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.

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!