Keep Pushin'

Keep Pushin'

Saturday, March 5, 2005-3:11 P.M.

Last night the shows at the Rivercenter Comedy Club here in beautiful San Antonio were very good; it's very much a tourist town, and they got a very "safe" show out of me at 8:30, but at the 10:45 show, I asked permission to go into my more risque, deviate sexually oriented material, which they seemed to enjoy.  After the second show, a sketch troupe called "Comedia-a-Go-Go" took the stage, and I had to leave in the middle of their first sketch.  They seemed to hang around much too long without getting to a punchline (there were a couple that I repeated to my wife that I thought were good) but I give them credit for doing a sketch show in the first place...it's something I've never attempted.  I always like improv because if a sketch wasn't doing well, you could just end the excercise and move on to the next one; in the sketch world, you're committed until the end.  That's balls.

Today I did laundry, and it's amazing when you're on the road a couple thousand miles from home, how satisfying something simple like laundry can be.  I have fresh underwear!  Thank you Jesus!  I like the fact that the apartment complex where the Rivercenter Club puts us up has laundry on the premises, some do not...and that's also a weak point in the clubs that use hotels for lodging their out-of-town talent, there is frequently no laundry service to be had.  Lunch today was toasted cheese sandwiches (or grilled cheese, if you prefer....it's the same thing, isn't it?) and some lovely shrimp Ramen noodle soup.  I felt almost civilized.  A brisk walk to the downtown library to check e-mail and post this journal entry is almost like excercise, and I must be doing something right, because last night, I had to drill another hole in my belt...the last one just wasn't doing the trick.  To date, this is the 10th hole I've installed myself after the five that were already in there.  The holes are roughly 1 inch apart, which means I've lost 10 inches off my waist since I bought the belt.  To be fair, I had an untreated thyroid condition when I bought the belt, and weighed a good 50 to 60 pounds more than I do now, but I feel like I'm moving in the right direction.  My weight has to be around 320 where just a couple of years ago, I was at 371.  It's been a slow climb, but little things like eating in moderation, and eating several small meals through the day rather than eating one very big meal just before bed seem to be making a difference.  Of course, when I'm on the road, I always try to get in some mall-walking for good measure.  I don't think excercise has to be torture and sweat, as long as you keep moving.  Once I get down to 250 or so, where I'm not crushing my knees everytime I run, I think I might start doing some aerobic stuff, maybe running or treadmill stuff, but for right now, I feel good, I'm rarely out of breath, and I don't own any clothes that I can't wear because I bulge out of them like a busted package of Pop 'n' Fresh dough.

CD sales were good yesterday, and tonight should be a full boat...I'm expecting good things.  Library is closed tomorrow, so weekend wrap-up update will post on Monday.  Have a great weekend, wherever you are, enjoy everything in moderation, and be good to someone, even if it's only yourself.

Ralph Tetta

Rochester, NY