My New Office

Today I went to Starbucks to work. I accomplished more in two hours there then many at home. So I've decided it's my new office. There are no distractions. Plus, there's lots of coffee. And with all the other people working on their computers in there, it just feels right. So if you need to find me, check the local Starbucks. Chances are, I'm there.

Fear of Heights?

Yesterday, I conquered my semi-fear of heights. While I don't mind being up in high places. I hate drop offs. I'll climb the mountain, but don't expect me to stand on the edge of the cliff and look down. (Although, I will crawl to the edge.)

I climbed the water tower at my Aunt and Uncles Farm. The view was incredible. (I only had my phone camera which is terrible, but you get the point.) Actually, the climb wasn't that bad. Going up was fine at first, and then on the last ladder, (you had to switch ladders twice going up,) I had a second of thinking, "Why am I doing this?". But when I got to the top and watched the sunset, it was all worth it.



Can you spot my Aunt?

We dropped a quarter from the top. It took four seconds to reach the ground. The lady that dropped it looked at me and laughed, saying, "Well, now I know I'm four seconds from my death."

Piggyback Blog

I'm piggybacking off of Janelle's blog. Go watch this video. Please.

Take Two

Pre-production for my second short film, Broken, is in full force. The film follows the story of two characters after a tragic accident connect them in ways they wouldn't suspect. So far, Janelle Stoltzfus, has signed on as the lead female, and I will be playing the lead male role. Janelle and I worked together in Anne of Green Gables this past May and I'm excited by her involvement in this production.

Today I officially locked down the script. It has been a great experience writing Broken. I started months ago with an idea for a short film, wrote out a draft, hated it, and trashed it. I was sitting in the Airport with my computer, a blank canvas, and no ideas. So I watched. I watched people come and go. I watched conversations. I listened to this older gentleman beside me tell his dad that the chances of him being with his Father on Fathers Day every year was unrealistic, and finally I saw a little girl kicking her legs under her chair and the idea hit. I started typing rapidly about these two characters in a park full of children playing, and eventually after many rewrites, the script is final - and doesn't have a single park scene in it.

Right now, I'm pulling together the crew and finishing casting. I have half of the locations reserved and scouting out for the remaining scenes. It looks as though we will go into production during the final weeks of September. I will keep you posted as more details come together. If you are interested in helping out, please let me know.

Saturday in Philly

Last Saturday I spent the day with friends in Philadelphia. Kelly and I boarded the train and met up with my friends Erika, Nick, and Courtney at City Hall. The day consisted of breakfast at some great little diner, shopping on South Street, pictures on the pier, dinner in Center City, complete with a Gelato stop, and then me remember my car keys were at Courtney's right before heading into the train station. Kelly and I had planned to head home on the train but I left my bag at Court's in a different part of the city. Of course, that was fine and Erika could bring it home later that night when she drove to West Chester but apparently my keys were in my bag, and I didn't think about it until 20 minutes before the train left. Anyway, we got on the Subway, headed to Courtney's, hung out for a little and then drove home with Erika. All in all, it was a fun day with friends.

Kelly and I waiting for Erika and Nick to arrive.


Nick, Erika, and Kelly sitting a Funeral House stoop, waiting on me to go get my subway tokens, which I also left at Courtney's earlier in the day. (My memory was turned off.)


Courtney, Erika, Me, and Kelly


We were recreating the photo from 2004, seen below.

Mouse Hunter

This morning I let Dixie, my Yorkie, outside to go lay in the blazing hot sun. Typically, she lasts about five minutes and barks to come in, but today I went out and found her staring intently into my window well. This dog is crazy. She will stand in one spot for hours and stare. Sometimes, she hears Rabbits under the deck and will stand listening, tilting her head all over the place, to hear more. Other times, she will stand on the edge of the deck and bark at our resident rabbit, which after two years (I swear its the same one), will stand four feet from Dixie and eat grass because she knows the dog won't come off the deck. It's hilarious. The only animal Dixie will chase is squirrels. Yesterday, there was one on the bird feeder so I told her to go get it, and she chased it up a tree. I guess her breed roots are coming out. Yorkie's were originally bred to hunt rats in the sewer system. Anyway, today she stood for over an hour in one spot and watched this little mouse in the window well. It cracked me up. I went over and this mouse is just hanging out and what appeared to be putting on a show for Dixie. I had to eventually drag my dog inside and now she is sitting on my bed staring at the window where the mouse lives. It's hilarious.

Home, At Last

Ready or not, June was my month on the road. I had one vacation planned this entire summer - Florida, but apparently it wasn't going to end there. From Florida, I went to LaVale's house, (not really far from home but still away.) After that, I was in Virginia for a little over a week. I came home and headed straight for the beach with my family. After the beach, I went back to Virginia, and then right back to the beach, ending with a night at Greg and Carla's before unpacking my suitcase and settling back into my basement for the week. I still have a trip back to Virginia, a Tennessee get-a-way on the horizon, and a Boston excursion coming up. I'm also hoping to make it out to LA this fall to help a friend out with some production needs.

So, where did all the free time come from?
I decided about a month ago that I was tired of constantly working dead end jobs that have nothing to do with my dreams and ambitions. It was time to get serious, put aside any fears, and jump head first into chasing after everything I've lived out in my head since I was a little boy. What that translates into is me putting all of my energy into my producing/acting career and I haven't regretted a minute since. We have a short film in pre-production, and many other projects in various stages of development. With the freedom of setting my own schedule, I've also been able to brainstorm with Chabod Academy of the Arts, (the organization I worked with on Anne of Green Gables), and hopefully we will have a few shows throughout the fall and again next spring. I'm determined to go for the stars, and enjoy every second along the way.

I forgot my camera throughout a lot of my travels but here a few shots from Fourth of July weekend at the beach.

I was guarding a parking space with a meter that had over an hour left! It was so great because we didn't have any change with us!


Burnie was "Air-Drying his towel before laying out.


Great minds think alike?


Fourth of July Beach Fireworks Traffic Jam + Massive Rain Storm = a night to remember


What an incredible two minutes of fireworks...for a one hour, 10 mile car ride home!