Some moving and shaking has come and gone since we last spoke.

I tried painting again, armed with brand new tools and supplies. I failed again and gave up again. I’m starting to think that drawing and painting are more separate acts than outside observers believe.

Over the course of the past week or so I’ve been having novella-size philosophy discussions with Aaron. We (or really he) has come to the conclusion that he is an optimist and I am a fatalist. The irony is that the fatalist is saying America will be around for another thousand years and the “optimist” thinks we are close to WWIII.

It took me over two weeks to rid my body of the cold/flu/something that I came down with earlier this month. I still have some lingering chest congestion. My folliculitis is going away as well, now all that remains are some pinkish spots on my neck. Ironically it actually seemed to dramatically improve after I shaved with a good old fashioned blade razor on Monday.

I finally got approved for an American Express card a few weeks ago, yet it has not arrived. Now I’m worried about being a credit fraud victim…AGAIN.

The day I’ve dreamt of for over a year now will finally happen one week from today. On the 28th I should get my car back with all accident damage fixed plus clear side markers, legal window tinting, a cool doo-dad on the back that is impossible to describe, and a new body color slatted grill (like on the stock hatchback models). If you take my idiot business with “Tom” back in April out of the equation this isn’t really costing me anything as the settlements from the two accidents cover all the repair work and possibly (we’ll see what the final price ends up as) the extras.

To get out of my rut I’ve decided to do two things:

#1 get back into recording music. Recording that cassette tape with Ben almost ten years ago (and yes, also playing with Pusher) was one of the most fun and creatively engrossing things I have ever done. I’m pondering how to go about this, but at this point my plan is probably to get an Mbox2, cheap keyboard, cheap bass guitar, and have at it. Aaron will do drum tracks for me as necessary. The $250 question though is – do I really need MIDI inputs? The original Mbox doesn’t have them…the new (and $250 ore expensive) Mbox2 does. I’ve sought help from acquaintances Jessie, Jeff, and Shaun about this as they all have their own recording studios set up.

Speaking of Jeff, Dolly Trauma is releasing a new cd in 35 days. I wish I could be there for the cd-release, but such are the things you must leave behind when deciding to move to California. Anyway, back to my two things:

#2 Try to get involved in film/video production somehow. Right now I’m talking to a producer/production company that wants me to be the Creative Director for a test music video for a rap artist. I’m doing it for free just to get experience and network a little. The guy’s company has done national ads for major brands and also had a hand in some TV shows that are doing fairly well right now. He even told me the other day that he is working (in what capacity I have no idea) on a film with John Gaeta. So, hopefully this works out. All of you that know me well know that I’m not the biggest fan of rap music. However, I’m looking at this as a Job (with a capital J) and a chance to prove myself. If making a rap video is what it takes to get my foot in the door, than I’m going to make the damn-jiggyest rap video you ever saw, G. It isn’t selling out if you’ve got nothing to sell yet.

In more recent and exciting news- as I was checking leads on craigslist the other day I came across something I thought might interest Amy. The result is that today as I’m writing this she is on-set in Burbank taping a DIY network show about knitting. She also starts a new job next week, so things are looking up for her.

Last weekend we went to a place Aaron recommended down in Studio City called Don Cuco’s. Despite the waiter totally ignoring my multiple changes to the dish in my original order I thought it was a great place. First reason being that they give you sour cream with your complimentary tortillas and salsa. Chevys and El Toritto charge you $0.50 for each dollop of the sweet stuff. Don Cuco’s brought us two of them without being asked, and instead of looking like they were from an ice-cream scoop; they actually had a starburst design on them. Next, we were pleasantly surprised to find that each entrée comes with free soup or salad. Amy got the tortilla soup, and I got the Albondigas. They were both delicious. The atmosphere itself is nice, it is totally done out in red and sort of dark, but it creates a cool laid-back vibe. When the waiter finally brought my order I was very pleased. I think Amy was nonplussed with hers, as they didn’t ask what kind of meat she wanted originally. The only downside the place is the total lack of parking. Perennial favorite Amazon would suffer the same fate if their wasn’t a large Borders parking lot behind.

Friday night we had gone to Bucca Di Beppo in Universal CityWalk. Terrible. While the food was okay it was not the “small serves two” that was described. The portions were slightly smaller than what we would get at Amazon but the prices were the same or higher. Amy really liked the calamari, but I found it too crunchy and not fluffy. We shared a pizza for an entrée, the sauce was good, but that was about it. They informed us they had no ranch dressing in the house either. The most damning thing about them though was that when I called for reservations earlier in the day I was told that they DO validate parking (only the first $5 however). After paying $10 to park and then walk to the restaurant we were informed that they only validate if you get valet….and only in a different garage…

Tonight Amy and I are going to see her favorite actor in his new film (you know, the one that looks like me). I work with a guy named Wagner that is the projectionist at the theater, so hopefully we can g