#25 Done. A conversation about Vegas over Thanksgiving dinner lit a fire in us, so we woke up at 5am and hit the road.

Happy Turkey Day

Bove’s Theorem: The remaining work to finish in order to reach your goal increases as the deadline approaches. Forty three goals to go with only five weeks to do them in.  Yeah.

Happy 19th Birthday, Devin! Your Backstreet Boys’ days seem like just yesterday.

For you, Ona.

#86 done. It only took about ten years, but finally had my Dad, Georgeanne, George & Rosie over a proper Puerto Rican meal.

#23 in progress. Tried Umami, a Japanese burger joint in Los Feliz. Looks much better than it tastes.  Laurel Burger is still the winner.

So anyway, last night I banged my left hand hard enough for it to swell up over the knuckles by the time I woke up.  However, I’m not sure if it’s broken because the Urgent Care I went to has an infinity for irony and won’t be able to get around to looking at the x-rays until Monday. Fortunately I have a copy of…

Caught a Lakers game with my dad.  Saw Kobe Bryant surpass Kareem Abdul Jabbar in 2nd most points scored as a Laker.

Watched the Soloist as I nursed the gaping hole in my mouth from this morning’s wisdom tooth extraction. I have three more impacted teeth that need to be pulled, but I’m in no rush.  As for the movie… Okay.

It’s that time of year again, where every Marquette game I watch has the potential of inducing a heart attack.  This season will be particularly painful as we are picked to finish 12th in the Big East and expected to miss making the NCAA Tournament.  But that’s what the beer is for.

#5 in progress.  Since graduating film school in 2000, Hollywood has become a virtual black hole for originality. Out of the top 50 grossing movies of the decade, only 9 were based on original properties.  And 5 of those 9 were animated Pixar movies.  But what about the critically acclaimed movies, you ask? Surly the Academy values originality over box office receipts. But, unfortunately…

#21 in progress. Finished Hemingway’s first novel, The Sun Also Rises.  All character and minimal plot.  He did it well.

After the first six games of the season, Brit’s team was 3-3 and facing the prospect of breaking up.  One more loss and their season and team was done.  But rather than pack it in , the girls pulled together and won the next seven games and allowed just two goals while scoring twenty five to claim a share of first place.  That brings…

#61 Done. Took the kids to see Snoqualmie Falls in Washington.  It used to be the first stop we made as kids on the way over to my aunt’s house in Roslyn. (Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

My nephew Dylan did an amazing job staying uncharacteristically still for the duration of the ceremony in which his parents’ renewed their wedding vows.  It was a touching ceremony and great weekend with the entire family.

In Seattle for the weekend.

I wrote a script a while back called, The Messenger.  The story followed a 20-something-year-old bike messenger in NYC who picks up a package that a dirty cop will stop at nothing to prevent him from delivering it. I read in the trades of a similar story being sold today.  Here’s the logline: Premium Rush is a story that follows a 20-something-year-old bike messenger…

Because we’re not a family of soldiers. Veteran’s Day has always been a holiday without a face.  But the older I get, the better I understand and appreciate the sacrifices made for me and mine.  So, in honor of my friend, Kyle, who is off fighting to keep us safe, happy Veteran’s Day.

#43 done. Stylin’ and profilin’.

#5 in progress.  If you want to be a writer, screenwriting is an odd medium to pursue. When you turn in your finished screenplay, no one else sees it as finished, but rather as a loose blueprint. Worse yet, the system calls on you to write your most original and engaging stories, not so that they could be made into movies, but to prove…

A celebratory lunch for another win.  Brit scored two more goals, but thought she played terrible.  She was alone in her thinking, but it’s nice to know she has such high standards.

Ah, the NBA.  Sonia and I joined 10,000 strong to see if Iverson would come off of the bench in the Clippers-Grizzlies game.  Turns out he left the team before tip off.  Clippers won… I guess.

Two more goals and a penalty kick for Brit as her team won 4-0. This one gives them control of first place with two games to go.

October Recap… October was a month of transition. We acted like grown ups and ditched the apartment for a house. But then we acted like kids and dressed up for halloween. I guess that’s the goal. Not letting the scale tip too far to one side. What’s Done… #20. In 1998, Sonia and I flew out to LA to find an apartment a couple…

Netflixed The Proposition. A gritty, bloody and brutal Australian Western that dwarfs anything Hollywood has made in a long time.

#23 in progress. To celebrate the Evil Empire’s World Series win, Sonia and I gave Wolfgang Puck’s, Chinois on Main, in Santa Monica a try. Based on Jim’s inquiry, we both had the curry lobster with crunchy spinach. Excellent.

Good movie with a good message. Learn to read or you’ll become a Nazi.

Hanging with Sean on a sportscentric monday.

After losing the previous two games against the first place team, Brit’s team dominated in 90 degree heat and are now the co-leaders in the standings. The other team lost their composure in the 2nd half and began racking up some yellow cards with some pretty bruising fouls. Unfortunately, Brit was the recipient of most of them, but took her revenge by scoring. With…

#55 Done.  For the first time in twelve years, Sonia and I dressed up for Halloween (Bonnie & Clyde in case it’s not obvious).  We ventured down to West Hollywood, home of one of the biggest Halloween Parties of the world, and joined some friends to costume watch.   Guys tend to either cross dress or wear cheesy 70’s style mustaches. Girls on the…

Another early morning in San Bernardino for the 2nd round of league cup.  This time the opponents were two Silver Elite teams. Brit’s team crushed the first team 6-1, but lost the second 5-3.  They have a slim chance to continue their improbable run and advance to the round of 32 as a wild card team.

#37 Done. We may not have been in the middle of the woods, but the time spent around the fire was just as nice.

With just two months to go, it’s going to take some work play to knock the rest of this list out.  The big question is do I continue with a 2010 list or put this puppy to bed.  I’m leaning toward the latter.

Saw “This Is It” with Sonia and Brittany.  He was definitely a one of a kind talent.  Brittany thought it was amazing and told me I just didn’t understand how amazing he was.  She thinks Michael is her generation’s star. It’s interesting, both Devin and Brittany continue to leach off of the talent and entertainment of my generation.  I consider myself pretty tuned in…

Finally netflixed this Academy Award winner. Per usual I’m always slow to see these period pieces, but always seem to end up liking them.

Where I Write

Although I’m still missing some artwork to inspire my moments of drift, I have finally moved into my office.  Here are a few points of interest (mine mostly). 1. My grandfather’s Kenwood street sign 2. An empty film reel waiting for my screenplay 3. High School graduation gift from my sister, Michelle 4. Autographed Willie Mays photograph 5. My Grandfather’s hat 6. 21" Imac…

Finally, a couple of small teams from the Northeast are in the World Series.  All is right with the country again.

Another “football” Sunday.  Two more injuries to top starters left Brit’s team with no subs. Still, the girls are playing amazing soccer and won another one 3-0.

Despite being sick, Brittany refused to sit out and helped her team beat their league rival 3-0.

“Here’s Johnny!” I finally had my Jack Nicholson/The Shining painting framed, and would you believe it, Sonia actually let me hang it in the den.  She thought the colors tied the room together, but I don’t think she knows the movie is about a writer who loses his marbles and tries to kill his wife and kid. All work and no play makes Jack…

http://media.entertonement.com/embed/OpenEntPlayer.swf Baseball is constant sound bite  James Earl Jones sound bites “The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America is ruled by it like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, is a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of…

Brittany is a huge fan of scary movies, so we were forced to take her to see the indie hit, Paranormal Activity. Made for a paltry $11,000, the film will probably end up grossing over $100,000,000.  With that said, Sonia and I thought it was pretty weak. Brittany loved it.

With halloween fast approaching we have finally decided on going out as Bonnie and Clyde.  While not very bold or timely, Bonnie and Clyde is quintessentially "us".

As I work toward #6, I keep reminding myself that brevity is a virtue.  Hopefully my screenwriting background will benefit me greatly in this regard.  Speaking of brevity, In the 1920s, Ernest Hemingway’s colleagues bet him that he couldn’t write a complete story in just six words. They paid up. Hemingway is said to have considered it his best work… For sale: baby shoes, never…

Despite a rash of injuries and a few a-hole parents who don’t know the meaning of commitment, Brit’s team limped into the first round of the League Cup with only eleven players but ended up dominating the competition with 9-2 and 5-0 wins.  Brit played great and scored 7 goals on the day.

#70 Finished. For only the second time this month we ventured outside the abode for a drink and meal.  I’m not sure Wolfgang’s Cut is worth the king’s ransom, but the food was excellent.

Spent the first part of the afternoon watching a classic at Dodger Stadium. Spent the second part in the parking lot.

Took another trip up into the hills to watch a baseball game.  The Dodgers came up short, but the warm October night was right.

#100 done.  Acquired this Italian “On The Waterfront” poster.  One of my favorite movies.