Our Yearly Playlist

Do you have a Google twin?  In case you are not aware of the term, a Google twin is the person who shares your page when you Google your name.  I actually had a screenplay idea that revolved around a narcissist who Googles his name only to find his Google twin listed first.  This sends our narcissist on a quest to become newsworthy enough…

Now that I’ve had a couple of weeks with my Kindle 2 I figured I’d give you all a little review.  There is no question that I am a technology whore, but when it comes to falling in love I am a bit more selective.  When it comes to man on machine love, I have a soft spot for my imac,macbook, iphone and Tivo….

Messed up my shoulder a bit.  It’s all Advil and ice for the next week or so.  Unfortunately there will be no softball on Thursday.  Hopefully I’ll be back next week, but right now it hurts to type.

#57 In Progress.  Teeth whitening.  I’ve done a lot of research on this one and was surprised to find that the consensus is that Crest Whitening Strips are more effective than molds, gels and “lasers”.  They are also about 80% cheaper, so strips it is.  I’ll report back on my progress at the end of the month.

Marquette’s regular season ended today with a thud. After losing their point guard two weeks ago, MU lost their final four games.  On the bright side, they will probably be seeded in the West for the NCAA tourney because they haven’t earned the right to play near home.  Ho-hum.  I’m headed to the Staples Center tonight to watch the Clippers take on the Pacers…

#77 Complete.  Bye bye incandescent lighting, hello fluorescent. Made a trip to Costco today and bought enough fluorescent bulbs to replace every light in our home.  It is perhaps the easiest and most dramatic way to lessen our carbon footprint.  Not only will I not have to worry about changing another bulb for years, but I should also see about a 30% reduction in my energy use.

We began a new softball season today in a higher division.  It will certainly be bitter sweet as it’s the last year we will get to play with Devin before he leaves the nest.  Tonight’s game went down to the wire.  It was 13-12 in the last inning with a man on third and two outs.  Their next batter hit a deep fly ball…

#76 Done. Writing a letter is a lost art. Never was that more obvious to me than when I explored my grandfather’s office after he died.  I am grateful for the recorded history that he left behind in those hundreds of letters and know that I will continue to learn from them.  Because of my grandfather, I added #76, write a letter to my…

#22 in Progress.  I recently finished The Big Sleep, one of Time Magazine’s top 100 novels of all time, but can’t say that I was blown away.  It was certainly well written and had all of the twists and turns of a Greek tragedy, but in the end I found the main character, Philip Marlowe, a bit too cold to root for. Lonely drunken…

#69 Complete. To kick off March, Sonia and I spent a picture perfect day at Santa Anita Race Track in Arcadia to find us a long shot.  The track was as beautiful as ever.  85 degrees with snow capped mountains as a backdrop.  As for the long shot, I thought I had it pegged.  It was the fourth race and only six horses in the field.  Craig’s…

#8.  Sonia and I started our business LAFashionInsider last February with two clients.  Enough money was made to pay the rent, but most of the work in the beginning was finding new clients and getting to know the vendors and their products.  One year later we have twenty six clients. When comparing “sales” between February of 2008 and February of 2009, LAFashioninsider has grown…

I know this is a lesson in perspective, but it hurts nonetheless.  Marquette’s senior point guard, Dominic James, broke his foot in last night’s game and more or less dashed any hopes that this team will make a run in the NCAA tournament.  He was the engine that made them go.  But even worse, the break ends the collegiate career of one of the…

Death of a Hard Drive.  Who am I without my hard drive?  The answer thus far is a worthless mess.  To make matters worse my back up drive may have been compromised as well.  And if that is indeed true, then every picture, script and blog is no longer.  But hey, at least Marquette is on TV tonight. UPDATE: Our point guard is done…

Happy Fat Tuesday Everyone.  We’re off to do it up “Nawlins” style. Or at the very least some oysters.

Speaking of tangible bad guys, cancer gets to find out what an ass kicking feels like today.  Love you, Sister.

#23. Saw The International.  Definitely my kind of movie, but it could have been so much better.  It certainly could have been less confusing with better execution and storytelling.  But the biggest problem I had with it was the main character.  While well acted, Clive Owen’s character was detached.  I just didn’t didn’t care enough about him to root for him.  To make matters…

Of the most acclaimed movies of 2008, I have seen The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Wrestler, The Dark Knight, Revolutionary Road, Wall-E and Slumdog Millionaire.  Revolutionary Road was probably my favorite.  I still really want to see Frost/Nixon and The Reader.  Milk, not so much. Here are my predictions: Best Actor – Mickey Rourke Sean Penn Best Supporting Actor – Heath Ledger…

#75 Finito. I’ve been meaning to see the 80’s music/comedy cover band, the Spazmatics, for almost ten years now.  Last night, I finally did.  They didn’t disappoint.  Even better, I was joined by friends and family.  Sean and Kim danced the night away.  Kim’s sister, Tobi, tracked down a man.  And best of all, my dad and Georgeanne, against their better judgement, joined in…

#51. I Want.

Netflixed Hancock.  Great concept.  Big budget.  Bad story.

Where I’d rather be today.  It’s too cold and too wet today in L.A.

Sonia ordered me the Kindle 2 for Valentine’s day.  Although I won’t have it for a couple of weeks, it is the best gift she has ever gotten me.  While there is nothing like the tactile feeling of a real book, the Kindle is the future.  I really think the ipod for books will save the industry. Can’t wait.

#23. Saw Confessions of a Shopaholic.  It’s Valentine’s Day so I conceded the choice of movies to Sonia.  With that said, it was well done.  A cute movie.  No complaints.

#20 in progress. Three down, two to go.  Click photo to read.

#56.  A little over eight years ago, Ann Marie Boskovich sang at my film school graduation party.  Now she’s singing her way through American Idol.  Her talent couldn’t be any more foreign to me. In fact, I would be surprised if a Youmans, now or forever, will be able to hold a note.  We sound like tortured cats.  So with that in mind, it…

John F. Kennedy said, “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly."  I hope to God he’s right.  I’ve been drowning in my current screenplay.  I love it and believe in it. But I still don’t quite know what "it” is.  Every day I write two to five pages only to delete them the following day.  This has been going on…

I call this piece, Cats in Hats.  After seeing some “interesting” German art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Arts I figured I’d throw my hat into the ring.  Trust me, I’d be huge in Germany.

#74 Completed. Sonia and I visited the Los Angeles County Museum of Arts today.  In addition to their permanent collection, LACMA featured two exhibits.  The first was “Arts of Two Germanys/Cold War Cultures.  The title sounds more interesting than the art.  The art reflected the culture and times as it was mostly cold and dark.  The other exhibit was "Vanity Fair Portraits”. As the…

#24 in progress.  Ate at Father’s Office in Santa Monica today.  It’s a small gastropub that is famous for it’s micro brews and burgers.  The burger looks better than it tasted.  It was good, but more of a fancy steak sandwich than a cheeseburger.  The oysters we had as an appetizer were great.  And the sweet potato fries were decadent.  Overall, it was pretty…

My California Girl.  Remember when we used to look forward to the hot lunch at school?  Sure there were a few sub par days like mystery meat Wednesday, but overall most of us would rather have the hot lunch over brown bagging it.  Not so for our little girl and today was no exception.  As she is often able to do, Brit pulled at…

#23. Four down, Six to go. Taken is a familiar, but pretty good suspense thriller.  Because it is the kind of story that I primarily write it is hard for me to truly escape and get into the movie.  Instead, I analyze each scene down to the word and ask myself what I would do differently.  Nevertheless, it was a good night at the…

#28. One down, four to go.  Brando plays a brooding and abusive jerk and is mesmerizing.  Vivien Leigh plays a whack job.  Great characters.  Adapted from the stage, the movie isn’t very cinematic.  Feels like a play.  But, Brando is incredible nonetheless.

The home office is one year old this month.  Starting our own business has been everything we had hoped it to be.  Sonia networks and shops with other people’s money and I am a part time CFO, part time writer.  No boss, no set schedule, no guaranteed pay check.  The last part is scary, especially in light of today’s economy, but so worth it.

Spent the evening celebrating the birthday of my baby sister, Rosie, and niece and nephew, Kaden and Kennedy.  My little sister is such a warm and caring person. She carries her grandmother’s name as no one else could.  As for the twins, they certainly gave the impression that the terrible twos are behind them.  While Sean and Kim ate dinner as if their heads…

While I have yet to take the perfect picture (#73), I wanted to share my “perfect” picture of 2008.  It was taken in our hotel room in New Orleans before heading out to Burbon Street.  Rather than take an obvious photo of us in the mirror, I was able to use my iphone as a prop and take a more editorial type photograph.  It’s…

Happy Birthday to my Niece and Nephew!  You’ve come a long way in three years.

If I were to itemize my time spent, writing and family would compete for the number one and two spots.  As for number three… Marquette Basketball.  In between listening or watching every game of the season, I help run MUScoop.com, an “insiders” basketball message forum.  Although I die a small death with every loss, there are few pleasures outside of family that come close…

Practicing for #59. It’s not a seven course meal, but a good first step. Broiled garlic shrimp on a bed of Angel Hair Pasta with Asparagus. Despite my lack of cooking talent, it wasn’t half bad.

Brittany’s trip was a success.  Despite the challenging logistics, everything went as planned. Among the highlights, Brittany witnessed the 44th Presidential Inauguration in the bitter cold, visited the Smithsonian, The Air and Space Museum, Library of Congress, Lincoln Memorial, Capitol Building, National Mall, Arlington Cemetery and Mount Vernon.  From there she traveled by bus to New York City where she toured Central Park, Time’s…