TO LIVE & DIE IN L.A.

I visited my high school buddy, Jonas Basom and his family in Culver City California over Thanksgiving. It was a blast!


This is his neighborhood.










His daughter Gracie










His son Luke.









I got to take some Tae Kwon Doe classes with Jonas:





























Visiting friends over Japanese food!

IT'S A WRAP!

The film, "Lulee" has wrapped shooting and is slated for a premiere at The Loft Cinemas here in Tucson. My character was "Koji" the Japanese, emotionally distant father of Lulee. The picture captures me in between takes "getting into character..." (yes, that's grey on my hair!

THEY DRESS ME...

Yes, here's a picture of my dressers for the show, "How To Succeed..." Good friends.

"STRANGER THAN FICTION"...or, life happens when you're waiting for your life to begin....

A wonderful movie exploring themes of existentialism. Impeccable acting from all actors. I saw this movie with my friend Karol Spangler. We had a wonderful discussion as to the human frailty of getting trapped into one's own fiction. I feel like I've been living in such a trap: The notion & idea that LOVE does conquer all. I still think it does....not necessarily when I want it to though....I think Love has been conquering all around me. I just have to wake up now and shake off this fiction I've been living in that I somehow have to "settle" and compromise myself, integrity and core values for the sake of someone whose clearly not in a position to reciprocate. I CAN DO BETTER..AND WILL...which leads me to:


PHOENIX RISING PART TWO: "GET OVER YOURSELF!"

DECOR SOLUTIONS

I'm working for a company that decorates for events like weddings, holidays, etc.
I make up my own hours which is cool. I'm working for them part time. With Christmas fast approaching, it's been all about creating wreaths and installing fake Christmas trees. I wonder if I'll be sick of Christmas by next week....

Here's a wreath I put together. Over a dozen will go to Tucson International Airport.

ALL SOUL'S PROCESSION!

I attended a parade which happens annually here in Tucson called, The All Soul's Procession. It's lead by artists who show off their costumes and huge puppets in honor of All Soul's Day. It was a beautiful full moon and the freaks were definately out!

I loved this puppet. (Especially the girl beside it! Creepy!)


These guys weren't too happy when I asked them to pose for me. Maybe they were pissed because they couldn't be any more original in their costume choice!

CASTMATES!

Three of my fellow cast members out for pizza and beers and girly drinks after our tech rehearsal for "How To Succeed...". Elizabeth, Kate and Chris respectively. Very talented individuals. Sensitive and warm souls who will spread light unto the world with their talent. Don't ever lose these qualities guys! Sara and Taylor were in our company earlier...cool cats too. They'll be in the next picture..

ARIZONA STATE MUSEUM

I checked out this museum for the first time and I'd have to say it's the best one I've seen so far. Very informative and touching. It was frustrating to contemplate man's knack for war-making and need to conquer over others....

They also had another exhbit on Mexican Masks:







This exhibition takes an innovative look at ten American Indian cultures of Arizona and northwest Mexico: the Seri, Tarahumara, Yaqui, O'odham, Colorado River Yumans, Southern Paiute, Pai, Apache, Hopi and Navajo. For each group, a theme of special cultural relevance is traced through three exhibit sections - Origins, History, and Life Today.





Tarahumara Man:






But, what tripped me out was the Tarahumara religious belief system! Read this fascinating description of their religion:

The Tarahumara religion is a mélange of indigenous customs and Roman-Catholic Christianity, characterized by a belief that the afterlife is a mirror image of the mortal world, and that good deeds should be performed not for spiritual reward, but for the improvement of life on earth. In certain traditions (perhaps those more strongly based on pre-Columbian practice), the soul ascends a series of heavens, is reincarnated after each death, and after three lives becomes a moth on Earth which represents the final existence of the soul. When the moth dies, the soul dies completely. However, this end is not regarded as negative or a punishment, but merely as a continuation of the order of life. In Tarahumara cosmology, God has a wife who dwells with him in heaven, along with their sons, the so-called 'sukristo' (from Spanish 'Jesuscristo') and their daughters, the 'santi'. These beings have a direct link with the physical world through Catholic iconography, respectively crucifixes and saint's medallions. The Devil's world is not necessarily evil, but is tainted through its ties with the 'Chabochi', or non-Raramuri. The Devil is said to sometimes collaborate with God to arrange fitting punishments, and can be appeased through sacrifices. In some cases, the Devil can even be persuaded to act as a benevolent entity. The Devil and God are brothers (the Devil is the elder) who jointly created the human race. God, using pure clay, created the Raramuri, whereas the Devil, mixing white ash with his clay, created the Chabochi. Thus, the Devil is as much protector and life-giver to the Chabochis as God is to the Raramuri. The Tarahumara share with other Uto-Aztecan tribes a veneration for Peyote, the spirits of which are said to be mischievous and capricious.