It’s been a few weeks since my last post. Hell, it’s been a month since I left for the playa. I’ve been resisting writing for some reason or another. So I am just siting down now to bang on the keyboard for a few minutes and get some thoughts out.

So, 10 things:

1. I’m back from burning man. If you are linked to me on facebook or flickr you’ve seen the pictures.

It was lovely.

2. I just got a new battery for my car. It was having trouble getting started. Like me. When I went to pep boys, I had this profound realization that I can do many things on my car myself. It’s a skillset that I set aside for years, but I used to be pretty adept at troubleshooting car stuff. And after the engine detail, my honda is so happy.

3. My writing partner informed me taht he finished the first draft of our current project. This makes me infinitely happy.  We have a meeting tomorrow. I am looking forward to working on it!

4. I’m building a new shade for the back porch of the cabin, starting this weekend. I need help. I have a few brave volunteers. It’s going to be really fun, I think. And Damn I love the cabin.

5. I spent my Saturday night at Medieval Times in Buena Park. I used to go there any time I could talk my parents into a birthday party there when I was a kid. I used to love that place! As an adult, I was far more bored. I didn’t remember all the “drama.” But the company was great. It was cast and crew from Cirque Berserk and we were celebrating my dear friend Jenn’s birthday. We took a Hummer limo. It was rad.

6. Speaking of medieval times, I am planning on starting up a casual thursday night dnd game. If you played in your young past, or you want to try out the new system, I am creating an episodic game where you can come in and out whenever you are available. It’s going to be really fun. A number of poeple have aproached me about wanting to learn to play. Here is your chance.

7. Work has picked up. I worked four days last week. I am sure more is coming.

8. I am re-listening to  the 4 Hour Work Week on audiobook. I have forgotten so much from that book. I need to remember to cycle through books a second or third time to really grok the whole thing.

9. I lost my ipod. I am sure that some people out there have ipods that are just sitting in drawers out there. I love listening to the ipod in the car, and leaving the iphone separate. My flow while driving is all messed up.

10. Ah the last one is always the hardest.  In the next six months I am going to get one of my cartoons into production and it’s going to star the voice talent of Ali Packard and Jason Marsden. By my birthday it’s going to be financed.

So my friend James jsut showed me this postcard. It said:

When will you ever have more time than you do right now? 

It hit me where I live. She does that. So, like I like to do, a list of ten things I love that I am doing. 

1. I’ve been dating. I’ve been loving. I’ve been flirting. I’ve been falling in love.   I’ve been free. In no particular order. In the realm of love and romance, I am the happiest I have been in a while. It’s a really nice time for me. The hardest thing about dating right now if having the time. Somehow, I make it work. 

2. I have not been working as much as I’d like to be. It’s been a really tight month, money wise. In fact, I am the most concerned about money that I have been since I first started gripping back in 2003.  I am open to new income streams and magic. I am tightening my spending, budgeting my gourmet coffee intake and, eating at home as often as possible. 

3. I am looking to find what the voice of my blog really is about. I want to direct it into a laser like focus.  I would love input and suggestions on this. The minis sagas have been a nice fiction aspect, but is that all I want it to be?  

4. I am sure you have noticed, if you read this blog that I have been doing these mini sagas. It has bee a great way for me to exercise some of my limitless creative energy. It is also a way for me to get away with not posting my more philosophical or well thought out blog posts.  There are really cool stories emerging there.  50 words a day, for 365 days. I’m on 39. 

5.  I got me a new camera. It’s not a really nice digital slr, but it has a solid lens and i like some of the functionality of it.  I also got me a flikr account. I’m gonna upgrade to pro in a minute, so I can post more. But I am looking for a voice in my photography as well.  I know enough really great event photographers. I know some really great headshot and portrait photographers. I want to do something different. I have been enjoying the panoramic feature of my camera, but that is even a little limiting. It’s a fun area to explore. Flikr username: Spaceman23

6. My writing partner Duke and I have been writing a spec episode for the Nickelodeon cartoon show, The Mighty B! It’s coming out great. We have a good writing relationship. I love what we come up with together. I’m funny. Who knew? 

7. Speaking of writing. I just got a new screenwriting program,  I went for Screenwriter as opposed to Final Draft. My last version on FD wasn’t the best. But, heres the thing: I need someone with a version of Final Draft on their mac to export some files for me into a format that Screenwriter can import. My old version of final draft crashes on my intel mac.  Any writers out there up for helping? I feel crippled on some of my old projects. 

8. It looks like I am working for a few days in Vegas at the end of the month (next week). Anybody have some fun ideas? 

9. My birthday is the week after that! And since it falls on a wednesday, I want to have a party at the Edison.  Right after that, we are going down to Mexico for Fuente. My dear friend Zak hooked me up with a ticket. I love my friends.  My birthday falls right around Natalie, Merlin, Roxy and Serha, Katie, Alan Finn and a few others. Fuente is gonna be a blast!

10.  I’ve just noticed this thing about myself that I do. When I don’t have something cool that I am doing with my life, I don’t want to share. But then, when I don’t share, nothing more shows up for me. I only want to talk about the good stuff.

Here’s the truth: The last few weeks have been challenging. I have put on a front of everything being really great, and in many ways, it has been. But the reality is that I have been struggling. Money has been really tight. I’ve been far too close to zero lately. I’ve been late on bills.  No work has been on the horizon. The town has been dead for the movie biz.  I’m scared about the economy and how it will directly affect me. I’m seeing that it has. I keep hoping I’m going to be saved from all of it, by obama, or by tapout finally paying me, or by some miracle. I’m hoping. 

And I’m also saying that all of that is turning around. Right now. New work is flowing toward me. New directions are opening up. It’s going to be a great year for my career!

Okay, that’s me being back. Glad to open up to you again, internets.

I’m going to have to start in with a list of ten things I love about my life. 

1. So my year of not drinking is up. I’ve had a few drinks here and there. A glass of wine  with a nice french meal, a glass of champagne at the turn of 2009, etc. But really, I am seeing how booze is not really for me. My relationship to it has changed. I’m also loving the sveldt disappearing beer belly. 
2. I’m heading up to Berkley and San Francisco this weekend.  I love the bay area. I get to hang out with my friends Doc and Marian. But most importantly I get to hang out with my cousin Ryan!
3. Ryan is this great guy, who I am looking forward to introducing around. He’s coming to burning man this year for the first time with a few of his friends, and when I told him to get as many lower tiered tickets as he could, he got 10! Commitment!  It’s my honor to share my favorite town with him!
4. Life has been really full the last few weeks. Lots of adventures. Lots of love. Lots of  fun. But work has been really sparse. I’ve worked two days this month. The good news is that the next two weeks are looking pretty good! 
5. Obama. The man is making magic happen. It’s our generation’s Camelot. Let’s have this one live, okay? And on the subject of presidential safety, he’s safe everyone. The man has bulletproof suits and suburbans with gatling guns following him everywhere. The man is safe. I like having a president that I am actually concerned for his safety and not hoping he will slip on a banana peel or something.  We have a true hero in office, guys. 
6. At the inaugural ball the other night I had no less than fifteen people tell me that I looked great. Thank you. Damn, thank you.  I worked really hard this year adjusting my diet and exercise to drop some weight. Thank you for noticing. It makes me feel great. 
7. I went to Disneyland the other day with my dear and lovely friend James. We had both been to disneyland several times in our lifetimes She and I created the game where we talked to strangers and vowed to experience Disneyland newly.  So everywhere we could, we struck up conversations with strangers.  We even met up with this guy on the negotiator for SAG. 
8. I got some inside info on the possible SAG strike. Looks like it probably won’t happen. This is both good and bad news. If the actors don’t get residuals on online content, this means that the crafts don’t get health care on the same. This could be very bad. In the short run, it’s good. I need to work and a strike would be terrible. In the long run, I’m hoping Obama works health care out!
9. O. Ba. Ma. It’s like our country has woken from a dream. Have you guys seen the headlines? He jumped right in, didn’t he! We just might make it out of this mess. I am excited that that I finally don’t have to contemplate revolution anymore. It’s miracle time. 
10. The new year is upon us. the new golden age has begun. We’ve much to do. Let’s party!

10 things I have have been up to since getting home. 

It’s been a few weeks.  I haven’t been blogging for the last week. I’ve been busy. I’m a bad blogger. So here’s what I have been busy with. The top things. 

1. Katie and Brian’s Wedding. Yeah, pretty much the best wedding I have been to.  It was incredible and inspiring. Just wow. See my previous post for details.

2. Went up to Benton Hot Springs with my friends Jerri and Ed. Benton is up near Bishop, you know on the way to Burning Man? Every time I pass through there, I think to myself, this is the most beautiful part of California. I’ve always wanted to visit. You know, I was right! It IS the most beautiful part of California! The hot springs were incredible. It was situated in between these huge mountains. The stars were so bright and the sky so open. I can’t wait to go back!

3. On this trip, Jerri, who is a real badass, brought her quad and dirt bike. Fuckin’ awesome! when I was thirteen or so, my dad bought my brother and I quads. I had forgotten how much fun speeding along in the dirt. I forgot the power of that. I left really thinking about buying one. Jerry had made her quad into an art car this year for the Burn. I am all about stealing people’s technology for Burning Man fun. And I hear that utility quads can pull a trailer…

4.  I’ve lost 15 pounds since July. The no sugar, no booze, and working my little tail off traveling all over the country has been paying off! I feel great!

5. I got this great program for my Mac, Delicious Library (http://www.delicious-monster.com/). It lets you scan in your media using the built in camera on your lappy. I have a pretty extensive book, comic, game and DVD collection. I tend to lend my things out. Books are best when they are shared. One of the great features of Delicious is that it lets you loan things to your contacts, giving you reminders when it’s due. It also gives you the option of selling your books on Amazon. Brilliant! I can’t wait to really get into it!

6. I’ve been working for my family’s business for the last week or so. I’ve been sorting through the little numbers for the little metal parts that we sell to keep industry alive in this country.  My grandmother started the company, Monarch Bearing,  in the 50s. It’s been in my life my whole life. That smell of industrial grease and steel. It always brings comfort to me. But this time, while counting oil seals and snap rings i saw art. I am going to make some jewelry from the parts. I kept visualizing these awesome designs. In the next few weeks I should have some pieces. 

7. Since being back in LA, I suddenly find that I have no time again. This is in stark contrast to how my life behaved in Baltimore, Black Rock City, and Denver. There I was busy, but I had nothing but time. I am really going to have to work on chilling a bit here. Nonstop.  Who am I kidding? I love it. 

8. This coming weekend is LA Decom and our party Saturday night Homecoming. (http://www.hipgenesis.com). I am really looking forward to this one. We haven’t officially thrown a party since The Winter Ball. That and as a high school student, I never made it to any of the dances. And lately, it seems like HG is doing school dances. Watch for the Sadie Hawkins Dance coming soon. 

9. I got Facebook spotted the other night. Some guy knew my name and said he saw me on Facebook. Then Y2 said he saw my picture as a Facebook ad! Kind of disturbing. The age of privacy is kind of dead, I guess. I don’t think any of that will discourage my Internet footprint.  There is much more to explore in my media creation experiment.  I think Internet famous is only 15 seconds of fame, anyway.

10. San Francisco Decom. Yeah. Going to that, too.  I miss the Playa. I am going to party the next few weekends. Who’s with me?

I think I should tell you. I love wrap. 

1. First, when you are wrapping a project, gravity is working with you. You are no longer trying to get things up, you are bringing them to the ground, where they naturally want to be.  This makes work much easier. 
2. you aren’t measuring or figuring out stuff when wrapping. You must’ve had it figured out when you put the dang thing up. You know what to do. 
3. Wrapping always takes less time. 
4. you never are searching for things when wrapping. You are putting them back where they belong. 
5. People all smile during wrap, mainly because we all know it is almost over. 
6. Unscrewing out is easier than screwing in. Just is. 
7. It’s an attitude thing. You have done the job (hopefully well) and now you are pulling down your good work. 
8. There is a clear end in sight. This becomes truer as the day goes on. 
9. I love loading the truck. I have been planning this the whole time. ABW (always be wrapping) is my mantra. 
10. When that door on that truck closes. You are really done. There is nothing more to move. You head to your car and go home. Bliss. 

I missed a couple of blogging days. I did however spend a bunch of time on my personal writing projects. So to get back into the swing of things, I will do another 10 Things.

TEN THINGS I LOVE ABOUT MY LIFE

1. I am trying some new web blogging programs. Today I am trying Wordpress (thanks everyone). I like it. I just need to figure out a way to post date posts and get all my old blog posts from tribe into this other site. I am really loving my blogging lately. It has been such an opening for me.

2. The media I have been getting into lately. It has all been so good! I am rereading Promethea and in the process relearning magick that I thought I had all figured out.  I finished BSG season 3. It was absolutely incredible! I saw Forgetting Sara Marshal last week with Alicyn and it was so much better than I expected. A friend loaned me the new series of Dr. Who. It makes me want to time travel! And then there are my podcasts and audiobooks I am listening to. Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth and Tim Ferriss’ the 4-Hour Workweek have been rocking my world! I guess being freelance and unemployed does have it’s benefits.  I am really just amazed at how good everything is!

3. Despite being without work this week, I have no concerns for money. I am just not worried.  Flow.

4. Through my good friend Sammy and his wonderful girlfriend I have a connection with HBO’s experimental webfilms division. It has me really thinking what less than a minute kind of short films can I get out there?  Obviously, I am going to need some help. Who’s in? Last night, I did a list of my production resources and holey moley, I have great resources!

5. Between working out and the no sweets and booze… I am really loving my body.  Not like loving the way it looks, but treating my body like I really love it. It’s been really fantastic.

6. I love my macbook.  The other day, I got to go to the Mac Store to deal with a minor missing program that I accidently deleted. They replaced it lickity split and I ended up spending an extra $60 on a program and iphone case. I left happy. By contrast, when I called microsoft to just deal with an extra $2 charge that I wanted to get removed,  I had to deal with 2 emails, an hour of phone time, mostly made up of hold time, I talked to 4 different people, and got hung up on. The $2 issue, still not resolved.

7. Another benefit of plenty of free time is that I have been sleeping really well lately. I have these amazing dreams, full of incredible special effects, dazzling characters and spectacular scenery.

8. Birds. It’s springtime and several families of birds have taken up residence all around my house. It’s so beautiful.

9. I also have a pool. Wolfie pointed out that with a pool comes certain maintenance responsibilities. For instance, on hot days, sometimes you have to just hang out around it to make sure your responsibilities are handled. Cold drinks and music add to the quality of this maintenance.

10. Number ten is always difficult for me. Okay. Flowers. My roommate is a gardener. He has this habit of cutting fresh flowers and putting them around the house. It’s nice. It is also nice that all around my house are all these beautiful flowers this spring. It’s gorgeous.

Yeah… It’s a good life.