Blog Archive 2014 Nov
Sat Nov 1 = My Timex Ironman Triathlon Tap W254 Watch battery suddenly died after only two months. Maybe it was the Dollar Tree battery, or maybe something is wrong with the watch. We'll see. The only trouble I had replacing the battery was getting the
movement
settled into the case all the way so the function buttons all worked.
- This evening I went from being behind and rushing to catch up... to relaxed with time to spare. This transformation occurred the moment I decided to NOT go to tonight's hamfeast. I had started out in time to make it to the hamfeast just in time, when I remembered I HAD to get gas. That would make me a few minutes late. Next, my GPS told me that there was a 3-car accident on the 30-mile drive (one way) to Rudy's BBQ way down in Chandler.
- So instead, I got the gas at $2.699 for cash, went to Safeway for a Bartlett pear and $100, spent $1 at Goodwill for a half-price power cord for my
- Vaio
- Sony Vaio Duo 11 computer with 11.6" touch screen, Windows 8, 8gb memory and 256gb SSD
and had a heavy arms workout at Fitness 1... and had time to go home for nutritious supper and to get some other things done.
Sun Nov 2 = This afternoon I drove down to east Mesa to join a church-full (standing rooom only) of people celebrating the short life of Lucy Selah "Little Goose" Bradford, my great niece. It was beautiful. The balloon release was unexpectedly inspiring for me. The church gave the parents and family extraordinary support. However I wonder how people can continue to believe that a
God
lovingly watches over and takes care of his own, when they go through such unbelievable suffering as did Lucy and her family. She had succumbed to a six-month bout with Leukemia.
Mon Nov 3 = This morning I took Denise grocery shopping for
duet.
- About 3:30pm I went over to
Dahlia
to meet my new tenant, to check out the washing machine and repair the sprinkler system. Some people are either very ignorant, careless or just don't care. It took me about an hour to fix what someone had fixed wrong: the wrong height of risers in two places, incorrect and incompatible sprinkler nozzles in two places and the wrong kind of sprinkler head on one place. You'd think someone would know not to put a 360° nozzle at the edge of the lawn where a 180° was needed to avoid watering the neighbors' rocks!
- Before heading home I went to Fry's Electronics for colored hook-up wire to use with my new helicase and stopped by LA Fitness for a heavy torso workout.
Tue Nov 4 = This morning I took Arlene to see her new PCP under the auspices of
- Duet
- The organization I support and through which I take non-driving seniors shopping and to their doctors' appointments
and stopped by LA Fitness on the way home for a light fast legs workout.
- Occasionally comedy is disappointing. John Henry, the organizer of Brigett's Last Laugh, neglected to tell me that he cancelled the comedy show for tonight because they were doing something else. This was after he had confirmed, two or three weeks ago, that I would be on. So I have been publicizing my appearance for tonight, telling my friends, passing it out on my list of up-and-coming shows and have had it on my website. Also this afternoon I spent considerable time preparing and practicing a special set for Brigett's. Comedy DOES have it's ups and downs. I, too, sometimes overlook things, so am not too upset with John.
- Since Brigett's didn't work out I drove out to the House of Comedy. Of course their bill was full, but it was a good show with a mostly older audience.
Wed Nov 5 = This mornig I flew my
- Nano
- fourth type of RC micro helicopter: Blade Nano CPx that has a tail rotor, no flybar and true collective positive and negative pitch
at the
- RC Park
- Coyote Basin Park where guys fly electric RC airplanes and an occasional helicopter - east of the 101 Pima Freeway and Cave Creek Rd in Phoenix
.
The wind was gusting to 13 mph so I mostly practiced hovering in different orientations.
- This evening I did a new God-Comedy-OBX routine at Stand-up Scottsdale, stopping by Auto Zone, O'Reily's, Harbor Freight and Radio Shack on the way for electrical connectors to use for my helicase.
Thu Nov 6 = This evening I watched
this interesting interview with Ben Baldanza, CEO of Spirit Airlines. In the interview he talks about his music career and things it taught him about business. Much interesting stuff related to life... and my comedy
career,
like making oneself (or one's business) relevant. Show your brand with pride!... or change brands.
- Speaking of comedy, Chop and Wok was a lot of fun tonight. The crowd of 16 were enthusiastic, supportive and laughed a lot, at least for me. I did my Maui, HI Shirt and SUP routine for the first time there, trying to do more audience work. I admire other comics like Justin Tejin (sp?) who are so relaxed and comfortable with their audience work.
Fri Nov 7 = I changed my
- ASRS
- Arizona State Retirement System
income tax withholding to zero so I'll come out right for what I expect to owe in taxes for 2014. I'll have to remember to increase it for 2015.
Sat Nov 8 = For the first time in three days, I flew my
- Nano
- fourth type of RC micro helicopter: Blade Nano CPx that has a tail rotor, no flybar and true collective positive and negative pitch
at the
- RC Park
- Coyote Basin Park where guys fly electric RC airplanes and an occasional helicopter - east of the 101 Pima Freeway and Cave Creek Rd in Phoenix
this morning. Flight batteries T & U had no power, to even take off.
Sun Nov 9 = Comedy flash: I have been asked to make an opening appearance Saturday night for the 9:00 show of Brian Kiley, nationally known comedian. He was the head monologue writer for Conan Obrien for years and has won an Emmy for his writing. Saturday afternoon I'll be attending a 2-hour workshop put on by Brian. Cool Beans!
- Dave Thurston owns four
Outliars Comedy Clubs here in the valley. He saw me before tonight's show and asked me.
Some day I may get good enough for someone to recognize me, but, until then, Ill just keep working on my skills... and having fun.
5:53 minutes
Brian Kiley was Conan O'Brien head monologue writer
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5:23 minutes : PHX Center for Arts, 3rd St Theater debut
#104 Arizona Lou and the popular Old Man Routine
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Comedy tonight was my first appearance in the Third Street Theater at the Phoenix Center for the Arts. We all had a lot of fun laughing during my 5-minute set (video above) - all 54 of us. Jason Lalli ran a good show of poetry, music... and me. He is very supportive of first-timers as well as the experienced.
Mon Nov 10 = Tonight I did comedy at The Turf in downtown Phenix.
Tue Nov 11 = I met
- George & Cindy
- younger brother and his wife who live in Mesa, Arizona
at Mimi's Cafe and then headed on to the House of Comedy for my second appearance there, where they later joined me. It worked out well, as I was the opening comedian. Jason, the host questioned my
Americas Favorite Old Man
status until I informed him that a Google search for it puts me at the top. It was a fun evening. I used my Maui and airline restroom routine.
Wed Nov 12 = For my 17th appearance at Stand-Up Scottsdale tonight, I did a tribute to Robin Williams, figuring he would want us to keep laughing.
Thu Nov 13 = For my fifth appearance at Chop and Wok in Scottsdale, I did my Boneyard and arline restroom routine.
Fri Nov 14 = Tonight's comedy appearance was my first, at CrackUps in Toso's Bar on the west side of Phoenix. My Old Man routine didn't get as many laughs as usual. This audience seemed to respond best to crowd work. I'm not experienced enough to switch instantly to that from my planned routine, but now have a reason to do more crowd work. Thank you, Sidney Smith, for putting me up and for showing me a little about using Facebook.
Sat Nov 15 = This afternoon I drove way out to the Renaissance Glendale Hotel for a comedy writing class by Brian Kiley, comedian and Emmy-winning comedy writer. Very interesting. After the class a group of us ate at a the Whiskey Rose, I finalized my set for an option of two or three minutes, took a nap and then went to the comedy show. Brian Kiley was good! I followed him after some Improv. I used mostly the same routine as last night. It was a hit and the evening was a lot of fun! This was the first time I shared the stage with a well-known comedian.
- Thanks for inviting me, Dave and for helping me to reach one of my goals tonight, doing
comedy for seven straight nights (Sunday through Saturday). For details, look at Nov 9-15, 2014 on
Past Comedy Appearances
| Date |
City |
Day |
Venu for seven straight days of comedy |
| 11/09/14 | Phoeix, AZ | Su | 3rd St. Theater; PHX Center for the Arts |
| 11/10/14 | Phoenix, AZ | Mo | The Turf Irish Pub |
| 11/11/14 | Phoenix, AZ | Tu | House of Comedy |
| 11/12/14 | Scottsdale, AZ | We | Stand-Up Scottsdale |
| 11/13/14 | Scottsdale, AZ | Th | Chop and Wok |
| 11/14/14 | Phoenix, AZ | Fr | CrackUps at Toso's Bar |
| 11/15/14 | Glendale, AZ | Sa | Outliars in The Renaissance |
Sun Nov 16 = I sent a couple of Thank-you emails and, this afternoon took Denice grocery shopping under the auspices of
- Duet
- The organization I support and through which I take non-driving seniors shopping and to their doctors' appointments
Mon Nov 17 = This morning, under the auspices of
- Duet
- The organization I support and through which I take non-driving seniors shopping and to their doctors' appointments
,
I took Arlene to see her cornia specialist. It was good to see Arlene again.
- This evening I arrived early for the ARA meeting early. A week early. If I had taken time to think a little I wouldn't have driven the 48 miles there and back. Don't tell anyone but I feel so dumb.
Tue Nov 18 = This morning I flew the
- Nano
- fourth type of RC micro helicopter: Blade Nano CPx that has a tail rotor, no flybar and true collective positive and negative pitch
on my Phoenix RC Simulator and then the actual heli at the
- RC Park
- Coyote Basin Park where guys fly electric RC airplanes and an occasional helicopter - east of the 101 Pima Freeway and Cave Creek Rd in Phoenix
.
I concluded that the flight batteries T, U & V are toast and retired them. Not even enough power t get the heli into the air.
- This afternoon I drove down to Banner Samaritan for a voice therapy session with Lisa, then on down to the Tempe Center for the Arts for the first of five Tuesday comedy classes by Tony Vicich. I thought this class was sort of a waste of my time. Tony talked to each of us individually for a few minutes while Kevin, Tony's side kick, rambled about comedy and had each of us take the mike as he interviewed us. Next week's writing class should be pretty productive.
- After the class I drove further south to Dos Gringos to sit in on a little of their open mic comedy show. Next week I'll try to make it down there and be part of the show, although the class ends at 7:30 and the show begins at 7:30.
Wed Nov 19 = I spent much of the day polishing my
Introducing Old Man routine for my debut at Stand Up Live this evening in downtown Phoenix. Before driving down I applied preemergence spray to my front and back yards and my neighbor's side yard.
- Stand Up Live was a lot of fun and the audience responsive. After the show the producer, Brad Ostro, gave me some feedback, challenging me to do sets with no mention of being old. Sounds cool to me. He said the audience seemed to like me and that I had a good stage presence.
- Also he asked if I was doing comedy as just a hobby and how, if the opportunity would present itself, would I view going on a national tour, doing comedy 250 nights a year. My answer, yes, but I would have to adjust my kiteboarding (which I would do - in fact already did last summer).
- I have a long way to go before anything like that could happen. I will be taking some additional comedy classes, working on some additional routines (not old guy stuff) and getting more experience. I believe I need work on a smoother flow, adjusting to the crowd better and better crowd-work techniques. Of course when I improve in those areas, I will discover other areas in which to improve.
- Brad will put me on the New Faces shows in January at the Tempe Improv and Stand Up Live. I'll do different routines for each and HAVE FUN. If right person happens to be in the audience and likes what they see, something might come of it. Who knows?
- In the mean time I will start getting my ducks in a row for a possible comedy tour. That shouldn't be two difficult, since I went on a self-induced four-month Kiteboarding Comedy Road Trip this spring.
If nothing comes of it all, that's OK and life will be a little easier with my ducks lined up.
5:04 minutes (audio in L stereo channel only)
#111 Arizona Lou's debut at Stand Up Live in Phoenix
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Thu Nov 20 = This morning I removed four sunscreens from some of my south and west windows. It brightens up my house and helps heat it, saving on gas.
To my comedy routines I'm going to be trying to add the:
- metaphor
- simile
- analogy
- allegory
In the process maybe I can succeed in totally confusing myself, and maybe the audiences!
Fri Nov 21 = I got my Canoscan flat-bed document scanner working today, after about two months of doing without. All I had to do was to get power to the USB hub that the scanner is using. Simple solution, but NOT simple to find the problem, as the scanner kept giving a Lock Switch error.
Sat Nov 22 = I flew my
- Nano
- fourth type of RC micro helicopter: Blade Nano CPx that has a tail rotor, no flybar and true collective positive and negative pitch
at the
- RC Park
- Coyote Basin Park where guys fly electric RC airplanes and an occasional helicopter - east of the 101 Pima Freeway and Cave Creek Rd in Phoenix
this morning. It was good to see the guys again. When I was finishing up I got a phone call from Tino Garza who was waiting at my house to look at my yard and talk about keeping it weed free. For the time being, I'll do it myself. This evening I watered in the front yard preemergence spray I had applied three days ago.
Sun Nov 23 = I resolved my checking account. It took longer than usual. Also I checked out my central air gas furnace since it is getting cold - down into the middle 40's! The furnace is working correctly.
- In the tech department, I backed up all my files in my
- Vaio
- Sony Vaio Duo 11 computer with 11.6" touch screen, Windows 8, 8gb memory and 256gb SSD
to two different external hard drives and went from no printers working to both working. The Canon Pixma 4800 needed the right software driver selected and the HP OfficeJet 110 took three reinstallations of the bluetooth printer driver. I am using the first printer (the big one) exclusively for B&W and the second (portable) one for the occasional color printout.
Mon Nov 24 = Comedy for me today was to correlate all my future appearances with my Booking spreadsheet, my Google Calendar and my website. In the
staying healthy department, I made doctor appointments for regular checkups by my dermatologist and PCP. This evening I stopped by
- Harold's
- Harold Dean Hayes, my techie X brother-in-law
(for some fine stranded copper wires and fuse holders for my helicase project) on my way down to the
- ARA
- Arizona Repeater Association (ham radio operators)
meeting in Tempe.
Tue Nov 25 = Two trips today. The morning trip was to Camelback LA Fitness for a shower on the way down for voice therapy at Banner Good Sam and again on the way back for a light, fast torso workout.
- Between the trips I watered in the back yard preemergence spray I had applied a week ago.
- The evening trip was to the Tempe Center for the Arts for the writing session of my advanced comedy class, then on to Dos Gringos in South Tempe to get in on the last of their comedy show. I was 8th out of ten comedians.
Wed Nov 26 = I mostly worked on an entirely new comedy routine today in preparation for this evening at Stand-Up Scottsdale. The routine is about emotional ups and downs: my successful comedy last Wednesday and bombing on Friday. It went pretty well. I thought sparks were going to fly at the show when a comedian, with whom I was not familiar, tried to relate to Ferguson by kicking around the mike stand and a chair. I thought he was going to break something. Howard Hughes, the club owner handled the situation well, if not calmly.
Thanksgiving Nov 27 = Good morning sleeping in to make up for Stand-Up Scottsdale last night; and flying my
- Nano
- fourth type of RC micro helicopter: Blade Nano CPx that has a tail rotor, no flybar and true collective positive and negative pitch
at the
- RC Park
- Coyote Basin Park where guys fly electric RC airplanes and an occasional helicopter - east of the 101 Pima Freeway and Cave Creek Rd in Phoenix
.
Since I was the only one there I went without my shirt and got some sun - nice and warm here on Thanksgiving in the Phoenix sun. I had one perfect flight, taking off from my hand, doing loops, rolls, flips, flying inverted and rolling back to right-side-up.
- For the afternoon I laid in the sun 20 minutes, got my act together and then headed to Becky and Matt's in east Mesa for the Hayes Thanksgiving. It was neat because even the little kids remembered me with hugs. After dinner and a swim for the kids in their heated pool, I put on a 7 1/2 minute comedy show about Maui,
- SUP
- Stand-Up Paddleboarding
etc. It was fun with such an appreciative audience of about 20.
- I arrived home in time to take care emails, update my
PAST COMEDY APPEARANCES and catch up on this blog.
- HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all who take time to read my blog. THANK YOU!
Fri Nov 28 = HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ME! 73 today. It takes about a year of a new activity for me to start dreaming about it. Last night I dreamed I was on the
- OBX
- Hatteras Island and the Outer Banks off the coast of North Carolina
and a guy was talking to me about leaving and doing comedy. I received a phone call from his boss who wanted me in LA IN 3-5 days. If course, I was willing to stop kiteboarding and head out for comedy.
Sat Nov 29 = Still collecting parts, like bullet connectors for inline banana plug sockets, for my new helicase. I made two trips over to Fry's Electronics. The first to buy two packs of bullet connectors to use as inline banana plug sockets, and the second one to return them because they did not work smoothly as what I already have on hand. The first trip I also stopped by Dollar Tree, LA Fitness and Five Guys (for our hamfeast). The second trip I stopped by Walmart to pick up two 32gb, class 4 SaDisk micro SD cards. One, I had ordered for Store Pick Up, which I found to be frustrating, awkward and time consuming - not worth it if there is another way to get the stuff.
Sun Nov 30 = Ths morning I flew my
- Nano
- fourth type of RC micro helicopter: Blade Nano CPx that has a tail rotor, no flybar and true collective positive and negative pitch
at the
- RC Park
- Coyote Basin Park where guys fly electric RC airplanes and an occasional helicopter - east of the 101 Pima Freeway and Cave Creek Rd in Phoenix
. There was quite a group out and, of course, I got my heli down on the field and did more than usual jogging after it. The batteries seem to be running out of power prematurely.
- I gave battery W some special attention, as I had retired it due to repeated poor performance. This afternoon I cycled it four times at .6C between 3.0 and 4.2 volts and then flew it conservatively here at home, just hovering. It went the entire four minute flight. I might try that technique on some of my other batteries, although it takes about 10 hours.
- This evening I made a recovery thumb drive for my
- Vaio
- Sony Vaio Duo 11 computer with 11.6" touch screen, Windows 8, 8gb memory and 256gb SSD
,
using one of the 32g micro SD cards I just bought, with a USB adapter. I hope I never need it.
