Life of Kyle Prohaska

Today was a saturday, and like all saturdays they found me doing nothing much but bumming around and relaxing.  I got up at like noon today, since I went to bed around 2am and I had been up early all week.  I enjoyed the sleep, very much.  When I got up I had some breakfast really fast and just hung out for the morning.  I took some pictures of some video/sound gear I no longer use and put them up online for sale.  Hopefully I sell them quickly, I could use the money and since they just sit around…there is no need to hang onto them.  I went to Subway for lunch (mmm) today and enjoyed it very much.  I called Vance to see what he was up to later.  I went over at about 4-5 I can’t remember and we just sat around, played some video games, and watched Die Hard 3.  He hadn’t seen it so it was a good choice from my little DVD library.

While I was there I got a phone call from David Evans that lasted for quite a while.  I’m helping him with the website and graphics work on their film to be shot this fall.  We have had some excellent conversation on the phone in the past, and I was supposed to stop and meet Dave on my way to CA but never got the chance.  We talked the previous day about what they might need help with on set when the time comes, and today we talked about that further.  I really feel like this is a yes for me.  I’ve been hoping for an opportunity like this for a long time, but not only that it gives me a direction to go in.  The more we talk, the more I realize how much help David might need down there.  From experience on Standing Firm I know that doing too many jobs at once can be detrimental to either your film, your health, or both.  On set David really needs to just concentrate on directing, something he agrees with.  That means he needs someone to help manage behind the scenes and on set to make sure he can do his job properly without needing to fix problems that might be occurring.  We had talked at first about being possibly 1st AD or 2nd AD (assistant director) and I think that will probably be the case but at the same time I realize the need for another producer.  Someone to work directly with him to prepare and complete the project.  This means I’ll probably (if this happens) will be down there a month BEFORE they start shooting at a minimum to help complete and get settled into the pre-production and get things really ready for the shoot.  This would be a really big responsibility but one that I’m excited about.  I would be producing and being AD on set most of the time.  Helping push things along and move all the resources into a steady flow so David can make the best film possible.

This takes care of the month gap I had mentioned in a previous entry.  I was told they were to shoot in October which is still true, so finishing out my 90 day internship at PureFlix puts me at the end of August with a month of absolutely nothing…that was until I talked to Dave on the phone today.  Coming a month early takes care of that, and really I need to be there early to do a good job.  I think I’ll be technically moving to Memphis from the sounds of it (that’s where the production is), because what is the sense of keeping my room here when it’ll cost me 1700 bucks just to have it sit empty?  I still have a film to work on and finish!  I need to pretty much take everything with me.  So I’ll be packing my car again and shoving off to a new location.  I don’t mind that at all honestly.  I’m going to go where God tells me to, and Memphis is starting to feel like it’s the place.  That’s about 2.5 hours outside of Nashville where Provident Films is.  Not a bad distance away from the company I intend to pitch our film to.  I’ll be 15 hours from home, and 6-8 hours away from where my parents will be all summer and where my father will be for a long time (Georgia).  Crazy how quickly things turn around isn’t it?  Granted none of this is for sure, but it looks like things are very positive.  I hope I can get an answer on this worked out in the next month so I can just shoot for that goal and move along into the next location.  It will also give me about 2.25 months to work on Standing Firm every night if I have to and get it into good working order.  No excuses  Please pray for this opportunity that it would be what God wants and if not that I would know.  Also pray for this films production whether or not I’m apart of it, because they really have the potential (when it comes to the story, resources, people, etc.) to do something very good over there.  I look forward to it, whether I’m on the team or not.

After I got off the phone we weren’t really sure what to do after that and eventually just went down to the beach.  I hadn’t walked barefoot in the sand for a long time.  The waves were unusually big and we just stood there watching them crash onto the beach.  Some folks were running around in them and dashing away when the big ones came around.  On our way back to his place we took a detour to just….walk.  There was this ice cream place that had homemade ice cream.  It was by far the best ice cream place ever, with flavors you can’t imagine and it was VERY GOOD.  Every flavor was amazing, and I had a hard time choosing.  On the way back to the apartment we stopped in a grocery store and Vance got a few things.  He grabbed Veggie chips of all things.  It was nothing but Call of Duty until I left later in the day.  I like playing that game and haven’t in months.  I’m not a fan of playing on counsel’s though like PS3, Xbox, etc.  I like having a mouse and keyboard to shoot and move around.  Either way it was a fun time.

The drive home was relaxing, I just sorta thought about some of the events of the day and played some music.  It seems I’m more relaxed when I’m driving than any other time.  Odd for around here I’m sure, but I really like to just go for a drive.  I suspect tomorrow will have me enjoying that again as I head to church and back home.

What a week it’s been.  A lot of early mornings this week, and I enjoyed that honestly but saturday morning will be full of nothing but sleep.  Time to get some shut eye  Work was consistent with the rest of the days this week, nothing much to report.  I was waiting for lunch when we all went to Sushimon.  Jeremy came in to say hi (he worked at PureFlix for 4 years) as well so he came with us.  It was a fun time.  We all shared some stories and laughed our heads off.  Vance and Jeremy seemed to be beat red most of the time laughing about office antics of the past.  It was nice to know that when I got back to the office I only had an hour left.  The last hour of the day seems to fly by most of the time during a work day.  When I got home I came home to a sauna again.  The sun beats on this room most of the day so when I get home it’s really hot in there.  Luckily when it’s windy I get a nice cool breeze.  I opened the edit to Standing Firm today and looked at some footage for Scene 19.  It was reshot and rewritten to work better in the film that we now have as opposed to the script we originally started with.  I began the edit of that and got it about half done.  Afterwards I decided to watch some Conan O’brien on Hulu.com.  I love catching up on the show every week since we don’t have TV at the apartment.  He’s hilarious and since he moved to LA from NY it makes it all the more enjoyable.

I called a few folks but couldn’t get ahold of anyone who didn’t have plans already or who wasn’t at work till late.  Vance eventually called me and we hung out instead.  We just sat around, watched some funny videos, TV, etc. and went out to get some pizza.  That’s one thing I’ve yet to find out here…good pizza.  It was OK but nothing like back home.  We have good pizza at every corner and good wings too.

That was pretty much my day…I’m ready to go to bed…g’night.

Cheerios again this morning, yum.  I slept a lot better last night, much less tossing and turning.  I got to work and started working on things as soon as possible.  I worked on a few odd things and sent the recent cut of Book of Ruth to those in charge.  Hopefully the film will be done soon.  I decided to go home for lunch today and stopped at Subway on my way home.  I just felt like getting out of the office to eat.  I like the Subway near my apartment.  There is a guy that works there that I like chatting with.  I’m known as the “New York” guy.  I have that trusty Subway card that I got from the Gifford’s (thanks guys!) so that’ll last me for a while.  It’ll help me save some money on lunches for a while, that’s for sure.

I have to come into work at about 5-6am tomorrow morning to start color-correction on my next task.  There is only one color-correction monitor in the office so I have to come in to use it before Vance gets there later in the morning.  At least I’ll get out earlier right?  The setup in the office is nice.  Basically a MacPro like I’m on now, with dual displays (which I just added), a 17in Panasonic correction monitor, and a Panasonic Plasma like I have at home (still haven’t sold that thing :/ ) hooked up to a Kona card to output the footage from FCP.  I’ll hopefully have a similar setup soon.  I prefer to own enough hardware to complete projects independently.  It’s beneficial for a lot of reasons, and sooner or later I’ll get where I want to on that front.  The displays was the next step, with speakers to follow soon.

Time for bed soon, early day tomorrow…

Well today was uneventful again.  When I left to go to work Vance called me to follow him once I got to the office so he could drop off his car to get fixed.  I got to see where some other shops were on my way to do that.  There is a small shopping are near me with Old Navy, Macy’s, American Eagle, etc. so I’ll probably check that out sometime soon.  At work I did a few small things during the day and didn’t have a lot to do again.  Eventually I just started on the coloring for Book of Ruth, instead of waiting for the edit notes.  That’s what I did the rest of the day until 7 when I left on the dot.  I had felt pretty tired all day so I plopped down on my bed and called my mom to say hi.  We had a short conversation but it was nice to hear her voice.  I could tell by the end of our talk that I was already getting drowsy and ended up falling asleep after I hung up.  It was only 7:40 or so by this time.  I woke up the first time about 11pm or so and realized I had snoozed away the evening.  I hate it when you do that because you mess up your internal clock.  I figured it wasn’t a big deal and just planned on getting up at an early hour so I didn’t OVER sleep.  I woke up a million times in-between then and about 5:30 when I got out of bed.  It’s a lot quieter outside, that’s for sure.

Other than that my day was excruciatingly normal.  Get up, work, bed.  Lol.

Today was an odd day.  I was fighting two different feelings all day.  I went to church at Reality LA for a second time and sat alone towards the middle.  The message was great and it was the first time I got to hear the lead pastor there.  I’ve listened to him on podcast so I had a good idea of what I was in for, but seeing him in person made it very different.  The message really hit home with me as it was about using your gifts.  I loved the worship and everything afterwards but I’m still not comfortable there.  I feel like I did at Vintage in NY the first year or so.  I’m pretty insecure honestly when it comes to new places, especially if there are tons of people around my age there.  I feel weird, like everyone is looking at me, etc.  The whole insecurity thing that I’ve had for a long time.  I shed it eventually in new places but today was just plain weird.  When I left service I didn’t know who to talk to, I just stood there in my suit coat staring at groups of people wondering who to go after.  I finally found some people I know to say hello to and chat it up a little bit.  I’ve met some really great people in the last week.  There are so many attractive girls out here, it’s ridiculous.  Pastor Tim talked about singleness today as one of the gifts we have.  It is a gift for sure.  You can do so much as a single adult that goes away when your married or have kids.  I do find myself more and more hoping for that special someone to come along.  I think part of it is I really want someone I can share things with and get to know on a deeper level.  I have yet to really open up to anyone about a lot of things, whether it be my parents, close friends, etc.  I really can’t wait for that time to come.  I look forward to having someone to cherish, share things with, listen to (important part there), etc.  It’s going to be great.  Singleness is indeed a gift and it’s not a gift I want to return to sender either, but I just hope it doesn’t take a long time to find someone.  I’m 21 I know, calm yourself…I realize I have plenty of time.  I just don’t want to get married at 30.  If it’s Gods Will I wait that long or longer, then fine.  There’s nothing wrong with a healthy sense of hope and longing though  Your out there somewhere!

I found myself wanting to go do something today but didn’t know what, and there was nobody to call really.   Everyone I knew was going to the service after the one I went to (I went to 9am), so I was kinda stuck.  Eventually I left after meeting some nice new people I hope to see next week, and headed home.  I took some wrong turns on purpose just to see some of Hollywood.  I think on the way home is when I felt more comfortable.  The rest of the day was very relaxing.  I actually like driving in LA.  Just like driving at night (it’s magical here) I love driving on the highway here.  When you hit traffic it kinda sucks but beyond that I like the drive.  It’s nice weather, your tunes playing, it’s the weekend, your hair is moving in the wind, etc.  It’s nice.  Not having anywhere to really be is nice too, just cruising

When I got home I got into more comfortable attire, and watched a movie.  I picked Titanic since I hadn’t seen the whole thing in years.  Now I remember why I liked that movie so much.  I have seen it dozens of times, and this time it was just as great to watch.  The film might be a little old fashioned in terms of some cliche used, but it’s a beautiful movie.  While watching I just surfed the net, talked to some folks, cleaned up my room a little, etc.  I cleaned my bathroom a little bit to get some dust off of the things I hadn’t cleaned yet since I got there.  Dust doesn’t collect here like it did at home, having a 100 year old house has it’s share of downsides.  You dust something off, wait 5 minutes…and it’s back.  Here you vacuum, dust and wipe things off…and they stay that way for a while.  I also went into the kitchen and cleaned the sink, counters, stove, etc.   It really needed it and looks nice and shiny now  I didn’t do much the rest of the day besides sit around.  I went to Sushimon for some food to bring back home.  I like that place and the food is good.  I used to have this dislike of Chinese/Japanese, etc. food because the places always seemed dirty and shady to me.  This place is clean, the people are nice, and the food is good.  I’m getting more and more situated here as time goes on.  Driving without the GPS definitely makes you feel a bit more grounded.  I just hopped in my car to go get some food at a place I knew of, which is a new thing since I got here.  I’m still punching addresses into my GPS to find things I need.  This time I just got dressed, got in my car, and cruised down the road to get food.  Window down again, music playing, all that stuff.  Today definitely felt like a relaxing weekend type of day.  Yesterday really felt more like a work day with all the errands, traffic, etc. until the day was over and I got to visit with people and see a movie…then it was good.

I also worked on the edit a little for Standing Firm.  It was the first time in a few weeks since we finished shooting.  I captured the last shooting days footage and did a rough edit of the main scene we did.  It was Kevin’s cameo and I think he did a pretty good job.  I knew he could do it!  That leaves just 2 more scenes to finish before I have a first rough cut of the entire film.  Some stuff missing of course but every scene will have a rough edit of some kind once I get those two done.  It’ll be nice to finally sit and see the whole thing from beginning to end, regardless of what is left to do.

Overall a pretty good day.  I look forward to meeting one of the other managing partners of PureFlix this week.  His name is Mike Scott.  I already met David White last week, and Byron while I was in NY.  I’m not sure if you guys knew this but one of the other partners is Randy Travis (yes the country music star).  Russell Wolfe is in AZ at their main offices.  Hopefully I’ll get to meet him someday, perhaps on the set of a movie they do if he ever stars in one again.  Who knows, time will tell.  So what is my impression of the job so far?  It’s hard to say.  I have a pretty boring film on my hands right now at work, with really tough to do VFX shots that I have to finish, and I’ll be completing the edit and coloring the film really quickly this week because Bryon wants it released soon.  It’s hard to say what I think of the job at the moment.  I haven’t had a lot to do honestly since I got there, and nobody but Vance and Brittany have really been there to give me things.  Perhaps things will change a little once Mike gets back in the office.  I think it’ll take a few months of doing to really find out if I could stay for a while or not.  For right now I’m sticking with it, doing the best I can, and that’s all I can do.

I got up late today, at like 10:30 or so. I could’ve gone longer but it would’ve been that oversleeping type of feeling all day which I wasn’t up for. I decided to get some stuff done today I’ve put off since I got here. I needed a haircut, oil change, and car washed. I didn’t know where to go for all three so that took a little searching online. I found a Valvoline near here and went to that first. I passed it the first time around and turned around sometime up the street. It was a clear day so at one point I glanced over this hill I was driving on (having passed the place) and I saw the bridge to long beach and the whole spread of city down there. It was a great view! The bridge is the same one they shot a chase scene from Gone in 60 Seconds with Nicolas Cage, where he jumped the Shelby. After I found the Valvoline place I got my engine flushed (figured that was smart after all that engine bashing across the country) and the staff was very friendly. We actually chatted the entire time about NY, where I was from, what it’s like out here, etc. I like to find businesses I can go back to over and over again, it’s a no brainier coming back here for each servicing. Those guys were great. The next step…a car wash. Simple right? Not so much.

It’s hard finding a car wash out here. It’s all hand wash places, no automated. Every time I tried to get it washed since I got here, it was too late to go and every place was closed. This time I found one at a Chevron (tons of those out here) and got in line. It was a LONG wait. I felt like I was on the 405 waiting for traffic to move. It must have been about 30 minutes minimum. I had a lot of time to read people while I waited that were at the gas station. One guy was going to each car at the line for the wash to ask for money for their church (which I gave a dollar) and other folks seemed to try and sell other things as people pumped gas. There was this old yellow truck that pulled into the station…and stopped suddenly when this guy with a dolly (who worked for the place) walked in front of him really slowly and just continued on as if he wasn’t there. Kinda rude honestly, and the guy in the truck wasn’t happy. The kid walking had long hair, baggy shorts, sunglasses, etc. He just seemed like a typical punk to me. Other people pulled up of all colors and with all different kinds of vehicles from oldies to new cars, and SUV’s with sparkly rims and their bass rhythm vibrating the dashboard of every customer at the place. This one kid unpacked his stuff in front of a man pumping gas to begin his “sales pitch” and the man pumping just ignored him as the kid spoke. No matter what the kid was trying to sell and for what purpose, the man was just plain rude. He just acted like he didn’t exist, and continued to pump his expensive gas into his expensive vehicle, finished, then waved no to the kid and left. Either way as I got closer to it being my turn I kept seeing the little interface when you pull up. It said “put in code.” I kept thinking “Ok there has to be a place to put money in right?” I even looked behind me a time or two to make sure I didn’t somehow miss it. I’m next in line and the guy in front of me is still in the wash. There is no place to pay, just a keypad to put in your “code.” Suddenly I realized that you had to pay inside first. This was really weird to me since it’s always pay then wash back home, at every car place. There is no going into the gas station to pay then getting a receipt and all that to put in. So I ran out of my car and quickly paid and got back. I was a bit embarrassed for sure, with everyone else going “what the heck is that guy doing?” So I put in my code and pull into the car wash. I keep getting this “back up” message. I’m thinking I moved to far so I back up…nothing. I back up more…still nothing. I look around to see if there are any other indicators of what I did wrong. Soon the guy with the glasses comes up and and I asked him what the deal was. No way was I getting out of my car. Just my luck the thing would turn on, lol. I was surprised when the guy spoke. He was actually kinda nice, not what I expected after that little incident earlier. He had to go get a new code to put in since mine wasn’t working. I suspect it’s because I paid after the others behind me, that my code was out of order with theirs. Oops. That was a long minute sitting there with everyone behind me (having waited like I did) staring at me sitting in the wash extending their wait. I eventually got moving and the wash started but man was that whole thing annoying. All I wanted was my flippin car washed, is that so much to ask?

After that I needed to get a haircut. I found an address to a place, now I just had to find it. There are tons of plazas in LA, all packed with a million businesses. Some of them have the same signs for each business. Monochromatic with the same font…and it can make it hard to find the names of things. You expect each company sign above the places to be different, and that isn’t always the case out here. I finally found the place but it took a few times turning around. Even with the GPS, all it does is really take you to which plaza the shop was in, and the rest is up to you. I found this little place and got my hair cut. The owner was very “femmy” and had a really funny laugh. We got along though and he did a good job cutting the hair. I’ll be going back there for my haircuts from now on I think, he did good. I think I prefer now to get a more complete hair cut where they wash your hair and such beforehand and then cut. It’s way more expensive but honestly just makes your cut better because your hair is fresh and stuff. I like how things look much better. Going in with dry hair (even if I had taken a shower beforehand…which I did) doesn’t yield the same cut as a shampoo and conditioned head of hair right there at the place before they cut it. Glad I found these three places today, makes me feel much more grounded knowing where to go for basic things.

Afterward I decided to go to Arby’s on the way home and pickup some food. I called Vance and picked him up some and drove back to his place. I did a lot of driving today…oi. We ate and I didn’t stay long since I had to get home for a minute before heading up to Glendale (near Hollywood) to meet Greg Elsasser. When I got home I just quick grabbed some things and headed out but not without talking to my Dad for a bit. It’s nice that he can keep up with what’s going on with this blog (hi dad, haha). It lets everyone from home that wants to know how I’m doing…know how I’m doing. I finally got up to Glendale (which is about 35 minutes away) and found a parking space. Finding parking was a challenge but I got it eventually. Greg was a nice guy, we sat and chatted at an Outback while he ate and I just sipped a drink. After that we went to where they were going to broadcast for KKLA 99.5 tonight. We sat and talked more (as we were early) and I showed him some funny videos off YouTube and the first 5-7 minutes of Standing Firm. He really seemed to be wowed by it and complimented how professional and “legit” it looked. That’s a good compliment to get, and seems to be the most common. Sitting in on the broadcast was cool. They mentioned my name as a guest and mentioned Standing Firm too. That was nice

I didn’t stay for the whole thing, only minutes of it. I had to meet some friends at a movie theater. They were going to see UP and I wanted to meet more people so I went! This took me back to where I had parked before but the space was full. I eventually found a space but was nervous if I could actually park there. Brad Witty, the one who invited me out later cleared up that I was ok, but at the time I wasn’t sure. I met lots of new folks, Brad was the only one I know out of the 10 or so. People were really nice and I fit right in. We all had a great time and they all loved the movie. On a second viewing UP was even better. There was no kids making loud noises and stuff too so the experience was a bit more enjoyable. I loved the film the second time around, while the first seemed just good. I made sure I got a group shot of everyone when we left, which they all seemed excited about so that’s good. The place we went to go see the film at was in the middle of this place called Americana. It’s an outdoor mall with a cool fountain in the center. There was people everywhere and lots of great things to look at. I loved it and I’ll be back when I can just enjoy the scenery. It looks like a good place for a date, lol.

On the way home there was construction so I got detoured. That confused my GPS so it rerouted me around until I found the highway again. I got to drive on some weird streets all by myself since it was so late. I enjoyed the drive though. I think I love driving in LA at night. It’s a magical place. There is no black sky, it’s a little brighter because of all the lights. The skyline is mesmerizing to me. I catch myself just being awed by it. I’m not used to things that big yet I think. LA really is a great place to drive at night, especially on the highways. It’s fast, quieter and not as heavy congestion wise. I really love just going for a nice drive with the windows down.

I got home and here I sit. That’s my day and tomorrow is another. Time to check out Reality LA for a second time to see how it goes. I know a few more people so hopefully I remember names. Here’s hopin, g’night!

Work was interesting today.  It’s been hard finding something to do lately with things just getting on their feet.  I spent a lot of time just doing odd things, waiting for a render or two, etc.  I got to do a little fun graphic job today that had me making mock Magazine and Web Designs for a film.  The little details in them wouldn’t be seen so I had some fun with it.  I also had some greenscreen work to do on Book of Ruth and luckily I found a plate shot.  Basically when you shoot something for greenscreen (which is where you have a green sheet or screen somewhere in the shot and you plan to remove the green in the computer and replace it), you make sure you shoot a plate shot which is what will replace the green.  Typically it has similar light, focal length (size of the cameras lens), etc.  I had none.  Not a single plate shot for this stuff.  I was pretty worried and the places they chose to use them was really ridiculous.  Luckily late in the day I found something I could use from another shot in the film and got to work trying that out.  I’ll post before/after pictures tomorrow when I can render some out.  Either way it turned out fine and I’ll finish the other ones tomorrow. 

I went to Subway for lunch and used my gift-card for the first time (thanks Dave and Marcia!).  To my surprise, they had no Italian dressing there!  I was like “what?…really?” and the guy just shook his head.  Also the lady at the counter said “to go?” but it sounded more like “to0ga?”  I kept going “huh?” and she repeated herself twice before I understood her.  That’s happened on more than on occasion where the language/accent/culture barrier was up in full force.  I had the guy at Sushimon the other day on my way out wave to me and say “Happy Tuesday!” basically saying “have a good day!” and I totally denied it.  I gave him this weird look and he immediately had this look on his face that said “yea he doesn’t know what I meant…nevermind.” and it fizzled out.  Sorta funny now that I think about it but the awkward level was up to 11 at that point and time.

After work me and Vance carpooled to a small group that meets connected to the church I went to last sunday (realityla.com).  I was debating whether or not to go and just decided to go for it.  I’m really glad I did.  Today at work I got this sinking feeling in my gut.  I sat there at my desk just wondering “am I really supposed to be here?” and felt pretty crumby mid-day.  The small group lifted my spirit as I met lots of great people, had some really good conversation, and just sorta slid right in as if I had been going for ages.  I was really hoping to meet some new folks I could plug in with because honestly me being lonely and by myself for too long can be dangerous. There is way too much crap to fall into. I need that accountability and fellowship so I was glad to have found that. I have a tendency to talk quite a bit during discussion and such and everyone seemed to enjoy it (hopefully LOL).  After that we had prayer time and broke up into groups.  I prayed with three other guys…Jolio (pronounced Hoolio), Michael, and Brad.  All these guys were great and we each shared what we needed prayer for and all three prayed for each other.  It was a Blessing and we all shared some pretty deep stuff that we were dealing with.  I was really glad to shed some layers with these guys and just go for it and tell them something deep.  It was a great time of prayer and I think these guys as well as the group there will really become good friends of mine.

On the way home me and Vance had some good conversation and stopped at Jack in the Box for some food.  I’ve never been there before.  It seemed just like any other fast food place.  They have so much of that out here.  You have like 5 kinds of burger chains (probably more) and everything else.  In-&-Out, McDonalds, Burger King, Carls Jr., Jack in the Box, etc.  It’s nuts how many places there are out here, and all around the corner from me too.

We’ll see what tomorrow holds.  It’s friday and I don’t really have anything planned.  I’m looking forward to saturday and meeting the people at KKLA.  That should be fun.

Until next time!

Today was a great day but bittersweet at best.  It was my first day at PureFlix Entertainment in Torrance, CA.  I was pretty excited when I woke up, interested to get to work finally after moving for this very reason.  I got into my office and started my first project.  A film called The Book of Ruth which is an adaptation of the entire book of Ruth from the Bible.  It needed a revamp and re-edit.  I needed to tighten things, fix others, change and speed up the pace, etc.  I changed the ending and made it much better, something that should really help it.  It was the first time I’ve edited someone else’s stuff, with no basis.  Just spent the first hour and a half at work watching a movie (yea…I know crazy) so I could get the film in my head and make notes about things that needed fixing.

David A.R. White came into work today to work with Vance on Blink of an Eye.  It was great to meet him after seeing him in so many Christian movies and talking on the phone and emailing.  He’s a great guy, exactly how I thought he would be.  The office is a fun environment, I think I’m going to like it there.  The office is nice too, and I have dual monitors which is great to work with.  I really need to get a nice widescreen LCD at home, or two sometime.  I got through about half of the film, and should finish the rest tomorrow.  The edit wasn’t in as bad of shape as was thought by everyone.  After that I’ll be adding music from stock library and color-timing the film…then it’s off to a sound man for mixing and completion.  It’s neat to know I started on a feature my first day, not bad for a 20 year old farm boy without a degree huh?  Take that naysayers.

We went to lunch together at Sushimon, a sushi place near work.  I have never had sushi and to my surprise I liked it.  However I made sure I got chicken and rice just in case I didn’t like it.  It was really good, I wolfed it down.  Afterwards we went back and finished out the day at about 7pm.  Work starts at 10am by the way, much later than people back at home are used to.  We start that early because most people in LA are out late or up late.  Weird for me but normal here, so whatever.

 

When I got home I did a thing or two then went to Target with Britney (Chris’ girlfriend) to get some stuff.  I needed to buy an office chair for my room, the kitchen one was killing my back.  I also needed a comforter.  I’ve spent a lot of money since I got here just to get situated.  Probably $500 plus of stuff just to get going.  Shower curtain, blowup bed, office chair, comforter, some small food and drinks, deodorant, q-tips, a trash can, etc.  It’s been expensive, hopefully It’ll balance out once I have all the essentials that can last for a while.  When I got home I put the chair together and opened the rest of the stuff.

I already started getting Happy Birthday requests on Facebook.  I’m sure when I wake up I’m going to find quite a few notifications on my profile, but that’s good!  It’s nice to know people care I exist lol.  I was talking to Jen, a best friend from back home and girlfriend of my other best friend Brad and we had some great conversation.  I love those guys, they are so in love and it makes me smile.  They have what I want someday, and I can’t help but encourage them every second I get.  It’s too special to pass up.  Every time they’re around each other I see that sparkle in their eye, it’s great.  I hope the Lord Blesses their relationship in a big way in the future.  While I was talking to her I started to cry.  I couldn’t help but feel a little lonely and sad that I’m away from home.  I cried more when her and Brad left my house for the last time than I did when I hugged my mom.  Friends are a close bond for me, most don’t really get it or talk about it but it’s serious business for me.  I’d do anything for my friends.  Whatever they need and whenever they need it, I’ll be there.  I miss everyone back home, and it’s going to be tough but I’ll survive.  Getting a Happy Birthday from everyone will be bittersweet…because I can’t hear it in person.  

All you guys out there helped make me who I am.  So many helped me break down walls I put up as a kid when I was really messed up, and I have so many fond memories of all of you.  I love you guys and I’ll keep in touch as much as humanly possible.  You all mean the world to me and I hope to see you all soon!  I’m so thankful God has given me a soft heart when it comes to loving people around me.  I don’t know how people do it.  Who doesn’t love a hug I mean seriously?  I can’t wait to find some friends out here I can share that passion with and grow together, not to mention hopefully a wife someday that I can talk to about things and share with.  I’m here, I just gotta find her.

You all (not just close friends but those online) are such an encouragement to me.  You keep me ticking when I’m down, and I’m eternally grateful for all of you.

What Did I Eat Today?:

Breakfast - Kashi Bar & Bottle of Water
Lunch - Sushi, Seasoned Chicken, Rice, Salad (no dressing), Coke
Dinner - Small piece of chicken from Britney
Odds-N-Ends - Mt. Dew, Gummy Bears, Pistachio Nuts

Today was a good day, and the first time in my life that I went to a different church on sunday.  It was weird that’s for sure.  I’ve been at Niagara Frontier Bible Church since birth, and worked there for 3 years so I was always there on Sunday, and technically working while I’m there.  I got up and headed to Hollywood to check out RealityLA, a church I looked up and kept my eye on before I moved.  My co-worker Vance Null goes there and I checked out the teachings on iTunes.  They’re very solid there and their theology is on par with NFBC.  The message was very good and packed with info that I hadn’t heard before.  It’s always great to hear a sermon that includes stuff you’ve absolutely never heard.  People were friendly but I have to admit I was a bit out of my element.  If it wasn’t for my green American Eagle shirt I had, I would’ve felt like I was from Mars.  Everyone looks so different out here, it’s crazy.  Everyone (especially with the church being in Hollywood) was slick and stylish.  For those of you from WNY where I lived it was like Vintage clothing + some Ricky Perillo mixed in.  Those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, don’t worry about it.

Afterwards I met some new people outside that Vance introduced me to.  I met this one guy Chad who was great and we talked for quite a while.  Afterwards I headed to In-&-Out to meet with a friend I had yet to meet in person.  His name is Jeremiah Daws and we had met online via Standing Firm and some other services I was offering.  He’s a great guy and we hit it off immediately.  We like the same kinds of movies, hate the same kinds, laugh at the same bad movies, it was a good conversation.  He took me past the backlots like Warner Bros, Disney, Universal, etc.  We stopped at City Walk to walk around (it was $12 to park…ugh) and saw some neat stuff.  There was this one plastic tube you get into with a suit on and a giant fan lifts you off the ground.  It was very cool.  I’ve seen those kinds of things before but didn’t get up close.  Of all things too I saw a restaurant called Bubba Gump Shrimp.  For those who don’t know what I’m talking about, go rent/buy the movie Forrest Gump right now, it’s one of my favorites.  They had this neat little bench from the film with fake shoes and the box of chocolates and stuff next to it where you could take photos.  Of course we got one, ha ha.  Afterwards Jeremiah dropped me off at my car and instead of going home I randomly decided to go visit a movie location.  I found the address to the McFly house from Back to the Future and put it in my GPS.  I was really excited to see it, and man was it cool.  It’s someone’s home now, just like it was before, and it looks a tad different but other than that it’s just like it was in the film, and so is that famous street where the Time Machine takes off in the end of the film.  I was so jazzed to be standing there at that house.  I’ve seen that film and it’s sequels so many times…it was a thrill.  I plan on finding many more shooting locations in the future, it just gets me excited. 

Afterwards I went to Target to get some stuff for my room.  The cart I grabbed had a busted wheel that made tons of noise, so I drew some attention, but whatever.  I grabbed some odd stuff I needed for my room.  I needed a shower curtain, a trash can, and I wanted a mini-fridge (something I always wanted at home).  I kept looking at all these items on the shelves and wanted to buy them all.  I’ve never had my own place to really decorate before.  I had a room obviously at my home but I never felt like it was really mine.  I didn’t really buy anything else, except for a blow up mattress.  I almost forgot to get it, and that would’ve been disappointing.  What was disappointing instead was the fridge.  The back corner was all dented in.  I didn’t bother taking it back though because on my way out of Target my receipt flew out of my bag and because I “didn’t need it,” I didn’t bother chasing it.  O well, the fridge works and the corner is pretty much hidden.

I sat around for a while and edited the photos I took of the house and street from BTTF.  I was kinda bored again so I called Vance and waited for a call back.  He was hungry so I went to his place and we went to go eat.  We stopped at the Cheesecake Factory which I had never been to before.  The food was pretty good, although I wish I didn’t order so much.  I’ve been eating out a lot since I got here.  I need to get back on a more regulated diet before I start putting on weight.  I was 210 when I left for NY and the same weight when I got here but in two days I put on another 5.  Five pounds is nothing, but I can notice the 15 that I’ve lost and how much of a difference it can make in your face and such.  I don’t want to get back to 220-230 again, it’s out of the question.  When we got back to his apartment we just sorta chatted for a bit, played some video games, and I met Vance’s roommate again.  Justin I think is his name.  He’s an assistant production coordinator on True Blood, a new series on TV that seems to be really popular right now.  On the way home I stopped at Walgreens to get some D Batteries for my mattress.  I forgot to get all that when I was at Target and I’m so used to having that kind of stuff at home.  Batteries, Scissors, Tape, etc.  All that odd stuff that I’m just used to having around I have to go get.

It’s starting to feel more like a place I can come home to and have what I need, but there is some work to do yet.  I have to get an office chair (the one I’m in is killing my back right now), and a different desk.  I don’t think I can be comfortable at this one, it’s a bit cramped.  I need to do a lot of work on it soon to work on Standing Firm and I need to make sure I can come home and be comfortable for many hours if needed, and right now that isn’t the case.  I’m also missing speakers.  The big old ones I had at home were great but there was no way to take them with me so I have to get some of those too.  It’s been an expensive few months folks.  ADR equipment, 3 Rent Checks (May rent, June rent, damage deposit), sunroof repairs, driving across country in gas and inn’s, essentials at the apartment and odd things, etc. etc.  I’ll get it all though and then I won’t be buying anything for a while because I’ll have whatever I need.  That’s how it was at home.  Once I had what I need I’m OK for a long time.  I’m a good saver and rarely buy things, and when I do I really need them and I buy something that’ll last whether it be big or small.

Tomorrow I start my new job at PureFlix.  It looks like it’ll be a challenge and I look forward to seeing what this month holds.  I know at some point in the next few weeks I’ll be working on off hours because of a certain piece of equipment that there is only one of.   Vance needs to use it during the day and because I’ll be doing some color-correction I’ll have to come in at night and sleep in the day for a while until the project is done.  It’ll be interesting for sure.

Today was an unplanned do whatever kind of day.  I slept on the couch last night because I didn’t have a bed, yet that is.  I slept good (the couch was actually pretty comfy) and woke up to the smell of coffee (which I don’t drink by the way), and talking of my roommate and his girlfriend.  They’re both really nice and I think things are going to work out great.  Unfortunately Chris has a root canal he needs done (ouch), so his cheek was swelling pretty good today.  I really wasn’t sure what to do when I got up.  I just sorta unpacked more stuff and got things put away in my closet.  My room is pretty big, and without a bed in there it looks huge.  I got my computer all setup and working and all my other tech stuff out, alarm clock plugged in, DVD’s out on the shelves, books, etc.  Eventually I called Vance Null (future co-worker at PureFlix) and woke him up.  He had worked at the office until 4 or so, so I left him be until later when he felt like motivating.  He showed up to the apartment around noon to chill and then just sorta take me a few places.  I got to see my office and such which was nice.  It wasn’t even anything special, but I didn’t care and was just glad to see it.  I look forward to getting to work  After that we went to this franchise mexican place I can’t think of the name of.  It was really good.  I had a scampi burrito that had rice, shrimp, and cheese in it.  I was so full when I was done.  I notice that food is in big portions here, and I’ve noticed it on more than one occasion.  My stomach was packed when I was done with that burrito, but man was it GOOD.  I’ll definitely go back to that place, maybe even eat there for lunch every so often.  It gave me and Vance a chance to really talk to.  We talked about work,

movies, where we both come from, etc.  It was a good break the ice type of day.  I think things are going to be very good between me and him, and I look forward to getting to know him much better as time goes on.

Afterwards we went to Vance’s new apartment to check it out.  They grabbed a nice place about 150ft from the beach.  It’s pretty gorgeous down there, they lucked out grabbing that place at the price they did.  We walked to the beach for a short spell and I got a picture of it.  The houses on the edge of the water almost made the beach look European in its appearance.  Vance took me back home after that and everyone left for the night.  Vance had a BBQ to go to and Chris and his girlfriend went to his brothers house for dinner than to spend the night there.  I wasn’t sure what to do but decided to go to a movie.  I went to go see UP which was really good, but I think I like a few of the other Pixar films.  It’s not a bad movie by any means, and it’s not even OK, it’s good…but it’s not my #1.   Something else I did on the way home was try and stop at a Target down the street but I was 5 mins late for closing.  I needed to pick up a shower curtain.  O well, I’ll go tomorrow.  When I got home I took a nice shower.  Tonight will be my first experience in the apartment alone, and it already feels weird.  Glad to have a place to call home that’s mine.