New Jersey
Get a life — Ice Skating
Jan 6th
So in my effort to obtain a life this year, I resolve to do at least one fun, out of the ordinary (for me) thing each week. I hope today’s outing wasn’t my first and last as I’m really bad with keeping resolutions…
This morning I went ice skating at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden Ice Rink. The urge hit me out of nowhere yesterday, which is crazy because I hadn’t been skating in at least 20 years — since my cousin Tanya and I used to skate at the ice rink in Old Bridge, NJ when we were kids. But it sounded like fun so I got up this morning, bundled up and headed downtown. Found a great parking space right in front of the Archives on Constitution and I went on in.
When I went to rent my skates the guy in the booth (the only other Black person at the rink) said, “You better hold on to the railing.” Haha. Damn stereotypes! Just because I’m Black doesn’t mean I can’t ice skate — it means I can’t swim. Duh…
Out on the ice it was kind of a rough at first. I took the skate booth guy’s advice and held on to the railing for my first few go-rounds. But then it started to come back to me… There was a little European girl skating circles around me, but that seemed about right ;) Little by little I moved further into the rink and after about 15 minutes or so I was doing pretty well if I do say so myself!
After about 45-50 mins. I was done so I walked around the sculpture garden for a bit, and then headed into the cafe for coffee and to warm up some. It was a really nice outing! Hopefully more life-getting to come. Please stay tuned and if you wanna come along for my next skating trip, just lemme know!
His other car really is a hearse
Oct 15th
I saw this scene when I pulled off the Jersey Pike to nap at a rest area last nite…
There’s something about a hearse that has be to towed that’s a little ironic. And a little sad. But also, damn funny! In a perfect world (or at least my perfect world) this pick-up would have had one of those “My other car is a hearse” bumper stickers or license plate frames:
Alas, it did not… But imagining that it did kept me up and laughing for at least the next 40 minutes. Tee hee ;)
The ultimate reward a.k.a. my Daddy loves his yard
Sep 9th
My dad recently won the “Yard of the Month“ award from the city of Hampton, VA. They gave him a sign he gets to keep all month and everything. Plus as a monthly winner, he’s now in the running for Yard of the Year!
My dad has won numerous Man of the Year awards, garnered accolades on his job, and for his community service, but anyone that knows my dad knows that YOTM is pretty much the best compliment anyone could give him. Because he is a bit obsessed with his yard. He loves flowers so much my mom and I would swear he was gonna dig up the grass to make room for more. We used to joke that he would spend his very last dime on flowers and seeds and landscape beautification.
Admittedly, in the grand scheme of vices that’s not a bad one to have. But still…
He has chronic problems with his back so there were years when we lived in Jersey when he couldn’t mow the lawn himself so he’d hire kids in the neighborhood or his friends’ children to do it for him. But he always had a very specific pattern he wanted the grass cut in — alternating diagonals so you could see the color differentiation in the rows — and you BET NOT mess it up!!! My dad was in sales so when he was in town he worked from a home office that overlooked the front yard. And bad back and all I have — on numerous occasions — seen him bound down two flights of stairs to confront postal workers who cut across the lawn to deliver the mail.
They only ever did it once. Hahaha.
Homecomings and my head on a white man’s body
Jul 19th
This weekend I traveled to New Brunswick, NJ to work at the Stress Factory Comedy Club. I was SUPER excited to finally get the chance to work this room since it’s literally 10 minutes from the house I grew up in. It’s a great club and they bring in top-notch talent. Not bad, New Brunswick… not bad at all…
My parents retired some years ago and moved south so I don’t have the opportunity/reason to visit very often. Downtown NB has grown so much since the last time I was home — 5 or 6 years ago. And I was looking forward to going to some of my favorite local spots (shout to the fine folks at Nicola’s, Filippo’s Famous, Old Bay and Delta’s — how I missed you so…) and catching up with old friends and fam — most of whom have never seen me perform live. So many folks came out to support — way too many for me to post all the photos. But here are a few just for fun’s sake ;)
Me with D'Ana
Me with Mr. and Mrs. Plummer
Les and J -- my two BFF's
The staff at the club like to make collages using photos of the comics’ faces on all kinds of different backgrounds. Saturday nite when we walked into the green room there was my face on the headliner’s body. Too funny We both signed it and now we’re a part of the album! ;)
We had some really great shows, so I’m hoping I’ll have the opportunity to go back and work there again. I had some fun with a couple bachelor/bachelorette parties at the Saturday late show. So if the tape didn’t cut off by then I’ll post it later on… Two days home and then off to Wisconsin!
Yay? ;)
Attn: All my homies in Jersey!!!
Jul 13th
I’ll be making my triumphant return home to New Brunswick this weekend July 16-18 to perform at the Stress Factory Comedy Club! I’m so looking forward to it — I’ve been dying to get work at this club for years and I’m looking forward to catching up with some folks I haven’t seen in forever. My parents retired and moved away about 6 years ago so I rarely get to go home. So getting paid to do it makes it even that much more fun!
Ticket info: https://rsv.stressfactoryreservations.com/tix/default.aspx?selsh=071609
Hope some of you can make it out!
In about a minute: Why I love New Jersey
Mar 31st
OK guys, so I know I’m a little late but I’m jumping on the video blog bandwagon. This is no masterpiece but I’m hoping they get better. In about a minute, I try to explain my love affair with my homestate — New Jersey. Hope you enjoy ;-\
Me on Bob and Tom TV
Dec 17th
I know I was supposed to find out when the Bob and Tom episode aired so that anyone interested could watch, but I was a loser and I didn’t. However, my friend Herbie managed to catch it and tape it for me and I Youtubed it for y’all! Doing Bob and Tom is always fun. If you’re not in one of their radio markets, check out their podcast or watch them weeknights at midnite on WGN if you get that channel.
Part 1:
Part 2:
The last bastion of roast beef
Nov 12th
No really, do Roy Rogers restaurants exist anywhere else besides the Jersey Turnpike and I-95 rest stops? I swear I haven’t seen one in years.
“I’m at WIP in Philly-natti…”
Nov 9th
OK, so yes I know that was a really lame title.
But I wanted to share one other cool thing that happened this weekend. The manager of the club where I was working, Steve Trevelise, has a sports talk radio show on WIP 610 AM in Philadelphia. During the weekend, we got to talking about my love for the Eagles and the Happy/Sad Eagles Chronicles here at You’re Welcome, and he invited me to be a regular guest throughout the remainder of the season. Cool, huh? Steve is a Giants fan and so I don’t think it’s really fair that he gets to be on sports talk radio in Philly ;) but I’m excited about the show. It comes on Friday overnites, so hopefully if things pan out and I don’t embarrass myself too badly, I’ll post some of the clips here or on the main site. We’ll talk about Eagles football and comedy, and why I’m not working any clubs in Philly… (This last agenda item was suggested by me and as yet, has not been signed off on by Steve ;)
Oh and Steve also gave me this amazing reference book/collector’s item:
It lists every player and chronicles every season from the beginning of the franchise thru our 2004 Superbowl season. I know, right… THANKS STEVE!
K, I’m tired so I’m gonna grab a quick nap and rest up for the NYG/Philly game tonite. Talk soon, –E
Homecoming and ‘headlining’
Nov 9th
So I was in Jersey this past weekend working at the Catch a Rising Star comedy club in Princeton. Princeton is about 20 minutes away from where I grew up so it was amazing to be home. I get nostalgic for Jersey a lot because there’s stuff you can get there that you just can’t get south of the Mason-Dixon — like an authentic bagel shop bagel w/ cream cheese and lox in the morning, a good thin greasy pizzeria pie… and Puerto Ricans. I really miss those things. Puerto Ricans most of all ;)
I was closing the shows this weekend, which was exciting and scary at the same time. I hesitate to say that I was headlining, because until I really get the hang of the closing spot, I’m not a headliner. I’m just up last. I never feel prepared to close, but I also know that there’s no other way to figure out the art and pacing of closing a show other than to do it. There were 4 shows this weekend and I’d say that 2.5 of them went really well. It definitely helped that I was close to home and had a bunch of friends come out!
Nothing makes you rethink your material like your former Sunday School teacher sitting in the front row ;) But I knew Mrs. Winfrey could handle it. She was like the “Scared Straight” version of a Sunday School teacher. Heart her forever.
If it’s possible to have two sets of parents who you absolutely, positively love to pieces, then this is my second set — Charles and Ada Martin a.k.a. Jersey Ma & Pop. Through every mistake and triumph I’ve made in my entire life they’ve been there to support me. From sliding me money when I was broke and building me a computer when I couldn’t afford to buy one, to cheering on all my successes and helping to put my setbacks into perspective, I couldn’t ask for two better people in my life. I mean, other than the fact that they’re diehard Jets fans, I’d be hard pressed to come up with one negative thing about them ;) And even then, they still root for the Green & White ;) If you’re a fan of the martial arts — karate in particular — you might be familiar with Pop. He was featured in the martial arts documentary Fighting Black Kings and he is a Shuseki Shihan in Seido Karate — which is the highest honor a student can achieve. He’s in the Martial Arts Hall of Fame and he’s like a rock star in pretty much every country in the world. So don’t mess with him… Or me… cause he’s still got it ;) More >
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