Severing the Tie Line

Something embarrassing happened to me today: I forgot basic tech information that I learned in college. I forgot what "tie line" was called. Tie line is the thick string that I used daily all through college when I majored in theater tech. One of the simplest things I ever used, and I totally forgot the name. It didn't even come to me eventually, I had to text someone and ask them.

As a tech kid in college I hung a good bit of lights and equipment in high places. I carried a wrench with me on a daily basis. I used power tools. I used a lathe once, after asking what a lathe was. I openly faked my way through using computer software I didn't understand. And today...I don't do any of those things.

Now this isn't a weepy "I can't find work in my field" tale. My senior year I realized this goal of "lighting designer" I thought I wanted for four years was, in fact, a huge mistake on my part. I had been working hard (I thought) towards this goal but I had to face facts: I enjoyed very little of what I was doing. The computer aspect confused me and the physical demands were never my forte. I'm afraid of heights! I wouldn't reach out to focus a light if I felt unsafe. What, I'm going to risk falling to my death or severe paralysis so a handful of assholes can watch The Crucible? That's ridiculous.

This isn't about that choice, however (I've talked about that a lot in the past). The tie line thing, while small and excusable, made me think about how little I'd actually retained from college. In that quick moment, it felt like my entire four years of school had been deleted from my memory. I can barely remember what it felt like to be Theater Major Isaac, although I remember he felt a lot of anxiety and lost a lot of sleep. The few times I tell people I went to school for lighting I get embarrassed, afraid they'll ask a question I won't know the answer to, because I haven't had to for years now. It's bizarre to me how much I've changed since then, although I do think I'm better this way.

I'm not the only one who's changed though. All around me (on the Internet) I see classmates who are definitely not where they thought they'd be in college. A lot of them don't do theater; whether or not they made that choice or had it forced upon them I can't say. Some have jobs in totally different fields. Some are going to grad school in other subjects. Some have families now. Some lost the family they had. Some of them seem happy. Some of them don't.

And then there are the ones that majored in theater, were good at it, graduated (with honors if they weren't me), moved away, found work, and love what they're doing. I am so genuinely happy for them, but also fuck you for getting it right on your first shot while being under thirty. I mean good for you and all, but you're making the rest of us look like morons.

I joke, though. Life is weird and time changes things. Two totally unoriginal statements that have really dawned on me lately. If I told college Isaac what I was doing now, well I'd probably add more stress and sleepless nights to his life. But I sleep better now. Sure I have some bad times (who doesn't?), but on the whole I don't worry about the future like College Isaac did. He was worried he'd never find a theater job, which is a fair concern since some others a lot better than him have had little success.

I work two part-time jobs that on a light week get me thirty hours a week. On a heavy week it can get to over fifty. I have no "benefits" but I like what I do, plus I have time to write and to make jokes. Although I frequently hear peers talk about getting "real jobs", a phrase that makes me want to scream and cry. I'm sick of people referring to the jobs I have as not "real jobs". I spend my time and energy there. I support myself on the money I make. I'm real. Why is it never fucking enough? My roommate refers to a "real job" as a job where she can use her degree, a way of thinking I'm sure others share. I can't think like that though, because by that definition I will never have a real job and therefore I'll constantly be doubting my own existence.

It's hard not to worry about the future. It's wise to plan ahead, but if you worry too much about the future you may get so anxious you'll fuck up your present. As uninteresting as my life may seem on paper, I must say I'm enjoying myself more than Lighting Designer Isaac would. He could be an alcoholic from the constant disappointment of not finding work. He could be dead from falling off a light grid. Or he could have found work but be deeply unsatisfied with how he feels about what he's doing. That may be the worst option (just kidding, death is the worst option).

So it's weird, but I'm not embarrassed that I forgot about tie line. It may have been only four years, but really tie line was relevant to me a whole lifetime ago. So excuse me while I take my last piece of the thick black string and let the winds of time blow it out of my hand. I encourage any friends who are worried about letting go of the tie line in their lives to do the same. Some things, like tie line or a degree, seem really important. But we don't always have to use them. It's scary, it's weird, but it's also okay.

New Chapter

The gelato spades I wielded for 14 months.

I've gone through some changes these last few months. Some are good, some not so much. But all in all I'm pretty excited right now. Because I am entering a new chapter. In some pretentious way I always plot ahead what would go in my memoir, were I ever to write one. I don't think every little detail would make a good story, but I like to force myself to think about making it one anyway. As if someone was just begging to know "please, tell me about the time you saw a mouse and cried."

Incidentally, I did see another mouse the other night. Then a few nights later it walked across my foot while I was sitting at my computer. I screamed obscenities at it and dumped more poison all over my room. While it sucks and it did shake me up, I'm not losing sleep over it like I was months ago. Granted, I wake up at 5 in the morning anyway for no obvious reason, but I'm pretty sure it's not mouse-related.

Now the biggest news and therefore what really makes me feel like I'm starting a new page is this: I got a new day job. Now it's not a full-time job; there are no benefits or anything, and it's still in customer service. I've accepted customer service is now something I have to list as a "strength" to find work. But the change of scenery is nice. I've gone from working in a restaurant in a neighborhood I don't like to working in a bakery close to home, which I love.

I've often joked about my old job (how exciting to call it my "old" job) and about how much material it would leave me for comedy, stories, etc. I won't relay them all in this blog (so much sorting needs done), but if I were ending the chapter of working in that restaurant it would read something like this:

"I headed home from my last shift at the restaurant and, sentimentalist that I am, began to tear up a bit. Sure the place had caused me a good share of headaches, but I began to remember the good times and the friends I had made in the last 14 months. The weird nostalgia sadness began to sink in and I almost started to cry. But then I thought to myself, "You know, [the owner] didn't stand up to hug me or shake my hand or even thank me for the last fourteen months of service."

That thought went through my head loud and clear. I shook my head. "Bitch." I said aloud to the empty sidewalk. The tears went away immediately."

Now I don't know whether or not this bakery will bring better memories or more headaches. Possibly both. But I do know I will get more stories, with new characters and locations, and that is so exciting for me. Also there are doughnuts and chocolate-dipped rice krispie squares, so hot damn.

I have other new stories. Some will be shared in public, like my recent horseback-riding trip I went on (yeah, I know). Other things will stay closer to me, for my benefit and for others. Speaking of the "others", I am taking a undetermined amount of time off of social medias. Checking Facebook regularly on my phone has given me a warped view of what the world is like, so I'm eliminating it to see how things improve. I will still post blogs and reviews, but that's as personal as I'm getting.

This is nothing revolutionary, nor do I think I'm doing something brave. But I have learned that life (or "the world") never gets easy, people just get better at dealing with it. I don't dream of the day life gets easy anymore. I actually sort of hope it doesn't, because I worry I will get incredibly dull if it does. Would I have stories if I didn't have complaints? Probably, but they wouldn't be as funny. And I probably wouldn't have complaints if life were "easy" and everything was "great."

Forgive me if that seems cryptic, and don't be worried about me (I can read my family's texts already, "Honey, you feeling okay?"). I'm learning how to deal with things both bad and good, and I don't think I'll ever stop learning. I guess this new chapter comes with a new outlook on life. Or perhaps I'm being foolishly optimistic. Either way, I'm excited for it to start. There are cake pops involved. 

My Moody Monday

These last few days I've been in a bad mood (ok, worse than usual). I've been cranky, I've snapped at friends, I've had bad attitudes for no reason. I can't pinpoint exactly why, but I can make a few guesses.

The job hunt is in full swing and for me that always brings the emotional ups and downs. Searching is tiring, waiting for people to respond can be stressful, getting an interview makes you sweat, and at the actual interview there's a good chance (if you're me) you're going to say something to mess the whole thing up.

Just yesterday I had two job search-related experiences. First I went to a temp agency in the morning and filled out a profile with them. I took a typing test (88, by the way and thank you) and discussed what jobs I did and didn't want. I'll be honest, I'm not holding my breath for anything but what the hell? I didn't pay for these services so no harm, no foul. Later that day I went to a job fair with my roommate. She managed to get herself a part-time evening job; I already have one that I like. I wanted to replace my day job, but this fair was just for events taking place at night time. So I just fumbled my way through an interview for a position I knew I wouldn't take. However I did get to respond to the questions the way I'd always wanted to. When asked "is there anything you struggle with?" I responded "No...I'm flawless."

So after a lukewarm/unsuccessful day of hunting (and wearing a tie and chafing my neck with dress shirts) I decided to relax the rest of the evening and go to a comedy open mic that night. And then without warning, like all bad news, I heard that Robin Williams had died. Now I won't make this one giant blog about his legacy and all the work he's done, nor about the struggles he was dealing with in his personal life (I'm sure you can find those blogs if you so desire).

 But I will always be sad when a comedian I like passes away, no matter the circumstances. I remember watching one of Williams' specials (I can't remember which one, nor when exactly I watched it) and being amazed at his sheer energy. He never stopped moving, I think he drank four bottles of water that night and sweat all through his shirt. I laughed so hard, because that is what he was good at doing: making people laugh. I just finished watching The Birdcage on Netflix before writing this blog, and I laughed and cried for various reasons. He was a truly fantastic performer.

Now last night after hearing the news I went to the comedy open mic. It went how it usually goes: I ended up being dead last and the rest of the comics I'd sat through had all gone home, leaving me to shout my set at a crowd of two. It's about as un-Robin Williams as you can get. But, hey...I made those two people laugh. A small thing, sure, but it made me feel better and I had some genuine compliments. So I'm going to keep doing it and trucking through, no matter how many nights I go last or how small the crowd is.

I guess my point of this blog (besides just getting this crap off my mind) is that the world can be an ugly place, for those of you who weren't already aware. It can be things like finding a job or it can be tragedies like the riots unfolding in Ferguson, Missouri. Being the pessimist I am I tend to dwell on negativity and sometimes it takes its toll. But I know I have to grasp at the good things, like making people laugh or just seeing a good movie, to slowly but surely shift my mood into a better one.

I feel I need to insert a sort of disclaimer here and just say that I'm not casually writing off depression. I'm aware it's not as simple as "think happy thoughts and you'll feel better". I'm just saying this as someone who doesn't have depression but feels beaten down by life at times, this is what I do to cope. If you have depression you should seek professional help and do what they tell you to do. 

So I'm going to go into the back half of this week with a (comparatively) positive attitude (even though today I had about two hours where I thought I might actually get fired, but that's another over-dramatic story for another over-dramatic time).  I encourage everyone else to have a good week, and if you need cheering up pop in your favorite Robin Williams flick. Not just in memory of him, but because I believe there is something for everyone amongst his work. My personal fave is Mrs. Doubtfire and I'm not ashamed. My dad loves RV and he's not ashamed. Just do something to make yourself laugh. It sounds simple, but it helps.

Zoos, Bowling, and Toasting the Lady who Lunched

I was going to share the following in a podcast, however my throat is a little sore and I wasn't up to talking for that long. So I'm going back to the old writing ways. All the fun of the story without my voice reading it for you.

It's been a very active week for me, and not in the whiny "I work all the time" way. I've actually been doing things for fun that also happen to take place outside the house (shocking, isn't it?). It's been an eventful week so let's get into it.

I freakin' love elephants.

On Sunday I spent my morning at the Pittsburgh Zoo. My cousin and her family (husband and three kids) came up to go to the zoo and invited me along. It was a fun time, mostly because I hadn't seen the kids in a while. They are getting big: one of them is nine, another is seven, and the baby is...I wanna say two. If it's not obvious, I don't see them that often. But I love 'em. They're getting into that fun age where they talk and say funny stuff. I mean babies are cute and all but I prefer little smartasses I can trade jokes with. Even the two-year old (I'm committing to two) cracks me up: when I got in the car I said to him "How you doin, Kabe?" and he blew a raspberry at me. Precious.

I'm really not a big "zoo" person. It's a fine time, don't get me wrong, but it's one of many things I think I'd enjoy more if there weren't so many people around. Now this isn't a general "crowd" issue because it never feels too overwhelming. It's more like you just know you're going to encounter a lot of people who walk too slow or crowd around you or say dumb things. For example when we were entering there was a sign that said "Giraffes not on display today." and I heard a man ask the girl at the gate "Why are the giraffes not out, they sick?" Yes, sir, they all have strep throat. It's pretty ugly.

A flamingo enjoying a soda...

I'm very torn on how I feel about zoos. On one hand it is nice to see these animals most people would never get the chance to otherwise. I personally could look at elephants for hours and there were a lot of very interesting looking fish in that big aquarium of theirs. But then I also wondered about how unpleasant the world must be for animals in zoos. They don't have the most space to run around in and most of them are quite far from their natural habitats. They spend every day walking around eating and shitting while group after group of people stand and point at them. We personally wouldn't like it as human beings, but who can say if the animals feel imprisoned or not? Maybe they're happy being somewhere where they get fed daily and don't have to worry about predators.

But you can argue moral problems with zoos in your own time (side note: fuck circuses). On Monday I went bowling with some co-workers and we had a great time. I enjoy bowling: it's one sport you can play if you're in no shape whatsoever and you don't have to touch anybody. Plus, there's drinking. Out of the four people on our lane I didn't do too bad. Ok I lost the first game and there was a three-way tie in the last game. But on the second game I came in second by one point, and I broke one hundred points for the first time to my knowledge (which is nothing to people who bowl regularly, but I was please). I'd like to go bowling more often than every three years or however long I wait. It's a good release: I like knocking things over.

My score is 113.

On Tuesday I saw a screening of the indie film Coherence, which star and Buffy alumni Nicholas Brednon attended and did a Q&A afterwards. It's my third time seeing him in person (we've been to a few cons here and there) and he was lovely as usual. I'll talk more about the film in a review I'll write later.

Wednesday I went to my first ever bar trivia night, once again with some coworkers and some new folks. I didn't have a whole lot to contribute. There were categories like "Country by last three letters of the name" and "20th century quotes" that I just didn't know anything in. One category was movies by the first screencap and I sucked at that one as well. I was beginning to think it wasn't my night, but then in round 2 there was the "TV shows by last line of their theme song" category, and I got us four points there easily. Luckily my team was full of intimidatingly smart trivia people so our group won (mostly because of them, but hey four points is four points.).

Then on Thursday the great Elaine Stritch died and that was sad. I went home after work and watched the fabulous documentary on her life Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me. It was a beautiful look at her life and I loved watching it and enjoy what little work of hers I've seen. I mostly know her from the show Company, but she also played Jack's mother on 30 Rock and Mary's mother on 3rd Rock from the Sun. She was a hilarious woman and she'll be missed.

So that was my week. Next weekend I'm going to a family reunion which will probably supply me with some good stories for y'all. I'll leave you with Stritch and the Ladies Who Lunch.

My Oscar Picks (and the winners!)

The Oscars are 2 days away and while I usually don't care much, this is the first year I've seen all the movies before the awards. Therefore I feel I should put in my two cents. I'm going to say who I want to win and then also who I think will win (I never could pick a winner anyway).

NOW UPDATED WITH THE WINNERS

Best Picture (Links are to all my own reviews)
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Her
Gravity
Nebraska
Philomena
12 Years a Slave
The Wolf of Wall Street 
 Who I Want to Win: I enjoy so many of these. Gun to my head, though, I have to say Her struck me as most enjoyable, based on it's unique concept and all around great execution.
Who I Think Will Win: I'm leaning towards 12 Years a Slave taking it, or possibly Wolf of Wall Street simply because it got a lot of buzz upon release.
Who Won: 12 Years a Slave

Best Director
David O. Russell (American Hustle)
Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity)
Alexander Payne (Nebraska)
Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave)
Martin Scorsese (The Wolf of Wall Street)
Who I Want to Win: Each of these films is so radically different, I'm having trouble picking one. I guess since Gravity was such a thrilling ride I'll say Alfonso Cuaron.
Who I Think Will Win:  I also suspect the Academy will say Alfonso Cuaron.
Who Won: Alfonso Cuaron

Best Actor
Christian Bale (American Hustle)
Bruce Dern (Nebraska)
Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street)
Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave)
Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)
Who I Want to Win: Another tough one but I kinda think Chiwetel Ejoifor should take this one, although I love me my crazy ol' Bruce Dern in Nebraska (choices!)
Who I Think Will Win: Probably Matthew McConaughey. It's some of the best work he's done and a lot of people were surprised by that. Sometimes that helps.
Who Won: Matthew McConaughey

Best Actress
Amy Adams (American Hustle)
Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)
Sandra Bullock (Gravity)
Judi Dench (Philomena)
Meryl Streep (August: Osage County)
Who I Want to Win:  I love all these women, but I think Cate Blanchett will win for her awesome work in Blue Jasmine (I have a review of that I'll publish soon).
Who I Think Will Win: Cate Blanchett: she's already won most things and frankly her character is the most complicated. 
Who Won: Cate Blanchett

Best Supporting Actor
Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips)
Bradley Cooper (American Hustle)
Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave)
Jonah Hill (The Wolf of Wall Street)
Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)
Who I Want to Win: Jared Leto for breaking my heart. Or Barkhad Abdi for scaring me senseless.
Who I Think Will Win: Jared Leto.
Who Won: Jared Leto

Best Supporting Actress
Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine)
Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle)
Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave)
Julia Roberts (August: Osage County)
June Squibb (Nebraska)
Who I Want to Win: For this one I'm going to go with a long shot and say June Squibb. She made me laugh hard and I love her for that. Lupita Nyong'o made me cry hard, so I'd be happy if she won too.
Who I Think Will Win: Sigh...Jennifer Lawrence. And she was good and I love her, don't get me wrong. She just wasn't my favorite out of these five. But everyone loves her so we'll see how this one goes.
Who Won: Lupita Nyong'o

Best Writing- Original Screenplay
American Hustle- Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell
Blue Jasmine- Woody Allen
Dallas Buyers Club- Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack
Her- Spike Jonze
Nebraska- Bob Nelson
Who I Want to Win: Gotta go with Spike Jonze for creating a whole awesome world for us to look at and really make the audience think.
Who I Think Will Win: Spike Jonze. That's right, I'm backing my decision.
Who Won: Spike Jonze

Best Writing- Adapted Screenplay
Before Midnight- Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, and Ethan Hawke
Captain Phillips- Billy Ray
Philomena- Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope
12 Years a Slave- John Ridley
The Wolf of Wall Street- Terence Winter
Who I Want to Win: Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope. This one's pretty selfish, I just love Steve Coogan and want him to have an Oscar.
Who I Think Will Win: Terence Winter. No explanation, just a hunch.
Who Won: John Ridley

I know there are a ton more categories but unfortunately I haven't seen the documentaries, short films, etc. I also don't know the qualifications for sound or camera categories. So to keep it simple I'll stick to these 7 categories. We'll see how I did come Sunday. UPDATE: I got 6 out of 8. Getting myself some ice cream.

Small Cakes, New Desks, Peanuts, and Pinochle: My Birthday.

The new desk, where all this magic comes from.

Happy Monday internet people! I've been loving Mondays lately. I don't have to be at work til noon, I work a five hour shift, I always have my evenings free (Teen Wolf is on you know). Most people hate Monday for being the start of the work week but I am excited for them because I usually work all weekend.

But not this past weekend: this past weekend I went home to West Virginia for my birthday. The fact that I'm telling you this is uncharacteristic because normally I don't care about my birthday. I'm not being a grump or a scrooge, I just don't get festive or excited about it.

It's not like I've had really sad or tragic birthdays as a child, I just never seemed to get into it as much as everyone else did. Now that I'm in my mid twenties (I'm twenty-five, I'm not saying 'late twenties' til next year) I really don't care much for them. And yes, I know I'm in the minority. I know people that celebrate their birthday the whole week of the date and I just don't understand it. There are approximately 7.146 billion people on this planet. Divide that by 365 days a year and on any given day an average of 19,500,000 are having a birthday (yeah I looked this up). So I don't feel like I'm particularly special on that day What if everyone just took the week off for their birthday? Society would crumble!

However this year was a pretty solid birthday time, especially when compared to last year when I had a very bad cold and a bedbug infestation. There were no big plans to any unique locations or a big party. But nothing bad happened and in my experience qualifies as a good birthday.

First, after working my final shift for Company at the theater me and the rest of the staff were treated to leftover cakes from an event the theater held before the show. My mini cake (I think provided by Oakmont Bakery) had chocolate mousse on top, then a layer of chocolate cake, a more fudge-like layer under that, and the bottom layer was cheesecake. We all went into a diabetic coma that night, and it was a nice accidental birthday cake for me.

I took this pic mostly to show my Ma and say "And what are YOU making for me?"

Then after the show I returned home. Saturday was the day of the "party". It was a simple plan; family would come over for pizza and to play cards. And that's exactly what happened. All my relatives came, I got to see my little cousins, I drank most of a bottle of wine, and pigged out on local favorite DiCarlo's pizza. Although fun fact for you West Virginians: DiCarlo's also makes bread-sticks and they're terrible. Just an FYI if you're ever wondering.

Eventually the kids went home and the older people (I'm one of them now, you know) sat around and played cards and shot the shit. I love playing cards because in addition to the actual card game you also get to talking and sharing stories. A highlight story from my birthday night was listening to my aunts discuss how the plumbing was bad in their home growing up and they had to "flush" the toilet by using a bucket of water. "If you were nice you'd fill the bucket up for the next person." My aunt said. "We usually didn't do that."

I should also mention that we played I think four games of Pinochle on my birthday and, in the spirit of it being my birthday, I lost every one I played. I wish I could blame some of the loss on my sister but honestly I was just dealt shitty cards. Anyone my age even know what Pinochle is?

I told my family "no gifts" when I invited them over, which I think means I'm an adult now. Of course they brought cash anyway, which is perfect for me because I usually buy things I want the moment it's financially reasonable to do so. But I don't wanna seem ungrateful for all the presents I did get, so let's name them.

From my current and future roommates Mara and Gailyn I got a new computer desk (featured in the picture at the top). I'm quite thrilled with it, all though it has that "new desk smell" that makes one woozy.  We also signed a lease together, but I'll talk about that in the future.

My mother got me a beanbag chair, to replace another chair I got at Christmas and broke (I can't have anything). It's comfortable and I'm gonna do lots of sitting it in, although I thought when you got older people stopped giving you things that are difficult to get out of.

Peanuts in coke. Don't knock it. (This isn't my photo).

Nana got me a six-pack bottles of Coke and some peanuts to put in it, in honor of my Granddad who put peanuts in his Coke. I saw him do it once and thought it was so bizarre. Then I tried it and holy crap it's delicious. Puts a little salty flavoring into your drink and the peanuts are still crunchy after the soaking. Nana also funded a gift that hasn't gotten to me yet, and when it does it will be changing things up a bit on the ol' blog.

My aunts and cousins got me money mostly (and a Books a Million gift card that went towards Dance With Dragons and some comics). My cousin Lisa supplied the alcohol for the evening, shout out for that.

Oh! And my mom made a Butterfinger cake. It's a cake mix chocolate cake with a Butterfinger glaze and then a cream cheese/cool whip frosting with Butterfinger pieces on top. Impressive for a woman who doesn't cook, no?

Was that interesting? See I don't know, I don't find anyone's birthday interesting so I don't know what qualifies as a good one. But that's the rundown of my weekend. It was a fine birthday and I'm excited for February to be over, not just for the weather but because I'm looking forward to a lot of things in March.

I'll leave you with a celebrity I share a birthday with: Ellen Greene, actress best known for playing Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors. I love a distinctive voice that annoys people. Makes me feel less self-conscious. Til next time!

Fun With The Skivvies!!

I just got back from an awesome concert in South Side (not to brag). This weekend the City Theater is hosting four performances by the fantastic musical duo, The Skivvies. Composed of musical theater actors Lauren Molina and Nick Cearley, the Skivvies perform stripped-down covers and medleys of all sorts of tunes, while clad in only their underwear. 

City Theatre's Lester Hamburg Studio gives the Skivvies a perfect cabaret-esque venue in which to wow their audiences. They have a wide variety of instruments they rapidly switch through, accompanied by Shannon Ford on drums. There are ukeleles, some guitars, that keyboard thing you play by blowing into a hose (I have no idea. I wanna say "Mouth Organ" but that's like crazy dirty, right?). Also Ms. Molina's skills with a cello are just an awesome thing to behold, and it's clear these guys are seasoned pros at what they do.

Both performers are gorgeous specimens with amazing sets of pipes. I mean, really, listening to them sing would be enough of a treat. The fact that they do it naked is just a bonus really (but, you know...don't stop). They have some awesome harmonies, the best are when Cearley goes into his beautiful falsetto. The medleys are fantastic, effortlessly mashing up song after song and putting their own spin on every one of them. One of my personal favorites was a great cover of "Pumped Up Kicks" that was interwoven with Molina busting out some opera skills from "Glitter and be Gay".

When they perform in New York City the Skivvies usually invite various Broadway performers to join them in song (in their underwear, obviously). Continuing that tradition, they've invited some local performers to help them out this weekend. Two of the guests were Hayley Nielsen and Bria Walker, both of whom were very funny and fit in nicely with the group. The third guest was Michael Campayno, who was in NBC's recent live production of The Sound of Music (can I get one more shoutout for dem knees?!?!?). Guests will rotate throughout the weekend (the Post Gazette has an informative article/interview here) and the Skivvies assured us no two shows would be the same.

I stumbled onto the Skivvies quite a while ago as part of an insomnia-induced Youtube session. I instantly loved them and when I learned they were coming to Pittsburgh I knew I had to see them. They actually showed up at the Public to see Company when I happened to be working. I recognized them in the audience and decided to tweet at them, because I'm a weird-ass and I don't know how to talk to humans. That combined with this blog probably has them thinking I'm a lunatic, but I swear I'm just a fan. 

So bottom line: The Skivvies are in Pittsburgh through Saturday and if you're not doing anything, get over to South Side and see them. Go for Valentine's Day with a date, or go by yourself (fuck love!) because either way you'll have an awesome time. If you can't go this weekend, I say hit up their youtube videos or try to catch one of their concerts in New York City if you get the chance.They're an awesome group and I'd definitely see them again in the future (but I will stop tweeting at them Phantom of the Opera-style).

The Skivvies have 3 shows left (one on Feb 14th and two on the 15th) at The City Theatre in South Side. Information and ticket purchasing can be done here on their website.