Tuesday February 10th, 2009 - Chicago, IL

T-minus twenty-eight days on the nose and counting until I make my national television comedy debut on the Craig Ferguson show in Los Angeles. Actually that’s only when I’m recording it in front of that good old ‘live studio audience‘. The air date has not been set.

It will air whenever it does but my main focus for the next four weeks is to be READY for that taping date. I’ve been a comedian my whole life so it’s not a matter of wondering if I can do the job. I can. I’ve done it literally thousands of times in just as many venues.

I’ve gotten laughs all over North America and know how to be funny on stage. This is a matter of doing THIS job and doing it well. I looked back at my four and a half minute set I submitted months ago and it’s not that bad in retrospect. There are some good lines in it.

It flows pretty well even though the material I chose I don’t usually perform in an order like this I still think I’ll be able to polish it up and test it many times and then go out there and let it rip. If nothing else I will get a great experience of being on a national TV show.

I went through my list of trusted comedy minds and sent a copy of my set to all of them. I asked them to go through it and see if there are any glaring weaknesses or duds that need to be pulled out immediately. I didn’t see any but that’s why I asked. I’d rather have it out of the mix now rather than go on TV and drop a big horse dump. It’s just smart business.

That’s what all of this is - smart business. I don’t need to go out and do a television shot to pump up my ego. I’ve made a living at comedy for a lifetime and that’s no easy task for anyone. What this does is adds legitimacy to my efforts and proof that I can do the job for future potential people who will hire me. I’m going out there to make a new tape for gigs.

Hopefully I’ll make some new connections too. I need to reconnect with the Foxworthy management people and get that contact going. Now I’ll have something to show them at the meeting that’s fresh off the griddle. Not everyone has that option so I’ll use it wisely.

I’ve got four weeks to do a personal boot camp. I bought a whole body cleanse and that takes two weeks to clean the toxins out of my body allegedly. I’m sure I probably have all kinds of nasty germs and buildup in my colon so hopefully I can start blasting it out so I’ll be in good spirits four weeks from now. I won’t be a finished product but I’ll be better.

I also have started my daily walks again. I went to the Gurnee Mills Mall both yesterday and today and completed a full lap each day and was sweating when I finished. That’s the kind of thing I should be doing every day but I haven’t been. I want to get myself ready.

Between having my trusted friends make notes on my set and me walking every day and eating better and cleaning out my toxins and inner sludge I should be in good shape. I like deadlines because it causes me to focus and with my scatterbrained left handedness it’s an absolute must. First day of boot camp complete. Four weeks and counting to my taping.