Hello children of the new year!
Time for another blast of New Year gratitude. In all my excitement and positivity about the coming year and all of those following after I seemed to be forgetting all the good things that actually happened in '08. It's funny, I had no trouble recalling the lack of lucrative or satisfying work, the writers' strike, the craptastic economy, rising gas prices, ongoing war, Prop 8, SAG /Producer stalemates, my torn calf muscle, or credit card debt. What about all the good things? The Great things even? They must have been there among the bad or I would have lost my mind, my lunch, and likely my will to live, right?

On New Year's Eve at one of my favorite places to catch great music, Room 5, there was a guy sitting next to me at the bar writing down his list of things for which he was grateful in the quickly fading '08. It went on for 3 pages! I found myself growing more depressed with every addition he made. I could see the joy in his face every time he recalled something new. It started me thinking about my '08 list. My first thought was, "What a shitty year". Not a great start to a gratitude list. Hmmm. I decided to not think about it until after the show... you know... next year. Problem was, every time I thought about the list I got hung up on what was so great. Yeah, I mean I was grateful for the I can see, hear, taste, touch, walk stuff. And for the place to live and the car to drive. The family and friends. But that seemed somehow ordinary. Fucked up, right? I had three friends (under the age of 35) die, 4 friends or family members diagnosed with cancer, and several friends lose there homes or cars because of the economy, all in the last 12 months, and here I was this ungrateful bastard not happy with my "ordinary" blessings. WTF?

Then a few days ago I popped in a CD I hadn't listened to in a long time and this great song called "Photograph" by Jamie Cullum came on. There's a line that goes, "When I look back on my ordinary, ordinary life I see so much magic, though I missed it at the time...". Wow. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I almost had to pull off the road. Everything came in to focus for the first time in months. I smiled. That "a-ha" kind of smile you get when the little lightbulb above your head finally goes on. I even felt a tear or two well up. Suddenly I was inundated with thoughts of all the wonderful things, big and small, that had made up my '08. So in no particular order here is my short list:

- I went back to New Zealand for the second time and had enough time off to explore the South Island and hang out with some amazing people I now count as friends.
- I worked for a month on the next round of tests for Tintin with Steven Spielberg and Peter
Jackson and the incomparable Andy Serkis. (Tintin makes my list for '09 too since we've just
started shooting the actual film).
- I started a production company, Winning Swimmer Prods., with my friend Natanya Marks. We
optioned 2 great little scripts right off the bat.
- I taught a motion capture class at The Young Actors Theatre Camp and spent 2 weeks hanging
out with 120 of the greatest, funniest, sweetest, most creative and talented kids ever.
- I went home for Christmas and got to see family and friends.
- I began a new meditation practice.
- I performed my first wedding ceremony, marrying 2 of my favorite people in the world, Matty
and Louise.
- Obama won!!!
- I produced a great documentary short that debuted at the Elevate Film Festival.
- I saw some great theatre (yes, in LA): A Chorus Line, Wicked, Little Dog Laughed, 9-5, Spring
Awakening, Stupid Kids, Seduction and Despair...
- Thanks to my friend Priscilla I spent a surreal weekend in Santa Barbara hanging out with
Kevin Costner.
- I played the bartender (twice) on one of my favorite shows, How I Met Your Mother.
- I saw a bunch of great movies.
- I got turned on to some great new bands.
- I made a comedy short and a music video with Julie Brown! (No, not "Downtown"... the one
with talent).
- I avoided jury duty.
- My friends Rob and Cat got engaged.
- My friends Jahnel and Garrett got engaged.
- I got a new agent!
- I got my first Beowulf residual check!
... oh yeah, and I turned 40.... and I make it look good!
Until next time guys and dolls!
Peace and Hugs!