Oh yeah, and Merry Freakin’ Christmas
For some reason, I added ‘Freakin” to my Christmas greeting this year. I like it, but I think it’s mostly affected by Peter Griffin and the greeting probably won’t last.
Next year, I’m sure I’ll wonder what was wrong with me and why did I need to add ‘freakin” to Merry Christmas? But by then, I probably will have realized that there doesn’t seem to be much point in trying to understand the stupid things I do.
I love technology, but not as much as you, you see
I guess this is my little ode to cool technology. Obviously, the problem with raving about technology in a journal is that I’ll see this post in 10 years and think how naive I was and how stupid I must’ve been to be impressed by such cruddy ‘technology’. But, for now, this stuff’s new to me and I think it’s cool.
So, a couple times this week, I’ve logged onto the internet using my BlueTooth cell phone as a dial-up modem. I was just cruisin’ down the road, decided I needed to look something up online or check my e-mail or whatever and busted out my laptop and cell phone. All I have to do is click on the dial-up connection on my laptop, hit the “yes” button my cell phone when it asks if it’s cool of my laptop uses it to connect to the internet and viola! I’m online and rolling down the road at 60 mph. Of course, I wouldn’t do this while behind the wheel, but it works well for me as a passenger.
Anyway, I just thought that was super cool. I can connect to the internet while driving down the highway? Ridiculous.
Buddies’ Band ’bout to Blow Up
Ok, I generally don’t refer directly to other people on my blog, but this is a special occasion. My friends Chris and Casey have started a band called northsouth and it’s ramping up to speed pretty quickly. They just finished recording their first EP and it should be for sale starting in January. You can hear the EP and see where their upcoming shows are at their website. I’ve got a link over on the sidebar.
Maybe one day I’ll be able to sit in for a show with them or something. I guess I’d have to do that before they’re too famous to remember who the heck I am.
Movin’ on Up
I’ve made my way to Jacksonville and I’ll be here for the next few days before heading to Atlanta. I did most of my Christmas shopping in Gainesville, so that’ll free me up to spend more time with family and friends here since I’m only here for a short time.
Before I forget, I should mention that I had Sushi for the first time the other night. Despite what it actually is, it wasn’t disgusting and I actually enjoyed it. Of course, my favorite was the fried stuff, but there were a bunch of other kinds that I enjoyed too. It wasn’t all that expensive either; I got out the door for eleven bucks or something.
Sushi then to Steak Now
I went to a Japanese Steakhouse tonight and it was a real hoot. Mostly, it was just a Japanese Steakhouse… but then our cook showed up and things got crazy. He was telling us how his wife gained 80 pounds when she got pregnant and then only dropped 20 after she had the baby. Then, some dude at our table points to his girlfriend and says, “She’s gained 20 pounds and we’re not even married.” I don’t know much about co-ed relationships, but that seemed like a low blow and I fully expected her to beat the mess out of him right there. But she held off till later when she laid into him for living at home with his rich parents while he did nothing with his life.
Anyway, our cook kept saying how he wanted a drink, but the management had installed cameras to watch the employees so they wouldn’t get into trouble. Apparently, this guy had gotten suspended for a couple weeks because he got drunk at work a while back. So, near the end of the meal, he starts watching the security screen intently. All of a sudden, he says, “I have 15 seconds!” and he grabs the live-at-home-with-rich-parents guy’s Jack ‘n Coke and chugs it. He explains that he’ll buy a new one, but he had to act while he had the window.
Then, we find out that the slacker guy went to high school with one of the people in my party. It also turns out that the lady to my left–not with my party or slacker guy’s party–also went to their high school and she knew slacker guy’s older sister. Then, an older guy with this lady turns out to be friends with slacker guy’s supervisor. All these people are separated by a max of two degrees. I didn’t bring it up, but I’m betting I know a guy who went to the same high school and probably knew slacker guy. What a small, silly world.
Back on the East Coast
It’s been a while since I’ve written anything, but that’s mostly because I’ve been so busy traveling and such. I’ve been in Florida for four days now and I’m having a great time. Of course, I’ve done a lot of eating and sitting around, but I’ve also spent a lot of time with friends and having a great time.
There aren’t too many details to share because most of my trip has been simple relaxation and vacation. Today, I went to a Florida basketball game, which we won handily. It was fun to see our younger guys get some playing time and I thought we playe pretty well. We definitely need to work on our offense and our consistency, but we could be in good shape by March.
In a few days I’m heading to Jacksonville for Christmas. I’ll be seeing my family and some Jacksonville friends and hopefully meeting with a couple friends to talk more about the short we’ve been very, very slowly writing.
The following week, I’ll be off to Atlanta for more visiting and also to go to the Peach Bowl and hopefully see the Gators beat the ‘Canes.
Livin’ large in L.A.
Not really. I mean, I’m out here for a couple days, but I’m only workin’ and then heading back to the hotel. I did make it to an In and Out Burger today, so that was good.
I’m stayin’ in a Sheraton and it’s really nice. Same one I stayed in when I was here back in October. Free high-speed internet and cheap valet parking make it a steal. Of course, all of this is made possible by my company.
The best part of my trip is definitely the First Class plane ticket. First class is so much nicer than coach, it’s not even funny. Seriously. Once the plane takes off (and sometimes before), the flight attendants offer you something to drink. Then, they bring a little dish of warm, assorted nuts and your beverage. Then, they bring you a little moist, warm towel to wipe your hands or face or whatever. Then, they take dinner orders: salad, entre, drink, dessert. I had so much leg room, I could put my legs straight out in front of me and not hit the seat in front of me. Also, the seats recline to nearly horizontal and they have foot rests that extend in front of you. Totally ridiculous, but really fun and comfortable.
Movie in the works?
Ok, so it’s been a couple years since I had any movie ideas in the works and I may be the boy who cried wolf, but I’m working on a short with a few friends (one in particular). I don’t want to talk too much about it (because I don’t know much about it), but it looks like we’re going to keep it short, simple and hopefully poignant. We were initially hoping to shoot while I’m home in Florida for Christmas, but that’s only about 2 weeks away, so I’m not counting on it.
Regardless, I’ve been wanting to work with this friend for several years and I think the end result will be excellent. We have complimentary skills that should lend themselves to creating something meaningful through collaboration.
Eighth Meisner class: The Finale
Tonight was different than any other night so far. I wasn’t nervous and my scene felt stronger than any other. Of course, I’m not too sure how well it actually played, but I’m pretty sure it was my best yet from beginning to end. Specifically, the beginning was good. My ‘preparation’ was solid and a classmate said he ‘believed me’ when I entered the scene. That’s what it’s all really about: being believable.
Anyway, it ended on a great note and, while I was glad it was over, I thought it ended really well.
Next up?
My Meisner coach says she has a little play (or some ‘vignettes’) that she wants to get some people together to work on. She said she needs eight and the four in our Meisner class are all in. It’s neat because we’ll work on it in a workshop environment–3 meetings a week, 3 hours a meeting for 2 weeks–and perform it during our last session. She’s sending the script out pretty soon so we can memorize it during the holidays. I think we’re getting together for a cold-read in a couple weeks (assuming I’m still in town).
Anyway, it sounds pretty exciting and should be fun to work on. I’m looking forward to doing some acting.
What about an agent and such?
Well, I’m going to contact my coach tomorrow to see what he thinks I should do before Christmas. Basically, I have a bunch of ‘mailers’ ready to go and I just need somewhere to send them. I hope to get representation soon and maybe start working (in commercials or small films) early next year. I think I just need to keep the ball rolling.
