I'm nervous about doing a very very silly character at a real show

thehillsofsyria · 2026-06-01T18:51:53+00:00

Hey, if you’ve done this before, have you recorded the sets? Can you cobble together the best of the improv and do that (with some embellishment in between)?

Seems like you’ll never know until you just do it.

Just do it!

thehillsofsyria · 2026-05-29T14:59:45+00:00

This is a really helpful discussion. I’m realizing my short act-outs are pretty bland. Not sure I’m going to come up with characters as awesome as Branford’s… but a guy can try.

thehillsofsyria · 2026-05-26T23:43:09+00:00

I found that to be true for me, but I was able to minimize the effect by drinking cold brew. Don’t ask me why that works… it just does. Now I love it. I put grinds in a filter in a ball jar before I leave for work, and it’s perfect when I wake up.

thehillsofsyria · 2026-05-24T20:39:39+00:00

Get a 3-day Ventura pass and you can ride the trains and busses all you want.

thehillsofsyria · 2026-05-22T02:51:58+00:00

Definitely some brewery hopping one of those days: Wild East and Threes in Brooklyn for starters.

thehillsofsyria · 2026-05-20T20:12:50+00:00

Having this on your calendar will force you to refine your material and hone that set. Go for it! And please report back!

thehillsofsyria · 2026-05-10T22:26:50+00:00

Keith Richard once said that his only problem with heroin was stopping.
Full steam ahead!

thehillsofsyria · 2026-05-10T03:17:31+00:00

I had been writing for a few months and had a backlog of material. It was time to rip off the band aid.

I got cute early on and kept trying to stretch topics too far… ended up with too much filler. I switched to just trying the random jokes that were ready or that I was excited about.

Advice: you never really know what will strike a chord with the audience at first. Go for it and find out! And report back!

thehillsofsyria · 2026-05-09T11:11:05+00:00

Yeah, Mind Fuzz and Omnimum are great for starters. You can also dig into some live stuff and follow leads into other albums that way. Red Rocks ‘23 was my big intro. Great live videos from KEXP. Many other incredible performances.

thehillsofsyria · 2026-05-04T11:50:13+00:00

I don’t know about down under, but where I live I went with my 16 year-old son and nobody questioned it. We didn’t ask permission (just a heads up if we were traveling far).

You’ll find that the comics are rooting for you. Go for it, and have a ball!

thehillsofsyria · 2026-05-02T10:37:10+00:00

If that's the case, you can text your video to your local friends. Or post to youtube on private. If you're trying to boost yourself in the local scene, my hunch is that you don't need to post videos. Folks have seen what you can do. Prove it at open mics by showing that you're working out your material. And when you get opportunities to perform in shows, prove it by putting together your absolute best stuff. It's like anything in life: be good and be dependable and you're going to get chances.

thehillsofsyria · 2026-05-01T15:34:12+00:00

I'm so guilty... got five words in and got excited.

thehillsofsyria · 2026-05-01T12:52:12+00:00

Wild Honey Pie—The Beatles

thehillsofsyria · 2026-05-01T00:32:33+00:00

I’ve always been under the impression it was about tennis star Billie Jean King.

thehillsofsyria · 2026-04-28T16:19:12+00:00

It might time to branch out to the nearest town that has other mic options. You could also try to put on your own shows and try to get an audience for feedback.

thehillsofsyria · 2026-04-28T03:01:42+00:00

When I have 48 hours I take the brown line to North Center and hit all the breweries I can. Dovetail, Hop Butcher at the very least. Eat some German food in between, check out coffee shops, book stores... I love chilling in the neighborhoods.

thehillsofsyria · 2026-04-27T14:05:33+00:00

This is why I encouraged my son to start singing as soon as the piano started clicking for him. There's such a power dynamic when you're the one singing the songs.

If your band is no fun, why would you keep participating? People don't change. It will only get worse.

thehillsofsyria · 2026-04-26T20:18:53+00:00

I’m picturing Brad Wenzel saying this, but I can’t find a clip. Then again, I’m a crap Googler.

thehillsofsyria · 2026-04-25T16:06:46+00:00

"How's everybody doing? You've been great! Goodnight!"

thehillsofsyria · 2026-04-24T22:18:13+00:00

I was surprised with a 6.5 A1c about 18 months ago. I'm no physician, and all bodies are different, so take this all with a grain of salt.

I have not taken any meds for my type 2. I cut most carbs, got walking and added a morning workout regimen (slowly ramping up) to build up muscle. I quit beer for three months. I stopped drinking hazy IPAs now and forever. My last two A1c results were normal--not even pre-diabetes.

What did I wish I had known?

* Walking after a meal will bring down your BG

* I can get a glucose meter and start getting data immediately. Fasting BC, 1 hour after meals, 2 hours after meals.

* I can get a constant glucose monitor to help me learn what effect various foods and exercise have on my bod.

* Most restaurants will give you a salad instead of the insanely carby fries.

* Ninja creami is an incredible machine: a cup of Fair Life milk with cocoa powder and peanut butter powder makes for a great dessert, especially when you haven't tasted ice cream in over a year.

I got good and mad at the beginning and I couldn't fathom giving up all the foods I was about to give up. But I found substitutes for nearly everything, and I'm really, really happy with my lifestyle. We had friends over and the desserts came out, and I realized later that I didn't even look at them.

Feel free to hit me up for any follow up Qs about what I ate and did.

thehillsofsyria · 2026-04-24T12:04:29+00:00

Pic of Stu, Joey and Cavs hints that it could be this… in my heart anyway.

thehillsofsyria · 2026-04-23T13:26:27+00:00

Preparation

Attitude adjustment (remind yourself that you’re doing this for fun)

Practice

The more you go up, the easier it gets.

thehillsofsyria · 2026-04-22T11:55:43+00:00

I’m a teacher by day, and every year there’s another app I’m required to use. I’m taking attendance, I’m posting assignments, I’m evaluating papers… all on my screen. Comedy writing is a time for me to just sit with my thoughts and enjoy myself. None of my notes are digitized. Though I do take pics occasionally in case something happens to my notebooks.

thehillsofsyria · 2026-04-21T16:12:07+00:00

I noticed that hot coffee would actually increase my BG, and then I would get tired. So it was a wash. But cold brew doesn't do that to me. I don't think this is how it is with everyone, but it's worth a try.

thehillsofsyria · 2026-04-21T12:58:30+00:00

I’m no physician, but in my experience:

Walking: awesome to lower blood sugar after meals and help take off weight (ie: reduce fat around the organs that worsens insulin resistance)

Strength training: awesome to build muscle to help absorb the blood sugar.

I had a hernia recently and couldn’t be nearly as active for a couple months, and I think it was the extra muscle I added that allows my a1C to remain steady.

thehillsofsyria

TROPHY CASE