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Jerry Seinfeld writes about George Carlin:
"Dying is Hard. Comedy is Harder" at NYT

Other Eulogies

Holy Shit

Image by Getty Images via DaylifeGeorge Carlin died. crazy.

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• Arts, Briefly: Some Choice Words Honor George Carlin (NYT)
  
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• Comedy Icon George Carlin Dies At 71 (CBS)
  

Clowning around

Last night we went to Philly to see Bill Irwin's The Happiness Lecture at the Philadelphia Theatre Company. Amazing. It was so good. One of those shows that makes you excited about theater. Sarah got us amazing tickets (especially since they were free :-D ). Irwin wrote, directed, & performed the show, with the help of a small troupe of local Philly dance & clown artists. Most of the show was meant to explore dream and fantasy along with Irwin's own journey through theater, and it managed it in a comedic yet totally serious way. I didn't stop laughing at all through the show, and I left with so much to think about. I LOVE shows like that!!

The show started with an introduction from an "associate dramaturge" who was really a member of the clown troupe. She was hilarious. She kept coming out throughout the show giving little "speeches" and informing the audience about different aspects of the performance. There was a running gag with fake late audience members which was initially a little annoying, but once it really got going it was pretty funny. The marionettes were fantastic, acting out different aspects of Irwin's persona while still being funny and relevant and completely random.

The end of the show was Irwin finally giving the "Happiness Lecture." After numerous attempts at giving it dressed as an academic, standing behind a podium, he gave up and came out in his classic red-striped pajamas, sat on a beat up old trunk, and told "a story about two prehistoric men - Ig and Og." The story of Ig and Og originally came from "The Happiness Hypothesis" which describes how we are all the "Children of Og" (Og being the worrier, and thus more likely to pass on his genes when compared to the reckless Ig). It was a great speech from Irwin, that included a lot of really fantastic thoughts and ideas ("Every human being is a committee continuously in session"). He ended with a bit on ceremony, which led directly into the Spaghetti Scene - another clowning scene which he has performed numerous times before, but continues to be fantastic as it grows and changes with each performance.

So, all in all, amazing show that I wish were running longer so we could go see it again.

• How to Deal With Midlife: Keep Dancing (NYT)
  
• Bill Irwin's Spaghetti Scene
• Bill Irwin at PBS's Great Performances
• Review at ClownLink
• Philadelphia Inquirer Article
• Happiness Hypothesis (where the idea for "Happiness Lecture" originally came from)
  

Turning 24 is so much cooler than 23

Saturday was the big day - Flag Day!!! Oh yeah, also, it was my birthday. So, to celebrate both of these momentous occasions, we threw a patented Eovino style shindig. Not really; no one knew it was Flag Day, or that such a day even existed. One of the best birthdays ever. I had so much fun. All I ever really want for my birthday is to spend it having fun with my friends. Which is all I ever really want most of the time. But on my birthday, I'm pretty much guaranteed to get it. And for all I was hesitant about the different friend groups mixing, it worked pretty damn well I think.

So. Day started at the beach. Awesome, except I apparently wasn't quite as vigilant in my sunscreen application as I should have been. So I got kinda sunburned in a couple places. But it's all good; it's already fading. After a couple of hours at a pretty packed Manasquan Beach, we headed back to the house for the main event - Barbecue, Beer, & Bocce. Amazing. I can't really describe how fantastic it is for me when I get to spend time like that just having a blast with a big group of friends. Anyway, much eating, drinking, dancing, bocce-ing ensued. Of course, my family cooked several times what was actually needed to feed the number of people expected. Add that to the fact that a couple people didn't make it, and well, let's just say I'll be eating leftovers until the next barbecue. The many rounds of bocce were a big big hit. You can't not like bocce. It just doesn't work. It's too much fun, especially the way we play. There were some fantastic games going too, and some incredible shots. For a group of people that are all major beginners at this game, everyone did really really well! There was tons of food, including birthday cupcakes which are so much better than a birthday cake, a much praised music mix, and a fabulous summer storm that drove us to seek shelter in the garage. Good good times.