Insomnia

at Massmouth last month in Boston, where I was judged harshly for going off topic. Photo by Paula H.S. Junn. 
I've kind of been burning the candle at both ends, if working in a gym and making appearances at local storytelling venues can be considered burning the candle at both ends.  I'm a featured reader this Thursday at Story Club, and I couldn't sleep because I was thinking about what to read.  Meanwhile, I've been ignoring this blog.  I thought I'd stop in and say "hi", and post this goofy picture of me telling my UTI story to a Boston audience.  While the judges at Massmouth gave me a bad score, the audience responded really well.  At the intermission - when all the women lined up for the ladies room, I got more than one "you were robbed, I don't know why the judges did what they did!"  Which was hilarious, considering it was coming from women who were waiting in line to pee  Even from my seat on the stage (it was standing room only, and people were encouraged to sit onstage if there weren't any actual seats left), I got a couple of mouthed "you were great!"s from women sitting in the front row right after my bad score was unceremoniously written in black marker on a sheet of paper on the back wall.  Hooray for the ladies at Massmouth!  Boo for the judges!  Ha!


Okay, more soon I promise, hope you all slept well.

I won The Moth Storyslam!!!

I took my pee story to the Moth tonight at Martyrs for the "Love Hurts" theme and won!!!!  I practiced it on Sunday in Boston, where I was visiting family, at a local storytelling series called Massmouth.  The theme was "The Beast," and I was pretty severely penalized for going off topic, I came in second to last.  I was hoping the judges would include my UTI story under the rubric of "the beast within," but they were far more literal with the theme than I'd anticipated.  When it was over, I realized I could have changed a couple lines to include phrases like "microscopic beasts," but it was too late.  No matter though, I flew home to Chicago this afternoon, got home at 5:45, left the house at 6:15 so I could make it to the Moth, and won!!!!  I'm stunned and giddy.