The Year is Almost Over?...

With only a few weeks left in the year I feel like I should talk about the year but I will do that later I suppose. First let's talk about Christmas. Never in my life has there been such little build up to what used to be my favorite holiday. I realize this is for a few reasons. The first is that I have just been too busy to even think about Christmas (except for the fact that my semester final film is about christmas). I mean who has time to sit and think about what to get people when I haven't even thought about what I want myself. Another reason is the weather. I mean seriously, who can go christmas shopping when you don't even need to wear a coat to go outside. I realize that the mid-50 temperatures we have been having here in NY are warmer than MI, but still, there's not even snow on the ground in michigan. It just doesn't feel like christmas when I have yet to see a single snow flake. The last reason is that now that I live in NY, there is nothing around that reminds me of the holidays. Everyone is back home in Michigan and so is our tree, christmas lights, cold(er) temperatues, ice and evergreens not being sold on the side of the road. In an effort to remedy my situation I walked over to Rockefeller Center (actually I was location scouting for a scene in my movie). It was the first time I had been down there since the tree lighting and I must say, it was pretty cool. Very nostalgic even though I have never been there at christmas. Riddle me this: is my lack of christmas anxiety/hype/euphoria because of the reasons I've listed above, or because I'm getting older?

I'm currently watching VH1's top 40 of '06 and it reminds me of MTV's top 100 videos of the year that I used to watch religiously on new years eve. Do they still even do that? If I didn't already have plans I would definitely stay home and watch if it was still on. As my first semester of school comes to a close, I am amazed at how much i have learned so far. It has happened to naturally over the last few months that I almost don't notice. I guess the only way to do something like this is to immerse yourself into it 100 percent for a year. I am excited to see where I'll be 6 months from now and what my upcoming projects will be like compared to my early ones. I can already see the difference between my last project and this one. This is the first one that I have had everything planned out and prepared for, dialogue, actors and a script that I wrote. It still blows my mind that people would audition to act out something that I wrote and directed.

Okay, I had a lot to say before I walked to my computer but it all escapes me at the moment. I will probably try again in a few days after production week is over. As always, get your feet off the ground and reach for the stars. Go big or go home. Pain heals, chicks dig scars and glory lasts forever. Carpe diem.

Your heart is free, have the courage to follow it.

I'm out like the Wii
-M, p & z

oh ps - I can't figure out what to get my mom or dad for christmas, they are notoriously impossible to shop for. Any suggestions of what you are getting your folks? Also, if you are gonna be in nyc for new years and want to hang, let me know asap, we're going to a bar that will be sold out of new years tix any day.

A Clogged Toilet...

First of all, a couple people have suggested that I may be a hazard in the kitchen. Now, while I can't argue the facts (me burning down a kitchen and last week going to the ER), I can put it into context. Many students and young adults simply do not cook, and no, anything that comes in a box or prepackaged does not count as cooking. I enjoy cooking and grocery shopping, and fresh produce and such in my meals is key to having fun. My point is that I cook a lot. More than most people. So by sheer volume of meals cooked there are bound to be some mishaps along the way. Bill, how can you injure yourself when the foreman grill is your savior, and Kelsey, you live at home - when was the lat time you cooked? You can't injure yourself if you don't get in the kitchen. Not that I took offense to being banned from the kitchen by both of you, I agree I should not be there unmonitored, but I just wanted people to know that injuries are bound to occur, espescially when you are as big of a bad ass as I am.

In other news, my brother was here over the weekend. Well, not here as in he stayed in our apartment, but in NYC - staying somewhere else. Anyways he was in my apt. for about 5 minutes before the place fell to shits - literally. After a night of drinking and a hearty brunch, a few people came back to our apartment to play some Nintendo. Muki had to use the bathroom and emerged 15 minutes later claiming "I didn't break the toilet, but it won't flush." Dax and I agree that if it was working before he went in, and broken after he came out, then logic points to him breaking it. Regardless of how it was broken there were many attempts to fix it over the next couple hours and it ended with Graham on his kneed wearing a wife beater with all of his glorious plumber's crack hanging out, sticking his hand (no glove on) into the toilet trying to use a hanger to unclog it. I almost threw up when I saw this happen but the water looked clean and from what I hear, urine is sterile. Nothing would work including a plunger they went to buy at bed bath and beyond. Anyways, i have a phobia of pooping in public bathrooms (I can count on one hand the number of times I was forced to do it) so I went to home depot, got a man's plunger and beat the shit out of the toilet until it relenquished the evil it concealed. My bowels are now empty.

Other things. Brian and I held our first casting calls on Saturday. Things went awesome, we had people audition for us for about 5 hours and all in all it was a success. It was very exciting being in charge and having people try out to be in something I am making. Like I am so cool, I have to pick and choose who I am going to allow being awesome with me. Anyways, good times. I am almost done casting for my film except for one part but hopefully everything works out and I will post the finished product in about a month.

Anyways, I have an insane amount of work to do so I will leave you now. Remember, if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kicthen. As always, get your feet off the ground and reach for the stars. Go big or go home. Pain heals chicks dig scars and glory lasts forever. Carpe diem. Your heart is free, have the courage to follow it.

much love
-M, p & z

oh ps - anyone going to be in nyc for new years let me know (kelsey, you know you and dave want to come). I have a large couch. Also, if anyone wants to be an extra in a movie let me know, we could use a few people.