Are you what you wanted to be when you grew up?

“I don’t want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don’t want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don’t want to do that.” — Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack), Say Anything

But seriously, what do you want to be when you grow up – if you are not doing it already? And if you are what you want(ed) to be when you grew up, congrats. How did you do it? I still don’t know what I want to be or at least how to do it.

My last post got me thinking about this again. When I was boy I was heavily influenced by movies/TV, shock!, I know. I am still am. I wanted to be a truck driver because of B.J. and the Bear. Lead character McKay was from Milwaukee. Oh, I was on the right path, destiny?

Now the thought of me actually being a truck driver. Wait, just think about it for a second. If you know me, it’s at least mildly amusing. I don’t even like to “drive shifter cars. I drive luxury automobiles. Cars that shift themselves” (V. Gallo, Buffalo ’66)

But to his credit (?) Greg Evigan sang his own TV theme. As did Lee Majors in The Fall Guy, a seriously well written tune called The Unknown Stuntman. And yes, I really wanted to be a stuntman for a long time.

Did you listen to it? It’s a melancholy tune, just the classic lovable loser who doesn’t girl after doing all the work. My stuntman desire was augmented by my love for Raiders of the Lost Ark and a TV special called Great Movie Stunts: Raiders of the Lost Ark. You can watch all 6 parts on youtube, it’s a simple documentary for younger ones, but you watch it with them. Did you ever see this?

In modern cinema, many stuntmen have lost their jobs to CGI and the like. Many of the best stunts of the past wouldn’t be done the same way today. There was a much bigger element of danger when you drove a car off a bridge or fell into an airbag.

Somewhere in my Raiders of the Lost Ark love, I realized I didn’t really want to be a stuntman. I think I got my stunts kick out of the way with trying skydiving and bungee jumping. I really wanted to be Steven Spielberg, the director. Which is probably best that I realized early I wouldn’t be Harrison Ford. Which is not to say I totally gave up on acting because later I would want to be a comedian and trying acting. Robin Williams, Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Jerry Seinfeld and Saturday Night Live were among the numerous influences. (I’ve talked more about comedy specifically and will again later.)

And the Spielberg dream still exists, though now I would cross it with Wes Anderson and Woody Allen and a few others. The list is long of other partial considerations or even attempts at dreams, goals, or careers.

writer (I worry this is too solitary of an existence for social me. I would need to collaborate in some way.)
comic book artist/comic book writer
record store owner (extinct)
video store owner (extinct)
advertising copy writer – actually went to college for this one before going to film school for a while. Worked in advertising for a while, but never as a writer.
radio DJ (dabbled)
record producer
band manager (still could)
greeting card writer (like 500 Days of Summer! but only because it came up on an career aptitude test)
bar owner (harsh hours)
restauranteur (harsh failure rate)

I did some of these, worked in some of these fields. And Lloyd Dobler, I did sell things for a while and really didn’t enjoy it either. But here I am now, a work-at-home Dad, which you can see wasn’t on any of the previous lists. That said, I did always want to be a husband and a father, so no complaints. It’s a full time job, the toughest job you’ll ever love. You’re so busy and then so tired by the time you have a moment to yourself (usually just when the kids are asleep). Lately just thinking about what comes next now that the boys are getting older and going to be at school for longer days which will provide a little more time, hopefully, to go after the passions.

My problem has been that the things I want to do, really have a passion for, just don’t seem to have an easy career path, especially in regards to supporting a family financially. I made a list for 2010 of possible “jobs” I like still am interested in pursuing. Replicated from the index card near my desk:

2010
FILM – direct, produce, act, write, curate, theater
WRITING – blog, book, film, mag, comic
COMEDY – live, perform, improv, stories, write
MUSIC/DJ – play on web, radio, manage bands
PLACE/VENUE – own bar/restaurant/theater for movies/host B&B, trivia, bands, games, art, sports, wine
B&B – get paid, franchise, web videos
TV SHOW – cable, local
EVENT PLANNER -
RADIO – host, podcasts
BIZ w/ MU friends (names held here for privacy)
TRAVEL –

Do I see patterns here? Anyone have any ideas how to help me achieve my goals, dreams, career? Those of you that have done it please share your tips and any advice you may have for the many of us who are still searching.

A few years ago Mama and I hosted an Idea Party based on Barbara Sher’s programs. After talking to a college friend recently, we thought maybe it’d be a good time to revisit the Idea Party. Let me know if you are interested in attending an Idea Party with us.

Hibernation turns Fat Tue Lent

Among the hibernation projects has been catching up on TV on DVD/streaming. The aforementioned Breaking Bad and Dexter were great, and the latest craze has been Battlestar Galactica. BSG reminds me of that feeling you had as a kid watching Star Wars wishing you could pilot the Millenium Falcon. BSG is that rare show that deals in adult themes and issues, asking big questions of religion and science and the meaning of life, but also just makes me want to shoot a frakkin’ (BSG curse) gun, pilot a Viper spaceship, and kick some Cylon ass. It’s simply thrilling to want to project myself into the action again. It’s been a while, for as much as I love Dexter, I don’t want to do what he does. But I’d be Apollo or Adama just like I wanted to be Han or Luke.

And the other show stealing the hearts and minds of those in know is Lost. Funny to see the same method of marketing employed on both shows final seasons. Lost is using this currently:

But they both totally ripped off Dan Brown and The Da Vinci Code which did this one a few years ago. That amazing movie adaptation was the first time most people saw this image:

Does anyone give up anything for Lent anymore?

Fat Tuesday always reminds me of the one gloriously debauched weekend we spent in New Orleans after driving straight through the day and night from college in Milwaukee. It’s a town which allows everyone in the car to drink except the driver. A town with drive-thru frozen alcoholic beverage stops. And it allows drinks in the streets like the Hand Grenade and Hurricane.

Once we arrived in the Big Easy we drove to different parades with a keg on the back of a truck, stopping at signal lights to get out and refill along the way. It was like the classic un-PC named, Chinese Fire Drill.

For the Beads! Crappy plastic beads and the women who wanted them. What we all would do to get more beads. Why? Does Mardi Gras even “work” on a person over the age of, say 25? Could I ever go back and enjoy it the way I did my senior year of college?

I doubt it. Just like I keep saying that if I don’t go to the SXSW music festival before I turn 40, I won’t be able to fully enjoy it. I can’t even imagine experiencing (at least enjoying) that many live bands now.

Maybe I’ve missed my window on that one. But I’m still holding out for Sundance and Cannes someday. I know I can enjoy watching movies at 9am and classy parties at night. I know it. Invite me, someone. But I want to go with a purpose. What’s my purpose? I gotta find it.

And to conclude the ramblings of a mad (men fan) man…

I ask you what, if anything, are you giving up for Lent?

And are you eating Filet O’ Fishes on Fridays?

Change the equation

…along with catching up on the big films (oscar noms on groundhog day), i’ve also hibernated myself into the shows Breaking Bad and Battlestar Galactica. Last winter it was The Wire. I love a good series with a seriously strong arc you can ride through to completion. And when you wait long enough, you can enjoy quite a bit at once with little waiting. I’m a few episodes from the end of season 2 of Breaking Bad.

Weeds + The Wire + Dexter = Breaking Bad

And I am just getting going on BSG, but am fascinated already. I think sometime after that I will try Friday Night Lights. What else should I put in the queue?

Sure, I have to get the taxes done, renew my license at the DMV, find a bigger boat for B&B, read twice as many books, exercise, etc. But it’s comforting to have another episode of the story waiting for you to come back to.

Oh the hibernating we’re doing! SAD seems to be affecting all of us.

Doodles said:
Dad, I want it to be Winter only for three days and snow…
And then I want it to be summer again.
When is it going to be sunny?

When, indeed.

Are you suffering from SAD? Are you hibernating? Do you catch up on the great series on DVD/DVR/on-line?

4 Funniest TV Shows You Aren’t Watching

Watching Cartoon Network with Pablo and Doodles has led me to some really funny adult shows that air around midnight in Adult Swim. These are not for everyone, but if you like these, let’s talk.

Tim and Eric Awesome Show. Great Job! (Cartoon Network)

Just the weirdest, grossest, hit or miss grab bag of sketches. When it works it’s the hardest I’ve laughed in a while. For fans of Mr. Show.

The Mighty Boosh

This is wildly offbeat stuff and sometimes features our friend, Rich Fulcher. Fans of Monty Python, but this is really in its own category.

Delocated
Did improv comedy with Jon Glaser in L.A. He also wrote/acted on Conan O’Brien.

The IT Crowd

Seems to spoof the sitcom format with very loud laugh track and obvious “acting” but watch it longer and it may be smarter than you think. Now that The Office has jumped the shark try this show.

You can search these linke sites and Youtube for clips but I find they’re best watched in their entirety to get the nuances, jokes, themes and characters. Hence why I’m not posting scenes. That and I would probably scare off many of the parental readers. (Prove me wrong, parents, anyone else catch Adult Swim shows?)

The Play Dictator

Sometimes you just need to tie ‘em up to settle ‘em down. Now wait, before you get worried that I’m using bondage tactics, know that it’s just a robe (or as they say “rope”) belt around them.

Pablo (Indiana Jones) and Doodles (Dr. Henry Jones, Sr.) reenact a favorite scene from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Later in this scene a fire starts and Jones, Sr. tries to blow it out before Junior sees it.
Pablo, the elder, plays the younger man here whilst Doodles has always taken a liking to Sean Connery.

We were watching TV. I prefer anything like PBS, Sprout, or Noggin (it’s like pre-school on TV!) which are commercial free. Everytime they’ve seen this commercial they’ve either run and hid or covered their eyes with the arms.

Maybe someone should tell the company they’re scaring kids into not eating their food.

But anyway, this elder/youngun reversal manifests itself in other ways.
I think it was Nick, Jr., when a different commercial for Clone Trooper toy gear
(Clone Wars) was seen by our merry men:

Doodles: I’m the Commander with the helmet and the dun (gun).
(Everything is a gun but that is a future post to be sure. This actually was a toy gun.)

Pablo: I’m the assistant!

Although the other side of this is that Pablo is the Play Dictator, or if I soften it, Director. He casts the play, sets the scene, gives Doodles his motivation for his character, etc. As a director he does veer towards a dictatorship at times. Everyone he controls or portrays is usually named Patrick or Jack
and the color purple is prevalent. (also hear Infinity +3 here.)

The Dict–er, Director usually casts me as the bad guy. I’ve been sharks, robox, bad pizza,
mustache robbers, wild animals, monsters, Darth Vader, and many more.

I think we were watching Bolt and I joked about the villain, to soften his scary edge.
Something I’ll usually do if a scene looks potentially frightening.

Jefe: He’s funny.

Pablo: No he’s a bad guy. Bad guys can’t be funny.

Actually, I think bad guys can be funny (Joker, anyone?), and often times are, but maybe not to a young child. There’s nothing too funny about a villain yet. And that’s probably a good thing for them to learn. But what does that say about me? Bad Dad?

Greatest Sports Logo Ever

love the glove

Look at the perfect design of the M(ilwaukee) B(rewers) glove.
Brewers are the best. Twins are #2 for teams, but not logos. Sadly the Brewers no longer use this classic design, but they did when they were rocking their serious ‘staches in ’82. Yeah it was 1982, but Rollie Fingers looked like he was from 1882 and might tie you to the train tracks.

And then the Cubs take 3rd for baseball love but not when they are anywhere near Brewers. I love a good underdog whether its an unknown or unsold band, author, indie film, etc. A losing sports franchise seems a natural for me.

Growing up in MKE the Kamin side of the family were Brewer fans. Conradt side were for the Cubs as they lived close enough to Chicago (Kenosha) and could get WGN reception with their TV antenna. We are now in Twin-town, where Mama grew up, so there you go. Twins have been solid for many seasons, whereas the Brewers are only recently hot again. And it only took about a quarter century.

Brewers are up here Memorial Day weekend and we’ll be at the Friday night game.
Play ball.

The Dickensian Aspect

I used to always say Six Feet Under and now I can add The Wire when asked what my favorite TV drama of all time is. And you would be surprised how often people ask me. They ask what I do, my favourite colour, and then they hit me with, hey, what’s your favorite one-hour TV drama of all-time?

The Wire season 5 delved into the media and specifically newspapers. The publisher of The Baltimore Sun is looking for the Dickensian aspect in their stories to win a Pulitzer. And The Wire does achieve a Dickens-like level of richness in character and capturing a place and time in our history. It really was like a very nuanced novel unfolding over 5 years. But I experienced it all just this winter and early spring. Now I’m bursting to discuss with others who’ve finished this epic saga. Have you? Can we talk?

Otherwise, there’s no point in going on with this. You’ve either seen it or not…yet.

You will. You should. A friend once suggested The Wire as required viewing for all politicians, city officials and police. I would add parents to that list. Season 4 was probably the most emotionally effective for me as it dealt with the reason why these urban youth end up on the street corners. It may sound silly, but it’s important and informative for a work of fiction. Many of the story lines were reality based from Baltimore’s police and journalists.

A lot has been said, and more eloquently, about The Wire. But it never won many awards. It’s a show that wasn’t given its due in its day, but seems to be getting a lot of attention now that it’s all available on DVD. Just take the time someday and watch it all. You’ll feel like you’re learning something. All the pieces matter.
Everything is connected.