Sunday, November 21, 2010

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!

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

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.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

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.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

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! 

Friday, November 6, 2009

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

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.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

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:

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

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.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

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.

Friday, October 23, 2009

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.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

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.

Friday, October 16, 2009

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

Thursday, October 15, 2009

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.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

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!

Monday, October 12, 2009

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.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

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...

Friday, October 9, 2009