All travel effects. With luck in our lives, even a day in our hometown will have some sort of effect on a daily basis. Of course a five and a half week multi-nation tour will have effect on our lives that we cannot express or recognize, but of note for this entry are affectations that I will intentionally be effecting:
Espresso!
You now I’ve always liked my strong coffee. I’d generally thought of espresso as not having enough volume to satisfy. After my week in Paris, though, I can’t get enough of that deep, rich espresso. Even as I work on this blog entry, I’ve got some tar-shaped caffeine in a “mud truck” cup right next to me. Oh, it’ll be gone in 5 minutes instead of the 15 minutes that a larger cup of coffee would last, but MMMM that five minutes!
Wine with dinner!
We used to have a glass of wine with a nice dinner, but only when we were making it a schmancy night. We’ve now resolved to have a not-so-expensive bottle of wine on hand more often than not.
Wine with pizza.
Wine with a burger.
Why the heck not?
We haven’t gone so far, yet, as to having wine with our enchiladas mole, and I personally don’t have an affinity for sangria, so we’ll see how that goes.
Cheers!
The Brits use this as a casual catch-all for “thank you” as well as “you’re welcome”. I like it particularly for a not so formal “you’re welcome”, in the instances that I typically say “no problem”, because it doesn’t really warrant a full welcome! It’s just a cheers!
“You’ve given me correct change, or held the door open for me, Thanks!”
“Cheers!”
You’ll note that it’s in response to a “thanks” like, “please hand me that pen, thanks!”
“Cheers!”
Whereas “You have saved my baby from drowning, Thank You!”
“Cheers” would be too casual in that instance. That would warrant a “You’re welcome.”
I’m also leaving off the “Mate” which would follow “Cheers” in Britain. I’m intentionally taking on some affectations, but I don’t want to sound like an ass!
I also like “cheers” because it makes the whole world feel like people I could potentially be drinking with. And doesn’t everyone enjoy the people they’re drinking with? If only for the amount of time everyone is saying “cheers”?
As a side note, I also heard people using “cheers” as a thank you / you’re welcome catchall in Germany and Austria.
As a tangent, we very often heard Germans and Austrians exclaiming “Shit” instead of the expected “Sheisse”.
I will therefore adopt the affectation of continuing to say “shit”. I’ve always said “shit” but now it will be an affectation.
Sheisse!
Friday, May 23, 2008
Figurenuerbindlichkeit!
I don’t speak a word of German. I can barely even speak the word I helped invent.
The Germans are great for creating single words out of complex thoughts, which would be a string of words in any other language.
English speakers are familiar enough with the word and concept schadenfreude. I know I’m not the only one who, when using the loanword in English, delights in the idea that there’s no direct translation.
Güterabfertigung is another good example. It means depot or storehouse, but the word itself literally translates to “goods getting ready for dispatch”.
I never want to be left out, so Thomas Brandau (of Der Kleine Grinsverkehr in Stuttgart) and I sat down to create a word that I feel needs to exist.
After some appropriate giggling and German beverages, the result is
figurenuerbindlichkeit!
Figurenuerbindlichkeit: Strength and commitment of an actor to the character on stage. Perhaps Thomas (or one of the Hamburg Clowns) will read this entry and post a literal breakdown of what each part of the new word means. It’s going to take some practice for figurenuerbindlichkeit to enter common usage, but ti’ll be worth it:
“In this rehearsal, we just need to get the blocking correct, so mark your positions and don’t worry about your figurenuerbindlichkeit.”
“If you’re having trouble with your figurenuerbindlichkeit, just remember to focus on your emotional reaction to your partner.”
“That was an excellent production! The design elements were magnificent, the script is solid, and what wonderful figurenuerbindlichkeit!
By the way, keep your eyes out for a new Amnesia Wars impro show this summer. We’ll be working some new longforms, and as always there will be a consistent display of figurenuerbindlichkeit!
The Germans are great for creating single words out of complex thoughts, which would be a string of words in any other language.
English speakers are familiar enough with the word and concept schadenfreude. I know I’m not the only one who, when using the loanword in English, delights in the idea that there’s no direct translation.
Güterabfertigung is another good example. It means depot or storehouse, but the word itself literally translates to “goods getting ready for dispatch”.
I never want to be left out, so Thomas Brandau (of Der Kleine Grinsverkehr in Stuttgart) and I sat down to create a word that I feel needs to exist.
After some appropriate giggling and German beverages, the result is
figurenuerbindlichkeit!
Figurenuerbindlichkeit: Strength and commitment of an actor to the character on stage. Perhaps Thomas (or one of the Hamburg Clowns) will read this entry and post a literal breakdown of what each part of the new word means. It’s going to take some practice for figurenuerbindlichkeit to enter common usage, but ti’ll be worth it:
“In this rehearsal, we just need to get the blocking correct, so mark your positions and don’t worry about your figurenuerbindlichkeit.”
“If you’re having trouble with your figurenuerbindlichkeit, just remember to focus on your emotional reaction to your partner.”
“That was an excellent production! The design elements were magnificent, the script is solid, and what wonderful figurenuerbindlichkeit!
By the way, keep your eyes out for a new Amnesia Wars impro show this summer. We’ll be working some new longforms, and as always there will be a consistent display of figurenuerbindlichkeit!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Clichés Fulfilled and Denied!
Cliché Fulfilled: French girls are adorable!
In Paris they really do walk around in those dark pea-coats with broad lapels, bangs over their pretty eyes, and most importantly they really do speak in that adorable French accent! Whether they’re speaking in French or English, they have that… adorable French sound.
The adorable cliché doesn’t mean I wish I was there without Jenn, or anything like that, It’s more of a perfect architectural addition. A reminder, like the Eiffel Tower or the Triumphal Arch, that we’re actually in Paris.
Cliché Denied: The Rude French Waiter.
We ate in restaurants and cafes throughout Paris, and Avignon, as well as one lunch each in Marsailles, and Lille. We were simply unable to fulfill our tourist experience of having a rude French waiter! Everyone was extremely nice! Those who didn’t speak any English were infinitely patient with my crappy French, and when that didn’t work, we received no attitude at all when reduced to pointing at the menu and smiling.
I am so pissed at those stupid stupid nice French waiters ruining our vacation by not giving us our expected rude French waiter experience.
We did have one waiter in a wonderful classic café in Vienna. We thought at first that he was angry at us, but by the end of our coffee there (and what wonderful Viennese coffee it was!) it became clear that what we read as him being angry was simply his demeanor.
He ended up chatting and giving us sightseeing advice, his eyes completely twinkling and happy, while his stoic face and Schwarzenegger accent would have given us no clue that he didn’t hate us!
Cliché Fulfilled: French laissez faire / Prussian authority and order.
Our Eurail tickets were open passes requiring us to fill in the appropriate dates before boarding and have them validated by the conductor as he takes tickets.
We learned that we were supposed to fill in the dates before boarding in the course of a long and patronizing lecture held by a German train conductor who made clear that he would be within his rights to require us to pay the ticket price in cash. We were required to thank him for his benevolent magnificence as well as for his sage lesson.
One Austrian conductor very patiently held a small lecture concerning the day/month order I was supposed to have used in filling out the pass (in fairness, I did indeed screw this up). On another Austrian train (I think, Jenn can correct the country if I’ve confused this) a dude in black fatigues who may have been a conductor, a cop, or some other DIA (douchebag in authority) assumed that we must be in the wrong car, since we’d seated ourselves in first class. It was with no small level of satisfaction that we began to produce our first class passes! Alas and alack, simply us SAYING we had first class passage was enough. I suppose nobody lies to a Prussian DIA in black fatigues.
The French train conductors, on the other hand, couldn’t give a shit about our tickets. That was true in Britain too, but since there’s not such a cliché about Britsh laissez faire, I didn’t include it in this headline.
In Paris they really do walk around in those dark pea-coats with broad lapels, bangs over their pretty eyes, and most importantly they really do speak in that adorable French accent! Whether they’re speaking in French or English, they have that… adorable French sound.
The adorable cliché doesn’t mean I wish I was there without Jenn, or anything like that, It’s more of a perfect architectural addition. A reminder, like the Eiffel Tower or the Triumphal Arch, that we’re actually in Paris.
Cliché Denied: The Rude French Waiter.
We ate in restaurants and cafes throughout Paris, and Avignon, as well as one lunch each in Marsailles, and Lille. We were simply unable to fulfill our tourist experience of having a rude French waiter! Everyone was extremely nice! Those who didn’t speak any English were infinitely patient with my crappy French, and when that didn’t work, we received no attitude at all when reduced to pointing at the menu and smiling.
I am so pissed at those stupid stupid nice French waiters ruining our vacation by not giving us our expected rude French waiter experience.
We did have one waiter in a wonderful classic café in Vienna. We thought at first that he was angry at us, but by the end of our coffee there (and what wonderful Viennese coffee it was!) it became clear that what we read as him being angry was simply his demeanor.
He ended up chatting and giving us sightseeing advice, his eyes completely twinkling and happy, while his stoic face and Schwarzenegger accent would have given us no clue that he didn’t hate us!
Cliché Fulfilled: French laissez faire / Prussian authority and order.
Our Eurail tickets were open passes requiring us to fill in the appropriate dates before boarding and have them validated by the conductor as he takes tickets.
We learned that we were supposed to fill in the dates before boarding in the course of a long and patronizing lecture held by a German train conductor who made clear that he would be within his rights to require us to pay the ticket price in cash. We were required to thank him for his benevolent magnificence as well as for his sage lesson.
One Austrian conductor very patiently held a small lecture concerning the day/month order I was supposed to have used in filling out the pass (in fairness, I did indeed screw this up). On another Austrian train (I think, Jenn can correct the country if I’ve confused this) a dude in black fatigues who may have been a conductor, a cop, or some other DIA (douchebag in authority) assumed that we must be in the wrong car, since we’d seated ourselves in first class. It was with no small level of satisfaction that we began to produce our first class passes! Alas and alack, simply us SAYING we had first class passage was enough. I suppose nobody lies to a Prussian DIA in black fatigues.
The French train conductors, on the other hand, couldn’t give a shit about our tickets. That was true in Britain too, but since there’s not such a cliché about Britsh laissez faire, I didn’t include it in this headline.
We're going back!
We don’t know exactly where or quite when, but we’ll be doing another big trip at some point sooner than later. As soon as we can afford it, really. We simply enjoyed (practically) every minute of that five and a half weeks.
I’m going to take a show too. This may or may not be the same thing as Jenn & my next big trip.
From the response and feedback I got from the workshops I taught, I am absolutely convinced that if I take a small longform group through Europe, we’ll simply blow our audiences away!
Now the trick is to somehow figure out how to make everyone some cash in the process. Or at least figure out how to fix it so everyone doesn’t have to spend much. I’m open to suggestions on the topic.
So I’m basically caught up on the diary aspect of the blog, though I may still add a couple of anecdotes or thoughts, and definitely check back for more pictures that I’ll promise now on Jenn’s behalf.
We’ll also be checking back for comments, so if there’s someone out there still checking in on this blog, please let us know.
I’m going to take a show too. This may or may not be the same thing as Jenn & my next big trip.
From the response and feedback I got from the workshops I taught, I am absolutely convinced that if I take a small longform group through Europe, we’ll simply blow our audiences away!
Now the trick is to somehow figure out how to make everyone some cash in the process. Or at least figure out how to fix it so everyone doesn’t have to spend much. I’m open to suggestions on the topic.
So I’m basically caught up on the diary aspect of the blog, though I may still add a couple of anecdotes or thoughts, and definitely check back for more pictures that I’ll promise now on Jenn’s behalf.
We’ll also be checking back for comments, so if there’s someone out there still checking in on this blog, please let us know.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
A couple of old trip vid bits
We shot and cut a few video bits, we were very excited about our imminent and obvious new jobs as international travel channel producer / hosts. Alas, we were disappointed to rarely get an internet connection that was strong enough to upload our videos. These two I just posted are from our stay in York, waaaaaaayyy back in the beginning of the trip. After having such trouble uploading, we stopped cutting videos, though we shot a few more little bits that I’ll post presently.
The York Videos are here:
http://jennrobeurope08.blogspot.com/2008/03/constantine-in-york.html
http://jennrobeurope08.blogspot.com/2008/03/minute-tourist-small-museums-of-york.html
The York Videos are here:
http://jennrobeurope08.blogspot.com/2008/03/constantine-in-york.html
http://jennrobeurope08.blogspot.com/2008/03/minute-tourist-small-museums-of-york.html
Saturday, May 17, 2008
The Good Negro (we're actually back now)
“The Good Negro” is the title of the play I’m working on right now.
Not working on like the play I’m writing right now, but working on, like I’ve got work running the follow spot for a show at The Public Theater. I spent the beginning of the week up at the park doing some lighting prep for Hamlet, which opens there in a few weeks, now I’m spending 12+ hour days down at the Public proper.
Jenn has been working at MTV and BET. Today she pigged out at the 9th ave food fest WITHOUT ME!!! (It's one of our favorite NYC events) and is generally looking forward to all of the free concerts in the summer in the city in the summer in the city.
All of this is to say that yes, we’re actually back. Not that half-back status I described in my previous entry, but full on dayjob New York busy can barely believe we’ve been on such a trip figuring out rehearsal schedules for upcoming NY improv shows BACK!
It’s long days in tech on this show. Over the past two days I actually finally read Les Miserables and resumed work on a script I’d been procrastinating for months (for purposes of trip preparation).
I’ll be posting a few more entries about the trip. I’ll pop off some more chronological diary entries followed by a few of the better anecdotes. You can bug Jenn to get some more of the pictures up too.
It looks like “The Good Negro” is going to be good, by the way, though we’re just in tech so it’s hard to know how the tempo and pacing will pan out. It’s part of the Public Lab series and the tix are only $10.
I’ll see you from the spot booth!
Not working on like the play I’m writing right now, but working on, like I’ve got work running the follow spot for a show at The Public Theater. I spent the beginning of the week up at the park doing some lighting prep for Hamlet, which opens there in a few weeks, now I’m spending 12+ hour days down at the Public proper.
Jenn has been working at MTV and BET. Today she pigged out at the 9th ave food fest WITHOUT ME!!! (It's one of our favorite NYC events) and is generally looking forward to all of the free concerts in the summer in the city in the summer in the city.
All of this is to say that yes, we’re actually back. Not that half-back status I described in my previous entry, but full on dayjob New York busy can barely believe we’ve been on such a trip figuring out rehearsal schedules for upcoming NY improv shows BACK!
It’s long days in tech on this show. Over the past two days I actually finally read Les Miserables and resumed work on a script I’d been procrastinating for months (for purposes of trip preparation).
I’ll be posting a few more entries about the trip. I’ll pop off some more chronological diary entries followed by a few of the better anecdotes. You can bug Jenn to get some more of the pictures up too.
It looks like “The Good Negro” is going to be good, by the way, though we’re just in tech so it’s hard to know how the tempo and pacing will pan out. It’s part of the Public Lab series and the tix are only $10.
I’ll see you from the spot booth!
Sunday, May 4, 2008
We're back, and we're not back!
Well, we're back in the U S of A, sort of.
We are because we're physically here,
We're not because we're mentally still on vacation.
We're back because we're in our apartment.
We're not because we're jet lagged and wonderfully exhausted and not really talking to anyone for another few days.
We're back because I'm declaring it here on the blog.
We're not because I'm still posting blog entries from weeks ago.
As of today, 5/4, the blog only has us entering Stuttgart (!) on 4/12. In addition to several entries that I posted on 4/12 but post-dated for their diary date.
There's another pack of entries that I composed 12 days later, but didn't have an opportunity to post until today. Those entries will be posted on the blog on their diary-date, but you'll notice (if you care) a dateline including 4/24/08.
I'll try to catch the blog up, text-wise, over the next few days, but note well that we won't consider the blog completely finished until Jenn has a chance to go through and add just a fraction of the hundreds of pictures that we took over the course of the past five weeks.
Cheers
Rob
We are because we're physically here,
We're not because we're mentally still on vacation.
We're back because we're in our apartment.
We're not because we're jet lagged and wonderfully exhausted and not really talking to anyone for another few days.
We're back because I'm declaring it here on the blog.
We're not because I'm still posting blog entries from weeks ago.
As of today, 5/4, the blog only has us entering Stuttgart (!) on 4/12. In addition to several entries that I posted on 4/12 but post-dated for their diary date.
There's another pack of entries that I composed 12 days later, but didn't have an opportunity to post until today. Those entries will be posted on the blog on their diary-date, but you'll notice (if you care) a dateline including 4/24/08.
I'll try to catch the blog up, text-wise, over the next few days, but note well that we won't consider the blog completely finished until Jenn has a chance to go through and add just a fraction of the hundreds of pictures that we took over the course of the past five weeks.
Cheers
Rob
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Our week in London
5/21
Our week in London
In brief.
Back to the panoramic flat of our wonderful friend Emily T. Bauman. We brought her some wine and some absinthe from France, and that became the theme of the week. Jenn and I had tried some absinthe in Prague, and have decided we’re fond of that beverage.
I had workshops with two groups in London: The Spontaneity Shop and Fluxx Improv, and one day trip to work with Alcock Improv in Cambridge. The response to the workshops was universally positive. Some new friends in and near London.
We visited our wonderful Clown friend Wiina, AKA Lucien and his expecting-partner Froukes (I know I’m spelling her name wrong). She’s wonderful and they’re wonderful and we laughed and giggled and reminisced and looked forward.
Kekerone!
For any clowns reading this, we’ve got big plans afoot. More on that with each of you.
Jenn & I walked in London. No surprise. We walked and ate and walked and drank and walked some more.
We saw Lear at the Globe. It’s truly something to see a show staged (more or less) as it would have been back “in the day”. Everyone in theater has studied and read about the non-scenic setting of the old Globe, and are left to imagine how it would conceivably work. It’s wonderful to simply see it happen.
And one more thanks to Emily for allowing us to invade her flat. There was music and absinthe and massages and chats and admiration of the panoramic view!
Our week in London
In brief.
Back to the panoramic flat of our wonderful friend Emily T. Bauman. We brought her some wine and some absinthe from France, and that became the theme of the week. Jenn and I had tried some absinthe in Prague, and have decided we’re fond of that beverage.
I had workshops with two groups in London: The Spontaneity Shop and Fluxx Improv, and one day trip to work with Alcock Improv in Cambridge. The response to the workshops was universally positive. Some new friends in and near London.
We visited our wonderful Clown friend Wiina, AKA Lucien and his expecting-partner Froukes (I know I’m spelling her name wrong). She’s wonderful and they’re wonderful and we laughed and giggled and reminisced and looked forward.
Kekerone!
For any clowns reading this, we’ve got big plans afoot. More on that with each of you.
Jenn & I walked in London. No surprise. We walked and ate and walked and drank and walked some more.
We saw Lear at the Globe. It’s truly something to see a show staged (more or less) as it would have been back “in the day”. Everyone in theater has studied and read about the non-scenic setting of the old Globe, and are left to imagine how it would conceivably work. It’s wonderful to simply see it happen.
And one more thanks to Emily for allowing us to invade her flat. There was music and absinthe and massages and chats and admiration of the panoramic view!
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