Friday, August 10, 2012

The Land Of Éire

Dublin, Galway, Killarney

Two days from now I'll be up in the sky with Heather flying over the Atlantic Ocean to the ancestral home of our fore-bearers. Ireland! We both have family that made the long journey across the sea centuries ago from the Emerald Island. We are so excited.

Did I pack everything?! I think so. I hate forgetting stuff. This time I'm feeling pretty confident though even though half my luggage isn't even in my suitcase. Silly me decided it would be a good idea to work the day before we leave so I still have work tomorrow from 1-10.

We are flying Sunday evening from New York and will arrive in Dublin early Monday morning after a brief stop in London. I really hope we can sleep on the plane and that we don't have some giant person sitting next to us. Last time I went to Europe I was in the middle seat of the middle row of the plane. By hour number six, I was going stir crazy.

Dublin: Our first stop will be..... Guiness baby! Heather and I will be drinking lots of this (whether she likes it or not) because one must drink lots of Guiness in Ireland, especially Dublin. With classic Irish music pub tours and the awesomeness that awaits, needless to say we are psyched for Dublin.

Waterford Crystal is next since we received a free excursion there. Hopefully we can check out some caves or something really cool. Waterford is near the water so maybe we can grab some seafood on the southern coast of Ireland while we are in town.

Galway: That is next location on our trek across the country. We aren't sure of too many notable experiences people have had in Galway but I'm sure we will find some amazing sights. The cliffs of Moher are supposedly a must see and we are lucky enough to have a rental car revved up for us for the duration of the trip.

Killarney: The final city we get to set up camp in before our departure. Dingle is close to Killarney and they say that's a pretty cool village on the west coast. Then of course, the Blarney Castle. I hope we see lots of castles on our way. I want to try every strange food and drink that I can. Heather said there is lamb on almost every menu there. Mmmmmmmmm..... lamb.

So wish us luck on our epic journey through Ireland!

Also, I was just thinking. What a strange name for a country right? Ireland. The Land of Ire. So I looked it up.

"The 'Ire' in Ireland comes from the name for Ireland in Irish (Gaelic): Éire (pronounced air-eh). This in turn comes from Ériu (air-ruh), a pre-Christian Mother Goddess worshiped widely across ancient Ireland." -

Domhnall O'Huigin

Thanks for clearing that up for us Domhnall! Maybe we'll see you there.

Monday, August 6, 2012

Going Somewhere With Going Nowhere

A Bit Of History, Progression, Motivation, and Execution.

Everyone has ideas because they are easy to come by. The challenge is to have the drive, patience, and discipline to allow them to thrive. It's a wonderful feeling when a particularly great idea begins to take shape and starts to evolve. When that idea undergoes a metamorphoses and becomes something you can hold in your hand, a sense of accomplishment is realized. Today I felt that whilst a great idea we have been working on for years continued it's journey to becoming a reality.

A Bit Of History: Several years ago, Xavier Rodney came up with the idea for a web series. It would be called Going Nowhere, a comedy about three lifelong friends struggling to make ends meet while going to school and working a bunch of dead-end jobs. A first draft was written for Episode 1 and talk began of casting and filming. However, due to school, jobs, and lack of time, years went by before the parts would be cast and the cameras would roll.

Little did Xavier know that eventually, his idea would be embraced by dozens of friends who would be determined to see it through. Once we all realized the potential this web series had, the original concept evolved into something none of us, especially Xavier, could have dreamed of. An epic tale of friendship, betrayal, battles, death, superheroes, and more epic was woven into story that blew our minds. Characters were added, scenes were written, new cameras and sound equipment were purchased, and an overarching chronicle was created that could give the series enough endurance to sustain itself for years.

Finally, the lights blared, the cameras rolled, and the action commenced.

Progression: Today is the fourth time in eight days that the cast/crew of Going Nowhere has filmed the series we can only summarize as an "Epic Superhero Comedy". This past week has been a lot of fun and the whole team has been working extremely diligently. Dan, Matt, and Natalie have lent us their apartment in Queens to use as the home of Ken and Chops, which is where the majority of the episodes take place. We've all been there for countless hours, shooting scene after scene as an ever increasing amount of material pours in from the writers (me being one of them).

I don't want to spoil any of the fun so I won't mention much more about the scenes, just that I'm feeling more and more confident everyday with a project that I have been dedicated to.

Motivation: Last Monday, I let the crew know some very big news that I knew would lead us to a breaking point. Since this project has been going on for so long and has been derailed so many times, I decided to light a fire under all of us. If we finish shooting and polishing episodes 1 through 6, I will buy the same camera that was used to shoot Captain America, the Canon 5D Mark II, along with an incredible rig. Yeah, the same camera that was used to shoot a move that grossed over 175 million dollars. I think it worked.

As I said earlier, today is the fourth time in eight days that the cast/crew of Going Nowhere has met. This camera will bring us to another level of cinematography. We will finally have the resources that I feel will project us into the big leagues. I can only hope that with a big enough following and a dedicated fan base that someone on a television network will give Going Nowhere a chance. Yes, I believe the show is that good.

Execution: It's really happening. Everyone is coming together with a new tenacity and is transforming this idea into something substantial, something to be proud of. Xavier's original idea has turned into an epic, unbelievable story that has allowed us to siphon creativity from every facet of our imaginations. Words can't describe how gracious we all are to him for allowing us to be a part of the process. Going Nowhere isn't just some web series to us, it's a metaphor for what we all want despite the irony in the title. We all want to go somewhere and we want the world to be excited while they watch our characters attempt to do just that.

Everyone has ideas and I'm happy to say that we are turning one into a reality.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

UN-JUICED

The Headache, the End, and the Lesson. This is Day 2 of JUICED and I have decided to end this attempt at drinking nothing but fruit and vegetable juice for 10 days. Yes, I was all fired up yesterday and ready to go for it. However, it just wasn't meant to be. I mean, Indiana Jones had Sean Connery before they had Shia LeBeouf; not all ideas get better.

The Headache: Last night I slept from 8:30 PM to 9:30 AM (yeah, that's 13 hours) and still woke up with a terrible headache. I hoped that it would go away throughout the day but it only got worse. I continued to drink juice three separate times but the migraine only got worse. I've never had a migraine before and rarely get headaches. This felt like the worst hangover I ever had minus the nausea.

The End: I was at work and simply was not focused at all on my job. So, I folded my cards made my way over to Gyro Palace, which happens to be delicious by the way. Shortly after, the headache disappeared. Poof! Just like that and it was gone. I sat in the break room and ate the most delicious gyro of recent memory. I know it's only been two days but it felt amazing to eat real food.

The Lesson: The headache is what did me in, not the hunger or desire to eat real, solid food. My head was pounding when I would stand up and move from one side of my head to the other. I realized for the first time what it's like to have a migraine and now I can sympathize with anyone who chronically suffers from them. It was debilitating in a way that I was unable to perform at my job sufficiently. Aside from that I believe I could have held out on real food.

I understand that this was an incredibly short attempt at a new lifestyle but I will try to take something from it. I have the juicer now and felt great in the morning with fresh veggies and fruits so why not mix it into my current diet? Maybe I can juice instead of drink coffee in the morning. I felt invigorated and alive for several hours, plus it really tasted great.

So the 10 Day thing wasn't for me. It's okay.

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

JUICED!!

A realization, a conversation, and an immediate reaction have somehow led to my purchase of a Jack LaLanne Juicer as well as a 10 Day Challenge to only drink juiced vegetables and fruits. This won't be fast or easy; otherwise it wouldn't be very challenging.
The Realization: It began on July 30th at the Going Nowhere web series shoot in Queens while I watched myself on camera performing as Stanley Knight. I noticed my jawline, or lack thereof, and shook my head. How can I still not be thinner after all these years of trying to lose weight? I don't think I'm fat or anything, but I do know that there are plenty of 26 year old men and women who are in way better shape than I am. I don't eat fast food, I don't eat chips, fries, or soda. So what gives?

The Conversation: While my fellow Assistant Executive Producer, Vinny, and I drove home from the shoot, I asked him what he thought about the extra weight on camera. Well, we aren't in very good shape I guess. This led to us speaking about the Juice Guy. Apparently, a 307 pound Australian guy lost nearly 100 pounds by only drinking vegetable and fruit juice for 60 days. 60 DAYS!! So I start thinking hey, maybe this will work.

The Immediate (and somewhat crazy) Reaction: I bought a juicer last night after watching the Australian guy, Joe Cross' Documentary. He really did it for 60 days and someone else tried it for 10. Here is a guy who weighed nearly 75 pounds more than I do now and he was able to have enough discipline to do this. Why not me?

Today is Day 1 of this "Juice Fast". The morning started out alright and I made a mix of carrots, apples, cucumbers, and watermelon for breakfast. I made enough to take to work as well. By around 4, I started to get a headache and now, at 7:35, I'm feeling really out of it. I understand that my body is going into a sort of shock. I'm not hungry, but my body is confused as to why there is no solid meats, cheeses, or breads to break down. Well guess what body? Get used to it for the next 10 days!

I don't know how I'm going to feel or how much weight I will lose and keep off my body. I do know that writing this down will help me stay disciplined enough to avoid the temptation that will be around me nonstop. Will I do it for 10 whole days? Yes I will.

By the way, every glass of juice I have tried so far has been delicious.