…is the title of the screenplay I finished today. It’s for a short film I’m going to start shooting early next year. I finally have a plan.
10 films of 10-20 minutes
5 films of 20-45 minutes
2 films of 45-60 minutes
1 film of 90-120 minutes
Get ready world, cause Dan’s about to start his film career. ^_-
[PS: The Venture Bros. season 4 started. This makes Dan very happy.]
[The Venture Bros can be seen on Sundays at 12:00 AM on Cartoon Network]
In May, my friends and I went to Dallas to see the Broadway tour of RENT. That was a blast! I’m going to New York for New Year’s Eve this year. Though I’d rather be back in Hong Kong.
I finally have a job that I like. I also started freelance writing for a publication called the Edmond Outlook. You can check out my first article here.
I am writing a play. It’s about the cast of a 1930’s adventure radio play. It makes me laugh. I’ve taken a break from work on 20 Rules For Tipping, another play I am writing with James.
I am also trying to narrow down some screenplay ideas.
We’ll see.
The summer was amazing – met several new friends, had adventures, and for the first time in a long time I have a plan for the future and I’m self aware.
Things are just fine. Amazing actually! I can’t complain, I’m overwhelmed by a newfound sense of purpose and clarity. A peace goes with me most days.
Listening to: Blümchen – Ich bin wieder hier
Good evening! Last night I was reading over my old blog. You can check it out HERE.
I realized a few things. I used to be funnier. I was more optimistic. I was full of hope. It got me thinking about what may or may not be wrong with me.
I'm almost twenty-four. My life is not what I thought or hoped it would be by now. I'm not sure if it's any worse. But, it's definitely not what I was expecting, or even hoping for.
Our experiences and choices make us what we are.
Since then, I've lost a lot, I've had my heart broken, people have let me down, I've failed. On the other hand, I've gained, I've loved, I've been inspired by people, I've won.
I just miss hoping for things. I want to hope again.
Things were a lot simpler when I was young. When you haven't been let down, or had your heart broken, you find it easy - life that is. I want to have a reckless enthusiasm and optimism that scares the people around me! Haha.
Ok, no more complaining. I'm done with that.
I determined three things that are going to help me get back to where I was in my younger days.
I am going to get plugged into a church again.
I am going to get into the best shape of my life.
I am going to get out of debt.
Reckless enthusiasm, here I come.
I have a nice, bronze tan. Ask me how much it cost.
I like to wear pink button down shirts. No under shirt for me thank you. Please direct your attention to my necklace. It is a tribal design.
That's how you know I'm culturally intuitive and concerned, because my necklace is a tribal design. Aren't I deep?
It's impossible to tell that I got it from a mega-chain retail store in the mall. Right across from the little boutique where I get my seven dollar protein drinks - enhanced with B-12 and ginseng, of course.
My necklace is located in the area at the top of my pink button down shirt. You can't miss it, because I have the top three buttons undone. See my tan?
Oh, you noticed my hair cut. Well thank you, yes, yes it did cost a lot of money. I think it makes a statement.
I wear khaki's. They came with some holes in the leg, so I might trick you into thinking I got them in a fight, or rock climbing maybe. Sometimes you gotta pay a little extra for holes. I like to give complete strangers dirty looks as I walk by them. It's a hobby of mine. Oh, I also like to stare at people.
People who cut their own hair in their bathroom with a five year old pair of clippers, people who wear gray hoodies, people who didn't pay extra for the holes in their pants, shirts, shoes, underwear, and socks. I like to stare at these people and hate them. I don't know why. Who do they think they are?
Sometimes I wonder if I have a soul.
Then I remember that I drive an Escalade. So who cares?
I also have a goatee.
I remember when I was young, someone brought to my attention how chiseled my features are. I got into sports. I used to like art and playing the guitar, but you can't get laid with drawing.
Secretly I hate myself, and I question my sexuality. Oh well, I'll just hit my wife later.
Oh, my wife, right. I'm sitting here at ihop with my trophy wife.
She taught me the dirty looks thing.
We have a newborn baby. He or she is going to go to a school that is way too expensive, and get an education that will one day go on a resume, so he or she can go on to become a over privileged douche junior.
Now I'm going to make damn sure that everyone in this dirty place knows that I'm tipping my waiter twenty dollars.
Sometimes I wonder if I have a soul.
Then I remember, I'm a douche bag.
It's 2009. How in the world did we let that happen?
I can't believe I graduated high school six years ago. Turning twenty three was difficult for me. I think this year will be greeted with much more optimism than the last.
You see, things have been changing for me - in really good ways. I've been on a journey for twelve days now. I'm trying to learn discipline. I'm trying to rely on something beyond myself to fill my cup, to restore me every moment of every day.
It's an understatement to say that things never turn out exactly how we think they might. I could have never predicted how my test of faith would go. I'm learning that there has to be time for everything - happiness, suffering, anger, joy.
It's all necessary.
The trick is to not set monumental goals for yourself. At least not until you have a good idea of who you are, and what you are capable of. Anyway, more on all of this later.
The band is back. Eric bought drums. Clark's back in the mix. We practice usually a few times a week. It's a slow start, and it's a long time coming, but it's something.
I've written a lot of new music. We're working out all the music. I've already been talking to Hank Charles about booking a week in the studio to record a full length album. I'm hoping that will happen sometime over the summer. If things keep going at this pace, we'll have an album out and be on the road touring by next fall or winter.
Band names are sill up in the air, I'm leaning toward The New West. Let me know what you think.
Well here we are. Where to begin?
I've had an interesting summer. I've been too busy, or too lazy, to write anything in a while.
A few months ago I was at IHOP with my roommates. We met a nice young man named Mikhail. As it turned out, he was here in the states from Russia with three of his friends - Alexi, Victor, and Artem. We have had the honor of showing these guys a good time this whole summer.
A few weeks ago, Mikhail caught a bus to New York and grabbed the next flight back to mother Russia. And last Saturday I had the grim duty of taking Victor to get another bus, so he could go home as well. And then there were two.
Alexi and Artem will be leaving in October back to their homeland. They will be missed dearly.
About a month ago I went to Louisville, Kentucky to audition for American Idol. I hit the road with my mom and brother, waited in a line for ten hours with twenty thousand people to sing for ten seconds. Well at least I can say I did that now. Go me. It was a great time, I got to spend some much needed time with my family. I love both of them. Very much.
When I got back, my friend James almost tore off my little toe nail with his shoe, by accident. This was mere days before I was to head off to Mexico for about nine days. When I got to Mexico, I got sick. Very sick. Despite my illness, Mexico was amazing. I got to spend a little time with some old friends, and I got to lead worship in Spanish with some locals.
I was sick for four days after I got back to the states. About two weeks in total.
When I got back to my house in Oklahoma City I re-injured an old knee injury - hyper-extending my LCL and ACL.
Imagine blinding, nightmare pain. Like blinding white light.
So, there I was on my crutches, in my knee immobilizer, juiced up on twenty-four hundred milligrams of pain killers a day, when I lost my keys.
Things just kept getting better.
So then I found out I couldn't go back to Hillsdale, my college, this semester due to financial and other reasons, so I decided to go to the local community college for my tenth semester toward a bachelor's degree. I'm taking a second victory lap. In the long run it's a good move because I will be able to knock out the gen-ed courses that I've been putting off for a long time.
My friend Sonja agrees to give me a lift to the school so I can get enrolled. The day we were supposed to go, her back left tire is destroyed.
If anyone is noticing a pattern here, let me know, because I have yet to figure it out.
And here I am, a week after I finally got up there, and I'm still fighting through the endless web of red tape keeping me from moving forward with anything productive in my life. I'm just now to the point where I might be able to get back to work - standing on this leg is harder than I let on.
So there you go. That's the what's what with Dan. I sort of lied when I said I hadn't figured it out yet. I'm beginning to. Someone is testing me. I'm trying to endure. You know me, I'm looking for the lesson to be learned, but this one is proving to be most elusive.
I'm slowly becoming the man I want to be. The one I need to be.
This has been one of those summers. I couldn't have predicted it. I couldn't have planned it. It just happened. Relationships started. Relationships ended. I recorded new songs. Deas Vail and Coin Laundry Loser played in my dining room. These are the days you live for. Each one of them.
My hot summer blood comes in floods and in waves.
I want to inspire people. With music. With acting. I want to be strong enough to shoulder the burden of my friends lives on my back - although I will always need people to support me. I'm learning that.
Ok, that's all I have to say right now.
If you haven't seen The Dark Knight yet, do that tomorrow. I don't think I put anything on here about Heath Ledger when he died, I was busy grieving. I saw a biography about him recently. I have truly been inspired. I want to take some things more seriously.
If I ever leave this world alive, I'll take on all the sadness that I left behind.
