Monday, June 9, 2008, 10:28 AM EDT - Let us blog...

I sure don't write as often as I used to, huh? There was a time when I'd hit the keyboard each and every day, now it's down to once a month or so. Maybe it's because I'm winding things down career-wise or maybe I've been so busy there just hasn't been time. We'll never know the truth.

I've been off the road for a couple of weeks now sitting around my apartment wondering what's next. I've kinda decided that I don't want to tour as much as I have been because the strains and stresses of that lifestyle have worn me down. I came to that conclusion during my week in Syracuse, NY last month. I was at a great club, Wiseguys, and truly enjoyed my time on stage each night, but everything else about the trip kinda sucked. The accommodations they provided for me was a studio apartment in a not so great neighborhood, I had no car and there was NOTHING within walking distance to help kill off a day. On top of that the warm weather of summer had kicked in and there was no A/C, just a fan that made more noise than cool air.

I started asking myself why do we, meaning comics, do this? Do we so enjoy the 30-45 minutes on stage each night that we're willing to take an 18 hour kick in the balls the rest of the day just to get that moment? And if that's indeed the case, aren't we very shallow people than? Not to mention all the regular life stuff we give up for the pursuit of I don't know what...a family, a house, etc...

I think what it comes down to is that we all have this vision in our minds of "making it" one day and having life on the road be nothing but first class airfare, limos, hotel suites and weekend only bookings that allow us to return home and have a normal life. That isn't how it normally works out though, except for a very select few.

Now, while these early on ramblings may sound like complaining, the point I'm trying to get to is this...I don't think constant work on the road is the way to arrive at the aforementioned (big word borrowed from the vocabulary of Ralph Tetta) "making it" point. While the benefits of regular stage time on a comic's act go without saying, I just don't feel like a booking somewhere leads to anything else other than your next booking at the same place. So where am I going with this? I don't really know, other than stating I'm not going to grow old in some shitty condo or hotel room. It's time to re-invent. Now I just have to figure out how.

I think it begins with staying in LA and trying to get my show, "3 Things You Never Talk About" picked up somewhere on some national level. How's that for a goal? Dream big or don't dream at all, that's what I say. I do have a plan in place, but it's nothing I'm going to get into here on the off chance that I fail miserably.

OK, let's move on...

In other news-ski, I've had a house guest for the last 2 months in the form of one, Mark Gross. He's in the process of moving his family back to Los Angeles from Tulsa, OK and has been here working on the new CBS sitcom, "Project Gary" while his wife, Des remains in mid-america tending to the sale of their home there.

I have to say, I was a little apprehensive about bringing in a second person to share my tiny, little apartment, as it's next to impossible not to be right on top of each other in the place, but much to my surprise, we've had a blast.

Our time together has been a blur of Pringles, Mike and Ike's, Coke and Xbox 360. I'm having the God damn time of my life! In addition to the college dorm room fun we've been enjoying, Mark is a great person to bounce ideas off and seek career advice from. There's a small part of me that hopes his marriage and family life falls apart so he has to live here forever. OK, that sounded more than gay and possibly a little mean, time to move on.

The only other big development in my life as been my recent acquisition of the MLB.TV package available through the internet device on my computer. It allows me to watch each and every game my beloved Red Sox play, such as today's competition with the hated New York Yankees. As if I didn't spend enough time in front of ye olde laptop, watching porn and stuff like that, now I can block off another 3-4 hours for some World Champions baseball.

Life as Steve Burr couldn't be better (not true, said for the purpose of a more theatrical ending to this blog).

Happy B-day America!