it is 4:40am in providence, ri.

at 7:35 i will be getting on an american airlines direct flight to los angeles, ca, to visit for the second time. this time to find housing and to experience it once more.

i will be in los angeles until saturday, July 18th.

!!

this post coming to you straight from my new imac!!! i know, i know, luke you go through computers like underwear.

but this one was a really good deal and it's really nice and bright and great great great. it's big and 20 inches and it's glorious.

i just caught up on lost on here, actually. hd lost mmmmm. it's been hard to catch the episodes due to my sched and rehearsals and whatnot. but i'm doing what i can.

here's a picture with my new isight camera in the imac! lookin' sorta artsy! and the mess of my room behind me, haha.



i had my first read-through of the play i'm directing today. it went really really really well. the gal who plays hattie, who is a boisterous and loud and funny character, hit the nail right on the head today. i was very pleased with my casting. and i have jolie as the other main gal character and she's great for the role and she's excited and it's a great energy with this cast. the gal who i cast as amy lee is a freshman and she's also really good. looks the part as well as reads the part quite well.

other news! i heard today that a friend of mine who graduated last year, got accepted to cal arts (from what i hear), which is located in Irvine, CA, which is just south of los angeles! so i could have a buddy out there already for when i move there! that's pretty exciting music cause it'd be really nice to have at least one person i'm familiar with out there. if i don't that's cool too, but it'd be a nice added bonus.

i hope peeps visit me a bunch when i'm out there. early on'd be nice, and after that too, like when i'm an established and awesome hollywood dude, i'd love visitors then too. maybe i'll fly peeps out cause i'll be so loaded all the time, haha. we'll see.

tha's all 4 now.

i cast my show last night (wednesday night) and i'm pleased with it.

i'm directing a show called 'laundry and bourbon' and it is a three woman cast that's funny and real (well, hopefully it'll be real.)

the foreigner is going pretty well, the blocking and the look of the show is really great, the only weak part at the moment is the actors' lines. they're a bit on the shaky side, but that'll be remedied soon, i'm sure.

i was cast in the merchant of venice, the final show of URI's season, as solanio. it's a smallish role, but i do get to say 'what news on the rialto', which is a pretty famous line. also i get to act in a mainstage and it'll really wrap up my senior year nicely. then it's off to california. oh, california.

i said i wanted to film more and i have filmed nothing. well, i filmed myself singing black balloon but that was no good so i have filmed nothing. i need to. even if it's just me doing stupid little things i need to. need need need to.

also, i'm an idiot.

just sayin'.

man, titanic is a great film. and an even better soundtrack.

i'm just sayin'.

i should shave.

it's been a month.

today i was walking out of yet another ridiculous mass media class and it struck me that 'intro to mass media' is more or less a pop culture philosophy class.

and i hate philosophy classes.

i took one two semesters ago (one? no, two. yeah two.) and hated it. it's so... intangible. there's no right answer, there are just opinions. and that's good! i mean, it's good cause people should have their opinions and that's wonderful, free will, whatnot, but it doesn't make for a very fun class. it's weird cause i come from my RIDICULOUSLY easy math class that has concrete answers (and a shitty teacher) to my mass media class which has absolutely no answers and a decent teacher. and the freshmen/jersey folk/other douche bags just answer classes in the least intelligent way possible and i sit there in my corner and shake my head. occasionally i attempt an answer to a question but the teacher either completely disregards it or it's silently received by the rest of my silent class. it's sad, most times, because the teacher will ask a question and NO ONE will offer a response. NO ONE. so we sit there. finally a shaky hand rises six inches and the person quietly offers up their soon to be devoured and destroyed opinion.

it got me thinking, though, today. inadvertently, perhaps, but still thinking. and i got real bummed. i've been thinking quite a bit about who i am as a person, what my character traits are, my flaws, my strengths, etc. and it hasn't been very fun. and i think about friends of mine and their lives and old friends and the prospect of new friends and all of that. and what do i really want? out of life?

this past month has had some real ups and downs. more than past months. much more.

i'm not afraid of moving out to california. i'm really excited. i can't say if i'll be more afraid when i get closer to the time, but right now, i'm very very excited.

and now i have a headache. workin' overnight at target tonight... not excited. workin' til 6am then i have work at radio shack at 10am... then i'm driving up to Fitchburg, MA to hang out with my fellow uri theatre blokes.

and that's about it.

hey back in new england and daaaaaamn it is cold.

check this out, this video.

apparently some dudes gave a friend some acid then locked him in a closet and recorded him. then after he told them what he saw and they made a digital rendering.

it's got some swears, but it's awesome.



i'll talk more about california and my awesome time there when i get a chance

aaaaahhh california.

i've been researching fast food in the area. you know, places that aren't available in the northeast. and i have this ranking from the research, best to least best:

1. in n out burgers
2. jack in the box
3. carl's jr.

alright so it's not that many. but i had an amazing meal last night from the first, in n out, very well priced. a double burger and a chocolate shake for like 5 bucks. jack in the box i had a chicken ciabatta, which was really fantastic, and then at carl's jr. i had a burger and a really fantastic mint oreo shake. the burger wasn't that good though.

aaaanyway, as exciting as all that is, a quick update!

yesterday i rented a roadbike for two hours and biked up and down the coast for 21 miles... needless to say i'm very sore today.

and today i'm going to a toyota dealership to talk to them about what i should do with my car/try out a brand new prius maybe!, go to target and return something, get a nice la hat, go to in n out! again, maybe do a bit of shopping... then tonight i'm having dinner with brandon!

and change of plans: instead of hitting the airport at 7:20am and getting in to boston at 3:30pm on saturday, due to unforeseen challenges, i'm going to LAX to fly out for 2:15pm and getting in to boston at 11:05pm. and i'll sleep and everything on friday night and be back to my old east coast self by saturday.

arlight. it's 1:20, time to greet the day.

don't feel like writing the usual amount per post but a few things about today/tonight

-ran 2-2.5 miles on the beach!
-tried out the rings gymnastic thing on venice beach, cool cool
-had karl's jr AND jack in the box for the first time... i know, fast food= no good for luke. but jack in the box was considerably better.
-went to the staples center! and saw the lakers v. hornets! lakers lost, but that's ok. almost bought a lakers hat but then realized it would be against the mansport rules. it wouldn't have been as bad as buying a yankees cap, but it's not something a celtics fan buys.

anyway, here's some pictures from the game! (also one of some sunglasses i'm considering. twenty bucks. also, my bluetooth! it's really nice. won't use it after i get back from california though. cause i hate 'that guy'.)

-breakfast!
-basketball down at venice beach!
-coming back to shower!
-going to meet my dad's friend craig about working for him when i move out!
-driving around!
-lakers v. hornets tonight, 7:30 at the staples center!!

sweeeet.

soooo after this little update i'm gonna go to a local bar that was started by a dude from boston...all boston themed and whatnot.

but today! what a day. see, i think the good thing is that i am pretty flexible. i headed out later in the day today after getting taco bell (i know, i'm all the way in california and i'm eating friggin' taco bell) and i drove on over to the paramount studios (got the address online) to see the place and maybe see who i could talk to. i arrived and realized that it's not gonna work that way. sooo, i wanted to call the la film school to set up a tour but i didn't feel like pulling over. sooo i stopped by the local radio shack to pick up a bluetooth headset (it's illegal in california to drive with phone in hand). i have bought crappy ones before so i said to myself 'luke, you're gonna spend a little extra to get good quality.' and i did. and, using it, i gave la film school a call to set up a 2:30 tour. soon i was parking and entering the modern style building. i was the only person on the tour. the place is pretty great and i was really excited to see all of their equipment and technology. only thing about the school is that a: i don't need it to get somewhere in the entertainment business, all i need is experience and a demo reel, two things i can do in the time between now and the may/june. and b: it's waaaaay too expensive. $41,720. for 12 months. not going there, thanks.

afterwards i called my mom and talked on the bluetooth for a while and because i have it and i drove around doing so. somehow, almost inexplicably, i ended up entering griffith park. now, griffith park is a nice park that has lots of trails to walk on and climb and it's right near the hollywood sign and the view is fantastic. the funny thing is when i was talking to Sarah yesterday about sights to see she specifically mentioned griffith park and the hiking and whatnot. so i guess i subconsciously headed there. i headed up the paths, just up and up and up like i did on the road yesterday... and the sun was setting so i took out my camera and took a bunch of really nice pictures.

here are some!




and this one here, which i set up so i could be in it...haha


and what the heck, another panoramic shot.


time for some dinner (Sarah's making me pasta!! :) :) ) then off to the bar maybe

tomorrow i'm planning on waking up early and going to play some basketball then drive up towards malibu and then maybe the zoo!? also hopefully meet with a few people. then at night i'm gonna try to go to the lakers v. hornets game.

so i did end up playing basketball yesterday! i drove on down to venice beach, where i had located some courts on google maps... it took a long time to park, but that's ok. i walked over to the courts and waited a game or two before asking two dudes if they needed a third, which they did, and we played a game . then another game. then another one! i'll be honest with you i was not in my top form. which makes sense because i haven't engaged in much if any athletic activity in the past 3-4 months. i just couldn't get the touch right for layups. not sure why. but i'm a scrappy player and i try really hard and play decent defense so people tend to not mind that i miss so much. haha. anyway, i hobbled off the court because i was pretty much dying after so much activity, and sat on venice beach and watched the surfers and the sunset. i called mom and she was worried about my coughing but i told her i'm fine, which i am. i did take this picture, too




bluetooth'd a few pictures to the computer...

here's the nice dinner i had the second night i was here. it was potato and chicken pizza and margarita pizza. then we watched doubt. really nice to be welcomed to california like that.



then last night i was like 'i'm gonna go to a show or something! so i looked up local theatre and decided to hit the Upright Citizen's Brigade, which was having a free show in Hollywood. so i hopped in the car and drove the 30 minute drive to get there, knowing full well that i might not make it due to traffic and whatnot. but i did finally get there, and the line was around the building. so i figured i'll check my gps for more live theatre. i tried a few places but none were showing anything last evening. soooo i kept driving and found this big ol' hill in Glendale and i said f it, i'm gonna just drive upwards. so i did. i took every road to that was uphill, til i came to a cul de sac, and i was about to turn around and head down again when i saw an empty lot at the top. it was fenced off and said no trespassing and whatnot but i said i'm gonna live my life and snuck through an opening in the fence. i walked out on the plot of land and saw one of the most amazing sights i've seen in my young life. before me was almost all of los angeles, glimmering with the lights of the freeway and the streetlights and the crazy lit up buildings. it was beautiful and so so so quiet. i took a few pictures with my phone because it was all i had on me, but here they are. i'm gonna go back and bring my camera and video camera and maybe go during the day.

well, here i am, it is 2:12pm in sunny santa monica.

just had a bit more of the pizza that we (my host family) made for dinner last night.

watched doubt last night too. good movie. i was pretty tired though so i fell asleep a little.

today so far i have taken the car that has been so graciously offered to me all around the santa monica area... then i got the idea that i wanted to play beach volleyball/basketball. so i bought some shorts from champssports for 7.49 and was about to hit the... well i don't know where i was going to go but i was going to go there when i realized that i was very hungry and also had to pee really bad.

soooo i drove back to the house (like 5 minutes of driving, nbd) and here i am. i'm gonna put on some of my other shorts, the ones that say uri football (hopefully people will be like oh man you're from the east coast no way!) and hit the... court/beach. hooray!

so as i sat on the first flight i took out my notebook and wrote a bit. below is what i wrote.

here i am, 30,000 feet in the air, watching tropic thunder on my ipod and drinking my complementary coke. well, it's all gone now. just amber ice. the guy to my left is working on his laptop and the guy to his left is watching something on his ipod touch. he's possibly going to a mavericks game tonight. (i later learned that he was indeed going, though he knows nothing of the team. he's from dallas and it's really nice there. told me he'd rather just make a fire in his backyard and drink a beer, but his 10 year old son would like the basketball game and the tickets were his friend's so he was going.) i think i'll get those sporting events tickets, clippers and kings. that'd be fun. haha, tom cruise is in this movie. excellent. things to find out in california-
*will i need a car? if so, may-june plans change. driving there!
*where am i workin'? that'd be sweeeet to know
*once i figure out where i'm working, where'm i living? how much?
*i think the guy next to me is working on a will. just sayin'
*what do i do for fun? what is there to do?
*who do i befriend? how?
*the clouds look like the inside of comforters.
*oop, a bit of turbulence. turbulance?
*one day, sadly, kids will fly and look down and say "woah, just like google maps!" and god will cry.
*i'm hungry. i'm gonna have something texas-y when we land at dallas fr. worth. maybe barbeque. (i ended up getting a blimpie's sandwich. not very texas-y, but i was in a rush to catch the next flight. almost got dickey's bbq, but i was worried it would be messy on the plane)
*next i will watch burn after reading. or...hancock, maybe. hope i have enough battery. i can always take out the laptop anyway. or watch futurama on the other laptop.
*this movie is completely ridiculous.
*oooh, maybe zach and miri. i've seen it before, though. i think i wanna watch something new. yeah.
*maybe james bond! nah, somehting funny. and new.
*crap. gotta pee. craaaaap.


and that's what my thoughts were on the plane for a bit. hope it was enjoyable.

aaaaaand i have landed. what the heck am i gonna do now that i'm here!?

the flights weren't bad.

long, but not bad. i ended up watching tropic thunder, then burn after reading on the flight to dallas. then when i was headed to lax i redid my resume then watched hancock. i watched a lot on my ipod's tiny screen, that is for certain. good entertainment though.

i don't have any real opinions about the place yet, but i'm sure that i'll develop them soon. my host family (haha, host family) of sarah and ty are making pizza and watching a screener of doubt tomorrow night, so that's something to do! i might walk to the beach tomorrow morning. that'll be good.

man, it's only 7:20pm! haha, excellent. i have time traveled. and this evening i know not what i'm doin'. but! but i'll have some pictures to post soon enough. like this one!



alright, 'nough posting for now. i'll probably post again very soon, though, don'y worry.

LUKE'S CALIFORNIAN ADVENTURE!!!!

not off to the best start!!

inexplicably overslept! honestly, i don't know how it happened. set the alarm for the ungodly hour of 4:20am, on my phone, on high, on today's date, everything double checked. and sister did the same! yet there we were, 8:00am, sister saying 'we missed your flight' and me saying craaaaaap.

but, life throws you curveballs or whatver.

soooo i give the american airlines reservations number a ring and 10 minutes later i have a 12:10 flight that stops over in dallas fort worth for a bit and i get there for 4:45.

guess how much it cost, too. to change my flight after it had lifted off the ground?

2.50.

two dollars and fifty cents. haha. what a life i lead.

and i get to stop and talk to texas-accented folk!

also, here is the current list of movies on my ipod touch
burn after reading
clerks
dark knight
hancock
quantum of solace
how to lose friends and alienate people
pineapple express
the simpsons movie
tropic thunder

awwww yeah i'm prepared for a day full of entertainment, let me tell you.

entertainment and travel.

time to get ready to go again!

and the adventure continues