Alex and Eric in Los Angeles are now at www.alexandericinla.com

Blogspot to Website...

2006-06-06T22:29:00.000-07:00

Friends,
"alex and eric in la" is moving on, it looks like. no, the blog isn't ending. we're just growing into something slightly different. a website. which will resemble a blog. So when you get that hunger for a helping of "Alex and Eric", please visit alexandericinla.com.
thanks, eric

what's that? that. that thing on the horizon. is that... no it can't be.... it is. a website!

2006-06-01T18:34:00.000-07:00

it appears there's a website on the horizon.

will it be 100 percent awesome?

i don't know.

but i know this, 100 percent awesome is the goal.

- eric

p.s. busy busy busy these days. who isn't? i'm working long hours. but hey, it could be worse. 14 months ago, i was unemployed and depressed. that was lousy. this is fine. just exhausting.

p.p.s. quick flight to the east coast for me this weekend. saturday night, i hope to talk a-rose (he's leaving for 2 years in lesotho in a week) into going into the city, where i will take him out to nobu, we will drink, we will form a 2 man riotous parade through the city night, and on sunday, family stuff. my sisters are so fantastic. really excited to see them. parents too. and grandpa. momma and papa nuggets might be visiting in july. they don't eat sushi, and aren't meat eaters. so where do i take them?
- Mastro's - "Hope you guys like spinach. And potatoes."
- Koi - "Hope you like sleazy Hollywood people. And food like Nobu's but not as good."
- Geisha House - "You guys loved Koi. This place is even more ridiculous, eh?"

Honestly, probably just AOC, Cora's Coffee Shop, Hungry Cat, Blair's, and Alegria.

p.p.p.s. lesotho is not pronounced the way i always assumed it was. anyway, i was corrected today. thank you n-em for pointing it out without making me feel dumb. apparently, sometimes "th" isn't "th" at all. alanis was right. "you live. you learn."

LIBRARIES

2006-06-01T07:25:00.000-07:00

Best way to beat the heat: move to the library. It's getting toastier each passing day. After the NYC trip, I think I'll be spending a lot of time at the Los Feliz and Pasadena branches of the LAPL.

LOVE
ALEX

MONSTER SQUAD - One night in San Jose....

2006-05-26T15:30:00.000-07:00

Brothers and sisters, posting this, because it's really very cool what they're doing up in San Jose on 6/10 at Camera Cinemas. And yes, if anyone wants to go, I'd very likely join you. - Eric

SAN JOSE, CA – On Saturday, June 10th, Camera Cinemas will bring a 35mm print of the cult classic kids' film, THE MONSTER SQUAD (1987) to San Jose for two special screenings, along with the director and three of the principal cast members for a memorable reunion and Q&A.
It’s been nearly 20 years since THE MONSTER SQUAD has been seen locally on the big screen, and legal DVD copies are nowhere to be found. Andre Gower (“Sean” the leader of the Squad), Ryan Lambert (“Rudy” the “Cool Kid”), Ashley Bank (“Phoebe the Feeb”) and director Fred Dekker are scheduled to make appearances after each of the two screenings at 7:00pm and 9:30pm, answering audience questions and signing autographs. This event is the first of its kind on the West Coast.

THE MONSTER SQUAD special screening and cast/crew Q&A
Saturday, June 10, 2006 --- 7:00pm & 9:30pm

Camera 12 Cinemas
201 S. Second St.
San Jose, CA 95113
408. 998.3300

Cost: $15.00
Tickets available at Camera 12 box office, or online at cameracinemas.com.

blue corduroy jacket. madras shirt. why the frown?

2006-05-26T13:38:00.000-07:00

i don't think i can leave work early today. too busy. - eric

p.s. okay, now i'm smiling. just found out, i get to use a pernice brothers song for the dance sequence in my short film, "paralegal". cool, eh? i've applied to 14 festivals thus far. here's hoping....

before it enters the pupil stage....

2006-05-25T17:24:00.000-07:00

note: this post is 100% sincere. no irony. no cynicism. i mean every word of it.

i'm very very excited to go to the "It's Alive!" exhibit at AMPAS in Beverly Hills.

They have an honest to goodness Mogwai on display in this exhibit detailing the history of animatronics in film. So yes: Gizmo's there! Harry (from Harry and the Hendersons) is there! Oh yeah, that little green elderly Jedi, voiced by Frank Oz.
Plus more! (I think that's Aughra from the Dark Crystal in one of those pics!)

I plan on going, perhaps this Saturday. Who wants to join this dork for brunch and a movie creature exhibit? Yes, obviously if Falcor from The Neverending Story was there, I'd go every day the exhibit existed....

I'm not joking. Seeing Gizmo and Yoda in person is gonna be so awesome....

Feeling like the Comic Book guy on The Simpsons, Eric

P.S. Apparently, there's some stuff from "Short Circuit" in the exhibit. It can only mean one thing... JOHNNY FIVE!

IT'S OFFICIAL

2006-05-24T14:19:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago, the rains came and cleared the skies of the gray fog that blanketed the city most of May. The skies are blue and the clouds distinct. And it is warm in this mof*ing joint. Summer's here and I'm planning on making the most of it for next summer, I will be back in the real world. So in preparation for the real world, I've been waking up late, staying in, and spending my afternoons at the Hollywood Tan @ the Arclight. Well, truthfully, I haven't been waking up late at all.
Yesterday, K, E, and I dropped by the set of ARoss' new music video shoot in East LA. Driving that far east was disorienting as all get-out. Good to see that guy dressed to the 9s in Paul Smith and Ozwald Boateng and Thom Browne and Vivienne Westwood. I'm just joking. I have no clue where he and his band friends got their costumes. Seeing your friends do well is a pretty great feeling. Seeing your friends not do well, well, well, Leibniz might have something to say about that.

LOVE
ALEX

An Inconvenient Truth - now open in New York & Los Angeles

2006-05-24T14:15:00.000-07:00

An Inconvenient Truth, a terrific film that I'm working on (on the distribution side) is now open in New York and Los Angeles.

In New York, it's playing at Lincoln Square and the Sunshine.

In Los Angeles, it's playing at the Arclight and the Monica.

The NY Times review is glowing, and really conveys what's so important and pressing that makes this film a must-see.

If you can, whatever your politics are, please see it. This isn't a film with a political agenda; the only goal is to make as many people possible aware of the worsening climate crisis, and the future that we inevitably face, if we don't start opening our eyes, and finding the will to change.

Thanks, Eric

THE ANTS

2006-05-18T10:42:00.000-07:00

You know summer's here when you find ants crawling along the shower tiles, stalking through your clothes, and scrambling across your belly as you lounge on your sofa reading the paper. Suh.Weet.

LOVE
ALEX

180 dollars spent at jcrew.com (spring sale)

2006-05-17T13:31:00.000-07:00

here's what i got:
Pinwale corduroy sportcoat - DUTCH BLUE
Summer-weight regular fit chinos - RED PEPPER
Five-pocket straight-leg cords - TIGER LILY
Broken-in chino jacket - BRITISH KHAKI
Corduroy Dempsey sportcoat - TIGER LILY

Yes, you've got it right. I now have tiger lily (red) corduroy jacket and pants. I'm most excited about the Dutch Blue corduroy sportcoat.

Note to self: don't buy things you don't need.

It's alright. I really needed these. To look awesome this summer.

Dressing well is important. I'm migrating slowly from an all-plaid wardrobe to all solid-colors. Emphasis on slowly. But nothing plaid in today's purchase.

- Eric

P.S. I'd write more, but other than some really exciting bouts of farts, nothing to note this week. Work is busy. But good.

BRICK

2006-05-16T09:06:00.000-07:00

After a perfect moviegoing weekend where Eric and I caught two double features, K & I finally caught up with BRICK last night at the Arclight. It was of special interest as it premiered at Sundance when I was there, was directed by a USC grad, and stars Joseph Gordon Levitt who attended my alma mater and was so moving in MYSTERIOUS SKIN. Also, the story behind BRICK is that it took 6 years or something for the director to raise funds and assemble the cast and crew to make his picture: a real indie labor of love. Pretty inspiring stuff for me and others in the proverbial boat.
Unfortunately, I don't think there will be a worse film this year. From start to finish, I couldn't identify a single human being in the film. The central conceit---Dashiell Hammett meets THE O.C.---is striking at first but then quickly devolves into parody (by like minute 3). Where's the respect? For THE MALTESE FALCON? THE THIN MAN? The director misunderstands style for tradition. BRICK has all the aesthetic tropes of film noir but they're rendered effete: the director doesn't have the cajones to marry style with authentic human experience. Nothing matters in BRICK because there's literally no life in it. No real people. No real behavior. No real anything. Sad sad sad.

LOVE
ALEX

I wish I had a camera...

2006-05-13T15:48:00.000-07:00

Brothers and Sisters,
I wish I had a camera. A digital camera which I could plug into my computer.
So I could post photos on the blog. Photos of me.
So you could admire my sexiness as the background of your computer.

It's Saturday afternoon. A lazy day, thus far.
About to work out.
This blog post is a distraction, a dawdle.
But as soon as I'm done, I'll be on the elliptical trainer,
make-believing that I'm cross country skiing across a palatial Eskimo estate, igloos dotting the landscape. As far as the eye can see, that frozen tundra is mine. Again, only make-believe.

I just had a great phone call with my Dad, telling him all about my creative side-projects. Some exciting opportunities may have opened up for me (for which I wouldn't need to leave my job), and he sounded excited, which made me excited.

I put my annual review from work on the fridge. Alex and Kat both seemed very proud of me.

I love attention. Who doesn't?

On Thursday night, I made the correct choice, and escaped a work obligation, so I could go to the George Saunders reading. He read his "Nostalgia" piece from the April 10th New Yorker; and also a story from his new collection, "In Persuasion Nation". I had my copy signed after the reading, and got to speak with George Saunders briefly about my favorite story of his, "The 400-pound CEO". which I first heard on "This American Life". Anyway, a HUGELY INSPIRING evening. Afterwards, dinner with J-Innes, R-Marsh, and some other USC'ers at Fred 62, where we all told embarassing stories. Had the storytelling segment of the meal been a contest, Derrick would've taken home the gold for the most entertaining and beautiful story I've heard in a long long time.

Alright, enough of this post. Goodbye blog! Hello elliptical trainer in the middle of my bedroom!

- Eric

P.S. This week, Alex and I start working out the plans for the sister site to this blog, which will be made up of fewer written words, but many many images. If you are a psychic and can see into the future, you already know what's coming up in the weeks ahead... I'll just say this: they may need to change the name of June to something more appropriate, like ROCKTOBER. It's gonna be that great! I may even try to grow a moustache for the new website. I may even join JDate for the new website. Plus more! Details to follow...

COLLEGE REUNION

2006-05-12T10:48:00.000-07:00

Our 5 year is coming up in a month. I will be in NYC for that. I look forward to seeing some old friends I haven't kept in touch with since moving out to LA almost two years ago. I thought the reunion events would be free, but they're not. Since I don't feel like going to casino night or whatever other pricey events the planners have up their sleeves (except for the kickoff cocktails get-together), I sorta wanna propose an alternate, cover-less, night out over reunion weekend. For those who read this bloggy blog and are CU grads, I'd love to hear who'd be down for a reckless, Bacchanalian chow/booze fest @ my favorite chow/booze spot east of the Mississips: SPOTTED PIG?

LOVE
ALEX

p.s. very very excited for POSEIDON.

George Saunders reading/signing @ Sky Light Books on Vermont tomorrow @ 7:30

2006-05-10T10:36:00.000-07:00

Shit. You know those times you need to be in 2 places at once, and you wish you had a twin (i.e Tia/Tamara) or a clone (Arnold Schwarzenegger/his clone in the Sixth Day) so you could do the one you want to do, and the doppelganger could do what you don't want to do. The lesson I've learned in this blog posting: I'm likely not seeing George Saunders tomorrow night because of a work obligation.

But don't thing this post is me kicking it like Eeyore. I had my annual review at work yesterday. Pretty much straight A-'s.... That made me feel nice. And tonight, Gina of Via Gina fame has invited me along to dinner at The Dakota Restaurant.

The sound mix for "Paralegal" progresses well. Spoke with Eytan last night. We're planning on doing some four track crackly acoustic magic for the film. Barry recorded the ADR the other night and I think it went welll....

The new car continues to smell new.

- Eric

CHOCOLATE MEN

2006-05-04T10:21:00.000-07:00

My cousin Carol mailed me a box of Jacques Torres chocolates for my birthday. They arrived yesterday. An assortment of square truffles. Whoa 2 Cocoa. Next time I'm in NYC, I will take the train over to Dumbo and visit his store, the interior of which I'd seen in a photograph for a Julianne Moore profile some magazine I think it was the NYTimes Magazine did a few years ago, and purchase every varietal offered. Though I think the idea of a chocolate sommelier is very ridiculous, I do like hearing and find amusing when wine sommeliers ooze on and on about the notes and hints and textures of a glass of red, calling out attributes that I couldn't discern for the life of me and am skeptical about in the first place. I have never tasted cigar wrapper in a glass of wine. So maybe a chocolate taste expert might be fun to listen to. Regardless, his chocolates are delectable and potentially addictive for I did discern a hint of crack in one of them. I can now say that I love two chocolate makers: Jacques Torres and R.Kelly.
Oh yeah, about R.Kelly. I haven't been to a concert since I think it was an OKGO show but this Sunday night, Eric, Jinnes, and I will be going to see Mr. Showbiz, The Pied Piper of R&B, Black Zorro, Kels, The Rrrrr, R. Kelly perform @ the Universal Ampitheater. Tears will shed. Jaws will drop. Belts will unbuckle.

LOVE
ALEX

100 DOLLARS

2006-05-03T10:03:00.000-07:00

Bill Frist's 100 dollar gas rebate proposal is clearly the belly-laugh highlight this year. In the nearly 2 years I've lived in LA, gas prices have gone up at least 50%. What else in the world does that? I haven't started taking public transporation but I have looked online. Yeah, I'm not going to take public transportation anytime soon.
The semester winds down this week thank the Lord! I've put my writing on hold the past few weeks. Need a break from thinking about storytelling. I usually write every morning but the past two weeks, I've used my mornings to either read, go to the gym, or watch NetFlix DVDs. This morning, I'm feeling Vincent Minnelli's MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS. In a week or so, I should be fully recharged and ready to dive back into rewrites.
Also, for those who think LA is all fun and sun, a downy fog has blanketed the city for over a week now. It is seriously weird.

LOVE
ALEX

news of the week that was....

2006-04-30T18:52:00.000-07:00

brothers and sisters,

Alex had his birthday. The celebration on Friday night at mixville/edendale grill was excellent. I drank too much whiskey.

Work's been difficult as of late. I feel like I'm falling apart a little. My game is off, and I'm feeling the need for a vacation. I haven't had a full week off since spring '05, so hopefully in July I can take a week and head east.

Yesterday, I traded in the wagon for a sedan. I'm now the proud owner (lessee, i guess) of an Audi A4 2.0 Quattro. The car is dolphin gray with a black interior. I know, not the Porsche 911 many of you were expecting. But until I sell the "Untitled Tag Team" project, I'll enjoy my time with this car, which I'm not naming. Were I to name it, it'd be Eeyore. It doesn't get Prius level mileage, but better than my last whip (14mpg in around town stop y go driving). Saving money on gas is going to be nice. Because I'm going to need money for other things.

Like my new insurance policy, which isn't cheap, thanks to living in California. Ouch.

Doing the ADR for "Paralegal" on Wednesday night. Can't wait to finish the film. Barry's mix is good, but I've still got some things I want to work on.... Put in the request to license a Pernice Brothers song.... Hopefully "Paralegal" will get into some festivals....

That's about all for now. - Eric

THIS MORNING

2006-04-26T08:52:00.000-07:00

last night for dinner: two salmon filets, two sourdough dinner rolls, triple cream brie.
this morning: looking for some metamucil.

LOVE
ALEX

boys night out

2006-04-21T06:57:00.000-07:00

neighbor matt, alex, j-win, and i found ourselves at the photo booth. awesome! - eric

DAN BROWN

2006-04-20T07:27:00.000-07:00

Arriving late to the Da Vinci Code party, I feel like strangling myself. I figured that what with the movie coming out and half the world having read it, I should too. E and Vons warned me that it's a terribly written book, but shizz, with chapters that are no longer than a page (chapter 15 lands on page 73), italics that describe what's going on in someone's head (This is my fault!), cliffhanger chapter endings (P.S. find Robert Langdon), expository digressions for the sake of immediate clarity (When she was young,...), and best of all, wowsers like "Unfortunately, time was running out" and "Fog shrouded his thoughts," with all these clunkers as E puts it, I can't believe the book wouldn't be better enjoyed in Cliff Note form. In fact, (I'm sure someone somewhere has already put forth this idea), it seems like Dan Brown wrote the book not to be read, but rather, to be turned into a movie. This makes complete sense to me. Why write well when you can get optioned?

LOVE
ALEX

chicken for lunch!

2006-04-19T18:33:00.000-07:00

brothers and sisters,
went to zankou for lunch after a work errand (lab screening). quarter white chicken plate. i sort of ran into the office too quickly, and the styrofoam container was on its side in the bag, so when i went to eat my lunch, everything was mixed together, hummus had run over its compartment, as had the tomato/purple pickles... the chicken was fine. why am i even writing about this? was my day so completely boring? well, yeah. maybe it was. but you know, at least it's over. i'm grabbing dinner with paul and his mom tonight at alegria on sunset.

last night for dinner i had a bowl of stuff: a can of kidney beans, 2 scrambled eggs, and a ripped up tortilla. it was even sexier than it sounds. i fell asleep to a symphony of farts, woke up this morning, energized for my 20 minute workout...

had to stick it to a mom-and-pop-run-institution today as part of my job. i have no stomach for sticking it to anyone. but anyhow i did it.

i proposed marriage to u.k. sophie today during a conference call with a-scards. i used "transitioning" in a sentence. i argued that "transitioning" is a word but the ladies seemed a little doubtful. anyway, sophie is coming to l.a. in february '07. i'm putting strategies in place now to wow her (the usual: learning to play saxaphone, getting a tattoo, saving up to rent a stretched-limo-hovercraft, etc.)

i'm tired. going to call it a day. the phone call i'm waiting for doesn't seem to be coming.

alex and i have a plan for this summer, but it's too early to discuss. let me just say, if we pull it off, it's going to be awesome.

the sound mix on my short film "paralegal" is beginning. i am excited. i hope it gets into film festivals and impresses nice single jewish girls the world over.

okay. running away. love, eric

10-2

2006-04-18T09:20:00.000-07:00

Sure, the Mets beat up on some crapola teams but last night, they took it to their most hated rivals. Pedro's gonna be a #1 stunna this year. If the Mets can take this series against the Braves, then I'm gonna start putting away a dollar a day which by season's end means I should have enough cash to buy a single upperdeck ticket to the World Series. Speaking of upperdecks, who actually knows anyone who's ever done that? (upperdeck: v. trans. to drop a deuce in the toilet water tank of a friend or stranger's bathroom)

LOVE
ALEX

Over 5 years ago....

2006-04-17T14:52:00.000-07:00

A young man rocks the mic...

p.s. doctor's office on friday... the verdict: 70% chance it's a massive pimple; 30% chance it's a skin infection.... if it gets worse, i go back. mind you, this didn't look like a pimple. it looked like death growing on my face. fortunately, it wasn't.

p.p.s. no relation.

"unmatched euphoria"....

2006-04-16T12:17:00.000-07:00

the "Celestine Prophecy Movie" Trailer made me guffaw.

Alex, A-Ross, M-Lawrs went to see the Dodgers play against the S.F. Giants last night. Barry "Me, Steroids? That's Ridiculous" Bonds got booed. Alex and I stood in line, no joke, for 45 minutes waiting to buy beer and hot dogs (dodger dogs are equal parts beef, pork, miscellaneous, which all adds up to: delicious). What was the hold-up? Every single person ahead of us was ordering french fries. My feeling is, if you can't cook the french fries fast enough to keep the lines moving, don't make french fries. The guy behind us was hitting on girls, talking about how his dayjob is driving around Los Feliz, Glendale and Eagle Rock, and busting kids for skipping school. A truant officer! How cool is that? He says, "I drive up when I see some kids, and I'm like 'you guys wanna party?' and I act like I'm their friend. then I bust them!"

Speaking of jobs, some dad a couple rows in front of us had a bunch of kids with him, and was wearing a t-shirt which read "the only job i need is a blowjob". when alex pointed this out, i laughed so hard at the inappropriateness of the shirt, that i gave myself a massive headache.

That's all, Eric

CASSAVETES

2006-04-14T10:43:00.000-07:00

I caught a double feature the other night at the New Beverly: LOVE STREAMS & HUSBANDS. I had a quasi erection of the heart on the drive back home. These two remarkable films---LOVE STREAMS seen for the first time; HUSBANDS for the 2nd----sorta reinvigorated my faith in the possibility of an independent vision in the movies. They remind me of what matters in the movies, of what lasts: not story, not structure, not change, but behavior, the wildness of lived-in experience, and the beauty of the image. Some think Cassavetes' work is difficult, a bore but an interesting one at that. I hate to be the hater here but if you think Cassavetes is only all right, then I'm sorry, we can't be friends. Plus, eat a dick. (Eric and I have decided that "eat a dick" is just about the greatest.)
Tonight, a few of us are gonna catch MLaw's sketch comedy show. She's hilarious.
On another note, it's the bomb diggity weekend for all you believers out there. Rejoice brothers and sisters rejoice!

LOVE
ALEX

P.S. I've already cast my ballot: David Wright MVP.

rock the pesach! and i just can't stop!

2006-04-13T15:37:00.000-07:00

brothers and sisters,
i had a clayuda today for lunch. i hope that doesn't count as leavened bread. it feels weird not being home for passover. next year, i think i'm gonna take a couple days off and go.
this is a nice article about Komasa, a sushi place Alex and I go to, from time to time, in little tokyo.
sitting in my office, rocking out to the most rocking mix ever, eric

p.s. going to see a doctor tomorrow about the mysterious maroon splotch on my face. i've gotten myself all worried about it. hopefully they won't have to amputate my cheek. 'cause that'd be gross.

p.p.s. i wonder if neighbor matt is hoping that the baby spiders growing in my face turn out to be tarantulas. he hearts tarantulas.

red in the face....

2006-04-11T16:53:00.000-07:00

brothers and sisters,
since friday, i've had a growing bruise-like red mark on my cheek. it's irritated. over the phone, my dad says it sounds like a bug bite. in any case, it hurts, and i totally hope it's not baby spiders growing in my face. 'cause that'd be gross. and mostly devoid of humor.

so the quick recap of jorge's bachelor party:
saturday morning, 5am EST, I land in Ft. Lauderdale. I jump into a cab, not knowing it's going to cost me 80 DOLLARS.

6am - I wake up P-Getz, J-Blue, and Adrien at their Miami Beach Hotel. We joke around. P-Getz and Adrien can't fall back asleep, so we jump in the rental car and head to Little Havana / Calle Ocho for some cuban sandwiches at Versailles. They were excellent a year ago. But this Saturday, completely blah. Totally bland and boring and forgettable. I felt like a jerk for encouraging the drive to eat something mediocre and flavorless. the coffee is excellent, by the way.

11am - I've missed Friday night's debauchery. It sounds gross (lots of making out with sleazy girls at The Shore Club). We head over to a marina and get on a pontoon boat (described to me earlier as a catamaran; this is no catamaran). 26 guys and 2 loser girls from the night before come on the boat. 55 bucks per person for a 3 hour tour with Captain Andy. Lots of beer and crappy mixed drinks. I actually enjoy the boat-ride. I get some sun. Great chatting with Jorge and Javier. Trying to play poker on a shaky boat doesn't go so well. The bachelor party as a collective unit is really rowdy.

2pm - Back to the dock.

You know what? I don't need to give you a play by play of the bachelor party. Lemme just say, I think Jorge is great and it was fantastic to celebrate him, but the huge number of people (like 26 guys) made for sort of a crazy binge-drinking mob. it was good hanging with columbia folks and jorge's got nice texas friends, but for some reason, the weekend was a little too hyperactive for me. Sunday was nice, just walking around miami with paul, jake and akhil (and even breakfast with bill (from the Carman 12 days)) but overall, i just didn't have the energy to party like the majority of the dudes there, i guess.

On Sunday night, I had Nobu with Paul at the Shore Club. Not as good as Nobu New York or even Nobu Las Vegas. But it was just nice to sit with a bowl of rice, creamy spicy crab, and some beer, and shoot the breeze. Went to sleep at 1:30am, woke up at 3:30am for my 6am flight back to Los Angeles. I looked like shit yesterday. Am I sick? What's the red mark on my face? Why have I been sad for the past few weeks?

What a lousy post this has been. Life is good, despite feeling exhausted and drained. Paul's moved to L.A., which I can't be more excited about. Meeting with Soundguy Barry tomorrow night to discuss the sound-mix of "Paralegal". And uh, I've actually been writing a lot lately. These are all good things. And Mom & Dad are finally visiting me in L.A. After nearly two years, excited about showing them the smoggy yet wondrous corner of the world I've been living in.

- Eric

P.S. Oh, one funny thing I forgot. Adrien was nice enough to host me and Paul and Jake in his family's South Beach high-rise fancypants condo. On Saturday night, everyone came over for a typical bachelor-party blowout boozefest. Cut to Sunday Afternoon: Paul and I are watching tv at Adrien's, and even 'though we've cleaned up, the place is somewhat destroyed (furniture on its side, full ashtrays, giant bottles of liquor, a kitchen sink full of beer bottles, etc.). There's a knock on the door. Paul answers it. "I didn't know anyone was here", the woman tells Paul. "I'm hoping to show the apartment", she explains. Paul says, "I don't think that's a good idea. We sort of had a party here last night." "Oh, that's fine," she answers.

She walks in with a married couple (who are obviously expecting to see the awesome mega-bucks condo in primo condition, not trashed by partyers). "How's it going?" the middle-aged guy asks me. "Fine," I tell him. "You guys should probably come and see this place when it's clean. It's really nice." "Looks like you guys had a big party," he opines. "You don't even wanna know," is my answer. He laughs and pats me on the shoulder. I open the sliding door so they can see the view. The real estate agent and the middle-aged couple speak in the kitchen for a few minutes, thank us for our time, and then leave. Paul and I laugh pretty hard.

miami

2006-04-07T17:22:00.000-07:00

i am going to miami for jorge-jorge's bachelor party. i leave at 9:45 p.m. tonight. p-getz & j-blue will both be attending. hello sunshine, goodbye liver. - Eric

YEAH THAT'S FINE

2006-04-05T10:40:00.000-07:00

I'm going to the barbershop for a long overdue haircut. I despise getting haircuts. I don't like spending money on haircuts. Foie gras stuffed quail over veal hash, fine. Bucatini with roasted lamb testicles, fine. Paul Smith cream canvas wingtip shoes (w/ red laces), fine. Margiela dyed fabric jacket with silly zippers, fine. But, haircuts, I'm a cheap, reluctant customer. I average about 3-4 haircuts a year and even that seems like too much time and money spent. But, today, I'm going in because I need to look presentable this weekend for my parents' anniversary dinner. This gnarly stupid mullet will not do.

The standard exchange after the barber's finished cutting my hair:
Q.
A. Yeah that's fine.
Q.
A. Yeah really that's fine. Thanks. (eat a dick I hate paying for this!)

LOVE
ALEX

OPENING DAY

2006-04-03T09:58:00.000-07:00

Glavy Glav Glavine versus Livan Hernandez. Two veterans on the mound this afternoon to open up the Mets' championship run. I have high hopes for this season. Last year they finished where I thought they would but this year, it's a whole new ballgame. I expect David Wright to blossom into the best 3B in all of baseball and take home the MVP. I expect Pedro to make 35 starts and win 20 games. I expect Wagner to save 40. I expect Beltran to rebound from a poor season. I expect Delgado to continue what he done been doing for a decade now. It's gonna be a great year.

LOVE
ALEX

a quitter by any other name....

2006-04-02T18:07:00.000-07:00

No, I didn't quit my job. I quit going to improv class. I like UCB and all, but for some reason, was overwhelmed by 2nd level. I felt unfunny and the class felt unproductive. Not 'cause of the teacher, who seemed good and on-the ball. It just seemed like a lot of dudes competing. For whatever reason, I've stopped going to my improv class mid-way through. And I'm not the big guy in "Summer School" who goes to the bathroom for the entire length of the movie, only returning for the final exam. J-Hath, my buddy from Level 101, was in the class with me. And he was really nice about trying to get me to come back. But I held my ground and tries to explain that this Level 2 wasn't working for me, for some reason.

On Thursday night, I saw P-Wortham put on a mostly-one-woman show. P-Wortham was in my college improv group. I met up with Boaz & Mo at the show, two other friends from my 116th and Ivy days. Anyway, I went home so inspired to keep pursuing creative work (screenwriting, the rap game, filmmaking, etc.). The show was (unexpectedly... I mean, this is P-Wortham) incredible, awesome, and hilarious.

Friday, we moved offices. I had to pack everything in my cubicle and filing cabinets into boxes. the day got super busy, and i didn't finish packing 'til 8:30. I went home and fell asleep.

On Saturday, I woke up early, drove to Santa Monica and picked up ice-cream at Cora's coffee shop, which I then delivered to A-Scards, who had just gotten her tonsils out. Maybe you'll read into this and think I did it completely out of kindness. WRONG. I also wanted to blow Adelaide's mind with the awesomeness of Cora's burnt caramel ice cream (the peppermint is also solid, btw). I also brought her dvd's to help in her healing process (Better Off Dead, 40 Year Old Virgin, Coming to America). At noon, I bolted out, and picked up Anne (my friend who's flown to L.A. from Berlin for a film job....) She's going to live with P-Getz, it looks like, when he moves here. First, I drove her to look at an apartment on Beachwood Canyon, shown to us by a Sarah Silverman doppelganger, but not nearly as foul-mouthed. The apartment was strange, dated, and overpriced. The back of the building looked rusted. Then, we drove to Los Feliz and found an amazing apartment. It's expensive, but seems worth it, so P&A our gonna try to get it.... I'm very excited about the idea of having two more friends living in Los Feliz. Today we saw dumpy apartments left and right. Apartments that look fit for people who want to suffer through life. Awful shitty places to live. At one place, the Armenian landlord wouldn't let us on the carpet because it had just been cleaned, so we couldn't even see the place. "You should come back tomorrow and see the bedrooms," he told us. "Each of the bedrooms has mirrors". What the fuck? Since when have mirrors been a huge selling point for anything? "Sir, this car is nice. It even has mirrors so you can see what's behind you." The little house on Hyperion seemed nice, but Hyperion is too busy a street to live on. New Yorkers, living on Hyperion is like an apartment right on 7th avenue. Lots of traffic driving by.

I dropped Anne off at her hotel and went to the new office to start unpacking boxes. I lasted about an hour and then headed home. Where I fell asleep. And now, I'm awake, posting here, just to tell you, even 'though my postings have been infrequent, I haven't quit the blog game. About to jump on the elliptical, imagining that I'm cross-country skiing up the side of Mt. Fuji.

- Eric

P.S. Last night I took Anne to Sushi Komasa in Little Tokyo. It's always pretty good. The bill came. 58 bucks. I offered to pay. I put down four 20's, in hopes they'd break one of the 20's. But they only came back with 2 dollars. I told our aged waitress, "I think I gave you 80 dollars" and she was like, "No, you gave me 3" (as in 3 twenty-dollar bills). I didn't argue, left a tip, and took Anne to Mixville on Rowena for a drink. At Mixville, the valets lost my car. First they tried to give me a sedan, then a Volvo wagon, before they got it right. This isn't the first time in L.A. this has happened. Out for dinner once, they brought me a Porsche (not just any porsche, a silver type-996 turbo). My first reaction was to take it for a spin, and then come back, explaining, "I just realized, this isn't my car), but I went the cowardly route, and complained, "this isn't my car". But it's nice to know that the valets of Los Angeles think I deserve to be driving the top of the line Porsche.

P.P.S. My FLAMING LIPS/OS MUTANTES tickets arrived. Thanks for sending them Ticketmaster. But Ticketmaster, I still hate you. Paul Allen, I know you're a good guy. You love music. Please make Ticketmaster into a company that plays nicely, charges non-ridiculous prices, and prevents scalpers in every way possible from having first dibs on popular tickets.

CELEB UPDATE

2006-03-30T17:42:00.000-08:00

This is a quickie. It'll tickle your pickle. Maybe. Here are some recent celebrity sightings worth mentioning on this day that I have little else to offer.
1) Geena Davis stuck in traffic on Western in Koreatown. Our cars were side by side. She looked phenomenal, dare I say, presidential.
2) Tyrese in the gym locker cleaning his white Timberland boots. They were WHITE. He is about 5'10," very black, very thick. I see why women sweat him hard. He didn't work out. I don't know what he was doing there.
3) Today, Justin Timberlake at the gym with his huge black bodyguard/trainer/friend. They were doing shoulder presses with dumbbells. He has an average build, i.e. he's my height, my weight, my frame. He talks funny. Like a hood or something. He had huge bags under his eyes. COKE.

LOVE
ALEX

FISHSCALE

2006-03-28T08:40:00.000-08:00

Ghostface's new record drops today in all markets all across the universe. I've only heard great things from various inside sources deep within the industry (e.g. my brother, GK, The New York Times). The last record I purchased in a store was I think (and this is the truth) TP3: RELOADED. No better follow up to the R than Ghostface Killah. Oh and apparently the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have a new record out today. I totally forgot they were still making music.

LOVE
ALEX

the universe and eric...

2006-03-27T08:47:00.000-08:00

friday was a bad day at work. one of those days where you think of quitting your job. in related news, i think i'm too sensitive. not tough enough, at times, for the ridiculousness of hollywood. apologies for the lack of detail.

anyway, i feel like crap for much of the afternoon. at six, i go home, defeated. alex drives us over to The Hungry Cat for dinner with hilary. walking through Border's to get to dinner, we pass by the rows of CD's. and standing there at a listening station, headphones on, checking out a CD, is beck, bearded, and wearing a giant hat. on such a shitty day, it felt nice to have a beck sighting.

dinner was great 'though we had to rush at the end in order to make it to the 8:15 screening of Peckinpah's "Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia", a crazy movie. John Doe, bass player from X, introduced the film to a the audience of 12. Is L.A. just Peckinpah haters or what?

Saturday was Shleb's birthday shindig. We sat around a fire, which produced more smoke than heat, drinking beer and wine. Earlier in the day, I'd gone to a Clippers game with J Matty J, which was a lot of fun, excpet downtown was a mess on Saturday (movie shoot, protests re: immigration, etc.) so getting there was sort of an intense half-an-hour.

Sunday, I went to Barney Greengrass with A-Scards for morning breakfast, overlooking Beverly Hills. Nova & eggs is one of the best things in the world. It always makes me a little homesick...

Sunday afternoon, I felt physically ill, so skipped improv, did a couple of hours of work, played video games, took a nap, and then went on a drive to Barnes&Noble/Whole Foods in Glendale. Then we (Alex,Kat,Me) watched The Sopranos w/ M-Lawrs at her house. I had matzah ball soup and a turkey sandwich.

Today I woke up, and immediately began coughing. Came into work at 6:20. Hopefully, I can leave around 4 and go lie down on the couch and watch some movies.

Happy Monday to all, Eric

The big news this week for me...

2006-03-24T12:10:00.000-08:00

The reunion of Os Mutantes. They're playing NY & LA in July. I just bought 4 tix to go see the 7/23 Show at the Hollywood Bowl with The Flaming Lips & Thievery Corporation. I haven't been this excited for a concert in a long time. I love their album, Tecnicolor and most stuff on Mutantes as well. Along with Caetano Veloso (Alegria, Alegria on his 1967 album is possibly my favorite song of all-time), these guys were responsible for Tropicalia (and all the excellent Tropicalia compilations sitting in your local record store, waiting for you to purchase them. For 4 tickets, I paid close to 50 dollars in Ticketmaster charges. I may hate Ticketmaster, but, you know, my love for Os Mutantes is something much much greater. Really can't express how excited I am. Paul and I sing each other the "gra-gra-gra" opening of Panis-Et-Circenses to each other as a secret code sometimes. (The proper response is "zoom zoom zoom zoom zoom") The only sad part is Rita Lee won't be a part of it. I'd pay whatever the cost to just to sit in a room and hear her sing "Baby". - Eric

dance footage from "Paralegal", my upcoming 13 minute short film...

2006-03-23T13:29:00.000-08:00

This is footage of dancing that didn't make it into "Paralegal". Audioblog is great and all... but maybe not ready to post 3 minutes of video of me and J dancin'.

THAI CHILIES

2006-03-23T08:06:00.000-08:00

The other night E and I went to dinner at our favorite Thai spot, Ruen Pair. We ordered some dishes I thought needed some complimentary heat. I asked the waitress if she could bring a thing of chilies in vinegar. Instead, she brought me a tiny colorful plate of chopped raw thai chilies, each slice no more than a mm thick and 2 mm in diameter. To test the heat, I first shoveled a fistful of pad see ew into my maw and then fingered a slice of thai chili and threw it in with the noodles. Thai chilies bring some kinda heat! I continued to consume them fully knowing I'd be paying for it the next day.
Yesterday, I paid for it. Burgle burgle burgle. That's the sound your guts make telling you it's time to give back to the world what you ate the night before. Spicy goin in, spicy going...

Last night, a couple of friends and I caught Claire Denis' THE INTRUDER. A dense experimental work, it is a wondrous reminder of why we call the movies motion pictures.

LOVE
ALEX

V FOR

2006-03-20T08:57:00.000-08:00

E, V, and I caught V for Vendetta the other day. Suprisingly bereft of action. Lots of blabbering and unintentionally hilarious shot-reverse shot cutting between a lovelorn skinheaded Natalie P and a romantic goofy masked Hugo W. There are a lot of "V"s---symbols and words-that-begin-with--- throughout and all I could think of were VAGINA and V STEAKHOUSE. For real. VAGINA because in his introduction, V alliterates a kazillion words that begin eponymously. Conspicuously absent: VROOM, VERSACE, and VAGINA. What's up with that Wachowskis? Couldn't throw in a little VROOM or a swatch of VERSACE or an amuse bouche of VAGINA into the movie? (By the way, AMUSE BOUCHE is my new favorite catchall. e.g. "I have an amuse bouche of a headache. I had an amuse bouche of a woody watching 13 GOING ON 30. I dropped an amuse bouche of a log in the pooper.") I kept thinking about VAGINA over VROOM or VERSACE mainly because I wanted to remind myself to drop that bomb later that night in a game of Scrabble. Scrabbling words like HAD, GOT, and VAGINA is just plain funny. I didn't. I did however throw down a BONER. Yes, I'm a child but most times I'm an adult with an amuse bouche of wit.
V STEAKHOUSE because earlier in the day, KV and I went to Trader Joes to restock the fridge and shelves. After reading that Times article a few weeks back about the TJs that's just opened in Manhattan, I realized that I wasn't shopping at TJs like a proper TJs shopper should. I go to TJs to buy produce and essentials. HA! FOOL! TJs shoppers shop at TJs to purchase their mixed nut medleys, prepared frozen meals, flowers, and marinated slabs of meat. This time around, I made a point of shopping like a true TJs shopper. I bought some dried fruit and a mixed fruit/nut medley and a marinated 3lb slab of tri-tip. I had major reservations about the meat. I like to season my meat myself. (That didn't sound quite right.) But purchase it I did. So, sitting in the movie theater, bored out of my mind, hearing V V V everywhere, I thought about V STEAKHOUSE and the marinated tri-tip resting in my fridge.
Later that night, I grilled that tri-tip for over an hour (It's a fat slab of protein I tell ya.) and enjoyed it with my compadres. Then after that, E played video games and V and I played a tight game of Scrabble where after she put down her last tile, the score was tied 294-294. But I had one tile left. A "V." Subtracted that point value from my total and added it to hers. V was VICTORIOUS (I had to, sorry!).

LOVE
ALEX

p.s. Actually the last tile was an "I." But how great would it have been were it a "V"?

As Dr. Mike said...

2006-03-15T13:20:00.000-08:00

Doctor Mike (now retired apparently) is the guy at Astor Place who cut our hair (A-Ross, M-Fish, etc.) in college. One of his catch-phrases was "always hook you up, never hook you down". Also, at the end of haircuts, he'd lift up the barber gown or whatever the blanket you wear that catches your hair is called, and announce loudly, "Ladies and gentlemen, the king is back!". Anyway, I was in Vegas for the past 3 days for Showest. I had an awesome time. Someone important (read: very important) thanked me for something I did (part of my job), and I responded with "No problem man, I 'always hook you up. Never hook you down'." It doesn't sound as cool when I say it, and elicited more akward confusion than needs to be discussed.

Showest was great. The fact that I'm getting paid for the trip to Vegas is greater. Going to sleep tonight after blowing it out last night on the dancefloor: that's gonna be the greatest. I came straight to the office from LAX, and am ready to crash. Your dancefloor hero, Nuggets

Somewhere in Los Feliz...

2006-03-08T18:45:00.000-08:00

The summer before senior year, Alex and I crewed on the same film. The crew of "Somewhere In India", now titled "Indian Cowboy" was, for the most part, amazing. Alex worked in wardrobe dept. and I was a truck-driving set PA. Anyway, thanks to my friend Jaime dropping Patti's name in a conversation, I realized Patti, one of our bosses from the "Somewhere in India" summer, was living just a few minutes from our house, here in L.A. An e-mail later, and suddenly Alex and I were back in touch with Patti...
Last night, we got together for dinner at Cobras & Matadors, and then moved on to a Polynesian-ish dive-ish bar called the Cha-Cha Lounge for drinks. Was wonderful reminiscing about the days in Colonia, New Jersey, working hard to make a bare-bones (think 135,000 35mm feature and you'll get the idea) movie... Funny that we've been living in the same neighborhood as Patti for a year and a half, and never had run into her...
In any case, great to be back in touch with a friend. Walt Disney was right about it being a "small world after all". The next morning, on my way to work, I looked in my rearview mirror and of course, who's driving behind me? Patti!
Not a lot to report. Work has been busy. I haven't finished a Netflix movie in weeks... Went to dinner with CG-M last night... Maybe I was tired, but I went into storyteller mold/confession and just talked about all the things I'm too embarassed to talk about on the blog...
I'm exhausted. Work's been busy. I get to go to Vegas on Sunday for Showest. Going to be busy, but hopefully there'll be enough time to grab drinks with phone work contacts that I'm meeting in person for the first time...
Gotta run... Go see "Neil Young: Heart of Gold" when you get the chance.... Peace, Eric

P.S. Yes, I will be going to the screening of Harold & Maude at the New Beverly on Friday for my fill of Bud Cort & Cat Stevens...

BONDS

2006-03-08T09:53:00.000-08:00

What does Barry do now? Folks have suspected Bonds of steroids use for a while now but this new book is the final nail in the coffin. He's done. But hell, I really love watching him play. The saddest thing about it is Bonds didn't need to juice up. He was well on his way to the Hall of Fame. When suckers cheat, that's somewhat understandable. When greats cheat, that's unforgivably greedy. I do hope Bonds plays this year --- partially 'cause I'd like to catch a Giants game up in SF this summer --- but I hope his records are expunged and he spends time in prison with other beefy bags of meat.

LOVE
ALEX

OSCARS

2006-03-06T09:39:00.000-08:00

Some fun shit totally spoiled by the worst call in Academy history: Crash receiving Best Picture accolades. Man I can't tell you how risible I find that movie! Ugh. So. Aw. Ful. But then again, without Crash, there wouldn't have been the comic highlight of the evening: the burning car torturous slow dance performance of "In the Deep." That's classic.

LOVE
ALEX

Big day...

2006-03-02T07:12:00.000-08:00

I'm overseeing a tech run-through for the L.A. premiere of our new film. By oversee, I mean stand there and watch the technicians work while I try to make sure things get done quickly... I'm excited 'cause I get to run around a giant famous movie theater in Hollywood and do my best to cover my bases so nothing goes wrong...

You like the Beck song "Debra"? So do I.... Read this. It lets you hear Ramsey Lewis's "My Love For You" where the wah-wah'ing goodness of Debra comes from...

I got a haircut last night. It is very very short now. Off to tech! - Eric

P.S. E-Hals and A-Tom's visited this weekend. All we did was eat. Proof. Foodies and gluttons everywhere should be proud of us.

WHOLE FOODS

2006-03-01T09:50:00.000-08:00

Last night, Eric and I caught a great double bill: JOHNNY GUITAR & RANCHO NOTORIOUS. I picked him up from his office an hour before the first screening. En route to the theater, we brainstormed dinner options and settled on dining at Whole Foods on La Brea and 3rd. I hadn't eaten at a supermarket in a long time so this was a welcomed alternative. Whole Foods as y'all know is overpriced but generally the quality is pretty good. Not necessarily worth it, but at least you know what you purchase is labeled properly. Plus, you get to pat yourself on the back by patronizing an establishment that is powered by solar energy and sells water bottled by a company that invests a percentage of their profits in projects that help bring clean water to communities spread throughout Africa. So yeah, expensive but there's some good things about it.
We got our food---a pound of Israeli couscous for me, chicken teriyaki rice bowl for E---and eyed the dining section. When I saw our options, I turned and almost asked Eric if he wanted to eat in the car. You see, the Whole Foods on La Brea is both a supermarket and a shelter for homeless bag ladies and very masculine transvestites. Two homeless bag ladies---one sprawled on two chairs, exposing her swollen, distended, scarred, boil-rich legs---took up a long table each. They looked pretty content. The third table was occupied by a young couple: we could've sat next to them, but that meant that one of us would've been stuck sitting directly across from, in plain view of a very tall, very masculine tranny on table four. And I didn't want that for me and I didn't want that for E. I mean, this transvestive was SCUURRY. She had a shock of black wavy hair, super defined cheekbones and jawline, and a hauteur about her that reeked less of arrogance than of viciousness.
Eric and I squeezed into a small corner and at our food quietly. I'm not saying Whole Foods should police the dining area, but at least tape off a section for the weirdos so that us limousine liberals can enjoy our overpriced salad bar dinner in relative comfort.

LOVE
ALEX

VINCE YOUNG

2006-02-27T22:27:00.000-08:00

A 6 on the what? Wonderlic? What the? What is that? I know it's some sort of test that measures an athlete's intelligence but come on, I mean, how smart does a quarterback really need to be? I know football's pretty complicated stuff, but that's why you have fat old guys up in the booths observing the field and devising plays for the QB to execute. That's why the QB has a receiver in his helmet. That's why you have a gazillion coaches for each position. Players make plays that their coordinators tell them to make. That's what it boils down to. When plays break down, QB's improvise, relying on instinct not intellect. But whatever, we all know what this is really about.
Homeboy put on a SHOW at the Rose Bowl and singlehandedly won the game for the Longhorns. When plays broke down, he made some creative choices that advanced the ball more times than not. I don't remember seeing VY pull out the ol' abacus and slide beads up and down as the linebackers chased after him. All I remember was watching VY run, score, and beat SC. He outplayed Leinart, Bush, and White. If that performance didn't say "I'm the shit draft me #1" then it must be true: NFL personnel---coaches, GMs, owners, media---still hate on the black QB. As if the success of Moon, Cunningham, Culpepper, McNabb, McNair, etc. weren't enough to convince folks that blacks can make excellent QBs. Sure, VY has stoked suspicion by not working out at the combines, but come on, this is absurd. Also, athletes are allowed to and routinely retake the test and VY scored a respectable 16 the seccond time, higher than what Marino scored in his day. But of course, only the unsubstantiated score of 6 on the first go around makes the headlines.

LOVE
ALEX

BASEBALL

2006-02-24T08:42:00.000-08:00

Oh man can you smell that? For real? Can you smell that? The chalk, dirt, fresh cut grass? Baseball's just around the corner and my Mets will repeat as World Series Champions. That's right, RE-PEAT. WOO HOO! WOO HOO! That they didn't make the playoffs last year didn't stop them from becoming World Champs. That's called heart baby, heart.

LOVE
ALEX

Winging it at work...

2006-02-22T11:11:00.000-08:00

This is a blog post from work. I'm taking a breather, and as I'm not a smoker, this seemed like a good alternative. I have funny phone calls to make in a little, as part of my job. Funny in that I have no idea what I'm talking about. Hopefully everyone on the other end of the line will not know that i'm clueless. - Eric

Tagged...

2006-02-20T17:52:00.000-08:00

So, weeks ago, MEL tagged me... with the four meme. I am not planning to tag anyone else. It ends with me. I'm the kinda guy who ends chain letters. I mean, they have to end somewhere, right?

So, here goes:

Four Jobs I’ve Had:
Paralegal
Rabbi's Secretary
Landscaper
Data Entry Temp

Four Movies I Can Watch Over and Over:
Rushmore
HUD
North By Northwest
The Long Goodbye

Four TV Shows I Love to Watch:
Alex and I don't have cable in L.A., but here are tv shows I've enjoyed in the past:
Iron Chef
Saved By The Bell
Beyond 2000
Sifl & Olly

Four Places I’ve Been on Vacation (note: i've only been outside the U.S.A. to go to the Caribbean. Have not yet left this hemisphere. I have not seen London. I have not seen France. I have not seen your underpants):
Bermuda (I turned 14 and got a nickel stuck up my nose while doing a magic trick to amuse my sisters)
Bahamas (It was cold)
D.R. (Club Med in Punta Cana has been a family vacation many times...)
P.R. (like New Jersey on an island. If you like fast food, traffic jams, and concrete instead of nature, this is the Caribbean getaway for you. But I've heard if you leave San Juan, there's some really nice areas. I didn't ever see those).

Four Favorite Dishes:
Creamy Spicy Crab at Nobu
Poached Pears
Stella's Chicken
Mom's Potatoes

Four Websites I Visit Daily:
Jalopnik.com
Pitchforkmedia.com
indiewire.com
Defamer.com

Four Places I’d Rather Be Right Now:
At Epcot Center, in Spaceship Earth...
Yeah Shanghai on Bayard with all of my New York friends
Home in Connecticut, having dinner with my family
Austin, Texas 'til last call with Jorge, Jake & Paul

So there you have it. Now you know the real Eric. I didn't go into work today. Long weekends are the gift that keep giving. Here's a 4 day workweek. And then E-Hals arrives! Mark my words: There Will Be Kiriko. - Eric

sunday morning brings the dawn in...

2006-02-19T09:52:00.000-08:00

Brothers and Sisters,

Pitchfork linked to the new Prince track off his upcoming album: "Black Sweat" in Real Audio...

Not much to report. Friday night, J-Lebs and I met up post-sunset to engage in some rock-the-shabbos antics & maneuvers. First, we met up with D-Frank (and her parents; everyone seems to have parents in town this weekend, it's like parents' weekend in Los Angeles...) at The Improv. We saw Sarah Silverman, Drew Carey and a grumpy headliner, sorta upset that most people weren't there to see him. I liked an early comic in the evening named Joe Wong.... After the laughter, J-Lebs and I headed to Thai town, to go to the Thai nightclub/restaurant next to Jumbo's. The food there is good, but I feel like we mis-ordered and got boring stuff. I'm sure there's exciting stuff on the menu we missed...

Yesterday, I cleaned my room, did laundry, mailed stuff out to people, went to the bank, and ran other errands. Then last night, I met up with J-Lebs again and some film industry friends of his for dinner at a little sushi place on Melrose. I started doing my standup comedy routine I'd done in the shower in the morning, and it didn't go off as well at dinner. It still needs some fine tuning... Then the four of us went to a party that was 20 guys sitting in a room, playing Beer Pong. Also present were chicken wings and many 30 packs of light beer. Television was on, alternating between "Trapped in the Closet: Ch. 1-12" and The Olympics... As the party got rowdy, I felt tired, so left around midnight. I drove home through rainy Los Angeles, blasting "The Carpenters" through my stereo...

The new Rosanne Cash album, "Black Cadillac" is worth checking out. I've been playing it for anyone who'll listen. "The World Unseen" has lyrics that feel like a hammer against a heart. It's a flawed album in a lot of ways, production seems a little too hip and slick, but man, if you want some emotion brought forth by music, it's worth the listen.

I'm starting another improv class at UCB which begins today. Off to get breakfast before. - Eric

NETFLIX

2006-02-16T10:32:00.000-08:00

I don't know what to do about you Netflix. Cancel or continue? 3 at a time or maybe just one?

LOVE
ALEX

A unexpectedly long weekend...

2006-02-13T05:58:00.000-08:00

Brothers and Sisters,
My flight left Burbank airport at 4pm on Friday. By 2am on Saturday, I was home in Connecticut. I got some sleep and then headed with my family to my cousin's Bar-Mitzvah. Was great to see family there, despite being so tired... Bar Mitzvah boy, no lying, took his bass guitar up to the stage and jammed with the band, doing a pretty rockin' cover of Clapton's "Cocaine". Those of us in the crowd who recognized the song, looked around, trying to make eye contact with each other, trying to figure out if this was indeed happening... And yes, it was. His friends were cheering, and while my uncle might be somewhat upset, my cousin just made himself the coolest B'nai Mitzvah kid ever... Or at least the coolest one in Westchester County.
Saturday, the snow began to fall on the East Coast. The plan to go into the city was cancelled. I ended up driving to Greenwich with my high school friend, Adam. On our way to dinner, he asks, "Have you ever seen the parking garage?". His eyes light up when it's apparent that I have no idea what he's talking about. To preface this, let me reiterate: I am a car guy. I'm not a pro sports guy... I'm not into hunting or fishing... It's one of the few things I can be macho about: knowing all sorts of useless info on fancy cars that accelerate faster and cost more than any car really should... Adam and I park by a nice office building in Greenwich, and proceed to walk down the ramp into an underground parking garage. We come around a corner. There are six Bentley/Rolls Royces. Nice, but Adam tells me there's more. We walk down another level or two. The underground parking garage is cavernous. My jaw drops. There are about 100 cars, about half of them vintage, and some of them very rare. There's a car that there are only 100 of in the world, and there were 2 of them in there. About a dozen Ferraris, about sixty Rolls Royces and Bentleys... I think there was only one Porsche. And a lot of these cars were covered in dust, like year's worth of dust. You don't need a pass to get into the garage. The cars are just sitting there. If you and I ever go steady, and I take you home with me to Connecticut to meet the parents, I'll take you to see the Greenwich parking garage where overpriced cars secretly sit, collecting dust.
Dinner is at a restaurant (Gingerbread Man?) that specializes in Belgian Beers. We have oysters. We have mussels. Yes, we also have beer. It's nice to know there's a place in Connecticut that has all of my favorite beers available. We go into a bar called Blue for some drinks. Then, we walk around a quiet downtown Greenwich for a while as the snow falls. There are stops for drinks in South Norwalk (a bar that looked like a good place to have a fight in a shitty action movie, lots of banisters to fall through, a big dancefloor for a heavily populated punch/kick marathon...) and then in Stamford (some place filled with greaseball dudes which struck me as the sort of place that's the coolest bar in a shitty city). My parents call repeatedly. When I get home, they are there with aspirin and bottled water. Thank the lord. The headache on Sunday morning could've been much worse.
Sunday is yesterday. Can't leave the house 'cause there's so much snow. My flight is cancelled so I try to figure out the quickest way back to Los Angeles. Here it is: At 8pm tonight, I fly from Boston to Las Vegas. The next flight out of Vegas isn't until 6am (to LAX, my car is at Burbank... Groan.), so I'll be in Vegas for six hours. Will I wait around at the airport or check into a hotel and try to get some shut-eye? No. Because that'd be the boring choice. I'm planning to head to the strip, lose a hundred dollars in an Elvis Presley themed slot machine, and then treat myself to a shitty 4am breakfast. From LAX tomorrow morning, I'm taking a cab to Burbank where I'll pick up my car and then, tired as all-hell, drive to work. The earliest flight directly to LAX I could get from NY or Boston is Wednesday so this seemed like the best choice. Adam's driving me to Boston this morning. I'm off to get ready. Be well, Eric

"Good Doctor" is not the new Lazy Sunday... Nontheless...

2006-02-09T06:58:00.000-08:00

I've not been posting a lot lately. Work is busy. We have a film coming out this Friday in New York and L.A. that I'm very happy to be working on (at least on the distribution side). Here's a link.
I'll be in New York Saturday night. Plans are up in the air. I think 8pm, I'll be hitting Pearl Oyster Bar with Martha, who sent me this link to a funny clip I hadn't seen yet. I get e-mails with funny video links about once a week now. Back when I was in college, people really seemed to only e-mail each other funny (usually not very funny) photos and stuff you got over and over and over again (por ejemplo, the "peep delta" mp3).
In the days before the internet, how did people show co-workers/friends something funny? Did they send a super 8 reel via carrier pigeon? Did they have to draw a picture and send it via pneumatic tube networks? Did they just have to describe it: "Oh you had to be there; Jack Benny made me laugh so hard I vomited! True story!"
Alex really liked the sushi at Asenabo. Kiriko still is tops for me out here. Asenabo is very good but is not as fun as Kiriko or Mori. Asenabo can cut a dungeness crab into like 45 pieces and make it looks really cool, which is impressive. Anyway, there's still plenty of great/expensive L.A. sushi joints to try. Anyone try Sushi Sushi?
I made pasta earlier in the week and have been eating leftovers every night. Nothing fancy, but pretty good and cheap... I might do the same next week.
Trying to decide what to get my cousin for his bar mitzvah present... Archie McPhee merch is too silly... A fancy pen is too serious. An ipod is too predictable (and a little pricey)... A subscription to Playboy would upset my uncle immensely... I might just get him supercool Grado headphones... Yes, I think that's it... Although the hot dog cooker/bun toaster from Hammacher Schlemmer always seems like a funny gift...
I'm at work. And am tired. Time for coffee! - Eric

THE THUMB

2006-02-08T08:41:00.000-08:00

It's amazing how infantalizing it is when your thumb's out of commission as my left one's been since the trip up to Mammoth. After a week of not doing anything about the chubby, I decided---w/ encouragement from KV et al.---to go to Health Services and get it checked out. The x-rays were negative thankfully. Just a bad sprain. The clinician wrapped my hand with an Ace bandage. I took it off that night and haven't been able to wrap it the same way since. Everything is made difficult without a thumb. Like unscrewing the cap of a large ass bottle of olive oil. Like clicking in a seatbelt. Like writing notes in class (though for me, it's not a big deal as my handwriting's weak). Like scrubbing your scalp good.

What it doesn't ruin is the pleasure of eating jerk pork with a good friend at Cha Cha Cha.

LOVE
ALEX

Everyone knows it's Windy!

2006-02-04T12:53:00.000-08:00

Okay,
So in a post a while ago aboutThe Association, I talked about the song, Windy. It's always been a song I've enjoyed very very much. And today, Ruthann Friedman Carlisle, the writer of one of the most joy-filled songs ever, commented on that older post. I don't know how she found it (Google, I'd assume), but I'm glad she did. I'm looking forward to checking out her re-released album,
Constant Companion when it drops on CD for the first time two weeks from Tuesday...
Sorta related: As a kid, growing up listening to classic rock and oldies stations, I thought it was "Wendy" until I bought the Association's greatest hits in 8th grade...
Song I've enjoyed most this week: "Galaxies" by Laura Veirs.
All for now. Be well. Be good. - Eric

Hello, Stranger!

2006-02-03T16:30:00.000-08:00

Brothers and sisters,
It's been a while... All is well. I am alive. Los Angeles is warm during the days, yet I still walk around at lunchtime wearing a corduroy jacket. Why? Because in the evenings, Franklin Hills is rightly cold, and my thermostat is confused.
Work has been overwhelming, as of late. But it's okay, as it's a really exciting time to be at my division. Our new film comes out next week and I'm really proud to be working on such pretty cinema.
Tonight, Alex, Kat, Hil and I are going to Norman's in Sunset Plaza. I ate at the Norman's in Miami about a year ago, and am excited to have more of Norman Van Aken's dishes. (Yes, I will have the french toast w/ foie gras if they've got it.)
Other than that, weekend plans are minimal. Workfriend might be having a superbowl party for people like me who aren't into sports. The idea is to mute the game, and just watch the commercials. I've asked if I can bring anything, but have been told they've got everything. Everything? Ha. I bet they don't have the coolest beverage of the year... Night Thunder!
I'm in New York on 2/11. I'll be partying the night away. Please join me. And then E-Hals comes to visit on 2/16. Onward to adventure and omakase! - Eric

SUSHI IN LA

2006-02-02T09:35:00.000-08:00

Add another to the list! It's sorta getting ridiculous how good the sushi is in LA. (Mind you, Eric and I have barely scratched the surface too.) A couple of nights ago, Eric, GKirsch (slice visiting from NYC), and I drove up to Studio City and ate a HUGE meal at ASANEBO on Ventura. Driving along Ventura in GK's Ford EXPEDITION rental---I'm telling you, that SUV is HUGE---we must've passed 10 raw fish temples. These places are all great apparently and they are all situated in crummy strip malls. We were starving and didn't want to bother with the menu so we ordered omakase which is definitely the way to do it in LA. Never been disappointed: the chef always knows better than I.
Though Eric is a HUGE champion of Kiriko on the Westside, I have to say that Asanebo is just as good and also closer to us. We had ridiculously fresh razor clam, kampachi w/ jalepeno, blue fin tuna sashi, the most best agedashi tofu in world, snapper, and delicious toro sushi. And priced just right. As much as I love food in NYC, I don't think I'll ever eat sushi there again (except if someone's willing to take me to MASA)
Best Sushi in LA (thus far):
1. Mori
2. Asanebo
3. Kiriko
4. Matsuhisa
5. Sasabune
6. Koi (it's actually tasty stuff)
7. Nozawa

LOVE
ALEX

NY TIMES ARTICLE

2006-01-31T09:21:00.000-08:00

That article today in the Arts Section? About USC film school? Here's what should've been quoted:
Q.
A. David Arnosk...Aronosky...Arofsky...His name escapes me right now but, in any case, he was the genius behind "Requiem for a Dream." I saw that when I was 20. It blew my effing mind! I knew right then that I wanted to make visually arresting movies about real people doing real things to each other a lot. The scene that really convinced me that a movie can be a work of art is the one where Jennifer Connelly gets a baseball bat shoved up her...well, if you haven't seen it, you got to Netflix it. It's awesome. So's the rest of the movie. Really really real. Really.
Q.
A. Probably "Crash." Again, so real. Easily the best film of the year. I want to make movies like that; not trite piffle like "Munich." By the way, Spielberg is such a sentimental hack. When's he gonna get real? Anyway, I want to make real character-driven films that deal with real issues like race and stuff. In a word: drama, capital D. That's why I'm at film school because you know, I'm a human being and as a human being that interacts with other human beings on a daily basis---at school and in life--- I can't help but care about other human beings. Their lives, you know? Like in "Crash." God, thinking about that film makes me tingle. Don Cheadle is so good. I'd take him over Denzel any day.
Q.
A. I'll pay it off when my screenplay gets sold.
Q.
A. I'm juggling a few ideas but right now, the one I'm most into is a character-driven ensemble coming-of-age musical about a down and out heterosexual who finds love in the unlikeliest of all places: outer space. I googled some terms, so I'm pretty sure it's a story that hasn't been done before. My dad's half-sister's neighbor's dog walker's acting coach's manicurist's homosexual friend used to wait tables at Koi so he knows some agents who'd be interested in taking a look. It's all about who you know, you know?
Q.
A. Life's not fair. To be honest, I know most of us won't make it. That's just the truth.
Q.
A. Because, well, I'm confident that I have what it takes. USC has nurtured me and continues to do so. The faculty's world class and the students are all really smart. And they're so nice. But most of all, it's because really, despite the "reality ends here" sloganeering, reality does matter and I'm engaged in that. Hello? 9/11?
Q.
A. Alex Chung? Off the record?
Q.
A. Well, not to burn bridges, but between you and me, he's a huge

LOVE
ALEX

JAMMED THUMB

2006-01-30T11:19:00.000-08:00

Suffered one minor injury over the weekend: a jammed thumb. It's oh two times fatter than it normally is. A chubby. Chubby. Chubby. Chubby.

And I don't know what the hell happened, but I've been trying to unclog a toilet for like 2 hours. Oops.

LOVE
ALEX

MAMMOTH

2006-01-27T10:34:00.000-08:00

Gone skiing! With church friends!
I've been hemming and hawing the past few years about purchasing a helmet. I thought this would be the year but it's not. Maybe I'll just don a friend's bicycle helmet and make do.
Have a sweeet weekend.

LOVE
ALEX

GETTIN' ON

2006-01-23T08:49:00.000-08:00

Friday morning, I spoke to my parents who are visiting Korea. They met with the doctor who supervised the battery of tests I underwent a month ago. My mother gave me the basic run down:
1. I have above average levels of mercury in my blood. I should stop eating salmon/tuna for a while and switch to mackerel. (unlikely to happen as mackerel is too oily for me to cook at home unless I want to spend the rest of my life scrubbing stovetops. Plus, I have 5 salmon filets in the freezer that I ain't gonna throw away just because there's poison coursing through me right NOW.)
2. I should cut back on coffee to one cup a day because my bone density/calcium levels are low/depleted. (that too is unlikely as I am addicted to coffee. Plus, I consume calcium rich foods like an osteoporotic nana!)
3. I have to eat less pork and eggs because my cholesterol levels, though fine, need to be minded. (GET OUT OF TOWN! Ain't no way I'm giving up speck, lardo, pork belly, pig's feet, prosciutto, scrambled eggs in the morning, Jean Georges' soft boiled egg with creme fraiche and caviar, WD-50's 58 minute poached egg in parmesan broth, no way no way NO WAY!)
4. I should eat more greens. (I consume greens like no one else's business. just let me cook for you and you'll see, or you can just look at my black deuces some time.)
Saturday night I took an old high school friend out to dinner for his 27th birthday. At one point in the evening, he told me one of our other friends from high school is sick (it's not a cold). Then this morning, I woke up and my legs weren't working right probably due to the fact that I didn't stretch after playing 2 hours of ultimate yesterday.
All four---test results, 27th birthday, sickness, creaky joints/sore muscles---confirm what I've been dreading for a few years now: we're getting on. 27 wasn't a big deal for JMandel, but for me, when I turn 27 in a few months, I'm most definitely going on the walk of reassessment. It's more a physical thing, getting old that is. Mentally I still feel like a 12 year old, which is coooooooooooooool.

LOVE
ALEX

Thundertrain vs. Trainbird vs. Night Thunder

2006-01-19T19:32:00.000-08:00

Here's the deal...

Dave came to town. Friday night, we Omakase'd at Kiriko. Dave picked up dinner! That was amazing... We drank and drank and drank... I fell asleep on the couch of his hotel room and woke up with a vicious headache. Praise be to Gatorade. Dave and I grabbed breakfast with J4-Hart and A-Scards. Then after driving A-Scards home and J4-Hart to her hotel, Dave and I embarked on a mission. In a liquor store on Pico, we purchased a bottle of Thunderbird and a bottle of Night Train. We went back to Dave's hotel room (1 in the afternoon), put Guns N' Roses on repeat, cranked up the volume and proceeded to the mix the two disgusting beverages into one. Like Peanut Butter & Jelly, French Fries & Ketchup, Simon & Garfunkel, this is an amazing pairing. But what to call it?

Dave's vote: Thundertrain
My vote: Night Thunder
J4-Hart's vote (that doesn't count 'cause she wasn't actually present during the birthing of our creation*): Train Bird

The photos are, predictably, kinda silly:

It's probably the longest I've hung out with Dave one-on-one since high school... And it was just a fantastic weekend... After a post-Thundertrain nap, we headed to Alegria in Silverlake for dinner... We then tried to go to a friend's birthday party but finding parking proved difficult, so we ended up stopping by the nearby Jumbo's Clown Room (which is a tiny dive bar that has a stage where burlesque dancers shake it like a polaroid picture; Courtney Love apparently worked here in the days before Kurt, and before recording the yes-I-think-it's awesome "Celebrity Skin" album...) After seeing a lady in a bikini dance to The Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want", Dave and I headed back to the westside. We parked the car at the hotel, and then I proceeded to drink too much gin before falling asleep on the couch. I woke up on Sunday and the sun was shining bright! We guzzled water and aspirin, headed to Doughboys, had breakfast, and then just hung out in Santa Monica and wandered around Japanese markets on Sawtelle before I drove him to the airport.

I always get sad after dropping people off at the airport. Who doesn't? So I drove home, went to sleep, woke up and went to a dinner in honor of J4-Hart, in for the weekend from New York. Cobras & Matadors is a tapas place that has a great wine store next door, but honestly, if you like small plates, I highly recommend hitting up A.O.C. instead... Got to see a bunch of people I don't see enough (A-Scards, J-Leb, A-Nicks, Spragooey, etc.)... There was some karaoke, but I was pretty tired...

And here comes something you didn't see coming: No work on Monday. Schlebs and I decided to head to lunch... Parking my car, I scraped some guy's bumper. Should I drive away and flee the scene of the crime? I considered it, but ultimately left a note with my name, phone number and e-mail, saying I'd cover the repair costs. This kinda sucks, but maybe I'll be more careful parking now. Mostly, I'm just proud of myself for leaving the note. And at least i scratched the bumper of a honda civic and not something ridiculous like a bugatti veyron or ferrari enzo or a pagani zonda or whatever... I'm guessing it'll be around 300... No dent to bumper, just needs to be re-painted.... Anyone else have a guess about how much my lousy parking job will cost me?

"Paralegal" is down to 14:50. I've cut out a lot. Just showed Schlebs the most recent cut and she liked it; which makes me feel really happy... Just gotta find a place in L.A. to record ADR and do the sound mix so I can finish this shizz... Anyone have any good experience with not-too-expensive sound mixing dudes out here?

Alright, going out to dinner with my cousin. Everyone be well, Eric

* So it's clear, J4-Hart was the one to first bring together the Absolut Vanilla and Dr. Brown's Cream soda... a drink we all (we all being me and that dude writing his disseration on the rise & fall of M.C. Nuggets) now know as "The Flux Capacitor".

CHINA

2006-01-19T11:45:00.000-08:00

Man, is China the next America or vice versa? So Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and a few other tech/web companies have willfully complied with the Chinese government in its attempt to silence dissent. Blogs, newsgroups, etc., have been shutdown and/or censored. Some Chinese have been thrown in jail. The decisions these US-based multinationals make are morally questionable but as we've seen the past few years, ethics and business ain't got jack to do with each other.
Then, we've got the Bush Adminstration breaking the law with its whole domestic wiretapping scheme that's not so much about finding leads---as the NYTimes reported a few days ago, the info that's been fed to the FBI has been pretty worthless---as it is an obvious excuse to spy on journalists, lawyers, and dissenters (i.e. librarians and UCLA professors!).
Hey, at least we don't live in Cuba right?
Of course the Chinese have it far worse off than we do, but then again, we really haven't been that beacon of democracy that we need to be if true reform is to take place in China.

LOVE
ALEX

MATHIEU ALMALRIC

2006-01-17T11:37:00.000-08:00

This brilliant French actor is featured in the two best films of the year: KINGS & QUEEN and MUNICH. In K&A, he plays a slightly off cellist who's been in and out of mental hospitals. In one random albeit wonderful sequence, he breakdances in front of his fellow mental hospital patients. It's impressive stuff. Hilarious. Rife with life. And in MUNICH, he plays Louie, a shadowy French informant who sells Avner (a soulful Eric Bana) information regarding the whereabouts of his targets. His performance is subtle, elusive. He has very black eyes which allow him to toe the ambiguity-line quite convincingly. I don't know, but there's just something about his face and height that make him immensely watchable.

So, I've just about seen everything I want to see except THE NEW WORLD & THE INTRUDER (comes out in March over here in we-hate-subtitles-Los-Angeles (not true, but still, come on, THE INTRUDER is a major work by a major filmmaker and so, should've come out the same time it did in NYC)). It was a pretty excellent year for foreign films and a career year for Spielberg who's shown in 2005 that there isn't an American filmmaker that comes close to touching him. Not a one.

LOVE
ALEX

CULINARY GOAL

2006-01-13T12:01:00.000-08:00

I'm not one for mixing and matching too many different ingredients together when I cook. A typical dinner for three I prepared recently:
PROTEIN: broiled flank steak marinated in lime juice seasoned with dry herbs, kosher salt, pepper
VEGETABLE: sauteed spinach with garlic, olive oil, rock salt
VEGETABLE: sauteed chanterelles mushrooms with shallots, olive oil, rock salt, pepper
CARB: half loaf of fresh whole grain bread
FAT: double creme brie
DRINK: chianti

I enjoy eating simply at home but this year, I'm gonna try to perform some straight up alchemy. A feast I see in the near future:
PROTEIN: braised pig's feet stuffed with fennel and foie gras (ARoss had something like this at Au Pied de Cochon in Montreal and said it was dope)
VEGETABLE: roasted asparagus with capers and eggs
VEGETABLE: radicchio with guanciale and rosemary
CARB: truffle mashed red potatoes (skin on)
FAT: butter flown in from Thomas Keller's French Laundry
DRINK: a really weighty Cabernet to cut through the swine and goose liver.

Any takers?

LOVE
ALEX

HOLDEN CAULFIELD = I'M NOT TAKING THIS CLASS

2006-01-10T10:25:00.000-08:00

Thanks to BJ for that bit of humor. See, last night, I attended my writing class and much to my and BJ's disappointment, it was chock-full of sycophantic knuckleheads that were not in our section from last semester. I think the three other guys who were in my class last Fall and had to suffer alongside BJ and I last night probably harbor similarly negative sentiments viz. the unfunny dorks. Lots of old and tired and gag-inducing red state blue state jokes. Lawd I can't stand those jokes anymore. Then this one guy was stupid enough to mention Holden Caulfield and tell us how he modeled his protagonist after him. That was BAD. What was worse was the nods of approval he received from his fellow morons. Holden Caulfield? HOLDEN CAULFIELD! First off, that book is wack. I tried reading it after college and lawd was it shit. Second, Holden Caulfield is wack. WHAT A LOSER. 13 year olds can empathize with H.C. because all 13 year olds are losers but man oh man if you think there's still any sort of affinity between you and the catcher in the rye when you're in your mid 20s, then you are a bigger loser than you were at 13! So basically, there are a bunch of schmos in this writing class who don't read books and are not funny and if you don't read and ain't funny, then you deserve to eat ass that's just loosed logs.

On a positive note, KVondy and I caught BREAKFAST ON PLUTO. Really excellent and that Cillian Murphy! I wish there were subtitles in some scenes, especially those with Brendan Gleeson. His Irish brogue is unintelligible. But the film is so well directed that it didn't really bother me that much in the end.

LOVE
ALEX

HERE WE GO

2006-01-09T09:42:00.000-08:00

It's Monday, the first day of the new semester. I hope this semester will be light in comparison to the three previous ones. Goal: polish decent drafts of both screenplays and submit the indier one to the Sundance Labs and then cross fingers. In terms of school work, have fun, pass, and not get stressed I guess. The past two months, I've woken up nearly every morning with a sore jaw, the result of nocturnal grindage of teeths. Several people have attributed it to stress though for the life of me, I can't figure out what could possibly be stressing me out. Sure, I've worried about my future on occasion, but honestly, not often enough to feel like that would be the root of problem. But anyway, less stress I guess.
Oh, last night, ELane, Hil, and I caught BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN. Liked it a lot. A guy came into the theater wearing a straight up for real cowboy hat. Go figure.

LOVE
ALEX

The price of stamps goes up...

2006-01-09T09:02:00.000-08:00

Do you have a bunch of 37 cent stamps sitting around?
Better get around to buying some 2 cent stamps!
The cost of sending a 1oz letter in the U.S. just went up to 39 cents!
Why can't the Post Office have their price increases yield nicer looking numbers?
Honestly, 40 or 50 cents would be fine with me. Especially if it meant a longer delay before the next price increase.
This is gonna have such little effect on my life that I'm not even sure why I'm writing about it. I just had no idea these price increases were coming. The 39 cent stamp thing isn't gonna throw me into financial hardship, but just wanted to make the readers of this blog aware, in case they are as unaware as I am of such boring news. - Eric

P.S. My ipod came. It is now plugged into my Bose ipod dock at my cubicle desk. Now listening to "Strange Little Girl" by the Stranglers. I like listening to music at work sans headphones. How long will this last before someone puts in a formal complaint (comments-on-coworkers-suggestion-box) or they move me into an office (read: storage closet) that keeps my co-workers shielded/safe from getting tortured by the incredibly huge 51 track "The Association Anthology: Just the Right Sound". I've been listening to it a lot lately. "Never My Love" is great, but the fantastic "Windy" is easily capable of driving people insane.

GOTTA GAIN IT BACK

2006-01-06T10:22:00.000-08:00

So I'm back in very sunny very warm LA and it is good. I had a good time in Asia though I would've had more fun and seen more were it not for the fact that I was ill 19 of the 21 days spent across the Pacific.
I fought through most of yesterday and lasted much longer than I thought I would but I suspect at some point this afternoon, I will be taking a very long nap.
I have a lot to get done before school's back in session on Monday. Tops on the list is to see everything that's in the theaters. Second is to gain back the 5 pounds or so I lost due to my illness and the small portions of the meals back East. For some, coming back from vacation a little lighter would be a good thing but when you're shooting for Mr. Universe in 2020, well, that just won't cut it.

LOVE
ALEX

the rock song i was making up while driving home from santa barbara last week went like this:

2006-01-05T17:07:00.000-08:00

one was in the army! one was in the navy!
one made candy canes! the other delivered babies!
one has a beard, the other has no hair on his head.
one is named george, the other's name is Fred.

Chorus:
My grandfathers! My grandfathers are wonderful men!
I hope I grow up to be just like them!

- Eric

my ipod is en route from Shanghai...

2006-01-05T10:41:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to share,
I've had an ipod shuffle for a bit of time. I've bitten the bullet and purchased a video ipod. It arrives next week from China (shipped out yesterday). The engraving is going to read:

Nuggets, Keep rhyming!
Keep smiling! Love, 2pac

With love from my cubicle, Eric

Rough Cut. Check.

2006-01-05T00:51:00.000-08:00

Monday, I had no power in the house. With Alex gallavanting around Asia, I had nobody to send out in search of firewood, so I ventured out into the wilds of Hollywood, where I saw "Munich" and then "King Kong". "Munich" worked for me... I admire the movie a lot, and was pulled in the whole time... That movie has a lot to say; a friend compared it to an opening salvo in Spielberg's fight for peace...

Work is back in full swing... (I worked a couple of days last week) but it's pretty busy... I have to wake up at 6:30 tomorrow, and here I am at damn near 1 am, caffeinated, having just finished the rough cut/assemblage of "Paralegal". It's gonna be a 12-15 minute short film eventually, I hope. Right now, it's a cringe-worthy 19. At least it's shorter than the F-de-Saugatuck 35 minute rough cut...

There's a lot of anger and weirdness in "Paralegal". I hope it gets into festivals and makes people cry. I have no idea what this movie is about, except my sadness related to being a paralegal for 3 years of my life. Anyone wanna come over, watch the flick and gimme some feedback?

- Eric

88 WONG MA KOK

2006-01-02T03:50:00.000-08:00

Hong Kong. A sweet sojourn. A welcomed respite. I am such a glutton. Hollerluyeah for good genes.
I went to HK to run an errand for my dad. Basically, he wanted me to cover the outdoor furniture on the roof decks of the condo he owns with these custom made rubbers that he had me bring over from Korea. That was the reason but for me, it was an opportunity to get some sun and eat some kill-ah chinese food with some friends. That I did. We are talking elephantine shits.
But first, my dad's place. It's out on Stanley Island. Very nice location: remote, serene, right on the water. It's about a 30 minute drive from Central. Very windy (not windy, windy) roads and drivers there---taxi drivers, minibus drivers, bus drivers, my dad's friend---well, the word reckless doesn't exist in their vocabulary (though you figure it would considering the shitload of characters that are in use these days). So yeah, every time I'd commute to and fro, I'd get car sick. Plus folks there drive on the left side of the road so that was just sweat...sweet.
Yeah, so my dad's place: ridiculous. Brobdingnagian (sp probably). No one really lives there so it felt more like a museum than a residence. And being preserved like that, all the furniture and sheets and blankets and pillows etc. etc. reeked of that awful chemical odor that at first tells you that the thing that smells like that is new, but after awhile of rolling around and sitting on and sleeping in the things that smell like that, well, motherfucker done gave me a splitting headache!Two times! Other than that, it was nice not having to talk to anyone in the morning.

I met up with a fellow SCer who treated me to the following:
1) xiao long bao (soup dumplings)
2) shanghainese rice cakes
3) fried eel crackers
4) dan dan noodles
5) vegetable dim sum
6) wine soaked chicken
7) ma po tofu (spicy bean curd with pork)
8) steamed milk with 2 films served hot
9) mango and taro tapioca in milk

It was actually quite funny eating items 1-7 in one sitting. The two couples on either side of us on the 6-seat table ordered at most 3 dishes between them, but William and I, being gluttons/gourmands/epicureans/ASSHOLES, well we just had to get everything. (and I don't want to mention the lunch my dad's friend took me out to early that day: whoa.) All of the above were delicious though the Chinese in LA do a fine job as well.

The next day, I walked around Causeway Bay, Central, Lan Kwai Fong, Soho, and Kowloon before meeting up with ETing (that's for you BTalbs!) for dinner. I had visited Hong Kong 4 years ago so I soaked up the sights then but it was nice to walk around and see how much had changed in the past 4 years. Restaurants that I had gone to then are no longer there but the tailor shop in the Mid-Levels Escalator terminus was still thriving. The major difference is that there were more Chinese tourists than before. You can tell them apart because the men all wear grey suit jackets and have greasy short hair and the women carry around LV, Chanel, Balenciaga etc., shopping bags. For lunch, I hopped into a random noodle shop that was packed. They had an English menu, but it was obvious that their customers were exclusively Chinese. I ordered noodles with tripe and tendon. It was delicious. The tripe and tendon were cut generously. The tripe was amazing tender, sort of like the stewed tripe you'd get at an Italian restaurant, and the tendon was like eating warm stiff jello. Actually, those were two of the more conservatives meat items available. I'd had congealed blood and intestine before, but I don't particularly care for either. Surprise.

ETing is an old NY friend. She took me where young professional HKers like to go: AQUA. It's on the 30th floor of some building in Kowloon and as you can imagine, the view of the harbor was terrific. It has a club feel not dissimilar from Matsuri or Koi. The menu was split into Italian and Japanese. Weird combo. Overpriced and not particularly tasty but the view and the company made it well worth it. It was great to catch up with her over a huge ass scoop of gelato after dinner.

The next day, I met up with a nice lady who's family developed the condo complex as well as heads an international hotel chain. She treated me to a ridiculous dim sum breakfast at one of her family's hotels in Causeway Bay. Dim sum I've never seen before. Like this fried miniature gourd that was to die for.

GOD I LOVE THE CHINESE AND THEIR FOOD!

LOVE
ALEX

Feliz Dos-y-Seis!

2006-01-01T11:45:00.000-08:00

2006 arrived in Los Feliz!

I should lie and tell you how amazing my New Year's Eve was.

The truth is, I got food poisoning, stayed home and watched "Breakfast at Tiffany's". At midnight, I could see fireworks going off all over the city. Not only that, but I could hear gunshots going off in the distance. Apparently, those stories of people in Los Angeles shooting guns straight up into the air on New Year's Eve are true stories. Scary. Regardless, it was, aside from being sick, a really nice evening to just sit back and think about the good & bad of 2005...

Yesterday, I watched "Labyrinth" with Shlebs. It's weirder than I remembered. Schlebs's neighbors have a one-eyed cat that was super friendly. But first, pre-David-Bowie-w/-Axl's-Welcome-To-The-Jungle-Coiffure, we had lunch at Musso & Frank's, which is a lot like PJ Clarke's mixed with Sardi's. I recommend it highly. I do not recommend the hot corned beef sandwich at all. The Club Sandwich however, was stellar that one other time I ate there...

Today, I'm feeling exhausted, despite doing close to nothing last night. I've been editing "Paralegal" and it's looking like the first cut might break the half-hour mark. How am I gonna cut this down to something watchable? Maybe someone out there would like to give feedback on the rough cut?

I'm going on a long walk now (sort of a New Year's tradition) to reflect on the past year, and what I can do to make 2006 as wonderful a year as possible. Happy 2006! - Eric

P.S. You're my boy, Blue!

Beck does a so-so Nick...

2005-12-28T17:50:00.000-08:00

If you go to www.beck.com, and just wait 15 seconds or so, music will emerge automatically from your computer. It's so-so covers of Nick Drake songs by Beck. Anyway, if you move your cursor to the upper-right of the beck.com mainpage, a jukebox of sorts will drop down and you can choose which to listen to. There are also some of the Guero remixes from Guerolito, a recent Beck release I haven't picked up... A beck release has been out for over 2 weeks and Eric hasn't bought it? Yep. Mind you, if there was a Midnite Vultures remix album, I'd be all about it...

The last few days, I have embarked on legendary adventures which will be passed down as great stories through the generations. Details to follow. Of the Saturday-Tuesday adventures:
I ran a stop sign.
Las Vegas Airport is not the happiest place on earth on Christmas Eve.
Chateau Marmont is a great place to party.
Solvang, CA is like a Danish theme park with zero rides, but plenty of tasty pancakes.
Santa Barbara is as beautiful as people describe it.
Wine can & will turn your teeth and lips purple.
Little dogs (the ones that go in purses),despite being smaller than most cats, still have an instinct to attack.
If you ever drive fake-boobed girls in their mid-30's home from Chateau Marmont back to their Brentwood digs, don't let them touch your stereo.
Chosun Galbee is so spicy, you just might blow your ass out.
Steve McQueen Exhibit at Petersen Car Museum can make grown men cry.
D-Frank & A-Rose are awesome wonderful people who live life as it's meant to be lived.
Dudes can drink champagne.
Nick Cave look-alikes aren't always as cool as Nick Cave.
Rod Stewart impersonators look just like Rod Stewart.
Canter's Deli is fun for a Chanukah meal... but Gefilte Fish should remain a Pesach only dish.
If you get home at 3am, the 5am drive to the airport comes so quickly, you feel stupid for that hour and a half of shut-eye.
"No thanks, I think I'll just have another glass of water" is a perfect way to respond to the most vulgar thing anyone has ever said to/offered you.
Grilled pregnant sardines don't delight all palates (namely mine).
When in the Las Vegas airport and you put 20 dollars in a slot machine and hit a 200 dollar jackpot on Christmas Eve (thus covering the cost of plane ticket and everything else), it doesn't mean that putting 20 dollars in a slot machine is ever a wise decision. Nontheless, twas awesome!

Anyway, Schlebs and I are heading out for dinner. Happy Chanukah!!! - Eric

HONG KONG

2005-12-26T22:41:00.000-08:00

So I was sick last week and got better by Friday. That was nice. Sunday, I got sick again. From grandma this time. This blows. And Seoul is not funny right now. I just walked from the subway stop back to my grandparents' place. During the summer, it's a pleasant 15 minute jaunt. An hour ago, it was teeth-gritting, rigor mortis-inducing (in the exposed hands for the most part), testicle-turtling, ass-clenching hell. Dante was right (all you CCers know what I'm talking about). It's the wind more so than the actual below zero temperature. It whips and whips relentlessly. How miserable this nation looks! But...
I leave for Hong Kong tomorrow! Yes! Mild tropical warmth only a 3 hour flight away! I'll be in HK for 3 days. This trip couldn't come at a better time. You see, I love Korean food, but after a week and half of nonstop spicy, salty, preserved chow, my stomach has hoisted up the white flag. Two days ago, my belly twisted into a fat knot. So some delicious not spicy Cantonese food will hopefully loosen up my belly and get me back on schedule. Oh I love them Chinese's food! Some nice Cantonese soups and seafood not to mention dim sum on the Bay. Maybe get a kebab or two as well.

LOVE
ALEX

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY HANUKAH

2005-12-25T03:21:00.000-08:00

From South Korea with STINKING HOT LOVE.

LOVE
ALEX

the handsomest boy in Los Feliz, and his holiday plans

2005-12-22T11:52:00.000-08:00

I'm not going home for Chanukah/Christmas this year...

This Saturday (12/24), my co-worker is driving to Vegas in the morning. I am tagging along for the ride. We'll hang a little in Vegas, and then I'm catching an 89 dollar midnight flight back to LAX, where I'll take the Super Shuttle back to my house. I'll put cookies and milk out for Santa and then go to sleep...

Sunday is Christmas. My high school friend, A-Rose (different than A-Ross) arrives at LAX at 10. I'll pick him up and we'll head off into the wilds of Los Angeles. He's staying 'til Wednesday. After he leaves, I'm going to work on editing "Paralegal" (aiming to have a rough cut done by January 1st). Mat will also come over and we'll work on Operation OE. All will be well.

So, that's all for now. Have a wonderful Christmas & a kick-ass Chanukah. I'll write you next week with all the info about A-Rose/E-Lane good times next week.

-Eric

PERM

2005-12-20T18:07:00.000-08:00

I've been sick the past few days so I've been doing a lot of nothing at my grandparents' place. What I have been doing a lot of is channel surfing and after a full day of doing just that, I can say with full confidence that Korea is the land of awful perms. (btw, what the hell is "perm" short for anyway?)
I know a lot of whities are jealous of the fact that us yellows are blessed with straight hair. I don't really care. But, it seems like Korean-born Korean males are of the self-loathing sort. Almost every male celebrity, TV personality, athlete, etc., has a gnarly perm. It's absolutely ridiculous! They look like they've got a curly black helmet on. Some even look like they're sporting very very wet afros! I don't get it. I can't tell if it's an attempt at assimiliation (into what though?) or a passing fad. I hope it's a fad unlike the enormously popular cosmetic surgeries that young girls get to shape their jawline, to make their eyes less chinky, more anglo, and to raise the profile of their shnoze. Like it or not, that shit is here to stay.

LOVE
ALEX

FOODS CONSUMED THUS FAR

2005-12-18T20:56:00.000-08:00

Braised pork belly dipped in teenie-weenie shrimp sauce; Q'ed pork belly; Grandma's sweet rice cakes with whole black beans dipped in clover honey; Grandma's effortlessly brilliant homecookin' (e.g. pressed flounder, marinated mountain greens, kimchi, stinky as all get-out bean soup, etc.); monkfish flesh and skin---very gummy---with bean sprouts smothered in incredibly hot sauce (the kind that's hot both ways: coming in/going out); spicy whole crab hot pot (same sort of spiciness: coming in/going out); one free Krispy Kreme doughnut (Korea's gonna get stupid fat eating all this shit: Bennigan's, McDs, now KK); brown soy milk (weird at first but you get used to the generally shitty color of it); soju (wow even in KO-rea does that stuff still SUCK); water. And some green tea and cofffee

There are a few more items on this list-of-foods-Alex-needs-to-eat that I hope to hit up in the next few weeks.

LOVE
ALEX

Facebook...

2005-12-15T18:37:00.000-08:00

So as an alumnus of Columbia, I've joined Facebook. Is it the new Friendster? A less annoying Myspace? Time will tell, Eric

P.S. If all goes according to plan, my car will once again be mine tomorrow. Bringing a cashier's check to the body shop at 10am. Wishameluck.

Ko-rea

2005-12-15T03:28:00.000-08:00

It's COLD up in this bitch. For real. December in LA is pretty sweet. December in Seoul is stupid. I'm jetlagged and my throat is sore after a clinician shoved a fat tube down my throat to see what's going on in my insides. Yeah, my pops recommended I visit the "KANGNAM BEST CLINIC" while I'm in Korea and get my shit checked out for real. He was a customer---I feel like that's a more accurate description than say patient---while he was here losing 1 stone the past two months. Little did I know that the visit would be the day after my arrival. It took up my whole morning as the clinicians and the physician who runs the show performed a battery of tests that lasted 3 hours. Koreans are very gadgety---my dad's cellphone here gets immaculate TV reception and the shitter's got crazy functionality---so the tests were highly automated. Height/weight/body mass/body fat were measured by this contraption that required me to step on and hold metal. Bone density was calculated by a computer that took some sort of reading from the foot bath my right foot got all wet in (wow that's a crappy sentence.). I also took a "stress test" which was a joke: they just clamped some alligator clips to my ankles and wrists and nuts, and best of all, told me to just close my eyes. Then I had a sonogram: not preggers. It was cool actually: the doc explained what I was looking at on the screen: indeed, the word "spleen" as I had assumed from prior visits to Korea does have more than one syllable. Then they injected some glucose into my vein, told me to nap for a bit, then woke me up, sprayed some wicked strong analgesic at the back of my throat, dosed me with some more anasthesia, and proceeded to shove said fat tube down my throat. That sucked but I was a bit dazed that it wasn't so bad. That was basically my morning.
I also had an afternoon but I'm too tired from the jetlag to continue.

LOVE
ALEX

The house is oh so quiet...

2005-12-14T11:31:00.000-08:00

Brothers and Sisters,
Alex has left for his trip to South Korea. He's also planning on stopping in Hong Kong. Hopefully he'll report in on his adventures. Just me in the house for the next few weeks...
Looks like I'm staying in town between Christmas and New Year's. This will be very relaxing. I am jazzed. I hope to see lots of movies, work on "Paralegal", have some serious arts & crafts time, etc.
Paul came to town. We went to Kiriko sushi. I said "Omakase". It was my first time at Kiriko. Not my last. If you're into meals that'll amaze you, try this place. Our chef at Kiriko, Dice-K, brought his A Game. Come visit me people, and we'll eat at Kiriko!

SIGH

2005-12-09T11:30:00.000-08:00

Hello! I'm back sorta from my 2 week plus hiatus from this blog. Back from post-production hell. The weeks following my short trip to NYC were brutal but I won't bore you with the details except to say that I now hold the following to be absolutely true: 1) sound editing is much cooler than picture editing; 2) sound mixing is much cooler than picture onlining; 3) Working on 4 hours of sleep is much more difficult at 26 than it was at 21; 4) I am indeed good at the things I say I'm good at if not moreso; 5) LA white linen tablecloth dining sucks. I'm spending this morning recovering from a massive 2-day headache (brought on by an intense 2 day sound mix) and another disappointing dinner at one of LA's supposedly finer establishments, Lucques. The portions were suburban, i.e. Cheese Cake Factory sized, and way too rich and blunt. And overpriced! It's definitely an LA thing to privilege quantity over finesse. LA's great for cheap Asian, Mexican, and fast food. But for the higher end experience, it doesn't make sense. Stick to the good shit in NYC. It's cheaper there too. Oh, when I was in NYC, I had lunch at Perry Street. Now THAT'S what you call great value white linen tablecloth cooking!
This weekend, we've got the screenings for all the films my classmates and I have been toiling through this semester. That should be entertaining. Also, got an old college friend coming into town to present a paper at CalTech on Monday. We're gonna watch some football and eat buffalo wings at Ye Rustic on Sunday.
Then on Tuesday, I leave for KO-rea! Expect posts Asia!

LOVE
ALEX

3 and a half months later AND 21,000 dollars later...

2005-12-09T09:14:00.000-08:00

The body shop called. My car is "fixed". I've been driving a rental car since the end of August. It's been a long wait, but it finally looks like I'll be back in my station wagon, until I trade it in for something awesome like a Countach or a Jensen Interceptor. - Eric

on this day, a forgettable post.

2005-12-08T19:07:00.000-08:00

The other night Alex and I watched the cringe-worthy short films I made in college. I will say, I'm a better filmmaker now. We also watched "Paralegal" footage. Jaeson-K did a great job! The footage looks very good. I hope to start editing this weekend...

On Tuesday night, I met up with a J-Andz, who appears in "Paralegal". We went to Little Tokyo and had a really nice slow dinner and the conversation was fun fun fun... Yesterday, I had two networking events. Not only did I get to meet people who are good to know for work stuff, I also got two free meals out of the deal. Sweet, right?

What else? Hmmm... Not much. Work is busy. 11 more workdays until Christmas/Chanukah weekend hits. No Secret Santas at my office, apparently... Hmmm, what should I buy my boss for Christmas? He likes tea, cars and books. I can't afford to buy him a car. If he doesn't get me anything, is it gonna be awkward if I buy him something? So many questions. You know what. I'll figure it out.

- Eric

P.S. Just so you're aware, I love the things you can buy at Archie McPhee...

P.P.S. If you NEED an XBox 360 by Christmas/Chanukah, maybe this'll prove helpful: http://xbox.clambert.org is a website that tracks xbox 360 availability at online retailers on a regular basis. However, you'll probably waste time re-loading the website all day, just to buy something you'll probably be able to find pretty easily on shelves come January.

Rocking the bimah in '91... Where is he now?

2005-12-08T14:50:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the 14th anniversary of my Bar Mitzvah. Closer to 40 than to 13? Yikes! Doing good for an old guy, Eric

P.S. Shout out to Temple Israel!

Monday or as I like to call it "December 5th: Return to the Cubicle!"

2005-12-05T13:06:00.000-08:00

This weekend went very quickly. Friday night, I ate a burrito and went home and fell asleep. I woke up on Saturday. Went for brunch with Alex and Jason. Hit up the dry cleaners. Hit up the bank. Then Alex and I did laundry at a laundromat. We walked to Trader Joe's while the clothes dried. Alex made enormous turkey burgers for lunch. I watched part of a movie on dvd, and the afternoon disappeared. Then Alex, Kat and I met up with Hil for dinner in Venice with Kat's friend Christina and her friend who's name I can't remember for the life of me. A-Scards was somewhere in Beverly Hills, but I couldn't find the hotel where the party was at. (What business do I have at a hip party in Beverly Hills anyway). Saw Hil's new place. Alex picked me up and we headed home. I fell asleep.
Sunday, I met up with J Matty J. Handed over a CD-Rom for software that will allow us to collaborate on a writing project that is lacking in plot at the moment, but filled to the brim with moxie! It's a sitcom unlike any you've ever seen! Unless you've seen Anti-Alf, where an introverted astronaut crash lands on the planet Melmack, and becomes an annoying, catch-phrase spouting fixture in the Shumway residence (they have a spare room) for a few seasons, before the show is fortunately canceled, to the delight of many, including cats everywhere. I reach for the delete key so Anti-Alf can disappear, but alas, I'm moving forward in this post...
Went to work for 5 hours yesterday. Met up A-Scards for dinner at Chi Dynasty. Sandra Oh was there. It was a succesful dinner; mostly because I made it through without spilling any food on my shirt. I drove A-Scards home and then met up with BJ to borrow his DV camera which is going to serve as a deck for me to load rough footage into Final Cut Pro. Which will, in the next couple of months, turn into the vaguely-autobiographical "Paralegal", the follow up to my successful quasi-autobiographical short films, "Uncertain Ivy League Graduate" and "Bored Temp". The hopefully-non-autobiographical hit sequel to "Paralegal" hasn't yet been scripted, but some possible titles: "Considering Graduate School", "Mid-20's Crisis", and "Following Your Dream (Until Reality Hits)".
Woke up this morning and the seemingly insulationless majestic estate Alex and I call home was FREEZING! We have heating in our house, but there are only 2 settings: OFF or SAUNA. Do I buy a small space heater for my room? I'm considering it, and putting it on a small table so it's not on the carpet directly. Hmmm...
Lunch is over! Back to work, Eric

P.S. I'm probably in L.A. Christmas through New Year's. Anyone around? I might go on a spiritual journey into the desert (READ: LAS VEGAS).

P.P.S. I know it's old news, but "311, I am ready to fight" is awesome, awesome, awesome. Oh, and yes, hilarious.

Paul, the Walrus...

2005-12-01T12:48:00.000-08:00

Brothers and Sisters,
Last night J Matty J had an extra ticket for Paul McCartney at the Staples Center. Paul puts on a long show. Like over two and a half hours. Everytime he finished a song, there'd be massive applause and he'd hold his arms up, looking like he was about to leave the stage.

Some songs played:

Maybe I'm Amazed
Live and Let Die
Jet
Band On The Run
Yesterday
Hey Jude
Get Back
Helter Skelter
Please Please Me
Let It Be
I've Got a Feeling
St. Pepper's
Carry That Weight
Eleanor Rigby
For No One
Penny Lane
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
Blackbird
Back In The USSR
I Will
I'll Follow The Sun
Good Day Sunshine
The Long and Winding Road
Magical Mystery Tour
I'll Get You
Drive My Car
Till There Was You
Fixing a Hole
and he finished it with "The End".

This isn't the full setlist, but gives you an idea of why my mind was blown. Was the band cheesy? Yes! Was it sorta what you'd expect a Paul McCartney Las Vegas show to be? Yes! Nontheless, Paul McCartney still rocks.

Paul McCartney is a beacon of sincerity.
Paul McCartney is a goofball.
Paul McCartney is magnificent.

I planned to write a full review, but I feel unable to describe how glorious, magnificent, inspiring a show this was. Not much to say, except one of those concerts I'll always remember. It was very very very good evening filled to the brim with many of the best rock songs ever being performed by their creator. (Yes, I'll be on a Beatles kick for the next year 'cause of this night) All for now, Eric

METS IN 06

2005-11-28T19:52:00.000-08:00

1B Delgado
2B ?? (NOT MATSUI!)
SS Reyes
3B Wright
LF Floyd
CF Beltran
RF Diaz
C ??

SP Martinez/Benson/Glavine/Trachsel/Zambrano
RP Wagner

Some risky offseason choices but they're looking good.
Will be back soon posting hardcore but for now, please enjoy my partner's shit.

LOVE
ALEX

Back From The Tri-State...

2005-11-26T23:49:00.000-08:00

Brothers and Sisters,
Thanksgiving was great. I'm back in Los Angeles. Going to sleep. You and I will chat soon. - Eric

P.S. WWW.BECK.COM has been updated. Safari was crashing on it, but with Firefox or whatever other browser, you should be able to open it. Here's the incentive: 4 brand new Beck songs. Untitled Song 2 is worth checking out.

Palmdale: Nerd Alert! Nerd Alert!

2005-11-21T23:17:00.000-08:00

Brothers and sisters,
I've just returned from XBox360: Zero Hour in Palmdale. Tommy the Clown from "Rize" was there with some Crump dancers, and that was the best part. In line to get an XBox, I started speaking with a guy who turned out to be Rob McKittrick, writer/director of Ryan Reynold's vehicle, "Waiting..." which I did not see in theaters, despite being a Ryan Reynold's fan. Anyway, he's a really nice guy and we got to have some fun industry gossip, where I gave him some compliments on his blog, which I enjoy reading from time to time (it details his experiences in trying to get that movie made).
The event took place in a giant airplane hangar. It felt like a trade show. Lots of people lounging around on beanbags, playing video games. Some free schwag (every person got a hooded sweatshirt, memory card, 3 months of online gaming), and Alex now has some xbox360 gear for his wardrobe (new hoodie, t-shirt, beanie, and keychain).
Mat and I went to a t-shirt store in Palmdale. I bought a shirt that says "Los Angeles : City of Angeles". I should've bought ten. It's fantastic.
I got interviewed by some guy with a video camera. Interview went like this:
Q : "Have you ever seen anything like this?"
Me: "No"
Q : "Is this bigger than Nintendo 64?"
Me: "Yeah, I guess"
Q: "Bigger than Atari?"
Me: "Yeah, maybe."
Q : "How huge is XBox 360?"
Me: "Pretty big. Lots of people here."
I wasn't trying to play it cool. I just didn't know what to say. I should've said something like, "This is totally like A.D. vs. B.C. We were in an age of chaos, and XBox360 has changed us, has shown us the way to salvation!" or "This is the most important day of my life!" but anyway, fun time. Thanks Microsoft for having me to your party!

Readers, I'll give a better rundown at a later post. Gotta pack my bags, so I can leave tomorrow for NYC!!!

- Eric

XBox 360: Zero Hour

2005-11-20T16:55:00.000-08:00

It's Sunday. I'm sitting in my cubicle. Came into the office on a Sunday, so that I'd have some work done before I head up tomorrow to Palmdale for the Xbox event. The wristbands arrived in the mail. The party starts tonight at 7, but I won't be there 'til like 2 or 2:30 tomorrow...

Microsoft's official coverage of Zero Hour can be found here.

Alright, back to the paperwork. - Eric

Bonkers R Us...

2005-11-19T16:39:00.000-08:00

Brothers and sisters,
It's been busy. Work's been good, just taking up most of my time&energy... So here's what's doing...

First off, my improv class ended. I had a show on Monday. Thanks to Alex, Kat, and MattyJ for coming to see me perform with the rest of my level 101 class at UCB. It was a fantastic group of people in the class and hopefully I'll get to cross paths with some of them again soon.

The wristbands came for the XBox360 event. It starts tomorrow night in an airplane hangar in Palmdale. Matty-J and I are heading up on Monday. I'll do my best to film and/or take photos of the event(s) and attendees.

We took a group photo of the people in my office at a party and I was in the center for no reason. I can't stop blinking/flinching during camera flashes. I have a feeling like these photos are gonna turn up terrible and um, I dunno... Nothing I can do... At least I was wearing a cool sweater my Mom got me for chanukah last year.

During my shower this morning, I (as I do from time to time to boost morale and whatnot) practiced my Oscar speech. Just in case I ever get nominated. First I should probably write and sell a screenplay before I practice an Oscar acceptance speech, right?

On Wednesday morning at 5am, I'll be landing in New York City. The cold will hit me hard. But I'll be strong and smiling. 'Cause I'll be home.

Alex and I saw Jacques Tati's "Playtime" in 70mm at the Aero in Santa Monica on Thursday night. I've seen the movie a few times (yes, even projected) before, and lemme just say, holy damn! I leave few movies as speechless as I am after that one. I hope to own a print of that in my permanent collection when I am old and wealthy, living in a gaudy crib, with a built-in movie theater. Tati really knows how to fill a frame. I Heart Hulot. Tati's presence on-screen reminded me a little of Harold Lloyd's early on in "The Sin of Harold Diddlebock".

S-Brahms is in town. We went CD Shopping. I bought "Muswell Hillbillies" (Kinks) and also a Guns N' Roses DVD (Welcome to the Videos). Both should be good.

That's all for now. - Eric

Roar Lion Roar! CUtunes.com...

2005-11-13T22:31:00.000-08:00

Eric writes:
If you went to Columbia University and are a user of iTunes, please check out this website . It's a website that uses an applet to interface with your computer to find out information about the music you listen to...

The website says:
"CUtunes is a web-based application designed to provide information about the music-listening habits of the Columbia Community. Currently we offer the following services and features:

Top 40 songs, albums, and artists
Information about musical compatibility with other users
Recommendations for new music
The ability to browse through other users profiles
Current week and all time information"

In any case, my sister's friend, Blake, was one of the people who designed it and this will answer the all-important question, what does the Columbia Community rock out to when blasting music from their computers... I can't say it doesn't feel a wee invasive. I mean, I feel like I have guilty pleasures (Go-Go's, Neil Diamond, Noise Addict) but aside from Strafe's "Set It Off", David Banner's "Play", and many covers of "Ooh Child", it's not too embarassing to share...

Thanks, Eric

an old photo of jake and me. i'm the one eating a pabst.

2005-11-13T16:40:00.000-08:00

brothers and sisters,
J4 sent this photo my way. It was a crazy night months ago. Now, months later, I'm grown-up and mature and don't try to scare photographers with my "I'm a monster that eats beercans!" pose...

Alex made brunch today for me, Kat, Schlebs, and Romarsh. Holy delicious! I bought cheese and cured meats. Alex prepared scrambled eggs and nova, sauteed greens, heirloom tomatoes in vinegar, and slices of crusty bread. Thanks Alex! Appreciated by me and my palate....

Last night there was a party underneath a Bridge in downtown. If you threw a frisbee at this party, it's a 90% chance it would hit a hipster. http://www.partyscammers.com/carnival2/ is the link. Schlebs, L-Kountz, Allison and Laurel were all there. I'm all for fun strange parties in unusual locations, but charging 4 bucks for Tecate seems a little high to me. Nontheless, one of the bands was very good, as was the conversation, as was the hipster-watching. I wish I'd actually looked at the link when Sarah sent it and realized I could've dressed up as a cowboy. I wore brown corduroy jacket and pants. And new sneakers. Alex was wearing his favorite getup of late; a circa-'93 look: high-tops, backwards baseball cap, and an unbuttoned flannel shirt. He says the look is coming back. I am doubtful... Nontheless, if wearing plaid flannel is ever stylish again, I'm in luck!

- Eric

XBox and me...

2005-11-12T10:15:00.000-08:00

So Microsoft had this contest where 3000 people are getting to go out into the desert for a super-secret launch party for the new XBox (XBox360). So anyway, I entered the contest which I saw on the msn.com page. I can't explain why... The dork in me felt compelled...

Cut to this morning and a mild hangover. I get an e-mail:
"Congratulations! You have been selected to attend Microsoft's Xbox 360: Zero Hour Launch Event. Your journey to Xbox 360 T starts here and we invite you to be the first generation of the next generation." So the big deal of the event is that you get to party for 30 hours in the desert. I plan on going on Sunday with a guest (probably Alex) to see what it's like, then drive back for some work on Monday. But then Monday afternoon, if I want to go back, I and a guest of my choosing are guaranteed purchase on an XBox360, the hottest toy for chanukah '05....

The link to some info...

Maybe I'll get to pitch my idea for a Microsoft video game, based around a pesky paperclip named "Clippy" who travels from office computer to office computer, destroying joy and defeating any 9-5 morale from cubicle to cubicle with such barbed attacks as "It looks like you're writing a letter."

I'm curious, and thusly am heading into the desert next Sunday to play video games in what looks to be a glowing green airplane hangar...

Dear Microsoft, Thanks for the invite. I've never been to a launch party for a video game console. This will be a first for me. Your friend in Los Feliz, Eric

Call off the search!

2005-11-07T08:31:00.000-08:00

My missing sneaker was hiding in the closet. Hooray! Late for work on a Monday, Eric

This weekend...

2005-11-04T15:06:00.000-08:00

Brothers and Sisters,
I have no idea what I'm up to this weekend. Breaking bread with Schlebs tonight. Then tomorrow, meeting up with J-Hath for a walk around Los Feliz.

Maradona is all over the news for doing something other than being an ex-soccer god with a penchant for booger sugar... Neat, eh? Except for the rioting. Boo Bush!

I lost a sneaker (New Balance), so I wore non-workout sneakers to the gym the other night. Maybe I looked a little weird. But not as weird as guys who wear blue jeans to the gym. That seems neither stylish nor comfortable. (An aside: I own no blue jeans at this time in my life. What a khaki-wearin' weirdo, eh?)

Final Cut Pro arrives today or Monday. As soon as I borrow/rent a dv deck I can load the footage onto my iMac and start cutting the paralegal movie together. I am jazzed. I've never even watched the footage. I'm hoping to edit something together good enough to get into some festivals.

Watched two dissimilar movies last night: "Flight of the Navigator" and "Tarnation". "Flight of the Navigator" for the first 40 minutes or so, is pretty interesting, where 8 years go by and the kid is suddenly in 1986, and the world around him has changed. It's when the kid gets on the spaceship that it becomes boring. I still don't understand if the spaceship is flown by a creature or a big-eyed robot that sounds a lot like Pee-Wee Herman as the film progresses. The kid risks death to travel back in time to 1978, the time he knows. "Tarnation" was not what I expected, and I don't get why so many reviews were glowing. A lot of sadness & suffering does not a great 90 minute video make. There was something off-putting/insincere about parts constructed to yield the greatest emotional response with the audience (even with this subject matter: Over the top, especially with the music). I'm probably wrong and everyone else is right. Interesting (but not always engaging) to see someone construct their family history from home movies/audio recordings. Mixed feelings on Tarnation. It is neat that you can just cut together video footage and make a movie that sums up your painful upbringing. (If only I'd had a camcorder in middle school!)

It's Friday Afternoon. About to run away from my cubicle to get caffeinated before diving into some work...

Have a good weekend, Eric

P.S. Alex left town for Nueva York. The house is mine. Everyone come over and wear your shoes upstairs! He'll never know! It's not like he reads the blog... right? Um... Uh, oh... Am I gonna get in trouble now?

P.P.S. L.A. is nice and warm. I can't believe it's November. Thanksgiving is only WEEKS AWAY! Dear Turkey, Eat you soon! Love, Eric

the weird dreams...

2005-11-03T19:46:00.000-08:00

brothers and sisters,
my dreams get weirder and weirder.... last night i dreamt that as a katrina benefit, ringo and paul reunited and called themselves the beatles (yes, just the 2 of them on stage: drum & bass). paul thought it'd be funny if i came on stage for the first few songs and played bass... i explained that i don't play bass, so paul wrote me some instructions and then ran off. ringo gets upset about what a terrible Beatle i am. then, horror of horrors, i flip out and slap ringo around, telling him that i'm going on stage as paul, as a favor, not 'cause i want to. ringo and i hug, and then we go out on stage, and the song starts ("and your bird can sing"), and i still don't know how to play bass. paul shakes his head about my lack of musicianship, comes over, takes my bass guitar, and while playing the bass and singing, prods me off the stage with the bass. everyone cheers at me getting kicked offstage by paul. what does this dream mean? other than -> dear eric, you're a nice guy, but you're no paul mccartney. love, your dream

lots of celebrities in my dreams, as of late. last week, i dreamt that i went to see a dinner theater production of "the producers" with my grandparents. mel brooks comes out to sit with us after the show and my grandparents explain that mel is my cousin. mel brooks orders his handlers to get me a pizza from brooklyn. the handlers explain how expensive it'll be (30 dollars) and mel lashes out, "eric is my cousin and he wants pizza. get him a pizza! now!" mel turns back and gives me a big hug. he whistles to a waitress and tells her, "get this boy a diet coke". he treats me like a little kid and messes with my hair. he wants to know what we thought of the show and i can't remember anything about "the producers" so i just tell him it's the best show i've ever seen. he's so proud, he starts crying.

the weirdest dream of all, also involved a celebrity. i went to las vegas, where as part of a comedy show, a comedian threw hammers through windshields of supercars (McClaren F1's, Ferrari Enzos, etc.) Then Stephen Colbert gets up there and has the audience all duct tape hot dogs to their noses. With toothpicks, we connect baby carrots to the hot dogs. He then shows us our reflection in a giant mirror. We look RIDICULOUS! The applause is huge. He then tells a joke, "I was at the bus station once and I had to go, so I went..." We look down and the front of his pants are wet. Everyone I'm with laughs like this is the funniest joke ever... After the show, Colbert wants to meet me and talk me into being a comedian. I argue that I don't. Then Colbert starts telling all these horrible stories from my childhood (mostly middle school) and pointing out how funny they are.

anyone else have weird dreams lately? - eric

2 months pass, the boy remains whipless...

2005-11-01T14:37:00.000-08:00

brothers and sisters,
i had my first car accident in los angeles back in august. today is the first day of november, and they're still working on my car. is it just me, or is this a little ridiculous? they say it should all be done by friday. this friday. i remain doubtful, eric

p.s. halloween party on saturday night at neighbor matt's was bonkers. photos to follow of your humble rapper/blogger dressed as ignatius reilly. go to sarah's blog (linked to on the right) if you need to see me in an outfit that one person guessed to be "a canadian pirate".

p.p.s. this past weekend, i played too many video games. i played a legend of zelda game past midnight on sunday. i can't say why...

p.p.p.s. i rented (netflixed?) "Roadie". I mean, I love Mr. Loaf unconditionally (he had me and Alex come see him at VH-1 storytellers (back in sophomore year of college aka 1998!), and was supercool...) but this is a strange movie. Meat plays Travis, a Texas boy who turns out to be the greatest Roadie of all time, and says absurd stuff when he gets hit on the head. The female lead, Kaki Hunter, of Porky's fame apparently, has weird looking teeth in this movie... There's a scene with Deborah Harry sitting down with Travis, while he drinks beer after being hit in the head, and there's something really sweet about her performance in that scene that sort of made the whole movie seem worth watching to me.