Friends, last night I began editing the raw footage of a “deleted scene” from a feature-length movie I directed in college called, Let’s Hear It For the Boys. The scene was a dream sequence involving my buddies, Phil and Dave; and the footage was hilarious…my editing it together, however, was awful; and I realized after seeing the first cut just how long I’ve been away from the editing game…

That being said, however, I am having the time of my life doing it again. I had forgotten how much I LOVE editing stuff together–especially for the fabled Boys of Summer Trilogy I did with my great friends on the East Coast. It’s really a blast. In order to make the scene watchable, I most likely have another dozen hours of refining to do, and oddly, I am stoked to do it. I am really, absolutely, and unabashedly ecstatic. It’s been a super-ultra-happy-fun-Turbo-post-#1 experience, and I look forward to sharing more of my work on completing the Boys of Summer trilogy with you all!

I have finished my second bowl of Gumbo…and I just found that my work is springing for Pinera Bread salad and sandwishes (yep, “sandwishes”, for all my food wishes are coming true)…today is a good day…a most good day. =) Here’s a picture to show how happy I am!

Grace, Peace, and Thanks to eacha nd every one of you, dear Readers. May the rains of the earth pour down upon your yard, refreshing your grass and giving you one more reason to procrastinate weeding and other yardwork.

It’s Party Time! Party! Party Time! At least it was this past Saturday at the Stunkard Apartment. My wife and I hosted a “Celebration of Shelter”, giving tours of our apartment and sharing food with many of our friends in the Southern California area. My wife made a tsunami of food featuring Taquitos, Bagel Bites, Meatballs, Fruits, Veggies, Dips, Sandwiches, and more. She put Rachel ray to shame, and we were all plenty full by the time the partyy ended.

The night was long and good with laughs and stories, aplenty. In a surprising and interesting turn of events, the guys and girls split up, withthe guys spending time in the guest room/office and the girls enjoying the main living area. It allowed for both genders to be alittle more candid (dirty) and made for a great deal of joking awkwardness. We played Poker, they played Phase 10. They would tell a story, we would comment it on it among ourselves. It was fun had by most, if not all; and we’re looking forward to doing it again.

To all who came, our thanks to you for brightening our home with your presence!!!

GRACE, PEACE, and THANKS to each and every one of you. I apologize for my previous reviews, neither of which included a greeting. I have failed you all, and I give you a whip with which to punish me. I deserve it.

Marriage is fun. You love someone. Someone loves you. You both love each other. You have this sense of self-assurance and secure companionship. You have the comfort of another’s affection and respect. You get to do all those things you heard about as a youth but weren’t allowed to do–you know, like watch R-rated movies alone in the dark. Plus, I am pretty sure you get a tax break. Bottom line, Marriage is a good thing. Sometimes, though, it is okay to want time to yourself and enjoy said time when you have it. This isn’t to say you WANT your spouse to leave you alone and let you do what you want. It just means that if your spouse wants to go out or take a trip with his/her buddies, it’s okay to take the time and space you get and enjoy it. Your spouse knows you love them, and you know they love you. So, it’s okay to take the time you’re given and make the most of it for what it is.

This past weekend, my wife and her best friend took a trip to San Diego, and I was left to my own devices from Friday afternoon to Sunday night. I had no idea what I was gonna do with that 48+ hours, so I just played it by ear. And I had a nice relxing weekend. When my wife got home I was excited to tell her about it and hear about her time away in return. Looking back, I see that 5 primary tenants drove my weekend and led me to really enjoy it. In case you can’t think of what to do next time your spouse is away, here are the five rules I put into practice, and I recommend you do the same next time you get a few days to yourself.

1) Watch some great films your spouse wouldn’t want to watch with you. I’m talking about niche flics that you haven’t seen before or that you love and haven’t seen for a while. I rented two and saw one in the theatre in addition to watching several we own. Check out this line up:

Horror: Slither
Sci-Fi : Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Kung-Fu: Enter the Dragon
70s Exploitation: Vigilante
Foreign/Hong Kong Action: The Killer
Cult Classic: The Warriors
Comedy: The 40 Year-Old Virgin
Comic: Spider-man 2 & Ghost Rider

2) Watch a disc of a TV show your wife doesn’t like. For me, this was disc 2 of Battlestar Galactica, season 2.0; and it was excellent.
3) Husbands, leave the toilet seat up. Wives,…uh…enjoy having to not worry about your husband leaving the seat up.
4) Spend time on a hobby and make a mess doing it. I like to customize action figures, and all day Saturday, I had parts, paints, glue, and all manner of trash scattered in our front room. It was so realxing and EASY to work with everything out and available to me.
5) Eat Whenever you want and stay up late. Dinner at 10:30, and in bed by 4 AM??? Yep, that’ll work!!!!

Now, please, please, please, don’t think I am saying, “I can never do these things when she’s around”. I’m not saying that at all. In fact, my wife is THE BEST woman I know, and she gives me fair reign on my time and the house whenever I want it. Out of respect for her and HER space, however, I try to watch films with her that she would enjoy as well and keep messes to a minimum since it is her house as well. So, don’t get me wrong and think I have no fun. I have plenty. I’m just saying that when she’s gone, I had a different kind of fun, and I hope you have just as much the next time you have a weekend by yourself.

SONG OF THE POST: “Somewhere in my Memory” played by Michael Chertock from his piano album, Christmas at the Movies