"Here our dreams aren't made, they're won."

 

Everything on my end is turning kind of topsy-turvy right now and I am trying to get my bearings.

We have finally wrapped principal photography on the film, which is amazing because we worked so hard on it all summer. I can't even count the number of hours I've spent on this movie, and I'm so ready to see the final product when it gets out of post-production in a few months.  If you haven't watched the trailer, please check it out and give it a thumbs-up or 'share' it with your own friends if you dig it. It's gonna be a gory good time.

In addition to finishing up the first movie I've really worked on in this capacity, I've been stressing about trying to get the house cleaned out, listing things on eBay en masse, taking things to the thrift shops, etc. to try and clear the rooms. I have a big holiday party every year and invite all of my friends over, and it's going to be a hell of a lot more difficult if there's piles of shit everywhere people have to walk around creating a labyrinth in the house. It's a daunting task that I'm kind of tackling head-on by myself, but I'll get there. Just need to discipline myself--- every time I get overwhelmed I sit down and check Facebook or leave to go out and get some fresh air for awhile, and that really isn't a great strategy when it comes to trying to get things done.

My photography has really been keeping me busy too. I've done multiple photo shoots in the last few weeks, and it's so much fun coming up with ideas, gathering props, designing 'looks', etc. Soon my very dear friends Matt and Donna and I (as well as several of my other friends, once we get things situated closer to time) will be filming a music video for a great band in Dallas, which I'll be directing. I can't wait for that to happen either; it'll be awesome to see one of my visions come to life like that. I hope, haha... big projects always seem fun until you're pulling your hair out in the middle of them.

I'm traveling a lot--- as a matter of fact, I don't have a free weekend from now until November. I'm going to Indianapolis on Thursday for HorrorHound, which should be fun; I've never been before, and my friend Shae is bringing me on staff to assist her since she works the con every year. Then I come back and get ready for a weekend of re-shoots and pickup shots for "Sacrament" as well as the wrap party, then head to Columbus, OH to see Thirty Seconds to Mars play, then fly out to Los Angeles for a week. The jetset life isn't for the faint of heart, that's for sure...

Speaking of Los Angeles, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately and there are major changes on the horizon for me. I graduate college with my AAS in Marketing in December (assuming I pass Intro to Economics this semester, that is...) and I have been looking at job options. There are places in Dallas I could apply, and Dallas is where the vast majority of all of my friends live. I have a built-in family there, a safety net of people who love me and care about me and would look out for me if something went wrong. But the original plan was to move in with some friends, and that plan has been put on indefinite hiatus, and when I started looking at the rent for places I liked in decent areas of Dallas, I realized that for what I would spend in rent to live in the city, I could live in an even bigger city with even more opportunity.

My darling friend Steph helps manage an apartment building only a few blocks from Hollywood Boulevard; they're charming, adorable little units with hardwood floors and French windows, right off the freeway, and when I stayed with her in August we walked to the Chinese Theater in about ten minutes of easy roaming. She lives in the heart of Hollywood and the units in her building cost the same amount as a mid-to-nice loft-style apartment in the 'heart' of Dallas. Not to mention that I have a lot of friends in LA too, and a boy that I really like lives there, and considering that I want to get into the media industry, what better place to try and dive in headfirst than Los Angeles? I'm twenty-seven, I have no kids, and my only family left here is my grandma, who supports me going out there. There will never be a better opportunity for me to just pack up and head west than right now.

I figure that I'll go out there after graduation and sign a one-year lease. That will give me one year to throw myself into LA culture, apply for jobs, and try to get my feet in the door. If things don't work out, I will always be able to return to Texas after that year's up and say "Oh well, I tried". But the saying is 'nothing ventured, nothing gained' and if I don't at least give it a shot, I'll never know if I could've pulled something amazing off or not. I need to at least try--- Los Angeles has always felt like a home-away-from-home for me, and I've wanted to live there ever since my mom first took me there on vacation when I was little. I get so sad every time I leave behind that land of palm trees and neon lights and that constant tingly feeling in the atmosphere that anything could happen.

So, as of right now that's the plan. We'll see how it plays out, but I am going to be spending my fall working toward this goal and hoping that if I hit the ground running, I'll at least land on my feet.