U.S. Supreme Court Rulings on Marriage Equality Makes History!!!

With both U.S. Supreme Court rulings today on Marriage Equality, as it relates to D.O.M.A. and Proposition 8, history has been made that we can all be proud of! Equal Protection Under The Law matters! Equal Rights matters!

If I still had my singing voice I would be SINGING in the streets RIGHT NOW! In the mean time I will express it with the YouTube clip below!




Celebrations will be taking place all across the country!



I am excited to see what the future holds!

James Gandolfini: Rest In Peace...

I was watching ABC local news when I heard the news. Actor James Gandolfini, best known for his amazing run as Tony Soprano in HBO's hit series The Sopranos , died today of a heart attack in Italy.

Mr. Gandolfini was without a doubt a compelling and skillful actor. News is still coming in, but regardless of what further information is revealed,  a major talent of stage and screen has left the world too soon at the age of 51.

So sad...

My thoughts go out to his family and loved ones.

Enjoying the Original Superman Theme Song in Preparation for "Man of Steel" Opening!

Just bought my "Man of Steel" tickets for tomorrow night and I cannot wait!

Look it has been a long week. I have had so much "drama" coming my way, I could use a heavy dose of escapism! Truth be told, this is why I love being an actor. Life has so many challenges and moments of stress. To be a part of a profession that provides people around the world an opportunity to set their troubles aside and enjoy their day is to me a noble profession.

Hey, that is what movies do for me. I love every opportunity I have to hopefully do that for others.

Yes, I may seem like a big kid but, who cares?! Life is too short. With all the things currently going on just trying to keep pursuing my craft and stay financially afloat, it is challenging not to remain stuck in a perpetual state of depression. Yes, I had the blues this week but I am dragging myself back up, dusting myself off and with the help of "Man of Steel", I am recharging that part of me that says:

KEEP FOLLOWING YOUR DREAMS!  

Getting back to my Superman mania..., it has occurred to me that with this new film, a new theme song will make its debut, along with Henry Cavill as a new Superman to replace the late great Christopher Reeve for a new generation. So, in honor of Mr. Reeve and the original theme song composed by John Williams, I thought I'd post the theme song for one last look to the past with respect.

Enjoy :)  

"Man of Steel" Is Flying In This Weekend!

Who doesn't want to fly?

The "Man of Steel" is just days away and I am excited to see this re-imagining of a classic story that got me through the darkest days of my childhood!

I must admit I was that kid who was so clearly seen as the nerdy Clark Kent. Truth be told, I secretly dreamed I had a bit of Superman in me! It was the mental secret weapon I had for coping with the relentless neighborhood bullies.

Hey, a little imagination is the best superpower a guy could ask for at any age. 

I found this featurette of the upcoming film and jut had to share. It definitely has me charged up for an adventure this weekend!

Alan Watts and The Trap of Seeking

Have you ever listened to someone speak or watch something and the experience in the subtlest of ways shakes you to the core?

I suppose you could say I am having one of those moments as an actor when my frustrations are getting the best of me. Keeping positive in the face of bills, audition rejections, and sheer stress is not always easy for me. I will say I am for the most part positive in all aspects of my life, but there are days when it is all just a bit much.  

Life is so amazingly complex and ultimately simple. It is our interpretation of it that mucks it all up, don't you think? There is no "real" manual for living. You are tasked with figuring it out as you go. What is the point of it all? Are we ever getting it right? Can you get it right? In the end is it not all about finding a way of making it through each day with an emphasis on being happy?

I have chosen to pursue the life of an actor. I could have stayed with my old 9 to 5 job. People do it everyday. They work at a job to make a living to do what they want with the rest of their time. Other people choose a particular career or simply fall into one. Whatever choice you make is the choice you make. What I have discovered is that regardless of what you do, you have to choice to be happy. By this I don't mean find your happiness in your career but in the simple act of being alive. This may seem unquestionably obvious, however, I realized, lately, that regardless of what you "do" if your state of mind is not on simply celebrating the joy of the day for whatever it brings, good or bad, the alternative is to get sucked into the mire of stressing about the continuous bombardment of civilization and all of its facets telling you you are missing something in your life if you don't have this gadget or this car or this new home or what have you. We then become a world of "seekers" doing this or that to find success or happiness. Unfortunately, when you actually get it, you discover you've been dooped. You are no more happy or successful after achieving this goal or purchasing that brand of cellphone. Is an I-Phone 5 anymore relevant than a Galaxy whatever to my state of personal fulfillment?

I know...I am rambling but, that is okay. I am in the process of figuring out some new ways of thinking about my journey, as an actor and as a human/spiritual being as I wake up each day tasked with living.

It has been a challenging month. Perhaps, impacted by the fact my birthday is in May and birthdays always spur on a period of self-reflection on my part. I found myself having to say out loud, "What is the point of life?" Is life nothing more than striving to achieve something or earn money?" "Will my student loan debt define my choices forever?"

My answer to all these questions was to delve deeper into my spiritual beliefs. They have been my homemade manual for life, so to speak. I am not particularly religious, yet I find my spiritual belief system a source of strength. However, recently, as I strive to get a grip on the "meditation thing", I hit a wall. It simply was not working for me. My efforts to clear my mind led to unending mental chatter and mounting annoyance.

It took my random wandering around YouTube to find Alan Watts clips and a wealth of information on which to reflect. I slowly noticed that I have been so stuck in the trap of seeking answers to how to succeed in acting, in living, in even being spiritual that I was missing a fundamental point.

LIFE JUST IS.

Everything else is an act of faith.        

I may succeed as an actor. I may not. God may exist. God may not exist.

Either way, if I focus on celebrating the sheer act of being alive and choosing happiness for the sake of being happy, than the need to wrestle with  frustration diminishes.

All the rest of what life sends my way will be whatever it is going to be. 

.All this self-made frustration is exhausting. I plan on enjoying further listening to the words of Alan Watts and figure out how to just BE.

This is a work in progress but an avenue definitely worth exploring.

Sometimes, Technology Sucks!

There are days when I simply want to scream with all the circles I find myself running in just to figure out how to get around a problem that forces me to rely on technology. With all these tech changes, actually talking to someone for help is becoming a serious challenge.

I got a new program, the other day,  for my computer that is suppose to make it run faster. I haven't noticed much of a difference to be honest other than being $40.00 lighter in the wallet paying for this program. It has however, cleared out the usernames and passwords on the sites I regularly go to during the week.

On one site in particular, I typed in my username and password and it comes up as invalid. I double checked my trusty password sheet I have stored in my safe for just such emergencies. Still, no luck. I even tried the reset password button on the site and don't you know the screen turns to a blank page.  With all these updates and revamps to keep sites current, finding help is the one thing that is slowly disappearing. I found an email address for a webmaster of the site but it has been a few days and I have not  gotten a response.

Is the universe trying to tell me something or what?

At this point I am so frustrated, I am getting a dogged determination to find out how to resolve this problem before I take my entire computer and smash it against the wall!!!

The funny thing out of this whole mess is that that new program, despite doing little to actually clean up my computer, has a function where it delivers a loud message informing me that it has finished with some random updates. The message is so loud and sudden, I find myself continually jumping out of my skin whenever it goes off. Ahhh.... technology. Isn't it great? 

Okay. I have sufficiently vented. Time to step away and breathe...  

Personal Re-Boot: Raising My Standards/Changing My Rituals

If you have read this blog for any period of time you will notice that I gravitate to whatever motivational techniques and devices I can find to keep me going. I have my up days and down days. What I have noticed about myself is on my up days, I am experiencing the reality of living with positive expectation, even if there are no evidence of success. On my down days, I notice my self-talk has been clouding my brain with a defeatist's mantra.

It is the little things that make the most impact. I have to acknowledge that I have not been the smartest at strategically lining up the knowledge I have gained into forming small rituals that slowly get me where I want to be going. Luckily for me, I believe each day is an opportunity to start fresh, re-boot and achieve the success and happiness I desire.

I have embraced the idea of enjoying the journey not just yearning for the destination. Any amount of progress motivates me. I think I will definitely benefit from establishing a few small scale rituals, like I have done with my marathon training, in other areas of my life, especially my career.  No time like the present.

I stumbled upon this short clip by Tony Robbins that talks about raising your standards and changing your rituals. Just what I need to  get my re-boot started.

Check it out. Tony Robbins is not a successful life coach for nothing. Perhaps you may find something you can use for yourself!