this just in...

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 19:10:05 -0700

Day 2 (As promised):

I think we started our day around 9am-ish (meaning we were out of the hotel by then). First on our agenda was to head over to Rockefeller Plaza and get a tour of NBC studios there. We decided to stop for a bagel at a little Café on the way. We ordered our bagels speedily (otherwise I don’t think they would’ve have given us any food, and still charged for it) even though Joe ended up getting a bagel he did not order (he ordered an onion bagel, and the employee decided he wanted plain instead), and proceeded to consume quickly so we could enjoy the plaza before our tour.

It felt really cool when we first turned the corner and saw the plaza, I don’t think any of us could stop singing the 30 Rock theme song in our heads... except maybe Dad, who may be too old to enjoy the show. We wandered around the plaza, watched the skaters for a bit down in the rink, and then went in the NBC store to check it out quickly. It was incredibly difficult not to buy everything there (I’m a sucker for cool t-shirts), but I settled for a shirt for Claire, and I believe Dad bought something too. We did a little tourist shopping on the first night as well (I forgot to mention) in which Joe labeled it “Doing the nasty” which is pretty appropriate I believe. I always got a little sick each time I went through Cascade in Sisters looking at all the tourist crap. Anyways... after doing the nasty we went upstairs to check in and wait for our tour to begin. The tour itself was not as exciting as I imagined it (the pages didn’t seem to happy to be giving the tour), but it was neat to visit the Jimmy Fallon set as well as the SNL set.

After Rockefeller Plaza, we had lunch planned over at the famous Carnegie Deli. I do not see how anyone could eat an entire sandwich of theirs, and survive. I do not believe it is physically, or mentally possible. Dad was too overwhelmed to enjoy it, but I think the rest of us laughed off the joke of a sandwich we had in front of us, and proceeded to enjoy what we could fit inside of us.

Central Park followed lunch, and it was a good spot to fit it in too, seeing as how we needed to drop a few pounds after those sandwiches... Central Park is definitely the most beautiful and refreshing place in New York (in my opinion at least). We meandered through for quite some time, before coming to the area of the park where you see people playing chess all the time. There was no one at the tables, so we went inside the information center where we were able to obtain a set of chess pieces so we could play. Joe and I watched Dad and Wil play a game, well I guess Joe took a nap and I tried to take some pictures/critique the game. It was very relaxing and probably my favorite part of the trip. Dad ended up beating Wil (he could have drawn it out longer, but it was an inevitable victory, so Wil just gave in to the loss) and we set out to wander about the park.

Museum mile came up on us as we got further in and eventually came out of Central Park. We decided to buy tickets to the Natural History Museum which, could have been really cool if it wasn’t for the incredible overcrowding and ridiculous setup of the exhibits. I think we spent all of 40 minutes in there, before we gave up and set out to better things. Dad wanted to see the Guggenheim which was also on Museum mile, so we walked over to it. I took a few pictures of it, Dad bought a hat, and we all bought ice cream from an ice cream truck sitting outside and just enjoyed the day. Also on Museum mile was a cool little design school/museum, we checked it out real quick before taking a cab over to the MoMA (we were all too exhausted to walk).

The line for the MoMA was ridiculous (it went around the block twice!) so we just 86’d it from the schedule and walked over to St Patrick’s Cathedral instead. This place was amazing! So massive, and such intricate design in the architecture. It was beautiful to say the least. It was also really interesting to see the crowd of people come in and pray, there was such diversity. I’m sure most of the folk coming in were tourists, but it was very different than the sort of praying/worshiping/church services I grew up with.

The hotel room gave us a quick rest before we decided to head out for dinner and the rest of the evening. We put on some snazzy outfits, because we were planning on going to a fancy cigar bar after dinner, and headed out. Joe had heard of this burger joint from a friend, aptly named “Burger Joint” (though the name nor a sign giving a title to the place was present anywhere), so we decided to check it out. You’d never find this place if you weren’t told where to look for it. We had to go to this nice fancy hotel in the middle of Manhattan, and in a dark corner at the end of a very narrow hallway hiding behind a wall was a small neon sign shaped like a burger with an arrow pointing to where we were supposed to go. These were easily the best burgers I have ever had! The menu was VERY simple. You basically order a burger or cheeseburger, and choose from a limited amount of toppings. The room the restaurant was in was TINY and about the size of a very small studio apartment. But I would recommend this place to anyone planning a trip to NY.

The Cigar Bar we went to was very cool, and fancy. It was really supposed to be ages 25+ but I think because we went around 9-ish, it wasn’t late enough for them to care who was crowding the place (also nobody cards in NY, and I mean nobody). But it was very cool, and really fun to have cigars and drinks with my favorite guys (I didn’t order a drink, but I definitely had a cigar). We just hung out for quite some time chatting it up about advice and other things that were on our minds. If you have a chance, ask my dad what kind of music I think he is, you won’t regret it.

After a few hours at the bar, we swung by Chipotlé for a quick beer and snack before heading to bed for the rest of the night (Wil wanted to go since he doesn’t have any over in Tennessee), I did end up having a beer at Chipotlé.

And that was Day 2. A little exhausting, but definitely very fun! Day 3 tomorrrow!

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:22:45 -0700

This city is so nice, they should have probably named it four times... Yes I am back from New York! And I really have to say, so far it is definitely my most favorite place on earth. The culture there is so real, and raw. I think the fact that this city grew from a true melting pot makes it all the more perfect. In a nutshell, I <3 NY!

The reason for the trip was for the celebration of my 21st birthday (accompanying me was Joe, Wil, and Dad). I really could not have asked for a better group of men to spend a fantastic weekend, each and everyone of them I have so much respect and love for.

Day 1: We all landed in the airport at roughly the same time, Joe and I flew in on the same flight together as did Wil and Dad. We were supposed to be picked up by a Limo after we had all grabbed our luggage. Apparently the service decided to cram in one more pickup/dropoff before picking us up because they expected our flights to be late (which was not the case, they were always and ended up being on time). So Wil spent a good 20 minutes yelling at the company and demanding a refund, and after a couple of times being hung up on, we decided to take a cab. We took a few taxi rides during the weekend, and I would like to point out the differences between NY and LA drivers. The traffic laws in LA are really just a suggestion whereas the traffic laws in NY are frowned upon, taking them as a suggestion is a joke. Anyways we arrived at the hotel safe and sound (and speedily). After settling in and taking a few pictures of our wonderful view we set out to Times Square. There are more people in those few blocks, than I have ever seen in my entire life I believe. Though we didn’t really feel like shopping at any of the places, Wil decided he wanted to visit the M&Ms Store, just because of what it is. Imagine every color/mix of colors/size/flavor (except peanut butter, they didn’t have it oddly) of M&Ms you can think of, and then think more, not to mention the ridiculous amount of M&Ms merchandise you could purchase (there was even a model M&Ms Astro Orbiter ride). After we left the store we walked around Times Square a bit more until we found a pub we liked. Joe, Wil, and Dad ordered beers (they were too nervous to order one for me) and I just sipped from theirs as we drank. We headed over to the Restaurant we had reservations for that night after the pub to eat for the night. It was a little Italian place (I can’t remember the name atm) and it was soooooo delicious. It was easily (besides Mom’s) the best Italian I have ever had, as well as the best Tirimisu I have ever had. After dessert Dad wanted to order some Lemoncellos (I think that’s the name). As we ordered, Dad joked to the waiter about how I wanted one but I wasn’t 21 yet, the waiter then looked at me and asked if I really wanted one, and that one more drink just means a bigger check for him, he didn’t care. So I ordered one. It was alright, I’m more of a beer fan but it was cool. Wil’s ended up having a spider in it, he was so disgusted that he couldn’t even ask for a replacement. We spent quite a long time at the Restaurant just talking until we finally headed home for the night. It was the perfect way to start the weekend, delicious and relaxing!

Day 2 tomorrow.

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 15:25:42 -0700

The Dream Jar shoot was probably the most exciting/realistic version of a professional shoot I have been to so far. I know it was still very amateur being a student film and all, and me not getting paid, but I think I knew my stuff and executed it well. There were a couple bumps along the way, due to the Cinematographer believing me to be there for multiple reasons (I was not a grip, despite what he might think), but I was able to put that aside and attempt to do my job. The most exciting part about the shoot was the day the NBC Photographer was there to consult with the lead actor (the main character was a photographer, and this NBC guy came to consult the actor). He does stills for quite a few NBC shows, and a couple other non NBC programs. I was able to grab a few tips from him throughout the day, and get some contact info as he offered to give me more tips/advice should I need any. Anyways those pictures are up on Flickr if you haven’t looked at them yet. I’ve also snagged another production stills opportunity on another student film coming up in about a week, which will be really exciting (apparently the Dream Jar set was not run so well, but this next one should go great).

I signed up for the Annenberg Space For Photography Iris Nights events, and am really excited to attend those. I haven’t been to the space yet, as it just opened up, and I don’t have a free day until the first event to go visit. Then the following week I’ve got a trip to New York, which I am SOOOOOOO excited for. I have all these pictures I’m imagining in my head that I want to take while I’m there, but I also know there will be so much more than just those images that city will have to offer me. Oh it should be fun being there too.... ; ) Sorry this update is so short, I’m too busy for the time being to sit down and think about it. New York will probably be the next thing you hear from me. Bye.

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 00:07:57 -0800

Lately I’ve been developing an appreciation for artwork I haven’t spent much time discovering in my past, mostly graphic novels/comic books. Though my only collection has been borrowed from a friend at work, I do plan to start investing some time and cash into the genre. I don’t know if its my love for modernist style or my nerdiness finding new levels that really draws me to this style. I mean the stories themselves are fantastic, but the talent involved into the creation of the frames, and even layout/design of the books are really a timeless art that I’m becoming to love more and more.

Just thought I’d share my new interests these days. As work drudges by, I don’t have a lot of new or interesting happenings in my life right now. I did give in to the obsession of Wil and Laura, and started watching Crack. I mean Lost. If you ever want to see sunlight again, don’t watch this show. Sure the characters are great and easy to get attached to, but I’m pretty sure the reason I keep watching are the end of the episodes where I just end up throwing Dogdog at my computer in frustration and confusion, which shows just how good the storytelling in this show really is.

My days watching Lost aren’t totally sucked up though, I have been working on my script for my TV shows... not that anyone but me will ever read them, but I really think they’re good solid ideas, and have enjoyed my brief spurts of thought between commercial breaks on Lost. Anyways, thats that, March will be mostly uneventful besides the shoot I’m doing taking production stills on a student film later in the month. I’ll be sure to blog about that, but don’t expect updates until then.

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 22:20:20 -0800

I’m definitely still alive, don’t worry. I’ve just been caught up in eventful nothingness which proves uninteresting reading. I suppose its really not that much of nothing, I just have pretty low self esteem about somethings, and what I’ve been up to lately is a definite victim of my worrying about opinions of others.

I have no problems announcing and showing my nerdiness, in fact I’m really proud of it. And I’ve really been caught up in how great being a nerd really is. Recently I discovered Claire played role playing games all throughout her undergrad (like Dungeons and Dragons, but not the DnD universe), which I became terribly jealous of. So I spontaneously drove us to Barnes and Noble to buy the basic books needed to discover the ‘verse. Though we have yet to actually play (I’ve dragged some work friends in to play with us when it actually happens), I’ve had great fun designing my own little nerd paradise full of dwarves and wizards and such, and who in their right mind would not want to be referred to as ‘Dungeon Master’?

Lately I’ve become obsessive about time travel, and television shows that deal with it (Dr Who mainly, and recently Fringe). Which inspired me to create my own time traveling TV Show in my head, and recently I actually tried writing down a script for the sucker. Though hardly developed to its full potential, I think its a really brilliant idea, and have had tons of fun devising plots and episode ideas.

Those are just the things I do in my spare time these days, what I’m really trying to accomplish (and what I have no self esteem about) is my push towards a career in photography (which I’m sure you’ve all heard about plenty). I’ve really found a passion for it and can see myself doing it, or trying to do it at least. I suppose it makes sense. I’m not one to story tell, I’d much rather listen and observe than speak my opinions. Which is really what photography is.

Apart from that, work is work, and Claire is great. We just spent this evening on a little date over at her new place. She made homemade pizza which was delicious, and roasted some marshmallows for smores in her backyard fire pit. She listened to me babble on about art and pretended like I made sense, which I can always count on her for. Though I’m not much of a social talker, I know I can always feel comfortably sharing my insane ideas with her, and always share a giggle when our nerdy bones are tickled.

Such is life. I’m hopeful and nervous for the future (with this whole photography thing), and really glad I’m surrounded by people who think I should/am good at doing it.