DevinRitchie.com

Cute baby Ash!

The Devin Ritchie Comeback Tour kicked off a few days ago! the Golden Girls(My mom, Grandma, and I)picked up Aunt Liz and headed down to SoCal. We have just been going out to eat, catching up with family, and celebrating my Uncle Jim’s birthday. Which mean lots of wine, food, and gossip. This trip so far has been good because I got a better picture with my baby cousin Ash. (thats the best we could do.)

On Saturday night Dustin York came over and had Chinese food with us. He is doing good, graduated from CSULB and working on short indie movies.

Later that night I met up with Bryce Marck and Matt Marr and Brandon Boone. The boys have an improv troupe called “The Gentlemen Improvisers” and they had a show that night in Fullerton and they invited me to monologue for them. After a couple pitchers of beer and some beer in the show (they just let you bring open containers into the theatre!) I was ready to monologue. They guys did great and it great hanging out with my them again. I wish I could have actually partied with them and hung out for a few days, but schedule didn’t permit.

I had originally planned on staying out here for a few days hanging out with people, but my mom planned this awesome wine tasting road trip that was hard to pass up, also a ride home.

Next on the Schedule is to go to Temecula to visit my aunt Claire and uncle Jim’s new place and to go wine tasting. Heres a quick overview

Wilson Creek- Beautiful Winery, most famous for the Almond Champagne which was just ok. I like the blends here. Good Syrah and Viognier

Van Roeckel- Come for the Champagne and the baked brie in a sourdough roll. Not the reds… Nice guys though

South Coast- Ridiculously huge winery/gift shop/spa/ whatevathefuck. I didnt taste here because it was so crowded and expensive.

Monte Del Oro- Gorgeous property and views. Glass floor with a barrel room under it! Awesome. Loved the zin and the cab franc. Not so much the whites. Someone gave me the rest of there tastings… so I wanna say I had like 12 tastings here…

Robert Renzoni- I was getting a little drunk by this point…. but they had music. The rest of the places had slips of paper to mark off how many tastings you have had. Which was weird, I’ve never had that, its a little rude right? But Renzoni had poker chips. Bonus point. I tweeted that this was my favorite but I honestly couldn’t tell you why. Tomorrow I will take notes.

Afterwards we all had dinner and I finally got to meet my cousin Jeff’s two little girls Isabel and Sabrina

Yeah, adorable.

Then back to a new hotel and I spent some time in the hot tub by myself while it was storming. But I moved the patio umbrellas around the hot tub so I wouldn’t get rained on too much

Peace out, next stop Santa Barbara

Wow, long time no blog. A lot of shit to cover lets get to it.

This next paragraph makes me sound like a diva.

First and foremost I have been so busy with Blithe Spirit, the play I’m in. I have been trying to take being a lead seriously and concentrate on nothing else. I have to be perfectly honest in saying that the experience has been frustrating. This is my first time being a real lead lead, so this is all new for me, and I’m being treated as if I am the old veteran. There have been some line learning issues and beginner problems for the entire cast, I feel like I already have so much on my plate I cant deal with anything less than spectacular from my fellow actors. I know that is a lot to ask. But it all comes back to the point that I am very insecure about my own abilities even on my best day, so any other problems are just kicking I’m when I’m down. I am a hash critic of acting, directing, and art and its weird to have my ass on the line for once. I’m just supposed to be the funny supporting character, if the show is bad, that’s not my bad. But now it is. I have a lot of anxiety about it.

Moreover, I have had some serious doubts about acting lately. To begin with IT’S FUCKING HARD. I have to sit back and ask myself why I am doing such a thing. Why am I being someone else? Do I just like being the center of attention? I have the distinct feeling that I do love performing, but this traditional linear story telling just to amuse. I want to get people to feel something, I want it to mean something, I don’t want to do it for vanity, but most theatre and film and entertainment lately is like 90% for the performers sake. I’m just very confused and angst ridden about the whole matter.

I am almost done with all my DUI shit, I should have my license back in about a month. I have actually started enjoying my mandatory DUI group meetings, if I have to pay for them and go, I am damn well going to get something out of them. I talk and call people on their bullshit excuses. I sort of wonder if  would maybe like to be a drug and alcohol counselor, I know that sounds ridiculous, but the topic of addiction and recovery interests me and I am not going to be a doctor, and I have had always had a special place in my heart for the seedy characters who inhabit such places. Just a thought.

I applied at a couple wineries in Livermore, but as time passes and other opportunities arise  I begin to think of the impossible and the stupid adventurous ideas. More pipe dreams and unintelligent plans from Devin Ritchie.

This is why I haven’t been blogging, I haven’t been able to form cogent thoughts, and really have nothing important to say. Not to say that anything I have ever wrote is important.

Last time we checked in ignoring my life and running off to Vegas, the next weekend I went to South Lake Tahoe with my brother Kyle, Rachel, and Josh. Basically doing the exact same thing again. Except being in debt to my brother now.

I have been being a good boy all of 2011 besides those two indiscretions I don’t party or drink as much. I have been single and abstinent the whole year, I have not even thought of relationships or anything in a long time. But I did kinda hang out with someone over the weekend. So we shall see. I’m really bad at these sort of things.

I am just at a loss for what to do after this show is over. I will have no Sacramento obligations. I am actively not auditioning for shows in the area just for that reason. Right now, I am just getting back to working out, finishing this show up, getting license back, and then….??

New Years Eve 2011 was alright, definitely low key, just drinking with a few friends at a party here in Sac. I don’t like to blab about my resolutions, I like to brag about my accomplishments. That being said, I’m working on bettering myself, and for a few days I really was.

Stayed in, watched LOST season 2 ate right, and didn’t drink…..

Then….

I got offered a trip to Las Vegas with Danny and Hector (from slaughterhouse). They were going anyways and said I could ride with em and stay. Now, I don’t have a lot of money and honestly I should have been going down to SoCal to help my mom and bro move the rest of my Grandmas stuff into storage… But I make bad choices.

I ran off to Vegas for a quick weekend of debauchery, drinking, and fun. Vegas lived up to all of my expectations since the last time I was there for my 21st. I was trying to do the trip on a really tight budget, I gambled and won some money, and then blew everything. I went to the ATM and took out money I had no right taking out. Long story short… I came back with 3 times as much money as I left with in my pocket. AMAZEBALLS. Roulette and Bill’s Gamblin hall done me right! My boys and I all got a 3 foot long drinks. and then drank quite a bit more all night. I got so drunk that I decided not to go to a club with them and walked back to the strip from the Rio(like a mile!) and later I hitchhiked… yeah I know… I know. But it turned out well. My consciousness fades while I was playing roulette at Balleys ______ then it gets a little hazaay   _____  I regain consciousness around the time I realize my room key doesn’t work and after complaining to the front desk for about ten minutes and the concierge not being able to help me… I realize that I am in Caesers Palace… I’M STAYING AT THE RIO! THAT’S NOT EVEN CLOSE! It was 10am and I needed to take the shuttle back, instead I went to bill’s gamblin hall and won more money and drank more

it ended something like this…

I’m fully aware that going to Vegas on a whim and no money is rarely if ever is a good idea, and my mom was pretty pissed, and then shocked that I was able to pay her back after all is said and done. Last weekend was not fair, I know, and am thankful. But now I’m back to real life.

Blithe Spirit is rehearsing and going well. SO MANY lines and SO MUCH crazy blocking. This is going to be hard. I’m glad.

I’m single and lovin it.

Winery is going great, articles in the newspaper, we were on the news, and the tasting room officially opens next weekend.

oh and BRITNEY HAS A NEW SONG OUT!

It’s a pretty good fucking year so far.

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. It is the traditional end to my birth month. I got scraps of fabric from my costumer Gail and started draping and sewing my Peter Pan costume on to myself (while watching project runway no less haha). I always make my own costumes. make my own versions of characters and things. It turned out awesome!

I picked up and got a criagslist ride share out to my sister Jenny’s place in Pleasanton, drank champagne and got ready. A few of our friends and our brother kyle met us up and we went to a few parties and the Livermore bars. Needless to say, we all got pretty trashed. Had a nice hangover day the next day watching How I met your Mother ALL DAY. and then go out again.

This time the Ritchie Kids went out to San Francisco and hit up bars in the Castro. Sadly, this was actually my like 4th day in a row of partying hard and my body couldn’t take it much more. I puked before I got on BART. And after. So we all just had one beer each and were pretty tame. But we walked around and got several great pictures of all the FANTASTIC COSTUMES! We called it a pretty early night but it was an awesome weekend.

Peace

I am now typing to you as a 23 year old. Feels pretty much the same.

My birthday came and went, much less celebration, just one drunken weekend that lingered for about a weekend a half. I went out to bars, went to house parties, saw plays, took jello shots, drank so much 4Loko, and acted a fool generally and sprayed champagne on people. I mean, what else is expected of me on my birthday?

It was fine, I didn’t even want to acknowledge it this year, but my family and friends refused, and I obliged.  I made a half assed drunken attempt to make a speech to my immediate family telling them I am going to get my act together. I knew it was bad once I started paralleling my life to Thomas The Tank Engine. Sometimes I need to remember to shut up, and that actions speak louder than words.

Have been working on Slaughterhouse-5, it has been casual and fun. But it is high time we get down and dirty and kick this plays ass. We open in less than a month. It could be so good.

I have been working on Lavish Laines Winery and their website. Why not go get added to the mailing list eh?? Hopefully the more work and money will be flowing in soon.

After my elongated birthday celebration, I had to take a break from drinking my body literally couldn’t take it anymore. I have just given it a couple days, and besides a slight case of RMD (Reno Mouth Disease) I am better.

Dating life is the exact same as ever. Remember how I was sorta seeing Jeff again? Yeah, not so much. Once I realized I was getting ignored I called him out, and he said he was confused and that he also like this other guy. But told me not to worry and that we would hang out that week…. Not so much. He’s just dating the other guy, who is hard of hearing and they are both fluent in ASL, and I “wouldnt get it”. But at the very least I saw him out one night and we talked and I got to yell at him, a pleasure I don’t always get to have. This also gave me enough time to start seeing this guy named Travis, but he “just wants to be single right now”. It actually does get easier the more this happens, I hardly even care anymore.

But in a way I’m glad, I have not been going out, drinking, or doing much of anything besides designing, going to class, and rehearsing. Well, and of course watching an obscene amount of Law & Order: SVU. But that’s just the usual. So generally I have been keeping out of trouble for a little while and it seems to do a body good.