the day laughter died...

this past weekend, i was really looking forward to watching the improv olympic 25th reunion show here in chicago. the show was sold out and the featured performers included mike myers, tim meadows, amy poehler, rachel dratch, horatio sanz, andy richter, and andy dick. i was able to get tickets for face value on friday, the day before the show and when i got there, i realized that i got 5th row seats! so the stars seemed aligned, right? got tickets for face value to a star-studded show during my last weekend here in chicago--what could be better?

OH MY GOSH! what a horrible, horrible show! first, the wireless mics were jacked - no one could not really hear what the performers were saying. so to solve this problem, they had the performers hold mics or talk into mics set up on stands, which didn't really solve the problem because the people in the balcony still could not hear. because they were filming the show for HBO, when they realized that there were problems with the audio, they would have to repeat a performance or repeat an introduction so that it would get recorded properly. i guess this would be acceptable if the show and the performances made up for the technical difficulties. but NOOO, the performers weren't funny either. by intermission, it seemed like almost half the audience had left. i found out later, a lot of people were asking for refunds. i decided to stick it out to the end because i hoped it would get better, but overall, there was not much improvement in the second half. i felt really bad for some people because i know they paid way more than face to see such a bad show.

after seeing a regular improv olympic show with gary when he was here a last week and seeing this show, i WOULD NOT recommend watching an improv show here in chicago. i've seen second city shows (which includes some improv but mostly skits) and their shows are significantly better than improv olympic.

sailing...takes me away to where I've always heard it could be...

crazy...who would have thought that someone like me would ever go sailing on lake michigan. definitely a whole different experience--i felt somewhat out of place because its such a bourgeois thing to do and i am of humble beginnings (ok, that's a bit exaggerated, but not that much). i guess the whole experience was similar to the feeling i had when i first ate dinner at a nice restaurant. a proper end to my time here in chicago (i'm leaving on august 31st) and probably a reminder of how out of place i've felt while i've been here (1 year, 4 months, 10 days and counting).

i went sailing with one of my boss' employees, Dirk, Darren (part owner of the boat w/ Dirk and some other guy), and 2 other guys my age (Brian and Tom, who work for Equity Office). an MBA intern at work was supposed to go with us, but he was feeling a little quesy from a night of partying and didn't want to risk getting sick on the boat. so i didn't really know anyone on the boat, but my experience in chicago has also taught me to be comfortable doing things on my own, so it was cool.

i took some amazing pictures of the chicago skyline and of the boat, which i have yet to upload onto my computer, so i will probably include them tonight or tomorrow. honestly, i was a little scared at first (because i had no idea what to expect) and didn't know how rocky it was supposed to be. We would turn and change directions (the term is "tack" i think) and i would have to quickly go to the other side of the boat. There were all these different sails (the jib, kite, and the other one), they would "cut" and "trim" the lines, put the "wrench" in the "pocket" -- it was like i was in a foreign country hearing a foreign language. luckily, i also took some bonine (equivalent to dramamine, but this brand was recommended by my aunt), because there were a few moments when i felt somewhat queasy, but never too bad. they let me steer the boat as we were coming back, and that was cool also.

can't wait to move back to the bay, but i can't believe just how behind i am with packing. the movers come saturday morning and i have so much to do.