my dad's cool 1967 MGB GT

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!

Tags: acting, fitness

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

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

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

Tags: fitness