musings on a mid-work week night

renowned pop culture journalist Chuck Klosterman wrote a book a few years ago entitled, "Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs." In it, he admitted the book, consisting of numerous short stories, originated from a collection of random thoughts he had written each night before bed.

No matter what the line of logic was, these were his thoughts [or at least the best collection of his thoughts]. And, since it's been a while since I've written anything meaningful, I thought I'd take a page out of his book and just ramble on about whatever it is that catches my fancy tonight.

So, here. we. go...

Chapter I: Staging of an Industrial Takeover [or, How I Survived My First Year in LA and Lived to Tell The Tale]

I'm realizing this part of my life is in a perpetual state of chaos. organized chaos, yes. complete FUBAR'd chaos, no. I'd say I'd err on the side of TARFU [or for those of you keeping score at home, that stands for Things Are Really F***ed Up]. work is amazing, although it does have its days. home is another story. and for those of you interested in the work side, I'll get into that --

home is what you make of it, and with 5-people living together in a place meant for 3, it feels more like my fraternity days [minus the good memories, carefree attitude, space or girls]. often times, I try to find an excuse not to be there when i'm not at work. as i've posted before - my weekends are spent searching for solace in the form of a mini vacation near the ocean. yet, during the work week - i'm usually only awake at home for maybe 3-hours out of the day. the rest is either spent at work [12 hr/day], the gym [2 hr/day] or commuting [~1 hr/day]. and please don't mistake what I am saying because, i'm not complaining, but things are not what you imagine when you set out to do something [so crazy, ambitious, insert random adjective here]. what's crazy though, is I am not alone in taking this route. so many successful and well-known filmmakers have already been down this path, and there is no better example than at the beginning of the movie, "Funny People."

If you watch it [it's not that great of a film, so I don't blame you if you haven't seen it/don't like it] archived footage of Adam Sandler is played during the opening credits to illustrate his modest start -- setting the stage for the incredible success that's assumed when the movie begins. This footage, however odd and weird, is actually real video shot by producer Judd Apatow when he and Sandler were just beginning their careers. What neither of them knew at the time [obviously] was that 20+ years later they would be among the most influential minds in comedic film. making that archived footage all the more amazing is that it represents a time in their life when the foundation for their future success was built [and later resurrected].

am I on that path?! now that's an honest good question. And who knows, but what I can tell you is that I feel like I am in the right place. my work place is an incredible arena of industry dealings, happenings and creativity. to me, it represents a fertile landscape plush with innumerable opportunities to learn first hand how big-budget movie-making is done. and with so much staging taking place [we have one film in post, about a dozen in development and one HUGE project that we're gearing to begin production on if the screenplay can come together and the professional relationships can coincide]. at times, it feels like i'm learning to drink through a fire-hose, and while things can become overwhelming, I can't imagine myself finding a better place to begin.

now, what i want to do is something entirely different. while producing is something i'd eventually like to get into - my heart is in a different arena. storytelling. now that leaves a lot of open ground. that could be writing, directing or producing -- but most of all i want to get back to doing is directing. I want to have the say in how an audience perceives a story through my visuals, my characterizations and interpretations from my talent [aka the actors or talking props, haha].

now, while i haven't worked on any projects myself [at least as of late] i'm constantly gathering information, collecting ideas and studying how the real professionals go about their work. am i on their level, oh hell no. not yet, at least. i've met some fairly renowned names in the directing world - and while i haven't had the opportunity to sit down and talk with them one-on-one regarding their craft, i watch. i listen. and i study.

who knows what it will all lead to. but as my ramblings have elaborate toward - i am here to take on all comers. i am here to do what i dreamt of doing. and while the road to success will be covered in potholes [aka the current living situation] and broken promises [that's a story for another time] - my day will come and i will not only achieve this dream. i will surpass all expectations.

that is my goal. that is my pledge. that is my promise.

anyway, i think i've rambled on enough for one night. and if you've made it this far - congratulations. you've won the war of attrition - as i'm sure the other two readers on here have probably quit by now, haha...

The PCH

Sometimes life outside of work is so routine that I feel the need to find that break from reality...enter the PCH. Whenever I'm in need of a two/three-hour vacation from normalcy I tend to find myself migrating toward this picturesque stretch of Pacific roadway and am instantly transformed into a world where things seemingly aren't too dull and mind-numbingly bland.

Bear with me re these pics - I didn't really find anything that sparked me too much today - but here's a small glimpse into the rabbit hole...





Song Of The Week:
Follow Me Down -- by: 3OH!3