Saturday, January 31, 2009

the birthday

Yesterday was my 19th birthday, and it was one of the best days of my life.

Spending time with some of my best friends, getting a tour of where I'm going to live in the future and blowing $21 on my first time playing 21, is what made it such a great day. Even though I was up $50 and went down to -$21 it was still a great night. The way I see it, is that the free 12 oz. bottle of water I got at the casino cost me $21. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I had really given up all hope that the person who visited yesterday was going to come, but I turned out to be wrong. And I am very happy I was. I cannot describe it in words and probably never will be able to.

This has the potential to be one of the best weekends of my life. Although I'm not doing that much right now (besides writing this) it has been great. Got to spend time with people I care about yesterday and today my parents and brother came to visit. That was an interesting experience to say the least, and that's all I'm going to say about that besides from that they are still their same old selves.

Saw Gran Torino today. Great movie, added it to my list of favorite movies on facebook. Too bad it'll probably be Clint's last film as an actor, but I guess it was kind of fitting the way his character came around full circle. In my opinion Walt Kowalski is one of his best characters in his career (up there with Dirty Harry, William Munny, and nearly every other character he's played). It's really hard to believe he never won an acting Oscar, and now since I've seen the film, I'm really pissed at the Academy for now recognizing Gran Torino at this years awards. If I ever make it in the film industry I have to come to the realization that awards aren't everything and I'm getting closer and closer to that point. I don't want to make movies for the awards. I want to make them to entertain people. To let them escape the problems of their lives for a few hours and simply enjoy themselves.

When I think about things like this I start to realize that I have been watching films pretty much since my birth whether it be the Disney movies that so many children grew up on, or the others early on like Speed, Die Hard, Jurassic Park, The Fugitive, and oh so many more. Like I was saying, when I think about things like this it makes me think that my purpose is to do these things, to make films and entertain people. Offer people an escape where they can not worry about the problems of their lives for a few short hours. Film has been a part of my life for so long, and it is one of the few certainties I have in this world that they always will be. I feel like I know these people and that they are part of the family. Hell, the majority of people I look up to are directors, writers, actors or characters the actors play. Whether it be Mr. Eastwood, Mr. Willis, Mr. Ford, Mr. Spielberg, Mr. Cruise, Mr. Damon, Mr. Pitt, Mr. Nolan, Mr. Bale, or the late Mr. Newman; each name can fill in the blank of what I aspire to be.

Wow, this post certainly went a different route than I thought it would when it started, but nevertheless these are the things I care about, and think about on my birthday weekend. I am 19 now, that means I am one year closer to whatever the future holds...

...I just don't know what it is yet

Sunday, January 25, 2009

summary

Walked a mile to Franks and had a Bacon Burger and fries. So good.

Walked another mile to the movie theater and waiting in a long line to watch Slumdog Millionaire. Now that's a great movie.

Walked to a 7/11 and bought a lotto ticket cause we just watched Slumdog Millionaire and want to become Cal Poly Millionaires.

Walked back to Poly, saw some kids looking for the jersey party, and saw a cop pull over someone in the parking lot.

Wish I had a car.

Now back in the dorms about to sleep till forever.

Good night.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

another test, another hour of procrastination

I really need to get this in check. Why is procrastination so easy? I really wish that I had a higher tolerance for it but I don't right now, maybe one day I will. What would be really cool is if someone wrote a book about a totalitarian society in which procrastination is outlawed and anyone that remains to do it will have to face some sort of consequence. Maybe a society like that wouldn't be so bad. Slightly 1984-esque. Everyone would be working at maximum efficiency, which sounds like a good thing. Then the protagonist who has only grown up in this world and knows only this society could stumble on the history of the past and what procrastination really is. Then finding out that procrastination really has benefits and that people use to live longer in the past because they weren't constantly exhausted by working at maximum efficiency. This explains why the average life span has been rapidly decreasing with each successive decade, and the most common cause of is exhaustion. Then, he finds out that a secret group runs the society and is in charge of the pro-police (procrastination police) and the reason that this new society was formed was because the Earth was getting overpopulated and a something had to be done to fix the problem. So with people now dying at a much younger age, (50 is the new 80) the Earth is now less populated than it was hundreds of years ago. Starvation is no longer a problem because their is a plentiful food supply. There are no wars because they take too longer and are not efficient. Everyone is wealthy because they devote their entire day to their careers. So, our young protagonist has a problem that he now knows the past. Does he scream from the rooftops what is going on and the ways things used to be and can become again. Or does he become part of the silent majority and forget what he now knows. But it's a question of which world is better: the new world or the old world.

Wow, this is an example of what happens when I procrastinate studying for a test. The above paragraph was totally thought up just now as I went from sentence to sentence. But it is a thought. Hey maybe I'll write it, or maybe it'll just be another one of my thoughts that is dusted up by the wind and carried away like the feather in Forrest Gump.

Time spent procrastinating is a crazy thing to waste, cause you never know what you're gonna get from it.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

"well I'm taller"

Watching SPEED right now.

Such a great movie and yet so simple.

"shoot the hostage"

"bomb on bus"

"stay above 50"

"cheesy gold watch"

one-thumbed bomb bad guy named Payne (come on?)

freeway jump

partner killed

camera loop (amazing!)

"cause I'm smarter than you"

"oh yeah?...well I'm taller"

"he lost his head"

SO GREAT!

Oh it just ended. Perfect timing.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

save the cat

Yesterday I read some of the book Save the Cat by Blake Snyder and it really got me back into the screenwriting mindset. I had a rough outline for a short I was thinking about but now I have completely revised the premise of the story, and wrote a new logline but still managed to keep the great characters I had planned for the original short, which I'm really happy with. I had about a half page of notes on the short but yesterday after I changed the story around I added about 2 or 3 new pages, with a rough outline of each act and rough breakdown of the primary characters. It seems really weird because 24 hours ago I had no idea for a film and know I feel as if I have a great one. But that means I just have to keep writing.

Five pages by Sunday!

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

everything is now illuminated

Now is the time. After just finished talking to my sister I have never been more motivated to do something than now. Man, she sure knows how to light a fire. Before this day I was not able to see as clearly as I should have been but this is the turning point.

There are five new things that I have to do now and I am ready for them. Right now with so much extra time on my hands there is no reason for me not to do them. I have to make use of this time right now, because I know it will not always be like this.

Scripts will be coming.

So I must start now.

The tipping point is now closer than ever...

because everything has been illuminated.

the end

That's it.

I'm done.

It's over.

Time to move on.

The End.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

the new new revised plan

Graduate with a business degree, concentrating in marketing with a minor in psychology.

At 22 years old start working at a Talent Agency and work there for 2 years.

At 25 start working in Advertising and stay there for 5-7 years.

Get back into the entertainment industry as a Motion Picture Producer and Writer. Do this for at least 5 years working for a major Motion Picture Studio.

Start my own Production Company before I turn 40. (Don't worry I already have the name picked out).

Retire from my Production Company after about 35 years.

Be married for 50+ years.

But then again all this could never happen, change, be tweaked, or may happen exactly as I imagine because you just never know what the future holds...

Saturday, January 10, 2009

scratch that

I am just going to be a combination of Robert Evans, Jerry Bruckheimer, David Ogilvy, Matt Damon, Sylvester Stallone, Jerry Maguire, Eric Murphy and myself.

Don't know who these people are? Then look them up.

million to...

What did I do after I finished writing the last post?

I watched Rocky Balboa.

Hey, his whole life was a million to one shot...

Why not mine?

Friday, January 9, 2009

be careful what you think for

In my last post I stated that I need to stop worrying about the future and start living in the present. One small problem, the present isn't that great of a place. By living in the present today I did not think about my future (as much) but instead forced myself to look at where I currently am. One question came to mind.

WHAT AM I DOING HERE!

Am I the dumbest person in the world for getting into UCLA and choosing to not attend?

During this day of thinking about the present I looked at the transfer requirements for UCLA, but then realized that I probably wouldn't even be happy there. Since they do not have a business major, I probably would not get into their film school, I would not have a car, and most likely would not be working. Right now I feel like I am not going anywhere or making any progress in my life.

I could just drop out of school right now and dive in head first to what I really want to do, without caring what people may think of my decisions or how foolish my actions may seem to be to them. But at least I would be living MY life, and never wonder 10, 20, 30 years from now while sitting in a corner office of an advertising agency staring out at whatever view I may have, asking myself "what could have been, if I just took the chance?"

If I had just taken the chance when I was young enough, brave enough, and just slightly stupid enough to just go for it. To do what I want in life, what makes me happy, and go after my dream. Now is that time. I want to be DOING something with my life.

What is this dream I seek, that no one is asking me?

I want to be a writer / actor. I want to move to New York, RIGHT NOW, and go for it. Study at the Actors Studio, where the greats of Hoffman, Hackman, Pacino, De Niro, Dean, McQueen once were. THE GREATS. JUST GO FOR IT. GO FOR YOUR DREAM DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY. NO REGRETS.

That's more than what most people can say they did with their lives. Yeah, I think I could be happy here in SLO (eventually), and be happy down the road working in advertising or as a talent / sports agent, but it will always be in the back of my mind...

"what could you have been...if you went for it?"

Thursday, January 8, 2009

the present

Why can't I just live in the present, instead of thinking about the future, and constantly planning, and planning, and planning what is going to happen next? The future is not here yet and it is not going to be here for a while. I just need to live in the present day and quit worrying about what I can't yet control.

What the present currently holds for me...

eating the bag of pretzels that have been on my desk for the last two hours,

watching more TV (it is really a problem)

studying for my first STATS quiz tomorrow (yes STATS has returned. another quarter, another class) hopefully this quarter turns out a little better than last.

As for the rest?

That's for the future to hold and decide.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

note

Note to self:

1) Write on this more, daily if possible.

2) Quit procrastinating!!! You got out of class at 11 today and haven't done anything! What a bum.

3) Quit writing now! And go do homework!

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Back to the SLO Life

I start my second quarter of college tomorrow and I think about my Christmas break and what I did, did not do, and should have done more of.

Most importantly, I should have seen the people that actually wanted to see me, instead of spending all of my time trying to hang out with people that didn't want to see me.

I should have spent more time with my family and friends, just enjoying my time away from school.

I should have actually done some writing, which I did barely any of, and should have read more instead of just the one book I did.

Anyways...there is always more time to do these things.

But now I probably need to get some sleep in, because instead of having class at 12 everyday like last quarter, I know have it at 8. We'll see how that decision of mine turns out.

Thursday, January 1, 2009

2009

I had one resolution for 2008, it was an easy one, but I still was not able to accomplish it. So that resolution will carry over to this year. But that is just for me to know right now, and for someone else to find out.

What will 2009 bring?


Most likely more all-nighters because I already know my procrastination is going to remain in '09. Hopefully no more C's in any class ever again (notice I said hopefully, not definitely). Meeting new people everywhere and going to new places. The unavoidable days stressing out about what I'm doing with my life.

And finally, hopefully LESS time spent in the town that I have come to call Pleasantville. But don't let the name fool you.


In these three weeks I have come to a few conclusions. One: There is more out there than anyone will ever imagine. Two: You will never find what is out there if you do not look for it. Three: I have to start looking.