Stepping Out on Faith

Stepping out on faith to achieve my dream is a really big deal, and it has scared lots of people, including me.  A lot of us have dreams...but money, experience, proximity, a lack of opportunity and a myriad of other things prevent us from stepping out on faith to actually realize them.  That's why they call it "stepping out on faith", right?

I've talked about moving to LA for a long time, and I will admit, I would have much rather done it a traditional way.  I would have liked to have  had a job, a lot of money saved up, a prepaid apartment, or something more than faith to make me feel secure.

As the clock ticks down to when next month's rent payment is due, I think about how after it's paid, that's it.  It's been two weeks, and I have had one job interview.  My second interview with that same company will be in about a week and a half.  I interviewed with a production company that offered me an unpaid internship.  I had a preliminary interview for an unpaid internship at another production company, with a second interview impending.

For the sake of this being on the internet, I will not divulge the names of each production company, but I am sure they will certainly provide a significant investment in my career.  The wife suggested I pursue both internships and see which one leads to gold.  If I choose that, there begs the question, how do I pay rent?

Ultimately, if this was going to be easy, everyone would do it.  If living a life of gratitude, ease and happiness in times of uncertainty was indeed effortless, everyone would live this way.  This is my opportunity to prove that I mean business, and I believe in the power of positive thought.  Every day, I am reminded, that this is what stepping out on faith looks like.

I am eating.  My rent is paid.  I don't know what June will look like, but June isn't here yet.  All I can do is have the faith that I had when I left, and trust that when June comes, everything will be all right.

 
 

California Resident

When the wife and I were just dating, sometimes I would ride my bike 10 miles to her condo from work.  Every time I did that, I felt like a superhero.  I experienced that same feeling after driving across the country.

We took the northern route, staying overnight in Lincoln, Grand Junction, and Vegas.  The leg from Nebraska to Colorado taught be about the gears that come with the car that I have never thought to use before and were skipped over in driver's ed because it was only for people who live in the mountains.  I should have thought to educate myself before I left.  But clearly, we lived through it.

I know lots of people have taken ridiculously long drives in a much shorter time than three days.  But because the 5 1/2 hour drive to Des Moines used to be torture for me, this was an amazing feat.  By the time we got to Vegas, the wife couldn't stomach the thought of another day in the car and jumped on the first plane home.

I dropped her off at 5am and crossed the finish line sometime around 9am.  My first stop in town was  checking out an apartment.  By noon, I leased apartment in North Hollywood.  I spent my first night on my friend's couch. On the second night, yesterday, I spent the night on my air mattress in my apartment with no electricity.  It was cozy.  That kind of thing that would've been torture in Chicago.

The last two days have been a flurry of emails, phone calls and credit cards being cancelled because of my "suspicious activity" in California.  Next week is when the fun begins.  Stay tuned...

Day 1

Today is the first day of the rest of my life.  Technically, that doesn't really make it any different than any other day, but today is the first day of the rest of my new life.  Most people who know me, know that LA was always on my brain.  Whenever the opportunity would arise for me to visit, I'd be itching to move.  But there's nothing like reality than when it's staring you in the face.

Yesterday was my last day at work.  The obvious question was, "What are you going to do in California?"  As of today, I have no idea.  I know that I am getting in my car to camp out on my friend Robert's couch for a week.  I don't know where I'm going to live.  I don't know where I'm going to work. I don't know what is going to happen.

But I do know a moving truck will be bringing my stuff to California in two weeks.  I expect to have a place to live by then.  This fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants logic seems to scare the heck out of people who don't know me.  Some people feel the need to reiterate the fact that the wife and I will be fine, as if they need to hear it to feel better themselves.  The vast majority of my friends and family know this needs to be done, and know that it will turn out great.

Last night, my cousin described our last night in Chicago as reminiscent of the last episode of Gimme A Break.  As a TV junkie, I thoroughly appreciated the reference and the honor of my life being described as a popular 80s sitcom.  Now we're moving' on up to the west coast.  Though today is the first day of the rest of my new life, I don't feel fear, excitement, or nervous.  As someone who gets nervous around the idea of leaving for work in the morning (I always forget something important), this calm demeanor is new for me. 

Stay tuned for updates...         

It's Here!

My adventures in Los Angeles will begin on April 21.  If you've been following the blog, you know that the fiancee and I always planned to roll out right after the wedding.  There was a hitch in our plan because our wedding was being considered for the show "Four Weddings" on TLC.  If we had been selected for the show, I would have needed to stay in Chicago longer.

Based on the tone of this blog, I'm sure you can imagine that we weren't chosen.  I got the news 6 days before the wedding that it wasn't going to work out.  So during wedding crunch time, we had to figure out whether it was feasible, logical and and reasonable for us to move forward with our original plan.  In between final wedding plans, we have decided to leave by May 1st.

I have staked out a place on a couch in Los Angeles and will solidify a place for us to live.  The next couple of weeks will be packed with packing, farewells, and prayers.  Stay tuned for info about jobs for me and the wife, working hard to pay the rent, and my life breaking into the industry.  

News!!

My news isn't as substantial as it sounds.  I guess it's like a broadcast news tease.  I've been laying low for awhile because I have been focusing on modifying my mortgage.  I felt like I shouldn't have recent posts about a move to LA, in case the bank became as sleuthy as people claim.

However, I decided to be honest with the bank.  I told them that I was going to take advantage of their kindness and roll out on the first chance I get.  Turns out...they don't care.  They approved it anyway.

The wedding is in April and I am very excited.  I've got some work trips planned through February, so once those are done, the job application process will get started!

In fun LA news, a script consultant that I like asked me to help them book a location in Chicago.  In exchange, I'll get to take a free class (in LA) and get a free script consultation, which is worth at least $600.  Big ups to networking.

Now that I'm back for good, stay tuned for more on the news front...

TV Criticism

Because I love TV, I often have conversations with my friends about what constitutes as "good TV".  My friends know that I stay on top of what's happening in the industry, so I'm often asked for my professional opinion.  I often regurgitate what I've read from critics and express my own personal opinion, which usually conflicts with the general TV professional.

I was led to wonder, what is it that I'm not getting?  What do they see about this TV show that they find so amazing, that I think is so boring?  Then, I realize, almost every "critically-acclaimed" show always has the lowest ratings and is generally struggling for an audience.  My opinions are generally more aligned with higher-rated shows.  There are clear exceptions to this; I am hard-pressed to find a reality show I can sit through.  But I do understand why certain reality shows are beloved, apart from my personal opinion.

When I watched previews of the fall lineup this summer, I predicted who was going to make it and who wasn't.  I should have blogged about it, but I never got around to it.  But I was most surprised that Lone Star was a critic's favorite.  I didn't understand how I could become emotionally attached to a main character that was deceptive.  As a woman, I couldn't see entertainment in watching a man lie to his two secret families.

Clearly, America agreed because it was the first show to get chopped.  It came on right after House, and most of the viewers changed the channel, probably to NBC to see the The Event, which was my choice.  The show's creator begged and plead on the internet for people to watch his show the second week, but even less viewers tuned in.

I can't say I never agree with the critics.  We all thought NBC's Undercovers wouldn't work because sex and action alone to equal to a good show.  Spy shows have been struggling on TV for years.  Spy show fans are pretty hard core, just ask loyal followers of Chuck and the canceled Jericho.  But spy show fans generally have to identify with the characters and I did not see the Comic-Con fan base jumping on the bandwagon behind a sex-crazed African-American couple.  I guess that was just me.

But if what I think makes a good TV show are higher rated shows, who's wrong?  What criteria are reviewers even using?  My guess is that TV is rated by the same community that rates films.  The last few years of Oscar-nominated pics are a strong indication that regular people don't agree with the general film community.  Everyone I've ever met who worked in the TV industry was more interested in film, and liked the steady paycheck that came with TV.

This is one of the many reasons why I want to work in the television.  I can't say I know what's best, I've never worked for a network, I have no idea what's involved in their criteria.  But I do care.  I love TV and I always will.  When I finally get to LA, I hope I get a better understanding.

Season 2 of Glee

There's no question, I love Glee.  Season 2 is no different, I love it.  I love singing, I love dancing and I'm in a group called Chicago Glee for a reason.  Regardless of the fact that I love season 2, I think it could be MUCH better.  The first season was magical.  The dialogue was witty, the plot points were original and the characters were presented with iconic Steve Urkel-like material, especially Jane Lynch's well-deserved Emmy-winning role as Sue Sylvester.  

And as much as I love singing, there's a little too much of it going on right now.  I feel like every episode is designed for iTunes sales.  There's barely any dialogue or any plot at all whatsoever.  But when 7 songs are in a one-hour episode, how does one have any time for an actual good show?  If this season is any indication of what Glee looks like now that it's found some success, I don't think it's going to be riding this success wave very long.