One Day I want to be This Good...

As you probably know, I want to make movies for a living. Someone who does make movies for a living is Guy Ritchie [director of Snatch and Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels] He made this crazy Nike commercial
And I hope that one day I can be half this good...

Keep Your Private Jet: I Want the Chinatown Bus

You have have heard me talk about it and you may have experienced it for yourself.

I'm talking about The Chinatown Bus. Available from D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and Boston; it is the best way to travel up and down the east coast. Here are the top three ways you know you are on the Chinatown Bus:

1. You weren't actually planning to leave New York but a screaming lady with tickets took your money and told you to get on the bus.
2. The little old man sitting next to you is yelling in Chinese.
3. The driver is going 90 mph and two of the tires are on the grass of the shoulder.

Every time I catch the bus from Baltimore to New York it is a new adventure. And every time I am reminded why I love it. I have seen little old men fly down the aisle, pieces of the bus fall on people's heads, Pakistani men yell at people because they stink and I have seen people sprinting after the bus in a rest stop, almost stranded in the middle of New Jersey. The best part though, is knowing that any time of day or night you can decide to go to New York, get there for $20 and get there in less time than you ever thought possible.

Three days ago I decided to go to New York, and within an hour I was on my way to the big apple. When I got there I met up with my good friend James Harrison, and then with my uncle. That night my uncle and I took a 3 hour bike ride around Brooklyn, over the Brooklyn Bridge, through Manhattan and back to his apartment.

The next morning I got up and rode the subway Uptown. My original plan was to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but it was super nice out so I walked through Central Park and got hooked. I walked about 100 blocks downtown. It was awesome! I saw basically the whole island and then met up with some friends, walked some more and found some really cool thrift stores. later that night I met up with James again and we went down to Little Italy and found a great restaurant.

As we were walking to the restaurant, we passed these 3 huge guys standing in a doorway. As we got closer, the one talking lowered his voice but as we passed we heard, "and then we can beat his fuckin' brains in." It was pretty intense...While we were eating there was loud music playing across the street and we are pretty sure that it was just there to cover the screams of the guy getting tortured in the basement.

Later we went into the "Virgin" store and I am pretty sure that they had every DVD ever made. James almost bought the complete Indiana Jones set. And it seems like every movie that I wanted to buy was only $10. It was almost as intense as little Italy.

Now back to the bus. This morning I helped my friend Jacki Arnold move out of her dorm and I planned to ride home with her. But there wasn't enough space in the car so I got on the bus! [I was secretly hoping all along that there would be no room.]

On the way back we stopped to get gas and the driver wouldn't open to door to let us out. [In Chinatown; time is money] But this African woman really wanted to get out and use the real bathroom. But he refused to let her out. It was one of the funniest things I have ever seen. She banged and banged on the window but he just ignored her. And as he got on she tried to get out but he shut the door behind himself and we got back on the road. Later when there was traffic the driver must have thought he was in a BMW...The New Jersey turnpike was packed, but he drove up the shoulder, forced his way into the line, got back on the shoulder and then forced his way back in line. It was ridiculous. At one point he was actually driving halfway on the grass.

It was a great adventure.

Burma [Myanmar]

Many of you have probably not heard what is going on in Burma. But recently there was a cyclone which has already killed more than 200,000 people and will probably kill another 200,000 if not more.

To make the situation worse, the government has basically refused to accept help from any outside governments because they are an army regime and fear that outside influence could cause problems. So people are sitting there hungry, in their disease ridden towns with virtually no help, while food and supplies sit right outside the borders.

The destruction is unbelievable. One city had more than 95% of it's buildings destroyed... I don't even have a category for this.

If you want to read more about it look here. There is more on the government at the economist.

Somehow this is a part of God's plan so pray that his will will be done. Also that the Burmese people will receive help because most of their lives are worse than we can even imagine.

Can I Join Now?

I got some Chacos today.
All year I watched all my cool friends walk around in theirs, but until now I felt like one of those things in a Dr. Seuss book that didn't have a star on his belly. But now it's like I created a star making machine and stuck one right on. Does this mean I get to be a part of the secret society of Chaco wearers? Does it even exist?
I have heard rumors of people getting better seats on buses, lower interest loans at the bank, even free drinks at restaurants all because of their sporty sandals. So will I too receive special treatment? This morning when I walked into the grocery store, a woman behind a register looked at me and whispered something into her sleeve. Later when I was picking out some fresh produce I realized that I hadn't grabbed a cart. But when I looked down a cart rolled up and no one was there pushing it. Coincidence? I think not.

Money In the Bank

Today I talked to the people at my old job and found out that I could come back and work for the month.

On another note, my dad recently went to Haiti and made this video for an organization called World Relief.
Here is the link...http://theater.15four.com/wrhaiti/

Watch out World

As this wonderful 2008 summer began, I though to myself, “what can I possibly do with 4 month of time off from school?” The first thing that came to mind was work. Maybe construction? But I can work for the next 70 years of my life. Why now? I’m young, hot and fresh.

Speaking of being young, hot and fresh, the second thing that came to mind was picking up chicks. That is something that any man should find admirable, trolling the beach in my Land Rover looking for the next fine honey. But is it worth it? Probably not. What if I end up like the great Arthur Fozarelli? Old and lonely?

Speaking of lonely, the third thing I thought of was Spain. What if I go out of the country for two months and learn Spanish? Sure it would be nice to spend the summer cruising for chicks, but in the long run, knowing Spanish could be huge. Think of all the Spanish babes that I will be able to woo in their own language! The possibilities are endless.