)) in stereo where available ((
)) in stereo where available ((
We'll start at the very beginning. I'm told it's a very good place to start. This is simply my archived journal from the time I was bothering to keep a journal while I lived in Minneapolis. If it matters, they were originally posted in the reverse order from they way they are here. I reordered them, by hand, to make them flow a little better. Why? I think you know why. That's right, because I love you.
May 10, 2000 AD
Henceforth, I will keep a small but anthropologically
significant record of the important events in my life.
Nothing so far....
Stay tuned.
June 27, 2000 AD
It has recently come to my attention that it will be my birthday in 2 days. Seriously. If you simply won't be able to make it through the rest of your day knowing this but unable to do anything about it, I have a solution.
Send gifts & cards to:
Travis Richey
415 5th Ave. SE
Minneapolis, MN 55414
Thank you in advance:) And I do accept late submissions. That's just how nice I am.
July 28, 2000 AD
Well, it has been true for a few weeks now. I no longer work for Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY). I have a new job at a really impressive outfit called ReliaStar. Strangely enough, only days before I began to work there, I was walking past this neat building in downtown Minneapolis thinking, "Huh. ReliaStar. Neat name. What do they do?" Turns out it's a financial institution. They do insurance, banking, investment, anything with money. And I work there. Cool. Unfortunately, I had to take a pay increase and stop working an erratic schedule and go to work in the morning and come home in the afternoon and have every weekend off. And I can't stand on hard tile all day long and be happy even when I don't want to be. I have to sit in this damnable comfortable computer chair. DAMNIT, my luck just pisses me off. Oh, crap, I forgot to put on my waders. I'm knee-deep in sarcasm here.
August 28, 2000 AD
I'm still working at ReliaStar, and enjoying myself immensely. I also attended my first Minnesota State Fair yesterday. It was ok, but all my friends are chickens, and wouldn't go on the "Ejector Seat" with me. I could've gone alone, but it would've made an already expensive ride $20 more, and what fun is that? Also, things are always better when you do them with someone, right? Rides, dinner, movies, sex, etc. I did get a chance to see Weird Al Yankovic in concert, which was very cool. I was going to hop on a soapbox and rant about something today, but I forgot what it was, so consider yourselves lucky. I really have to keep a notepad on me.
November 12, 2000 AD
I remembered what I was going to rant about. And this time I had my notebook on me. I, like millions of other Americans, suffer occasionally from migraine headaches. Yeah, they're pretty bad, and I pretty much can't do anything when I have one, but it's part of life. A few months ago I bought some Exedrine Migraine, because I had run out of my prescription medicine. It was a little more expensive, but I was excited that there was an over the counter drug now made especially for migraines, since nothing else had ever worked. Well, neither did this, and I pretty much chalked it up to just not being the right thing. Recently, though, I read a newspaper article that revealed that Exedrine Migraine and Advil Migraine had the exact same ingredients as regular Exedrine and Advil. On my next trip to the store I checked the ingredients and sure enough, they were exactly the same, except that they charged more for less medicine in the Migraine versions. Well, this really pisses me off. That's it. I think it also sounds a bit illegal. Someone should sue.
I'm also still working at ReliaStar, but probably not for much longer. They're closing down my department, but even if they weren't, it's always been just a long term temp job. When I'm done there, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Probably another job at first, but I'm planning to visit my brother in New York, and possibly move out there temporarily to do some acting. I'll keep you updated.
February 4, 2001 AD
Here's the latest; Reliastar ended as a source of income for me on Nov. 30th. I was out of work for a surprisingly long time. I really expected to be working again the Monday after I finished there. The temp agency I was going through was not able to find me suitable work, despite my skills. As nice of folks as they have there, I decided to try out a couple other temp places, and finally got a job in mid January at Volt Services. I now work at US Bancorp as an administrative assistant in the Insurance Services division. Basically a glorified secretary. Fortunately, it's a lot less stress than Reliastar, and I don't have to do much independent thought. It won't last long, as US Bancorp and Firstar Bank are merging (did you know that the CEOs of both businesses are brothers? Neat but true), and many positions are being eliminated, including the one my boss holds. So back on the block in a month or so. This time I will not make two fatal mistakes. I will call the temp agency every day in order to get a new job, and I will apply for unemployment right away, just in case. This last time I waited until late December to do it, and it cost me a lot. In addition, I plan on searching for other, non-temporary jobs, such as a position at the local Fox TV affiliate, where they are starting up a news department. In other news (no pun intended) I auditioned for, was called back, but ultimately didn't get a role as Lex Luthor in the new WB show, "Smallville." Oh, well. Rejection is like 90% of this business. I'm not fazed.
Also, I am starring in a community theater production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the Heritage Theater Company. The performances are at the Maplewood Community Center the last two weekends in February. Details are at www.heritagetc.com.
That's it for today, I've got the rest of the site to work on (eg; "Footwear" stuff). Next time, another soapbox entry. This time, now that I'm commuting to work, it's the all important "Thank You" Wave.
March 25, 2001 AD
I was going to rant about the all-important "thank-you wave" when you are out on our nation's great and expansive (but too often crowded where you may depend on the kindness of strangers to stay alive) roadways. Suffice it to say, don't forget to wave when someone does something nice for you out there. And yes, it's still fine to give the finger, as long as it it used sparingly. Oh, and this is from personal experience, if you think someone's flipping you off, before you return the gesture make sure that it really is their middle finger, and not a thumbs-up. That lady was sure confused...
It is a great source of personal pride that "Footwear" is finally completed. The process for that film began over four years ago when I was a sophomore at the University of Minnesota. The idea formed at 4am one night while brainstorming with John Cohagen (whose involvement, unfortunately, pretty much ended there), and production itself didn't begin until almost two years later. Another two and a half years after that, the movie itself was premiered. Lots of people have since given me wonderful and positive feedback on it, and you know what? They're not wrong. I watched it the other night, and was actually surprised by how much it didn't suck. I've sent it in to iFilm, but there's no guarantee that it will be posted if I don't buy one of their hosting packages. If they so will, it should be available for viewing by the beginning of May. Cross your fingers. I will also be entering the film into the Minnesota Fringe Festival film division.
My grandparents just celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary. Wow. I just wanted to note that.
Explore the site, there are lots of pages with whole bunches of pictures and links!
I had lots of other stuff to say, but I really can't remember any right now. That'll teach me not to carry my note pad on my 24 hours a day. Until next time, live well.
July 16, 2001 AD
Well, there is a whole lot of news. Since my last entry, I bought a new car, lost my job, moved to a new apartment with a new roommate, got another job (after 2 months of unemployment), revealed the existence of my dog to those who didn't know (stay tuned for a Dot page), got a one-time role on a national cable show ("Let's Bowl" for Comedy Central!), learned that my friends who have a baby are having another (twins this time, I'm sure), started editing on "My Mother's Veins" (finally!), and am preparing to begin filming on "Toure de Farce 2" in a couple weeks with Eric.
Whew.
I may put more details in next time. I'm pooped.
August 31, 2001 AD
Um, you know that job I got after two months of unemployment? Well, I lost it. It was kind of a mutual decision. I wasn't making any money and neither were they. I do have a couple other offers on the table though, and everything should work out fine, but thus far the best ones are with big companies that have LONG hiring processes. So once I start working I'll be happy as a clam in butter, but it might not happen for a few weeks. I won't go into specifics, but I'll let you know more when it happens.
Shortly after I ended my most recent employment, Dot came down with something that I was sure was life threatening, like Parvovirus (even though she's inoculated) or something equally as serious. As for the symptoms, let's just say I ended up having to buy a hand-held carpet cleaner. I also took her to the vet, which bit a little into my cash reserves, but was probably a good thing. Turns out it was only a little bug that seems to be circulating the local doggy community, and it cleared up beautifully in about a week. I feel like such a Dad. The puppy in question (who is 100% pure bred Sweetie Pie) is at this moment sleeping in a sunbeam. Which I have also decided is an album name.
Other than that, I was driving the other day and had someone with Minnesota plates give me a thank-you wave. But I'm pretty sure they were (like my roommate) originally from Wisconsin and had to register their car in Minnesota for some reason.
September 25, 2001 AD
I have a separate page for thoughts on 9/11/01. It's here.
Other than that, a lot has happened since my last entry. I got a job pretty quickly at SprintPCS. It's retail, which isn't so great, but it's not nearly as bad as Best Buy was. I work better hours (though still not the 9-5 type of thing I was hoping for), have great benefits, and enjoy the ease of the work. It's partially on commission, which I can't help being a little nervous about, but I think I'll do just fine. Plus, I believe that SprintPCS is the best wireless service out there, and it's a lot easier selling something that you're excited about. It brings to mind how long I lasted at Best Buy after I moved from the computer department to appliances. Ooh, exciting.
I was also cast in two plays in the Minneapolis area. One has since been postponed due to financial reasons. The other is a production of "Godspell". I am disappointed that I have a relatively small role and have no songs of my own, but it's a paid gig, and it looks like it's going to be a fun and different "Godspell" than anyone's ever seen.
December 4, 2001 AD
I know I haven't been writing much lately. On one hand, I want this to be a brief account of the important things in my life. On the other, I don't want it to be a daily journal. Those things will piss you off in a hurry, unless you happen to be reading the journal (or column) of someone who happens to be both thoughtful and amusing on a daily basis, which I cannot. After all, there are only so many times you can bring up the Thank-You Wave before people start to lose interest.
Ooh! Here's a quirky little bit. This evening while watching the local news (I know, what was I thinking), they were reporting on the current budget crisis being faced by the Great State of Minnesota. They had a clip of Our Governor Jesse Ventura at a press conference in which he uttered one stupid statement before I clicked off the TV. It was this: "I don't plan on panicking." Now... wait a sec... Does... does anyone ever actually plan on panicking? Isn't panic by nature unplanned? Doesn't His Honor have someone writing these things for him? And why when you add "-ing" to "panic," do you also have to add a "k?"
Oh, yeah. It kinda floors me that we're involved in one of the largest military operations of my lifetime (yes, it has even been called a war) and yet it hasn't for the most part really effected us in any direct way. We still go to our jobs, we still drive our cars (just last week I paid $.99/gallon for premium gasoline), and we still worry about whether we're going to buy a Gamecube, an X-box, or a Playstation 2 for Christmas. I mean, I love that the country has this newfound sense of patriotism. I've discussed for years what kind of event would have to take place for such a change to occur in the public consciousness. All I'm saying is that in WW2, the entire country was conserving gas or going to fight or making ammo/planes/uniforms. It just seems weird to me that we're still pretty much isolated (on an individual sense) from these current events, despite the fact that we face the worst domestic threat to date. And for the record, it would be a Gamecube, if I had the money.
My job at SprintPCS continues to go well. Last month was very slow, so everyone go out and buy wireless phones. From me, preferably.
December 26, 2001 AD
This is not much of a Christmas entry, but I wanted to share just a little something. I was on the way home from my mom's tonight and I had to stop for gas. It was just started to flurry the tiniest little bit, and since it was so cold, and I'd pretty much just started my journey, the flakes weren't melting when they landed on the car. At first I didn't even realize they were snowflakes, they were coming down so lightly. When I leaned in close to take a look, I saw that not only were they snowflakes, but they were the most beautiful and perfectly formed snowflakes I'd ever seen. Complete with six sides and everything. There's no use describing it, but it was one of those moments of pure beauty that we experience so rarely these days, I thought it worth mentioning.
Oh, yeah. And Winter is finally here. Not that I'm glad or anything, but I have gift certificates to a close ski hill, and I'd kinda like to use them.
January 7, 2002 AD
Well, it's a new frickin' year, and I've resolved to almost-swear more. Anna's almost two, so I have to start watching myself. Sure it's funny when she says "penis" now, but when she gets into school, that may change. I'm not saying it will, I said it may.
And goddamn if that new iMac doesn't look hotter than an explosive outgassing from the Sun. Of which there was a huge one last Friday that would have probably plunged the lot of us into darkness if it hadn't been aimed the wrong way. Oh, yeah, that reminds me. Did anyone know that we were almost hit (almost being within 600,000 kilometers - peanuts in astronomical terms, about twice the distance to the moon) by an asteroid that would have been big enough to destroy Canada!?! I mean, not that would have been so bad, but I needed a cogent example that wouldn't freak people out. Oh, yeah, speaking of freaking people out, we first detected this thing in freakin' December. Sounds like someone out there doesn't like what's going on down here and is kinda taking pot-shots, doesn't it? Oh, yeah, the iMac. Looks cool. Too bad it's an iMac.
If you think my Canada reference was mean, this was actually the caption of a telescope picture of the asteroid on www.cnn.com: "The space rock 2001 YB5, identified by the arrow, could have wiped out France, according to a scientist in Britain." Ah, if wishes were horses...
Hey, I never talk about my television habits on here. Well, that's mainly because I don't watch a lot of TV. When we had cable, my favorite show was The Daily Show: with John Stewart, because it made me laugh just about every damn day. Now that cable is lost to us, I enjoy Smallville quite a bit, despite the fact that I didn't get cast. As for Star Trek, I'm going to let out a big ol' sigh here. Voyager dulled me on Star Trek, yet I remained loyal, even managing to enjoy most episodes, despite any lack of story. Enterprise has pretty much crapped me out. I'll continue to watch, most likely, but only because I still have a couple episodes I want to write in the wings, and I need to know the characters better. Oh, wait... what characters? No matter. Less than a year until I can bask in some more Jean-Luciousness.
May 7, 2002 AD
Good morning, Cleveland, the time is 7:62. Do you know where your petticoats are?
That was to lighten the mood. I'm really perturbed right at this moment. I was making an update to the page and I'd paused for a day or so while I went to work and stuff, and sometime between lunch and when I got home, my computer reset itself. Grrrr.
Anyway, it's been a long time since I've made an update to the site. I feel kind of bad about it. I'm sorry, site. There are a whole lot of things going on, but I'm not sure I'm going to get to them all in this entry. It's that whole "Good God, I have to start over? I can't" thing. The slow progress of our projects is pretty much covered elsewhere. I wanted to say how good Netflix is (check); I was going to tell you about my girlfriend, Jill unless you are Jill, in which case you know about yourself (check); I was going to talk about this TV pilot I'm working on for Northwind Films that HBO is interested in (check); um... I lost 10 pounds since January, so that's a (check); I sent in my taxes on time, and as usual, I get a refund (check). ahem. get it? Oh, come on.
"Spider-Man" kicked my ass. Literally. I have a spider-boot lodged in my spider-gluteus maximus. It managed to transcend the usual Hollywood machine, it seems, and become a good movie, despite a huge budget. Usually a death sign for things like story, plot, acting. You know, the expendable elements of the Summer Blockbuster. The worst part about "Spider-Man" was that I felt a gnawing ache because of the fact that I wasn't able to be involved in it. That's the best thing I can say about it, I think. Soon, gentle Travii, soon. Now, I'm conflicted about Star Wars, but I'll tackle that next time. I promise I'll update and tell you why before next Friday
Oh, Holy Crap! The Leonards have another kid! I hadn't realized I didn't tell you. It's been a while now, I guess. I think he's driving already. Um, yeah, and the swearing thing is going well.
I did laundry tonight and one of my shirts actually turned itself inside out in the dryer! I thought it was interesting. To me it was interesting. Get your own web site.
That's going to be it, for now. I promise I'll come back and touch on some of these things in more detail. I have to save this before my computer resets itself.
This is Beans Richey, signing off.
July 5-oh, 2002 AD
I went ahead and put the lime in the coconut. It seems to be all the rage this summer. No, no. You go ahead and shake it. That's right... shake it alll up.
Ok, so as I was saying, My new company, Qwestosoft, will only provide the dumbest and ineffectual customer service and products. And that's the last I'll say on the subject, except that it wasn't my fault that the site was down. Actually I'm convinced that nobody else actually looks at this stupid thing anyway, so what's the point, really?
It's not important enough for a link on the links page, but it's pretty interesting nonetheless. Want to live in a floating city? Visit the world from the comfort of your own home. Neato. Check it out. I bet you'd be living with a bunch of famous people.
Ummm... I need a bar to shoot a scene for The Collective. What's the Collective? I haven't' told you yet? Well, that's probably because it's going to turn out to be nothing. I've been told that HBO is interested, but it would kind of be nice for them to have something they could actually be interested in.
You know, I'm going to cut this short and come back when I'm not so crabby.
Oh, yeah... I had a birthday. I'm 25. Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me-ee, happy birthday to me. I went and jumped, nay leaped out of an aero-plane to celebrate, and it was damned incredible. You didn't get me a card. Shame on you.
July 25, 2002 AD
Whoa, whoa. Two journal entries in the same month? I think I may have just gone insane. But don't you worry your pretty little noggin over it. I'm sure it's the the good kind of insane. The kind where you get a lot of gardening done and end up really surprising yourself.
It's storming right now in the Twin Cities*. And I just wanted to tell the whole world that I love thunder and lightning. In fact, if I ever have enough money to build my dream house**, I'd like to have a sort of glass domed room above everything else, with a waterbed in it or something, where I can go to watch the lightning. How this will fit in with the the general state of the rest of this house of dreams, I don't know. Those of you who know what I'm talking about, well, know what I'm talking about.
While I'm on, I meant to bring something up. Remember back when I told you about the asteroid that almost hit us, and I was concerned that it got within 600,000 miles (roughly twice the distance to the moon) of hitting the Earth? Well, get this one, ladies and germs; last month, we were almost hit by another asteroid, this one as big as a football field and capable of damage equal to the one that hit Siberia in 1908 and brought us the alien virus, grazed our short and curlies by 75,000 teeny-tiny miles. But put that checkbook away, there's more! Analyst predict the possibility of an astronomical interception between Big Blue and Asteroid 2002 NT7 on February 9, 2019. Honestly, I don't know what's worse, knowing we almost got our sorry rears put to the fry, or knowing that it's coming in 17 years. I know the chances are remote, and this will probably be ruled out as a possibility in the next few days, but still. Don't we have enough to worry about? I mean, cheese and rice, you space nerds. Leave us the heck alone. You're going to give my grandma a heart attack.
Speaking of heart attacks, I'm going to put up my skydiving pictures. They are available here.
I am T-ravisaurus Rex. Grrrr...
* I forgot what I put the asterisk there for. Probably
something about the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul not looking much
alike. They're probably fraternal twins.
** Um... Yeah, I forgot why I did that one, too.
July 31, 2002 AD
Now, don't overreact. I just wanted to say that on the advice of friends, I'm dropping the "W" from from my professional name. I've been told that Travis Richey is a perfectly good, nay, excellent name for an actor. Upon reflection, I guess it just doesn't need to be there. Man, the DMV is gonna hate me, though. What do you think?
Speaking of letters and their relevance or lack thereof, "colonel" definitely needs an "R" in there somewhere. Someone was smoking some serious ganja when they came up with that one. Either that, or is was someone English. Those hosers.
Movies I've liked: Road to Perdition, Reign of Fire. I can't remember the rest. I'll make up a list for next time.
October 15, 2002 AD
I have a sneaking suspicion that I am no longer cool. Some of my friends who are the most web-savvy were introduced to the internet by yours truly. I used to have a kick-ass computer system that people were actually jealous of, and did not pity. I used to get the new versions of Netscape and cool games and utilities the day they were released, sometimes before. I co-founded Napster, yet avoided the lawsuit completely. I invented DVD, yet refused royalties so as not to be a sell-out. Anyway... I found out that Mozilla, probably one of the most interesting and innovative things to happen in web browsing (an open-source program written and refined by the users) was released and even updated, and not only don't I have it, but I don't even have the desire to get it. See, I'm using what geeks affectionately refer to as Internet Exploder. Version 6.0.2600.0000.xpclnt_qfe.010827-1803IC. Seriously. Anyway, it's not great. It is merely adequate. It does things I don't want it to do, and it doesn't do things I dream geeky little dreams about. Yet I'm probably not going to change. Why? No, really, why? I think I need to be psychoanalyzed by someone other than my family.
Do you ever have so much going through your head that you just feel like it's going to explode? Really? You may want to see someone about that.
I was going to start making more regular updates to the site in general, and this page in particular. I wanted to let people get a better idea of my life, and then I realized that; A: My life isn't that interesting, and B: I'm not funny enough to make it seem interesting. I thought for a bit that it would be cool for me (as in, for myself) to have a more regular outlet for the things I want to say, but the problem with this lies in the fact that the times I'm thinking about all of these important things are usually when I'm going to or from work in the car, and by the time I've gotten anywhere where I might write them down, I've completely forgotten what they are. Or the opposite happens, where so much is going on, I can't think of where to start in order to sort it all out in a coherent (yet entertaining, always entertaining) manner.
So where was I? Oh, yeah. I'm probably moving to LA at the end of January. I've known this for a while, but I don't think I've bothered to put it on the site before. So I guess now it's official and stuff. I kind of feel sick when I think about it now that's less than 4 months away. It's a really really big move for me. A major turning point in my life. And there are so many things that need to happen to make it all right. And there are conceivably still things that could happen to make (let) me stay. I may talk about those later, but this is beginning to be more serious than I like.
Super Mario Sunshine kicked my ass. It is without a doubt one of the best video games I have ever played. I went ahead and kicked back, right in it's Super Mario Ass and beat it. Nay, smote it. And good. And for the record, I did it before Eric did. And without quitting my job.
It is so late, and I have to go in for a morning meeting tomorrow. I'm thinking about starting a film studio here in Minnesota. I'm just putting it down in writing now so I can come back in a year and laugh at the idea.
October 23, 2002 AD
If it's not written here, then what you're reading in the tabloids is probably made up.
So, yeah. Just as a reminder, I'm currently living in St. Paul, Minnesota. Traditionally, it's been thought that this is somewhere in the United States of America. When in actuality, it's somewhere by the North Pole. In the last week, we've had at least 3 days where it has snowed. This is snow. Frozen water crystals. In October. And suddenly I am vividly reminded why I want to move to Los Angeles. Because it doesn't snow in the desert. I'm pretty sure of that. If I'm wrong, please, someone warn me, because I'm not sure I could take the shock. It's not that I'm anti-midwest or anything. I've lived here my whole life, it's part of who I am. It's just that I'm sick of winter. I need the sun. Need it, need it, need it, need it, need it. And lovin'. I need some of that, too.
It occurred to me whilst I was looking at my own website (someone has to get the counter up) that in this latest redesign, I completely removed the first bit of web page I ever created. Back in the summer of '96 (ah, the 90's... good times, good times), I got myself a couple of megs on the University of Minnesota server to put up a homepage. Not many people had them then. I borrowed a book on HTML and wrote the code in MS Wordpad, saving it as an HTML file named index.htm. I thought it was cool that if I named it that, it would automatically load when anyone looked at my page. It didn't have much. A picture of me, a couple of words. Maybe an email link, but probably not. And a green background. Green, for crying out loud. Over the summer, I added some pages. One was about how although I was the center of my own religion, I was not, in fact, God. Or something along those lines. Some of my most fun stuff came about in that first year. The procrastination page. My first links page, which is long gone. The mirror site. I've also moved on to more basic HTML editors and now I'm using MS Frontpage. I've copied a lot of other sites. When Eric put a Table of Contents frame on his site, it wasn't long until I followed suit. Frames were high-tech way back when. I saw a cool background once and it's been on my page ever since. Siv-Art Productions online now consists of over 50 pages. As far as I know, they all work. And it all started with that one, little page, some homemade graphics, and a dream. A dream about talking fish. Not that that had anything to do with the site or anything, it was just a really strange dream.
When I move in January, I'll archive all of these journal entries. They will be known as The Minneapolis Years (album name), and I will start fresh. It'll be strange, and I'm sure I'll come back and look at these entries once in a while. I feel good about the move. My life is good. If I can find a place to live, and a place to work until I can earn a living acting, I'll be happy. If I can walk Dot by the ocean, or even someplace where there's green... I'll be happy.
Well. That's a lot of sentimental poopy, huh? I'll quit now while I'm ahead, and say seeya next time. Love ya, Mean it.
October 28, 2002 AD
I'm going to take a rare opportunity and be serious here, because I have something to say, and hey! I have a forum to say it in. Doesn't really matter if people read it, and I'm going to move it from the top of the page with an update about my dentist's visit today anyway.
It has to do with love, and people. People first. Paul Wellstone died last week, along with his wife and daughter and members of his staff. In the scheme of things, he's just one man. But in the 7 years I've been living in Minnesota and had him as a senator, I've come to think of him as a good man. I don't know him personally, but he seems honest, trustworthy, and kind. These are sometimes difficult traits to find in our public officials, and it really saddened me to hear about his death. I couldn't even tell you why, really. But with all the awfulness in the world, including snipers, terrorists, weapons of mass destruction that could kill us all ten thousand times over, and Jackass: The Movie, Senator Wellstone seemed like a beacon of light. You never saw him without a smile. More than that, without a sincere smile. This is a distinction that is important to make in politics. I've often envied people like him, who really and truly seemed to be working for the people, and I've wondered what kind of public servant I'd be if I ever had the opportunity. I'd like to think I'd be as good and positive an influence as he was. That's all I have to say on that. Mr. Wellstone, thank you. My best wishes go out to your family, your wife and daughters', and the families of the others involved in what I absolutely hope was an accident. They were: Mary McEvoy, 49; Will McLaughlin, 23; Tom Lapic, 49 (staff members); Richard Conry, 55; and Michael Guess, 30 (pilots).
On love... Well, this is hard. Why is love such a difficult subject to talk about? With all the things wrong in the world that make us feel like taking a permanent vacation to places remote and uninhabited, it's the people around us that keep us sane. For me, I can never express how much my family and friends mean to me. Family, sure, I can tell them I love them. My mom and dad, my brothers, grandparents, aunts and uncles, step mom, Andy and Beek, cousins. These are people I keep in my heart, but who usually are a distance away, geographically. And I can tell them I love them. I do. Friends, on the other hand. People have different views on the importance of friends. Some have no room for them. Some use them as mirrors to gauge themselves. I view friends, good friends, as the closest kind of support you can have. Friends are almost always closer, and you see them more often than family. Sometimes you have secrets you can only tell friends. Sometimes friends are the only ones who can understand, because they know you better than anyone. As an adult male, it's never really appropriate to tell your friends that you love them, unless you're drunk. Well, I barely ever drink at all, and have never been drunk, so I'm going to use this space here as an "I love you, man" to my friends. Keith, who I've known all my life. Eric, my roommate. Matt, Chris, and Andrew, who somehow stayed friends even after getting to know me. Leonard and Katie, my honorary family, and the urchins Anna and Noah. Man, they're great. These are the core. It's a small group, and there are certainly other people I call my friends, but on the whole I don't really know them as well as I'd like. Nor do I know this bunch, really. But I thrill every time we get together. Every barbeque, every party. I'm going to miss them a lot when I move.
October 29, 2002 AD
So, I went to the dentist today. First off, let me admit that it's been over 7 years since I've seen a dentist for something other than an emergency root canal or getting my wisdom teeth pulled. Not because I didn't want to, either. I, like the majority of Americans, I suspect, look forward to going to the dentist. It's so peaceful and relaxing. But I know, I know - seven years is way too long. It's a matter of insurance and time and not knowing where to go, etc. Those are my excuses, and (as I've said before) it's my page, so deal with it.
Help me, here... I'm curious as to how it is that they can take the x-rays in that fashion. They drape this big heavy lead vest-y thing over your whole body, then they leave the room as if in fear for their safety, and then they point the x-ray directly at your head. Is this incongruous to anyone else? Your head!!
Things I do not want to hear whilst in a dentist
chair:
1) "Oops."
2) "Wow, this is dull." (especially bad if said after
some drilling)
3) "I've never seen anything like this before."
4) "You are aware that dentistry is not an exact science."
(written on the waiver I had to sign)
5) After I spasm in severe pain as a result of an apparently dull drill bit:
"Does that hurt?"
Ok? Too much to ask? Here's another one. When I'm drifting off to Neverland, trying to displace my brain, stop talking to me and making me focus on what you're saying! It also makes me focus on the tremendous amounts of pain you're inflicting as you drill down below the gum line. It took three doses of the anesthetic, and I was still hurting. Plus I had nitrous oxide. Which they had to turn up twice. Man. I go back in a week.
Next under the proverbial knife: my eyes. I have a consultation with a laser vision correction clinic on Thursday. We're not even sure I'm a candidate because of the Belles Palsy, but it would be amazing to me to be able to see as well as I do with glasses - without glasses. Also a good thing for my career. I can act without glasses, which is a good thing because there aren't a lot of glasses-wearing actors. But anyway, I have a discount program through work, which is fantastic. So, yeah, I'll let you know how it goes. You care, right? Yeah, you care.
December 2, 2002 AD
I'm ever so very sorry for not updating sooner. I feel bad when it gets to the one month mark and I haven't put up anything new. Especially after my resolution to write more in this here journal. It's just that it's been a really busy kinda type situation 'round here. Work, and trips to California, and laser vision correction procedures (was "surgery" - that was apparently wrong). Oh yeah. I did those, too. I'll tell you all about them soon.
So, it's late and I have a bunch to do before bed. I'll put up a new link, and a couple new pics, and a great new wisdom that came to me by way of Keith. Yay, Keith. He reads this site. He might be the only one, so I could probably say you read this site and be fairly accurate. Wait... I guess that would be accurate any way you slice it.
Ok, more next time, I promise. And you know my view on promises stated herein.
December 4, 2002 AD
I'm thankful for a lot of things. Family, friends, my dog. But mainly I'm thankful that snowflakes aren't made of spiders. Thousands, billions of tiny spiders, falling from the sky. They'd get in your hair and crawl down your back... Aren't you thankful for that, too? You should be.
December 9, 2002 AD
No, no, no. Despite rumors to the contrary, I was not drunk when I wrote that last post. It actually originated with one of my co-workers, Johnny Calderon (congrats, you're on my site!) who commented upon exiting the Sprint Store that night, "I'm glad snowflakes aren't spiders."
So... Metroid Prime is kicking my ass, which is just healing again from the combined one-two booting that Spider-Man and Mario Sunshine gave it over the summer. I think I have a problem. An addiction of some sort. It's not like I'm blowing off the rest of my life to play it or anything, but there are some bills that haven't been paid (thank god for autopay), and Eric and Dot look at me longingly from time to time, and then at each other and let out a heavy, knowing sigh. I can't help it. Even now, I have an itch to play, that deep down body thirst that only Space Pirate blood can assuage. I'm only sitting here typing away because of an empty promise I made at a party last weekend to someone who apparently actually reads my site. Poor spot of luck for me, it was opposite day, so here I am, fulfilling my (oppositely) binding declaration to post more often. We are going for a record, this month. This is #3, a tie. I am the web hostest with the mostest, babe.
Ooh, about that! Something's coming that is going to be cool. I'm not saying yet, but I'll give you a hint. It has nothing to do with chocolate. Those who know me will know that that rules out a lot.
More good news! I found out over the weekend (when I wasn't playing Prime, somehow) that I have a place to live waiting for me when I go to California!! I'm so excited. It's a really nice place, bigger than what I've got now, and for less money. And it's in California. North Hollywood, to be precise. About 5-10 minutes away from Studio City. Yay! Dot is coming with me, and she tells me that she couldn't be more thrilled. We're going to walk on the beach together, but not by moonlight, because the press would just have a field day with that one. You can look at my apartment at www.socalpm.com. It's the Simpson Avenue place.
Gosh, I've suddenly got a lot to say. I've been keeping notes for myself in my Palm Pilot, and I haven't even touched on a bunch of what's in there. Coming up next time, written meanderings on my trip to California. And another wisdom! But now, guess what time it is?
That's right. It's Prime Time.
December 14, 2002 AD
I know not what preternatural urge draws me to the computer to enter yet another journal entry. And for the fourth time this month, no less! Well, some interesting things have happened to me, and I thought I'd share. Not only that, but I have all those things in my Palm Pilot just waiting to be told in this here blog. Is this a blog? What is a blog? Blog, blog, bloggity blog. The word has lost all meaning. And... scene.
I saw Mariah Carey at the Mall of America the other day. I went just to browse a bit and check out the video game arcade (which is cool, but I want to go with friends), and there she was, signing autographs in the rotunda. It was a bit surreal. I guess I have the general sense that no one important or famous would ever bother to come to Minnesota. I mean, it's where I live. Nothing important about it. We elected a professional wrestler as Governor, I suppose. That's enough to get us a spot on "Hard Copy" or something. Anyway, there she was. I've been telling everybody I saw Mariah Carey at The Mall.
They're Krispy. They're Kremey. They're possible the best treat I've ever enjoyed with a cup of coffee. Eating a fresh Krispy Kreme original doughnut right off the production line is like eating your favorite song. In my case, probably something by Paul Simon or Billy Joel. It is so light and fluffy, and melty in your mouthy. Have one with a cup of coffee or some milk, and tell me I'm wrong. I dare you. See? You can't.
While I was waiting in line for my donut (acceptable alternate spelling) I had a chance to be reminded of how truly stupid people can be. I used to think that it took hundreds of tries to get the people they show on "Street Smarts" or on Jay Leno where they ask easy questions and get stupid answers. Nuh-uh. They get them on the first (sometimes second) try. So there I was, standing in line for my Krispy Kremes, and I overheard a family apparently being given a spelling quiz by the daughter of the clan. The first word was "euphoric." The mom immediately came up with U-F-O-R-I-C. I was aghast, but relieved when her father corrected and said she was wrong. Then he offered his spelling; "U-F-O-R-I-K." It took a lot of effort on my part not to pipe in with the correct answer. The next word was "arduous." After the first attempt was given as "A-R-J-U-S" (I'm not kidding), my brain gave me some nice soothing music to listen to, lest I go mad.
Well, poo. This is getting to be a pretty long entry. I'll really really do some stuff from my notes next time. Or at the very latest, the time after that. Until then, make love, not pottery. Because, man, if you're not making any money on it by now, you probably suck, and pottery is not one of those things you magically get better at with repetition.
December 15, 2002 AD
Having a web page carries with it a certain kind of responsibility. It's an art form, a way to express yourself. But you also have a duty to be honest with your readers. Otherwise, why have a site at all? There's no profit to be made on the internet any more. Very few become famous via the web. In fact, when you have as few readers as I suspect I do, it is imperative that you remain honest. Because the only possible purpose would be to allow people to know who you are. Realizing that, I have decided to write here a truth about myself. A declaration about my basic person that only some of my closest friends already know. It's going to be hard for some people to accept. I fully expect to be ridiculed, though I hope not hated. As I put all this down I am aware of how hard it is going to be for me to actually type the words. All I ask is that you read them with an open mind, and a welcome heart. I take a deep breath, preparing to shout out to the ether, and here it goes... I like Ewoks, ok? I thought they were cute, and funny. I had a dog that looked like one. I saw the Ewok movies. I'm pretty sure they were direct to video. I had a board game, "Wicket the Ewok." The rules were that the youngest person always went first, and it so happened that the first person who played always won. I sit silently sometimes as me friends belittle those furry little guys. They say they're stupid, that Lucas was a fool for thinking them up. I want to stand up and shout "No, they're not! You think it would've been better if they'd been Wookiees, but then it wouldn't have been a surprise that they beat the Imperials! Of course Wookiees would help the rebels, and of course they'd kick ass! But to see those tiny furry guys fighting with hearts as big as a Wookiee's, well, that rates them good in my book!!" But I don't. I sit quietly, and sometimes I even agree with what they say, so that they won't suspect my secret. But not anymore. I'm too old to hide the truth now. I don't want to keep pretending. So I proclaim it now; I liked the Ewoks. I still do. And you know what? This isn't just for me. I've got a huge extended family. To my knowledge, none of them admit that they like the Ewoks, but there has to be someone there that feels the same way I do. Well, hopefully they can feel ok about acknowledging that yes they're different, but they'll also see that it's alright. Ewoks are people, too.
<sigh>
Thanks for listening. Or... reading. Or listening to yourself reading while you listen to the ambient sounds of your computer's cooling fans. Just... thanks.
December 19, 2002 AD
You know, I'm really glad that not every place on this planet has weather as screwy as we do here in this paradise we like to call Minnesota. Cause if it did, man, I'd be outta here. So, it was raining yesterday. Now, let's recap... it was snowing in October, and now it's raining a week before Christmas. This is so not right. It also reinforces my belief that there is no god. At least, not a benevolent one. He would never allow His people to be confused so. Now, Mother Nature on the other hand, Mother Nature is such a whore.
So, I went to California last month. You're probably going to hear a lot about how great or not great this or that in California is in the next year (or two, or three), but from my few chances to visit, I must say I loved it. I really enjoy the quaint, small town feel you get from a place like LA. Everybody seems to know each other. And they're all about helping you out. Well, maybe not, but get this; they know the thank-you wave. Diligent readers will know of my fondness and near-obsessive opinions of the thank-you wave. I flew out to LA, rented myself a car, and hopped on the 405. It wasn't terribly busy, but there was a good deal of traffic. When I went to merge, the first car that could have let me in actually let me in. So, like a good Wisconsinite, I gave him a quick wave of appreciation, and he returned it!! Well, right then, I knew, this place was different. The week was fantastic, other than the first three days in which it rained. Which was apparently the first time it had rained in 9 months. After that, though... The sun, the warm, the sun, the beach, and the sun. Oh, the sun... I got a chance to visit the Sprint Stores out there (oh yeah, I work for Sprint... have I ever mentioned that?), and it looks like I won't have a problem getting hired at one. Probably the West Hollywood superstore. So look for me when you're in West Hollywood. Um, yeah. I also went dancing at a club (as I do from time to time here, but this was a California club), and might actually get a side job dancing there. That would be swell. Anyway, the point is that I noticed something delicious about LA, and California in general. Something I knew but sort of forgot about, I guess. There is no smoking in any public building in California. I think I have that right. In any case, I couldn't be more thrilled. I love to go out. And recently I've been a big fan of getting my groove on and shaking my booty. But my one gripe is that clubs here in the Twin Cities (oh yeah, I live in the Twin Cities... have I ever mentioned that?) are way smoky. Way. So that when I come home I smell like an ashtray and feel like crap. Crap that's been sitting in an ashtray. I know it's graphic, but you're over 18. I'm stoked about going dancing and not having to change out my lungs at the end of the night.
I also went working out at the Gold's Gym in North Hollywood, near where I will be living. My friend Stephanie works there. I'll be getting a membership. I went a few times, thinking it was cool that celebrities like Mark Whalberg and the chicks from Charmed (except Allyssa Milano) and Tim Allen work out there. Apparently you don't talk to Tim. A bit touchy, I guess. Which brings up another question. Now, this club is ok, but it's not great. By a long shot. They don't even have those elliptical machines I like. I'm thinking to myself, if I was a big shot celebrity with my own house and all that, one of the first things I'd do is make myself a private gym. With a steam room. Man, there's nothing better than a steam room. Unless it's a private steam room. Well, again, to the point. On my last day there, I was told that Kevin Nealon was there. I acted casual, and when the opportunity arose, I cast a glance in his general direction. He looked older than I thought, and not quite as tall, so I returned to my workout. Later, I got a closer look, and there he was, the Kevin I remember from SNL. Well, I'm not one to be shy or embarrassed, so I went up and met him. I figure I'll be part of the crowd soon enough anyway. He turned out to be really nice. We actually chatted for a bit. When I told him he'd been an influence in my life (really, SNL was huge in getting me into performance), he asked in acting, or in physical fitness. It was nice. I left with a warm fuzzy right in the middle of me. Except for the sure realization that a clever man would have said something along the lines of, "Well, Hans and Franz were two pinnacles of pumpitude." Eh, next time.
One more thing, and I'll have my trip covered. On the flight out, I realized a couple of amazing things. First, our country is HUGE. There is a whole lot of it, and so much that doesn't have a trace of person to it. On the other hand, flying over the desert, it just amazed me the places that humans have settled. Desert as far as the eye can see, and suddenly right smack dab in the middle nowhere is a little town. Incredible. And you have no idea why it's there. What prompted someone to set down roots in that particular spot is a complete mystery. And as long as we're on the subject of desert towns, Las Vegas is freaking HUGE! I always thought of it as just this little strip with a lot of cool buildings and blinky lights all over, but it's its own booming city. And right in the middle of the desert. I mean, man. Blows my mind. I'll only be about two hours from Vegas when I move :-) I hear they have cheap food. Anywho, I think everyone should take a cross-country flight on a clear day. It really does give you a good perspective on this country of ours. And it is a great country at that.
Another update before the end of the year.
January 19, 2003 AD
Ok, so I lied a bit. I didn't get another entry in before the new year. And that's probably for the best. After all, I did six entries in December. SIX!! That's like, way more than one. Or two, even. This entry will cover all miscellaneous topics and prepare you (if anything can) for the Moving Entry. And though the entry may move you, that is not why it is so named. As you may know as a faithful reader of my Blog-Like Journal (henceforth known as the BLJ, © Mike Joerndt), I'm moving to LA-LA land at the end of the month. That's less than two short weeks away. The next entry will deal with info like where I'll be, etc.
Ok, so these might be a bit random, even for
those of you accustomed to my randomosticitousness. I made that word up
just now, but you know what? I kind of like it. So, first on the
chopping block, straight from the Palm pilot:
i hate grocery shopping
movies i saw
Well, here's a broad subject. I had
actually wanted to have a sort of short review of movies that I was seeing, but
I never got around to it. It still might happen. Recently I did a
double-feature with Harry Potter 2 and Catch Me If You Can. Potter was
ok. Watching the last two Harry Potter movies was kind of like eating cotton
candy. It's pretty good while you're eating it, but afterwards you can
hardly remember what it tasted like, or even what color it was. I remember
the films being good, but I can scarcely remember much about them,
specifically. I also have no pressing desire to see them again. I
took a break and forgot what I was going to say next, but Catch Me If You Can
was really a good movie. Really.
the journal experiment
morlocks & eloi
Ever feel like an Eloi in a world full of
Morlocks? Yeah, me too.
"emergency" phone calls
Christmas snow again.
Perfect crystals.
"the thing of it is" on X-Files
I've been criticized for my use of the
phrase "the thing of it is." I not only recently heard it used
on an episode of the X-Files, but I've talked with several people who use it in
common language. So there.
Making a book out of journal entries
I'm just thinking that if I ever do
become famous as an actor, it'd be cool to put these journal entries together
into a book of some kind. It'd have to be more interesting, with stories
and stuff, like Wil Wheaton's. It could happen.
I lost my voice this weekend.
Oh, jeez. Well, I'm better now, and
it's been a couple of weeks, but for the second time this year I got severe
laryngitis. Which is bad when your job is basically to talk to people all
day. It was bad enough that I felt it necessary to go to the clinic to see someone.
Like a doctor type someone. Which leads me to--
you don't meet people at the clinic. You
just have no idea what they're there for.
There were some attractive people waiting
in the doctor's office. It occurred to me that I'd like to meet one or
two. Then it occurred to me that I had no idea why they were seeing the
doctor. Fill in the blanks, this is a family website.
apartment
lock
The door lock went bad in our apartment,
and it took me 15 minutes of jimmying to get in. It couldn't get fixed
until the next morning, so I was stuck in the apartment for the rest of the
day. Now, in reality I wasn't going to go anywhere anyway. But what
I ended up doing was sitting around thinking of the things that I would have
done if I hadn't had to stay in. You know, as long as I had an excuse and all.
2 X-boxes
Ok, Faithful Readers (and I've discovered there are several of you out there...) That's all for now. Next time, The Move.
January 30, 2003 AD
I am so stressed right now. This is going to be short and sweet. I'm moving to California tomorrow, and I am not ready. So I gotta get off the computer and pack. Here is my new contact information.
Address:
Travis Richey
7526 Simpson Ave #314
North Hollywood, CA 91605
Email: siv_art@hotmail.com
will still work
travisrichey@tcinternet.net
will work for a few weeks
My cell number will be changing, but for now it's still the same.
Just tune in back here for updates, ok? And keep in mind I will have virtually nothing when I move out there, so if you want to send me a house-warming gift, please ship it to the above address ;-)
Wish me luck, I'm gonna need it.