Everyone who fancies themselves a comic or a writer that moves to LA always has to make a comment about the prevalence of gym memberships here. That's not what I'm trying to do here. I'm just telling my own personal story. Clinton and I went to 24 Hour Fitness the other day to check out the facilities and find out the prices for membership. I also wanted to introduce him to our favorite theatre right next door, ArcLight Cinemas. We went in to just grab a brochure or something, but instead we had to fill out some info sheets and wait for a sales representative. John came over and asked questions like, "How committed are you to getting into shape?" I wanted to answer, "Seven" or "Committed enough to find out what it costs to join a gym, that's as far as it goes." Another one of the questions was something like, "How often do you exercise?" The options were 1) 3 or more times a week, 2) Sporadically, 3) Never, or 4) Exercised in the past. I bet they used to just have options 1-3, but often got a whiny "I used to exercise all the time" in response. Needless to say, I selected option 4.

So he shows us around the facilities, which are pretty nice as far as I know. Then we go to his 'office' to talk about membership. He lays down two options: One is a month-to-month membership with a signup fee, the other is a 3-year membership with a huge upfront cost but very little upkeep after the three years. He asks which I'd be interested in. The 3-year is definitely the better deal if you can afford the up front, so I tell him that I'd probably do that, but it would be a couple months before I could shell out that kind of dough (early 80's term for cash). His response: He pushes back from the desk, chuckles as if he realizes he's just been had, then says, "You're not coming back here, are you?" Just like that, I'm in a car dealership. Why does gym membership need to be a high-pressure sale? If I don't buy today, will the gym not be here tomorrow? The nice thing about this is that it made my short-term decision very easy. If high-pressure sales is involved, I distrust, and I say no. Once he saw that Clinton and I weren't going to be purchasing either of the membership plans he had laid (or is it lain) out, he brings up another option, a cheaper plan with no down payment. Hmm, where was that two minutes ago? We gracefully declined, and he eventually forced 24-day guest passes on us with his business card.

Now, I don't plan to do a lot of hard core exercising, but even jogging anywhere near where we live is difficult because of traffic. Plus, Jamie wants to do Pilates, and I might like to try yoga, which are included in the gym membership. Secretly, I also hope that paying for the privilege to exercise will be a motivating factor in getting me to exercise. So, eventually, we probably will join a gym. And it might be 24 Hour Fitness, which by the way is only open "24 Hours A Day, 3 days a week." I'm thinking of opening a store called "Full Body Wardrobe". Naturally, we would only sell left-handed gloves. Anyway, because of their high-pressure sales technique, I will be checking out other gyms in the area before making my decision.

So, Clinton came over again for dinner tonight. Man, what a pest. Oh, hey Clinton. Anyway, we ordered Dominos, and had a blast as usual. For those of you who don't know, Clinton's got a bit of an ambitious streak in him. He's full of ideas of how to "make it" out here in Hollywood. Some of those ideas intersect with some ideas I've had, and with every passing day, the possibilty of a resurgence of something Segue-esque grows. I'm hoping that, at least by January 2004, we will be producing new videos on a regular basis. Heck, if we meet the right people, we may even get to start shooting on some higher quality media. I hope that you other Segues are reading this and are making plans accordingly to move on out here to SouthernCalifornia. Just think...Tiny Renegade Dentist 2...This time it's personal...hygiene!

Much has happened since last we spoke. It's always when a lot of stuff happens that I don't have time to talk about what has happened, and vice-versa. As Jamie mentioned in her blog, we did go to Pacific Crossroads church this last Sunday. This was an authentic church. Several of our friends from NYC that live out here now go to this church, and we met up with them. While the music was not so great as the last church we visited, it was decent. The preaching was pretty good as well. I believe it warrants a go-back.

We went into Burbank yesterday to get a chandelier that Jamie's been eyeing. It's a really nice area, one that we might consider moving into, especially if we ever work for one of the studios. On our way home, none other than Uncle Leo (Seinfeld) drove by in his Toyota Corolla.

The big news, though, is that Clinton Pickens has moved out here, and he literally lives around the corner. Sadly, he got in a car wreck his first day here, but he won't let that deter him. He came over for dinner last night, and we hung out some today. It's nice to have a guy friend to hang out with, since Jeff's so far away.

Jamie and I happened to be passing a Del Taco today about lunch time, on our way home from a closed-for-Labor-Day Costco, and we decided to try it out. She'd been there before, but I had never had it. I had heard about it via Jeff, who really liked the fact that they served french fries with their tacos. I thought this odd, but I'll try anything once. I ordered the #11, which is a beef burrito, taco, fries and a drink. Jamie got the spicy jack quesadilla, extra crispy. Now I used to frequent Taco Bell back in Waco. There was something really special about the way the Dr. Pepper from Taco Bell went with their food. It was magical. In NYC, Taco Bell's weren't readily available, so I haven't been there for about a year. I heard, however, on my last trip to Texas, that Taco Bell no longer serves Dr. Pepper; they only serve pepsi products. That's right, pepsi doesn't deserve to be capitalized. Well, Del Taco doesn't serve Dr. Pepper either, but they did have Mr. Pibb, and I must say the combination of that Mr. Pibb and the taco approached the magic I once knew on a weekly basis in Texas. Thanks, Jeff.

I also purchased diesel fuel today for a mere $1.59 a gallon. To Texas folks, that may sound expensive, but regular unleaded is going for about $2.13 in these parts.

<p>I thought the <a href="http://www.flatlandmedia.com/flatlander/commentview.aspx/9a8fa76f-cfbe-4869-a573-8edbc28d22a1">Ten Commandments discussion</a> was good enough to bring it back up top for a few more thoughts I've had about it in the past couple days. I've been trying to think about from a very pragmatic approach that doesn't concern interpretation, or founders' intentions, or my Christian ideals. It seems that all parties concerned would agree at least one thing: the Constitution is a document that is supposed to protect our freedom. That's my big assumption here. If you disagree, then read no further as my thoughts will be rubbish. So, with this in mind, I have had a hard time understanding the mindset of the person that walks into the rotunda of an Alabama courthouse, sees a monument portraying the Ten Commandments, and then realizes that because of this, they are not free enough. I mean, who sees this and thinks, my rights are being blatently raped by the government! Because I don't understand this approach, I'm forced to suppose that the person who fights the presentation of this monument must have an agenda other than their own personal freedom, or the freedom of other citizens, even though they claim to be providing more freedom to us by removing the monument. So, what could that agenda be? It seems to me that what these people want is not freedom of religion, which is what the Constitution talks about, but freedom from religion. But I figured that it's more than just freedom from religion that they want, because I think we all know that we can be as free from religion as we want to be in this country. Instead, I think these people are seeking the ultimate freedom, the freedom from conscience. The morality inherent in God-fearing religions must be a reminder to them that however free they think they are, they still seem to be subject to someone or something. They still seem to feel guilty about something, even though they think that they have only to answer to themselves. </p> <p>OK, so I've made some generalizations here, but these thoughts have encouraged me to examine my own ideas about and desire for freedom. I, too, like to think of myself as autonomous, but fortunately when I'm forced to confront the fact that I'm not, I don't have to try to hide from my guilt. I know to whom I answer, personally, and that grants me a freedom that even the freedom of conscience could never bring. I think I'm about to make myself cry, so I'm going to stop there.</p>

I feel like my blog is somewhat famous. An old friend from college recently found me through the blog by searching for 'Pete Coulter Waco' on google. It provided a link to the story about messing with the roll in Calculus class. Technology...

It's been a long time coming, but finally the wait is over. I found out on Sunday night that there is a show at Universal City Walk that truly entertains audiences. That show is the musical version of Spiderman the movie. For those of you who have been feverishly writing the perfect American musical, you can throw your notebooks away, because it is upon us. Jamie and I went to our first LA pub, The Fox and The Hound, with Jamie's manager on Sunday night. Eventually, we were joined by Ryan, who manages Quiksilver at The Grove, and his wife Christine, or Christina, or Kristine, or Kristina, or Margaret, I don't remember which. Anyway, she is an actress, and had just come from her performance as Girl #2 in the musical version of Spiderman. I don't know for sure that the show is called 'Webs!', but I kind of wish that it was. I asked if there were original songs written for the show, because I really wanted to hear a poignant lyric about how a boy gained superhuman powers after being bitten by a radioactive spider. Alas, the show is full of recycled songs including 'I Need A Hero' and 'Another One Bites The Dust'. On another note, the pub grub was good, as was the Guinness, while the atmosphere and service could have been better. It was no 'The Field'.

As you all know by now, the federal court has ordered the Alabama Supreme Court to remove from its grounds a monument to the Ten Commandments. This situation, as well as the book 'Reefer Madness' that I recently checked out of the Webdell library have stirred a reaction in me. I've always been a great supporter of the U.S. Constitution. I've been proud of how the document has stood the test of time and helped to keep our nation free. In other words, I've swallowed the tripe that the Constitution is a holy document that supercedes all else in this country. It seems to me that we have so enshrined the Constitution that it has ardent followers much like any organized religion. As a result, all the arguments that are being made are claiming to be 'constitutional'. Some argue about the intentions of the forefathers. Others argue that those intentions do not matter. Some argue for the separation of church and state. Others argue that talk of such a separation is not present in the Constitution. Some argue that our system of law is built on the Ten Commandments. Others argue that the Ten Commandments is enough of a historical document that its religious significance is unimportant. All of these arguments try to appease the Constitution. Instead, someone needs to state the obvious. If the Constitution can be interpreted to mean that the Ten Commandments can not be displayed on public grounds, then the Constitution needs to be changed. Forget trying to change its interpretation, because someone will always try to alter the interpretation right back. Instead, change the 'holy' document so that no one can misinterpret it any longer. If we allow the Constitution to supercede what is right, then it no longer serves its purpose.

I've been thinking about what I wrote yesterday about C.U.E., and I keep questioning my harsh critique of the situation. I'm afraid that it may look like I'll only like a church if it's 'cool' enough. On the contrary, I don't need 'cool', I need authentic. It just turns me off to see a church try to be something that it's not.

Jamie and I finally got to visit our first church in LA yesterday. We had heard a lot of positive stuff about <a href="http://www.fpch.org/">Hollywood Presbyterian,</a> so we got online to check out when their services are. One of their services is called C.U.E. for Contemporary Urban Experience. While I realize that this may sound like religious types trying too hard to sound cool (ala J.A.M. singers), the description seemed to suit us. Better yet, the sample of the music for this service really suited us. So, we went down to Qtopia to check it out. Qtopia appears to be some kind of night club on Hollywood Blvd that is used for more than one purpose. For instance, Jamie's friend from work recently had some art exhibited there. The outside walls were covered in graffiti, but we couldn't see any of the graffiti on the approach, because the wall was covered with a huge black plastic tarp. I'm guessing that the graffiti might have been offensive. Once inside, the place was basically just a warehouse, probably about twice as big as the old 12th street ubc building. The reason I think that it is still a functioning night club was because of the expensive lighting system in the ceiling that they were not making use of during the service. The room was full of green plastic lawn chairs, but not very full of people, though it was starting time. The band started up, led by Rich Ochoa, and the music was really, really good. Some songs were familiar, others were not, but were easy to catch on to. Slowly, the chairs started to get filled in around us until the whole place was pretty packed. So far, so good, right? But then people started talking. The language and the presbyterian formality that crept into the interaction seemed to miss the point of having an informal setting and guitar-driven worship. The sermon was short, which is an apparent requirement for this service. But a short sermon also misses the point of reaching its intended audience if it is filled with the religiosity that turns many of us off. All in all, the music was good, but the marketing of the rest of the service was confusing. It seemed to me to be a glorified youth group setting. I realize this sounds harsh, and I pray that they are effectively reaching some people, but we're going to keep looking. I wanted to ask the guys in the band where they would be going to church if they weren't leading here. Jamie and I did experience a very powerful and relevant message later that day, however, when we watched the movie 'Signs'. Wow, it was better the second time around.

Well, it looks like my temporary project in El Segundo is winding down. I'll probably put in another week or two of work via the Volt temp agency. The good news is that after that, the VP told me that she wants to hire me on a contract basis to continue to work for them. Not only will I get to work from home most of the time, but I get a pay raise from what the temp agency was paying. In addition, it looks like I may have a job interview with a company out in Santa Monica next week. It's hard to tell if it's even a job I'd be interested in, but it's worth checking out.

(My apologies for going so long without a post. It's because...of...the...big blackout...yeah...)

<p>If I ever do have a career in the entertainment industry, I'll probably remember yesterday for a long time. Last night, Jamie and I attended our first Hollywood movie premiere. It was for the movie "Grind", which was not a movie I would have gone to see, except for the opportunity to go to a premiere. Tony Hawk, the namesake of Jamie's store served as an executive producer on the film, which makes sense as it is a skateboarding movie. As a result of his involvement, they shot a promo for the movie at the store where Jamie works. Jamie went in on her day off to help out, and the producer promised us tickets to the premiere. Surprisingly, she came through.</p> <p> OK, so here's the situation. The premiere is going down at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, so we park up in the Hollywood hills and walk down, so we don't have to deal with parking up close. As we get close to the theatre, we can see that in the empty lot next to the theatre, there is a huge skate ramp and some promotional tents. There is a huge crowd lined up around the edge of the lot, mostly tourists and those who want to know what all the hubbub is about. We show our tickets at the gate, and they let us in through a line of people handing us promotional materials and candy for the movie. But don't think that we're headed into the theatre any time soon. No, we'll be out here doing the pre-show for a while. We immediately spot an In-N-Out truck and gravitate towards the line in front of it. We soon discover that they are indeed handing out double-doubles for free. In fact, everything within the fence is free, so we start making the rounds after polishing off our burgers. Next up is the Red Bull bar where they are serving Red Bull with Skyy. I haven't received my real Cali license yet, so I have to show them my folded up paper temporary license accompanied with an explanation. They buy it. After the beverage, we visit some of the product tents where we get Etnies t-shirts, Zoo York stickers, Head Games hair products, a ton of CD samplers. Then we head over to the Krispy Kreme table for a little dessert action. As we enjoy our haul, there is an emcee on stage that only gets attention when he gives out free stuff to the crowd. Jamie's co-worker, Andy, who is a solid mix of Craig Wilson and Jonathan Jones, goes near the stage and yells at the emcee until he finally succumbs and tells the prize-hander-outers to give the "psycho guy" a hat. One other note about the pre-show party. I haven't seen this kind of girls-dressing-up-to-be-seen since Crickets on a Saturday night. Once "Nappy Roots" performs a decent set of four songs to a relatively disinterested crowd, we head into the theatre. At the concessions we are greeted with free popcorn and beverages before we head down to our seats. The middle section is reserved for the cast and crew, where we see many of the stars of the movie. The movie starts and the cast/crew section cheer for each name in the opening credits, which is a little bit annoying, but I'm all for camaraderie. We sit through the movie (which makes no sense, tells no story, and I think would even be boring to a young teen) until we have to go to the restroom. Jamie goes first, where she glimpses the female star of the movie, also going to the bathroom. There is no one famous in the bathroom when I go, but on my way back up the stairs, I trip on the last step just in time to display my adroitness to the main guy on the new show 'The OC'. Once the movie is finally over, head on home.

So, why will I remember this night? Is it because they gave me free In-N-Out and Krispy Kreme? Yes. But also because of the cast/crew section of the theatre. It was kind of cool to actually see all these people watch the fruit of their labor for the first time corporately. In spite of the fact that the movie sucked, which I'm sure most of them knew, they created something together that no one of them could have done on their own. It inspired me to want to find some people out here that I can help to create something. Hopefully, that something will be better than 'Grind', but if we're going to suck, at least we'll suck together.

Celebrity sightings: Wee Man, Ryan Atwood, Seth Donovan, Jason London, Jennifer Morrison, Stephen Root, Vince Vieluf*.

*Some of these might not exactly be celebrities, but you'd probably no who they were if I explained it to you.