I like this game. Happy Birthday, Laura!
1. Laura lived in Chicago. Chicago, which she reminds me on a weekly basis, is a better place than Boston because of its bike lanes, grid system streets, and lack of hills.
1a. Laura rides a bicycle.
2. As part of riding a bicycle Laura used to deliver sandwiches for Potbelly's in Chicago. Bike couriers are some of the most bad ass people I know. Laura is no exception. She even has a tattoo.
2a. It's the logo from Umass Amherst's sketch group, Sketch 22.
3. Once, when we were both living in Amherst Laura and I had dinner together and then tried to go to Bart's for ice cream. We met a man who claimed that he was the inspiration for the movie The Matrix. He carried around a photocopied resume in tiny tiny font of all the movies he had supposedly written or been a part of including Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and ChaRly. He told us he could tell the future. He had a large wooden stick with him and also "special" water that could enlighten/purify anyone who drank it. Of course, Laura and I drank the water. Then we spent the better part of the evening babysitting each other in case something happened. Nothing did. But that is the kind of person Laura is. She drinks the water.
4. Laura also has synesthesia. We've agreed that "5" is the meanest number.
5. Laura writes for and performs in The Dowry which is a four person sketch troupe she co founded with her man Paul Barner. The two of them started off just by writing sketches together for a class, and now a year later, The Dowry (different link this time) has became a house team at Improv Boston!
6. I can credit Laura with introducing many new things into my life that I embraced fully, including but not limited to: quinoa, The Decemberists, Girl Talk, Imogen Heap, The Wire, avocado, guacamole (I didn't eat guacamole until Laura's guacamole dip and still prefer it to anyone else's), and singing in hawkit (sp?).
6.a Blood oranges did not catch on for me. Laura loves the concept of blood oranges enough that she almost once bought really expensive soda just because it was blood orange soda.
7. Laura's mom once showed me an old home video and one of the best parts of the video was 5 or 6 year old Laura demanding that the camera be turned back to her so she could do interesting things like sing a song and dance. If I had the video I'd post it here.
8. For my birthday this past year Laura prepared a pancake breakfast for the two of us. She had to get up at the crack of dawn to do it since I leave for work at about 6am. She was up before I was and greeted me smiling and singing. As I recall, they were the best pancakes ever. That is also the kind of person Laura is. She makes the pancakes.
9. One night Laura and I "broke into" Plymouth Rock when it was under construction, and we had to climb a big stone wall to do it, and we did it anyway and we still didn't get to see the stupid rock because it was crated and and the crate was nailed shut and we didn't bring a crowbar, not having expected any obstacles between us and our first hand witness of our nation's most famous boulder.
9a. Laura and I don't plan well.
9b. Laura is my only friend who says, "OK" and gets her flip flops on when I say "let's drive to a beach right now."
10. Laura has an amazing voice. She doesn't sing for other people often, and sometimes when she does she acts goofy about it, but if you ever get to hear Laura really, really sing, (especially "Ave Maria" ) you will weep the tears of happy angels.
9a. She joined a choir here for a little while which was wonderful, but she left after their Christmas concert that year because comedy and sketch writing are the things she would rather spend time on. Girl has pipes and goals.
Bonus:
11. Laura used to scream while driving over bridges. I can not remember why. But that was basically my introduction to Laura. I drove to Worcester with her, Liz and Zach for a show at WPI. Up until then I only knew her as "Laura the funny girl from the sketch troupe who wrote the squirrel sketch I liked so much." As we went over the Connecticut River we all screamed at the top of our lungs the entire time to make it more comfortable for Laura. Sometimes now I wake her up from naps the same way.
Yay! Happy Birthday, Laura!
Showing posts with label roommates. Show all posts
Showing posts with label roommates. Show all posts
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Ten True Stories About Johnny Blazes
Laura did this for her brother when he turned 21,
and I liked the idea enough to steal it for today, the 25th Anniversary of the birth of my dear friend and our third roommate, Johnny Blazes!
Happy Birthday, Johnny!
1. Johnny taught me to dumpster dive. Ze and I rescued about three huge bags full of donuts and bagels from the dumpster behind Dunkin Donuts in J.P center. We brought them to Boston Latin and set them up on the sidewalk as breakfast for students the next morning. Our (former) headmaster came outside and told us we needed a vendor's permit, but we told her it was our "alumni donation" to the school and she gave up.
2. Johnny was the first "freegan," I ever knew. Hir boyfriend David was the second.
3. In between high school and college Johnny and our friend Meghan went to Nicaragua to help build a library. They learned Spanish and raised all the money themselves.
4. For fun and money, Johnny and I co-starred in an educational video series that was used to teach English to children in Spanish speaking countries. One day ze left hir microphone on backstage and the sound guy overheard us talking about a new and very private piercing Johnny had just gotten. He brought it up later and it was extremely awkward for all of us.
4. Johnny founded and directed OCircus! at Oberlin College.
5. Johnny Blazes is well known in Boston's burlesque scene as well as the drag scene. I have always known ze was talented but every time I watch hir on stage I am amazed all over again. Ze is truly one of the most talented people I know.
6. One Christmas Johnny wrote a song for me. Ze produced it with hir father and two of our friends. It's called "Me and Judy Garland," and whenever I listen to it I am still floored by how amazing it is and how much love went into it.
7. Johnny and my boyfriend Tim brought me home after my father's funeral. They were not weirded out when I requested they just stay even though I told them I probably wouldn't talk. They just stayed. They were not surprised when I fell asleep. They did not leave even then. Johnny baked cookies and told me ze would be there whenever I was ready to talk. Years later when I was finally ready to talk about it, and thought I had no one to listen, ze was still ready.
8. Johnny is not only a performer but also is a certified massage therapist, a yoga instructor and a substitute teacher. Ze charges $40 an hour for a massage, so call now!
9. Johnny was the first person I ever wrote video sketch show with. We were 15 and both dating actors named Adam. The show lineup involved a monkey in a diaper, a cooking show about toast and a segment where we ran around in public in our underwear. We never produced it, but I still have the script somewhere.
10. Johnny played Puck back at Riverside Theater in Boston in 1999 and it was the best portrayal I have ever seen. My Dad saw it and could NOT stop talking about it, and how much he wanted Johnny to perform as Peter Pan on Broadway. I still believe that I live with Peter Pan.
BONUS: When Johnny was touring with OCircus! I missed their Boston show because I was debuting with N.X.T at Improv Asylum that night. We hadn't spoken in months. When we called to fill each other in on our successes we found out we were both looking for a roommate and we ended our search that very night.
and I liked the idea enough to steal it for today, the 25th Anniversary of the birth of my dear friend and our third roommate, Johnny Blazes!
Happy Birthday, Johnny!
1. Johnny taught me to dumpster dive. Ze and I rescued about three huge bags full of donuts and bagels from the dumpster behind Dunkin Donuts in J.P center. We brought them to Boston Latin and set them up on the sidewalk as breakfast for students the next morning. Our (former) headmaster came outside and told us we needed a vendor's permit, but we told her it was our "alumni donation" to the school and she gave up.
2. Johnny was the first "freegan," I ever knew. Hir boyfriend David was the second.
3. In between high school and college Johnny and our friend Meghan went to Nicaragua to help build a library. They learned Spanish and raised all the money themselves.
4. For fun and money, Johnny and I co-starred in an educational video series that was used to teach English to children in Spanish speaking countries. One day ze left hir microphone on backstage and the sound guy overheard us talking about a new and very private piercing Johnny had just gotten. He brought it up later and it was extremely awkward for all of us.
4. Johnny founded and directed OCircus! at Oberlin College.
5. Johnny Blazes is well known in Boston's burlesque scene as well as the drag scene. I have always known ze was talented but every time I watch hir on stage I am amazed all over again. Ze is truly one of the most talented people I know.
6. One Christmas Johnny wrote a song for me. Ze produced it with hir father and two of our friends. It's called "Me and Judy Garland," and whenever I listen to it I am still floored by how amazing it is and how much love went into it.
7. Johnny and my boyfriend Tim brought me home after my father's funeral. They were not weirded out when I requested they just stay even though I told them I probably wouldn't talk. They just stayed. They were not surprised when I fell asleep. They did not leave even then. Johnny baked cookies and told me ze would be there whenever I was ready to talk. Years later when I was finally ready to talk about it, and thought I had no one to listen, ze was still ready.
8. Johnny is not only a performer but also is a certified massage therapist, a yoga instructor and a substitute teacher. Ze charges $40 an hour for a massage, so call now!
9. Johnny was the first person I ever wrote video sketch show with. We were 15 and both dating actors named Adam. The show lineup involved a monkey in a diaper, a cooking show about toast and a segment where we ran around in public in our underwear. We never produced it, but I still have the script somewhere.
10. Johnny played Puck back at Riverside Theater in Boston in 1999 and it was the best portrayal I have ever seen. My Dad saw it and could NOT stop talking about it, and how much he wanted Johnny to perform as Peter Pan on Broadway. I still believe that I live with Peter Pan.
BONUS: When Johnny was touring with OCircus! I missed their Boston show because I was debuting with N.X.T at Improv Asylum that night. We hadn't spoken in months. When we called to fill each other in on our successes we found out we were both looking for a roommate and we ended our search that very night.
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