Sunday, January 30, 2011
Peter in La, day 6
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Peter in LA, Day 5
Went to the writers meetup today. There were six people in all. Two did most of the talking. These were the two Hollywood veteran. The woman, Vivian, had worked on some soaps maybe twenty years ago and now was trying to get back in after the death of her husband. She was great at using everyone's name whenever she spoke. "Now, as Peter was saying" or "What Jake was talking about." John was large man who spoke often and rapidly and you had to work to get a word in edgewise. There was one other real writer, Nicole, twenties, long auburn hair, who had been hired to work on something at AMC, though I could not determine what since she rarely spoke. The other three of us were mute and noncredited. Jake was a large and likable fellow who had moved down from Seattle, Mike was in his early twenties, thin and attractive, and had just arrived a week ago from New York. And moi.Felt pretty foolish and out of place when Vivian asked me what I was working on. "Specs" I said, using the only word I know from the television writing biz. What was I thinking?
Friday, January 28, 2011
Peter in LA, day 4, pt. 1
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Peter in LA, Day 3
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Peter in L.A. day 2
So I moved my meager belongings into yet another starnge room and headed out in the afteroon to explore a bit and drove up to Griffiths Park, an incredibl nature preserve in the midst of LA which I simply would not have imagined as being there. I wandered a couple almost empty trails, doubtless because it was the middle of the day and all respectable folks were working, but still I was amazed to find this greenery. On the way back I stopped at Ralphs, a large supermarket relatively nearby and loaded up on groceries. So excited was I to have the opportunity to prepare my own foods that I probably spent more than I would have if I had bought my meals out.
My search for housing was fairly meager today, but I explain that by the fact that I had to find housing for the upcoming week. I replied to a craigslist ad for a roommate in the nice part ofWest Hollywood around where I stayed last night. In addition, I telephoned someone about a posting for a studio near USC. The studio it turns out will not be shown for another week while the guy with the roommate situation has not responded. All in all, a productive day--in one sense of the term.
Peter in L.A., day 1
So I spent hours and hours trying to come up with a plan, searching for a place to stay and some sort of plan of what I would do in LA. I did not necessarily think I would be moving out there, but I at least wanted to go through the motions. So I decided to get a cheap place where I could stay for three or four days and get a feel for things. It would at least get me out of Arizona and moving. However, things went wrong from the starte. It turns out that the hostel I had booked to stay in would not take domestic travelers, so I had to scramble in the late afternoon after driving for seven hours and find a place to stay and wound up staying in some place that cost 3-4 times what the hostel would have cost. I can't even tell you the name of the hotel. It is somewhere on Sunset Boulevard. Not sure what to do tomorrow except that I know I can't afford to stay at this place, which is actually at ($70/night) one of the cheaper places around.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Crossing Boundaries
quote of the day
The Third Chapter
Much of the coping with discontinuity has to do with discovering threads of continuit. You cannot adjust to change unless you can recongize some analogy between your old situation and your new situation. Without that analoyg you cannot transfer learning. You cannot apply skills. If you recognize a problem that you've resolved before, in however different guise, you have a uch greater chance of soliving that problem in the new situation...In composing the Third Chapter, then, we need to create a narrative that seeks to discover and then emphasize the connectin, the similarties, the transpostions from one chapter to the next rather than one that underscores the death of one and the birth of the other ...unless you can find ways to relearn and recycle, you are left with the model of hittin gbottom and starting over. This is the model where you reach a certain point and you are converted, you are boren again, and you completely leave your old life behind...what is importnat is to use the experience up to now, the skills, the learning, to aproach the moment of transition with some memory of what has been learned before, adn therefore the knowledge of what new learning felt like(27-8)
Comment: This makes a lot of sense. There are no clean breaks or fresh starts at this point, which is as it should be. In a way, what is being advocated here is nothing more than the middle way.In fact, as I think about my writing projects, beginning with the current one on the China discussion group, they are in a way an attempt to bring the philosophical training into the world
One alternative
--I need to remember this is always possible, simply traveling, traveling simply. And it might even seem to be where things are headed given the Rolf Potts quote and the chance the unknown text.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
When completely stuck, chance the unknown
---from "Manifesting Change" by Mike Dooley
The Passion Test
1. First make a list of at least ten of the most important things you can think of that would give your life a joy, passion and fulfillment. Begin each one with a verb related to being, doing or having, which completes the sentence: "When my life is ideal, I am_______" Close your eyes and picture your ideal life. What are you doing? Who are you doing it with? Where are you? Make this list, realizing it is just a first list. Let your list sit for a while. Come back to it in a few hours, or tomorrow.
2. Identify which are the most important using the following guidelines
a. If you had to choose between having the first passion and the second passion, which would youtake?
b. Continue comparing the one you choose with the next one until you go through the entire list. The one you end up with is your first choice
c. Go through the remainder of the list in the same fashion until you identify your five most important passions
2.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Simplicity
Indeed, the freedom to go vagavondng has never been determined by income level; it's found through simplicity--th conscious decision of how to use what income you have. And, contrary to opopular stereotypes, seeking simplicity doesn't require that you become a monk, a subsistence forager, or a wild-eyed revolutionary. Nor does it mean that you must unconditionally avoid the role of consumer. Rather, simplicity merely reuires a bit of personal sacrifice: an adjustment of your habits and routines within the consumer society itself. At times, the piggest challenge in embracing simplicity will b3e the vague felling of isolation that fcomes with it, since private sacrifice doesn't garner much attection in the frenetic world of mass culture."
--from Vagabonding, Rolf Potts
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Risk Reflection
2. Consider how you might tackle it in the most exciting, interesting and innovative ways you can imagine. Don't censor yourself in any way. Don't let shoulds or should nots come into play. Don't allow the practical to rear its head. Simply allow yourself to play an imagine. Write and doodle in your sketchbook all the ideas and images that come to mind
3. Identify where the risks are and fully imagine the impact of those risks. What do you fear might happen? What is your worst-case scenario if you were to move forward?
4. Decide which of those risks is smallest. What could you do to manage the smallest risk?
5. Continue to examine risks in order of severity and come up with strategies.
6. Record thoughts and feelings about how and whether to proceed
Risk Taking
A Creative Dilemma
--Arises out of tension between our current reality and a sensed that things can be different
--Presents a choice between a known and an unknown
--Poses the question: Do I act or not act on this choice?
--Is resolved by our commitement to create something in our lives that did not exist before
--Launches us into the exploration dimension
Becoming a Life Change Artist
Monday, January 10, 2011
Final Exercises
Another quote
The Essence of Dream
Another quote
NW quorw
Now What: Ex 1
Now that I think of it
Now What
Reading Lyotard
Stuck in Unstuck
Saturday, January 8, 2011
A Plan?
I really cannot stay in this house more than one more week. That's it. Really. So what are my options:
1/15-1/18 (Phoenix)
1/19-until I get galleys (Baja)
Galley Day +3-Feb 17 (Tucson)
2/17-2/22 (chicago)
2/22-4/22: (Japan/Thailand)
5/10-5/24: (Hawaii)