Unexpected Treasures

I was organizing my office today (aka moving piles of crap from one stack to another), and I ran across a small cache of old photos...

My acting headshot at age 14 (taken by Randy):












My acting headshot at age 16 (taken by Randy):









Sam from Hello Out There, the first play we were in together (taken by Randy).












Me as Pink from Alan Parker's film based on Pink Floyd's The Wall. High school Halloween, age 17 (taken by Sam).












Me from the first Kings production Polaroids, about age 18. Although at that point I was producing and David Beach was directing, I'd written myself a cameo as Soldier #2. That's a guy who is comfortable and secure in his relationship, 180-degrees from where Sam was at the time (taken by Sam).












The back cover image from Zingo Magazine #1, an indie 'zine from late '82/early '83 (taken by Randy). Note the hat. I was Mr. Eighties Fedora Hat Guy. Mostly because I resonated with the 1930s/1940s retro vibe going on at the time. Note also that the men's double-breasted suit was back in fashion then...

Thanksgiving Update

Thanksgiving for us went like this:

1) pack up kids and wine, leave at 12:30PM
2) sit in parking lot traffic, and arrive in Bellingham at 3PM
3) visit with family and eat shortly after 4PM
4) pack up the car and head home at 5PM

Fortunately I-5 south was wide open and we got home about 6:20PM.

It was good to see my grandparents - my grandfather turns 91 this week, and since his spinal surgery, he's been walking more upright than I've seen him in years. Way to go, Opa!

We had our first family counseling session on Wednesday. Very positive. Mostly just intake stuff and preliminary questions, but definitely like the counselor, and Tyler really needs the outlet.

Ron and Mike and I got together on Friday and played some AT-43. It's been years since I've thrown actual models on a table and rolled dice, but it was really fun. High-quality, prepainted plastics - definitely the way to go if you don't have the time to assemble and paint your own army. I hope the game does well for Rackham.

Took Tyler and his best friend Miles to see Beowulf in 3D IMAX at the Pacific Science Center. It was big. It was loud. The 3D was cool. It was at times some of the best CG animation I've ever seen, and at times the lamest filmmaking. The voice acting was pretty consistently good, and the final battle sequence was some great film, period. So, if you can see it in 3D, I'd recommend it. It's not an instant classic, but it does represent some important achievements in computer animation.

Still finishing up the top-secret short project, and getting preproduction started on Duo. And I also need to start planning for Deathtrap.

Amy & I had a few very long and intense conversations and determined that, although we definitely click on many levels and share a wide cultural overlap, I just wasn't feeling the romantic spark. We're remaining friends, which is great. I understand that's unusual for a lot of folks. I'm on speaking terms with every woman I dated after Sam died, except one. That's a pretty good ratio. In any case, that's the end of my internet dating story. If any relationship is gonna happen, it'll be meeting through common interests and/or work. I just get that feeling.

Okay... back to it.

Happy Elfin' Holidays...

So this is cute.

Also, actor Eric Riedmann, who played Afriel in Ordinary Angels, has accepted the role of JD in my upcoming film, Duo. I'm a happy camper. I'm also a tired camper. Homer sleep now.

Stuff & Jazz

I haven't posted this week due to the sheer amount of stuff going on professionally. Still writing like crazy, and in pre-pre-production on Duo. Went to the screening of Behind Closed Doors on Friday night, and was pleasantly surprised to find that even folks who didn't actually know me, knew of me via Ordinary Angels, and that the film has a very good reputation. I gladhanded for awhile and thoroughly enjoyed the BCD film itself. It also afforded me a look at my Duo producer Dan in his element. These are good people. Talented people. And I'm really glad I fell in with them.

Tyler has had some challenges this week, but it's not anything I really want to go into in public at this time. Everyone is safe and sound, and we're going to family counseling starting tomorrow. That's a huge step forward. And he was an absolute angel today. I'm taking him to the Dino 3D Imax film at the Pacific Science Center on Saturday with his best friend.

Had my parent/teacher conference with Kayleigh's teacher today, and she's doing great! No concerns with her, except for keeping her at a high enough level to remain interested and engaged in the class.

We had dinner with Sam's folks on Sunday night. Too short a visit, but the kids need their school night structure.

I'm also continuing to see the woman I briefly mentioned previously, and she's coming out to the house tomorrow for dinner and "meet the kids". The rationale is thus: we've been "going out" for almost a month, and have determined that even if we don't work out romantically, we can remain friends - certainly not a hollow promise, as I have a very good track record in that department. So I feel okay with opening that particular door, and the kids are excited to meet her too.

Finally, I thought I'd share the following short film. It's a Flash animated webtoon I wrote & directed when I was art director at Hyperbole Studios during the dot-com boom. Listen closely and you can hear me do several of the voices. Our managers Greg and Halle also pitched in on the voice talent, and my bro Steve did all the art assets that I then animated (as well as doing his share of voices!). Enjoy!

Congrats!

I just want to give a quick shout out to Lynnae, who has become engaged to her amazing boyfriend Shawn.

As I have said before in this very blog, Lynnae is a truly outstanding person and really deserves all the happiness life can possibly throw her way. I wish the happy couple a long and blissful union.

Much love.

11/11/07

I spent yesterday avoiding the fact that it was the 23rd anniversary of the day Samantha & I officially kicked off our relationship. I've written about it before on this blog, specifically:

here (2005), and here (2006).

I've been passing the days nose-deep in writing, parenting, and movie screening. This is one of the low swings where I just keep my head down and hopefully get something done until the energy returns and I get phenomenal things accomplished. I have a film premiere on Thursday, and am taking the woman I've been seeing for the last couple weeks. Should be fun. I was on the guest list for TWO premieres on the same night, both films with folks from OA involved. It sucks to have to choose one over the other, but Ben knows I love him.

On Saturday I took Kayleigh to see The Foreigner at Youngstown. Muriel is beginning to blossom as a director, and she really took advantage of the space. I am going to use those beautiful wood flats for the interior of the Breuhl house when I do Deathtrap in the spring. It was a good show, and half a house on a Saturday matinee is not bad attendance at all! The word is staring to seep out of West Seattle.

Of course I stopped up by the booth and snapped a pic of the etched sign outside, something I'd yet to do in the past year. Looking forward to doing a two-week run of Deathtrap in there.

Fall Sets In

This week I've mostly been nose-down in script projects, though I did surface long enough to assemble some last-minute audio cues for Muriel's show. I'm feeling pretty tired, mostly due to having an almost-constant battle with Tyler over school and his sleep schedule (and the fact that, given the two are fundamentally incompatible, school wins and his sleep schedule needs to change). School admin and counseling staff have even intervened. I have every faith that he'll get in sync, but right now it's a struggle for all involved.

Kayleigh is set to start voice lessons in addition to playing her clarinet in advanced band - I'm just trying to coordinate with the teacher.

So, work work work. What have I done for amusement?

My mom and stepdad came down on Monday to hang out and visit. They'd never seen OA, so I screened it for them. I can watch the deathbed scene by myself or with newer friends, but if someone who knew Sam is watching, I am compelled to leave the room. Also showed them The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra, which they thought was funny. Which is good, because it is.

Ron and I went in on the AT-43 intro game, and were both impressed by the casting and stock painting of the pieces. One of our old friends from the game store days (Ron and I used to run a geek boutique at the W. Seattle Junction back in the day, which was a Wednesday) came by when we were breaking it open, and I think he's hooked. We're all old hands at Warhammer 40K, and just don't have time to assemble and paint a bunch of models prior to playing - we just want to play. Also been getting in one or two evenings of City of Heroes a week, beating up bad guys online with Ron and Hans.

I've also gone on a couple dates with a really nice gal. But I'm not going to spill the beans here prematurely - wanna see how it develops. We did go and see an amazing film on our second date: Control. It's a biopic about Ian Curtis, founding member of the iconic post-punk band Joy Division, which had a profound impact on alternative music, influencing whole genres from the late '70s to the present day. Directed by Anton Corbijn (whose music videos and rock photography often grace MTV, Rolling Stone and other venues). Amazing cast. The actors portraying the band members are scary good. Almost dead ringers for the real guys. The film is NOT a Joy Division movie - It's primarily about Ian Curtis, his strained relationships, depression, epilepsy, and suicide at the age of 23. It's not a feel-good movie. It's a beautiful, powerful time capsule, expertly captured and presented in black & white. (photos: on the left are the real dudes, on the right are the actors from the film)

Sheesh. Apparently, it's the 30th anniversary of Joy Division. Now I feel REALLY old.

I was not an early adopter of Joy Division. We didn't get a whole lot of their music in coastal California. But when I moved from Santa Cruz to Palo Alto, I was introduced to a wealth of alternative sound: Joy Division/New Order, Cabaret Voltaire, Cocteau Twins, Bauhaus, Japan, Simple Minds, Depeche Mode, and more. At first I wasn't into Joy Division, but their sound grew on me, and soon I could see the attraction. While punk rebelled at the overplayed/overproduced progressive rock of the 1970s, a less angry, more somber, minimalist form emerged, which would seep into the new wave, goth, shoegaze and dreampop sub-forms of the '80s and '90s. Joy Division represents that vanguard, from Stephen Morris' metronome drumming to Peter Hook's melodic lead basslines, to Bernard Sumner's stark guitar riffs, to Ian's droning vocals. And you cannot listen to a current band like She Wants Revenge or Scanners and not hear the influence.