One of my favorite pictures of Whit from our time in Tokyo

Well, I was having quite the slow week, one of those weeks that are basically forgettable, which is sort of distressing. I mean, live every day like it's your last, right? Well, not when you are living past 40, I guess. On the acting front, I have had a few voiceover auditions, which are great, but I just am especially good at not thinking about them anymore. Do your best and forget about it, Kelly the manager says, which is seemingly the most Zen way to go about this whole process. Do your best and forget. (Insert 2 paragraphs thinking about how weird it is to live through time that you are pretty sure you are going to forget about a month later.)

Well, it's Friday and I was all happy to sleep in a bit and shave and have a nice relaxing day, I'm wearing shorts, I'm in before it gets too hot, and I am pretty much ready to do some work as the rest of the office and Los Angeles gets in their car and vacates the area. Then I get to work and I find that I totally missed a meeting and then I get a call and now I have an audition in North Hollywood in the middle of the day, which is doubly bad news because I am in shorts and now I gotta go home and change and then go to North %$(%*@ Hollywood and do my thing then rush back to work. Plus I just found out I have a meeting about an actual movie role next week with the Weinstein Company. Holy crap! It's just a meeting, no script, so it's all new and I am very excited. I am going to go early to clas--ARGH! no class next week. Dammit. Well, I will figure it out. Exciting, and suddenly the week is a little more memorable.

On the anguished tech nerd side of things, I read this very good article on Blu-Ray/HD-DVD and now I am in a quandary. Long story short, despite some very tempting titles exclusive to HD-DVD, it looks like Blu-Ray is the way to go. Sure, the HD-DVD players are cheaper but there are really only two options--the Microsoft HD-DVD player for the Xbox 360 or the Toshiba boxes. I think, honestly, that the prices are going down because they know the format is going down. So, I am thinking that if I really want to do it (and I am still not even convinced of that), the best way to go is to get the HD-DVD player for my Xbox and just hang out for the Blu-Ray prices to come down. Such a pain. Oh, and I know, everyone's talking about streaming and downloading and all that, but for some reason, I guess I like having a library of books and movies. I like taking a bunch of movies with me on the road.

Looks like I am on my own this weekend; Whit's going to Jackson to hang out with Kristi and her boy Rivers so I am probably gonna go to yoga, get my comics, maybe organize the comics, play records, maybe even go out dancing, go to Gary's bbq, and find a few pools to soak in.

Hope you have a good weekend!

Tags: acting, HD, DVD

Not much to report today, other than I have some kind of shin splint thing going on in my right shin, which is making me think I shouldn't go running today, which is irritating, since I really like to go running at lunch on Tuesdays. Whatever, I will take a break and just deal.

Had a good weekend, Whit's birthday was on Sunday, so we all hung out at the beach on Saturday, then we hung out with dad and step mom on Sunday, ending up at the Terra Byte festival at the LA Arboretum that evening, which was pretty cool. It's interesting, I went last year and commented on the music, which was pretty much a blend of uninteresting to irritating, which is never a good sign. I mean, when people are sitting out in the park, I just don't know if they necessarily want to feel like they are in the innards of a computer. There is a trick to play an hour of rhythm-free music, but I am not sure it is as rewarding for the audience as it is for the DJ. Still, it's something, I guess.

Wow. Other than work and classes...nothing. Slow week...

Tags: fitness

Ah, those were the days--me doing my make up back in college.

Remember when I was talking about how it would basically be impossible for mass transit to be a fully effective solution for people who need to jet across town at a moment's notice? Well, it's still true, but there's another side of it--everything is just so spread out here in LA. This morning I had an audition at 11:30 in Burbank, which is about 20 minutes with no traffic, and about 45 minutes with traffic. There would just be no way to get there as quickly using public transportation, unless I had several hours to kill. And then I had to go back to my place, change clothes, deal with work issues, then jet over to the office. Impossible without a fully pervasive and reliable public transportation infrastructure. But, oh, if we did--it would be so awesome. Ah well.

Had a solid audition this morning for a new show coming in the Fall. It went well; I mean, this is exactly what I am training for in class, going to theatrical auditions and doing well, but still, whoa, I was nervous! I am getting pretty good about nerves when it comes to commercials, mostly because I've been to a lot of the same casting directors and they all seem to know me and it's all quite comfortable, which it a terrifically big deal, as you might imagine. But when it comes to the TV/Film stuff, I have not gone to nearly as many casting directors and although the setup is basically the same, the stakes are different, primarily because these casting directors are the gatekeepers to the profession that I am working on. So, I get nervy. Everyone does, sure, and the trick is to go beyond the nerves when you are in the room, but that's a trick that you can only figure by actually going on a bunch of the auditions. But it went very well, I was actually quite relaxed and it was probably one of the better TV auditions I have had this year. Now the hard part--not caring, but having to care, whether or not I get called back to do the same thing for the producers, which would make my manager and agent very, very happy, because so far, that simple step up has eluded me (for a variety of reasons, none of which, I have to hope has to do with technical skill or even talent).

Okay, this weekend should be fun. It's Whit's birthday so we have a few things we're doing, which is good. Oh, I gotta say, I am really, really enjoying Weeds season 1, which Netflix has hurled at me. Recommended.

Tags: acting, auditions

They're fixing that restaurant in LAX because pieces were falling off. I think they should keep it this way.

All right, I have been thinking about writing this for a bit so I am going to officially rant a bit about what bothers me about my Mac, Mac OS X and other technical stuff that many of us have to deal with every day to see if someday these issues will be fixed up or not.

1 - The "reboot" experience in Mac OS X is abysmal. Yes, I know that stuff has to get cached, but, I mean, why is it that, for the first 3-5 minutes after you reboot, you get the spinning beach ball of insane rainbow frustration with almost every mouse click? Usually you have to reboot because something crashed or hung and you are just trying to get back to what you were doing, so this extra lag time just adds insult to injury. I hate it. I also hate how dashboard doesn't preload, so if you have a few widgets, you have to wait for them to ping out to the Internet, get their data, and then redraw. Yes, it sounds minor when you read it on some dork's blog (that's me), but when you have to actually deal with it often and it's pretty easy to address, it's infuriating. And yes, I know there's some shareware thing out there that will preload the dashboard for you automatically, but the OS should do it on its own.

2 - I hate how hot my Macbook gets. It gets so damn hot it's dangerous. The only way I can use the thing for any length of time (like work), I have to use an external keyboard. I mean, this is what's up with my machine right now, and all I am doing is typing while listening to music via iTunes (Marcus Intalex). Why is it over 100° on the bottom of the case? And why are my fans up so high? What the hell is going on? And it's not even funny when you are burning a DVD. I have to stack the machine on top of books to get proper airflow underneath. If you use a Macbook on a wooden desk, forget about it. So, yeah--and I also hate when it doesn't really go to sleep and I end up taking it out of my backpack and both fans are on and it's white hot and you feel like all the keys are just going to melt off when you open the case. That's happened to me quite a few times.

3 - I don't need to go into this too much because so many others are already ragging on Apple about it, but the new iMovie is a big piece of junk. And iPhoto's not all that hot, either. And guess what? I've been using 10.5 and I don't like that much, either (transparent menu bar? Coverflow? reflective dock? Can you say waste of CPU power which makes for an even hotter machine?). So, yeah, I am turning into a grumpy old man, I guess.

4 - The iPhone is great, but the EDGE network is, in my opinion, its Achille's heel. It's really tough for me to imagine getting that phone until that situation changes. Yes, I know, there's more to life than surfing the Internet and going on google maps and checking your email, but...wait--is there, really?

5 - All these billboards you see about cell phone networks having the least amount of dropped calls really crack me up. There should be NO dropped calls in the first place. "Hey, check us out! We suck just a bit less!" Ridiculous.

okay, I can't maintain the rant for that long, but still, I needed to at least get the first two off my chest. I've been rebooting a lot lately because my machine has been crashing, I think because I have had network volumes mounted and then did not unmount them before going home for the day, which should just result in a time out, but lately have been causing my entire system to hang. So frustrating.

I have an audition for one of the new network shows that I am pretty excited about. I am trying to be cool about it, but I am failing. I really, really want this gig.

hope you are well!

Here's a picture of the bridge that went down in Minneapolis. So crazy.

Tags: apple, macos, imovie, tech

So many different ways to think about weddings:

1 - throw a big party for all your friends, thanking them for the life they've helped you create, celebrate that love exists and share it with your friends and family
2 - do what your parents expect, do it at a church and somehow link your relationship with some kind of organized religion for legitimacy and hope or something
3 - not a big deal, who needs the stress, "we don't need some piece of paper from the state to validate our relationship"


There are other ways but I wanna get straight to #1, which seems to be the general trend of weddings that we've been attending (and, indeed, thrown). I'm on a flight returning from Bryan and Anna's wedding in Minnesota. Anna is Whit's cousin and I was very interested in seeing another side to Whit's family. There's this whole MidWest vibe in my life and it's really different, it's really, really interesting to be exposed to it. I mean, you know, I come from San Francisco, I've only lived in New York and California, and I don't have much exposure to the MidWest and when I hear about "MidWest values" when politicians speak I admit it, I roll my eyes and say something snarky about WalMart and chain restaurants.

Which is totally unfair, I admit! Totally, ridiculously, idiotic. Now, I will not say I was "surprised" by how great this wedding was, because, to be honest, I had no preconceptions whatsoever (that's another entry, I've kind of stopped doing that). I did assume it would be fun, I was very excited to meet Anna and Bryan, because I was very impressed with their wedding invite and the overall quality of the communications they had crafted (no surprise there, given my take on how to produce a good wedding).

The thing about weddings (and parties and events, etc) is, not surprisingly, attention to detail and to the quality of experience, something that Anna and Bryan really, really delivered. From the program to the music performances in the wedding, to the venues and overall tone of the event, it really went without a hitch. They were able to invite a good balance of friends and family and even though they had to contend with throwing an outdoor wedding under grey, rainy skies, the production never let up, the whole thing just worked, most likely because people believed in the couple so much.

Which is, the key, right? If your friend is in a great relationship that you believe in, everything is so much easier and better. Yes, that sounds obvious, but I think that feeling carries through and builds over time and forces you to either be grateful for the relationships you have in your life, or to reconsider what you have and make the appropriate changes. Life is hard enough on one's own, I think it's exponentially harder if you persist in a relationship because it's convenient or just easier to stay in.

Again, obvious, but hey, this is an called "On Weddings".

A few points:

- great to meet Anna and Bryan, as I've said. I am looking forward to seeing what's next for them. It's nice to meet a couple that just exudes comfort and trust in each other right off the back. Notable, so I am noting it.

- I was talking to Whit and figured that the whole idea about a great relationship with someone "completing" you is actually not the best sign. In all of the best relationships I have seen (and like the one we're in now), it's not about completion, it's about extension, meaning, being with so-and-so extends your life's experience in unique and fulfilling way. You experience more out of life by sharing it with this person. There's more to write on this but I'll have to deal with that later.

- Great to meet Whit's cousin (and Anna's older brother) Josh and his wife Holly and their kids. Josh works in Portland and deals with mass transit. Like, he figures out how to make mass transit systems work. How cool is that? I mean, really, when I realized that that was his work, I resisted the urge to basically interview him for two hours. Can a society go from mass transit to individual transit systems then BACK to mass transit? Is there an example of this? This is truly a question specific to our time and it's just need to talk to someone who is involved with that discussion. Mass transit, believe it or not, is a huge topic in Los Angeles, and it's something I struggle with a lot. See, it's one thing to set up mass transit for commuters, who have, basically, a consistent schedule that can be addressed. People to go the same places twice a day. But for actors and so many other independent contractors in Los Angeles, we have to be able to leave wherever we are at a moment's notice and go somewhere completely different, quickly. So, unless you are in New York or Chicago (and, perhaps, Boston and even San Francisco), where the relevant geography has clear and consistent limits and the mass transit is regular enough that you can rely on it to get you to your destination, you are screwed. You have to have a car. The infrastructure of LA is designed for cars, so all the snide comments about people being addicted to cars and all that is, for the most part, unfair. There is no choice for many people.

Anyway, it was fun to talk to Josh about that stuff.

post time!

Tags: people, minnesota, travel

Anna, the bride, with lil' Stella

Well, we got to the airport, we returned the car, we had our lunch, we got our coffee and now we're at the gate waiting for our plane and it looks like we're about to become a statistic--our flight is delayed. Now, granted, it's delayed due to weather, but not in the "taking off in hectic weather" kind of way, but in the "lightning might hit the ramp that people use to get to the airport" kind of way, which is actually a new way for me. So, w'e're hanging out and I have a bit of time to write, but not post, because I refuse to pay the wireless access fee! I'm telling you, we're living in one of those times where people in the future will go, "Oh, yeah, back in the day you actually had to pay to access the Internet from a public space, how weak is that, T-7 Service Droid?" I mean, okay, it's not technically a big deal, but still, it's so insanely frustrating--it's so cheap to offer free Internet access, I would argue it's more expensive to set up a payment system than to "just" install a T1 line and a network of wireless access points. Throw in a portal page with advertising, maps and directories of the airport and boom, everyone's happy. Provide an online coupon code to some cafe, all the better.

Whatever; I'm on the plane now--we ended up getting in the plane then waiting for 20 minutes before moving, and then another 20 minutes of taxiing and now, finally, we are flying and now I am trying to type this out, which is hard because, as is always the case, the person in front of me has put his seat all the way back and it is basically impossible for me to see the screen.

As usual, lots to talk about, I wish I could type out multiple strings of thought at once, to be honest. I have a few different storylines in my head:

1 - the wedding weekend and associated experiences, including running two red lights (one right in front of a cop!), a heated yoga class, seeing the collapsed bridge, the actual wedding, reception at the zoo, the importance of befriending the DJ and the bartender at all wedding receptions, the amazing amount of kids I was around and a freewheeling discourse of how the Mall of America (and, I guess, all malls) as the precursor to the modern day World Wide Web.

2 - the frustration of walking into a plane and passing by people reading scripts that I have read about but am not reading--how even in the middle of the country, you can be reminded how there's so much more to actually get DONE before my career is actually cooking. While it is simmering now, the bubbles are few and far between, and though I have had some fun this year, I need to book some work before the year is over, big time.

3 - the mixed blessing of being able to write scenes (or at least build scenes) that would be interesting to watch but are bereft of an actual story to be incorporated into. I have been writing these things down, but the only thing connecting them is that I am writing them down. This is pretty typical, I guess, for me--I can sketch for days, lots of little scribbles and mini scenes, portraits, buildings, whatever, but they all float on the page, each kind of interesting, but in that way that someone else's dreams are only so interesting--yes, neat, but, in the end, so what? Perhaps I am overly ambitous, perhaps the scenes need not be part of a movie, perhaps a music video or a short. As I write this, I otice myself thinking, "Yes, that's it! Make a music video!" But, of course, all the scenes I want to shoot take place over the last few hours in a plane taking off in the middle of a torrential downpour. No matter, no mater. I can inject them somewhere else.

4 - I am reading a book called The Sundance Kids by James Mottram. It's very similar to this other book, Rebels in the Backlot by Sharon Waxman (the books cover the same people during the same time, early 90s filmmakers like PT Anderson, Spike Jonez, David Fincher, Wes Anderson, etc), but spends a lot more time actually going into the movies and analyzing them, which makes the book both more interesting and sometimes a little irritating. I don't have a lot of experience reading film criticism, I admit, but I can't help but wonder why the ongoing discussions of color palette, themes and editorial comments on why a film was particularly "good" or not bothers me. I guess that's one thing that the passing of time provides: a comfy couch from which to judge other people's hard work and mercilessly categorize it.

5 - And, finally, I want to talk about how it felt to meet extended family members who have been reading these journal and viewing the photos on the flickr site, how it was really gratifying to know that people would visit from time to time, and how it was a very different experience to know that they knew me already from all my ramblings. While we didn't go into it too much, it changes, again, how I think about this site, which began as me throwing HTML to the world without any expectations of an audience in the first place, to knowing that once in awhile, someone will choose to visit with some kind of expectation of something new. What started out as an offline backup of experience has turned into a relationship, and like all relationships, I gotta make an effort to keep it interesting.

To that end, I am going to do something a bit different. I am going to write about the above topics now (well, as long as can stand it) and then release them throughout the week. A lot more manageable for both of us.

More soon.

Tags: travel, airport, people

Had kind of an interesting night last night, if you think that waiting in line 5x longer than normal is interesting. The first line was for a burrito, and that wasn't really all that new, it was just kinda sad how overwhelmed the person behind the counter was and knowing that she was going to be dealing with person after person after person for awhile after I had the freedom to leave the building. Everyone in line kept asking, "Why are there so many people in line? What's going on?" And this was kind of different than normal lines (especially New York lines), where the main thing you hear is, "Why is [that person behind the counter] taking [such a very long] time doing [the job s/he was hired to do] and if things don't improve, someone's gonna get a piece of my mind!" This is, as I ahve mentioned before not a matter of New Yorkers being rude, just efficient. In LA, people are generally happier (take a look at the weather map and humidity levels around the country) so there is a lot less blaming of counter folk, at least when you are in line for food. For the most part.

So after that line "experience" (and there's a point to this, really), I went to the local Safeway/Pavilions/Vons store to get some stuff, and by this time it was getting late, 9pm (see above to see why I was there so late) and again, for some reason, the lines were really long. Like, 15-18 people in each line. Amazingly, though they had 13 checkout counters, only 3 were open, and, while my line was in session, the guy tried to "end" the line in the middle of our line! There was some protest, and the guy compromised saying that the person behind me was the last person and that she would have to tell all the new people that the line was over, they had to go to another one...of the two left.

And this was what was kind of interesting: when people would come up behind us (I say "us" because I ended up helping explain the situation, if only because I felt bad for my line partner), we would say, "oh, sorry, the line isn't really accepting new people, it ends with me/her" and almost every single person would nod and smile and stay in line. They straight up were not listening to us at all! Like, they were right in front of us and it's not like we were communicating "long line, huh?" or "how about Bonds, huh?" or even, "do you know what time it is?"--this was valuable line-oriented information, made more valuable as each moment passed--our line was always shorter than the other two, obviously, so when people saw our line, their eyes would light up and they would leap to the end of the line, only to have their hopes dashed across the sharp rocks of reality a few moments later.

But 99% of the time, we had to explain the situation twice, sometimes three times. We told this one guy and he nodded and said, "Really?" and then just stood there. The lady and I exchanged a look and just had to say it again, "no, really, the line is over" and he just nodded, and then we said it again and he was like, "Oh! really! Oh, okay," and then he left. Of course, everyone who heard our message (and comprehended it) was pissed the moment they heard it, some of it inadvertently directed at us messengers, which was mildly unpleasant (but, in the end, entertaining).

Finally--finally, when I was actually checking out (and this line, by the way, was going slowly, we were in line for at least 20 minutes), an old lady came up behind my friend and we both explained (for the last time! we were so stoked!) that the line was closed, etc, and then she just smiled, said, "...so kind..." and then cut in between me and the end-of-the-line lady! When the clerk tried to say something, she just cut him off and explained that she was buying a newspaper and saw no reason why she should have to wait in line to buy "the paper" and was clearly oblivious to the fact that she had cut into a line, etc. She even started getting angry at the clerk for some reason. It was crazy.

Long story short? It just brought to mind that adage that people only hear what they want to hear. Usually, this is just one of those things you hear or say when talking about messaging or advertising or arguments or whatever, but I have never actually seen it happen, physically, in person, in real time, over and over again. People just were so happy to get in the "short" line, that their mind simply was not accepting information that would dispute that happiness. It was really amazing.

So, that's that.

I must admit I am enjoying twitter more than I expected. I have quite a few friends from SF and NY who I follow (and vice versa) and it's fun to throw things out there to see what people respond to. I don't have the twitters going to my phone, but it's fun to get little check in's throughout the day. Such an odd, 21st century only piece of silliness, don't you think? I mean, there just does not seem to be a corresponding form of communication from any part of history. Communication has become so easy, so cheap, so effortless, that we actually have folks who just jump right into what used to be called "too much information". We live in a world of information, constantly shifting pieces of news, emails, websites, events that we can just share anything we want, whenever we want to whomever we want...it's really astounding really. Is it helpful? I'm not sure. Back in the day there were plenty of times when I would find myself talking and talking to just to fill the silence when I was with people and while some found it entertaining, I am sure some had to find it equally irritating. Ollie loves to remind me of the time when I had to remind everyone that it had been a while since I had last talked. There's a correlation here, but it's different. Now all of these bursts of experience are logged and tagged for your amusement at a later date, creating ongoing and pervasive diaries, often for the world to see. One thing is for sure, if any of this exists in a hundred years, our future friends will realize that while people were seemingly really busy, they definitely had a lot of time on their hands and they absolutely felt it was necessary to make sure that everyone else knew about it.

I bet you there will be a new term for the new kind of "Luddite". Now it's not just the refusal to incorporate new technology into one's life, but there are also the people that just don't freaking care to know all the stuff there is to know. Someone who is fine with "just" reading the paper, that kind of thing. Yes, it's related to technology, but perhaps this is a post-technology thing, perhaps a few decades from now, when most of the first world Luddites are dead, a Luddite will be someone who refuses to participate in the constant exchange of information, or at least resistant to the barrage of incoming messages. Not sure. I need to think about it a bit more. There is, of course, the other issue--does the ability to constantly report to people about what you are up to (how interesting you must be to feel the need to share so much about yourself!) provide a false sense of self-importance? Is this an ego thing? Or is completely ego-less? (I'm an open book, here who I am, judge if you like, I don't care.)


Wow, that was windy. Thanks for reading...have a great weekend!

Tags: people, tech

a friendly Dalmatian iMac at a friendly cafe in friendly Tokyo

So, Apple introduced three new iMacs today, which actually look pretty good. They are definitely making machines that look more "futuristic" than anyone else; I love the fact that the keyboard has a system power button on its side, that's pretty sweet. It's been years since they last had a power button the keyboard, it's interesting that they brought it back, though for the iMac, it makes sense--it's lame to have to reach all the way around to turn it on.

The new iLife and iWork suites look pretty okay; I will write something up when I have had a chance to use them. I am particularly interested in the DVD authoring stuff (though Steve seemed to imply that burning DVDs was a bit passé, I still like 'em).

I got called back for a web ad for Nissan today. It's a fine a spot, funny, even, but it's just odd that there were 7 people in the room to check out something that is supposed to look like a cheap YouTube video. It's going to by much more--it's got some nice special effects in there--but I don't know. It's going to be the same amount of work (if not more) as a "normal" spot, and from an acting point of view, there is obviously no difference, but the pay--and I don't mean to be bitchy about this, I'm just saying, is all--is just kind of lackluster. I guess this is the whole point of the upcoming negotiations between the various unions and the producers; the advent of the web is far more jarring than anything to do with DVD extras and that kind of thing. Web video is going to be with us forever, the spots lasting longer than TV spots (of course, many TV spots end up on the web anyway) so the whole residual system, everything, will need to be reworked. It's gonna be a nasty fight, I bet, but this is the future and given the amount of web spots I have gone out for over the past few months (several, like 4-5), this venue will only continue to grow.

Anyway, we'll find out if I get it tomorrow (it shoots this week!).

Oh, some podcasts that I am finding pretty funny that you may wanna check out: Totally Rad Show and Geekscape. Both links are set to the video podcasts, but I trust you can figure out how to get the audio only one. You're smart like that.

And now, off to the dentist's.

Tags: imac, acting

(all the cables that are behind my TV/Xbox/Cable box/Airport/Router)

Wow, that weekend went by quick. Not a whole lot to talk about, other than how zonked I am from staying out way too late on Saturday night and how everything seems really bright today, which is beyond irritating. I keep putting eye drops in my eyes to counteract the drops I put in this morning, which have basically dried them out like crazy (they're allergy drops, which are supposed to help my eyes not be so red, so now I look like I just stopped crying every time people come by cube. I'm fine, people, I'm just fine.

Though I was loathe to discuss the whole HDTV vs. BluRay format "war", I figured I would toss out the idea that I am actually leaning in favor of the HD-DVD format. You can get the Toshiba HD-A2 model for $249 and so far, the reviews for that device have been pretty solid all the way around. It wasn't really thinking about this stuff to much (my Oppo 970HD does a nice job of upconverting my current DVDs to some semblance of 720p), but with the announcement of Heroes on HD-DVD I've been looking at the format a bit more closely. Plus there are many HD-DVD titles that come with Standard DVD format on one side, the HD on the other, so one could, in theory, buy these hybrid DVDs and, when the players get below $200 (give it 2 months) have a small HD collection already set to go. I dunno, just some ideas, but given Sony's poor performance in pretty much everything and my own poor experiences with Sony hardware in the past, I am resistant to going down the Blu-Ray tube. Of course, the format war is a big pain the butt anyway and there are plenty of other things to think about that are a bit more important. But what can I say, that's what I am thinking about this afternoon...I know, what a life.

Apple's gonna introduce some new machines tomorrow. Let's assume new iMacs and hopefully a revamped MacBook Pro line with a small model...that probably won't happen; let's see how it goes. I have been pretty happy with my MacBook Pro but I think the thing just gets way too hot, especially on wood desks. The bottom of a machine should not be too hot to touch, and though my friends will say I am just being psychosomatic, I tell you, when I am using it on lap, I feel really unusual. Like, not good unusual. Like, my head would feel after talking too long on cell phones in the late 90s unusual. I swear, man, with all these waves going through me, I am either going to have a very short life or a very, very long, Twinkies like life.

Other than that:

- still annoyed that my Cingular 3125 phone has a damaged front window, above. I have no idea what happened but now the LCD on the external screen is damaged. One would say, "Perfect excuse for an iPhone purchase" but

- I still think the iPhone is too much money. I just can't imagine paying that much for a phone. I have no doubt (at all) that I will end up getting one of these damn things, but it won't be for awhile.

- I added another thing to the sidebar, that Technorati thing. We'll see if it is useful or not. I must admit, I like updating the twitter thing. I have no idea if anyone is reading it (other than those "following" me) but it's fun nonetheless.

okay, let's post this thing.

Tags: HD, DVD, phone

So, actually not a lot to talk about this Friday evening. I just got back from a very, very good yoga class (taught by favorite teacher, Liz Hage at the studio downstairs, TruYoga, which is awesome). I haven't talked about the yoga that much, but I will do so eventually. Suffice to say, I take two 90 minute classes a week and if I could, I would take three more. It's pretty much one of my favorite things to do with my time, I will admit.

A few auditions this week, nothing to write the web about, though. It's slow, which is fine; work is pretty active right now, so the balance seems to work out okay. Paul is in town, so we'll be hanging out this weekend, playing records and doing the dumb stuff that guys who have known each other for awhile tend to do. It's fun to have him back.

Gonna spend much of the weekend reading, I hope; many books to catch up on and I really just want to slow down a bit, which I always think I am doing but I never actually do. I guess that's just the way things are going to for awhile. I am looking forward to this summer being over, if only so it gets darker; it's still way too bright in the mornings for a ghoul like myself.

I got invited to speak at my old theatre department to talk about life as an actor in New York and LA, the various pitfalls, opportunities, bounced checks, etc. I must admit I am pretty excited and flattered to be asked, and hopefully the students will get something out of it. I certainly would have appreciated someone going through the various differences between LA and NY before I graduated.

All right, it's time to get out of here. Have a good weekend!