My Frozen Shoulder Bone...

Well....I'll be....

I don't know if you've ever had a frozen shoulder bone. I had one with my right arm 2 years ago. It lasted about a year. It was painful and terrible.

And now, 2 years later, I have it with my left arm. I've had it about 6 months now, since January. They say it takes about a year to completely heal. I just have to live with the pain.

But...I may have found a cure for the pain....

Apple Cider Vinegar.

Yes. Apple Cider Vinegar. I was reading some of my Natural Medicine books yesterday, and also did some online research, and found that apple cider vinegar is good for inflammation, sprains, pain and joints, specifically frozen shoulder. I applied the vinegar like crazy yesterday, and my shoulder has felt better than it has all year. Seriously. All the medicine I've taken, medicated patches, oils, ice packs, heating pads....nothing felt as good as when I applied the apple cider vinegar.

I'll keep using it and see what happens.

I'm a believer of apple cider vinegar. 13 years ago, I had an ulcer, and weighed over 200 pounds. Apple cider vinegar cured my ulcer and helped me lose 50 pounds in 2 months. The ulcer never came back. I love this miracle cure.

Seems like every year I go to Park City for Slamdance and Sundance, I come back home, and have a frozen shoulder for a year. I personally believe it has something to do with the climate change.

We'll see what happens!

52 Days Without a Drink...and Counting....

Well...I still haven't touched a drink.

It's been 52 days now since I've had a drink...and I don't crave it at all...never have....I think that's a good sign.

My brain goes crazy thinking non-stop of all the things I have to do and the projects...it's madness. My brain is always working. It never stops.

For about 50 days now, I can't sleep....I toss and turn, and maybe get about 2 hours of sleep a night....

But I'm getting a lot done....building our YouTube channel, working these projects...the list goes on.

It feels good getting things done....

George Carlin R.I.P....

It's a shame about George Carlin's passing...he was classic adult humor, great perverse and obscene adult comedy.

He will be missed....

I'll tell you....mark my words...Opal, aka THE X-RATED GRANDMA, will be the next George Carlin...

My Non-Stop Brain....

My brain is always working.

It won't stop. I can't get it to. I'm always thinking of new ideas, new projects, old projects....and a lot of them are projects I've been thinking about for years that still need to get done.

I'm making my short films like crazy....I'm wanting to make my first feature, and am battling out which script to pick to make...I'm trying to make money with what I've already made....and the list goes on....

This brain just won't stop working...

Living in Dallas....

Sunday, my new hit short film THE OUTHOUSE is having its Texas premiere at a festival in Dallas. I wish I could be there. I just can't make the trip.

It's only about 350 miles from here....a 5-6 hour drive...but I don't have a car, and can't afford it. That's ok,though...

Thinking about my film being in Dallas this weekend brings back some great memories of that city. I lived in Dallas for 2 years from 1988-90. It was a fun time....I had a good job, was starring in plays all over the city, getting laid every other night, getting shit-faced at bars, having season tickets to the Rangers ballpark in Arlington...those were good times.

Good memories...

The Festival Submissions....

Man....

It's a busy time....

One thing I'm trying to do is keep all of these films organized with my festival submissions. I'm getting a lot of fee waivers. A lot of fests around the world want to see my work.

It's hard keeping everything straight....

40 Days Without a Car...and Counting

Well....I think things happen for a reason....

It's been almost 40 days since the transmission went out in my van. And I haven't had a car to drive. I'm broke. Stuck out here in the boonies. But good things are happening....

I haven't been giving the oil companies $150 a week for my gasoline like I was. I haven't been able to buy beer for 40 days, so I'm doing good in rehab out here...I don't have high-speed internet, so I'm getting other things done out here...and I'm reading books that I haven't had the time to read over the last 15 years.

And the list goes on....

Good things are happening to this poor man...who's just a filmmaker in the boonies...

Today With My Real Father....

I've been spending the day with my real father....my Mother.

Opal is my Father. My parents divorced when I was 6 years old, and my deadbeat dad had nothing to do with my life. He just cared about himself. My Mother raised my sister and I on her own in the 1970's and '80's; all alone. She showed her ass on stage to jack-offs around the country for 20 years because nobody else would help her. She was on her own...all alone.

She is my Father. My Mother. My best friend.

Japan's Obesity Solution

Good for Japan...

I just saw on the news that Japan is having weight limits, and they're measuring over 50 million people to see if they're breaking the law by being overweight.

I think this is just great. The country is trying to force people to have healthy lives.

It amazes me how this is such an acceptable sin. Gluttony is pitiful...

And what about the fat kids? Child abuse...

An Actor's Life

I loved being an actor.

Before I was a filmmaker, I was an actor for 20 years. I starred in over 70 stage plays around the country, and appeared in major television series and major motion pictures. It was poor life, but my life was rich.

I loved being on stage...acting, performing, entertaining....it seemed like whatever city I moved to, if I would audition for a play, I'd get the lead. Whether Chicago....Los Angeles...Vegas...Dallas....Kansas City...Tampa....the list goes on.

I miss those days...they were some great times. But I made no money. I did it for the love of it. Now, I'm doing the same thing with making my movies...not making any money, but doing it for the love of it to get my messages out to the world in film. So, in a way, I'm doing the same thing...just at another level.

I love entertaining people...

Summers in Chicago

I love Chicago.

I love the city. I love the people. But I hate the winters.

Sitting here in my office right now, in this heat out here in farm country, brings back some great memories of the 3 years I lived in the Windy City from 1993-95. Those were the days. I was starring in plays, getting shit faced every night, getting laid every other night, and loving life.

Good memories....

One Crazy Sunday...

Well, it's Sunday out here in the sticks...and I can't believe the day I've had. Out here in the middle of nowhere.

I think this is a record day for me as a filmmaker....acceptance wise.

I got up late. This frozen shoulder bone has been killing me for months, and I haven't been able to sleep for shit. But after I got up, had my coffee, and a vanilla cigar smoke, I went to check my emails...

My new film THE OUTHOUSE got 2 acceptances today from festivals; at San Francisco's Frozen Film Festival, and Washington's Washougal Film Festival. It'll be the state premieres of THE OUTHOUSE in California and Washington. That makes 15 festivals this year for the new short so far.

Then, if that wasn't enough, I got an invitation for PHONE SEX GRANDMA to Spain's largest Gay and Lesbian Festival.

Then, on top of that, I received an update email of our Dallas screening next week of THE OUTHOUSE.

And on top of that, I have several fee waivers from festivals for my new short THE ACCEPTABLE SIN.

Things are nuts out here. I don't know how I get everything done. I feel like I'm going mad; promoting PHONE SEX GRANDMA like hell on YouTube, getting THE OUTHOUSE and PHONE SEX GRANDMA promoted on the film festival circuit, getting my new short THE ACCEPTABLE SIN submitted to festivals, getting this new project finished for Slamdance next year....keeping all my blogs and social networks going....and trying to make a buck with all of this as well. Plus, working on trying to start shooting my first narrative feature film this fall. And that doesn't even include the lists of things I need to get done that aren't even being touched.

It's a crazy life out here in the boonies....especially when you don't have anyone else working with you, and are doing everything yourself....but I love it. I have total control, and am making my films my own way.

But things are becoming so large, they're getting out of my hands and out of my control. I think that's a good thing.

John Steinbeck once said, "Ideas are like rabbits...you get one or two, learn to control them, then pretty soon, you have a dozen." How true that is.

30 Days without a Drink...and Counting...

Well....the rehab continues here in farm country....

Today makes 30 days without having a drink. I can't remember the last time I've gone more than 30 days with no liquor. I can think of times I've gone 2 or 3 weeks; but never this long.

That's not a good thing. I remember back over the last 25 years of my drinking since I graduated high school in 1983...in the last 25 years, I always remember having a drink....this rehab time out here in the boonies is a much needed time.

It's probably a good thing I'm not in NYC right now for the AMC screening of my film PHONE SEX GRANDMA. If I was there, I'd probably be getting shit-faced with the free booze at the parties. I know this time is a good time for my body.

You'd think with me being vegan and so health-conscious, that I wouldn't drink either, because it pollutes my body. Isn't that something?

These last 4 weeks, I've had so much trouble sleeping too. In the last week, I don't think I've slept a total of 10 hours. I just toss and turn at night, and my mind won't stop working while I'm in bed. These last few days, My head and face has been numb and throbbing a lot. I sometimes have to take aspirin or Benadryl to make myself relax and go to sleep. I wonder if this is a withdrawal symptom from not drinking?

If it is, I just have to have the withdrawals...I'll get through it. I can sleep when I'm dead.

I just have to think of my life, my films, and PHONE SEX GRANDMA:



It makes it all worth it....

PHONE SEX GRANDMA Today in NYC

Well, my first film is still playing the festival circuit....

Today, it returns to New York City. It's playing Newfest in Manhattan's AMC Theater this afternoon. I wish I could be there. It's played gay and lesbian festivals before, and the gays go nuts over this little 9 minute short. I wish I could see their reaction in Manhattan today! I bet they go nuts.

It's amazing what's happened with PHONE SEX GRANDMA in just a little over 2 years. It's played over 40 festivals, is still playing the festival circuit, has won top festival awards across the country, over 200,000 people have watched it on YouTube, and it has started my career as a filmmaker. I'm making more films now, and people are already comparing my work to cult film directors. When my new film THE OUTHOUSE played last month in Atlanta, one critic stated, "Jack Truman could be the next John Waters! He is perverse!"

I love it. This is the message I'm trying to get out there. One of my messages, anyway...

Here's PHONE SEX GRANDMA on YouTube. You can watch it for yourself:



PHONE SEX GRANDMA...woo hoo!

Last Year in L.A.

It was about this time last year I was in L.A. the last time. Man, that was a fucking rough time. I never L.A. being that tough to survive before.

I went out there for the World Premiere of my documentary short THE 60 YEAR OLD STRIPPER. It was premiering at the L.A. Shorts Fests in Burbank at the AMC Theater. I thought this would be a great time to finally move out there again for awhile and work the industry. Boy, was I wrong.

The biggest is not always the best. That fest was for shit. You had to pay for everything, everyone lied all the time (typical L.A. stuff), and I was fighting to survive. I was staying in this rat hole in Hollywood. And working telemarketing jobs by the day to make ends meet. I'm glad I was out there for the Burbank premiere; but it wasn't worth it. I stayed out there for about 6 weeks, then took the bus back home. Mother was with me the whole time, too. She was the subject of THE 60 YEAR OLD STRIPPER. She's the subject of all my beginning films these first few years. I don't know how she survived that city. I'll never put her though that again.

It's times like that that make be appreciate being stuck out here in the boonies. It may be boring out here right now; but at least I'm living. I'm not a rat in a hell hole.

Last Night's Tornadoes

Well...I survived another night out here in farm country.

I thought we might be goners for sure this time.

It was crazy....my tv went out for good last night during Nightline, then my internet was out (this dial-up internet is for shit...doesn't work 80% of the time)...so I was stuck reading Walden on my bed. Then, 10 minutes later (around midnight), the tornado sirens went off. I got Mother and Patches, and we walked down to the church basement. The radio down there was saying about all of the tornadoes around. Finally, about 1 a.m., the warnings stopped and we walked home. All of the electric power was out for the county, so it was pitch dark. Power just went back on here about 2 hours ago. Then, I tossed and turned, and couldn't sleep last night.

It's crazy out here in the boonies....no car, no electric, no public communication, unable to work on my movies right now, or communicate with others...unable to get a job somewhere...but I'm alive another day!

Fat People and the Airlines

I saw on the world news tonight a great story....looks like there's a very good chance that the airlines will start charging people by the pound.

I think that would be great. They've gotta be careful so they don't get sued by those lazy fat asses...but I don't think they'll pass this unless they know for sure they can legally get away with it.

I sure hope they can. Maybe things like this will cause these fat slobs to get healthier. I hope so. Something needs to be done to get this country headed in the right direction.

Maybe charging people by the pound is a good way to start...

24 Days without a Drink...

Well...my rehab here in farm country's going well.

I haven't had a drink in 24 days. That's one good thing about being out here in the sticks, stuck with no transportation! I'm not drinking!