Chicago, you're a hell of a town

Chicago, you're a hell of a town.
www.davejennings.net http://dvj4.blogspot.com/

Hey Chicago, why do you do the things you do?

Tuesday marks my 5th month in the Second City.

This town is like an abusive boyfiriend. It smacks you around, but you know there's something good in there. It forgets your birthday, and then it takes you out to a really nice dinner. It draws you in, and doesn't let you leave.

I have been scraping away for five months, I was at the end of it all. I am down to my last dollar. It has been a roller coaster:

September:
Moved to Chicago, great apartment, great friends, no job.
Found two jobs, part time. Working 50 hours a week. Making ends meet.
Got into the Second City Conservatory.

October/November
Auditioned for a few things, did not get anything.
I could not get an "in" anywhere.

December
Worked a lot, covered bills, head above water--- but barely.
Got a partial lay off from the Museum of Science and Industry, and I had to watch some great people get laid off completely. THat sucked a lot.
My catering job dissappeared... I had no shifts from Dec 20th to Jan 20th
The city got cold, not frozen like Minneapolis, but cold.

January
Still cold.
Job searching sucked.
Broke up with my girlfriend, which sucked. I was so stressed about everything in my life.
Budgeting everything.
Can't even get an interview for a job.
Making plans in my head about how to move back to the farm
Get into a great show: Tarantino: The Improvised show (www.tarantinotheshow.wordpress.com)
Got into a student/independant film where I play a villain, which is great... a fun film. Great for a reel.
Obama became president.
Got an internship working for Second City in the Training Center.
Got an interview, got a second interview. Got the job.

As the ticking in my bank account seemed ready to explode, Chicago took me out to dinner, calmed me down, and told me that I was loved.

Fuck you, Chicago, fuck you. Ok, we can work this out.

Looks like I am here for awhile.

Strong Statements

Say what you will about Democrats, Republicans, the Green Party, and everyone else... you have got to admit that Obama's speech was amazing. In front of a live audience of 75,000 people and millions of Americans watched on television, Obama delivered a wonderfully intelligent speech of hope, change, and reasons why McCain is wrong for this country.

I was not a Clinton or Obama supporter during the primaries. I refused to make a real decision, but I am now sold on Obama.

That being said, my roommate Chris and I wonder if they focus group tested the phrase "Obama Biden." There a very small change needed to make "Obama Biden" into "Osama Bin Laden"

During the biography video shown before his speech at the DNC last night Michelle and Barack Obama spoke about his strange name (Remember too that there are people still worried about his middle name Houssein, and that whole Muslim thing). I think that they are just trying to make it hard on themselves.

Someone must have said, "Hey, do you guys think that 'Obama Biden' sounds a lot like that Osama guy?"

"Yeah, but Americans will not hold that against us."

Are you kidding? As a whole, we are not that smart.

Have you seen "Deliverance?" It's real. There are people out there like that.

Do you realize we elected a C student for two terms instead of two boring orators with spectacular educations?

I guarantee that there will be people who change their vote in the booth because they will see the last names in bold and have a flash back to 9/11 news coverage-- and suddenly Anytown, U.S.A will vote for their crazy old "Grampa McCain" instead of "Osama BinChange a lot."