If there's one thing I've learned about not doing something, it's that you'll never get a return on all of your imagined outcomes. They are zero. Go ahead and keep tricking yourself into thinking you can do it better/faster/smarter. Keep trying to demoralize others who make things, from the cushioned comfort of your inaction. Sellout. Hack. Not funny. Boring. Been done. Anyone can do that. Famewhore. No-talent. Keep hiding behind the mindless act of cutting other people down... Or, make something and release it and see what happens. Hear criticism. Revel in acclaim. Get better as you do both. That's... Continue reading

I wished for some things, and they came true. So I kept wishing for more, and they showed up too. I didn't mean to rhyme there, but now I have and I won't rewrite it. I suppose blogging is dead, now that Google has announced the death of Google Reader. Not really, but it's sad. All of my friends are in that reader. I follow people I've forgotten about because they live in the sidebar of a bland little aggregator that keeps me connected. Sure, I could export my feeds. Will I? I dunno. Melancholy over a stupid RSS reader?... Continue reading

Well, March. Sure, I blew it in February. I'm okay with that. Once a day for a year is insane. I get that now. Also, who wants it? There are about 12 of you reading. Quality, not quantity. But I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. Just try to shake me. Continue reading

So busy. So very very busy. What's up with you? Continue reading

I've become obsessed with classic watches. I know how it started. About three years ago, John Mayer shot with us for a few days to be on an episode of Fantasy Factory. He'd seen every episode of Rob and Big and blindly called Rob to tell him how much he enjoyed it. From there, the two formed a friendship and John eagerly agreed to come down to do an episode. Everyone who worked on the show was excited. When you work in Los Angeles, you occasionally cross paths with ultra famous people. It's always a bit of a thrill, no... Continue reading

Set high goals and don't be afraid to recalibrate. We've been shooting the second half of the third season of Ridiculousness for the past couple of weeks. When we finish later today, that will be 58 episodes of this series over three seasons. Unbelievable. It premiered last week as the top rated cable show of the entire day. It's taken a while, but we're finally starting to feel like we know what we're doing. If all goes well, we'll get to keep making more. I'm also producing and directing a series of commercials and internet spots that we shoot in... Continue reading

I spent over a week writing guest posts at Wil Wheaton dot Net. I know I neglected Nickerblog dot com, but I'm okay with that. Wil is not only a friend, but an inspiration. The chance to hop into the driver's seat of WWdN for even a short amount of time was a huge honor. I know it's just a blog, but fuck that no it isn't. It's THE blog. All the other blogs are just versions of it. If you have been paying close attention (which my stats and comments lead me to believe you have NOT been), I... Continue reading

You have to begin. This is something I've been pushing myself to do this year. Ignore that shitty voice: From the post: "If I’ve learned anything in my shaky life as an artist, it’s that you must stop talking and spinning and whining and start making your thing today. Pick up a camera. Pick up an easel. Open your laptop and turn off your Internet connection while you write. Find a starting point. Ignore the voices. Ignore the critics. Reward yourself for having ideas by valuing them enough to believe in them." Indeed. Continue reading

Amazing. (ganked from @lettersofnote) Continue reading

I had a dream that I decided not to finish college. I told my parents, who completely agreed with me since I already have three kids and a currently successful career. That was the weird thing: I was both me now and me from college at the same time. Wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey. With the knowledge of my present (and to a college me, future), I decided that college was a waste of money and time. My parents were delighted, as they paid for all four years of college plus my victory lap. I was in a fraternity in college. It made sense... Continue reading

Still writing, just over at WWdN for a few days. An excerpt: "Part of getting older is the discovery that there is no end plateau you eventually reach where everything is finally perfect. Maturity is a myth. You spend the first half of your life chasing maturity and the second half figuring out how to be escape it. By the end of 2012, I was feeling lost. A show that I produced had recently ended after five seasons, I was on the tail end of a six month decline into party/pig mode, and I started to feel like I didn’t... Continue reading

Just so's you don't think I've given up on writing every day... Here's a link to my first guest post at WWdN: BACKSTORY. Continue reading

Well, sort of. Wil has asked me to be one of three guest bloggers while he is away on a cruise ship. I've already written my first post, which will go live on Sunday evening. Here's an excerpt... "For some reason, Wil gave me the keys to the Internet by allowing me to guest post here on WWdN. WHAT THE WHAT? You can imagine my excitement, as WWdN is hallowed ground for some of us longtime bloggers and blog readers. And TNG fans. Oh my god, the one where Picard gets pwned by that Alien probe and lives a whole... Continue reading

Here in Los Angeles, it's apparently okay to open fire on a truck that LOOKS LIKE the truck of an alleged cop killer. From the L.A. Times article: Manhunt: Newspaper carrier, 71, in ICU after being shot by police A 71-year-old woman delivering newspapers with her daughter remained in intensive care Thursday night after she was shot twice in the back by Los Angeles police detectives during a massive manhunt for a fugitive ex-LAPD officer, according to the womens' attorney. Emma Hernandez was delivering the Los Angeles Times with her daughter, Margie Carranza, 47, in Torrance early Thursday when police... Continue reading

One of the interesting life lessons I've learned over the past several years is that achieving dreams sometimes goes unnoticed. You spend so much time focused on general goals, which constantly evolve as you chase them, that you can be right in the middle of your destination and confuse it for more of the road to that elusive place you've only partially imagined. Confusing sentence. I'll make it more personal. There was a time in my life when the idea of having a job I enjoyed and the ability to pay my bills was a fantasy. When I was catering... Continue reading

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Okay so thanks to Wil, I bought myself one of these: It's an Aeropress coffee maker. It's apparently the new way to make awesome coffee. I also found this video on Vimeo, which made me laugh/want coffee made by this thing: I wish it was tomorrow morning. Continue reading

Superbowl Sunday. I'm not going to or having a party for the game today. I'm fine with that. It's less fun when I'm not drinking, but I'll still watch it. I am, of course tempted by the idea of 10 beers and a bunch of fun garbage food, but I remain resolute in my goal. One day of excessive alcohol costs me several in rebuilding my positive mindset. It's not that I've decided not to drink anymore; it's that the value of a clear head currently outweighs the value of drinking way too much. Superbowl Sunday is no longer a... Continue reading

The purge continues. As I attack the list of things I've been avoiding, I'm finding such pleasure in clearing out both my mind and my garage that I fear I'm becoming a reverse hoarder. Is it possible that releasing the need to hold on to things is a sign of satisfaction and contentment? For me, it feels like it. Here's a weird analogy: If I'm a hot air balloon, the more lines I have tethered to stuff below me, the less I travel. As soon as I start cutting those tendrils to my past, I am lighter and more efficient.... Continue reading

Well, not bad. I missed a few days, but I double posted a couple of times so I'm calling it a win. Writing every day for a year, one month down. 11 more months. Gear change. My wife and I finalized our will yesterday. It's part of our transition into adulthood, which is actually just a never-ending ticking off of milestones that aren't always pleasant. In this case, getting a will done was something that had been nagging at us. Now, I personally don't plan to die before living to a ripe old 125 but JUST IN CASE, I don't... Continue reading

A couple of weeks ago, this picture of my dog made the Reddit front page. Yesterday, my last post made Boing Boing (thanks to Wil). Who needs Twitter! (just kidding, Twitter) Continue reading