Meeting Across The River (Bruce Springsteen)

Thursday, February 26, 2009-11:55 P.M.

Good evening from the cold, snowy, wind-swept, frigid, warmth-challenged town of Rutland, Vermont, home of The College of St. Joseph (CSJ). I'm in the middle of the big tour, taking the Dash For Dollars Comedy Game Show out on the road, as well as my own hilarious comedy show.

This week, I knocked two more states out of the box, New Jersey and Vermont. Believe it or not, in 20 years of doing standup comedy, I'd never performed in either state, and they both border my home state of New York. Well, that monkey's finally off my back! I started out Sunday night heading south for Jersey, the town of Carneys Point to be precise, and even though it's in southern New Jersey, it is really a Philadelphia suburb. I got in rather late due to some unexpected weather that wasn't horrible but the snow was obfuscating the white lines on route 81 and I couldn't see a damn thing. By the time I got into New Jersey, everything was fine and I was off to the races.

The show went off fine, although I had to do some 11th hour prop-shopping. In the game show, we use several wacky props, and while most of them are re-used, some of them get consumed, like toilet paper and bubble gum. I set up my show, and then ran out for said props, returning with plenty of time to spare. The show was fine, but afterwards, I was bushed; I got in late the night before and really didn't wind up getting a good night's sleep, and coupling that with a 9 AM report time, I was pretty spent.

After the show, I dragged my feet and then finally packed up and headed for Newton, New Jersey, located in the northern part of the state. I didn't have a hotel reservation, as the college decided instead to provide me with a lodging stipend. The problem was that when I arrived, all the hotels were sold out. I wound up staying in a location slightly farther away from the college than I would have preferred, but even though it was a mom 'n' pop, they had wireless internet, a fridge and microwave in the room, and all the comforts of home. They even provided shampoo.....take *that,* Motel 6!

I had a day off so I used the time productively, getting the van an oil change, doing some writing, and mostly listening to and dissecting President Obama's address to Congress. Wednesday morning, I checked out and made my way to Sussex County Community College, where my reception was warm and welcoming. They even gave me a special parking tag that allowed me to basically park right up against the building where the game show was being staged, and that was quite appreciated. The cash booth is cumbersome enough, without considering a 25 gallon storage tote full of props, the tripods and frames for the backdrop and the vinyl backdrop itself, four hula hoops and a putter....it's a pain toting all that stuff in from parts unknown!

The Monday morning show was hard, and I expected that it would be. Monday mornings, it's hard to get motivated and excited. But the Wednesday show was like pulling teeth! I couldn't predict how difficult it would be to come onto a college campus and basically give away money, and get ignored like a guy at an off-ramp with a cardboard sign that said "Hungry-Homeless-Help." But there I was, begging for some sort of interaction with a crowd of students who couldn't be bothered. Oh well. Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug.

After the show, I headed north to Rutland, Vermont, and the College of St. Joseph where I currently reside. No game show for me this evening, rather, my own headlining set. CSJ is a small college, but the people opened their doors to me and really made me feel welcome. The advantage of the size of the school is that everyone is on a first-name basis. The school provided me with on-campus accommodations, basically a dorm room, which was perfect. I got in Wednesday night and settled in, visiting the "downtown" area of Rutland in search of dinner and a LAN cord to take advantage of the internet connection in the dorms. I found a decent Chinese buffet, and after dinner, retreated to the dorm for a good night's sleep.

Today, I had lunch with Rob Lukaskiewicz, the gentleman in charge of student affairs and my gracious host. We had a nice chat and spoke of many things, including the challenges of parenthood, student involvement on college campuses, and the book I'm writing about standup comedy. He had his fingers crossed regarding the attendance of the show (the "town hall" meeting of the night before drew zero) and we were pleased that the total attendance fell just a few heads short of our goal. The show itself was staged in a beautiful 200-seat theater, and it was the type of venue I wish I had the opportunity to play in all the time. After the show, I chit-chatted with some of the students, then grabbed some sandwiches from the on-campus sub shop and retreated to my room to watch movies on DVD and of course, compose this blog.

Tomorrow, it's off to Warwick, Rhode Island, and a two-day engagement at the Comedy Zone (I've heard nothing but good things) and then Sunday is a day off to make it to Fort Wayne, Indiana for the game show. Tuesday and Wednesday I make my way back home with gameshow dates in Cleveland and Middletown, Ohio, and then Thursday night, I'll be judging the finals of the standup comedy competition back home in Rochester. Friday night, the game show runs back up to Canton, NY (my first repeat engagement since taking the gig) and then a weekend off before heading to Connecticut, West Virginia and Virginia. March is shaping up to be a very busy month, and that's fine with me. I love the stage and the opportunity to perform for appreciative audiences. And to be completely honest, I'm happy to have a job in a time when a lot of people don't, either for the want of a job or just having lost a good one. And I'm doubly lucky that it's a job that's so much fun, it doesn't even feel like work.

Stay warm....the winter's almost over.

Ralph Tetta
Rochester, NY