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Hoops went well

I think I played 5 games today. My first two were definitely my best and then I tapered way off for the last few. But, my first two were spectacular games. We play to 12, straight-up, by ones and twos. First game, I think I had 4 or 5 points and 3 or 4 assists (along with a few rebounds and a steal or two); second game, I had 5 or 6 points and at least 4 or 5 assists (along with a few rebounds and a block on a 2-pointer). Basically, my team ran through me and I got at least one touch per offensive possession for both games. In fact, we were mostly running a fastbreaking offense that rarely had to setup in the half-court.

Then, it started going downhill. I wouldn’t say I played poorly the last few games, but I just wasn’t playing super well on my teams. The last 3 games were all teams that intentionally slowed the ball down into a half-court offense and I rarely got any touches. I was “0-fer” from the 3-point line today and that was pretty discouraging. I didn’t take too many 3’s (maybe 6 or 7 over 5 games), but it would’ve been nice to hit at least one.

So anyway, I played really well for the first couple games and I’m seeing serious improvement from week to week. I’m realizing that I can’t allow myself to be a purely perimeter offensive player because my strength is in driving and scoring or dishing. I’m also remembering how to reward my teammates for running the floor on a fastbreak. It’s sometimes difficult to convince guys that if they run–even trailing–the length of the floor on every offensive possession, they’ll get buckets on put-backs and assists.

Strange rules

A couple summers ago, I wrote about the strange mid-west rules for “Twenty-One” or, as they call it here, “Twenty-Five”. Today, I ran into a strange rule in full-court basketball: If there’s a controversial call, instead of obeying the (invisible) possession arrow, someone shoots a 3-pointer (“do or die”) to see who gets possession. That sounds good and everything, but I’ve always played with the invisible possession arrow: whoever had last possession (either at the beginning of the game or on a jump-ball or a controversial call) gives the ball up on the next such possession. I tried to explain this to the guys, but they didn’t wanna’ hear it. Here’s their logic:

The team that has the ball first has it because they won*. So, because they “earned” first possession (along with their choice of end of the floor and the “right” to keep their status as either “shirts” or “skins”) they feel the possession arrow doesn’t point the other way. So, if there’s a controversial call where the possession arrow would come into play, they simply shoot for it. I guess that’s all good and well, but there’re reasons the possession arrow was invented to begin with. Also, claiming that they shouldn’t lose the possession arrow because they “earned” first possession is really a moot point. I mean, in a game with a tip-off, the first team with the ball “earned” the possession by winning the tip, but the possession arrow is still pointing to the other team. The “reward” for winning the previous game or for winning the tip is that they get first opportunity to score (and, in the unlikely event that a game came down to a shootout where each team hit a shot every trip down the floor, they’d win), not that they get a free possession and immunity from the possession arrow for the rest of the game.

I guess it just doesn’t make sense to me why they’d ignore a pretty fundamental part of the game. In reality, this rule didn’t hurt our team as we ended up with the ball anyway (more because of the controversy than the rules), but I could see where it might have a big effect on a game. Maybe I just need to lighten up.

*Their logic begs the question: What do you do the first game when there was no previous winner? Is the possession arrow in effect then? If not, why not?

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Dinner with friends

Since I moved to Dallas, I’ve been quite the hermit. I hadn’t really noticed it until tonight when a friend and his wife invited me over to dinner. I hesitated before I accepted the invitation, but then I asked myself, “What’re you gonna’ do if you don’t go over to their place for dinner?” The answer: Sit around watching TV and reading like I do every other night.

Anyway, it was nice to get out and see some friends and get off the couch. I need to get out more often… maybe I’ll go to Florida for a week or something.

Workout busted

I decided to take a nap after work and before my workout today, but when I finally got off the couch and went to the gym, they were closed. I guess they had posted signs saying they’d be closed today for Good Friday, but I never bothered to read them. Maybe I should start payin’ attention to stuff like that; it’d save me some time if nothing else.

Basketball tomorrow

I didn’t get to shoot around too much this week, but I still feel like I’ll probably play well tomorrow. I guess there’s no telling since I’m often not even awake at 9 when we play, but I’m hoping to start steppin’ it up. Last week, I played pretty well, but I still have a lot of room for improvement. I guess I’ll just wait and see.

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Good idea, Bad idea

We’re getting into Spring now, so I thought I should go ahead and start gettin’ me some sun. So, I figured I usually shoot hoops before I work out, so why not shoot hoops in the sun? I’ll tell you why not: It’s stinkin’ hot out there and the sun will sap all your energy if you let it. Sure enough, it let it and it did. So, I shot around for about a half hour, hopefully getting some sun, and then I went ahead and started my workout. About two sets in, I felt awful–tired, nauseous, sweaty, dehydrated–and all I wanted to do was go home. Looks like I need a new way to get some sun. Maybe I’ll have to resort to reading by the pool.

The books are in

The books that my acting instructor recommended have arrived and I’m well into Acting in Film. So far, I’ve found it to be a very practical book with a lot of good information for a guy like me who hasn’t ever been anywhere near a set. The book’s not about “being a tree” or the ethereal part of acting, but it covers more of the basics like how to act on a set, how to prepare a scene and things like that. It’s really interesting and I’m sure it’ll help me even next week at my lesson. Best of all, it’s an information-packed, fast read.

One week

A week from tomorrow, I’ll be in Jacksonville, beginning my version of Spring Break. I’m really looking forward to it and I’m sure it’ll do me some good to rest up, but I’m not yet to the point where I feel I need to “get away”. I think that’s good, though, because I’m not getting stressed at work and I won’t put unrealistic expectations on my trip. I’m looking forward to seeing my family and friends and just sittin’ around and gettin’ paid.

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It has begun

Man, today was long. I got up at 7, got to work at 8, knocked off work at 4, went home and ate a quick dinner, left for Ft. Worth about 5:20, started my lesson at 6:50, left my lesson about 9:45 and finally got home at 10:50. That left just enough time to watch The Real World and The Osbourne’s before I updated my blog and got ready for bed. I’m worn out and my back’s a little sore ’cause I drove about 150 miles today.

As for acting, the first lesson was, as I expected, an introductory lesson where we talked about where I’m trying to go, what I hope to accomplish and what I want to focus on–technique or the art of acting. We decided we’d spent pretty equal time on both, but put more time into the art up front. We talked about beginning to look for an agent in about three months in hopes that I’ll have an agent in six months. That’s all good and well, but first we gotta’ see if I can act.

This week, we’re reading a scene from Swingers (the one where Trent talks Mike into going to Vegas) and I’m basically supposed to mark up the script and try to be prepared for a read next week. I’m focusing on learning the lines well enough that I can deliver them without thinking about the lines themselves, so I can concentrate on reacting to the way the other character delivers his lines. As I understand it, I need to learn lines well enough that I can say the words without thinking. An analogy that comes to mind is singing while playing the guitar. It took me a long time to be able to do both and the way I did it was ultimately pretty simple: I learned the guitar well enough that I could play that part without thinking about it, so I could focus almost completely on singing over the melody I heard coming from the guitar. If I learn my lines well enough, I can focus almost completely on the situation and what’s happening in the scene.

I guess I’ll just have to see how that goes. I’m pretty nervous, but I think that’ll subside as I get more comfortable with this stuff. For now, I need to get comfortable with my pillow as I’ve gotten less than 12 hours’ sleep over the past couple nights.

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Good article in People magazine

Yesterday, I picked up the latest issue of People, mostly because there was another cover story about The Passion inside. The article was actually pretty interesting in that it touched on a few of the prevalent religions (and philosophies) in Hollywood. The stuff written on the movie was pretty interesting, but I thought it was good that People took space to explain each of a few different religions being practiced in Hollywood. I think it gave me a better idea of what people are thinking these days and some perspective on how the writers at People view religion and its role in society and peoples’ lives.

I noticed a common theme in their choices was “self improvement” of some kind. In fact, most of them seemed focused on helping their followers find happiness, treat others well, perform to their full potential and be less focused on themselves. I guess People‘s explanations of these religions could have been superficial, but it seems to me that most of the religions aren’t so much “religions” as self-help philosophies that people follow to be “better” or “more successful” or whatever. Ultimately, I thought it was a little odd that People seems to believe that Christianity (and these other religions) is primarily about helping people be “good” and successful. Seems to me they’ve missed the point.

Acting lessons start tomorrow

I officially feel totally unprepared and a little nervous. Mostly, I keep asking myself “what can I do to be prepared tomorrow, so I don’t make a total fool of myself?” And, of course, I know the answer is “nothing, I will make a total fool of myself regardless of how much I prepare.” I’m looking forward to performing awfully, so I can look back on my first performance and say, “Man, I sure have improved!” I figure I’ll probably start off pretty awful, but hopefully I’ll be a good enough student to become a decent actor. Time will tell.

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Lessons start Tuesday

It’s official: I’ll be taking private lessons starting on Tuesday and continuing every Tuesday, indefinitely (except April 20, when I’ll be in Gainesville). I’m pretty excited about the opportunity for a lot of reasons: I get to push myself to try something totally new, I get to try something I’ve been interested in for a long time, I get to exercise my creative side a bit more than I do as an engineer. That being said, I’m also very nervous about the whole deal. Realistically, I have no business even attempting acting. I have no background or experience in acting and my knowledge of the subject is almost entirely based on what I’ve seen other actors do. I guess, from some points of view, I’ve done hundreds of hours of research into other actors’ work, but I’m essentially totally ignorant about the business. If nothing, this will be an opportunity for me to continue learning something, which is good because I really enjoy learning.

Tax time

I’ve been meaning to file my income taxes for several weeks now, but I keep forgetting. That’s probably because my return will be next to nothing and I doubt if Uncle Sam would come after me if I didn’t file (in fact, I’m not even sure I’m legally obligated to file). But, I can’t bear the idea of throwing money away (no matter how little it may be), so I’m gonna’ go ahead and take care of that now.

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Short day, short weekend

Today went by quickly, but I bet the weekend will do the same. I’m anticipating my trip in two weeks, so I’m guessing these next two weeks of work will crawl by.

End fascinating, short post.

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A different direction with acting

Well, I spoke with my friend and former acting instructor tonight and I’m beginning to have a clearer picture of where I’m going and how I’ll get there. For now, it looks like I’ll be taking private lessons (or being “coached”, to use the preferred nomenclature) once a week. Ultimately, I doubt if I’ll pursue the 2-year degree I’d been considering because it is more of a hodge-podge degree covering all aspects of acting and the business. I think such a degree would be great for someone who knew only that he wanted to act, but didn’t know how, where or why. In my case, I’m pretty set on TV and film, so much of the curriculum would be outside the scope of my ambitions.

Here’s the best part: I couldn’t have taken classes at the conservatory until October anyway, so I’m really not making a decision not to pursue the 2-year program, but I’m making a decision to pursue private coaching to see if that works for me. As October nears, I’ll re-evaluate my situation and make a final decision on the degree. Essentially, I’m filling my time with productive training that may ultimately make the 2-year degree unnecessary.

Regardless, I’m excited about getting going and I’ve already ordered some books to get me started:

Acting in Film: An Actor’s Take on Moviemaking
How to Get the Part . . . without Falling Apart!; Featuring the Haber Phrase Technique for Actors
Truth in Comedy: The Manual of Improvisation

Another great thing about not taking the 2-year program is that it’ll save me a ton of money. The program costs about $20K while private coaching costs only about $50-70 a week. And, what’s more, I think I’ll probably get just as much (if not more) useful information out of private coaching that I would at the conservatory.

Good night.

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A little encouragement

I’ve been in touch with my acting instructor from a couple summers ago and he’s been kind enough to give me a little guidance as I begin to seriously consider moving closer to the business. He’s given me a lot of useful information, but one of the best things he could have said to me, he said in response to my reference to myself as a “dreamer”: By the way “dreamers” are the ones that don’t actually have a plan or do something about their career. It sounds like you have a pretty smart plan so far. It’s good to know that, although I feel completely ignorant and naive (because I am), I’m making strides in the right direction.

Work is s-l-o-w

For a while there, work was fast-paced and interesting. But lately, because of some decisions “from the top”, things have been unusually slow and I’ve been trying hard to keep busy. This lull should be over by next week, but it’s going to be a difficult Thursday and Friday this week. I guess I can suck it up till Monday.

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Bad news and good news about acting

Well, the bad news is as follows: Because I’ve scheduled a trip to Florida for the week of April 19th, I can’t start taking acting classes until October (at least not at the studio I trained at a couple summers ago). As it turns out, that’s the first week of the new semester and they’re going 4 hours a night, 4 nights a week, so I can’t make up that time. The next session starts some time in October, so I just have to wait until then. Some more bad news is the cost. The course is a 4-semester course that, in total, costs about $20,000. That’s a lot of cheddar.

The good news is as follows: Because this is an accredited school offering a 2-year AA, some of the courses–required by state law–are general education courses, which I’ll probably be able to transfer from my transcript at Florida. If they work with me, I think I can knock a full semester off of the total time, so it’ll only be 3 semesters and hopefully about $15,000. Also, the dollar amount is the total cost of the program including books, lab fees, tax and everything else. So, it’s a bit steep, but at least I won’t be shelling out all kinds of money and then trying to figure out where I’ll get the money for my books and whatnot.

All in all, I’m really excited about starting classes in October and it actually works out well because I’ll have significantly more financial freedom by then. The bummer is that I have to wait a full 6 months before I can start training and I feel like I’m ready to get at it now. I’m going in next week to learn more about the program and I’ll spend this week trying to figure out if their price is competitive or outrageous and if it’s the right thing for me.

Memory lane runs through the May ’02 archive on my blog

Today, I spent some time reading over the May ’02 entries from my blog and I was floored at where I was then versus where I am now. As I read over the entries, I could almost literally see myself shunning the idea of being an engineer forever and gravitating towards something in the arts. At the time, it was music that I felt would carry me, but I gradually began to think about acting. Since, I’ve decided that music, although I love it and couldn’t be without it, is probably not something I could realistically do professionally. But acting is something I think I can actually do and do very well. It was really fascinating to read what I wrote back then, and having immediate access to my thoughts from almost two years ago is plenty of motivation to keep using this blog.

It may be boring, but it’s useful for me and that’s all I ever intended it to be.