These things going on

Tonight I get to be the puppet master :)

At random intervals I will flick one of three switches. Said switches trigger a wailing siren and light show that will wake up three couples, one of which will have to tend to a fake baby, depending on which switch is flipped. Daily I wonder how I got myself into this situation, marvelling at the twists and turns, paths abruptly stopping and starting, choices. I'm oddly compelled by what I do so I am happy with it for now, who knows how long it will last or what surprises might be in store for me.

And this train of thought usually leads me down the path of wondering where different choices would have landed me. Twice now over the past few months Multiple Universe Theory has popped up while entertaining myself and its always intriguing. Physicists and those other brilliant minds that expend all their mental faculties thinking about time theorize that timelines exist for every -

My job is crazy, as I'll interject here an example of the lunacy I deal with on a day to day basis. One of the three couples just seperated explosively. Two hours ago, all's well. Now, 1:44am, all's not well and it looks like someone's going to get punched. It is riotously funny though because these people we work with are caricatures. Two people were fighting like normal. Then person #3 tells the instigator they did something stupid and the instigator went from 0 to light speed in somewhere around a half a second. This house is huge and you can hear the cursing from one end to another. And I heard at least 1400 f-bombs in the last 6 minutes :) Fear not, person #3 has adopted the fake baby of the newly seperated couple but they can't remember the words to Jack and Jill. That's when I surprise myself by remembering the words having not heard it for probably 27 years now. 1:50am: all's quiet. We'll see how long this lasts.

- choice we make. Every fork in the road every one of us takes creates a new timeline. Like reading a choose your own adventure book over and over and exploring the ins and outs of every combination of choices. I never had the patience for this because I always looked ahead to make sure my choice was right, the fear of failure causing me to cheat. I wish I could do the same thing now.

In 2046, Wong Kar-wai wrote a beautiful piece of dialogue. Tony Leung's writer lives in an apartment building and witnesses the lives and loves of people around him. While observing the love affair between his chinese landlord's daughter and a japanese businessman he starts to fall in love with her. While watching her smoke a cigarette on the roof he wonders something along the lines of: If I could go back and make different choices could they possibly put me on a different path that would lead me to a realtionship with her. I'll wager I've butchered this and it sounds better in Leung's measured mandarin. Kar-wai is one of my favorite filmmakers, Leung is one of the best actors alive and the story is hauntingly beautiful, leaping back and forth between affirming and heartbreaking. Faye Wong plays the daughter. Rarely has there ever been a greater mix of beauty and talent.

The theory also recently popped up in an episode of FlashForward but it was far less beautiful and used more as a "we're so smart!" analogy so it only really bears mentioning at all because it makes me wonder if I'm using it as an "I'm so smart!" analogy. Hmmmmmmm. Anyway it reminded me of the monologue in 2046 so BOOM!

I more think about the theory because I like to think that along other timelines I haven't made the stupid mistakes I'm forced to deal with in this one. I'd like to think that I'm smart enough that I'm not an idiot in infinite timelines, that I'd get it right one way or another at least a couple times. My roomate/boss is concerned that the only thing that will right my wrongs is a responsible girlfriend. My whole life I've believed that there is no problem that arises that I can't solve myself, especially all the problems that plague me. I'm becoming concerned that he's right because he was in the same spot. What kind of quandary is that? I'm hesitant to date anyone because I'd feel like an asshole to saddle them with my problems but maybe the only way to solve the problems is to date someone responsible who'll fix them.

Today my looming homeless scenario resolved itself. As soon as I walked into work one of the guys who used to live at our horrible house told me a friend of his was looking to split his one bedroom. Dirt cheap temporary solution. One problem solved miraculously, a solution fallen into my lap. Now if a responsible woman would fall in my lap apparently I'd be all set.

Found out today work is skinny through January and February so the gig in New York will be a delightful diversion. Other than that I need to reach out and see what else is out there. Been a while since I've legitimately placed those calls. I have that nervous excited terrified feeling in the pit of my stomach that I'm about to enter the next phase of my life.

Plenty of time for all that after I wander around and see if neanderthals are hitting each other.

It's 2:32 am and the switches haven't been hit once. I've just been sitting here listening to the tech guys play bad Italian house music and tell bad jokes and I've been threatened twice because I refuse to laugh at them. It should be a crime that I get paid to do this.

We're all in stitches that the last show we made is causing MTV to get bombarded for promoting violence against women and racial stereotyping. Pretty much guarentees the ratings from episode three to four will double and we'll be making the second season next summer. Reality tv is diabolical. And all because someone had a camera on when a scumbag punched a girl. The Real World destroyed tv.

I found out today that a former friend of mine is on one of my favorite new tv comedies. I met this girl at Boston University. Super cute and very smart, we hit it off because she was also from Maine. After sophomore year she either transferred or changed majors and I didn't see her again. I graduated in '99. In 2002 I was living at home for a year, banking money for my doomed trip to Long Island when, lo and behold, channel surfing I see her on MTV. No, can't be. Waited for end credits, never showed cast. Hmmmm. Exercised patience, one episode of a marathon, sweet! Opening credits there she was. I thought it was hilarious. The show probably still stands as the worst thing I've ever seen on TV, and that is a miracle when one considers the new Melrose Place. Thinking of it makes me want to dig my eyes out, yet I feel compelled to keep watching it. So masochistic. Anyway, YAY! A friend of mine is on a major network TV show. I never watch it again. After Long Island explodes in my face I crash in New York City with a buddy. Opening night Terminator 3 I get back from the bank I work at late, rush to the ridiculously packed theater, scan the crowd for my friends. Obviously first in line they have the cherry row in the center dominated, empty seat in the middle for me. -

2:47am: the couple that exploded an hour ago are having the try to talk it out talk. This won't work because the guy, our "victim", is a normal guy, good looking, not intelligent, but normal. His girl is a train wreck. He has finally realized it and there is nothing she can say to change his mind.

3:10am: conversation continues. One couple sleeps which means my reign of terror is about to begin.

TAG! BACK IN! - I do the theater sideways walk, crotch to face for those curious, and as I'm about to take my seat I see my friend from BU sitting directly behind me. While recognition is dawning on me she recognizes me and we have our big "holy shit! what a small world" reunion. I ask her about the show, she's now an actress, congrats. She moved to the area live in the area, we should get together and grab coffee, sweet, great seeing you, talk soon. T3 = 2003. Fast forward to '09, I can't place where I know this actress from on one of my favorite new comedies. Finally catch the end credits of episode 5 and there she is. Its always a fun discovery.

Stream of consciousness is becoming a fun way of killing time. So far, 2 hours 15 minutes.

3:17am: Sleeping couple is awake. I might not have to do anything tonight.

Purchased a fresh new copy of Catcher in the Rye today. When I start rereading it that will make the third book I am currently rereading. Somewhere in this jamble I want to try to come up with a way to mash the stories together. How interesting would it be to jumble the characters and goings ons of Catcher in the Rye, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and American Psycho. I read damn good literature.

3:23am: The feuding couple is cuddling on a couch and seem to be on the mend. My faith renewed that these people I work around are the cream of the crop of stupid people and should not be allowed to breed. Or our producers should quit working these obnoxious hours and become handsomely paid couples counselors.

Raining again tonight but because I'm responsible for the air raid sirens and devilish light show I'm stuck in a room with a blairing heater. I'm f'ing hot but I know how miserable I've been the past few nights so I refuse to turn it off. Gluttony.-

3:40pm: The exploded couple is reunited, they have resumed control of their fake baby and are moving back in to the bedroom. The things I see are indescribable and go contrary to any kind of reason or logic. Its like watching behavioral chaos theory. Anything can happen anytime and is controlled only by whimsy. They sleep next to each other but there is a rift so my faith in man is still hanging by a thread.

The other day I was watching a movie trailer and Jean Reno told the story of the creation of man according to Greek myth. The gods created man because they were bored. -

3:48am: Bedroom lights out. The madness is now really about to begin.

-Man could not entertain the gods so they created women because they were still bored. Man and woman together could still not entertain the gods so they created love.-

:) 4am: first switch flipped. Chaos. They are also playing music and audio of a screaming, crying baby. Brilliant torture. Wouldn't have been shocked if it had been ripped straight out of A Clockwork Orange.

-And in creating love they created happiness and tragedy. Here they were finally entertained but realized that these emotions were too much for mankind to handle so they created laughter to help us survive.

4:15am: 15 minutes of chaos later. Cast is mortified. Crew is all in stitches.

Just under three hours to kill before relief arrives. Raining chaos every thirty minutes or so. Heading out into the cold until the next cacophany. I hope everyone else sleeps soundly.

Be seein' you :)