In Between

The last time I saw Barenaked Ladies in concert (the band, the BAND. Ugh, perv.) they were performing at the White River Amphitheatre on a hot summer’s evening, in full view of Mt. Rainier. And they asked the simple question: “Does the Pacific Northwest have its own immigration policy? Because we don’t understand why EVERYONE doesn’t live here.” And it’s so true. When I was back in Seattle for two weeks, I couldn’t for the life of me understand why I left. Seattle on a summer day is perfection.

I was back in Seattle to perform my standup comedy show Halfrican! that I’ll take it to South Africa this summer. At least, that was my excuse. In the two weeks I was in the Emerald City, I was seeing friends and old co-workers and enjoying the summer weather. Diva Espresso – my old employer – was AWESOME and let me come back and pick up some shifts while I was in town. As an actor in between jobs, I pounced on that opportunity. And I was pleased to find out that being a barista is like riding a bike: the skills come back quickly, but you might be a little sore the next day. It was great to see the familiar faces of all the folks I used to serve coffee to, and it was nice to briefly catch up as I made them a drink or two.

Chillin' on top of Columbia Tower in Downtown Seattle.

A lovely view of downtown Seattle from Kerry Park.

The excuse for my trip to Seattle went pretty well. The first night of Halfrican! was sold out, which is AWESOME, but unfortunately, the sold-out audience saw my weaker performance. It was the first time I’d ever done the show as a whole in front of an audience, and it was . . . well, shaky, to say the least. It was really helpful to see what worked and what CLEARLY didn’t, and I was able to make a few adjustments for the Saturday show. I’m still working on the show as a whole for when I take it to the National Arts Festival in South Africa next month (WHAT? THAT’S NEXT MONTH?!), making adjustments here and there. So a huge thank you to that awesome audience who stuck through the jokes that didn’t work and laughed anyway . . .

Trying my darndest to "click" in Xhosa during the Saturday show of "Halfrican!"

I’m super excited to head off to South Africa, but I’m not gonna lie – I’m so sad to leave Seattle. This is one of the most beautiful cities on EARTH. I would say that Cape Town and Seattle are tied for the two most beautiful cities in the world. To be fair, I’ve only seen a fraction of the world’s cities, but out of those that I’ve seen, CT and SEA are tied for the top prize. (And please, if you have contenders, post them below . . .) 

Please be in touch – especially as I’m so itinerant right now, the chances that I’m in your neck’o’the’woods is particularly high. So please say hi! Cheers!