Old Tradition

Dear 2007,

I've been going through my day planner of you for a few days now trying to figure out just exactly what you've been to me. Looking back on some of these past entries, you're not really a bad year, not really a great year. More good than bad though. I'm pretty sure I've figured out the analogy though. Since sports are prevalent in this blog, football is a good one.

2007, you're like the new young quarterback drafted in the 1st round right after the veteran quarterback just retired. Like a John Elway or eventually Brett Favre. So you could be compared to a Jay Cutler or an Aaron Rodgers or even a Luke McCowan, the eventual starter for the Bucs. There are times that you've been great and times that you've shown your rookie status. You took a team from a 3-13 record (2006 was more of a 1-15 status) and you've gotten the team to 9-7. But the playoff picture is still unclear as of now. All that we know is that you helped the team out, got the trust instilled in the fans, but now you have to step up and prove yourself to the rest of the team and the opponents.

In 2007 I did some amazing things. If you would have told me that in the same year I will have premiered a feature movie, rode a camel, shot a short film in a bug infested pool hall, worked in a candy packing factory, lived homeless in NY for 5 weeks, started bar tending and learned enough economics to make conversation, I would have called you crazy. There were some great times, there were some hectic times, there were some times I didn't think I'd make it through. I've made some amazing friends that I know I'll never lose, and at the same time lost some friends I never thought I would lose. But since the gain outweighs the loss, we're not in a deficit (see what I've learned Danny) and in a slight surplus. In football terms it means we're at 9-7 and possibly in the playoffs. Even so, you needed to gain some experience 2007, and you've helped me do that.

2008 will be another interested graduating year that I have no idea where it will go. Hopefully the QB can stay healthy and we can make some good off season acquisitions. I'm hopeful.

Sincerely,

Asher


Past logs :

2004
2005
2006

Something I've Learned

I should never live by myself. I've realized the only reason I've cleaned up at all the past day was because I know my room mates are coming home soon. If not for that, it may never have gotten done. So room mates, thank you for your unknowing motivation.

I Haven't Much to Do

I've been alone in my apartment since last Monday and I'm having a hard time finding things to do. Walking around naked only is so entertaining. I bought myself some new video games, got some new movies from Netflix, my parents came to visit, got to spend some good time with my brother, and now that everyone sans Alex and Kamron have gone home for break, it's back to looking for things to do.

For example --

Two nights ago I watched Jurassic Park 1 and 2. I forgot how great 2 really is. Toby from the West Wing is there, Vince Vaughn is there, Kobayashi from Usual Suspects is there and Jeff Goldblum is quirky as ever even if he does have an unexplained Black daughter.

Then last night I actually met up with Alex and Kamron, but once they went home, I had nothing to do. Queue Alien and Aliens. I skipped a fair amount of the exposition, cause come on, why else do you watch them over and over again. It was also to gear up for today --

Today was a day I have been anticipating for over a year. Alien v Predator Requiem. To say the first movie was a debacle would be an under statement. I've discussed why this movie would be great. And it didn't disappoint. I don't think. It was good. I just think I prepped it too much in my head. I'm going to see it again some time this week to see how good it really was. It might have been trying to set up too many characters, I'm not sure yet.

Either way, before that I watched Gravedancers, and when I got home I popped in some Phantasm. Phantasm is an interesting movie phenomenon. The first one was made in 1979 by a young film maker who was really into the indie scene. Then he didn't do anything for a couple years, tried a German horror movie then did nothing until 1988 with Phantasm 2. Then a few years later with 3. And 4. 5 is coming out next year, production is on hold because of the strike.

But he doesn't branch out. Neither do his actors, of which he uses the same ones in each movie. Yeah, over 30 years and still using the same guys. Sort of a horror anomoly. He's obviously talented, Phantasm is a great horror movie and still stands the test of time, for the most part, but he just never expanded out. Oh well. Phantasm 5 should be good, look for it sometime in the summer/late 2008.

So now I'm just waiting until I'm tired to fall asleep and see what I'm going to watch tomorrow.

I wonder when my room mates are coming home...

Another one bites the dust

http://joblo.com/alba-is-pregnant

So that eliminates her from my potential future wife list. Next up on the list : Newly added Ellen Page.

Sometimes the 10th passes by and I don't notice. And sometimes I do notice.


Happy 21st Alex

To Do Lists

Dear Danny,

It's that time of year. It's crunch time. I have the following to finish in the next 2 weeks :

- Revise feature screenplay
- Revise Earl spec script
- 2 Africa Papers (this involves reading about 2 months worth of readings)
- Pass Economy test. Key word : Pass
- Finish Knock Twice web site, complete with Flash animation
- Figure out life
- Outline other specs
- Outline next feature
- Obtain internship

Right now, here's the progress :

- Finished 1st draft of screenplay. Not complete until Christophe reads it, as it follows the Travis character.
- Finished draft of Earl spec, need some work.
- I think I understand economic theories. Weird huh.
- Try this : For a temp site I think it'll be done in a few weeks, but that's a template for now

Hannukah started the other night, it's not a real holiday, but it's a nice one. All the symbolism of something like Passover, but none of the food restrictions. I like it alright.

That's all for now. Bucs are almost playoff bound, go John Gruden. Let's hoping I make it through the next 2 weeks.

- Asher

Dear Ellen,

The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) issued this statement on Friday, November 9:

Ellen DeGeneres went back on the air this week after honoring only one day of the writers strike. In anticipation of her plans to tape shows in New York City on November 19th and 20th, the Writers Guild of America, East is extremely disappointed to see that Ellen has chosen not to stand with writers during the strike. Ellen's peers who host comedy/variety shows have chosen to support the writers and help them get a fair contract, Ellen has not. On her first show back, Ellen said she loves and supports her writers, but her actions prove otherwise.

Ellen has also been performing comedy on her show. Even if Ellen is writing those segments herself, since those segments would normally be written by the writers on strike, she's performing "struck work". Ellen is violating the strike rules that were clearly explained to all of the comedy/variety shows.

We certainly intend to let Ellen know our dissatisfaction in person if she decides to proceed with the shows she has scheduled in New York on November 19th and 20th. We will also make our voices heard the preceding week if she tries to pre-tape comedy segments on location.

We find it sad that Ellen spent an entire week crying and fighting for a dog that she gave away, yet she couldn't even stand by writers for more than one day - writers who have helped make her extremely successful.

Every show and film set has a production staff and crew that is beloved by their writers. Ellen's staff is no more important than the rest of the industry. When shows refuse to stand with us they create huge revenue streams for the companies and that prolongs the strike for the thousands of staff and crew members who are noble enough to honor our picket lines. We find this situation hurtful to those people and extremely unfortunate.

The writers did not cause this strike. The companies' greed caused this strike and it could end tomorrow if they were finally willing to negotiate a fair deal. We ask Ellen to cease doing shows immediately. She should stand by all writers and help us bring this strike to a quick conclusion. We owe that to the thousands of people who are caught in the middle.

If you agree that Ellen should stand with the writers on strike, please contact her and tell her so at: http://ellen.warnerbros.com/show/dearellen/. Or, contact the show's production office at (818) 260-5600.

Leave Nothing/ I Will Find You!

Maybe it's because I just watched the Last of the Mohicans. Maybe it's because my boss Gordie sings this theme every now and then when I have to deliver a package. Maybe it's because I love football. Maybe it's because I love great cross dissolves...well ok maybe not that because I hate cross-dissolves as Christophe can attest to, nevertheless.

This really has become one of my favorite commercials of all time. Every time I watch it it gets me pumped up in ways it's hard to describe.

Enjoy.

Coming Soon!

The Contingency 4 DVD!

Larke's a Terrorist and other updates

Dear Danny,

Sorry for the lag in posting, but between the 5 classes and 2 jobs I've had a hard time finding free time.

Here's a snippet from a class discussion that was held in my Warfare in Africa class the other day. We were having a discussion as to what a terrorist is, what is terrorism, etc.

Pretentious Film Kid : I don't think that everyone has the ability to become a terrorist. There are groups of people and cultures where that just wouldn't happen. Just like everyone in this class, we go to NYU, no one in this class would become a terrorist.
Rightly Offended Girl : I don't think that's very fair to say...
PFK : No, I just mean that like, we're a pocket of a society, and like, our portion of society isn't really one that supports war or anything...
ROG : That doesn't mean...
PFK : But like, we're a certain part of our culture and there are other parts that are more prone to like, joining the army and becoming terrorists.

First of all, it took me a lot of restraint from not proving him wrong just by throwing him out the window. These kinds of people are all around, especially at NYU where, as liberal as we are here, it's incredibly sheltered. I don't come from a particularly sheltered background, so it's hard for me to realize this a lot of times, but there are still lots and lots of people who have never come in real life contact with real life violence and hate, and the fact that these people can make these broad generalizations scares me. The idea that "educated" people are still so ignorant. Now, I'm not saying I've been the subject of the kinds of violence people face all over the world, far from it. I understand and appreciate the luxuries in life I have every day, but I know that there are places where the things I live in don't exist. I understand that there are places in the world where hate exists and probably won't go away for a while. But because I don't live there, I don't make broad generalizations. I'm a huge fan of believing that you shouldn't judge people until you're in their positions. Larke made the comment in class that all people have breaking points and all people have points to which they will resort to violence. Professor Hull asked her if she could then theoretically see herself being a terrorist, and she said yes. I will now lock my door at night.

Hull brought up the Patty Hearst scandal, and it's the perfect example. Rich white girl becomes an African guerilla warrior? Who saw that coming? Who believes it? Was she brainwashed? Did she actually believe in what she was preeching? Was she just used? If you don't know about Patty Hearst, I highly recommend reading about her, she's one of the most untalked about stories of our generation.

In class, Rachel brought up the good point that our discussion was pretty much moot. We were going in circles trying to find a definiton of terrorism, when there is no real modern definition. It's really how you look at it. Trying to put a label on it only goes in circles because it all boils down to your morals and your upbringing, something that everyone has differently. The long and short of it is that there are a lot of ignorant people in this world, and in our class, but Larke is right in the end. We can't really say something for certain until we're put to the test and asked questions we're not prepared to even think about.

Just some food for thought.

Anyway.

Rachel and I saw the Farnsworth Invention last week. I don't get to the theater that much, so when I do I want to make it count. Please, go see this play. Right now, just go. Written by Aaron Sorkin, who I have a huge affection for, and starring Hank Azaria and Jimmi Simpson, it's possibly the best play I've seen since the Pillowman. Structurally the most intricate piece of writing I've ever seen, and to say it was inspiring would be like saying New York has pretty good pizza.

After the show I got to talk with Jimmi Simpson about his acting in things such as 24, My Name is Earl and most importantly Stay Alive. I think I'm the only person who's ever seen that movie, and he appreciated that, I think. Either way, if I could be friends with him in the future, I would be a happy man.

Anyway.

I'm starting to put together a list of potential life options for post graduation. I think I'll call the list my PFO/PG. If you have any suggestions for me, please let me know so I can put them into consideration.

That's all for now.

I'm beginning to pick up more bartending shifts at Benny's if you're ever in the Lower East Side and looking for a good Mohito or Margarita.

- Asher

My Kind of Town part III

I have been awake for 21 hours straight. Not editing or filming or writing or working, just up.

I woke up at 9 AM for work, then came home for lunch, put on a Halloween costume, went to work part 2, then went out and went out and went out once more and now am home greeted yet again by a box of bread in the foyer.

Proof the night went well : Matt's parting words - "I'm really disappointed we didn't end up in a holding cell"

Only in a town like this

Sleep time

Whoever my Valentine this upcoming year will have to see this with me

Happy Valentine's Day

My Kind of Town part 2

Last night started off with something Matt and Christophe introduced me to : walking into a bar, ordering a shot and leaving. I have to say, felt really cool after the first one. Felt sick after the second, but that's only because Matt misunderstood and we did a shot of Bacardi. Bad idea.

Once we got to the bar meeting with Andi, Carrie, Sarah and Dana my night took the following route --

Started off getting hit on by a very attractive female, 20s, from Florida. Ended with her 60 year old aunt buying me a drink.

Only in New York

My Kind of Town

At ITP, one of my 2 1/2 jobs, the computer here has a relatively weak iTunes selection. But one thing it does have is a large Frank Sinatra selection, which usually gets me through the day. Even though he's talking about Chicago for some odd reason, his song kicks off with the lyrics "Now this could only happen to a guy like me/ And only happen in a town like this/ So may I say to each of you most gratefully / As I throw each one of you a kiss..." And it always picks me up and gets me jiving. Even on days like this where the sky seems to be falling.

Here are a few snippets of conversation I've had recently since posting an update that summize most of my life here.

Me : I'd like to buy a Dash (kind of phone)
T-Mobile rep : Ok, so the new plan is going to be...(new internet plan, I currently have no internet plan)
Me : No, I don't need the new plan.
Rep : You have to get the plan.
Me : But I don't want the plan.
Rep : But you have to sign up for it for the phone.
Me : I've come in before and asked and everyone's told me I never had to.
Rep : I guess they told you inaccurate information.
Me : Well, can I sign up for it and then cancel it?
Rep : No.
(I leave, call customer service and find out I actually can cancel the service and only be charged 1 dollar. I return 15 minutes later.)
Rep : So you want the plan?
Me : I'll get it and just cancel it once I get home.
Rep : So you still want the phone?
Me : Yes.
Rep : Why?
Me : Why do I want the phone?
Rep : Without the service.
Me : To be a phone.
Rep : Just a phone?
Me : Yeah.
Rep : Just to like make and recieve calls?
Me : Yeah.
Rep : Ok, if you say so...

I'm very happy with my new phone that's just a phone thank you very much.

This is one of my favorites from Benny's from a few weeks ago :

Customer : Hello.
Me : Hello
Customer : I'd like a taco platter thing that you have like the West Village one.
Me : Well, we're actually not the same store as the West village Benny's, but if --
Customer : What do you mean?
Me : We're different stores.
Customer : How so?
Me : We're under different ownerships...
Customer : So what's that mean?
Me : It means we have different things...
Customer : Why?
Me : We just have different menus. What exactly do you want?
Customer : Some tacos...
Me : Ok, we have that...

He eventually got the tacos he wanted, I think.

My screenplay class is one for the ages. It's a 1 on 1 class, so I just bring pages to my teacher every 2 weeks. Here's a basic rundown of our meeting yesterday :

Me : Hello
Linda : Hello. The pages (the first Act) are good.
Me : Thank you.
Linda : I have one suggestion (she makes her suggestion). The rest looks good.
Me : Ok.
Linda : That's about it. Keep going.
Me : That's it?
Linda : I hope all my meetings are this easy.

Guess I'm doing something right watching football while I write my screenplay. Once football season is over though, I think I'm screwed.

In other big news, I decided that since I spend so much time on my laptop writing and the such, I should buy video games for it. So NHL 2008 has been purchased. On my way to lead the Rangers to the Cup. I also bought Diablo but am weary to start playing as I think I'll never get any work done with it.

Keep on rockin.

- Asher

Proof that someone up there likes me

Seriously

It's...Hockey time?

The NHL kicked off yesterday. Now, in between the MLB playoffs, the NFL picking up and the NBA starting training camp in the coming weeks, we begin a sports overload and of course hockey gets pushed to the back. But I love hockey, always have. To me, hockey actually takes the most physical achievement.

Baseball is the most graceful of sports, the most poetic, the one you can use for the most metaphors about life. Football is the most entertaining by far. Basketball is the most accessible to anyone (it's a ball and a hoop for goodness sake). But hockey. Hockey requires balance, hand eye coordination, strength, speed, endurance and the ability to do more things with your body at once than anything else.

I mean come on, we all had those birthday parties when we were 12 at the ice rink. I don't know about you, but I was always the kid that clinged on to the rail way or that embarrassing bucket they gave to the kids that could never skate. I always fell. I actually really glad I still have all my fingers. Maybe it's just that my high school never had a hockey team so I never saw how humanized it can be, but to me skating on ice, moving a stick and still shooting a little puck while avoiding other players and not falling down always seemed like the hardest thing in the world. I was used to baseball where they throw the ball to you, or basketball where I had solid ground to move on.

Hockey season started the other day and I have never chosen a clear team to side with. I have a Capitals jersey I got at a thrift store, but I always played as the Red Wings as a kid on hockey video games because I thought their mascot was the coolest...but in one game I was the Sabres for some reason. So any thoughts as to who I should cheer for would be appreciated by anyone that reads this. I'll give myself a week before I default to either the Capitals or the Rangers. Or Islanders. I already have one Washington DC team, the Wizards, and no New York team yet. Might be the deciding factor

Smokin' Aces

I just watched one of last summer's action movies, Smokin' Aces and I just wanted to publicly commend this movie for a few things.

1. Sticking with the ending it did. The alternate ending, rightly named "Cowboy Ending" has a shoot out with guns blazing, while the ending they ultimately stuck with is really compelling.

2. This movie should get applause for being roughly 4 movies rolled into one. Well, I don't know if applause is really the right way to phrase it, because a big time Hollywood movie should be focused...or it can be a ton of movies in one. An action movie, a police drama, a comedy, a couple scenes of noir, a couple scenes of Die Hard and Alicia Keys being the voice of reason. Kinda like eating pizza with chinese food with some burgers.

3. Two words. Ryan Reynolds. Jesse told me before I saw this that he gives his best performance. And while I love Ryan being hilarious in everything, he's got some real soul in him that just pops on screen. His best performance I've seen yet, and I loved Just Friends.

That's all for now. Phillies/Rockies start tomorrow at 3, you best be watching and cheering on big red.

- Asher

Poker again

So I started playing poker again. Nothing huge, just a couple tables every now and then on Full Tilt. And Rachel wanted to know before if my poker posts had some deeper meaning that you could tap into my life.

Well, here's how my poker night went.

1 table - about average stack, this maniac is pushing pushing so I push with AQ, he calls with QJ off. Flop an ace. Runner runner his 4 card flush. Loser.

2nd table - chip leader. Short stack limps, in BB I check with J8, flop J25, he checks I bet out he under-min raises his all in, I call he has AA. Very next hand I'm SB with TT, same guy is in he raises PF I call, flop is 258, he bets I push again he has QQ, eventually I whither away.

Great night at poker. This more equates to the week, this weekend has been great.

Tomorrow - Phillies/Nationals and Mets/Marlins. Biggest day in baseball..

Go Phillies

Best weekend in sports?

As most of you know, I write a Giants blog. Here is the latest entry. I usually won't do this, but this is so important, it needs to be said everywhere.

I'm going to let you all in on a little secret. I'm a huge baseball fan. Don't get me wrong, football is probably the most entertaining sport out there, but baseball will always have a place in my heart. It's probably because as a little scrawny Jewish boy, I never played football, I played baseball. As most of you out there reading this know, the baseball season is winding down and if you're not a Yankee fan, then you're still a little concerned right now. At least, if you're a Mets fan, or from Colorado or Arizona or San Diego or Philadelphia.

Here's the basic run down of the baseball world - the NL East is now tied (as of Friday morning) with the Mets and the Phillies, and the NL Wild Card is led by San Diego by 1 game over the Phillies and the Rockies, and Arizona leads the NL West over San Diego by 1 game (and thus the Rockies by 2). There is only this weekend left to play. 3 games left, 5 teams within 1 game of each other, it's all very exciting.

But this is a Giants blog, right? And baseball doesn't have anything to do with football, right? Wrong. This weekend is a very special weekend. Let's forget the NL West teams right now and just focus on the Mets and Phillies for the NL East. If the Mets lose the division to the Phillies, it will be the 2nd greatest collapse by a baseball team in history. So every Mets fan is pacing and wondering what can happen. But, this weekend they have more to worry about. Sunday night we get to see the Philadelphia Eagles face the NY Giants. A battle of Phillie vs. New York. Oh man. Let's look at this some more shall we.

Sunday will be the first game the Giants play the Eagles this season, and while the game doesn't hold as dier playoff implications as the baseball games do, both teams are 1-2 and whoever is 1-3 has a very long shot of winning the division. The Cowboys are 3-0, Redskins are 2-1, and with a team 2-2 there's hope. There's little hope for a 1-3 team in the NFC East. So to say this football game is a big deal isn't even coming close to it.

Let's look a little further. I think that we can see who will win these games in a baseball/football comparison. The key underlier here is Washington. Both the Mets/Giants and Phillies/Eagles recently played a Washington team. The Mets just got swept in 3 games by the Nationals, and this weekend the Phillies play the Nationals at home for their final 3 games. The Eagles lost to the Redskins on an arrant throw by McNabb to miss a wide open receiver in the end zone on the final drive and the Giants beat the Redskins holding them on a goal line 3rd and short and 4th and short as time expired. The Mets lost to the Nationals and on the last game of the series gave up a 5-0 lead in the 6th inning. So football wise, Giants over Eagles, but baseball has Phillies over Mets in the Washington realm. But what of this weekend for the Mets? The Mets finish their season against the Marlins of Florida, who play in the same stadium as the Dolphins. The Redskins beat the Dolphins in OT in week 1, and as just stated the Giants beat the Redskins, so we can assume the Giants would beat the Dolphins, so we can go assume that the Mets will beat the Marlins.

Since the Mets and the Phillies are tied right now and won't play each other (obviously since there are 3 games left) there is also the possibility of a tie. If this happens, we would have a 1 game playoff. Playoff? Like last year? When the Eagles knocked out the Giants out on a last second field goal. So advantage Phillie if that occurs. But wait, let's look even deeper. The Giants started off last season 6-2 and finished 2-6, the Mets had a 7 game lead only 2 weeks ago that they have lost. If a one game playoff is how it's all decided, you better believe the spirits are pulling for the Phillies.

All I know is this. The final games of the seasons for baseball are played at 1:35 EST. Since the Giants play at night, you can bet your bottom dollar I'll be watching these baseball games.

Oh, and another secret loyal readers...I'm a Phillies fan, but not an Eagles fan. Go Phillies.

Yom Kippur sermon

"We are not God's chickens"

- Rabbi Korn