"The Office Window" Rated PG-13

I was sitting at my desk at work playing my daily Su Doku puzzle. It was a nail-biting “hard” puzzle that was not going to get the best of me. I was just about to put the number 3 into the 7/4 space when all the sudden I heard screaming from across the building. It was one of those laughing screams, like “Hey everyone, you guys have got to come over and see this” kind of screams.

By the time I got to the office where the yells were coming from, there was a crowd of people already jamming their way in. Everyone was looking East out the window and pointing to the top level of the parking structure across the street. There was a man and woman who seemed to be very close. From what I could see through the bobbing and weaving of my co-worker’s heads, the girl was hugging her partner with her legs. I had never thought of hugging my wife that way in public, but they both had smiles on their faces so I guess it must be a term of endearment in their country. I think the man was in a better hugging position because it looked like the woman kept moving around to try and get comfortable.

After about 5 minutes, she must have lost her contact because she fell out of site for a while. The guy didn’t seem to care, which made me feel sorry for the woman. He didn’t help her look for it, he just leaned up against the wall, closed his eyes and took a little nap. I think he might have been drunk, since he kept swaying back and forth while holding up the wall. The woman must have found the contact because she came back up and gave the man the “traditional” American hug (I don’t know why, he didn’t find her contact for her). I assume, while the woman was looking for her contact, she must have seen a stain on the man’s pants because the woman’s hand was out of site but moving pretty fast. I figured it was a coffee stain ‘cause those are hard to get out. Darn that Starbucks and their delicious Cafe Mocha's.

At that point I had to leave because I was supposed to be in a meeting 10 minutes prior, but I think the woman must have got the stain out the guy’s pants. For about a minute, there was a lot of cheering on the other side of the building. It put a smile on my face. I love to see when people help out other people. I just hope he helps her look for her contact next time, it’s the least he could do.

My Star-ry Eyed View

I awoke this morning to some disturbing headline news. Yesterday on "The View", Star Jones-Reynolds surprised the whole world with the announcement that her contract would not be picked up for a 10th season. I had to grab the Q-Tips from under the bathroom sink and really clean out my ears to make sure I heard everything correctly. Let me repeat that:

Star Jones-Reynolds is no longer on "The View".

Yesterday, Ms. Jones-Reynolds let her audience know about her departure from this long-running show two days early. Yes, she was not supposed to let the cat out of the bag until Thursday morning's show, but she awoke on Tuesday morning and felt that is was her duty as a "celebrity" and a "credible news person" not to hold onto this important information.

After spilling the beans, this was the number one story of the day. Let me put that into perspective for her long-time fans of the show. Yesterday in the news:

RAFAH, Gaza Strip -
Israel turned up the pressure on Palestinian militants to release a captive soldier Wednesday, sending its warplanes to bomb a Hamas training camp after knocking out electricity and water supplies for most of the 1.3 million residents of the Gaza Strip.

BAGHDAD, Iraq -
Iraqi forces captured a key al-Qaida suspect wanted in the bombing of a Shiite shrine, but the mastermind of the attack that brought the country to the brink of civil war was still at large, a top security official said Wednesday.

Associated Press
Storms swept into the Northeast on Wednesday, forcing thousands of people from their homes, including more than 2,200 who fled from a rising Maryland lake. A section of interstate highway was washed out in New York state and at least nine deaths were blamed on the stormy weather. Three people were missing.

Associated Press
Star Jones has quit "The View." She called her time on the show "the most amazing nine years of my entire professional and personal life." Jones didn't announce a reason, but it's been widely speculated that she'd leave before Rosie O'Donnell came on the show to replace Meredith Vieira. O'Donnell has publicly criticized Jones for not revealing how she lost all the weight she's lost. Jones says her last day will be sometime in mid-July. She says she's "not sure what the future holds." Jones then got a standing ovation from her co-hosts and the audience.

I later found out that she was asked not to return to the show on Wednesday after making this early announcement. I had to hold back my tears. Why, I ask you? WHY???? (falling to the ground with my head in my tear-filled hands)

I know being in this movie-making industry, I should care about what happens with celebrities that might or might not affect my career. However, when celebrity stories push out far more important stories of true tragedy from the mainstream, I find it hard to care. I feel bad that Star lost her job, like so many other people did yesterday, but, as a celebrity, she will bounce back, unlike so many other people.

A Working Actor's Lament (Chapter 22)

"Copy This!!!"

Three days.

Three long, frustrating days. How many more would there be?

Sure, on day one the sun was shining, the clouds were floating effortlessly above the homes and condos in Los Angeles, the air was a hot, but breezy, 83 degrees. However, the temperature would soon be rising in the actor's blood-boiling frame. There was no stopping it, and everyone in close proximity would feel the heat.

He had the answer to his problems...www.freewarefiles.com. Here he would find the program that would allow him to make copies of his film. Copies that would change the movie-making media as the world knew it. If only he had one clean copy in a format that could be used. He downloaded DVD2XviD 1.0.75 , which was supposed to convert his movie file into a format that could easily be read by his DVD Burning software. After 4 hours he figured he would try another program, one that wouldn't make him feel so stupid and incompetent. He tried again with the Avi2Dvd 0.4.4 Beta. This had to be better software, it was the pick of the litter from others who had downloaded before him. After an additional 5 hours pounding on his keyboard, he had given up hope. He would try again tomorrow, but this time at the local Fry's Electronics.

It amazed him and his wife when they walked down the aisles and aisles of software for the computer. He would surly be able to find something here, some 'golden egg' in this Willie Wonka store of electronics. Looking at box after box of DVD software, he started to realize that he may be way in over his head. He knew that Adobe made two programs, "Premiere Pro" and "Premiere Elements", that would be able to help, but both of these cost the same amount as a full tank of gas in Los Angeles...hundreds of dollars on a good day. Maybe his golden egg had not passed the test and was already in the incinerator with all the other bad eggs. Only the salesperson would know.

The pasty 'Fry' man stepped out from behind his counter. Either he was a vampire who loved indoor fluorescent lighting or he was a dungeon child who needed to attract UV rays in the worst way. The actor asked where the converting software could be and then followed the glowing white beacon of flesh back to the aisle he had just walked out from. His hopes began to fade. He had already searched every carton of software, looking over the labels for the answer that he needed, and had come up empty. What would this walking lighthouse tell him that he didn't already know?

"Did you know that you can download Premiere Pro and Elements free for 30 days from the Adobe website?"

That was all he had to hear. He grabbed his wife's hand and they flew back home to download more free software, only this time he knew it would work.

7 HOURS?!?!?!?!? That is how long it would take to download the 'free' software from Adobe. "Well," the actor thought, "I sleep for 5 hours, so I should start it two hours before I go to bed. Then the morning sun will shine upon me with love." He was becoming delusional, but no one could tell him differently. He clicked on the "download now" button and headed off to watch "The Incredibles" before bedtime.

At 5 am, he arose from his pillow and went over to his computer. Only 45 minutes left. He could shower, take his faithful dog, Max, outside and still have time to see if the newly added program to his harddrive would work. This was going to be a good day.

The 'loading' bar got to the end. It was done. He clicked on the zip file that had been sent to his desktop and installed the program. So far, so good. And then, there it was. The icon looked so beautiful. Blues and greens and reds all looking inviting, as if to say "click on me and I will take you to another world, a world of editing desires and converting dreams." He moved the cursor over the icon and with one click he was on his way...

The error message violently came across the screen, making the actor feel like he just ran his car through a huge billboard of pixels heading towards the void below. He click around and nothing was happening, just error message after error message. He thought he might find an answer to what was happening on the Adobe website and clicked to open a browser. It was then that reality came crashing down on him with no mercy. He realized that, sometime during the night, AT&T felt the need to disconnect his computer from the world wide web. He would have to start all over, another 7 hours, another leap of faith. He pushed the power button on his computer and watched the monitor's glow diminish to a small speck in the middle of the screen. "What a way to start the day," he thought to himself as he turned the key in the ignition and headed off to work.

As he sat at his cubicle under the fluorescent lights, he began to feel more and more like the 'Fry' guy and wondered if he looked just as pale. He had been beaten up and spit out like Ivander Holyfield's ear, but there was no one there to stitch him back together. He would have to fix this on his own. The more he thought about it, the more he was convinced the $40 that was quoted to him by the duplicating company a few days earlier didn't sound so bad. He would have paid $40 for piece of mind.

After work, with his tail between his legs, he walked into the duplicating office and put his credit card on the counter. He kept repeating to himself like a crazy man about to walk into the shrinks office, "Yes, this is worth every penny." One hour later, the 4000 pennies from his credit card account seemed to be enough weight to take off his shoulders. He floated home with one clean copy of his film...and without a care in the world.

The Missing Links

Here is a great internet site. Josh Hosler has created a database of songs where you can input any day and find out what was the #1 song on that date.

You don't just have to put in your birthday - put in that memorable Christmas day that you had to spend alone with a gallon of Haagen Dazs Extra Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream of Death because your girlfriend decided to leave you for a tanned surfer 'dude' with the rock hard abs who was sponsored by Coppertone to travel the world placing 1st in every surfing competition he entered and lived in a 4500 square foot mansion with 4 swimming pools, 3 French Maids, 2 Tennis Courts, and a Cottage under a Pear Tree.

Or, you could put in your birthday...it doesn't really matter.

What was the #1 song on the day you were born?

A Working Actor's Lament (Chapter 21)

"The Read-Thru"

Sitting in traffic on the 405 Southbound for Culver City on a Saturday morning, Sean began to think about all the preparation he had done the days before.

David, a fellow actor and writer, was sweet enough to ask him if he would be interested in doing a 'reading' of a sitcom he is working on. The actor had seen the first public reading of the first episode David had performed at the Complex Theater, a run-down building that should have been condemned during the Kennedy administration, and thought it was well cast. He especially couldn't take his eyes off the actress playing one of the office workers. The way she said her lines with conviction...breathtaking. He thanked God that she was married to him. And now, David was standing at his work cubicle requesting his talent. "Of course!!!", he heard himself say without hesitation. Could this be it? Could things be on the upswing for him?

He grab the script and began to highlight his lines with the bright yellow "Major Accent Highlighter" with fury. He couldn't believe all the lines he was given. At times he had to put down the colored implement in fear of getting Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Page after page of lines, in addition to music cues where he would possibly be singing. His wife even gave him her karaoke tapes of the songs mentioned in the script. He quickly wrote the lyrics to the side of his lines so he would not mess up when the time came to belt out his tune. How could David have given him such a role without ever seeing what he could do? It didn't matter, he was going to step up to the plate and hit it out of the park. He would show David that he was the only person for this role, and he would make it as memorable as Tom Hanks did with Forrest Gump. This was going to be an award winning performance.

He pulled into his parking spot at Audra's apartment, David's partner in crime, at 10:58 AM...2 minutes early. He thought about what his acting teacher had told him, "Don't show up too early for an audition, but never show up late." He thought, even though this wasn't an audition, this was a good rule of thumb for everything. Two minutes was good. Real good. When he got into the apartment, he mingled with the other cast members who had already arrived. He thought to himself, "They have probably been here for hours...novices!"

Everyone settled into their chairs and opened their scripts. He knew he had the first line and he was going to nail it. David looked at him and told him to start whenever he was ready. Here we go...

"Interior - Office - Day. Tom is at his desk. Bill enters"

YES!!!! YES!!!!! HE NAILED IT!!!! The looks on everyone's faces were obstructed by their own scripts in hand, but he knew they had just seen something extraordinary and were probably hiding their amazement. His next line was coming up...was he ready? Only time would tell.

"Bill exits"

THERE IT WAS!!!! Another solid delivery. He was on fire. Nothing could stop him. As he began to prepare for his next line, he remembered that he had cued the music on his portable tape recorder. Here was his big moment...he would hit play and let the intro music project him into a bombastic performance that had not been seen since the Three Tenors had come to town. He read his cue:

"SFX - Music cue"

He hit play on the tiny machine. The music came across the small two inch speaker with the clarity of a small gnat flying around one's ear. He listened as the cast took their cues from the music and read their lines. He took a big breath and was about to begin to sing when...

"SFX - Music fades"

It was too late. The others, nervous of his performance, sped through their lines. As he hit the stop button on the miniature stereo, he wondered if they had planned that. Were they so nervous to hear his Pavoratti-like chords that they sabotaged his only vocal performance of the show? He would never find out. However, the day was not over. He kept going with tenacity and driven confidence:

"Tony answers the phone"
"Pause"
"Exterior - Office - Night"
"Bill leaves the room"

He had rehearsed and rehearsed and it looked as if it paid off. As the cast got to the end of the script, he knew he had the last line...the big ending. As he took a breath, feeling confident that his preparation showed. Here it was, the final line. It was all his:

"Fade out"

As the cast closed their scripts, there was a silence that filled the room. One thought filled the actor's head; did he come close to the talent that was standing in front of him? As he shook hands with his fellow actors, complimenting them on their exceptional work, he could only pray that he did. Walking to his car, he began to write his acceptance speech.

"I would like to thank the acadamy..."

A Working Actor's Lament (Chapter 20)

"The Coffee Fix...and More"

As he pulled into the parking lot of the Starbucks, the one he used to frequent every day (if not every hour) but had changed to the 'new and improved' Starbucks located inside the local Albertson's, the actor began to think about the Baristas he had come to know. At the Alberbuck's, over the past year and a half, he had watched as Nick struggled with college and girls, only to leave for Texas to follow his continuing education with the armed forces. He remembered Janet, the current manager, when she was just a lowly latte girl, and noticed the hardness that comes with taking a position of power over her friends. There was Iliana, Christina and all the others that have come and gone for all their own personal reasons, whether it was for school or boyfriends or rehab or staying one step in front of 'the man'. As he walked up to the front door, with his wife leading the way, he began to wonder who would be left here, a year and a half later.

The sun was shining brightly through the windows facing East. He thought to himself how cool it would be to work in his shades all day. Waiting in the line, 4 people long, he looked around for familiar faces behind the counter. Where was Lisa, the friendly, newly married 20-something that always greeted the actor's family with a smile and a story about her acting career? Jeff was long gone, following his dreams of becoming the next Brad Pitt (or maybe Pauly Shore, he couldn't remember) but he was still missed in the espresso scented air. Yes, there were a lot of new faces, but then Dolly turned around and made eye contact with the past regulars. A big smile came across her face as she greeted the actor and his wife with the standard Starbuck's "So nice to see you again". However, they felt, it came from the heart. They were not merely customers, but these two had become acquaintances of Dolly, just like every other caffeine-addicted Californian who had walked through the door.

As they ordered their regular liquid dreams (one Grande Iced Coffee in a Venti cup with extra ice and no sweetener with room for milk, and a Grande Coffee Frappaccino), Dolly asked if they had heard about Lisa. Well, the actor remembered that his wife was getting postcards inviting her to candle parties and shows Lisa was performing at The Hollywood Fightclub, but that was the last they had heard from her. Dolly had a gleam in her eye, the kind of sparkle where you know gossip is going to spew from her lips. Dolly began to tell the man and woman a tale of Lisa's divorce to her husband and moving to Utah with her 'girlfriend' where she was still working as a barista. As she informed them of Lisa's last trials over the past year and a half, the smile on the actor's face began to fade. Who were these people who got hired at the coffee shop and why did he care so much about their lives? When did a Starbucks barista's life choices surpass anyone else in his life: his wife, his friends, his siblings, his parents, his noisy neighbor who lived below them with the screaming child at two in the morning? Did he know more about these people than those close to him?

As he shut the car door, Frap in hand, he turned the key in the ignition and sat there for a moment. His wife gave him a look of confusion, one that asked him if everything was alright. He took a sip of his caffeine as a smile came back across his face. He had figured out the secret formula of Starbucks.

Thank You, Starbucks!!!!!

He thanked them for having the fore sight to hire Tween's and Twenties with lives more confusing and messed up then their customers. He thanked them for knowing how to find the employees that can heave a diatribe of problems and holy-messes where their customers can leave feeling good about themselves and have a place to go to tomorrow for the same sensation. He thanked them for finally hearing him and giving him a COFFEE Frappaccino instead of a CARAMEL Frappaccino.

A joyous tear fell across his cheek, impatient for the sun to come up the next day. What a great life he had.

A Working Actor's Lament (Chapter 19)

"The Diet Teaser"

She was a pretty woman; curly red hair that went to her shoulders, brown-green eyes that looked like a rootbeer and sour apple Jelly Belly had been melted together in her eye socket, a smile that showed the glistening venom of guilt. He knew he was in trouble as she turned the corner of his cubicle, a cubicle strategically hidden from the rest of the company so he could surf Variety.com and The Hollywood Reporter.net without prying eyes.

Her hands were behind her back, the way she always held them when she would come in for a sweet kiss. But this time the actor noticed something else...deception. He forgot that it was a co-worker's birthday, a day where pies and sweets were brought in by the devil, also known as Bret, the manager. As she slowly showed the plate of Lemon Cheesecake emerging from her backside, the actor's mind went into overdrive:

- Chocolate Cookie Crust = 100 sit ups
- Lemon meringue = 250 inverted squats
- Whipped Whip Cream = 45 minutes on the treadmill
- Crushed Cashew Nuts = 45 pull ups, 45 push ups, 90 butt clinches

He held the triangular treat to his nose, hoping that the woman had not previously had beans for lunch, and sniffed the sweet aroma of a heart attack. He thought of hours of sweat dripping from the nap of his neck, down his back, past the elastic in his gym shorts, changing his boxers into swim trunks. Would it be worth it?

As he watched the plate hit the bottom of the trash can, the sugar-delight sticking to the sides of the liner, he realized that she was out to get him. The look she gave him through her Jelly Belly irises could not be mistaken. He would make his wife pay.

A Working Actor's Lament (Chapter 18)

"An Actor by Any Other Name..."

As the actor sat behind the desk, trapped in his working class physique, he began to think about his name. Was it enough to get him noticed? He was, after all, using his birth name. Sean Spence. A solid name. The name of someone you could trust with your life if your life depended on a man who had the strength of 3 medium built Junior High girls who played the flute, the oboe and the clarinet. A name that, when spoken, brought fear to the hearts of tiny defenseless puppies who didn't know any better. He pondered what could be better.

He started to notice a trend in the Woods of Holly. Many actors with solid names, Vince Vaughn, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, were all updating their monikers. The simple addition of a woman into their lives was the only change. It was not as if they were taking the woman's last name; no, it was more creative. They would merge their names, the way a Yugo merges onto the interstate without seeing the 18-wheeler coming at it with break-neck speed only to be crushed and mangled beyond any recognition of it's former self. Vaughniston, Brangelina, Tomkat, Bennifer. Yes! This was the way into the hearts of his public. But would it work?

He sat back and thought of the other famous couplings from those Angels of Los and wondered why everyone wasn't doing this throughout the history of celebrity:

Ashton and Demi = Ashmi
Kurt and Goldie = Kurldie
Kevin and Britney = Kritney
Frankie and Annette = Franette
Fred and Ginger = Fringer
Warren and Annette = Wanette
Paul and Joanne = Paulanne
Siskle and Ebert = Sisbert
Homer and Marge = Homarge
Tracy and Hepburn = Trapburn
Romeo and Juliet = Romiet
Ken and Barbie = Karbie
Laurel and Hardy = Lardy
John, Paul, George and Ringo = Joulorgo

He leaned back in his comfy swivel chair with the squeaky rollers (squollers) and the springy cushion (sprushion) and thought to himself, "Sean Spence is not a bad name. Not a bad name at all."

Photo Caption Fun

I recently was sent this photo over the email system here at work and thought if any photo was screaming for a caption, this one was it. Needless to say, I have too much time at work, so here we go:

1. "No, I said 'The Biggest Fridgidaire', not 'Fridge with Beer'"
2. "What, no Bud Light?"
3. "I don't think anyone will mind if I'm a little late to cousin Stu's baptism."
4. "Mmmmm, cirrhosis"
5. Costco's New 'Beers Of Europe' 504 Pack
6. Step one of the Polish DMV
7. "There is no way my blind date could be THIS ugly"

Feel free to let me know of any you think should be added.

Thanks, Mimi, for the input.

A Working Actor's Lament (Chapter 17)

"A Man, A Movie, and a Mission"

He thought the end was near. He was at least hoping his exit ramp on the road of life was getting closer to the headlights of his future. After thinking this, he realized that he was making no sense at all, the way a pack of wolves sounds to the peacock who desperately tries to understand the growls of her attackers. He thought, "Yeah, sort of like that."

Anywho...

The filmmaker had planned everything, right down to the last edit, the last color correction, the last infinitesimal sound...he was finished. Finally, a final copy had been finalized. Finally. He was walking away from the editor with what can only be described as the proverbial "triple threat": one version of his cinematic baby on his newly acquired external drive; one on a DVD, where, if the sun hit it just right, it would reflect a rainbow to the heavens, angels faintly heard behind the clouds; and one on a MiniDV cassette tape that was just a tape. A menage-a-trois of joy and delight, if you will, that would end up being the bane of it's own existence.

Key, turn, open, close, walk, box, open, insert, cord, power, boot...he was ready to see if all the trouble was worth the 10's of 100's of cash he had spent to give his "lucid" dream life. As the sweat beaded on his brow, the way sweat beads on a brow, he opened the folder marked "Lucidity PIX LOCK". His hands trembling, like a child who was just about to touch the hot stove again because of his short term memory, he clicked and waited. As he sat there with the nothingness that was coming across his screen, a thought of monkeys playing in a field of lilies passed through his cerebral cortex; where it was going he did not know. As the folder opened, he noticed those beads of sweat gathering over his eye. He noticed them because they were over his eye, there was no way to miss them.

The film started...but paused...then started again...pause...start...pause...pause...pause...like the paws of a puppy trying to walk for the first time, then crashing to the ground, only to try again with the same conclusion to follow.

How could this be? Why would this happen? Where is Rerun from "What's Happening?" What's happening, indeed.

The filmmaker did not feel defeated, for only one of the "trois" was bad. What are the chances of two, or even three, of the copies he had in his possession being worthless? As the tray that held the DVD closed and locked, he knew he was about to find out. Just then, a bead of sweat rolled off his brow onto his jeans, his newly washed jeans that were now dirtied from the salt water stain. He remember how he hated salt water.

The film started...but paused...then started again...pause...start...pause...pause...pause...like the paws of a puppy trying to walk for the first time, then crashing to the ground, only to try again with the same conclusion to follow.

The filmmaker was having another French moment, but this one felt more like a deja vu. As the tears began to well up in his eyes, he had two lingering thoughts: how could this have happened, and try not to get anymore salt water on his jeans. He knew he had but one copy left; however, he had no way of watching it to make sure that puppy paws were not there. Then he remembered watching it while sitting with the editor. He remembered not seeing any puppies, no dogs, or wolves, or peacocks. Nothing. He had a "clean" copy. A worthless, clean copy. He had no camera that he could put the tape into to burn his own DVD or to upload to his external drive. He searched for a French saying to fit this predicament but none came to mind, then Voila!!! It hit him, and if only there were a French word he could have used.

He knew that the dubbing company that helped him last year could make a DVD copy for him from the MiniDV he had in his possession. It could not be more than $5 to add his film onto a glistening sphere of metal. He jumped into his Toyota Corrola, the way a baby kangaroo jumps into their mother's pouch, puts on their seatbelt of fat and holds on for the ride of their life, and he was off.

Quad One Video, the destination. Would they be open? Yes. Would the salesperson be helpful? Yes. Would it be $5?

As the filmmaker woke up in what could only be described as the bed in his apartment, suffering from an obvious coronary, he asked his lovely wife what had happened. Her hair flowing down around his face as she looked down at him, she told him about the salesperson; about how he informed the filmmaker that a DVD copy from a MiniDV tape would cost $40; about the sweat and tears rolling down his face as he blubbered his way back to his car, no DVD copy in hand. As she went to get him a glass of cold water, he laid there on his comfy, king-sized tomb of despair, thinking of the monkeys in the lilies. What did it mean? Would he ever know?

He rolled over and put his face into the soft pillow and began to weep. Between the sweat and tears he was now producing, he knew he would have to wash the sheets. Damn, that salt water.

Brilliant But Cancelled

Here is a great site for those of us who were loyal fans of shows that the rest of the public just didn't understand. Why? I don't know, he's on third and I don't give a damn.

Check them out, but know that not all of our favorite shows are there. "The Boys are Back", "Stark Raving Mad", "Herman's Head", "Square Pegs", "Fish Police", and "Cop Rock" are no where to be found.

Brilliant But Cancelled

Time to play catch-up...

Well, here we go. I have decided to let my old domain go, so any past monthly news letters are going to that recycle trash can in the sky (or the one on my desktop). I have decided to play catch up with technology and get my own personal blog up for the world to see. I will still give you the in and outs of what is going on with my acting career, as well as little tidbits here and there. So, let's begin where I left off:

I have decided to start submitting my short film, "Lucidity", to any and all film festivals that will take me (PLEASE!!!). Actually, I am doing my homework on this one and have narrowed the playing field from over 2000 festivals out there to a strong 23. That number will probably go down once I look over all of the qualifying factors. Already in the mail and on the way to being judged, I have submitted to:

• The Los Angeles International Shorts Film Festival
• The Palm Springs International Shorts Fest
• Chicago REEL Shorts Film Festival
• Slamdance Film Festival

I will keep everyone abreast (what a weird word that is) as to what film festivals it gets into and when those will be.

Please put this blog in your favorites as this is the best way to keep abreast (there is that word again) of what is going on with my acting and my sanity.

Also, give me some time to get this page up and running. I like the way it looks right now, but I would love to make some changes and add more things I think you might enjoy.