So this is the last year of my twenties.\u00a0 Does that mean anything?\u00a0 Should that mean anything?\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t have to, but I want to attribute meaning to it.\u00a0 As much as I lament the passing of time – of there never being enough of it up hit your ideal objective – the mile markers it gives us certainly shape our stories well.<\/p>\n
I feel more matured.\u00a0 For the first time, I find myself wistfully remembering a prior age \u2013 an age where I was fully developed physically and mentally but by no means wizened.\u00a0 The time of total potential energy and absolute ignorance.\u00a0 There\u2019ll always be a part of you that mourns the spending of innocence, but as long as it\u2019s well spent who can complain honestly?<\/p>\n
And far beyond complain, appreciate.\u00a0 Things get more textured as you age, and I\u2019m old enough now to see how much nuance there is yet to come.\u00a0 Less is new, but more is precious.<\/p>\n
This is the last year of a wonderfully expended decade.\u00a0 And next year everything will change and nothing that\u2019s left will stay the same.\u00a0 Nothing will change right along with everything else, become one with everything again and leave me simply one further revolution along.<\/p>\n
So is it even worth it to steer your story if the present contains all of it already?\u00a0 I don\u2019t know.\u00a0 But it\u2019s a fun story to tell when I don\u2019t let perspective get away from me.\u00a0 The act of creation itself is sacred \u2013 everything done in the name of broadcasting it is for function and not fulfillment.\u00a0 It\u2019s so dangerous, because the work of expanding your audience is fraught with if\u2019s and when\u2019s, far in the future.\u00a0 I\u2019ve yet to find one of those victory’s that doesn\u2019t ring hollow when struck, but their purpose as stepping stones for new creative experiences cannot be denied.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll keep making things because I love making things.\u00a0 But I can\u2019t make myself anything more than I already am.\u00a0 Celebrity and success are no less possessions than suits and turtlenecks.\u00a0 There\u2019s no shame in having them, but nothing is lost in their absence.<\/p>\n
Philosophy aside, let\u2019s see how we did this year:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Review: Goals of 28<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n 1.\u00a0 \u201cBrunch: The Movie \u2013 This movie, compared to Bruce and Dom, should prove to be more accessible to a general audience.\u00a0 The goal is to make the turn around time much quicker and use it as a stepping stone for further projects.\u00a0 Hopefully by 29, we\u2019ll have it showing in festivals.\u00a0 There\u2019s a long way to go, but we\u2019ve plotted a good course.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n A year has gone by since we first started filming.\u00a0 Considering its been an entirely no budget enterprise to this point, things have progressed well.\u00a0 The turn around this time will undoubtedly be quicker than Bruce and Dom, and I\u2019m hoping for an opening in late spring\/early summer.\u00a0 Insofar as I kept the torch aloft all year, this goal was a success.<\/p>\n .<\/p>\n 2.\u00a0 \u201cElection 2012 \u2013 It just feels right to make a companion collection of spoken word pieces to go with The Events of Election \u201908.\u00a0 Should Obama end up winning reelection, the pair will make a unique documentation of what will go down as a historic presidency.\u00a0 There won\u2019t be as many pieces as last time, but I intend to start once a week in June and have twenty or so done by election day.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n It happened.\u00a0 Here\u2019s recorded proof.<\/a>\u00a0 Here\u2019s me performing<\/a>.\u00a0 Soon enough, there will be a CD.\u00a0 A goal doesn\u2019t get much more complete than this.<\/p>\n .<\/p>\n 3.\u00a0 \u201cBruce and Dom Internet Launch \u2013 I\u2019ve put together a weekly newsletter for release of Bruce and Dom in its vignette form.\u00a0 To hop on the newsletter train, click the link here<\/a>.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Another check mark<\/a>.\u00a0 Not only that, the Bruce and Dom DVD\u2019s arrived about a month ago.\u00a0 It\u2019s over.\u00a0 A five-year project has finally found its rest.<\/p>\n .<\/p>\n 4.\u00a0 \u201cAugust Documentary \u2013 I\u2019m in early talks to do a documentary piece in August on a local Brooklyn comedy event.\u00a0 Time will tell the end result of this goal.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n This never materialized, but given the workload it was for the best.<\/p>\n .<\/p>\n 5. \u00a0\u201cBreathe \u2013 Making this list and thinking forward, it occurs to me that all my available free time is loosely booked through the age of thirty.\u00a0 This is a scary proposition, less because of the symbolic nature of the age and more because I fear the lack of nothingness in my life.\u00a0 It\u2019s all work I have a passion for, but I worry about the lack of balance.\u00a0 I structure in recreation time as well, but I worry the structure itself is a problem.\u00a0 I guess this is less a goal and more a rant, but I\u2019m hopeful reminding myself in this way will provide some defense from overextension.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Nope, still a problem.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure whether to embrace it as a personality trait or recognize it as a sign of an ill-led life.\u00a0 I do have faith, however, that life slaps you sober every now and again, and if this is the wrong path, the opportunity to change will naturally reveal itself.\u00a0 My present-moment preamble to all this reflection suggests I\u2019m on the right path, at least for this month.<\/p>\n .<\/p>\n Accomplishments of 28<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Birthday Project<\/strong><\/span> \u2013 This past year, my closest friends and I undertook the massive project of making present for each of our respective birthdays.\u00a0 It involved Russian dolls, mason jars, piano rolls, unicorn heads, Dungeons and Dragons and countless spoons, among other things.\u00a0 To give you an idea, here\u2019s just one gift, a short film presented to Jess Vogel<\/a>.<\/p>\n The AD Reading Series<\/strong><\/span><\/a> \u2013 The impetus for creating this was to have a platform for performing some of my Election 2012 pieces.\u00a0 It has turned into a great way to meet new writers, showcase the talent of friends and push myself to write more.\u00a0 Here are link to the first two readings (Nov. 2012<\/a>, Jan 2013<\/a>) and to my performances specifically – Election 2012<\/a> and Vive the Life<\/a>, a reflection on life in the city I consider my best writing of this year or the past few.<\/p>\n Brunch Movie<\/strong><\/span> \u2013 The level of coordination that has gone into this project so far is several atmospheres larger than anything I\u2019ve ever done.\u00a0 I\u2019ve learned so much and experienced so many emotions \u2013 joy, despair, anger, relief and everything in between.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been blessed with the effort and support of so many people in this process, and I hope all that energy given will be returned and more in the final product.<\/p>\n Election 2012<\/strong><\/span> \u2013 In a way, this project has a similar path to Bruce and Dom.\u00a0 Though it didn\u2019t require as much standard bearing, I always knew after \u201cThe Events of Election \u201908\u201d that it would be four more years until the work was finished.\u00a0 This go around wasn\u2019t as comprehensive as \u201908, with nineteen pieces versus \u201808\u2019s thirty-four, but the experience of the first go around had me more focused in my intentions.\u00a0 It was only intuition at first, but now I\u2019m certain this Presidency will be looked back on for generations, and I\u2019m proud to have captured it in a way no one else has.<\/p>\n Bruce and Dom newsletter<\/strong><\/span> \u2013 twenty-two episodes, five months of weekly newsletters with content descriptions, movie trivia and weekly trips to the archives to bring old work to light.\u00a0 I learned how to manage a newsletter and saw through the last of my objectives for Bruce and Dom.\u00a0 The whole movie is now online in one piece.\u00a0 You can watch it here.<\/a><\/p>\n Honorable mentions:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Art is a Gift<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Destiny\u2019s Child, official submission to the 48-Hour film festival<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Spoons<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n