On and on... the continuation of being off work on a random Friday

Time for an update on my day. I stopped into work to meet some friends for lunch, and then came and hid over in Los Feliz to get some more work done and see a movie. I'm going to finally see "The Kids are Alright" If you haven't heard of it, or forgot what it is, here is the trailer for you to get acquainted. I posted it before, but it definitely deserves a re-post.

But first, lets take a moment and talk about how Dina and Gregg got to go play on the set of The Cavanaughs a few weeks ago and now our episode is up. It is a project that Dina and I really enjoy and definitely respect its place in entertainment right now. If you haven't watched it yet, take a look. If you like what you see, definitely go to You Tube or their website(http://http//www.the-cavanaughs.com/), and see the rest of the show. Dina and I definitely come back later in the season.


And now, for your reading pleasure, is a new exert of "I Have 3 Kinds of Hiccups" I haven't given my readers any of it in a while and I figured its time to give you a little more nibble.... Talk to you soon!

There I was, laying down dead, in the parking lot outside of the Polo Towers off the strip in Las Vegas. That was the day I turned 23 and just earlier that week, the horrible song “Its your Birthday” by 50 Cent came out and that is all I was hearing everywhere. Especially while I was on the ground, waiting to figure out what my next move was.
The evening started off with a nice dinner at PF Changs, with Regan, Stella, Michael Murphy, Matt, my roommate Kati, George and some guy that Michael Murphy was seeing at the time. It was a great dinner, followed by a great show, Margeret Cho, and then somewhere it turned around and I had two Apple Martini’s in my hand, was flirting with an old flame Mikey, and was hollering at the President of the Gay Fraternity at UNLV because he was hitting on Angela but was clearly gay. However the situation really was that evening, this is the perspective that stays in my mind and probably will never be replaced.
Now, you ask, how did you end up on the ground Gregg? Well it’s very simple. I thought I was god and could fly! No, that wasn’t it, but it was close. I decided I was going to do barrel turns through the parking lot. At that moment, in my state of clarity, I was calling them wheel barrel turns; hence why I ended up on my back in the parking lot of the Polo Towers, and now, at age 30, still have this scar on my elbow from that moment. There I was, on the ground, drunk, trying to convince Matt, Angela, and Patrick that I fell on purpose and I could be a stunt double. Yep. Drunk!
A few weeks ago, I was home in Madison, WI, and went swimming in Lake Monona at bar time with some friends. When we got out, we then saw the high bacteria sign that stated no swimming was allowed at that beach. This didn’t bother me a bit when we first saw it, but once back in LA, working, with an itch on my elbow, I got extremely terrified. I thought that I had contracted some sort of worm from when we went swimming. I immediately called Allysa, asked if she had any ailments? Then, called Dina, told her I was coming over because I had a worm I needed her to look at. You know, seeing how she has soooo much experience in the medical field. She had her computer and Wi Fi. Together, I figured we could diagnose this from the Internet.
Well, needless to say, It only happened to be a bug bite, right on this u-shaped scar from my 23rd birthday. I was convinced that I had something growing under my skin. The part about it that adds to the irony of it is I am by all means, not even close to a hypochondriac. Just a gay boy freaked out by a bump on my elbow.
The point of this story is, no matter what age, we still think that we are invincible when lubricated with alcohol. Just ask my grandma!

The Act of Theatre in our Daily Lives

I took off work today. Not so much because I have a doctor appointment in a while, and not so much that I am feeling ill, but to throw it out ito the world that this is how I want my actual life to be. I will always work extremel hard, no matter what I do with my life. That is a pure fact to who I am. Unfortunately though, I have difficulty letting go of this comfort idea, and the routine of doing what I have always done. The truth of it all is that isn't what I really want to do with my life at all. So, today is dedicated to throwing it out into the world that this, writng, creating, enpowering people, is truely what I want to be doing. My day is an example of what that may look like on a much larger scale so not only is it floating out there in the world as something concrete, but it is something to strive for. I'm pumped to see where this will all go. Part of me feels like I am on vacation, which is essentially how I feel life should be in the first place.
Have a great morning everyone. I'll keep you posted through the day and let you know what is happening.">

Another Day in LA

The last couple weeks I've been in and out of a small funk. Nothing major or life changing, just a point of reference to make sure everything is in check. I've spent some time looking at my finances, my love life, my job, my career. It hasn't been an attempt to solve anything,but acknowledge that these are areas that need a little attention. This happens to all of us more and more as we get past the age of 25. We have the need to feel more secure in our decisions and where we are at in the scape of things. The unfortunate thing is that this tends to cause us to take less risks and that in not good in any aspect. It goes back to the basic idea of one life, better make the most of it.

I wanted to post a couple things that I saw in the news today. It is always good to keep things in check, or at least acknowledge that these things and people are out there.... Like Glenn Beck. Even though many of us just tune him out, we have to remember that many people do not and are very much influenced by him. Just like in this story.
http://http//www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-boehlert/glenn-becks-incendiary-an_b_660429.html

Also in The Huffington Post today was the story about the oil spill near Kalamazoo, MI. This is insane because there is so much oil in this spill and there are not enough resources to get it cleaned up. Needless to say all of the wildlife that is so Midwest specific and already in danger of loosing habitat.


And for now, I'll leave you with the latest Single Life with Sam Phillips. My lovely co-hostess found herself in the studio with them this last Friday and got some time with our friend Sam. As always, check out all the other great shows on Hottalkla.com. Have a great night!!!
http://http://www.hottalkla.com/htla/media/thesinglelife/playlist/TSL0725-BoysAreAway.mp3

Hello on a Monday night

Well, its almost bed time but I want my readers to at least see a couple great things before I close my eyes for the night. The first thing is that we have a new show out. Here is the link... http://http//www.hottalkla.com/htla/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=61&Itemid=320

Also, check out one of my best friend's new albums..... Eating Alone's The Long Haul

you can find it on itunes at this address

http://http//itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-long-haul/id381581015

And now, I just want to leave you with this little history lesson from funnyordie.com....Its too funny and there is plenty more where this came from. Check it out for a great laugh

Drunk History Vol. 5 w/ Will Ferrell, Don Cheadle & Zooey Deschanel from Will Ferrell">

So much stuff

This afternoon I feel the weight of not keeping up on my blog. There is so much going on and I'm not conveniently sharing it so that it is fun to read. Instead, I try to write down as much as possible at once and then inevitably forget stuff and overwhelm my readers. Well, I'm working on it. We'll see what comes from that.

The first thing that I have today is a news story from yesterday that didn't get as much attention as I would have hoped. It took place in Germany where there was a love festival. In this "Love Parade", 19 people lost their lives when panic arose in a tunnel and a stampede then followed. The festival will now be cancelled in the future. I don't know how I feel about this. Here is the link I found on the examiner.com.

http://http//www.examiner.com/x-40861-SF-Top-News-Examiner~y2010m7d25-German-Love-festival-death-toll-rises-Love-Parade-canceled

I have 2 more things to share before run off for the rest of the afternoon. The first is my new favorite dance song. You know, for at least the next 20 minutes. The final thing is the latest from the New York group, Improv Everywhere. I love their movement of theatre and feel that all theatre should portray the audience's sense of involvement that they give.

A Saturday Night In

Its Saturday July 17th, and I am in, for no reason, I just ended up in the house. A shower of self pity came over me earlier, which is ridiculous, I know, but it did. I waited to blog until it was gone because I don't want that to take up space that I put my name on. I attached one of my favorite songs to the beginning of this entry to ensure that my earlier energy isn't attached.

This particular song, London Skies, by Jamie Cullum, is particularily close to my heart. It reminds me of one of my favorite time periods of my life. It was the latter end of the summer of 2008 and I was living with Alyssa. I was also working on the peir at the Edgewater in Madison, WI. I spent my days out on the lake taking care of people, and then at night, I was with brilliant, wonderful people who I loved being around. That was on the threshold of me making my triumphant return to Los Angeles. That was almost 2 years ago.

Since those care free days on the lake, much has changed. I would go in the general direction for the good though. One of the largest things of course would be The Dina and Gregg Show. We're going on a year strong. Here is a couple things to notice about it.

http://http//www.hottalkla.com/htla/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=61&Itemid=320

I am also thankful for my circle of friends. I of course, have my group of friends that I had from when I lived out here years ago, but I have made some other really great friends. I really am so lucky in that department of my life. Even with Jean and me, we have a beautiful apartment in Hancock Park and it is just a great space that I never really thought I would live in.

I have also been with my job for almost the entire 2 years. I've never been one to not hold onto a job. But I have stuck it through with them for a while now and one has to keep the question in mind of, where is it going? I still have the power and energy to climb up the coorperate ladder of course, but most likely no, I won't be doing that.

Any way, I am going to get back to some other writing so good night. Have a wonderful Saturday night. I promise, I won't make you wait this long in the future.

I'm going to leave you with music that I'm working to right now. The group Floetry came out a few years ago and never got the dues that they deserved. I loved them and still do. Their album is frequently heard in my home.

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Just a Note on a Sunday Night

These last two weeks have been a whirlwind of adventure, intrigue, and in my face reality of my life. I haven't written anything, my blog or anything else for that matter, because of it. I do know that for the last few days, I've been haunted by a sort of "shit spiral" that I can't shake off. As I get ready for bed tonight, and lay down to read a bit more about the phenomenal Eleanor Roosevelt, I will go to sleep confident that this short term phase is over. The truth is that not one horrible thing has happened to me in this time but precisely, the opposite has happened. I've had many things and ideas revealed to me as well as I've gotten to know myself even better. I haven't even began to comment on the advances in my career. I will share everything with you all tomorrow. I just needed to mention it tonight before I brush my teeth. Good night world.