The Great Debate

Ah the query letter! Much in the same vein as the perfect diet and other such great contraversies. Everyone has a take on it. Some say it's a complete waste of time and money, others say there's always a chance. So what do I do? Approach it as the rock not to be left unturned? Abandon it and rethink my strategy? I did some reading at a Barnes and Noble. Guidance concerning how to get yourself a literary agent is wrought with frustration.

At any rate, I mailed out some more today. I spent the last nice day in Union Square. What better place to spend it. I had to go into the city anyway, so I decided to spend some time out and about.

Hmm... I had more things to talk about, but now I find myself too tired to think of those things. Oh well. Night all.

Stuff is up

So Brekken 360 from DCUP had a new song on the DCUP Myspace page, check it out.

DCUP LINK

There's also a new edition of the Ethos Reactor up. I contributed this time with an article about slime in New York City.

The Ethos Reactor

Done, Did, and Done

Well, I am pretty happy with myself today. I finished a song, prepared some query letters for the mailbox, cleaned my apartment, exercised and submitted to a few student films. Yup that was my day.

So I was going to take out my trash the other night and WHAM! I walk right into a railing, my side hit it with enough force to spin my around. It still hurts. I do this kind of often. Usually it's my shoulder. I don't know if I just don't have the width of my shoulders figured out yet of what, but you'd be amazed at how often I run into this.

Another day off tomorrow. Hmmm.....

DotCOM

Well, usually I don't even mentioned the productions I work on by name anymore, which I'm sure has made my blogs infinately less interesting. But today I CAN'T talk about it, because I had to sign a confidentiality agreement. The show was Sopranos. I was standing-in. As you probably know the show is winding down on its final season. And plot secrecy is paramount. I'll just say it was an "interesting" day. Ha. It's eating you up isn't it?

The one funny thing that happened that I CAN talk about, was this. I was in a little group conversatin' and all and this girl says, "Okay, Mr. Millionaire DotCommer model." She was referencing some featured thing I did on 6 Degrees about a month ago. It was a photo shoot with me and two other guys. The camera was right on us, so I assumed it would be pretty noticeable, but I never saw the episode. My response was, "Ha, you saw that?" Her reply, "well, yeah, I watch the show." This of course got me curious about the scene. So pathetically I went home and looked for myself on the ABC website. I gotta say the bit is pretty funny. You can still view the episode online. It's the first November show, about 24 minutes into it if anyone is interested in seeing it. You know for shits and giggles.

There ya go, I'm famous now.

THE ABC LINK

400m

I was on the Track team when I was in High School. I was quite fast I say quite modestly. I ran the 400m. My coach told me it was likely the hardest race, because it was somewhere between long distance and a sprint. As a freshman I was faster than all the seniors. Okay maybe I'm not sounding so modest anymore. My point is the approach I had toward running this particular race. It was pretty simple. Start the race with a sprint. About 200m in, slow down. When I hit the 325m mark, burn everthing I had left, raw will coursing through my numb legs. When it was over, I knew I ran as fast as I possibly could.

Today was kind of like that. The day started out shitty. And it didnt help when I got to the train and figured out that I reserved a ticket for the wrong day and that I had to wait an hour longer than I had expected. By the time I pulled into Manhattan I really just wanted to get to my apartment. But there was no getting around my need of a charger for my cell phone. I tried 34th street, but didn't see the store that was supposed to be there. After waiting a hair-pulling amount of time waiting for the 1 train, I went to 23rd street and finally found my cell phone charger #3. I'm pretty sure I was overcharged, since the guy took the charger out of a packaged set and didn't bother giving me a receipt. I really didn't care at that point. It was just about getting to my apartment.

And now here I am. My call time for work tomorrow is oh...about 9 hours later than I thought it would be, looks like a short, one scene day. At least I'll get time to finally send some query letters out, clean up my place and exercise. It's good to be back in NYC.

Rocky Nostalgia

The whirlwind is nearly over. I have been bouncing whither and tither since I've been here. It's been nearly a week since I've been home. I haven't shaved for about that long, I am thinking I might as well grow a beard at this point. I went to see Casino Royale with my parents tonight. Rocky Balboa showed up on the previews. There was a scene that showed the restuarant set that I played in way back. It was my first getaway work experience. It was a great time fooling people with a Southern accent and fake stories, playing cards, staying in a different city and of course making fun of people. I might just go to see this movie to look, in that one quick scence, at myself back then as if I was kind of someone else.

I thought maybe I would have received a phone call or email while I was here from a friend, being it Thanksgiving and all. But I didn't. The ball was left in his court so to speak. But he's made his choice apparently, so I guess that means that differences can't be set aside. It's just too bad.

I'm catching the 11am train tomorrow and 2 1/2 hours later I'll be back to my little underground studio, catching up on the life I left behind last week.

p.s. Funnest time being home: drunken air hockey. Okay, so I was the only drunk, I was still virtually unstoppable, somewhat like a juggernaut, and alcohol was my inertia. Okay this was like 5 minutes ago, and I am really still pretty drunk. Which allows me to say i think in another life, where i was orphaned and I didn't really care about anybody i think i could make a great double agent. I have intellegence and with training and a personal trainer i could certainly be lethal. I'm not crazy about martinis, so a more simplistic screwdriver would be my drink. But nonetheless i would be a keen operative agent and I would serve England well.

Joke's on You

So none of us is perfect. Michael Richards happens to be a racist. A fucking racist. What's more disgusting than that? I think of it every time I watch Seinfeld now. And I watch it often, because it remains one of my favorite shows. But now it's undoubtedly tainted. I think of his comments every time I watch the show now and for some reason the show just isn't as funny. I caught an episode today and which one do you think it was? You guessed it, the one with the heckler. Could this have been coincidence? Or was it some network's jab at the "comedian." People are coming to this man's defense assuring the public he is not a racist. But where did his outburst originate from, if not some racist root? You just don't make those type of hurtful comments out of generic ranting. You've ruined what you had left of a career mister, and you've ruined my favorite show in a lot of ways. Thanks from all of us.

Antz

Ok, so Thankgiving is over. I've decided to stay upstate for a few days. I am working on Monday so I will be returning on an early train Sunday to NYC. The early train is quite neccessary since I need to find a T-Mobile store and get my cell phone charger before the week starts. Forunately I will be leaving out of Albany where there are rarely delays and other such BS. I'm already getting a bit antzy, just because I am thinking of all the work I could be doing right now. I literally have work sitting on my printer, waiting to be done. I've been away from NYC for several days now, and I guess I'm just starting to feel it. The feeling I get, like something's passing me by, like I am out of the loop. I'm just gonna try not to think about it I guess. Today will be more running around for a bit, then hopefully nothing.

I woke today to restless neices and crazy ass cats. I love being an uncle, I love those girls to death, but I don't know how parents do it full-time.

So this is pic, of my sistas dog, Zeus, modeling my new winter hat, after this, we added a coat.

Speak of the Dick

Well yesterday sucked, there's no point in looking for a candy word for it. It's alright really, the two days that preceeded it were really great, so I have no problem with enduring one bad day for two extremely nice days.

I ended up in Albany around 10:30pm last night and waited there a while for my father to pick me up. Welcome home. This is Thanksgiving. There's nothing very exciting to report. I know I rarely blog anymore, so you'd think that when I eventually get around to writing, it would be something monumental, emotional sweeping, poetically elegant.... well I'm real fucking sorry. I went to my parent's house from the train station, ate some food, went online to buy my train ticket home on Sunday and passed right fucking out. Max, the coolest Labradoodle in the world, hung out with me for a bit on the bed, hogging it is more like it, when I closed my eyes it seemed like there was a horse lying next to me in the bed rather than this furry freak of a mixed breed.

I woke up not in a good mood. With yesterday, getting little sleep and losing my 2nd phone charger left me grumpy as all hell. I went to my father's for breakfast early, so no one would be too full for dinner as I was celebrating the festivities at my sister's. It was a nice visit. I made pancakes and we talked about a great many things, including topics that I am wrapped all up in with the latest books I am reading. I suddenly thought to myself as I was sitting in the kitchen. Why to I always tend to sit on the floor when I am in my parents houses? Nobody else sits on the floor, not even the kids and I am there looking up at everyone. I really gave it some thought and suddenly realized that it's because of the doggies. Its because I'm petting or playing with them constantly when I am there, so I always end up on the floor. Somewhere along the line I must have just subconsciously skipped the step and began sitting on the floor. Anyway, people started pouring in, guests. My step-sister and brother-in-law showed up and I held my nephew for the first time. Then I left and came into the frenzy of my sistas house. Thanksgiving overall was nice. Got to know some of my brother-in-law's family better, and even though I was dead tired I made it a point to socialize and just have fun. There was some drama unfortunately that bogged down the joyment, but what can we do. I helped make some of the food as well. Yeah, it was a pretty good Thanksgiving. Even thugh the idea of Thanksgiving disturbs me, like Xmas I just make it about being with my family.

(the title has to do with probably the funniest thing my father's said in a while, pertaining to his own father, Richard senior, aka Dick.) I doubt you'd find it as funny if I describe it, so I'll keep it mysterious.

And my phone will remain dead until I return home Sunday. And buy yet another charger for this fucking phone I have come to despise.

Cold Feet

So I'm currently reading the book Stiff, by Mary Roach, who unfortunately has a name that could easily be mistook for illegal drug lingo. The book details the history and current practical uses of cadavers. Don't worry, this blog contains no spoilers for those of you that intend to read it.

Of course the book explores societal ideas and psychologies that surround the dead body and the biological realities of the human corpse, which keep it interesting (if not mildly disturbing), because as much as I'd like to say I can read an entire book on uses for cadavers, it can get a bit....stiff. There's a line in it, "We are biology." As absorbed as we are in our appearance and specifically our bodies, it is rather hard to comes to terms with what eventual will become of our little skin bags. I adopted a rather natural way of looking at this a while ago, and still it disturbs my manner somewhat. Anyway, I recommend the book, it's a good read.

In other news, I've been approached to write a short for a stand-in I met on set. She's making the movie with one of her friends and said she thought of me immediately to flesh out their ideas into a screenplay. I am kind of interested but definately wary of getting involved. I haven't repsonded yet, nor am I sure how to. The thing is I've had alot of experience in this field and I have a pretty realistic outlook, but I don't want to come across as an ass, when I explain this or start listing stipulations I would want if I was to participate. Anyone that knows me can understand why I would have cold feet entering into such a situation.

Mr. Nobody

Nobody likes being a nobody, but some days you just are. And yesterday was a nobody day for yours truly. Not a very rewarding day at work. No good company. No challenges. No laptop. In the last scene of the day, I stood-in for a day player. Usually as a stand-in crew and the director will try to remember your name. Nope, not this time. I was mostly referred to as "this guy."

Plus I was really tired, so tired in fact that in between takes, (picture me sitting at a desk, as was my position, resting my head in my hands, arms bent 90 degrees) I nearly nodded off. I started to hear an echo-y "rolling" and snapped awake thankfully.

Of course being a nobody is better than being an out of work nobody which is what I am today and tomorrow as well. I know. I'll just think of the good I can do with this free time.

Been To the Talkies Lately?

I've had the opportunity to watch two movies recently. The Departed, a movie I have been meaning to see for the last two weeks, and Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. Both of these movies were excellent! Must-Sees you might say.
The Departed was ulta-violent, brutily actually, but also realistically... I imagine anyway. The acting was brilliantly done by all, of course with a cast such as the cast the movie boasts, this is expected, yet still greatly appreciated. I could say the movie was tense, but in order for you to completely understand let me tell you that it was SO tense that I left the theater with a headache from all the tension.

Borat was hiralious, there were a few moments were I could barely take the grossness of the movie, but I laughed my ass off. Seriously, I have not seen a funnier movie in a long long time. Though I was upset to see parents with their kids there. This is NOT a movie for kids. And I was even more disappointed in the parents when they continued to stay after the many examples of why this is not a movie meant for kids. Selfish fucks.

Just What the Doctor Ordered

My self-imposed bout of R and R was nothing less than exquisite.

The Ethos Reactor

It's here folks! I am not sure what to compare this website to...The Onion perhaps, but not. At any rate a large group of friends and I are the proud parents. So far my only contribution has been the illustrations and banners, which not all are up currently. The site is still under construction, but is certainly worth checking out immediately... I mean NOW!

The Ethos Reactor

We Have a Heartbeat!

So it's been a while huh? Well, much of the last week's been pretty shitty. There are aspects of my life that are really good right now and others which simply bite. Life is funny like that. I don't really feel like getting into any of it however. This is a slow week for work, so I've decided to take some time off for personal things. Starting tomorrow. Though yesterday and today have been days off as well. Yesterdy wasn't really a productive day, I watched "The Aviator" once again, and just relaxed for the majority of the day. Today I am however feeling slightly more ambitious. I made banana bread. (I'm not really into the whole baking thing, but I hate to waste the bananas, and I am a fan of banana bread) The last couple I times I've made this yummy dessert I have forgotten to include always one key ingredient. This time it was the sugar. I have no idea what this is gonna taste like, I suspect it will be awful. I also mopped my floor as it needed it desperately. Yes, I am a stay-at-home mom today. The remainder of the day is mostly going to be reserved for writing postcards to casting places and doing creative stuff. Exciting no?