Quiet Days, Fun Days...

Days at work have been pretty quiet, so not much to mention on that front...except a little (I'll call it an) incident.  On Friday evening, after Delaware's bosses, the Creative Director and the other Assistant, MD left, she thought we were in the bungalow by ourselves.   So, she keep doing this ridiculous 'Magic Mike' dance (since that's one of the screeners we got).  I told her she was banned from dancing and could stop laughing because she looked a hot mess!!!

Well, she just kept doing this silly dance and closer to my desk.  Before she knew it, my boss walked out from her office, just when she was really getting into it, and she was BUSTED!!!  My boss was like "You two sound like you're having WAY too much fun out here!"...and Delaware and I could do nothing but laugh.  My Boss joined in as well.  It was a funny end of the work day.

Afterwards, Delaware and I joined a couple of her friends and we went to see 'Oscars Under the Sky', which is where the Academy of Motion Pictures, plays classic movies outside.  This week's movie was WHITE CHRISTMAS, which I'd never seen before, and it was pretty good.  Bing Crosby was super young, and Dorris Day was SUPER thin.  But it was a nice night...it was cold so we bundled up with blankets, brought subs, and just hung out.

There was even real Hollywood Fake Snow!!!

Saturday morning I was all pumped to go Snow Tubing at a nearby mountain...unfortunately, there was no real snow, and the weather has been too warm for them to make snow.  I guess the fake Hollywood snow wouldn't be a viable option.  So I worked on some projects I've got brewing, and got my Mac fixed...(Which will hopefully be good for a while.)

Sunday, I was on camera, then went with a friend to see SkyFall again and finished the day off watching some new screeners that came in.

The days are winding down till I'm out of here...and I can't wait!  12 Days and Counting!

Concerning FFoDs, Friday on my way back from picking up lunch, Hill Harper was a gentleman and stopped his car to let me cross the street...even though he had the right away.

On Saturday, while searching around in Home Depot, I ran into Michael Jai White...he was looking for wood.

Hill Harper

Michael Jai White

Re-Count!

Somewhere, somehow I missed counted my days left till Christmas Vacation!...by TWO FULL DAYS!!! Wow.  Oh well...I press on...

Days to Go (Now):  16

The days are long...14 To Go...

Now that I've started the Go Home Countdown, the days seem to get longer and longer...especially since it is slow right now in the TV Development world.  I wish that my brain were more productive at work, or maybe it would help if I could bring my laptop to work...but that's not going to happen.

Maybe it has more to do with the sun going down at 4:45 p.m. than it does with this slow time.  Either way the day seems to sap me of all energy and creativity, and by the time I get home...well...sitting at my computer is the last thing on my mind.  Ah well...just another reason to try harder, and trust in God more.

Speaking of laptop, my Mac's hard drive is failing according to the repair people...and I can either, put a new one in, buy a refurbished one from them, or just bite the bullet and do what I've been dreading and buy a completely new one.  Decisions, decisions...and none really that important in the grand scheme of things.

Well, off for morning writing time.  But first, I feel like counting (some of) my blessings.  I thank God today for:

1. Having steady income!
2. Having a cool and laid back (even when it's busy) work environment and Boss.
3. Having a set time in the morning to devote to writing and working out (when I don't oversleep).
4. Having a great PC laptop that has not failed me yet!
5. Having the opportunity every morning to get some thoughts out of my head and my fingers moving.

I.  Press.  On.  

Days To Go:  14

(I know I haven't done this in a while, but it's because I haven't seen any lately.)

Today's FFoD is Kirstie Alley.  She didn't come into the office, but I saw her walking around on the lot. 

Mr. Washington!

Yesterday's work day was normal, reading, answering phones, blah, blah, blah.  After work was a whole different story.  I found out about a free screening of FLIGHT followed by a Q&A with the writer and some of the cast, including Denzel Washington!!!

Not the best Denzel pic, but I was pretty close

I get emails from a magazine/website called Backstage, which lists casting opportunities for actors.  I get it because I put out casting opportunities from time to time.  Anyways, when I saw this, I HAD to go.  My boss was kind enough to let me leave work like two hours early just so I could get there in enough time.

I got there in plenty of time, and even though the line was already to the street by the time I got there, I was still in a relatively good position...as later, the line went clear around the blog and most of those people didn't get it.

Good seats...and Denzel!!!

While in line, I befriended a nice Greek guy from Ohio.  I got a new cell phone and he was asking me about it.  Then we just kept chatting, since we had a good hour and a half left till they opened the doors.  Boy was I glad I met him, because once we got in, he had some friends that were in the front row, and he saved a seat for me.  So...I was very, VERY close and could see everyone's facial expressions.  It was good people watching, and Mr. Washington is just as charming in person.  That smile, swoon.

Now, they didn't allow picture taking during the Q&A portion, but that all went out the window after it was done.  So I tried to snap as many as I could in the dark light, with my new phone that I'm not all that familiar with!  I got two half way decent ones.  He was signing people's pictures, but wouldn't you know it...I didn't bring ANYTHING to write on.  I've got to do better!!!  (Even if I did have paper, by that time there was a huge crowd, and he looked like he was tired and trying to leave...but all the time he was very nice and graciously signed autographs...well scribbled them anyway.)

During the Q&A, they opened it up to questions in the audience.  Now, since it was 99% actors, most of the questions were stupid or trivial.  I hate to say that, but in my experience actors tend to asks stuff like, what advice would you give to a young actor...or just something off the wall that the panel can't really answer.  This night was no different.

One guy in particular, got up and said, "I have a two-part question."  (Which everyone hates, and even the moderator mockingly groaned at.)  Then he said "I'm from Denmark, can I take a picture with you?"  Then followed by..."I know, I'm an asshole for asking that."  To which Mr. Washington replied, "Ok, so you answered your first question, what's the second part."...then he laughed (as we all did) for quite some time, then Mr. Washington, after he calmed himself down, was like "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that, what's your second question?"

In any event, he was super cool as was the other cast and the writer, and it was a nice night...especially after receiving news that my Mac was on the fritz and I needed to get a new hard drive or a new laptop.  I don't even want to talk about that.  

But back to my night...I mean, how could it not be a great night.  I left work early, to see probably the only celebrity that makes me feel like a groupie, met a new friend and got to see a great movie...again...all for free.  I didn't even pay for parking, which is quite a rarity in Hollywood.

On to conquer a new day!

Days till I'm outta here:  16!!!

The Count Down is on!

It is now December and the count down is on for my trip back home and I can't wait.  As always, I am EXTREMELY grateful for my job and my boss and going to a studio lot everyday...but I'm very much looking forward to down time, and family time, and only working on my own projects time, and sleeping in time, and goofing off time (ok, I do that one everyday, but you get what I'm saying.)

I am trying to finish a few projects of my own, so that when I go home, I can start developing some new ideas.  I have some more books I'd like to finish reading (but I have plenty of time to do that at work usually) and I want to clean out my closet.  All of this rambling does have a point...

The point is, I guess, is that as the last month of the year has arrived and the year winds down, I think about all the things I could have done more of, or better, or more consistently.  But thinking about the past (as the Borg would say--yes, that is a Star Trek character) is Futile.  Nothing will change my present or future by thinking about all the things I wish I had done in the past.  So, as this year winds up, I'm going to do my best to trust in God and accomplish all the things/projects I set for myself in this last quarter of the year.  (I can't really remember past that.)

Now...this week was pretty quiet.  Most of the days, me Delaware and the other assistant (we'll call him MD) were busy making copies of the Oscar screeners for everyone in the office.  Yep, this is the time of year that begins the Oscar campaigns (much like Presidential campaigns) and the studios and production companies send out 'screeners' of their movie to voting members of The Academy, and many of the guilds (director's, producer's, writer's, actor's) for their consideration.  THESE ARE NOT PIRATED MOVIES!!!!

I'll say it again, THESE ARE NOT PIRATED MOVIES...so I feel OK about making copies.  Thing is though, I've seen about 75% of them, because well...I'm not married or have kids or have a really demanding job...so I can go to the movies all the time.  In any event, I'll have LOTS of movies to watch over my vacation...and the ones I like, I'll actually buy.

Yesterday, Delaware and I went to the outlets (which by the way, was a bust mostly.  I didn't find ANY purses I wanted at Coach, and while I did find some at Michael Kors, and Cole Haan, and Kate Spade, and Tory Birch...they were ALL a bit out of my budget...sigh.  No new purse for me.)
Anyways, I was telling her about how at church, the Pastor again spoke on the verse that talks about two people being better than one, because one can help the other up.  I used to love that verse, but I don't now...just reminds me of always being a pair, and now I'm not...it's not the first time this subject and this verse has come up in our conversations.

At dinner, I really can't remember how we got to the subject again, but she was making jokes and saying she could be my pea in a pod, and then said...I can be your "Left"...and I started crying.  (Because Erika was the left portion of our pair, as she was left handed and I am right handed.)  Now, I wasn't boo-hooing or anything, just some quiet tears.  But it was short lived, and she made a joke, then I made a joke, then the conversation was back on the rise.

Perhaps that is something me and the Lord can work on for the remainder of this year and next...for me to realize....well I'm not exactly sure what it is I'm supposed to realize, but it's got to have something to do with the very name of this blog:  Pressing On...so I will do just that.

PS-One time for the MAGIC beating the Lakers...take that, Dwight.

Days Till I'm Out!:  17