Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Synchronicity... Starring Brad Pitt

Sometimes I wonder. Actually, I wonder most of the time. But sometimes, I wonder about the mysteries of how things work, how we're all connected "beneath the surface", and whether or not certain "coincidences" are actually part of a big picture that we mere mortals are only allowed to occasionally glimpse at through little cosmic peepholes.

No, I'm not on drugs.

My latest little glimpse through a peephole started with a dream. Just before I woke up yesterday morning, I was treated to a vivid dream involving Brad Pitt.

No, I didn't make-out with him.

That's what my 10-year-old daughter asked me when I started telling her about the dream. I figured other people might have the same idea. That's why I added the above disclaimer.

Anyway, the main point of the dream is that I wasn't star-struck by Brad Pitt. We were friends, or maybe co-workers. Brad was driving the car, and I was in the back seat. The other two people in the car were co-workers of mine. Not showbiz co-workers. They were people from my current day job. Brad Pitt was just one of the guys. Still famous, but just one of the guys.

My interpretation of the dream, for what it's worth, is that I'm finally starting to believe that I belong in Hollywood. My main motivation is not to be a star, but I wouldn't mine going along for the ride. Let the star drive the vehicle. I'll kick-it in the back seat. Play a supporting role.

But mainly, I think the dream has a lot to do with the feelings I'm having while I'm awake... believing that I belong in the industry as much as anybody else does. I'm on the journey.

Okay, so here's where the synchronicity comes in...

My acting teacher (Carey Scott) never drops names of big stars. In fact, he explicitly tells us that he makes it a point not to drop names of big stars. He'll tell us stories about famous people to make a point (e.g., "One of my good friends is a huge star, but he's no happier than he was before he became famous"), but always leave out the name...

Until last night.

Carey was telling us a story relating to one of the scenes being performed in our class. The scene was from "Thelma and Louise", and the story had to do with Carey attending the premiere with a good friend of his... Brad Pitt.

I've been in his class for six months, and he's never dropped the name of a superstar friend. Then the first name he drops is the guy who was in my dream earlier that same day? And I can't remember the last time I had a vivid dream like that, let alone a vivid dream involving a superstar.

What does this all mean?

Who knows?

I had an idea about the interpretation of my dream, but as far as how my dream and Carey's reality are connected... I have no clue. That's just a glimpse through the peephole.

All I do know is that the odds of these two events happening on the same day are astronomical. You can pass it off as a coincidence. I can't prove it's not a coincidence. It just makes me wonder, that's all. Is this foreshadowing of something? Time will tell. Did I catch a glimpse into the future with my dream? I hope not, because that would imply pre-destiny... which I'm not a big fan of. Was Carey tapped into some wavelength emanating from my skull that caused him to mention Brad Pitt? More likely than peering into the future, I think... since that would simply involve some kind of communication "beneath the surface" in the present moment.

And for the last time... I am _not_ on drugs!

I'm just wondering, that's all.

Friday, June 23, 2006

Long Time, No Blog

Recently, a friend of mine (let's call him Lawrence, since that's his name) said that he'd been checking my blog now and then, only to find that it hadn't been updated in a long time.

Well, rather than try playing catch-up on everything that's happened in the past two months, how's about a snapshot of where I'm at?

In a nutshell (see "Where I Belong"), I've been focusing on acting. Stand-up has taken a back-seat. It's not out of the car. It's just sitting patiently in the back-seat, waiting to take the wheel again. Even when it does take the wheel, it won't be for very long. The more I dive into acting, the more obvious it becomes to me that I need to dive in even deeper.

This isn't a hobby anymore.

"Denial time" is over.

I'm in.

In deep.

Going deeper...

Deeper...

Deeper...

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

Actually, I'm not falling asleep at the wheel at all. That last little snooze was just a stream-of-consciousness thing. It's not a metaphor for what's going on in the real world.

Over the past handful of weeks, I did a stream of acting showcases in Hollywood and San Diego with my acting class. We met with agents, managers, casting directors, producers, and a couple of actors. I'll know soon if any of the agents/managers are interested in meeting with me to discuss being my representation. If not this time, then next time... or the next... or the time after that.

This is a marathon, not a sprint.

In the meantime, while the results of the showcases are up-in-the-air, I'm going to continue focusing on getting better. In fact, that'll be the focus from now on. From here to eternity, with or without representation.

And a big part of that is bidding farewell to ego.

See ya, ego!

Get outta the way, ego!

Are you listening, ego?!

Yeah, I think ego's gotten the message.

So, that's all for now. Feeling good about stuff... inside-out. That is, it all starts on the inside, and works it's way out.

Hopefully, it won't be another two months before I blog/blab again. If so, oh well. It'll mean I've got other things to do. Maybe I'll report back tomorrow, since I'm doing stand-up tonight for the first time in almost two months. Maybe I'll report back after next week, when I find out whether or not I've got any meetings lined-up. Or maybe I'll report back in a couple of months again, telling you how things have been going for the past couple of months.

Whether it's a day, a week, or a couple of months, just remember one thing...

It's always now.

Make that two things...

You're always here.

So, does it really matter how long I go between blogs?

Ommmmmmmmmmmmm...