This is a true story.
It's 2:30 am on a Saturday evening. Casa Rocha, my current abode, is winding down from its first Euro Rave party that I worked security for. Aside: I worked security because, like Wild Bill Guarnere says, 'You can't trust a Quaker'. A somewhat gay guy is sitting across from me on our patio, our patio that is filled with most of the seating furniture from our house, nay mistakable from a yard-sale. Like everyone else, he's loopy and sleepy because of all the alcohol and the early hour. I'm glad to sit down and he is just glad. I'm alone in my thoughts when a party goer shuffles by and bumps past me. 'Oh, sorry' I say as I try to adjust myself to let him by with out any more physical contact. Party goer says nothing and forces his way through. The somewhat gay guy suddenly animates.

SGG: Don't say sorry. your not from around here are you?
Me: No, not really.
SGG: Well if your from LA you don't apologize. He got into your way. If anything you should have given him the finger.
Me: Well I was just trying to get out of his way that's all.
SGG: No, man, no your.... You make your way through people, not around them.
Me: Ok if you say so. I'll try to be more rude next time.
SGG: Yeah, you'll fit in better. Although, it would be sad to see a nice guy get twisted by this town. What time is it? Oh man I cant drive like this.
Me: You'll be fine, just lay down and don't puke on anything. I hate cleaning up puke.

I get up and resume my patrol.

~

I went to see Guillermo del Toro this past week at the L.A. Film Festival. Preliminary reports said he is full of himself and conceited. Nothing could be further from the truth. He was self-deprecating and an honest man. Showing great disdain for materialism and the glorification of the human body ("if you have stretch marks, is ok. They are your stretch marks").

He gave a glimpses into his creative process and made some telling remarks about being freely creative and how he feels that every movie is going to be his last. When he presented Pan's Labyrinth he thought the studio was going to label him a crack pot and he'd never work again.

Del Toro is married and drives a 2000 Chrysler Sebring. He enjoys taking his family to the aquarium. He spent most of his money on a vast personal library and painstakingly assembled his high tech "man-cave" that he is very proud of.

Too bad he signed up to work on The Hobbit and the Hobbit 2. Which means he will be living in New Zealand for half a decade and all his technological toys will be woefully out of date when he gets back.

In short. He is a professional role model for me.

~

After seeing both the Reitmans and Del Toro I've made it a personal goal of mine to be a headlining speaker at the L.A. Film Festival within the next 5 years. The last time I made a decision like that was my junior year at Liberty University. I was in convo listening to Alan Keyes. I thought to myself; I'm gonna be on that stage addressing the students one day. That day came just shy of 2 years later.

Music of the week is Pink Floyd. Movie of the week should be Apocalypse Now but it's too sad of a movie to recommend. Highlight of the week is going to Disney Land for the first time. Lowest point of the week was taking 110 1st-5th graders to Disney Land for my first time.

Happy Birthday America