Bay Arcade in Balboa’s “Fun Zone”. I grew up going here in the summer.

Yikes, Monday already. Monday in June. 2008.

Everyone I know is kind of freaking out about the whole “June” thing. I can’t believe it at all, to be honest. But whatever, it’s here and we might as well get used to it.

Had a good weekend and now I am tired out. I went down to San Diego to speak at a conference--sounds cooler than it was, but it was cool--so Whit and I had a good time driving down and hanging out in downtown San Diego.

This is Whit doing a very good impression of her sister. Check out the new sweatshirt. It’s lined and is mighty nice.

It was nice to get out of the city, even if only for a night. We stayed at this very odd resort/convention center named Town and Country and got a good taste of what life must have been like in the 50s. The place was just...old, you know? Just stuck in time. It was interesting to be rushing all around irritated that the year was approaching half over rather quickly then ending up here, which seemed like a movie set..it was just crazy, check out the link for some pics.

Then I had to go to work a table at the gift lobby for the MTV 2008 Movie awards. This was a really strange experience and really, I mean, really, it was a glimpse into the part of the entertainment industry that made me feel just...odd, I guess. Basically, we were one of many tables set up on the roof of this very swank hotel in the middle of West Hollywood. We would hang out to talk about our products (I was inbetween a very cool headset and a neat smart pen) to anyone that would come by. Kinda like a trade show, but if the person coming up to you was wearing a certain necklace, then they were apparently a celebrity and could just take whatever they wanted--as long as we got a picture of the celebrity holding the product. Once the picture was taken, it could be use to market said product.

It's one thing to know about this kind of thing, it's another thing to actually see it in action. Now, let's be clear--I had a fine time, and the people that I did meet were actually very cool about it. I mean, of course they were, right? They were getting all this free stuff for nothing! But still, you could tell the cooler celebs knew just how silly this was, which is why I think they were so nice. Our table was probably the most interesting at the event--we had cool gadgets and stuff that was way more useful than yet another energy drink--so we had some fun conversations and everything, but still...

It's business, right? This is how companies get their products out on the market. They get photos of people using the products in magazines, then the masses will go and get said product. It's just seeing it done so overtly that gave me pause.

Still, it was a good experience--I learned quite a bit just by watching people. The wheels of commerce spinning, right?

The other night, while Whit was with her girlfriends for a Sex and the City party (I love that they had party for a movie and then not go to said movie), I finally got around to watching The Graduate. No, I had never seen it before. Yes, I have been reading all about it in Pictures at a Revolution. And yes, I was totally, completely blown away by it. If you haven't seen it recently, add it to your queue and check it out. From the sound design to the cinematography to Anne Bancroft's insanely great performance (her laughter during their initial flirtation just blew me away, I must have watched that scene five times)...it's just awesome.

I am going to an on camera class tonight, which should be fun. It's good to keep going to different teachers, to work with different people. It's still really slow and I fear that things won't even begin to recover until late this summer. I hope.

My article for ifanboy.com goes up on Wednesday. I'm just writing about comics and life..we'll see how people respond...

talk to you soon.

Tags: san diego, balboa island

I am at the airport waiting to fly up to Apple Inc. to talk to the Silicon Valley Mac Users Group this evening. It should be fun, I haven't been to a MUG meeting in a very, very long time...the Internet has made discussions and virtual meetups so easy that the user group thing is nowhere as big a scene as it was back in the, ah, back in the day. So that should be fun, I am kinda bracing myself for complaints about old products and the usual "why should I use your product when..."--but it's cool, at least we get a chance to talk.

The real news, of course, is the arrival of one of my very best friend's first child, Kendra Louise Ross, born to Zak and Megan yesterday. Big news! Everyone in the family is doing well, and it's gonna be fun watching Zak deal with raising a little girl. I actually can't wait. It's interesting, we're getting to that tipping point where more of my friends have kids than do not. I mean, Ollie already has two boys! Life, life, life all around us. Congrats, Megan and Zak. Zagan. Welcome Kendra! Looking forward to meeting you!

It's been, somehow, over a week since I last updated--and I was doing so well, too! And since I refuse to pay for LAX's lame ass wifi, it will be a bit of time before I can send this off. A few things:

1 - it's truly uncomfortable using a MacBook Pro on your lap. it's just too damn hot.

2 - the guys at iFanboy have asked me to contribute some writing and I am very happy to get a chance to do so. I'll keep you posted on this.

3 - Had a nice audition this morning. had a great class last week. got some very nice feedback, recognition and encouragement from work based on the work I have been doing over the past few weeks. kinda cool, I will admit.

4 - My screenplay has gone from action adventure to a comedy that deals with relationships using my experiences in off-off broadway as a literal figurative backdrop. I liked the other story, but I really wanted to hang out and start working with characters as opposed to types. I will get my explosive action movie after this one goes.

Oh--Zak, my hip flexor was rocking me a bit, I am not sure what was going on, but it was popping and freaking out and I wasn't sure what to do. It was almost as if one leg was shorter than the other for a bit there. Somehow it's settled a bit--I think it's because I stopped running for a week (I usually run a bit before spinning class); the impact from the running was knocking things about. I also started focusing on it (the pain, such as it was, was right in the balljoint area thing) in yoga as well as doing some faom roller stuff.

Finally, went to Angelino Heights this past weekend, they had an open house tour, where you could check out these amazing Victorians, right in the middle of Echo Park! It was really neat to be in restored Victorians (I couldn't take pictures inside) in LA.









I'll post more to my flickr page, too.

Tags: baby, travel

I don't really have many pictures right now since I have been prepping my machine for Annie and Andrew's wedding, which is happening next weekend--I basically had to move my iPhoto library off my machine to get everything loaded up. Makes sense, given that my iPhoto library is over 17GB. I am constantly running out of drive space (7GB of Entourage email! 3.5GB of personal email!) and cannot wait until Apple releases a new machine so I can convince work to let me upgrade.

No matter. Lots of random stuff happening. I am going to Las Vegas for three days for a work conference. I am actually going to acting in one of the presentations and helping out with others, I think. We'll see how it goes. Then on Friday I head to Mexico for Annie and Andrew's wedding, then next Thursday I am off to Lane and Tajai's wedding. So, I'm basically not in LA for two weeks, which is fine, but as I have said before, I hate it because then it means I can't actually go to any auditions, which are already becoming rare.

I've been overextending myself as usual, blogging and filming videos for work (including a few for the Vegas conference that I actually wrote, which was an experience). It's been okay, though, I am getting a lot of people asking me for help when it comes to creating...what, entertainment? I am pretty pleased, it's nice to be able to contribute and help people out in ways that are closer to what I feel are actually my creative strengths. Speaking of which, my writing class starts next week. I am freaked.

Anyway, this has to be a short one. Paul and friends in Vegas: if I can't out, I will come find you guys!

Tags: travel, weddings, work

The flier promised a party...


and the party delivered...


me and Conor from iFanboy.

More pics from the party here. Write up here.


I think it's pretty safe to say that whenever there's a comic book event, like Wondercon or Comic-Con, I have a fantastic time. Fantastic in the truest sense of the word. I was on the Bart train on Sunday morning heading to the airport and I literally could not help grinning. What a time!

This weekend was Wonder-Con up in San Francisco, and I ended up flying up for Friday and Saturday. It was super, super fun. My flights were crazy delayed but I was able to eek into the Darwyn Cooke (wiki, art) discussion and a DC Nation panel and get into the main hall for a bit. I won't go into it too much, but you should know that Darwyn Cooke is an incredibly amazing artist and writer--I am a huge fan. Like, massive fan, he's in my top 3 or 5 favorite comic book writers/artists list.

ohhh...man, it's way later. It's like four days later and I am actually sicker than I have been in years. I don't usually get sick, but already I was sick when I got home for the holidays and now I have some kind of flu, which I think I got from Tom.

So, I am all derailed from whatever I was talking about...regardless, Wondercon was fun, but hanging out with new friend Sonia and old friends James, Josh, Conor, Gordon and Ron was much more fun.

Other than that? I've been sick. Whit's still in Ohio, so I have been battling this flu by myself (which is good, I don't want her to get this thing), but it's driving me crazy. I haven't been able to work out and I fear I might have missed my favorite yoga teacher's last class for awhile. I must admit, if I don't work out for a few days in a row, I get nervous that I will just fall off the wagon altogether. I'll get back into it, I just hate feeling this way, I can't even fake feeling better. Craptastic.

I enrolled in an online screenwriting class that is going to start at the end of April. It's in concert with the All-Story magazine and I am both excited and nervous about it. Already I am thinking about possible story ideas and tossing them asunder, but I am hoping that the class will help me think about story ideas in a different, less binary way. I figure I spend a lot of time watching movies and I definitely have opinions, so I might as well do it for myself, you know? It's so easy to judge how bad a story is from the comfort of my couch.

We'll see how that goes.

Had a nice call from Jim in my acting class. I guess he's filming a "spec pilot" (basically filming a script that would then be shopped around as an original series) this weekend. I read the script (super random but fun) and gave him my stuff, but I didn't hear anything back. Considering they are filming right now (it is now Saturday March 1), I bet I didn't get the part, but that's totally fine--I was just flattered and happy that Jim figured I could do the job. Besides, I look and feel like death, and it's not a show about zombies.

Such a weird week. I have been in and out of life, in a way, auditions and work in the beginning of the week, work and pillows the rest of the week. I have an audition for some kind of radio play (or something, I don't know) where I have to bring in a few character voices...I think I've got them, but kind of nervewracking...like, gimme something to at least read so I can prep some characters that would be relevant, you know?

I am just looking forward to feeling better so I can think clearly again. I have been trying to read and write in this journal but I just kind of fade out after awhile.

time to upload. be well.

Tags: comics, wondercon, san francisco

Big ass TV! run for your lives!

(Deeeeeep breath.) I randomly went to CES on Tuesday, which was pretty cool, if only because I have always wanted to go to the show just to check it out. I have some pictures here, but they are not all that good, you can see lots of stuff if you dig around the web a bit. But it was cool, I mean, it's always fun to do something you have always wanted to do, right? But still--if you can afford a TV that is 7' tall, you are probably going to have a separate room with a projector, right? But I guess perhaps this could be used in public spaces...


It's gonna be a crazy month, more crazy than usual. I have an actual pilot audition for an actual series regular on Monday, which is notable because: a) I haven't had one in awhile and b) there are not all that many pilots getting shot because of the Writer's Strike. So, if your brain needs some thoughts at 2:40pm on Monday, just say to your brainverse, "Hey Mike, break a leg, that would be fun if you had a good audition because if you get it you can take me out to dinner and we can make jokes." I am really excited because I am actively leveraging some of the stuff I gleaned from a repeat viewing of Special Thanks to Roy London which lives on my ipod and offers some great items to think about before an audition. I really, really love the character and the script, so I need to just enjoy the process and be grateful to have a chance without projecting too much into the future.

(Very much enjoying the just-purchased Juno soundtrack, by the way.)

What I am trying to with the audition, by the way, is to use the moment of actually being in the office auditioning for the part as the emotional foundation/intent of the actual scene. Like, when I talk about loving my job, I am just going to be basically talking about how I love to audition, how I love the chance to act. It's the same intention, right, and I am not doing any substitution or anything like that. If I am nervous, I will just be nervous, and that's that. why fight it? Acting is reacting, sure, and acting is exposing, yes and above all, acting is about letting go and just living. I am fighting the normal impulse to imagine the moment and to provide an idea of how I want things to go--why add that kind of pressure? Why worry about it, really? The moment will come, it will happen, and then it will pass. That's all I want to have as far as expectations go...it's hard but I gotta try, otherwise, I'm just gonna fall into the same traps that I used to fall in. No more!

On a somewhat related note, Whit's surgery is a week from now, which is also quite a big deal and something that I am trying to prepare myself for without getting too crazy about it. She's probably going to be in the hospital for 2 nights and I assume it will all be quite intense. Rocco asked if I was ready and I was like, "I guess, I have no idea"--I really don't know what is going to happen, so it's actually irrelevant if I am ready or not--it's gonna happen and I will do everything I can to make it easy as possible for her. Doesn't matter, right? Accept the moment and deal.

But in-between those two events, I will be in San Francisco for MacWorld to check out the new announcements, see what my competitors are doing, say hey to friends, talk to a few press folks...should be a good time. It's being cut short due to Whit's surgery, but that's okay. I'm usually done with MacWorld after a day on the floor anyway.

Tech rants/hopes/predictions:

1 - Warner's Blu-Ray announcement sucks; I bought my HD-DVD player (it's a better system, IMHO for a variety of very consumer-friendly reasons) and now I'm stuck waiting for the Blu-Ray folks to come out with a reasonably priced, fully-functional player that's not the PS3 (I have a tendency to get burned by Sony products). None of this matters, of course, given the Internet distribution model that is rapidly becoming a fine alternative to buying discs...

2 - I have no idea what's happening at MacWorld, but I would guess that the an updated AppleTV will come out. If it can play Blu-Ray discs, that would be awesome, I admit. I bet they will introduce that sub-compact flash ram MacBookPro, and I can see them releasing the 16GB iPhone. I assume we'll have to sit through the Office 2008 stuff during the keynote, too.

Okay, let's post this thing.

a pic of a postcard that I made for one of our shows way back when in New York.
We actually did a whole photoshoot down in the in the subway, late at night.
I was on my hands and knees with a dog collar on...

Tags: CES, mac, macworld

gray, grey, san francisco day.

First off, Happy New Year. 2∞8. Hope you and yours had a good break, hope you had a fun new year's and I hope this year is packed with health, joy, growth, peace and all the stuff you need and want.

Ollie's boy Phineas encountering Tiberius, the greatest cat ever.

San Francisco was good, but oddly stressful at times for a variety of reasons. I was super happy to see everyone but the weather was such that I really just wanted to be home, in my apartment. It was weird, really; I loved being with my family and friends but I think stress of the last few months just made me want to hang out and be at home for a week and just stop. But the holidays are not designed to be relaxing, so I guess I'm just complaining. I had a lot fun, though, and I am looking forward to returning for MacWorld in a few weeks.

New Year's was really, really mellow, like, the most mellow a New Year I've had since I was a kid, really. Whit and I got dinner with the always fantabulous Jen Slimko and then hung out at home. It was really fun--we hadn't really hung out with each other the entire week, so it was nice, really nice. We missed hanging out with our friends in various places in LA, but it sounded like everyone had a pretty mellow time, I think, again, because of the weather.

The day before New Year's was crazy, though...I mean, I had to take my car to the shop for almost $300 worth of work (30k checkup time) and when we went to get a box spring, I went up a bit of a curb and popped Whit's car's tire! Like, the edge on the curb was just sharp, and the end dug right into the side of the tire somehow. I seriously have no idea what happened, but we went up the curb and the tire just started hissing...and was out in about 2 minutes. Then, much to my surprise, I found out (after unpacking the spare and all the tools from the fairly full trunk) that there were wheel locks on the wheels! I guess they put them on when we got the car--I actually had no idea what they were--they were originally in the glovebox--but I realized exactly what they were once I took a good look at the wheel. Basically, each wheel has an extra tricky bolt on it that you can only remove by adding a special adaptor onto the wrench. Of course, I had long since taken this out and left it at home...so we had to repack everything and walk home, look for the thing, then I went (I actually got into some workout clothes and ran) back and did the whole thing over again. Then I got home. Then I took the bus to Santa Monica to get my car. Then it was NYE.

So, yeah--2007 went out kicking and screaming. All is fine now, Whit's got a new tire (thanks to the tire store that was open on January 1) and the car is running fine. Still...a bit much.

Already things are starting to kick in; I've had a voiceover and a commercial audition and work work is making its way back into my head. It was good to get a break, if only for me to realize that yes, I do like my job a lot, and I am excited about what this year will bring. Of course, it's easy to say that when I am already in the office--I still just want to lie in bed and sleep...

okay, let's post this. more to come, more to come. I wish the iPhone would do video, I think I would post more vids up...

Tags: san francisco, christmas

San Francisco from Sophia's living room

Wow, what a week. Had a fantastic time in San Francisco during the Thanksgiving, and got back just in time to see Starting Out in the Evening, our friend Andrew's latest film. It's getting incredibly good reviews, and I was stoked to be able to see it on the always-important opening weekend...here's to hoping it gets some legs and opens in other cities. There has been a lot of attention given to Frank Langhella's performance, and I have to say, it really is a fantastically great performance--one of those kinds of roles that can only be fully expressed in film, really. He's so subtle and so...quiet (but focused, and alive in a way I think only those in their twilight (as the character feels himself to be) can be)...you need to see that kind of role done in a dark room, in a movie theater--it's just such a delicate thing. It wouldn't work onstage--you can never be that close--and on TV, well, you would have to see it in a dark room and not be distracted. No matter--it was a triumph, and the calls for an Oscar nomination are not unwarranted. I am so proud of Andrew, I can't tell you. He has been working toward this kind of success for a very long time and, honestly, it inspires me to continue to find ways to enjoy this often (I admit) frustrating pursuit. If you get a chance, check it out.

(click on the poster to see the trailer)

So, I was paging through a magazine today and, as is often the case this time of year, this magazine was telling us who the best entertainers of the year are, who the break out stars are, which of the big names are still relevant, that kind of thing. And, like, okay--look, this is not an ego thing--but really, this profession...it's just so damn random, and articles like this just make it look so easy. I mean, sure, the odds get better the longer you stay focused (for most of us, we hope) but, let's see, I went to class last night, and throughout the night, I saw some very, very good actors do some very, very good work. It's like this in every class. I would say that there are several--more than several--people in my class right now who are just as "entertaining" as any of the people in these magazines, and the other students? They are well on their way. Not to take away anything from the success of my fellow actors, it's just the pedestal that they get put on, well, it must be intimidating for them a bit but it just seems so...I dunno. I mean, next year it will be the same thing, right?

I had written a bunch of stuff but I just deleted it because it was just ridiculous. I was basically just frustrated, which tends to happen this time of year. Forgive how this might sound, but when I look at this stuff, I get frustrated because I know I can do it. I know others who can do it. It's not a competition, I know this...it's not even anything, but I mean, if I were an accountant (nothing wrong with accountants), it's not like I would be surrounded by magazines and shows and "news" telling me how there are so many other accountants that are doing so well, that are pushing accounting to the next level, that are living the accountant life that can see so tantalizing, with all the many exciting accounting gigs they are able to part in. I guess with acting it's just a lot more obvious when you find you are not where you want to be professionally.

No matter. It is working itself out. Every time I watch Chuck I send a message to my manager telling him that I am feeling a tad depressed and he always tells me to not think about it and to enjoy my day and everything that I am doing. Which is good advice, but when I see a show that I just want to be on and contribute to, it's nervewracking.

(I am very much enjoying the iTunes release of Daft Punk's Alive 2007, by the way. While it's not totally surprising since I have the recording of the Coachella set and I was at the actual show, it's still superbly dope.)

On the work side, we shipped three products this week, which is very cool. Most of my team is taking a bit of time off, I am just catching up on some loose ends and looking forward to solid yoga class tonight, then dinner with Allison, who is in town for a conference, and then the weekend.

Tags: travel, general, acting, starting out in the evening, daft punk

Ron from iFanboy and James from Isotope Friday evening...

I just wanted to write a little bit about my fantastic weekend in San Francisco. I went up to see Oliver before goes and retrieves his family from China and though I expected a good time, I really did have a fantastically good time! Other than finally getting to hang out with Oliver and literally do nothing for most of the day on Saturday (a skill we spent many years honing in high school and college)--something we haven't been able to do in a very long time--we ended up having a typically random evening with James, Kirsten, Ash, Allie and special guest star and friend Ron Richards from the iFanboy comic podcast, who was in town for a variety of very cool reasons. Saturday night was dinner at Tom's then hanging out at Paul's party. Very fun, meeting up with new friends and old (got to see Giamma, Al and Allison, etc...!).

Ollie at his Mac station doing important stuff:

Oliver, Mike Gibson and I joined this motley crew for dinner, then we met up with Tom and his friend Chris at this really fun burlesque show at the DNALounge that James knew about. See? I told you--random. James actually knows of all the very cool places to go, and actually has a rapidly becoming world famous San Francisco Tiki Bar Tour that I actually have yet to embark on.

(later)
Funny, I just returned to this after typing from the other day, and I was apparently in the middle of a sentence that reads, "So, it was cool, I was able to check out..."--and I have no idea what I was referring to. Sigh. Maybe I will remember.

LA doesn't have these.

As is often the case, my return home to San Francisco was both calming and energizing at the same time (oh, I think I remember! dope, I will write about it in a few sentences). The weather was really nice, and it was just nice to roam the streets a bit and hang out without having too much of an agenda. I was bummed to see that they have completely demolished The Coronet movie theatre, which was one of the best houses on the West Coast. So bummed.

The Coronet would play all the BIG movies. It's now just an empty lot.

I did end up (and this is what I was talking about before) checking out a yoga class at Yoga Tree near Castro. The studio looked like it was an old dance school or something--massive room that was kept really warm (again, what is with that?). Great teacher, though, and really fun class. We did this crazy "OM tapestry" where everyone had to say "Om" 12 times so it was just this crazy long "ohhhmmm" that went on for a minute or two. It was totally cool, I had never done something like that--and yes, if you had told me a year ago I would talking about chanting Om a bunch of times with a bunch of folks after a 90 minute yoga session, I would say, "Really? That sounds really trippy but I guess I can see it." Funny how life changes (and doesn't, of course). Still, it's nice to go to a city and find a new class, it's just fun to jump into a class and have an idea of what to do while still learning new poses, etc.

Cafe Abir has been totally redone--it's much nicer than when I lived nearby. The best part...

$4 Hoegaarden's!



Flash mobbers at the Muni bus shelter on lower Haight on Friday night...

A good visit, all in all; I found it difficult to want to get back into my car and drive back, which I guess explains the hour and a half I spent at Starbucks with my parents just talking about everything that's going on, etc. I would have to say that one of the good things about growing older is watching my relationship with my parents change. I relate to them now much more as good friends, and have a much better idea of how they must have been like when they first met, in a way. It is a great gift to have a good relationship with my folks, and I am much happier now that we are on the same coast.

And now it's Wednesday and, whew! I am tired, yo! I blame myself. I was up until 1am playing Halo 3 with Nick. Yes, I caved in like everyone else, and I am happy to report that it was worth it...great game, a lot of fun. I felt like I was in high school again. Or college. Or even just a few years ago when Halo 2 came out. Or perhaps earlier this year when I played Gears with Tom until late at night.

Acting wise, it has been busy with some auditions and a callback, but nothing to write home about yet. I've been dutifully recording the pilots of a few shows in case I get a chance to audition for 'em but haven't seen anything yet. Whit's gone for the Dawn launch (tomorrow morning); I guess she got to see the Space Shuttle and traverse around the catwalks in the hangar...so cool. It's not good to be jealous of your spouse, but I think it is warranted in this case.

All right, time to post this. I have a funny little widget that shows who is looking at the site from where, but I doubt more than one person is looking at this at any given time. Who knows? More soon...

Tags: san francisco, comics, isotope

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