No, I didn’t forget about this place…
Ok, yeah, sorry. It’s been a while. I’ve been busy with BMA and work, etc, and I wasn’t really sure what I wanted runningmunckee to be. Probably should have figured that out before I started blogging. BUT, suffice it to say, runningmunckee is going to get its own home soon. And its going to be rolled into dannynathan.com. Whole revision. Whole new life. Runningmunckee 2.0 I suppose. Keep an eye out, it’ll happen soon. Very soon.
In praise of customer service
Thank you Apple. Despite the annoyance of having to get up early to sign up for a time-slot at your Genius bar for something utterly simple, you kindly replaced my dying Mighty Mouse with no arguing.
Customer service is a constant annoyance to me. Or rather, the lack of customer service. I’ve bitched about UPS and, for the time being, will do everything I can not to use them. Bank of America continually pisses me off, though I continue to use them for various and sundry reasons. Even FedEx got under my skin the other day when I walked in and had to watch the guy eat his pretzels and banter with his colleagues for a solid two minutes before he acknowledged my existence (I was the only customer in the room).
But Apple. Apple has it almost nailed. I signed up for a time slot. Actually spoke to someone within 5 minutes of my assigned time. And I walked out with a brand new mouse for free. My only complaint? The genius bar needs an express lane for things that take under 5 minutes. But hey, I’ll live.
Post-it Pixel art.
Cool video. Although, and maybe this is wrong/mean, I kind of enjoy watching the chair in the second half more than the pixel art.
Speaking of L.A.
I got back late Saturday, which was, in my opinion, far better than the crew who took the red-eye and got in early Saturday. I had time to put in 10 miles on the beach where I don’t usually get to run (somehow the Hudson doesn’t count).
The shoot went well overall. It was definitely a learning experience. Turns out it was far more hands-off than I had expected. Given my background (in acting/directing), I had hoped for the opportunity to interject some thoughts. I had that opportunity…three times removed. Thoughts were relayed through a few different people before they finally made it to the _____ (actor, director, whoever). Not that this was wrong or a problem with our shoot, it was simply different than I’d expected not having been on a shoot before.
So am I ready to move to LA? Not a chance. The beach is great. The weather was awesome while we were there. But it didn’t feel right. It felt like a giant version of San Antonio because it was so spread out. I think if I have to choose a big city, I’m happy in NY where everything is crammed together and doesn’t require a car. Or sitting in traffic to get five miles. The stench is always an added bonus here in NY too.
Today is what I hate about last night.
Thanks to everyone who came out for the Hindjew Christmas. It was quite a bash to say the least. We were really pleased with the turnout, and we hope everyone had a great time!
Here are a few pics from the before. The post-apocalyptic ruin was not documented. Sorry.
We bought a Christmas tree.
A first for both my roommate and I, in preparation for…A Very Merry Hindjew Christmas Party. A one-of-a-kind event being held for one night only. Tomorrow. If you’re cool, you’ll know where.
But back to the tree. I’m reasonably happy with our first tree purchase. It cost us a whopping $10. It even came with a stand (a piece of another tree with a hole in the middle; think wooden donut). It’s about 3 feet tall (if it stands on its tip-toes). It will be turned into this:
Missing Christmas.
Ok, not Christmas, but the company Christmas Party.
Woe is me. I’ll be in LA. Shooting my first spot. I’m crushed. But actually really excited. I’ve probably taken longer than most to get my first spot in the works due to an extended freelance stint out of school, so I’m really psyched about this.
[photo credit google images]
New York, how I love thee, let me count the ways…
There are all sorts of generalizations about living in NY. You’ve got the “you either love it or hate it” crowd. The “it takes six months to figure out if you love it or hate it” crowd. The “I’ve never lived in a truly urban city” crowd who look at you with wide-eyed wonder when you mention you live in NY. And then you’ve got me.
I’ve been living in New York for about 18 months now (please disregard the fact that I’ve been living in NY for “about 18 months” for the last six months). In that time, I’ve gone through a plethora of “NY swings” which are kind of like mood swings (in fact, I find the two are often related) but are more externally based.
For the first three months or so, I hated NY. It’s big, it smells (especially if you move up here during summer), it costs a fortune, and its tough to escape on the cheap. Then I swung. I went home to San Antonio for a few days, and on the cab ride from the airport back to my apartment, I realized maybe things weren’t so bad here. So I went through the honeymoon period and loved NY for about six months or so. Even winter didn’t bother me much.
Then, over time, it slowly dawned on me how tough it is to do all the “normal” things that I used to do without thinking twice. And I guess by “normal” I mean the utterly suburban things that I grew up with and never thought twice about. You want to go play ball in NY? Trek across town to the park. You want to barbeque? Yeah, good luck. You want to ride a bike? Hope you’re comfortable holding your life in your hands. Needless to say, the honeymoon was over.
And now? Well, now, I’m back on an upswing. I’ve gotten over my suburban homesickness. I’m reverting back to that “everyday is its own adventure” feeling. Not always good, but always something new. Entertainment is easy, just walk out the front door with a camera. There are a ton of exhibits and random places to wander into. And, when you get tired of all of it, you just hole up in a cozy (which means tiny) apartment and throw in a movie.
Flickr credit to Chuck Onyiliogwu
