Archive for the ‘Food Adventures’ Category

Wrapped up my stay with Stagger Lee in Corona Del Mar tonight and made my way north, back to C-City and the grind. Round two with the meetings starts tomorrow. Currently we have three on the books for this week. I’ll cover them as we go. Going to be speaking with the Feature Agents tomorrow. Hopefully we’ll get the fire going as well, soon.

Sad to say good-bye to Stagger. He’s my dear, dear four-legged pal. Always sleeps right by the door to the room I stay in, so he knows when I go to bed at night. Usually he’s there when I wake up, if I’m late getting going in the morning.

Had a fabulous dinner with Polly, Will, and J.P. before heading back. It was the perfect cap to my stay. We had a grand time at Gulfstream catching up. It’s always so wonderful to see them. Before, J.P. and I had an in-depth conversation about the first grade, how much he likes to not go to school, and how he tries to fool his mother into thinking he’s sick. We covered all the bases. (I refrained from getting into the “Doc” story.) He was not too thrilled with the prospect of homework every night. And at dinner, Will and I talked movies a bit. Mainly Harry Potter, but we also dipped into Toy Story 3 (which he hadn’t seen yet, but I recommended highly) and Despicable Me which got a thumbs down, despite the Henchmen. Will is quite the young man these days, too! The only bummer was that Joe and Matt weren’t back yet. I always love my time with Polly, but when the rest of the clan is added to the mix, it’s a special treat.

After dinner, I made my way up U.S. 1, the PCH, through the coastal towns – all quiet on a Monday night for the most part. The last few shades of dusk heavy in the sky against a thin band of faraway autumnal burnt orange on my left, streaking what was left of the Pacific’s horizon, lingering out past the endless beaches and white-tipped waves rolling over the deep blue. The last few beats of sunset fading in the cool night air. Window down all the way rolling up the coastline, alone with my thoughts, all the way back to L.A.

Got to bake a cake today from scratch. It’s been some time since I’ve done any serious, for a bunch of folks baking. I gotta say I’ve missed it some. Definitely still out of sorts and getting tired of it. We did get the DVD’s up on the wall over the TV, which was the last project between both me and Jacob that was lingering.  That means that the DVD’s are out of my room and I should be able to finish the last little bit of setting up my room/office. Also have a lead on a few freelance writing gigs. We’ll see. Sometimes, you get fried on remaining hopeful while keeping your expectations low. It happens. This, too, shall pass. It always does and I just need to let it come and then go and not make it worse. On to the review:

CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE WITH VANILLA FROSTING

Mmmmmmmm!

One hundred percent homemade. No poseurs-from-a-box allowed in the B.O.H.

This, by the way is not the cake I baked today, though it looks a lot like it.

What better combo is there? I used to be a chocolate on chocolate guy. (Cecil’s Deli in St. Paul has the absolute greatest chocolate on chocolate three layer classic. That icing. Man! I’ve been trying for years to replicate that icing. I got in the ballpark once in Chicago, but I don’t know what I did.) But eventually, I migrated to the start contrast, born to melded in cake bliss forever combo of chocolate cake/vanilla frosting. Let’s take another look:

Callback: Mmmmmmmmmm!

I don’t even know what’s on top of that slice. Some kind of hat like icing decoration that is entirely unnecessary. The chocolate and vanilla just look perfect together, don’t they? And you know what? It tastes like one big Oreo. Which, come on, who doesn’t like that?

I utilize a recipe for a “Black Magic Cake” that I got off the internet. I’ve tried others. This recipe is by far the most moist and dense, chocolate flavored cake out there. Do not use instant coffee, as it calls for in that recipe. Do yourself a favor and either make or buy strong coffee. One cup’s worth is all you need (one measuring cup, not a mug.) The real, strong, bold flavored coffee makes all the difference in the world. Trust me. What you arrive at with it is a very moist, deeply flavored cake that’s really hard to overcook. The actual cake is beyond heavenly. As you can see, it’s a very basic recipe that can be whipped up (no pun intended) rather quickly and efficiently.

From the there I utilize a pretty standard homemade vanilla frosting recipe from an old cookbook that II got as a gift some years ago. The cookbook deals exclusively with the making of every kind of chocolate  cakes known to man. The cookbook is a wonderful resource. It’s by a woman by the name of Michelle Urvater, but the name of it escapes me at the moment. The recipe I use details the most basic vanilla except that I always put in extra Vanilla extract or actual vanilla bean, depending on. I like a nice, vanilla/sweet twang when you bite into the velvety cake.

Anyways. If you love cakes at all, make yourself one with black magic cake and vanilla frosting; then watch everyone flock to you!

The result: pure deliciouness. Okay, I’m gettingh/?

Here we are. Getting settled in Culver City/Palms and the new pad. Making my way in this crazy, mixed up business. Officially an M.F.A. It’s all a little weird still. I was just talking to a friend and classmate, who I hadn’t seen in awhile. He’s been out since winter quarter and went to New York this summer, as part of a festival, to stage a play of his – himself. He’s in the same, weird financial in between state that it seems those that are just graduating and getting some interest/work opportunities/rep meetings are all in. Too busy to really commit to a real job, but not really getting paid anything, at all – yet. I was relieved to see him because I had heard through the grapevine he might take a gig in D.C., which is one of the places he worked prior to coming west. Instead, he came back because it seemed like the wise thing to do. Anyways, we commiserated over the strangeness. I would say that the common theme is that its not a very comfortable position to be in. This is largely due to the fact that you have no clue where the whole endeavor is headed, or how long it might take to get there, and speeding the process up is mercurial at best or wholly out of your hands, normally. Yet, it can be exciting and it can all see like it’s about to come through – that elusive corner will be turned and you’ll be working….as a writer….just as you dreamed for so many years.

Anyways, suffice to say you keep your head up high, you work hard, you keep your expectations low, but your hopes reasonably high, you stay in touch and don’t isolate too much, you ask for help when you need it, and you look at each day as exactly that – a day in which anything can happen, but, when you close your eyes, you get to start all over again.

All right. That was a waaaay longer introduction than I expected. So, without further soapboxing, let’s get down to it! It is Friday night, after all.

-I’m going to say this once and try and leave it alone after that. How in the name of all that’s holy did David Freese incur a season ending ankle injury, on a heretofor uninjured part of his body, on a rehab assignment in double A ROUNDING THIRD BASE?!?!?! It’s like this kid has turned out to be the boy in the bubble! I’m afraid if the wind blows too hard when we visit Wrigley he might break a bone or blow away. It’s just unreal.

-If it weren’t for Adam Wainwright, I think the redbirds would be having a much, much different season. Waino is indeed Bueno.

-Jacob and I are watching DEADWOOD. He’s never seen it and I’ve only seen it once, when it aired. It’s been fascinating to watch it again. Man, did HBO screw up, or what, when they took it off the air prematurely? The show is beyond brilliant. Milch truly outdid himself and so did the actors. I’m floored by two things – first of all, Milch dumps every spark for the ENTIRE SERIES into the first four episodes. It’s amazing. There’s one major event, that in my mind I would’ve sworn before watching it, that it had occurred in season two. I mean I would’ve bet good money. Season two, Doc? Try episode two! My jaw was on the floor. I had no recollection it had come that early. I was blown away.  (And I’m not the only one, I was talking to a writer-friend the other night and he’s rewatching it to and had the same reaction)

-We have a lot of projects in play right now. Lots kind of hopping around. It’s nice to have this TV stuff vaulting ahead of the pack. It’s all pretty cut and dry, which is good. But it would be lovely to knock some things off our plate. One thing I think we’re learning is that once something gets on your plate? It’s really hard to get it off, even if it’s going nowhere.

-Jacob’s a big fan of THE LAST WALTZ, too. That means he’s really good people.

-We have a pretty kick-ass apartment. I wake up and can’t quite believe how well it all worked out, and we seem to be falling into a good rhythm. I have to say I was against Culver City when I first moved to L.A. for some reason. The one time I had visited years earlier, I had stayed with a friend in Culver City; but never got a good grasp of the place and it seemed real scattershot – one block was cool, the next was rough. I could get that in Chicago, I wanted something different. But, Culver City is pretty awesome. It helps our apartment is so excellent, but downtown Culver City, while not huge, has some neat restaurants and bistros and cafes. It’s got a good feel to it. And, the Albertson’s? The best grocery store, I’ve seen in years. I was actually surprised. It’s a vast place. It even has some bulk foods like whole foods. A-Ma-Zing!

-Did I tell you about the new Swell Season record yet? Well, why aren’t you listening to it right now! The new Arcade Fire’s pretty good, too. Though it’s early.

-I’m a notoriously bad unpacker. Like I leave boxes unpacked for months after a move. It’s a really bad habit. SO, here’s a reminder to myself to push through and finish the job this weekend. There’s hardly anything left and I’ll be a happier man if I do.

-We’re thinking about getting some plants. We get great light and we’ve got some perfect spots for them. Any suggestions? (Preferably low maintenance, but not cacti!)

-Can you believe David Freese?!?!

-I’m quite excited that I’ll be doing more cooking here at the new joint. I’ve already busted out the risotto witch is my fast and easy dinner – through some chicken and peas in there, or beef, some parm and away you go. But, over the long haul, we’re talking BBQ, we’re talking Slow Cooker, we’re talking the whole nine yards. Which is good. It’s been awhile. Plus, it’s the type of place where I could have some friends over and it would be comfortable. (I owe some folks some home cooked meals.) We’ve even got enough room and seating to have movie nights for a select few folks.

I think that’s about it for this week’s edition of randoms. Be good to yourself. I’ll be back to regular posts tomorrow.

Tonight marked the official end of Summer Writer’s Camp. Jason made the call that he would have to stay on the west coast for the duration, so he returned home to Topanga and had the house sitter depart. (Sorry Darby, Lyric, Ollie, and all on the East Coast!) On my end, I called in the cavalry to ensure a smooth road through the move next week and this initial slate of meetings. In other words, we put aside the belief that there will be a significant lull anytime soon, and dug in for the long haul. We realized that we’ve got a lot of work to do – to get ready for the meetings, to get ready for what might come after, to wrap up some of our side projects, and to develop new stuff. We feel the more we hustle, the sooner we can push through to the next stage (That’s the  theory we’re sticking with, at least.) We know the one thing we can control in this whole tornado of activity is how hard we work, so we decided to go all in on the hard work. Double down and look for those split aces, if you will.

Sad to see Jase go, though I’m sure he’ll be relieved to sleep in a real bed. It’s been a week since he flew in, late Tuesday night, and we had the big meeting on Wednesday. So hard to believe its been a week. Feels like ten, but then again it also feels like just yesterday. All in all, its been a strange out of time experience. For seven days straight it was all movies, meetings, food trucks, and writing; with a few social events tossed in for celebratory purposes here and there. We worked through a rewrite of the Chinatown in the Desert feature, wrote the first draft of a short film that we’re getting paid to write (For a 3D shoot and with a heavy Special FX budget), wrote the treatment for a screenplay we’re doing with a Junior Creative Exec at Sam Raimi’s company, and started trimming down (30 pages have to be cut) a pilot we wrote months back and need to get ready for the meeting with the TV Agent next week. That’s a pretty heavy attack. I actually feel like I’m missing something, too. Which is nuts.

We have a phone meeting with the JCE at Sam Raimi’s Company tomorrow at 12:30 to discuss the treatment. We start in on a feature for a young, up and coming director who’s about to graduate from UCLA. We’ve been working on the story for a year, almost, developing it, working out the kinks, making it strong. We booked the meeting with the TV Agent next week for Thursday. We’re waiting on word from our Feature Agents about our spec scripts and whether we’ll go out on a blitzkrieg of meet and greets, or try and package one of them to sell, or write something brand new altogether. We even had lunch with a good friend, and up and coming writer-producer at the Disney/ABC lot  the other day. This is all just the next seven days, or so. Somewhere in there we have to prep a TV pilot outline that we have for the TV Agent meeting as well, and I’m sure we’ll hear notes back on the rewrite of Chinatown in the Desert feature.

Pretty crazy, huh? By no means do I think it’ll always be like this. I only lay it out, so that one day I can remember this time in my life; because it feels so fast moving, right now. It strikes me that we’re at this final push to get to the top of one mountain. One we’ve been on for years. By no means is it the last mountain; or, by no means is it about climbing mountains so much. The top of the current mountain will be working and getting paid at the same time, possibly signified by membership in the Writer’s Guild, which is the Writer’s Union here. That will come with our first job, which should come as a result of the impending meetings. I’m not talking about getting rich, or out of debt completely, even. I’m simply talking about earning insurance coverage through the Guild, and enough of a payday to keep writing. Liftoff essentially. To achieve that, we have to give ourselves over to the work and the momentum and ride that boost, to climb the last bit and get to the top, so we can finish the beginning of this journey and settle into the next phase.

I hope that all makes sense. It’s a fun time. One that feels like its okay to have tunnel vision, to be consumed by the work in a good way. But, it’s also disorienting and nerve wracking at times. Heck, it might always be nerve wracking, actually. Who am I to say? The interesting thing, and some that know me well will laugh (hopefully), there is no preparation for this sudden explosion. You could study the business, study other writer’s paths in – go ahead, it still won’t prep you. I don’t even know why exactly, but as someone who maniacally researches and preps and studies as much of the business as he can, nothing I read or studied before shined a light on the experiences of the past week. None of them. You’ve gotta learn on the job, as it happens. I suppose that’s what a PHD is.

One of the last things we did for Summer Writer’s Camp is head back over to Venice and The Brig, which is a bar on Abbott Kinney, with a parking lot next to it, which is a home base of sorts for Food Trucks. We  headed over to catch our new favorite, The Buttermilk Truck. This is where we went last week, Wednesday night as we waited for word on how the big meeting went and grabbed dinner from The Comfort Truck. It was very Suberian (Howard Suber) ending (Completion and Return.) While The Comfort Truck makes these awesome beef sliders, they aren’t anywhere near The Buttermilk Truck, which gives the Grilled Cheese Truck a run for its money.

Here are some pictures to prove it:

The Elusive Buttermilk Truck at The Brig in Venice, CA

On the left is the world's greatest Biscuit Breakfast Sandwich (With Sausage) and on the right are The Buttermilk Truck's infamous Red Velvet Chocolate Chip PANCAKE bites with a Vanilla Pastry Cream on top. Commence drooling....now!

Close-up on the biscuit breakfast goodness. Gotta go sausage though, bacon fans. Trust me.

Jason boldly inquiring about the make-up of the mysterious Hawaiian Breakfast sliders, which some food bloggers claim is the only way to Buttermilk, though I'm holding out for the extremely rare pumpkin croissant.

A big perk about the Brig parking lot is the long bench where you sit, often with others, and eat your food truck treasure. Other places, you might have to get back in your car; or wait and drive someplace more conducive to picnicking, like Santa Monica Beach.

Back of the Buttermilk Truck and a peek at the kitchen area.

A Hot Dog truck, which was sharing the parking lot with The Buttermilk Truck. We were hoping for King Kone or The Sweets Truck, but no luck.

Then this is one of the Calbi Trucks, which is Mexican food, arriving as we walked away.

That’s about it for tonight. We’ll see what tomorrow brings!

(Oh, yeah. I had my FINAL dental appointment today. Every thing’s finally done, that needs to be done. Whew!)

Hello and welcome to Limboville where everyday there’s a food truck to delight your palate and a movie to catch on the flat screen, but only after you finish your writing for the day!

Jason and I have fallen into an excellent routine, as you can tell. I know he misses the fam and is probably, as I mentioned, tired of sleeping on my couch; while I am starting to think more and more: “Wow, I’m supposed to move in ten days or so, Jacob and I should find a place!” Meanwhile, we carrying on with the task at hand which is trying to discern what are marching orders are, while prepping for whatever those marching orders might be – which means clearing the deck of as many of our writing commitments as we can, so that we can leap into whatever comes, right when it comes, free and clear. We really have kept the pedal to the meddle and seamlessly pounded away on various projects. Jason and I aren’t usually in the same room, let alone this long, as we work; so it’s been interesting to see that nothing in the process – or the quality – changes with the difference in physical proximity. I didn’t really expect it to, but still good to see.

Onward to the main event:

- Saw INCEPTION. Yes, Christopher Nolan is a Cinematic God. Yes, I was blown away by the movie. (It was a heist set in someone’s dreams!! This is my kind of story!!) But, I’m not sure it’s for everyone – so be forewarned. If you can maintain an open mind – I think you’ll love it, too.

-We got our first phone call from the Agents today. Pretty surreal experience. Just right out of the blue. Suddenly we’re on the phone with them. It was a great sign though – means they’re moving fast and eager to put us out there. They seem to be on full offensive mode.

-We were watching the Cardinals-Phillies (a.k.a. the Home Run Derby) and the sound was up when they called. Jason’s a big Phillies fan and if you don’t know who I was rooting for, then I don’t know what to tell you. We were deep into work on two different projects, too. So, the call became a bit of a slapstick moment. Jason got the call first on his cell and didn’t know how to turn down the volume on the TV, so dashed out of the apartment to the courtyard, where I was leaving a message for my dentist. I didn’t quite have time to ask what the issue was, because then my other line on the cell went off and I found myself in a conference call with Jason and everybody else. Made us both laugh afterwards.

- The Agents were calling because they have a TV Agent at UTA. She’s young and, according to research, a very up and coming Agent – but established with some good mid and higher level TV Writers on her client roster. Some of which included the co-creator of HUNG (on HBO), writers on MODERN FAMILY, BREAKING BAD, THE SIMPSONS, and THE BIG BANG THEORY to name a few. We’re excited to meet with her. That’s what the unexpected call was for. Our guys, Ramses & Mike have been talking us up to a few different partners and fellow agents since we came on board last Thursday. They got this agent to read BOSS and she flipped for it. So, we’ll meet with her this week.

- Also, we learned towards the end of the day that our scripts would be going over to UTA to be read. Which means a game plan is being formulated by everyone. The fact that the scripts went over from our manager’s office to UTA was a good, early signed. If either one was way off base, they would’ve come back to us with notes. So, we were relieved. Hopefully the Agents will like them and we’ll barrel full steam ahead.

-To sum up, this is all really fantastic movement. Much faster than we expected, actually. All the reps really seem to be on fire – determined to make something happen sooner rather than later, which is great. It’s put Jason and I in a weird, but wonderful place, where there’s almost daily movement on things – which is exciting and promising and nerve wracking. It won’t always be like this, or course, but for getting the plane (re:our career) off the runway, it really means a lot to have UTA setting such a quick pace.

-The down side is that Jason’s stuck here for a bit longer, at least, and I don’t know if I’m moving or not, now; let alone able to look for a job. Which has been interesting. We’ll see. We both need to assess how things go and were we’re headed in the short-term. The TV Agent could also send us out on a bunch of meetings. So, everything might become even more crazy here shortly.

-Jacob and I had thought we’d found a place. But the landlord came back to us tonight requesting first and last month’s rent, plus an additional months rent up front as security deposit. How much would that come to? $4800 split two ways. The reason? Supposedly b/c I had just been signed and he was afraid that I would make a ton of money all of a sudden and move out in six months, leaving him hanging. #OnlyInHollywood.

- Finally tracked down the elusive Buttermilk Food Truck this morning for breakfast. It may very well be my new favorite. Red Velvet Pancake Bites with chocolate chips and a vanilla custard on top, plus an egg-bacon-biscuit sandwich that was beyond heavenly? Count me in!

-We’re headed to have lunch tomorrow on the Disney Lot with a friend who’s a Writer’s Assistant on BROTHERS & SISTERS and an extremely talented writer-producer, as well. Always fun to visit friends on a lot and eat in the commissary.

-Cardinals are 5-0 since the all-star break. Will they keep it up, or is this a big tease?

That’s about it. Until tomorrow!

It happened AGAIN!

What is wrong with the Cardinals? Good LORD. Two nights, the tragically inconsistent offense has posted a crooked number, banging the cover off the ball all over Coors Field. Hell, Matt Holliday, heretofore completely listless at the plate, goes four for five and hits two homeruns! And the bullpen comes out to surrender who knows how many run in the final two innings. It’s just baffling. I love our manager, Tony La Russa, he’s Cooperstown all the way, one of the greats, but this team is vastly underachieving. Things have to change! We’re not the Cubs, after all…

(Sorry, Chicago, but I HAD to go there, for my own well-being if nothing else. I still love you. Just not the CUBS.)

Had a fantastic lunch with my dear, sweet cousin, Polly today – as I mentioned yesterday. FIG Restaurant in Santa Monica was delicious. We had a delightful time catching up and just enjoying the conversation. It was a fantastic afternoon. (Thanks, Polly!)

Still feeling a bit sore from yesterday, which was a big ol’ jam session to crank out the rest of act two, so Jason could get down to the first round of mixing all the pieces into one package and we can start tossing the script back and forth as we rewrite. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I’m staring down the short barrel of Act Three and just need to get in there and put a fork in it, more than anything else. We’ve got one heckuva a script, I think. It’s a little on the raw side and might be about five pages too long right now, but it’s there and we’re feeling rather good. Just gotta keep working it into shape. It’s there, but it’s never quite ALL there and  that’s what you stay after – getting it all there, which ends being as close as we can get all there right now.

All right. Here we are. Saturday night. Clock ticking down to midnight. Here they are twenty-four hours, or so, past their sell by date:

-Saw Iron Man II today with my good friend, Laura. It was okay. Entertaining even, but in reality I left the theater and felt like “Meh, the suit’s neat and I love RDJ – of course, plus Scarlett Johansson is without a doubt, easy on the eyes; but it was all a little thin. I kind of felt a strange disappointment. Everything just wasn’t developed enough – the story, the pacing, the villain, the climax – you name it, it felt rushed. Which is happening more and more now. Such a talented cast, good director. Just needed some time and more thought. It’s not like the world wouldn’t go if they waited another six months to a year.

-Also, while we’re talking movies in theaters, there is NOTHING out right now. Nothing. I don’t understand. There isn’t one savy marketing visionary who looked at this barren stretch in the  release schedule a few months ago and thought: “It’s wide open. Let’s drop this film in there and clean up!”

-I’ll be honest – and I know the answer to this already, but it’s been tough – I want a dog. I’ve wanted one for awhile. I was fortunate to have many friends with dogs in Chicago and I did a fair amount of dog sitting when they traveled; plus I had a good number of roommates when I lived with roommates, who had dogs. Plus, their were always the bar dogs in Chicago, older dogs that were so well behaved (Tuscy the lab, Remus the rottweiler, and Milo the mutt to name a few) who could accompany their owners into any bar and not freak out. I had Tuscy behind the bar with me at Pontiac often. We had a special relationship. So, I’m just saying – I’m ready for Fellini and Ford (or Harold and Maude. Or Butch and  Sundance. Or Indy and Short Round. Or Han and Chewie.) I know. I know. I don’t have the space and I’m not settled enough. Believe me. I’m well aware of that. So don’t worry, I’m not leaping into anything, I’m just saying when it’s time, get ready. It’s happening.

-Yesterday I clocked twenty or twenty-five pages. I haven’t done that in awhile and am definitely out of shape for the one ultra-marathon writing sessions. I’m still sore today and a little scattered.

-I’m cold brewing some coffee by a new method. This is my latest craze – iced coffee. Since I canned (pun intended) the Diet Coke (if you are drinking soda of any kind, or do drink lots of soda, please consider phasing it out. That stuff is a scourge. Almost as insidious as cigarettes,) I’ve been settling into a water and…? I’m not a tea kind. I enjoy a good fruit smoothie. Straight fruit and water with some protein powder, maybe a little yogurt or greek yogurt (I’m trying to adapt. It’s been a slow road.) So, I’ve taken to the coffee. I’ve gone in and out on the coffee in my life. I didn’t really start drinking it until later in life – mid 20s or so. I used to hate it. But, then, I kind of am not the biggest fan of hot beverages. I prefer ice cold liquids. Thus, the iced coffee. You see the drinking and all that? It kind of ruined me in this arena. I have come to love water. I used to not be the biggest fan of it, either. Ice cold water is awesome. I’ll take that. But, and I know all about the lemon thing, it just doesn’t taste like anything. After awhile, that drives me a bit batty. I want something to balance it that has a flavor I can get behind. Just one thing. As those that have known me for a long time, I have no problem eating one thing or drinking one thing over and over. Cheese sandwiches? Check. Pancakes (and now oatmeal?) Check and check. So, I’m cold brewing in a pitcher, which is different than the french press method I was doing for awhile. I’ll keep you posted. I just looked at the pitcher and it’s actually looking good. We’ll know more by 1:00 tomorrow afternoon. It takes a long time to cold brew. Patience is key, here.

-Just realized we are past the halfway point on the month as of tomorrow. Yikes. A lot has to happen between now and June 11th, which is graduation. Almost too much to think about. Moving on…

- A tip of the cap to my dear friend, fellow Bruin Scribe, talented writer-director, and breakfast buddy, Ana Lily Amirpour. She just returned from Milan where her short film, True Love, won the audience award at the Milan International Film Festival. We are all rather excited for her. She’s been on somewhat of a hot streak this past year. She’s got talent and moxie. The two things a writer-director needs most.

-Would love to take a trip up the coast this summer. Ride the PCH all the way up to the Oregon border. Stop off in Alameda and see The Humes, rumble on further north to Point Reyes Station and check out the bluffs. Basically, get a little lost on the road, stay at motels and see what there is to see up there. Don’t know if I’d be able to. Money’s a factor. Time. We’ll see. Wouldn’t mind heading over to the Grand Canyon either.

That’s about all for tonight. More tomorrow. Be good to yourself.

If your in Scottsdale, or Phoenix, and you see Big Daddy, give him a big hug for me – it’s his birthday! I was supposed to shoot over for a visit and got a little too busy. So, I’m bummed I could make it. But, I’m there in spirit. Just as I was for my Dad on his birthday, this past Thursday. Two great men. Gotta love them!

On time and even a little early this week! Let’s get right down to it. We had a sunny, upper seventies day today and hopefully it means summer is underway here in SoCal. Not that we have rough weather, but we’ve definitely had a funky run this winter. Lots of hot-cold, rapid switches. It would be nice to settle in. (I’m not complaining, just making conversation here, jeez! I’m thankful for what we’ve got!)

-Went to dinner tonight with my good friends, JJ and Cheyna, who are back from a Guatemala trip/adventure. They took me to a Santa Monica, low key trattoria called Fritto Misto. In a word? Fabulous. It’s a real simple, store front pasta joint. A good go to, italian dinner. Not too expensive, fresh food. So, along with the always good conversation and stories from their trip, they introduced me to a great new restaurant right down the road. And they brought back Guatemalan coffee for me, which I’m cold brewing as we speak.

-We went to dinner at six. When we walked up to the restaurant, which is on the corner of 6th and Colorado, near the Promenade, their were about ten or so simple plastic chairs – like lawn chairs – you’d find in a patio or around a dinner table in a frat house – on the sidewalk. In a perfect neat row, empty and waiting. We all cast a glance at them as we strolled into a mostly empty restaurant, grabbed a table, and commenced with dinner and catching up. When we left near 8:00 o’clock, the restaurant was full and had that storefront clatter to a busy night; but when we hit the sidewalk I did a double take – all the chairs were full up with people waiting and their were an additional ten or so in little clusters waiting as well. That’s usually the mark of a great restaurant. If nothing else, the manager or owner is smart and prepared.

-Did anyone catch the Cardinals-Pirates game tonight? I didn’t either. But, true to form, I checked the Cardinals box score upon arriving home from dinner. (What? You didn’t? I know my Father did. Anyone else?) In the top of the ninth, with the score tied 3 a piece, Joe Mather (a.k.a. Joey Bombs), came in as a pinch runner at first with two out. Joey got the steal sign from TLR or The Secret Weapon (Jose Oquendo, Current Third Base Coach, Former Utility Player Extraordinaire) and took off from first. Risky call, but you gotta push it – even in May. What transpired next was a thing of absolute hardball beauty. You see, Joey Bombs was dead to rights, out by about two steps, but being the bench player he is (A young Tony LaRussa bench player) who doesn’t want to head back to Memphis if he can help it, dove for the bag. BUT, as the Shortstop swept his glove for the tag, Joey Bombs – in mid-leap, outstretched, all his kinetic energy committed forward to the bag, arms outstretched – raised his arm AND then tilted his body a half-turn UP, completely avoiding the tag in an improbable moment of gravity defying, split-second baseball physics. Joey Bombs barreled into the bag, slid over it, but had the presence of mind to clutch the bag with his right toes to kind of brake his runaway forward momentum. SAFE! Even on the replay, in slo-mo. Yadier Molina doubled Joey Bombs in for the winning run five minutes later. That’s how you play May baseball, people!

- I gotta finish my play this weekend. At least the first draft. Plays evolve. Kind of like novels. So, this is more a just do it thing. Though, I’ll have to do a quick burst of serious rewriting because it will be read by actors in a workshop table read the Tuesday before graduation.

-I think I mentioned that I went to a series (three) of the one-acts from my classmates in the playwriting class. They were all really well done. That’s not meant as a polite bit of propaganda. That’s an honest critical statement. You don’t always see that in your peers in grad school. I was completely enthralled with each piece. I did notice in the course of the night, that I have successfully immersed myself in the theater side this year. Even the professors I haven’t taken know me now and were saying hello and I was there with one of the playwrights. It made me think, this year has been – in terms of school – all about theater. Even though I’m in a Screenwriting 434, I don’t feel of the screenwriting side, like you normally do when that’s your main focus. Part of that’s because my 434 is on a Thursday, which is opposite most everyone elses (which are normally on Monday’s and Tuesday’s.) I’m pretty thrilled that I have had the experience I’ve had in my playwriting classes. It’s the one part of graduating that I’m sad to leave behind. I’d love to keep taking classes – some theater history, more playwriting. It has had a fantastic effect on me.

-Been knocked off the new sleep regimen lately. I have this current determination to see a movie or some TV and read before I turn out the lights. It’s one of those rituals to end the night. Three hours is the usual block, though sometimes it’s two. (I know. That’s a serious chunk of time.) It’s hard for me to give up or get around the drive for it in my head, even when it doesn’t make sense; which with the new sleep schedule is anytime (like last night) that I go out and I’m out past 11. I have the strangest time coming home and just going right to bed. For some reason, I can’t do just that. That’s gonna have to change.

-May go to AZ next weekend to see Big Daddy and Aunt Ginger. I’m planning on it. Hopefully nothing will crop up and disrupt my plans. I have a great time to go over. They’re the absolute best. I’m pretty fortunate to have them relatively close. Plus, I should be able to swing through Prescott and see Tiff, which is an extra added bonus!

-Figured out finances for June, which is good. We’re at the one month at a time point. It’s a tough spot – not the lack of cash flow or uncertainty, though. That I’m used to. I’ve been there plenty of times before and am decidedly non-phased about it right now. It’s more so the in-betweeness careerwise that the option puts us in. It’s not all that unlikely that we could make some money sooner rather than later. When that is (as JJ and I talked about tonight) is anybody’s guess? Is it next month? Is it in six months? Just saying six months is a fantastic thing. Heck, even saying we should make some money in the next year (which I would say, yes, we will almost certainly right now. Like ninety percent certain and rising fast to a hundred,) is a major accomplishment as far as I’m concerned. But, can I hang out for a year until that happens? That becomes the question. And a rather slippery one. Of course, at first blush, I can’t. But the financial space between no and yes for an answer to that question is shorter than one would think, so how do I traverse it, if I have to? Don’t know that yet. Not even close.

- Consider this a part two to the above. You see the trick is momentum and really that’s the core of the dilemma. Sure I could pick up a variety of jobs, patch together a means to make rent, and gut it out. BUT, I can’t stop writing. You have to keep that forward momentum. You have to keep taking meetings, keep pushing, be ready to redirect your efforts on a moments notice, all in, all the time. So, taking on that barista gig is dangerous, because it’s not as flexible as it appears. Momentum must be maintained, now more than ever. In fact, I’d go so far as to say, it has to be pushed harder to make the final summit to paid, working writer. It’s a hustle and if you’re not focused on the hustle, it can pass you right by and getting back becomes a difficult proposition.

-Still haven’t watched The Lovely Bones yet.

That’s all I’ve got tonight, folks. Be good to yourself and do something nice for your Mother or a Mother! Nine months is a long time!

Thanks to fantastic year ’round weather, creative gourmet chefs, twitter, and the taco truck (roach coach) cultural influence, Los Angeles features a thriving – absolutely thriving – food truck scene. It’s really exploded with Twitter in the past two-three years. You follow the different locations of the trucks throughout the city on their up to the minute twitter feeds. Usually, they’re at, roving around, six to seven days a week in three to four spots per day. That often breaks down to a Lunch/Dinner/Late  Night split, with the more famous trucks employing multiple trucks in multiple parts of the county. That’s right, some range all the way throughout Los Angeles County, San Fernando Valley, Orange County, and the Inland Empire. That’s like saying that a food truck would cover all of the Chicagoland area, Milwaukee, and parts of western Indiana. Crazy!

Trucks usually feature a specialty of some kind or a pared down version of a fine dining restaurants menu. That’s right, because it’s L.A., the food is either super kitschy or fusion gourmet. There’s a grilled cheese truck, a fry truck, several BBQ trucks, a Korean BBQ/Mexican fusion truck (more on that one in a second), taco trucks galore, Milliken & Fenniger (a.k.a Too Hot Tamales from Food Channel fame) have a truck for their renowned high end mexican restaurant – Border Grill, their are sushi trucks, a Sprinkles Cupcake truck (gourmet cupcakes), handmade ice cream sandwich truck, the green (bio-fuel) truck, there’s hot dog, a sweets truck, east indian, regular indian, southern Italian, and on and on. Some fifty or more trucks. To give you an idea of their hold over the city and in foodie circles even, the Korean BBQ Truck – Kogi – and its Chef/Owner Roy Choi was recently named one of the top ten Best New Chefs by Food & Wine magazine for 2010, in the United States. That’s the first time a truck has ever been selected.

So, yes, it’s some serious business and a lot of fun. The Kogi Truck is regularly considered one of the top five places to eat in the city. But, it’s not all gourmet. Sometimes it’s just fun. Tonight, I ventured out for a late, late dinner and caught the Grilled Cheese Truck down on Pico, about five minutes from where I live. The Grilled Cheese, as a sandwich is one of my faves – pure comfort food. These guys take it to a whole different level, though. First of all, here’s some shots of the truck:

Crowd starts to gather. The truck had just arrived outside a bar, Liquid Kitty. I got there and was third in line. By the time I left a half-hour later, that line was about twenty-five deep and growing.

Getting more crowded!

Up close on the truck. There's two windows - order and pick-up. About four guys in there, working stations and the register. It's a slick operation.

I got a “Plain and Simple on French with Cheddar” and added pulled BBQ smoked pork to it, with a side of tater tots.

The masterpiece. Note to self - pulled pork is an A.MA.ZING addition to a grilled cheese.

It was HEAVENLY. I will be back Grilled Cheese Truck. You have won my heart and my stomach. As I posted on facebook while in line for my little bit of mobile magic:

“God Bless you L.A. I never knew I could love you more than I already do!”