2002-03-05 :: 2:29 a.m.

like sands through the hourglass, so are the pints of our lives

Soundtrack: Old 97's, Satellite Rides [Limited] (Disc 1)

Tonight I got drunk with my director Jerome, my actor Reif, my friend Aaron, and Aaron's high school buddy Jason. Now this director and actor business is for an improv soap opera whose title is a play on Days Of Our Lives, which is Jason's show, on which he is a main, and so this was really quite astounding -- to have a real actor, from the television show which we have studied for our theater show, come to rehearsal and sit in the audience and surprise everyone after. The cast originally didn't believe us that he really works on Days. But he really does.

Jerome and I were the only ones who knew, and the only reason Jerome knew was so it wouldn't be absurd when these two guys came in during the tech and he freaked out on headset. I'd discussed this with Aaron a while ago when we celebrated getting jobs over pints of Newcastle at Wick Pub. I told him I was stage managing an improv soap opera, and he told me his old high school buddy was on Days, and actually coming to visit soon if he could get some time off from the show, and it all spiraled from there. Because Jason's schedule is so crazy, I didn't say a word until I had confirmation that he was really, truly coming to our sleepy town to hang with Aaron (who graciously shared his personal time with us -- v. kind).

We sat around in the GCB, drank pints of Harpoon, and discussed Jerome's internship at Dreamworks (the original trailer for American Beauty was horrible because they didn't know how to make a trailer for a non-formula movie), Jason's thoughts on life as a soap opera main (11 hour days, 6 days a week, he had just come in from doing a personal appearance in Iowa), and being in a great audience for a movie (Jason saw Star Wars: Episode I with a bunch of crazy fanboys on opening day at Mann's Chinese). And of course we discussed the show and our thoughts as we wind into the dress rehearsals and performance weekend.

I sat, poured another pint, and thought to myself: here in college I can have this; here, now, and when ever again? When I am in a bank, working from 6:30AM until 9:30PM? When? How much more of these beautiful, absurd moments will I have? And somehow I know they'll continue, it always seems like I'll never top the last crazy story, and yet another bizarre occurrence comes along. Still -- they're so sweet in college, in these final heartbeats, even with the work I've left to do, and especially when I know it's coming to a close. All that pre-nostalgia nostalgia. It's what makes us forget all the bullshit along the way, these moments. Moments of drinking with your friends and a soap star in your college bar.

I'd forgotten how good Old 97's are when you're drunk, or coming off being drunk. It's too bad I can't stay up until I pass out of exhaustion talking to my friends tonight when I've a 10:30AM class tomorrow (with my sister, no less).