Today is day ten of the Minnesota Fringe Festival (aka The Eleven Days Each Year When my Family Would Think I'm Dead if They Didn't Know Any Better). Every year at this time I turn in to the unresponsive child, the bad friend, and the exhausted employee because I get so swept up in all things that constitute Fringe that I effectively tune out the rest of the world. Sometimes there's a fine line between naïve and vacuous - if it weren’t for the NY Times delivery on the weekends, Google News during the week, and the occasional run-in with Matt Foster, I would be in a sorry state of clueless-ness that would far surpass what is deemed socially acceptable. This is the first Fringe since 1999 that I haven't been on stage, and while it seriously bums me out, it has also been an exciting new experience being on the Fringe staff as the Voice of the Fringe (podcasting). It’s also pretty cool waiting in line to see a show and getting asked by strangers about my or MoCW’s next stage plans without having to pimp “OUR LAST PERFORMANCE TOMORROW AT 8:30!!” It just feels like a far more mellow experience, and I dig mellow. I’ve seen shows ranging from the mediocre to the hilarious to the weep-inducing-stunner, and have accomplished this all without wearing a watch. Not wearing a watch during Fringe is a big deal. Especially for me.

Despite my stage absence, the lovely Josh and Joe have come to the rescue and asked me to be a guest on The Scrimshaw Show tonight…I guess my VotF gig is still enough presence to merit a guest appearance – totally unexpected and quite flattering. It will be a little strange going on stage with them as myself instead of a character, so I’m a tad nervous...but they're good guys, and I'm a good sport, so I'm sure it will be fine.

I'll report back with the sordid details.