A new day and makin' another dollar...

Now that everything is done with my "trade" at work (or mostly done rather) I feel like the midwest and East Coast crew would like to know what the crap has been going down here lately...

So, for those that don't know, I work at the Daily Grill in Downtown LA bartending. Bree and I have worked there since May of 2005, having been part of the crew that opened this location. In the handbook, there is a little something called the "Conflict of Interest" policy, which basically states:

"CONFLICT of INTEREST: Team members may not supervise or manage family members or individuals with whom they have close personal and/or intimate relationships that may potentially lead to complaints of favoritism, lack of objectivity or that may adversely affect Team Member morale or create dissension among Team Members. Also, in case in which one Team Member has an "audit function" over another Team Member (EXAMPLE: A Team Member as a bookkeeper cannot be a relative or have an intimate relationship with another Team Member who handles cash."

Now Bree got hired as bookkeeper and a manager and I was hired as a server... and while this wasn't a problem for the whole first year and change that we worked there, it became a problem after someone, who goes unnamed, complained to the powers that be, which up until this time had looked the other way on it. This changed about two weeks ago and now I am going over to The Grill in Hollywood...

The good thing is, I'm going to make more money and I am closer to home - the bad news is, I no longer work with most of my friends, my Bree or the store that I helped open. It's been causing me a ton of stress, as well as Bree, but I am kinda happy after the first time I got to work there. I mean, on my first shift Steven Soderbergh came in and had lunch... not to bad...

As for the rest of my life - I have been working hard at focusing my energy. My eating is starting to clean up - I have been cutting down on the fast food, eating cleaner and have also mostly cut soda out of my diet (I had a large one this morning, but hell... no one's perfect) As of tomorrow morning, I am going on a full, clean eating change of life, dropping the soda and overall learning how to eat good for myself. With the working out I have been going almost everyday for the last week, twice a day a few times and tomorrow I am heading back to the gym to start Phase Two of my work-out plan...

As for the acting - Bree had an audition for "The Office"... I've been auditioning for a bunch of commercials lately - I'm getting new headshots taken on the 28th, Bree already had new ones taken and should have them back ASAP and I'm working with my pal Steve on a two-person Shakespeare show for Bree and I. Steve and I are getting together early next week to work on my reel and then the quest for TV/Film agents, the SAG card and more work gets running on all guns.

...and then there was "Document". The screenplay that is not a screenplay, but a thought in the back of my mind and something that I talk about and never seem to work on. Out of fear I haven't written any of the thoughts welling in my brain... the fear that it would suck, and I over hyped it... blah, blah, blah... I went on a nice little walk through my 'hood tonight, to get some fresh air, think and mull over what I'm doing and not doing with my life and how I can run it on 110% instead of the 52% I have been working with... and then my thoughts came to this... and I figured out a way to get myself working on it - finally. I take the train to and from work almost everyday. Most of the time, I sit there and watch homeless people, or nap, or listen to my iPod and space out. So I was thinking, what if I bring a notebook with me, and start writing, even if it is only a few pages. So here is my plan... I am going to write on the train... scene by scene and bit by bit, and then every night that I work (I only work 5 days a week) I am going to post what I come up with in the blog... I know about people stealing my ideas and whatever, but at this point, I care more about getting the words down on paper. This way I kill a few birds with one fat stone - I don't blog enough (it's been a week since the last time that I was on here) so this way I am blogging at least a few times a week, I get myself working on the screenplay I never work on, I have something to do on the train that is productive and then people can help me with feedback on the story, the writing and whatever as I am working on it... and if someone steals ideas, let 'em. Unlike some of my friends (and this is not a good a bad thing), I am a believer in God as well a fate and karma - if someone wants to steal my ideas, they will get theirs one way or another cause you reep what you sew - and hell, who knows if once I have this out of my head and on paper, will it even be worth taking!? =)

So that is been my life over the past week and change - ups, downs, regroups... some fears, tears and stress with some smile in the middle - I am coming thru the crap and on the other side things are looking good! I also might have another project I am working on real soon - so I will keep you posted on that too!

Thanks for all the love and support,

J-man!