This week is our annual Alphabetic Boardgaming Challenge, so I’ve been playing a lot of games ranging from A to Z.* 11 years in, I realize not for the first time what a glorious and yet simple thing it is to spend time doing what you enjoy, with people whose company you enjoy. Sure, for a writer that often means sitting alone and writing about how I hate throwing things out, but that’s valuable too.

This Friday I’m doing a benefit comedy show to raise money for the local teen center, where I’ll be giving a dramatic reading of a few of my columns in addition to doing some stand-up. This is a rarity for me, and promises to be a good time.** So if you’re local and have no Friday plans, come enjoy yourself for a good cause!***

*Or technically A to X so far — Yspahan and Zepter von Zavandor** still to come tomorrow.

***Although as I’ve tried to explain above, enjoying yourself is a good cause too.

After a bit of a lull, I am doing some stand-up comedy at shows again! Last week I got to open for Luke Mones at the Colonial in Pittsfield, and two weeks from now I’ll be doing a fundraiser for the ROOTS Teen Center in North Adams. That show isn’t just stand-up, so I may also be doing some readings in addition to my stand-up sets. I’m strongly considering reading my two most recent columns, both of which were fun concept pieces:

Read this one out loud!

Daily Horrorscope

We’re up to the third summer now after some cold weather last week, but I have it on good authority that this is the last week or two of summer, before what promises to be a very cold and unpleasant winter. It’s really a shame you can’t just bank heat from summer and send it to February.