Monday Marathon

Monday November 26th, 2007 - Chicago, IL/Springfield, IL

No rest for the wicked. Even less for me. I had to be up by 5am to get packed and have my rental car back to the lot by six. That’s when the shuttle buses are supposed to run but I know better. I didn’t want to take any chances so I got there right when they opened. To miss my flight would be a huge hassle and I’ve cut it way too close way too many times.

I made it with no problems but then I had to wait at the gate until they started boarding. Of course the flight was delayed so I had to wait even longer. This is the part of the road’s constant grind the audience never sees. It has to take years off every comedian’s life and it can be mentally as well as physically draining. I always try to have something to read or do so I don’t have to just sit there and stare at the walls. That makes it even worse. It’s a very grueling schedule and it’s relentless. There’s always the next plane to catch or drive to do.

Today I had both. My plane got in a half hour late and then I had to catch the shuttle bus to get my car which was at a remote parking lot. I saved about $30 in parking but I had an unbelievably long walk from the baggage claim to the shuttle stop and it took a lot of time I didn’t have to spare today. Hurry hurry hurry. Wait. Hurry hurry hurry. Wait. It’s brutal.

Then I had to wait for the shuttle bus and when it did finally get there I had to wait even longer because a couple with a baby had to get the baby situated before we left. I couldn’t do anything about it so I got out my KFC book I just bought and started reading while the driver helped strap the kid in so we could leave. It’s hard to read over a tot screaming but I’ve had so much experience over the years I just drown it out in my mind and I did again.

We finally got to the lot and I could see I was going to cut it short to get home and drop off my dirty socks and underwear and pick up a new batch and then head back downtown to Zanies to teach my comedy class at 6pm. No time for naps. No time for anything but an endurance test and race against the clock. This is supposed to be my day off by the way.

I climbed into my car and the seat was set differently as were the mirrors. The radio had a Spanish station on it and I wondered who was driving it when I was gone and what they were doing with it. I can just picture it being involved in a drive by shooting or a drug run. I don’t know if I’d use this whole remote parking idea again. Saving $30 wasn‘t worth it.

Getting on the 294 Tollway there was traffic backed up because of construction and that made me even later. Idiots on cell phones always add to the delay and I sat there without a way to make it stop. If I had their numbers I could have called and told them to hang it up and drive so we could all get home but I couldn’t so I popped in a CD and tried to relax.

I got home and switched out clothes and emptied my garbage and reloaded the car for a long week of driving. I felt like a one man pit crew in my own personal NASCAR business and I’m also the driver as well. Not only that I’m the travel agent and navigator too. It’s a test of not only strength and endurance but mental toughness too. I have to always be in a forward thinking mode to keep planning the next thing. This is not a business for the lazy.

That doesn’t stop them from getting in it though. Many comedians get into the business because it seems easy. You only actually work 45 minutes a day if you’re a headliner but it isn’t necessary to be a headliner to be in the business. Opening acts can squeak by but that is usually the top level the slackers will achieve. There aren’t many lazy ones that hit it big.

The appeal of a short work day and free booze wears off when they have to do a few of these kind of days. Constant travel and having to be on mental alert at all times makes this into a job like anything else. The time on stage is great but there is a lot of time and energy that has to be spent getting that next gig and then physically getting there to actually do it.

I’ve really been lax at my booking side of the business lately. I’ve been too busy working to go look for more work. That sounds odd but it’s true. I’m getting calls from bookers to work and that’s great but there is no rhyme or reason to it. I am going wherever they have me and I’m getting paid but there is no real career plan in place. I’m too busy with my job.

It’s all starting to run together. I want to build my Uranus Factory Outlet business but if I do that I’ll let my road schedule lapse even further. If I keep getting work thrown at me I will not be able to build that business like I want. What do I do? I also have to think about what I want to do with my comedy classes and I still have to finish the movie script too.

All of this is going to work itself out. I hope. It’s a good problem to have a lot of things on the table but it can get overwhelming at times not being able to keep it all balanced. I’m really running on empty and don’t have a lot of spare time to waste but I still feel like I am sometimes. Waiting in traffic today was one of those times. I could have been doing work.

I made it to class on time and it was a very good one tonight. They are starting to get all of the things I’ve been telling them and I can see it coming together. Graduation is coming up next Monday and it will be a good show. They always are. I put a lot of work into class as I always do and I love it but with all my other projects I just can’t keep these going like I have been. I need to get them online and/or find someone else to teach a beginner level.

After class I said good bye to the students and tried to give them a little encouragement. I know how difficult comedy is and it can all be so overwhelming. I want to encourage but I also want to let them know it’s not easy and there are no guarantees either. It’s a delicate balance but my job as a teacher is to show them both sides. I want to let them have fun but I also want them to respect the business and know what they’re getting into. It’s not easy.

Getting into the car again after class wasn’t easy either. I wanted to go right to bed but I have a long way to go to Jonesboro, AR and I need to put some miles behind me tonight. I got a cheap hotel in Springfield, IL so hopefully I can see Max tomorrow before I leave.

This was one of the longest days I’ve had in a while but it’s all part of the game. I would be miserable working at a day job and I know that. I am getting steady work and will keep working on my side projects too. Something has to pop soon. Hopefully not my heart. It’s been a lot of years of hurry and wait and hectic days like this. A payoff sure would be nice.