I really can’t believe I have any time to type this at all, but it has been so completely off the hook insane lately that I think writing about it might calm me down.

So, I have been doing a lot of video work for my day job, which has been both really fun and fulfilling as well as completely crazy-making and stressful. It would be one thing if I was shooting down in LA, but many of the shoots are up in Northern California, in Mountain View, where our company’s headquarters are, which is where many of the executives I am interviewing work. So this means I have been having to do these crazy day trips where I fly up in the morning, do my thing, then fly up at night.

Now this is not so bad, but it is clearly the busiest time of the year in terms of my acting and my two lives have been completely colliding the past few months. It’s been an incredible challenge, I have to tell you. My work has not suffered, but wow, I have really been pulling some rabbits out of quite a few hats.

We had one interview that we had to reschedule, which was kind of a pain, then at the last minute it was cancelled, which I thought was fine because then I could be around LA just in case an audition came along. Then it was scheduled back on again. Now, I have been annoying my agents with some “book out” messages at the beginning of the month, and I had to send out some correction emails because of the rescheduling, so I didn’t want to send yet another email saying “Yes, indeed, I am going to be out, sorry about that,” just because everyone is busy enough with hundreds of other clients without my having to constantly update them on my schedule. I mean, I told my commercial agent just because we were already talking about other things, so it was fine, but I didn’t want to bother my manager and theatrical agent with yet another email during pilot season.

So, I take the 8am flight to San Jose and everything is fine until turn on my phone. WHAM! Voicemails and texts galore--Call me immediately even if you are in a meeting! says my manager. This is bad. This is so bad. I call him up and he needs me in LA at 2:30, one hour before I am shooting in Mountain View. He needs me to audition as a season regular for a new pilot. My world falls apart--the call I have been waiting for for years and years has actually come and I can’t make it.

I am obviously upset and freaked out, and am in a terrible mood as they try to figure out how to push my appointment back a day. Then it hits me--why don’t I tape my audition? I am taping anyway, I’ll just do it real quick before we do the real shoot! So, long story short (so long), we are able to tape the audition, edit it, compress it down and post it to a website. I have never worked so fast in my life, seriously. Everyone is happy. We even have a little birthday celebration for a co-worker, which is great until my manager IM’s me, “they are passing on you, it’s not strong enough.” I am literally reading this as we singing happy birthday. I am devastated.

Skip ahead a week. I am back up in San Francisco doing another media event just for the day and part of the next, returning that night. Everyone knows I am booked out and I have gotten over that last audition snafu. My phone rings. That casting director that passed on me wants to bring me into the office!! Yay!! But he wants to see me the next morning!!

You can imagine how frustrated I was. I couldn’t believe it--here I was getting second chance and, again, I am not in town. Thankfully, after many calls and hours of teeth grinding, they are able to see me when I get back to LA. The audition went well, I did everything I wanted to do, but, alas, they passed. Again. But who knows, you know? I am half-expecting to get a call on Monday while I am snowboarding saying they want me there in an hour.

It’s all fine, though. I just had another crazy day that ended in a very last minute audition that was squeezed in because I couldn’t make the one on Monday, when I will be snowboarding. Not to mention that I might be called in for a callback on Tuesday, when I will be snowboarding, or Wednesday, when I will be driving back to LA from snowboarding.

I need to snowboard only in the summer. That’s the only time I can do it.

More pictures and stuff later, I just need to pack now!

February already. Wow. It’s been busy, as usual, but it’s been mildly manageable. I have had a few iFanboy articles that I am pretty happy with (Age and Comics, Paul Pope discussion) and my blog entry about the iPad was referenced on a few sites as well, which was pretty cool. While things had been slow on the audition front, things have picked up this week, and I have been meeting a few casting directors at ITA, including Jeff Greenberg, who casts for Modern Family, which I quite like.

Again, the weekly column and the occasional Symantec blog entry make it very hard to keep this up to date, but I have been updating the site itself, to make it easier for people who might interested in casting me to find my representation, get examples of my work, that kind of thing. I am really trying to be a bit more aggressive this pilot season--I have been doing my absolute best to stay in LA; this is actually the first MacWorld that I will not be attending in probably 5 years, but I honestly don’t care; I gotta move forward with the acting work.

Other than the writing and the yoga and the spinning and the reading, it’s pretty much same old, same old. I have two snowboard trips coming up over the next two months, so that’s going to be fun, and Zak will be coming to town in March, so there are things to look forward to, definitely...though I find myself doing less and less of that these days, “looking forward to,” that is. I just find myself smashing into planned events, you know? Life’s too short to focus on the the future or the past, the present seems to keep me pretty engaged as it is.

I am going to post this now. If you are interested in keeping up with me, I do my best to keep my twitter feed entertaining (and useful, actually) and have been attempting to make my iFanboy articles a little but more accessible to non-comic book readers...though that is in itself kind of a trick: the readership there is a pretty focused!

Hope your 2010 is going great so far.

Well, we’re moving forward through 2010 pretty quickly, I gotta say. It’s been a fun week; a comment I wrote about 3D TV being a total sham was quoted on the air in KCRW’s The Business podcast (details below), right after my Zebra spot went up and I was able to eek out another article on iFanboy.com...not to mention all the actual work that I am doing…

I dunno. During the break, I reflected a bit and realized that I really didn't like how crazy I was for the past few months. I mean, I can do it, sure, I can run around and get all the stuff done, but so what?

The best part about the Disney gig, by the way, was going on various message boards and reading the comments about it in on youtube. Like, people really like the spot--they are entertained by it. My friend Steve showed it to his little kid and she really loved it. At the end of it all, honestly, all of this is about entertaining people, about making them laugh, about making them think. It's a really good feeling and I am pleased that I been given the opportunity to entertain lots of people this past year…but I want more, I guess. We'll just keep pressing.

I've been doing a ton of writing this week and it feels good, but it's a bit like quicksand…the more I write, the more writing I realize I have ahead of me.

Speaking of which, I gotta get some stuff done…here’s the background on the whole deal with The Business...it was funny, I had a lot of people calling and emailing me about this!


1 - Click here to read the page with the podcast I was commenting on (you can read the comments below the show information).


2 - Click here to listen to the episode where they read my comment on the air (I appear at 0:05:37 -- it's interesting how they don't REALLY make the case for it as they discuss the comment!!)


My comments on 3DTV:
This whole 3D TV thing? it's a sham. You may see sets and players coming
out, but who really thinks consumers are going to jump on yet another new
technology so soon after spending all this money on HD and blu-ray?

Next generation 3D technology is going to require totally new
hardware--new TVs and new Blu-ray players--and they ain't gonna be cheap.
The movies themselves will definitely carry a premium, just Blu-ray discs
do now (which is one of the major complaints people have about the format,
by the way--the movies are just too expensive) and the technology that
manufacturers are showing off still require migraine-inducing glasses!

The only people who are excited about 3D TV are the content producers and
the hardware manufacturers. I have yet to see anyone in the home theater
community, which drives this stuff from an early-adopter consumer point of
view, excited about it. Every time I have heard it discussed, it is
referred to as a gimmick.

Happy New Year!

It's been awhile since I have been able to share some new publicly available work (most of my stuff has been internal for my company), so I'm stoked to share this Disney spot with you. This was my first real voiceover job and I am just thrilled that the response, both from my friends and Disneyland/World fans, has been so positive.

2010 has been fairly busy, with a lot of writing and inklings of projects that I hope I can write more about in a few months. We'll see.

Okay, I am just going to post this now--have a great week!

As I have mentioned quite a few times, this year has been pretty terrible as far as actual acting works goes. I am pleased to report things have really picked up (though I am waiting to hear back on a gig that I really thought I nailed last night--if I don’t hear soon, I didn’t get it, which kind of sucks). Like I mentioned last post, I did end up getting a very cool voiceover gig and today I had quite an amazing experience recording with some very, very amazing voiceover actors. I worked with a director who does tons of cartoons--like so many--and she was really warm and encouraging and supportive and awesome to me. I worked quite a few people in the room (I think 5 other actors, including 2 Emmy winners) and we had a blast recording this spot which will air in January--yes, I will post it here as soon as I possibly can!

• London
• Paris
• Rome
• Tuscany
• New York

Topsy turvy week. I was all set to accomplish certain things--like I had a plan--and I just spent most of the week reacting to stuff and trying to balance out plates of jumping kittens...at least, that’s what it felt like.

But things are good. I was disappointed that I didn’t book a commercial that I knew I nailed - when you get high fives from the casting folks and great feedback from the director, you kind of get your hopes up -- but nothing came out of it...well, other than a happy casting director and encouraged director, which are very good things. But it would be fun to actually book the job as opposed to feeling good about callbacks. Still, makes sense, the commercial had tons of little vignettes, many of them involving kids, so it was getting more and more expensive. Whatever.

I was heartened by an audition I had for the comedy Better Off Ted, which I checked out a bit on the web and appears to be a pretty good show. I had my audition for them yesterday at 11:30 and got a call less than two hours later that they wanted me to come back in. This is very good, because while commercially I am pretty used to getting called back, this hasn’t really been the case for television and film auditions. There was a bit of stress that the callback might happen on Monday, when I will be up in Cupertino doing some interviews with Symantec executives, but thankfully, it’s gonna happen on Wednesday. Regardless of what happens, what is important that the casting director knows me and likes what I am doing, so the odds of the office bringing me in are that much higher. Quite a relief.

I am doing a workshop with a casting office that does lots of movies, which should go quite well. I am just trying to shake things up a bit, getting myself out to different people, because what I have been doing so far has not been working...of course, nothing has been working for anyone this year, but still, it’s good to shake things up a bit.

I am on a bit of a health kick. What they say about the camera adding 10 pounds is kind of true--one does look a bit...wider? on camera. So, I am watching what I am eating and am finally back on my regular workout schedule, which got shot to pieces during my European trip (I balanced it out with a lot of walking, but that only goes so far).

What else? Not much, sad to say. I am working on a review of Battlestar Galatica: The Complete Series for murmur.com but I have no idea when that will be done. This weekend is taken up mostly with class, then traveling to Cupertino for a day of filming on Monday.

See ya next week!

(that’s me in front)

Then I was home for a few days, then, all of sudden, I was at Comic-Con (pictures here from iFanboy.com), which was fun until I get sick, then I was out of commission for the first part of this week and now, finally, I am back in LA with precious little traveling to do for August, then I am back in New York for a few days, in two separate trips (one for work, the other for a wedding).

It has been a busy summer.

It’s been a good summer, to be sure and I am really, really grateful that I had a chance to go see Europe again (for the first time since 2001, when I sent out some incredibly long emails to everyone chronicling my wanderings...I have them and plan to package them up here), but I am glad to be back home. I was concerned about missing auditions, but after talking to a few folks I have not been missing anything, in fact, most of the acting work I have had this year has been related to my work at Symantec! I am actually flying up to the Bay Area to do an interview in this new character I have been working on (long story, but it’s kind of fun), as well as have some other meetings, but it’s just ironic. I am lucky, I mean, I am technically getting paid to act, so I shouldn’t be complaining, I just want to get out there. Thankfully, doing a workshop with a casting director who does a lot of independent films next weekend, and I should be able to get some good advice from here. It’s just slow, is all, but every day that passes, more and more people arrive to take the place of all the actors that have left, and they are all ready to leap on upcoming work. Ugh...I just don’t want to get passed over, that’s my biggest fear.

Anyway, my iFanboy article is due on Wednesdays, I will try to make this due on Fridays, no matter how short it gets. I am going to post this now--work beckons--but let’s see if I can get more than 12 updates this year. This is kind of ridiculous!!

Every month on iFanboy.com, I do a “Grab Bag” article, which is basically a mishmash of news such about movies, TV and comics. I do it as kind of homage to Herb Caen and people seem to like it, so I am going to post the content of the article on this site as well, since I am pretty sure many of you who read this don’t read my weekly column (I don’t blame you--it can be pretty...specific). It’s funny to go add my iFanboy writing to this site--the tone is very different, given the audience and the material--but it’s a nice way to round out what I tend to talk about here. Anyway, hope you like it.

Before I start in on that, I wanted to point you to the web spots page, where I have posted an edited version of the iFanboy WonderCon show. They let me get on camera and do some improv and I wanted to share it with you. I took out the other parts of the show, but if you have time, do check out the full version, there are some great interviews, including a few with the Watchmen cast, Zach Snyder and illustrator Dave Gibbons. Forgive the size of the video ---I will re-encode it and clean up the transitions as soon as I can. Anyway, it’s new stuff and new stuff is good.

And now... the March Grab Bag!

* * * *

Hard to believe, but it's already that time of the month. (You know, I've written that sentence before, and it still never seems to come out right, but I am just gonna do it because I am tired of typing it.) This article is due in about 11 hours, but I have been on a slight vacation. I say slight because although I was indeed on vacation, by a pool, reading comics, in Las Vegas, it was actually very windy and hailing. So, I've had my margarita (ill-timed, but one of the drawers that holds all of the pots and pans---a shelf, really, in cabinet like thing, under the burners--broke, so I had to fix it) and my burrito (which was fine and did not need repair) and even watched an episode of The Simpsons, in HD no less (when did I stop watching Simpsons and why did I stop? When did that happen? I like that show!) and now, I am writing with Withnail & I playing in the background (Withnail & I is a great British movie that you must watch if you have ever dealt with actors or been drunk, or dealt with drunk actors, which, well, if you have ever dealt with actors in the first place is, in a word, often). I am bit peeved because, well, I am having aspect ratio issues--everything is right, everything is apparently correct, but it just looks off somehow. No matter, it's the grab bag, and I have stuff to tell you about.

* * * *

"Oh, great, Mike's here? Who invited him?"

So, at top of mind, my mind at least, which you are getting a little bit more of than you actually want right now,is the recent series finale of Battlestar Galactica. Now, I was fortunate enough to be invited to the screening of the episode with the cast and crew on Friday, and I must say, it was a really, really incredible night. You might as well read The Hollywood Reporter's account of it here, but suffice to say, it was a really inspiring evening. I have been following the show (writing letters to SciFi.com to support it going to series, etc) since the beginning, and I feel very lucky to have been there for the finale. Yes, I saw and talked to many of the actors and directors, but that wasn't really why it was awesome. It was awesome because everyone came together to say goodbye to what had been their lives for almost seven years, to say farewell to a show that really did redefine just how good television could actually be. Producers Ron Moore, David Eick and director Michael Rhymer (who was mentioned specifically as being a key reason why the show was was so successful from a creative point of view) all delivered a show that was pretty much uncompromising in its mission to tell a great story with believable, engaging and challenging characters, and I for one will miss the show greatly. Now, I just have to figure out how to get on Caprica, which starts filming in earnest this summer.

* * * *

Imagine a greater name.

Speaking of the SciFi channel, as much as I hate to say farewell to BSG, I must say I hate the new name of the network even more. Behold, SyFy. Yes...I think, actually, that is phonetically "siffy". So...incredibly lame. According to Tim Brooks, "The name Sci Fi has been associated with geeks and dysfunctional, antisocial boys in their basements with video games and stuff like that, as opposed to the general public and the female audience in particular." Let's see...let's just see...what kinds of things do these "geeks" like? Can you say Lord of the Rings? Star Wars? Dark Knight? Spider-Man? I mean, videogames? It's bad that you associate the channel with all these things? Incredible to me. I think Brooks is also being kind of sexist--like, so, are we to assume that women don't like the science fiction? Really? I just...it irritates me and I didn't even care about this stuff until I found out they were changing the name. I mean, I liked the idea that a channel could be devoted to science fiction...but I guess I'm just some dork who lives in my mom's basement, right? Ah, well. I should be careful, I guess--like I said, I really want to be on Caprica and I probably shouldn't talk too much trash about the network if I want a job there. But still--siffy?

* * * *

Spock, Kirk and Bones have just heard about a new series and are not amused.

Speaking of siffy, er, silly--do we really need a new Star Trek TV show? No, we don't, but don't tell that to to Bryan Fuller, creator of the quite-beautiful-with-some-great-acting-and-quirky-point-of-view-that-many-us-recorded-but-never-got-around-to-you know, watching-Pushing Daisies. I guess he wants to make an "old style" Trek. How this would coexist with J.J. Abrams' upcoming theatrical release, which is much more modern, with its Apple Store-like bridge and irritatingly good looking cast, would still have to be resolved, but, hey--I am all for any show that casts actual actors. Speaking of Trek, the writer of the linked article digs a bit at Deep Space Nine, which is unfair--that show was actually quite good, and the last two seasons were all part of an ongoing plot, which paved the way for episodic shows like Heroes, Lost and, yes, Battlestar Galactica, produced by DS9 alum Ron Moore. So don't hate--Netflixagate!

* * * *

Spider-Man 4: Payback's a Bitch, Spidey!

Still with the video and the sound, news of Spider-Man 4 continues to trickle in, with director Sam Raimi talking about the apparently Dunst-free aspect of the film so far. Money quote: "I can't imagine making a 'Spider-Man' movie without Kirsten." He then insisted, "Of course it can be done..." I, for one, don't care at all about a new Spider-Man movie. I am not sure why--oh, that's right, number three sucked and I don't believe that they can actually make another good one. Yeah, I guess I am being cynical, but, I mean...do we really need another one? The movies make a ton of money, and if they can make Pirates of the Caribbean 4, then they might as well add a fourth Spidey flick. But I am not at all convinced you need Kirsten Dunst. In fact, forget about her--bring in Black Cat and a brief cameo with the Fantastic Four and we'll be set.

* * * *

I need me a pair of those shades.

Finally, I guess ABC is remaking V? You know, the one with the lizards in human skin with the mouse eating and jaw popping? That's all I remember about the original, to be honest. That and the jumpsuits. On the other hand, I guess Fox is making a series based on DC's Human Target, which I think actually makes a lot of sense as a TV series. I liked the books--let's hope they do that one right.

* * * *

In the "I hinted at it and it became true" department, I can happily tell you for certain that dance music duo Daft Punk is indeed doing the music for Tron 2 (though they are not calling it Tron 2: Electric Boogaloo). One more Tron!

* * * *

Remember when I thought I was being all thoughtful and creative by writing about what books we should recommend after our "other" friends asked what they should read after Watchmen? Well, I've been seeing lots of DC ads in comic books discussing exactly that--you can see their recommendations at afterwatchmen.com. Good job on that, though I must say they should be running these ads in Entertainment Weekly and other actual magazines. I mean, DC is already admitting that people don't know which comic books to read after reading Watchmen, so it's pretty certain that this audience is not reading this month's Justice League, you know? But good try anyway. Marvel should have done this with their movies--it's a great way to get new folks into comics. Or at least trades. On a related note, GQ magazine has a whole feature about what comics to read after Watchmen. Top of the list? Madman, which should make Ron happy. The article, written Alex Pappademas and Kevin Sintumuang, is actually pretty good, and actually mentions a few books that we talked about in my article, including All-Star Superman and Criminal and others I totally spaced on, like Alias, The Nightly News and Fell. Nice one, guys!

* * * *

Finally, in the "Last Minute Conor Save" or "Mike apparently has a crush on Marcos Martin" Department, I bring you another amazing cover by Mr. Martin, this time for the upcoming 70th Anniversary of Captain America:

Okay, it's Tuesday and I have a cold sore the size of a grape on my lip, a (group) lunch with a senior vice president of my company and a ton of work to do, but I need to finish this up...

Went snowboarding this past weekend and had a blast. I have been trying to go all winter but so far, each time I have gone locally, it was a total bust (literally, if you bring my busted thumb into the mix), so I had high hopes for this trip to Mammoth. I mean, after my last visit, I basically was ready to give up, because I just wasn't getting it and the whole idea of spending a bunch of money to go up and down a hill, over and over, again, falling throughout, just wasn't making any sense. Thankfully, everything was much more fun and interesting, and I remembered why I was drawn to it in the first place: it was new, it was physical, and it really pushed me outside of my comfort zone. Like, when you have to go down the side of a mountain that literally gives you vertigo looking at it as you go up the lift, you are forced to dig deep and just go for it the best way you know how, right?

I was twittering a bit while I was up there, but basically I figured out how to turn consistently and I didn't break anything. It was a lot of fun, and I was relieved that I was actually learning how to build on what I was learning, run after run. I also came face to face with the limitations of my physical body. Like, I am in shape, but after four hours, I was beginning to make mistakes. Mentally, I was ready but my body was lagging a bit by the time 3pm rolled around. I was carving too hard on my left hand turns, I was hesitating when I should have been committing and just getting sloppy. Of course, when it's that time of day, everyone's kind of flubbing here and there so I didn't feel too badly, but it was still interesting to experience. It's not like I my typing gets worse toward the end of the day, you know?

So, I will post a few pictures of the scenery, but all in all, I'm relieved.

Okay, that was snowboarding. Now we move to acting.

I had dinner and spent the evening with two Broadway actors on Sunday night (along with some other friends). I was talking to a woman who was 75 and had made a living as a stage actor the entire time--she never had to wait tables. She had just come off of playing the Nurse in Medea in Canada, and we had a great conversation about breath and its relationship to intent; she opens up with a wish to the gods and she had initially thought she needed to get the line out in one breath, but then realized it worked when she broke it up with intakes of air. I suggested that this made sense, because often when you are in that "wish making" mode, you pile on wish after wish, and the breath supports that moment, gives encouragement to those wishes--you see kids do this all the time. We had a great chat about this and she remarked that I should be teaching or directing, which, I must say, coming from her, was one of the nicest compliments I've received in years.

Again, it's those moments of validation that I guess I need just to make sure I am not deluding myself, you know? If I can have an evening talking about acting with two fantastic, well known and celebrated actors, where it's a real give and take, then I have contributions that I can make. Now, now...well, I am not sure. I am doing what I can. Tricia remarked that when she got into acting when she was in Australia, it wasn't something that everyone wanted to do, compared to today. Like, it wasn't a career that normal people wanted to pursue, so it was easier for her. So, she got in early..and stayed. But you know what? Even with her experience? She still has to audition. Never stops.

This is a tough time for actors, moreso, I think than any time before. We all know that there are fewer shows being made and fewer movies being released this year, but what you may not know is that many, if not most, of the "good" roles are being offered to movie stars first. If you watch TV at all, you've seen this happening. I've talked about this before, so I will leave it there, but it's a strange time now, to be sure. I'm sticking with it, of course, but I gotta say, it would be nice to get some auditions. All in good time. In the meantime, I can relish evenings like Sunday, where I can listen to stories and experiences and enjoy moments of inspiration that made me want to be an actor in the first place. Inspiration is all around us, we can just get so caught up in our daily lives that we forget to look and listen.

So, this is going to be one of the quickest trips to San Francisco ever--I am in town for Wondercon this year and it promises to be a manic trip. I found a flight on United for $145 roundtrip ($112 before taxes and whatever fees they decide people pay these days) so I am typing this in LAX a bit before my plane start boarding. I would try to upload this before I left, but, of course, LAX does not have free Internet--it's fee Internet here--and I am not going to pay $8 or whatever for 30 minutes. Ugh, when will the madness end? Free Internet makes people happy, it keeps them occupied, it keeps people in a reasonable state of mind. Flying is already so frustrating, why not do what the coffee shop down the block has done before years?

Pretty much every week, there's a burrito in my life. I usually pick it up on the way home after yoga and, without exception, I always leave smiling. Seriously, everyone who works there is just damn pleasant, and always remembers me and just seems to enjoy working there, that I always leave going, "Man, I love LA." This morning I had the same experience--I went to The Griddle for breakfast--and, again, everyone there was just so nice and relaxed and just...cool that it really just made me stoked. I have talked about this with a few folks who have leave LA recently, and they have made similar remarks--when you are in LA, people are just more pleasant. I know this is awful generalization, but if I compare my experiences, say, in the grocery stores in New York, where most of the time everyone was just sullen and irritated to be there, and to the grocery stores in LA, where, time and time again, the people working there are honestly helpful and pleasant--the vast majority of the time, the comparison holds. I was in a Ralph's the other day trying to find rice milk for Whit, and when the guy didn't know, he tracked down another person, who told me exactly where it was (Aisle 8, but the rice milk is right behind a post, so make sure to look carefully) and then, later, when I bumped into the guy again, he asked to make sure if I had found it or not. Like, this is just some dude who works at a Ralph's, you know?

These are small things, totally, but when there is nothing but doom and gloom on the news and when you are falling asleep doing math to see how much money you have left in your account for the weekend, they make a huge difference. I know for a fact that there are nice places in New York--I don't mean to pick on that great and fantastic city, I have had my time with superb lame asses in San Francisco--but day to day, my life in LA is just more pleasant and I don't know anyone else who has moved here from another city who will disagree with me.

Anyway, I just wanted to put that out there because I keep wanting to post that when I leave the burrito place but I never remember (and I admit, it's a Chipotle, which is a chain, I realize, but these guys are so close to my place and they really do it for for me (I am a simple burrito person--chicken, black beans, rice, hot salsa)).

The other night a good friend of mine, a classmate in my acting class, admitted to us that she was taking a hiatus of indeterminate length from acting. She was not going to class anymore and she had told her agents that she was done for now, possibly forever. The news hit everyone pretty hard and I have been thinking about it a lot. The thing is, she's a terrific actor. She's got great comic chops, can do drama no problem, and has a great look.

It's a big deal when someone quits, especially when it's someone you see a lot, because you feel like you are losing a team member, in a way. This whole endeavor is frustrating, as you know, but it is a lot easier when you can share your experiences and frustrations with others, it's a lot easier to not get an audition when you know it's not just you. We all want her to come back to acting, but we all recognize that this is not something she took lightly, that this was a fundamental decision, a big shift in her life and she knew it.

I am sure some of us are thinking, deep down, "Is this what I should be doing? Is she getting out a sign that I should be getting out? I'm not getting any younger, should I just quit while I am ahead/behind? Maybe this is not right for me--sure I have fun doing it, but I haven't booked a spot in a year, maybe I should just be responsible and get out of LA and live the rest of my life without this crap." It's all there, you know? When you hang out with other actors who are slogging, you get the sense, "Hey, this is worth doing, if they are not giving up, I'm certainly not going to!" When one of your crew bows out, it rattles you, it really does.

I'm not quitting. I don't want to and I don't have to. I am extraordinarily lucky that I have a job that appreciates my acting life and actually leverages my experience whenever possible. It's taken years to get that balance to happen and I am not going throw it away because acting is hard. It's all hard, you know?

I was watching In Bruges the other night (I recommend it, it's a great movie) and one of the things I liked most about it was just the scenes of every day life in this quaint Belgium city. You know the kind, with the really old, thin houses and big plazas with requisite open air cafes? And I thought about the life of those people who run those little cafes and restaurants, providing that quintessential European experience to countless travelers, all these people on their way to somewhere else, stopping in, hanging out at your place, then leaving, never to be seen again. I wonder what it would be like to own, or at least work in place where the world flows by past you as you wash the dishes. I can see the allure of it and part of me wishes that that's what I wanted, but I don't. Who knows.

I started this at the airport and now I am in a BART train, heading to San Francisco. I'll post this tonight...

I had a funny audition experience yesterday that I thought I would write down. I got this in my email box the night before (this is how I learn about auditions, I get an email the night before):

The following contains meeting information for: <>


-----
Client:           Mike Romo
Date:             Thursday, February 19, 2009
Time:             3:00 PM
Status:           E-Mail Client
Role:             Basketball Players
                 Comedy. Comedy. Comedy. Should not look athletically
inclined. These are buddies hanging out on the weekend. Rate: 3 x scale

Wardrobe:         Lame workout clothes: if possible sweat shorts, t-shirts,
socks pulled up to their shins, sweatbands on wrists and head.

...
-----
Sounds pretty straightforward, right? Basically look like the guy from Juno and nail the audition, right? So, I got my wardrobe together (I had to pilfer Whit’s sock drawer to get her knee highs that she uses for rollerskating), went to work, ran out of work at lunch, go to the audition, changed in my car, and ran up to the audition hall.

It was hilarious. Waiting to go in were a bunch of guys in workout clothes. About half of the guys looked a little like me (and assorted variants)--white nerdy looking guys who just looked like pathetic nerds. The other half were 7’ tall actual basketball players, who were looking totally buff and super sporty, and who were basically real life jocks. So, all of a sudden, we were back in grammar school--all the nerds were kind of hanging out with each other--even though we were not really nerds, at least not all of us, we were just guys dressed up as nerds, but it didn’t matter, the social construct just kicked right in. It was hilarious. I mean, I honestly haven’t felt that kind of vibe since high school. Oh, there was no bullying or anything like that, everyone was very nice to each other, but we were all cracking up, like obviously some guys got one breakdown, but there was apparently an “in shape, good looking, athletic build” breakdown that a bunch of us certainly did not get.

I went in with four guys who were all about my height plus one African American guy who was at least 7’ tall, totally amazingly good looking, played pro basketball for three years, like, total amazing athlete guy. Huge arms, the whole thing. Really nice, super nice and just laughing at how mismatched we all were. When we did our photos, it was him first (Sheldon), and then the camera person had to bring the camera down a full foot to focus on me, with my polka dot headband and “Oscar the Grouch” t-shirt and she literally just laughed outloud. It was classic.

The audition was fun, though--I mean, who knows what’s going to happen with it, given the two totally different categories they called in--and that, in the end, is what matters, really. That’s all you can do, really, is just enjoy the process, because wanting a job from it is just going to set you up for disappointment in the first place. I had four auditions (one straight to callback) last week, and I didn’t get a single callback--for parts that I was perfect for, on auditions that were no different than the ones I have booked from--and I must admit, it was a little disruptive, emotionally. Like, I had no idea why I didn’t get called back, and even though I keep telling myself not to think about it...I still think about it, of course I do, you know? That Thursday after yoga class, when I didn’t have any messages in my voicemail...ugh, that stung. Mildly freaked me out all Friday.

This Wednesday we had class, it was on camera “bad guy/bad girl” night, and I played what was basically the action cop breaking up a hostage situation, 24 style. I did as best as I could, and technically, I succeeded in establishing the right angle (I had to look towards my left but be looking straight ahead and to the right, so it all looked very dynamic), but when I came on, every one just laughed. Now, it makes sense--it’s a ridiculous situation and I don’t usually play this stuff, and, from certain angles, I tend to remind people of Paul Giamatti, since my eyes were kind of bugging out a bit and I had this kind of grimace going--but it was, I admit, just a little frustrating...you want to be able to do this stuff, you want to have a look that can be used for any kind of job, and it’s possible, you just have to keep yourself up. For instance, right now I need a haircut and I need to drink less coffee and get more sleep so I can fend of the dark circles under my eyes. Like, I can see that being a problem, especially with bad lighting, so I just have to do it.

It’s an interesting time now. There is not a lot of work for anyone, and the work that is out there is often going to much more established names (I saw an ad with from Alan Tudyk from Firefly and from Dulé Hill from The West Wing and almost did a spit-take--why do those guys need to be doing DirecTV commericals?!) and it can be irritating, but so what? A lot less irritating than losing your job and having two kids to feed.

Onward!

I’m back from Tokyo. I have some shots on flickr here and will have a rundown later, but I just wanted to update the site; I noticed that a bunch of pages were missing...

anyway, more soon!

Lobby floor at the Encore in Las Vegas

I am sitting here in a Caribou Coffee near Plain City, Ohio, watching with no small amount of dread all of my work email downloading to my machine. I am supposed to be on vacation, but I can't connect to my work email from my sister in law's place, so I thought I would check it out...oy, what a mistake--I have over 130 emails so far, and it's still sucking them in. Totally frustrating.

When I was at Razorfish, I went on this rather awesome leadership training program (I know how it sounds, but hey, I got to to Sweden!) during which we took a ton of courses, one of which was effective communications. I'll spare you the details, but the most effective was face to face...the least was email. I get over 1400 emails a month from work.

Anyway, I'm having a pretty good trip so far if I choose to ignore how long it took to get here (17 hours). We had two cancelled flights, so I ended up going from LA to Phoenix to Las Vegas to Charlotte to Columbus. We got to spend 6 hours in Vegas, so we went to a few hotels (Whit wanted to check out the Encore, which was pretty nice) and ate and walked around.


and time passes.

Well, now I am in the air heading to Tokyo. It's been frustrating, I have to say---I just have had zero time to update this particular blog. I need to figure out how to channel my myspace updates to this page--I was uploading a lot of photos throughout my visit to Ohio and it was, honestly, just easier to share what was going on that way (damn you, Facebook! You and your convenience.) And then, with the weekly iFanboy article, ongoing Norton blogs, and more work for murmur.com...I'm just writing everywhere but here.

So far, the Tokyo trip is smooth, but sadly I am on United. While they didn't charge me for checking a bag, the food is awful--no surprise there, just disappointment--and now they charge for drinks! Not to sound like an alcoholic, but, I mean, wasn't that one of the fun things about flying international? So weak. Flying a US airline just sucks now and it will probably never get better.

I was in Tokyo two years ago to talk to various Mac press and, like I promised, I am back to talk about our latest offering. Unlike last last time, however, Whit's not coming, which makes it not as fun--- we travel really well together and she has a knack for finding fun activities and neighborhoods. We went through the guidebooks last night so I have a good idea of where I am going to be (this super, super hip hotel in Shibuya, the Cerulean Tower, a few blocks away from my office). I get in Tuesday afternoon, so, I hope to get some sleep here so I can out at night around the hood.

Pete, Whitney, Kim, Cindy...and Walter

Our visit to Ohio was a lot of fun, if shorter than we wanted thanks to US Airways canceling our flights--we were about 17 hours late. It was crazy--every other carrier was flying into Columbus, so we think they cancelled the flights so there would be no chance of their planes being snowed in the day after. So, instead of flying to Phoenix and then continuing on the same plane to Columbus, we waited four hours to fly to Vegas, where we found that they cancelled our second flight, so we were in Vegas for 7 hours and then went to Charlotte, then to Columbus that next morning. We made a night of it, though; I put our bags in a locker and we took a trip to the Encore hotel and proceeded to make our way to the Mirage. It was actually a lot of fun, so it wasn't a total waste of time. Still, though--I can't see myself paying for another US Airways flight in this lifetime.

Seeing Whit's family was a blast, though. I am very much myself with them and everyone gets along quite well. I met my nephew Walter (almost two years old), which was fun. Where we were in Ohio (outside of Columbus much of the time) could not be more different than LA, which was refreshing, for the most part (though I think we drove more there than I do in LA, since everything is spaced so far apart). We had our "second Xmas," complete with tree and turkey dinner, and as I looked outside at the snow, I felt very fortunate.

The rundown:

- My brother Chris leaves Wednesday morning to start bootcamp for the US Navy. He will be gone for two months, basically unreachable, as, as he puts it, "has every shred of individuality stripped away" and turned into a sailor. He was pretty nervous about it, but he's more excited now. It should be crazy interesting to hear his stories--we are not a military family by any stretch so it's all new to us.

- Acting has been slow, thanks in part to my having to be away from LA for two weeks. Basically, if I am gone for two weeks I am out of commission for three or even four (doesn't do me any good to audition for a part that I am not going to be around to film). I had a really solid audition for a great part on a Nickelodeon show, but I have not heard back yet, so I assume I did not get a callback.

- Work is good, but I am still overwhelmed with emails, as I mentioned above. It's super frustrating,and since I can't connect to anything while I am in the air (a good thing, for the most part), I am sure I will be flooded when I get back. Still, going to Tokyo is a huge perk and I am not complaining, just whining.

- Writing has been capsized by the traveling and online writing commitments, but I added two characters to a show that I am writing that really round the whole thing out. I have this idea that I honestly think could really be successful on commercial television. I am excited about it because the set up itself is a platform on which one can just write story after story. I just need to get the pilot written and sketch out the first part of the season. Then...well, I am not sure; I guess I send it to my agent and shop it around. But now that I have the cast rounded out, I feel like all I gotta do is lock myself away for a week and bang out the script. (And yes, I realized that I am actively not doing that now.)

Okay--let's get this posted. I’ll try to do daily Tokyo updates.

Well, we’re almost done with 2008. I’ll resist the urge to do a long list (I’ve gotta do one for next week’s column anyway), but it’s worth taking some time to take a deep breath and, in a way, be relieved to have even survived this year of pretty awesome ups (at least one, with the “did that actually happen?” Obama victory) and a whole litany of low (and lower) lows. The other day I actually had to turn NPR off--it was just one miserable story after another. One hopes for happiness and joy during the holidays and this year it seemed that everyone had to fight for a grimace, let alone a smile.

But it was not all that bad, of course. I just got back from San Francisco--I’d share my photos, but many of them were lost due to a technical problem that’s almost too annoying to go into here--which, as usual, was a mix of vacation and Pony Express style darting between family, friends and, sometimes, rest. It was great to see everyone, of course--special appearance by Pepe needs to be called out here--but as far as actual relaxing vacation? Nope.

Every time I go back to San Francisco I seem to notice something, and this time was no different. I couldn’t help but notice how precious so many things seemed to be. I tend to be pretty...jocular? this time of year, especially when I go to San Francisco, but almost everyone I interacted with, whether it be a restaurant’s hostess or coffee plebe, was just...dour. So cool that to be nice to someone that wasn’t glum was too much effort. It was frustrating as hell, to be honest, because it underscored the perception of San Francisco being self-absorbed and haughtier-than-thou, you know? Cheer up, folks! You live in a great city! Enjoy it--and the people who are returning home to visit. It just doesn’t makes sense to me to take oneself so seriously, especially in San Francisco. They need a return of a rave scene or something, to knock them about.

But my friends seemed to be doing well, same with my family. Saw my cousin Patrick play jazz and saw a theatrical version of Star Wars with Kenji, Sam and Whitney. Oh, and I went to the new Academy of Sciences, which I have been looking forward to checking out for years and years. The building’s pretty great--if, somehow, small-feeling, perhaps because of the two massive spheres that inhabit the main space. They bend over backwards to tell you how green the building is, with insulation made of blue jeans and the cement warmed by hot water...but I gotta tell you, I never took off my jacket and scarf inside! I was disappointed by the two exhibits on either wing--it was mostly reading and watching videos, which, well, you can do on a website, you know? A museum has to be more than reading and viewing. The aquarium below, was nice, but really dark and claustrophobic--it was like being an intestine. Of course, it was also super crowded, but I still felt that I was just winding my way through a deep cave with some fish in the walls. They did retain the original seahorse railing (and crocodile pit, complete with the white one), which I have known since I was a few years old--that was great. But, in the end, while there was a lot on how screwed up the environment is and how humans better change or we’re all going to be d-e-d dead, I just didn’t feel like I was learning anything. It was mostly focused on earth sciences--there were no space exhibits as far as we could tell. It’s gorgeous, though--I am really, really bummed I lost my pictures of the roof and the exhibits. Next time, I guess.

I get it, the museum is still finding its voice, but for $25, I thought it was kind of a ripoff--and believe me, I came into it really wanting to like it, even after spending 2 hours outside in 40° weather...

Yesterday I took a day off work and basically ran errands. It was nice, I started off at The Griddle and ate breakfast while reading some comics. As happens more and more, some guy started talking to me about comics and I mentioned that I write for a comic book website, and his reaction was like, “That’s the coolest job ever!” and I had to admit that it was actually kind of cool (though a weekly column does not a full time job make). While I have been pretty down on this year, it’s been mostly because I just didn’t make the kind of progress I was hoping to make with my acting career. But on a purely selfish level, things were pretty good:

• Whit’s surgery went well
• I had a lot of fun meeting new friends at WonderCon and Comic-Con
• I am writing for iFanboy
• I did a ton of yoga and I am closing in on two years of practicing
• I’m working on some great scripts both by myself and with Nick
• I produced those shorts for work
• I have been asked to be in a few short films
• My friends are healthy, having kids, still working and seem to be happy
• My own work is going quite well and I am still learning a lot

Last week, I ended up visiting both of my agencies. My commercial agency was actually bought by another one (I am now represented by Talentworks Los Angeles for commercials; ACME is, as of last Friday, done--check out the press release if you are interested), so I got to go to the new office and sign a bunch of paperwork. (On a sidenote - I am with the same agency as William Shatner! How rad is that?) Suffice to say--I am really excited about 2009.

I’ve talked about it before, but the relationship one has with their agents and manager is just so...specific, you know? I have a small phalanx of great people that are working, hard, to get me auditions. Just getting an agent...I mean, that took awhile, and then it took even longer to find an agent that was able to get me work in the first place. I am incredibly fortunate, really, to have Imperium-7 and Talentworks working with me, it is incredibly humbling.

Anyway, I had a really good meeting with Emily, Brian and Mandy at Talentworks. They have been very supportive and encouraging and have always made me very welcome whenever I come by and say hello. And I was grateful to them for being so great on Friday, to be honest. It’s been a tough year, as you know. I’ve done a lot of work, but most of it was non paying. Great experiences*, sure, but, like, I’m not helping anyone pay their bills, you know? So, when you meet with your agents, there’s this feeling, this overwhelming feeling, of “thank you for being so patient--it will get better, it will!” The fact they kept me on during the move brings me to the title of this entry--it’s validation, it’s trust that this team believes in me and that belief, that support is, really, one of reasons why I keep at this. It’s the main reason, of course, but it’s a big kick in the ass to keep me positive.

All people, but artists and performers in particular, despite their loud protestations, need validation. However, to admit it somehow means that you are weak, that you are doing your art to please other people. And, to some extent, that argument is correct. I act to entertain people (friends and family especially), to make them feel something. If I suck at it, people will not be interested. If they are into it, then there is a degree of validation to my endeavor. To an extent, that validation keeps me going, it makes me work hard to be “better” -- to make more honest choices, to rely less on theatrical tricks, to work in projects that people will want to watch. Validation does not mean “you’ve done it, you’re good” -- it means, “hey, you are on the right path, keep going.”

So whenever I get a nice email from my agent or manager, even a short one, it puts a skip in my step. I know how that sounds--it could very well sound needy and lacking of self confidence. It’s not, trust me. If I was lacking in self-confidence I would be living somewhere else.

Validation has changed, for me, through the years. When I first started out, like, in high school, validation came in the form of laughter and applause. Makes sense; those were first cues that I was getting something right. Then, later, in college, it was more about getting validation from other actors and directors (something that has definitely not gone away (nor will it ever)). When I was doing summer theater way back when, I loved that I could do a show for a bunch of people who didn’t know me--I could just do the show and disappear into the night. There, the validation came from making each show sharper and fuller. In New York, it was all a mix. Now, the validation comes from the feedback and training I am getting in class and, of course, from the others I have discussed above.

Of course, there is overt validation--how many people come to see the show, what reviewers say, etc. Ironically, in my day job, I have the same challenge--the products we release are offered up, for validation, I suppose, to the Mac community and Mac press. I have several press interviews next week to talk about what we are doing and whenever we get a new product out, we are constantly wondering what the product reviews are going to say--the higher the rating, the higher the validation, resulting in credibility in the Mac community and, business wise, increased sales.

We all wrestle with validation and our relationship with it. Every job requires someone to validate how well we are doing. The struggle with growing older is figuring out to compromise the feelings of “I don’t need the validation of someone who doesn’t get it, man” and “Wow, if I do a good job, there will more opportunities”. To accept the value of external validation without compromising your independence and idealism, to enjoy that wrestling match...is that where the wrinkles come from?

--------
* These are already posted on the web at Enormous Productions, so I feel like it’s okay to talk about them now Remember those spots I did for work? Well, here they are. Hope you like them.

Well, we’re still careening along...2008, which was both great and terrible year, is rapidly drawing to a close. LA is ridiculously hot and continues to burn, and the general mood is just kind of grim. Everyone I know is working too much and just worried, you know?

Finally got back to acting class last night and was relieved that it went well. I have been going out commercially quite a bit, which is good, and the callbacks are happening, but nothing booking. It’s driving me beyond crazy, even though I keep explaining how I am really good at nothing thinking about this stuff. Whatever.

Heading to San Francisco for a quick Thanksgiving next week, which should be fun, but I doubt I will be able to catch up with everyone while I am there. Still not sure what I am going to do for Christmas--we wanted to check out Ohio, where Whit’s mom and sister live, but at $700 a ticket, it just seems kind of too much. Ugh, I dunno.

Life is good, though. The columns on iFanboy.com keep coming out in time, and I am steadily finding my voice. This week I did a kind of Herb Caen treatment and the response was generally positive. Of course, that means I have less time to write in this journal, but I guess that’s just the way it’s gonna be.

I am going to be doing two short films over the next two months, which is a nice surprise. It’s nice to be asked to be in someone’s project, you know?

Very busy at work. Trying to launch a product next month...it’s sort of the culmination of three years of work, really. I know it’s going to be the best product on the market, but I guess we’ll have to see what the users and reviewers thing. At least it will be out, though.

Not much else to add. I just wanted to say hey, anyway.

Whenever I have weeks like the ones I have been having recently I try to think back to when I was hectically unemployed in Brooklyn and how I used to long for a regular job with a steady paycheck. I would imagine being able to sit in a comfortable office chair and just know that there was going be a certain degree of stability.

So, when I express some frustration at the amount of energy and time that work has been demanding of me lately, just know that yes, I do realize that things could be a lot worse. (Because they were, totally, astoundingly bad.)

iFanboy.com is down right now as I write this, but check out their pick of the week section--I recorded a recent show (iTunes link - I am in the Action #870 ‘cast) and even wrote about it my Wednesday column. The column’s been hard, I gotta admit--I am really trying to write about stuff that hasn’t been mentioned on the site before, but there are times when I feel the piece is too rushed or not as well written as it could be. No matter, it’s a fun gig, it’s keeping me active and it’s just kinda cool to have that happening in my life.

Acting work has been non existent. I feel like I have stepped back in time and am back to one audition a month. This is not true, of course, but I would be remiss if I didn’t admit that I was more frustrated than ever. But it makes sense--commercial work is going to be slow for awhile now as companies become more realistic with their marketing budgets and TV shows and films are still navigating their schedules and trying to cast better known folks than lil ol’ me. I mean, Harvey Keitel and Christian Slater on episodic TV? Harvey Keitel? When’s Pacino’s 30 minute single camera sitcom coming? It’s fine, we’re all in the same boat, though I do admit I felt a bit of chagrin when I signed off my right to be paid for the Jessica Biel LiveEarth spot to be aired throughout India. I’m gonna be huge in Pune, just watch! But who cares, really, right? It’s all coming as it comes.

Politically, I was amazed to see all the pundits talking about how great John McCain did in the third debate last night. I can’t help but feel that they need to say that so they can resist being accused of being biased. McCain, as I am sure you’ll remember, seemed like an angry, petulant grump who was much more interested in scoring points so he could sound tough when he got back on the stump than offering the voters an idea of what he would actually do as president. No matter--I saw this video and realized that I was well on my way to being a position where I really liked my president, which, well, you know, has been a long time in coming. Can you believe what McCain said about abortion and women’s health, by the way? The guy’s a jerk, I don’t see how anyone can possibly not agree. Also, check out Rolling Stone’s feature on the myth of McCain-good reading (and watching, check the related video). I sit next to an admitted hard core right wing evangelical white man at work and he’s been really agitated, lately. Like, fuming. It’s kinda great. I sent in our stuff so we can vote by mail--I figure this way we won’t be standing in line so others won’t have to wait as long...

Best. Ride. Ever.

Randomly, we had a product launch party at Disneyland last week. I gotta say, it was actually really fun. The best part was being able to leave and get appetizers and drinks at Downtown Disney and then go back in the park, really. You have to be able to escape and then go back in. Still, it wasn’t that crowded and I was able to check out all the rides I used to like as a kid. I hadn’t been in 14 years, so the place has definitely changed, but even the cynical slacker in me still enjoyed seeing little kids having so much fun.

On a bit of a more somber note, I have two memorials to attend this weekend, which is sad, poignant and just...reality inducing? Michele’s dad passed away a few weeks ago, so we will be attending that service on Sunday, but Saturday we are attending a memorial for our friend Jeff’s infant child, who contracted a disease and I guess never really had a chance. He was a twin--not identical, I think--and the other baby is apparently fine, but I can only imagine how painful this must be for Jeff and his wife. That’s on Saturday. So, it’s a time, really of reflection and gratitude to be alive--not to sound hokey, but I mean, it goes hand in hand with what I have been learning in yoga: when it comes right down to it, all we have is our breath...so breathe deep--it’s what makes us alive.

That’s actually how I opened up a talk I had a last week in at the Federal Reserve Bank in Chicago. They were doing some kind of technology conference and I was asked to speak about Internet security. It was the last presentation of the conference and a little after lunch, so I had to wake them up somehow. I am pleased to say that the talk went extremely well.

Chicago, was, of course, amazing. What a great city (some shots here)! I hadn’t been for a few years, so it was nice to see all the changes (and there were a lot--so much construction!) and just enjoy being in a city again. Chicago architecture is just really unbelievable...

I don’t have a lot to report. It’s been really slow, mostly because I was out most of last week in Chicago (I assume), and this week...I had one voiceover audition and nothing else. It’s cool, it’s given me time to focus on my work and life.

And, well, politics. I tried to be on top of things the past few elections, I think it is fair to say that I have been following the election, especially the past few months, like a rabid dog after a postal carrier who is delivering steaks. Because he can smell the steaks and the dog, he is hungry. You go to plenty of other sites for the play by play, so I am not sure how much I am going to providing any real information--or even opinion, to be honest--but if anything interesting does float to the surface, I’ll mention it. But if you haven’t seen Palin’s recent interviews with Couric (one, two and three) yet--go and do so, please. Prepare to cringe. Mightily.

Random:

1 - Reading Anathem by Neal Stephenson. So far, it’s good, and I hear it gets better. I’ve been struggling with reading “real” books lately, hence my latest iFanboy column.

2 - Going to some kind of star party on Saturday. No, no celebrities, but actual stars. We’re going to Joshua Tree to look through telescopes and the like. Our camera died while I was filming those spots, but if we get any shots, I’ll post ‘em.

3 - My old, old friend Joel’s got some music to share! I’ve known Joel since I was in grammar school; we’ve reconnected via Facebook and it’s been fun to get back in touch.

4 - No videos to post yet. They are done, but they need tweaking and I am not sure when I will be able to release them to the general public. The response has been fantastic, though and I can’t wait to post them.


It has been a crazy summer, really. So far, this year has been very good, but also very confounding. I really haven’t booked anything significant this year but I have been acting more than ever (and there’s more work to come; I am doing a short film next month). I’ve been more successful at work (whatever that means), which is great, but there’s a whole world of challenges that sometimes makes it a drag to wake up and go to five days a week.

Of course, I am in no position to complain (and I don’t mean to be)--my friends have been looking for jobs (one’s been looking all year) and people are hurting out there. I’ve been trying to get my head around the financial situation and I think I’ve got a handle on it--I explained it to Tobie and Whit last night and they seemed to understand the basics (which is all I can talk about). It is really strange, though, when the President talks to the country and uses the craziest negative words possible and everyone just looks at him and wonders if we should really believe him or not--it’s the Bush who cried wolf, you know?

But on the flipside, I was in yoga class the other day and the teacher asked me to demo a headstand. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that I would be demoing a headstand, folks. I’ve been good about the yoga (took a class in Chicago, which was fun)--at least twice a week almost every week this year, just like last year and I am convinced that I am healthier, stronger and more relaxed than ever. Even when I am spinning and working really hard, I am still mindful of my breath. You keep the breath even, you keep the brain even. You keep the brain even, you keep the body in control.

I’ve also been getting ready to go snowboarding more often this winter. I admit it, I know--I’m that guy who goes snowboarding once this past year who goes and gets all the gear with grand plans of snowboarding all the time. I’m that guy! But I figure since I know I am that guy, I have to follow through, if only for my own self-worth. I can’t wait, really. I figure if I have the opportunity to be really into a sport, I might as well go for it. And if you are gonna do it...

(I miss my friends in New York and I am trying to get a trip out there. Soon, I hope.)

Let’s post it!

Well, what to say, really? The once a week article in iFanboy has made keeping this thing updated more difficult than ever. However, the wait was worth it, methinks, because so much has been happening.

Man, what a weird month. I have actually been acting more than ever, it’s just in a variety of ways that were both unforeseen and unpaid. I was asked to help produce a few promotional spots for work--I will have them posted soon, when they are “ready”--and it has been a really fantastic experience. As I mentioned before, I wrote/co-wrote a few of the spots and everyone who has seen the initial edits have been very, very enthusiastic about them.

The shows what the camera is shooting. I love the lighting. We got the bottom light by using a frame of lights that the camera shot through, below:

It was really wild to have a crew (a small crew, sure, but still, a professional crew) work together to create the scene that I wrote for the camera. It was just an amazing, feeling really. I am looking forward to seeing what you all think of the spots! That’s Todd, the director, checking out the shot.


This is us going down to the beach to shoot one of the spots. It was pretty, but the high tide produced waves that totally soaked me--I had to throw out my shoes and my iphone and camera go wet and died. Argh.

Once the actual spots go up I will explain more about them, promise.

Went up to the country this weekend, which was a nice getaway. Whit and I are looking at some property up there, just for fun--I am beginning to come to grips with the idea that we may not be able to afford a place in LA in the near term, but we might be able to get a little place in the country, which would be a great hideaway. We'll see, but I am really liking the idea so far...

Random:

1 - I'd like to give a shout out to Paul and the test of the crew at the Star Trek:Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton. Whit and I have visited gone there quite a few times and have always had fun hanging out with everyone there, and we were both super bummed that we just could not make it out to bid everyone farewell when they closed last week. It's totally geeky, to be sure, but everyone involved was incredibly good at their jobs and it was a fun to see them all in action. It's gonna be really strange to go to Vegas and not visit Quark's to hang out. I'm sorry we missed out!

2 - I was going to go on a full on political rant, but I think I'll hang out a bit. I find it hard to express how cynical the Palin choice was, but I find it even harder to understand how seriously people seem to be taking her. Over the next few weeks I hope people take a deep breath and focus on the issues and not the marketing-friendly personality comparisons. For the record: I tend to prefer a more educated, more experienced and politically savvy president. I think the country has already experimented with the so-called "outsider" -- we've had 8 years of it-- and we know the outcome. So much to write, but I will pause.

3 - DJ'd my friends Andrew and Patricia's wedding two weeks ago and it was a lot of fun. The crowd wasn't really a dancing crowd (though I did have people dancing the entire time) but they all seemed to enjoy the tracks. I just realized that I...ugh, I don't know. There are some people who actually understand how to talk to a DJ, and then there are the people who treat the DJ like a jukebox. Look, when you go to a party or a wedding, just realize that the DJ, most of the time, has things pretty dialed in. S/he knows what songs work and when a song doesn't work s/he's figuring things out and will provide a track that will get things back...on track. Now, we don't mind taking a request--it IS a wedding after all--but, really, don't make a request within 2 songs of making the first request. I had one girl come up to me no less than five times and it's like, "Yes, I heard you, I will play what you asked, but you need to recognize it takes time to build up to your little tune"...ugh. I don't know how "real" DJ's do it. I have a few friends who are not married yet whom I would gladly DJ for if asked, but otherwise, I think I am done, to be honest. Who knows. I like doing it, but some gigs are easier then others.


drat. I am so busy I just need to post this.

I've had a few cool things happen this week and I have a few minutes, so here we go.

Work's been really interesting because I have been given a few opportunities to write, act and co-produce a few video spots-- comedy sketches, really-- that have been used for a variety of purposes. The few I did over the summer were used internally to help some sales groups (they were pretty funny but were really specific to the business...still, they were well received in context) and they went over pretty well. Over the past few weeks I have been working on some other spots that are going to be in broader circulation--you'll see them next month--and I have to say, it's been a lot of fun, this whole writing thing.

The thing about writing screenplays is that it's basically all about the dialogue and I really, really like writing dialogue. I just love writing how people talk. I think this mostly comes from reading scripts by David Mamet and, more recently, Wes Anderson (who writes a more formalized, more stylized way of speaking, to be sure, totally, but still, it's great dialogue). While I have the normal struggles with figuring out plot and arranging scenes in a way that keeps the audience engaged, the dialogue comes pretty easy. Half sentences, self-interruptions, stammers...bring it!

Anyway, this week we did some filming of a few of the new scripts I wrote (four, to be exact) and we brought in two other actors, and filmed them as if we were on location on the real shoot day. I gotta say, it was a really cool experience to watch them do the scenes--it was really, really rewarding, in this different way. Not in a "wow, my words are so great" but in this weird, like "hey, you're helping create something" kind of way. It was just really fun and I came home feeling pretty jazzed (and relieved) that the actors were able to do the scene without fighting the lines, you know? Although I still have quite a few pages left on my current screenplay, but this was a good sign--it encouraged me to keep working on it.

I also had a really, really good audition for an upcoming TV show this week. It was a pre-read (that's the one where you go to the casting director and do the audition and then, if s/he likes you and thinks you are good for the part, sends you to the producers to see what they think of you), but, again, if it goes well, the casting director will keep your stuff around for the other projects they are casting. This is the second time this has happened, and I think it's because the scripts I am getting are actual scenes, where I can work on a full arc within the scene, specific beginning, middle and end, you know? I worked on this one with my (amazing) coach and, like last time, the audition went exactly as we had worked on.

And, now, of course, we struggle against the hardest aspect of acting: you can nail it, you can do it as well as you possibly can, both from a technical perspective and an...honesty? perspective (ie, you're making it up, but it's completely grounded in something real within yourself that relates t the character's personality or the situation), and it doesn't necessarily mean that you are going to get anywhere near getting the job. All the other funky applies--how you look, what the other character looks like, your build, your experience, favors people might owe to other actors, etc etc. But still, all you can do--and I think we've said this before--all you can do, whatever you do, is your best. And if you become this person that always delivers their best, eventually the world will sync up with your hopes.

HA!

Just while I was writing this, I got an email back from my manager--apparently the casting director thought I was good and if another role on the same episode opens up, they are going to call me in for that. I wasn't misanthropic enough--one who dislikes other people--which I really did try to do, but...well, there you go. Almost a compliment, in a way? My manager just noted that "a good performance is all that we can hope for"--I'm mean, in my soul, I am not misanthropic. I can act it, yes, and I've played similar characters on stage, but when casting for film and TV, you can't "trust" the actor as easily when you know you can find people who are more naturally a certain way in their beings. This is good, folks, I am really happy.


Regardless, we move forward...

Other stuff. Wedding to DJ at the end of the month, trying to figure out what to do for Whit's birthday, seeing Pineapple Express tonight with Gary, gong to a BBQ tomorrow, going to a birthday party tomorrow night, totally screwed up my hip after running 3.5 miles the other day (to see if I could and I could but wow, the next day I was all kinds of sore)...

have a good weekend!

Wow! Long time no talk. I actually had a bit of a panic--I lost the website on my local drive, so when I was at home longing to update the site, I couldn't until I got back to work and got my backup. Still have no idea what happened, but it's all back, so that's good.

The past few weeks have been a blur. I went to Comic-Con (check the iFanboy story here) and that was pretty great (photos here). I ended up having a pretty fantastic last day of the con, where I was able to get lunch with James Sime (the man behind Isotope), his gal Kirsten Baldock (author of Smoke and Guns) and Darwyn Cooke (one of the best creators working today, in my opinion), which was a lot of fun. It's weird, you know? Like, the whole comic book thing. For awhile, it was just my own thing, and was basically a curiosity for my friends--like, I really didn't talk about them that much, but I just kept reading them and all was good. Over the past few years, I have inadvertently gotten more and more involved in the comic book community, which has been a lot of fun. I mean, I remember driving to San Diego three years ago with Whitney listening to the iFanboy podcast and Whitney kept saying how I should be on the podcast since I kept talking back to the guys and explaining what they were talking about to her. Flash forward to the present and I already have one show under my belt in addition to the column! Funny how things work out that way. Whit and I were also mentioned in Whitney Matheson's PopCandy column, too, which was fun.

But back to the lunch with the gang. Yes, it was fun having lunch with someone whose work I admire like crazy (I think I have all of his recent books), but it was also just really interesting to learn more about and more about the industry and the personality types and the challenges you meet when making a living making funny books. It's a completely different world, and it was fun to hear Darwyn's battle stories.

Then, that night, completely out of the blue, Whit and I joined Kirsten, James and Jon to have dinner with Grant Morrison and his lovely girl Kristan. Like, if you are a comic book fan, you know how cool this is, to be able to write about having dinner with Darwyn and then have dinner with Grant. Like Darwyn, Grant is a major creative force in the industry--he's rewriting the DC Universe right now in Final Crisis--and we had a great discussion that went from astronomy to philosophy to mythology and back again. It was a fantastic night and capped off a truly fantastic show. I must say, I am happily surprised that Whit and I have gotten more on the "inside" of the comics scene---getting a chance to talk about stories and art have inspired both of us to keep on being creative. I mean, Whit took Grant and Kristan around JPL the other day. How cool is that?

I will probably write about this in my column next week, but these conversations and others have really shown me that comics are a great way to tell timely stories (you can write, draw and publish a comic faster that it takes to write a novel or produce a film, with fewer people getting in your way) that go beyond regular prose but stop short of a movie. Comics are a great way to tell stories that can incorporate the concepts that one might be more used to reading about in regular books but with the imagery, design and spectacle one might see in movies or TV. I'll go off on this next week.

In other news, summer continues and things are definitely picking back up with the acting life. I have been on a lot of auditions and callbacks but the big news was that I was called straight into producers for a show last week. In the June 25 entry, I talked about an audition I had that went really, really well but was disappointed to hear nothing back about it at all. I admit, it sent me into a small tailspin--really small, but my tail spun just a little bit--because again, I knew I had nailed something, I knew I had absolutely rocked the audition, but nothing came out of it. Well, I did get something out of it--another audition. Basically, I guess I had made an impact on the casting director, so when she had a role that she thought I would be go for, she skipped the pre-read (where I audition for her, she tapes it and then sends the tape to the producers who then decide whether or not to bring me in) and brought me in with her to audition for the producers and writers in their production office and studio. It was a tiny role, but the audition went well, and even though I didn't get the part, at least I did well, which makes her look good, makes my manager look good, and everyone's happy. It's been said that you only need 5-6 casting directors on your side to get a career going, so hopefully's she's gonna be part of TeamRomo™.

Other items:
- Matt, Pepe, Jonathan, and Eugene were here for a few days after their crazy BroTrip™. It was great to see them all, especially Pepe, who spends his time in Berlin, so I rarely, if ever, see him.

- Zak, Megan, and Kendra are up in San Francisco this week and I am really frustrated that I can't come up to see them. I mean, I could, but it would probably only be for awhile and I am planning on getting out to New York in September or October anyway, so I will check them out then.

- Work is going really well. I am actually spending part of my time writing scripts for a few projects that you may see on a computer screen near you; I will keep you posted. It's quite cool to get a chance to use my background in acting and writing in my day life, it's a very nice perk. We have a LOT of stuff I am working on, which is both exciting and intimidating. Busy...

Okay, time to go. Happy Day.

I have been in a really good mood all day. I saw the LA premiere of American Teen last night. My friend Jordan produced it and another friend Greg was the field producer and I just loved it. It's been getting a lot of play and I think it's going to be a big hit when it opens nationwide. I couldn't be more excited for them. If you haven't already checked the trailer, do so, asap. Super fun. Makes me really happy I am not a teenager in this day and age!

It was a great night, a band called Sunny Day Sets Fire played before the movie (they are pretty fun, check the link) and then the teens that appeared in the film said hello and then we watched the movie under the stars, with the cheering crowds from the nearby Tom Petty concert leaking into our heads every once in awhile. There were several hundred people in the audience and we all just went bonkers throughout the film, groaning, cheering and laughing throughout. Then we went to the after party at a terrific bar called Delancey and hung out with the producers and the cast until 2...really fun night. I am quite tired but whatever, it was an absolutely epic night.

The audition, by the way, went extremely well. It was a pretty intense audition, in a way, because in just a day's time, I had become very...close to the character. I don't really know how to else to explain it. I had dug in deep on an emotional level and I really wanted this character to exist, you know? It reminded me of how I feel when I am writing the screenplay I am slogging through: I like those characters, I want them to succeed. My character's last line is a plea, a totally silly plea (from the audience's point of view, it's a laugh line), but it's extremely heartfelt, it's all the character wants, it's totally and utterly what he needs. In my head and heart, I added some coloring to the effect that his/my plea was to exist, to let me be the one to bring him to life. Crazy, I know, but that's how it works, that's all I can do, is to use everything that I have to bring to the role to bring the character to life. After the first reading, the casting director told me a I had a great grasp of the character and the gave me two little adjustments (increasing the emotionality of two lines) and we did it again. But I had done the work--she recognized that I understood the character, that I had made him my own. And that's all you can ask for in an audition, that's all you can do, is bring the character to life in the way only you can do it.

I have not heard anything, I have no idea what will happen, but I know I hit all the notes that I worked on with my coach, that I had delivered what I intended. I had done my best, and, in the end, that's all you can do. Your best is all you have to give.

Old New York headshot. Black and white, natch.

Had interesting morning. I am going for a pre-read, which is basically an audition for an audition. It's what happens when you don't have a lot of theatrical credits but you have enough going on and solid enough representation for a casting director to spend some time with you. This is pre-read is for a series regular role on a fairly high profile (in LA, at least) pilot that has a few notable names and the part is one of those parts that an actor like me is well suited for. Not huge, but fun, and, if done consistently well, the kind that you can (slowly) build a career with. I am sure there are lots of people going for it, but again, it's about commitment and hope, not about expectations and anyway, I'm not writing about the part, I'm writing about the coach that I saw this morning.

I have been having a good time and keeping my chops up with my weekly acting class, which has been terrifically effective in getting me to relax and get out of the way so I can do the actual work. It has provided me with a vast array of experiences so I when I get to certain kinds of auditions and meetings, I won't be all nervous and freaky. It's a great tool for a working actor, and, as such, is inherently different than the more "classical" acting classes, where character and motivations and intentions and actions are discussed, analyzed and sculpted, all from the actor's own experience and history. The coach I had early this morning (before work!) was very much the kind of teacher that I was used to seeing long ago, before I came to New York, so I admit, it was really an adjustment. I was even at times finding myself resistant to some of the questions we were going over, like when trying to figure out what I wanted from this line or what my action was going to be for that line. But I had done it before, right? This was my entire acting experience for years before I came to LA, so I found myself settling and really working on the various beats.

It was really exhilarating. Acting is trippy because you are asked to feel and say things in ways that are so specific that you do these mental and emotional backflips trying to incorporate the intentions. I know, this sounds all touchy feely, but, that's exactly it, right? Touching parts of your experience, feeling what's going on, and then letting that work inhabit the moment you are portraying. It was hard, to the point there would be times when I would get a little direction, and my brain would just go into overdrive while I stared into space. It's like my Mac when the fans start coming on. It doesn't move, but it gets really hot and then the fans come on, whiirrrrrr, and you know something is happening.

The end result of my session is an audition that will be much more interesting to watch, much more grounded in life, and should add an angle, a series of colors, to someone that could be just regarded as "strange co-worker of main character." It was intense, but it felt so damn good to work in this way again. I had forgotten about how analyzing a script really is like being an emotional conductor, trying to bring all these elements into harmony, to make sure they build, peak, and fade just at the right time to make the scene really hum.

We'll see how it goes. What's good is that I am ready for this audition in a way that goes beyond technique, beyond comfort, beyond commodity. Now I just have to trust the training and let all this just come to focus this evening for my audience of one.

Another long wait between posts. I apologize but I have good reasons, really. Good raisins, too.

I was at WWDC all last week (see photos here), which ran the gamut of emotional and physical responses: excitement, frustration, confusion and exhaustion. It was a good conference as far as I could tell (I attended quite a few sessions but much of my day was spent in meetings), but the best times were outside of the conference, spent with all of the many great friends I have back in my hometown.

I will be posting an article about WWDC over in the Norton blogsite and you probably either already know what happened there or just don't care. Suffice to say that the iPhone is rapidly becoming a legitimate technology platform and I think it's appropriate to say that the transition that this iPhone is a part of (if not helping define) is a big one. It will be very interesting to see what features we assume from technology in the next five years.

- I am a guest host on this week's iFanboy podcast. It was a lot of fun, and one of those items I was very happy to check off in my "life's to do list". I had started listening to the podcast several years ago and always thought it would be fun to be on the show, and now I can say, it was an absolute blast to do it. It was a real pleasure and the feedback has been very positive so far. It's a lot of prep work, getting ready for the show, I had to get a headset to use with Skype (for sound quality) and set up my desk so I could easily access the books we were discussing, my notes, water, coffee, chat windows...it was like doing a radio show, which, of course, makes sense. The thing about the show is that it's usually pretty entertaining even if you don't know anything about comics, since there are aspects to the conversation that everyone can relate to (characters, stories, art, etc). This was another "live" event that I really couldn't truly prep for (not unlike the stuff I had to do in Vegas), so I am relieved it went well.

It also underscores my belief that you truly achieve any goal you have if you make a consistent effort to achieve said goal. Now, sure, I didn't write out "Be on iFanboy" one day, but I did want to get more involved, to the point that getting on the show would definitely become an option. And, now, it's happened. Of course, now I am writing a weekly article for them, which I did not plan at all--but it got me a chance to be on the show. And, again, while I could control some aspects toward this goal (enthusiastic participation, making sure to keep in touch, etc, etc), the TIMING was not in my control at all. If I had any expectation of "being on the podcast by xx years," none of this would have happened. I know, I sound like a broken record, but life is all about living the moment and not trying to fulfill expectations (yours or others).

- Speaking of real time activities, I gotta admit that writing regularly is quite a challenge. I had a crazy time last week when I had both an article for iFanboy, a new story summary, the first 10 pages of my screenplay and my inciting incident due on Tuesday. Now, of course, I am to fault completely--I procrastinated like crazy, but that's how I am used to dealing with writing deadlines: I get the topics/scenes/sections figured out in my head, and then I sit down and write it out. That's how I got through college--all of my papers were first drafts, technically--and it worked out fine. And life is not all that different now, come to think of it. When I was in college I had homework and papers due all the time, but was in rehearsals until 11 almost every night of the week, so doing it my head was my only recourse, really.

Maybe it is more difficult because I don't have that crazy structure that made me so nuts back then. Whatever--I did all the work that I needed to do, and so far, so good. What is...stressful? interesting? just...different? about writing NOW is that there is nothing for me to refer to--everything I am writing is from my own head. I am being asked to take a topic, aim my brain at it, and then transform that chaos into text and pictures. Which is a challenge, let me tell you! It's a great challenge, but I can see why "real" writers make a schedule--if I had any kind of discipline, I would be getting up at 6am each morning and just get it done before I went to work. I might have to do just that, actually--the screenplay is going to be at least 100 more pages, right? It took me over an hour to get the first 10 done...that's at least 10 more hours...yikes...scary.

But it's all new--all of this is new, and I haven't been challenged like this in awhile. I am definitely growing creatively, which feels really good.

- I made quite a few Father's Day calls yesterday. It was nice. It's really quite an experience to watch my oldest friends become parents. Trips me out like crazy.

- We won't talk about acting right now. Nothing to talk about.

- Saw some great old cars at The Grove a few weeks ago. Check the photos here.

Have a good week!

Hey there!

Just wanted to let you know that my first article for iFanboy.com is up. I gotta say, I was really nervous about the whole thing. I mean, I was really, really flattered to be asked but honestly, I had no idea what I was going to talk about, week after week. (I still don't, really.) But it's a great opportunity and I'll just continue to write as long as they'll have me.

Of course, now I just have to get my Norton blog updated...I think I will probably do a series of entries during WWDC up in San Francisco, which should be a fun time. I will be twittering any fun stuff during the Keynote, so swing by a few times next week to see if I have any cool news from the show.

Other than that, things are fine. I had a really good on camera class on Monday; it was nice to get a chance to rehearse a few times and do a few takes for the scene, rather than just the one take that we tend to do in my "normal" class (though that is tremendously useful, arguably more useful to be better at that single take, when it comes to getting an actual job). I had to book out for next week which is always a bit frustrating, but honestly, there is just not a lot of work out there right now, at least for me, I guess.

On the political side, I am super stoked on Obama's speech last night. I was listening to his speech last night on the way home and it was truly inspiring to hear the crowd go absolutely bonkers. I haven't heard applause and cheering like that for a politician like that in a very long time...if ever, to be honest. It's gonna be fun to watch.

All right--I gotta run.

(ps - I’m using Rapidweaver 4.0 for the site now, and it’s a really great improvement. There’s a lot of delay when I type, which is annoying but that’ll get fixed.)

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.

I got this amazingly cool print (hi-res version here) hanging my cube from Secret Headquarters, a cool comic book store over in Silver Lake, the neighborhood I should be living in. This is a poster of Scott Campbell's artwork for King of Kong, which you must rent/buy if you haven't seen it. Great movie.

Three day weekend! Ovef! I had a really good one, I must say. Whit was at work pretty much the entire time dealing with the very successful Phoenix landing--click the link, very cool mission so far.

Ugh, I started this earlier this week and wasn't able to post it. Been kind of an odd week, bouncing from "life is great" in the morning and then "argh, life is driving me CRAZY!" just a few hours later. Work is good, but one of the products I am working on is causing people headaches, which gives me a migraine. We'll get to the bottom of the problem, but it's hard to deal with when your email program is hogging up 99% of your CPU usage. Frustrating.

Going surfing again tomorrow morning, which will make it twice in one week. The key is to keep sticking with it, I assume. I am looking forward to it, I just want to actually stand up and drift on down, just to figure out that balance. I'll work on the balance stuff tonight during yoga.

Acting is slow and it's really driving everyone I know crazy. Kind in an irritable mood, so I will just post this now..

So, two weeks ago I got home from Vegas and then, the next morning, Whit and I flew down to Zihuatanejo, Mexico for Annie and Andrew's wedding. This wedding was a long time coming, I gotta tell you. While relatively "new" friends, Andrew and Annie (and associated crew) have been a really fun part of my living in Los Angeles. From pool parties at Andrew's place to the Halloween bus parties to seeing Daft Punk, this group is particularly good at raging, I gotta say. Annie had a crazy battle with cancer for most of last year and I am happy to report that it's now pretty much gone--so this wedding was obviously sort of the culmination of a very long, emotional battle. I was able to do a toast at the wedding and remarked that usually when people throw a destination wedding, they can count on about 70% of the invite list not showing up. Pretty much EVERYONE showed up to their wedding; we'd all been looking forward to it like crazy.

Whit hanging out on our balcony

Oddly enough, I had actually been down here before--to DJ our friend Liz and Craig's wedding. I honestly have no idea how this whole wedding DJ thing got started, I gotta admit. I mean, I really like it--nothing is worse than watching a party flail because the music is terrible. I figure if I wasn't playing music I would be judging it, so if I have a chance to contribute and rock the party, well, hey! I'm happy to do it. This summer is really odd, though--I think I have at least 2, possibly 3 more weddings to play at.

Technical interlude:

While I love playing records and all that, I don't do it anymore in wedding situations. I am still using Abelton Live 6 (LE, which is annoying but I'll skip that diatribe) and basically it allows me play songs and samples all at once through a software mixer (it's more complicated, actually way more complicated than that but whatever), all at whatever tempo I choose. This is obviously useful for dancing, so I can seamlessly blend different songs together and not disrupt the dancing with hectic mixing. I only use that for the dancing portion--I use an ever changing series of playlists in iTunes for the reception and dinner parts of the night--which usually lasts anywhere from 2-5 hours, depending on how crazy the crowd is. When done properly, I have two channels of audio going out of the computer (using an iMic USB audio thing) so I can cue up one song in my headphones while another song is playing out to the crowd. This did not work in Mexico but it didn't really matter. In my main display, I have all the songs in various bins, or categories--pop, disco, hip hop, opening, closing, beats, samples, etc and then I just move sort of make a mix of the fly based on what people are grooving to. The initial setup (getting Live to "know" the music, setting up the bins, and other busy work) can take anywhere from 3-40 hours. Now that I have it all setup, I could easily play a full wedding plus at least 6 hours of dancing in about 30 minutes.

Dance people, dance! (thanks, Rachel)

Back to the wedding. First off, Annie and Andrew rocked it. They made it really easy for everyone to get rooms where the wedding was going to be, and since the hotels are all next to each other on the beach, it was really easy for everyone to hang out during the days leading up to and following the wedding. (Most of us got there Friday, the wedding was on Saturday, then most of stayed through Wednesday, so it was really quite amazingly awesome.) We ended up hanging out by the beach or the pool most of the days.

work it!

this is the view from the pool area--that's Andrew in the hat on the left.
(Rachel, you rock with the photos).

We really did have a good time. We ended up staying up late and sleeping really late, like 11:30 and noon style. It was the most sleep I've had in a long time without being interrupted by construction..it was awesome. We ended up going out in the bay really late at night (on the beach) and hanging out with this crazy, crazy bioluminescence -- you would stand there, wave your hand in the water, and it would like up, like the trail of Tinkerbell from Peter Pan. It was outtasight amazing.

The only problematic parts were the ongoing bouts with "The Big D" -- people were getting wiped out with problematic stomachs and that kind of thing. Thankfully, it would usually pass in 24 hours or so. Whit and I got off pretty lucky, but yeah, there was a darker side to paradise, no doubt.

Finally, the DJing went really, really well. I played a drinks set, a dinner set, and then a dance set that lasted probably about 2 hours on the main sound system (complete with crazy lights!), but then we moved down the beach a bit to the after party and I did more mixing for another 2-3 hours, and then just did the play list thing for another hour or so...we closed up shop around 3:45 in the morning! Pretty raging--this crew loves to dance and get down.

Special, mighty and massive shouts out to DJ Dru who was an invaluable help for the music making. We did a little session at work and he was able to work some tracks for me---including digitizing a few records from 1993-1994 that I knew Annie would LOVE from back in the day which indeed brought the house down--and helped me basically get the night going. He's got a few mixes you should check out here--he's a very, very, very good DJ.

Nice, cool! Next stop..Florida.

View from my hotel room at The Venetian in Las Vegas.


View from our hotel room in Zihuatenejo, Mexico


View from the condo in Forida.

Right. Where to begin. I thought--I really did--that I would be this roving writer, chronicling my travels each night and during my flights, "blogging it out" like a pro. But I am not a pro, I am guy who goes to bed, reads a book and passes out. A guy who walks on the plane, fastens his seat belt and passes out. A guy who thinks about wriitng in his blog and realizes, "I need to do my screenwriting homework!" (Yes, the class is in full gear and yes, it's not like I need more to do.)

It's like that.



Las Vegas:

There were apparently over 5,000 people who went to my work conference. I knew about 20 of them.

The conference in Las Vegas was actually super fun. I say "actually" because it was a work function and it was in Las Vegas, and, I admit, I don't always connect "fun" to those places. Regardless, it went really well. Apparently the videos I did went over quite well and, well, the live presentation that I was a part of really, really went well. It was the first time in a long time where I was basically responsible for driving a live show forward (I was basically a host/emcee with some comedic interviews sprinkled throughout to make sure the audience was listening, kind of an over the top Russian Jay Leno, truth be told. Okay, here's a pic that was taken during my pre-show, where the audience came in to blaring nationalistic music while I glared at them and sipped vodka.

I did the set, too:

We also saw Ka, which was a really interesting Cirque du Soleil show. It was more of a show than circus, and I must admit it was impressive mostly because the set and stage were crazy. I mean, the cast did a great job with the acrobatics and balancing, but they had this crazy stage on hydraulics that was really just breathtaking--or, correction: it helped create some amazing, breath taking scenes. Let's see..whoa, here's a video, turn down the sound and check it out. We had perfect scenes--rumor has it that one of our co-workers has an American Express Black Card and apparently one of the perks is that Cirque du Soleil saves a block of tickets for Black Card holders just in case. Madness!

The stay in Vegas was busier than I thought it would be and I wasn't able to check in with my friends in Vegas. Whit and I will have to come back and visit...we have at least one event that we should probably check out...


Interlude:

I have been noticing something lately. I get a lot of spam--hundreds and hundreds of emails a month--and they mail is usually confined to some fairly unsurprising themes: male performance pills, vitamins...and that's about it. However, recently, I am getting flooded with "work from home!" and "we'll help with your impending foreclosure!" emails. I guess people are already at home (maybe even packing it up, sadly) and the spammers are figuring the recipients are already home so but so depressed that even the powerful of pills won't improve the situation..

I obviously have a lot more to write, but I figure I won't go for the epic entry right just yet (I gotta eat dinner anyway). However, wish me luck tomorrow, I am actually auditioning for a musical tomorrow. Lead role. We'll see how it goes.

Coming up:
- DJ'ing on the beach!
- Mike sings leads with the local band!
- What's up with my hip flexor?

One of the cool things about living here, and I this is not all limited to LA, but you can drive 2 hours in almost any direction and be in a completely different kind of place. You go a little over 2 hours from LACMA (where we were the weekend with artist and writer Matt Silady, who I am working with on something that's very cool that I cannot talk about right now) you'll be in Pioneertown, which is in the Yucca Valley, on the way to Joshua Tree.

Matt, Whit and I visited the new collection at BCAM and it was really fun to see the new space. So MASSIVE...really too much art to go into now, but it is a beautiful space and it was fun to explore the new site. It's always nice to actually get and GO to a museum, and it was nice to get Matt's perspective on the work as well. Great way to spend the day.

This past weekend was spent in Pioneertown, as I mentioned, for friend Andrew's bachelor party. As you might expect, it was a fun time, sufficiently random and relaxing at the same time. Much bbq, much music..great group of folks from all over the place hanging out under an amazing night sky. It's always amazing (and depressing, in a way) to get out of the city and realize to see how much you are missing with all the light pollution. Ended up taking a bit of tour with some guys around the various towns; it's amazing how much growth is happening out there, it's pretty obvious that change is happening.

Otherwise, not much to report. I've been doing a lot of writing in preparation for this conference in Vegas, which in turn has been good prep for my writing class that starts at the end of the month. Very much battling against the feeling that I should have some stories all ready to go...I don't, but that's just gonna have to be okay...ugh. It's just such an unknown, this class. Exciting but intimidating at the same time.

all great, all good.

I have been thinking a lo about TIME these days, which perhaps is no surprise. Time passes and that's that. It's just been going very, very quickly, as I am sure you are noticing. I remarked to Zak this morning that I feel like I overslept in 2008 and I am about 15-20 minutes late for everything.

As I was falling asleep I was kind of thinking about acting and well, you know, how I fit in with the rest of the community here in LA. There's this young actor on a show that Whit really likes that has a role that's a real career starter. He's pretty good, he's good looking, and he's intelligent (he used to be an accountant, quit to be a model and actor, and now he's got a great series regular role on a primetime show)--and he's 26. I'll be honest--I'm not 26. I don't even want to be 26, but you know, you hear about how LA is obsessed with youth, blah blah blah--and I guess that's true, the extremes are certainly out there with all the plastic surgery and that kind of thing. But it's also just a place where young people gravitate towards, not unlike San Francisco and New York. You just kind of notice it a bit sometimes. I auditioned for a role to be a co-host of a Tech show where I was supposed to be a tech expert who knows how to help businesses with their technical infrastructure, who reads Wired magazine, who knows tech culture and what's happening in the tech world. I was basically auditioning to be me, right? The audition, which was just an interview with legitimately technical questions (what kind of freeware security software is out there? what kind of backup infrastructure should small businesses think about? what kinds of machines would you recommend?) went great--this is my life--but I also knew that they were looking for someone in their late 20s. And I told them that I was not in my late 20s and also told them that they didn't want someone in their late 20s, that they wouldn't know as much as I do. And it's true! I defy the vast majority of actors in LA to setup an office in afternoon. But if I don't get the role, I bet I know why...!

Of course, of course, in many ways, age is an illusion. Charisma, energy and optimism can really shift people's perceptions. But every once in awhile, you think about it, at least in this profession. The flipside, of course, is that as you get older, you tend to reflect on your choices and your history and wonder, "was this right?" It's useless, of course--but those thoughts can sneak into your head as your brain settles into sleep. I thought about it last night, how I have definitely been at the party and showed up at the right time, but I feel sometimes like I was in one room having a great time talking to people, then hearing uproarious laughter in the room next door. Once I finally made it into that room, the joke was over and though the people were still there, things had moved on. But still, the party's great, right? Life is good.

I have been thinking a lot lately about the difference between "hope" and "expectation". I was actuall talking with my mom last night about this and we basically discussed how expectation, as a rule, is an illusion, a situation or reality that basically can never come true as one imagines. Take the typical New Year's Eve dilemma--oftentimes, people will have expectations of the crazy party they finally decided on, or whatever plan they made, and most of the time, it will go differently (better or worse) and the expectation will probably not be fulfilled. However, hope is far more general and a lot more open-ended. You can hope you have a good time, but you are not expecting a good time, and the stakes become lower, more manageable. My mom suggested that expectations, being so much more personally specific, are driven by the ego, which makes a lot of sense. We also discussed this in acting class, where Brian remarked how he thought it was crazy for actors to come into LA expecting to have a career just open up to them with in a year or two, that things would just work out and all would be great. You can hope things work out, but you certainly need to be patient, certainly need to relax with the expectations so your hope can be maintained. I also think that it's been really interesting how Obama has been using the concept of hope to rally his supporters--it's easier for groups of people to agree on hope than expectations.

Ah, Friday morning thinking.

I have some cool things happening this weekend, but I am going to keep it a secret. Believe me, if it all works out, it's gonna be very, very cool and actually a nice checkmark in my little "to do in my life" book. Should have something to tell you in a few weeks.


What else? Oh, I am reading Pictures at a Revolution by Mark Harris. It's awesome.

Oh, and my uncle Toby just came out with a new book. He's been getting a lot of press on this. Let's see...the book is called Our Story Begins: New and Selected Stories. The press has been incredible. Check out this interview on KQED's Forum and this article from the LA Times Book Review. It's always amazing, really, to reflect on just how amazing a writer he is. It's really been amazing to watch his career and talent and legacy, really, grow as time has gone by. Very inspiring and proof, real proof, that if you just stick to it, you can do what you want.

Okay! two posts at once. I've got a lot of write today so I will end this here. Have a great weekend...

Wow, it's been over a month since I posted onto this. I apologize, this is just embarrassing, really, especially considering that I actually think about posting to this all the time, but it's usually while I am in the car, or shower, or in bed. Ironically, I am actually on a conference call about blogging for my company as I write this.

But, hey, no excuses, I'm a flake. Which is irritating to admit, since I was trying hard not to be a flake these days.

No matter.

A few weeks ago, we went snowboarding! I was up in the Bay Area for a meeting with Apple and then I took the train back up to San Francisco, which I actually haven't done since college. It actually worked out really well--there's a spot where you can transfer to BART, which made things a lot easier. Though the drive with Gary and Tom was long, it was a fun 5 hours...the house that the rest of our crew got (Steph, Kenji, Matt and Jonathan) was massive and it was a pretty great weekend.

Some shots here and here...may I just make a comment about how much room for improvement there is for the iPhone camera? just one comment? there is. A lot. Of room. But the snowboarding went GREAT! I actually hadn't snowboarded in a long time (I would say decade, but that sounds ridiculous), so I took a class with Tom and Gary and it went really well. People kept saying I was going to fall a lot--people kept telling me this, over and over--and sure, I fell, but so what? I certainly got right back up and kept trying. I really enjoyed it and I want to keep going later this year. I was talking with Steph about how the sport was kind of perfect for me. I could be around people, but I wasn't competing against anyone except myself--if competing is the right word. It reminded me of yoga, in a way. Yes, you are enjoying being around a community of people trying to do the same thing, but in the end, it's just you and the mat, or the board, in this case.

here I am, looking for whales...

It's been a busy month, as usual. The pics above are from our whale watching excursion up in Santa Barbara. Pretty fantastic weekend--we saw some whales and everything--it was just nice to get back to normal, to be honest. Whit's feeling a lot better--her stomach is still a bit grouchy at times, but she's back at work and already overwhelmed with social plans, etc. A nice way to start the spring.

There's a reason why people live in Southern California. You get some really nice sunsets. This is up in Malibu.

Aw, such a lovely couple.

Finally:
- work is nuts. Next month is packed with a bachelor party the first weekend, then busy until mid May with a conference in Vegas (where I will be performing--I will get some footage, it's really, really random), a wedding in Mexico (which I am DJ'ing) then a wedding the next weekend in Florida. I am looking forward to the events, but I wish, honestly, this stuff was in LA..the traveling just takes so much time (I know, poor me, but I need to be around for auditions, remember?)...but I am flattered and pleased to be invited and involved...I just would have loved to have some space between the events. I literally get home from Vegas then leave for Mexico the next day, then 1 day after I return from Mexico, we are off to Florida!

- acting has been slow. really slow. While I've had some really solid auditions, I am not booking and I will admit that I am a tad concerned. It's not even about booking a job to get money, really--it's about, well, being worth the time and effort my agents and manager put into my career. It's so odd, that feeling. As you progress and you start getting people on your team, you realize that your success actually impacts more people than just yourself. I never really imagined that happening, I always thought, "well, i will get an agent and they will help me find work"--I never thought about the actual relationship that would develop between myself and my agents (of which I have at least 5, which freaks me out). But it's slow and everyone in my class has commented on it, but I gotta say, if you did a search on my posts for "it's been slow" you would see me complaining about it a lot. Ah, well. It's a process.

Ok, I am gonna pull a fast one and end this post and begin another and upload two posts at once...

I'm posting two entries this time around because I got wildly distracted from my last one--it was getting a little too unwieldy and then by the time I got back to it, life got a lot more interesting.

I am currently waiting in the waiting room while Whit recovers in the recovery room. She had her surgery this morning and it all went great, they removed the fibroid, which, for something that is entirely natural, looked really, really unnatural. We got a picture of it but I guess I won't be able to get it bronzed...

Anyway, so the hard part is basically over, now we just let her sleep. I guess she's going to be staying here for a day or two, which is kind of annoying, but it's for the best. I am pleased that the procedure went by so quickly--the surgery was over in basically 2 hours.

Briefly:

1 - MacWorld was actually kind of cool this year, there was a good amount of enthusiasm. the new products, while not groundbreaking, are solid iterations. It's interesting that apple is charging $20 for iPod touch users but giving the AppleTV update for free. both are significant improvements, not sure how they decided on the $20 fee. And I still hate the 24 hour rental window (you have the rented movie for 30 days, but only 24 hours from the moment you press "play"--it is cool that you can move it from device to device, but wow, itunes...it's becoming it's own operating system now)

2- had a terrific audition for a pilot which I guess is not going anywhere. they changed the character around, so when I went in, I was asked to do something completely different. It was a great experience, and I was happy to show the casting director that I could flip the script on the fly, but I am a bit sad that I couldn't go further with it. I really love the show and really loved the character (or, at least, the one I was working on)...who knows. But at least the casting director saw me in the first place. Just need to be brought back.

3 - This week's theme so far is "my friends are totally awesome". I had a great night in San Francisco with the boys and then even saw some of the girls later. It was a really fun night and while I am always sad to leave my SF crew behind, to come back to such a wonderfully supportive army of LA friends has been a very humbling experience. I have been sending out little email updates regarding Whit's morning and everyone has been really keen to help out, etc. And, of course, the NY crew has been more than into it as well (Ravi, you are more than keeping it real from the International angle). Again, my friends are totally awesome.

4 - Last year at time, I was in Japan. Now I'm in a waiting room in a hospital in Beverly Hills. As I live, the future becomes less and less of a mystery and more of a surprise.

more soon.

I just listened/watched to a few TED talk (I really dug the JJ Abrams one), which is a really nice thing to do while eating a turkey sandwich. It's interesting; I often scoff when I hear people talk about the Internet changing, forever, the whole television thing, but I do find myself using the web to find good stories once in awhile. However, I am at work in a cube, not in my living room and I am not, in anyway, in a relaxed state of mind. I needed to back up and re-watch the Abrams presentation quite a few times, especially when he was referencing something visual). Different screens for different times, I guess. (Related, check out David Lynch ranting on people watching movies on the iPhone.)

Watching the videos from TED made me remember the tech lunches we would have at Razorfish, where we would get so-called movers and shakers to come over and discuss their ideas on technology and the directions it was going. We do that here, but I really miss the broad range of people we would get. Sure, we would get some Linux zealot to tell us the wonders of open source, but I was far more interested in the classical pianist who found inspiration in Flash. Inspiration comes from all over, from all people, from all times of day, I suppose. I was thinking about the whole idea of a technically savvy person growing older: will I continue to care enough about all this or will I need some 12 year old around to help me program some household media device so I can watch the construction of the moonbase from a camera on some astronaut construction worker's visor? Who knows.

Things I am thinking about:

1 - figuring out a way to actively help kids in school; how can I do this?
2 - what am I "missing" in my thought processes that is frustrating my ability to figure out what's "next" for technology? entertainment?
3 - why am I not using my camera?


Actually, I think i am going to start keeping the video camera around, like, in my car, so I can use it on the fly.

Oh, here's what I was thinking about while I was driving:

It seems like everything that has been pretty stable for the past 30 years is facing a pretty dramatic shakeup. Let's see:

- You have the whole national car industry, which was pretty much the Big Deal for the past few decades, totally getting their asses handed to them by Toyota and other companies because of a stunning inability to innovate and make products that people actually want. So everyone's freaking out there.

- You have the whole damn oil situation really freaking out big time because all of a sudden oil is so expensive that it's making everything expensive and really forcing people to think beyond oil, which is great, but it's probably going to be pretty painful because we are living right at the beginning of this massive-scale transition. Exciting times for people who see a future in change, scary times for people who have been through enough change, thank you very much and just want to retire and get some sleep

- There's the whole entertainment industry thing, which is having this wonderful midnight affair with the Writer's Guild Strike, which is really freaking out people in LA, because the already hemorrhaging TV market is bailing now that their Tivo boxes are empty. So, you see the networks makings shows that you just know no one is going to want to watch or they recycle previously made stuff....

Everything is changing, right now. And everyone who cares is trying to figure out how to adapt to these changes. What's crazy is that these are fundamental changes, both industry-wide and worldwide, in many respects. The trick is finding ways to help people manage and enjoy these changes and transitions.

ugh, I wrote this a week ago and totally lost my train of thought. I am going to start a new one now.

(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...

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...

where I was last night to see my cousin Patrick Wolff play some jazz with a few folks. I forgot my jacket and scarf last night so I had to come back here and see if they still had them--they did, and I am very happy. Not sure how I forgot it, but I guess that's the way it goes. It was a really great night, Patrick and his friends were really good (I haven't seen Pat play in years, so it was a treat) and it was a nice blend of family and friends. Super fun--I just wish I wasn't so damn sick, I gotta tell you. I am usually good about powering on when feeling ill, but it's hard to heal when you are just basically cold and uncomfortable all the time! I know, I know, what does a guy who spends his days in LA know about cold, but really--I am wearing a jacket, a coat and a scarf! That's gotta mean something, right?

So, I am that guy in the cafe with a small cup of coffee typing away on the computer. Cafe scribbler. I am having a great holiday; Christmas went really well, we had our normal massive family gathering at Toby and Catherine's and it was great to see everyone. It's good to see that everyone's looking healthy and doing well. We used to have these kinds of things all the time when I was a kid, now I basically see my extended family only once or twice, which is kind of depressing. Such is life, I guess.

San Francisco is nice, clear blue skies (quickly growing dark, gonna rain tonight) and I am doing fairly well balancing my time between friends and family, which is the trick. I'm going to be up here for MacWorld in a few weeks anyway. Everyone seems to be doing well...surprised, definitely, that a year has passed. Damn this cafe is cold! What is up with the front door wide open? The cafe is obviously open..it's a funny sight; everyone's in full jackets and hunched over their coffees while some kid pounds away on the piano.

What else? I am supposed to meet up with Oliver for lunch, but I am not sure what the story is. I want to swing by Isotope to hang out with James, then I am going home to my parents' place and just going to read some books and heal up. I woke up with a wicked headache which is retreating, slowly.

I just wanna go to Golden Boy and be warm. I am blowing steam from my mouth.

What else? Not much, I am sort of drifting, here, it's like that when I come to SF, I don't really have a homebase in the city itself, so I tend to bounce from cafe to store to restaurant to store to cafe and to dinner to bar, that kind of thing. I wanted to take a bunch of yoga classes this week but I haven't had the time and I just feel like crap.

Anything else, Mike? You are rambling a bit. Any comments on how everyone seems so young here? No? The seeming resurgence of beards on guys? Rants on traffic and how it's just as bad here as it is in LA and how it's frustrating that the car has been thrust upon us in this here state? how you wanted to see There Will Be Blood but it's not actually playing in San Francisco yet?

maybe later. For now, I will upload this and figure out what the hell is up with Oliver.

well.. I have started this entry about 10 times, and I might as well give it another go.

The real crazy thing about the past two weeks is that I have literally gone nonstop during the weekday. I get in, there's a tornado, and then I leave. I mean, sure, that's I guess how some people work, but one would think that the end of the year would be a bit more of a slower time, when you can chill a bit, but it certainly has not been the case this year. And when I get home, the last thing I want to do is sit in front of a computer, which means I slack on all the personal stuff I want to do, including Christmas shopping, writing in this journal, and editing Whit's band's videos. I am adding a page to the site today with four of the videos from Whit's work party, where their band, The RTG's performed nine songs. Whit did an amazing job, I gotta say. You can find the videos in the RTG's page, above.

Just when I was feeling a bit down, things start turning up. Last week I was invited to read two scripts, which was totally cool. I did two table reads for two very different scripts (one was a kind of family comedy, the other an action comedy), both very good; really fun characters, great pacing...both would make really entertaining movies. I was invited to read a lead character both times and I am pleased to report that the feedback was really good, which was tremendously encouraging. Hmm, perhaps that's not the right word, "encouraging"...gratifying, perhaps? That's better, honestly, because the goal is to really fill out the reading as best as you can emotionally so the writer can get some glimpses of how it might sound during filming, how some of the characters might look during certain moments how the flow would actually...flow. I really tried to read as best as I could, which was made difficult for the first script since I did not have enough time to read through it first and mark it up.

What's good about this is that you are being given the opportunity to add to the initial definition of the story, of the character. The writers can now go back to the script and use what we did as a baseline, which will help them make the appropriate changes. It's kind of a cool responsibility, because up until the readings, the writers have heard the characters in their heads, or just read a few scenes with the other writers to get the kinks out. Both writers brought in some really great actors, really driven actors who all were taking it very seriously and obviously trying to bring as much to the reading as possible. It was very cool and it was quite a cool way to close out the year, to be part of this collaboration. Reminded me of some very good times in New York, and I am stoked I have some folks around who want me to participate in this kind of thing.

Work has been crazy, as usual. We released a product and I have been getting really great responses from people who have actually used the software, but for every one positive piece of feedback, I get 5 intensely negative, fanatically nasty rants about why the software sucks...from people who have never actually even seen the software. I try not to take it personally, but I honestly wish some of the more passionate users out there would give the stuff a chance so they can see that I'm not some dumbass who is making lame crap, but someone who actually cares very deeply about this stuff and whose crew has made something very good, relevant, and effective. Whatever. I deal with this stuff enough in my "other" life, so I will just drop it, but I am looking forward to seeing how the reviews go. It's weird; for better or for worse, this new product is pretty much my fault. I was the one who pushed for a total redesign and for the addition of a completely new additional feature. We could have easily just updated it to work with the new operating system but I felt it was really important to make a full on change, to really draw a line and say "the old stuff is the old stuff, this is the future". We'll see, we'll see. I never expected the work to be so personal but I guess that's good.

On the acting front, all of a sudden, I am busy as ever. Two auditions yesterday; 1 callback (from yesterday), 2 auditions and a voiceover audition today, one audition tomorrow. Uh, what? I haven't gone out more than once a week in 2 weeks! It's great, but really unexpected and kind of crazy making with the week I am having. But we were able to schedule everything all out, so it's fine. My agents are really amazing, it's just crazy how hard they work for me.

I have more entries but I really have to sleep. I just apologize for being so late on this. I wish I just had more time. Perhaps I can write a bit more during the holidays. I have been taking notes on my phone when journal entries come to mind--I've got some good ones--so hopefully the week off will encourage me to invest a bit more time into this. I have been really bad about using the camera (except for the videos I took of the RTG's) but maybe I will bring it up to the city. I dunno. We'll see.

Regardless, hope all is well.

Hollywoodland in the early 1920s

Well, we keep
on trudging. My product went out last week and I gotta admit, it's been kind of crazy watching how people react to it. Some folks are going to hate it no matter what, so I do my best not to take it personally. This time around, I tried really hard to make a product that was low impact and really, really easy to use--we'll see how regular folks react to it. The interviews I have been having with the Mac press and other security publications have been really engaging; it's nice to have thoughtful conversations about security issues on the Mac. (I know, I rarely talk about my work life on this site, but I figure my name is getting out there a bit with the reviews and such and figure I might as well address it a bit.) All I know is that we've made a really solid product and I am pretty proud of it.

Other things? So busy. As you can see above, Whit rocked out at her holiday party. I will have some videos up later this week (I literally have the clips open behind this window)--they are pretty good. We had a great party at Noah's, then a birthday party for Abby (3 years old!)--I guess we're knee deep in "holiday cheer" right now. It's going by so fast!

Actingwise, it's been slow, but, at the same time, things are opening up, too. It's kind of odd. I made enough money acting this year to qualify for SAG health insurance, which is actually kind of cool. I don't need it right now, but it just shows that things have been moving along pretty well. I am doing some table reads of people's scripts this weekend, and I actually even got a nice email reply from a director I really admire. The small things count a lot.

Let's see. I have a magazine interview followed by a full on Internet Radio show right after....should be fun.

Hope all is well.

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.

The picture above is kind of a joke, I am friends with a few members of the production team on this spot that I shot yesterday and I walked to my trailer door to see "Mr. Romo" taped on it. I laughed out loud, I think many an actor has thought about that transition--when do you go from "Mike" to "Mr. Romo"? Box office pull, no doubt.

Good news! I filmed another commercial yesterday--though I should mention that I am basically a featured extra for a skin care commercial that will not be aired in the US or Canada, but if I can get a clip, I will make sure to post it. For the second time in a row, I worked with a "big super star actor"---the person I worked with yesterday is an international super star, been around for many years, and it was really a pleasure to get a chance to meet someone like that, and it was fun just to work, even for a really short time, with a true professional. As with any professional in any kind of job, you just end up learning a tremendous about just by being in the same room with someone like that. Totally relaxed in between takes, then absolutely, incredibly focused during. He (he's a he) also made a point of introducing himself right away and basically put everyone at ease. I feel silly that I am not saying the name, but I gotta wait till the spot comes out, so I will just shut up about it.

Nick, Drue and I just got back from seeing Beowulf in 3-d IMAX, which is apparently the way to see the movie...it's funny to try and compare it to the last movie I saw, No Country for Old Men. It kind of shows you just how different movies are becoming, in a way. Country is jaw dropping amazing because of the direction, editing and, most of all (I would argue), the acting. Beowulf is amazing because there's all this crap flying around and it looks like it's gonna hit you right in the $%(*%@ face, dude! It was cool, but my eyes are killing me. It was well edited and had some sequences that could only happen in a truly virtual world (when the camera can go anywhere you like, there's a certain flexibility). The 3D effect was quite good, I mean, it's the best 3D you are going to find in existence, methinks, and there were a few shots where it really was gorgeously effective---sprawling landscapes and wide, expansive establishing shots were much more interested and engaging than the sword point right at you or the blood dropping down at you (though that stuff worked, too). It was more than just the longest cut-scene in history, it was a well-done fable (if way too violent for the kids, which was refreshing, in a way). What was trippy is that there were several very long takes on the character's faces and the audience endowed these pixels with human emotion, giving them life, even though it wasn't real at all. The experience was there, but it was like listening to music ripped from a CD at a low bitrate (I know, it's nerdy but it's relevant in many ways)--you can hear it, you can hear all the elements, there's just not enough behind the elements. The cynical part of me wants me to ask whether modern audiences even care, really, just as long as they get "most" of it, the feeling...but I don't honestly think that anyone would really accept, fully, that a virtual "actor" is going to deliver the same kind of experience a "real" actor would provide. (The fact that I can even write this sentence shows, once again, that we are living in the future.)

Beowulf is worth seeing (in 3D, in IMAX), if only to see what the studios are trying to do bring people into the theatres. Is this "the future"? Nah. It's neat, and it works for some movies (the stereotypical "Hollywood" movies, I guess) but these kinds of stories are the minority. Still, these stories sell more than others. Witness Transformers, featuring, again, non human characters moving the story along.

20 years ago, we had Roger Rabbit doing this with drawings. What will the technology-straining "movies" of 2027?

It's amazing, really, and I will admit I hate being just a witness to all of this. I want to be part of these changes, I want to make sure these changes are good.

One of things that I kept thinking about during Beowulf was how I really need to get out of my element, like, seriously out of my element. I've had this very cushy existence and I would love to get out of here for awhile and find some way to test myself, my physical and mental strength. Funny that one would have to "research" a way to live in a more challenging way. I have to use a computer to figure out how to live a more simple yet more engaging life? And I come to thinking about this after watching a movie told entirely by computer created actors in a computer generated world dealing with computer generated crises?

Oh man...I wish I had more discipline to actually write this journal when I actually have time. I was going to write yesterday but I just couldn't do it, I just didn't want to get in front of the computer again.

No matter!

I think that this year will be the year of "Everyone I Know Is Having A Baby". We are officially at the point where more of my "couple" friends have/are having a kid than don't/not. I went to Ruby's first birthday (or is that second? being born technically has to count, right? we'll stick with first, because it is more of a birth-versary, I guess) on Saturday and it was crazy with kids. And it was fun, I mean, I really like kids--I am more comfortable, I have to say, with 3 and up (I can't shop for anyone that ages in months)--I don't get freaked out by them or anything like that. Of course, the number one question both Whit and I get all the time usually starts with "When" and ends with "one" and it's just a constantly weird thing to talk about.

What's amazing is this feeling of watching so many of my friends go and experience this whole thing that I am not. It cheapens it to say I feel "left out" but it is just, obviously, one of the most significant life event that my comrades are gong through right now, and after being neck to neck in experience with everyone for so long, it's just odd feeling to watch this happening as opposed to sharing it.

Whit and I talk about it all the time, of course, and I am sure we will continue to discuss it for awhile. Who knows what will happen, but it's just something that's happening around me and it puts everything into a different kind of perspective. Like, when people ask me about what's going on, I just feel silly talking about my events and stories when talking to someone who is up 5x a night caring for a new baby. I know, of course, that I should not feel that way, but I do sometimes.

So, congratulations to the few people who have told me that they are pregnant this week (I had two in one day last week). An congrats to Kate and Joel and Ruby for making it through a whole year. I had a good time at the party, seeing all of my friends and their parents and their kids, generations and generations all talking and sharing stories, I felt like I was in the opening credits of some family movie.

Everyone's talking about the WGA strike and I am already feeling the effects of it. Auditions have already been slow, and I doubt they are going to start picking up if this does not get resolved quickly. I was talking about this on Saturday and was hoping they would come to some kind of compromise on the DVD residuals (it was 4 cents per copy, the writer's wanted up to 8 cents for certain (more popular) titles) and I was surprised to see they had dropped that issue altogether, that they were focusing more on Internet rights, which are going to be difficult to reconcile, pretty because one of the biggest challenges for any kind of online content production/distribution/exhibition play is monetization. I was hoping they would go 6 cents per DVD, get a deal for outfits like the iTunes store and others, and then go back to the tables in 2 years to see what the marketplace is like for PC and Set-top box streaming delivery systems. It's a pickle, that's for sure, but these are the challenges of our time, the way we deal with video and music is changed forever; it's an amazing time to be a part of this, right at this very major and crucial transition.

Still, people need to get paid for their work. I get really annoyed with folks to pirate movies and all that...you gotta pay people for their work!

I got an HDTV player on Friday and will be post about it later this week. I put it through its paces on Sunday and it was, frankly, awesome. While it is not the insane upgrade that we saw with VHS to DVD, it is very significant. And awesome.

Ride the rail!

Well, it's been 10 days since I have updated and I apologize, again, for the ridiculous delay. A few things:

1 - we moved offices, so that's been fairly crazy. I now work on a street named "Corporate Pointe" (shudder) in Culver City. The good news is that my commute is way shorter, like, 20-25 minutes shorter, depending on traffic. I can actually get here and back in ten minutes if traffic cooperates (ie, is non existent). The space is way more corporate but we have a crazy view of LA:



My group works right next to the window, which is a huge plus, especially during lunch:


So that's all nice.

2. Ever since we actually moved to the new building, I have been out of my head busy. Like, out of my head. Early meetings, conference calls, late meetings, late conference calls...and since they have been having to keep the building at less than 65° all week, I have been freezing. And although I hear that the temperature has nothing to do with getting people sick, I think I am now, actually, sick. I was actually going to work from home today, but they are gutting the apartment building across the way, so we have been waking up to jack hammers and bellowing workers. Miserable. Whit was pissed this morning; she was out late last night at the Mt. Wilson observatory observing things space and I guess she got a cold, too. Fun fun fun.

3. On a slightly more positive note, I have been spending a bit of time playing Halo 3 and it's been super fun. Nick took this shot from last night: It's pretty amazing, the Halo 3 thing, and I have zero time to go into it now, but you can get a sense of how deeeeeply nerdy it is by looking at my player page in the Bungie site. It's odd to say, but the game might actually work its way into being worth all the hyper surrounding it...

4. Acting was crazy slow this week, which is actually a relief, to be honest. The move, which was really freaking me out, actually only adds 5-10 minutes to my "normal" travel time for auditions, and, in maybe a few cases, might actually decrease it. We'll see. My agency has been awesome about keeping the auditions during lunch time, so traffic tends to be pretty light anyway.

Actually, yeah, I have enough time to talk about something that happened last week. I got a message from my friend Kelly suggesting I get in touch with Caryne, who apparently had some news. I gave her a call, and she told me that she has decided that she was going to quit acting and that she and John were going to sell their house and live full time in Las Vegas (John lives and works near there in Pahrumpf), so they could all be together (they have a baby named Audrey). For years, John has been basically driving back for weekends so he and Caryne could be together while Caryne pursued (successfully, I should add) her acting career. But ever since Audrey arrived, Caryne has been spending much more time being a mom than a working actor, which obviously makes sense and is understandable. In fact the whole decision is laudable--leaving LA and being together just "fits" in all kinds of ways and makes a lot of sense for their family. I will admit, though, the news really has made a profound effect on me. Not only will I obviously miss having Caryne around--we have been friends (and have acted together) for many, many years, and having her in LA with me has kind of grounded me, in a way. Acting full time...well, it's basically a life decision, right? And it is nice to have other friends that are making the same kinds of experiences as you, so you at least have some comrades-in-arms in what is, in the end, a fairly frustrating and sometimes lonely endeavor. I regret that we were never able to book a job or do a play together in LA and now, well, I guess it won't ever happen. Caryne was so happy and I was so h

The choice to no longer pursue a professional acting career is always there, hovering behind the scenes. You hear about people "quitting" all the time, and for all the right reasons. I think one of the main reasons I have been able to confidently stick it out for so long is because I have always had another career to focus on when the acting slowed down. But for people who are able to make a living acting, it does become a grind when work starts to dry up. You do get tired of auditioning and not booking all the time. I mean, the past few months has been like that, many, many callbacks and no bookings. After a few years, one has to wonder, "What's the point anyway?" And when you have a truly meaningful alternative like Caryne does, to actually have a life with her husband and child full time...well, there's no argument, really. Still, when she told me about calling her agents and telling her them she was through..so crazy.

I was actually supposed to have uploaded this entry earlier tonight but the app crashed when I tried connect to my server...let's see if this works...

have a good weekend!!

Busy weekend. The talk at Santa Clara University went really well; Leanne and I had a great time meeting other SCU theatre/dance/tech grads and the whole affair went pretty well. I realize now that one of the tricks of teaching must be that tension between wanting to get all the information you want to share out all at once because of the time, but that not being possible due to time and the general flow of the conversations that take place. We had a really solid panel made up of actors, dancers, technicians and financial types, which was great, but I could see it being a little overwhelming. All of seven of us were pretty happy to talk about pretty much anything, but, you know, it's not like the audience knows exactly what questions to even ask. I can remember that one of the last things I would have wanted to do on a free Friday (and gorgeous) afternoon was spend my time listening to a bunch of old people tell me how what I need to do to survive in this crazy life. That being said, I would have gone anyway, of course..

It was really interesting to see how the general make up of the department had changed. There are apparently something like 54 female majors and 15 male majors, which is a real challenging situation for casting, especially given that there are approximately 20% fewer roles for women actors. Trip away. What was really interesting, however, is just how smart the students were. I mean, they were really thinking hard about what a life in entertainment would actually mean financially, and there were a surprising amount of students who asked about the technical and administrative positions, which offer a more stable and consistent income. I did what I could to offer substantial tips and suggestions, and tried to tell as many stories that illustrated the various aspects of working in LA and New York as I could. I had a lot more to talk about (I barely touched on headshots and reels and managers and agents, etc) but maybe I can go up and have a more actor-focused discussion in the spring. Regardless, I am trimming my notes to make a little handbook for the actors that might be of some use.

My brother Patrick is a junior at SCU so he watched the seminar, and it was fun to have him there. SInce I last saw him he's cut his hair and grown another 4 inches and his summer job building an environmentally friendly house (to be show in DC) has made him very lean and apparently quite strong. Crazy! The theater staff were very happy to corner him and suggest the he audition for a show in the spring and to attend an acting for non majors class...very cool, I hope his schedule permits it.

The rest of the weekend was spend with the folks (saw a fantastic production of Sweeney Todd at ACT) and hanging out with Paul and Al. San Francisco was doing its best Spain impersonation, and I must admit as I sipped coffee and beer at the "Rev" down their block, I did fantasize about living there again. Someday. The Blue Angels were in town as well, which was loud and fun. I wasn't able to see James and the rest of the Isotope crew; I will have to plan something with them next month...

I think my ACL is all screwed up, which is really annoying. It was fine in my workout, but I took a yoga class last night and, oddly enough, plow pose tweaked it--like, my one foot could touch the floor, but my left one could not. Weak weak weak. I have had pretty good luck with injuries but I jammed it last week during spinning and I thought I had taken enough time off...oh well. The real bummer is that this is the last week that we're gonna be at our current building---the gym is literally downstairs. Nick and I are pretty freaked as far as figuring out a new workout schedule...friends will remember that I was not always in the best of shape and I admit, I am nervous about the new situation.

Today I actually have a gig--I am doing ADR for the Comcast spot, re-recording new dialogue for the spot that was airing earlier this year. Should be fun; I've auditioned for an ADR job in the past, but I have never done one "for real". Huh. Suddenly a little nervous. Gotta use it!

We were hanging out with Hans and Isadora this weekend and we passed this gym. You gotta love the name; I guess the woman who owns this is a rather brusque Austrian, so we were basically barking "Do it NOW!" to each other all night. I mean, I get it, if one is going to "Just Do It" I guess "Now" would be the time. I wonder if they have yoga classes there that reflect that same intensity?

Still, it's effective to think about doing something in the present moment..perhaps the removal of the "!" would help, and I don't think you need to underline all the words. I can imagine driving by this place every day constantly going, "oh, man I forgot to do [that thing]! dammit!"
This is Whit hanging out while we were waiting at the Honda dealership. We went in to test drive the 2007 Civic Hybrid (Whit's got a 2003 model) and we ended up buying it! Madness. Still, it all worked out really nicely, and I am very happy she's driving a car that's heavier, has more horsepower, and much better handling. Good mileage is not worth having some underpowered tin can that can get out of the way of a hairy situation on the freeway. I'll put a picture or two up when I get a chance, but so far, Whit's really happy.

I am heading up to Santa Clara University on Friday to talk to the theatre majors regarding the "Business of the Bidness," as I have mentioned before. It's been pretty fun, I must say, prepping for it. I have about 6 pages of notes/talking points, and I honestly feel they are pretty valuable. I remember when I was a senior in college, though. Man, I could no wrong. I was getting cast in everything, I was painting sets every day, it was great. The last thing I wanted was to be told how difficult everything was going to be. No matter, I have been positioning everything in positive terms, more like "here's the real deal and how to deal with said deal".

The past couple of weeks have been heating up in both of my jobs, which is good, but it adds a layer of complexity that I am not really into. Usually I would complain about the scheduling, but that's not the problem, it's just both the acting and the regular job are just getting more involved, in all ways. I just need to think more and plan more and commit more of myself into everything, which, again, is good, but just tiring, I guess. The auditions are getting more frequent, but they are also getting better, in a way. Like, the roles are really good fits, which makes it all the more frustrating when I don't book them. I went out yesterday for this thing that if I got it, I would be filming a new spot each week until the middle of January or so. Yikes! So, waiting on that. Waiting.

Much to do, much to do. Ravi is Bali and the site's loading slowly for him, thanks to all the widgets on the side. Weak. I will figure out which ones to take off. You can always check out the RSS feed, but I agree, slow loading is irritating. I like the widgets, though, especially the map one, which surprised me with how many people are reading this from far off lands. The more dots, the more updates, I guess. I wanna film something this weekend and post it, so I guess I will DO IT NOW! Or then. But I will do it...

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...

It's been a bit of time since I have updated this and I apologize for the delay. As usual, the delay is a mix of a lot going on and most of what was going on not all that interesting. There have been a few bewildering "almost-got" callbacks and auditions, which I hate writing about, so I will resist, but every so often...grr.

It's one of those weeks where I'm just tired. It's quite possible that I have Whit's cold, which was mostly more "tired" than "sick and ____". No matter.

Last night, I went to my first big time musical in quite a long while. We saw Wicked last night at the Pantages and it was pretty terrific, all in all. As a show, it was a pretty typical modern musical, with several different song types with nice, if not necessarily spectacular, dancing. The story was great, really clever and I can see why the show is such a big hit. The leads had played (and in one case, originated) the roles on Broadway and in the tour versions, so there was an easy strength to their performances. Eden Espinosa, in particular, had an incredible vocal presence and brought the house down three or four times. The other lead, Megan Hilty, had excellent comic chops and her voice was so fluid and effortless that it was easy to forget she was actually singing and not lip syncing, if that makes any sense at all.

It has been awhile, I admit sadly, since I have seen a "big" show. Sure, I have seen a few plays here and there (including a terrific all male Shakespeare presentation of Twelfth Night from the Old Globe at UCLA), but for some reason, I have not forced myself to get into any of the shows playing at The Geffen or the other major Los Angeles theaters. There are several reasons for this that I will delve into below, but I guess what I am really writing about is this series of edgy realizations regarding my relationship with acting on stage (made edgier by the fact that my last show, a mildly chaotic Lear with a traveling group in New York, was not one of my better performances).

First off, I prefer and relish the opportunity to perform in front of a live audience. That's my baseline talent--live performance. Everything I do comes from that enjoyment, whether it's doing a speech for a wedding, presenting ideas in a work meeting or just talking with friends at a party. Once a week in acting class I get to perform in front of a small audience, so I do have an outlet, but obviously it's different than being in a "real" play. If I love it so much, if I am supposedly designed for this kind of thing, one might ask, why don't I go out on more auditions? Well, as I have discussed many times before, I am unable or reluctant to spend the amount of time it takes to rehearse day in and day out for 8-12 performances stretched out over a month or so, especially if I am not getting paid for the work. So, that means I have to audition for stuff that's more professional, which means I have to have my days free for rehearsal. Which means I can't have a normal full time job, which means I could not support myself, really. Oh, I am sure I could find some paid tours that would help with expenses, but then I would be away from LA, making it harder to get opportunities in film and television, which would make it easier to make acting my full time job, complete with time off, during which I could be rehearsing plays during the day.

A lot of chickens and lot of eggs. The key, for me, is to make a living acting in film and TV so I can audition for stage work when I have time off. That's my mantra, it's what I tell everyone my strategy is. But that strategy seems very...far away when sitting in an audience watching people my age and younger doing it, right in front of me, having a great old time. Which is fine, that life...that life is particularly focused and exclusive to other experiences. When you are doing a show of that scale, a Broadway show, it is your life, your days are designed in such a way that you are at peak energy from 8-11pm. You never see anyone. You are never around. You live for the show. I've done that, not at that scale, but I have dealt with that time commitment before, and it was great, but I missed a lot. And while that's fine for awhile, eventually it just stops making sense or became unsustainable.

Lots of excuses, okay. One makes one's choices and moves forward, and I don't regret the moves I have made for my career at all, but watching that cast last night engage the audience got me to reflecting a lot on what I enjoy about this whole effort. The other day I bumped into a friend who was at the LiveEarth concert in London. He said my PSA for LiveEarth played a few times in the stadium, indeed, it played several times in all the stadiums and venues where LiveEarth happened. In London alone, there were something like 53,000 people at the show. So, even in half of the people were paying attention and got a chuckle out of that PSA, that's 25,000 people entertained--wham! More people in 22 seconds than I have been able to entertain in my shows so far. My goal, it would seem, to entertain as many people as I can, would seem to be active and healthy and working. But I wasn't there, you know? My work was, one of the 22 second takes that I did in Pacific Palisades a few months ago, that was there and succeeded in what it was supposed to do, but I wasn't there, and I think that that distinction was really driven home last night, that I enjoy actively entertaining people and being able to feel it happening. Which, what does that say about me? That I like the attention? No, that's not it, that really isn't it -- I have written before how one of my fondest acting memories was when I was doing a summer stock theater in Pullman, Washington, and just be able to leave and be anonymous after the show was over, knowing that I had helped make an entertaining evening for the people who came to the show. It's not about me, it's about sharing that moment with the audience, that's what I love.

Which is not possible, most of the time, when working in film and television! Oh, the irony! That the only way to make a living acting would seem to remove the primary element of enjoyment I getout of it! It's kind of like the roses that are bred with no thorns--they have no scent.

Of course, it's not all that dire. I love working with a director and I loved hearing the crew's laughter after a scene is done. I love that, it's totally gratifying and it's the essence of what I am talking about, but it's not the same. But it will have to do for the time being.

So, I left Wicked with a mixed sense of inspiration and frustration, mildly queasy as I wondered quietly to myself about the validity of where I was in my career and how things were going. They are going more slowly than I like to admit, but they are moving forward and I am confident, I mean, I know that this is how I am gonna get things done. I've not done any of this the "typical" way, so I don't expect things to happen in a typical time line. The past week has been tough--I left two auditions thinking that I had nailed the part, that I was going to definitely not only get called back but actually book the part and I didn't even get called back! Humbling, to be sure....nothing is certain, that, and the passage of time, those are the only consistencies in this life.

Tomorrow I drive to San Francisco to spend time with Oliver and other friends and family before he goes off to China. It should be a good, head-clearing visit. I'll take pics and write.

A varied and harried day today. Work is stacking up and it's all manageable, there are just a lot of things happening and it's tempting to just sit back and let other people drive some of these efforts, but I am not that tempted and, anyway, I have an opinion about it and I want to get in the mix. It's good to be busy, but just once, it would be nice to be busy building a set or painting a very large painting or building a house or something more physical. My eyes are red not because of allergies or anything fun, I am just staring at screens really intensely right now. Stupid.

I got gently freaked out when I read that basically when you turn 30, it's half time, life is basically half over. At 30, your major organs start to decline, etc--it's all here. And, like, okay, I know--what's the point of worrying about growing older? Time, remember, is the absolute variable, uncontrollable and persistent, literally nothing one can do about it. We can improve the moment, sure, but we can't slow the sucker down. Now, I am not really freaking out, but I do admit, I really dislike the idea of growing older and pretty much have been that way all my life. I want to say it's related to not wanting to miss out on things, but...it's more about making sure I do what I want to do, to get what I want out of life. It does remind me of what Ravi said about life being a bottomless pit, where you keep adding experience after experience but are never satisfied, and kind of like what Steph was mentioning, how there is never a plateau in life, where you get to a certain place and it's all clear and easy from that point on. So life is an uphill battle as you slowly slide downhill.

Now, I do feel an artificial stress about this because of the acting career, I will readily admit. I am constantly reminded, several times a day, of someone younger getting some movie or booking some role, etc. Yesterday while I was waiting around for a callback, I listened to the other guys, all clearly older than me (3-5 years), discussing the parts they didn't get, the house they couldn't afford, the short films they were working on, etc, etc, and I gotta admit, it's distressing, you know? This one guy was talking about how it was getting so slow that he was looking for a regular job, that kind of thing. I mean, I have a regular job that I actually like, and I am always talking about how grateful I am to have a life like this, but it really did drive it home. Acting is not a good fit for people who have to responsible to other people. So rough. And it's 10 times harder for women, absolutely, so it's selfish of me to even worry about it, to be honest. My thoughts return to my upcoming visit to Santa Clara, where I have to talk to the students about the business of acting. I mean, I remember when older folks would warn me about how hard it was, how impossible it was to make a living, etc, and thinking, "Yeah, maybe it's hard for you, but [for some reason] I'll do okay." Well, you know what? I am doing okay--it's just been a very different path to this "okay" than I imagined.

Such is life, right? You have expectations of the future, expectations that are not based on any kind of real fact or experience, and then you get let down when things don't go according to this made up plan? You gotta let it go..Stumbling Upon Happiness talks about this in detail, actually, I need to finish it.

The one thing I know I will talk while I am there is the importance of actually taking care of your physical person. Not only because of the obvious benefits of a healthier heart and looking fit and healthy and basically better on camera/on stage, but because taking care of yourself is actually something you can control and be proactive about in the acting business. I may not be able to control whether or not I am going to book any of the last three spots I just got called back for, but I sure as hell know I can make spinning tonight so I don't get all chubby and tired looking for future auditions. The illusion of control, I think, is something that artists of all kinds need. Maybe not full control of everything, but something related to their craft. Painters can control their brushes and pencils so their tools will not fail them when inspiration strikes. Writers can control where and when they write. Musicians needs to make sure their instruments are in tune and ready to go. We can control aspects of our lives so that when opportunity strikes, we are ready. For actors and dancers and singers, we rely, heavily on our mind, our breath and our physicality. So, when I look at that picture above, I can at least appreciate the fact that even though I was younger and my internal organs were supposedly more efficient or whatever, I know for a fact that I am in the best physical and mental shape of my life, because I work out 4-5 times and do yoga 3 hours a week. And, happily, I don't do it because I have to, but because I want to--I actually really enjoy it, it makes me happy and fulfills very important aspects of my life...and that's the best way to approach any task, whether it's writing an article, singing a song, sketching a face, or teaching a class.

Speaking of which, it's time to get back to that work.

I had a whole entry about the new iPods, but then a bunch of stuff started happening, including the revelation that the 4GB iPhones were being discontinued and going for $299 while they still were in stock, which kind of changed everything, as the screenshot above shows. Yes, after fighting the good fight, I capitulated and got an iPhone. You've probably already read all the good stuff and bad stuff about the device, so I am not going to go into it too much right here, but suffice to say, I have used it much more for web browsing, emailing and messaging than I have actually using it as a phone! The mantra seems to be true--this is more than a phone, it's basically a very nice mobile communications device.

I have a lot of rationalizations (including that damn broken screen on my old, lame, slow Cingular 3125 phone) but in the end, it's become not why I ended up getting the phone, it's about what I can do now that I have it in my now often less greasy mitts. Basically, it's really, really nice too have a solid way of emailing and getting on the web while I am on the road dealing with auditions. Today, for instance--I was at another last minute audition and I had forgotten the address of my last minute call back (everything has been "same day" for the past week, which has been really crazy) that was happening an hour later. So, i was able to email my agent and she was able to email it to me right back and, if I needed to, I could then map out the address and get the directions all on the same screen. That's just sick, you know? And yes, I know, I could this with my old phone but, really? I couldn't.

(3 days later)

I have been starting and stopping this all week, apologies for that. Yes, the iPhone is rad, no, I don't think that everyone needs one, but I can basically say that everything you read is basically true: it's a pretty amazing device, having Internet access wherever you want is fantastic, having a pretty solid camera is great, being able to watch videos, listen to music, show people photos, check your email, deal with calendars, etc, etc--it all works great. Whit used it a lot this past weekend and commented how great the user interface and loved being able to give me driving directions based on actual maps. Yes, there are problems that just seem weird to me:

- how do you add an attachment to an email? There's gotta be a way, but the only attachment process that I have seen is the "take a picture, send it" process. It works, but if you wanna add more than one photo, etc...I'm lost.

- Apple makes a big deal about having a full featured mail program but it's odd there are no font options? Not that you need to italicize everything, but, I mean, what's with that?

- So, there's really no way to send a single text messages to multiple people? really?

- How about switching the "from" account when sending an email? How do you do that?

- The camera desperately needs to have a zoom feature (or at least a cropping feature available in some kind of edit mode) and it's really lame it can't take video (yes, I realize we are talking about a phone, but honestly, phone stopped being phones awhile ago. they all have cameras, and so far, all of the camera phones I have used have had both zoom and video capabilities). There also needs to be some kind of white balance or something--these pictures can get dark when it's not all that dark outside.

Luckily, most of this seems addressable by software updates...so, let's update and fix this stuff, apple.

But hey, I'm happy. I'm really enjoying taking pictures throughout the day, I must admit, like this one I took after going to the Mexico City restaurant on Sunday. Hmm...Sunday margarita...

Here's a shot of the lovely Silverlake area in LA; we were looking at some houses (for fun) and this view was pretty terrific.
The place was trapped in 1979 (complete with glittery white ceilings) but the views were nice.

So what else? I had some good auditions last week (which have resulted in some good callbacks) but no bites, which bites. I guess there is still some time for things to happen but whatever; I actually went in for a pretty funny fast food spot, but I did not get a chance to do the character I had originally done because they had this other guy who was just doing it so deadpan that I am pretty sure he got the part immediately and they were just looking for someone else to play opposite him. I'm okay at deadpan, but, really, I think deadpan stuff only goes so far, humorwise. I think--no, I know, that being earnest in an unusual/odd situation is actually more honestly funny. Anyone can be weird/unnatrual in a weird/unnatrual situation; the key is being normal in that situation and not judging it or commenting on the moment by doing something artificial. Ah, well...I may not get cast, but at least I am going down in dreamy opinionated flames.

Had a really good chat with Ravi about Australia, meditation and parental motivations/agendas which warrant their own post, but these ruminations will have to come later when I am in a more thoughtful frame of mind. Suffice to say, it was more than excellent to talk to him and I am looking forward to more musings later. Right now, I am just trying to tie up some loose work threads before I bust out of here for a callback this evening...where, this time, I am getting called back because of my earnestness.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

(Iron Man statue from the Marvel booth at Comic-Con)

Sigh. I have been having several issues with the video on the site as well as some RapidWeaver crashes, which are kind of driving me nuts. I hate having to retype stuff!!! ARGH!

Anyway, I'm back in LA after what was a great time in San Diego for this year's Comic-Con. Though we were there for longer than last year, this year's show seemed to go by much more quickly. It was a strange show, in a way; there were not "super announcements" that drove the show forward (though there were plenty of announcements and news). It was kind of an odd show and I can't really put my finger on what made it different. I never really felt relaxed, that's for sure, and even when I was in panels I was enjoying, I couldn't help but feel I was missing out on something else. Still, it was a blast. Comic-Con is by far one of my favorite events of the year and I am already looking foward to next year's. Kinda.

I won't attempt to give a broad overview of the news that came out of the con (for that sort of thing go here, here and here). This was the first show that I caught one of the bigger panels; usually I show I up for them and they are completely sold out, but this time I was able to drag myself out of bed and get to the Con early enough to spend most of the day in Ballroom 20, where the highly anticipated Heroes and Battlestar Galactica talks were. Both were fairly cool; I mean, it's cool and all to see the creators of the shows and to see the actors, but I must admit that I always get a little squirmy when I go to these things. As an actor who is working very hard to get on shows like these, part of me is resistant to hanging out in a room full of adoring fans to hear what people who technically my colleagues have to say about what is admittedly a fantastic gig. But then again, I am a fan and I enjoy hearing their stories and I appreciate the time they take to sit down and take questions from their fans and all that. It's just odd. I go back and forth, though--I really love both of these shows and I also happen to think that the casts of these shows are absolutely fantastic. Indeed, both shows have some of the best acting on TV, period, so it's a good thing for me to hear what they think about the jobs, what the challenges are and what their hopes are for the future of the shows (and their careers). In the end, I guess, I just wanna be up there, too! Which is good--you should know what you want from life, right? Once you define it, you can obtain it. So, next year, I'll have a photo the opposite of this one:

Where I am looking at the audience from the table (one of the Heroes guys actually took a picture like that, I think it was Greg Grunberg.)

So I spent most of Saturday near Ballroom 20, which was fun, but I hate waiting in line, which I did all morning, so it sucked a bit, too. Long story short, I basically got there at 9 and waited over 2.5 hours to get into the hall, which holds almost 2000 people). At one point the line actually lapped itself, so there was another line that started right near us (were were very close to the door, thankfully) that wrapped all the way around the hall. The organizers basically told them the line was closed a short time later. Insane. They have a hall there that can hold 6,000 people--they should have used that hall for these two presentations.

Backing up a bit, Whit and I had a really good time on Friday. Very soon after Whit and I arrived, we ended up watching a taping of the iFanboy podcast, where I actually ended up participating in during the Q&A session. Sadly, the audio didn't work out, but it was fun nonetheless. Later, after attending one of the DC panels, we ended up at the iFanboy/Totally Rad Show party that night, which was a lot of fun, followed by a staggering walk down to the Hyatt with a few friends, including Jonathan London (from the very good Geekscape podcast), who is a total crack up. Really fun night, but whew, Saturday was ro-ugh.

Back to Saturday...we actually ended up going home for a disco nap before arriving at the PopCandy party that night, which was super fun (if way too small and way too hot with way too little air).

Whitney and Whitney!

Why so fun? Well, we were finally able to hang out a bit with the always-fantastic friend James Sime, whom I have known for many, many years as the owner of the greatest comics store on the planet, Isotope. I've known James since he bought the old Comics and Da'Kiine, which was one of my old shops when I was a kid in San Francisco. James was actually one of the Eisner Award judges this year, which was super, super cool. James is really one of the most inspirationally cool cats you can hang out with; he is one of those guys that just contributes so much to the whole comic book scene. I will go on and on about him sometime later, suffice to say, I am a big fan of his and feel very lucky to watch him work so hard and be so successful. So cool.

Of course, I spent much of my time with the iFanboy guys, which was a lot of fun, as always, as well as Ash (Asche??), talking about the show and comics. I actually don't get a chance to talk about comics with that many people, so I really, really love that aspect of the show. I also had a great time chatting with Alex Albrecht from Revision3's Diggnation and The Totally Rad Show. I'm a big fan of Diggnation from waaay back (I watched the first 4 or 5 episodes back to back armed with a 6 pack of beer while I put up a ceiling fan in our bedroom. Whit came in at one point to see who I was talking to and why I was laughing so loud--and yes, the fan works fine), and it was fun to finally meet Alex, who is also an actor in LA with a background in technology and all things somewhat geeky. It was great to talk to him about his show and what he is up to. In a very real way, I was more stoked to talk with Alex about all this stuff than I was to see the cast of Heroes, I must admit.

This entry's getting a little long so I will end it here, but I will scrap up some more stories tomorrow. I've posted a few of our photos here and will discuss some of the comic and movie news over the next few days! See ya!

Oh, and finally, I am trying out the Twitter thing for awhile. It was really, really useful during the Con but we shall see if it matters the rest of the time...

Hey there...really quickly...I am at Comic-Con in San Diego and so far, it's been awesome. We're just getting up from a disco nap before we head down for the Saturday night throwdowns. Spent most of the day either in line or in some pretty crazy panels (2,000 people in a room for both Battlestar Galactica and Heroes talks). The show is just getting bigger and bigger. It's fun, though; we hung out with the iFanboys last night and are looking to meet up with them later tonight.

Still, I can't help but think I blew it by not coming in earlier. There were tons of talks that I wanted to check out on Thursday, but I was so busy I never actually looked at the schedule before getting it when I arrived yesterday. Now I just wanna run back to the show, check out the floor, and meet up with folks. We've been very bad about taking pictures but we'll talk a bunch tomorrow. I am already sad it's close to over, which is ridiculous.

Okay, time to wake Whitney up. Latro!

The robots have been hard at work, apparently! Not only have I moved to a new host, but I am gonna reboot the site using Rapidweaver, which looks way way way way better than iWeb. I have been spending a bit of time just trying to recreate the basic elements of the old site, which has both shown me the limitations of both this app and my terrible web development skills. Who knows? Maybe I will actually start working with more HTML and all that after awhile.

Anyway, I will link to the old site content with a button somewhere, should you be interested. What I have been having a hard time with has been trying to really customize the pages. Rapidweaver is, you know, for beginners, it seems like--lots of templates, very easy to use, the whole bit. It would be nice if I could drag and drop graphics into the templated areas (I like using my own graphics instead of the built-in banners and such). The site right now looks a bit generic, I fear, but it will just push me to be a bit more creative, I guess.

So, what's what? I went to see Daft Punk this weekend with the gang, and it was amazing, again. It felt very similar to the Coachella show but they closed out with a fantastic encore that was not part of the Coachella performance. It was utterly off the hook. It was nice to get out and dance again, with all these different people (crazily diverse crowd), it was fun to just make friends all around, which is what I used to do with Zak all the time when we went out a million years ago. I was wiped the next day, so I am obviously physically older, but I was absolutely just as into it as anyone else around me.

Off to Comic-Con this weekend, so I should have some good photos and stories from that madhouse early next week.

In case you are just joining us, Whit and I went to Baja California two weeks ago. We have some pictures on the Flickr page.