Quickly, before I forget. I met up with a friend and previous castmate to watch another former castmate's play, "The Dentist" by John Rebstock. (More on this in another blog). Anyway, we had one of the deepest conversations I've ever had. And it wasn't deep to be deep, it just turned out that way. Unfortunately, like most things that are precious, their gone just like that and they end up reserved in the deepest recesses of our memories. But here are some questions that came up.
What are your principles?
Are you open minded?
What philosophies do you adhere to?
Am I offending you?
Which would you pick, truthful or real?
Are they inexplicably connected?
You're probably thinking, "Those are simple questions". Okay, maybe. But they start being complicated, complex and exciting when the person asking them challenges them. Or asks a side question that spurns you into gear and the conversation gets deeper and deeper. It occured to me, a couple of times, that I'm answering some of his questions in a way feels like I'm only answering it in this way to justify my reasoning when I should be answering it in a way that's truthful to me.
Does that make any sense?
Anyway, I just want to make a shout out to my friend, Bizachin for a terrific and thought provoking conversation. Which, if I were to describe in one sentence, would be:
"It was profound to me in a cerebral way, in that, I want to rave about it to the world, but I know the experience and feeling was singularly mine and his, and everyone else will only feel the aftershocks."
I recently came across a quote that resonated deep within my current self. A friend told me that we reform our opinions about relationships every seven years. Whether or not there's an actual statistic on this, I'm not sure. But after some thought, I tend to agree. At any rate, here's the quote I saw.
I no longer think being in love is the polar opposite of being alone, however. I say that because I used to want to be in love again as I assumed this was the opposite of loneliness. I think being in love is an opposite of loneliness, but not the opposite. There are other things I now crave when I am lonely, like community, like friendship, like family. I think our society puts too much pressure on romantic love, and that is why so many romances fail. Romance can’t possibly carry all that we want it to." - Donald Miller
What do YOU think?
And while you're thinking about it, watch this beautiful time-lapse of San Francisco taken from Twin Peaks.
So I'm a big fan of lists so here's one that I felt like sharing. It's my top 3 list of impulsive spendatures! (Wait, is spendature even a word?)
Number 3: Camera Equipment
Oh man, I love my Canon HV30. Maybe it's because it shoots pretty pictures and motion pictures. Or maybe it's because it's a cute dainty little thing that packs a punch. It could be because I can't wait to really push it to its limits and shoot my first short with it. OR maybe because it's the first camcorder I've ever owned.
Actually, it's all of the above! I started signed up with Vimeo so if you're interested in seeing some of the things I've put together CLICK HERE. And just like that I like to dress it up and make it look all stylish. I found my "thing" maybe, hehe. Some people have cars. Some people have skateboards. I have camera!
Number 2: FOOD
Did it really need to be capitalized? Of course it needed to be in CAPs, I love food! I especially love thinking about the small things that makes food taste good and most importantly, memorable. Food and Film, it shares an equal place in my heart. It's a big reason why I enjoy watching shows on Travel Channel (i.e. Anthony Bourdain's No Reservation and Andrew Zimmern's Bizarre Foods). Although, traveling is easy up there on my list of alternative lifestyle solutions. I love food, you should too.
And finally, Number 1: Books
Most notably, acting and filmmaking books. Yes, it's true. I almost cannot go to a bookstore without leaving with that beautiful collection of information, paper, pictures and words that is the book. In fact, I went to Barnes and Nobles for the simple purpose of jotting down two or three pages to my script, and I end up leaving with less money in my checking than when I went in! Yikes.
It's easy to say, "Then just don't go there", or "Then avoid going to bookstores". You don't understand though, it's a part of me that nags to be fullfilled, you know, being someplace. Being infused with activity and human interaction. In the end though, the only negative I see about owning so many books is when it comes time to move to a different place, it's so much extra weight to carry around. Maybe I should invest in a camel or something, or some beast of burden.
A friend and I decided to venture into San Francisco a couple weeks to take some photography. Well, she did the photography (Canon FT series) and I took some cinematography. We had a great time, and there were plenty of minor events scattered about the city to keep us amused. Here are some of the highlights.
It seems the learning doesn't stop after College. In fact, you continue on with the school of life. Take for instance the fun I had on BART on the way to San Francisco. There was an actual hustler on the train and it intrigued me because I haven't seen one out in the West Coast rail system. So naturally I was drawn in. Oh man, he hustled really good. I played his game, won some bucks...I played some more and lost $17! But hey, I gained a little more experience in life, not a bad trade off I suppose.
2. Noah's Bagels
What can I say? This place is delicious. And the location was convenient too. As soon as you come out of the Embarcadero BART stop it's about a block away towards the pier. Their cream cheese is absolutely devine. Try it, the next time you're up there. 3. Homeless Man
While Alana and I were preparing for our romp around SF we noticed this Homeless Man sitting under a lamp. And while this isn't an unusual sight (unfortunately) in San Francisco, this gentlemen, unlike most homeless people had a pet. He had this incredibly chubby cat who lived in a comfy and seemingly new cat bed mattress thing. We were really surprised. I mean, this cat was living the life, it seemed.
4. Ginny + Hans Thacher Clark - (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Thacher_Clarke)
More on her later, boy oh boy.
5.Trolley Yard
We stumbled on a Trolley Yard that I never noticed before. Partly because I've never really looked in that direction when I passed by this place years ago. I think it might've been near Pier 7 but it was basically this indoor yard full of Trolleys! I'm beating myself up silly because I didn't take a SINGLE picture! Instead, I know I had my Canon HV30 rolling during the "quasi-off-the-beaten-track" walk around so expect to see some of that footage soonish. I know Alana spent a good portion of her time snapping away. I can't wait to see came out of it.
6. Pier Personalities
Many that visit the Pier, or San Francisco in general can attest to the bombastic layer of personalities that roam the street. From the overdone Silverman dancers, jugglers, or the truly unique "bush man" (who, by the way, puts on a great show scaring unsuspecting passerbys) down to the not so creative beggars. Wait, the latter isn't part of the busking crew. Regardless, they add to the whole experience. Here's a photo of the Pier 39 Bush Man:
I find that when I have a lot of information to write about it's easier to just write a list of the main things I'd like to talk about. Go figure. So here's my list! My San Francisco reTreat pt. I
1. BART Hustle 2. Noah's Bagels 3. Homeless Man 4. Ginny + Hans Thacher Clark - (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Thacher_Clarke) 5.Trolley Yard 6. Pier Personalities My San Francisco reTreat pt. II
7. Mood Thai Restaurant 8. Coit Tower 9. Washington Park(?) 10. China Town Walk Through 11. Homeless Man 12. The Wrap Up
Now...do I actually feel like writing about it? The answer, not currently! So stay tuned. Yep, I know, I'm such a tease. *winks*
It's probably safe to assume that every one of you have had ideas come to you in the least opportune time. It sucks, right? Especially when there's no paper to write that on or no one is answering your phone calls. Anyway, I haven't been in a very creative mood lately but the other day as I was brushing my teeth this superb idea flaunted into my brain.
It lingered long enough that it tricked me into thinking I would remember the exact details. Then it turned around and stabbed me in the back! All I know now is that I had a great idea when I was brushing my teeth. BLARGH! Anyway, there hasn't been a lot going on in my life. San Jose couldn't be more boring. Well, maybe it could, when the power goes out. Which it did the other week. Two hours it was out, I sat with one candle lit and listened. I mean, REALLY listened. My ears picked up all sorts of rickety outdoorsy sounds.
I couldn't complain actually, it was quite soothing.
The Foreigner opened at San Jose Repertory Theatre and I had the pleasure of experiencing it last saturday. I have NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING bad to say about it...or anything critical. The show was amazing. I highly recommend it if you're in the Bay Area. The actors were superb and had memorable performances. The Tech was fantastic and exuded experience and creativity. I'm likely to see it again. Furthermore, prior to the show I had a terrific conversation with Ken Ruta, a local Bay Area actor who is full of epic stories. I look forward to meeting him again in the future.
Finally, I've managed to get my hands on Adobe Premiere Pro and I have to say, it's quite addicted to work on. It's affecting me the way Photoshop does sometimes, i.e. sleepless nights, nagging ideas, and hunger to improve. The only disappointment I'm feeling is the fact that I haven't auditioned for Live Theatre in such a long time (a couple months at least) because of this awful double edge schedule I'm maintaining with my brother.
Alas, I'll have more chances in the future. In the meantime, I have film, adobe, work and ideas that escape me to keep me looking forward to the next day.
I'll update soon! The heat has been unbearable lately so the last thing on my mind is turning my desk area into a new age sauna. The 48hr San Jose Film Festival Ceremony is coming up soon, so expect some kind of update on that. In the mean time, check out our films here:
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