Wow! It's been about three weeks since I last posted anything. I guess I've just been very busy between working two jobs and working on two plays (I'm in one and I'm directing one).

I've got a long day tomorrow (which is now today): I'm in at FYE from 10am til 5pm to be immediately followed by 6pm-til closing at the movie theatre (with a rehearsal for "On Tidy Endings" at the movie theatre during that evening).

Meanwhile, I've started reading the complete Sherlock Holmes novels (I'm playing Dr. Watson in the other play after all). They are actually pretty cool. They're not as dry as I'd originally imagined they might be.

I'm getting on a little bit better at work (now that I'm more comfortable on that damn register)...I just feel uncomfortable/resentful about HAVING to take a break (when it's been years since I've been forced to take one at work...I almost NEVER went on a break at Four Star in the later years (and on top of it...there was no clock to punch in/out on...I got paid for my meal times there)).

Also, after so many years of being one of so few employees (at the video store I was the ONLY employee for the last two years and ever since with karaoke and the movie theatre I pretty much only answered to myself, Al (karaoke) and Paul (movie theatre)). It's been hard having to do things a certain way because "that's how the company does them"...I'm thinking about the way things need to be shelved in certain areas. Purple Rain is listed as a drama...not a musical. Meanwhile, simply because it stars John Travolta, Urban Cowboy is arbitrarily stocked with the musicals?

It also sucks that I can't put together more of my own displays for things (giving precedence to my own pet tastes)...okay, okay...we have this ONE shelf on ONE endcap that is solely mine. At Four Star, I could create whole areas with my own subgenres. I'd put together an entire gay/lesbian section in drama, a shelf or two of all the things that students are assigned to read in the area schools, kept all of the Disney feature cartoons in chronological order and created feature shelves for just about every alumnus of "Saturday Night Live" in the comedy section!

Also, why is it that seemingly nine times out of ten that song that someone is looking for isn't even released yet? Why do that to people? Release your songs to the stores and the radio stations at the same time! There's one farshtinkener song that these women were asking for the other day (three of them...all came in at different times) that isn't out until APRIL 29th! It's "Have You Forgotten" by Darryl Worley and what a piece of shit it is, too.

This guy is singing about all the anti-war people and asking have they forgotten about what happened to the World Trade Center...what I'd like to know is what the FUCK do those two things have in common? The World Trade Center was destroyed by AFGHANISTANS, specifically those men in the employ of Osama Bin Ladin. I stopped watching the news very soon after the terrorist attacks and the damn anthrax scare. I know we haven't found Bin Ladin yet. When the hell did it become Saddam Hussein who destroyed the towers?

That's like saying that there are two bullies at the elementary school. Bobby and Steve. Bobby beat up your kid, so you go to the playground and punch Steve for it!

This war isn't about the World Trade Center or fighting terrorism. It's about OIL. It's not a war...it's a business negotiation taken to it's absolute extreme, because one of the men at the conference table has the power to send military troops against the other man.

Go to: http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/553/beastie_boys.html to listen to the new Beastie Boys song! Okay, so you don't have to listen to it (musically it's not that great), but read the lyrics (they are fantastic and say a lot of what I've been feeling/thinking) which follow:

First some comments by the Beasties themselves:

Story Behind the Song
We felt it was important to comment on where the US appears to be heading now. A war in Iraq will not resolve our problems. It can only result in the deaths of many innocent civilians and US troops. If we are truly striving for safety, we need to build friendships, not try to bully the rest of the world."
- Adam Yauch

"Being together, writing and recording, we felt it would be irresponsible not to address what's going on in the world while the events are still current. It didn't make sense to us to wait until the entire record was finished to release this song."
- Mike D

"This song is not an anti-American or pro-Saddam Hussein statement. This is a statement against an unjustified war."
- Adam Horovitz

New song "In A World Gone Mad..." available for free download.

Lyrics
IN A WORLD GONE MAD...

In a world gone mad it's hard to think right
So much violence hate and spite
Murder going on all day and night
Due time we fight the nonviolent fight

Mirrors, smokescreens and lies
It's not the politicians but their actions I despise
You and Saddam should kick it like back in the day
With the cocaine and Courvoisier
But you build more bombs as you get more bold
As your mid-life crisis war unfolds
All you want to do is take control
Now put that axis of evil bullshit on hold
Citizen rule number 2080
Politicians are shady
So people watch your back 'cause I think they smoke crack
I don't doubt it look at how they act

In a world gone mad it's hard to think right
So much violence hate and spite
Murder going on all day and night
Due time we fight the nonviolent fight

First the 'War On Terror' now war on Iraq
We're reaching a point where we can't turn back
Let's lose the guns and let's lose the bombs
And stop the corporate contributions that their built upon
Well I'll be sleeping on your speeches 'til I start to snore
'Cause I won't carry guns for an oil war
As-Salamu alaikum, wa alaikum assalam
Peace to the Middle East peace to Islam
Now don't get us wrong 'cause we love America
But that's no reason to get hysterica
They're layin' on the syrup thick
We ain't waffles we ain't havin' it

In a world gone mad it's hard to think right
So much violence hate and spite
Murder going on all day and night
Due time we fight the nonviolent fight

Now how many people must get killed?
For oil families pockets to get filled?
How many oil families get killed?
Not a damn one so what's the deal?

It's time to lead the way and de-escalate
Lose the weapons of mass destruction and the hate
Say ooh ah what's the White House doin'?
Oh no! Say, what in tarnation have they got brewing??!!!!???!!
Well I'm not pro Bush and I'm not pro Saddam
We need these fools to remain calm
George Bush you're looking like Zoolander
Trying to play tough for the camera
What am I on crazy pills? We've got to stop it
Get your hand out my grandma's pocket
We need health care more than going to war
You think it's democracy we're fighting for?

In a world gone mad it's hard to think right
So much violence hate and spite
Murder going on all day and night
Due time we fight the nonviolent fight

How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
Yes, 'n' how many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, 'n' how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How many years can a mountain exist
Before it's washed to the sea?
Yes, 'n' how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?
Yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head,
Pretending he just doesn't see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

--Bob Dylan

Imagine

Imagine there's no heaven,
It's easy if you try,
No hell below us,
Above us only sky,
Imagine all the people
living for today...

Imagine there's no countries,
It isn't hard to do,
Nothing to kill or die for,
No religion too,
Imagine all the people
living life in peace...

Imagine no possesions,
I wonder if you can,
No need for greed or hunger,
A brotherhood of man,
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say Im a dreamer,
but I'm not the only one,
I hope some day you'll join us,
And the world will live as one.

--John Lennon

Yes, I'll Google(tm) something (but, long ago, I used to Yahoo(tm) or Ask Jeeves(tm)...and don't feel I was ever being generic, since those are actually the engines that I use(d)).

I DO eat Jello(tm).
If I cut my finger I DO apply a Band-Aid(tm).
Nowadays, if I want to see a particular television show (hmm, like "The Screensavers"), I'll Tivo(tm) it.
I NEVER just eat a generic sandwich cookie, I ONLY eat an Oreo(tm), specifically a Double Stuf Oreo(tm).

I don't necessarily make a Xerox(tm), I make a copy.
I don't necessarily use a Kleenex(tm), I use a tissue.
I don't necessarily drink a Coke(tm), since I avoid caffeine and I generally prefer Caffeine-Free Pepsi(tm) when I'm drinking a cola beverage.
I don't necessarily have a Popsicle(tm) when I'm hungry for a frozen treat.

I dreamt that I was coming home from a trip and Paul met me at the airport. When we got to the car, he had a surprise for me...Amy Giuliani was bound, gagged and rolled in a carpet in the trunk of his car (alive) and I was going to be given the choice of where to dump her body (I was thinking Union Lake or maybe the marshes in Wildwood)...I woke up so refreshed!
...Does that make me evil?

okay...was anyone else addicted to "High School Reunion"? I have to admit that I'm a dork and was glued to it (hey! I've so far resisted "The Bachelor/Bachelorette"/"Joe Millionaire"/"American Idol", etc...).

I've been thinking about the people who I most would want to spend that same two weeks with...who I'd want to go on one of those hall passes with (if they allowed me to take one of the guys or if I had to choose one of the girls...hell, that'd be cool, too...not for the romance or anything, but just to rekindle a friendship or two)...who I'd hate to see on that island...

Well, I don't want to dwell on the negative aspect. There's probably really only one or two people I graduated with that I wouldn't want to see again and catch up with (Kim Chapman and David Warner are the only two whose names pop into my head).

Some of the people have come back for the reunions. Some I have seen in town over the years. But, there are some I've not seen SINCE graduation day and I wonder most about them. Whatever became of Brister Gray? Richard Buono? Kara Grady? Steve Terris? Barbara Pierentozzi?

Also, some of them came to the five year but never came to any of the other reunions. What does Kris Krason look like now? What ever became of Wendi Whilden? I'd love to catch up with Janel Bisacquino...

While watching the show, I was touched by the transformation of Dave "The Bully" from a caustic S.O.B., admittedly probably because that's how the producers wanted to initially portray him because of the old feelings of Ben "the Nerd" and Chris "The Misfit"...into a seemingly sweet, nice guy. It was also interesting to see how people who were portrayed nice at the beginning of the series (I'm thinking specifically of Patricia "the Gossip"), became caustic and nasty by the end (again, possibly a victim of what was chosen to be shown by the producers).

I wondered how much the various people I knew may have changed over the many years. Are the guys who were bullies back then actually nice men now? Or are they still beer-guzzling jock assholes (I'm really only thinking of one or two...for the most part, our jocks were actually pretty cool, funny guys). Are the bitchy cheerleaders (again, very few who tried their best to spoil the bunch) still nasty, skanky whores?

Was there anyone who would have been considered plain or even unattractive who had a physical transformation similar to the one that Ben apparently went through?

...I guess I may never know...

(I'd most have wanted a hall pass with either Kerry Dusharm or, if I had to go out with a girl, Sharmila Voorakarra)

okay...today at the movie theatre we had to deal with both a flood in the first auditorium (where RHPS is generally shown...luckily, the props for the show were safe). We also had the fire alarm go off thanks to a short circuit in one of the smoke alarms (from a leak in the roof)...the same thing happened many years ago at Cumberland Players (minus the flood).

I'm slowly putting together my old web-page at a new url.
You can find some remnants of the old "Ever-Changing World" at bryanirrera.com. I've put the old front page up there for now (and the background .gif) and will be updating the whole site (including putting back my links pages) through the next few weeks. I'll let you all know the progress as I continue.

It's getting really freakin' scary out there with all this rain and thunder and stuff...where is it all coming from?

This Sunday will be the auditions for my directorial debut. Please come and audition!

I know that back in the day, when I first had a webpage, some people who were either not on the internet, or who didn't run a website themselves didn't understand the point of having a personal webpage.

For some reason, these same people didn't think it was odd to have a fanpage devoted to perhaps Sarah Michelle Gellar or H.R. PufNStuf or something, but thought it was odd that my page would be about myself and my various interests instead of focusing on just one.

Well, I would explain, I have friends who live far away or have otherwise impossible schedules for them to get together with me on a regular basis. I liked to write about the minutiae of my life because some of it was just funny little stories that I might forget to tell my friends when I'd see them (hey! have you tried those new snack crackers? or I saw this strange movie the other night or Paul got drunk on strawberry extract and stuff like that).

I've only had an archive of my postings since I've been running the 'blog at blogspot, so the stuff that was posted to the old version of "Bryan Irrera's Ever-Changing World" is mostly lost to the ether, but you can see from going through the archives of the past year and a half what I'm talking about.

I think the best illustration is the fact that I've just learned some important news about friends of mine who I see quite infrequently by reading a 'blog of theirs...

Candie is pregnant!

...this is the kind of thing that I use 'blogs for! This is why I read all my friend's 'blogs! I've been waiting to read (mostly) happy stuff like THIS!

...okay, Paul was home today...duh...and since he was trapped at home from the snow, he started watching some of his tapes of "Good Eats"...he's been wanting to replicate these raspberry chocolate chips that Hersheys used to make so he can use them in his cookie recipe...we couldn't find raspberry extract, but did find strawberry extract (close enough for our purposes). Anyway, AFTER tasting the mixture here and there (he melted the chocolate then added the extract and stirred), he has realized that the extract contains 30% alcohol (60 proof). The teaspoon that he estimates he ingested already has him buzzed (you all should remember that he has an allergy to alcohol which gives him an incredibly low tolerance level)!

Could someone tell me what it is about snow falling that makes us all want breakfast foods?

I want scrambled eggs, milk, orange juice, bacon, pancakes, waffles, (lots of butter, lots of maple syrup on both), fried matzo, bagels and cream cheese with a slice or two of tomato on the side, toast (white or english muffin) and jelly (strawberry, preferrably)...God, the list is endless...where do I start...?

I just read that a proposed boycott of Pepsi Co. products was halted. The boycott would have been put forth from fans of hip-hop to protest the lack of Hip-hop artists doing Pepsi Twist commercials (a commercial was pulled early last year, when the artist had a controversial CD on the stands) in favor of the Osbournes (when white performer Ozzy has had a share of controversial CD's in the past).

...I guess it finally dawned on them how big the PepsiCo empire actually is: it not only involves the various Pepsi/Mountain Dew sodas, but:

ALL the Frito Lay products: that includes Fritos, Tostitos, Doritos, Lays, Ruffles, Cheetos, Rold Golds, Munchos, Funyuns, Smartfood popcorn, Cracker Jack, Grandma's cookies, Sunchips and all the different flavors of each.

Sobe and Dole juice drinks

Gatorade

Tropicana juices

Quaker brands: Life Cereal, Rice-A-Roni, Cap'n Crunch, Quisp, Aunt Jemima, and all Quaker Oats brands/flavors!

Let's not forget the following: Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, A+W Hot Dog and KFC! All of these are Pepsi-Co!