To be honest with you

Head over here sometime

2010-07-19T16:04:00.000-07:00

www.Mixedrecyclables.tumblr.com

Adal visits Hawaii

2010-07-09T13:36:00.001-07:00

Last week Adal came to visit us aboard the ship. Here are some of the things we did and ate.

First stop in Honolulu was Pukadog. Jeff and Jeannie have had them before, but this was our first experience. Pukadog has been featured on the Travel channel and also on Anthony Bourdain. It was real delicious!

On Sunday we all did the road to Hana. A 6 hour drive through tons of twists and turns. Jeannie was getting a little overheated so we pulled over and Jeff and Adal cooled her down.

Sunday night we all ate at Mama's Fish House. Now as a lot of people know I'm quite the picky eater. At first I wasn't to happy about my menu choices because the thing I wanted was covered in nuts and they wouldn't substitute them out. I ended up ordering the pepper-corn grilled Ahi. This was the best fish I've every tasted. The fish is so fresh that the name of the person who caught it that morning is on the menu. For dessert I had the chocolate mouse black pearl. It looks just as good as it tasted. If your every in Maui look this place up.

Monday morning we viewed the sunrise on top of Halakeala National Park. I've done this a bunch and it gets better every time.

We hiked the Napali coast.

We visited the Others Camp from Lost. Here Adal is acting out his favorite scenes.

We then took a trip to the Waikiki gun range. I have never shot any real guns before and hopefully this whole Zombie craze doesn't become real so I don't have to shoot any in the future.

A fun week!

Only 1 more month to go.

Location:Nawiliwili Rd,Lihue,United States

It's clear that I'm not the best blogger

2010-06-02T15:34:00.001-07:00

So it's been awhile since I've updated this thing. You'd think with an iPad, iPhone, and a Mac I'd be able to keep this blog current. Well you thought wrong. So let's find out together what I've been up to.

Visited a lavender farm in Maui. It smelled great, but way to many bees to really get a close in smell. Bees are not my friend.

This is chocolate lavender ice cream. It tastes fantastic!!

I bought a bike for riding around Hawaii and to train for the Chicago triathlon in August that I will be competing in. And yes that is a bike magnet above the bike pointing to the bike. How else would I know where to put it?

The Hilton lagoon in Waikiki. It's like swimming in the ocean without having to deal with rocks or sharks.

Returned to the Waimea Canyon. Nothing changed much, still beautiful.

The cast went zip lining in Kauai. It was a lot of fun. I wish we would forget about building new EL platforms and just zip lined from place to place.

Hiked the Napali Coast for the second time. Unlike last time, I was very prepared this time. Plenty of water, snacks, and avoided swamp foot. What is swamp foot you ask? It occurs when instead of going around streams you walk right through them with your shoes on. The result is you foot being a swamp for the rest of the hike. Very gross and uncomfortable.

I sign off in August. Hopefully I'll update this blog before that happens, but I can't promise anything.

Location:Alii Dr,North Kona,United States

One week in

2010-04-25T14:36:00.001-07:00

1 week down and 16 more to go. The first week aboard the ship is always a busy and stressful one. Between rehearsals,training,and shows it can really burn you out. Not to mention dealing with the 5 hour time change. On the other hand it is also very entertaining because you get to spend it with 2 awesome people. Our Director Matt Craig and our Producer Nate Dufort. I've work with Matt before in different improv shows and I have cruised with Nate 3 times. Both are great guys and both can be heard sitting in with Aphasia this week on our podcast. www.aphasiapresentssomething.com

Jeff,Nate,and Jeannie after our long 9 hour flight. I had a seat next to a baby. I was worried at first, but she turned out to be a great flyer.

Matt flew in earlier that day, but was surprised to see that he really never left home.

This is my Sunday morning breakfast view. A very welcoming site to start your day to.

We rented a couple of cars and ventured up to the top of Haleakala Crater. If you don't know Haleakala is a dormant volcano 10,023 feet above sea level. Starting from the bottom it was a warm 80 degree day, but by the time we reach the top it had dipped to the 50s. Traveling up here is the only reason you pack a jacket and a sweater when you come to Hawaii. We went up at sunset for an amazing view and also for the star gazing you get to do after the sun goes down. I saw 3 shooting stars. You are so close to the sky that everything is so clear. We even were able to see some planets as well.

This little fella is the state bird of Hawaii, the Nene. And he will park where ever he wants!

Matt enjoys a post show root beer float. Hawaii!

The final day of the cruise we always sail by the Napoli Coast. I only had my iPhone with me so I couldn't get the best shots, but here is a pretty good one. I'll update you more on this beautiful coast in future blogs.

On Saturday we back in Honolulu where we had to say goodbye to Nate and Matt. I thank them for spending the week with us and helping us put together some awesome shows. And without them we wouldn't have come with such great bits as The Tangler, the Tarzan song, and chapter 2 of night hawking.

Location:E Puainako St,Hilo,United States

Packing it up and moving out

2010-04-14T00:29:00.000-07:00

So just a couple days left until I head back to warm waters of Hawaii.

Here's what I was up to the last couple of weeks

I bought an iPad. For someone who travels a lot like myself, it was a great purchase. Great for watching movies on planes and getting some work done. Do I really need it. Probably not.

Adal threw Jeff, Jeannie, and I a going away BBQ at his place. Couldn't of asked for a nicer day or nicer friends. We bought some real tasty meat from the Paulina Meat Market. If you plan on having a summer BBQ this year make the PMM your butcher of choice.

Went to the Vic Theater to see Julian Casablancas. I've been gone some much that I haven't been able to see many concerts. He put on a great show. I bummed I have to miss The Strokes at Lollapalooza this year.

Jeannie jump on the Groupon train and snagged us 3 seats to Cubs opening day on a roof top. I have never been up there and it was a great way to watch the game. I enjoyed it even though I root for the team on the other side of town.

So just 3 days left until I fly out and I have a busy schedule for all of them. If I don't see you before I leave, have a great summer.

-- Post From My iPad

Location:W Waveland Ave,Chicago,United States

The Month of March

2010-04-01T00:20:00.000-07:00

Well I only about 2 weeks to go until I return back to the high seas. So lets check in on what was going on during this month.

Ran the Shamrock Shuffle. Had a lot of fun and a good time for it being my first race.

Celebrated a friends Birthday. I was in charge of decorating the cake.

Traveled to our Nations Capital to do some bits.

Continued my battle with my Arch Nemesis the Pickle

Played a great game of Whirlyball.

Went to Kuma's and had one hell of a burger

Hit the Horse track. Actually won for a change.

Got paid to go crazy on a printer.

So it's 2 more weeks in Chicago then off to Hawaii. Beautiful beaches, lots of sun, and more blog updates.

Randomness

2010-03-02T14:44:00.000-08:00

I'm glad this weather is almost over

I've been doing a sketch with Brian at IO for the past 5 weeks. It's been a lot of fun.

Went to the Art Institute

Doing some shows for SC around town. This one at the UIC forum.

2010 has been my biggest brunch year to date.

Aphasia had a great show in North Carolina and we are back podcasting.

http://www.aphasiapresentssomething.com/

Enjoyed seeing some old friends in Chapel Hill

I've been to XOCO a bunch. The churros are incredible

Been hitting the gym a whole bunch. Getting ready for the Shamrock Shuffle on March 21st.

Saw my friend Julia Weiss's play. She wrote it and it is Fantastic. Please go see it.

Playing at the Cornservatory Wednesday-Saturday in March.

It's been a while. What have I been up to?

2010-01-23T12:30:00.001-08:00

Been to a whole bunch of parties. Mr. Mora has also been to those. We dance a lot.

Did a radio show for Fearlessradio.com. Thanks Adal and Joe Phillips

Went to my old High school for a madrigal reunion dinner.

I'm trying to stay warm like these guys. It's been fairly nice, but I think February is gonna be real cold.

New Years at Adal's. It was a great party!

Been through a couple of snow storms. I've seemed to be outside each time they've started up.

Played some cards with the gang. One of the things I missed the most.

Traveled to Lincoln College to perform for Jeff's old theater group. I got my leg stuck in a chair during the show.

Enjoyed a delicious lunch at Fogo de Chao with friends. And made good on my bet with Anthony.

Did my first show in a Tornado Shelter.

San Antonio to Dallas to Austin

2009-12-13T13:56:00.000-08:00

Since Jeff and I were going to be in Texas for a week we thought it best to try and blend in. So the first place we headed to was Outdoor World in San Antonio.

Jeff went with a simple rifle, but upgraded to the scope. He wanted to be able to hurt you without you ever knowing where the shot came from.

I on the other hand wanted to be able to bring down an elephant. I also wanted a gun that was as tall as me. I believe I accomplished my goal.

On Thursday we headed to Dallas. It was suppose to be a 4 hour drive, But Jeannie and I made it an all day affair when we saw an outlet mall along the way. We were suppose to get to Dallas by 6pm, but thanks to Jeannie and I we didn't get there until 9pm. On the plus side they had a Puma outlet store and I got a jacket and a new pair of shoes for $60 bucks.

On Friday we had a show at the Dallas Comedy House. The show wasn't until 9:30pm so we had some time to explore Downtown Dallas. We ended up going to the Six Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. It was very interesting to see just how small the intersection was where JFK was assassinated. It always seemed so big from the videos I've seen.

The Motorcade turned onto Elm and seconds later shots rang out.

The Book Depository Building where Lee Harvey Oswald fired from

The Grassy Knoll

Friday nights show went well. I was de-pants twice in the show. And not my improv pants my real pants. No pictures from the show, but it is on video somewhere.

Saturday Jeff had to teach a workshop at noon so Jeannie had time to explore some more.

We ended going to the Dallas Aquarium. It was pretty good. They had a cool open air rain forest exhibit. Monkeys swinging around and birds flying free. The birds flying free became an issue when I bought some crackers at the concession stand. One bird came very close to making an aerial attack on me. After that the crackers remained in my pocket until we left.

Penguins

What is a Jaguar doing at an aquarium? We were thinking the same thing.

This picture was unfortunately taken a couple seconds to late. This Manatee, I guess wasn't paying attention and swam directly into the glass and smashed his face.

Jeff finished his workshop and we headed to Austin. We did our show at The New Movement Theater and it went great. A really great show and this time my pants got to stay on.

Chicago to Texas

2009-12-09T13:31:00.001-08:00

I woke up early Tuesday morning to take the Metra train to the Blue line to get to airport. This was the site I was greeted by. The first big snow storm of the year.

I made it to the airport in plenty of time, but due to the snow my flight was delayed. I walked the airport for a bit and saw this store. I feel like taffy apples are getting real popular again.

My inflight drink of choice.

Upon landing in Texas Jeannie's family took us directly to Whataburger. I've never eating here before and it was pretty good. I was impressed how friendly the service was. It's not your everyday fast food.

For lunch today we went to a Brazilian Steakhouse. The salad bar is super big and delicious. Jeannie went crazy for the leg if lamb.

After lunch we took a drive and we saw Tim Duncan's house

We also saw a house with creepy life size children as their Christmas display.

Going to the Movies.

2009-12-03T13:56:00.000-08:00

While in Hawaii I saw a lot of movies and every time this came on it made me laugh just a little.

It played before every film.

Back in Chicago

2009-11-29T14:43:00.001-08:00

So this week has been a little crazy. Seeing friends and familly, celebrating Thanksgiving and also taking the Metra downtown everyday. Not to mention trying to find a place to live. But I have been able to do some improv with Schwa and Armando, which has been a blast.

Walked around the city on Saturday and saw the good old bean.

Went to see my cousin play highschool football at Soldier Field. His team the St. Rita Mustangs won the Prep Bowl.

Jason bought Settlers of Catan and I taught Adal and him how to play. One of the best boards games out there.

Hello Chicago

Final Days in Hawaii

2009-11-20T13:18:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I get on a flight and head back to Chicago. I leave Saturday at 5:19pm, but don't land in Chicago until 5:20am. Just in time to take a nap and then watch some football. This week has been a lot of fun due to the fact that the cast replacing us has been aboard all week learning ship and fire safety.

The new cast working on their closing number with a little help from us.

Rance loves his huge shaved ice and his new friend. He ate both of them.

Piero ordered the one item on the menu that requires you to dress in authentic mexican clothes to eat it.

I have enjoyed Hawaii and I will miss it, but I am very glad to be heading home to see friends and family.

11 days to go

2009-11-10T13:33:00.000-08:00

Only 4 days until Rance, Deanna, Jen, Larrance, Mike, and Piero arrive. This is the first time on a cast change over that we will be able to hang out with the new cast. Due to coastguard regulation, the new cast has to come a week early and learn about fire safety and what not. So our last week will be even better.(Ryan Archibald is pictured, but will not be coming)

Today was the great change jar redeeming. I've been filling this dry roasted peanut jar for the past 6 months and after all those quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies I ended up with $50.06. It was more then I thought I was going to get. The downfall was I had a lot of Euro in the jar and it was taking up precious American space.

20 days to go!

2009-11-01T18:03:00.000-08:00

Less then 3 weeks until my return to Chicago.

Here's what is happening in my world today.

Spotted this little guy last night. I thought it was a trick, but it turned out to be a treat. One of the best baby costumes I've seen in a while.

After I picked up my computer at the Apple store Saturday morning Jeannie and I had some time to kill before going to the movies. Jeannie talked me into getting a pedicure with her. My feet felt much better afterwards. I had a lot of foot skin to lose.

On Thursday Jeff, Jeannie and I went to the Wilcox plantation for a little Kauai history. We rode the train around the plantation and also got to feed some goats and pigs. What more could you want.

Look who's long lost brother I found.(A joke that only my family would know)

I'm happy my days of eating here are coming to an end.

29 days left

2009-10-23T13:31:00.000-07:00

I'll be home for the holidays very soon and I'm getting excited. A couple of things to discuss.

1st. Aphasia has been honored by Rance Rizzutto. I've never been on a pumpkin before.

2nd. Jeff and I went golfing yesterday in Kauai. We've been here so long and this was the first time we went. I might go one more time before we leave this Island.

3rd. We pass an active volcano every week. It looks great from the ship, but you never get a good picture. This was best one I have.

Shopping edition

2009-10-13T14:45:00.000-07:00

No pumpkin carving this year :(

Honeycrisp apples are back!!! Best apples in the world.

Still on my search for a knife only box. They are still getting the shaft.

These cookies are made by the devil.

It begins!!!

2009-10-11T00:14:00.001-07:00

I'll believe it when I feel a weather change.

To be honest with you

2009-09-30T20:36:00.000-07:00

Some random photos from the week.

A Tsunami Warning was issued, but it never made it to Hawaii.

While the rest of the class did yoga she gave her husband a weird massage.

I believe this photo speaks for itself.

To be honest with you

2009-09-23T18:21:00.001-07:00

Jeannie did a great job decorating my door

We celebrate my Birthday on Saturday by heading to Wet & Wild water park in Honolulu. It was a very fun day. The cast did a great job making my 27th birthday a fun one. And let's just I have a lot of Jamba bucks to spend.

To be honest with you

2009-09-18T15:38:00.001-07:00

I was excited about the animal Halloween

costumes, but less excited that I no longer could steal them with out being caught.

Hello old friend. We have now hit single digit weeks until I see you again. I do enjoy the nice weather that Hawaii has offered, but I need a little chill.

To be honest with you

2009-09-07T00:59:00.000-07:00

Napali Coast Hiking Trip

Robyn, Chris and I Hiked about 8 miles of beautiful Hawaiian coast line. It was great!! It made me a little sad that I wasn't able to perform in Acadia, Maine this year. I really wanted to do some hiking there this year. Hiking is wonderful.

To be honest with you

2009-08-25T16:21:00.001-07:00

Growing up I was never one to eat my fruits and vegetables. My mother would always have to remind me to eat some. Since changing into healthy Brett last year I can't get enough of them. Sometimes I think I'm eating to many. So remember kids, listen to your mother and eat those fruits and vegetables.

To be honest with you

2009-08-22T22:26:00.001-07:00

Did some bowling on Thursday night in Kauai.

Took advantage of the nice weather in Honolulu and walked around a bit before heading to the Apple store to download some things.

I saw 2 very excellent movies this week as well.

Do yourself a favor and see these flicks.

To be honest with you

2009-08-18T16:23:00.000-07:00

Had a lot of fun last week with our Director Matt Hovde and Producer Nate Dufort. Only 13 more weeks to go!! Hopefully we will have some more visitors to break up our normal routines.

To be honest with you

2009-08-14T14:25:00.000-07:00

Two cool things I saw this week.

Snorkeled with this Turtle.

Sunset on the Volcano.

To be honest with you

2009-08-07T14:27:00.000-07:00

I recently got back into using Ebay for my buying and selling needs. I sold my old Ipod shuffle for $30 bucks and was pretty happy about that. I am very excited for the 2 items I've bought so far. Hopefully they will arrive in the mail this week. Nerd City!!

To be honest with you

2009-08-04T17:21:00.001-07:00

Today was our once a month appearence at boat drill. Today I got to sit in the hallway and pretend to be someone who needed a wheelchair. Then I got carried down 3 flights of stairs in a wheelchair. Fun times.

To be honest with you

2009-07-31T03:27:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite weeks of the year and I am gonna miss it. I guess I'll have to go into the ocean with some chum and have a real shark week.*

*I'd never do that. Sharks scare me when they're not in TV form.

To be honest with you

2009-07-31T03:12:00.000-07:00

Dear Itunes,

I really hope you make the new season available for download quickly.

Thank You

To be honest with you

2009-07-28T18:42:00.000-07:00

Went to both ends of Haleakala National Park. On one end I stood underneath a 400 ft waterfall and on the other end watched the sun rise. Two very amazing sites in 2 days.

To be honest with you

2009-07-23T19:33:00.000-07:00

It's been raining all day. Just buckets upon buckets of rain. There is never any lightning or thunder though. I miss the lightning and thunder Chicago always gave me.

To be honest with you

2009-07-21T19:43:00.001-07:00

I took a flight on the plane above from Maui to Honolulu the other day. Before take off I notice a great deal of smoke coming from under my feet.( You can see it in the picture above) Since we were about to take off Robyn and I had a quiet lengthy panicked debate if we should tell someone. I finally hit the call button to report it. About 10 seconds after I did the stewardess came on the intercom and said " That smoke your seeing is not smoke it's Steam. it's just the hot air mixing with the cold air." Robyn and I began to laugh a lot about the situation and then the stewardess came back to ask us what we want in a very sassy tone. I told her that she had answered my concern about the smoke. Then Robyn and I kind of laughed in her face. I pretty sure she hated me from then on.

To be honest with you

2009-07-21T19:40:00.000-07:00

It took me 25 years to discover how delicious Cheesecake is. I also know thats it's made out of pure evil. Sweet, sweet, delicious evil

To be honest with you

2009-07-15T19:49:00.001-07:00

We were heading up to see the volcano crater and we came across these 2 guys hang gliding. Man did it look like fun.

One of the coolest places I've ever seen.

To be honest with you

2009-07-11T23:06:00.001-07:00

Meet Professor Benjamin

I razz Jeannie a lot about her birthday being a whole week long. Today we went to Tea at 1024 and I could not keep the smile off my face. It was to much!! We got to choose our tea cups from a shelf and then were told we could go pick costumes to drink our tea in. Looks like her birthday week started off on the right Tea!! Maybe I'll make my birthday a week long event this year.

To be honest with you

2009-07-08T14:33:00.001-07:00

Waterfalls are in my top ten.

To be honest with you

2009-07-06T01:49:00.001-07:00

The perfect fireworks watching snack!

To be honest with you

2009-07-06T01:43:00.001-07:00

Our July 4th sail away. We left Honolulu at 8pm which was just in time to see the fireworks from the harbor. It was a good show. The Honolulu skyline is pretty boring during the day, but it gets a little better night.

To be honest with you

2009-07-04T21:48:00.000-07:00

I haven't read any of the Harry Potter books, but I love all the movies. I am very excited to see this movie.

To be honest with you

2009-07-03T23:27:00.001-07:00

That's a good looking sunset.

To be honest with you

2009-07-01T19:36:00.000-07:00

On the last ship I was on The NCL Gem my cast mates were really into snorkeling. I was not. I am scared of a lot of things. One of my biggest fears is being attacked by a shark. Jaws is one of my favorite movies, but it also made me very afraid to go into the ocean. Being in Hawaii has changed me. I've gone snorkeling a couple of times and have enjoyed it very much. I even faced my fear and swam with a shark. It wasn't my choice to swim with him. I mean I was in his house and he came home early. The shark was about 5 feet long and swam right under Jeff and I. Was I freaked out? Yes. Did I keep my cool? Yes. It didn't cure my fear. I am still very afraid of sharks, but a little cooler about it. Now lets get to what this post is really about. My excellent purchase from amazon of an underwater case for my camera. These shots are from our snorkeling trip on Monday. The water was pretty cloudy, but I think these turned out great. I can't wait to take pictures when the water is real clear.

To be honest with you

2009-07-01T19:24:00.000-07:00

This is a volcano sending lava into the pacific ocean. It's very hard to get a good picture of it with my iphone or regular camera. We go past it every Tuesday at 9:45pm and I never miss it. Every week it changes in some way. I'm a big fan of nature shows like Planet Earth, Man vs Wild and National Geographic. So this is right up my alley. I love this volcano.

To be honest with you

2009-06-30T15:02:00.001-07:00

So this I believe was 2 years ago. This guy was almost 300 pounds and couldn't sleep with out a machine to help him breath. I'm glad this guy isn't around anymore.

To be honest with you

2009-06-27T14:13:00.001-07:00

You know the week is over when the suitcase parade passes by. 3 months down 5 more to go.

To be honest with you

2009-06-26T15:15:00.001-07:00

Two things I find cool

Old Time National Park Signs

Active Volcanos

Something that isn't cool

Riding in a tender boat.

It's like being in an oven

To be honest with you

2009-06-24T17:39:00.001-07:00

Tennis is right up on top of my list of favorite sports to play.

This shadowy figure is Ota. My new tennis hero. He gave Chris and I a free lesson today.

To be honest with you

2009-06-23T14:32:00.001-07:00

I am sad about 2 things today

Missing summertime is Chicago

The weekly poker game

To be honest with you

2009-06-22T19:56:00.001-07:00

I went 26 years without ever trying avocado. I tried it last night. I waited 26 years to taste nothing.

To be honest with you

2009-06-22T02:42:00.001-07:00

I laughed out loud when I saw this trailor.

To be honest with you

2009-06-20T14:31:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite drink on earth.

To be honest with you

2009-06-19T23:45:00.001-07:00

I think waterfalls are the bomb.

I'm not gonna lie to you.

To be honest with you

2009-06-19T15:42:00.001-07:00

I am a very big supporter of dogs wearing clothes. I think it should be mandatory.

To be honest with you

2009-06-19T13:48:00.001-07:00

If I buy these shoes will I get all those cool vampire powers?

To be honest with you

2009-06-19T01:56:00.000-07:00

I am all for Harmonica bands.