After the break
| Pitstop |
Dec 27
|
| Because I can’t let 2 weeks go by between updates, I’m doing a quickie update in Brooklyn, in a stopover between Philly and Boston. Webboard updates notwithstanding, there has been a lot of unreported activity and unreported thought in the past few days, most of which shall remain unreported until the end of time. I will shortly be commencing setup for the reformatting of my main hard drive to better utilize the beauty of WinXP, and hopefully will have a moment or two before the new year during which I plan to try to install linux on one of the four machines that’s lying around. I’ve tried it once, in a group effort, and, failing that, I’ll consolidate machines and see if i can get 3 or even 2 working boxes.
Anyway, I’m off to Boston shortly, after I pack, check mapquest, and eat. Maybe I can meet someone new up there–there are endless possibilities. This may be the last official update before the new year, so I leave you with a toast (culled from an ad campaign, no less): to friends that are like family, and vice versa. |
|
| Friday before Christmas |
Dec 21
|
| How do you know you’re not a kid anymore? Well, some people would say that talking about $5000 minimum balances for corporate accounts qualifies as “I’m not a kid anymore” proof. Some would say that doing a rewrite on a screenplay so it can be turned into a $50,000 DV project means that you’re not a kid. Some might even argue that publishing three issues of your own comic book and searching for a way to have it printed for a song would qualify you for the “adult” category. One beer, drunk responsibly in a social situation? Maybe that helps define your ‘adult-ness’. Renting your own apartment? That you pay for with your full-time job? That you’re never too sick for? All pretty adult, by some standards. Friends that you love because they accept your faults? Pretty adult. Having known these people for fiften years? Doesn’t hurt either. None of this stuff, however, means ‘adult’ to me in quite the same, disturbing way as knowing that it’s the morning of December 21st and I’m not psyched for Christmas. I love Christmas. I love seeing my relatives, hearing their stories and catching up on lives. I love singing carols and eating cookies. I love the traditions that surround the holiday, even if the whole birth-of-Christ thing isn’t that important to me. And this year, I’ve been thinking about having the money to buy things, thinking about the things that I haven’t yet bought, about the things that I *should* be buying and am not, either for money or personal reasons. I’ve been thinking about why I’ve been buying the things that I’ve been buying, who they’re for, etc, and it makes me realize that I’m an adult. This is what grown-ups do–they wonder about money, buying things for people that they no longer know well enough to please and making sure that all the people on the list are covered. Somehow, it’s all depressing, in a mild, “nothing’s really wrong” sort of way. People ask me what I want for Christmas and I tell them that I have everything that I want. It’s true. The things that I want I cannot just go buy–I want time, I want motivation for an army, I want passion and experience and trust. These things I already have, but I can never have enough. It may be greed, it may be altruism (I know so many talented people, and with the gifts of time, experience, trust, passion, faith and motivation I can make them happy through their success), or it may just be wishful thinking, but I’m about ready for a different kind of Christmas. On an administrative note, while I’m travelling (Philly and Boston with a short stop here in between), I’ll do any and all updating on my board. There I can post with ease from any computer and don’t have to worry about having FTP access, etc. I look forward to seeing a large percentage of the regular visitors to my site sometime in the next two weeks. In case the opportunity doesn’t happen again for me to update here until the new year, I want to take a second to wish you guys (y’all know who you are–you’re why I write this nonsense) a very happy holiday season, a peaceful and relaxing Christmas in the company of those that you love, and a debaucherous new year. Thanks for reading. |
|
| Updates |
Dec 21
|
| I’ve moved all August and September content to the archives page. That thing is getting to be almost a year long! Cool. | |
| Aftermath |
Dec 16
|
| In the aftermath of this weekend’s get-together, I look back and consider the events. Everyone who came was very cool, friendly, and interesting, and for that, I’m glad. The early people (Allam, Tim, et all) made the effort to get here before the party really got started, swallowing yeard of New York training that you can’t show up at a party before like 11. A lot of the late crew showed up after the Max Bickford SPA party–kudos to them for having avoided the wily charms of the open bar (ad some movie stars, to boot) long enough to get here. That was awesome. Joey Keyes, Megan and Adam all left and came back, with Joey Keyes earning the points for the longest time spent on a subway just to return here. Bobby, Carmen and Jeanette were the only people to show up from PLI–a fact that reflects sadly upon the saying “out of sight, out of mind.” Ah well–there’s always nxt time. Long story short–it was a good party. Not so grown up that it made me uncomfortable, the party managed to keep a pretty even keel throughout the tides of the evening; to extend the metaphor, the waves of arrivals and departures didn’t rock the boat of enjoyment enough to make anyone seasick. Thanks, everyone, for coming, and I hope that a good time was had by all. |
|
| Party Prep |
Dec 12
|
| It’s always harder to prep for parties than I think it’ll be because I have such trouble being objective and saying “here is what we need to clean/get/do most to make our place presentable.” It’s also hard when you know that everything is so unpresentable and weird. Ah well. As it stands, I took down yet another collage and put up a couple of things in frames (which will soon be joined by a couple more things in frames), so I look at least a little “together.” Not that anyone who’s coming hasn’t seen my room before, but still. It’s the idea that counts. I’m planning to take lots of pictures, so if you’re camera shy (there are a few of you in particular at whom I look when I write that), plan to have an extra drink. | |
| It’s gone now! |
Dec 11
|
| On my roommate’s insistance, the webcam has been taken down. It’s off the internet and off the wall. (It’s not “off the hook” like Carson would say….) Just goes to show the transient nature of the web. | |
| A graphic and a change… |
Dec 10
|
| Check out the new VENTURE front page–it’s *all* new! Also, I’m sure you’ve seen it, but I wanted to point out the new webcam graphic at the top of the page. As I said before, you need 800×600 to view it properly and a relatively fast connection (it refreshed every 15 seconds). Remember, whatever you see there is probably fake, with, you know, actors and all, just so you don’t think that my roommate or I would ever engage in whatever activity that you see. | |
| Saturday night, and I’m still hanging around (at 3:46am Sunday) |
Dec 9
|
| It’s not often that I come home from a party in a terribly introspective mood. Tonight’s party was a party thrown by grownups, for grownups, and while I’ve been to them before, I’ve never really felt outside that world the way I did tonight. The people were nice, the apartment was, well, it was the apartment that game me my first impression that I wasn’t in familiar territory. These people had the kind of place that my mom could live in. The bedrooms were themed in their décor, the wall-unit in the living room had decorative vases on it. Mostly, though, it was the relationships that boggled my mind. Everyone who was there with somebody (and most were) was in some kind of comfortable, “yes, we’re a couple and yes, I’m happy with that” sort of mode. There was a drunk guy or two hitting on the two or three single girls there with an alarming clumsiness that would have been cute or funny if it hadn’t been somehow representative of the whole “guy in the office who’s nice, but that the women would never date because he’s a little too creepy” stereotype. It was, in a lot of ways, very corporate. I’m sure that none of this makes any sense, but it’s because I’m exhausted and I haven’t thought it all out yet. Problem is, once I sleep on it, I’ll either forget, or it’ll be impossible to recreate the mood in which I find myself at the moment, so I won’t care properly. I think what it is is this: my devotion to debauchery and penchant for pushing the envelope are both indicative of a juvenility that people lose as they grow up. This was one party that had outgrown me, and I felt particularly left behind there. | |
| Happy birthday, Nana! |
Dec 8
|
| It’s almost the weekend! |
Dec 6
|
| I could really use a Friday right about now, and if i don’t get home soon, that’s exactly what’s going to happen. While I really like this laptop-on-the-subway thing, I wish the MTA didn’t give me so much time for it–I’d trade a lot of it for sleep. Tonight, I’m coming from the Upright Citizens’ Brigads theatre in Chelsea. There are some funny motherfuckers in Chelsea, let me tell you that. Last night, it was a meeting with Emmet, a potential artist for Venture4, assuming that Adam does, indeed flake. Tomorrow, I have all day to look forward to a little chilling out, a little veg-time, and a little bit of extra sleep. Saturday, I have the good fortune to have Steve come up for a day or two, and I’ll be taking him to parties with Megan. Maybe tomorrow on this ride I can complete the digest of my script (it’s too long and involved to be a treatment) and have it out to a couple of people for another critique. We’ll just have to see. For now, it’s time to go, because I can nap before this interminable ride ends. |
|
| Some VENTURE updates |
Dec 4
|
| With the stuff that Kurt sent me this past weekend, I’ve managed to create a samples page that will hopefully whet your appetites for the feast of artwork to come.
I’m also meeting with Emmet this week to see if he’d be interested in stepping aboard as guest artist on Issue4 (since Kurt’s work on the issue has been complete since July 10th). I hate to give up on Adam, but sometimes a guy has to “shit or get off the pot,” as it were. Lastly, I’m still waiting for comic samples from a potential printer–it would be very nice to have something concrete to look at before I make a decision about who I’ll finally go with. Price is important, but quality cannot be overlooked. |
|
| Kurt’s Redraw – Venture 3 |
Dec 3
|
 Kurt’s version of what Mike drew. Mike’s layouts are really helping us get to another level here.I’m also in negoations to bring in another artist to do the guest work on issue4, so hopefully, that, too will have some movement soon. |
|
| Quick weekend update |
Dec 2
|
| Pictures will be up tomorrow, but I wanted to thank Jodi, Kris and Andrea for visiting this weekend–it was a good one. I also want to give a nod to Megan for hanging out last night and for being strong, if unhappy, today. Tomorrow, there should be mad pictures, both of Venture3 (Krol edition) and of this past weekend. Maybe we’ll even get Thanksgiving stuff. | |
| New addition to the site! |
Nov 30
|
| Feeling voyeuristic? Check out my newly-placed webcam, then, and get in on some living-room action! Keep up with my comings and goings AROUND THE CLOCK with this ALL NEW TOOL for your stalking convenience! You really can get a sense of just how damned lazy I am by seeing how often I’m sitting on my couch, watching movies or geeking out. Sometime in the not-too-distant future, I’d love to add another camera or two (maybe with a wider-angle lens?) to complete the view. That’s on the horizon, though, and not imminent. You really should be running at least 800×600 to check out this page, because the use of frames screws everything up on 640×480. It’s Friday, and I’m looking forward to a good weekend–both fun and relaxing. Jodi, Kris and Andrea are coming up from Philly, so we can have some debauchery. Hit my board should you decide that you want to comment on my ridiculous webcam idea. |
|
| Venture 3 frame-by-frame redraw complete! |
Nov 29
|
| Yesterday, while working on Christmas Party flier designs, I checked my board and saw that Krol has completed artwork on Issue3. His work on Mike’s layouts is just amazing, and I’m looking forward to getting to work on the text and the final effects. In other news, I finally saw Ninja Scroll with my brother over the weekend, and am glad that I saw it, even if it didn’t manage to convert me into an anime freak (otaku?) yet. Rented Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory last night, too. That was fun–1971 at its most strange. |
|
| Turkey Day final report |
Nov 25
|
| As the long weekend winds to a close, I find myself wondering where it all went. I slept way too little (something that never happens at my mom’s house), and still somehow it seems as if there wasn’t any time. I did get to see friends and relatives, Nana and Papa, Grandma O, Justin, Aunt Kris, Uncle David, Shannon. Uncle Ken, all four Dutch ladies, Kara and more, all in addition to my immediate family. I stood Kara up last night, however, which wasn’t a very nice thing to do, even if it was for the most noble of reasons. Seeing everyone was a treat and something I’d really like to do more of. I hung Christmas lights yesterday (in a strange day where it managed to rain on me at the beginning of the day and at the end of the day 20 hours later but not a drop in between) in an effort to make decorating in general easier for my mom and my sister. I didn’t take nearly as many pictures as I would have liked, and even with relatively slow (for me) 400 speed film, I bet most of my shots, especially from Justin and Trish’s engagement party, came out too blurry to use. We shall see. Now that the Thanksgiving thing is over, I guess it’s time to really ramp up pre-production of Christmas. That means shopping, decorating, prepping the party, etc, and when you have so little time as I often feel that I do, this can be quite a daunting task. |
|
| Plans… |
Nov 20
|
| So, who’s travelling for the holiday weekend? I, for one, am travelling to Philly to be involved in some family affairs, as well as, hopefully, to catch up with an old friend or two. I’m looking forward to the holiday weekend–the extra time off will be nice to relax and not feel like I’m rushing myself everywhere. Starting immediately after Thanksgiving, I guess, is the Christmas shopping season, and I have to get cracking, what with me having little money and nothing bought. Fortunately, I have an idea or two. I’m looking forward to getting a ride down with my friend Jen the investment banker (aren’t nicknames great?)–maybe even tomorrow night. We’ll see. I’d like to convince her to leave early in the morning on Thursday, but I’m doubting that will work. We’ll see. | |
| Weekend Update #2 |
Nov 18
|
| We didn’t make it to Tribecca Blues last night, but some of us (note: not me, but some of us) caught the meteor shower and were treated to God’s fireworks. Chinese food, sake, a lot of talk about greek food, some lazing around, and laundry made for a memorable weekend, even if we didn’t manage to leave the apartment before 2:30 this afternoon (but I won’t mention WHO might be responsible for that little travesty…). | |
| On the set… |
Nov 17
|
 So this is the latest flier that I had put up on the set of my show–this time it’s about VENTURE, clearly, and especially about Kurt, the genius behind the pencil. That actually happened awhile ago, but I haven’t had a chance to put up images in awhile.
In other news, Heather is here for the weekend, so it’ll at least be a fun weekend, even if it’s not a long one. I think Tribecca Blues might get our patronage this evening, which I’m looking forward to, so that, too, is cool. More to come…. |
|
| HARRY POTTER premiere ticket back |
Nov 14
|
 |
|
| HARRY POTTER premiere |
Nov 11
|
| Here’s the short version: I saw the HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER ‘S STONE premiere this afernoon and I loved it. I liked it as much (or more) for the atmosphere and the idea of it as for the actual movie (which I thought was a little lacking, but enjoyable, overall. I’m really tired, so I’m going to call it a night, but I wanted to leave you with a link to my review over on film-411. HARRY POTTER REVIEW @ FILM-411.COM |
|
| It’s working… |
Nov 9
|
| Here I am at work–updating mainly for the sake of updating. Last night, I met with Allan at a United Way function on Park Avenue (Megan was promoting some teachers who learned to use software/hardware that she provided) and talked to him about his drawing/creating style. I’m really intrigued by it and I can’t wait to see a handful of finished pages. Maybe we’ll get a chance to get together this weekend. The Harry Potter thing isn’t confirmed yet, but I have Kelley to thank for thinking of me anyway. I’m looking forward to the weekend–some time to get my life together and have a grand old time. |
|
| A quick update |
Nov 7
|
| Well, I’m laptopped. That’s good for me. I’m hoping that over the next couple of days I can get back to some semblance of control over my digital life. That includes replying to a month’s worth of e-mail, fixing a web board, editing web sites, and maybe even doing some writing. We’ll see, of course. I’ve spent this evening working on installing/configuring this system for easy use, and I think it’s coming along nicely.
Lastly, I may have a line on a ticket (or two) to the Harry Potter premiere in NYC this weekend, so I’ll let you know how it turns out. We shall see. I’ll update again soon. |
|
| Where the hell is my laptop? (and other worries) |
Nov 3
|
| Besides a reference to a childhood book, the title is pretty much a lie because I’m not really worried about much at the moment. I do sort of want to know where the hell my laptop is because I ordered it a week ago, but that’s between me and the company and you don’t have to worry about it.
42nd Street on Tuesday night was fantastic–the song and dance thig on Broadway is something that not everyone can see whenever they want, so I’m pretty lucky. The show was great, too, one of the best playing at the moment. Then there was Halloween. I love Halloween–it allows me to indulge my imagination in new and different ways that only happen that once a year. The parade in the Village was lackluster and short, but considering the current socio-political issues, it was a good turnout. Nobody even got anthrax. Tonight is a TastyMilk party (if I can drag my tired, ineffectual ass out of the apartment), and Megan and I will try to get there, even though it’s way the hell out in Jersey city. We’ll see what happens. For now, I try to fix the Tango board and then go watch a movie. Sound good? |
|
| I installed XP! |
Oct 29
|
| Windows XP is mine, and soon, I’ll have Office XP installed as well. If you have any tips for me, please tell me about them, because I don’t know anything about WinXP yet. | |
| Sunday night blues |
Oct 28
|
| It has been a good weekend. Allentown treated me well, and I didn’t have to travel to the Baltimore ComiCon because Krol did some advance scouting and gave me the inside scoop (that it was small and not-that-good), so I could hang out with my brother a little more. The halloween shindigs last night were fun (in that “I don’t know anyone here sort of way,” anyway) and I got to go to college parties again after a couple of years. It’s interesting to see how they seem to have changed since my college days. In some ways, too, they’re extremely similar. It was good to see Drew, Emily and Mom, first of all, and second nice to see some of Drew’s friends again, too (Josh, MattyJ, Brian, Krisitin — you know who you are). Thanks for the hospitality and I’d love to have you guys over so I can reciprocate the kindness.
Some sketches from The DSF-CCP are finally up, as well–check them out here. Thanks to Allan for providing me with the artwork that I could look at, and I look forward to seeing the first completed page in the next few days. Pretty soon, this thing will need its own whole section. |
|
| of vice and men |
Oct 25
|
| Despite the fact that I’ve read headlines less obvious than the message of tonight’s date, I’m in pretty good spirits. I will spare the gory details; suffice it to say that the message of “you hurt me but here’s proof that I am no longer fazed and have, in fact, risen above it–and you” was heard loud and clear. What that message means is a wholly different story, I think.
On a happier note, pictures from New Orleans are up, I’m going to see my brother tomorrow (likely) and the rest of my family on Saturday, and I’ll be at my first ComiCon on Sunday, at least for awhile. Things always crop up in interesting ways, don’t they? Must sleep. |
|
| Home! |
Oct 23
|
| New Orleans was awesome. Fantastic, in fact. There will be pictures eventually–maybe even tomorrow. We shall see. LOTS of pictures (I said below that I’d have lots) is an overstatement, but taking a whole role in the 2 days that I was there was pretty good, I think.
Now I’m tired and have to be asleep in short order, but I’m trying to make a concerted effort to make updates more frequent and timely. |
|
| Off to New Orleans |
Oct 19
|
| So tomorrow morning, I get up and head to New Orleans. The flight leaves JFK at 8:50am and lands just after 11am in the Big Easy. I’ll have lots of pictures and stories (most of which will likely never make it here) on Monday afternoon, and a huge lack of sleep, no doubt. I’m psyched to be going, and I wish everyone a good weekend. | |
| ‘Twas a good day… |
Oct 17
|
| In the quickest update ever, I wanted to let you know that yesterday was indeed a good day–likely stemming from all the well-wishes and hugs I got from everyone. I didn’t manage to get ahold of Jared, but I did talk to the entire rest of his family and his voicemail, so he knows I didn’t forget him.
Anyway, thanks, everyone, for the wishes. |
|
| The film-411 TOP 100 MOVIES OF ALL TIME list is up! |
Oct 15
|
| Cripes! Another week! |
Oct 15
|
| Okay, so the “updating more frequently” thing hasn’t been going according to plan. I’ll get better, though, maybe only when I get my laptop. When will that be? Nobody knows, really.
So kinda a lot has happened in the last week. I’ve nailed down plans for my New Orleans trip (although we have no accomodations yet ), which goes from Saturday to Monday. Mike and I had an interesting weekend–low key–but unexpected on a lot of fronts, and I’ll say no more. In the next few days the first sketches for my new comic will be going up–then we’ll have the “help name the comic” contest and you can name my new creation! Sounds exciting, doesn’t it? Anyway, stay tuned for that. The sketches (which have made their way into my sweaty little hands) are really great, and fun to look at. I can’t wait to post them for your viewing pleasure. |
|
| Mondays off = good stuff |
Oct 08
|
| If I managed to fail to updte after the extremely chill weekend I’ve had, I should be ashamed of myself. While nothing huge happened this weekend (the benefit fizzled into a very enjoyable evening with Michael, Melody and a friend of hers, but by no means was “huge”), this counts as a very good weekend nonetheless. I like ’em slow every once in awhile–the pace helps me regain my equilibrium. We’re planning something big on the horizon–a trip to New Orleans. I’ll put up more details as they surface, and pictures when it’s over, but that’s a couple weeks away yet. Also, the new Sci-fi project that I’ve been talking about here and there and you’ve gotten in whispers is underweigh now–Allan has his pencil to the paper and we’re off and running. I’m pretty psyched, and I expect greatness from this one, too.
I saw Training Day today, and liked it, although I felt that it lost its strength and focus during the third act. Ah well–Denzel was fantastic. Tomorrow night is WriteClub – I’m looking for a renaissance with it–that’s why I’m typing up the CCP script this evening for distribution there tomorrow. |
|
| Through a stroke of luck |
Oct 03
|
| I’m home tonight at 7:30. There might be an end to this nonsense afterall. I’ve got a lot of e-mails to reply to, some stuff to type up (from my Kelley Baker interview yesterday, first off all), and relaxation to engage in. I plan, between now and bed time at 10:30 sharp, to double my last week’s “at home awake” time–that’s because I rule. Then maybe I can sleep.
Allan and I met on Monday (after a long weekend of waiting and moving where, miraculously, I made no major decisions), and the unnamed comic project got a much-needed kickstart. We’re calling it the DSF-CCP for the time being, but it needs a proper title. I’d love to hear a suggestion–hit the board and tell me something good. My Kelley Baker interview yesterday taught me that I would, indeed, never be a journalist, but reinforced the idea of how much I love talking to interesting people. I’ll link to the interview/review when I put it up. Likely this weekend. This weekend, I’ll also be putting up my beowulf cluster, finishing the Film-411 top 100 poll, and typing the dialogue from the new comic so that perhaps I can cast it as a radio play. We’ll see how all that goes. I’m psyched that I have Monday off, too. For now, that’s my update. Happy October, right? |
|
| I haven’t forgotten you… |
Oct 02
|
| I know it’s been awhile, but I’ve been REALLY busy. I’m trying to slow things down, but we’ll see how things go. Longer update tonight or tomorrow, depending on how things go tonight. | |
| Weekend Update |
Sept 23
|
| It’s been awhile since I’ve done one of these. It’s about time to unveil some new stuff I’ve been working on–maybe I’ll even finish it in some way this afternoon. It’s another comic book title, and it ties into something that I’ve been working on with my brother since the beginning of the summer. It’s a really good thing, and hopefully, I’ll have decided to type something up to share shortly.
I had the good fortune of visitors this weekend, Heather and Becca. Heather came up on Friday night and we went out drinking (even went as far as to force Mike out with us–despite his tiredness from working late shift). It was a good time, and allowed us to get up and dressed and ready just in time for Becca’s mid-afternoon arrival. I hadn’t seen Becca in 9 months–it was good to see her. I’m pretty lucky to have people willing and able to visit me all the way out here in Bay Ridge. As disconnected from the world as I often feel, people manage to get here, and I think it’s great. Thanks Becca and Heather. I also got my two final speakers this weekend–finally Dolby 5.1 for real in my house. Very slowly, I’m making it so that I’ll never need to leave my place. Now I’m off to write something. |
|
