a quick note...

Been so long since I wrote, I thought a quick note to all my readers would be timely. What's up, peeps? How are you?

Very busy here in Noe-LA LA land, working a lot, catering to the needs of party goers in the LA area. Television directors, movie stars, and six year olds alike have received some awesome catering from yours truly.

Of course that's not why I'm here, it's just my day job. Still waiting for that big break thats right around the corner. I can feel it.

A short film I was in last year is on line, you can see it here...
http://www.vimeo.com/7424860

And a indie feature I am in called The Seven Greatest Bathrooms In LA, (I know) is available to purchase on line as well. Looking for my next project! Someone want to cast me in a movie?


My friend Lance got me hooked up with this movie that shot in Chicago last month, and that turned into an associate producer role on "The Return Of Joe Rich", a cool indie film starring Armand Assante and Talia Shire. The director, Sam Auster is here in LA and I'm going to continue working on the film through post production. It should be a cool little film.

As for my films, Explode is still being edited. I have some new ideas to make it more abstract and less linear, expand the story with the footage I already shot by adding a voice over. it's gonna be very cool.

My first film, Slave, has been re-edited and I changed the name back to my original title, Meditations On Trafficking. As soon as I can gather up a thousand dollars to make DVD's I'll be self distributing the film on the web.

So, we moved in October and finally found a cool little house in the Highland Park neighborhood of LA. Its just north of downtown, close to Pasadena. 20 minutes from Hollywood, and we hear roosters crowing in a nearby backyard!

We have less square footage than the loft, but Kris and I each have our own working space, separate from each other, so it feels like we have more usable space. I'm writing to you now from the "MAN-CAVE", the detached garage that is my office and work space. No windows, no sunlight, no distractions. It was converted into a recording studio by the previous tenant, so it's sound proofed and I can play my guitar as loud as I like. It was a hard move, it took us two days to move all our stuff, but now that we are settled in, it is really great. Come on out and visit.

Thanksgiving has come and gone, Kris had a birthday, and here we are less than three weeks from Christmas. Another year of living in Paradise!

Hope all is well in your world.

N

Where's the refrigerator?

It's moving time. We've been in our loft for three years now, and it's time for a change. Mostly to lower our rent, but also for a change. Loft living is cool, but it has its drawbacks.

So I'm reminded of another curious thing about Los Angeles? Not every rental apartment comes with a refrigerator. Yes, I know that's odd, being from "back east". When I first moved here and looked at apartments, no one could really tell me why or how that started, just "...this apartment doesn't come with a refrigerator".

So, if you are a renter, you have to carry around a refrigerator with you when you move. I suppose you could leave it, I'm sure some people do. And what if you have a refrigerator and you move into a new place that has one already? I suppose you can sell yours, or ask the land lord to move his. If you do sell yours, and move again in a year, you may have to buy another one. It gets complicated. And if you find a really cool place and it doesn't have a fridge, would you really not take it because you have to spend a few hundred bucks on a fridge?

So as I scour Craig's List for our new apartment, I study the pictures of the kitchen closely. Is there a big empty space under the cabinet or not? Does it say refrigerator included? I even saw an ad today that says, " Comes with a gas stove!" Wow, really. The apartment comes with a stove? How nice.

We still haven't found where we are going to move to yet, but we have started the best part of moving...the Purge! Getting rid of stuff. Eliminating clutter before you move it. Going through everything you own and asking yourself, "Do I still want this?"

We started today, going through files and paperwork. I must have cleared at least thirty pounds of old paper from my file cabinets. Old bank statements, bills and receipts. And it's just the beginning. Oh, yeah, it feels real good. This time I made a promise; I will be brutal, I will be unrepentant in my purging, and I will take no prisoners.

Going to the beach day!

Work. Work. Work. All I do is work. Fuck that, I'm going to the beach today with my beautiful wife who looks so hot in a bikini.

The rest can wait. Job? Who needs a job. Money? Who needs money.

Ring, ring. The bank is calling honey, they want your ass in a sling. Let 'em wait. The beach is calling.

Gotta give to me for one day.

Can I see your crapper, please?

We are currently looking for a new apartment and will be moving in about six weeks. How fun.

I spend a lot of time on Craig's List looking at what is available for rent now, and I am always surprised by how bad the pictures are that people post, to entice me to come look at their rental units.

For example, if there is a window in the kitchen; and you would be amazed at how many apartments they built in Los Angeles with galley kitchens that have no window, but if there is a window, they leave the blinds closed.

Then there are the people who post pictures of the bathroom. Really, the apartment comes with a crapper and indoor plumbing? Wow, I'll take it. Do you really think that showing me your plain jane sink and toilet will jazz me up enought to run out and see it? Ah, at least turn the light on?

Why don't you save the space CL gives you for four photos for something interesting, like built in cabinets, the fire place, a view from the balcony? Oh, because your crappy apartment doesn't have anything like that to offer.

As a former location scout, I know how hard it is to photograph a small bedroom. It's impossible. You see a small sliver of a room that only looks smaller because there is such a narrow angle. At least open the closet door and give it a little depth?

hey land lords, call me, for $100 bucks I'll come shoot your apartment and make it look interesting. Till then, what's the next crapper look like?

New Uniforms for Congress!

So here's my idea. All Senators and Congress People have to wear the logos of their corporate sponsors like race car drivers.

We need to see when a congress person or senator gets up to speak on CSPAN who they are owned by.

For example, when the good Senator from the Sate of Montana gets up to speak against single payer health care, it would be nice if we can clearly see on his "uniform" all the campaign contributions from the insurance companies, health care providers, or pharmaceutical companies that he has taken. The bigger the donation, the higher up and the bigger it is on his uniform.

I think this is an idea whose time has come.