Ryan "T-Rex" Garwood
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[edit] Origins
Ryan "T-Rex" Garwood joined the Ship of Fools in March 2005. The nickname "T-Rex" was bestowed upon him by Benji "Hallway" Milanowski during a game of Apples to Apples before the April 2005 Relay for Life Show. The origin of the name comes from his tiny arms, unable to reach his cards into the middle pile. Along with T-Rex came engineering colleague John "Freshman/Tripod" Tubergen. The two were inducted into the SoF at the same time. T-Rex is known for his Hobbit-like features and complex scene suggestions.
[edit] First Show
Ryan's first show was the SCUM Show on April 02, 2005. It was at this show he began to bring 3 Things to unprecedented levels of fame.
[edit] Connections with Andy Ober and the Tower Players
Long ago, Ryan's sister (then the leader of the Miami Tower Players) met a man named Andy Ober at a Weird Al Yankovic concert. She immediately became friends with him and invited his parody group the Andy Ober Orchestra to perform at 'Provstock 05. Before being asked to join the Ship of Fools, Ryan arranged for the Fools to perform at 'Provstock where they would later meet the AOO.
[edit] Outlandish Suggestions
Ryan was a spectator at the weekly meetings of the Ship of Fools for almost a full semester before attempting improv on stage. Seeing his sister perform improv before, however, had stressed to him the importance of having good suggestions for a scene. His suggestions came in the form of long uninterrupted streams of incredibly detailed scene suggestions, often blurted out moments after the emcee had asked for a relationship or conflict for the performers at the beginning of a game. Many times the suggestions took so long that he would continue to describe long after everybody else had shouted out theirs, and most turned in shock/amusement as his were completed.
Typically, most people suggest things like:
- proctologist and patient
- Michael Jackson
(Actual) Ryan suggestions sound more like:
- A crowded triage unit in a modern downtown hospital
- Two paratroopers fighting over the last parachute in a B-52 being shot down over Normandy
- Native medicine men re-creating a tribal rain dance to save the summer crops
[edit] Benji by Proxy
The Halloween Party of 2005 saw Ryan dressing as his best friend and Second Benji Milanowski. More than just a costume, however- this disguise was a full case study, down to the glasses and lack of polo undershirt, to a faux AIM profile full of color coded Fun Facts. He proceeded to host that evening's weekly meeting as Benji, presenting yogurt, removing his shirt, performing card tricks, and even attempting his patented glasses seduction move. At the traditional afterparty, he proceeded to act like Benji and hit on mostly women all evening. As per regulation, he was required to have a number of females sit on his lap as the evening progressed. The final lady of the evening to spend some time with "Benji by Proxy" was a certain Jennifer Wilson. They are currently engaged, planning a summer 2011 wedding.
Ryan has assumed Benji's identity on other occasions, including:
- Attempting to utilize his (Benji's) AAA card to tow his (Ryan's) vehicle
[edit] Waitresses
After shows and weekly meetings, the Ship of Fools often travel to a local eatery. This serves several purposes- bonding as friends, solidifying relationships as performers and comedians on and off stage, furthering a group presence and shared jokes/material, show debriefs, and other such productivity.
However, many Fools are amused at Ryan's frequent "incidents" with waitresses. For example:
- Ryan once asked an Applebee's waitress to recommend either a chocolate milkshake or a Mt. Dew as a beverage. Other Fools, however, were confused- they thought a milkshake as more of a dessert, and the questioned posed was akin to asking "which should I drink- soda or chicken fingers?".
- Ryan once asked the typical restaurant patron question "Coke or Pepsi products?" to an innocent Steak 'n Shake employee. However, he felt like shaking things up, and instead asked "Do you guys rock it Coke-style here?" in an attempt to be different. The waitress was not amused.
- Repeatedly being dissatisfied with the purity of his chocolate milkshake at Steak 'n Shake, particularly with respect to the levels of mint involved.
[edit] Officer Positions
At the end of Spring 2006, following the graduation of his Captain and President Paul "CMG" Kuliniewicz, Ryan was elected to be the Captain and President of the next year, running unopposed. His First Wench was Jennifer Wilson.
Paul was also Webmaster when Ryan joined the Ship of Fools. When he retired, he searched for a replacement. Ryan became Co-Webmaster with John Tubergen (and later became full Webmaster) because he had working knowledge of UNIX and Blogger. This lasted from Spring 2006 to Spring 2007.
[edit] Accomplishments
- Creator of the Annual Ship of Fools Awards in Spring 2006.
- Organized the first Hanukkah Gift Exchange in Winter 2006.
- Commissioned the Ship's first military rank, Sergeant.
- Inducted into the Order of Charlie (2006).
- Awarded the Last Action Hero (2007), (2008).
- Shortest Captain to date.
[edit] Improv Strengths and Weaknesses
- Favorite games: 3 Things, Oxygen Deprivation, Here Comes Vague Charlie, Props (improv game), Press Conference, any pun game
- Strengths: suggestions, mime and gibberish, making others lose The Game
- Weaknesses: rhymes, Questions Only
[edit] Personal Life
Ryan is an Aeronautical Engineer at Purdue University. For a time he lived with fellow Fool John Tubergen. He is the Second of Benji Milanowski. Frequently known to "rock out," especially to classic rock, and is re-growing his rock star hair. Has connections at Hillenbrand Hall and worked as a part of the Student Office Staff in the main office there for a time. From Cincinnati, OH and comes from a short family history of improv comedians. He knows too little about blue herons, and too much about fish sex.
