Part and parcel with the job, but I've never experienced just a shift.

The last 3 nights I've been struggling so hard; I think it's mainly because they audience is so diverse in that some are young and hip, some are middle aged but still cool and the rest are dead; er, I mean beyond elderly.

So when I try to do material that might click with an older crowd; it falls and vice versa. I just can't win.

I'm thinking that it just might be me because the host, Howie Nave (awesome guy BTW) kills it, and the headliner, Dat Phan does well. Though he even says the crowd is weird. I dunno.

Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for the work and I understand not every crowd is going to be great...but c'mon; three crowds in a row? Really??!!

It's just frustrating. Yet after the show, people come up and say, "Good job...you were funny..." Then why the hell didn't you laugh!?

I think these are the crowds that are enjoying themselves, they just aren't vocal about it. That's really fucked up. That's like being in Motley Crue and having the audience just sit and watch. We need interaction and energy. Because even if you're enjoying yourself, we think we're bombing so we start questioning everything we're doing and wondering what's wrong with us. Then we think, "Fuck these people, they suck!" and we turn on you. And you think, "What's wrong with this guy? I'm having a blast; why is he suddenly an asshole?"

OK, let's make a deal, I won't be an asshole and you...FUCKING LAUGH! Deal?

Good.

So we've got 2 shows tonight and one more tomorrow and then I go home for awhile. Don't really have anything booked for awhile. Well not on the road anyway. I have mixed feelings about that. Whatever.

In case you can't tell, I'm in a very lathargic/"I don't care right now" kinda mood. I think I had mentioned that in a previous entry.

Although this time it's because of these crowds. Sorry to blame'em, but it's true.

Change of subject:

On the way back from Anchorage, Ally and I were on the plane and I was sitting by the window. It was really cloudy out and I just happen to roll up the window shade.

So I'm looking out the window and I'm right at the wing, when all of a sudden there was this huge flash on the wing; it looked like a big spark or a small explosion and there was a big "Boom!" I swear to God I thought that the wing exploded and we were about to die. I instinctively grabbed Ally's hand and for a split second I was bracing for a free fall.

Meanwhile, the rest of the plane started muttering and you can tell everyone was freaked. Ally, ever the outspoken person, said (loud enough for about 4 rows to hear), "What the fuck was that!?" The appologized for swearing. Which is hilarious. Hey, we're about to die, but I don't want to offend anyone.

In the seat right in front of us was a pilot who happened to be on the plane, he said calmly, "It was lightning. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen. There's nothing to worry about."

That helped stop me from panicking, however it did little to stop the shit from approaching my butthole in a timely manner.

I swear, I really thought we were going to die. The rest of the flight I was just very intraverted; thinking of my own mortality. And I felt a certain invigoration for life. I thought, "Shit, life is short and can be taken from you when you would least expect it." As a matter of fact, when I fly, I'm never really nervous (only in severe turbulence, but that has nothing to do with dying, it's more about getting queezy) because I can't really comprehend that I'm 30,000 feet in the air. Even looking out of the window, I think that I'm on a simulator or a ride. So when the lightning hit, I initially thought, "Wow, what a cool effect..." and then I realized, "Shit, this is real!"

Funny, while writing this I'm trying to really keep in mind how lucky I am...not only for that but for all of the natural disaster destruction happening all over the world. Earthquakes, tsunami's, tornadoes. I'm telling you, the planet is fighting back against us. I know that sounds stupid, but nature is life. We are part of nature and we're alive. so are plants and animals. So you have to think that the planet is alive in a sense.

And I think this planet is sick of us drilling & chopping & burning & destroying and it's finally said, "OK, fuck this!"

I'm not discounting the tragedy of the last few events, I'm just saying that maybe we should've been doing more to take care of the planet.

I know, I know, this sounds stupid. "Flip, how the fuck can a planet fight back." I don't know. I just might be talking out of my ass, but I just wish we as a species could stop political and financial rhetoric and just take care of ourselves.

I really feel that within the next 200 years our planet will be a shell of it's former self...which is really is already.

Alright, I'm going to walk back to the hotel now. Good blogging people. Later.

OH, if you're in the LA area this week, I'll be at the Hollywood Improv Tuesday for the 800 show. :)

4/22/11
OK, so it's much later...so sue me.

This week in Anchorage has been great. First of all, the crowds have been their usual fun, so much thanks to you guys. But what is making this even better is that Allison has been on this tour with me. Usually I'd be hanging in my room alone and just killing time between shows, but now that she's here, it's like a fun vacation.

Not to mention that she's killing on the shows. I'm having trouble following her. :)

I really hope we can do this more often. It feels that the two of us together put on a very good and unique show. When we reveal that we are actually a couple, the crowd goes nuts. And speaking of nuts, we close the show with a rocking redition of Our Love Duet. Needless to say, it kills.

Well, we're going to get going...heh, "we"...so neat. Fuck, did I just type "neat"? I think I'm reverting to an 8 year old.

Talk to you later kids.

4/19/11
OK, I'm in Anchorage right now and we're (me & Allison) are about to go to our show, but I just had to post this...SEX & THE CITY 2 SUCKS!!!!!!!

I know what you're thinking, "Flip, what a completely gay thing to say." True. But we just sat through that dreck and I feel I have to say how much that movie sucks in order to cleanse my soul. To be continued later...

4/11/11
So today is a little stressful. Things have just come up that kinda put me in a funk. Damn, it had been so long since the funky funks have hit me. That's life I guess.

Cliche as it is, life is really a bunch of surprises, isn't it? When you think about your life, you have this vision; this idea, of what it will be. And when things don't go that way, you get frustrated, you know? That's where I am right now.

No specifics, level 10 shit.

I've got to/GOT TO...keep everything in perspective here.

....ok, so it is later in the day from when I started thjis blog. im in bed now lying next to my wonderful lady.

i really love her.

Ok, bed time. Sirry again for a shoert blog. as much as I love this ipad, the virtual keyboard can be a bitch to type on. Oh well. If you see a lot of spelling errors.....thsts why. Night.

4/9/11
OK guys, i know...big lack of blogging. I've been swamped. I'm going to make thix one short. I'll explain later.

Later.

Hey guys, it's later.

First of all, the reason that last entry was so short...I just got myself a brand new iPad 2 and I've been playing with it trying to see if I can edit my website with it...which I obviously can since I'm doing this on the ipad as we speak. :)

I'm so in love with this thing. I'll admit it doesn't do exactly what I wanted it for, but it does do a lot. And a lot of stuff I couldn't do before.

So what else has been going on?

Last night I opened for Pablo Francisco's new 1 hour special. It was a lot of fun and Pablo killed it...of course.

I was also excited because I haven't seen Pablo, pretty much, since we toured Europe in 2009. So it was cool to see him and perform with him again. Hopefully I can tour with him again soon. I miss all that amazing energy that comes with his shows.

Speaking of shows, tonight Allison and I are co-headlining The Haha Cafe together. I really hope people come by. It's going to be a fun show and that is a really nice club. Cross your fingers.

Other than that I'm just getting ready to do another few weeks of touring and trying to book up the rest of the year. I'm also waiting to hear about something that should be pretty cool. Nothing huge; just cool. When I know, you'll know.

As for things on a personal level; things are good. I'll tell you something though, Allison and I have reached an interesting point in our relationship. We had our first big fight...not really a fight, but a really good tiff. Everything's fine now, don't worry. But it was that defining moment in our relationship; the first one. Hey, for being together over 2 years before a big fight; that's pretty fucking good, no?

I've been writing so much lately about our relationship; it's so great. I'm feeling incredibly creative lately. I'm really looking forward to this tour because it will be the first time I'll be doing this new material at a club. PLUS...Allison is coming with me! We're doing Laughs in Seattle & Chilkoots in Anchorage. :)

Well, time to get ready for the show. See ya guys soon!