When I was working on the first issue of my magazine, Suddenly Routine, I went to interview Mark Maynard, the creator of Crimewave USA. Crimewave is a magazine that chronicles Mark and his wife Linette's lives since way back when they first met.

The thing that I liked the most about Crimewave was Mark got to talk about whatever he wanted, but mostly that he got to talk about himself. I thought, "Hey, I could write about me," and a magazine was born. Well, if pregnancy lasted 4 years, that is. It took me about 48 months to make the first issue.

I like telling stories, especially from my own perspective. Making a blog about going to California was like that first issue all over again. Only now the results were immediate. No publishing, no printing, and minor edits. It could all be on the web and across the world in a matter of seconds. Talk about instant gratification.

The blog can be split into three sections. Talking about leaving, the trip here, and all the things we did once we got here. After that, it was supposed to be about finding work in the entertainment industry. At first, I never wrote about it because I had too much on my mind, and I wasn't really working towards it anyway. Moving was a big enough step, and I needed some time to chill out.

Then the time started to stretch. Suddenly I'm parallel to my life in Michigan, only 2,500 miles away. Work, eat, sleep, repeat. I wasn't really doing anything that had anything to do with film. Not even filming or writing on my own. It was easier just to let time pass.

I might only elude to it in a couple posts, but I'm on here too much. I spend more time checking out the website than... well, almost anything. You can tell by my 2-second response time when it comes to comments. Not to mention site design, and all the bells and whistle we constantly add.

Billy's had a stronger stand on this than me from the beginning. Yesterday he said his last three posts might have been "Worked at Ikea today." "Worked at Ikea today." "Worked at Ikea today." Maybe he doesn't go to the beach with us as much as we'd like, but his point is still well taken. If I'd had a blog in Michigan, I can imagine it being similar to this one. Though I haven't checked to see if there is a michiblog.

Lately, I agree with Billy more and more. I know everyone likes reading about us, and what we did at the beach or work, (at least I hope you do) but this is getting out of hand. It seems like I spend more time writing about my life than living it. The irony isn't lost on me completely. A lot of crazy stuff happens where I work and it usually makes for a funny quip each morning, but that's the sort of thing I should be saving for my zine.

The blog is new and growing. I think it's important that we not lose focus on what it was supposed to become in the first place. At least what I thought it was going to become. Read the title at the top and ask yourself how often we talk about making it "in the industry", short of whining that we aren't. Well, I can only think of one remedy.

I won't be posting for a while.

Can we amalgamate and help the blog become even better? I think it's going to take a concentrated effort. We could all spend fewer hours basking in the electronic glow of our computer screens. Mike wrote, "I should be writing more... filming more... thinking & taking action more." He'd have a lot more free time if the two of us weren't obsessing over webstats and page designs. (I know Amanda wouldn't mind)

Maybe sometime down the road there'll be a mike.com, where he can be as garrulous about politics as he wants. Or a chuck.com where I can talk about how much it annoys me to photocopy things. Believe me, it won't be far off. Too many things happen when you work overnights in LA. I just want caliblog to have purpose.

Billing my credit card $9 a month doesn't make me the owner of the site. At least not in the sense that it belongs to me. If everyone disagrees, I'll simply try to stick with this goal for myself. It won't bother me if Mike, Amanda, or Billy talk about whatever they want. I'm just showing them how I feel about it. I think I know where each of them stands on the issue.

As soon as I feel like I've got it under control, and perhaps set some time limits on myself (Maynard law of blogging) I'll make a personal blog and write all about how I waste my free time out here. First I need to get away for a while.

When I do post to Caliblog, I'll make it as informing and entertaining as possible. I'm just trying to complete the goals that I've put upon myself out here. I can assure you when the day comes that I'm working as a production assistant for the next Coca-Cola commercial, I'll write about it until the cows come home. That's a promise.

For now, I need to continue my life unfettered - sans blog. If something comes up, I promise you guys will be the first to read about it.