Merger

So this morning, all the employees at our studio got a memo saying they were merging our Network with a rival one. Now, to me this sounds like an excuse to fire a lot of people but here…decide for yourselves:

“Today we announced, in conjunction with CBS Corporation, that we are launching a fifth broadcast network, “The CW” in September 2006. This new network is a joint venture between Warner Bros. and CBS. As a result, at the end of this current season, we and CBS are ceasing to operate The WB and UPN, respectively, to create a dynamic new enterprise. Press release

This was not an easy decision to make. While we are extremely excited about this new opportunity, it is a bittersweet moment as we conclude the 11 year run of The WB.”

True that is only part of it, but it seems that other people have picked up on the same sentiment (Here and Here). Not only is our resolve being tested on the professional front, but my wife is being tested on the home front. Anyone that can hold down a full time job, raise two kids and do most of the housekeeping should be gilded and have a month named after her, or at least a season. Maybe a good trip to Hawaii would be reward enough though, sometime in the…future.

and because the idea is so very, very funny: Narnia Rap Battle

Not That Famous

Job hunting just isn’t what it used to be. Here, nobody calls you back. Everything moves at such a slow pace. I went to the La Brea tar pits and tried climbing a statue of a sloth and my wife took a picture. It came out looking like I was trying to hump the thing. To break the slothful cycle of the never ending job search I have decided to throw caution to the wind and outright ask people for a break. One such attempt was for a semi-famous actor who started his own production company. Since I am distantly related to his brother’s family, I wrote an e-mail congratulating them and asked about employment possibilities. Well, the wife of the brother of the somewhat famous person got very upset that I had her e-mail address and was scared I was going to forward it on and cause a lot of problems for her privacy….Hmmm. Number one, we live close by, talk every now and then so I am not a stranger. #2 we’re distantly related (by marriage) so I’m not going to forward on a relatives e-mail address for the world to use. And lastly, she’s not that famous. Sure, related to a semi-famous celebrity, but I doubt anyone would be clamoring to get her autograph. I’ll probably get in trouble for writing this but hey, I wanted to let you see how Hollywood works. It's not who you know, it's who you know that's willing to help.

Rose Parade

So rather than go to the actual parade in Pasedena, we went around 10pm the night before to see all the floats. There was very little rain and we felt bad for all the suckas who got drenched, haha. Anyway, the floats were amazing, everything covered in organic material. Leaves, flowers, beans, corn, fruit…you name it. My personal favorite was adobe made out of cinnamon oatmeal. It smelled great. Here is a picture of just one of the floats. We were able to get up really close so it was well worth it. And by the way, I did pick Texas to win…I’m a fan of the Big 12.

Starting Back Up

So I promise that this will not become a once a month thing. I am now back at work in the old corporate offices of the major movie studio (hint: #1 this year in Box Office Draw). Besides my job, a lot of things have started up this past few weeks. My wife’s job, my job search, and even my son started a pre-school. After looking around forever, we found one right across the street which we like. It was pretty funny the first day to see my little Mormon boy, going to a conservative Jewish day care, with Armenian teachers and the Rabbi rockin’ out to snoop dog in the office. My wife was a little concerned that he would be getting some religious training, but the pre-school doesn’t teach religion. Also, I explained to her that I grew up learning about the Maccabees, and getting off school for Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah, so her fears about possibly providing a future Bar Mitzvah were eased. Work has started slowly for me luckily, which gives me time to focus on finding another job…opps! Did I say that out loud?