So Tired

So Tired                                      2171

Thursday, November 3, 2005-1:40 A.M. CDT

Wow, I didn't expect to be here today.  I'm in Decatur, Illinois, the very gig I canceled three weeks ago.

I'm scheduled to be working the South Bend, Indiana Funnybone, and I did indeed work the gig on Tuesday night.  Tonight, I'm filling in for Steve Burr, formerly of Rochester, NY, now residing in Los Angeles, California.  He had no transportation to the gig tonight and in Lafayette, Indiana tomorrow, so he passed the gig off to me.

Tuesday night was a low-key affair at the Funny Bone, with Derek Richards and Pete Lee both turning in great sets in front of the 42-odd people who showed up.  I was happy doing a shorter set, but I haven't emceed in a long time, so I forgot how to kill time while the other acts were on stage doing their thing.  I managed pretty well, and after the show, we all went out for drinks and socializing with some of the local talent, who were entertained by my chicken-wing eating style; namely, biting the chewy part off the end of the bone.  I guess they never saw that sort of thing before...I've been eating wings that way for years.

Before hitting the road today, Derek, Pete, Steve Burr and myself all went out to lunch, and we had a nice Max & Erma's meal...I'd seen the chain before, but never ate there.  It was a luxury I could have ill afforded, because I wound up not getting moving toward Decatur until 2:00.  Even with picking up the extra hour, I was looking at driving through Gary, Indiana, which is the Nexus of Sominus for traffic...cars and trucks go in, and they fall asleep.  One of my big problems as well was that I left not one but both of my road atlases at home.  At one point, I had to call the lovely Pamela Ruth to navigate me out of South Bend, Indiana.  I had gone online for driving directions, but they didn't take construction detours into account, and I wound up going nowhere fast.  It wasn't until 3:30 that I really felt like I was on my way and knew where I was.

Decatur is a gig I've worked about 3 or 4 times in the past, and I've never really killed here.  Tonight, I thought I was really behind the 8-ball because I got here just a little before showtime, I hadn't eaten a proper meal, and I had to follow a strong feature act, Fred Potter of Lansing, Michigan.  Fred and I knew each other from my time in Rochester managing the club there, and I was familiar with his high-energy style.  I got laughs, but in the closing position (which is still pretty new to me), I wasn't as effective as I wanted to be.  Tomorrow in Lafayette should be better, it's a different type of a room, a college pub instead of a sports bar.

I just got back from Wal-Mart, where I ponied up and purchased my 2006 Rand McNally road atlas.  It was time, anyway, and now I don't feel so helpless.

This is going to be a long week, I can tell.  Every day so far has promised a long drive with not much rest and less than desirable audiences, and have delivered on all three counts.  It can only get better from here.

Ralph Tetta

Rochester, NY