nostatic at all...

So Harry comes over for lunch and some chit chat, and of course a walk to the local guitar shop. It so happens that I live a few blocks from the semi-world famous Westwood Music. They are very cool there, and have lots of nice acoustic guitars, and boutique amps as well. I needed new strings for the Martin so it made sense to go. Until the salesguy came over and put a Santa Cruz Guitars OM/PW in my hands. Holy crap that thing sounds and plays amazing. Of course at $3200 it should. I wonder if I can find one used. Turns out the interwebs is a great thing. Well, I was saying to myself that I should be spending my money on my art rather than silly toys. Hmmm...

The first "free" Sunday in a long time, so I decided to swing by the Santa Monica Zen Center for some sitting. Claude was there, and it was good to be back on the cushion (and walking). I have to do that more often. He said...

When it is wicked hot outside and you have no AC, what do you do? Why, the movies of course. And what a lucky choice...King of Kong is a *great* documentary. It has all the classic story elements; good guys, bad guys, intrigue, conflict, redemption, etc. I was watching a show on Hong Kong Cinema the other night talking about how all Kung Fu movies have the same plot (school v. school, one person wrongs the other, then revenge is sought). This fit that mold somewhat as well, but it was a fabulously crafted story and I shed a tear at the end. Highly recommended even if you don't like classic video games. It isn't about the games, it is about the people. Hmm...let me write that down...

Is someone (or something) trying to tell me something?

Further exploration of Lindsey Buckingham.

She broke down and let me in
Made me see where I've been

Been down one time
Been down two times
I'm never going back again

She should arrive tomorrow. It's only money...assuming she is everything I think she is, the Martin will head to eBay in short order.

Well, the "new" guitar showed up and it did not live up to expectations. Feeling that it wasn't quite right, I went over to Bob and Dylan's for a consult as Bob was a luthier in a previous life. He concurred...looks like the bridge had some work and it just didn't *feel* right. So a quick phone call (I have a 48 hour audition period), and I'll pack her up and send her back. At my shipping expense both ways of course, but there ya go. I'm 1-2 on acoustic guitars, as I bought my Martin OM-21 off eBay and it was/is great. So the moral is to be happy with what you have and just play it...

Monte Montgomery. I love youtube...

Another day spent in the desert, this time instructing at the POC Driver's Clinic. A full-day affair, and I was in the student position a few years back. I've done a few now as instructor and it is rewarding but also exhausting. The morning for me was 3 hours as passenger on the skid pad going around in circles. Thank god for dramamine. But my neck is tired. And of course it doesn't help that it was around 100 degrees or so outside. Almost impossible to stay hydrated no matter how much you drink. But the POC is an all-volunteer organization, so you gotta give back. And it is worth it to see students start to "get it."

An odd dream that is somewhat of a follow-on to some previous ones. Something about a bag of blue pills, intrigue in the pharmaceutical lab, and me worrying that I'm going to be implicated with/by some man and woman in some illegal/dangerous scheme. There was more to it than that but I can't remember...just woke up with a start and felt quite disturbed. Enough that I thought about bagging my track day.

pr decided to walk down the blue eyed soul path. not sure it works, but he never is...he just does it.

and a snippet from perhaps the next target:

up in the morning look in the mirror
i'm worn as her tooth brush hanging in the stand
my face ain't looking any younger
now I can see love's taken her toll on me

"I didn't know the lion's roar could be done with a speaker..."

Holy crap. Kung Fu Hustle is one of the most amazing films I've ever seen. I can't even imagine making something like that...insanely creative genius. Wow. I'm in awe.

The best pieces are open to interpretation. But sometimes it really doesn't matter the specific application, as the sentiment can apply across the board. At some point doors close, and options are taken off the table. So you better act. In this case, you can be a PA at 25, but at 45? Umm, no. So can you start at the bottom now? No, you start where you are. Because no matter where you go...well, you know the rest.

Can our hero find the shots with zero hours on the camera and no storyboard or scout? We'll see, won't we? The proof will be in the pudding. Or the dailies. No way but through.

A location shoot today, but unlike my previous proper work shoots, I had no crew. Well, Bob was there to lend his eye, but it was all me, baby. With a brand new camera that I don't really know how to use. Luckily, the auto mode on the Canon XH A1 (high def...although I shot SD for a variety of reasons) is really good, although I had to run it in shutter priority mode so I could get rid of scan lines (shooting indoors with tons of computer monitors). The footage looked really good in the camera, and I think we blocked out some good shots.

OK, it's a week. Long one at that. But I survived. To (hopefully) sleep in tomorrow for the first time in a long time. That is one downside of track weekends...always an early call. Now to recharge and start another one. We're officially in production so it'll be another long one. Just makin' it up as I go along...

Chick flick. Who was it that recommended Chocolat to me? I'll have to smack them. Not really any redeeming quality. It had the plot of a chick flick. It was shot like a chick flick. It was lit like a chick flick. I may have a strong feminine side, but the movie didn't work for me. God Of Cookery was WAY better...

Watched "Fractured" tonight. Hmm...not my favorite. Seemed like Hopkins was somewhat calling it in (mugging ala Silence) but the biggest annoyance was the lighting. They were trying *so* hard to make it dramatic (lack of script?) that it just screamed. Uh oh...I'm a critic. Run screaming!

Well, I was going to pass on running Buttonwillow next weekend. I have never run the track (which is incentive *to* to the event), but budget and time constraints seemed to tip the scales towards just hanging out for the weekend and getting stuff done. That is until I happen to post on Pelican on the track forum. Next thing I know good guy and fast racer Jim asks if I want to be co-driver for the Buttonwillow 100. I had actually thought about doing this a few weeks back and asked fellow racer Matt if he was interested in doing the orange group "fubar" relay. But he couldn't, and the budget/time thing came into play.

Another day of shooting. For two projects really, so it gets quite confusing. Especially since we have a tiny budget to cut one, and zero budget to cut the other. And we're mixing machinima and live actors. And non-actors. And whatever else will work. What a freakin' nightmare. I'm making it up as I go along...

Sitting down to watch The Manchurian Candidate. The look is somewhat dated by today's standards, but it works and is quite chilling. From the opening credits though I was struck by the creative process. How does one make something out of nothing? Where do the ideas come from? Do you ever run out of them? Or is everything just a variation on a theme?

OK, back to the film. A queen just came up...

Two songs popped up on the walk to Peets this am. First was "September." I got a little sad at first blush, for a variety of reasons. Then I noted that they sing about the 21st of September. I wondered for a minute if there was some deeper meaning, not really knowing what day today was (it's been an insane week). I checked my calendar and viola...that would be today. Hmm, a crack in the melancholy. Then came "Counting Blue Cars." I almost skipped it but for some reason let it play. Then had to play it a few more times. By the third time I was back at the elevators and going up. Going up.

Must of been mid afternoon
I could tell by how far the child's shadow stretched out and
He walked with a purpose
In his sneakers, down the street
He had, many questions
Like children often do
He said,
Tell me all your thoughts on God?
Tell me am I very far?

Another track weekend, although this one was different. Well, they're all different. I wasn't going to go as my budget has been hammered as of late, and work has been crushing my energy levels. But when Jim asked if I was interested in co-driving his 310 hp, 2000 lb V1 class car...well, how can I turn that down?

the fast ride of the day

Today was an "activity optional" day. I could drive back up to Buttonwillow and race if I wanted. Or run errands. Or do nothing. I figured I'd let my body tell me which. I woke up around 6am but decided to roll back over and sleep more. At 9:30am I got up and nixed the racing (I actually had done that last night, as I already was sore). I ate some cereal and plopped on the couch, turning on the Belgian GP. Next thing I know I'm back asleep, on and off until I finally got up and hit the shower at 1:30pm. OK, I think the body has spoken. Sleep it is. Then a few errands. Now off to sleep again in advance of work travel. And sorting out how to fix my track car. Another week awaits...but sleep first.

A few shots from Saturday's adventure. Flying solo in the 911 through the rain drops, 4:30am call heading north, sunset heading back. Taken on my iPhone.

Yes, it's the old shoot'n'fly. Noon call down in Anaheim to shoot the scripted parts of the current production, then off to LAX to head for Logan, UT. We wrapped early so the plan of getting dropped off didn't quite work. Did give a chance to do a few more errands before driving down to Park One and walking to Terminal 1 at LAX. It is convenient...

somewhere over nowhere, heading east

A long day of talking, listening, and pitching. It's hard to raise something up. Plenty of ideas, but finding the money...yes, that is the trick. At least I took a break to shoot some stills (as opposed to the interviews). Utah is beautiful, but a bit odd for a native SoCal Buddhist boy...

Bringing in a couple of keys...

More projects on the pile. And pitches to write. Treatments to sort. Stories to break. Buckle up kids, it's going to be a very wild month...

Holy crap, now that's a script. I was a little unsure on the use of flashback and direct narrative, but by the end I was totally sucked in. Period. The Academy got it right...

A little deja vu watching the Japanese GP tonight (thank god for the dateline...get to see the Sunday race on Saturday night). Having endured rain last week at Buttonwillow, tonight's festivities on a soaked Fuji track were amazing to watch. Not as much carnage as you'd think, and some intense racing at the end. And no dirt inside the cars...

Well, the boy played his first real round of golf today. After the purchase of a junior set of left handed clubs, we later made our way to The Lakes at El Segundo. The original plan was to hit the range, but it was full while the course was empty. So a change of plans was in order. First round of golf for dad in many years as well. He did ok although we have to work on the etiquette part of things (like not walking through someone else's putting line, etc). But we made 8 out of the 9 holes before it got too dark. As for me? Hmm, I think I was 2 over through 8 holes. It is a short course though and I made a few lucky putts. Evidently I can still hit the ball though...