Pleasantly Pleasant

Thursday May 14th, 2009 - Grayslake, IL/Tinley Park, IL

I can sum up today in a single word - pleasant. I don’t think I’ve ever written or uttered that sentence in my life and I have to say it feels fantastic. What a treat it was to have an entire day free from crisis, malfunction or disaster. This is a groove I could get used to.

The weather was absolutely perfect and that’s always a good start. The sun was out and the temperature was just right and it stayed that way all day. I hit every green light and my road seemed to unfold in front of me. I don’t know why it was clicking but it totally was.

My first stop was a quarterly membership meeting of the Lake County Convention and Visitors Bureau. I joined last month and today was my first meeting. A lady named Jayne Nordstrom was the representative I dealt with and she’s really good at her job. She’s been persistent but not a pest for a long time now and I finally ended up joining at her bequest.

She’s a very nice lady as are all the other people both in the bureau and the actual group of business owners. Everyone was laid back and friendly and I could feel the positive vibe as I walked around shaking hands before the meeting. Rick Young helps Jim McHugh on some of the Chicago Comedy All Stars shows and he lives close by so he showed up too.

There was a drawing for two airline tickets because Mitchell Field in Milwaukee is also a new member and Rick kept telling anyone who’d listen “I’m going to win those tickets, you know.” He kept saying it and saying it and when the actual drawing finally happened the lady put her hand in the big bin and pulled out the winner. It was Rick. We erupted.

I wonder if that’s truly how life works or if this was just a fluke of a day. He said it like he believed it and sure enough - BANG. He wins the tickets. It was amazing because his statement over and over wasn’t forced at all. He really sounded like he believed he’d win those tickets and damned if he didn’t. He seemed to know it. It was eerie. Good for him.

Tonight I worked a gig for a group in Tinley Park, IL which apparently has had comedy before. I got it through Jimmy McHugh and he did it last year by himself. This year it was different because he hosted it and got myself and Rocky LaPorte to do it along with him.

Rocky is the epitome of pleasant. I’ve known the guy twenty years and he’s always very upbeat and positive. Everyone I know likes Rocky and I do too. He was in L.A. for years and was always in the running for a sitcom but for whatever reason it never came to be.

Did he get bitter about it? If he did he sure doesn’t show it. A lot of people wouldn’t be able to handle it as well as Rocky did but he’s by no means a failure. He works good gigs, makes a living and doesn’t complain. About anything. Ever. He sets a very good example.

After the show we hung out and it was…well…pleasant. Nobody trashed anyone and it was just three comics making each other laugh and sharing stories. No bite, no bitterness, no fake Hollywood smiles. There was a vibe in the air today I want to bottle up and save.