Man at Arms: Art of War

[Drunk Monk]

You're also only a couple of blocks from Marvel Studios. Good thing you are going across town to Vernon.

And in news about me. Marvel Studios when it was still Manhattan Beach studios is where we did some of the interiors for 'The Haunting'

Hurry up and wait is the mantra everyone spouts in the film industry.

For the record, the address of our studio is Los Angeles.  This studio is actually a studio - a warehouse that's rented out as a studio with office rooms, power grids, bathrooms, but not much more.  It's got some funny posters up in the bathrooms, mostly music and art. It's still a cement floor and even though there chairs to lounge in - even a well worn couch, my legs are really tired from standing all day.  It's only a few miles from the hotel, about a half hour on the freeway.  

We had a teenage champion on set who was pretty nervous, but I pulled her aside and said 'it's just like a tournament - hurry up and wait' and that worked for her.  It's not just a film industry mantra, but I really feel ya on that, Greg.

I get the Manhattan Beach reference now as when we had dinner at the Point, I could really smell the ocean.  The Point was so LA it hurt.  Dinner was at North Italia and for the 8 of us, Defy picked up the bill, which might have been just shy of $1K. I had the seasonal vegetable salad with salmon, lots of appetizers, 2 jamesons and 1 maker's mark. The other nice dinner I had with cast was right around the corner for the hotel, Paul Martin's, and I had blackened redfish with spinach, lots of appetizers, and 2 or 3 jamesons.  That was 6 of us and I saw the bill, over $500.  Both meals were superb, not just for the food, but the company.  I can't for the life of me remember where I ate with my Shaolin Disciple brother. It was in walking distance of here, some place cheap.  We came back to my room and put a fair dent in a bottle of Powers that I picked up at BevMo with him.  Otherwise, I hit up a cheap taqueria across the street with Kerry, which was pretty mellow.  Great conversations at all these meals.  

The cast is really interesting, even more so this year because we've brought in a few additional martial arts experts from different disciplines.  We've definitely raised the bar on the martial arts, although the China episode has some issues.  That's the test I'll be doing too.  Gonna have to rock that, but I still don't really know what I'm supposed to do exactly, which leaves me with much trepidation.  I'm annoyed they won't let me show off my 3-section staff, but I totally understand why that happened so.  I'm tempted to just grab it and play with it during Monday's shoot day.  Gotta maintain my martial cred here, beyond just being an authority, and some of my castmates have serious skills.  The whole cast seems intimidated by 3-section staff like it's something magical and impossible, nunchuks on steroids it's been called, but I got this again now.  The weapons for China are weird.  They should really consult me on those builds beforehand.

I'm so grateful to be here.  It's truly an extraordinary experience, and it's so pleasant to have a crew and cast that has a good sense of humor about everything.  I can only imagine what it must be like when the set is contentious.  There's tension between what the directors want to do and the makers and martial artists, because sometimes the directors pimp up the tests in a way that makes no sense.  And then there's Crystal drama always.  Danny has this amazing centering ability on set - he keeps us all in good humor and on track.  

Weirdly, I've been working for TC for a half hour+ every day, remoting in.  Technically, I'm on vacation & comp time.  But I've got lots of free waiting moments after hurrying up, and I want to lessen the impact when I go back in the office a week from next Sunday.

I'm starting to think past this a bit, now that I have some time off.  I'm hoping Sifu's funeral is on Saturday, but I have symphony tickets that night so even if it lands then, my time to visit incoming Lam Kwoon family will be limited.  Sunday I have the TCEC Judges meeting in mid-day and there is no way anyone else can lead that.  The shadow of Sifu's passing will surely overwhelm that too, because he was well respected in the Kung Fu community - it'll be a lot of accepting condolences, which can get misty sometimes.  Tuesday I have a show, ostensibly to pick up the RM jump bag for the tournament.  Thursday I might have a mid-day screener.  Saturday is lammy melting day for TCEC & Cali Roots. That Sunday is Mother's Day.  Then the following weekend is our tournament.  That seems like a lot right now, but the magazine pressures will be minor (hopefully) as we just closed an issue and I've already stacked the deck for web articles.  Then the following weekend is Cali Roots - niceness. I think I just wrote all that out to get it straight in my own head again.  Plus I'm awake with not much to do.  I should take a shower, get dressed and hit up the continental breakfast.  My hair is still glued tight from make-up.  Yeah, that's what I'll do next.