Thursday, February 25, 2010

Upcomng Shows

Including some last minute bookings at The Laugh Shop on Whyte Avenue this weekend...

Upcoming Comedy
Thursday, February 25 - The Laugh Shop - Edmonton
Friday, February 26 - The Laugh Shop - Edmonton
Saturday, February 27 - The Laugh Shop - Edmonton
Wednesday, March 3 - The Laugh Shop - Edmonton
Monday, March 8 - The Comic Strip - Edmonton

Upcoming Wrestling
Saturday, March 13 - OSCW The Union
Saturday, March 20 - OSCW One Year Anniversary


For the record, I won't be personally appearing at the OSCW shows. I will be leaving to drive down to California on the 10th and won't be back until the 24th.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

CBC Showcase

I'm showcasing for a CBC show at the Laugh Shop next week: Wednesday, March 3.

Normally I'm nervous about these things, but for this one I'm oddly at peace.

Maybe it's the way I put my set together. Instead of doing the jokes audiences typically like best, I've decided to do the jokes I like. So Buddhism and Feminism is in, displacing a lot of my traditional "showcase" material.

For whatever reason, I'm less worried about "giving them what will make them want to hire me" and more about giving them an honest look at who I am and letting them make up their own minds.

For ticket information contact me or call the Laugh Shop at (780) 476-1010

Friday, February 19, 2010

Mojo Settin'

Upcoming Comedy
Wednesday, February 10 - The Laugh Shop, Edmonton
Saturday, February 20 - Private Function - Okotoks
Monday, February 22 - The Comic Strip - Edmonton
Tuesday, February 23 - The Comic Strip - Edmonton
Wednesday, March 3 - The Laugh Shop - Edmonton
Monday, March 8 - The Comic Strip - Edmonton

Upcoming Wrestling
Saturday, March 13 - OSCW The Union
Saturday, March 20 - OSCW One Year Anniversary


I've been quite proud of my mojo lately. Even though I'm not in the market for a relationship, for whatever reason, I seem to have Magic Woman Attracting Powers.

I was bragging about this to Dawn at the bar (*) one night. She, of course, had heard this story from me before, and the guy next to her was trying to buy her a drink, so she had other things on her mind.

At that moment, a cute Goth chick shyly approached me. Dan Mojo Rises Again!!!

CUTE GOTH CHICK: Hi, I'm Cute Goth Chick
DAN: (putting extra bass in his voice, sultryness in his stare, and puffing out his chest...also glancing at Dawn to see if she was watching (**)) I'm Dan.
CUTE GOTH CHICK: (indicating Dawn) So...are you and her...together?
DAN: (smiling reassuringly at this poor woman, who is clearly awed to be in his presence) We're friends.
DAN'S BRAIN:(singing)I'm gonna get some Goth Love, I'm gonna get some Goth Love...
CUTE GOTH CHICK: Oh. Then would she be free to go out with me this Saturday?
DAN'S BRAIN: *needle scratching across record noise*

God damn it.

The Mojo Giveth, and the Mojo Taketh Away.

(*) Also bragging to her about it over the phone, at her place, at my place, in the car...

(**) She wasn't. But she did have the line of the night, which was: "Why can't I stay this drunk ALL the time?"

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Question Of The Day

Well...actually, Sunday night/Saturday morning, during a semi-drunk conversation with Bubba.

"What do you do once you've accomplished everything you set out to achieve for yourself?"

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Dan Loves His Family (The Unexpected)

Upcoming Comedy
Wednesday, February 10 - The Laugh Shop, Edmonton
Saturday, February 13 - Get Yo' Heart On Comedy Night at The Common - Edmonton
Monday, February 22 - The Comic Strip - Edmonton

Upcoming Wrestling
Saturday, March 13 - OSCW The Union
Saturday, March 20 - OSCW One Year Anniversary


My family bought me a laptop!!!

I am flabbergasted.

My sister stopped by yesterday while I was getting ready for a date(*) and dropped it off. I didn't ask for it. I'm not sure I NEED it--though I can see it coming in damn handy now that I have it.

I think it was the gesture, more than anything.

I have a good family. They always come through when expected. But an unexpected kindness at an unexpected time...that means a lot.

I've noticed a lot of that lately. Over the last little while, I've received a lot of unexpected kindness in surprising ways from surprising (and not-so-surprising)sources.

What gives it more meaning is that those acts of kindness have come now, at a point where I'm feeling I don't have much to give anybody in return.

It's tough, leaning on people. It's easy to feel embarassed or weak or even resentful. But as I touched on in this article, I think there is something to learning to receive without being expected to pay it back, 'deserve it' or 'earn' it somehow.

It's strange but learning how to receive is helping me understand more what it means to give.

I'm looking forward to putting it into practice.

"O Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life"

-Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

(*) I mention this because it is likely going to be my last date for a while. I still love the "meeting new people" aspect, but despite my efforts to mix it up in terms of personalities and process, I feel like I'm piloting through the first three levels of a video game over and over. There's only so many different things that can happen and once you've experienced them all to the point they become predictable, it's hard to stay passionate about playing.

Thursday, February 04, 2010

Dan In Pictures




Got some new promotional pictures done last week. I'll be spending a while sifting through the options and seeing what I like.

If you're my friend on Facebook, you can see them here.

Wednesday, February 03, 2010

A Public Commitment

Winter malaise is upon me in full swing, exacerbated by some recession-induced uncertainty in my chosen fields and whatever mysterious goings on are taking place down there in the Blind Spot (*). It's deceptive because even though I'm doing fine, it doesn't FEEL to me like I'm doing fine. It also doesn't LOOK like I'm doing fine because I'm actually opening up to people--saying what I actually feel instead of saying the "right things."

It's a giant step forward, though to the untrained eye, it looks like two steps back, followed by a total meltdown.

It's tough for me, because I hate feeling weakness. More accurately, I hate other people knowing I feel weak. I'm supposed to be the one with the answers, damn it. And if I don't have the answers, I need to at least be able to fake enough certainty that people don't notice.

Anything less is unmanly.

Come to think of it, I also am equally uncomfortable feeling confident. Or more accurately, I uncomfortable with other people knowing when I feel confident. I worry they'll think I'm arrogant or cocky.

And that's why I'm doing this publicly.

For some time now, I've made a commitment to do at least one thing every day that makes me uncomfortable. It doesn't have to be a big thing--but it has to be something that forces me "feel the fear and do it anyway.(**)"

It's been awesome.

But lately, I've noticed something. Two somethings, actually.

1 - I only experiment when no one I know is around. The only times I will face a fear anyone other than strangers is if it doesn't contradict my social role in that setting, whether it's Sarcastic Guy, Shy Awkward Guy, Good Listener, Serial (sometimes Parallel) Philanderer, Dutiful Boyfriend (okay, that only happened once, but I worked my fucking ass off at it), Damaged Goods, Tantric Practitioner, Office Clown, Humble Just-Happy-to-be-here Comedian, Flirty Salsero, Sage-Beyond-His-Years Buddhist, Rebel Teacher.

I can do a lot of things in a lot of situations. But once I'm in the box, I don't easily step out...possibly one of the reasons, I keep my social groups seperate. I rarely introduce women I date to friends or family. Crisis work, salsa, Buddhist, comedy, and writing are all kept carefully apart like food items on a plate.

2 - The great majority also happen under controlled circumstances. There's risk, but no real danger, because I always leave myself an out. If the situation is uncertain or I'm in a new environment, I default to Pleasant But Quiet mode.

It's time to cut away those two somethings. I faced a lot of fears, but they were the henchmen. We're looking at two of the Boss Fears in my psyche, two of the Big Bads: Fear of Letting People See Me For Who I Am, and Fear of Abandoning Control.

I've come a long way. But until I start taking risks that MEAN something, I'm not living. I'm only practicing.

I've practiced long enough. I'm ready.

What I'm ready for, I don't know.

But whatever it is, I'm looking forward to it.

(*) The hardest part is the waiting to see what will unfold. I've always felt that the best way to find out what's going on is to Do-Something-And-See-What-Happens, and while I'm not 100% resisting that urge in this case, at least I'm taking smaller steps in various directions and seeing how each one feels instead of powering full-speed ahead into what I think I should want and hoping momentum will carry me through.

(**) Previous examples include running naked through my neighbourhood, asking the clerk at a woman's lingerie store if she had anything in my size, the Great LRT Experiment, and a couple other things I'd be better off not mentioning.

Dan Has His First Wrestling Match

Upcoming Comedy
Sunday, January 31 - The Druid - Edmonton
Tuesday, February 2 - New City Comedy Olympics - Edmonton
Wednesday, February 10 - The Laugh Shop, Edmonton
Saturday, February 13 - Get Yo' Heart On Comedy Night at The Common - Edmonton
Monday, February 22 - The Comic Strip - Edmonton

Upcoming Wrestling
Saturday, March 20 - OSCW One Year Anniversary


Okay, it was an arm wrestling match, but still.

It counts dammnit. It was at the New City Comedy Olympics. I was the heel and called it all, and I was pretty happy with the way it turned out--Neil Rhodes shooting a pin on himself during the heat segment notwithstanding.

It was fun to be the bad guy. I called the fans idiots, stalled on the lock-up, cheated, and got booed and everything.

New City is a fun room. Each show is a theme, so there's always a fresh challenge and an opportunity to explore something new.

The other reason I like the room is the crowds are a little more on the fringe, which means my pro-feminism, gay-is-interesting-not-scary stuff gets a nice welcome (as do any Lord of the Rings or Spider-Man references). Most rooms, the audience laughs because their perspective is being challenged. In New City, they laugh because they can RELATE.

It's a good feeling.

Tuesday, February 02, 2010

The Mystery Of The Moment

Upcoming Comedy
Sunday, January 31 - The Druid - Edmonton
Tuesday, February 2 - New City Comedy Olympics - Edmonton
Saturday, February 13 - Get Yo' Heart On Comedy Night at The Common - Edmonton
Monday, February 22 - The Comic Strip - Edmonton

Upcoming Wrestling
Saturday, March 20 - OSCW One Year Anniversary


Sometime in the night, I open my eyes to find find myself face to face with a cat.

The cat vanishes into the darkness before my muscles finish twitching, but already I’m reaching out with my senses, circulating my awareness, in that indescribable way that feels to me like ceaseless, shark-like motion, but produces the optical illusion of stillness to anyone watching.

I feel my body, settling into an unfamiliar mattress. I feel my skin and muscles, clenched against the cold.

There is another person sleeping behind me. In another moment, I felt nails on my skin, movement beneath my body, gasps and moans. And of course, leading the way, my heart, savoring the blend of emotions that makes every encounter feel like the first time. There was surprised delight at her aggressiveness; the joy of give and take; a flicker of performance anxiety; a glow of healing and being healed; the expansive sense of awed wonder at how each woman is so different from every other; the reverence and gratitude for being able to share this moment with this person.

But that moment is gone. Now there is this only this one.

The breeze from the fan. My shoulders and chest note the presence of the blanket, comfortable, but not quite thick enough to fully warm me. In my throat, rawness from a cough I picked up last week. In my heart…

Access Denied

In this moment, my heart is unavailable. It resides in what the Vipassana folks call a dead zone, a temporary blind spot in my awareness. Whatever‘s there, I can‘t pick it up.

I probe again, but the blind spot remains. The darkness is impenetrable, but gentle--there are things here you are not yet ready to see.

Troubling.

But some moments are. Each moment will be as it will be--some filled with joy, some with pain, some with mystery, some with unfathomable sadness--and they are all equally precious.

I close my eyes and await the next one.