Butterflies and Basements

This is my second attempt at a blog entry today, as I lost the first one after trying to use the blog spell check and being told I had to turn off my pop up protector. So I turned it off, and it immediately rebooted my page and deleted everything. So much for spell checking this blog ever again.

Once again, I've failed in my promise to post more regularly. I guess I just don't ever think I have anything that interesting to say. I'm not one of those bloggers that thinks, "Hey! I just got a clever idea about a drain cleaner commercial I saw today! I should share it with the world." So bear with me as I try to dream up ways to post more frequently.

I spoke this morning at the Pella Christian High School Chapel. Fellow youth director, and great speaker in his own right, Todd Zylstra was there as well. During the opening music, right before I went up to speak, Todd leaned over and asked, "Do you get nervous before you speak too?" I answered that I did - often feeling nauseous. To which Todd responded, "Right before I speak I always wonder 'Why do I even do this?'" And I had to admit I often feel the same way.

Before nearly every speaking or comedy show I have, I always get the same attack of the butterflies and think to myself, "There's got to be something less stressful I could choose to do with my life!" I think it's a pretty typical reaction for most speakers to have, and the key is to learn how to go on without letting it affect you. But I don't know if it ever really gets better. I've talked to guys who've been speaking professionally for years and make their living at it, and they all tend to think the same way. One even told me that right before he goes on stage, he always hopes the show gets cancelled for some reason so he doesn't have to go on. And this guy makes his living at it!

The talk went all right this morning. Everyone seemed to be paying attention and responded well. But those Pella Christian kids are so well behaved you never really know. I had to speak on prayer, and used 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18.

My next show is in December, and I'm pretty psyched because it's a poetry gig. I wish they all were, but I'll take them where I can get them.

My next year is shaping up really well as far as speaking goes. I'm booked great for the first six months. Several of the engagements are week long, and I get to spend a lot of time with the Sioux Falls crew.

So we had some tornado action here in Iowa over the weekend. I guess one touched down and destroyed a Casey's General Store only a scant few blocks from my sister and brother-in-law Amber and Kyle's place. My brother Chris and I were driving right through the storm as we headed up to Iowa Falls to see my friend Mike in a production of Death of a Salesman.

The weather wasn't honestly all that bad on the way up - a lot of lightning, a little wind, and a little rain. We stopped in to eat at an Italian restaurant called Clark & Addison when we got into town. After ordering our drinks and food, we were ushered down to the basement because the tornado siren started going off.

Normally, a basement would feel like the safest place to be during a tornado, but we weren't so comforted. As the waitress opened the door to go downstairs, we suddenly heard the loud rush of water. There was a large pipe along one wall that was apparently bringing water off the roof and taking it to the sewer, and it had sprung a major leak. Water was shooting out of the hole at about the power of a garden hose turned on full blast with someone's finger partially covering the nozzle.

So we walked through inch deep water to stand in a ten by ten foot space that looked a little less stable than a lean-to made of sticks and mud. After forty minutes, and all the free drinks and Gardetto's we could stomach, we headed back upstairs to eat our meal. The food turned out to be cheap and fantastic. I had a meatball sandwich, and it's the best I've had in a while. So as far as Clark and Addison's is concerned, I'd give the food and service a 9.5, and the basement bunker a -2.

On the way out of the place, I kid you not, every single waitress, hostess, and cook (six or so people in all) told us to have a good night. So I tried extra hard to make sure I did.

Death of a Salesman was a fine play put on by the community of Iowa Falls at Ellsworth Community College. Mike had prepared me to think that it was going to be a travesty of a production, and we'd regret coming, but we thought it went just great. Mike did a great job as Biff Loman, and we had fun. Although the 6 free Diet Coke's I'd gotten at the restaurant made the two hour plus play a little too long for my taste.

Till next time, and I'll try to make sure it's soon,

Jason