"Is it just me, or is it hot in here?" I said as I melted.

I was just thinking about an indian sweat lodge I went to in Passedena, before I moved back from LA. This might help If you're not familiar with what one is. And this takes you to the woman's site who organized our lodge.)

It was an eye-opening experience. It was a sensory deprivation, mixed with intense heat, combined with very little room to move. I really wasn't sure if I could make it through the entire ritual. I had a flashing glimpse of a future where our dead bodies are found all piled up inside the tent with the whole thing being written off as some Jonestown suicide pact.

It's funny, right before we arrived at the lodge, my friend Sean was commenting on how annoying it is that I tend to make things all about me. (He's right, and I'm trying to break that pattern.) Okay, now back to me. At one point, I felt like I just couldn't take it anymore and I would have to exit the lodge. Doing this would have disrupted the spiritual ritual of the other 12-15 people in there, and would have certainly drawn attention away from the journey, and on to me. That thought helped me stay put while I endured the, what must have been, triple-digit temperature.

The shaman who led the quest said she had the energy to receive an indian spirit name for only one of us inside the lodge. I was the one who would be receiving the honor. So, at one point, she asks me "Are you ready to accept your spirit name?" "Yes," I said. Then, in a solemn voice she tells me the spirits have named me Dream Beaver.

"Excuse me, Dream What?"

The solemn voice repeats, "Dream Beaver."

So there you have it. I'm a Dream Beaver, which I was told, means I'm a builder of dreams. But beavers also make dams to block stuff out too, don't they?

Pow! Bam! Whack!

I recently saw Batman, The Dark Knight. I thought it was incredible. Terrific art direction and performances. I also think there's a metaphor for America within the script. It asks, "how long can you be a hero until you become the villain?" Hmmm.

And in Christian's defense, his mom's a real asshole.

Some time in LA.

I recently went back to LA to direct a couple of Nike shoots. It was a great trip, beginning to end. Not just because I had the opportunity to work with talented athletes like Serena Williams and Shawne Merriman, but because I got to spend some time with friends I hadn’t seen in awhile as well.

I’ve been reading a lot on separating one’s self from the ego; how easy it is to attach our sense of self to our possessions, to our points of view, and to our likes and dislikes. I (or my ego, which perceives itself as “I”) have done this with the cities I've lived in too; certainly with L.A. I still feel very attached to this place, and my old friends. But look, I made a new one! Serena.

She was great to work with; fun, smart, and able to deliver what was needed on cue. At one point, we were checking something on my MacBook, and I asked if she was a Mac or PC person. Without missing a beat she answered "HP." I forgot she was one of their spokespeople. Her agent, hovering nearby, couldn't have been happier. I think they both get a cut each time she says those two letters.

Merriman was great too. We asked him to step outside his normal football comfort-zone, and try his hand at some comedy. It's always tough when non-actors make these attempts, but he got it. He has a great personality, and was willing to be a little self-deprecating on camera. Kudos to him.

Okay, I'm a big time director now. So I have no more time to talk to you. Goodbye.

Did I kill Estelle Getty?

Just yesterday, I asked a co-worker if any of the Golden Girls were dead yet. One of them must be, I thought.

Two days later, Estelle (Sophia as the Golden Gals called her) died. Fucked up!

The reason I think I may have special powers is that this has happened before.

Speaking of Golden Girls, I have a project planned where I take a Golden Girls episode, and dub in the dialog from Sex in the City. It's really the same show.

SLUT:
Sex in the City = Samantha
Golden Girls = Blanche

INNOCENT ONE:
Sex in the City = Charlotte
Golden Girls = Rose

THE NON-SEXUALIZED CRANKY ONE:
Sex in the City = Miranda
Golden Girls = Sophia

WOMAN WITH A MAN FACE:
Sex in the City = Carrie
Golden Girls = Dorothy

Stay tuned.