Jonathan's Blog

No Title

2007-09-24T22:28:00.000-07:00

Yes, it HAS been this long since I last posted, and it HAS been brought to my attention that no one reads my blog anymore, but I'm ok with this, because tonight, for the first time in a long time, I want to write. Write about personal reflection, about where I am and where I'm going, and about how I got here and how I'm going to get there.
Everything in my life is True.
It's true that I came from somewhere: mom, dad, NJ, Italia, Ireland, Randolph High School, God, Mrs. Whorley's kindergarden, etc., and that all these things had a mark in me that is unwavering and can't be stripped away. They are facts, true and unadulterated. This mixture of Truths is what brought me to today in one way or another, big or small, in the fact that it's all me.
I came from these Truths and continue to create new ones everyday. You won't be able to take this moment from me right now whether you want to or not, because this moment has already come and gone, and I'm on to the next one. Did I create the right trueness in my life to honor God and all the previous truths before this one that have led me to this? I don't know. Sometimes I really don't think so. I sometimes find myself using the Parent scale of good truths to measure my moments of existence; mom's is easy because she is always so proud I'd have to shoot the Pope to waver that thought, and even then I'm not sure. Dad had a more realistic scale that I have used for some of my larger moments, like college, career, achievements, goals, etc. to trigger the dad-satisfaction level. It's not that dad was too hard on me or wasn't proud, not at all, just that I didn't hear it as much, and I only hear mom's now.
Am I constantly building on these truths? That's what I need to be asking but rarely am. Is the trueness of my past being superceded by the moments or truths of my present or future. Is my writing this right now, this truth, a growth from truths past. How do I know if the decisions I make now are going to set myself up for the greater truths down the road; or should I say up the road.
Going to college, getting married, entering hollywood; all true facts of my existence: am I building on them. I wonder if I'm a better husband, better scholar, better stuntman, than I was at the onset of these undertakings, or simply stagnant and unchanged, which absolutely scares the shit out of me, because that would be a True failure. I don't know if it would be any worse to have declined in these examples then to have simply sat idle in them, because what's the point of measuring beyond the line of failure. Have I grown in the Truth that is God. This most important question of all is one that I don't have any way of measuring, no Parent scale, just my faith that the truths I accomplish or don't accomplish in my everyday bring me closer in my walk and are pleasing to Him; a growth in this truth.
It haunts me to no end to think that I'm digressing as a man and not living up to the truths to where I come from and that have made, have sculpted me. I can only hope I don't let free-will corrupt me and not grow my truths exponentially.
I need to recognize my flaws and weaknesses and attack them with great vigor before they attack me.

New Year's Resolution

2007-01-04T22:15:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I admit it's been a while since my last post, but Heather and I have been a little busy throwing ourselves off things, traveling around the country like it's not going to be there next year, and having all our cars stolen and moving our lives across the Pacific, and across LA.
One of my new year's resolutions was to blog more, so here I am; we'll see how it goes; keep me honest if you see it slipping.
We've been busy, and busy is good. There's no worse feeling for stuntpeople than to have nothing to do, because that means your not working, nor are you generating more work by being out there, so busy is good.
Currently, Heather and I are flying to Hawaii for work these days on Lost, and I was in New York for Law and Order a few weeks ago (that show airs February 2). I doubled Ben Stiller in his new Farrelly Bros. Comedy (currently called "The Heartbreak Kid", but looking to be changed to "The Mulligan", but who knows, movie titles are the last thing finalized, after too much money has been spent on marketing to figure out what works best). A Comedy Central pilot should take off in 07' that I played Teen Wolf in, so if that gets picked up, the reoccurring role would hopefully keep me busy on a semi-regular basis, and would be an action-acting role.
You all know about Heather's car-hit, and I still can't watch it; probably never will (even though I recorded it). Every time you think this job seems a little too sweet, the ambulance curve ball gets tossed over the plate and you remember why most people think we ride the sanity fence on a unicycle.
We're looking forward to finally settling into our LA place that we technically moved into 3 months ago; home much? The newest un-stolen car was delivered this week, Volvo S40, and Heather and I are fighting the urge to see how it slides through a turn, spinning backwards of course.
We're both in NJ at the moment, visiting mom as she goes under the knife in the morning to remove a cancerous lump in her breast. Keep her in your prayers as we pray it hasn't spread into the lymph nodes. To recap, dad died of cancer in 2000 of non-hotchkins lymphoma, so this is obviously something we want to see handled with steadfast efficiency. I'll keep you all posted.
Well, I'll try to post often, with shorter posts, and you can be more interactive, as I'll attempt to log-into blogger more than once a quarter.

...And Then There Was None

2006-07-22T02:46:00.000-07:00

Lets be honest, it's been a while since my last post, and even with Heather in the hospital she still managed to keep her readers atuned to the latest happenings in our lives, so I'm not really sure where that leaves me and this blog; so I rant.
We're trying to do everything right to make it in this town, in this business, in our lives, for better or worse, and we hope we're doing the best we can. Sometimes we get down on ourselves or feel like we missed the window but so be it, another will open, such is life. I've coordinated a PSA commercial and have been invited back for more. Heather worked on the biggest movie of next summer. I was shot in the leg and bled from a squib. All is good, but I guess we'll never know if it's good enough until we see what tomorrow brings and if our personal successes propel us into professional acclaim.
My car was stolen. My life's work if you will. Those that know me know how much that car affected me and how I effected it. I felt Karma had been satisfied, but the powers that be apparently weren't through with me. I have know one to blame but myself. I never saw it coming and I should have relied on the same insurance I once repaid. My regret is that I now leave Heather to bear the burden that my past has bestowed upon her. I struggle.
Perhaps taking the car away, among other things, helps recognize the health of my family is the single-most important thing in my life. I wouldn't have guessed that through the trials of my life, above all else, I would have let that slip by the waist-side, but how human a being I am.
Perhaps my focus was not at the things I care for, but rather at the things I care about.
Los Angeles hasn't changed who we are, although it isn't quite as condusive to flip-flops and boardshorts as one might imagine (that one being me). We've got a great friend-base to work from and we're trying to make time for them all, and at $13 a drink we've been pacing ourselves.
What happens in Vegas should be met with neuclear antidote. The only thing that should stay in Vegas is the Al Quada when it's finishing it's story.

The Adventures of Jonathan and Heather: Part 10000...

2006-04-28T01:13:00.000-07:00

It seems I haven't been keeping people up to speed with all the latest and greatest in our world, and perhaps that's because as soon as something blog-worthy happens in our life, something else supersedes it, making the last thought obsolete and the new stays fresh and interesting until that too gets superseded, and this seems to happen more often than I can get in front of a computer with an hour to spare to do more than check emails. (How's that for an excuse.)
I must admit, I have been spending key writing minutes pimping the pages of myspace (otherwise known as the lazy-man's blog) answering comments, messages and friend requests.
The season is winding down, although production is working harder than ever to hand over the finale episode on time (which isn't going to happen) so ABC can get it in line for the May 24 air-date. Last week we were actually filming 4 separate episodes on the same day in an effort to meet our early May deadline. As for me, I enjoy the workload because it's allows more opportunity for stunts.
One of my characters (from early in the season, hint-hint) returns to be the focal point of the 2 episode finale, so I've had some good stunt-work over the last week or two, and it may make for even more work in Season 3 (hint-hint). So much work in fact that I've gotten myself pretty banged-up in the process, but luckily I've had the days off when I've needed them most.
We traveled off Oahu for the first time in a while to visit Kona for Easter and pack up remaining personalparaphanelia and ship the car over to LA.
Did I mention we're moving to LA, well yes, we are. We'll head over mid-May and immediately continue working to get ourselves on a feature for the summer. Lost will be here for next season, and we may split time between HI and the mainland strictly depending on the workload.
Well, Huck Finn and I have plenty more tales to tell, but I'll share them in subsequent posts to not bombard you all at once. Here are some pics and my myspace page is worth viewing for picture content as well.

Whose Space is Myspace Anyway?

2006-04-03T23:02:00.000-07:00

Heather signed me up for myspace this week and it seems to be taking the internet world by storm, kind of like blogs were supposed to do. Everyone and their mother, literally, is on this personal-profile based website, allowing you to link-up pics and videos in a brag-sheet fashion for all the world to see, and it seems that all the world is seeing them.
For example, a night after I posted to my myspace profile that I attended the University of Alabama as a Alpha Tau Omega fraternity member I received 2 friend requests from friends of mine that I haven't talked to in years from my old house; crazy.
Myspace was created as a singles-site that has mutated into a full-on yearbook junkie reunion page for everything from everyday friends to obscure acquaintances to people you've never met.
Your info for all the world to see; and we're all throwing it out there. Pictures and personal dish sprawled across your page with links to everyone you know and gossip on everything you do, like to do, and places you spend your time; everything. There's already been reported cases of misuse of the pedophilia-type, and myspace has combated the problem with an age limit on allowed users, but that's like expecting to stop trespassers because you posted a really-really big scary sign.
My Myspace Page

It's Been a While

2006-03-02T19:48:00.000-08:00

It's been way too long since my last post, and I'm sure no one's checking my blog, but I felt the urge to write, if only to myself, while I fight a cold on the couch.
Things are going well for Heather and I, and we double 6 characters between the two of us on the show. Charlie, Desmond, and Henry for me; Kate, Ana-Lucia, and Claire for Heather.
With only 6 episodes left to film in the second-season of Lost, we strategize our next moves thoughtfully.
We've spent this season conditioning ourselves in the art of stunts and the entertainment industry, including a trip to LA for networking and training purposes in the first part of February. Tenatively, we plan on spending more time in LA during the 2.5 month hiatus starting this May between the seasons of shooting furthering the resume.
Life in Waikiki is good. As the epicenter of entertainment and tourism for all the islands. The best part is that tourists need protection, which brings police, which keeps the ever-so-popular Hawaiian rif-raf out of the area. Heather and I enjoy evening walks through the downtown section we live in amongst a vacationing public that exudes vibrance and joy like school children at recess, just a bit more intoxicated.
Our activities in HI have been a mainstay during our less-than normal work schedule, enjoying the normal creature comforts of sun, sand, and scuba as often as possible. In addition, I'm playing ice hockey in a league at the state's only ice rink, and would say I'm a big fish in a very small pond.
Gymnastics is a new venture I've recently taken up. Training at the best academy in the islands, Heather and I know this is a skill that can help us in our profession. It was like riding a bike for Heather getting back in the saddle, and she was probably the best gymnast there her first night back, whereas the instructor has been sincerely impressed with my novice abilities. Golf and tennis are two other sports I'm annoying Heather to persue, and she's dabbled in them with me.
Other than that we've been working out at 24-hour fitness and I've been trying to get my flexibility up, as it's good to bend well while your being thrown from something or falling off something.
We took on an agent this week in HI to keep us abreast of all stunt, acting, and modeling opportunities available on the islands; again looking to build the resume. It's the biggest and most widely-known agency here and should produce a few good endeavors. We were invited to join through the references and referrals of our casting director on Lost and another personal friend.
Enough for now, I'll continue the rant/update after we get our new computer, as this is the last day of the Apple Powerbook G4 and the Apple MacBookPro is on order.

Country Hopping

2005-12-26T22:16:00.000-08:00

Accessing wireless from the airport terminal does make you wonder how easy it could be to hack into personal info while I'm in the network, but I'm putting concern aside to blog, for a change.
Having just spent the last 11 days in the Pacific Northwest, Heather and I now sit in Portland International Airport on our way to NJ to bring in the new year.
We had a great time visiting family in friends in the rain, traveling to different parts of the region in the rain, skiing and snowboarding in the rain, celebrating Christmas in the rain, and doing anything else outside, in the rain.
To it's credit the PacNW has a mild climate and the lush landscape helps you forget just how much it precipitates. It also makes you notice, even appreciate, the fact that it's not raining, which is something you definitely take for granted in Hawaii. Don't get me wrong, it rains in HI, but the difference is you may not even leave the beach when it's happening.
Christmas was great and we feasted at Heathers' mom's house the day before Christmas eve with alot of her extended family and friends, the feasted again Christmas Eve, and again Christmas day, and feasted one last time tonight, prior to our departure. As everyone knows and expected, Tracey over-fed and we all over-ate.
In our 11 days we managed to visit with Riley and Mary in Auburn and all the Western Washington crew, immediately followed by a night in Heather's hometown of Ellensberg to cowtip and see just how many boys in love with Heather are still serving drinks or waiting tables in town.
We tripped up to Wenatchee next to get in a day of skiing/snowboarding and see all the apple-capital family and meet Chaun's new Sally. Sally and Chaun took us down to Washougal just outside Portland and 4 days later it brings us to the present.
Boarding now so more to follow soon. It was FANTASTIC to see every one of you, thanks for making the first part of our trip so memorable.

Hawaiian Christmas

2005-12-14T01:36:00.000-08:00

This post was written on 12.14.05

Christmas in Hawaii is a lot like kissing your dog; a sweet gesture but missing the essential ingredients of purpose and reason. In the same way your dog might appreciate a little action every now and again, the big picture is that no matter how much you love your dog, he still licks himself clean, with occasional snacking.
I understand if the island can't quite get into the holiday spirit, being that it still feels like July. The season here brings a lot of tourists, which makes it no different than any other time of year, and its hard to decorate without snow as a theme; that would just be silly.
That said, people don't really get jazzed about the holiday, a vacation/celebration from the norm, perhaps because every weekend brings them that vacation most long for all year (and it seems even during the week for some locals). They seem to lack the zest for the holiday that mainlanders due if for no other reason that it's cold as hell in most places of the US and it gives us something to do inside.

Your Tax Dollars At Work

2005-12-08T01:40:00.000-08:00

A lunatic at the Miami International Airport got himself killed yesterday after running from Air Marshals and reaching into the bag he claimed carried an explosive device. See the news article at Fox.

Now you know civil rights groups are going to have a field day with this one, not to mention he's Ecuadorian-American by decent. The press and certain leaning politicians will call this an atrocity that the innocent man was murdered by a federal officer and never had the life-threatening explosives he announced he had.

To the Air Marshal that shot him, I say job well done. Now that sounds harsh and I don't proclaim the victim's death like some battlefield victory or college football win, but it's admirable and comforting to see the systems put it place after 9/11 actually functioning at an effective level. We had been told air security systems were put it place for our protection, but that one averted would potentially could have lead to another national tragedy, amist all the criticisms recently plastered by the media over the lack of security improvements discussed by the 9/11 commission, instills a bit of faith in the system.

Remember Me

2005-11-08T19:56:00.000-08:00

This Post was written on December 7th, 2005; disregard the above date.

Well, once again I've fallen short on my blogitorial duties of keeping you all abreast on the latest happenings, thoughts, and opinions in my world. My regrets and apologies. Life as been a whirlwind since we've moved to HI and the dust hasn't yet settled to a point that provides time for reflection. I blame Heather. If her militant blogging practices were more faltering perhaps I'd be more inclined to pick up the slack, but she has valiantly carried the blogging burden all her own. I vow to get writing, and hope to see you all coming back again soon to read. Thanks.

Bittersweet Victory

2005-10-02T02:50:00.000-07:00

I'm not about to turn this blog into a sports forum, although I easily could; just ask Heather. It could be done, but I'd incidentally begin phasing out my intellectually stimulated Grey Goose and Beringer clientele with the more robust plastic bottle Barton's and box wine variety, and no one needs Barton's, no one.
This afternoon I watched from a couch on the North Shore of Oahu, by myself at my buddies house as he surfed and enjoyed the heavenly water just outside the back door, the Alabama Crimson Tide embarrass the #5 Florida Gators.
Any of you that know me know my obsession with college football after being breed into the Alabama lineage during my first two years of school. It's a passion and you need to read Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer to even grasp at comprehension with this one, trust me. I've spent many a Saturdays alone on account of a nationally televised Bama game, and sometimes even stayed home just to catch a highlight reel, and I'm not a fanatic by any stretch in Bama terms.
My point. Alabama finally arrives as the dominant team I've always seen them as, and ESPN is talking national title chances, but it comes at a cost; it always comes at a cost. In the 4th quarter up 31-3 Bama looses its most dynamic player, a player who scored 2 TD's and played 5 different positions in today's game, and perhaps it's shot at the championship game in January. This victory quickly became bittersweet, overshadowed by the loss of the man who helped get us where we are and where we want to be.
Lying in bed, I soon came to the realization that most "victories" come at a price, bittersweet if you will, whether it's foreseeable or not.
Every victory has a bittersweet sensation at some level. Success can be weighed against the risks we take. Victory, however big or small, mental or physical, always comes at a price. Whether it be time, money, energy, sweat, or tears, we must put these things into the challenge to become victorious.
Taking a new career means leaving a vested profession behind, moving to a new city means leaving people behind, graduating college means, well, leaving college and entering reality, going to college means choosing one school over the other, Cookies and Cream means no Mint Chocolate Chip tonight; bittersweet.
I know I'm stretching the definition of the term, but thinking about the price we pay to attain success in our lives is a bittersweet one, with sacrifice so normal, we become numb to it. I don't know if this realization has helped me rationalize 'loss' or question 'victory', but it will help me sleep better knowing God's not on a personal crusade against the Crimson Tide.

Why We Watch

2005-09-21T01:19:00.000-07:00

In the last week I've done my normal bit of travel between work and home in the islands, choreographed a fight between _____, scouted and trekked a mountain for ______ and ______ to tumble down, and attended a production meeting. This all sounds like the natural and uneventful work week of a stunt coordinator, because it is.

The more than mundane this week would be the season premier on the sands of Waikiki Beach with over 4,000 in attendance, followed by a premier party with an open bar, strict guest list, television cameras, not to mention the open bar. The week also included an Emmy party for the cast and crew, those that weren't on stage accepting the Emmy for Best Dramatic Series, and again, an open bar.

Here in lies the question; Why? Why all the hoopla over one person's industry than another's'? No one extra showed up for my Wal-Mart closings, heck, I was lucky all the grantors graced me with their presence to collect their checks. I must have luckily evaded the real estate groupies from mauling me in the parking lot asking for autographs and wanting to tell me how much they love one-stop shopping.

I know what your thinking. Your answer will be that TV is an escape, people like non-reality (although a lot of times in a scripted (shhh, don't tell) reality format), entertainment is different, etc. What makes this industry so entertaining, and go beyond the obvious fact that it is entertaining. You tell me, because I really don't know.

My hypothesis would be that the link between entertainment TV and media TV that dictates what and how we view and perceive all things, on television and elsewhere, stems from the same network conglomerates, blah, blah, blah, giving them all the power to influence where we focus our attention.

If the Big 4 started sneaking in Curling matches every now and again, penetrating prime time regardless of ratings, we'd be inundated to the point that a Curling match would be watched eventually, perhaps because the sportscasters that give you your football or baseball nightly education are reporting and building a buzz, perhaps acceptance, of this new, intriguing sport, making you question if you gave it a fair shake the first 50 years you rejected it and laughed at all those Canadians too uncoordinated to excel in hockey. And so it begins, the age of Curling. I would assume it's that simple. Curling will eventually announce a global league, and quietly the Big 4 have a predetermined contract signed years ago giving them a percentage stake in the league, teams, and televising rights. Arena Football ring any bells?

Maybe we just all watch too much TV; oh wait, all that print and radio feeding us this "news" would hook us, because they just happen to be owned by the same company that produces both the show, and the news program that reports on it. Ever heard of Viacom/CBS/Clear Channel...HELLO. It's all there, TV, print, and radio all wrapped up into a neat little package, some might even equate this to a normal d-day attack, and so they push their programming from all angles, and we watch, become entertained, and become addicted. Kinda fun huh. I'm not complaining...

...Season 2 Premier for LOST is Wednesday, September 21, 9pm...As if you didn't know.

Never Forget

2005-09-12T00:45:00.000-07:00

With the events of Hurricane Katrina bombarding our thoughts, prayers, and emotions these past two weeks, our forefront is filled with poverty, homelessness, and water damage; all real concerns facing both the Gulf Coast and America for a long time to come.

Yet another sad note to this national tragedy is that it fell on the eve of the 4 year anniversary of the attacks from September 11, 2001, overshadowing an event that has propelled us into a new era in our lives that will forever be stained in our hearts as horrifying and heroic.

I had all but forgotten the day be 9/11 until I sat down to the television after a birthday dinner for Heather's grandmother, in which I didn't so much as acknowledge the day as I said grace, and found The Flight that Fought Back on the Discovery Channel, a documentary on the United flight 93 that crashed in Shanksville, PA.

Even after I became intrigued by the title and selected it from the guide menu, I still hadn't put it all together that today was in fact the anniversary of the landmark attack on America, and it wasn't until a few minutes into the program that the whole thing began to sink in. I watched in sadness, and amazement, as actual recordings and family testimonials recounted the painstaking details from just one of the 4 flights that was raped by cowards, and how the plane crashed inverted at 580mph into a field only 18 minutes away from downtown DC.

I watched how 4 middle-eastern disgraces to humanity lied to passengers and made sure the plane crashed to the ground after the heroes from that flight thwarted their attempt to carry out a mission, a dilusioned excuse of a mission to attack US landmarks of power and honor to our country, and having failed still making sure those passengers would die, completely contradicting everything they were supposedly out to do in the name of their God. I listened as heroes arose threw the headsets of family and emergency service telephones as they accepted their mission, and their fate, not allowing what had happened to the 3 earlier flights happen once again.

And as I listened to the actual passenger recordings saying goodbye to loved ones, wishing them love, telling them not to worry, and to take care of the children, and listening to the control tower recordings of the screams from the cockpit as those fathers and sons and husbands and brothers broke down their fear and attacked the terror with furious resolve, unarmed and unprepared, screeches of pain piercing through the headsets of United Control as box-cutters and sharpened pocket-knives slashed those men as they made a desperate attempt, a last stand, to protect everyone but themselves, including this country. Their was a lot of love lost that day, in all of us, but after listening to those tapes it was reassuring to know God filled that fuselage and brought a comfort and calm to 40 people (half of which were from NJ) that no other power could possibly do to allow so many to act so rationally and unselfishly at such traumatic times.

I remember just after the attacks, you couldn't shake the pillar of strength this united country formed, and we stood behind our President as he vowed to take vengeance on terrorists and those harboring such, and so began a crusade that a rational human would realize will take years to develop and may never end. And so our altered lives went on, mourning friends and family lost in the attacks, like Mark Bavis, an NHL hockey scout and great family friend who hit the 2nd tower from the Boston flight. Hearing accounts of the personal close calls and lists of acquaintances lost subsided, memorials were erected, and American pride still stood tall.

Four years later the question you have to ask is where it went? What happened to the pride and passion this country had, the fire that had every other nation in the world wanting to be our ally? We all remember exactly where we were when we got the news of the attacks that morning, as clear as day, yet for some reason a lot of people have repressed certain memories, put that fire out, want the troops removed, and taken down their flag.

It's truly a shame in this great country that the tide of compassion and strength is an event-spurred, short-lived one that takes tragedy or an election to create, and that we lose sight of the greater good until we're asked to respond via an attack or natural disaster. Then, and only then does the majority get onto the caring-and-giving-is-good bandwagon until the media decides the ratings are no longer worthy of the reporting, and the celebrities retreat to their mansions having never actually given any money of their own and the dis-banding of America begins, usually it's some POS public figure creating the wall of us-against-us vs. The us-against-them we see during the unification period.

The most incredible difference between 9/11 and Katrina was the way the people responded under intense situations; we took for granted that the people of 9/11 handled themselves and the situation so well; I'm sorry Katrina victims didn't use it as model behavior. The North East? Who would have thought. Forgeta bout it!

www.honorflight93.org

The New Chapter

2005-09-07T19:14:00.000-07:00

I'm now a Stuntman and the Assistant Stunt Coordinator for the TV Show LOST on ABC. How's that for getting your attention.

For those of you who are actually still checking my blog, the beautifully faithful, I have to apologize profusely for the dead silence you've experienced on this site over the past month. But as far as good juicy info is concerned your all in luck, because there's a directly adverse correlation between the volume of content on this page and the amount of drama going on in my life. This lapse in content would therefore equate to a whirlwind of news for all you faithful, all two of you that is.

I don't even know where to begin so bare with me as I babble through the last several weeks getting you up to speed, as informative and unliterarily inspiring as possible, but much like the end of a good Bond movie, don't fret, for my literary prowess will return in posts to come, so stay tuned.

Falling into the Stunt Business

Ok, so not much longer than a month ago I posted ...AND They Pay You to my blog regarding a CNN Money article that talked about stunt driving as an unorthodox six-figure career. My wife's father caught wind of the article and offered a window of opportunity to come work for him on the TV show LOST, on ABC. Her father creates, stages, and directs all action sequences as the Stunt Coordinator, as well as all hiring, and as I can now attest to, there's no shortage of people hounding him to break into the stunt business.

Preparation for the Unprepared

Faced with a difficult decision, Heather and I deliberated over the idea of leaving an established network of great friends and family, leaving a home we had moved into just three days prior, leaving secure, enviable careers with time vested, leaving the mainland USA, and doing all this within a 2-3 week window as the second season of shooting had just begun.
After much prayer and consultation, and prayer, we truly felt this was an opportunity seldom seen and seldom taken, but anyone that knows us understands our tout for taking the road less traveled, and knows our desire for the extraordinary, and extraordinary this was.

So the idea was sold, but pulling the trigger and would be a trick in such a short amount of time.

We needed to re-pack our lives and somehow get them into storage (on the other side of the mountains), prep and ship our belongings and car, somehow get goods to NJ, somehow get rid of a car, somehow get out of the lease on the house we just signed, gracefully leave my job abruptly and somehow keep Heather's, all the while saying goodbye to everyone over there on our way out the door.

Like a couple thoroughbreds just out the gate, we were off to conquering the world one task at a time, and enlisted the help of family and friends to get it all done. Stealing a line from a classic 80's epic, the list of leg-workers in our court to make this all happen is long and distinguished...And so's my... Anyway, my brother Chris flew out to help with everything, from getting needed work done on the cars, to buying the 2nd car we needed to get rid of, to helping us pack and move our belongings across WA, to taking some of our belongings back across the country on his road trip back, and just about anything else you can think of; a true go-to guy, no questions asked, and he did it with no regard for his own time.

Heather's family was no exception to the go-to column, and I just started jotting down some names and realized just about everyone in that clan had some part to play in getting us to flight-ready status, and however minuet it may have seemed to them then, looking back it was certainly instrumental. From the cross-state hauling to party-planning, it was HUGE and Heather and I brag to each other how amazing our network of family and friends is.

We don't take for granted all the love and support we had from so many and cherish our time with each and every one of you. It brings me to tears thinking about the blessings God gave us in our relationships and it won't soon be forgotten the impact you've all had on our lives.
Believe it or not, things were shaping up quite well and although the inevitable unforeseen circumstance arose, it was tackled accordingly, and we stayed the course towards our move to Hawaii. Did I mention the show was in Hawaii and that's where we'd be moving to? Guess not. We were moving to Kona, on the Big Island, and going to commute via plane between the islands to Oahu for shooting; guess that tid-bit is worth sharing, huh.

With only a few days left and most of our tasks completed, it looked to be smooth sailing up to flight time and the last things on our agenda had to do with parties and get-togethers; they called these celebrations of us finally getting out of their town "going away parties", but they can't fool me, I know the truth.

Vegas Baby, Vegas

Needless to say, being prepared days in advance of something doesn't sit well with me, as it leaves nothing to do at the last minute, and what fun is that? So, Las Vegas sounded like the perfect solution to filling that gap of 2 days before my move across the Pacific.

Some close friends and my brother Chris (one of his many road-trip stops) were making a long weekend of Mandalay Bay to celebrate monogamy induced through marital bliss. This was by no means in my cards on several levels, but an expense-paid invitation was offered that Thursday afternoon for a Thursday afternoon flight to Vegas, returning directly to Portland, OR, to catch up with Heather at her moms. Again going back to my Carpediem'esk' outlook and unrational behavior in both mind and body, this sounded like a perfectly normal way to fill the next 36 hours, so I hung up the phone with the group and literally ran to check the ferry off Bainbridge Island for the very last time.

The trip lived up to most of it's expectations and my boy Greg Gellas can officially say he spent more money in one weekend than a brain surgeon makes in a week, and we can all say we partied in the number 1 club in the country (and it only cost $437 for the 7 of us just to get in; again thanks to Greg for that bill, covering both the cost of admission and for greasing the bouncers).

Times in your life when you can rendezvous with great people from across the country in one place are few and far between and our time is too short not to capitalize on every opportunity we come across to share in those experiences with them.

Not having slept made the flight back to the Pacific NW a Godsend, and we spent the next day-and-a-half tying up loose-ends and saying our goodbyes. Monday morning, August 8, we were sitting on an Aloha Airlines flight that capped one chapter and was flying us towards another, that we had absolutely no preconceived notions on its parameters or, well, on anything, anything at all. All we knew is that we'd be living on an island neither of us had ever been to, chasing a career path neither one of us has any experience in, but we did know we willing to make a go of it, and that's all either one of us could expect from the other.

LOST, Somewhere in Hawaii

As fast as things happened in our preparation to get to HI, things were moving equally as fast once we got here. Heather and I both got laid immediately. Heather and I both got laid immediately...get it. Having not met anyone from one half of Heather's lineage ever before, this a new experience on so many levels I can't even begin to tell you. Heather's dad, Mike, and wife Stephanie, were gracious from the get-go and as quick as we were introduced to Kona that we were off to work in Oahu, which was a pleasant surprise.

Not knowing exactly what I was in for and having never been to a Hollywood movie set, the first thing I learned upon entering the set was that I will forever be over-dressed (not only on the set, but on the island, any of them). But on the same token, being introduced as the Asst. Stunt Coordinator and looking like I can tie a tie leads people to believe that I know what I'm doing, and that I've done it before, and who am I to correct an assumption. By day two on the set people actually asked me for advice and how to handle the stunt-related topics, and that coupled with the main ingredient for stunt work (or 90% of all movie and TV work for that matter), common sense, allows me to play the part quite well; this is Hollywood after all.

Within two weeks Heather and I were doing our first stunts as doubles, Heather for Michelle Rodriguez "Ana-Lucia", and myself for Henry Ian Cusick "Desmond", both new to the show this season. I also worked as an animal (hint, hint). Heather will also be doubling Evangeline Lilly "Kate" and I'm slotted to double Dominick Monaghan "Charlie". With any luck at all we'll be doubling even more characters as they're introduced, pending their physical stature is up to snuff with ours (aka. we're lucky enough to resemble them on a bad day). Utility stunt work, doing stunts not as a main character, will also fill some days. I'm gradually making myself recognizable with the in-people and continue to build a foundation to take over the industry on.

Cops is Missing Out

It's been just under a month since we've been here, and all I can say about the Island of Oahu is our TV show LOST wouldn't be the number 1 show out here if COPS filmed here more. In the first three weeks we've gotten $8,000 of stuff stolen out of our truck, a hit-and-run accident, and I was attacked. The funniest part about all this is that every time the police show up to handle the report (not the crime, but the report) they always tell us how bad an area we're in happens to be and that they couldn't believe we didn't know better than to be there. My rebuttal stands firm at the fact that if those areas are so bad, why aren't they more heavily patrolled.

The fact is that the worst thing about Hawaii are Hawaiians, or locals, whatever the nationality may be, because actual Hawaiians are actually a small minority of the population here, being primarily filled with descendants from the Indonesian and Asian worlds, with a few generations of ancestry on the islands. Fortunately where I live on the Big Island and most areas on the other islands don't deal with these kinds of atrocities nearly at all, making the distinctions between Oahu (although the North Shore is less deserving of this lashing) and the other islands much like those between the cities of Manhattan vs. The Bronx. Oahu can be spoken in the same breath as Puerto Rico or Jamaica, whereas you can't travel beyond the tourist locations and feel well protected from the elements.

For the Future

I don't even know if this has brought any of you up to speed, but it gets but a few of my thoughts shared with you and unfortunately I wasn't able to give you the play-by-play you deserve and will be getting in the future, and maybe now I can get back into a rhythm of sharing on some of the other fun topics wearing on me...Like people who complain about Natural Disaster clean-up efforts!

Pacific Northwest Makes Forbes No. 1

2005-07-25T08:39:00.000-07:00

Seattle took the No. 1 spot on Forbes Most Overpriced Places to Live this year, with Portland, OR making a podium finish as well in the No. 3 spot.
NYC was No. 2, but ridiculously overpaying to be a part of society in the world's mecca can be expected, seeing that it's the epicenter of the universe and is where decisions are made that trickle down to the rest of the country. But Seattle and Portland?
Beauty only gets you so far, but in this case it took the Pacific NW all the way to the top, as these cities don't hold nearly the same influence as any of our country's major hubs. Alluring people with pristine forests and green, well, everything, these towns have make quite a mark on America with their lushness and charm.
It was only yesterday that I mentioned to Heather that Seattle would be a fantastic place to visit for a few days in the summer months; 70 degree highs for walking all day, the sun might actually be out, and the city has culture worth enduring, and everything is shiny and green. But the niceness comes at the price of low-gray clouds and colder weather the other 10 months, precipitating most days during the other three seasons.
So, if you would like to visit either of these overpriced places to vacation or live, be sure to do it from mid-July to early September.

Testing Picture Capabilities

2005-07-22T11:26:00.000-07:00

What better a picture to post as my first blogging image. Sean Hannity and I chummed it up for a few minutes after the Freedom Festival I spoke about in an earlier post. "He's" A Great American, and I had fun just hanging out with such an influential guy after sneaking into the celebrety after-party, naturally.

...AND They'll Pay You

2005-07-19T13:32:00.000-07:00

While I was on the CNNMoney website pulling up the link for The Best Places to Live in 2005 and I stumbled across this article on their mainpage: Six Figure Job: Stunt Driver, and I asked myself if I've totally missed the boat on a career you dream about as a kid.
Now don't get me wrong, consulting and real estate development for the world's largest company has its perks and has well-established and prepared me to be a big-business success, and I'm greatful and don't regret for a moment my career path or opportunities taken to date, but just about every one of us had to have asked the question at some point, "Would I enjoy my life more doing something else?" Life is short.

I know my brother has. Chris just stepped out of a cush, yet over-demanding, asset management job after asking himself that same question. My brothers and I have grown up as thrill-seeking adrenaline junkies, yet unlike some of our friends, we were instilled with a trait that allowed us the ability to (almost (learning from your mistakes is another good trait to have)) always be able to make more calculated risks, even under severe pressure, helping us to achieve a higher level success rate, i.e. making us such good drivers (allow me to blow my own horn here for a moment; I don't do much well).
Having a racing background with my father, we were taught to drive and learned car control/balance and racing dynamics from a very early age, and had my family owned a small country, my brothers and I would have had more opportunity to excersie our skills in ametuer racing growing up, and al-las would have had more of a level playing field towards making a career out of it today.

Chris released himself of the 8-7 (I can't even use 9-5 as an accurate example of desk-job hours worked any more unless I'm referencing government employees) duties and headed to the track. Investing most of his time, and money, into his passion, Chris is giving himself seat-time behind the wheel in just about every avenue of racing possible, and until the money runs out he'll continue to do so in hopes of finding a niche in the industry where he can begin to pay bills.

He's not on a Formula 1 driver's seat or bust mission, but he's trying to weave himself into the fabric of the industry everywhere he can in an attempt to find that first gap to fill, and he'll go from there. This type of venture is a risk, but again, it's a calculated one, driven by passion, so even a failed attempt is one worthy of taking just for the experience alone. There's no tear-jerking happy-ending to Chris's story at this point, but I pray their will be and it's early yet; I'll keep you posted. Even today he and the Goof have been racing at Watkins Glen in NY, acquiring more seat-time and building on their knowledge-base.

I know we've all wanted to chase the dream, but I really can't think of too many people that have taken the 'plunge' if you will. Excuses are FedExed early-morning arrival by the dozen, and the twinkle in your eye gets filled with children, student loans, mortgage payments, etc., which are all valid, but excuses just the same.
At what point in our lives do we make the decision, or get side-tracked in our lives that we're all of a sudden not able to do what would make us most happy. Now again I understand compromise, I'm married (otherwise I'd be flying Apaches in Afghanistan right now instead of blogging to all of you), and other inhibitors keeping us at bay from our utopic ideals of satisfaction, but all of these were choices we've made ourselves.

Much like you, I've asked myself "What is happy" and have answered in similar fashion that I am happy, dam happy. Happy to be alive, happy as hell to have my wife and my family, my friends, my job, my toys, etc., so again don't get me wrong, I'm one happy SOB. Perhaps thats why we don't go out on a ledge like my brother and risk disrupting what at times can seem like a significant, yet conceivably fragile, happiness (not to say Chris wasn't happy, he's just more willing than most to take the road less travelled).
Why would you rock the boat when everything is 'working' so well? The logical man says no, and goes on living, and it's usually a wise choice because in most cases he can't stomach/afford the rejection, won't risk losing what he currently has, and is ill-prepared to compete with the seasoned dream-career doers.

The question is focused on what gets us there, and the sad truth is that most of us spend exorbanent amounts of time at work than with all these things that bring us joy. Life is short.

What a crazy notion, to love what you do and make it work in your life not run your life. Reading the article , I haven't decided just what plunge I'd like to make, well maybe I have, but I know at the end of the day I want to live life, not work for it. That's not to say that I don't want to work, because I have every intention of busting my hump becoming a success in whatever I do, I just want to make sure I'm factoring life into the the present equation as well as the future one, because the present becomes the past every second and you don't get it back; I hope every moment is a moment I won't regret at the end of the day. Life is short

Another Day in Paradise

2005-07-19T10:28:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, Heather and I finally took the hippie highway up to Bainbridge Island (WA), shortening our brisk 70 mile commute to a mere 3 miles of darkness. The 'darkness' is meant on so many levels. Although Bainbridge was ranked the No. 2 Best Place to Live in 2005 by CNN/Money (A NJ town was ranked No. 1, no surprise, ok maybe a little), this darkness I speak of can be found in many that live on the island, the weather, or the island itself.

Whether your a rich pretentious bastard or a dirty angry hippie (there are two kinds of hippies, those that love the world and people, and those that hate what the people have done with 'their' world and resent the people for it; I would be speaking about the latter) , or worse yet a rich dirty pretentious angry hippie bastard, you're right at home on Bainbridge. The island's people have a darkness about them that resonates as they walk by you with their $200 Marmot sandals, $4 good-will jeans, tie-dye-esk hippie shirt complete with Buck Fush button and list of ignorant comments in hand, driving a Volvo or Subaru with the obvious bumpersticker, that hasn't been washed since it left the showroom; miserable-in-denialitis as it's commonly referred to.

The weather makes Seattle look like the Sahara, the island being on the same side of the Sound as the continents only rain forest due west of here. Low-gray clouds occupy most days, and the fact that I can't sleep with my windows open or go for a run in the morning because it's too cold (low 50's this morning) takes the wind out of your sails early.

As for the island itself, in its quaint majesty it's like camping for rich people year round. It's so heavily wooded where we live that Heather and I have to peer out the window straight up to the sky to see if it's a nice day or not, because the tree cover is so dense sunlight, or should I say daylight, is non-existent at window level. Don't get me wrong, the atmosphere is beautiful and serene, but not conducive for sunglasses, shorts and short-sleeves. Don't worry people still where their sandals here in the cold weather, all year, just with white athletic socks...don't get me started. It's currently 11:15am and I'm wearing jeans, a long-sleeve t-shirt, and a fleece vest with sneakers; the nice thing is that I'm appropriately dressed at the office.

Again, go to The Best Places to Live in 2005 to see where you rank. Notables include 2 NJ towns in the top 10, Moorestown (no. 1) and Chatham (no. 9) (next door to where I grew up in Randolph and where Heather lived for a year, and where a lot of my family has always lived), as well as Louisville, CO (no. 5), where Heather and I lived while in college at Boulder. That puts Heather in 3 of the top-10 towns in her short independent existance; can she pick em' or what. Peachtree City, GA (no. 8) is where my uncle Kevin resides, with golfcarts being the predominant source of transportation for residents. Randolph, NJ, my hometown, was a 'contender' in the rankings, putting it in the top-250.

What a Week: The Way Birthday's Were Meant to be Celebrated

2005-07-13T13:27:00.000-07:00

I can't even begin to tell you how exuberating/exhausting my week back in NJ over the fourth of July was, but I'll do my best to quickly recap, well recap anyway.

Day one. Heather and I were greeted by an east-coast-classic as we stepped off the plane Saturday morning, Dunkin Donuts, hand delivered to the terminal by mom and my sister Carissa. Indulging in coffee far better than any $4.00 latte and a doughnut that no granola-head could turn down, this was the power-breakfast symbolizing just how fantastic my trip would be.
We rushed home where preparations were already underway for the Heritage Olympics, a neighborhood spectacle involving a collaboration of strengths: mental, physical, and liver. The all day event naturally rolled into the late evening and Trey wins the award for...Lets not even go there, lets just say that he had a nice permanent-marker drawing of a window and some other features sketched on him, next to Kelly (but not like that you sicko's; he's married). I hosed off Kelly Snell's dinner (pizza of course) from the driveway to end the night.

My birthday was celebrated with cake, candles, and singing under fireworks; ONE.

Time for rest? I didn't think so. The next morning we awoke early to enjoy Taylor Ham, egg and cheese sandwiches on a hard roll (obviously) and the orange juice never tasted so good. A slew of "Olympic athletes" found themselves on one of 7 couches in the house, and a reconvening on the deck over breakfast found Cara (the neighborhood "bully") back in the saddle with Bud Light, a handle of Baileys, and a few small children (can't guarantee the attendance of the children however); what a trooper.

Off we went soon after to what was supposed to be a relaxing one-night excursion down the shore (that's a trip to the NJ beach/ocean for all you out-of-staters). Hot, but not hung-over, we spend the next 2 hours in the beautiful sunshine admiring shoulder-riders and cell-phone towers as we crawled along the Garden State Parkway, wondering how much further ahead we'd have been had we abandoned the car and skipped down the highway. Needless to see we aborted our trip after gaining 25 miles in two hours. The Shore would have to wait.

We returned to Randolph and spent much or our remaining day poolside at Lupo's (where my brother Danny had resuscitated a 5 year old drowning victim back from dead weeks earlier after hearing the call go out on his radio from across the street) with the familiar crowd and beverages, finishing at Jay's lakefront with Trey's successful attempt to out-do most professional fireworks' displays. We flipped 'cup' late into the night. I believe it was this night that was capped off with 'bully-induced' dip in the Herold hot-tub (almost a Lupo dip, but the bully and her counterpart "Blue" were talked down).

My birthday was celebrated with cake, candles, and singing under fireworks; TWO.

Day three saw running errands, seeing people, Barry's ball-throwing contests at the pool, looking at a home where Danny saved a fellow firefighter from falling through the second floor earlier that day at the 4am hour (all the usual), followed by another trip across the street to Club Lupo poolside. Club Lupo again turned into tournment flipping at Arthur TrexDeck Bar. Spotlight Campo women Nina and Cara for their valiant participation on work nights, and for shaking off injury and staying in the game well beyond curfew.

Tuesday glimpsed at reality a bit (I was beginning to wonder) with a Babyak meeting of the financial minds, and a portion of that day was spent prepping for our tenative Adirondack mountains trip, which included a hit-and-run accident on Goof's brand new truck and the most shady Marina business, even by NJ standards, in Jefferson. Chris, Goof, and I ended up hoisting a wave-runner into the truck-bed at 11pm under moonlight, and a 4am planned departure time. But wait! What's this? The 8 of us have to pile into Goof's new truck and go to the bars in Morristown? The question seemingly always got asked not 'why', but 'why not', so off we went until closing time and I held my own armwrestling a large Defensive End home from school. People were dumbfounded.

Goof arose after repeated calls at the crack of 9am, right on time, and we were off and running by 11. Lake George brought overcast and sun, warm water, cheap dining with 'townies', bunk house sleeping, Emily, Turtle Rock, water skiing and wave runner problems. Words can't describe the tranquilly all these things bring over someone and it's as time-honored a tradition for me as you could ever imagine. One night was all we had in us so back we ventured Thursday night.

In case you've been keeping track, sleep hasn't made the top-ten list of things to accomplish while on vacation, so tired was an understatement, but an un-received one. At this point waking up at daybreak seemed common and comfortable, much like any boot-camp, and so Friday morning arose untested and mounted our trip to Great Adventure (Six Flags for the out-of-staters) for the Freedom Festival (with a stop at Alfa Bagel of course), a day-long raising of support for the families of fallen soldiers, raising money for those soldiers' children to attend college free of charge. The likes of Sean Hannity, Col. Oliver North, Leanne Rimes, etc. built support for the event. Sean hosted his radio show live from the park, Oli signed books with other celebs, and Leanne and others threw a fantastic show to cap the night.

Did I mention it rained? It poured. Which was all the better for someone like me whose now 25 going on 15, because ride-lines were non-existent and only the die-hards weathered the storm. Coasters were ridden 10-times without de-boarding and people pointed and stared as Chris, Jeffrey and I rode the Log Flume water rides, finally making our feet as wet as the rest of us. Sneaking into the after-party and being protected by security with the rest of the untouchables only helped establish that Friday as a day not soon to be forgotten.

It couldn't get any better, but it did.

Just another crack of dawn day on Saturday, only this time it was to travel back to the south side of Jersey to the racetrack for an SCCA racing event, and my first experience with this caliber of autocross racing. This was the real deal with scoring, sponsorship, and season-long national titles on the line, and Chris and Greg have been devoting months of time and money (and part of Goof's face) towards being competitive.
I loved the adrenaline but hated the guilt of spending my second-to-last day on the track instead of at home with everyone. Sae-la-vee, I was excited. I took 2nd Place in-class and Chris and Greg took 3rd and 4th respectively in their faster-cars class. It was a great day of racing for the boys from Randolph, NJ and we won't soon be off peoples' radar and forums. How'd they do that will be wondered for quite some time, but really it's an easy answer: Dad, Integras, Hockinheim.

Rain cut the day short, and it was one of God's finest hours, as the boys had no intention of leaving early. We Jumped back on the Parkway and I pulled up to the house for the surprise of my life.

Being completely oblivious to the astronomical amount of cars halfway down Edgewood Terrace, chalking it up to yet another party in the neighborhood, as that's what this neighborhood does better that anything else, I calmly pulled past the cars and up the driveway. What I saw next was stunning. All tucked away behind the house were over 100 constituents well into a surprise birthday party; my surprise birthday party!

I was completely overwhelmed and it didn't even click that all these people were here for me right away. Friends up from Kentucky, families I hadn't seen in years, cousins with totally new dispositions in life since the last time I saw them, all there to surprise me on my 25th. I can't say I didn't stand in awe fighting back tears for a moment in the driveway with everyone yelling surprise, but I didn't really now how else to react to such an onslaught of love and kindness. I made my way towards the already-well-served mob and began the hugging and hellos. After an hour I still hadn't gotten to everyone. Just the same I hopped in the catered buffet line that the servers had laid out and began indulging. About that time the DJ started his routine and the full bar and two kegs started showing their legs.

Thanks to all of you who were able to make it out, making that day so special. It was an honor to have you celebrate with me and you'll never know how much it was appreciated.

Naturally day grew into night, the party started loosening up both in numbers and neckties, and dancing took center-stage, while others flipped cup, played pool, chatted, streaked, got drawn on, Beirut (pong), etc, etc, etc. 4am shut this party down and couch-space was maximized.

My birthday was celebrated with cake, candles, and singing under fireworks; THREE.

Hoping that Sunday, the day of my departure, would never come, the early morning (relatively speaking of course at 9 or 10am) saw tired eyes and awkward moments for some, but as we sat down to bagels (as if anything else would suffice) under the umbrella of a beautiful sun, I couldn't help but recollect the serenity of my time in NJ, in Randolph, with family (friends being just that), and it made me happy to have done so much all week.

No trip is over without a football game, so we quickly rounded up the troops and headed to Freedom Park for an Arthur's vs. game against arch-rival competitor Sassaman and co., and as always (both times we've played Arthur's vs.), we were victorious. Spotlight Heather as she continues to keep her reputation as Secret Weapon, this time pulling in some great catches, but especially for running down Barling at full-speed with the full-sprawl dive for the heels that I can assure you no one else on that field would have done (except maybe Jeffrey), saving the touchdown. We finished the afternoon by accomplishing the one task my mother had asked of us boys when I first arrived (and actually well before my arrival, but whose counting), by splitting the last of the wood from our downed tree. Billy and Jeffrey threw their backs out supporting the cause. A quick dip in the, where else, Lupo pool, persued, and it was off to a quick pack and fantastic Italian dish (as if you didn't already know that) before scrambling to the car, scrambling threw the airport, and wondering if our luggage would greet us at Baggage Claim. Would I have it any other way?

Cruising Off The Deep End

2005-06-30T17:22:00.000-07:00

As Tom Cruise continues to spiral towards never making another film, he'll probably rely on the support of his co-scientologists for the extraordinarily large sums of money it apparently costs to participate in this religion after his demise.
I think L. Ron Hubbard said it best "I bet people are stupid enough to take my fictional story, call it fact, and start worshipping it" or something along those lines. One of my office colleagues made me aware of the rumor that Hubbard, who wrote the book Scientology spurred from (Dyanetics), was bet my a friend that people would take is tall-tale and lose their minds over it.
Low-and-behold, people proved the friend right.
I am a Bible-believer with more than my fair-share of skepticism, so don't get me started as to why the Bible is fact; my blog would turn into boring, but amazing life-long memoirs, and I'd lose you all as readers. My question is this: Why do so many people out there jump on these DiVinci Code bandwagons to give them something to worship thats different from everyone else?
I guess rockers Poison said it best "Give me somethin' to b' lieve in", with everyone searching for hope to find peace within themselves. But I think most confuse hope with immediate resolve or satisfaction, and when it doesn't come, they're on to the next latest-and-greatest fad religion; serial believers if you will. A little of this, a little of that, they believe in a God, an idea, a tree, or a all three, and wonder how the rest of us could be so "narrow-minded" and are totally missing the boat, but enough about what could turn into a really long post, with what I would imagine would see alot of comments.
The intent of this post was just to send you all to a link that same friend from work also sent me Tom Sith Cruise, as Scientologized Cruise uses his powers to defeat Oprah. I think Dave Letterman's team must have created this.

The Desperate Stepford Housewives

2005-06-27T14:29:00.000-07:00

I would presume the 2005 Robot World Expo in Japan would bring some pretty interesting android-like creations to the table, and those people would bring their latest robotic masterpiece for debut, but this one takes them all.
Repliee Q1 Human Android is the most life-like robot to date and has scary-good detail for a scary-good representation of a human. Can you imagine the deception on Wisteria Lane if robots were running the households; it would be a short, and bloody season. The Stepford Wives is nearing reality, performing essential, and non-essential (I'm being dirty here) tasks. Read the National Geographic article on this amazing machine, then let your mind wonder for a few minutes on just how much this type of conceptual design will impact our everyday 15 years from now.
Imagine the fact that this robot can react and interact with you and me, all based on its programming to do WHATEVER it's designed to do. Mechanics, won't need em; Fast Food attendants, barely do now, accountants, a simple program will eliminate them, taxi drivers, they smell; moms...

Don't You Know Who I Am?

2005-06-24T12:25:00.000-07:00

Once again Fast Company, a business magazine and web/blog site, has posted another trash post about how the whole world should be ashamed of themselves for Oprah not being let into a store after-hours to shop.
This argument on the Fast Compnay Blog has so many holes that I was bound as a representative of the common-sense bearing human race to react with a rebuttal. My rebuttal can be found towards the bottom of the FC blog page, and be sure to read the banter on the way down, especially Heathers. I basically said not all whites are racist, that it's racist to think that way, and that racism is a cycle that only gets fueled by the half-cocked press crying wolf on unsubstantiated, dramatic creations that take away from the true instances.
Taking the mortar and pestle to settling racist sediment only keeps toxins in the air and never lets hatred decompose.

As the World Turns, WA Stays the Same, With Us In It

2005-06-22T16:21:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry its been a little while since my last post, but I've been so busy making life decisions lately that I haven't had time to ponder much of anything let alone reflect on my blog. Well, it looks like Heather and I are moving to...drumroll please...Bainbridge Island, WA.
For all of you who aren't familiar with that Island, it's 11 miles West of the heart of downtown Seattle. And for all you geography gurus, you know that that means 7 miles of ferry across the Puget Sound.
Ah yes, the Island of Bainbridge, let me tell you, it sounds more appealing than it actually is.
Although it's revered by all who know it as the crown-jewel of WA, being so close to Seattle yet so far away from it all, creating a habitat for the wealthy to act like complete pretentious asses and be loved for it. But its not a classy, civilized rich, its the bitter, lost-an-election type of rich that is more concerned with the stickers on their, and everyone elses, cars than the overdue oil change.
But the worst part is that this type of climate harvests an even worse kind of human; Dirty Hippies. I speak from personal experience living in Boulder, CO. As with any utopic environment, hippies tend to gravitate towards the them like flies on birthday cake, sprouting roots out of their VW buses and infultrating the epicentic city core through restaurant and coffee shop jobs, which this Island spews of from its touristic disposition.
So, like Boulder, you have the angry rich mixed with the abhorrent poor, which breeds such an awful stench of self-righteousness that it stings your eyes and makes your nose run, and we are, yet again, thrown right into the mix of it.
Heather and I both work on the Island, and have decided these jobs are best for us at this transition in our lives, not that either are necessarily the be-all-end-all, but good learning experiences and avenues of income, not to mention the current 70 mile commute is a little wearing.

Almost Home

2005-06-10T12:17:00.000-07:00

My buddy overseas is counting the days till he's completed with his most recent stint fighting terror and creating democracy. In the below statements taken from his most recent email correspondence he touched upon things we are aware of, yet so blind to inside our US media bubble: Media bias for political agendas:

"As I'm sure you probably saw on the news, we lost four guys over the last week and half, two of which were SF guys, the other two conventional soldiers, but at an SF compound. The first two individuals got hit by an IED, the other two happened to be on the Landing Zone (LZ) when Haji got lucky with a couple of mortar rounds. So as always, please say a prayer for them and their families.
On a seperate note, from the looks of it, since we lost four individuals, the press is all of a sudden saying we losing ground over here in Afghanistan, and the Taliban and Al Quaida are getting stronger (This is based upon recent New York Times and Washington Post recent articles dated 9 JUNE 05)
Too say the least they are, as usual, farthest from the truth. For instance, the articles didn't happen to mentioned that those two yahoos who decided to launch a couple of mortars on the LZ where quickly and efficiently disposed of by the main gun of an Apache helicopter about
15 minutes after they launched their rounds as they were retreating back to Pakistan..sorry but they weren't fast enough to use the international boundry as their safe-haven."
" We are just setting up another basic training course to train another 100 Afghan soldiers for the border control points. We had over one-thousand Afghan locals show up and try to make the cut for the selection process. So, at this point we are not losing Afghan soldiers, in fact we are getting more than enough volunteers who want to serve and protect their country....Guess the New York Times, and Washington Post, missed that one also."

It's sad to think about the drugged-up uneducated hippies that spat on our returning soldiers in battle's past, but it's may be worse to think about the impression media's creating for battle's future. Our society's so blindly lead and influened by such a corrupt few in news and TV that American's are willing to throw logic threw the screen door and buy into the propaganda against the principles of our nation, the principles that have afforded us the freedoms and luxuries that allow daft-prick citizens to denounce its greatness.

A Must View Clip

2005-06-09T17:18:00.000-07:00

I don't normally spread the disease that is spam, but after witnessing the video clip from Putfile.com, courtesy of my less than normal buddy Greg Gellas, it truly is a must-view. Be forewarned, people with sensitive stomachs and frequent nightmares need not participate. To all the rest: Brace yourself.