Misc.

-Because I love learning, I've signed up for another college class for this fall. Auto mechanics! It's one of those non-credit courses that community colleges offer to the non-students, and I'm pumped about it. 10 weeks of auto repair learnin'. I know the basics about cars, but I've always wanted to know more. I'm also excited about the blog fodder this class may provide.

-The improv troupe I'm in is featured in this month's Baltimore Style magazine! Click here to see a photo of the page. And here is the text:

A perky Alabama girl directs a kung fu epic. Two men, one apparently named Sandra,hang out in a bowling alley passionately arguing about whether Detroit is better than Flint (Michigan, that is.) A janitor teaches a philosophy, and a criminal is interrogated for stealing frog's legs.

You never know what bizarre scenario you'll see at a performance of the Baltimore Improv Group (BIG). And part of the fun is the actors don't know, either.

Founded in January 2004, and comprised of 13 members, including a naval officer, a reporter, an accountant, a psychotherapist, an electrical engineer and two college sophomores, BIG is the most recent addition to Baltimore improv scene. "There has been improv here for a long time, so we're building on the efforts of other people," says Mike Subelsky, founder and president of BIG, citing The Early Monday Morning Show, The Flying Tongues, and Johns Hopkins' student group Buttered Niblets. "Our mission is just to promote the art of improv in Baltimore."

The two troupes within BIG, Few Bricks Shy and Mainstage, perform two different types of improv shows. "Short form," undertaken by Few Bricks Shy, is similar to TV's "Whose Line is It Anyway?" with games, lots of audience participation and many different characters and scenes. Mainstage's "long form" or "improv theater" features longer scenes and isn't necessarily comic. (Although, says me, BIG's artistic director, "our shows still usually end up being really funny.")

Families are more than welcome and BIG rates its shows PG-13. "We don't do 'blue' humor," says me. "But that doesn't mean we don't occasionally touch on a topic that a younger kid shouldn't be sitting around for."

Every show has its share of memorable moments. Subelsky once had to incorporate the line "The Yankees rule!" into a discussion about the Bible, and me recalls crawling into a sink during the "Dishwashing Olympics." As nerve-racking as winging it might seen,, being goofy onstage can actually be a sweet release from everyday pressures.

"The great thing about improv is that just when you're getting stuck, when your mind goes blank, something will come out Like, 'Oh, I'll just get into the sink," says me. "The best stuff will come out when you have nothing in mind." — Anne Howard

Baltimore Improv Group teaches classes year-round. Contact training@bigimprov.org for more details. Few Bricks Shy performs at Christ Lutheran Church, 701 S. Charles St., on Sept 17 and Oct. 22. Mainstage presents its ‘Holiday Spectacular!’ at the church on Dec.3. www.bigimprov.org

Isn't that awesome? Man, we are thrilled to have been featured! As for the magainze photo, well, that wasn't our idea to be posed like that. A little strange and artsy for a bunch of weirdos like us. But whatever, at least we're in the magazine.

And also - what is up with my hair? Why did no one ever tell me my hair looks like that from the side? I'm getting it cut every week from now on. Somedays I wish I could get away with a shaved head, but that'd be weird and who knows how knobby my head is. You know, 'cause of all that brain my skull is trying to hold in. Yes. Giant brain.

-Beware, citizens of Maryland and DC, my brother is coming to town this weekend. Who knows what kind of trouble we'll get into. I doubt he's bringing any fireworks with him, but if you hear any explosions or you see a car driving around with a cup on top of it - it's not us. I swear.