I Understand the Joy of Giving.

Merry Happy, Folks-

Go with what you go with but try to not ruin everything.

I feel like an asshole. I don’t get cards or gifts, really, for anyone. I feel like a bad adult. I get cards from people. Some people I don’t even know. Or at least I don’t think I know them. Maybe their kids have grown up to the point where I don’t recognize them anymore. Or there’s been a spousal shift or change or it arrived in the wrong box and I opened it by accident.

I do know that I am much too anxious to deal with getting presents and I guess that’s just the way I am. I don’t come from a big gift giving family but that’s really no excuse. I just don’t think to do it. I’ll do the important ones—like the woman in my life but it just drops off after that. I guess that’s why I don’t get many. Makes sense. I understand the joy of giving but sometimes I give the wrong thing and obsess about that. That’s stinks. I hate having to live through someone pretending that the gift I got was a good one. See, I make it about me. None of it matters unless you get an amazing gift. Like Sarah gave me a Filson leather duffle bag. It’s amazing. It will last me the rest of my life. Thoughtful gift. I bought her a wool hat and fingerless gloves (and a trip). They seem inferior but I really liked them. We’ll see what happens in terms of her wearing them. Doesn’t matter (kinda does).

Amazing things happened in Chicago, people! Despite what anyone may think, I am a pretty insecure guy in some ways. Surprise. The project I was working on is an episode of a new Joe Swanberg series and it is entirely improvised. I was nervous. Because when you do long-form scene improv that is not gunning for funny, you are improvising and experiencing emotions relative to the scenes and they are driven by real feelings happening in the moment with no script. It was like living in the scenes and spontaneously creating a personal history for myself that is informed by my real life but filtered through the background that is put in place for the character. No script at all, just direction. Swanberg is a master of this form because it is what he does and he is amazing at it. It was a real exciting thing to be involved with and I learned things about myself and did something I had never done before. What more can you ask for from creativity? AND i got to work with Jane Adams. Genius. Love her.

Today me and Horatio Sanz have an amazing and, at times, slightly out of synch talk about A LOT of stuff. Love that guy. It was great finally getting to talk to him. On Thursday I have a pretty mindblowing talk with Bob Forrest about his time on Celebrity Rehab, his time as frontman of Thelonius Monster, sobriety and drugs and his amazing new record ‘Survival Songs.’ He sings too. Great stuff. Happy holidays.

Enjoy!

Boomer lives!

Love,
Maron