Friday, March 19, 2010

My new home. Sweet home.

So pumped for this place.  It's on telegraph hill here by the coit tower in North Beach.  Close to China town and it's cheap food and close enough to school to make it hard to be late.

YES.

Monday, March 15, 2010

What about the pictures?

"Ohh Matt where are all the pictures on your blog?"

I'd be snapping the pixels, but when I flew out here my charger cord was stolen from my camera pack.  My camera pack was in my checked bag.  The checked bag which was cracked open and rummaged through. Mind you, my camera was in my carry on where it couldn't be handled and ransacked.

What a bunch of bastards. When they saw a camera bag, their docile eyes must have come to life.  I bet they were pissed when they found no camera and my handwritten note saying "No camera for you, you dirty, dirty baggage handler."

How do I know they found the note? Because it was gone, along with my camera charger cable.  My guess is when they realized I anticipated their sticky hands, they stole the charger cable out of spite. So dirty.

If you learn anything from my word-heavy blog, I'm happy with this being it: take your entire camera situation on the plane with you.  Anything you check, you leave behind.

Yes, I've been meaning to replace the charger cord, but never got around to it.  I'll get it done before I head down to LA. I hope.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

What isn't cliche out here?

Meeting celebrities in California. Could I be anymore cliche?  Then again, what isn't cliche in San Francisco?

In a city born out of individualism and a great port for seaside imports and exports, how aren't you a cliche in anything you do out here?  Ohh here I am, a writer looking for his first gig. Heard it before.

Ohh there goes a unique rebel strutting about in her neon blue leggings, black combat boots, and Where's Waldo hoodie. She has a guitar slung across her back and walks around sporting a scowl that says "This world is as bitter as the lemon I sucked five minutes ago. Now I'm taking it out on you with my sour-faced stare." Seen it before.

So, when I saw someone I recognize from a tv sitcom , how do I react? Go for the signature? Shake hands? Tell him you love his work and he's amazing?  All of the above are cliche. It's all been done before out here.  How can anyone be original when it's all been done before?  

You can't. So it comes to the age-old truth: good creatives borrow, great creatives steal.  Yes, I'll steal. I'll use a line his character says in his sitcom. A reference so abstract he'll realize I'm a nerdy fanboy and hopefully this opens up a conversation instead of the brush-off everyone else gets when they say "Oh my GOD it's you! You're so great can I get a picture with you? Wait, will you sign this shirt I just took off?" 

Yeah, this feels like it might work. Oh but wait, he's gone. He left the dive bar and took my chance of living out a California cliche.  Back to playing pool with random hipsters in a dive bar. Back to another cliche. 

Thursday, March 4, 2010

A beautiful thought



While reading Drops Like Stars by Rob Bell, a passage hit home today. Before I lay this quote down, I want to detail the situation. It comes from the writer Frederick Beuchner recounting when he was a twenty-seven-year-old bachelor trying to write a novel which refused to happen for him.

I was trying too hard
and hadn't learned yet the importance
of letting the empty place inside of me open up.

And so we're polite and we play by the
rules and when asked how we are, we
answer "I'm fine, thank you," just like
we're supposed to.

And then we suffer.
There's a disruption
and our boxes get smashed
and the insulators are removed
and the pretense is shattered
and the "empty place" inside of us
opens up.