IF you used to read this blog....

Fear not, I have a new blog. Its a good one, kind of like this one, but improved and new.

check out:

www.whatjoecando.com

Thanks!

The end

I got offerred a job at my internship. I took it. Ever since I said yes my life hasn't slowed down one bit. With school ending, apartment hunting, and driving back to Seattle I have had a moment to sit down and relax. Right now I am sitting in my good friends living room staring at his Christmas tree freaking out. After Christmas I move back to L.A. I move way from friends and family. I move away from comfort. I move away from everything I know and everything I have come to love. My heart will always remain in the Northwest. I will work my hardest to come back to this beautiful land someday. For now, I will soak in every moment of everyone and everything as much as I can. Jan, I begin the trek south once again. This time to stay.

This particular blog will be ending and closing down. However, I wont stop writing. I will be making a new blog and posting that on here as soon as I get it set up. My life is crazy right now, but it is exciting. Who knows what God has in store. The future is uncertain, but would you really want to live life knowing what's next? That would be way to boring.

Thanks for all your support over this semester. This next year might be a bit tougher. I appreciate and love all of you. Thanks for reading, more blogs to follow soon!

-P.J.

Half way through November:

Two weeks. TWO WEEKS! Two weeks and November is history. Two weeks and I am staring back wondering where that time went. What did I do with those 14 days.  This semester has gone by too fast, but it was so much fun and so worth it. I have never met such a good group of friends as fast as I have down here. Even though I miss home and am excited to get back, I don't want to say goodbye. I want to leave for a few weeks and come back in January to see everybody once again. However, I know that wont be the case. So I making up for lost time. Doing the things that I have been wanting to do. I can't believe this semester is ending. I know the real world and the real L.A. is totally different from what I have been experiencing, but I am excited to see what it will be like. Where is my future headed? I don't know, that is in God's hands. Am I worried? I think not. I am more excited than anything.

It's the weekend today. I like weekends. No work, all play, and church. Gotta love the weekends. Tonight I am heading out a fancy event in Beverly Hills. It's like a networking dinner thing. I am really excited and can't wait to see who I will meet. But that is a few hours away. For now, I am relaxing with tea and reading a good book. Yay for reading! Tomorrow I am heading north to go to a sweet church. I am excited. Monday i start my last full week of the month of November. Kind of crazy.

I have made great advancements at my internship. I did full desk coverage of the "worst" desk on Friday. I was told these warnings: "expect to be yelled at." "It's insane." "Don't take anything personal." I experienced these things: "Joe you are awesome thanks for filling in!" "If Jon is sick Monday I don't want anyone to fill this desk other than you." I consider this a sign that I did a good job. Especially since everyone was surprised I didn't leave crying on Friday! Ha. I enjoyed it. It was intense and a lot of fun. I set up meetings with directors and talent and rolled calls to cell phones and the such. It was crazy. If I had to work at a desk anywhere, it would have to be in L.A. The reason? The people I call and the meetings I set up are awesome! It's fun calling Dreamworks and Fox. I like it. But we will see. Being a personal assistant is how you get started in this town, and so far it hasn't been that bad. Will I be moving back to this town? I don't know. But as every day passes I see that it is possible to make it down here. My future is open, only time will tell.

It is time for me to get ready for my day. So I will end this post with another thank you as I always do. All your support this semester has carried me on in ways you can't even imagine. Thanks for reading and encouraging me this semester. I look forward to seeing you all in the future!
Thanks,
-P.J.

A much overdue post:

Me and my roommate, Brent, waiting in line to meet the cast of Glee! 

  
  Where do I begin? So much has been happening lately I haven't even had time to process what has been going on. Perhaps the overwhelming about of craziness made me a tad homesick last week. FEAR NOT. That has all changed. I mean, I still miss home (and always will) but I have been coming to terms with the future and where I might be. During last week my ma and sister prayed for me earnestly that my spirit would be comforted. Let's just say, it worked.

    First, let me tell you about the way I think. I am a planner. I love to plan. Even though I know plans will change, and I am always up for a change in plans, I still can't truly relax if there isn't a plan. Not knowing my future has been the most stressful and unsettling thing I have ever had to think about. But as I have learned, my life isn't about me. So after last week and the craziness of school getting a tad busy all at once,  the dust has started to clear and the horizon can be slightly seen once again. I talked to one of my co-workers at work the other day and he gave me a ton of websites to go to for applying for jobs in the film industry. He also told me how he got his job at Anonymous. It was exciting because for once there was hope that life can exist down here. Graduation is just around the corner. I'm a free man as of December 9th. While that may be scary, it is also extremely exciting. So here is my tentative future schedule after graduation:
      First, I plan on producing a music album of some of my friends in Seattle. This is something I have always wanted to do. Also, it will be handy to have music that I have the rights to! I will let you all know about this project as it starts to come closer to reality.
      Second, i want to do at least one music video of a band in Seattle in Jan. During this time I will gather and find a crew that I like so I can direct at least one short. this is my Third plan.
     Third, as I stated above I want to direct a short film and enter it into the Seattle International Film Festival. This is something I have also wanted to do for a while. I have already started working on this and things are pretty exciting so far.
     Fourth, and this is truly tentative, I want to head over seas for some missions work for a month or so. One crazy plan that God has opened the doors to is Scotland. I have already been in contact with a few churches in Scotland and they are excited for some yanks to head over. Let me know if you want to hear that story, it's one of those it's too coincidental for reality stories.
     Five, and last, I plan on saving up some cash before returning to L.A.
I don't really know my future, and my plans are extremely tentative. But I am going to try. I am going to do something with my life. I just don't know exactly what it is right now, but I am ok with that. God has it all under control. Right? That is what I thought.

Me and Eric dressed up for Halloween. 

I am Denny Crane from Boston Legal, He is Jack from Lost. 

    Now that the preaching is over, it's time to get on with the fun stuff. One class is officially over. I have, in reality, only two classes left. EEK! What a fun semester to end on! My internship has been awesome as of late. I am really getting along with the people and I enjoy showing up every day. It's fun to do stuff related to film. I love it. This realization has come to me as of late. I love working in the film industry. It is just so cool.  I have only three weeks left at my internship so I am maximizing all that I can before I head out. I have made a lot of sweet contacts and hopefully they won't forget me! We will see. During my last day at work I was looking for jobs in the L.A area, and I found a few that peeked my interest. One such job was a paid internship at Sony Pictures for recent graduates. Hmmm....I liked it, and I meet all the requirements. Let's just say they will be receiving a resume from me soon.

    Filming for the rest of the class has finished. You can feel the stress just disappear from everyone in one big sweep. This is really nice. We can finally start to relax and hang out again like we did at the beginning of the semester. I will be posting some pictures from my production as soon as I sort through them. Don't worry I have a few people bugging me about putting them up, so they will be up soon. This weekend was fun. I went onto the set of Candy, another film by my class, and took production photos for the crew. I got a lot of really cool shots. After taking a few snapshots of Candy on Saturday I headed over to the Grove and met the cast of Glee, the new show on that there television.

It was pretty cool getting to meet them and get their autographs. I had a lot of fun. That evening I went over to Maggie and Ellen's apartment where Maggie and her ma and sis made us all dinner! It was awesome, and so yummy. Sunday I went to a super awesome church in the morning. It was called Ecclesia, and it was led by pastor Joseph. Foreshadowing anyone? Let's just say I have considered being a pastor and I won't discard it. For now, I am trying out film. It was during this sermon that we heard stories of some short term mission trips and I came to the realization that I wanted to go another trip asap. And well, guess what, I am free next year. So I am going to try to maximize that year and do the most I can. That evening I went to Griffith Park to take more photos on the set of Candy. I started out just taking photos, then as the lights quickly disappeared I put down the camera and helped out on set. Ellen had to do all the make-up in the dark and it was crazy how she could still do a good job. There was much to be done but I helped out as best as I could. I still managed to get a ton of good photos off. I can't post them yet, as of request by the producers.

Monday I worked all day and had good future talks with fellow co-workers. It was comforting and exciting. I am starting to like it in L.A. and I have a ton of really good friends already. Hmm....Moving on. Monday night, this is last night for those of you who are wondering, I went to a concert. I love going to live shows, and this one was definitely one of the best I have been to since Radiohead. It was none other than Imogen Heap. If you haven't heard her music, look it up, you will all love it. Ellen and I went after work and it was the perfect way to finish off a busy weekend. Imogen was fantastic and she played for several hours! Amazing. I went to bed late and woke up early the next day. What is new right? Well, it just so happens that I woke up early so I could go to a taping of the Price is Right! I love Drew Carry and it was fun going to the show. People are crazy when you point a camera n their direction. I love it. It was fun watching all the craziness that goes on during the show. All the cameras, the lights, the grips, and the production designers fixing everything that breaks. My oh my, I love it. It didn't get on the stage, but I still had fun watching the show go on. It was pretty sweet.

Today, well today is relax day. I shall refer to one of my previous posts about how much I love Tuesdays. Read that to see where I am coming from. There is brief class tonight. Until then.  I am going to organize my calendar, clean my room, and contemplate dinner... I foresee tea in my near future.

    Life is great right now. This semester has been an emotional roller-coaster. But in reality no more than any other semester. This is just the first time I have ever written down what I am thinking on a regular basis. It is very therapeutic to write out what you do regularly. It has definitely helped me cope with everything that goes on in a 21 year old single male's mind. God is great and so is family. I just wanted to thank you all for your support and encouragement. I truly would not have been able to stay sane this semester without all your support. I am so fortunate to have friends and family that encourage me on a regular basis. If my future is to return to Los Angeles. I know it'll be alright because my support system is stronger than any steel bridge. Let me see what photos I can dig up so show off what I have been up to as of late.

These are from the set of Ginger:

This is the house we filmed at. It was awesome! 

I am a sound guy, I actually kind of love it. 

Seth and Eric discussing politics. 

Our leading actress standing in front of the world's "largest" ball of gum. 

Kelsey and Eric making that ball of gum the previous night. 

Typical behind the scenes photos. 

Brandon being an awesome Director of Photography. 

Full crew photo! 

VIDEO UPDATE:

 

Homesick Blues:

I try to deny it as best as much as I can, but there are times when it is too hard to hide. I miss home. This town isn't cutting it. At home I have the most adorable nephew and the most loving parents. Down here I have nothing. It's sunny, everyday, and that is about it. Sure there is fun film stuff here. But come on, film can happen anywhere. For some reason today the fact that home is so far away is just completely unbearable. I have spent the last hour just staring at my sisters blog staring the most adorable baby boy I have ever seen in my life. I finally understand why I am more homesick now than before. It's simple. The only new factor is Hudson. Becoming an uncle has changed me more that I ever thought it would. Seeing an innocent person and realizing that they get to go through all the same emotions and experiences as you is troublesome. I don't want Hudson to make the same mistakes I did. I know Katie will do an awesome job as a mother, and Jared is the best dad I have ever seen, apart from my own :). But still. As an uncle I will be a role model for Hudson. What scares me is the fear of being a bad role model.

But for now. In the present. Babies are innocent and adorable. I miss my nephew and my parents and my sister. There is nothing I want more than a hug from all of them right now.

In other news:
we finished filming our large group film last weekend! I did sound on set and will be assisting with sound editing later this month. It's pretty exciting. I took over 500 photographs, so look forward to seeing some soon. Keep in mind it will take me a while to sort through them...there are a lot!

Today is wednesday and that means the week is halfway over! I am looking forward to this weekend of taking photos on the set of Candy. It's another group film in my program. Think halloween horror fantasy in a cute way...so it looks cool. After that, well, my semester is nearing an end. This means I get to start thinking about moving home and begin saying goodbye to all the close friends I have made down here. That is a thought I want to ignore, but a tought I have to start coming to grips with. In just over a month I will have a degree! It's scary, but I am ready to be done with school.

Thanks for all your support as friends and family,
sincerely
-P.J.

Zombie Film

Here is my latest film. Enjoy.
It's partly a satire on the requirements we have to fulfill for class, so if the dialogue seems extremely over the top, well it is supposed to be that way.
Also, like last time, this blog tends to cut off the sides of the video so I will be posting a link to the you tube site HERE.

Here is the film:

I love Tuesdays.

Today is Tuesday. Today is the only day of the week that I have nothing on my schedule. In a few weeks Tuesday will literally be 100% free and open. I have a few things scheduled today, but it is still extremely relaxing. I slept in today and caught up on some much needed sleep. This last weekend my parents were in town and I was out late with them every night and waking up early. Sunday I filmed my last film and had to get up real early and buy costumes and make-up for it. Monday I went to my internship on little sleep.

Let's talk more about my internship on Monday. A call came into the production assistant office, aka the interns, to do a project for the talent department. So I jumped on the call and headed my way not knowing what I was getting myself into. The assistant saw me entered and frantically handed me six DVDs. I had to watch episodes of Melrose Place and mark down every scene that Katie Cassidy was in. In reality, it wasn't that bad of an assignment, it only took like six hours to do! So that was my Monday. I watched all the episodes of Melrose Place. It turns out we were making an acting reel for Katie Cassidy. I thought it was weird we needed to make her a reel when she is already in a television show. Well that evening I found out that Melrose Place has been cancelled. This explains everything.

Let's just say that Monday was a long day. To end the long day I headed out to my favorite 7/11 to grab another Fuji Apple Slurpee. Oh so good. So for today I have a couple of meetings and some little homework to do. My priority is uploading pictures. I have almost a thousand new pictures that I have to sort through, but I will be posting some soon, I swear!

Thanks for reading and look back soon, pictures will be up I swear!

P.J.

The end of the world and Zombies!

Tea and a good book:

There are moments in my day I love more than any other time. I love tea time. There is nothing that makes a perfect day better than music playing softly in the background, a cup of tea in hand, and a good book sitting next to me that I will start reading. In just a moment of course. Right now I sit in parents hotel room sipping my tropical green tea while listening to a friend from Seattle fill my ears with good music. I am enjoying this down time because today is going to be a crazy day. I am about to head out to pick up the rental car with pa. When we get back we will get ready to head out to Pomona for the west coast national flat track race! Harley Davidson's cruising at a hundred miles per hour running into each other for hours! Its going to be a great evening. For lunch we are going to In and Out. Even though I just had breakfast, I am ready for lunch. Tomorrow is my busiest day of the week. I will be getting up early and shopping for costumes, then getting zombie make-up, then filming starting at one in the afternoon. Whew! It was even a mouthful just to say. My parents are going to help out a tad, they are going to cater! Which means plenty of snick snacks. I like snick snacks. Well, it's time to head out and start this day. Even though I am enjoying this quiet relaxing moment, I am ready to head out.

-P.J.

Welcome to Urth.

I have been extremely busy as of late. This week I have been in pre-production for my last film. I am making a Zombie film and let's just say, it's a lot of work. On top of all that, my parents came in on Wednesday! This has been the highlight of my week! However, things haven't been going to smoothly... First of all I drove to the wrong airport, LAX, and had to turn around and head an hour and a half north to Burbank. So my parents ended up sitting on a concrete bench watching the sunset for an hour or so...whoops... We went to dinner right away and then I dropped them off at their hotel. That evening my mother had given me my latest shipment of bread from my sister. My brother, Jared, has been randomly baking bread as of late. Katie sent some down a few weeks ago. Let me just say this bread is amazing! It's so good we call it crack bread because it's addicting. So I had Ellen and Maggie over to share half a loaf of this latest crack bread shipment. SO GOOD!

Thursday I had class till noon. Then I had to run around and move equipment and find a location for filming all that stuff. STRESS! Then I picked up the parents and we headed north to Burbank to watch the Jay Leno show. We just barely made it in time and got in. Hillary Swank was there. It was fun to see the whole production process and attend a live show. For dinner we ate at some country place in downtown universal. Then I took the parents to my school where they met a few peeps and got to see my classrooms and stuff.

Today, Friday, we got up at our leisure and headed out and about. I took the rents to Intelligenstia, its a really amazing coffee shop. Then we chilled on Wilshire BLVD for a bit and headed out to a late lunch at Urth cafe. Let's just say, its really good.

This evening we are heading to Venice beach to shop around and enjoy the waterfront and just be relaxed. I can't wait. For now we are chilling in the hotel room watching tv. There are three televisions in the room so we are all watching our own show. But at least it's relaxing!

Anywho, more to come soon. Thanks for reading!

P.J.

A Sunday Morning.

    Today I slept in till noon. It was the best Sleep I have had in weeks. I woke up and popped in the Spike Jones music video DVD and started my day with a cup of tea. It's almost two in the afternoon and I have yet to do anything. It's a perfect day so far. This weekend has been packed. Friday I was out later than I wanted to be hanging with Eric from school. It was fun we chilled around town and hung out doing what we do best. Saturday I woke up early and helped out with casting for our group film project. It was interesting watching the whole casting process and seeing random people show you who they are as they try to get the part. Casting is hard. Saturday evening I headed out with Mitch to work on his short film. It was a super hero film. Sorry, Super Villain film. It was funny and despite a million takes due to laughing we finally finished it and headed of to our separate worlds.
    After we left the set a group of us headed to my favorite place near our apartments. 7/11. I am a "regular" at that place. We wandered in, a large group of us, and dominated the place with our presence. I immediately darted to my favorite corner, the slurpee corner. There I refilled my exclusive Domo cup and filled it to the top with the Fuji Apple slurpee. It's so good. Think apple cider slushie! Words cannot describe the taste, you have to experience it for yourself. After that I headed over to Ellen's apartment to await Maggie's return. She is having a random Australian guy crash on my couch. A fair trade off for I had my friend Libby crash on her couch. Dan and Maggie walked in and we met each other and hung out late once again. Dan I headed to my place where I slept in till noon today! My it was a wonderful sleep.
   Today is Sunday. Right now I am on Skype with my family. I love Skype it was wonderful to see my nephew again. I miss that kid. He is so cute. This afternoon is my afternoon to schedule and relax. This evening is  a concert. I love going to live shows and this will be my first major live show in Los Angeles. Brand New and Manchester Orchestra. I have heard from my Seattle friends that this is an amazing show. I am so excited! The show is at six. It is two. I have four hours. I need to shower and eat sometime during that period. I think it will happen. It better!

That is all for now. I will posting another video up soon and some pictures once I get them off my camera! Thanks for reading,

-P.J.

Where the wild bloodshot eyes are

The difference between Los Angeles and other cities is you don't have to search hard to find something to do in this town. Something to do finds you. My coworkers agree to this statement as we were discussing other cities and comparing them to Los Angeles. So what has happened in my world to create lack of sleep for the seventh day in a row? Free tickets to a private midnight showing of where the wild things are.

First of all: loved the movie. I was instantly taken back to childhood. There was one scene where the kid makes a fort in the snow just like I did! A big pile left by the plow is the ideal fort. The film sucked me in and never let go till the credits rolled. I forgot where I was sitting. This also happened during whip it. I have seen great films this season

Bloodshot eyes: as with all midnight premieres. They start at midnight. This means the movie doesn't end till two. Add thirty minutes to get out of the parking garage (due to a crazy party blocking street traffic) and fifteen minutes to get home I didn't sleep till around three. Awaking five hours later I showered and headed to work. No wonder my body hates me. Tonight I have nothing planned, I hope I will get sleep at a decent hour, I hope.

I am loving Los Angeles. There is much to do in this town. I have never had a boring Friday night to date. Its hard to tell of this is a unique experience to being at lafsc or if this is how this town runs. People are always doing something as far as I can tell. Publicity here. Networking there. There is always some premiere, some concert, some benefit going on somewhere and someome you know has am extra ticket. I love it. One things is for sure is free screenings. They only happen in la and maybe new York. But you send in an email, and get selected to recieved two free tickets! This happens all the time. I love it.

The thing that gets me is this town is all about the movies. Being a film person is exciting. It gets you all pumped up watching the Hollywood magic unfold all around you. If you want to be in film or television, this is the place. You don't have to live here forever. You just have to get a name for yourself then you can work from home. But I tell ya, there is a lot of film work in this town. The interesting thing will be what it's going to look like after graduation when I have to make money doing this.

But that is a worry that does not require attention right now. On that note I'll sign off and get back to work manning my desk. Three hours left and I get to take a nap. Can't wait.

-P.J.



-- Post From My iPhone

Floods, coffee, music, and good times.

Floods, coffee, music, and good times. 

It started raining this week in Los Angeles. A panic struck throughout the city. Millions of voices cried out to the heavens in angst as they frustratingly searched for their umbrellas stowed deep in closets long forgotten. Cars slowed down, business went to a halt for a brief while. The entire town was put on alert from the disastrous, 1.5 inches of rain. Children didn't sleep at night. Hospitals filled up. Town officials were evacuated. Rain hasn't hit the city of Los Angeles since June. I love rain. I now love L.A. locals reaction to rain. However, I myself have adopted a local reaction to rain. It's, well, so wet! I was so excited to see the sun today and it was only gone for less than a few days. I think I am getting to acclimated to the weather down here. While the rain wasn't much, it did have a negative affect on some areas. My Internship had a flooding problem. This meant I spent the whole day moving peoples trinkets and lives from their offices to a storage unit. Not fun. Oh, and did I mention I did that on no sleep and with a decent cold. Not a fun day. I was not enjoying my Seattle like day. Which was unfortunate, because I got to wear a scarf and my favorite coat... Moving on.

Today the sun showed up. I was happy to see it. My cold has started to leave me and has left nothing but a runny nose and the occasional cough. So today I lie low and just "take it easy." This brings me to my moment of reflection to who I am that occurred just now. As I write this I am listening to Imogen Heap, a really good band worth checking out, sipping on a latte I just made and staring out the window watching life. This is one my favorite moments of any day. The time where I can unwind, sip on a latte and just watch. Usually, music plays in the background and brings the moment to perfection. As I stared outside I thought about the cup of coffee in my hand and what it symbolized to me. You never really think about it, but coffee has a personality of its own and plays just as big a part in our lives as friends and family. A latte can mean many things. It can a pick me up from a stressful tiring day. It can be an excuse for a first date. It can a time of relaxation and self reflection. It can be art. It can used for social conversation. It can be used for personal savoring and enjoyment. A latte can bring two friends together who haven't talked in a long time. A latte can be the perfect gift. A latte can become an empire. A latte can be a blessing. 

I tried to think back on my own life and why I love the latte so much. I didn't really enjoy coffee till my senior year in High school. It was during this time when I slow acquired the taste for this beverage that has become a part of my life. More so than thinking about what kind of coffee I love the most, I remember the company I share coffee with. The reason why I love coffee so much is it gives me and someone time to sit across from each other and share. When I am not with someone coffee plays the role of the listener to my thoughts. It sits there and awaits me to drink it as I reflect on who I am. I enjoy every moment that I get to share with someone over a cup of coffee. People get so "real" when someone is willing to listen. Living in L.A. I haven't had that opportunity to share that moment with too many people, if any. In fact, the only time I have been to my favorite coffee house has been alone with a good book. Don't worry, that is something I also love to do. This has led to many moments of sitting in my apartment with my homemade latte and staring off into the distance. This may sound like I am weird, or depressed. But fret not! This is one of my favorite moments in the day. To sit there, listen to music, and just dream. Sometimes I wonder if I dream too much. I love to think about scenarios and take them as far as they can go. However, they never happen and they get lost and disappear forever. Most of my day dreams happen over a cup of coffee. Dreams of traveling. Dreams of meeting that someone. Dreams of becoming successful. Dreams of failing. My cup of coffee has carried me through many journeys across many landscapes. I have had everything, and lost it all over and over again. When my dreams end I usually pick up a good book and get lost in the mind of someone else. I love reading because it's an excuse to dream. It can also be an excuse to make that cup of coffee. ;)

I'm starting to enjoy this city. I have to be honest, I didn't like it at first. It's dirty and far from family and friends. I was encouraged last friday when I had the privilege of visiting a classmate from college up north, Jimmy Calle. Jimmy moved down here to Masters college. We talked, yes over coffee, about life and where I am and where I am heading. It was so refreshing to just say everything I have been wanting to say. What really encouraged me most was what he said about his future. You see, I am nervous about tomorrow. I try not to think about it, but it's there. Like a dark cloud on the horizon. I know it's coming, but I just gotta keep going till it catches up. It would be foolish to ignore it, but it's just as foolish to run in circles panicking about it coming. Jimmy told me he is planning on getting his masters in the area. He also told me another classmate from N.U. is coming down for his masters, Tyler Frick. These are two of my many good friends from Seattle. What are the chances that right when I was about to worry about thinking of moving to L.A. being all alone in a big city that Jimmy, without me even talking about my future, tells me that he and tyler are going to be living here for a guaranteed three years. You can call it a coincidence. You can call it strange. I don't know what to call it. I call it a blessing for now. Should I take this as a sign that perhaps my future is to move down here for a while? I have nothing to lose. I will have a degree. I will be done with school. I do know, however, that the option of moving down here is becoming more of a reality every day. It scares me. I am nervous. However, doors are opening and signs are starting to show up. I have been waiting my whole life for a billboard from God to just simply say: "Joe your next move is to _____." For years I heard nothing. I felt like I liked film. I felt that N.U. was the school to attend. I felt that I should do that crazy program that moves me to Los Angeles. I came here all alone. 

As you can see, I enjoy my latte time. And you can also see how reflective I get. So I apologize for getting really wordy and going of on a tangent. As for the rest of this post, I will cue you in on my next week. I have my internship tomorrow. A few films I am helping out with this weekend. My highlight for the weekend will be BRAND NEW and MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA live in concert Sunday evening! I love seeing live music and this show is definitely going to be a highlight of my year! Then on monday my week starts all over again. However next week is really exciting...MY PARENTS ARE COMING TO TOWN! I am so happy! I can't wait. However, if I think about it too much I will not be able to sleep I will be so excited, I will accept that next will be exciting, but I will not lose sleep over it. Once again I want to thank all of you who read my blog. It's funny, right when I wonder if anyone even reads my blog or enjoys it I get an email from family that encourages me to keep writing. It always gives me renewed excitement to keep posting. So thank you to all who read. I trust you are all having a wonderful week. The sun has just popped out of the clouds again and is blessing us with its warmth. I'm going to read for an hour then head to class. Today has been a really good day. Thanks for letting me share it with you. 

sincerely,

P.J.

Another Visual Stimulus:

68 days and I finally see rain!

I haven't seen rain in so long. But I shall not wait any longer. Today, it rained! Today, I am happy!

Last weekend I went to Disneyland:

Last weekend my friend Libby came down to go to Disneyland. We had so much fun. Libby went to Northwest and lives just north of L.A. so it wasn't too bad of a drive for her. When we got there we met up with her sister Krissy and her friend Logan.

They are both recruiters for colleges around the country and down in L.A. for a college convention. So we all hung out on their day off. It is nearing that time of year when the night comes quicker and the air gets colder as the spooks come out to haunt us. Yes, I am talking about Halloween.

The haunted mansion ride was all decked out in Nightmare Before Christmas figures. It was incredible. Just look at those statues! So cool!

We managed to head over to California adventure as well for some fun roller coaster rides, and my favorite ride in that park: The Tower Of Terror!

It's a fun one!

I got bored waiting in line so I took random pictures. The things I do to entertain myself! After a whole day, from ten am to midnight, we finished off the night with fireworks by the castle!

The fireworks were time to music from villains of disney films, and of course most of the music came from The Nightmare Before Christmas! It was really sweet and fun to watch. We left really late and when I got home I slept like a rock. Anywho, these pictures were long over due, so now that they are up I can move on and post some stuff that has been happening over the week!

A Message Regarding My Weekend:

Dear family and friends,

I need to get going and put something up that's excited. But first I am heading out to film yet another short film. This time I am acting in it! So don't worry, I will be posting this one when its online. I trust you all had a great weekend, I sure did. I was up late Friday night seeing the sights and hanging with some good friends. Saturday I got up early and helped Ellen with her film. We did a little editing later that evening. Sunday I got up early again and helped Danielle with her film. After that we drove to San Diego to see Jason Mraz live at this really sweet amphitheater! Today I film and edit some more. Life is busy down here, but I like it!

Again, thanks to all you read my blog! It makes me happy and excited to post regularly knowing that there are many people reading and following along.

-P.J.

An Afternoon In Hollywood

    It's six o'clock and we have just wrapped up on production of Ellen's latest film. I'm tired and ready for dinner. I foresee a future of hot tea and a good book. I shall be sleeping some time in the future. Tomorrow is another day filled with filming, followed of course by a trip to San Diego to watch a live show. Monday is also a day of filming where I will be acting in a short in another student film. This weekend is busy and packed, but I like it. I have a few photos that I will be posting soon so you can look forward to that and perhaps another video update. Only time can tell now...

New video update!

The Compact Disc

    For the longest time I wanted to own a record player. There is nothing more indie than owning a machine that spins vinyl discs and produces sound. However, moving such a system around form dorm to apartment to apartment is something that I do not want to deal with. Some day I will own such a sweet set up. Until then I am investing in the Compact Disc. This way I can play music in my car and at my home stereo that I will someday have. I like music. I buy CD's all the time. I write this article because I have just pulled in from shopping at one of my favorite places in Los Angeles: Amoeba Music. I like shopping at Amoeba because it reminds me of Easy Street Records in Seattle and all the music I have bought there. I heard an idea today that memories are not only stored in our minds but in physical places. Events are remembered much stronger when you have something physical to interact with. A chair, a blanket, a smell, or a location. I miss Seattle but I am happy to be here. Amoeba is my little home away from home. When I buy music and put that CD into my car stereo I am taken instantly into another world separate from any physical location. My car disappears and I am taken to the next dimension that exists in a world that be reached no matter where you live.
    I went back to that place today. That surreal world and time where you feel infinite. That moment when you can close your eyes and you know that everything is going to be ok. The future, as uncertain as it may be, is going to be ok. No matter what happens everything will work out. This is the feeling of being infinite. That moment when the music is up, the windows are down, the wind rushes through your hair, that is the moment where everything becomes infinite. Some could call this a religious experience. Others may call it chi. In reality, it's you coming to grips with the realization of who you are for just a short moment. It's a thought in life when your worries and cares are put on the back burner and you can simply just exist. As I drove down Highland Ave with the music turned up I knew everything was going to be alright. Why do I love driving? I love to drive because I feel infinite. I feel infinite because my music takes me to that place.
    In Seattle I would take the bus. I would sit by the window with music in my ears and observe the passing scenery. In Los Angeles I do not take the bus, I drive. While traffic may be bad at times. While red lights seem to show up at every intersection. While it seems that I will never get home at a decent hour, I relax, roll down my windows, and simply disappear from this world and enter infinity. Even though the sun is always out in this place and it seems like there is never a break, there is still time to reflect and think about life. For me this happens late at night on what I call "slurpee runs." I get a slurpee often and I enjoy my time of headphone goodness as I walk in the dark, alone and peaceful in my infinite place I can finally look into life at where I am. Sometimes it really doesn't hit me, but I am far away from everything and everyone I once knew. This town can make one feel all alone. I am happy I moved down with so many people, but I am sad to think of what this town will be like when everyone I know moves away also. But that is a worry for another time. Right now I meditate on The Mountain Goats new worship album. I reflect on why I am here and why I want to work in this industry. What is my purpose to coming down to this city. I am reminded of my life verse, Ecclesiastes 12"13-14. To sum it up I will quote what I know from memory: "...fear the Lord and keep his commandments for that is the whole duty of man..." There is more afterwords about being judged for not doing so. I feel as if we forget about that part of God. He does love us and gives us a lot of grace, but he also is our judge. Sure, he is our righteous and perfect judge, but a judge nonetheless. These are thoughts that run through my mind as I find my infinite place. This is why I buy music. I went off on a tangent, so I will end this post for now. Thanks to all who read on a regular basis,

-P.J.

The Twilight Zone.

    L.A. is a great city. I will confess I didn't love it at first, but it has grown on me. It's not a city you stay in for a year straight, you gotta get out every once in a while. You may ask why that is, don't worry I'm about to tell you. This city, in all its massiveness, has irregular pockets of time distortion. In the past, this has been called The Twilight Zone. I enter The Twilight Zone once every other week. It always happens in my car, which makes sense if you have ever visited L.A. All the weird incidences happen when you are driving. I have discovered that during my commute to my internship on an irregular basis my parking garage key disappears. I will start out and admit that I don't have the best memory. But I know this and plan accordingly. I do things like forming habits. I park in the same spot when I go to the mall. I write everything down in my calendar. I put my parking key card in the same spot every time I use it. 

    This sets the scene for my Twilight Zone experience. One day I drove to my internship. Used my key card to get out of my garage. Worked. Then drove home. When I got back to my garage, my key card was no where to be found. I looked everywhere. Under the seats. In all of my pockets. Everywhere. Keep in my mind my car is usually very clean and a white plastic card would be easily noticed. It's literally no where to be found. But that is life you know. I can admit we all misplace things from time to time. So, naturally, I thought nothing of it. Then today happened. Same exact situation. Used the card to get out, put it in the same place, then bam! No where to be found. I feel as if I am going crazy. I started researching mental hospitals to check myself into. Where can my key card be going? Does it not like me? Why me? I mean, I think I'm a nice guy and all, but if I can't even hold onto the loyalty of a key card how can I ever dream of getting a girl. This scares me. 

    However, this must be explained simply and only by, The Twilight Zone. After all, where could this key card really be walking off too? L.A. is a great city. However, you must be careful and aware of incidents when The Twilight Zone will attack. For me it happened to be a simple situation. But for you, it could be life or death. I leave you all with this tidbit for now. This is Joseph Arnhold signing off,

Take care now ya'll

-P.J.

A short film?

I have finished my short film just about. Here is something to watch till I have it completely finished!

For some reason it crops out the whole right side when I link it to my blog, so if you want to view it in its full glory click HERE or if you are lazy you can watch this cropped version down below!

Finishing woes of the editing world.

Sometimes you just gotta finish what you are working on and call it good. When it comes to the world of post production you can edit forever just about. Nothing can ever be "perfect." So tonight, I called my video good, exported it, and decided to sleep on what I had made. If I truly call it good tomorrow, it will be posted and you all can see my film. Until then, I'm enjoyin the little things.

Its getting colder down here. Highs in the mid 70's with lows in the 50's at night. Its pretty chilly here once the sun decides to go home. This makes me extremely happy. Why? Well, you see, being from the northwest I am used to fall and the changing of weather. I love wearing coats, scarves, and bundling up for my strolls outside. It is never quite cold enough here to bundle up...although really late at night its just about there. So tonight was my first night to be all bundled up in true northwest fashion. With scarf wrapped tightly around the neck, coat zipped up, and ipod playing at mid level I strolled around the dark complex of Park LaBrea and reminisced on life in the far away land known as the Northwest.

California is a truly unique state, i see why millions of people live here. Although, once you have experienced many different cultures and many different geographies you remember what it was you enjoyed most about home. The smells of the crisp fall air. The leaves that turn color. The large piles of leaves that you can jump into. You remember the mist before the heavy rain and the smell it leaves behind that no glade plug in can emulate. You remember the last day of fall and the sudden shift in crispness as the air gets cold enough to freeze water and bring upon that wonderful creation known as snow. Yes, California is a great state, but there are things that I miss. Those being the seasons. It has been one season here so far. Sunny. It has been a tad warmer, and a tad chillier. In the end, it has always been just plain ol' sunny. I am not complaining however. I am only here for four months, so i am soaking in every bit of sun I can obtain.

However, upon my return to home I will greet the cold crisp fresh air with a greeting that no film has ever captured. We are talking perfect slow motion run from the car to the nearest snow pile. Cross fade to snow angel creation. Cut to kitchen moments later with already hot cup of cocoa in the hands as I sit around the dining room table and begin to tell my family all about my adventures. I'll remember my favorite moments, and describe my worst moments. My fears of future living will be put off and all I will be caring about is the present. That present being a time where I will be surrounded by my family. With a Hudson on my lap and a sister close by preparing dinner for that child so I can feed him. A mom and pop staring forward smiling and laughing as I tell my funny mishaps. An Aunt just walking in after work ready for her hug.  A brother in law also sipping cocoa laughing and reaching for a towel as Hudson will have most likely spilled something on me. I wont mind, however, I will be all too happy to just be home. To sleep in my own bed. To walk in an empty field. Drive around in a land where traffic is an after thought. To be in a land that so peaceful and quiet you wonder why you ever left in the first place.

When you move away you sit down and truly think about what is most important.
What is important in this life?

A quick fill in:

I have had a busy and exciting weekend. I will be posting more on what happened in a bit, most likely tomorrow or tuesday. My film is almost done. It is very exciting and I can't wait to see people's reactions! I have but a few audio tweaks left and some minor cuts, then I'm done. My friend Libby came down for the weekend and we had a fun time hanging out like the good ol' days, of last year. Saturday we went to Disneyland where we tired ourselves out running around for 14 hours. It was incredible, and there will be pictures up soon. Sunday I slept in a tad then went to a new church, Reality LA. It was pretty sweet, over an hour long sermon and pretty good worship. A good choice for time spent. The rest of my Sunday was editing. I ended the night with heading to the Grove mall to watch Zombieland. The newest zombie comedy as put out by Sony. It was incredible and hilarious. A perfect end to a perfect weekend. I have to hang out at my internship tomorrow, so I'm headin to bed now. I will get pictures and or videos up in the near future as soon as possible!

The last I will speak of the Premier, Whip It.

Of all the important people at the premiere, these two were definitely the main attraction. But sadly this picture doesn't have me in it. Hmmmm, I wonder what we can find on youtube.

So, I know what you are thinking. Joe, you aren't in that video. Look again, this time in the upper right hand corner. I am standing behind girls from the film in the fan pit. I am there, I swear. Just look for the guy with the bold black framed glasses!

Anywho, that is all I shall post about this. It was definitely an amazing evening.

So that was just some random B-Roll footage of what it is like at a red carpet event. 
Here are just a few more pictures that I found online that I enjoyed:

I'm there in the blurry background somewhere, I swear!

Regardless if I am seen or not, that is definitely where I was standing. We were really close.

And what would be a blog posting for the Whip It Premiere without the lovely Ellen Page. Oh she is beautiful. She didn't look too well, but what can you say. Late nights, premieres, stardom, its a rough life.

Starstruck...

I come from a small town. Spokane, while big, is a small city. We pride ourselves on the little things. Cheap living leads to a life of recreation and the pleasure of enjoying the creation around us. When it comes to celebrities we hold to the few that we have. Mainly, well, John Stockton? I don't really know of any celebrities living in Spokane actually.

This leads me to my surprise upon moving to Los Angeles. This is the town of the stars. There are more stars here proportionately than any other city in the world. Literally, someone famous could be in the car next to you at a red light. The crazy thing about this city is how easy it can be to fake it and get a glimpse of the celebrity life. There are thousands of people who know people who knows someone. You could easily have the chance to hang out with a celebrity at some point. It's L.A. after all.

What is the point I am trying to make? Well, I just got back from a movie premier. I happened to get tickets, courtesy of Lydia Carmony, to the Whip It premier. Drew Barrymore directed this film, it was her first film in which she was the director. So naturally, she was the premier. The tickets that we had allowed us to participate in the red carpet experience. Literally, I was standing around the red carpet. All the stars walked around right in front of me, including Ellen Page.

What was surprising was the entrance of two high end guests. These guests were none other than Steven Speilburg himself and Quentin Tarentino. I was taken aback by their presence and completely starstruck. After all, those are two of my top five directors. And because I already met and got an autograph from Michel Gondry earlier this month, I have met/seen three of my top five directors. I have only lived in L.A. for a month. Talk about an exciting city to live in.

There were a ton of other celebrities there as well I will get a list as soon as the premier info is posted online somewhere. I shook hands with the lead boy crush from the film and it was actually kind of exciting. After all, this guy kissed Ellen Page!

Well, I will be posting more about this in the future. For now, I am signing off. Keep reading!

Had some time to post more pictures.

Ok, so I have some free time on my hands right now so I have decided to just upload a ton of pics of people and things have I have been doing lately. I hope to eventually get picture of just about everyone up soon, but this is taste for now.

It was a dark and gloomy night one evening walking home late.

From Left to Right: Eric, Josh, Jeremy

This is mike.

Ellen.

Maggie.

Danielle.

Security Guard.

A picture taken from the roof of my school. Funny story:

We were shooting in the lobby and the security guard wanted a picture taken of herself. So I did, hence the photo up above. It didn't end there. When we were done filming she grabbed me and took me to the elevator. I was scared for my life. Where were we going! We went to the roof. She told me "Bulgarian Aunty will take care of you! Whenever you want to shoot up here you let me know." The roof has some amazing views, however it has been terrible weather lately and not clear enough to get some good snaps. That will come in the future hopefully.

I live in there somewhere. Don't ask me which one, the place is like a Labyrinth.

This is Josh.

Mitch and I working on my Film. We make a good team and we are efficient together. I am pleased with working with him. He will definitely be helping with my next film, if he is available of course.

Overseeing the scene.

Me recording sound on Mitch's short.

Chillin the bathtub with Justin. Tricky scene to shoot, not enough room in the bathroom!

And I conclude this photography posting with a random artistic picture from underneath the Santa Monica Pier. I don't really know why, but I just really like this pic. It has been a fast weekend, but definitely worth it. Tomorrow I am going to the premier of whip it starring Ellen Page. I am really excited and will be blogging about that in the near future. Stay tuned! Also, editing has been going smoothly on my short and it is nearing completion. I am really proud of it and am excited to show it so you all can have something fun to watch! Not that my video posts aren't fun enough, but seriously this will top anything I have posted so far! Its almost four in the morning so I am going to hit the hay. Sleep with come quickly for me tonight. I have nothing on my schedule tomorrow, which is needed, so I will be able to rest up and relax. The rest of the week is going to be pretty packed.

I have filmed a short.

I Filmed my first short film in Los Angeles yesterday and it went real smooth. We finished in just under 3 hours. I pride myself on my efficiency. I am now editing the film and will be posting it as soon as it is available. Don't worry, it will be finished soon because its due in a week so I am forced to get it done quickly. What was the plot? Well it was a romantic short about a guy who gets the girl. I think Im going to leave it at that so I don't ruin it for you. Anywho, here are some pictures of the shoot that should be fun to look at:

Observing the scene.

Talking about the shot.

Discussing the scene with the actors.

This is Kelsey, she is enjoying sound. I think.

We pose to show the actors the shot we want.

Ya know. Filmin.

"You're through Russ!"

An incredible scene.

The confrontation.

I had a lot of fun on this set. It went fast and smooth and looks incredible. I am in post production right now and will finish it soon. So don't worry, I will keep everybody updated and post it as soon as it's available. It's Sunday and I have nothing to do, which is nice, so I am planning on relaxing and heading to Church later in the evening to Mosaic.