Non-Lazy Sunday

Instead of watching another Packers loss, I decided to take the opportunity to be productive today. And no, that doesn't simply mean playing softball. In fact, I skipped softball today (it's okay, playoffs don't start until next week ;) Nope, I spent the day at the Met Theatre in Hollywood at a commercial casting director workshop that was put on by Brass - my commercial agent. I haven't done much with them since the agent that signed me left the agency over the summer. And even though it was a long day (3 sessions over 8 hours) it was a good chance to both meet some of the people at the agency and to get in front of reps from 9 or 10 casting offices. Each session had a Q & A followed by a chance to do a short piece of commercial copy. Only time will tell if anything comes of it, but it never hurts to practice.

The Myth(?) of Dog Jack

So, it's been awhile since I've written about Dog Jack, the independent Civil War film I worked on a few years back. I know many of you who have heard me talk about this project wonder if indeed it even exists since it has been so long. I assure you, it DOES exist. In fact, I got recent word that there might maybe possibly perhaps be a release of some kind in the not-so-distant future (i.e. sometime before the next presidential election, I hope!) I'm not sure what that means - maybe a festival, hopefully a DVD.

I know that long months/years in post-production is often the fate of indy/low budget movies, so it isn't entirely surprising that this project hasn't been completed yet. But, I know that the folks they had working on it in post (sound, editing, etc.) are top-notch people, so I am really excited to see it!

I will continue to keep you guys updated. In the meantime, here are some Dog Jack links:

Dog Jack Official Site

Dog Jack Trailer

News Story on Dog Jack Filming in Penn.

Dog Jack on IMDb

House Sitting

The last week or so I've been house sitting in the Hollywood Hills. The upside: a beautiful view, sports in HD, and a lot more space than my apartment. The downside: terrible cell phone reception. Curse you, Sprint!

Here are a couple views from the roof deck.

Oh, and the best part? I get to hang out with my good friend, Kiki! As you can see, we share the same passions - watching football and sleeping on the couch.

House of Cards

I played poker the other night for the first time in awhile. Was going along just fine until I called an all-in in which I flopped two pair. I was way ahead and of course got beat on a lucky river pull for the other guy --- OK, sorry, at least I kept it brief. The only think more boring than listening to someone's bad beat poker stories (and boy can some folks regale you with long-winded poker tales!) is listening to stories about someone's latest golf round (you know the stories, "I would've got par if..." "I almost holed in from the rough, but..." etc., etc.)

Anyway though, Poker can be a lot of fun. And I got to thinking about why. Of course there is the rush of winning a big hand, or even just being in a big hand. Your heart starts beating a little faster, though you try not to show it. The gambling rush. And then there's the competition -- going mano a mano for all the chips. And I think that has a lot to do with it. Unlike say, sports, you don't need to be in especially good athletic shape to be a winner (though those dudes who play several days at the World Series of Poker constantly talk about how much 'endurance' they need). You need to be smart in some sense; it helps to know about odds and math and reading other people. And I know we've all played in home games where people take all this VERY seriously. I guess it does make them feel important to be able to gripe about pot odds when they are deciding whether or not to bet. I think these talkers and gripers (see Phil Helmuth for the Pro version) are pretty much tools, but they make me laugh.

Still, at the end of the day, no matter if you have a PhD in math or if you are a mentalist, there is still a certain amount of luck. So, unlike say basketball, where no matter what, Joe the Plumber could never beat LeBron James in a game of one-on-one if King James is trying, the worst poker player in the room could beat the best player heads-up on any given day. That chance makes the average guy, who still has those ancient competition genes in his DNA, pony up to the poker table for a chance to be a legend. At least in his own mind. Now, shuffle up and deal!

Boom

So I was sitting watching football yesterday, when there was a loud noise and everything vibrated for a split-second. I thought, "another earthqauke?" - albeit a very, very short one? It seemed more like a huge far off explosion though. And indeed it was in some sense.

I went online (what did we do before the internet? walk around in a never-ending questioning stupor???) and found the cause. The space shuttle Endeavour had to land at Edwards Air Force base outside of LA due to bad weather in Florida, and a sonic boom could be heard from Bakersfield all the way down to Mexico. The cost of landing here instead of in Florida? About $1.8 million to piggyback the shuttle on top of a special 747.

Click here for some more info about the shuttle landing and the mission they were on.

The most interesting part:

The shuttle crew also conducted four spacewalks to clear metal shavings from a solar wing rotary joint at the space station. The joint had been jammed for more than a year and hampered energy production at the orbiting outpost.

Initial tests indicated the repairs on the joint were successful. Overshadowing the clean and lube job, however, was the loss of a $100,000 tool bag. Astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper let go of the bag during the first spacewalk; it wasn't tied down and floated away.

A $100,000 tool bag?! Wow, was it Louis Vuitton?