“Curtain Call” – Mr. Matheson’s Arithme-TIPS for January 9, 2025
"The Quiet House" comic, referenced in today's strip.
I have experienced getting "Blue Curtain Called," but it was probably for the best.
Back in college, I was doing a Brecht play where we sang Chumbwumba at one point. It was weird, experimental, tons of fun with a fun cast. Unfortunately, when I wasn't on stage, my life was kinda spiraling. My grandfather passed away, my relationship fell apart, and I pushed away the only non-theater friends I had left. Needless to say, I wasn't in any condition to attend a wild theater cast party, especially the night before our final matinee performance.
I went anyway. I don't remember a lot of the night. I brought a bottle of Black Velvet (the cheap whiskey I was in love with at the time), and wasn't shy about drinking it. As my friends (and my current wife) tell it, I was gregarious, outgoing, single, and ready to mingle. I don't remember all that much of it. When the snow picked up around 1:00 AM, our D.D. gathered us up and took us back up the hill to campus. I staggered to my dorm room and collapsed on the couch, asleep before I could deal with the queasy feeling in my stomach.
When I woke up the next morning, I had a puddle of puke on the floor next to me. Before I could push through my epic hangover to clean it up, the phone rang. It was the Stage Manager for the show, letting me know the final performance had been cancelled since all the roads were closed from the massive snowstorm. In most situations, I'd have been devastated. Final shows were always my favorite: Everybody was loose, more playful... It was like a theatrical victory lap. In this case, however, I was thankful to be "Blue Curtain Called." Who knows how it would have gone, but I was not at 100%. I cleaned up my regrets, popped in a DVD, and slept the rest of the day.
I'll leave the stories I heard about myself a week later when campus reopened for some other time. For now, I'm going to get to sleep. I was a little late getting this up due to the fires here in Los Angeles. We lost power for about a day, but otherwise are sound and safe.
Come back next week for a brand new adventure. For the very first time, Mr. Matheson is leaving Everly Heights. And, boy, is he leaving.
Latch on to learning!