What's your excuse?

Having to depend on others

I guess I haven't learned my lesson. Last time, two years ago, when I tore my ACL on my right knee, I didn't go the the ER, but followed the path through my primary physician (you know, HMO), which means a lot of wasting time, referrals, waiting for results, etc. Now, on Monday night I injured the same right knee, but when it happened it hurt way more then 2 years ago. Had  my doctor friend look at it, and got some pills. On Wednesday I decided to have some X-rays taken for which of course I need a referral from my doctor first who doesn't work on Wednesdays. So, I had to stop by the Emergency Care at my doctors office to have a doctor tell me to have X-rays done, but my insurance doesn't allow for X-rays to be done at the doctors office, so I needed to go to Cedar Sinai for that. Okay, no problem. Wednesday evening X-rays done, now Friday afternoon, still waiting for my doctor to call me with the results! Because it's the same knee I injured 2 years ago, I prefer having a MRI taken as well, so I probably have to wait for that a couple of weeks! Hey, I'm paying $270 a month for COBRA insurance, might as well have everything done to figure out what's going on. Now, if on Monday night I would have gone to the ER, they probably would have told me what's going on right there after X-rays and MRI at the hospital. Yeah, I probably had to wait 6 hours in the waiting room, cause blood was not pouring out of my knee or head, but it would have been worth it. Now, all I can do is wait.

The last couple of days I've been at home, knee wrapped in ACE bandage, popping anti-inflammatory pills, Vicodin (which seem to have no "cool" effects on me), reading magazines, trying not to move much, move around on crutches, and feeling very helpless. I hate, hate asking for help. It's something I never been able to do, but now I have to ask for everything. I can't carry much while walking on crutches, so even the simple thing like filling my water bottle or Sierra;s food and water, I have to ask my roommate. Peter did some groceries for me, and picked up the Vicodin, and flowers, :), so I get the help, but I feel horrible not to be able to do things. Like I have tons of laundry to do: how? Sierra needs attention, and I feel bad to keep on asking, but luckily my upstairs neighbors been really cool so far. Peter is 3 days off, so hopefully he'll be by my side for the entire time, to help me with all my needs...

Okay, happy Memorial Day Weekend everyone! Have fun!

Auw

  +    = 

My knee hurts really bad... Don't think I'll be playing racquet ball anytime soon:(

Correction

The Rainy Day turned into a sunny day, and the forecast for the rest of the week looks good!

Rainy Day

Saturday was the first day I was able to hang out by the pool, and get some sun, but it was just a short taste of summer, cause last night it started raining, and at times it's coming down pretty hard, and of course this happen when I walking Sierra. It's there things song with this line "It never rains in California"??? Big f#cking lie!

Anyway, this Saturday I saw The DaVinci Code, and I must say I really enjoyed it. I am one of those millions of people around the world, and it was like watching the book on screen. I thought the acting was very solid, didn't think the long dialogs were boring, and think Ron Howard did an excellent job. Don't listen to what the critic say, and just go see it. I just love the whole concept of questioning religion... And Audrey Tattou...what a joy to watch her!

CIA

I'm very busy at work, but when I saw this picture on CNN's website, I couldn't resist... Look at the man's face to the left (yellow tie) of Hayden: priceless!

Work, work, work, and play

Last week at work was pretty busy, and this week as well, preparing for the LA Screenings starting on Friday. So these days I'm in at 7am, leaving around 6pm, but hey, it's only for one week.

Past Saturday was Gisele Day! In the morning she graduated from Otis, and it was the first Graduation Ceremony I experienced in the US. Fun, but long. At night we had a big celebration at Tony's Greek Tavern in Malibu. It pretty much took me the entire Sunday to recover.

Cause I'm starting at 7am this week, I have no time for my regular morning hike at Runyon, and have to find energy and time to work out at night. Last night my room mate and I played Racquet Ball for the first time in 4 years. It's so much fun, but I suck at it! Maybe I'll get better with more practice...

Tonight I'm hoping to go to the gym after work. We'll see.

12 pictures on the 12th of May

The time my alarm goes off 4 times during the week.

By 7:30am I arrive Runyon Canyon, for my 1 hour, left hill up, right hill down hike

 

Half way through the hike there a nice water break for Sierra

On my way home some quick errands at Savons. Look, shampoo on sale!

Very busy at work: many emails, and printing and cutting binders spine's for a huge deadline next week

This time not for hiking, but for Sierra's first audition! My friend John (on picture) is casting for a big name brand dog food commercial and called me to stop by with Sierra.

I love the sunlight arounnd 6pm. Flowers in my front yard

Now I'm back to my normal weight, I can indulge once in a while...Oh, and I'm back on the alcohol!

I always try to have sunflowers at my place: they make me happy

After a busy day at work, food and ice cream and Ruynon Canyon twice today, Sierra and I deserved a little nap even though it was short, cause look at pic below:

I think it's ready for a "closet spring" cleaning before P. comes over

The tonight a mellow movie night: The Family Stone. That's it, I know, a pretty boring day, and I'm so glad it's Friday! One more day of working and then back to unemployement!

Bonus pic: "Bruised Self Portrait

Check out more picture project at Chad

Extremities

After a intervention from my teacher, my scene partner got back on track and we rehearsed twice this past week! We start the scene with a stage fight, which we rehearsed many times and went pretty well. The whole scene went okay, rusty at some parts, but full. In two weeks we're putting the scene on tape (next week we have a replacement teacher). It gives me just enough time to let the bruise above my nose heal. Yeah, that's right, bruise. At the end of the scene, my partner hits the wooden stick she's been poking me with against the make up fireplace screen, and it breaks, and a metal piece hits be right between my eyes. I thought I was fine, but the teacher and class mates got worried when blood came pouring out of the wound. Now, its a superficial wound, and the bruise is red now, but will turn into many colors over the next few days I assume. Acting can be dangerous, but it felt like a good acting muscles work out!

Forgot to mention: reading this really interesting book as research for my scene in class called "Dark Dreams", by a former FBI serial killer/rapist expert, Roy Hazelwood. Fun stuff!

Yesterday was my last day of a month of not drinking alcohol! Punished myself enough, and learned my lesson.

What's going on?

Today highs can reach in the 80s! So happy! Regular readers must wonder what's all that writing about the weather about? Normally weather talk comes up when you have nothing else to say, and that's pretty much through for at least the last week or so. Things are going well I'm happy to report! Enjoying my job, relationship is great, looking forward to my Europe trip, I don't have to move out, lost many pounds, love the hikes at Runyon Canyon with Sierra in the morning, and the mood is up. A couple of weeks ago, I had some serious depressions, but now I'm doing okay.

I know: I'm a big dork!

After having to get my acting coach involved to get my scene partner on track, things are going well. I'm looking forward to perform the scene (the fireplace scene from Extremities, which actually does not appear in the movie version) in class tonight. We're starting with a staged fight, in which she smashes me on the head with a phone, and then ties me up and drags me into the fireplace. I hope it all turns out okay, and that's she will miss my head when she slams the phone onto the ground...

Hollywood Blvd is a big mess again in front of Graumann's Chinese Theater (my daily commute to work). Tonight is the premiere of Poseidon, which I'm actually really excited about to go see! When I first moved here, I was excited with all these premieres in my hood, but it gets really annoying with these detours.

It's going to be a fun movie summer. Besides Poseidon, I'm looking forward in seeing X-Man: The Last Stand, The DaVinci Code, A Prairie Home Companion (love Meryl Streep!), The Devil Wears Prada (love Meryl Streep!), Pirates of the Caribbean, Little Miss Sunshine (love Toni Collette!), and I still want to see Thank You for Smoking, Brick, Lucky Number Slevin, and...MI:III...I know, I hate Tom, but I love Philip Seymour Hoffman. What I will NOT see is Superman. No interest at all. Clark Kent looks boring and with no charisma at all.

Gotta go walk Sierra during my lunch break know. Enjoy the day!

May Gray

Please, can May Gray be over soon before June Gloom starts???

What the f#ck??!!! I like the cool weather and all, makes the hills look nice and green, but enough is enough! I wanna be able to sit by the pool, wear summer clothes and flip flops every day, and just do the things you do in the nice warm LA summers!

This is what my hike at Runyon looked like this morning:

I do like it when its nice and cool in the morning, and I'm surrounded by clouds, but we'll do that next year again, okay?

Happy Liberation Day Dutchies!

I know it's Cinco de Mayo, but for me it's still Liberation Day of my motherland The Netherlands! We celebrate every year with big street festivals in Amsterdam and every other city that the Canadians and Americans came to liberate our country from the German on May 5th 1945. Little history: On May 7th, thousand of people gathered at the Dam Square to await the arrival of Canadian soldiers, and to celebrate the liberation. Some Nazi's were hiding in a building at the Dam Square after the liberation, and started shooting at innocent people on May 7th. On pictures of that event, you see a child's buggy left alone, and that was the one my mom was in. My grandmother took my mom out of the buggy when the shooting began, and ran for safety. Over 20 people died and over a hundred were insured. Hope that didn't get you down. We were still liberated:)!

Whatever you celebrate today: HAVE FUN!

Remembering the victims of the Holocaust

This morning at 11am Pacific time, 8pm Dutch time, 2 minutes of silence were observed to remember the people who died because of the Holocaust. Every year this is done, on May 4th at 8pm. Queen Beatrix and her son, our next King Willem Alexander start this observance with placing flowers at the war monument in front of their Amsterdam Palace. No matter were I am, I always calculate the time difference and try to observe the 2 minutes of silence.

It's done on this date, because tomorrow, May 5th, it will be 61 years ago that The Netherlands was liberated. So, remembering on the 4th, partying on the 5th!

YEAH!

Hiking Runyon Canyon 4 times a week, running at the gym twice a week, tennis once a week, eating healthy and smaller portion... Result: 18 pounds in 2 months!

I went from 159.5 about two months ago to 141 today! I used to be between 138 and 142, so I'm happy to be comfortable with my body again! Next week I'll start building some muscle again by lifting some weight, even though I hate doing that. I'm ready for summer. But what's up with this May Gray? And next up is June Gloom... I WANT SUMMER!

*Update 5/5/06, I'm at 139.5, which is exactly 20 pounds lighter where I was two months ago!*

May 1st

I decided to go to work, instead of joining the thousands of other immigrants in their protest. To add to my previous post on the Immigration issue, I wanna clarify that although I have experienced discrimination and hardship for being an immigrant, I can not compare myself with immigrants fleeing their country legally or illegally to start a better life in the US. I do come from a Western country, have a college degree, and it is scary to say, but I am a Caucasian male, and I know I get threated better just because of that.