Birthday!

I have enjoyed it.

BUYING Time

BUYING Time

Before I left Los Angeles the forever-wise collective circle of Darrin Slowstock, Monkey Boy and Jonas Sansone sat me down and said, “Pete, when you move to Florida make something happen. We know you, don’t revert back move forward. Do something good.”

I know some of you think I am hard on myself, but you know what? I am. I am simply because I know the potential of what more I can do. Unless you have lived with me then you know that I spend more time dwelling on my life than I do actually making my life better. When I fall into something that’s not what I should be doing I Buy Time. Now after the last year I know I have been buying time and now that I’m “broke” its time to invest once again.

Now my much loved and invested readers, you believe my writings are quite good which makes me blush like warm fuzzies invading my body. Although, I know I am not a great screenwriter or writer per say. I know you’re thinking that I am being hard on myself by saying that but please take my word for it. I read scripts, I know this industry inside and out, and I pushed my scripts onto people in the industry and know what a “talented” writer is and what the industry is looking for. That’s not to say I’m going to stop, because I also know that creating stories and making them is one way to get into the business.

The point is I really need to stop buying time and start investing time. I have to be much harder on myself to a point where I am actually getting work done. I have to push to make my stuff happen as well as perhaps searching out for new hungry people to help make my stuff happen. I have to push away my drama, other people’s drama and stop focusing on the things that keep me going around in that same circle. I guess and I have to admit this, I need to be more self indulgent, judgmental and pretentious. Does that mean I need more confidence? Yes. I am very good at what I do I just need to have all the resources to make things happen.

My networking has its moments of brilliance, but my confidence gets the best of me. My emptiness has always betrayed me. I have spent my entire life thinking nothing of motion pictures and I have to do this.

I spent the weekend in Jacksonville trying to escape the mess in Orlando. Seriously, my life in Orlando right now is in shambles. I went to see a friend where I thought she and I would have some alone time, but to my bittersweet dismay, her boyfriend was there. Don’t get me wrong the guy is awesome. It was nice to talk intelligently with someone who knows movies. Yet, once again I felt like a third wheel. Every one of my friends are all involved with someone. It’s like I have to hire an escort just to hang out with them. I’m really happy for them but sometimes it just reminds me that I don’t have that partner, that loving embrace in my life. I really need to push that feeling out and except that I don’t have it and move on.

So now what? Well I have to stop going where the day takes me and start living like tomorrow is my last. Right now, I don’t’ know what’s going to happen. I’m just in a Applebee’s in Jacksonville, Florida having mini burgers and waiting to get tired enough to fall sleep and start my day of inspiring young minds.

And that my friendly readers is that.

Movie Review:

“No Country for Old Men”
Welcome to the first official entry for Best Picture. If you won’t take my word for it, the National Board of Review named it Best Picture today. I have to say this is an instant classic. The Cohen Brothers who made movies like Raising Arizona and Fargo have made a movie as superior as Fargo was. This movie is dry, violent and dark. Actually it’s the darkest Cohen Brother’s movie I have seen of their 12 films. Don’t think you’ll be walking out of the theater feeling gitty. At least at the end of Fargo you could breath. In this movie you end up holding your breath the entire film and you won’t be able to breathe until you are safely home.

Now some people from reading blogs on this movie hate the ending. Now I’m not going to give anything away other than that these people are idiots. Now I respect people’s opinions especially with movies, but it infuriates me when you watch some of the best story telling played out in a movie theater all year and these uneducated people are dumbfounded. What they don’t know is that the book written by Cormac McCarthy ends the exact same way. Pick up a book people!!!! I’m sorry; I’m tired of ignorant uneducated people who write stupid blogs like they know what they are talking about. Kinda like this…but I know what I’m talking about …haha.

Look for the always-great Javier Bardem as Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay from the Cohen Brothers. Javier Bardem gives creepiest villain I have seen since Hannibal Lector in Silence of the Lambs. The biggest surprise was Josh Brolin. I have to say he is awesome in this film and you know he hasn’t been getting to much press for it so I really hope he doesn’t get overlooked during awards time. Go see it, but don’t knock the ending.

National Board of Review Awards
0. Best Film:
0. No Country for Old Men
0. Best Foreign Language film:
0. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (film), France
0. Best Actor:
0. George Clooney - Michael Clayton
0. Best Actress:
00. Julie Christie - Away from Her
0. Best Supporting Actor:
00. Casey Affleck - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
0. Best Supporting Actress:
. Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone
0. Best Acting by an Ensemble:
0. No Country for Old Men
0. Breakthrough Male Performances:
0. Emile Hirsch - Into the Wild
0. Breakthrough Female Performances:
0. Ellen Page - Juno
0. Best Director:
0. Tim Burton - Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
0. Best Directorial Debut:
0. Ben Affleck - Gone Baby Gone
0. Best Animated Feature:
0. Ratatouille
0. Best Documentary Feature:
0. Body of War
0. Best Screenplay - Adapted:
0. No Country for Old Men - Ethan Coen and Joel Coen
0. Best Screenplay - Original (tie):
0. Juno - Diablo Cody
0. Lars and the Real Girl - Nancy Oliver
0. Freedom of Expression Award (tie):
0. The Great Debaters
0. Persepolis
0. Career Achievement Award:
0. Michael Douglas
0. William K. Everson Award for Film History:
0. Robert Osborne
0. Career Award for Cinematography
0. Roger Deakins

***** and yes, my favorite movie of the year “ONCE” made it into the top of their lists this year. There is justice.

Top Movies of the Year according to the National Board of Review
BEST PICTURE
No Country for Old Men,*
Atonement,
Michael Clayton,
Juno,
American Gangster,
Sweeney Todd,
Into the Wild,
The Kite Runner,
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,
3:10 to Yuma,
There Will Be Blood,
Zodiac,
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead,
Gone Baby Gone,
Once

An Overview and the Need of a Spark

I have so much to say I don’t even know where to start. My last blog about Halloween has long gone and another holiday has past. I left you hanging right before I left for Chicago. I spent the weekend in Chicago visiting with old friends and watching my friend Derek’s music composition performed by the Chicago Symphony. I really can’t explain how amazing that was. I get so much joy out of watching my friends do well. I’m like a giddy school kid or a proud father. That will be a weekend I’ll always remember.

A few days later I went to Baltimore/D.C. for work, which I should have written about that week. Now, those feelings have now passed. I had hit a boiling point where I just wanted to quit my job and give up. I landed in D.C. drove to Baltimore and entered the city at the start of a Baltimore Ravens Football game, which turned, into chaos trying to find my hotel. The first few days I was sick, as I had to do college fairs, presentations and drive hours each day to different locations. Yet the trip ended on a good note. I met up with my old friend Elise where we had dinner and showed her a movie I made that she was in several years earlier. We had lunch the next day and I was able to see a protest in our nations capital. It turned out to be the JUNO 6 protest. One afternoon in a two-hour block of time I took the train down to the capital and walked around seeing all the monuments and buildings our nation’s capital has. I can now finally say I’m a true American. This was my first time in D.C.

When I arrived home I found out I have a bug infestation in my apartment, but we’re not going to talk about that since even thinking about it infuriates me so let’s move on…

Thanksgiving was nice. I spent it at a friend’s house. The food was awesome as most Thanksgiving dinners are. The company was wonderful and yet I did feel quite lonely at the end of the day when I was sitting at home. Although, one good thing has happened. When I arrived home from D.C. I turned on the TV and saw cable. So now I have cable in my apartment mysteriously. That was exciting. Of course I’m finding myself addicted to the History Channel.

In my spare time I have working on my writing my play. It’s moving very slow and it’s sometimes frustrating. I should be moving forward faster on this but I have to take my time and not let it get to me. Although I am enjoying this experience. I’ve also started reconnecting with some friends again. Since most of my travels are in state for the next month its nice to see my pals again. I hope to shoot some short goofy films real soon.

Yesterday I found out I’m going back to L.A. for a week in January for work right after my birthday. I’m excited to see everyone again. I hope I have some time to spend quality time with all my La La Land friends.

So that’s been my month. I honestly have been on this emotional rollercoaster. Everything seems to be so bland. Maybe it’s that I’m finally home and I’m so used to be on the road that now that I’m home I don’t know what to do. Yet, I see things brightening in the future and I really need to figure out what I’m suppose to do when my lease is up in March. The bottom line is I need a spark. Something to lift me from this mundane, I am optimistic. I’ll try to blog in more often but my main focus in writing this play and figuring out my next steps. So I’ll keep you all posted.

THE KNOCK ON MY DOOR

Water was boiling in a small pot on my stove. I rip open the Mac and cheese box and was about to pour in the plastic like pasta. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK, echoes through my apartment. It is Halloween night and never in my existence at any apartment that I lived in has there ever been a knock on my door on Halloween. Never in my years living in Tampa or Los Angeles has any child come to my door looking for a treat, so why now?

I quickly freeze holding the box of Mac over the boiling pot. Ill prepared, I had not purchased any candy on the slight chance that I would be away from my apartment this night. Like and air force stealth bomber I inch up to my door and look through the peephole. Sure enough, tiny children all dressed in the Halloween costumes of monsters and princesses await my dungeon door to open preparing to dive into my bowl of treats and scramble off to the next giver of sweets. Like the Terminator robot I scan my apartment actually thinking that I may have something for them. My brain goes into overdrive thinking what I may give them. I remembered some people handed out pennies and I’m sure there’s been an influx because of the living wage has increased dramatically since my childhood ghoulish days, I perhaps could give them quarters. A quarter is almost the equivalent of any of those candied treats, right? Then I thought, no! I hated when I received that penny instead of a peanut butter cup or snickers. A penny? Man, come on?! If only my Mac and cheese was done I quickly thought then laughed off just as fast.

Time was running out. What are the kids thinking? Are the going to pull one of those mythical tricks on me? You know that urban legend where kids in their costumes gang up on their closed-door neighbors and pull that disgusting trick like egg my door or car, T.P. my apartment or set a bag of poor on fire in front of my door waiting for me to step on the stinky blaze and find my foot covered in feces. Or would they just drop their heads in disappointment, perhaps a single tear drop will fall from their eye after spending all month deciding on their costume and all day of anticipation for this one moment to show off their frightful look and receive candy, glorious candy!

I look back through the peephole and there was nothing. The children moved on. They didn’t have time for my indecision my searching they just moved on to the next-door waiting to say those three magic words that will grant them their chocolate and tart dreams.

Now after writing that memoir I have to admit that is a great metaphor to my life. My constant indecisions have held me back. My lack of planning, my whistles life that I lead where I don’t even stop to get one simple bag of candy. I look at it as the children were my goals knocking at my door and there I am not prepared to open my door to them. You know how they say you have to look at doors and sometimes they are locked and some open up to you. Maybe it’s the other way around. Maybe it’s the goals that knock on your door and you just have to be ready to open your own door. I’ll tell you this though; I will never not have a bag of candy waiting for the children on Halloween ever again. And that my dear readers is the first step.

Florida Travels:

I have been traveling to the east coast of Florida all week doing presentations. I wake up at 5am and drive an hour do six presentations and drive home. Some have been good some bad but I do have to admit it is quite the same if I was on the road. Granted I was able to see my friends and catch up. It’s sometimes hard though. When you’re on the road month’s fly by. When you come home life has kept on going and you realize you’ve missed so much. I have friends that have announced they are expecting babies. I have missed road trips and events. I tell them about my travels and it’s like an inside joke where you had to be there. Yet no matter what it’s nice to see familiar faces wherever I go and know you have someone to talk to that knows you face to face. Only a hand full of precious moments that happened on my trips. By the way, I have made nothing but home cooked meals since I’ve been back. My friend Emo and I enjoyed a pot roast that I had cooked all day in my crock-pot. Nothing beats a good home cooked meal after weeks of micky D’s and Applebee’s. Even though my apartment may be just as big as most of the hotels I stay in it is nice to be in my own bed.

Now tomorrow I’ll be heading to the city I hold dear to my heart for one of the most exciting moments of my dear friend’s life…

CHAPTER 2: LOOKING AHEAD

Chapter 2: Looking Ahead

Most of you know I do not plan to live in Orlando after March when my lease is up. Yet I still have only one option at the moment and that is Charlotte, NC. It seems to be the most reasonable place to go only because I have family near by and it’s cheap to live. Although there are many places I would love to live I cannot justify the means at the moment. Yet, whatever door opens with the best opportunity I will most willingly pass through. So you my much loved readers are at the beginning of a bigger journey; my life’s options.

It’s the little things in life that matter most to me. I like the simple things. I love waking up to a fresh cup of coffee and sitting outside enjoying my cup of good morning America. I like light cool breezes and a day where everything is simple. Perhaps I need a routine in my life. I know it sounds a bit boring but having a routine is less stressful and will make more appreciative of a random road trip or vacation. As an aspiring writer I think I need that. I believe not having a normal routine has made it hard for me to focus and write constantly. Writing a blog is easy because it’s completely random. Yet writing a movie or a play is very different. Several of you have asked me to make this into a book. Yet I’m still looking for the drama unless of course my daily life is dramatic enough to keep you wonderful readers reading.

I also acknowledge the other little things that drive me nuts. Like, coming home to a broken air conditioner. Or finally coming to turns that my driving is in complete total sync as truck drivers. Weird huh? I’ve noticed that whenever I enter a highway a semi truck is barreling down in the right lane every time I’m merging on. Or that no matter what I’m going to be driving behind a semi and not be able to move over to pass it. Or exiting off a ramp and being behind the semi. Coincidence I think not. I will finally be able to move over to the left lane and at the exact same time the truck driver will move over too. You may all think this silly but I’m on the road everyday and everyday it’s the same. Except today, rain was added to the equation.

I’m sitting in a Panera Bread in between presentations here in Melbourne, FL. South of Cocoa Beach on the east coast of Florida, it’s a little over an hour drive from Orlando. So this week is wake up early, drive an hour present and then drive an hour home. Today is quite nice yet annoying simply because I drove an hour and only have to do 3 presentations which isn’t bad but was it worth a drive since I was here last month and half the students have already seen this presentation already? Yeah, this school is pretty much covered.

I’ve learned recently that I’m booked through Christmas so I can’t slow down now. Although, it doesn’t help me plan my life after March. I’ve talked to my boss the other day and she assured me that what she has planned in the spring (trips) I wouldn’t want to leave. Well, like I said, I’ll consider my options.

The Dream:

If you remember one of the dreams I listed in a blog recently about the time where I was driving on the bridge and ran off it and drowned? I looked up the meanings and this is what it said. Here’s the original dream just to refresh your memory.

I dreamt that I was in car driving over a bridge. Freezing rain pouring down. My windshield starting to freeze over and I couldn’t see where I was driving. I knew something tragic was going to happen yet I continued driving. Next thing I know I slam into the side of the bridge, my car falling off the side and slamming into the water. The car begins to fill with water and I think to myself, I’m waking up now.

Driving: To dream that you are driving a vehicle signifies your life's journey and your path in life. The dream is telling of how you are moving and navigating through life. If you are driving and cannot see the road ahead of you, then it indicates that you do not know where you are headed in life and what you really want to do with yourself. You are lacking direction and goals.

Wind: To dream of blowing winds, symbolizes your life force, energy, and vigor. It reflects changes in your life.
To dream of strong or gusty winds, represents turmoil and trouble for you. You are experiencing much stress in some waking situation.

Blizzard: To dream about a blizzard, suggests that you are feeling emotionally cold and frigid. You are feeling excluded and left out. It may indicate a lack of love and the absence of warmth within your own family circle.

Bridge: To dream that you are crossing a bridge signifies an important decision or a critical junction in your life. This decision will prove to be a positive change with prosperity and wealth in the horizon. Bridges represent a transitional period in your life where you will be moving on to a new stage.

Drowning: If you drown to death, then is refers to an emotional rebirth. If your survive the drowning, then a waking relationship or situation will ultimately survive the turmoil.

I believe that pretty much gives you an idea on where this is all headed in Chapter 2. Will Pete stay in Florida? Will he end up somewhere we least expected? Does he actually write something? I’m wondering the same thing.

TO MY READERS:
So my devoted readers you thought that was the end. No, that was just chapter 1. Yet I hope to make this a bit different. Not as much of a travel log although I still have a lot of traveling ahead of me. This also will be more sporadic than the last chapter, which means that I may write once a week or once every two weeks or several times a day. We’ll have to see or when the mood strikes me.

It All Comes to an End

Every Christmas when I was in show choir in high school, are group would go from house to house to the parents of each singer. We would sing Christmas chorals then jump into the car and go to the next house. Through the night there would be three houses where the parents would feed us. One house would be appetizers the second house dinner and the last house would have desserts and then our chorus group would exchange gifts to our dancing partners. It was a good time every year. Yeah, this week in Long Island was nothing like that…

Except that we would all go to one high school set up our tables, reel in prospective high school students for an hour, tear down and drive to the next school. Instead of a three-course meal we had a choice between un-toasted bagels, donuts, coffee and tea. I may be a snob but I can’t eat un-toasted bagels and only have one-maybe two donuts before I get a sugar high. Now I’m not a coffee snob per say, but I will drink bad coffee all day so to mix sugar donuts with 10 cups of coffee is a deadly mix. On top of that, one school would have me listed but another school would not, which means more work and more lugging equipment around. Usually I was listed so it wasn’t too bad. At one school I would not have any students come up to me and yet another I would be the belle of the ball.

Every morning I would drive to the school early, hoping to get a jump-start on traffic. Then I would get lost finding the school. Long Island roads like Dallas is set up where the highway is in the middle and the one way streets on either side of the highway which makes it extremely difficult if you miss one turn. Of course if you’re a local it doesn’t really matter but for us visitors you cannot navigate through the town effectively. So after asking myself why a hundred times I just came to annoyingly deal with it, which all of us have to do on a daily basis.

Most of the schools the tables were set up alphabetically which means I would be sitting next to the same people over and over. Luckily I was sitting next to so awesome ladies. Kim, Mary and Emily were my neighbors. Most of the reps at these fairs know each other. Their territory is NY/Long Island so they all see each other constantly. Sometimes it’s a hard niche to break into but these ladies welcomed me, which I strongly appreciated, or perhaps they didn’t really have a choice. Kim was reading a book called the Plain Truth and I was hoping she would finish it by the end of the week. She kept giving me daily updates and now I have no idea how it ends. Emily and I would evaluate each fair. From the lighting to the students to our exhausting drives. Mary works for a college where my favorite college rep works for, so we had her to talk about. Like I mentioned before, college reps are all in the same boat. It’s actually kind of nice to be able to swap stories of our adventures, gossip about schools and know that I’m not the only one getting lost in the morning. The reps are my comfort food on these trips. Being able to look across the room at a rep and they look back at you with that same expression that says a thousand words means a lot.

Storms rolled in, winds were heavy and the sky was dark. Days where your body wants to shut down and lay in bed all day. It made me feel sick and exhausted. I couldn’t complete my scavenger hunt for that reason. Besides the fairies to the Fire Islands had shut down and thought of driving another hour to Mautack was not really something my body could take. Instead I opted to rest in my hotel and check out a couple of movies at a near by theater.

On my last and final day of this 25-day adventure was nothing but bitter sweet and routine. I woke up early. Checked out of my hotel. Packed my car and drove to the school in the rain. I was the first rep to arrive at the college fair entering a dark gymnasium and set up my display. I sat and read the newspaper until the others arrived. I sat and chatted with Emily for a while until the students arrived. An hour later we packed up and drove 22 minutes to Amityville High School and set up. Amityville from what I saw was a beautiful little Long Island town. Yet the high school was terribly scary. It looked more like an old prison rather than a school. Although, I have to admit I did very well there. At the coffee table where I refreshed my travel mug and tried to decide what sugar rush of a donut I needed I met Jolene. We talked briefly and then she mentioned the Amityville house. I told her about my scavenger hunt and she added that the house was actually just around the block. She had planned to go see it, but no one wanted to go with her. I accepted graciously to at least get one checked off my list in Long Island.

After tear down and good-byes to people I’m sure I’ll never see again, I contacted Brit to make sure we had the right address. Jolene doing some searching herself since I told her the address had changed to prevent people like us from annoying the current owner, we found the address. I followed her to the house on Ocean Avenue and there it was. It was nothing like the movie. I had looked it up on the Internet before I left for this trip and know that the owners redecorated it. The half moon windows are now square and the front chimney is now all but disappeared. Yet if you look across the street, the house there looks exactly like the movie which means a lot of these houses did look like the one from the movie some time ago. Jolene and I parked on the side of the street and took our pictures. We decided to walk around the neighborhood and ended up on the canal looking out at the water. It was nice to actually share a moment with someone and talk about what we just saw and about other random things. I appreciated her company.

I drove for the next half hour into NY. I dropped off the white lion at Enterprise and took the van to the air train. I lugged all my stuff onto the train and got off at terminal 3. Down elevators, across streets and up ramps and around buildings sweating profusely with bags in tow I finally check in. With four hours to kill I decided to go through security and have lunch. I sat at a bar looked over the very unappealing menu ordered a 3-dollar glass of coke and sat. My computer’s battery was dead and really nothing to do. After drinking my coca cola that cost more than two 2 liters I walked around the airport finding another restaurant. After finally weighing my not so many options sat down at a place. I had a 10-dollar sandwich the size of my fist and over cooked French fries that were actually better than the sandwich. I found a plug and this computer center place and tried the Internet but got nothing. So I decided to go back to my gate sit relax and watch CNN.

Finally we board. Now I noticed the girl in front of me had seat 14F. I had 13F and thought for a sec, she’s sitting behind me. We get on the plane and me and another fellow help the girl put her suitcase on the overhead bin. Looking down at my seat I see an old woman occupying it. She obviously decided that she was not going to sit in the middle no matter what while I constantly look at my seat assignment on my ticket and the numbers overhead. I’m not one to make much a fuss over things so I was considering my options. Make a fuss to the old lady, or be gentlemen and sit in the middle next to a Dutch kid. Then a twist, the girl in front of me jumps right into the middle seat unaware that her ticket was behind her in the open window seat. So I tell the older couple behind my seat assignment that the open window seat is mine and they happily let me slide through. Success!!! I lay my head against the window and quickly fall asleep.

I wake up an hour later and see that we are still on the tarmac. Apparently because of the weather there’s a traffic jam. If I would have known that, I would have stayed awake. Now I’m wide-awake and this flight is going to be long. Getting up in the air they turn on the TVs which helps make the flight go by faster. They show an episode of the office, a travel channel show and How I Met Your Mother episode. It did make time go by fast. Arriving in Orlando an hour late, I walked to baggage claim and picked up my luggage. Dragged it to the transport and took the bus to my car. My car was intact with no cracks in the windshield. I drove up to the lot and paid the 130-dollar parking fee and drove home hitting every stoplight on way.

Movie Reviews:
Gone Baby Gone
Trailer: http://www.apple.com/trailers/miramax/gonebabygone/
Sometimes I get weary when people talk about how much they despise a certain actor. How they refuse to go their movies etc. People’s personal opinions matter, I know that, but come on. Take Keanu Reeves for instance, sure he’s a one-dimensional actor but I have enjoyed some of his movies. I enjoy the Matrix movies, I had fun at Speed and I think he was perfect in My Own Private Idaho. People may not like him as an actor but he’s smart to often pick quality projects that people go see. Give the guy a break.

Now lets take Ben Affleck. A lot of you have a problem with Ben because some of his movies are cheesy and he seems to take on rolls that are big budget sell out films but is he really that bad? I know a lot of you love Armageddon. I think he showed strength as an actor in Hollywoodland and the guy did win an academy award for writing Good Will Hunting. So the guy is pretty smart. Now what is he like as a writer director? Pretty darn good, actually! I’m not a strong fan of procedural crime movies but this movie has a raw intensity and with a 3rd Act that makes the entire movie worth watching and debating over. I’m waiting for someone to see it to discuss it with. The acting is top notch from everyone involved so I think this will be on my top 10 of the year. I’m sure it will receive some Golden Globe and possibly some Academy Award nominations. We’ll have to wait and see.

Across the Universe
Trailer: http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/acrosstheuniverse/
From the first time I saw the trailer I really wanted to see this movie. I love Julie Taymor as a director. She has a visual style that I absolutely love. She’s done movies like Titus and Frida and directed Broadway shows like the Lion King. Now she’s directed a movie musical with nothing but Beetles songs. I’m in heaven. Then I read the controversy on how she didn’t get final cut and how she was a tyrant on set then the movie finally came out and got mediocre reviews. So it started to drop down on my list of movies to see.

The movie has bouts with brilliance and moments where I cringe. I still love her style but for some reason I think that the style really got away with some of the story. If you are one of those people who hate musicals where the characters just burst into song then you will hate this. Especially if you love Beetle songs and think you will hate all the songs being covered by the actors. Some burst into song moments I hated others I didn’t mind so much. I do recommend it simply because it is different and Julie’s visuals are so cool and it does have those moments of brilliance but my heart wasn’t as warm as it should have been at the end I was actually kinda ready for it to be over.

Lars and The Real Girl:
Trailer: http://www.apple.com/trailers/mgm/larsandtherealgirl/trailer/

Ryan Gosling has cemented himself as one of the best actors of our generation. The guy is brilliant. In this movie he’s playing opposite to a doll and being a delusional extreme shy guy works perfectly for him. Although, I think the movie was just okay. There’s not much conflict in the film and it starts to drag on. Again my emotions really weren’t tugged at the end and were predictable. It’s a dark feel good movie that is simple. It doesn’t offer any twists and just stays true to itself, which I did like. Yet I didn’t walk away feeling any different from when I came in. I recommend it on Ryan’s performance and again something that’s quirky and different. I did like how an entire community goes out of their way to help Lars. It was very sweet. I know a lot of you will probably like it much more than me. So please, go enjoy.

To My Loyal Readers:

Now that 6 States in 25 Days is now officially over I want to thank you for going on this journey with me. I cannot tell you how much it means to me for all of you who read these. Your comments meant the world to me and made me feel less alone on these travels. Your love and support warmed my heart everyday. I hope my ramblings made you feel comforted as well and hopefully you walked away knowing me a bit better and learned something. I have learned so much about myself in ways that are good and bad. Their are things I really need to focus on and change about myself. The one gift that I did learned was that no matter what I will never be alone with friends and family like you. How at the end of the day no matter if it was good or bad that I have loved ones all around me. Knowing the support that is around me, it’s time to fix the things in my life that need fixing and start being the person I want to be.

Thank you
Thank you
Thank you.

AMITYVILLE HOUSE

The Last Four Days

Friday: Woonsocket, MEGAN!, The Art of Traffic, 4 Nurses and John

It says on the Woonsocket, RI town sign that it’s “A city on the Move”. I don’t know what that means really. It’s more like a city on the move out of town. Like a store closing at it’s changing locations. Woonsocket in its hay day probably once was a great small city. You can tell by the crafted buildings downtown and the huge New England homes on the outskirts. But now it’s all run down, broken windows, overgrown weeds. It’s a shame really.



I looked over my map before I left and drove the 1-hour scenic drive down here. The trees are all pretty much a spectrum of color. Beautiful. I enter Woonsocket and find a town sign and achieve my task for today. I drive towards the address on the map and realize it’s a Catholic Church. So I go around the church and see old men carrying a coffin out of the front doors down long stairs. I quickly learn this is not the right place. So I dash out of there before I get stuck in the funeral precession. I stop at a Dunkin Donuts getting a coffee and call the office. I have Estephany confirm the address. Of course the website I looked up gave me the wrong address and the school website was further downtown. So I drive into town and do not see the school at all. So I drive out of town and turn around. I stop at the beginning of town and park. I walk around Woonsocket because I have some time to kill, perhaps thinking I will spot it better on the walk. Nothing. So I go back to my car and enter the town’s visitor center. The kind lady gives me directions and still I can’t find it. So I end circling again and finally see it. It’s a small brick building with a very small sign in the window. Beacon Charter High School. Yeah, smaller than this 12point font. I finally found a place to park with 50 minutes to kill. So here I am in “Big Blue” as the sky has opened up watching it pour down rain as I reach out to you my dry readers.

It was that annoying rain where it drizzles, pours and then stops, like the weather couldn’t make up its mind what to do. My new plan was to head down to Pawtucket, RI. I’m curious what a socket or tucket is? I’ll have to look it up, is it like a ville? I was invited to a Jack-O-Lantern festival.

Megan

A couple of years ago Megan and I hung out in Los Angeles the day before Valentines. We met up at the Normandie Room and ended up running all over West Hollywood ending at the Abby. We were instant partners in crime. Her energy and uncensored personality drew me to her at a much-needed time. I believe I was currently working on Eight Below. After having so much fun we decided to be pseudo dates on Valentines. We went to see Pride and Prejudice and went to a restaurant/bar across the street. We ended up getting to know each other more in between the waiter constantly hitting on her. We were able to just talk about everything. It was a great Valentine’s “date”. We maintained a strong friendship in L.A. until she moved back to Worcester, MA. We’ve tried to stay in touch, but it’s hard sometimes, but I wanted to make sure, no matter where she was I was going to see her on this trip.

Her and her boyfriend work for this Jack-O-Lantern festival where they carve hundreds or thousands of pumpkins, I’ll have to show you the link it looked amazing. Unfortunately after my presentation she called and told me the festival was cancelled because the unseasonably warm weather and rain destroyed the pumpkins. So I decided to drive up to Worcester to at least spend an hour or two with her and quickly catch up.

I met her at Starbucks and she hadn’t changed a bit. Although, we were both exhausted we sipped on our coffee drinks and caught up wishing we had more time. For me it was nice to see a familiar face finally on this trip. I absolutely think the world of her and so happy we finally got to see each other once again. Oh, Megan, remind your parents they still owe me a trip to Cape Cod!





The Art of Traffic

Leaving Worcester it was prime rush hour traffic. Knowing that when I get into Boston I’m going to be stuck for hours. On the MA Turnpike I mentally prepare myself for I95 and settle in to “Big Blue”. I finally hit I95 with 22miles until my exit I am sardine canned in. You all know by now that I hate traffic. It’s my biggest pet peeve and yes I am aware that when I am stuck in traffic I am traffic. Sitting quietly in “Big Blue” no radio, my windows down I just take this time to think and relax, because I know I’m not going anywhere for a long time. Projecting movie ideas on the back of semi’s trailer door in front of me. Trying to figure out how to reduce traffic, and trying to tame this monster. When people exit the same amount of people enter merging onto the highway. I give up trying to fix it and sit back looking into the red and white lights feeling the breeze coming through my windows.

4 Nurses and John

I decide to go down to hotel bar. To the right of me are four nurses and on the left is John. John overhears the nurses are from Ohio instantly exclaiming he’s also from Ohio. The nurses and John sing the Ohio State school song and talk locations. The nurse next to me brings me into the conversation; I also talk to John about my family in Cleveland and Toledo. The Nurses talk about how they were thrown out of a bar downtown during the baseball game because they were yelling O-H-I-O. which I thought was hilarious. Never mess with Boston baseball!

I find out the four nurses on having a girl’s weekend in Boston. Two are married, one has children and the other attached to her phone texting her boyfriend. Out of respect for the ladies I will not divulge any of their secrets because the quote is (stolen from Vegas) “What happens in Wakefield stays in Wakefield.” John was trying to get to her alma mater Ohio State for the homecoming game, but because of the downpour his flight was cancelled and ended up in Wakefield. We were all six lost souls in Wakefield on a rainy night made the best of a night in a hotel outside of Wakefield on a stormy night. It was a lovely end to a week in Boston. Thank you ladies and John, I wish you all the best and had safe travels. Perhaps we’ll meet again in O-H-I-O.

Saturday

I slept in. I got up and cleaned out “Big Blue” I checked out of my hotel room and hit the road. I made it safely to Enterprise and said my good byes to Big Blue. I took the van to the airport and waited.

Honestly nothing really happened on Saturday. I started to feel my body slowly shutting down. The last thing I wanted to do was getting on another airplane and drive an hour to Long Island. The flight was bumpy and when we landed there was some frustrating excitement. We had to be towed in but the tow drunk was broke so we had to wait on the tarmac for a new truck to tow us in. Then the platform broke trying to connect to the plane and so we had to wait longer. Then a yelling match broke out between three passengers. Then finally we were let off. I waited for over a half hour for the luggage belt to start delivering our luggage. I then jumped on the Air train to get to the rental car shuttle area. I got on the wrong train then got off and then onto another train all while lugging all this equipment. I found the shuttle bus and ended up at Enterprise. I waited in line for a while and finally checked in. As we were walking out to the cars I saw my old friend Big Blue parked out front. I don’t know how he does it. The enterprise guy asks what car do you want? I say anything but a P.T. Cruiser. He responds what about a Jeep Patriot? Deal! I named him the White Lion after a car with the same name I had several years ago.

We drove to an hour to Long Island. It turned out to be a nice easy ride. Finding the hotel was easy and I pull in. I check into the hotel and get my room. Alas, I can relax. I end up going to the hotel restaurant and have a horrible dinner. Back to the room I cuddle up in the super comfy bed and fall asleep. It was 8:30pm

Sunday

I woke up at 7am. Well rested and but still jet lagged. I took my time getting showered and dressed. Drank coffee and sat in my room. I looked over maps on my computer until venturing downstairs to the lobby. I requested the shuttle to the train station and waited. The shuttle dropped me off at the train I purchased my roundtrip ticket into the city. I boarded the train finding a seat and settling in. The train ride went fairly quick. It didn’t seem like an hour. We entered Penn Station and I walked up the stairs and there I was. New York City.

I’ve always liked the vibe of NYC. A rich cultural city, building towering over you and crowds of people from all over the world walking the streets, there’s so much to see that it overwhelms me. I head up north to the 43rd street where I am going to see a show. I’m early so I walk a few blocks and try to find a diner. Of course there’s plenty of commercial restaurants but I want to find a true NYC diner. So a couple blocks west here in the theater district I discover the Theater District Diner. It was perfect. I order eggs and a waffle. The coffee was great and service really good. I just sit back and enjoy. Then I walk up to Times Square and 42nd street. Again, I am truly overwhelmed. I feel something on my shoulder and see that a bird made a dead aim letting go its doo doo on my shirt. Sigh. I find a Starbucks and clean off my shirt. I head back towards the theater and relax in the park. I forgot to mention last week that when I was hiking I twisted or pulled a muscle in my foot. It has been really hurting while I walk so that’s why I went to the park to rest my foot. It’s feeling better now so please don’t worry.

J.T. Patton

Back in junior high and the first few years of high school J.T. and I were inseparable. We were on the Speech team, in all the plays and outside of school constantly making classic films like: “Bob the Dog”, “Death of a Hero”, 454 Theater and many more. After high school we lost touched. While I was living in L.A. we somehow found each other’s email. I ended up in NY a few years ago and had breakfast with him for like an hour. This time we have a few hours. I’m going to see his Off Off Broadway show “They House of Yes”.

The show was well done and being able to see J.T. truly act after all these years was the best. The kid is brilliant. I’m very happy he stuck with acting and still is. He’s really good. After the show we stood around and talked. This was the last show for the cast so they all wanted to celebrate. A block away we entered a restaurant bar and all nine of us sat down.

I don’t know what it is about actors. I just love being around them. Sure they can be a bit dramatic at times but who isn’t? If you look at most of my friends they are artists in their own way. I just love being around creative people. I guess that’s why I love the NYC culture is that they aren’t pretentious as some of the people in L.A. Of course in L.A. my friends were not pretentious. It just seems like the people the artists in NY are aware they are in the same boat as each other. I could be completely wrong by generalizing but that’s been my experience. I like being around that. So we sat and we all talked about everything. So I need to give some shout outs:

Jason: Thanks for stepping outside with me and talking movies and ideas.
Alicia: Thanks for being so much fun and staying with us until the end.
Matt: Thanks for sharing your Across the Universe set experience; I still need to watch that movie.
Anne: It was so lovely to meet you especially someone has done some much as an actress.
Margaret: Thanks for being a good sport as I constantly insulted you ;)
Linnea: Thank you for your inspiring words and sticking with us also until the end even when you had a headache. I adore you.
And last but not least:
J.T.: Thank you for sticking with me after all these years. I’m so proud of you and I can’t wait until we are able to work together on our own projects.

I wish you all the best with all your adventures!

On the train I sat back and just thought. The hotel shuttle picked me up at the train station and I jumped into bed.





Monday
Ten hours later I woke up. Feeling refreshed. I did some work and decided to get some lunch. I went to Applebee’s and sat at the bar. I always feel bad taking up a table so I usually go to the bar. No one was there except for me. Christina my bartender instantly became my best friend in Long Island. We were able to talk a bit and we made snowman at the bar with ice that I have no idea where it came from. She told me about how her husband and her just bought the house she grew up in. I thought that was pretty neat. We joked around and laughed. She told me where the movie theater was etc. It was just really nice. As more customers came in I finally am able to write this blog. Now I am back at the hotel doing my laundry. After this I think I’m just going to chill out. This is a perfect day to just STOP, and relax. As far as work, it’s going to be an interesting week. So today, is Pete time.