mike maddox ate my brain

Today I get an email mixed in with the massive amounts of spam yahoo lets through on a regular basis from Mike Maddox, who is Mike Maddox? I couldn't really tell you...

I do know he went to my school; I do know he was in the same grade as me; and I do remember that when I was in elementary - he used to try to convince me that we were best friends because both our names were 'Mike'.

Anyways, I get an email from him that he sent out to everyone in his address book, and all the email has is a link. No explination, no attachment, nothing. Due to curiosity I didn't just delete it and it took me here. What this is, I do not know, but I do know one more thing about Mike Maddox; he's a wierdo'.

I had a feeling there might be a few schools going to the aquarium yesterday. As we were walking inside, about 10 buses emptied out onto the courtyard, spilling row after row of children, wearing name tags or homemade t-shirts to identify themselves. They were organized in lines against nearly every wall or outcropping their parents and teachers could find.

Fortunately, they all had short attention spans and if you waited behind them a minute or two, they'd run off to the next exhibit, giving you a few minutes to check out the sea life before the next swarm ran over your feet. I feel like an old man for saying it, but sometimes it was like they really weren't looking where they were going. I can't tell you how many kids took a header into Michelle's side because they were running straight, looking left, and yelling at their friends behind them.

All that aside, the aquarium was awesome. It was two stories tall with plenty of helpful people and exhibits. I forgot to turn off the camera's flash at first, so here are the pictures that came out ok. At least from the digital camera.



A scuba guy dove in to feed the fish. He waved at all the little kids. I was going to flip him off, but Michelle wouldn't have let me.



Another picture of the tank. That's real sunlight through the roof.

like peas in a pod...

I thought I would write a quick post while Michelle is drying her hair. We're getting ready to go an aquarium in Long Beach called the Aquarium of the Pacific. You get to pet sharks and stuff, so it sounds pretty cool. It's going to be about an hour drive in traffic though. We're already a little pink from our last day driving.

We had a blast yesterday. I took her to the Santa Monica pier to listen to the street acts and stuff. There was a farmer's market right next to the 3rd Street Promenade. We walked through all these rows of fruits and veggies and hari krishnas and fat jamaican guys in overalls selling [and I quote] "Lavender lotion... the love potion." Michelle wouldn't take any of the free samples, so I stole her a cherry.

Earlier in the day, we were walking on a really smooth brick sidewalk and someone had spilled a shake on it. A TV crew was filming this homeless guy with a sign that said "A smile will be fine." I walked right in between them and slipped on the shake in my sandals. If I hadn't been holding Michelle's hand, I'd have taken a dive. Of course, she dies laughing at me, and apparently the homeless guy was in tears. And the TV crew has it all on tape of course. [lucky me. They'll be watching that outtake for years]

After that we went to Citywalk (a mall at Universal Studios), just to look at the stores and get some lunch. A lady mentioned they were shooting something for American Idol and we saw where the set-up had been, so Michelle said we should go look for celebrities. So we walk where we can't see any people, between two building, and none other than Simon Cowell strolls right next to us, going the other direction, bodyguards in tow. Michelle actually didn't recognize him, so for those of you that don't know, he's the judge from American Idol. [I'm only kidding, everyone knows that.] She recognized him after he walked in front of a poster of himself, to chat with some Japanese tourists. He actually was pretty nice to them.

After that we took a drive to Pasadena to see the movie Touching the Void, which was incredible. It's a documentary [basically] about these two climbers going up this impossible mountain. It's really really good, so go see it, if it's showing anywhere near you. Pasadena was gorgeous. They had all this architecture and mountains. The drive home with all the lights all up and down the sides of the mountains was breathtaking. I wish everyone hadn't been going 70mph, or we might have had a longer time to see it.

Everywhere that we went yesterday, Michelle knew how to get there and I didn't. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she'd lived here before. She'd been to Santa Monica once, and remembered it. I've been there three times and I didn't even know what highway to start from. She has quite the sense of direction, and boy did I hear about it.

That was pretty much the whole day. The best part of this week is that we seem to be using each day to it's full potential. I didn't even really have the time to write yesterday. It's going to stink when she leaves Friday, but she'll be back next week, and we've got even more stuff planned. Plus I'll actually have some money this time. I'm thinking Universal Studios, probably.

Well, she's done with her beautifying, so we're outta here. Time to brave the 101 and get some breakfast. Later days!

This is the second time someone [Chuck] has left a pop in the freezer. Tisk, tisk, tisk.

I found out yesterday that it was snowing in Michigan. Meanwhile, we were roasting. The valley was about 100 degrees yesterday. I took Michelle to the mall and all the local places, since we were supposed to go to a tv show taping yesterday with Billy. I wanted to get back by 5:30.

I took her up Mullholand drive, which curves along a mountainside, to get a better look at the city. Then we went to Burbank and the mall and Ikea and stuff. Mike and Amanda went with us to Santa Monica later on. We had chinese and went to the beach. The ocean made Santa Monica about 10 degrees cooler, so then the weather was perfect.

Last night we tried to sit around the house to chill out a little, but the heat was almost unbearable. I kept passing out on the couch, so Michelle watched my Futurama DVD a little. Finally, Mike and Amanda came out of their room and we all drove to the store to cool off. We debated going to the S. Monica again, cause they let everyone sleep on the beach, but everyone just passed out. Our air conditioner is broken. Billy checked it this morning and it's covered in frost.

So big plans for today. We're going to the beach again, only this time were going alone and taking a picnic or something. It's still too cold to swim, but the cool breeze under the sun is... well, perfect.

I'm elated. I'm glad she's here. I haven't felt this centered in a long time. I wish she didn't have to go back.

Here's the video of us picking Michelle up at LAX.

Also, her mom bought me a frisbee and attached this to it. It's terrifying, I think, but I guess it's the thought that counts.

A2 is in tha house!

This week's movie of us walking around Ann Arbor really makes me miss it. If you happen to be from the Ann Arbor area, you may recognize a few things if you look closely or slow it down a bit. That was a fun night. I really think Mike did a great job making the video interesting, every time I watch it I see something new.

I updated the weekly movie [I know, I know... it's a few days late] last night. I was suppose to import some footage and re-cut a short Chuck and I helped a friend film in Ann Arbor two years ago, but I never got to it with all the other editing I've been doing [you can expect to see it sometime in the future].

So, anyways; the new weekly movie: which is a little hard to watch; [is of the three of us; Chuck, Amanda and I] we took the camera out with us while we went for one of our many midnight walks around downtown Ann Arbor... and then we sped up an hour of footage into a two minute music video. It looks great at full resolution, but that would be far too big of a file to put on our server [maybe... hmm... I might try it now... I think we actually have the bandwidth for it now], but this clip is more like a sixth of the normal resolution and the frames [since they're interlaced] kinda bleed together. I like to watch it frame by frame because its like going through a slideshow. Either way you watch it, I hope you enjoy it and I hope it doesn't give you a head ache. We are working on something to put up for next week... we'll see if we come through.

I might have mentioned the other night Chuck, Amanda and I went out filming around Universal and downtown Hollywood by the Kodak Theater. Well... most of it will never see the light of day cause we were just out goofing around and it's obvious. But here are a few random clips from the night that are watch-able.


Above: Chuck giving Amanda a piggy back ride outside the famous Mann's Theater. Which actually isn't the "Mann's" anymore - I guess it went bankrupt and is now owned by someone else... how does the most popular theater in the world go bankrupt? Strange.

I'm just gonna post these with as little explanation as possible [due to there's nothing really to explain; we were just running around with the camera]. This second clip is Amanda loosing Chuck at Universal and "somehow" ending up out side of the Metro downtown... if you thought about were she lost him and where she ended up looking for him... and you knew the area, it would make very little sense. I realized after watching this clip that the image is so small and dark is might be very difficult to tell what's going on: Chuck is hiding behind a trash can, then Amanda runs out in-front of the water fall, and when the coast is clear Chuck makes a break for it.

And now we are somewhere inside the Kodak theater [we would later get busted by the security guards for filming without a permit], there's no sound to this because the whole short 'chase' video was suppose to have music laid behind it, but I decided I'm lazy.

And finally; my favorite shot of the night, it was an accident but I like the way it looks. Don't worry Amanda doesn't actually palm the camera lens... I just made it look that way. For those of you wondering where this is at, we are down in the subway off Lankershim Blvd.

She's here.

We picked up Michelle from LAX last night, just before I had to go to work. My boss let me off early, cause I told him she was coming down to see me, so I'm out now. It's almost 3 though, and I really need to go to bed. So I just wanted to let her parents and everyone know she's in good hands. Tomorrow is going to be a blast. Night, all.

and then there were five

Michelle flew into LAX about two hours ago, and Chuck left for work an hour ago. I can imagine that must suck for the both of them, Chuck said he is praying for it to be dead like it has been the past few nights and that he will be let off early considering there are more people scheduled than normal.

Before we drove into LAX we [Chuck, Amanda, and myself] stopped by the Temple Bar where the ifp plays independent films every month for free. The first film was crap - crap from the first shot. I'm not even going to bother going into it. But the second short, called "small change" was really good actually. If anything the first short [which was an incredibly long 25 minutes] was a confidence booster, it's defiantly something look forward to [getting a short played there that is].

Its been so hot inside the apartment today, sticky hot, the kind of heat where the back of your knees sweat while you're sitting. We've been cranking the a/c all day long but it never seems to get farther than the living room. So, needless to say, both the bedrooms are slow roasting ovens.

wasted

I watched a short film titled, "Marla" [as in Marla from fight club] by a film group called "Another State of Mind". I am jealous; envious; bitter; and very impressed by their work. I can feel the pressure building inside - the little things building one on-top of the other - another wasted day. Another unfinished project. Another idea shot down. I just want to film fucking anything! I apologize for the swearing but I needed that. Every idea or project I suggest it is shot to pieces or brushed off with a general compliment. Not enough story, not enough character development, too little action, too little dialogue, too anything... it never matters what. Marla is a great short, well shot, creative, original [in a strange sort of way] and guess what; lacks story; lacks character development; action; lots of things. But surprise, surprise: it's very interesting, and very well done. And from the looks of the behind the scenes bonus materials; it looked like it was a lot of fun to film. Ugg... I should be out doing filming right now, by myself if I have to, but as much as I want to film "anything" I don't want it to be nothing. Life is passing by... time is passing by... opportunities... chances... ideas... and I'm well aware of it. When am I going to react?

P.A. in L.A.

The last couple of days at work have been really slow. I go in around 11 o'clock, we print a few copies off, and by midnight the place is pretty much dead. There are a few regulars that use the computers all night, but they pretty much leave everyone alone. I know it sounds cool, cause I get to sit around and get paid to surf the web, but trust me. It's boring. But I know it's one of those things that when I'm somewhere else, I'm really going to miss getting paid for nothing.

Yesterday my boss told me she was a PA [production assistant] for all kinds of places in Hollywood. She can't work anymore though, because she lost her car. She's getting a new car pretty soon though, and she said as soon as she was working again she could recommend me and get me a job as a PA. Apparently they get paid twice as much as we do now, and all you have to do is drive around and help out on sets and stuff. It'd be awesome just to be working near actual real shoots. I told her to sign me up.

She also gave me the names of some websites I'm looking into that are hiring for Hollywood type jobs. I just need to type myself up a new resume to send out to these guys and get my suit laundered. This Friday will be the first time in a long time since I've actually had some money to spend. I'm still down to thirty bucks, and all of that's getting spent on Michelle. She leaves the day I get paid, and comes back 5 days later. I can't wait to show her around California. I wish she could have been with us yesterday when we went to Venice Beach. It was so beautiful.

I made up some business cards for mike today. I know he's going to freak out when he gets them. He's been putting stickers up all over the place, but I think this would be a bit classier. It's actually really cool. It's just a plain white business card with caliblog.com typed in the center. It's like one of those cards they hand out in movies. I want a version that says "go west" too, but I'm going to see what everyone thinks of these. I can't wait to hand one to a celebrity. [and don't think I won't].

Hearing Michelle's voice on the phone yesterday flipped me out. I can't wait for her to get here. I'll try to keep posting, even though we'll be hanging out all day. Maybe now I'll have something to write about again. First place I'm taking her is to a taping of a TV show with the Indian guy from Van Wilder. You know the one who says "I want to take it to the car wash! You know. Get it waxed!". It's going to be directed by David Schwimmer from Friends, so he'll be there too.

Billy's been talking about taking a warehouse job in the mornings so he can try and get into a theatre troupe around here. I couldn't agree more. Billy was born to be in front of people. He has way too many quips to be wasted on me all day. Speaking of being wasted all day... Just kidding. I just wanted to say it twice.

My car is running like a big piece of crap and I got a letter in the mail today that says my insurance is cancelled. I was trying to ride my bike to work, but the stem is too long and my arms are overextended across the frame. It adds stress on my already bad knee and I can't ride without feeling sore. So soon as I get some cash I gotta buy a new stem. And a bed. And some work shoes. And food. And gas.... [what was I talking about?]

First we all complained that it was only our families that commented, and now everyone's pissed that our families don't comment anymore. Or at least not as much. We just love the attention. Amanda's post was written deliberately to get nice comments and it did not have the desired effect. I'm pretty easy to please, so just knowing it's out there makes me happy. I know those 550 unique visitors to the site are at least SOME people not related to us. So, to the unknown audience, I salute you. Now, comment, You spineless turds!

To my family and friends, I miss you all, but with every passing day I feel closer and closer to California. My new home is growing on me. I can't say I don't' occasionally long for what is familiar, whether it's better or worse, but I can say I'm enjoying what's new.

Will we ever learn? Once again we go out cameraless and end up kicking ourselves the whole time.

Since it was so beautiful [and incredibly hot] today, we drove out the beach; the whole time Chuck, Amanda and I were walking around Venice, with every apartment we passed we wanted more and more to live there. To have a small little balcony overlooking the boardwalk - watching the sun sink behind the ocean every night. The apartments may be smaller, but I don't even know what to do with half the space I have here. Venice Beach and Santa Monica are like Ypsi and Ann Arbor, the more I visit the two the more I think I'm willing to make the move. Hell, the internship I interviewed for was in Santa Monica... I don't have to live in downtown Hollywood to be 'where it's at'. Not to mention Venice phone numbers begin with 358. Which happens to be Chuck's long time lucky / un-lucky number. The reason it's either or is because he hasn't been able to figure it out yet; the number seems to connect itself to good and bad experiences.

Crap! I just realized today is the beginning of a new "weekly movie". I have two and half hours left to upload something new, this weeks short didn't do as well as our first run. Last I checked it only had hit 55 downloads when the 'Great Tower' was in the near 80s. Ahh, you win some you lose some. Actually; here's a little something my brother sent me the other day, a short 30 second commercial for Onsted schools. I miss him, I miss my sister - I miss my family... this video defiantly brings those feelings to the surface. I am looking forward to visiting home for my bro's graduation, but unfortunately he won't be having an open house until he returns from Kenya [my brother is like Indiana Jones... he goes to exotic country's left and right].

Chuck the other night, while looking up who knows what, stumbled across a project called "loft cube". I want one. They build this special "loft" and fly it in on a helicopter, dropping it on a rooftop. It's crazy, and I want one really, really bad. If I could have one of these on a rooftop not far from the ocean; I would be materialisticly complete for the rest of my days. Okay, that's a lie - I would still crave a number of apple computers and toys [G5; iPod; Cinema display; maybe an iBook].

I got hired in at Ikea today, so now I am juggling two jobs... we'll see how long that last. I am plotting on starting up the video production work I did back in Ypsi out here, considering there are over twenty theaters with-in No Ho alone, I should be able to nab one repeat project. Plus I just can't stand to work for someone, I became spoiled back home with working my own hours and getting to cut video for a living. But whether I make more money or not doing it here - hell, I'll film theater productions and cut 'em up for the same 8 bucks an hour I make at toys 'r' us - I don't need to make a killing out here. The free time alone is worth the responsibility... out here I could use all the free time I can get for writing / filming / editing / living a life that will make me happy / enjoying the weather / you get the idea.

I just got back from work a little while ago. I should've crawled back into bed with mike, like he asked, but everyone is asleep and I felt really inspired on my way home, so I think I'll take advantage of this opportunity.

I only worked for 3.5 hours this morning. I have to get a second job. This is the second day in a row that I've been sent home early due to cutting back on hours. And I only had 22 hours this week to begin with. I hope Mike doesn't leave Toys R Us for Ikea. He could get benefits from Toys R Us, too and he could actually do both, since Toys R Us is just a few hours in the morning anyway. If Ikea hired me, I think I'd do both. If Best buy hires me, I will.

When I got up at 5 am to get ready for work, Mike was still up. I'm not sure what he and Chuck were doing, but Chuck is always up at that time (due to the overnight schedule and all). So that explains why Mike is still asleep. They'll all be getting up around noon or so anyway. At 1 pm we're all leaving to go see a run through of the "Joey" show's rehearsal.

On my way home from work some old lady cut me off really bad, then 2 seconds later I saw a cop run a light right when it turned red.

I'm going to post a few pictures of myself.


This is what I looked like when Mike saw me for the first time, my hair was in braids and he thought it was hot. I'm looking at my hand through a magnifying glass that I found in Chuck's room.

I was going to talk a little bit about myself for the folks out there who don't know me, in a shameless attempt to make myself more popular on this blog, but I can't remember what I wanted to say. I guess my feelings are just a bit hurt that no one ever leaves [positive] comments on my posts. I know "it's not a popularity contest"...blah blah blah... And I suppose it does make sense, since the only people to comment are usually Mike's family, Billy's "girlfriends" and occasionally, Chuck's dad.

I've been really obsessed with this song lately, by 'The Postal Service' called 'Such Great Heights'. I especially love the lyrics. I also really like the song from the 'Garden State' trailer called 'Let Go' by 'Frou Frou'.

If you're ever bored and have a minute, scroll down to my links and check out 'Voice Yourself'. It's a very cool sight. Click on "Thoughts from within" and watch the video. Maybe it will inspire you. Another really great thing I found from that sight was this page on industrial hemp facts. The first time Mike and I read it, we were blown away. I know it's a bit long, but if you just skim through it I'm sure you'll find tons of interesting information. Hey..... it might even change the way you live...... that makes it worth mentioning for me.

I got really homesick earlier this week. Not all that homesick for Michigan, just homesick for some friends. My only friend out here is Sara G. who lives in Santa Monica. She moved out here 2 months before me. For some reason we haven't managed to hook up yet. And, yes, I do realize that I live with 3 friends, but sometimes a girl just needs someone to talk to who isn't one of her boyfriends best friends. I miss my girls back home. And my mom and Emily. Some of the time I really feel like I have no friends here, like I have my Boyfriend and he has his friends, and I'm all alone.


This is my dog, Shy. He passed away last Thanksgiving, I've been missing him a lot lately, too. I got him on St Patrick's day, when I was 21 and he was 8 weeks. I raised him... he was my baby.

I had kind of a hard beginning of the week..... and last week... hell, I've been moody. It's been hard. Maybe it's just hormones. I'm obviously still adjusting. Living life here in CA isn't much different than living life anywhere else, it's the moving away from home and moving in with 3 guys that I'm not adjusted to yet. Mike and I haven't really found where our relationship fits into all of this yet, either. But I'm sure it's going to work out eventually. And I am grateful to have all 3 of them here. It's true. I am.


This is Mike and I in Oct. 2002, we had only been dating for a couple of months.

Michelle is coming next week. That will be fun. At least there will be another girl here to hang with. My step-sister, Amber just got accepted to the California Institute of the Arts, in the Film Direction Program. She'll be moving here in the fall. I'm so excited! And she's coming to visit in July, I think. My best friend, Crystal is also coming to visit sometime in May or June. And my mom and Ray will be stopping for a day on their way to visit my godmother in New Zealand, at the end of May.


This is my stepsister, Amber, and her man, Alex. Taken the same day as that last one of Mike and I.

I suppose I should get in the shower now, before the boys wake up and want to leave. I'll have to add my pictures later so this post will probably be posted later.
Thursday 4/22/04 10:30 am

After writing this, it turned into something that probably should have gone on 'Caliblog: reviews', but it's too late now, so whatever. Well, as Mike mentioned already, we went to see a run-through (final rehearsal) of Matt LeBlanc's 'Friends' spin-off, 'Joey'. I must say, it was pretty funny. He was cool, too. He would gesture to the crowd everytime he would walk by to another scene. When you watch him you can tell he feels like he has this huge burden on his shoulders to be accepted by 'Friends' fans without the chemistry that made the show so popular. I would like to see the show succeed, being such a big 'Friends' fan myself, but I think most people are going to use the new show as a sort of 'Friends patch'. Slowly weening themselves from the show that has been a part of their lives for the last ten years. Once they have gotten their 'fix' and start looking at the show on it's own, they'll realize the balance that made 'Friends' what it was is missing. 'Friends' was an ensemble cast. No one person made the show as endearing as it was. You can call the new show an ensemble, but let's face facts: people are tuning in to see Joey. As much as you may like one of the other cast members, they're still going to be his supporting cast. It's up to LeBlanc to carry the show. The character is great, don't missunderstand, but too much of any good thing is still too much. He needs an equal character to play off of and he just doesn't have it. I hope I'm wrong. The show that we saw, though...very funny. It's supposed to kick off in September and I'm looking forward to it. I guess we'll see what happens then.

I've never been able to get comfortable at this table. Not completely anyway. I tried buying a new chair, but that didn't seem to help the situation. This should be a sign to me that I spend too much time in front of the computer. If I only jumped on for a half-hour each day to check my e-mail and post occassionaly, I doubt the problem would be as severe. However, as it stands [or sits] I'm moderately comfortable in Mike's oversized red chair, for the moment.

I'm still not sure about the overnight gig. I mean here I am at 2am while everyone else is sound asleep. I haven't been able to come up with any ideas for posts in the last couple days. I think I've been a bit frazzled, with Michelle coming so soon. She'll be here in 4 days. I can't wait.

I wanted to write a post about how I met her, but I didn't want to bore anyone. I suppose you guys can scroll down, or skim the paragraphs. Michelle and I sang in the a cappella group together. That's how I met her anyway. Though, at first, I never paid her much attention.

My biggest deterrent was the cross she wore on a silver chain that always hung over her modestly high-necked sweaters; and a best friend that fainted if you cursed and forgot to speak under your breath. I've never seen her in a tank top in public, and she wears pajamas to bed. I'm talking Samantha on "Bewitched", full blown, pants and blouse - 1960's pajamas. It's a cute kind of dorky.

Also she's taller than me - especially in heels. About 6 inches when she wore these giant black heels on Thursdays. (She drove to Detroit to work with autistic kids every Thursday, and always dressed in businesswoman type stuff) I hated that. I can't stand girls that are taller than me. But without the heels it's only a couple of inches and most of the time I don't notice anymore. She's my leggy brunette.

I found it all pretty off putting at first. I didn't think she was anything like me. I'd already used the a cappella group for it's number one asset [Michelle], so I stopped showing up. I always felt like an idiot with the other members anyway, because I was the only one who couldn't read sheet music. I learned all the songs by ear, the way I've always done it. It just doesn't work as well when you're the only one who's supposed to sing your part. Michelle quit too, eventually.

Slowly but surely, I was with her all the time. The more I hung out with her, the more I realized I liked having her around. Before you knew it, we were dating. Nobody said anything for the longest time. So when we decided we needed an official date, I gave Michael Dec. 15th. I know that now, because he put it on his iCalendar, for reasons I can't explain.

Of course, nothing perfect lasts forever, and I got it into my head that I should move to California. Being out here has made me realize how I feel about her. If anything makes the heart grow fonder, it's distance. Not because I'm lonely without her, but because she really made me happy.

I just read all that and I hate it. It's short and muddled, but that's all I've got. I'm gonna go lie down now. I need to get some sleep. Michelle can fill in the details later. Goodnight, anonymous friends.

We all went to see a free run-thru of 'Joey' today over at Warner Bro's. Despite the fact that we had to stand around for three hours before it started, it was fun. But, wow, there are some strange, strange people in the world... and some of them really [and I mean really] like Matt LeBlanc. I was sitting next to a 18 year old girl who apparently was looked at while he was walking from side of the set to the other, and she was in tears going on and on about how he looked her straight in the eyes. The show was okay actually, it was better than I expected it would be. And now that I've seen a run-thru; I hope Matt LeBlanc does well... but something tells me people are going to see Joey and want friends and it's just not going to be friends... and even it tried to be... people would still be turned off by it. But hey, Frasier did well... but then again Frasier is Frasier.

I'm just talking about nothing [in case you haven't noticed yet], actually, I've been fairly unhappy with my post lately. They've been feeling too forced, and I look back and just see 'blah'. But, then again, what can one expect when they lead such an uneventful life. I need to get some sleep in before work, hopefully my post with start taking a turn for the better.

I just spent four long hours in a muggy truck lifting heavy objects; my feet are sore and smell like dirty socks. Note to self... it's been seven years - time to get new shoes.

Last night Chuck and I dragged Amanda [kicking and screaming] out for a night of running around on camera, we decided it's boring to just make a video of us standing in front of famous objects waving like dorks, so instead we thought we would make a hint more interesting; so with no real opening or explanation, Chuck is being chased by Amanda through the streets of Universal City, down Hollywood Blvd., in and around the Kodak theater / Chinese theater, and in the subways. As of now, the video remains unfinished; it was around one o'clock and we told Amanda we would have her back by midnight since she had get up at six for work (so we suck). But in the end, we had a fun time and if we can come with something goofy for an ending than it should be online soon for all to see. I know... the suspense is terrible.

I think I will be marking sept 5th in my calendar; a US geophysicist, Vladimir Keilis-Borok has made the prediction that southern California [a 19,300-square-kilometer are of it at least] will by hit by a 6.5 earthquake by sept. 5th. Now, for our family members reading; don't be alarmed, earthquakes may do some damage to buildings but in general no one dies during them... if anyone does; it's due to some freak accident. I knew an earthquake would come some day... I suppose I was just hoping to ease into the experience; so much for that.

Blast! I was going to take some pictures with Chuck's digital camera but the batteries are dead. I could walk to the car and get more but I'm too lazy.

I have a dilemma; Ikea called me and offered a job [assuming my criminal background check comes back clean], but if I take it then Amanda and I will be on completely different schedules. Plus, we really like working with eachother. Do I take the Ikea job [which pays more, and has benefits] or do I stay with Amanda at the dirty Toys 'r' us unloading trucks under the hot California sun?

Well I would like to ramble on for another few paragraphs but Amanda wants to put in "Boyz in the Hood". Oh but before I go, I have to tell this funny [pointless] story: I was running out to the living room to look up a website I had book-marked on the Mac, and I was trying to be quiet because Chuck was passed out face down on the couch, right as I was making my way past him, out of no where, he woke up as if the police were kicking down the front door and he had a warrant out for his arrest. He jumped so suddenly that it actually made me jump, and then he just sat there on his side; disoriented and foggy-eyed, looking around trying to figure out "what the hell just happened". Perhaps you had to be there. Okay. Goodnight cruel world.

I was looking at places to advertise today, because I thought maybe we could get paid to put up some ads. In the process, I found a website so similiar to ours that a simple slip of the left hand could result in being brought to the wrong page entirely.

Ladies and gentlemen, calblog.com

I'd say we were here first, but his archive goes farther back than ours.

here are some pictures bridgette sent me. they're from the going away party.


my boss greg.


that's maureen.


patti and cassie.


the zoupies.

I know I haven't really posted much as of late, but I really haven't had much to say. I'm just working at Target a lot. Chuck and I went out and saw a couple of movies this weekend: Kill Bill Volume 2 and a private screening of Mean Girls, which comes out on the 30th (see Caliblog: Reviews). Mean Girls was the first movie that Chuck and I actually went to see at Mann's Chinese Theater, let alone our first Hollywood screening. I know, why that movie? But it was a good movie, plus it's written by Tina Fey so it had to be funny. We both laughed quite a bit. I will admit, though, we weren't exactly the target audience, considering the crowds of young girls, but, oh well.

I have an interview at IKEA this morning for a supervisor postion, but I'm not all that thrilled about it. I just figure it's good to see what's out there. I really want to find a job outside of retail for a while, so I can get involved with one of the many theaters around here. It's hard to do that when your schedule keeps changing. I would really like to get into the Groundlings, which is a very popular improve group located out here, but I need some more stage experience. So, I'm going to try and do as much of that as I can. I also am going to start putting together a voice sample tape to try to get a job doing voiceovers. I would be happy just being able to do that.

Anyway, I have to get ready for my interview, so I'll sign off for now. Ciao!

Michelle says:
what are you working on so intently baby?
Chuck says:
i'm waiting for inspiration.
Michelle says:
Thought you were going to sleep.
Chuck says:
that's how i find it.

We just got back from seeing 'Eternal sunshine'. Incredible, phenomenal movie. I must've cried close to 10 times throughout the whole thing. As I walked out of the theater I said to Mike and Chuck "I want to go see it again tomorrow," fighting back the urge to brake out in tears (once again) as I spoke. It's not even a particularly sad movie, just really hit me some how... can't really explain it. I love to see movies that really effect me. It's such a great feeling.

We saw a preview, before the movie started, for a film called 'Garden State'. When the preview finished all three of us said, in unison, "That looks awesome". It was very inspiring. I came home and watched the trailer 2 more times. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing it when it comes out.

P.S. The title is a quote from the movie.

We opted for "Eternal Sunshine" over filming; it would take me ten paragraphs to describe the way it touched and changed me. I recommend it to everyone. I realized 3/4ths of the way into the film; it's been two months since I've picked up my movie notebook. So here I am, sitting alone in the bedroom with the notebook by my side, I think I will open to random pages and pick a section to write here for the world to see [In no particular order]:


above: "sorry... I'm a sucker for random pictures... this one has just been collecting dust on the digital camera for far too long".

+ Opening Narrative: "...I can't tell you this story as it should be; as you have grown accustom to: a story with a beginning... a story revolving around love, around revenge, around truth and the way things should be... a story with your all to familiar happy ever after. Because, I really don't know these details. To be honest - if one were to keep in mind to never believe everything one hears - then I don't know anything... but I believe in a story - I believe in a man that's name is rejoiced under the breath of people who only have hope to hold on to. A hero to those whose opinions are never heard - and an outlaw to those who measure they're quality of life and self-character by the thickness of their wallets..."

+ Opening - (narration) "I was born w/ a bible in my hands and Jesus Christ in my heart... that's what my father always told me."

+ Cut to: Tom driving - smiling - (pan down to money and drugs). Cut to: Payphone & Tom. Dials # and waits. Cut to: Chad's phone ringing picks it up as if expecting call.

+ Rough idea: Man getting up - getting ready to leave home... gathers up some belongings and goes out door. Goes downtown... and dies. (I don't know how) And either the instant before he dies he sees all these perspective changing things - or directly afterwards. He sees a vision - numbers come into focus - everyone has numbers by them - counting down - and for a moment he thinks everything is pre-determined - but then looking closer he sees the numbers jump up and down when people make little decisions. And that their time left on Earth is determined by which path (literally) we take in life...and then go into how it's not necessarily something to fear - the numbers are chances - chances to do something amazing in your life... maybe in the end he doesn't die - he looks down finally at himself and sees he still has time left...

+ Fade in: Girl's bedroom - morning. Girl lays in the arms of guy; both asleep. Girl wears hospital wrist band... both fully clothed.

Flash - hospital. Girl asleep - guy sits next to her in chair...

Cut to: bedroom - Guy wakes up - careful not to wake her..

+ Chuck: "she's not my girlfriend..."
Billy: "what about the other girls you're seeing"?
Chuck: "what other girls"?
Billy: "Exactly".

+ "I don't want this to be my life. I don't want these to be my mistakes."

+ Somewhere out there is (God) change; and if we can find it in ourselves to do that... maybe we will find ourselves one step closer to God.

+ For opening scene (falling) use: "What a wonderful world".

It's funny to look at 88% if these notes/ and ideas and outlines... they seem so silly. Perhaps it's time to fill this book with some more recent material. Well... enough for now. I have things I need/ want to get back to.

I was reading a study today that said 81% of people support 'tv turn off week' [which runs from tomorrow until the 25th], but I wonder how many people will actually be able to manage leaving the tube unplugged for a whole one hundred and sixty eight hours. If it were up to me I would never have the tv on... I can't stand 90% of it. Everytime I hear a laugh track on some random sitcom I think about how the loops the networks use are from the old 60's shows, essentially; you're listening to dead people laughing. I don't know what is worse; the fact that I know that, or the fact that... no - I just decided... I'm twisted for thinking it. Anyways, yeah: tv turn off week... it is definitely [in our culture] a test of endurance and self-control... which when you think about it; is kinda' sad. "Consumerism has got us by the short and curlies".


note: the above image is suppose to be a "mouse-over"... so if you put your cursor over it and nothing happens, or if it just appears funny to begin with; then I apologize.

Today's plans: Either go see 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' or drive to Santa Monica/ Venice and film a short we've been talking about. It's beautiful outside today and I would like to go film... but Amanda is in the mood to go see "Eternal Sunshine" (I guess, technically, she has been in the mood for two months now). It's not that I don't want to go, I just can't say no to a day of filming, but looking at rottentomatoes; it has gotten amazing reviews.

Chuck is passed out the couch at the moment, but last night before he took off to go to work; he mentioned that, Nina [his overnight boss/ supervisor/ trainer] doesn't mind the employees printing off their own personal jobs (as long as they aren't huge and time consuming), he had already cut and binded his own personal notepad, he was thinking of making "caliblog" business cards next. We're shameless (and dorks), I know.

There was a small stack of mini-flyers on a table in the break room today as Amanda and I were leaving, apparently Randy [one of our fellow employees] is in a band called; "Steriofiend", they have some mp3's it looks like on their site - I haven't listened to any yet, but they do have a girl as their lead singer; which I'm always a sucker for. They're playing at the Roxy on the 25th [hey... the last day of tv turn off week... Coincident? Probably.] Hmm... I wonder if I'll go, it might be fun to check out, I have no idea where or what the Roxy is, so based on that alone, it might be educational [considering I don't know anything thing to go do around here yet].

Aparently I thought it was wise to sit my laptop on the floor while writing this post, and now I have a cramp in my neck and my wrists feel funny, worst of all; this post is a little on the boring side... so, I think I'll be wrapping things up for now.

Stage Hand: Someone's been murdered.
Band looks suspicious.
Conan: You guys look suspicious. One of you must have done it.
Max: No. But we did piss in your coffee.

As I was saying: the interview for Best Buy went well; it was short and the interviewer didn't have a lot of questions for me, which left me wondering what kind of impression I left [too quick to tell], I suppose time will tell. Below I left saying I had to run to the bank before it closed - but less than two minutes after posting I remembered I had an interview at Ikea I had to be at in less than 20 minutes (and it's a ten minute drive). I would go into details but there's nothing really eventful to recap. I guess there never is... I'm just lazy to be honest.


By the time any of you read this the 'Great Tower' short will be pulled off our server and replaced with the new weekly movie. It had a good run [71 transfers in 7 days] considering it was our first attempt. Sorry we never got the 'extra(s)' up and running. I am working on it, I swear. Okay, so next up for the weekly movie: a short film titled "y ahora muero", shot while Chuck was taking film classes at Washtenaw. This [I feel I should warn] particular film is a little on the depressing side. I apologize if anyone watching this is offended, or upset by it's material (that I can assure was not the intentions of the filmmakers). Their intentions were to get a passing grade.



The main character in this short is played by Juan, Juan is an inspiring person to meet. He's from Portugal [if I recall correctly]; he came here [to Ann Arbor, Michigan] by his self... barely speaking any english... enrolled for classes at Washtenaw... and after a short period of time managed to find an apartment walking distance from Ann Arbor... and of course; he found a job. He said the first few nights he was here [wondering what the hell he was doing] - he had no where to go, and couldn't easily talk to anyone, he would cry until falling asleep. Some of you assholes out there might crack a joke at that... but I think it's incredibly brave.

"It kind of dwarfs the whole leaving Michigan to come west doesn't' it"?

Anyways; This short played at the Ann Arbor Cinema Slam in 2001, which I admit was a bit of a thrill watching our work on a movie screen. It got a few bad reviews complaining about the choice of music (the score from "American Beauty"), which probably are somewhat legit. But you know what; it's just a film class project. Did they expect us to get it scored? Jerks.

Well, enough rambling from me (for now). We hope you enjoy.

p.s. - I promise next week's short will be less-depressing.

I forgot to mention this in my last post: I had an interview for Best Buy a few days ago [they are opening up a store in West Hollywood]; I was running behind (thanks to L.A. traffic... God bless it) and had to make it to the 6th floor, so I was half running up the stairs towards the elevators when I looked up to avoid someone coming down the stairwell, and oddly enough; it was the fat kid from Sandlot [again].

Of all the celebrities strolling around this town... I see him twice within a month's time. Why not John C. Reily? By the way, if you [Patrick Renna] are reading this; I apologize for calling you "the fat kid from sandlot". Nothing personal.

Crap, its getting late - we have to run to the bank before rush hour hits. So, hopefully, I will resume this when I get back.

Sometimes it's hard not to feel like Jerry Lewis at a telethon with these posts. All I'd need is the microphone because my hands are already sweaty all the time from this blazing hot laptop keyboard. I guess it just goes to show that maybe I'm on it a bit much. I'd be out more, but I only got my first paycheck today. Anyway, I feel like posting is important. I wouldn't want our audience to think we don't care about them. And if chronicalling the boring moments of my everyday life is what makes you people happy then so be it. I can't guess you feel any other way, because nobody comments.

Well, today was sort of uneventful. We were going to go to the beach to shoot a little commercial idea we had, but by the time we were all up and out the door it was already 6pm. The sun was setting, and we were on the 101 in traffic thinking "There's no way we're making it on time." So we just went to the mall and had some Panda Express instead. Somehow we spent almost an hour in the Hello Kitty store.

Then on the way home we went to the Whole Foods Market to get some soy ice cream for Amanda. While we were discussing the difference between fertile and non-fertile eggs, I saw Lisa Nicole Carson from Ally McBeal and ER. I read her profile on IMdB when I got home and apparently she just moved to LA. So for anyone who was wondering, she's probably a vegetarian.

Mike and Amanda and I started talking more about the film group last night. We decided it's going to be called Co-Op Films. I think it's a good name. People should be able to get the idea of what were about right away. I'm not sure how were going to build our base, but how do you start anything really. I woke up from a nap and Mike's already designed a logo which I think is pretty nifty.

Apparently change-of-address forms don't work anymore. Even when you get the confirmation letter in the mail. Several people have mailed me things that aren't making it to my front door. We're not sure why, but if this keeps up, I'm going to have to get a PO Box. If you've sent me something, you might want to keep an eye on your own mailbox to see if it comes back. What really bums me out is that Jessica tried to send me my shoes that I left at home, and I'm sure now they're on a plane back to Michigan, or locked up in a closet somewhere. It's very aggravating. Michelle's letters are the only mail that gets through, oddly enough.

I suppose I'll stop wasting all of our time now. Big day tomorrow. Gotta buy some shoes and convince Billy to go see Kill Bill: Part II with me. I haven't really been dying to see it, but I could use a movie. I mean isn't that why we're out here? Later days, gang.

you can't spell apathetic without pathetic

While I was making breakfast yesterday morning, I asked Billy what he thought my worst quality was. I'm not sure why I was thinking about it, but he seems to know me as well as anyone, and he's usually pretty straight-forward. So he thought about it for a while, and told me it was my apathy.

apathy: n. 1. lack of enthusiasm or energy: lack of interest in anything, or the absence of any wish to do anything 2. emotional emptiness: inability to feel normal or passionate human feelings or to respond emotionally

I only put the definition there because I had to go look it up.

I stared to write this post last night, but it got so late, after the landlord dropped by, that Mike wanted me to stop writing so that we could watch "The Devils Backbone", (a movie we rented) before we had to go to bed and we couldn't stay up late because we had to work at 5 am this morning.

My sister turned 26 yesterday (the 13 th). Wow. That means I'll be 25 soon. That makes me feel old. I hope that she had a great birthday, I wish I could've been there.


This picture of my sister and me was taken 3 years ago in Las Vegas, the week we came out for my Uncle Thurmon's wedding. It's my favorite picture of us (she's the one on the left). Aren't we hot!?

My Uncle Thurmon's birthday was on Tuesday of last week (Happy Birthday Uncle Thurm!!!). He and his wife, Tricia, invited us over for a small gathering at their place on Saturday. It was fun; food from the grill and lots of margaritas! It was nice to see them again. It was the first time we've visited with them since we moved into our apartment. I hope that we continue to see them periodically. I'd like to have them over to our new place, but it's still somewhat packed up here. I'd like to be more settled in. I'm weird like that, I want the place to look perfect for our visitors (especially our first visitors).

On Sunday Mike and I went to Ralph's (supermarket) to pick up a ham (they were giving them away free if you spent over $50, which we did on Wednesday but we forgot the ham so we went back, with our receipt) and some other Easter dinner food. Billy bugged us for 2 days to go and get the free ham and after we did, he and Chuck went to his cousins for Easter dinner anyway. Mike and I enjoyed the evening alone. I made ham, scalloped potatoes, green beans, deviled eggs, biscuits and gravy. Mike said it was good. He stuffed himself (and if you know mike, you'd know when I say "stuffed himself", I really mean it).

I haven't written in a really long time, yes, I'm aware of this. I just scrolled down the blog page and noticed that my last post isn't even on the page anymore (you actually have to go to the archives to read it!). Well.... I guess I'll update.... Mike and I are working at Toys R Us. It's ok. I like to work with him. We get to ride together and it keeps us on a similar schedule, which is nice (you know, both sleeping and awake at the same times is good for the relationship). It's also nice when I'm feeling all crappy because I'm at work and it sucks and then I look up and see Mike's smiling face looking at me. That makes me happy every time. We're stocking early in the morning which is cool cause then we have the rest of the day free. We also both interviewed at Best Buy (just to keep our options open) earlier this week. They do a series of 3 interviews so we won't know anything for a while. They are opening a new store in West Hollywood some time next month, so that's were we'd be going. We'll let you know if anything comes out of that. If they offer me a job, I may do both (TRU and Best Buy) for awhile, since they'll both most likely be part time, and to see which I like best.

I'm feeling a bit more settled everyday (so hopefully we won't have to leave). My Tibetan prayer flags are up and the smell of nag champa is in the air. Mike and I returned the car top carrier we used for our move here to Target and got a cupboard (to put some of my art stuff in and pictures and candles on) and a table for the TV and DVD player. I've done my best to make our bedroom feel like home for me. It's my little escape I guess. This place can get very small if we're all home all the time (as I believe Chuck mentioned in an earlier post). Occasionally I do feel like I'm a tag-a long and they're all just wishing that I would leave. But I know that I can get a bit overly sensitive sometimes so I'm trying not to worry about it. It has been nice having a little of Mike's undivided attention lately. For the most part, it's helped to get me out of the emotional rut (relationship wise) that I was in last week.

I wish this post was less boring, I have more things to say but I really don't feel like they're the kind of things I should post on the blog. I would like to start writing more so I can do less catching up on the boring stuff and more of just writing what I'm feeling.

But for now I've said too much and I have to go.

Equals bad. Well, I'm burnt to a crisp, my face hurts no matter how relaxed I keep my expression. To explain; Amanda and I got out of work around noon, now after the confrontation with Ted last night, we weren't going to take any chances; I spotted our resident manager talking to a plumber only feet from the stairway leading to our apartment, so - Amanda bolted back for the car, I walked past the two smiling and casually came inside - I changed - packed a change of cloths for Amanda - grabbed a camera - and we headed for Santa Monica to kill some time.

Thats when Amanda thought it would be a good idea to lay down in the sun for awhile - so we strolled down the ocean and laid in the sand. Next thing I know - it's an hour later - there isn't a cloud in the sky; and of course - I am red as a lobster now. Which sucks. So the moral of this story is don't fall asleep on the beach.


Above: I was surfing the internet, looking at other random blogs, when I stumbled across this photo - you can only see four of the rock stacks in this photo, but in reality there are about thirty of them [most as tall as myself]. This was taken at a beach in Venice, I only know this because Amanda and I went for a walk there two weeks ago. I highly recommend walking the Venice strip and checking these out... they seem to defy the laws of gravity. There are no rods, or cemented joints used to support the rocks. Actually; while Amanda and I were there, a small group of people walked up and barely (very barely) touched one, and it toppled over, and of course - they couldn't put it back.


Above: Another random picture from the same site I found the rock picture on. I don't know why, but I think this picture is awesome. I think I am just a sucker for flying above clouds; feels like your in an entirely different world when all you can see is rolling 'hills' of white. Yup. Ok, thats all the random pictures for today.

Anyways; to calm some of your nerves - I talked to our landlord on the phone for fifteen minutes and it went well. I won't go into details, but I will just say; I think we lay low for a while, things will be fine. So thats a relief. I know I will definitely sleep better tonight than I did last night. Anyways;

I wasn't sure I was going to bring this up [it still being in the very early stages of planning] but; "what the hell", I am going to start a film production/ community/ democracy/ network... ("see, I don't even know what to call it yet"), but here is the idea behind it:

When I was young, and first learning to draw, I copied from comics I read, and pictures I liked, and of course; after many years of practicing from good examples, I didn't need to copy anymore. I moved past the imitation process and started to create drawings from scratch. So - I think it would be a very useful learning process to take that idea and apply it to film; to take scenes and moments from our favorite films/ shorts and recreate them.

Well, back in Michigan this idea was difficult to push considering Chuck and I knew about two, maybe three other people interested in film... not exactly a crew. But here; "...thats a different story all together".

Of course, we wouldn't just do scenes or shorts from existing films, but it would help to keep busy - and to familiarize ourselves with each-other as well as with the [preferred] creation process. The group would consist of volunteers (who go through a simple interview process... "don't want to get any crazies in the group"), these volunteers would make-up a board/ democracy (so to speak) that would vote on projects and help share the responsibility of production, from 'pre' to 'post'. Groups would be formed - and for each individual project people would be rotated in their area(s) of interest. And thats it; hopefully the group would slowly grow and grow and take on new levels and help people like us network and accomplish films we can be proud of, and more importantly; learn things that better us as filmmakers.

So, thats it in a nut-shell. Now, if you'll excuse me; I have to go apply more aloe to my face.

what a tangled web

Ok, so last night we got a little scared, and our posts were a little hasty. I just want to let everyone know not to worry. We'll figure this thing out. And if the person who would freak the most can say that, you've got to believe it's true. Somehow, we'll either make things cool with the management or find a new place to stay. We're all working, so that's not a problem. I mean sure, we might have to live with friends for a week or two while we find a new place (if it comes to that), but we have people that would let us crash. So no worries, people. Remain calm.

I'm not entirely sure why we lied in the first place. Apparently it's the only way to get an apartment in LA. Though I don't see what good it does us if we get kicked out. I guess it had something to do with our credit histories, or maybe just that we're four people in a two-bedroom. I suggested fessing up (due largely to my lifetime fear of authority figures), but nobody agrees with me. I guess it probably wouldn't do much good at this point.

Mike's going to call the landlord today. Billy's going to write him a script of exactly what to say and how to say it. I think we're going to tell them he was planning on adding me, but just hadn't mentioned it yet. We're hoping it might be effective in getting me on the lease. Then the only person left to explain would be Amanda.

Frankly, I think the guy knows everything and he's going to kick us out the first chance he gets. Not to mention keeping our $2,200 deposit for his trouble.

I take it back. Resume freaking out.

the time to hesitate is through

So it looks like we're going to get kicked out of our apartment. Call me the pessimistic one, but I've got a bad feeling about this. Our landlord stopped by today for a little chat with Billy and Mike. He kept asking Mike if it was just the two of them here. And what could Mike keep telling him but yes. Unfortunately, they've seen us all here for the past month, all the time, so it's got to be painfully obvious that it's not just two bachelors living here.

This is stressful. I just got a job, and now it looks like I might not have a place to live soon. Our only plan is to find a way to tell our landlord without him kicking us out, or split up into two one-bedroom apartments. Currently I'm checking prices on Extended Stay hotels.

We're screwed.

(p.s. No April fools, guys. This time it's serious.)

my heart is pounding

We just had a visit from our landlord, Ted. It didn't go well. Chuck and Amanda hid in the bathroom while I stood and introduced Billy (the only other person Ted knows about... kinda'), I was nervous the moment he knocked on the door. As he stood there in the doorway; looking past us as we spoke; waiting for something that suggested more than two people were and have been occupying his apartment. I was asked five times [not once or twice... five times] if I was being honest. God... my heart is pounding. I wish we would just be left alone, we'll pay rent on time, we'll be quiet, we're nice people. We plan, we've planned all along, on getting Chuck on the lease - looks like that will have to be done sooner than originally expected. I hope this blows over... we don't need this... we're not even on our feet 100% yet. To trip and fall, actually, to be pushed from behind and fall flat on our faces now would be discouraging to say the least.

Well... we'll see how this pans out. We are all brain storming on our "how not to get kicked out" strategy. Okay, writing this entry isn't helping my nerves as I hoped it would. I have to go be nervous somewhere else. Stay tuned.

Even God had his day of rest...

I've adjusted to working overnight, but I'm in serious need of a day off. Fortunately, today is that day. I worked last night, but I didn't get out until 8am. We had one job to finish and I was trying to squeeze it in before 7am. I was supposed to cut some paper in half and bind the halves with coil, but when I took it to the cutting machine, I put the numbers in wrong and it cut the thing in half. So we had to make it all over again and I had to stay an extra hour. The funny part was that when we reprinted it, we realized the day crew had collated it incorrectly and the cover was on the back. So if I hadn't screwed it up, we'd have given it to the customer with the cover bound to the back of the book.

Meanwhile, I'm out of money. And I mean almost completely out. I'm down to my last $18, so if I don't get paid on Friday, it's going to be a rough two weeks. I still have to buy myself a haircut and a pair of comfortable shoes. Speaking of haircuts, sorry to everyone who voted I keep the goatee, cause I shaved it off. I was getting tired of the hair on my face. I couldn't stop thinking about it all the time so I got rid of it. I know that sounds wierd, but I'm a very self-aware person.

Only two weeks left 'til Michelle comes to visit. Hopefully I'll have some money to actually take her out. Knowing she'll be here soon just makes me miss her. If I knew I wasn't going to see her in a year, my mind might not be so occupied with her all the time. I promise I'll put up lots of pictures of her vacation. I know she's a fan of pics on the site.

Billy and I went to his cousin Crystal's on Easter Sunday. She made an awesome dinner, basically just for us. We had ham, apple pie, stuffing, mashed potatoes, deviled eggs, and caserole. She's a really cool chick. Hopefully we'll be able to score some barbecue off her on the 4th of July. Mike and Amanda opted to hang back here. Amanda made mike some eggs and ham and other stuff. Mike pretty much polished off the entire 11lbs ham by himself. I don't know how he keeps that girlish figure.

Once we all have a day off here, we should be working on one or more of the shorts. Hopefully one of which will be put up on the blog. I don't know which movie Mike's selected for the next "movie of the week", but I have a feeling it's going to be my student film "y ahora muero". It's a pretty depressing short, but I like it. Some good editing and one of the best shots Mike's ever gotten.

I know not much has happened lately of interest. I think Billy's all but given up writing on the blog for now. He doesn't seem to think anything interesting is happening. Myself, I'll keep posting no matter what. I'd post if I was bed ridden for a week. Mike's more interested in the technical aspects right now, and Amanda just can't find the time. Hopefully we'll all get back in the swing of it. With more readers than ever, this is the time to flourish.

I hope maybe this website can sort of work as a gateway for us. If we can get recognized and someone pops on here and downloads a short, maybe they'll offer us jobs somewhere. We are, after all, near about 5 major studios, all within 5 miles. Even the Cartoon Network's right down the street.

On a completely different note, someone mentioned last week that I was the youngest of the four of us. I thought it was funny that I hadn't really put any thought into that before. It just occurred to me that I'm really young. 21 just feels really young right now. Don't ask me why, 'cause I couldn't tell ya.

Bridget has promised to send me pictures of my going-away party at Zoup, so I'll post them as soon as she gets around to it. That was the night I had 10 shots inside 10 red bulls, in case you'd all forgotten. The debauchery was set on high that night, so the pictures should be fun. I might have to do some clever editing. Anyway, just thought I'd mention that.

We here at caliblog are always striving to keep our small but growing audience base interested and coming back for more. Your comments help guide us in the right direction - so don't be shy to suggest new ideas you would like to see, or just to let us know we're on the right track [Hold on my water is boiling].

Okay [many hours later *] back to the subject at hand: the newest idea / addition to caliblog; [drum roll] a weekly movie. How does this weekly movie work? Well, I'll tell you - since the short films we'll be uploading on our server will be anywhere from 5 to 15 MBs in size - they will only be available for a short period of time [hence; the week]. Now, to be honest; when I started this entry last night - I was only intending on linking a movie for a week, but I am getting a handful of ideas sitting here staring at the screen.

First idea: the "weekly movie" will be given the top slot on our links (to the left), it will tell the length and size of the file, (second idea:) it will have trivia for the film as well as credits and when it was shot. Hmm... (third idea:) maybe if our server has the space (...and Andrew, if you're reading this - that was not a plee for more free space... we can actually buy more this time) we'll link extra features, like a DVD would have, commentary, perhaps a behind-the-scenes slideshow. Okay, I think I might be getting carried away.



Draw back the red curtains, our first short film is actually one of the first short films Chuck and I shot. It was filmed on location in Tecumseh, MI. Hmm... (fourth idea: movie synopsis), this film I think, might require more of an introduction than most. This short titled; 'Return to the Great Tower', is a sequel to a film shot by a good friend of ours, Kevin, his film (titled, 'The Great Tower') is about... we'll actually, it's on the artsy / expressionist side and I'm never quiet sure what it is about. But to be as simple about it as I can be, there's a guy and he is called to a great tower (a water tower) and there he receives a gift. So, our addition to his project was for the most part just a tip-of-the-hat to Kevin for being who he is. Anyways; The Return to the Great Tower is an unfinished project, but the clip which you are about to watch; is the finished opening sequence / credits for the short.

So, with out further ado; Rolling Chair Productions in association with caliblog, presents: 'The Return to the Great Tower' (note: due to it's size - we would suggest right-clicking on the link and saving it to your hard-drive). Enjoy.


* We [Amanda, Billy and myself] ate some mac and cheese with hotdogs... well, Amanda had tofu, but anyways, then we drove out to spy on Chuck- see how he was doing on his first day on the job. We laminated our social security cards (even though on the back it recommends you do not).

I love webcams. They allow me to make obscene gestures with a popsicle from over 2,500 miles away in the blink of an eye. Technology - is there anything it can't do?

(actual conversation may have varied)

mommy, why is the bunny being whipped?

Truth is far stranger than fiction: I would like to start this blog on a very disturbing note;

...a church trying to teach about Jesus' crucifixion performed an Easter show with actors whipping the Easter bunny and breaking eggs.

Performers broke eggs meant for an Easter egg hunt and also portrayed a drunken man and a self-mutilating woman...

Melissa Salzmann, who brought her 4-year-old son J.T., said the program was inappropriate for young children. "He was crying and asking me why the bunny was being whipped," Salzmann said.

I am speechless. All I can think is; organized religion is starting to scare me. Chuck spotted this on yahoo!'s homepage, you can read more about it here.

Moving on: Livi won Billy's riddle (which read; "Name two eight letter words, one of which is one syllable and the other five syllables, the answer was; "How about... 'strength' and 'ideology'"), she'll soon be receiving our grand prize; a handful of 'Grind you local library' stickers from 'sendtretter©'. In case some of you are wondering what the sticker means, "grind" is a skater term, so for the most part, it means: Rebel, and skate at your local library. Now you know, and that's half the battle.

Well, the t.v. is spouting out commercial after commercial, and I can't think, so till later.

All alone

Work has finally separated us. Mike and Amanda are sleeping, since they have to be up in 5 hours to go to Toys R' Us, and Billy's at Target doing an overnight. So, for the first time in a while, it's only 1am and I'm the only person on a computer. Creepy.

The place I applied at called me today and I passed my background and drug tests. Not that I was worried I might fail, but it was nice to do well on a test. I go in today around 10am to fill out my final paperwork and seal the deal. She's going to start me on Friday night. Then it's back to the night owl schedule for me. It's going to suck while Michelle's here, but I actually prefer overnights. Always less people, and even less employees.

As I've mentioned before, I'm still going to interviews for other jobs. I figure what the heck, if they're willing to pay more, I might be willing to switch. The lady that called all three of us about the Best Buy interviews told Mike and Amanda to wear suits if they had them. She never said it to me, which I found unusual, but I've decided to wear the suit that I just happen to have. Purchased by none other than my father. It's a really nice suit. I rarely get to wear it, because I don't have an office job or attend church regularly, but I like it a lot. I think a suit makes a man look that much better, even if he's not all that attractive. Like Pat Sajak.

The guy at Toys R' Us that was telling Mike and Amanda all the rules of the store warned them that when people are jerks, they should just walk away and get a manager. He went on to use Jennifer Love Hewitt as an example. Apparently, she'd been in the store a week ago and acted "like a B". His words, not mine. This is my first bit of celebrity gossip since I've arrived. I'm sure Mike and Amanda will get their share of celebs in a store that's in the top ten most shopped in LA. We were discussing the other day that we've been here for two weeks and already I've seen 3, Amanda's seen 4, and Mike's seen 6 celebs. It's wierd.

Nobody seems to be posting. I hate for two of mine to fall right on top of each other, but if I have to work on this thing by myself, so be it. I've been trying to increase our monthly hits by using a different trick each day. Mike put us on a link exchange. I visit sites that I like and leave comments with our web address connected to it. I'm a shameless self-promoter, but it's working like a charm. And we seem to be getting an excellent response from Blogger's homepage as well. I hope all you new readers like the site.

We've learned how to save a little bit of server space, so hopefully we'll have more movies for everyone to download soon. Everyone seems to enjoy them, so we'll keep making them. Hopefully, on a sunnier day this time. The last video was grey, trust me, compared to what LA usually looks like. The sunlight here is never in short supply. And we're going to have vids to prove it.

Last night the water got shut off at midnight. Apparently a pipe burst in the basement and our landlord wasn't sure what to do about it. Mike and I had just gotten back from a run around town. We ran past some girls and one of them shouted "Isn't it a little late to be running?". Before Mike could answer I decided to try and make us sound cool and said back "Never.", as though I run more than twice a year. Mike thought later that it might have been funnier to say "What would you suggest we do at this time of night?", but only Billy would have thought of that one on the fly.

So we get back, sweating like mad, and the shower doesn't work. So we try the kitchen sink and the bathroom and the toilet and nothing's on. I was certain it was rent-related, since we decided to pay on the last possible day. It just seemed odd that it worked at 11:59 and stopped at midnight exactly. This morning the water from the pipes was draining into the street.

I've noticed the past couple weeks that our neighborhood is primarily Latino. All the shouting that takes place on the block at night is usually in Spanish. There's a lady next door who constantly yells at her children in a tounge I don't understand. Billy and I have started trying to find online lessons, but I haven't listened to them yet. I'd like to learn it, if I can. All I know now is how to say hello and the directions left and right.

I've never talked about it before, but I just wanted to say that all the people here have been really nice. I know there's a stigma attached to residents of big cities like Los Angeles, but so far, I haven't met a single jerk. The only encounters we've had have been with motorists. And people act differently when they're behind the wheel of a car. A guy in an SUV cut us off today really bad. If Amanda hadn't told us not to, we probably would have thrown a handful of pennies at his car. (Come to think of it, that probably wasn't the best idea.) Speaking of cars, we saw one today that had all four wheels stolen. It was parked right outside Universal Studios. So if you buy nice rims, buy a car alarm. There were cops all over the place.

Amanda took us to this really expensive diner called Jerry's. The special on hot dogs was two for $11. They actually had a $6 peanut butter and jelly sandwich. She felt really bad for suggesting the place, so we made sure to rub it in a lot. We also saw Cedric the Entertainer just as we were leaving. He's really short. Only about 5'8".



The reason for my title (which I half borrowed from Billy) is just to say that I really enjoy the posts of my fellow writers. I think what keeps this site fresh are the eclectic styles it contains. I hope everyone reading it enjoys it as much as I do. Once more things start happening to us, I promise it'll be a little more exciting to read. Until that day, it's going to be grocery shopping and celebrity sightings.

On a more personal note, Michelle told me she's said much nicer things about me before. She told me I should have posted one of those comments instead of the ones I chose. Actually, I was just trying to get a rise out of everyone, but apparently I've failed. Becky went so far as to say it was sweet. And I was only doing it to be funny. Oh well. I guess I can't please everyone. Or can I....?

(P.S. 17,000 hits in 5 days. I know some of you people are new. Don't be afraid to leave comments.)

Caliblog apparently has a guardian angel. The gang at caliblog owes thanks to Andrew from get me online for the extra 25 MBs of server space for free, we had no idea you had been keeping up on our adventures and mishaps; and especially that you thought enough of us to donate space. You saved the day again, Andrew. I wish there was some way we could do something for you [besides keep paying for server space -- which we will definitely be doing], if your reading, and there is a p.o. box we could send a card to, it would be the least we could do. Otherwise; thank you very much... we've never met, but our impression is "you're one hell of a nice guy".


Above: Just to hold our audiences' attention; a random picture with the four of us in it! This was taken about a year ago at a good friend's birthday/ halloween party. I'm in there -- hiding behind Amanda and her devil horns. (Wait, this is my chance to score some brownie points;) look at how beautiful Amanda is... damn her for being so photogenic, when I can't take a normal picture to save my life.

And now; back to more recent events. As you can see from the last entry, we've been experimenting with audblog; you can call in by phone from anywhere, anytime and leave, basically, a voice message that the service automatically time stamps and post on your site. Anyways, there's a method fest going on down the street in Burbank, Dennis Hopper spoke there yesterday -- maybe if anything interesting is going on in the next few days we'll drop by and make a call during one of their concerts, or guest speakers.

Today kinda' sucked. I slept most of it away on the floor with half my body under the futon. I don't know why exactly, I just felt bummed and sleepy. Around nine o'clock at night we [Chuck, Amanda and myself] thought we would go out and catch a showing of 'Eternal Sunshine of the spotless mind', but before the movie, we needed to eat.
Long (and boring) story short: we should have eaten tacobell; missed the 10:05 showing; ate at Jerry's on Ventura and it sucked ass [read more about it on our new caliblog: reviews site... be gentle, it's a work in progress]; the busses weren't running at Universal, so we walked; we missed the last showing at City Walk; and now - I have upset stomach.

But on the plus side, we saw Cedric the Entertainer while we were leaving Jerry's, he was short, thats all I have to say. And while we were parking across the street from Universal we drove past a car sitting on two cinder blocks [we are still kicking ourself for not having the digital camera handy] that had all four of it's tired removed, apparently while they were in the park. I have to admit as much as that would suck... it was pretty damn funny.

Due to the bonus server space: you all can expect a new and improved tour of the apartment. We have been half-waiting for Billy; who wants to move some of his belongings into storage before we unveil the curtain (so to speak). If we have the time, we might actually make it more of a "tour" tour instead of just someone running around the rooms with a camera, maybe we'll make it into a bit of a sketch. Hmm... or maybe that would be lame. Who knows? You'll just have to stay tuned.

Chuck lost his free wireless internet connection yesterday. Either someone caught on to his piggy-backing, or else they just don't have it on for whatever reason. Oh well, it was good and fun (and illegal) while it lasted. Well, it's 3:30 in the morning, and even though I slept all day, I should probably try to go to bed since I have orientation tomorrow (or today, I guess), and I don't want to have to go straight there out of bed. So, goodbye and goodnight, for now.

Uh oh

I posted an audio blog, tried to alter it, then accidentally deleted it. I apologize. But it's definitely something we're looking into.

I thought, since Michelle is coming to see me in a few weeks, that it might be nice to let everyone know what she thinks about me. Brace yourself, folks. I now present, the nicest thing Michelle's ever said about me, and the meanest thing she's ever said about me (true, though it may have been).

"...My stupid boyfriend was supposed to come over tonight after I got out of rehearsal and got done practicing. He told me to call him when I was done. I called, he didn't answer. Called again about 10 minutes later. Still didn't answer. I guess it wouldn't be too big of deal, except that he has my car because his stupid truck is broken and stuck in some guys driveway next to his best friend's house. And since he works about 45 minutes away ... I don't want him to lose his job, I loaned him my car until he could figure something else out. Thinking that, when I called him, I'd be able to talk to him and that he'd come to see me. Apparently not. I don't know why I put up with so much crap."

And here's the nicest thing I could find.

"Chuck came over around 7, we got a pizza, and flipped back and forth between Independence Day and the Super Bowl. We watched the last few minutes of the game, and from what I've heard those were the only good minutes of the game. After that he stuck around til about 11:30 and went over to his Mike's."

Here's what we looked like the last time I saw her.





p.s. I miss her.

Finally!

Well, after being here a few weeks, I'm finally back to work starting today. I went and talked to the Store Manager at a Target out here this morning. I'm going to go in and help out another team this week and probably start training to be a Cashier/Guest Service Supervisor next week. Now I can go buy something...WooHoo!
If you haven't looked at the video clip from Mike's post, you should. It's kind of cool. Just be warned-it will take a few seconds to get started, but be patient.
Okay, well I'm going to go outside and build a snowman and then come in for some hot chocolate. Take care...

As Billy mentioned yesterday, we went hiking in and around the Hollywood Hills off of Mulholland Drive. Unfortunately caliblog is low on server space [we are in the process of buying more] but I had to cut the video shorter than I would have preferred. When we left the apartment the sky was clear and sunny, and when we got the lookout point the sky had turned grey... it was still nice out but we couldn't see the ocean and the city was kinda' foggy on the eyes.

Well our first month's rent is due today, so I have to go get ready to make a run to the bank. So, for your own personal enjoyment; the caliblog: season one video you've all been waiting for.



Oh, I almost forgot; anyone who gets Billy's question below will win a hand full of 'sendtretter©' stickers (pictured above) signed by Chuck himself. If thats not incentive, I don't know what is.

Chuck's blog of note.

Found a blog today. It's a girl that writes poems using only the subject lines of hundreds of spam e-mails she gets every day. And it's actually decent poetry.

Here she is.

Mike and Amanda disappeared into their room at about 6:30. It's been a few hours, so I was starting to get worried, but Amanda just popped out again. It's 10:30. Let me just say...

I have no idea what was going on in there.

Come back later

We're going out right now to shoot some video of the area. Come back later and check it out, if we can get it done and up today. Oh, and I don't actually hate Mike. It was a joke, now Chuck, on the other hand...

P.S.
Name two eight letter words, one of which is one syllable and the other five syllables.

Okay. I'm going to do some catching up on old pictures Amanda and I took while on the road. Partly because I have been putting it off, and partly because half-way into my entry my computer crashed and I lost what I was writing... so I'm too lazy to re-write it. First:



Above: Amanda snapped this one while driving (obviously), I really like it. For the most part it is probably all Amanda could see of me for 5 days.



Above: I don't know what I am doing, but I'm standing outside of a TacoBell somewhere in New Mexico, we had pulled over because the sun was making our eyes heavy.



Above: Ray, Amanda's step-dad, took this picture the morning we left. I know, how our cars made it is a mystery to me too.



Above: Here's the marquee for a parking lot we crashed in for a few hours, it was a little rough, Amanda emptied out my passenger side so she could sleep next to me (plus she didn't leave any room behind her seats... so, they didn't lean back). It kept getting cold in the car, and every hour and a half I would wake up and start the car for ten minutes with the heat blaring. Really, I was more worried Ypsi [my hamster] would get too cold. Speaking of Ypsi, here's a picture:



Above: This picture was taken in a vegas hotel about an hour before Amanda and I left for the casino's, I believe I am talking to my mom on the phone; letting her know that I was still alive and well.



Above: We were too hungry to go grocery shopping, so as usual, we settled for TacoBell. Damn convenient, fatty fast food. This was our first night in the apartment, Chuck and Billy didn't arrive till later the next night, we had no furniture... just a futon mattress and some sheets. But still it felt great to finally be in our new home sweet home.



Above: We tried to do most of our driving at night, since it's easier on the eyes and there's less traffic, which is a bonus when you have so many personal belongings in and on your car you can't see anything but ahead.



Above: Here's what I am talking about, blinds spots all over the mother-- this is at the New Mexico border... it looks like it might actually be warm, but actually it was freezing. Matter of fact; only two hours later we were driving through a full blown snow storm.

Well, that's about all the pictures I have worth posting. Plus, it's come to my attention that we are running a little low on server space, so time to upgrade. Yesterday at the Studio City Kinko's I got some new "caliblog.com season one" stickers printed up, so keep an eye out.

Chuck and I were just discussing caliblog merchandise [yes... we are shameless self-promoters], maybe some t-shirts, some new stickers, your basic cali-coffee mug, you get the idea. "Goulet"! Actually we were just saying it would be cool for our own use to have these things, but hey, if people out there show interest; you never know.

a fun day

I woke up around 8am today and decided to go for a little walk. So I drove to Burbank and parked next to the Cartoon Network corporate headquarters on Third & Palm. I walked around downtown for a little bit to check out all the stores. Then I was crossing a street and a guy walked up next to me and said "I didn't see any cops." At first I thought he was a nutball, but then I realized he was talking about a motorcycle cop down the street. He was giving pedestrians tickets for crossing when the light wasn't on. So fair warning to anyone visiting California, don't cross a street the way you would in Ann Arbor, MI. Billy already got a $45 ticket for parking on the wrong side of the street.

So Mike and Amanda came in second on the employment race. They both got jobs at Toys R' Us yesterday. We were all getting a little concerned about the money situation, so this comes as very good news. Looks like were going to be able to pay rent in May. Yahoo!

I started working on a script today that Billy and I had talked about back when I worked at Target. It's about 5 hired assassins, and I think it's pretty funny. We've been working on a short as well, but I was getting sorta depressed since the subject matter was a little serious. Parts of the stuff I was writing today were making all three of us laugh out loud. I take it as a good sign. Hopefully, we'll all be working on it some more.

I'm still adjusting to life in California. I know I haven't posted in a couple days. I've felt a little out of place these last few days. I miss everyone back home, but not in a gut-wrenching way. I guess it was just a combination of not finding work and being cooped up in the apartment all day. We don't have a lot of entertainment money to be throwing around right now.

Ok, so when we got here a couple weeks ago I was looking pretty scraggly. I hadn't shaved in a week or so and I was starting to get all the scruff growing in. Billy told me to shave it into a goatee and I did, and I really like it a lot. I think for the first time I actually did something that makes me look a little older. However, in the spirit of democracy, I'll be holding an open forum on whether or not I should keep it. Are Billy and Mike enough facial hair for one house? Toss your vote into the comments and maybe I'll post a picture or something later.

It's hard to think of things to write about now. I think on some level we're still pretty mixed up over here (emotionally speaking). I had no idea how much this move was going to test me. I'm always so worried about keeping everyone happy in a neutral kind of way that I often forget to deal with my own stuff. I know that doesn't make sense, but I don't think there's another way to type it.

Is it safe for me to be talking about all of this? I hope there aren't any psychos out there trying to track us down by the information we put on the blog. I don't think we've given any of our last names, but everyone knows where we work and what our place looks like. If you are crazy, and you're reading this, we're good people. Leave us alone.

To all my Michigan people, it's good to hear from you all. I have ten e-mails in my box to respond too. Sorry if it takes me a while (even though I'm not doing much during the day right now). Of course my job is overnight so I guess I'll never be doing much during the day. Keep writing and I'll write you back.

Billy and I are trying to learn spanish. Half the people in this city speak it, so we think it'll come in handy. Right now he's listening to a program he downloaded on Kazaa. Turns out it's all about how to swear in Spanish, so we know a few choice phrases already. We'll have to keep looking...

politics are funny

I was reading some news on Powell... and something occured to me: Why doesn't the Bush administration give Saddam a lie detector test?

With everyone involved with Iraq under the gun about it's legitimacy, why wouldn't the white house just put the man with all hidden stockpiles of WMDs infront of a camera and ask him some questions? Hmm... strange.