Jaclyn Young, Katie McManus, Kat Brais, and John P. Loughney

It’s only fitting I sit here with my wife-beater on as I write this.

Coincidentally it was the same outfit I had on when I trekked up to Kensington to check out Kensington Arts Theatre’s production of The Great American Trailer Park Musical. I thought it would be fun to dress up and enjoy a show that sounded like it was going to be… quite trashy. I mean with a title like that, you aren’t expecting suspenseful drama.

I was happy to see I wasn’t the only one in costume as I walked in.

KAT truly transformed their space to fit the atmosphere of the show, from the beer cans and beach chairs scattered about to the hour dourves (Pringles and spray can cheese) that was served by the Choreographer (Catherine Oh) who was in bathrobe and curlers.

It was trailer park class I could belive in.

I noticed other audience members were in costume as the show got underway, creating a fun environment to enjoy the show. A show which I was already enjoying well into their first number, “This Side of the Tracks.”

Director Evan Hoffmann brought out all the cliches, stereotypes, and redneck jokes that makes Trailer Park such an entertaining show. The whole performance is a well executed, fast paced romp that is sure to keep you laughing all night. Be sure to keep your ears open, the show is full of clever lines and entendres that makes Trailer Park such a well written piece.

Malinda Ellerman as Jeannie Garstecki

Malinda Ellerman as Jeannie Garstecki is absolutely adorable and performs with energy and passion as the agoraphobic wife of Norbert Garstecki (Patrick McMahan.) In usual white trash fashion, Norbert is caught between his panic stricken wife and his new neighbor, Pippi (Jennifer Lambert), a sultry stripper who is on the run from her crazy ex-boyfriend Duke (John P. Loughney.) The show goes through so many twists and turns you’ll feel like you are on an episode of Jerry Springer… which the show quickly points out in the number “The Great American TV Show.”

The entire tale is told through a trio of storytellers (Kat Brais, Katie McManus,  and Jaclyn Young) who also get their moment to shine through impressions, side jokes, and solos. The three almost steal the show with their antics and reminded me of a redneck version of The Supremes.

Rounding out the ensemble are Darnell Morris and Mark Hidalgo who play rather silent, but by no means unforgettable roles. Pay special attention to them towards the end of the show.

Besides serving the hour dourves,  Catherine Oh has also done a fine job with the Choreography- making creative usage of toilet brushes in the Flushed Down the Pipes number. (A choreography side note, I was personally delighted to see a brief homage to Beyonce during one of the numbers. You’ll have to go watch to see what I’m talking about.)

If you need something to do this weekend I highly endorse escaping the city life of DC and checking out The Great American Trailer Park Musical, it will be a performance you are going to walk out loving.

The Great American Trailer Park Musical
Kensington Arts Theatre
3710 Mitchell Street
Kensington, MD 20895
May 21, 22, 23 (8 PM show)
Adult $20/Students & Seniors $17/Children & Residents $13
http://www.katonline.org/

But the secrets I’m about to tell you about are much more interesting than those you’d find at the place above.

They are the secrets held by you and; I, the secrets held by the person checking out your groceries, your neighbor, the waitress at Applebee’s. I’m talking about the secrets of the everyday person.

Frank Warren doesn’t know all of them, but he does get an awful lot of them.

Frank Warren is the creator of PostSecret, a blog where he posts anonymous postcards that are sent to him. Every Sunday he will post 20 homemade postcards from the past week, each postcard reveals a person secret from the anonymous sender. In 2008 PostSecret won four Weblog Awards including Best Blog and Best Net Art. In 2007 Forbes Magazine ranked Frank #11 in their Web Celeb 25. He outranked Lonely Girl Jessica Lee Rose that year- maybe she can vent some her thoughts to him about it.

I was recently invited by Frank to talk about PostSecret and go behind the scenes of what makes PostSecret work. I have to admit I was rather nervous, he’s probably the biggest person I’ve got to meet besides the cable pundits I work with on a daily basis.

I traveled out to Germantown to meet with him and I was welcomed at the door by a tall man with glasses and a smile. The family dog was also in a rush to welcome me.

After exchanging pleasantries I saw that this was a man who was mild mannered, welcoming, and pleasant. He spoke with a childlike enthusiasm that still exists after collecting secrets for many years. The ease I had talking to him told me that he was the perfect sort of man to tell a secret too.

We walked out to check his mail, a task we all do everyday except for Frank there’s more waiting for him then credit card offers and Valpaks.

He reached into the box and pulled out two big bricks of postcards bound by rubber bands. Frank grabs the mail without any surprise of the volume. “I get about 1,000 postcards a week and in the past 4 years I’ve gotten over 300,000 postcards.” Frank has already had to replace his mailbox due to the volume of mail he’s received. Let’s hope mailbox #2 makes it through 2009.

“I get between 100 to 200 postcards everyday from places all over the world,” says Frank as we start to head inside. I find it surprising that the whole mail operation goes rather unnoticed by his neighbors, in fact it’s as anonymous as the secrets he receives. When I asked Frank how his neighbors handle any requests to collect mail during vacations he told me that they are mostly unaware of the project.

“They kind know there’s something kinda special about the mailbox… if they are aware about the project it’s usually from their sons or daughters who told them about it. I guarantee you when I ask my neighbors to collect my mail when I’m gone it’s like nobody else’s mailbox they are ever going to go into- so it’s kinda like a special surprise for them.”

Forget the neighbors, what does the Postal Service think about a guy who receives hundreds of postcards every day? While Frank has a great relationship with Kathy, the mail carrier who delivers his secrets, sorting through the pile reveals possible evidence that others might be getting a sneak peek at the secrets at the post office:

“This whole pile comes and it’s arranged properly almost as if the Postal employees have been going through them- and sometimes I’ll get an interesting one on top, as if they made their own selection,” Frank explains as he points out how the postcards are all facing in a certain direction as if they have been read.

Frank Warren hasn’t always been a collecting of secrets. The Arizona born-Illinois native went to UC Berkley where he graduated with a degree in social science. To pay for school he worked part time handling medical information. The work led him to Washington, DC after college and he started his own business . After 20 years in business he recently decided to close it to focus more on PostSecret:

“Well I had this business that I started 20 years ago called Instant Information Systems and we just closed it down about a week ago. I’ve been working on secrets 50 hours a week so I haven’t had time for anything else for 3-4 years.”

The secrets started in November 2004. Frank found himself a rut, tired of the monotony of his business. “I daydreamed of something more creative,” explains Frank. He decided to embark on an art project for Artomatic, a local DC art forum. He passed out postcards at public places including Metro stations. These postcards invited people to anonymously write their secrets down and send them back to Warren. For Frank, the idea of people and their secrets was a way not only to look at society but a way to look at himself.

“It’s been a way for me to explore secrets of my own life- so maybe the real reason I’ve been drawn to this project, drawn to other people’s secrets, is that it is a better way to understand the parts of myself I’m hiding from myself.”

After collecting secrets, he created his Artomatic display, various postcards hung on wire, each with personal secrets from parts unknown. However the secrets didn’t stop coming. So Frank created a blog to display some of the secrets and now it’s one of the biggest ad-free blogs on the net.

For a man that runs one of the most popular blogs on the web he’s still able to live a normal life in Montgomery County. Besides an incident at the local Panera Bread, most people have no idea who Frank Warren is. However thousands of those people have trusted him enough to share with him their deepest secrets. However for Frank it’s not about him.

“Sometimes people look at me funny now and I think they know something but they don’t say it- but I don’t try and advertise myself, when I first started PostSecret I would write my own little comments and stuff but now I don’t do that. I never had my picture on the website or my writing- I just reflect what people are mailing me.”

To Frank, it’s not about fame or money but about respecting and honoring the secrets he shares and the site. That’s why you’ll find no merchandise or ads (I bet hundreds of those secrets would make great T-Shirts).

When the All-American Rejects approached Frank to use some of the postcards for their Dirty Little Secret music video he turned down the money and instead offered use of the postcards in exchange for a donation to The National Hopeline Network. The postcards you see in the video are real “secrets” and Frank was able to use some of the set pieces from the music video to raise even more money for Hopeline, where Frank worked as a volunteer.

Frank has used the attention and spotlight he’s received to help bring attention to the issue of suicide- a problem that Warren calls, “America’s secret.”

Not only has the success of the blog spawn numerous best-selling books, it has created a movement of open communication and secret-sharing.

The PostSecret Community is an online forum where members share and discuss secrets. Frank Warren’s MySpace page is littered with comments of fans that leave their cell phone numbers and invitations for others to share secrets with them. It appears that others want to follow in Frank Warren’s footsteps as a confident to strangers far and wide. Frank took notice and encouraged the community to share through his blog.

Erin Mellor lives in North Carolina and decided to reach out and text a stranger, “Its liberating! The people I’ve talked to can often relate in some way or another.” After being able to share some of her secrets with others, she wanted to repay the favor- and posted her AOL Instant Messenger screen name on the PostSecret MySpace page. It wasn’t too long before others started to confide, “Once I posted [my screen name] I got messages from different people within a few hours. Some people chat first and are a little shy about sharing, while others just send me their secret in the first little blurb of message. I guess for some, its easier to just get it out, otherwise you might not do it at all, like pulling off a band-aid, or something”

In sharing secrets, Frank has created an environment where people can be truly honest and open with one another- without fear of rejection.

“PostSecret creates this model of a safe, non-judgmental place to share your secrets where you don’t feel weird or different or strange or alone.”

Warren sees this movement as an ushering in of a new generation, a generation of people that have nothing to hide and are more willing to bare-all than our parents.

“It’s a generational shift-like adults don’t get it, but young people today are so much more confident about sharing the parts of themselves that parents would never talk about. You can see it everyday on Facebook and MySpace. We are just a much more open society than we used to be- and in most cases I think it’s healthy. I think part of it is a search for authenticity. Young people want to know what’s real, they want to know what’s phony, they want to know who is a hypocrite and who’s real.”

The movement isn’t confined to the Internet- people are writing secrets and leaving them in copies of PostSecret books, and PostSecret Live events are attracting enormous crowds for the chance to hear stories from Frank and to step up to the microphone and confess secrets to the audience. Frank tells me it’s a very therapeutic experience.

“There is so much emotion in the room, people will share a secret, walk back to their seat and strangers will hug them, there is so much warmth- a sense of support. There is something spiritual about it.”

If you want to catch Frank he’ll be speaking at the Lisner Auditorium at George Washington University next Friday, January 23rd at 7:30 PM. Tickets are on sale for only $10. I highly urge everyone to show up and learn more about the man behinds the secrets and perhaps you’ll get a chance to tell him your secret. I will be there with Frank next week and I hope to tell you all more about it in Part 2 of my story.

Video: Frank Warren checks his mail for secrets

As someone that loves to drive around DC but is not a fan of finding spaces in parking garages; I couldn’t enjoy parking at BWI anymore than I did at that moment. I am absolutely in love with the SmartPark system- and I know I’m not the only one.

I know that the garages in Montgomery County have a similar system but wouldn’t it be great if more garages in the district had this technology?

For those of you who will need potable water, it is recommended that you boil your water (rolling boil) for over a minute before you use it (and for those who need cold water, don’t add ice cubes from your automatic ice maker, unless it’s got a filter on it, wait for it to reach room temperature or cool it in your fridge). Other methods for treating your water can also be achieved through typical backpackers methods such as a SteriPen or purification tablets (REI, HTO, or other outdoor store) for larger volumes.

I was at the Germantown Wal*Mart to buy four bags of sugar because earlier in the day I had been at Butler’s Orchard picking 10 pounds of strawberries to turn into delicious jam. And to make delicious jam, you need lots of sugar. I grabbed four bags and headed to the checkout, where I also decided I could use some refreshment. I grabbed a Mountain Dew from the cooler, but the cashier had already processed my card for the four bags of sugar. He apologized and rang up another transaction for the Mt. Dew. At that point, he crumpled up my receipt for the four bags of sugar and handed me the receipt for the Mountain Dew. I headed for the exit, and was greeted by Wal*Mart security who wanted to check my receipt. I produced the receipt for the Mountain Dew and explained that the cashier had tossed the other receipt for the sugar. I would repeat this explanation 6 more times before this affair ended. The rest of the tale is below…

At this point, I attempted to leave, but was told I could not. I immediately asked if I was being detained. I was told “no” but that I wasn’t allowed to leave unless I walked back to the cashier to get a receipt. I said that I was “happy to let the security guard talk to the cashier, but that I was heading home with my sugar.” I attempted to leave again, and the door was blocked. I asked again if I was being detained, and was told “yes.” I asked on what grounds, and the security guard said “Because you stole.”

I informed the guard I had done no such thing, that the sugar was my property, and I was leaving with it. This time I pushed passed him and left the store, with him following me demanding I stop. As I left, he grabbed my bags, ripping them open. As he followed me he attempted to grab my bags, and grab the items inside of my bags. At one point, he told me that he should “kick my ass.” As I reached the end of sidewalk outside the store and headed towards my car in the parking lot, another employee came running and blocked my path. Soon afterwards a manager arrived. I again asked if I was being detained. I was informed by the manager that I was. I again asked for what reason, and was told by the original security guard that it was for stealing. I once again informed them that I hadn’t stolen anything and that I was leaving.

At this point, the manager informed me that Wal*Mart policy did not allow me to leave the store without showing a receipt. I said that I had paid for my merchandise, that it was in fact a store employee that had thrown away my receipt, and that I was not compelled to prove that items that I legally owned belonged to anyone but me. Again I inquired whether I was being detained, and was told my only options were to go back in the store to talk to the cashier or have the police called. I informed the manager that she was welcome to call the police, because I had done nothing wrong. At tht point, she radioed for someone to call the police. Once again, I started to walk to my car as the two security guards again attempted to block my path in the parking lot.

At this point, and off duty police officer came to the scene (he appeared to be heading into Wal*Mart to shop, not the one called by the manager), showed his badge, and asked for an explanation. Everyone was calmed by this, and tensions visibly eased on the faces of the Wal*Mart employees. I explained my side, and Wal*Mart employees explained their side. After the explanations, I asked the police officer if I was being detained, and he said yes. I asked on what grounds, and he said “suspicion of theft.” The officer told me I could give them “their merchandise back” and leave at that point or I could go inside and talk to the cashier. I indicated that since he was detaining me, I was willing to go back into the store and speak with the cashier, but that the merchandise belonged to me.  At this point, one of the bags of sugar fell from my ripped bags and split open on the pavement. It was an accident, but I could tell no one believed me when I said so.

On the way into the store, the officer informed me that it was his day off, he had important things to do, and he didn’t want to take me to jail. But I had one last chance to give them their merchandise back and just leave, because if I wasn’t telling the truth, he would personally drive me to the station. I agreed wholeheartedly with him, and told him so. I’m fairly certain he thought I had actually stolen the sugar at this point. He then asked what I needed so much sugar for anyway. At the time, I was literally covered with strawberry juice. It had stained my shorts and shirt red, and I thought it was fairly believable that I was going to make strawberry jam. He still seemed skeptical, asking where I had been picking strawberries, and only seemed to believe me after I was able to name Butler’s Orchard. He then asked if I had ID, what my name was, and how old I was. Upon telling him this, he said “You better not be lying to me,” so perhaps I was too quick to think he didn’t assume I was guilty.

Of course, upon re-entering the store and speaking with the cashier, he informed everyone that I had paid for the sugar and the receipt was found in his trash can. His story differed slightly in that he told them he had given me the receipt but I had thrown it into his trash can. That was impossible based on where his trash can was from the checkout counter, but it didn’t matter. The original security guard was cordial, shook my hand, and apologized. The Wal*Mart manager and police officer lectured about how next time if I just cooperated and gave up my rights at the beginning, it would have been much easier on everyone. Trust me, Wal*Mart, there won’t be a next time.

A parking enforcement vehicle parked in front of a fire plug. Does that seem fishy to anyone else? If a week goes by without me seeing a Montgomery County parking enforcement vehicle parked illegally, it’s because I haven’t spent many days up here in Bethesda.

Photo: Parking Enforcement Parking Illegally Originally uploaded by carlweaver

Please join Shara Banisadr and her students to celebrate unconventional ways of painting. They request that youRSVP so they know how many people to expect. You can visit the site about this event here and see others’ works as well.

The above painting is by local artist Kristin Bruch, a very talented and interesting young artist. As I have said before, I am not schooled in such highfalutin’ things as art history or art appreciation, but I know what I like and her work is drenched in it. Come on down and see Kristin’s work and that of many other artists as well. Here are all the specifics:

Reception: Friday, May 2, 2008
Time: 6:30-8:30

Location: Kensington Framing & Gallery
10805 Connecticut Ave
Kensington, MD 2089

Wayan’s DC Photos

I want to add a kitchen to my finished basement. A place for guests or renters to cook and entertain a guest.

On the advice of others I went to the Home Depot Expo Design Center Saturday morning. Oh what an error that was!

First off, all the massive bathrooms when you first walk in made me realize just how small my house is. But the real affront happened at the kitchen design center.

There a very arrogant salesman demanded I start my kitchen design with cabinet selections, ignoring my desire to start at what appliances would fit in my small space.

When I balked at his minimum kitchen design price, $45,000!, as ridiculous crazy talk, he became downright nasty. Apparently, unless you are trust fund wealthy, you are not welcome at Expo Design Center, Montgomery Mall.

Which leaves me with a problem: where do I go to design a little basement kitchen on a small budget?

The bust took place recently at the Wheaton location of the chain, and four members of the Solano family were arrested for these charges, and 9 more of their employees were arrested and placed under deportation proceedings. Their cash business amounted to over $6 million over the last five years, and was deposited to avoid being noticed by banking regulations that require more stringent tracking practices. Shady, shady stuff is being alleged here.