Well to be quite honest I don't know where this post is going, but I felt the need to write something. It has been on my heart and mind to just sit down and write. I really don't know where this one will be going but hopefully it will go somewhere. It has to. It has been two months since I have been back in Brooklyn but it seems like six months or so. I know that is a random arbitrary thing but the point is that it really does seem a lot longer. I have not been out as much over the last few weeks and it shows. When I looked into the mirror today I looked like Damon Wayans character in The Great White Hype when he gained weight but mostly in his gut. My new gig has me working from home and over the 6 months that I've been doing it I have been, for lack of a better word, lazy. My walking and exercising has virtually stopped and that too is beginning to show. There are times that I am in denial that I am getting older and being able to eat whatever and sit on my ass obviously isn't an option any more. I understand the notion that age is only in your mind, and I subscribe to that theory no doubt; but some physical things that come with living are undeniable. So my goal this week is to walk every morning before I start work because I know that once I finish working that is a rap. I pride myself in being physically fit, so it is imperative that I maintain that.
Speaking of which the other day my blood pressure was off the charts high. To be honest I was quite frightened. The second and third times it came down, but still it is time to get a physical. One of the things that happened when I first got back here was that I ate out a lot, and not always from the best restaurants. Places like the local Chinese or Caribbean joint and they are not always the most healthy place to catch a grub even if it is the "vegetarian" dishes. On that note, I have been toying with adding fish back into my diet, no other seafood though just fish. I don't really feel much of a difference, they say it is good for your heart so we will see. It won't be an everyday, week or month thing just every now and then if I decide to keep doing it. Okay, so back to my blood pressure, it runs deep on both sides of my family. I truly believe that part of that is that folks eat massive amounts of meat and whatnot but I have eaten meat in years...unless you include fish...but it still seems to be an issue for me. So I have not bought salt in my new crib and I use alternate seasonings to season my food. It is taking time to adjust because I am used to heavy seasoning on my food. Even my veggies. Now my body (or is it my mind) is craving salt, once I get it under control I will figure out when to add salt and to what. but for now I cut out any seasoning with a high amount of sodium in it. It is best for now.
In going through some old emails, I realized that it has been three years since I filmed Casual Friday, my short film. I have written quite a few scripts in that time, but nothing has really come from them yet. I actually like most of them, and am really anxious to get back behind a camera. So in addition to getting my walk on before I start working I will be working on a plan to get some of these scripts filmed. I have access to a few things it is just a matter of just getting it done and stop making excuses about why it can't be done. Complacency is a pretty dangerous thing! I was about to call it a drug, but yeah you get the point. It is time to put in some work. One because I admire a lot of the web series and independent films that are coming out right about now, two because I am immensely competitive and three because I feel like I have learned so much since Casual Friday about the process of filmmaking. The last 3 years were a real growing experience for me. A lot of ideas about who I am or who I thought I was were shattered. Which was/is a good thing. The end process is that I am becoming a good filmmaker, but an even better person. That is the most important thing.
Here is a snippet of my block during the blizzard last night....
