Thank Friday 3.1.13

There have been a number of highlights over the past two weeks, though it’s been difficult at times as well. My grandfather passed away at the age of 91. Although it wasn’t a surprise, it was still shocking and tough to digest. He’s had gray hair since I’ve been alive, and yet not once did I ever consider him old. He was the epitome of someone who lived life to the fullest.

+ Celebrated Grandpa’s life with a service and a reception. I got to spend time with family.
+ I was able to learn a lot about my Grandpa’s life when I put together a photo slideshow for his service.
+ We watched the Oscars, which I found somewhat boring and drawn out. I was happy with the winners though and love Jennifer Lawrence even more.
+ I met with my women’s writing group. My friend Julia came along this time. I always leave there feeling motivated.
+ I’ve been able to work out with my best friend a handful of times over the last two weeks.
+ I filled out and submitted all that dreaded tax paperwork.
+ I got my hair cut!
+ My wife and I went and had Ike’s sandwiches for lunch one day.
+ I finished cleaning up a flower bed in the backyard and then planted succulents.
+ My wife and I had breakfast with our friend Tiffany in Pacifica one morning.
+ My best friend and I spent one beautiful weekday afternoon working out on the back deck in the sun.
+ I finished reading all of the Oscar-nominated screenplays before the big show.
+ My wife, best friend and I had drinks at an outdoor fire pit one evening.
+ The Foreign Exchange released their latest project, THE REWORKS. Dude!
+ I’m feeling really good about the writing I’ve done as of late.
+ My kitty-cat turns nine today!

Have a great weekend! Read more →

Thankful Friday 2.15.13

Sound the bells! Crack open a beer! The weekend has arrived!

Or at least it will be here in about seven hours when I turn off the computer at the end of the work day. I want to dance when I think about the next three days. I’m going to catch up on sleep, go out to breakfast, skateboard, enjoy the beautiful weather in the Bay, and get some work done in the yard. Also, I’ll probably be getting dragged to see the new DIE HARD (that’s all part of being a supportive spouse).

This past week:

+ Celebrated V-day yesterday by going to dinner and the movies. We caught all of the live action Oscar-nominated shorts. The program included the animated ones as well, but we couldn’t stay up that late. That’s what happens when you’re over 30.
+ Fit in two workouts with my best friend this week.
+ Had a great talk on the phone with my sister.
+ Read Quentin Tarantino’s DJANGO UNCHAINED screenplay.
+ Met with the director of my next short film, BREAKFAST AT GERARDO’S.
+ Cracked open a super nice bottle of wine kindly donated by my parents.
+ Balanced my freelance writing with my script work. Taking it one day / hour / minute at a time!

Have a great weekend!

Thankful Friday 11.30.12

Good morning. The rain is really coming down today in the Bay. Add the inclement weather to the long week I’ve had and the result is a 0.1% motivation level to work today. I’d much rather just stay in sweats and go on a BROTHERS & SISTERS marathon. I’m incredibly late with getting into that television series… about six years late. I finally discovered its brilliance and have been streaming it while working over the past few weeks.

Luckily, what I have to work on today are fun projects. I’ll knock out my freelance responsibilities first so that I can spend the rest of my time tightening up the draft of the feature script I recently finished. I’ll also spend time outlining a new short script that I’m writing just for the fun of it. The short’s inspired by the annual agreement my wife and I have where I allow her full control of the radio so that she can listen to holiday music from Thanksgiving through Christmas Day.

I’ve missed a couple weeks of Thankful Friday, including Thanksgiving week, which I have no excuse for missing, so let me think back on all the goodies from the last fourteen days or so.

+ Spent Thanksgiving Day with my wife and mother in law. We had an awesome time and finished up the night by playing cards and drinking scotch.
+ Spent the day after Thanksgiving with my immediate family, which was nice because it seems as if we haven’t seen each other as often lately.
+ Emailed off a draft of the feature script I’ve been working on to the man who’s hired me. We’re going to talk soon about where to go from here.
+ We finally recycled our little wine fridge that hasn’t worked in over four years. There’s now extra room on the kitchen counter!
+ I read Judd Apatow’s script THIS IS 40. You can find it here.
+ Benny Gold had a Cyber Monday sale so I was able to pick up a couple things for a sweet deal.

Hope you all have great (and dry) weekend!

Thankful Friday 11.16.12 / Peek-a-boo

Peeking out from my laptop to say hello. I’ve been busy finishing up the first draft of this feature script that ‘s currently on my plate. I work slower than I’d prefer. What I think should take me a day to complete ends up taking me a week. Because of the constant need I have to be productive, it’s difficult for my to digest. I don’t feel accomplished if I’m not able to mark items off my to-do list, so when projects run over into the next day, I have a tendency to get slightly discouraged. Constant reminders to just focus on making progress everyday help… sometimes.

There are a number of things to be thankful for this week:

+ Watched my sister-in-law’s collge basketball game. Though they lost, it was good to see her face. Plus, the group I went with hit up Fenton’s afterwards for ice cream and French fries.
+ My sister earned her Phlebotomy certification.
+ We watched a friend’s doggie and the unthinkable happened. My cat and the dog actually got along.
+ My wife and I went to a recital by Jay Krohnengold, who played MR. GROMMEL in my short film, SLY SYLVESTER. He rocked the performance. It made me want to write a musical for him.
+ Attended the BlueCat Screenwriting Workshop last weekend and picked up a number of great tips from writer and BlueCat director, Gordy Hoffman.

This weekend I’ll be attending a script reading, having pre-Thanksgiving dinner with some friends, and trudging through the challenges of writing this script. Hope you all have a great one!

Thankful Friday 11.9.12

Back for another Thankful Friday post. This week has been busy (what else is new) and there’s a lot to be thankful for.

+ My wife and I celebrated being together for 12 years with what we love to do most– dinner and a movie.
+ President Obama was re-elected.
+ Washington, Maine and Maryland voted to allow marriage for everyone. Minnesota shot down marriage limitations.
+ Went and saw Oddisee in concert at 330 Ritch in SF. Hesitant to go since it was in the middle of the week and was going to be a late night. So happy I went. Met Oddisee. He signed my albums and put on a high energy, passionate show.
+ After months of being on a strict diet, my kitty cat Peja returned to the vet for his annual check-up. He’s lost a bunch of weight!
+ Got in two workouts with my best friend. Happy that we’re able to fit in time together despite our busy schedules.
+ Had a good phone convo with my momma and sister.
+ My hair was cut! The first week after getting trimmed up is the best.
+ Benny Gold releases his new Shotwell Collection today. I won’t be able to get there until tomorrow, but I’m pumped to see what he’s put together for this drop.
+ Tomorrow I’m attending the BlueCat Screenwriting Workshop in SF. Should be fun.
+ Progress, albeit slow, was made on the feature script. The guy that is waiting to read it is, I’m sure, going to lose his mind if I don’t get it to him soon.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Thankful Friday 11.2.12

TGIF.

+ Spent Wednesday in San Francisco to watch the San Francisco Giants World Series parade!
+ We didn’t run out of Halloweeny candy, though now I’ve found myself making my way to the kitchen about seven times a day to grab a couple pieces.
+ My friends on the East Coast are doing okay after Sandy’s wrath.
+ Had vegetarian (unintended) tacos with my best friend and wife.
+ After waking up Monday with my left heel screaming profanities, it’s starting to feel better.
+ Though it’s been a nonstop challenge, I’m really making great progress with the feature script.
+ Completed and mailed in my absentee ballot.

This weekend I’ll be writing, sleeping, checking out a launch of a local parklet and consuming left over Halloweeny candy. Hope you all have a great couple of days.

Thankful Friday 10.26.12

I’ve been extremely tired over the last week and a half and didn’t realize why until I began to put together this post. I’ve been hitting it pretty hard lately and as a result, I’ve been in a constant daze. Yesterday I laid down for a quick 30-minute power nap and ended up konked out for two hours.

Nevertheless, it’s been a great couple of weeks. Here’s what I have to be thankful for over the last week:

+ The trip to Austin for the Austin Film Festival and Conference was a success! More on this to come.
+ It’s officially fall in the Bay and I’m loving every second of it. It’s gorgeous outside.
+ My wife and I saw The Foreign Exchange in concert, which is cool because they’re going to be MIA for a while as they put together their next album.
+ On the following night, a few friends and my wife and I went to see Allen Stone in concert. The envision I had of some indie rock artist seated and picking at his acoustic guitar was WAY OFF, let me tell you. That guy knows how to put on a damn show.
+ We went to a party celebrating a friend’s birthday.
+ We got our dishwasher serviced so it’s no longer at risk for catching fire at any moment.
+ Kendrick Lamar dropped his official debut album. I haven’t had the opportunity to fully digest it yet, but what I’ve heard so far makes me a happy camper.
+ Um… the San Francisco Giants are up 2-0 over the Detroit Tigers in the World Series. Yeah baby!
+ My wife and I caught PITCH PERFECT in the theaters. Oh, and I used my new MoviePass membership card, which was sweet.
+ I ordered a couple of Oddisee concert tickets for next month. I’m so over late shows where I have to stand for hours, but I couldn’t pass this up. The tickets were only $10 and he’s one of my all-time favorites.
+ My wife and I are doggy sitting for the next few days. It’s great, because she forces me to get out of the house during the day. Plus, so far Peja (our cat) hasn’t lost his shit, which is a HUGE plus.

This weekend will be dedicated to having some R&R time with my wife, filling out my absentee ballot, a little bit of writing and watching the San Francisco Giants take home the World Series trophy!

Thankful Friday 10.12.12

Yay for Fridays. I’m banking on one day figuring out this life/work balance so that I don’t wake up EVERY SINGLE MORNING sleepy as hell. Still, what keeps me awake for too many hours are positive things; my wife, friends, family, work, and lately… the San Francisco Giants. Wow! The Giants have been so much fun to root for over the last few years. They’re an exciting group of guys and I’m so proud of them for coming together and bouncing back after the 0-2 deficit to beat the Cincinnati Reds.

Lots of positive things to be thankful for this week.

+ I get to watch the San Francisco Giants play for at least another week!
+ Shared dinner and frozen yogurt with my wife and best friend one evening.
+ Met up with a close friend to watch the Giants game earlier in the week.
+ I got to see my parents and sisters in Napa for a little bit.
+ I made a pesto, avocado, goat cheese sandwich and it was bomb dot com.
+ I self-published an interview I did with badass screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen. Check it out yet?
+ Macklemore & Ryan Lewis dropped their album, THE HEIST. I highly recommend you check out this project.
+ I experienced the craziness that is the Blue Angels air show. Whoa!
+ I was included in the RDQLUS Fall 2012 Lookbook. I’m so proud to be a part of this.

Hope you all have a great weekend. I’ll be spending time with family friends, meeting up with my local lady writer’s group and watching the Giants!

Thankful Friday 10.5.12

Perhaps I’m at that point in my life where I’m truly aware of how jacked up things are in the world. Watching the Presidential debate was nothing but discouraging, and even more troubling was the Facebook, Twitter and media responses. The focus was Romney’s aggressive approach versus President Obama’s more passive energy, as if we were all watching a reality television show and judging who was the most entertaining.

President Obama will be getting my vote this year, because while he hasn’t met every single promise or lived up to the ridiculous buzz from 2008 (as that was ever going to happen with how partisan our government, and communities at that, are right now), I don’t believe in looking out for just oneself without paying any regard to how your actions and decisions impact others. People get upset at President Obama for his lack of progress with the employment numbers and then go do their heaviest shopping at an establishment like Walmart, who pressure their retailers to provide goods at such low prices that they’re forced to send their production oversees. How screwed up things are right now is our fault as well, because we don’t care about anybody but ourselves.

Romney and his supporters have the idea that there’s some infinite amount of money out there for the taking, and that if people work hard enough and are smart enough, they will cross some imaginary finish line and get their due. But, really, there’s a finite amount of money out there. So, if you have someone like Romney who makes millions and millions per year, that means there is less available money to be made by others.

Plus there’s that issue that Romney is not a supporter of civil nor women’s rights that I have a problem with.

Anyway, as this was intended to be a Thankful Friday post, perhaps I should get back on topic.

+ It was a hot week in the Bay, but I enjoyed it. The house stays relatively cool and I simply soaked up the heat as much as possible before Fall shows up and I have to start wearing a beanie and down vest.
+ An interview I did with Julie Gray about the production of SLY SYLVESTER was published on her site.
+ My wife and I finished building our brick patio in the backyard.
+ I’ve been extremely consistent with my free writing exercise this week.
+ My friend and I fit in a quick workout together despite our busy schedules.
+ I added a couple of potted plants to the backyard. Things are slowly coming together back there!

This weekend will be all about watching the San Francisco Giants (and getting some writing in)! Have a great couple of days!

Thankful Friday 9.21.12

Thankful…

+ SLY SYLVESTER has been released to the masses!
+ I picked up some great tunes this week from Amoeba, including new releases from Brother Ali, Homeboy Sandman and Blu & Exile.
+ I cleaned up my bike and it’s now ready for cruising around town. Sorry Chevron.
+ My friend Danny Swain made his television debut on Jimmy Fallon last night!
+ I made my travel arrangements for next month’s Austin Film Festival & Conference.
+ I got back on my freelance grind. After getting slaughtered by taxes, it feels good to build up the account again.
+ This morning I saw the Endeavor Space Shuttle fly over the Oakland sky. What a sight!
+ Benny Gold released a new version of his Native 5-Panel. I may have already ordered it. Don’t tell my wife.

Hope you all have a great weekend!