Better Know a Beard

http://www.daveJennings.net and dvj4.blogspot.com

Better know a few…..

Hello Folks,

My post yesterday about facial hair reminds me of a few people who I hold in regard. In this special “Better know a_______” I give you some of my favorite facial haired people of all time.

Better Know a Former Milwaukee Brewer
Rollie Fingers

Regarded as one of the best relief pitchers in Major League Baseball, he was also one of the first to be groomed for that position from his minor league days. Rollie is known for his mustache, a genuine Handlebar, roughly 100 years out of style. Rollie has had the beard since he played for the Athletics. In a true moment of steadfast, he grew the mustache to get a bonus, as did many of his teammates as a publicity stunt. He was the only one not to shave it off when traded, and it became his trademark. Now, over 30 years later no one can imagine a clean faced Rollie.

Highlights from his career: (This is right from Wikipedia!)
Fingers won both the American League MVP and Cy Young Award in 1981 while with Milwaukee. In 1974 he was given the World Series MVP Award while with Oakland, earning two saves and one win. Fingers won the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award in 1977, 1978, and 1980 with the Padres and in 1981 with the Brewers. He saved 29 games for the 1982 Brewers, but he pitched most of the season in pain and was forced to miss the Brewers' first trip to the World Series — where they were beaten in seven games by the Cardinals — and any prospect of a showdown or two with Bruce Sutter, who proved vital to the Cardinals' winning effort.

In 1992 he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, joining Wilhelm to become only the second reliever inducted (Eckersley, Sutter, and Gossage have since followed). In 1999, he ranked Number 96 on The Sporting News list of Baseball's Greatest Players, and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Fingers later pitched a season in the short-lived Senior Professional Baseball League.

Better Know A President
Rutherford B. Hayes

Rutherford B Hayes is an interesting one. He grew his beard when serving in the Civil War. Hayes formed a military company with some of his literary club friends from Cincinnati. He became a major in the army, and rose up the ranks to a brevetted major general by the end of the war. Under his command was another future president, William McKinley.

The 1876 election was as controversial as any other election in modern history. Hayes was a quiet guy, nice enough, and he lost the popular vote, but won the electoral vote by one vote after a special congressional commission awarded him the presidency. He was sworn in in secrecy one day before the public inauguration for fear of something bad happening.

Better Know a Weather Man….
Jimmy “Dutch” Gaines
http://www.secretsofthecity.com/magazine/blogs/dude-weather

I have no idea why Jimmy has those sideburns. He has had them for most of the time I have known him over the past 5 years. They are a part of this Weather Man (I divide it into two words because he is just that, a Man who does the weather…. Or as he also claims, a Dude who does the weather.

Jimmy is a true New Yorker, even though his stint in NYC was short, he has some great stories about his time there, and moreover he headed back to the Midwest where his NYC feel gives him an edge the Minnesota Nice is fearful of.

Please check out his video blog whether you weather in the Twin Cities, Chicago, Milwaukee, LA, SFO or NYC.
http://www.secretsofthecity.com/magazine/blogs/dude-weather

Facial Hair

1-9-09 davejennings.net and dvj4.blogspot.com

Hello Folks,

Welcome back again.

After that long novel, I think I shall delve into something thoroughly deep and thought provocative: beards.

I just shaved off my 6th or 7th beard of my life. I am cold, I miss it, and even though numerous people have said I look younger and more handsome without it, I still want it on my face.

This beard was the victim of a beard trimmer mishap. Many beards go this way. Many beards, sideburns, mustaches, and purposeful 5 o’clock shadows have fallen victim to the misplaced guard or the poorly connected trimmer guard.

To have a clean beard can be much more work than fresh and clean skin. The trimming and the maintenance, the balance and the mirror on each cheek are difficult to maintain. It takes talent, and when missed cannot be judged poorly upon--- instead you should congratulate a proper beardsmith on an attempt to do a good job.

In this beard’s demise, he hell victim to the #1 setting on my trimmer, as opposed to the normal #3. With one swipe, a divot was entered into my facial hair that could not be concealed. I spared my mustache for a full evening in the public…. In other words, I had a #1 length beard with a #5 length mustache… if you know what this means you can picture it. If you cannot, then take this description that my roommate gave me, “You look like a douche.”

A Douche perhaps, but a damaged douche that misses his beard.

A day later in preps for a job interview, I am clean shaven for the first time since Halloween, and I miss my warm and fuzzy windbreaker, my mustache with coffee icicles, my cheek warmer, my all purpose back of my hand scratcher, and my solution for activity whenever my hands needed something to play with…. Yes, I miss you.

I hope I get a job that allows me to re-grow my little friend.

That is all....
davejennings.net

Coming back at you

Hello folks,

So, I have not Blogged since September 2008. That’s four months.

I needed to take that time off. I know that whoever reads this will probably not believe me and will think that I am just using it as an excuse for being lazy, but it’s true. I was not ready to do any of this. Call it “Writer’s Block” or whatever you will…. But at the end, I chose not to write in September because I did not feel like it. Over the past month or so I have some instances of wanting to write or to be creative, but I could not force it.

There are a few things that have finally converged to make me want to be creative again. I recently lost some hours at work, so time is now allowing me to be creative again, I have had to spend some more time at my computer than I was for awhile, and having a keyboard in front of you always helps you write, and finally it has just felt right. I have had this itch bugging me to write.

I have started to write some sketches again, and so I can call myself a writer again. In the words of Caleb McEwen, “The only thing that makes you a writer is that writers write.”

My friend and roommate Lisa Burton (http://www.lisaburton.blogspot.com/) is reading a book I lent her by Twyla Tharp entitled “The Creative Spirit” in which the world renowned choreographer writes about how important it is to create structure for your creative spirit to be healthy…. Or if you are bogged down, that you cannot force it, you must take a break from it, you must get away from your work every now and again. I also compare this to Jill Bernard’s “Sine Wave of Suck” in which with regards to improv there are times when you will suck, or at least you will feel like you suck…. So you must move away from improv. Go for a walk or a leave of absence, join a softball team, whatever it takes. Get away and do something else. Get over it, it’s just improv.

So here I am, I moved to Chicago four months ago, and although I am searching for more work (that pays), I kind of feel like I am finally getting the hang of this place. I am certainly feeling better about some of my stuff, I feel like I am in a place where my creative spirit can be successful. Woot.

For a return of my “Better Know a ______________” I give you:
BETTER KNOW A CHOREOGRAPHER: TWYLA THARP

Whoever might read this might immediately stop reading because they are turned off by the idea of dance, but I implore you to keep reading. Twyla has thoughts and words that transcend to all walks of life.

I was first introduced to Twyla Tharp’s book “The Creative Spirit” by a college professor named Lance Brockman. He made us read it in our Advanced Scene Design course. One of the biggest “take aways” I had for the book was that whatever your passion and your art you must be purposeful about your art. It is too easy to take the easy route of an artist and lose your drive or give up on it, or worse yet call yourself an artist when you do not create. Think of the college student who is too concerned with partying and sleeping to go to class. They are not a student, they are a waste of possibility. So Twyla writes that one must work toward their goals, they must set structure to be their most creative… in the words of my friend Lauren Anderson, “We must limit to free.” We could create anything, but without some structure it is so much harder.

Twyla Tharp once said, “The only thing I fear more than change is no change. The business of being static makes me nuts.” And this reads to an improviser well. My friend John Sweeney was quoted on millions of Starbucks Cups as saying, “Improvisers don't look at change as an obstacle; we look at it as fuel. We know that the next great idea lies just on the other side of the change. We are constantly asking ourselves, 'What can I do to incite change?' Well?" This idea of change is hard for people. To change is the unknown…. Hell, I am scared of it too. But if we always stay the same then how can we ever improve ourselves? Take a look at the auto industry.

Twyla started formal piano training when she was four years old. She had dancing lessons of every sort and description, and painting lessons. She also learned German and shorthand. Her mother’s viewpoint on education was that Twyla was to learn everything. Simple enough, right? But it makes sense to me. An artist must educate themselves in as much that might seemingly have nothing to do with their art form as possible, otherwise they run the risk of either not knowing how to create their next work or that their work will become stagnant.

Twyla Tharp has won Emmy and Tony awards, and currently works as a choreographer in New York City. That is her one line biography, but like any artist she is a lot more than a one line of text. She is a weird confluence of circumstance bound together to create a demanding individual I can admire.

Think of the performers and artists you know and admire. I will bet you that you can probably say the same thing for each one of them. Any artist who is worth their salt has been through a lot and done a lot to get by and not give up on their art form. You must be dedicated. You must be driven. You must be diverse. You must be able to change.

What drives you? What is your goal? Is everything you are doing going to take you there? Is that a good or a bad thing (or neither)? Are you happy? Does that matter?

That is all.
davejennings.net and dvj.blogspot.com

We are here

Hey folks

We are in Chicago. Our stuff is in our new place... which I love... and I am tired, very tired.

Tomorrow is for more unpacking and finding a job.

Woot.

That is all

Packing it up

Saturday was "We Got The Truck Day"

A beautiful yello Penske that is about 2/3 full at this point with all of Tylr and Lisa's stuff.

Good news, I think all of our stuff will fit in the truck with perhaps a little overflow into my pick up.

Great news: I have the truck with all of Lia and Tyler's stuff, and I will be selling it all off to fund my next year in Chicago--- Ha! Take that FUCKERS!

Most of my stuff i going into the truck tomorrow (Monday) so I am packing, cleaning, and throwing stuff out...

Anyone want a desk?

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."

Thank You, Minneapolis Show

Wow.

Tonight was great.

Thank you.

Thank you to the 20 improvisers who kicked ass, 5 groups plus a monster jam at the end was a hell of a lot of fun. It was a great opportunity for us to say "Thank you" to the groups we love to perform with.

It was funny, it was meaningful, it was spectacular.

Thank you to those who made it out, thank you to those who tried to make it out. Thank you for your laughs, support, thank you.

bookend shows

This will be a day bookended by shows.

I awoke from only 3 hours of sleep this morning to go to ComedySportz and do a great show for a group of teachers in Waconia... I still do not know where Waconia is, except that it is South and West.

Tonight is our "Thank You, Minnapolis" show at the Brave New Workshop. Things could be a little nuts tonight. I you are still debating coming, you really should just show up.

From here on out it is a lot of packing, cleaning, and final hand off.

I spoke to my mother today, she asked how I was doing-- I responded with "Well, moving is one of the most stressful things in life, and I am doing it without enough prep time... so I am a little stressed."

"Oh, I suppose. Well, I wish there was something I could do, but seeing as I can't-- just call me and let me know how you are doing."

That was nice. That was acceptance of the fact that I am actually moving to Chicago on her part. This is good... it means she is finally ok with my move.

So, come tot he show tonight, it will be great... see you there.

-Dave

So Much--- so little time

Brewers ar keeping the wild card dream alive

One week from now I will be unpacking in my new apartment, yet I have not gotten much packed in my current apartment.

Currently:
*I have friends getting Married in New York
*My Current roommate is getting ready to move out of our current place and he is moving his girlfriend into their new place
*I am moving 400 miles away
*I am getting ready to audition for the Second City Training Program
*I am trying to find a job
*I am finishing things up at the BNW
*trying to say hello and good bye to everyone


Holy Crap.

I have an awesome positive energy right now, but I am also sick to my stomach...

Really excited. I just want to worry about moving at this point...

Check out davejennings.net

Time Lapse

August 3, 2008
www.Davejennings.net

Hey there folks,

INTRO---
Welcome back. So, since my last writing I have lost three keys on my new laptop. It was a terrible experience, and I offer it up only because it is making typing slightly more difficult. I lost my S, E, and 4 key in an amazing drop from one hand and catch by another hand. Alas, I need to order a new laptop keyboard from Dell and install it myself. Dude, I got another Dell. Dude.

As I am typing this on my broken keyboard I am trying a little experiment. I am using the camera on my laptop to do a time lapse session on what happens during the art fair in front of the Brave New Workshop. I’ll post the video if it is at all interesting. So, if the thrill of reading my blog is not enough for you, you can now watch from my computer screen a video of what happens over my shoulder as I am typing in front of the BNW.

Do you use iGoogle? If you don’t, you should. It should be everyone’s new homepage. It is amazing. It gets the DVJ4 seal of approval.

CHICAGO UPDATE
Looking for jobs, looking for places to live. Everyone and their mother ask me about Chicago on a nearly daily basis. I suppose I don’t mind talking about it, when I am not talking about it I tend to freak out a little and worry, but when I am talking about it, I just get annoyed by the fact that I have no idea what is going on at all. Lisa and Tyler (Burstin’ and Petri) both have Fringe Shows to keep them busy, I just have the BNW to keep me busy… which does keep me pretty busy, I suppose. I have been searching on Craigslist.org for housing and jobs almost nonstop for the past two weeks. Anyway, everyone asks me about it all the time…

IMPROV UPDATE
No real update here, just rehearsing, a little ComedySportz here and there.

BREWERS UPDATE
Alright. Yep. The Cubs won the entire series in Milwaukee.

That is all