and fast food and some sweet iPod magic to keep us entertained. Freddie's 80's slow jam mix was tremendous on so many levels. And as much as being in the car is just uncomfortable for that long of a period of time, this was all in all a really fun road trip. It was a great group to travel with, and we have decided to stake our claim as the official CCC Touring Company. We'll see if that sticks.

-Corey

I don't want to workout

This is how I feel about running.

Running sucks. I absolutely hate it. In fact, I don't actually run, I do intervals. Run, then walk, then jog, then run a bit, then walk trying to catch my breath, then run....But I always feel great after. My anniversary gift from Corey was the Nano+iPod (See previous blog entry to find out details of what it is). After 2 months of consistently jogging almost everyday, I've hit a wall. I just can't seem to motivate myself like I did the first few months that I was working for myself.

My birthday present from Corey was a big shopping spree for workout clothes. No, my husband isn't hinting that I need to lose weight. He knows I want this stuff. Plus it was a very unselfish gift since he HATES shopping and we actually had a good time picking out all my clothes.

So sigh now I don't have any excuses to skip working out. I have a pair of good quality shoes, cute comfortable clothes, the latest technology to track my progress. Lance Armstrong and other famous athletes even come on to my iPod to congratulate me when I beat my record for minutes per mile pace. I have no excuse. Sigh if only Corey could wrap motivation in birthday paper.

- Mo