A Note on ZIP Codes

In Los Angeles, you can often tell a lot about someone by the ZIP code in which they reside and/or work. We place a lot of importance on this - postal codes are now an extension of vanity and status.

For instance: the most widely recognized LA-area ZIP code is 90210. Known most for the television show, "Beverly Hills, 90210," it's synonymous with wealth. Oh, the plight of rich teenagers!

Far fewer people, however, know that one of the ZIP codes in West Hollywood is 90069.

69!

That's funny. I feel strongly that the connection commonly made between homosexuality and sexual activity is inappropriate and unacceptable. But, 69? That's just damn funny.

The Obama Revolution

I'm not the type to get sold.

Having said that, I love Barack Obama.

Not in the, play-with-my-ass-while-I-bake-you-a-cake way. Rather, I'm enthralled by his candidacy, his vision, and his promise of change that I actually believe in.

I really believe that Hilary, Mke, John and the rest of the gang all mean well. The ones that really concerned me have, for the most part, dropped out. I think to be in at this point either means that you're doing really well, or you're aspiring to something other than a reasonable investment in your own future. Having said that, CNN reports that Obama is the least wealthy of all the candidates that have at some point been major party nominees. He has never been at the helm of a large corporation, and he's never been a wealthy lawyer. He just hasn't.

Barack Obama gives speeches that make people who don't cry weep. He elicits feelings in people that haven't been felt about the hope of America in a time longer than I can remember. The President is, in some ways, a figurehead who works at the head of a vast team of experts. America needs a president who can lead and inspire - he doesn't have to be old, and he doesn't have to know everything.

Hilary Clinton is getting old, and she might know a lot of things. She'll be a great Secretary of the Treasury.

More thoughts on this topic will come as the election develops. However, I will leave you with this thought:

Ron Paul has found massive support in youth who were previously too young to understand or to apathetic to pay attention. They make signs at home and put them everywhere. In Los Angeles, we've been looking at these signs on the freeways for months. Paul, however, isn't the only one who puts a fire on people with plenty of passion to spare. The attached is a homegrown sign that reads, "OBAMA IS HOPE."

Hope, indeed.

A Note on Prosperity in Los Angeles

Those of us who have specific career goals often have what seem to be insurmountable obstacles in the lack of support and understanding from our friends and loved ones. Few people are able to see outside of the bounds of what has always been known and understood by their lineage or community. The ability to do so can be a blessing or a curse. To add insult to injury, doing big things is hard to do… and even harder to do alone.

If my father had his way, I'd be finishing my undergrad degree, with grad school in mind and prospects in senior management at a lucrative company thereafter. We don't always get our druthers. I moved to Los Angeles over a year ago after dropping out of college to pursue my fortune in entertainment. Entertainment! A volatile industry that most people don't understand. Much to his chagrin, I'm still doing it.

I had an amazing job in retail not too long ago. This time last year, I was about to get promoted to an incredibly lucrative management position after having worked in that division of the company for less than three months. I was soon to be giving blockbuster presentations to members of senior management who could've easily become my peers, given enough time. In September, I quit. I gave up thousands a year and all sorts of amenities. IT WAS AMAZING.

Fast-forward almost five months. My entire life has changed. Instead of having more money than I know what do with, I've accumulated debt and have been what some would call, "broke as fuck." When I got back from Tennessee (funeral, Christmas, etc), I was in a rut. I hated my new job selling cable door-to-door, and I felt like my hopes and dreams had been squandered by the system and my poor choices that set me up to fail long before I left my job in retail. I hated life a little (but, only a little).

Recently, however, inspiration has found me taking action. And I'm working my ass off. I finally have clarity (and some help). I can actually see my future unfolding before my eyes.

Today - and this was the entire reason why I gave you the previous several paragraphs of set up - I'm getting paid to sit at the administrative desk at a company that produces trailers for movies. As we speak, I'm listening to one of those voice over guys do a voice over. In another room, the same 5 seconds from one of this season's biggest action blockbusters is playing over and over and over (and over).

This is magic. This is the stuff that people like me dream about. People who make decisions at major studios are calling in, and I'm talking to them. This, my friends, is the shit.

Chin up, out of work writers. My friends in this industry who struggle, look forward with positive thoughts and progress under your wings. This job for me is fleeting, and not exactly what I want to do, but it's a move in the right direction. I can't complain, either. I've worked all week, and I'm working tomorrow. I have an ongoing temp assignment starting on Monday. It's refreshing, to say the least. And it's about damn time. Prosperity comes to those who don’t give up.

Don’t give up.

A Note on Blogging

So, here it is. My first blog on blogspot.

I intended to blog for a long time. My Grandmother says that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. So, I'm either now in Hell, or home free. Someone will have to clarify that one for me.

I have to give credit - while many have encouraged me to write, I had to be given a good nudge (or, several good ones) in the right direction by someone who has my ear long enough to hold me accountable. I'm now beginning to wonder if all of this encouragement was just an effort to give me a new outlet so I would shut up. I'm totally feeling the love. (Thanks!)

Those of you reading can expect notes on all sorts of subjects, full of my opinions and sound (sound!) arguments. You'll also find an occasional essay on a variety of topics, the first being on Homosexuality, which I wrote in college and still use in conversation today.

To you, the reader - the 5 or 7 people who happened across this blog - thanks for reading. It's always better to have an audience.

Ryan