Pressing Puzzles

Being a director like I have for several years, there are things that I've had to deal with in this business. This isn't the professional method of directing, but this is my perspective on how to be a director in any medium. I will probably address the proper method of how to treat actors, but that is not the sole focus on what I'm going to share. As a director you will have to deal with people who think they know it all and you can't say anything that will benefit me. The problem that most amateur actors forget is that acting is an art form, but it's also an occupation. I think people tend to forget that acting is work...hard work. One of the things that I try to let the kids know is that it's a very difficult business to get into. I feel like they need to hear the truth about the world of entertainment. I tell them that they have to 'want' it very badly and do almost anything to get in. An internship is a great way to get your foot in the door, bu...

A large gathering people didn't bother me too much, but as I've gotten older my opinion has changed slightly. Now granted, I'm not talking about getting in the right crowd or a bad crowd, but just a large mass of people in one general location. I remember going to rock concerts, sporting events, museums, conventions and not be fazed by extremely large groups of people. I don't know if it's my age. I don't know if it's the new medication that helps me be more aware of my surroundings. All I know is my views on crowds have changes quite a bit. The idea of this posting actually came to me when I was in an elevator. Since I don't ride very many elevators I never gave this a lot of thought, but other than family or friends I tend to dislike elevators if other people are in it too. I handle the situation well enough, but when I enter and I don't see any one around immediately then I'm pushing that close button as fast as I can. There have been sev...

Recently we had a tragic event happen here in Kansas City. A five-year old boy that was autistic, ran out past the fence and headed toward the neighbor's pond. Sadly, the authorities found that the boy had drowned in five feet of water. What I'm going to address is how we have a tendency to put an idea in our head and go with it until we accomplish our goal. Here was the news story: KANSAS CITY, MO. —The drowning of a 5-year-old Cass County boy with autism on Tuesday is raising awareness about the special attraction that bodies of water have for children on the autism spectrum. Statistics show that nearly half of all children with autism wander. For a child with autism, that type of wandering means the child is on a mission and knows exactly where he or she is going. Children with autism are often drawn to pools and other bodies of water. Experts said they find them beautiful and are fascinated by the way light sparkles on the water. Experts said that attract...

  This might seem a little unusual for my blog to be talking about a certain person, especially one that I've never met in person, but he still has a special place for me because of how much we have in common...mostly because we both have Asperger's. Brant Hansen is or as of Monday July 7 th , 2014 was a DJ for a national syndicated Christian radio station called Air 1. He and I have exchanged messages through Facebook from time to time in pleasant conversations, but we have come to a point that is a little more serious. Brant has never shied away from his disability and if anything he has been a positive voice to anyone who would listen about his Asperger's. As I mentioned though, Air 1 is ready to shut him down. Here is what Brant had to say about his departure from the radio station: "If you've been a listener to our radio show, please know this:  I’m heartbroken over the end of the show.  I've counted every day as an honor to be able to have a platfo...

If I were to go back in time and tell myself something that would really shock me (other than being married), I would have to say that it is my significant weight gain over the years. When I was growing up I was often teased about me being really skinny. When I first met my future wife, I weighed 135 pounds and my height was 5'10". I was actually a little depressed that I wasn't a little taller and a little bigger. I was never a weakling because I worked out all the time and was very active; I just never showed it. I tried to pack on muscle thinking that would make me look bigger, but it didn't work. I was probably fortunate that I didn't know about those GNC muscles shakes.  I think I'd be a lot heavier now if I had started on those things! Nonetheless, I still felt like a 90 pound weakling and nothing was going to chance that. One trait that I always attracted me to women was their height. I liked women who were taller because I wanted them to be roughly...

This month May of 2014, will set a milestone for Jaimee and I; our last two daughters will be graduating high school. There are so many levels on which I could address this topic because there are several side stories to their rise of finishing high school. If you have read some of my previous posts, Christen and Sarah are both autistic so graduating high school is a great accomplishment in itself, but there's much more than that. They are both going to be heading off to an university and Jaimee and I couldn't be more proud. I think what you have to realize is that the four years my daughters have been in high school have not been easy sailing. They both have had their challenges. The biggest challenge for both of them was the adjustments they had to make when it came to high school. The school is larger, the times are earlier, and student population is higher and the expectations are greater. Christen had her hurdles to face due to the activities she was involved in like ...

I love the line "The smartest man in the room." because whenever I have to join a group of people (whether a Sunday school class, a teacher's meeting, a simple gathering of friends and/or family) I never like to lead on that I really am a very bright person. Please don't misunderstand; I'm not thumping my chest and claiming myself as king. I'm just simply saying that I know I'm no dummy. One of the things I try to avoid is being wrong. If I ever am incorrect I'm usually honest enough to admit it, but I think I've had to learn over time to be careful in what I say so I can get my facts straight first. I definitely hearken back to my youth when I had the bad habit of opening my mouth too fast and when I was wrong in my response, that's when it gave other kids the chance to poke fun at me. You have to understand that other kids were like the lions and I was the antelope, if I stepped forward and make a fool of myself without the other lions havin...