Dreams

Dreams                                       3790

Wednesday, March 8, 2006-1:10 A.M.

Well, I'm getting ready to hit the road for Detroit, Michigan, and a week-long engagement at Chaplin's Comedy Club with headliner Kevin McNaughton.  I'm excited, as I always am when I hit the road, but this week so much more so.  I have a couple of reasons.

First, Chaplin's was the first coemdy club I ever played outside of my home club, some 16 years ago.  I participated in the Johnny Walker National Comedy Search and while I didn't place, it was my first taste of the big time, cattle-call comedy auditions, much like what my peers are going through currently with the Last Comic Standing auditions.  I literally got 2 minutes to strut my stuff in front of other comics, agents, managers, and big wig guys like Budd Friedman from the Improv.  Remember, this was 1989, and it was just at the tail end of the comedy boom...I went in with stars in my eyes, and left with my hopes dashed and crushed.  Actually, I wasn't expecting much going in, and I had only been doing comedy about two years at that point...I might as well have never done standup before at all.  Two years is like nothing in comedy years...it's like dog years in reverse, when you've done it for seven years, that's like one comedy year.  In comedy years, I'm actually six years old.  Pretty soon I'll be able to leave the house by myself and put on my own shoes.

So I'm looking forward to going back to Chaplin's.  I've played there a few times since, and it's not the most hospitable place to play, but it's a typical suburban comedy club and I like the idea of being in one place for the week rather than having to drive every day.  This club is pretty amazing, as far as how long it's been around; they have the normal headshots on the wall, but they've been yellowed by cigarette smoke (even though they're all in glass frames, can you dig it?) and they feature guys like Jerry Seinfeld and Drew Carey, long since gone from the comedy club circuit and looking decades younger in their sooty, amber cases.

Today I picked up my sleep apnea breather machine, and I'm taking it with me on the road.  I'm looking forward to using it regularly and havinggood, restful, uninterupted sleep.  I think it's quite an advantage being in one place for four days, because I won't have to keep packing and unpacking the equipment.  I can keep it on my nightstand and really get used to using it, so when I get it home, I won't be wrestling with all the componenets.

Harmony's birthday is Saturday, and she's turning the big T-W-O.  I'll be driving home overnight to make the celebration on Sunday, and we're going to have a simple family get-together with the cake and presents, and I'm sure Harmony won't have any idea what the big deal is about, but she'll figure it out quick.  She's a sharp one.  Still, we're going to have the third annual "Meet The Baby" picnic this year, and it's looking like we're going to go with Sunday, July 9th, which is also my brother Christopher's birthday.  Nothing like killing two birds with one stone, I say.  Revision: the date is actually July 2nd, not my brother's birthday at all, but still cause to celebrate.

O.K., I'm going to sleep now.  Road reports are forthcoming, so sweet dreams, gentle readers, and good day.

Ralph Tetta

Rochester, NY