About The Blog

So, now that I've been blogging for a few months, I've noticed that my posts seem to be falling into one of a handful of topics. So, to give you a better idea of what this site will probably be about, here's a list:

1. Japan - After 3 1/2 years of living and working in the Land of the Rising Sun, I've got tons of stories about my time there. Aside from performing at Universal Studios Japan as Doc Brown (and a handful of other characters I look nothing like), I also traveled extensively, visited all four of the main islands, was on TV and in magazines, was stalked by schoolgirls, and even had a sandwich named after me.

On top of sharing some of these stories with you, I also plan on writing about other Japanese-related things that interest me: current events, pop culture and the big ball of confusion that is the Japanese language.

[Note to potential, future agents and/or editors of my book: First of all, has anyone told you how nice you look today? Well, you really do. Second, don't worry. While I'll be writing about my experiences in Japan, I won't be giving too much of my book away. Trust me, I've got a lot of stuff to write about.]

[Tags: Japan Stuff, USJ]

2. Writing about Japan - This is different from Topic #1 in that the focus is more on the "writing" part than the "Japan" part. Sort of a chronicling of the chronicling of my time in Japan, if you will.

Join me in panic as I try to figure out how to fill up a book.

The good news is that I brought back with me 6 boxes of notes, 12 journals, 30+ gigabytes of pictures, hundreds of voice recordings and every single email from that period of time so I've got lots of stuff to choose from.

[Tags: Articles, Publishing, Writing]

3. Getting organized - The bad news is that I brought back 6 boxes of notes, 12 journals, 30+ gigabytes of pictures, hundreds of voice recordings and every single email from that period of time so I've got way more crap sources of valuable information than I care to go through.

Alas, a big part of my life right now is trying to get all of that stuff organized, distilled and eventually published. It's going to be a lot of work and, any tips or tricks I learn (or can be taught) along the way, I will share with you, my dear hypothetical reader.

[Tags: Productivity, GTD]

4. Back to the Future - One of the benefits of being hired to play Doc Brown for a living was that it was basically my job to have to watch the Greatest Movie Trilogy Ever, repeatedly. This also meant I was being paid to memorize lines (in English and Japanese) and watch all those DVD extras that nobody pays attention to.

I even got to teach myself stick shift on a DeLorean Time Machine. And not a "time machine" that some “Back to the Future” fanatic sacrificed his time, energy and any chances at a stable relationship to recreate, no. But an actual DeLorean Time Machine, built by the very movie studio that made the movies. And, just like the one in the movies, it had a Mr. Fusion, a flux capacitor and a tendency to break down at the worst possible times.

But the best part of all this was that it never got old. No matter how may times I've seen those movies, I still watch them for pleasure and I still get a thrill every time I hear Alan Silvestri's score. I may not be a "Back to the Future" expert, but I'm awfully close. And I'll always be a fan. Hopefully this blog can be a meeting place for other fans as well as your inner-geek.

[Tags: Back to the Future, Doc Brown, USJ]

5. Distractions
- A big part of being a writer is, well... not writing. I'll share with you some of the better things I've come across when I should have been working.

[Tags: Distractions, Observations, Things I Like]

6.
Living in Seattle
- The Emerald City has been a great ally in helping me overcome my reverse-culture shock and ease back into American society. Located halfway between my home state of Florida and my adopted home of Japan, Seattle's been a great transitional place between East and West. A place where I can get my black coffee and my green tea.

In an effort to keep things from getting stale and to keep my writing fresh, I'm trying to treat my time here like travel and, along the way, I'll share with you any noteworthy experiences I have in this great city.

It's Metronatural!

[Tags: Around Seattle]

7.
Travel
- Everything I do is so I can travel again.
I love it.

[Tags: Travel]

8. Photography - My second love. I feel naked without a camera slung over my shoulder and I feel like I'm missing out when I can't record what I'm seeing. Not only do I pay more attention when I keep framing things through a viewfinder but I really do enjoy something more when I think about how great it will be to share the pictures I'm taking with others.

Consider this the sharing and you, the others.

[Tags: Pictures, Photography]

9. Mass Media - I suppose this could fall under distractions but, it seems to be forming a category of its own. I graduated with a degree in Mass Communications so I've taken classes in all of the major forms of media. This gave me a well-rounded, broad prospective without ever teaching me anything specific enough to get me hired anywhere. (Course, it would've helped if I'd actually applied somewhere.) Plus, I've worked both in front of and behind the camera so, hopefully, I've got an interesting perspective. I'm highly critical of movies and television but that's because I love them so much.

[Tags: Music, TV, Movies]

10.
Shameless self-promotion
-

Well, at least I'm honest, right?

Actually, as I've mentioned before, this site is a chance for me to get some writing out and, if I'm lucky, build an audience and refine my writing style. I hope you'll find something you enjoy among these pages.

Even better if it makes you laugh.