Post L.A. trip and holiday wishes . . .

I just realized I haven't posted anything at all since my return from LA, so here goes:

Once I was out there I completely forgot to make any videos. I apologize for that, in the unlikely event anybody out there was looking forward to it. I was too busy enjoying myself, though the weather wasn't LA-like--it was cold and windy the whole time. I think the wind is normal, though the cold is a bit unusual.

Anyway, while there we went to the Getty Art Museum and grounds. Twice. It was wonderful--I actually got to see, up close and personal, some Impressionist paintings by Degas, Renoir, and others. Also got to see Van Gough's Irises painting--which is one of my favorites of his works. Absolutely beautiful.

If you're going to LA you must make sure to visit this place. Parking is $15, but the museum itself is free. If you don't want to spend any money be sure to avoid the gift shops, because they have all kinds of beautiful and interesting things there that you'll want.

We also went to Universal Studios, and I can heartily recommend that, too. Be sure to take the tour--they actually make it a ride instead of just, "That's where such-and-such TV show was shot, this is where such-and-such movie was filmed . . ." Granted, the added attractions are a bit silly, but it's still fun. The Harry Potter section will be opening very soon--it looks wonderful, too.

My goddaughter and her mom, my dear friend Rox, are huge Disney fans, so we spent a couple of days at Disneyland--we spent the night at the Disneyland Hotel, which was pricey, but beautiful and comfortable. I flat out don't do roller coasters or other rides like that so we missed a lot of my goddaughter's favorite rides, but since they actually live there and have annual passes they'll be going back to hit those themselves soon.

We also saw the American Ballet Theater's production of The Nutcracker, which was my first experience with ballet. I enjoyed it--it was expertly staged and performed, with a few unexpected innovations in the choreography that I won't give away here except to say they were surprising but brilliant.

I enjoyed it and, as soon as my wallet and scheduling permits, would love to go back. Hopefully on my return trip it won't be quite so cold.

Creatively, I just finished the screenplay for Too Many Tonys and registered it with the copyright office and the Writer's Guild. As soon as I get the registration number back from the Guild I'm going to enter it into a contest I found on Script Pipeline.

Next up, I'm starting development on a new feature film project I'm calling Child of the Moon. It's an urban fantasy. At this point I'm fleshing out the basic story, and searching for an ending. Once I get the ending I can actually sit down and write a treatment for it.  After that will come the first draft of the script.

I'm also editing a project I shot just to learn how to use Apple's Final Cut X software. Maybe I'll wind up with a short, finished show that I can upload to You Tube or something, but I doubt it--since this is a learning exercise, it probably won't be anything I'll want to share with the world.

Anyway, I hope the two or three of you who read this thing have a happy holiday and a safe and prosperous new year!