Another weekend. Another trip to Eureka. The coffee shop in Springfield, the halfway decent one, closed earlier than it’s normal, limited time, leaving me with an itching writing journal and no where else to go. That was it. Decided, on a spontaneous moment, to head to Eureka. Yeah…that would show Springfield. That would make her jealous. Maybe next time she’d keep her coffee shops open a little later…beg me to stay.
Drive. Top down. No radio. So off-key singing, on the road for me. Eureka. Motley crew of friendly faces. Rich, drunk, singing Nick and I any song we requested off him and his guitar and I had to smile, knowing that, at that moment, Springfield was sagging a little more than usual, thinking, “Damn…what do I have to offer to match that?” Not a thing honey…sorry…
Top-down run to the OP (I remember those). Nick and I trading degrading put downs. Karisa talking at the speed of sound. Trip back. Alex and Johny Law and the rest. Alcohol. Laughs. Hidden tensions (but I’ve been away…I’m not intimately familiar with some of these hidden tensions). More laughs on top of it all.
Then Rich takes me aside and tells me how he’s liked my little musings on this blog and how much we seniors (Dee, Amy, Katherine, and I) meant to him and his class his freshman year. And I have to say THANK YOU Rich. Those reminders are nice. You might be surprised (wait…no you won’t…you work in the creative arts) how you can, one day, feel like an acting/writing/painting/music-playing god, and the next day, be banging your head on the wall, knowing that you’ve been getting away with something for too long and the tax man is going to break your door down, at any second, and say, “There you are, fraud. You’ve avoided me long enough. Time to get a regular job like everyone else.” The reminders help. I don’t think you ever become independent of the reminders.
In that vein, I’d like to make a reminder. It’s easy enough to feel something towards a person(s) and just assume that they know that you know that they know that you know. It’s another thing to say it once in a while (like Rich did). So in that regard, I’d like to make a statement of the importance of my amigos from Eureka, whether they’ve flown the nest, are testing their wings, or just now bulking up on worms…and I’ve really worn that metaphor out, like a scratched record (oh…now I’m mixing metaphors – HA!).
Anyway, I just wanted to say how important the friends I made in Eureka – whether from my class (hey Dee) or from after that (hey Rich, hey Kris, hey Kurt) or even after my graduation (hey Karisa, hey Alex, hey Amanda) – mean to me (there are many more, too many to put here just now…but I think I covered everyone who might read this).
All you guys are fun and worthwhile folk with…well…call it depth, call it spirit, call it a candy coated filling. I’ve been away, I’ve seen other people. And there are many, MANY, out there who have no filling, no depth. They are tasteless, flat, and hollow (whether mentally, emotionally, or otherwise). Some of them are this way passively…others are worse and are this way aggressively, like suction-mouthed lampreys, sucking on everything to fill the void – sucking on beer on self esteem on emotion, anything to distract them from the encroaching approach of the big 3 – 0. And then everyone is hollow and they’ve sucked on everything and everyone is sucking. And that just sucks.
I’m not trying to paint the world in five shades of despair or anything. There are other interesting folk out there. I’ve met a few in Springfield (but most of them have graduated the writing program and I don’t get to see them as much as I like). I just wanted to say that the next time a bad vibe slinks down your spine (and they always do) to remember that the lot of you are talented, worthwhile people with soul and I know, I’ve been elsewhere and seen the other side of things and the contrast just makes it that much more apparent.
And the sun is coming up and that is long past my last call to bed. But, nocturnal as I’ve gotten, I do like a sunrise, because sunrises and sunsets are like fall and spring and fall and spring are like transition.
‘night kids…
Joshua Alan Doetsch 
Josh, you are a really cool dude. It is awesome when you come to visit. Because look at it from our perspective, Eureka is a pretty bland place. You liven it up a bunch. Who do we have? We had a US president. RIP. Now I feel really privelidged to know the best alum from this college and to post in his LJ. Rock on!
Josh 1 – Reagan 0
Thanks man. That reminds me…I have to find this old tape to show you guys. It was a video we used for the first magic show Nick and I did for Eureka. For that show, we made a lot of use of a large screen at the back of the stage (we used clips from movies like Young Frankenstein to introduce bits, etc.). We also made a tape for the end. The last trick we did was the “Bullet Catching” trick. It’s the dangerous trick that Pen and Teller do where they shoot magnums at each other and catch the bullets in their teeth. Well, we did a mock version.
Nick (as his character “Igor”) wodled over and got the gun. Then I (as my character the “Mad Magician”) started going into the schpiel about the trick and how dangerous it was and the magicians that have died, in the past, trying to perform it, don’t do this at home, blah, blah, blah.
Well, our show is one of humor more than skill…so this is our mock version. Nick points the gun, I open my mouth, he fires (very loud blanks) and I go down…dead. Nick (igor) runs over (“Master!”). And they play a video on the screen as my sort of final requests and will for the end of the show.
Anyway, I’m turnig a very short story into a long one, the things I request are that Eureka put my name on the theatre scholarship – make the Pritchard Hall of FAme the DOETSCH HALL OF FAME – change all the Reagan Trail signs to “Doetsch Trails” – and take a hacksaw and some glue and put my head on the Reagan bust.
For the video, we took a before picture of each of these things, and had our cousin Steve morph them into the after image. So on the video, you saw the Hall of Fame…and then all the pictures disapear, replaced by an image of Nick and I in Togas. The Reagan Trail sign morphs. And, best of all, the Reagan Bust morphs into my face.
Anyway, I don’t know what prompted me to go into all that….but I thought of it and now I have to dig out that tape, cause Steve did a great job with it and the images were very funny.
I just tell it like it is man.
(Cue cheesey ‘Full House’ music)
You know…(looks down, pause)…when my mommy asks me what I want to be when I grow up (sniffle), do you know what I tell her? (Slowly looks up, making eye contact) I tell her I want to be a Josh Doetsch.
(End music)
Grow Up?
[cue sad music)
I wanted to be Spider-Man….
Josh, you are awesome! I am always amazed by your writing skills, and your inexplicable way to bend words to your will.
I am geeked that you will be doing improv again, as you are a delightfully welcome addition to our motley crew.
Unrelated question: Were you a member of Sigma Tau Delta (English Fraternity) while you were here?
Oh, and also your slogan:
“Josh Doetsch: Anything less would be Nick.”
No I was never a member…maybe I should have been…OH SWEET REGRET, THY NAME IS SIGMA TAU DELTA!
Josh! First of all, we’ll have to make more top-down journeys, and kudos to you for being able to understand me as I talked a mile a minute! You’re so much fun adn we love it whne you come to visit, so feel free to do it more often! I’m honored to be able to call you my friend, and even more honored that you’re willing to spend hours bantering on IM with me about EC slogans…you’re awesome!
the honor is all mine 🙂
And yes…there will be more top-down journeys this year. Quickly! Before winter gets here!
Namely Naming Non-named Names
The problem with mentioning specific names is that you’ll think a name in your head and not type it down. KURT! Kurt, you out there? You are on the above mentioned list. It’s not really an inclusive list (there are names not mentioned).
I’ll just edit things a little………there!