Home of filmmaker, improviser, and decent dude Geoff Ross.

I’m in Los Angeles taking part in BU’s LA internship program.  The plan is to get some hands-on experience with feature film development and to see if I like it in LA.

My NYC improv team, Casual Sex Offenders is up in Boston for the weekend. We are doing three (THREE!) shows at ImprovBoston. Yesterday was with the IB group Bastards, Inc.. Here’s the video evidence.

Way back in February (about two weeks ago) my improv group Casual Sex Offenders traveled to Carrboro, North Carolina for the North Carolina Comedy Arts Festival to do a little bit of that old tyme comedy.

My improv group, Casual Sex Offenders, came to Boston on December 12th.  We did one of those shows we do.  You know, the ones with the laughs?  Allegedly.  Well, here’s the video evidence.

It’s December so, of course, I have Thanksgiving photos for you.

My New York improv group Casual Sex Offenders do shows all the time.  Often multiple shows a week.  I’m rarely there due to the fact that I live in Boston.  Makes it tough to participate, you know?  However, every now and then I make the trip south to New York get onstage and do the funny.  This past Sunday was one of those times.

My good friend Adam Schoen got married in La Crosse, WI over the weekend.  Liz and I made sure this event actually happened.

On September 19th I was back in New York and did another Casual Sex Offenders show this time at Gotham City Improv.  The video evidence is below.  Please note that there is a glitch in the clip towards the end.

I was a bit disappointed with my performance and felt we all did better in an earlier show.  There is a lot to be learned from this clip like how I need to be more aggressive with my backline support and commit to my characters more fully.  But I won’t bore you with that.  Instead I’ll bore you with this.

On September 6th I was briefly back in New York City.  Why?  Well, to see my girlfriend, but also to do a show.  My new improv group, Casual Sex Offenders, had it’s first show that day at The Creek and The Cave in Long Island City, Queens.  This video is the unedited ~20 minutes set.  Yours truly first shows up about three and a half minutes in.  Enjoy.

As you know I am off to Boston University to pursue my MFA in film production in about a week.  This past weekend I had a going-away party.  Here is the photo evidence.

America had a birthday (233rd), I had a birthday (June 28th: 26 years old), and you had a birthday (don’t you remember). Yes, it’s been a while since the last post but I got another one for you fresh out the kitchen (remix to ignition by R. Kelly).

So Chicago stories, right?  Well these have been edited so no one will be arrested or deported (Let’s just pretend that Adam’s Canadian)

Adam realizing I declared him Canadian

I flew on Delta Airlines to Chicago. It was a morning flight. I knew that. Despite knowing that I went out the night before because I’m a smart man. I went to Cagematch at the UCB Theatre. Then to a bar afterward. I got home at about five in the morning. I needed to get up at six. Long story short I didn’t sleep. Like I said, I’m a smart man.

Peep Delta

Somehow I not only made it to the airport in time for my flight I made it early. I checked my bag, got through security, and sat at the gate with time to spare. However, the flight was overbooked. I got bumped. “We’re very sorry, Mr. Ross, ” they said, “we’ll get you on another flight.” Fine. I was dead-tired and just wanted to get to Chicago. Whatever flight they put me on would be fine.

I was wrong about that.

They gave me a $400 Delta flight voucher, a ticket for a Delta flight to chicago, and a voucher for a car service to the airport. Car service? RED FLAG! I was already at the airport. JFK Airport to be exact. However, my new flight was flying out of LaGuardia airport on the other side of Queens.

Note: My luggage went to O'Hare

I have the most fun.

I waited outside for the car service which, of course, never arrived. It was at this point that I checked the time for my next flight: only 30 minutes away. One cannot cross queens in less than thirty minutes. Unless you are in a rocketship or, I don’t know, an airplane.

So I missed my flight and when I got to the Delta terminal at LaGuardia all the guy at the desk would tell me was that I was at the wrong terminal. Apparently Delta flights to Chicago leave from the Marine Air Terminal at LaGuardia. I guess I was supposed to know that.

I arrived at the Marine Air Terminal long after my second flight went to Chicago. I explained the whole predicament to the woman at the Delta desk and stated something to the effect of “this needs to be fixed.” And it was. Not only did I keep my $400 voucher, but they also reimbursed the cab fare to LaGuardia ($31.80), AND upgraded me to first class.

They have ACTUAL food in first class!

I arrived in Chicago about six hours later than planned. But was quite happy with my first class experience and, through another fortuitous twist of fate, wound up at Chicago-Midway Airport at the same time Adam, the bachelor in question, arrived.

The infamous Adam

We met up with Kerry in Chicago, but had to go to Glenview, Illinois for some reason.   Oh, right, that’s where Miranda was.   Trivia time: Miranda and I were in the same confirmation class at Calvary Episcopal Church in Rochester, Minnesota.

Kerry in Glenview

I'm sure we were having a riveting discussion.

Miranda on the right. Martine, Miranda's friend, on the left.

For that first evening we met up with Aaron, Nate and Dain at this one dude’s house. I say “this one dude” because I don’t know him…and neither did anyone else…except Miranda…sort of.   “This one dude” was Miranda’s friend Martine’s boyfriend: better known to us as a stranger.  However, the beer was free so complaints were sparse.

Nate in deep thought.

That's a great idea, Aaron.

The next morning we left Glenview to head back to Chicago.

Kerry somehow managed to stain his shirt

L-R; Martine, Me, Adam, Kerry, Miranda, Dain, Nate, Aaron

On the Metra to Chicago

The Tribune Tower, methinks

Then we had deep-dish pizza.  Of course.

We went out that evening.  This was the adventure.  Also, it was the last time we’d see my camera alive.

The last known photo of my camera while alive.

First stop on the trio of bars was Spybar.

We had free drinks from 10pm until 1 am so, yeah, we were drinking.  Pretty heavily.  As so often happens there was a bachelorette party happening at the same time.  That’s been redacted, though.

I don’t remember the name of the second bar, but I do remember not being impressed.   However, when we left, we got attacked by a cougar.

Cougar going in for the kill.

At some point in the evening we did manage to stumble into McFadden’s which was packed beyond their fire capacity.

At that point the shit hit the fan.

"huh"

Nate decided he wanted to take a picture with one of Chicago’s finest.  I loved the idea.   For those of you who know me I gesture wildly when I talk.   Also I was drunk.  Also my camera was in my hand.  Was.  Past tense.   With my excitement about the cop picture my camera went flying.

At the cop.

Luckily for both him and me it didn’t hit the cop, but it did hit the street.  Hard.  And that was the last thing it ever did.   At the time, I thought it was hilarious.  I still do.  He didn’t.

Kerry with the Angry Cop. photo courtesy of Aaron.

Sadly, that marks the end of the photo version of the Chicago adventure.  I can tell you that the debauchery continued for several more hours, I can tell you that I dropped our room key down the elevator shaft at the Hyatt Regency, and I can tell you that the flight back was much smoother than the flight there.  But I won’t.  I’m a jerk.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Southwest Is Coming To LaGuardia. Hello, Price War! [Travel] (consumerist.com)
• JFK runway shut for crossing turtles delaying flights for over an hour (telegraph.co.uk)
• Southwest to Offer Service to LaGuardia (abcnews.go.com)

Oh, don’t you worry, there will be stories about this Chicago adventure.  The flight there took about six hours and a couple planes.  Awesome.  I’ll have more for you when I get back, but here are some of the photos.

I’ve officially registered for classes at Boston University for this coming Fall.  Apparently I have Thursdays off.  In entirely unrelated news I have my next improv comedy show at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre tomorrow May 30th at 4pm.  Tickets are $5.

Registered for Classes at BU

I was in Boston last week to start the apartment search.  I didn’t find anything, but we got off to a good start.  Hopefully I find some place to sleep before school starts.  That would be nice.

Despite having my camera with me I didn’t take many photos while I was there.  Plus amongst the few photos I took even fewer were any good.  Here’s one:

I finally got some sleep.  Feeling a whole hell of a lot better.  Just in time for the weekend.

Related articles by Zemanta

• How To Get a Good Nights Sleep in Five Easy Steps (dietriffic.com)