12:10 PM - 09.05.16
A Shameless-ly Edible Latin Groove

Earlier this week, I found out someone I really like, someone who just exudes love and kindness, is a Christian.

While it's not the first time that's happened (My friend Tim G. is a Christian - a conservative, no less! - and a delightful fellow I'm happy to call my friend), the fact that my gut reaction to this revelation was genuine surprise speaks volumes about the often hateful, bigoted public face of Christianity.

In my view, when I have to consciously remind myself, "Oh yeah, all Christians aren't mean-spirited, judgmental assholes..."? Especially when we're talking about a religion that's supposed to be all about love and compassion?

That's a problem.

Labor Day (Or, in my world, "Monday"...since I always have Mondays off).

The Y is only open a half-day today, so since there wasn't going to be Zumba this evening, I took a "Latin Groove" class at 9:30, with someone I haven't had before (Thea, my Zumba instructor on Mondays and Wednesdays, had told me she was coming to the class, so that was a big motivator to get myself there and not blow it off).

The class seemed deceptively easy at first, with the instructor having us do one move through entire songs. But keeping that up, while following the little variations he was throwing at us, without falling out-of-rhythm, was more challenging than I thought.

And there was a "method to the madness" - the last bit of class then involved progressions using all the individual moves we'd just been doing. Anyway, I was a little frustrated at times, but I liked it. It was challenging enough that, while I wouldn't want to do it instead of Thea's class - cause she's great, and her routines are fun - I could see doing both if I were feeling ambitious, or doing like today, and taking it if/when I can't do the Monday night class for some reason.

Anyway...

So "Part I" of my big plan for today has been completed.

"Part II" involves going to the movies, which I haven't done in quite some time (Since having my falling-out with Howard, who was my moving-going companion for a number of years, I've had a hard time getting back into going to movies alone).

I'm going to see Don't Think Twice (Which I keep wanting to call "Don't Look Twice"). It's a Mike Birbiglia comedy about the trials and tribulations of an improv troupe. I'd hoped it would make its way to my cheap matinee place in Los Feliz...and since things always work out the way I want them to (!), it finally has.

I joked with a friend yesterday that this movie might trigger some PTSD about my time in improv class at IO West.

For the most part, I was joking, but just learning of the movie made me think about my improv class experience, and how hugely stressful it was (I was never able to relax. I never got past feeling like I had to "perform", and make something funny happen, or my fear of looking stupid).

(In the time since, I've sometimes thought it might have been better if I'd never tried it, because then I could have lived with the pleasant fantasy that "I'd probably be pretty good at improv if I ever tried it...".)

After the movie, I don't know what happens - maybe get a coffee or something? - but beyond that, I guess it's "go back home, and maybe do some laundry".

(I just contacted X - who offered me a pot "edible" because I recently had a disappointing experience with one, which I'll tell you about momentarily. And since he lives in Los Feliz, I wanted to see if we can make the exchange while I'm "in the neighborhood".)

So what else is going on...?

Shot my 5th Shameless of the season (Ep #707, for the record) on Friday.

The original call-time was 11:00 am, but they moved it to 1:00, and for some reason, that really threw me (More often than not, Alibi scenes are shot in the a.m.). I think I had just planned, in my head, for the day to go "a certain way", based on the time I assumed I would or wouldn't have due to the shoot.

(I ended up feeling guilty that I didn't go to Weight Watchers, which I totally could have done, and bad that I didn't get to do Zumba, which I totally could not have done.)

And the call-time made for a longer day, because we had to break for lunch between the two scenes (Not much for "Kermit" to do - In one of the scenes, I didn't even have lines - but I got what I thought was a funny line in the one scene, and I'll probably get a couple good reaction shots in my "wordless" scene, so I was relatively satisfied).

The day went fine (It was cool that John Wells himself was directing the episode, since that was the first "face-time" I've had with him since the Season 6 wrap party. And once again, he was very nice). I kinda wish I hadn't gone to town on the fucking craft-service doughnuts, but apparently, I don't care enough about my weight to try and control myself around food anymore.

I'm in an interesting place with Shameless. I still enjoy doing it, and I'm fearful of what will happen when it inevitably gets cancelled, but at the same time, I'm just feeling a constant drumbeat of "I wish I were doing more..." (As I've said to my therapist, "I want to be an important part of a really great show. I want to be one of the reasons a great show is a great show. I want to be one of the reasons people are watching". But anyway...).

While I was on set, someone - for the 2nd time - told me about their pot "edibles" business, but this time, offered me a little "freebie" (In convenient capsule form).

I've never smoked pot on a regular basis, and have even less experience with edibles (I think my last edible was a hash brownie sometime in the 80s), so this was going to be a fun "adventure" for me.

Or so I thought.

After some debate, I decided to take it on Saturday afternoon, after work.

So I did.

And I waited. And waited. And waited some more.

But other than a certain "analgesic" effect, I wasn't getting anything.

Turned out my friend had given me the wrong sample of a new product - Instead of giving me the version with THC (Where the "high" in pot comes from), I got the non-THC one with a purely medicinal, pain-relieving effect.

In the moment, I was pretty disappointed - as I said, this was gonna be a little "adventure" for me - but after the fact, it was kind of funny, because I'd really worried over "how high" I was gonna get (Wondering if I might get paranoid and need to call someone, if I'd be together enough to go to the store or what-have-you, etc).

Cause I didn't know what to expect.

(10:50 pm)

Well, saw my little movie (Don't Think Twice)...

It was all right.

The bigger deal was simply that I went (And walked, too - Between that and Latin Groove this morning, I logged over 20,000 steps today). I think it's important that I do things.

On the way home, I met up with X, outside his apartment, and he gave me my little edible gift (Which I was tempted to consume on the way home...but I decided to wait till at least tomorrow afternoon).

X said eat half the thing - a candy "peach-banana" ring - if I want a pleasant buzz, or the whole thing if I want something more "intense".

As of this writing, I'm thinking I'm gonna go with "intense".

Stay tuned...

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