Making a Confession

I went to see a play at the Stockton Civic Theatre ( http://www.sctlivetheatre.org/ ) last night (6/20/08). The play, "The Full Monty". It was a very good production, and I had a good time, but, and this will lead to the confession I'm going to make, I couldn't stop myself from picturing me, up on the stage, performing with the other actors.

I had wanted to audition for the play, but couldn't because of my other commitments, namely (and this will get me into some serious trouble in certain quarters) my duties as regent emperor to the Imperial Court of Stockton.

It's not just missing my chance to audition for "The Full Monty" or any of the other plays that the SCT has put on this year, it's lots of different things I wanted to do, but couldn't because of my other responsibilities to an organization, community, and group it's becomes more and more difficult every day to stay enthusiastic about.

My entire life, it seems, lately, is a routine, a rut of work and court functions. Like the instructions on a shampoo bottle; 1) Work, 2) Court, 3) Repeat. It hasn't all been bad of course. I've met a lot of fun, interesting people, and made a LOT of good friends. But, I find myself asking, and more often lately, it seems, "What else am I missing out on? Is this my life, for the rest of my life?".

It's not just me. I think a lot of the people I've met through the imperial court are in a similar rut. A perfect example of this was the response I got when I invited some friends to my apartment for a mini "I Love Lucy" marathon. I had just bought the box set of the ENTIRE series, including the one hour "Lucy & Desi Comedy Hour" episodes. Very few people replied to my invitations, and the few that did all asked, basically, the same questions, "Where was it being held? When is it being held? Will it be an open show? Who are the MCs? Will their be a Lucy look-alike contest? How much are the tickets going to be?" I wanted to scream, "Not everything is a court function!"

We all have lives outside the court. Isn't it about time we started living them?

By the way, I'm moving to a new apartment in July. I'm getting estimates from some of the different moving companies here in Stockton, because even if I hadn't just written what I just wrote, I don't think I'd get many volunteers to help me move. But don't worry, gentle reader, I'll still be there to help you move.