In case I do not blog again before the great holiday, I wanted to send anyone who happens across kid IN AN ADULT WORLD a special wish:

May the angel of Christmas fly to your side and embrace you with the joy of the season, leaving behind gifts of gold, frankincense, myrrh (and perhaps some tanning oil to boot)! May he wrap you in wings of love so you be carried into the new year like baby Jesus!

Everybody...

Have a

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

SICK SICK SICK OF IT!!!

SICK!

I just was sick... like BAD sick! There are those people who go through life as "medical people". They are in the doctor's office at least once a week, perhaps eight days a week when they're really feeling poorly. They carry around a list of their prescriptions and they can spout off any of their many diagnosis on demand... a repertoire of physical ailments. Well... I've never been one of those people, thanks much to my chiropractic father and his regime of vitamins he fed us kids growing up. Much like the med people do, we had SUN - SAT pill holders filled with vitamin A through Z. AND we didn't go to a doctor unless we felt the cold steel of the grim reapers sickle brush against our cheek... we had to be knock knock knockin' on heavens door. It wasn't because my parents didn't want to pay, it's just because my brilliant father knew that doctors were handing out antibiotics to kids like the banks hand out suckers. AND they don't work quite as well when you take them all the time. You have to let your body build up its own resistance (My immune system is normally like Gerard Butler and his 300... I mean, it's strong, but I will get killed eventually, just like Gerard.)

Anyway, this past year I've been sick alot with just little stupid ailments, stomach crap, flu crap, just run-down crap! Well, in 2010 I am putting an end to that! I decided I am going back to the little Derek with the vitamin regime and the non-immunizationed temple of power! And I am asking you to join me!!! Let's be healthy in 2010! I used to hear people say they were so thankful for their health and I was like "what? we all got our health!". Well, when you don't have your health for a while (and I truly, TRULY abused my body enough that I was in bad health for awhile) you realize it's not just a given.

So... everybody... grab a smoke, raise up a shot of something hard and toast to my (and your) health! Cheers to the future!

TIRED AMERICAN DREAM!

It's coming! The script is in it's 4th or 5th rewrite and songs and characters have been cut and added, but it is coming!!!

For those of you who don't know:

TIRED AMERICAN DREAM is a pop/rock musical loosely based on some of my personal experiences. It follows a group of 20 somethings that are just graduating from College - with drama degrees! Like I did, they all think that either A) Broadway is coming to their small Indiana town to get them or B) they could take a quick march down to Manhattan, holding up their degrees and get jobs. Yeah... doesn't quite work like that, does it? Anyway, chaos ensues!

The show came about after I put together a band "DC KEY" and we recorded an album. (Please pass it on - available at CD BABY - www.cdbaby.com/cd/dckey ) Anyway, the band played 1 show and I guess that was just too much stress on the members and we fell apart. I, being resourceful, took those songs, added to them and wrote a musical!

The musical is being produced February/March 2010 in the Quad Cities, Iowa at the Harrison Hilltop Theatre. Check them out at www.harrisonhilltop.com. I'll keep you updated here on the journey!

DC

TIRED AMERICAN DREAM

HEY EVERYBODY WON'T YOU SEE WON'T YOU SEE WHAT YOU CAN DO

WITH THE PIECE OF YOURSELF THAT IS LEFT WHEN YOUR DAY'S THROUGH WITH YOU

AND I DON'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT THIS WORK I'M DOING ANYWAY

PICK UP THE PAPERS AND WE'RE WRAPPING THE PAPERS FOR TODAY

EVERY ONE'S WAITING NEVER THOUGHT THEY'D BE WAITING ON ME STILL

NO I NEVER PROJECTED I'D STILL BE A COG IN THIS WHEEL

WHEN SHE COMES HOME I NEED SOMETHING LEFT TO GIVE

WHEN SHE COMES HOME I GOT NOTHING LEFT TO GIVE

WHEN SHE COMES HOME THERE IS NOTHING LEFT

READING THE PAPER WHILE I'M WATCHING THE T.V. IN MY CHAIR

SHE RECAPS THE DAY AND I'M BEGGING HALF THE DETAIL BE SPARED

CAUSE MY 6:30 ALARM IT WORKS LIKE A CHARM EVERYDAY

EVERYONE TOLD ME THAT THIS ALL IS A BALANCING ACT

BUT THERE'S NOTHING TO BALANCE WE'RE JUST GREED-SCREWED AND THERE'S NO TURNING BACK

NO IT'S FASTER AND HARDER AND WE'RE OPEN EVERY HOLIDAY NOW

WHEN SHE COMES HOME I NEED SOMETHING LEFT TO GIVE
WHEN SHE COMES HOME I GOT NOTHING LEFT TO GIVE
WHEN SHE COMES HOME THERE IS NO ONE HOME

DON'T YOU WISH THAT YOU HAD A LITTLE PIECE OF YOU THAT YOU COULD CALL YOUR OWN?

MY kids!

I really didn't feel like writing today, but I had these 2 great Halloween pictures and felt like they should be used immediately. These are 2 of the kindest, sweetest kids (although they don't look that way here) and I am sure that anyone who is lucky enough to cross paths with them in life will be blessed having done so. We are raising them in a Christian school and they get to hang out with us and all of our theater friends after hours. Many times when kids go to a private school they are shelter and naive, but I feel like they are really getting a healthy balance here! When we moved and I thought about putting them in a public school, I very quickly changed my mind because I thought about who we hang out with (heathens - myself included) and I have heard some of the absolutely profound spiritual things that come out of their mouths. That is really cool. They deeply care about people, and that is WWJD for real!

Anyway, here are the pics from satans holiday!

Something I feel I should mention...

So then there's JOSEPH. I feel like I should mention this because it has become such a huge part of our existence and it is what we are doing right now. This show is in its 19th year at Eastlight theatre in East Peoria, IL. We have been in about 10 of those years. It runs every year @ Christmas and has become a holiday tradition for many families. So, that's what it is.

This year my whole family is in it. Jaden Amara plays a little girl in bed (a very minor part but she is just happy to be in this show) who is sung to by Carson (he sings the whole Prologue this year... which is much different than what Sir Andy had in mind). Clarissa is in her 4th year as the Narrator and I am in (what I believe to be) my 4th year as the Pharaoh (after a 3 year - not my idea - break from that role). I also play Issachar.

Anyway, if you are any where near East Peoria in December it is definitely worth seeing. I am always so happy to be in this show because people always love it and, even though it is a tradition for many, we still have droves of new people coming. For alot of children, Joseph has been an exciting, accessible show that has introduced them to the wonderful world of MUSICAL THEATER!

COME SEE US!

EASTLIGHT THEATRE presents

JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT

DECEMBER 4,5,6,9,10,11,12,13

You gotta start somewhere...how bout w/Charlie!

So... I guess there's always some new girl to obsess about. Clarissa says it's okay as long as they are on TV or in the movies because then they're not real. So, since she is not real, i would like to express my love for the beauty of Dianna Agron - what a fine looking jew! If you don't know who she is, she plays Quinn on Glee. She doesn't have quite the best personality on the show, but in real life (oh-wait-she's not real)... if she was in real life, she seems quite interesting indeed. She has written, directed and stars in a new short called the Fuchia Elephant. It's about a girl turning 18 and getting the birthday party she never got when she was little. Looks really amazing.

Anyway, what a way to start my blog... talking about some chick who's not my wife (sorry). Just wanted to celebrate the girl of the moment! You are beautiful Lamb!

I want to be incredibly close to the heart of it all.

notHIng

So I have no pictures, no nothing and nothing clever to say. I am just putting this out there - inspired by my old friend Matt Bays - with a promise to make it interesting. I love seeing all his pictures and all that crap. I love catching up with him through his blog and he doesn't even know that I know all about his life - post college - now. And I get to see that he and Heather are both still beautiful and his daughters are beautiful and his house is beautiful and his church is beautiful and the book he wrote is probably beautiful (I still need to buy it!)... What a beautiful life!

Anyway, I've got nothing to say. I just wanted to set this up, with the promise of things to come!DC