A glorious day to you all!
Anybody going to Comicon? I'll be there friday night throwing my support behind My Buddy Rob's movie "Lightning Bug" and hopefully I'll get to walk around and see some stuff as a fan. If you see me there come up and say Hi!
I'll also be speaking at the aids walk in San Francisco this Saturday the 17th.
It'd be nice to see some of you folks at either event.
Those of you that are sprawled out across the land... I'm coming to your town soon! :0)
Have a great weekend either way!
Cheers,
Hal
Anybody going to Comicon? I'll be there friday night throwing my support behind My Buddy Rob's movie "Lightning Bug" and hopefully I'll get to walk around and see some stuff as a fan. If you see me there come up and say Hi!
I'll also be speaking at the aids walk in San Francisco this Saturday the 17th.
It'd be nice to see some of you folks at either event.
Those of you that are sprawled out across the land... I'm coming to your town soon! :0)
Have a great weekend either way!
Cheers,
Hal
So...
I'm really tired right now. I've been working all day. I have a house full of guests so I never have a moment alone. I'm pushing myself harder than ever and.....
I love it.
I am having one of those days where I just feel grateful.
Tired as I am.... I just wanna say thanks to anybody in earshot.
If you're not having one of those days... or haven't lately... I sincerely hope you do.
Like the songs says.... "Don't forget... you're beautiful"
Big Love,
Hal
I'm really tired right now. I've been working all day. I have a house full of guests so I never have a moment alone. I'm pushing myself harder than ever and.....
I love it.
I am having one of those days where I just feel grateful.
Tired as I am.... I just wanna say thanks to anybody in earshot.
If you're not having one of those days... or haven't lately... I sincerely hope you do.
Like the songs says.... "Don't forget... you're beautiful"
Big Love,
Hal
Things I currently am sure of....
I have an awesome group of fans
Playing Resident Evil 4 as Ada Wong makes my wrist click
Old refrigerators smell very bad
Metal Skool rocks
Batman Begins is one of the most derivitive movies I have EVER seen
I wish it had been good
Drunken Goat Cheese is mighty tasty
"Over My Head" is a great song
I still have a crush on James ;0)
Home Depot's carpet section looks really wimpy and pretty in the middle of it's big butch warehouse style
"Old Boy" is a cool movie...but I'm not c-o-m-p-l-e-t-e-l-y sure what it's really about
Life is an adventure
__________________
I hope you all have a great week... the greatest one so far..
Big Love
Hal
I have an awesome group of fans
Playing Resident Evil 4 as Ada Wong makes my wrist click
Old refrigerators smell very bad
Metal Skool rocks
Batman Begins is one of the most derivitive movies I have EVER seen
I wish it had been good
Drunken Goat Cheese is mighty tasty
"Over My Head" is a great song
I still have a crush on James ;0)
Home Depot's carpet section looks really wimpy and pretty in the middle of it's big butch warehouse style
"Old Boy" is a cool movie...but I'm not c-o-m-p-l-e-t-e-l-y sure what it's really about
Life is an adventure
__________________
I hope you all have a great week... the greatest one so far..
Big Love
Hal
Roswell is nice this time of year...
Okay...so...
I'm fairly certain that I am being abducted by aliens. I don't think they mean me any harm because I always seem to be well rested when they return me to earth.
What proof do I have, you ask? Oh doubting skeptic?
It is true I do not have any new implants (note to self: change battery in old one)
It is true that I have not been probed lately... and I would know..thanks
It is true that I have no memories of almond eyed aenorexics from space warning me of impending global thermo-nuclear war...
not exactly
So what proof?
Missing time....
I woke up this morning and three weeks had gone by like a shot.
The only plausible explanation is abduction...
either that or the month of May is addicted to crack...
phew...
anyway... It's nice to be back
Okay...so...
I'm fairly certain that I am being abducted by aliens. I don't think they mean me any harm because I always seem to be well rested when they return me to earth.
What proof do I have, you ask? Oh doubting skeptic?
It is true I do not have any new implants (note to self: change battery in old one)
It is true that I have not been probed lately... and I would know..thanks
It is true that I have no memories of almond eyed aenorexics from space warning me of impending global thermo-nuclear war...
not exactly
So what proof?
Missing time....
I woke up this morning and three weeks had gone by like a shot.
The only plausible explanation is abduction...
either that or the month of May is addicted to crack...
phew...
anyway... It's nice to be back
Did ja ever...?
Did ja ever look back on your time in high school and think... maybe it wasn't as bad as I remembered. Maybe In my youthful desire to be accepted and admired I overvalued certain peoples opinions and, if I really was honest, It wasn't alll THAT bad....
My Dad just moved into a new house and he discovered "a few" boxes of my old stuff from my childhood and my young adulthood and thinking I might want them... he mailed them to me... It turns out that by "few" he meant THIRTEEN! All of them jammed tight with old notebooks, Star Wars figures, yellowing copies of MAD magazine (with notes that some budding comic made in the margins) pictures, posters from my first plays, an award for first place in "The Pinewood Derby"... yay me...
SO I have been in a state of Nostalgia induced shock all day! I found this great note where the girl of my dreams wrote me from camp and said it will never work out and then asked me how my summer was... oh joy... I found a utility belt I had made when, at 10 years old, I decided I was going to be a Superhero when I grew up and I would probably need one... It had pouches with throwing stars, M-80s and a compass... awesome! And just in time for me to go fight crime! I think I hear some outside.. no..wait.. that's just the neighbor's cat. Ttthhhhwwwwt! Rowr!
I have only had one High school year book with me. It was from my (second) graduating year and being the last one, it's the one I took out to L.A. when I moved/drove out here. The rest where AWOL until now. Not only do I have my Chicago High School ones but I have my Kentucky one as well AND my middle school year books. Man! I had totally forgotten so much of that whole experience. They say that "the guarantee of failure in life is success in high school" and if that's true It's no wonder I'm doing so well now because so much of it sucked! Like super sucked! Like magically de-suck-cious!
But I tell you I wouldn't change a thing because if it hadn't have been hard I probably would have stayed close to home and never struck out on my own. 16 days after graduation I packed my clothes and a few essentials in my car and made a Bee-line for L.A. and as much as I love Chicago I never really looked back because I knew there would be no success for me there.
So I guess big parts of our youth are supposed to suck. Otherwise we'd get too attached and wake up one day trapped on a hamster wheel that used to look like a merri-go-round.
I'm staring at a bunch of evidence of a life I ran from and I feel really excited. I've been reminded that whether it's the carrot our the stick that gets you on the path doesn't really matter as long as you get going... and more often than we like to admit... it's the stick.
Even if the stick's name was Michelle... and you still kinda miss her
:0)
Did ja ever look back on your time in high school and think... maybe it wasn't as bad as I remembered. Maybe In my youthful desire to be accepted and admired I overvalued certain peoples opinions and, if I really was honest, It wasn't alll THAT bad....
My Dad just moved into a new house and he discovered "a few" boxes of my old stuff from my childhood and my young adulthood and thinking I might want them... he mailed them to me... It turns out that by "few" he meant THIRTEEN! All of them jammed tight with old notebooks, Star Wars figures, yellowing copies of MAD magazine (with notes that some budding comic made in the margins) pictures, posters from my first plays, an award for first place in "The Pinewood Derby"... yay me...
SO I have been in a state of Nostalgia induced shock all day! I found this great note where the girl of my dreams wrote me from camp and said it will never work out and then asked me how my summer was... oh joy... I found a utility belt I had made when, at 10 years old, I decided I was going to be a Superhero when I grew up and I would probably need one... It had pouches with throwing stars, M-80s and a compass... awesome! And just in time for me to go fight crime! I think I hear some outside.. no..wait.. that's just the neighbor's cat. Ttthhhhwwwwt! Rowr!
I have only had one High school year book with me. It was from my (second) graduating year and being the last one, it's the one I took out to L.A. when I moved/drove out here. The rest where AWOL until now. Not only do I have my Chicago High School ones but I have my Kentucky one as well AND my middle school year books. Man! I had totally forgotten so much of that whole experience. They say that "the guarantee of failure in life is success in high school" and if that's true It's no wonder I'm doing so well now because so much of it sucked! Like super sucked! Like magically de-suck-cious!
But I tell you I wouldn't change a thing because if it hadn't have been hard I probably would have stayed close to home and never struck out on my own. 16 days after graduation I packed my clothes and a few essentials in my car and made a Bee-line for L.A. and as much as I love Chicago I never really looked back because I knew there would be no success for me there.
So I guess big parts of our youth are supposed to suck. Otherwise we'd get too attached and wake up one day trapped on a hamster wheel that used to look like a merri-go-round.
I'm staring at a bunch of evidence of a life I ran from and I feel really excited. I've been reminded that whether it's the carrot our the stick that gets you on the path doesn't really matter as long as you get going... and more often than we like to admit... it's the stick.
Even if the stick's name was Michelle... and you still kinda miss her
:0)
Hi Kids!
For those of y'all that didn't catch it (and that's probably most of ya since I didn't know I was gonna be on it till yesterday:0)) I was on a show on CNBC called "The Big Idea" which is an ironic title since there didn't seem to be any ... I was put on as the "Liberal" voice in a panel on TV and indecency. That's a bit odd since I ended up defending personal responsibility and being anti-big government, which is always assumed to be republican territory. But it seems that conservative people all over the country are getting very comfortable with handing over their parenting duties and responsibilities to the government... y'know the same way they hand over their children's mental health over to pharmaceutical companies... oy...
So I was just trying to make the point that.. since we already have a TV rating system AND most of the networks they have the biggest problems with (i.e. MTV, FX) are purchased and can be shut off.. you don't need a group of strangers... whom you don't know... or a government agent choosing what you can and can't watch by attempting to strangle writers and producers with astronomical fines ... Especially when there is no clearly defined rule on what is indecent and what isn't... no one knows if they will get fined and most have no recourse to defend themselves without fear of retaliation...
I think that's a reasonable point and I really don't need congress telling me what I should be able to see... and you'd think the conservatives would agree because what if the tide turns, they lose office and the new regime starts getting rid of their favorite shows like "7th Heaven" because that's using public airwaves to support one religious view point over another? They certainly would cry foul and you could argue they would have the right to.
Anyway, I brought up the recent incident where Jimmy Swaggart (y'know Reverend Jimmy "I got caught with a hooker and then cried on national TV and said I have sinned against you and everybody let me off the hook" Swaggart) said "If a gay man came on to me I'd kill him and tell God he died" and how I think a Preacher abdicating the murder of an innocent person... eh.. under certain circumstances ...uh... might be considered .. oh I dunno... Obscene?!? And I also mentioned how hateful I think Pat Robertson is and how he does more damage than "the real world" ever could. yadda yadda... so..
I got a couple of nice e-mails and a few nasty ones and I thought I'd share one with you... this is the state of discourse (and unfortunately the education system) in the country right now. It is an e-mail from someone who claims to be a teacher... everything in parenthesis is me commenting.
"I saw you on television the other night.(It was tonight!) He (Why change from second to third person in one sentence?) was on a program called The Big Idea; or something of that sort. Your comments about Pat Robertson? Are you serious? Listen, I have been a teacher for roughly 20yrs. I have personal accounts and experience relative to what hurts children and what is destructive. Pat Robertson is no mental giant. In addition, being a devout Catholic, I disagree with him both theologically and sometimes politically. However, your comment stating he spreads hate is unbelievably ignorant and stupid. Obviously, you have no life experiences other than what is lived in the small dysfunctional world of Hollywood and pop culture. Otherwise, you would not state such idiotic things. The fact is, you are a corrupt and corrosive force upon our young(who knew I had that kind of power?). Your hedonistic lifestyle is with no boundaries and full of individual self gratification and pointless pleasure. People like you are not the hope and future of our society but an example of what a corrupt and meaningless United States pop culture has to offer our young. I hope one day you will grow up. If you want to know whats(how about an apostrophe?) good for people, go into teaching and try to instill some of you(r) beliefs on the kids. You will be completely lost and destroyed. What you offer is hopeless. Than (uh..y'mean "then"?) maybe you will find a little helpful Judeo-Christian culture to straighten out your shallow mind. "
Wheeee!
Let me state for the record that I have no problem with logical disagreement and I am open to anyone who has a legitimate point but... Did I mention she's a teacher? Oy!
I hope you all are doing well and that you are safe happy and healthy.
I'd love to write more but I have to get back to my hedonistic life. I have some pointless pleasure to finish.
Big Love,
Hal
For those of y'all that didn't catch it (and that's probably most of ya since I didn't know I was gonna be on it till yesterday:0)) I was on a show on CNBC called "The Big Idea" which is an ironic title since there didn't seem to be any ... I was put on as the "Liberal" voice in a panel on TV and indecency. That's a bit odd since I ended up defending personal responsibility and being anti-big government, which is always assumed to be republican territory. But it seems that conservative people all over the country are getting very comfortable with handing over their parenting duties and responsibilities to the government... y'know the same way they hand over their children's mental health over to pharmaceutical companies... oy...
So I was just trying to make the point that.. since we already have a TV rating system AND most of the networks they have the biggest problems with (i.e. MTV, FX) are purchased and can be shut off.. you don't need a group of strangers... whom you don't know... or a government agent choosing what you can and can't watch by attempting to strangle writers and producers with astronomical fines ... Especially when there is no clearly defined rule on what is indecent and what isn't... no one knows if they will get fined and most have no recourse to defend themselves without fear of retaliation...
I think that's a reasonable point and I really don't need congress telling me what I should be able to see... and you'd think the conservatives would agree because what if the tide turns, they lose office and the new regime starts getting rid of their favorite shows like "7th Heaven" because that's using public airwaves to support one religious view point over another? They certainly would cry foul and you could argue they would have the right to.
Anyway, I brought up the recent incident where Jimmy Swaggart (y'know Reverend Jimmy "I got caught with a hooker and then cried on national TV and said I have sinned against you and everybody let me off the hook" Swaggart) said "If a gay man came on to me I'd kill him and tell God he died" and how I think a Preacher abdicating the murder of an innocent person... eh.. under certain circumstances ...uh... might be considered .. oh I dunno... Obscene?!? And I also mentioned how hateful I think Pat Robertson is and how he does more damage than "the real world" ever could. yadda yadda... so..
I got a couple of nice e-mails and a few nasty ones and I thought I'd share one with you... this is the state of discourse (and unfortunately the education system) in the country right now. It is an e-mail from someone who claims to be a teacher... everything in parenthesis is me commenting.
"I saw you on television the other night.(It was tonight!) He (Why change from second to third person in one sentence?) was on a program called The Big Idea; or something of that sort. Your comments about Pat Robertson? Are you serious? Listen, I have been a teacher for roughly 20yrs. I have personal accounts and experience relative to what hurts children and what is destructive. Pat Robertson is no mental giant. In addition, being a devout Catholic, I disagree with him both theologically and sometimes politically. However, your comment stating he spreads hate is unbelievably ignorant and stupid. Obviously, you have no life experiences other than what is lived in the small dysfunctional world of Hollywood and pop culture. Otherwise, you would not state such idiotic things. The fact is, you are a corrupt and corrosive force upon our young(who knew I had that kind of power?). Your hedonistic lifestyle is with no boundaries and full of individual self gratification and pointless pleasure. People like you are not the hope and future of our society but an example of what a corrupt and meaningless United States pop culture has to offer our young. I hope one day you will grow up. If you want to know whats(how about an apostrophe?) good for people, go into teaching and try to instill some of you(r) beliefs on the kids. You will be completely lost and destroyed. What you offer is hopeless. Than (uh..y'mean "then"?) maybe you will find a little helpful Judeo-Christian culture to straighten out your shallow mind. "
Wheeee!
Let me state for the record that I have no problem with logical disagreement and I am open to anyone who has a legitimate point but... Did I mention she's a teacher? Oy!
I hope you all are doing well and that you are safe happy and healthy.
I'd love to write more but I have to get back to my hedonistic life. I have some pointless pleasure to finish.
Big Love,
Hal
I'm sitting on the floor of my Toronto apt. The movers left about an hour ago and aside from some water bottles, some red paint and some dents on the walls...you'd never know I had ever been here. Moving kicks up a lot of dust and I coughed and the echo was amazing. Without furniture this place is like a drywall canyon. Of course it reminded me of when I first moved in... I got the job on QAF while I was shooting "Dude, Where's my Car?" and I didn't know till two days before that doing the show meant relocating to Toronto... I figured that if I HAD to move to a strange city I would do it on my terms. They were only putting us up in a hotel for two weeks... so while shooting the first episode the entire cast were also apt. hunting.... always an adventure, even if you weren't in a semi-foreign country working on a new show so controversial that even the network who hired you didn't know if it would ever air...gooood times...
I wanted a place near Chinatown - check
I wanted a new place - check
I wanted a high floor - check
I wanted exposed ducts and other coold lofty things - check (p.s. highly overrated)
I wanted to stay in it the run of the show...aaaaannnddd...check
As I think of all the life that poured out of me in this space I have a hard time believing it's real. How many times I laughed, cried, fumed, fought, meditated and healed here. And yet in the end I feel good just letting go and returning home. I guess it's close to what military people feel when they are stationed at a base somewhere.. no matter how well you adjust, how much you learn the neighborhood, the language, the people... it's still never home.
I'm so excited to move on to the next chapter in my life, my career, my friendships...
It just feels good....
On a less poetic note... I think I should get a major cleaning crew in here because 5 years, 3 girlfriends and umpteen random dates later, even though I am a bit of a cleaning nut... I'm sure this place is a DNA goldmine... I'd hate to see it under a flourescent light....
Or maybe I've been watching too much CSI
Aaaaahhh memories...
I wanted a place near Chinatown - check
I wanted a new place - check
I wanted a high floor - check
I wanted exposed ducts and other coold lofty things - check (p.s. highly overrated)
I wanted to stay in it the run of the show...aaaaannnddd...check
As I think of all the life that poured out of me in this space I have a hard time believing it's real. How many times I laughed, cried, fumed, fought, meditated and healed here. And yet in the end I feel good just letting go and returning home. I guess it's close to what military people feel when they are stationed at a base somewhere.. no matter how well you adjust, how much you learn the neighborhood, the language, the people... it's still never home.
I'm so excited to move on to the next chapter in my life, my career, my friendships...
It just feels good....
On a less poetic note... I think I should get a major cleaning crew in here because 5 years, 3 girlfriends and umpteen random dates later, even though I am a bit of a cleaning nut... I'm sure this place is a DNA goldmine... I'd hate to see it under a flourescent light....
Or maybe I've been watching too much CSI
Aaaaahhh memories...
So Thursday I graduated High School... or at least that's what it felt like.
Last night we had the wrap party celebrating the completion of the final episode or the final season of Queer As Folk. And My reaction was the same as when school finished. I shed a few tears, hugged some great people and reassured them that we would stay in touch, danced a little, tried not to dust off somebody that was nothing but trouble for everyone... ah... memories...:0)
I'm proud of the work I did, but I'm so excited it's over I can barely express it.
5 years
If you see me at all this year... doing stand-up, playing with the band, at the grocery, running down the street carrying a TV set looking over my shoulder...whatever...come up and say Hi... I'll be celebrating
And Cheers to all of you who have or are going to close an old chapter and open a new one this year! May the road be free of problems but full of adventure!
Big Love,
Hal
Last night we had the wrap party celebrating the completion of the final episode or the final season of Queer As Folk. And My reaction was the same as when school finished. I shed a few tears, hugged some great people and reassured them that we would stay in touch, danced a little, tried not to dust off somebody that was nothing but trouble for everyone... ah... memories...:0)
I'm proud of the work I did, but I'm so excited it's over I can barely express it.
5 years
If you see me at all this year... doing stand-up, playing with the band, at the grocery, running down the street carrying a TV set looking over my shoulder...whatever...come up and say Hi... I'll be celebrating
And Cheers to all of you who have or are going to close an old chapter and open a new one this year! May the road be free of problems but full of adventure!
Big Love,
Hal
