If Nobody is Going to Throw Me a Party, I Guess I’ll Have to Throw One

My wife and I always bring each other breakfast in bed on our respective birthdays. Her birthday is tomorrow, but I brought her breakfast in bed a week ago to make her think I’d gotten the date wrong.

It was probably the first time in a year that I’d successfully played any joke on her because after almost twelve years of marriage, she’s seen my entire playbook, and it takes a lot of effort and planning to get anything past her.

And speaking of birthdays, The Good Greatsby will be celebrating its one-year blogaversary next Wednesday, February 22nd. Is anyone thinking of throwing me a party?

I’m using the anniversary date as motivation to tidy up the place and introduce some new features and pages that have been written on a piece of paper sitting next to my computer titled: February 23, 2011 Blog-To-Do List.

I’ve loved writing this blog and getting a chance to interact with readers every single day. I hope I’m just getting started and have a lot more plays in the playbook.

…..

Last year I co-directed, and performed in a play I wrote, A Minor Case of Murder, and my two lead actors were cast in a movie shooting here in Shanghai. Ninety percent of the stress in theater, TV, or movies is scheduling, and this production was no different as I worked around their hectic schedules. I didn’t audition for this film but I did visit the set one evening as an extra so I could rehearse lines for my play with one of my actor’s in between his scenes.

Can you spot me or my head three different times in this trailer? Two of the shots are only my head in the background, but one is a clear shot of my face.

If you think you can spot me, guess any of the times in the comments section.

Shanghai Calling: Starring Daniel Henney, Eliza Coupe, Bill Paxton, and Alan Ruck.

More important than spotting me, I hope you enjoy some of the vibrant scenes I see every day here in Shanghai, an amazing city that’s been home for almost eight years and has become my adopted hometown.

It’s fun to see the trailer and personally know so many of the actors and the locations. Even though China has 1.3 billion residents, the ex-pat community is small and very well-connected and I know people in dozens of Chinese cities. When the Amazing Race debuted in China, and screened contestants from every major city, my wife and I knew seven of the sixteen contestants: Two were in my dodgeball league, one was the mother of one of the boys I coached in little league baseball, one was a mom who asked my wife’s band to sing at a birthday party, and two were roommates of a co-worker.

(Still, we only watched half of one episode. I still don’t know who won the money.)

The guy with the beard speaking at the beginning of the trailer played my murder victim. You might also remember him as the actor my wife gave two compliments for every one compliment she gave me following our joint appearance in Twelfth Night.

But still, I can’t resent him too much since he’s the only guy I know besides me who owns a smoking jacket, and even more importantly, is willing to back me up by wearing it out on the town.

Feedback:

If you have any questions about me, the blog, my writing, or my gift wish list, and have always wanted a non-satirical answer, please submit them below, and next week I’ll try and either give a serious answer, or pretend the question got lost.

If you have any nominations for your favorite post or posts, I’d appreciate your feedback below. I may highlight some of those posts or put the nominees in a poll in the coming week.