Project Improviser

I just watched all 8 episodes of Project Improviser pretty much back to back, with only a night's sleep and Barton Fink in the middle. The show is an improv centric reality show found only on the internet, shot at and starring the amazing talents of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York City. For someone who has a "background in television," watching this was a gallon of fun and I wish I had been around to assist in some way; the show wrapped a month before I made my NYC debut. Of course all the drama was sucked out of it since I saw the winner perform with Mother back in August or September. And I knew that five of the other contestants were now safely performing with Harold teams on Tuesday night, so fear of their next move after getting eliminated was also gone. Still, it's really cool seeing the theater and the offices captured on tape. This was the perfect thing to watch before Sunday, which is when my 201 class starts.

I'm nervous about 201. My 101 classmate, Matt Mayer, has been in 201 for a couple weeks now and has confirmed the rumor: 201 is frakkin' hard (yes, I've been watching Battlestar Galactica). People are forgetting 101 stuff! Someone said "that's not a gun" when someone said "I have a gun"! I better bring my A-game. Or a game. Perfection?

The other topic that watching Project Improviser shoved into my head is that of summer. I never list summer as my favorite season. Fall holds that title since it yields Halloween, a fair temperature that allows for light coats to be worn comfortably, and has great music associated with it (The Strokes' second album Room on Fire). But summer...something about it...especially watching Improviser...I think this is because I tend to get more joy out of my daily routine in the summer.

When I worked at Carmike Cinemas back home, I longed for summer when every day was like a Friday (which I saw as a good thing because all the high school kids could work shifts and I wouldn't be the lonely college boy during week days) and free movies flowed like the silicone based butter did when put it in the warmers.

I adored summer news last year, mainly because I was sorta in charge the whole time but also because there's nothing like having nothing to do in your day except run a newscast for an hour and a half. No school, sometimes no job, just great relaxing days.

Now I'm starting to look at UCB with these same sweat-from-humidity soaked glasses. Walking to work from the subway in a t-shirt, nice sun, sitting at work for 9.5 hours of sunlight, walking alllll the way from 57th to 26th to go to class or take in a show (I doubt I'll walk the whole way, but for the purpose of this romanticized fantasy I am), theoretically knowing more people through classes and being there all the time thus allowing good social interaction...I'm liking the idea of summer.

And the fact that I'm not used to New York winter has nothing to do with this.

Or everything to do with this.