10:06 am - Mon 11/19/07
An Email To Chris S.

(I just finished writing this email to my friend Chris. We don't "touch base" that often, so what follows is basically "My Year In Review". It's stuff you all know about already, if you're a regular reader, but I thought it might be interesting to hear how I communicate the info one-on-one.)

Hey Chris!

How nice to hear from you!

(I don't have anyone's number in my phone. Your email just reminded me I should take advantage of modern day cellphone technology and do that at some point.)

Pretty cool that you're getting to meet TV Icons I grew up watching (I'd be particularly excited about meeting Dick Van Dyke). I often meet famous people at ArcLight, but I'd much rather be meeting them on the set.

I don't think I have met Natasha. The last girl I remember was...well, I don't remember her name, but you met her on "George", and she had been a regular on "Beastmaster", I think it was. Pretty African American woman.

Congratulations on getting the trailer done! I'd be totally up for seeing it sometime. Let's make that happen, sooner rather than later.

What's new with me, you ask...?

Well, gig-wise, it's been a good year; I've booked commercials for Propel, Coldstone Creamery, Snickers (My part got cut, tho), and some promos for Comcast. And theatrically, I had a four-day co-star on "Passions" and a co-star on "Monk".

(I now have five co-star roles on my resume, so I'm hoping before too long--whenever the striking is over--that some guest-star auditions might work their way into the mix, so I can see if I can actually still act. And maybe get an article in the "State Journal", like my hero, Chris Showerman.)

I was supposed to have a commercial audition today, but have developed an infection from a broken blister on my foot, and am not walking so good (I went to the emergency room yesterday, hoping they'd have some magic way to make me whole again, and I could do the audition-for "Metal Detector Guy On The Beach"-without being "Limpy McCrippledguy". But sadly, it's still all about antibiotics and time).

And tomorrow, I have an audition for a mid-season show on ABC called "Eli Stone" (Which I can still do, since it's for the part of a cab driver).

The money I made this year--Primarily from Propel (A national), though it was nice to also get some residuals from last year's "Gilmore Girls" and "Nip/Tuck" gigs-has allowed me to have more of a life than I've had at any point since coming out here.

I was able to go back to Michigan for a couple days, under my own steam, for Mark and Jane's 15th wedding anniversary party (They were partying because they'd broken their previous marriage records), and to a harmonica "Jam Camp" weekend in Irvine last month.

I recently joined Weight Watchers, and 24 Hour Fitness, because I'm not happy with life as a big fat man (I started WW at 268.4, and in five weeks, have lost over 15 lbs; my long term goal is to get down to 195-200 lbs, and stay there).

And I now have cable tv and high-speed Internet, which I love.

Still don't exactly have a rockin' social life-no sex/romance anywhere on the horizon-but I do sometimes socialize with my ACG associates, and my ArcLight coworkers (Speaking of ArcLight, I went down to four days a week recently, and am liking that a lot so far).

And twice now, on Monday nights, I've gone to a small club on Western (M'Dears) for their weekly "blues jam"; it's been fun to get back into some actual performing, and I plan to make a regular thing of it (I hope you'll be able to come check it out sometime).

And that, in a nutshell, is where I'm at these days.

I still fret about this and that (The Writers strike is much on my mind, as I imagine it's on yours as well), and there's "room for improvement" in my personal life, but I'd have to say, all-in-all, that this has been a very good year.

I'm supposed to stay off my foot for a couple days, but what does Wednesday look like for you, in terms of maybe doing lunch?

I have a workout scheduled at 24 Hour Fitness for 10:30, then have to come back and walk the neighbor's dog, so I could get together around 1:30-2:00.

What do you think?

I hope things are going well on your end, and I'll look forward to seeing you sometime soon, whenever we can make it work out.

Jim

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