i had visions i was in them i was looking into the mirror

Ernie is here. I haven’t seen Ernie since I left Minnesota, back in August of 2000. It had been far too long … and thank god, nothing has changed. Ernie is one of the maybe five friends in my life that I know will be with me for as long as I’m around. It’s nice to have friends like that. I realized last night that I’ve known him for eight years. That seems like a long time. Our lives, in many ways, have run parallel paths - enough so, at least, that Ernie is the only friend I have who always tells it to me like it is, even when I don’t want to hear it. Especially when I don’t want to hear it. And I like to delude myself that I serve the same purpose for him. I fucking love this kid, and I want everyone to meet him - before Thursday, when he hops on a plane and is once again missing from my life.

This weekend was so busy. First of all, we had 14/48 on Friday and Saturday. This particular installment featured several of the most brilliant strokes of casting genius that you will ever find in this city - first and foremost (in my mind, at least) was Imogen Love as the Wicked Witch of the West. You can’t beat that! Shawn Belyea was the gayest Cowardly Lion in the world (script by Basil Harris). I didn’t know he wrote, and I was so enchanted with the whole thing. Our very own Tim Sanders wrote a couple of gems too - his piece on Saturday night was really beautiful. Very bittersweet and touching, with a star turn by Chuck Leggett in the role of a trapeze-flying chimpanzee. Zach was a hog-riding lesbian mama … ask him sometime to show you the remote control thing. He’ll know what you mean.

At 14/48, I learned that Sean Nelson (local actor/singer type) was the lead singer for Harvey Danger. (You remember “Flagpole Sitta”, right?) It freaked me out. I was so obsessed with that song for awhile …. he’s a pretty charismatic singer in person. As the Baron (Von K., not Von S.) pointed out, his voice seems untrained, but there’s something about the voice and onstage personality that makes him incredibly compelling to watch, even as part of the 14/48 band. Very interesting.

Here’s my shout-out to My Special Girl, who returned triumphantly to the stage after a year-long hiatus. You were the best saggy Jewish straight man you could be, and I was so proud. Welcome back.

Saturday was wonderful. We spent the whole day (Sonya, Benlau, and I even spent some night!) at the casa de Zulauf. It was just like last summer - the best and only way to really relax and get your life-worries off your mind is to spend twelve hours in the sun drinking beer and swimming with people you love. I learned Punto from GtothaJ, swam to the buoy with Pamala, threw Piper into the lake (she swam! I couldn’t believe it!), slept in the sun. By the end of the day I was exhausted, but so happy. (Thanks, big Z.) Also, I spent about thirty seconds on the Ellipse machine thingy, and my butt was sore for two days.