Week before Christmas: ...And then there were two.

It's much quieter around the house lately now that Rafael has moved back to D.C. Everything was going well and he was getting everything ready for the big dream and was taking meetings and signing for auditions and what not ... and he gets the call back form the wife that she's pregnant. Hmmmmm. No wonder she's been acting crazy. Even for a woman. She finally told him at 17 weeks she was due. ??? Was the gynecologist blind? That means she was expecting before Rafe even left. He never got a chance and will be left with the dream deferred. He is driving cross-country this week. Might be in Tenessee by today. He got stuck in Amarillo yesterday for a few hours because of the blizzard which ironically stuck my relative Winnie and her family in Amarillo for three days because 40 was shut down. Hope eveyone's ok and gets there safely.

I'll be home on saturday. Can't wait to see everyone. Got the family Christmas picture that Bren took with the kiddies and doctored it up a little. Saw Virginia's picture with Santa Claus that Nana got a Neiman's. Very nice except Sant's chair was gilded in MONEY. The Xmas tree was festooned with dollar bills! Nice values. Next year we are going to a soup kitchen or giving all our presents to Goodwill. Ick.

I hope we play SherrodCharades at the family Christmas party this year. always a favorite. Especially when Pete gets going. No one will ever beat Moonlight Cocktail.

Merry Christmas!

Week 11: Revelations

So this week's been fun. Lots of new experiences and new avenues to explore. It starts with A NEW CAR! Actually an old new car. I found the 1999 Civic EX of my dreams. It's white so Greg calls it a marshmallow on wheels. Maybe after Christmas I'll trick it out a bit with some neon and a big spoiler on the back. Maybe just a new steering wheel cover. Speaking of Christmas, this car IS my christmas present since I paid a little more than i hoped but i really don't want to tinker with it too much. It still needs a couple new tires and maybe a transmission hose replacement but i'm going to wait for a little bit on those. I still have to pay those pesky Union dues not to mention Christmas is still coming. Most of my list is done. Still need to pick up some gift cards.

Thursday was the Dreamworks premiere of Renaissance. A French production of a CG MoCap Film Noir Sin City-esque Detective whodunnit involving Progeria and a Parisian dystopian future of overgrown BladeRunner cities and omnicorporate control. It was cool. It actually was the movie that I had rolling in my head that I wanted to make. Funny how ideas float from brain to brain and the amount of factors needed to get them to gel. Maybe I need to read more. The story held up for the entire span but the style is what needs getting used to. If you've ever read the Sin City comics, it looks just like that in 3D form. Black. and White. Your eye has to adjust to the amount of negative space and the jarring effect that so much black has to create a recognizable shape. The style is more harsh-lighting rather than a black-and-white movie. Some very good camera work that doesn't overdo it even in the action/chase scenes. This movie got ZERO play in the states. I thought it welcome diversion from the happy talking animals of the past summer and a different change of pace from the Monster House Polar Express MoCap. Definitely NOT for children.

Friday was the KFP team screening of Curse of the Golden Flower/Christmas Crew Party. Curse of the Golden Cleavage was full of Tan Dynasty palace intrigue and not enough KungFu like I think everyone thought we were going to see. "Empress cheats on Emperor with Number One son from previous marriage. Emperor proscribes "medicine" for the Empress which will make her crazy. Empress tells HER number one son about the medicine and son vows vengeance. Empress finds out about poison through spy who is Emperor's long-lost-thought-dead first wife. Number one son has been shtupping daughter of unknown mom and palace doctor. Emperor banishes family then sends ninjas to kill family. Mom and Daughter escape slaughter. Back to Palace. Unknown mom is revealed to Number One son. Daughter screams and runs. Mom and daughter and #1 son killed by ninjas. Number Two Son launches coup with 10,000 chrysanthemum soldiers. Emperor has 100,000 palace guard. Slaughter 2. #2 son lives. Brought before Emperor at family feast. You may live if you administer medicine to mother every day. #2 son kills self. Mother dashed medicine to the table. End Credits." An Art Director's dream of a movie but if I had to live in that neon palace everyday with all the courtesans and attendants and protocol, I'd kill somebody too. The director had to have hired the entire province to be extras in this movie. Mind-boggling amount of production. Followed by the KFP party and a crew shirt. Followed by my first Union party. If I'm paying $3000 to join this club I'm getting some free booze. And a tshirt and a book by Tom Sito. Not knowing who he was I didn't get it signed. But I did run into a couple familiar faces there. Mario D'Anna, the big Ragu himself, was discovered among the living and animating new TV series's. The best of luck to him and his crew. I missed him. He's funny. Gonna try to get him out to DWA for a walkaround. Also ran into Shannon Pytlak and her husband from DNA animation. Not having a whole lot of contact with her at the studio I was surprised she remembered my name. Sadly i could not reciprocate. I am terrible with names. But I got through it and made a new friend. Glad to see some expatriates doing so well.

So Saturday. Geez long post. After working on our cars and feeling manly, Rafe and I go out to see Apocalypto at the Harmony Gold Theater on Sunset. We get there a little early so we step down the street to the Horse and the Carriage bar. Behind the bar is hot, tall, healthy, built, stacked, blonde Melissa in a tight T-shirt labeled Organic. We had come to the right place. We ordered Margaritas but I couldn't actually taste any tequila. I only recognize crap like Cuervo i guess. So Melissa's breasts suggests a taste-test. OK. Three shots apiece later, we vote for Sauza over Patron. Sorry Johan. Then have a last beer chaser. $80 later, we discover that Rafael is a lightweight. We stumble down to the theater ready to enjoy Mel Gibson's latest historical gorefest giggling like fools. redundant i know. Rafe can't last 30 minutes into the movie. After chasing him around the block and a last glimpse of Melissa and her friends, we get into the car while Rafe drunk-dials a couple buds. I get lost on Sunset thinking IHOP is in the opposite direction. It is now 9:30 and Sunset looks deserted. ?? It was back the other way. Over pancakes Rafe explains his lessons of life and bemoans his wife's inconsistencies and misses her and leaves it up to God. He really needed those drinks. I snapped a great pic of Rafe outside the IHOP in the rain but was buzzed enough to forget to save the Pic !

And then it was Sunday. Special screeing of Charlotte's Web at the Paramount Studios theater on Melrose hosted by the VES at 11am. It was wonderful. A beautiful adaptaion of the classic book by E.B. White. Those digital spiders and pigs and lifting music got me a little dewy-eyed I'll admit. I read that book a thousand time as a kid. I loved the animated cartoon: Oh, wow, Look at him now. Zuckerman's Famous Pig. If you don't cry when Charlotte dies, you have no soul and I pity you. Q and A with the VFX guys followed. Greg got some face time with some ex-compatriots. Back home, Rafe finished with his car fixing and replaced the seal on his head gasket. He now hopes that one washer landed in the oil pan and not down one of the cylinders. Rafe's wife called and he had to put her on speaker cuz his hands were covered in sealant goo. She wasn't pleased with that. But I couldn't stick around cuz I had new family to meet. Our extended fam has been extended with the addition of the Caponigri's by way of South Bend, IN via Florence, Italy. Lisa is a distant cousin that we share a great-grandfather with, i think. Daughter Felicia is a budding actress with bit parts in Ocean's 13 and The Search for Caravaggio. Brother Nick is Autistic and very artistic with his collection of Robot Monsters and landscaspe paintings. And Brother Guido is a 13 yr old football fan and gamer. Mom Lisa has a home catalog business specializing in Italian goodie baskets. Granddad Alessandro was very interested in my computer animation stories. Cousin Rob has retired and is hitting the road in a new RV with a young man named Aaron Brown from Dallas who knows Nick LaBarba, my sister's not-yet fiancee! Way too small world. So getting back home, everyone's still up to tell me the news. Apparently we are no longer Straight, Gay and Undecided by way of no progeny. Rafe's wife is pregnant. Now it all makes sense. She doesn't realize she's crazy. A wonderful blessed event bringing reality crashing back home. Congratulations to Rafael and Love.

Week 7: After Thanksgiving

Going home was bitter-sweet. Getting to see the family and the babies and Bren was wonderful but went by so quick. Barely had time to enjoy Bren's company a few times before I was back on the plane. The kiddies are adorable. Thursday morning we woke up the twins and Natalie popped right up and gave me a huge smile. Sam took a little time to focus then he was just as giddy. Virginia had trouble the previous night because she was so excited about me coming home. Went out for a walk that morning with her at the playground. Took lots of pictures.

By the way, I got a new phone with a camera (never thought I'd need one) to replace the brick I was using in LA. The pics look ok but right now they are trapped on the phone until i get a memory card to release them to the Puter. I will post pics for the past few weeks very soon.

Had dinner at the parents' with Gina, Margaret and Uncle Nick. Made out our Christmas lists and wondered how two of my sisters came to be football fans. I guess for the same reason Bren became a hockey fan. Ooh! Got to see the Dallas Stars play finally. Good game without Turco. Stars over the Kings 5-3 by way of empty net. WOOT! I'm training the twins to be hockey fans too. SCORE!

Bought a fake Christmas tree this year for the first time ever. Granted my mom never had to be alone for months at a time. Hopefully, Bonnie and Larry will help out when they visit next month. I have even more respect for my wifey now that I've been home and seen the demolition crew in action. Name your price sweetheart! I also have to give a HUGE thank you to everyone who has come by to help Bren in the evenings. Family, friends, acquaintances and adopted grandparents. St. Luke's is the best and we are so grateful and blessed. We can't thank you enough. Bren has started to get used to the idea of moving to LA. Pros and Cons to both scenarios but the biggest con being me not at home. Maybe we can rent out the house in Plano while renting in LA. Don't get me started on home prices in LA. We in Texas don't realize how good we have it. LA has reached a critical mass in housing and commute distance. Only time will tell if the bubble will burst. Rents reach nearly double our mortgage back home. for less Square footage and amenities. Lots of food for thought.

Back home in LA, the car search continues. Got one in mind but I need to drive it and get it checked out hopefully before someone snatches it away. Trying to not get too excited and impulsive but I want it I want it I want it. Fingers crossed for Friday.

The Ant Bully has hit the DVD shelves! I HATE the cover art. Lucas looks retarded. Doen't convey any of the action or wonder of this little gem of a movie. Anyways, on a more selfish note, yours truly is featured in the supplemental material on the DVD! Check out the interview with John Davis and track about 11 minutes in. I am the face of Layout for DNA and I need a shave. Also featured in Layout are Rod Douglas and Mark Gelfuso. Todd Fechter, Tom Jordan, Ryan Michero, Mark Theilen, Sarah Mensinga and Johan Klingler make appearances as well as the puppeteering skills of the animation department. It was a wonderful time that I can only hope will be repeated someday.

Til next time!

Week 6: And then there were three.

So i've been looking for a car for the past few weeks. Not so much luck. Using craigslist and ebay mostly. trying to find something with 4 drs, automatic, under 100K miles and less than 10 years old. Honda, Toyota, VW preferably. there are a few out there but it takes a lot of time. Came close to a Jetta today but was sold before i got there. craigslist has had a few "scams" on their site. Cars that seem too good to be true or aren't actually in the state that i can get delivered sight unseen. no thanks. I have a couple on ebay that i'm scouting so we'll see. Gotta find something before my rental car is up in December.

And we are Tim-less. For the past couple weeks he's been slowly removing himself from the premises. Kinda creepy having him float around the house tying up his loose ends yet ignoring us like he's on another plain of existence. Greg is very relieved to see him go. Had he known how reluctant Tim was to any sort of interaction or civility, he never would have rented to him. Rafael has moved in to the newly vacant so i don't have to be quite so tippy-toe in the morning. Greg's thinking about closing in the back porch into a lounge or maybe a new office so i'd have the room to myself. Rafe's talking about getting his Bowflex shipped out here cuz he's worried about being flabby. I'll pitch in for shipping to share it cuz i know i won't find a gym. I have noticed the flab wiggle taking longer to subside.

And i get to go home on Wednesday. Bren will be meeting me either dressed to kill or not depending on timing. Dressed to kill means the pink camisole, the A-line skirt (no i don't care how it fits), the strappy sandals or something that shows off the ankle bracelet, and a smile.
Uh, oh. excuse me for a moment.

Week 5: Unsupervised

Settling in nicely at DWA. had a couple meetings with directors and Jeffrey. have contributed and been well received with my suggestions so all's well on that front. even got a sequence approved. Saw Flags of Our Fathers courtesy of DWA. Very excellent film worthy of many Oscar nods. A historical war flick about Iwo Jima and the subsequent marketing campaign that the famous photograph launched. a different narrative style than Saving Private Ryan. Instead of a linear story of the rescue and redemption bookended by current times, the movie jumps between the Battles and the States. Sort of in double flashback as the veterans relate their stories to the biographer son who then relates the stories of the heroes facing demons on both sides of the Pacific. The compositing was first rate. The guns bombarding the island and the rockets and the planes and the ships and hardware were all seamless in the frame. Greg's complaint was the D.I. Everything in frame had the same color palette no matter if you were in the States or on the island. I understand the silver look for the battle scenes but would have preferred a simple sepia wash for the 1940's U.S. scenes. Maybe it was to illustrate that the soldiers never really left the battle(?) Out of the seven guys who raised the flag the second time when the picture was taken, only three returned home. One managed to make a life for himself and his family, one tried to ride the wave of fame which quickly fizzled and one couldn't handle the hypocrisy of the U.S. double standard for heroes vs. outsiders. The followup is Letters From Iwo Jima
which relates the story from the Japanese side. Maybe it will answer the question of what happened to Iggy.

In other news, the big story at home is a renters squabble. Greg and Tim have been butting heads over the issue of who gets what out of their rental agreement. Tim seems to be under the delusion that once he moved in and paid rent, he was entitled to the run of the house including objecting to Rafael sleeping in "his" living room. Apparently this means he can't watch DVD's at 2am any more even though he has a dvd player in his room provided by Greg and he has a broadband connection to his room but he'd rather commandeer Greg's computer which is in MY room than spend $40 for a modem and CAT 5 cabling. Greg and Tim had it out a couple days ago with Greg getting exasperated over Tim's disdain for his head-of-householdship and Tim being all condescending about how the law is totally on his side and he'll sue if Greg attempts to evict him before he's ready to leave. We hope Tim finds a new place soon and we wish him all the best including he doesn't get hit by a truck.

Went down Hollywood Blvd on Saturday. Peeked in a couple bookstores so Greg could gather some more information for his masterpiece website. He's documenting every non-digital special effect in movies from inception to the 1970's and maybe up to the mid 1980's. He was working on this thing back when we met at DNA on Jimmy Neutron. He plans to finish it someday and will probably keel over his keyboard the day he posts it to the Web. Also we checked out Amoeba Music which is this indie CD, DVD, Vinyl media store in which you could waste every penny of your paycheck. managed to get out of there only $38 lighter with a Jim Henson Fanatasy DVD collection containing Labyrinth, Mirrormask amd The Dark Crystal. Mmmmmm, Jennifer Connelly.

Also took in an indie flick at the NUART on Santa Monica Blvd called F*CK: The Documentary. Through animated segments by Bill Plympton, and conversations with late author Hunter S. Thompson, filmmaker Kevin Smith, critic Michael Medved, columnist Judith Martin (aka "Miss Manners"), rapper Ice-T, porn figure Ron Jeremy, newsman Sam Donaldson, comedians Billy Connolly, Janeane Garofalo, and Drew Carey, and more, director Steven Anderson considers the history of the word and its role in popular culture and throughout history. The word is used more than 800 times in the film. The pundits on the Right make valid points about the dumbing down of American culture but come off as overreacting blowhards who think people have too much free speech while the Lefties claim they are protecting free speech and our rights as American to express ourselves any way we see fit. My officemate David just used it this moment to express his displeasure at EMO no doubt. What no one wanted to discuss was while we may have the right, do we have the responsibility to use it effectively and appropriately. It seems funny to me that such a flap was raised over Bono saying it at an awards ceremony or Janet Jackson and her decorated nipple yet Cheney drops the F-bomb on the Senate floor at a colleague and is given a free pass. Plus I got to meet the director and got a T-shirt.

Week 4: In L.A.

IN THE NAVY! Our wonderful host Greg owns a 30 ft. sloop in the Santa Monica Pier and we got to go out in the bay on Sunday. The wind finally kicked up in the afternoon and Greg had been jonesing for some boat time for awhile. Greg turns into a completely different person on the waves. Much more sure of himself and moves with purpose. We went most of the length of the bay back and forth. Very exciting. A little choppy cuz the wind was pushing towards the coast. Which led to Raf and me to start feeling a little queasy. Sorry Landlubbers we. Plus the breakwaters covered in Pelican shit was not helping. Greg was lamenting about how there's nowhere to go really in the marina. No places to sail to and tie up the boat like at a restauant or an island. Catalina is too far for a short trip. And it's way too expensive to juant for a night over. Not like the East coast apparently. Places and diners that you can ONLY get to by boat. Also, the marina is getting a major facelift and all the old 3-story apartments and 30 ft slips are being torn out for 5 + 6-story apts with 50 ft. slips. And raising the rent designed to push out little guys like Greg. He complains alot about the rent or the upkeep or repairs but you can tell he really really loves it.






Then because we could and we are very big geeks over at Casa de Greg, we celebrated Halloween by terrorizing local kids as they came to the door looking for Trick or Treats. Rafael, the actor, spent $10 on some candy and some plastic table cloths and dressed himself up as some creepy guy with a garden fork for a hand. He stood in one corner of the front patio and when kids would come to the door to ring, I would come to the door and pretend to hand out candy. Then while the kids were distracted, Raf would jump up behind them yelling "HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!" Some kids peed their pants, some screamed, some fell on the floor and quivvered. It was beautiful. A true testament to our art of misdirection. And Greg didn't want to play. Says he needs someone to do it with. He needs a husband so bad. And in honor of the occasion, we unleashed TROGDOR the Burninator on the unsuspecting populace.




And Nov 3 was the release date of Flushed Away GO SEE IT! In honor of the day, DWA held a field day in the back parking lot complete with a giant inflatable toilet slide and toilet go-carts. I got the complete collection of McDonald's Happy Meals toys of the cast. Finally something to dress up my desk area. Only two and a half more weeks til Thanksgiving. See you soon.

Week 3: Exploring

Very exciting week so far. This spiderweb was right next to my car one morning. I thought it was connected to it. the web was a good 3-4 feet across spanning a 8x8 space. I had to climb over to the passenger side and roll down the window to get the upshot.

Training is coming along nicely. Got to play with a couple shots for retiming and had some ideas to throw out to plus shots. rejected by director eventually but at least i was heard. This week, the advertising juggernuat was allowed a sneak-peek at the next wave of movies from DWA. Lots of marketing and licensing reps showed up this week to find out about Bees and KFP. For KFP, they had a Chinese culture demonstration complete with a Dragon costume, Kung-Fu performances and jugglers. Not to say that's all there is to Chinese culture but that's what works for junkets.

The last shot is pretty cool if you can see that the guy in the middle is bending a spear WITH HIS THROAT and getting a wooden pole broken over his back. Very cool.
And Chris's Hollywood moment of the week:

I met Po!
Fully articulate model based costume walking around DWA for thew junket. Prety Sweet.

The Other Hollywood Moment was getting to hang with my buddy Ross from Cartoon Network who was in town to pitch a project to AFI about creating a online gaming channel based on CN creations for the PS3. or something like that. it sounded cool and a good way to utilize the interactive TV ideas onto a platform that could actually deliver. We hung out at The Standard on Sunset Blvd. Very hip and trendy L.A. hotel. Dinner and drinks by the pool and a vaulted view of the L.A. valley. DJ outpost next to the front desk pumping beats at the little seating area out front. And just to show how cool it really was, there was a very cute piece of decoration lounging in a former fishtank behind the front desk. Surfing on a Mac Powerbook. In tight white short shorts. Gotta love the beautiful people.

Ross and I go out for some air and some homeles guy walking around starts screaming insults at some pretty, young hottie guests at the hotel. Since that doesn't fly anywhere, a couple hotel heavies had to escort him down the street aways. I halfway expected to hear a report the next day "In other news, a homeless man was found in the dumpster behind the Standard..."

And i found out about parking in L.A. $10 until midnight across from the hotel then I found $3.75 forever a block away. Thank god for company expense reports.

c:)

Week 2: Settling In

As promised, this is the view from my window. A balcony view of the company lagoon, trees and a sliver of mountains off in the distance, upper right.

This week's Hollywood moment occurred at the famous Graumann's Chinese Theater. Dreamworks invited the entire company to a Cast and Crew screening of Flushed Away and after-party the Hollywood and Highland Mall. The movie was Hi-Larious, very fast-paced, lots of in-jokes to Aardman fans and a very entertaining story. I was probably one of a handful of DreamWorkers who could have and objective view of the film. There has been some rumblings about the DWA/Aardman relationship but I still think the movie came off very well. There were probably too many Slug shots especially with the final song-and-dance sendoff but the Frogs were hilarious and Marcell was a hoot. I do recommend this film to anyone who likes Aardman films. Even in CG, Dreamworks still kept the stop-motion look and feel with the poppy mouths and model imperfections. Sir Ian McKellan was the BEST villain and chewed the entire set with giddy impishness. He definitely had a ball with this role. Kate Winslet and Hugh Jackman play the leadsd but their voices were such that any Brit could have done as good a job. I LOVE Kate but Kate trying to do Cockney was about as successful as Jackman doing Queen's English. meh. Overall: A-







After the premiere came the after-party. The coolest moment of the night came just before we left. We were making our way throught the crowd and Greg mentioned "Hey, there's Peter Lord." I nearly tripped spinning around trying to see him. We got to chat him up a bit, chiding him about the speech he gave earlier. Very graciously referring to the DWA/Aardman union as a marriage between a stallion and a bear. Not sure who's who... All the speeches given made it sound like none of the fights ever happened. Greg even got to "interview" with Peter a bit since Aardman is allegedly creating their own CG outfit. Aardman will need someone who can convert CG info to film. Hope he remembers when he gets back to Bristol.



Other news: I created my first in-movie shot for KFP. EMO training goes down easier when you are practicing what they preach. Even got to suggest an ALT shot for it.

I am also looking around for a car. Ebay Motors might be a good bet. More to come.

Week 1: Arrival

In my excitement for getting the new job, I told them i wuld be available as soon as two caveats were met. I couldn't leave until after Ginny's 3rd B-day, which was great, and after Julianne's wedding, which will go down in the annals of Sherrod parties. Right up there with "Moonlight Cocktails".



Not realizing the wedding was on Saturday and i had to report on Monday made Sunday a very hectic day. A day that wouldn't cooperate. On our way to the airport, we had to turn around to retrieve the laptop, slow people on the road suddenly appeared in everylane and after getting through security minus my toothpaste, the flight was delayed for 3 hours. Watched Prairie Home Companion on the flight. if you like the radio show, you'll like the film i guess. if not, you aren't missing much. not much happens and the camera work made me seasick.

Once in L.A. new roomie Greg Kimble picked me up and took me out for Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles. Whoever Roscoe is, he's a genius to pair the two in a meal. not on the same plate, not maple syrup chicken. just mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm good.
Monday was all about getting settled at DWA, paperwork, rental car, training, etc.

Tueaday was a night on the town. Went out to Santa Monica to see the newly recolored permiere of "SHE who must be obeyed" at the Aero theater. Ray Harryhausen was on hand to present the film in brand new color which he oversaw. I got to talk to him a little before the film about DNA and Ant Bully which he visited a few months ago. He was very gracious but told me "Son, I don't remember what I did two weeks ago". The picture Greg took looks like i'm going to hurl on the man.






I'll post my office window view soon. The company pond, trees, koi, and a sliver of mountains in the distance.



The weekend saw the arrival of Rafael Cuesta, another actor friend of a friend of Greg's. I swear it's turning into college. Campus life, free food, and a frat house. Rafe's very talented and will be searching for the standard rich-and-famous contract here in L.A. Good luck man. He also hooked up my computer back to the internet. Now we're off to Greg's boat for a sunset drift. later.

Validated!

From now until whenever, this blog shall be published from it's new digs in Los Angeles. On October 8, I am flying to L.A. to claim my position of 3D Rough Layout Artist for Dreamworks Animation feature film - Kung-Fu Panda. After months of searching and reels and resumes and cold calls and anguish, I get to keep doing what I love and get paid for it. The move will be solo at first and after 6 months, we'll see if the family joins me out there or I rack up a ton of frequent-flyer miles. I will be buying a "new" car out there since the Neon has been deemed unfit to drive. Couple blown head gaskets = $2000 - $5000 repair bill + a month for parts to ship. Relocation package from DW will cover rental for first month and search for beater will commence quickly.

I will be staying with the lovely and talented Greg Kimble in L.A. for a portion of my servitude. A spare room or the balcony is fine as long as it's free! L.A. rent has knocked me silly. A 1/1 apt that's more than my mortgage! yikes.

While I can't use this forum to reveal any tantalizing secrets or proprietary information I may learn while ensconced in the Glendale campus, I will be using this forum to bear witness as the proverbial kid in the giant candy store known as L.A.
Anything outside of DW's walls is fair game. Celebrity sightings, industry veterans, seaside sunsets, gridlock, smog, roommate shenanigans, depression, comic books, my room's four walls, you name it. It'll be just like college again. Woo Hoooo!

Grrrrrrrrrrrrr...sigh.

So my car's in the shop. AGAIN! In and out for the past month for a phantom overheating problem. One thing gets diagnosed then something new breaks. Back to the shop for a new diagnosis and something else breaks. Repeat ad nauseum. On second visit to second shop. Maybe replacing all hoses. Maybe the heating doo-hickey. Maybe the oil. Maybe a cracked manifold gasket. Maybe gremlins. Who knows? Gotta keep up the freelance to pay for all the repairs but it's going downtown to the freelance that exacerbates the problems and it costs me $150 per round trip! Plus I just know the day the thing is finally fixed, the tires will all blow. I'll be stuck on 75 with two popped tires and a dead cell phone in 104 degree heat and half way between two intersections.

Also. I am trying to get the swing of XSI during the job drought. It's already 11pm and I'm blogging. Sorry, Eric.

uh...ahem...hi, my name's Chris and I have a blog.

First time here. We'll see if I return.
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