#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

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 the x-rays in my procession, but when I look at them I see fractures all over the place, so I think I’m doing something wrong.  How did I hurt myself, you ask? I’d rather not say, but I’ll give you three choices to guess from.  A. I was trying to break the long distance record of walking on one’s hands. B. Fought two bank robbers while depositing a Cheesehead option check. C. Banged it against the chair next to me at the Lakers’ game while trying to dislodge my stuck sports coat.

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 that is not the case as just 7 of the 45 Best Picture Nominees of the decade thus far were based on original works.

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

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 who somehow gets involved in a chase across New York City. And we’re not just talking about a little chase but big budget William Friedkin-style action sequences. Apparently a dirty cop is “desperate to get his hands” on an envelope the messenger received from Columbia University.

Oh well.

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 to the movie executive that you can write his “brilliant” idea for the next Fast and the Furious installment.  Rather than play that game, I’ve decided to shelve my latest alien abduction spec and concentrate on my Cheeseheads rewrite.  Cheeseheads has been very good to me.  It has been optioned three times for actual money.  It has gotten me hundreds of meetings.  And oddly enough, it even got me a job to write a serious drama based on the true story of a former federal prosecutor who discovered Nazi war criminals were living in the US on the government’s dime.  But despite all that the script has done for me, it has never done what it was intended to do.  Be a movie. So, that is why I will take the next six weeks to rewrite it.  I will rewrite all of the changes I have made throughout the years to appease some studio exec.  I’m finally in a position where I don’t need Hollywood.  This is my movie and I’m going to write and direct it. Oh, and be forewarned, I’m looking for investors.

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 of months ahead of our move from Chicago to LA so that I could attend film school. The apartment on Benefit St. was the last place we found hours before our flight back. It was a last second find that lasted us almost twelve years. It was a nice place, but we both couldn’t be happier to be out of it and in our new home… Even if it’s only a half of a block down the street.

#37. My brother and his family joined us around the campfire for some marshmallows.

#55. Dressed up like Bonnie and Clyde. We thought we’d have to explain it, but the minute we got out of the car in Hollywood a group of people said, “Hey, Bonnie & Clyde”.

#70. Ate at Cut. Maestros is still the better L.A. steak house.

#100. Acquired an Italian print of the On The Waterfront movie poster for my office.

In Progress…

#6. I’m outlining the story I want to tell. A big hurdle accomplished.

#10. Still rocking the push-ups. My chest and biceps are getting noticeably bigger, but my glutenous diet remains unchanged, so I’m essentially building a bigger frame for the fat.

#18. Still going.

#21. Almost done with Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises”. I’m thinking of “For Whom the Bell Tolls” to finish off the year with.

#23. Tried a couple of more Wolfgang Puck restaurants.

#24. Yeah, in space.

By the way, I think I attended as many playoff games as I did regular season games.

Back to November.

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 just three games to go, a move up to Silver is looking more and more likely.

#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 other hand use Halloween as an excuse to wear the sluttiest costume they can find.  There were slutty zombies, slutty nurses, slutty gangsters, slutty maids and slutty Lady GaGas.  There was even a girl dressed as a slutty H1N1 Virus.

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 to pop and counter culture and I’m not sure the new millennium has produced anything that we’ll still be talking about ten or twenty years from now.

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.

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 a dull boy.

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 used.

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.