Eat the Fucking Catfish Bitch!

“I’m glad I can’t tell the future. I’d never want to get out of bed.” – Quote from Tracy Letts’ play August: Osage County which I had the pleasure of witnessing last night during a thoroughly awkward rendezvous with two remotely creepy individuals and a bright eyed freshman from Coffeyville Community College. It was a brilliantly written, wonderfully enacted piece by a native Oklahoman born playwright. I felt particularly inflated since I myself have spent some time in Pawhuska OK, where the play is set, in Osage County. Pawhuska lays on the Osage Indian Reservation, hence the county name.

However there wasn’t much about Native Americans except for a rather small character that ends up the maid of the house, and with dual dissatisfaction, was not descend from the Osage tree. She was of some other unmentionable tribe that I had never heard of (which means it was of no merit…kidding, just kidding). The play was very multi-dimensional, chock full of great lines, quotable to say the least, accidental brother and sister incest, a 40 year old feeling up a 14 year old while high, a Mother/Grandmother who lives every day high as a kite and loves it, a woman whose husband cheated on her with a high school aged student of his, an Aunt who had sex with the Mother/Grandmother’s husband and has his child without the Aunts husband ever finding out, and above all else, the alcoholic, self-drowned suicide of the Mother/Grandmother’s husband at the very beginning that plagues the entire show. It was breathtaking, moving, heart stopping, awkward and enraging, everything to look for in a play. Not to mention of course that it was three hours long and had two intermissions (the latter is a cynical statement. It didn’t make the show better). But the show’s intermissions helped break it up to keep it from feeling too ridiculously long.

The playwright was even in the audience, met him in the bathroom. It was awesome. I even got to witness the dubbing of Jan. 26 becoming Tracy Letts day. Rad.

It gave me inspiration to write a play based on a family I’ve recently been observing…well recently for about the past year or so. However, I’m sure it would be embarrassing for that family if I were to blow up all of their problems/mistakes/bad traits in front of an audience when in fact their family is quite lovely and very kind. But my show wouldn’t help happily. I believe a play leave someone with the best impact if it ends horrifically, leaving the audience member stunned within their plushy, chairs, shaking with rage or frustration or tears or whatever emotion I force them to feel. Something they can take with them to chew on for a while. And I’m very happy to have the perfect subject. I just need to get an okay on it.

In other news I was allowed to SWACDA again. I love how I know I’m doing the right thing when everyone around me thinks I’m not, drops me from everything extracurricular, and then begs me back to join because there isn’t anyone else to fill the position. Trust me, I usually know what I’m doing (usually being the opportune word). So, give me the benefit of the doubt and go for the ride baby.

I’ve recently had this burning urge to be blatantly honest with people in a very unkind way and I feel no need in apologizing for it. I told a distant friend of mine off for annoying the fuck out of me in the library for the hundredth time and it felt like a nice hearty sigh. I told someone how I really thought of them and informed their ex that their previous boyfriend had cheated on him with me and another individual and it felt good to be 100% honest about something for once (though I was rather rude and bitchy about it. But it was truth none-the-less). I can’t stress enough that I’m comfortable about it. It’s like I’ve gotten a new license to be myself and I’m taking it and flying. I’m glad my close friends are backing me up. If I seem like I’m being really mean guys, just try to look at it this way…I’m not mean to you! :P

So finally some optimism out of pessimism – it feels great. Now, to end this lovely blog entry, I’ll leave you all with my favorite quote from August: Osage County: “Eat the fucking catfish, bitch!”