Delay

Here I am playing catch up again... the last time I posted was after Michael Jackson's death. It sucks that he's gone and listening to his songs brings up many memories. I can't help but reminisce about the past. Life goes on.

Since then, I've just been climbing a lot... climbed my first V5... I've gotten two V5's and it's tough to progress, but I am determined to move forward... or upward is more appropriate.

I'm not going to lie though, what really inspired me to blog today was the acquisition of a new laptop... but not any new laptop... I actually purchased a Macbook Pro yesterday... I never thought I would see the day that I would purchase a Mac... but I did and so far so good. It definitely looks good... it's years ahead in design when compared to a PC... we'll see how well it performs... Chris seems to think that I won't be going back to a PC any time soon. Take a look... Gotta have Rossi on my desktop... It's a good looking laptop... no doubt about that... but we'll see how it performs... I'm definitely a PC guy but I can't argue how cool it is... so far so good... but I've only been using it to go online... I'll see if I like it during school... which starts in about a week or so... I'll be graduating in the spring of 2010... I'm very excited to finally complete it... so wish me luck.

With that said, I'm currently planning to take a trip to Asia for 2 or 3 months... it's only in the idea phase right now, but I definitely want to do it... I've never been abroad for too long and I've basically been a California boy all my life so it'd be cool to travel and see the world from a totally different perspective... I'll blog about it the more things become clear.

Long live the Captain...

There's not a single doubt in my mind that there are a million posts up about Michael Jackson's death. It's tragic really. What's funny is that when I first heard about it from Maggie, I didn't think much of it. I thought it sucked, but what did it have to do with me. As I sat and watched the coverage during my lunch break, they started showing images of Michael as a kid and it really made me think about what the guy must have gone through. Obviously, there is no way I'll ever know, but try to imagine being as young as he was enjoying the up sides of fame... and the down sides of it. Being responsible for the well-being of his family and all the expectations... No one will ever know what went through his head, but it made me feel sad. Then I remembered how much I loved Michael Jackson as a kid. Not to the extreme as most people and I wouldn't even claim to be a fan... but as a kid, I remember that I loved watching 'Captain EO' at Disneyland. How he turned the bad people into good people with his 'spirit fingers'. The robots were the coolest. I really had a blast watching Moonwalker too... I used to have the video in my drawer and I can't seem to remember who let me barrow it... and the 'BAD' video was super fun... when he turned into the stop-motion rabbit... Thriller, Bad, Billy Jean, Beat it... good stuff. I guess maybe I lost touch as I grew up... plus there's the fact that he didn't look the way he did as I remembered him as a kid... all the weird stories that went around... with all that, his music trascended all of it! He's certainly a legend in his own right and it will be interesting to see his music live on many years from now. Well, life goes on and soon, we will all pass too.

Hello new friend...

Well, I was gonna hold off for a year to purchase a new car but I ended up going to the dealership and drove home with a new one. Recently, my bro got into an accident and totaled his truck, which I was planning on using to take my bike to the track. He ended up getting a 2009 Honda Accord Coupe so I no longer have a way to get my bike to the track when I finally hit a track day. So I've been thinking a lot about purchasing a truck... it wouldn't have been a smart move but I figured it would be good to have one for the bike and since I'm doing a little more out door climbing now, I'd be able to use it whenever needed to get up some off-road trails... after toying with the idea a bit, I decided it would have been much too expensive for an actor to do such a thing. The $3000 I'd be spending on insurance a year alone could pay for acting classes and the monthly payments (probably of about $400 - $500 per month) could be used towards things such as head shots, more training, etc... things that would contribute to my chosen career path.

Anyway, Chris, Peter, and I all decided to go check out trucks anyway and luckily, they did not have the Toyota Tacoma I was looking for. Chris left for work and Peter and I trekked over to the Honda dealership... with NO intention of buying... just test driving... but one thing lead to another, we sat in the cubicle and started wheeling & dealing. The down payment and monthly payment seemed like a good deal and I went through with it. Peter and I ended up driving home that night in a brand new 2009 Honda Fit. I had a post where I said good bye to my old friend, my 1997 Honda Accord... so I thought it was FITting to say hello to my new friend. Everyone seems to like it and most importantly, I like it. I like that it's very practical and very chill at the same time. This will definitely be there with me during auditions and stuff when I finally move my ass out of my parents house. Well, here it is, my new friend!!!

I'm a die-hard Yamaha Motorcycle loyalist... but when it comes to cars, I love my Honda's... I think their engineering is far superior to American and European brands. My Accord treated me so well that I had to go with another Honda. I'm definitely glad that I did.

It's 2am right now so I'm going to bed... however, wait a little bit and I will show you how cool and practical the Fit really is!

The Great Outdoors...

I don't think I've mentioned this here, but I enjoy rock climbing. Chris, Peter, Johnny, and I have been climbing since about July of 2008... unfortunately, Chris and Johnny are no longer really into it so it's just been me and Peter. Since then, it has strictly been indoor climbing. We've both progressed from struggling on V0's and 1's and now we're solid V3 and V4 climbers. Peter has the slight edge cause he's a really strong climber and it's awesome to see him finish routes so easily now. I'm a bit of a weaker climber, but I tend to focus more on the quality of the climb as opposed to just finishing it. Either way, I think we've both found something that we really love besides motorcycle riding and we both want to get even better. Recently, we both went with a fun group of climbers from Rock City to 'The Tram' in Palm Springs, CA. It's a beautiful mountainous range about 8k feet above sea level... it was our first time outdoors together (although I went a few days earlier to Steele Valley, blog to come) and it was amazing. The feeling is so different compared to climbing indoors and as a climber we ran into said, "survival mode" kicks in. Here's a picture of my proudest 'send' outdoors so far. The name of this route is 'Yo Picasso'... perhaps because it looks like a distorted face or object that Picasso is known for... either way, it's an 18 foot send and it was amazing.

As usual, it took me a while to get the sequence down. Watching Peter and the others helped... although I do want to mention that I did provide Peter with a beta to get from one point of the route to another too!

The sequence we followed up was a V3 and I worked really hard to get it. The first time I attempted the finish, it was SCARY. You're about 16 feet off the ground (which doesn't seem that high), but when you're hanging on your finger tips and everything in your body wants to fail, it is crazy scary! My arm was too weak to pull myself up so I came back down. Peter finished it immediately after.

This was motivation for me to get it because I knew if Peter could get it, I would eventually get it. I did. This time, I tried to conserve as much energy as possible because the ending was where it counted the most. It was a proud moment and I don't think I'll ever forget it... if I do, that's what I've got this blog for!

Summer lovin'

*SIGH* The 2009 Spring Semester is finally over! This semester was very stressful for me for two reasons. 1) It was my first time taking 15 units... that's 5 classes!!! Learning does not come easy for me at all and this semester was proof of that. Factor in the fact that I procrastinate and get sidetracked easily and you can imagine how crazy I must have been. 2) Four of the classes were academic classes... re-read 1) about how easy isn't easy for me!

Well, I made it through alive with three A's and two B's... it should have been four A's and one B, but I had a professor who did not want to give me the ONE point to make it a B so whatever. Considering that I thought I was gonna finish the semester with 3 A's, 1 B, and a C, I'll take the final grades I got any day. I'm not going to let some professor who was a complete jerk ruin my summer!

I start May intersession this Tuesday for three weeks, but after the semester I just had, I'm confident that I can handle three weeks of one class. It will get me closer to graduating in Spring of 2010!!! I might just graduate before turning 30 after all!

With the semester over now, there are a few things that I would like to focus on before the Fall semester starts in the fall. Consistent time in the gym and rock gym, hanging out with people who mean everything to me, read, acting classes, and whatever else summer time brings.

Maggie and I made it onto the wedding photographers favorite pictures list! Haha... it was a fun-filled night with a lot of dancing, laughing, eating, and drinking!

Maggie and I are determined that we do actually have rhythm... it's just the music that does not! In any case, we danced the night away and enjoyed the company of her coworkers/friends. Although there was frustration from getting stuck in traffic, to me missing the wedding, to me getting lost - the fun we both had at the reception more than made up for it.

Congrats to Emily and Andy... obviously on the wedding... but also on keeping things so simple. Weddings should all be like this... simple and non-religious!

Saving Paul

Went to audition for a guest star spot on the show, "Saving Grace." I thought it went pretty well even though I didn't get a callback. I got the sides late in the day before and had about a million other things due in school. I actually sat down and tried to analyze the scene (which a 'real' actor should always do - I'm learning!) the best that I could and I felt I had a good take on the character. The sides that were provided gave a good feel for the characters past so that helped a lot too.

Anyway, the day of the audition (which was early the next morning), I was relaxed and went in with confidence. Tried to keep things as simple as possible. Of course the casting director (as most do) didn't give me much to work off of, but it was a good thing I developed a solid past for him. Did the best that I could at an audition and walked out with a smile.

Like I said, I didn't get a callback and to be honest, I felt bummed... always do when it comes to roles that are actually on TV! But I gotta remind myself that many working actors today have been turned down and later on went on to do solid work so it's cool. I know I did the best I could in the time that I had with the lack of experience that I have. I look forward to finishing school and getting myself into some much needed acting classes. It's awesome to be getting into these kinds of auditions and that's a positive step forward... along with actually breaking down characters... work in progress baby... in the words of some of my favorite MotoGP stars, take the positives and move onto the next track!