Bee_Gee42's Xanga

Last Stop For This Train, Transfer Here To Other Lines

Fri, 20 Apr 2007 00:36:24 GMT

This is like euthanasia for this blog, a mercy killing. It has been requested of me that I write one last blog up here to provide closure. I'm on MySpace; furthermore, I am a contributing editor for tipyourwaiter.org, a highly acclaimed and influential website...or at least it will be.

It's been a good ride. I started up on Xanga back in '04, around the time of the Great Election, where the nation somehow re-elected a president who was never elected to begin with. I'm not gonna wax bitter about that, I feel the time for resentment, if there is an end to it, surely must already have passed. But I wrote about that election quite a bit, as I recall, and as the lights slowly shone again on the rest of the world I began to contemplate other matters as well.

This was my first real weblog. I've kept a personal, private journal for much longer than I have kept a blog, and the blog is a nice contrast. It forces me to sharpen my wit, polish my prose, and prepare myself for any intellectual battles I find myself in. I write with full awareness that other people will be reading this, unlike the private journal. Hence, my blogs must make more sense, be more coherent. For the most part, I feel successful in this aspect -- coherency -- as well as in other areas.

Mainly, the reason I'm leaving Xanga has little to do with Xanga itself; I am not necessarily a comments-monger, though they are nice, but I understand that other people don't appreciate being forced to create an account just to participate in one discussion, and that admittedly has been a factor in my decision to move away from Xanga.

There was also MySpace. I started a MySpace account because I knew that there were more people to be reached, and MySpace comes with the "Bulletin" feature, which almost forces people to read your announcements. I had signed up to run an AIDS Marathon, and used MySpace to fund raise (fed the need to reach as many people as possible, see). But MySpace grew on me, it was fun, and I slowly, ever so slowly began to blog there more than on Xanga, especially after the Marathon was run.

And now that I'm writing for tipyourwaiter.org, I simply have no time or energy for this Xanga blog. And so I lay it to rest with this, my final Xanga post, a self-eulogizing blurb, a brief and incomplete history. This site will remain on the net for as long as the world turns, in case anyone wants to read the archives. It's all here. I simply won't be posting anymore articles, that's all.

But I, Bil, am not going to stop writing. No. As I said, I am active on MySpace and tipyourwaiter.org. Follow me there. Let us leave this dreary world.

Farewell, Xanga, you have been good to me. I will remember you fondly.

Goodnight.

MyXanga

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 04:52:16 GMT

I know. I'm a horrible Xangaloid. I never, never, update, ever, it's true. I don't. I suck.

Honestly, I am actually more into MySpace these days. I kind of hated it at first, but now I know my way around it and it's really pretty fun. The thing about it that threw me at first is that it's not really heavily geared towards the blog aspect at all. It's kind of about, well, everything else. But there's a lot to love.

Look, I don't want to sit here and rationalize my behavior. Two blogs is a bit much to maintain, and I seem to have made my choice. Not that I've been all that active there, either, but when I do write anything it's usually over there. I will make a final decision when things are calmer and I have more space to breathe.

Life has been quite hectic lately, as I am not only working full-time downtown, but also I am acting in a play -- not just any play, but "Proof" by David Auburn, a show in which I play a talkative geek with a lot of lines -- and of course there's still Starbucks on the weekends. I say I'm busy, but in a good way. I love this play, and I'm super excited to be playing the role of Hal, which is incidentally my first-ever romantic leading role.

As for my downtown job, I am now working in a non-profit organization that helps schools improve performance by helping teachers, principals, and parents. This one is not a temp gig, but a real permanent position. This is good for both money and health benefits, which I was sorely lacking up till now.

And Starbucks...well, as of March 10 I will no longer be working for the giant. While I do feel a teensy little hint of sorrow, for I do enjoy working with the people that I work with there, and I do enjoy not paying for coffee, it will be a magical feeling to have only one job and not just make enough money to get by but actually save money. That was the dream all along when we moved to Chicago -- one day job and theatre nights and weekends. Oh, the glory days are just ahead...

I recently received my first professional writing credit. It was part of a night of one-acts which were all written and staged in 24 hours, and performed that very night. Mine was well-received, which makes me very, very happy. Sitting in the audience before the show that I wrote was as nerve-racking as sitting in the audience before a show that I directed. It's thrilling and terrifying, and ultimately very rewarding.

And that's why I'm so scattered. That's all. There will be more later, and I'm sure it will make sense. In the meantime...it's Joe time.

I speak from experience, lots and lots of experience

Thu, 25 Jan 2007 19:18:18 GMT

Hey, National Restaurant Association – I hate to burst your bubble, but working in fast food is demeaning and unpleasant.

Monday, January 22, 2007

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 02:09:47 GMT

I have been tagged by Devon -- challeged, dared even -- to come up with five things you might not know about me. This will be hard, since the paparazzi follows me constantly and now everyone knows everything. But here goes:

1.) My middle name is Pendleton. William Pendleton, after whom I was named, was second in command to General Thomas Jonathon "Stonewall" Jackson during the Civil War.

I couldn't find a picture of William Pendleton, so here is one of "Stonewall."
Addendum: My brother's name is Thomas (although his middle name is not Stonewall).

2.) I play the tenor saxophone, but before that I played the clarinet. In second grade, I became the youngest-ever student in my school district not just to join the District Honor Band, but to play first chair. To date, I think I still hold that record.

Sexy.

3.) Speaking of lasting but useless glory from my childhood...When I was in eighth grade, some friends and I participated in our school lip sync contest. We dressed like idiot geeks and "performed" a rendition of "Earth Angel" so nerdy that "Weird Al" Yankovic would have been proud. It was critically acclaimed and the audience loved us. Somehow we didn't win the grand prize - but to this date they still show the video of our performance to students when announcing the annual contest.

I'm the cute one.

4.) In college for about two weeks I was the lead singer of a band. We were called Actors Out On Loan. We never performed live, but we did cut a Christmas EP. Eventually, though, like any good rock band, it turned out that the other guy and I hated each other so much that we had to break up. Seriously, he turned into a real dick.
(No pirated audio available...not sure why.)

5.) I possess impressively decent drawing skills. When I was young, I wanted to be a cartoonist. When I had free time, I made animated short films, drawing all the frames out by hand. I could have been someone...I could have been a contender...

I know it's dated. Don't judge.

And now I get to tag someone...I would tag Trevor, but evidently his blog has ascended to Blog Heaven, so I instead tag my sister Jennifer. You're it!

"Needs Improvement"

Tue, 09 Jan 2007 05:02:28 GMT

Okay, year, so far we're off to a bad start. I've screwed up an audition that I really cared about, I've been sick, I've been offered an extension of the same low-wage temp job and I took it when I really should be searching for higher-paying work, I lost an amazingly cool hat, I was rejected for an editorial PA gig on a big-ass Warner Brothers film, Devon has a creepy stalker, my boss at Starbuck's screwed up my paycheck, I'm tired, I'm poor, and I watched the Mel Gibson version of "Hamlet" (which sucks). For your eight-day performance review, 2007, I'm going to mark you down as "needs improvement."

Let's take another look on the 16th of January and see how we're doing.

Beginnings and Ends

Thu, 28 Dec 2006 20:20:46 GMT

Today marks the end of an era. It is with a tear of fondness that I bid farewell to my old tube of lip balm. The coronation of the new lip balm closes a two-year chapter of my life. The lip balm of old was with us for over two years. In that time it survived at least three trips through the laundry and somehow always turned up in my pocket when I needed. Never has there reigned a more steadfast, loyal tube of lip balm than the one we retire today. It will stay in my desk drawer as back up, to be called up only when needed; the new lip balm, which is Burt’s Bees and honey-flavored, will from now on be the main source of relief for my chapped lips. Good-bye, old lip balm, I’m sure we’ll meet again in the future.

New lip balm – a word. I know you’re still a rookie, but you have to understand one thing. Right now you are just way too hard. To use a soap metaphor, you’re like a brand new dry brick of soap, whereas the old was like moisturizing liquid hand and face soap. You’re both high-quality, it’s true, but you’re going to have to ease up a little. And another thing – not that I would ever do it on purpose, but eventually I will put you through the wash. It’s just the way I am. It’s a hazard of the job, and if you’re not up to it, you better say so now. I expect a lot from you.

Gerald Ford died recently, completely overshadowing the death of James Brown. This completes the trilogy. As you know, celebrities always die in threes, and these two come right on the coattails of Peter Boyle. The best way to grieve, I figure, is to put on DVDs of “Taxi Driver” and “Young Frankenstein” while listening to “Live At The Apollo, Vol. 1” and doing impersonations of Gerald Ford falling down.

In happier news, the FDA says it’s okay to eat cloned animals. This is, in my opinion, fantastic news. Maybe now we can switch to mostly cloned animals for our food and stuff – not eradicate natural animals from farms entirely, just mostly. You know, for McDonald’s and the like. But here is a situation where, truly, essence precedes existence. We raise animals to be used as tools of survival and/or luxury, and there is always the question of whether it’s right or not, whether these animals have rights to much more than a farm life and death. If we clone the animals, they are no different than, say, a chair – created by humans for use by humans.

Of course, according to this article, the clones would mainly be used for breeding, and not steaks or milk. A genetic twin (or two) of the best animals in town will breed better herds, they say, and the conventionally raised animals would be used for consumption. That’s the idea behind eugenics – the Nazis tried it with people, and it didn’t work out so well. I guess we’ll see how the public responds to it with clones and cows.

It’s almost 2007. I simply cannot believe how fast the year went. Things got done, things didn’t, things happened, things didn’t happen…it was a wild one, all right. But so far, we have survived. I have to prepare a list of resolutions; I’m sure there will be at least one repeat from last year – a leftover, if you will. I’ll be thinking about it.

I got a new digital camera for Christmas -- I hope to start incorporating photographs again into this blog. Now that I'm not raising money for a marathon, I will probably move away from Myspace a bit...

And finally: Holy crap, we have a lacrosse team! Chicago Shamrox!

An Open Letter to Scarlett Johannson

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 05:12:08 GMT

Dear Scarlett,

I would like to coordially invite you to spend New Year's Eve with me. It'll be at Meg's house here in Chicago. I know we don't really know each other, but I am sure that if we spent some time together, we'd totally fall in love. That would work out well, since it would be New Year's Eve, and at midnight we could make out. My wife Devon says she doesn't mind, as she plans to make out at midnight with my best friend Trevor.

I won't be surprised if you already have New Year's plans, but I'd be lying if I said I won't be disappointed. I have a deep respect for your work and would love to talk with you about the craft of film acting. Also, I'd love to make out with you at midnight. I know you're popular and probably have a million parties to get to in LA, so of course I understand. But you know I'll just invite you again next year.

Anyway...let me know. You can leave a comment on my blog here, or you can call my cell phone.

With deepest burning love and affection,

Bil

Sunday, November 26, 2006

Sun, 26 Nov 2006 23:49:42 GMT

GOD DAMMIT, REX GROSSMAN!

I know I pick on Grossman a lot, but to any critics I say this: look at today's game against the Patriots and tell me Rex Grossman didn't single-handedly lose that game for the Bears. What an asshole.

In other news, I saw the new James Bond film, and you know what? It's way better than I thought it would be. Fabulous film. I highly recommend it. I've been a Daniel Craig fan since "Road to Perdition" and he doesn't stop working hard for this role. Which is good, because apparently it's very easy to stop acting and just charm your way through a 007 movie. But Daniel Craig doesn't let up and turns out an extraordinary performance. Kudos.

My iPod and I have had quite the weekend romp. I've uploaded all the Guster we have, as well as some other tunes. I'm about to get started on my RX Bandits collection.

...starting now. So long, suckers!

EDIT 11/27, 9:32 AM Central Time

It occurs to me that nobody who actually reads this weblog knows or cares who Rex Grossman is. I apologize for that. Matt, thanks for the comments, I agree -- ain't nothin' wrong with a blond Bond. Roger Moore has red hair, nobody cares about that.

Anyway, it's nice because here in the office people are starting to catch on that Grossman is inadequate for the Bears. The mood has been changing towards what I've been saying all along. At first, people thought, ah, well, they were beaten by a better team, no shame in that. But they weren't beaten by the Pats, Grossman GAVE it to them.

He's young still, and has much to learn and will grow in time. I'm not saying the Bears need to outright ditch the punk. What I really want to see is Lovie Smith, the NFL's most Zen coach, just get pissed off and yell at Grossman. That's what Grossman needs, and it's what everyone wants to see. They just don't know it. It's okay to tell your quarterback that he needs to improve his game. This is a professional football player you are dealing with, not Tom Cruise.

OH HELL YES!

Wed, 08 Nov 2006 18:37:48 GMT

So -- I don't want to talk about the amazing election night I had, because it wasn't really amazing on my end. I had pizza and beer and watched TV. And we all know that the Democrats took back the House of Representatives, which is great, because it most importantly means that the Republicans lost it.

What I do want to mention is that Donald Rumsfeld, who is one of only two men who are as unpopular as George Bush, actually stepped downFUCKINGAWESOME. People and organizations have been demanding he resign for over a year, and now that there is a pending threat of actually being forced out of office (somehow -- I don't know how, but you and I both know it was a secret goal of the Democrats), he has bowed out just when it couldn't have been cheaper.

And I am glad. Glad, glad, glad! I always hated his "gee, whiz, you guys,"-grandpa-knows-best manner of speaking that placated the masses, even when he was only talking to one person. I always got the sense he was putting on a harmless visage to mask his malicious intent -- or worse, to mask the fact that he knows he's fucked everything up and would rather wait until his term ends than see if can get some help fixing it right now.

Anyway, once the initial wave of joy had passed over me, I realized that Secretary of Defense is still an appointed position, and the man doing the appointing has a really, really bad track record when it comes to choosing the right people for the right jobs. His resignation, truly, is too little too late. I figured we would have a new name and a new face, but other than that nothing would change. Then I figured, as long as this guy doesn't talk to the American public like we're all two years old, it'll at least be more palletable. Iraq will still be a mess, but if the new guy can at least admit that it's a mess, we'll all be much happier.

Then I accidentally did some research on the new guy. Robert Gates. My pessimism skipped a beat as I read that Robert Gates not only has a PhD from Georgetown University, he has it in HISTORY. Knowledge of history has been sorely lacking in this administration, so this is indeed a good sign. Rumsfeld, on the other hand, attended Princeton where he got a Bachelor's Degree in Asking People to Mix Martinis, and then dropped out of law school...dropped out of Georgetown University Law Center, to be exact. To be fair, he did work his way up the chain of command in the US Navy -- all the way to Captain! But, in my opinion, a Captain with a bachelor's degree (whose nickname is "Rummy") shouldn't be the first pick for Secretary of Defense.

So here's hoping the new guy actually enacts some change for the good. Fingers crossed. If we don't like him, we can all scream about how he was probably involved in the Iran-Contra scandal.

Glorious News!

Tue, 07 Nov 2006 20:20:19 GMT

Oh, for joy! I got to vote after all! Hooray, provisional ballot!