This Friday I will turn 30. Being that I am turning 30, now is a good time to be critical of my life and bemoan my plight and perhaps even celebrate my accomplishments.

Things I haven’t done:

Learned Spanish.

With the exception of France 12 years ago and Canada, I haven’t left the country.

Written a novel (although I’m about 17,000 words into one and had to put it aside to write plays and screenplays. Maybe next year)

Run a marathon. (In fact I’m not really in great shape right now. But I’m going to start going to the gym again, I swear.) (this is starting to sound like new years resolutions. 30 year resolutions?)

Learned a musical instrument. (this may never happen.)

Paid off my student loans (or come anywhere near doing so)

Bought a house or apartment.


Things I did:

Learned to drive, swim, speak, write, read, cook a few things.

Wrote 19 or so plays that are over an hour long, 3 or 4 one acts, 30 or so ten min plays. Most of the 10 min plays have been done, many of them multiple times. I’ve had 7 of my long plays on their feet, 4 of them have had 2 or more productions. Three of them are now published.

Co-wrote one screenplay. Wrote another on my own and am working on a third.

Got a masters, went to Juilliard, got engaged.


So that’s not so bad. It was a good thirty years. In fact, if things keep going like this, I feel pretty good about it all. I’m OK, you’re OK. We’re all OK. Let another year come. They say 30 is the new 22.

ny times on US healthcare

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/12/opinion/12sun1.html?em&ex=1187150400&en=81027c4b9b038e39&ei=5087%0A

"The United States, to its shame, has some 45 million people without
health insurance and many more millions who have poor coverage.
Although the president has blithely said that these people can always
get treatment in an emergency room, many studies have shown that
people without insurance postpone treatment until a minor illness
becomes worse, harming their own health and imposing greater costs."

from Sheila, I guess I'll try it too

http://www.sheilacallaghan.com/blog/archives/2007/08/#013930

If your plays were people . . .

MAtt tries it:

http://matthewfreeman.blogspot.com/2007/08/plays-as-people.html

Josh does it:

http://writerjoshuajames.com/dailydojo/?p=359

Now me--

Pretty Theft
An A.D.D. juggler you see at the circus walking a tightrope while
ogling the girl on the flying trapeze.

Food For Fish
The kid who sits in the front row wearing a green mask he made out of
paper maiche for Halloween. Surprisingly he won the costume
competition. Now in front of everyone he is eating all his candy,
smearing chocolate all over his big smile.

Nerve
A quiet girl sitting behind a giant loom, building row upon row
suddenly gets her finger stuck and bleeds on her tapestry. Five years
ago you bought a photo of this at a yardsale.

Anne
That old friend secretly smart but completely awkward who wears
clothes two sizes too big and who you have lost touch with. I think
she can speak Greek.

Herbie
The wackiest uncle who wants to play cowboys and indians although all
his nephews are shaving now.

The Art Machine
The tie-wearing coworker who is may be a robot but definitely has an
uncomfortable sexual past.

Deflowering Waldo
A sister of a friend who wears petticoats and lots of rouge but wants
to be Woody Allen.

Incendiary
A boy burning ants with a magnifying glass suddenly looks up and
discovers girls for the first time.

Bee Eater
The saddest girl in the world reading poetry in Russian accidentally
walks in front of a truck.

Searching
A bum with a metal detector on the beach you went to for vacation who
secretly may be destroying the world.

Susan Gets Some Play
a fun fringe play. you should come see it.
http://www.myspace.com/susangetssomeplay

fringe shows to see

http://www.thevillager.com/villager_223/whatsonyourfringe.html

all of new york is confused

Which subway is running? What's going on? Does anybody know?

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/10/nyregion/10info.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

from Charlie Willis:

http://confoundedblog.blogspot.com/2007/08/quotes-and-response.html

"For a short time, theatre became a medium where you COULD make more
than just a living. You could actually live fairly comfortably on a
theatre artist's salary. I don't believe that's the case anymore --
except under the most abnormal of circumstances -- but few people who
aren't directly involved in theatre work understand that fact as
anything more than the old joke based around "I'm poor; I work in
theatre." The general public is working under the assumption that you
can make a decent living at it, as long as you're talented enough.
Unfortunately, this is shared by many young people going into college
programs, or just starting out following graduation from said
programs. In their heart of hearts, they think they'll be the lucky
one who will "make it", or manage to transubstantiate their theatre
work into a film/TV career. And maybe about 12 of them do."

timeline, 6 more months in Iraq and 6 more and 6 more and 6 more

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2007/08/timeline.html/

h/t isaac

http://parabasis.typepad.com/blog/2007/08/this-is-amazing.html

'...the police action helped to all but eliminate dissent from New
York City during the Republican delegates' visit. If that was the
goal, then mission accomplished. And civil rights denied.'

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/08/opinion/08wed2.html?_r=1&hp=&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print