Just a thought!

Was looking around the class today and listening to people and thinking.... My God these freaks are eccentric!, then I remembered I am living in a tent. :)

Living in a tent at University 2

     

Just so you know,
Right now I am very very broke, but not for long. So please dont pity me. I have business interests that are maturing.(Yahoo!) And I will take you on that adventure too around xmas time. Should be fun. It will be in Guadalajara, Mexico. So, Mr. Fancy Businessman ....why are you broke?

Well it comes down to some choices and principles.As any business man worth their salt will tell you, sometimes you have to forget your own salary and comforts and pay your workers first and put your business first to reach your long term goals. Especially if you want to compete against people with a lot of money behind them.

             

           
                My business partner David Walsh (A legend of a guy) and I needed to invest heavily in some restaurants we have over the last few months, and the next few months too. So, cash doesn't exist but assets do and those assets are not fluid right now. I could take a big loan with heavy interest from a bank, but, personally I like to operate outside of the banking system where possible, (because of what I perceive they have done to my country.) Basically, we have been pretty broke for about 4 years now as I build the business with my friend David.We do not come from wealthy families so every penny that comes in goes out, and that is fine. After all that is how 'new wealth' is made. Most people think when you have your own businesses that you are made of money. Nothing could be further from the truth. I think it takes 3-5 years before you ever make a single penny. Unless you are a hero, which I am clearly not.

                Also, part of me wants to rebel against 'the norm.' Stick my two index fingers up at linear thinking, and also shout this as loud as possible ...'Why the F@ck should I live in a house if I can't afford to right now, just so you close minded folk feel ok, and your perfect world, where business men live in mansions doesn't collapse. Would you prefer I kept up appearances and lost everything including the 20 jobs David and I create.'....or something to that affect. This is how I roll and this 'madness' works really f@cking well in business. I dont owe a single penny to any institution and will hopefully be cashing in soon, if my luck holds out and hard work pays off. I am a product of every experience in life that I have ever had. Some awesome, some average and others bad.

            Where am I coming from? I love to follow instinct and dare to risk big. I trust my brain and body to take care of me. I love non-linear disruptive action and thought. This "madness" is part of why man discovered flight and why some day there will be campsites near universities full of students. (I f@cking bet ya!)  Maybe part of why I am camping  is because I fear loosing the hunger and the edge that I have carried like a double edge sword my whole life. When the money finally arrives will it destroy my need to drive forward and adventure. Will I become a softer, a less interested in life version, of myself former self. Or, maybe it's just cause I am a little mad! There definitely could be some of that in the mix too. I won't deny that possibility, but as I like to say... 'You have to be a little nuts or you will go nuts.' When it comes down to it, I don't even know why I am doing this, apart from the fact that I want to and I am too short on cash to rent.

           
                Where  my business interests are in Mexico right now is a very competitive, and for the last few months and the foreseeable future my business partner and I have opted to reinvest every cent to beat the competition. And, it is working gloriously, and I hope (if the risk and investment pays off) by the end of my time in University I will be on the up income wise once again.

            So in a way this may be my last opportunity to really experience financial hardship. I believe it is just as important to embrace the bad experiences, as it is the good ones. Keeps you feeling alive and present, and also inspires new thought and ideas that may lead to somewhere great that you can't conjure up doing the same things day in-day out.

               So please DONT FEEL SORRY FOR ME, or try to tell me that you know better. I love the messiness and hardship of life. I want this experience. I want to learn from this life. I will be dead and gone in less than 100 years and no matter what I do it will be forgotten in time. I am documenting this cause I want to,  and I feel driven to share the experience, and for a million other reasons I can't fathom or verbalise. Not everyone is going to like it, nor do I want everyone to like it. (Although some liking it would be nice.)

              Millions have endured a lot more than me, for a lot longer than me. All the 'nay sayers' and trolls who don't see merit in this project/adventure, or find fault in how I roll, have nothing to do with my direction, or my personal development as a human. And try as they may to belittle my efforts all they are doing is  missing the point . No one knows why we are here, or what we are supposed to do with our lives. Being critical of another human just highlights an inability to think at any great depth. F@ck, even I know I know nothing and that I am of little or no importance on a grand scale.

              So in conclusion, I am very happy now. I am here as a result of the choices and principles I choose to stand by, and because I want to communicate this simple message

-Life is Fucking Short, Live it!

I have a website www.glowpunk.com. My life is on there, like an open book. You can link up with me 1000 different ways should you wish.

Peace & Love
Frank Cronin
Glowpunk

How to be a funny man 6

My 6th open Mic

I walked an hour from my hostel just above the part of the city known as the Tenderloin, all the way across town to a place called mutinyradio.org. A wonderful upbeat comic and radio presenter called Pam runs the show there. The show is broadcast live on the internet and released later as a podcast. So a lot of comics like to go there to here what they sound like. Of course most comics record there sets on their phones but there is something a little better about the sound when you do it at a proper radio station. The showcase act was by a great improv comedy called 'Moore Devine.' They are very funny and well practiced and I believe once they start making youtube videos will be an internet global sensation. I have mentioned it to them but I guess I am the out of towner who they don't know so i guess they don't give much weight or attention to my comments. Will be nice to see them hit the world stage as soon as they make a video.

So there were about 6 people in the room when i got up and hopefully a few listening in over the internet. I tried a piece about smoking weed for the first time and finding a San Francisco town within china town and then becoming a giant redwood that just wanted to die. There were 3 mics on stage and 2 of the 3 micrphones broke during my set, so that kind of messes up the flow, but i tried to work the mayhem into my set and I guess it was fine for the level I am at. I can feel myself caring less and less about bombing and caring more and more about having fun and being brave and risking material. It is amazing how quick you can improve at something when you are starting from a no skill level. Anyway i did my 5 minutes and then walked back across town, taking in a crack ally beside best buy on my way home. Managed to make it home with a 2000 dollar camera and 2000 dollar laptop intact. Even came up with some premises and ideas on the way home. I have noticed that walking in a new environment is very good for coming up with ideas, and in San Francisco being anonymous and down town with the 'crazys' in the tenderloin, no one looks  at you when you are mumbling to yourself. Ended up at the 'purple onion'comedy club where some comics I met recently were performing. They both did great and the lads on the door kindly let me in free because I am a 'comic.' ONe of the perks of embarrassing yourself on stage regularly, i guess.


Strange but true: Saw the second person receiving a blow job in a car while walking through town. I think I must be walking through the bad parts of town . ha!



Spend the next night messing about trying to fill a comedy gig at 'Amnesia' standing outside the door messing with people and advertising the show. Basically getting my stage time off stage. Good fun, met a nice girl.

How to be a funny man 5

   My Fifth open Mic

       Tonight was a great night. I wrote a piece yesterday that I thought was well written and had confidence in. Today I performed it at an open mike called "Amnesia" on Valencia and delivered it with conviction, and no missed beats. Today I got a look into the future of my stand up comedy.

       I found that I could operate at a level I didn't think was possible for me yet. I got a few handshakes after getting down and one guy even got off his seat to say he enjoyed it. (that is my measure of success) It was a solid two minute story that required a lot of energy and memory. Now don't get me wrong, every comic worth his salt could do what I did, but for me it was a huge jump.

Before getting up, I had half a beer and a mouth full of coke. Then when the guy before me was going up I walked outside and walked round the corner and just raised my heart rate with a little swinging of the arms and some jogging on the spot. A minute of that and I walked around to the entrance again only to be met with Chris Duncan, who was hosting the open mike. His few words of advice were, enjoy the fact you know no one.

Before I knew it, Chris was onstage inviting me up to take the mike. I slagged him a little bit about the pitter patter of his shoes and explained to the audience that if they laughed I was a comedian and if they didn't I was just a guy telling a story.

           I got to abstract quickly, which felt good and comfortable. The room was polite and attentive and laughed when expected. My final punch line could have been a little better but the little laughs throughout the story and the 100% attention of the audience made me feel like a winner.

      Now the key is to be able to replicate this again, in many different ways and have strong 'bits' from start to finish. By no means do I think  I am a good comedian, but by god today went well for me. I feel more comfortable committing to my material and longer stories instead of one liners, and all that came from today. A milestone for my development.

Hopefully this is just the tip of the iceberg. Had to battle with my mind a little just to get on stage today, i think partly cause I felt last time I had very little to say and the rewards are so minimal in a room full of comics, but as expected you always get something out of getting up there... Gotta fight through the fear. I feel like I can actually think straight now on stage or at least the fog is lifting and clarity and control is seeping in, which is something that only four 5 minute sets ago I did not feel. A great rate of progression but lots more to achieve.

After 'Amnesia" me and Chris roamed the streets and Chris did a 10 minute set at the 'Rockit Room.'
Tomorrow  going to a comedy central gig on some free tickets... i'll let you know how it goes.



Peace

Glowpunk