FINISH HIM!

The LAST time I bought a gaming console was during freshman year of college. I remember going into a Kay Bee Toy Store at a mall in Richmond, VA--possibly Cloverleaf, but that cannot be verified at this time--and dropping over 100 bones for it, but walking away with a great sense of elation.  Freshman and sophomore years were filled with many nights of Mortal Kombat 2 tourneys in my dorm room.  Then I remember being hooked on Super Mario World.  The ultimate addiction came during my Senior year, when my homeboy, Rashad, let me borrow the latest incarnation of the Legend of Zelda.  I think I hibernated for a week in my dorm room.  Even skipped some classes.  I sometimes wonder now if my acting suffers today, because I missed some valuable lessons during that Zelda binge.

After defeating Zelda, things started to go downhill. I became bored with the SNES.  Life was on the verge of turning a new page.  "Real life" loomed on the outside of the dorm walls.  Graduation drew near.

In 1997, I resolved to give up buying the latest greatest game consoles, because they would just continue to upgrade every year, and that was a habit I couldn't afford.

So I took up smoking.

No, I didn't.

I did watch as the game consoles evolved over the years. The controllers became more complex, developing more buttons than any one individual has fingers. The graphics went from Pong to Final Fantasy.  When feeling brave, I'd even vie for an opportunity to lose at Madden (insert early 2000's) to a friend or little cousin.

Then came the PlayStation 3, in all of its sexiness--Blu-Ray DVD player, Netflix Streaming, Internets, Blu-Ray DV--I already said that. I resisted it for too long.  Finally last week, it got the best of me.  I have Target in Fair Lakes to thank for having 1 console left.  I have always loved fantasy/adventure games, so I got the "God of War" Collection, which has the 1st 2 games.  Then a couple of days ago, I stopped at Game Stop (appropriately named) in Vienna, and accidentally walked out with 2 more games on purpose--after paying, of course.  "Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe" and "Fight Night Round 3."

I've already been sucked into "God of War." I just played "MK vs. DCU" for the first time yesterday.  I played FNR3 after I bought it.

I can feel my world shifting again.

When I sleep, I dream of "X, X, ^, O" combinations.  R2+O. L1, L1, X.

If I disappear, just have my roommate check my room.  I could very well be overdosing on the beautiful sound of "LIU KANG WINS!"

Pray for me, Church!

Let Grow and Let God

As Mr. Primm in Lyle

I have finally let go of it all--my hair, not my past.  I still need help with the latter.  I started growing my hair a little over a year ago, when I was performing in Lyle the Crocodile at Imagination Stage.  No real reason.  Just because I could. 

By the time Teddy Roosevelt and the Ghostly Mistletoe rolled around in December, I had a nice lil afro.  I combed and groomed it daily. . . even talked to it to help it grow (don't judge!).

The thought to let it grow and NOT comb it actually came from my own mother.  It was January, and Teddy was closed.  I thought why not.  Never did it before.  It'd be a new venture.

So then began the growth--mentally, spiritually, and follicly. (Incorrect grammar intentional.) Theatre work wasn't pouring in, but film work started to pick back up.  I managed to do 3 films from Feburary to June (When Life Gives You Shoestrings, Indigo Heart, and The New "N" Word), all the while managing to keep the ever-growing do.  I'd resolved to keep the hair until a paying acting gig came along that required me to cut it.

Teddy Roosevelt and the Ghostly Mistletoe (Kennedy Center's Theatre for Young Audiences)

Alas, the day has come, in the form of Bunnicula. Full circle.  Back at Imagination Stage, where the growth began, and now has ended.

No tears.  No remorse.  Just puppy-dog eyes:

My face mourns!