Tuesday, December 30, 2008
SNUGGIE HAHAHAHAHHAHA OUTSTANDING, RIGHT?!
It's like a commercial for cult robes if you watch it without sound!
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
FRIENDS
So today my plane got REALLY delayed to the point where i couldn't take it. I'm ridiculously poor and was starving no money and hours drive from home and and 8 hour fly from Nebraska. So I call my fried Kyle (my editor) and say "Hey, can I stay at your place tonight?" He hoped on the highway right away, picked me up, bought me dinner (whatever I wanted,) hung out, let me stay at his place, and is taking me to the airport tomorrow. That is a FRIEND and it took me to get to my lowest to realize that he ad Josh were two of my best friends! I'm still poor but I'm happy to know that I'm not alone anymore!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
BREAK!
Started today and I don't feel Christmas at all, there's like this rush right now, I'm moving AGAIN, finishing three movies, writing two others, and doing budgets for a couple on the side. There was this lull in the middle of the day, I was in my car with my homey Kyle (my editor) and it was completely silent. For the past six months he and I have been making hour trips to LA and Ventura to meet, edit, and brainstorm. In that silence I looked over to him and said "Man, I'm relaxed." I haven't felt like that in months, I'm up till 7am working on something, wake up somewhere between 10am and 2pm and go, go, go! When you spend time with your family this season be sure to make them and their company your gift to yourself, don't answer your phone at dinner or flick on the television during a group storytelling session (which often turns into hilarious family jokes) just take it in and remember "Where ever two or three are gathered together in my name I am in there midst." (Matthew 18:20.)
S.B. DAWG!
SO, just got back from TELECINE and am remembering that you guys don't know about my new accomplishment, I GOT INTO THE SANTA BARBARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL God is good right! It's a tier two festival and is quickly rising to tier 1. Films like Sideways premeired there and now so is my short film Silence of the Mimes. I have to say honestly it's not my favorite piece of work and hopefully everyone will like "Counter Space" and "The Gregory Id" even more, but it's official, I'M A DIRECTOR!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
STARTED OFF EMOTIONAL, ENDED UP ANGRY
Headed home on Monday, excited to see my family, excited to go snowboarding, not excited to be in Nebraska. I remember when my sister moved to Pennsylvania she would complain about how she was never going to be able to find friends and yada, yada, yada. I was 13 or something like that, there were more girls to be found in Pennsylvania so HECK YES I was ready (no girls happened by the way.) Then I moved to Nebraska, my sister coped pretty well... REALLY WELL actually, she was a cheerleader, went to homecoming, prom, graduated a year early, and this time I was the lame duck.
I'm gonna be emotional -- this doesn't happen so take it in, read the words slowly so that you can savor the taste of my emotional vomit (GROSS!) I was like the COOLEST kid at my school in PA everyone knew me and liked me and laughed at my jokes. I didn't party much but I didn't need to because everyone respected the fact that I wasn't into the whole scene so we would go out to the movies or dinner or play video games. Then I had church friends -- LIKE FRIENDS -- people who believed what I believe, challenge themselves, liked what I liked, joked and played and BLAH BLAH BLAH. I was happy, ridiculously happy, ridiculously popular, and I was attractive (I realized this recently girls thought I was cute I was just afraid to talk to them -- all those crushes wasted on fear HAHA) Then I moved to Lincoln. I missed my senior class trip, my trip to Italy, my prom (which is a story of rejection in itself AH) and became a nobody, people didn't know me or talk to me for like the first 3 months, I don't know how to explain how lonely that is. Then I met a couple guys who were cool until they started doing things I didn't like to do and cool turned into me being a loner again. Then I started working where I met some great people, but still not FRIENDS -- if you know friends and then you know FRIENDS you know what I mean.
I like to stick on my move to Nebraska a lot, I think about it all the time, and people say get over it and I tell myself "Dude there's nothing you can do now," but as I sit here I realize that I'm lonely because of that move. I'm not an open person and I don't think I want to be anymore, I don't have real FRIENDS right now and I miss it, I'm lonely and as cool as God is, his football skills are non existent when I want to chuck the pigskin around (I did say pigskin) I can't hear him laugh when I watch a movie, I don't get to talk to him about the hot girl that walked by. I miss hanging out with FRIENDS and I could use a few in my life.
And since I'm being honest I've tried to have civil conversations about this subject but it seems like people don't understand. DON'T TELL ME I NEED TO GO TO CHURCH TO FIND FRIENDS just because I haven't gone lately doesn't mean I haven't gone while I've been here. I've been to 3 different churches multiple times in the past 2 years searching for a body who is open and understanding. I have gone to places where no one says a word to you DURING THE MEET AND GREET SECTION OF THE SERMON, in fact they reached PAST me to the person in the pew behind me, I've been to churches where, when you say hi, the people turn the other direction, REALLY I'M TIRED OF CHURCH AND CHRISTIANS and if it sounds like an excuse KICK ROCKS -- I'M TIRED OF YOU TOO -- don't judge me or my choices and think you understand from the other side of the nation I blog because I don't like to talk to people which means I probably haven't expressed enough to anyone for them to understand my issues with stuff, especially church, I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH PEOPLE WHO AREN'T REAL, WHO SAY ONE THING AND DO ANOTHER, WHO REPRESENT GOD IN UNLOVING WAYS, AND WHO JUDGE ME FOR NOT BEING IN CHURCH if I don't feel loved and accepted in CHURCH -- THEN I'LL STAY IN BED AND REST ON THE SABBATH YA' DIGG (and just for people who think this means I like to sleep in I AM UP FOR SCHOOL, MOVIE SHOOTS, AND I WOKE UP AND WAS READY TO GO WHEN IT CAME TIME TO VOTE, in fact I PAID FOR A PLANE TICKET AND FLEW BACK HOME!)
There, I'm done being emotional (angry which hides another emotion which is vulnerability, frustration, and disappointment) and I'm also done having civil conversations about my issues with church -- you wanna ask I will tell without the polite censor on my mouth.
NEW MOVIES
HAROLD HAS BEEN DEVELOPED, JUST PICKED UP THE FILM TODAY! (left) Just finished writing my short entitled "Watch Shock Therapy" its an offbeat romantic comedy and I'm finishing "Agnito Arbor" a feature that is also an offbeat romantic comedy.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Saturday, December 6, 2008
WHY CHURCH AND I AREN'T FRIENDS
Because Nebraska was terrible -- that's the short answer. I have no problem with the church, with the body of Christ, but I do have a problem with church, the establishment. I believe that the church is open to change in all ways, that it is not a tree rooted deep in the soil unwilling to budge but it is a feather in the wind blown by the holy spirit. Now if you haven't been paying attention to the world lately, God is getting a pretty bad rap for being up tight, unsympathetic, and mean, and if you've ever been to one of those churches that is not the body but an establishment, you know why.
Now I blame it on Nebraska because while I was in the bible belt I met a bunch of "christians" who were ritualistic, not that they didn't believe but they weren't challenging themselves. When you get to the point in your faith where you can say I'm comfortable you can expect your world to take a drastic turn, and the question shouldn't be am I going to move when God pushes me, it is where am I going to go.
When my Dad said to me, "Jordan, this is your chance, do you think we should do this?" I said "Your going to do what your going to do." I MEAN COME ON SERIOUSLY HE KNEW I DIDN'T WANT TO MOVE and he knew that I wasn't going to say no, we'd had conversations about that situation for months on end. SO WHY DID I GO, because if I didn't God was going to Jonah me and I'd wind up in the stomach of some fishlike obstacle, did I like it? No. Did I learn? Yes. (Do I care if I learned? We won't go there.) I came out of Nebraska with a way better understanding of how people work, think, and act, and if I hadn't let God do that the lesson wouldn't be there.
I say this because one day God is going to ask you if you did what he asked and when you look at him and answer your going to want to be able to say yes, regardless of how, frustrating, exciting, or impossible the situation was.
Now I blame it on Nebraska because while I was in the bible belt I met a bunch of "christians" who were ritualistic, not that they didn't believe but they weren't challenging themselves. When you get to the point in your faith where you can say I'm comfortable you can expect your world to take a drastic turn, and the question shouldn't be am I going to move when God pushes me, it is where am I going to go.
When my Dad said to me, "Jordan, this is your chance, do you think we should do this?" I said "Your going to do what your going to do." I MEAN COME ON SERIOUSLY HE KNEW I DIDN'T WANT TO MOVE and he knew that I wasn't going to say no, we'd had conversations about that situation for months on end. SO WHY DID I GO, because if I didn't God was going to Jonah me and I'd wind up in the stomach of some fishlike obstacle, did I like it? No. Did I learn? Yes. (Do I care if I learned? We won't go there.) I came out of Nebraska with a way better understanding of how people work, think, and act, and if I hadn't let God do that the lesson wouldn't be there.
I say this because one day God is going to ask you if you did what he asked and when you look at him and answer your going to want to be able to say yes, regardless of how, frustrating, exciting, or impossible the situation was.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
AS REQUESTED
Good stories aren't as funny to tell so this will be a little short. I was turning 12, we lived in Connecticut and my mom took me out to McDonald's for my birthday, that was most definitely a treat back in the day (they wouldn't let me put salt on my French Fries STUPID!) But she and I got some food and I would get like a number one and she would get a hamburger happy meal with nothing on the hamburger, whatever that tastes like, and we both got a coke and IT WAS GOOD COKE (COCA COLA PEOPLE GEEZE!) Like the kind that tickles in your throat when you drink it, so we had this thing from then on where if the coke was good we would tickle our throat (I feel so wack telling this story.) To this day I still do that and it reminds me of my mom. THERE WOMAN ARE YOU HAPPY -- I'm kidding I love you.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
BAR OF SOAP
Here's the story: I was about 10 and I was starting to come into my own, my words were an untapped gold mine, a plethora of emotion was at my disposal, so what did I start doing, I started swearing, it seemed like such a great way to express my true emotions, me real excitement or dislike for something. One day my best friend told my sister that I swore and my sister told my mom and my mom played a game. " JORDAN ARE YOU SWEARING?"
"UM..."
"SPEAK UP!" she yelled.
"Yes."
"WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?!" I looked over at her and smoke stacks were billowing from her ears. What are you supposed to do in that situation, swear in front of your mom, it's a trap (women are good at them -- that was a joke, but I'm not kidding.) So I said:
"Hell."
"THAT'S ALL?!" she was getting angrier, like she needed me to swear at her so I could fuel her fire.
"Ass..." The car jerked off the road and into the parking lot of the Jewish Synagogue, thinking back on it, she planned that. I am terrified at this point, my mom gets out of the car and I look back at my sister in hopes that she's laughing and I can give her a look that will bring her tattling tail down a couple notches BUT SHE WAS ALREADY CRYING -- TERRIFIED -- we were both in the same boat.
The door flew open and my mom grabbed me by the arm, yanked me out of the car (I still have bruises--KIDDING), and knelt down in front of me.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" she said quietly but sternly, that's the worst kind of reprimand.
"Hell" WHAP, she slapped me in the face.
"WHAT ELSE?" She must be joking!
"Ass." WHAP! another one, same cheek, ruthless. I started crying and my sister started banging on the window.
"NO MOMMY STOP IT!" Alex's muffled screams leaked through the car window.
"If Jesus lives in your heart there should be no room for words like that -- okay?" I nodded my head, my mom gave me a hug, "get in the car." That's all I remember.
I've never been a bad kid, like even today I am afraid to make mistakes because of situations like that, and it kind of sucks. I have been spending my life afraid of what other people thought about me and how that was going to effect my family, like every time I went out my parents said "Remember you're representing the Riggs family, there are always people watching you"
I would say, "like who?"
"We have eye's everywhere" they would respond. DO YOU KNOW HOW TERRIBLE THAT IS HAHA! Well it's funny now but then, not fun at ALL I would be petrified. So I say this because I do swear and it is a way for me to express my true emotions, how I really feel, and it's kind of like my first rebellion (PITIFUL RIGHT?!) because it's not a sin, I'm not cursing anyone, I don't use God's name in vein, I express my emotions, and SO WHAT IF I DID, you know people use Jesus to show you how bad of a person you are and I try my best to live like Christ but everyone makes mistakes, and that's why we're human, because we make mistakes, and guess who will LOVE you no matter what, Jesus. I'm not saying go out and get wasted, screw a bunch of random people, get all coked out, and die, I'm saying don't live in fear, because that is not the spirit God gave us, he gave us a spirit of power, a spirit of love, and a sound mind, so use those!
2 Chronicles 32:7 - Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed...
"UM..."
"SPEAK UP!" she yelled.
"Yes."
"WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?!" I looked over at her and smoke stacks were billowing from her ears. What are you supposed to do in that situation, swear in front of your mom, it's a trap (women are good at them -- that was a joke, but I'm not kidding.) So I said:
"Hell."
"THAT'S ALL?!" she was getting angrier, like she needed me to swear at her so I could fuel her fire.
"Ass..." The car jerked off the road and into the parking lot of the Jewish Synagogue, thinking back on it, she planned that. I am terrified at this point, my mom gets out of the car and I look back at my sister in hopes that she's laughing and I can give her a look that will bring her tattling tail down a couple notches BUT SHE WAS ALREADY CRYING -- TERRIFIED -- we were both in the same boat.
The door flew open and my mom grabbed me by the arm, yanked me out of the car (I still have bruises--KIDDING), and knelt down in front of me.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" she said quietly but sternly, that's the worst kind of reprimand.
"Hell" WHAP, she slapped me in the face.
"WHAT ELSE?" She must be joking!
"Ass." WHAP! another one, same cheek, ruthless. I started crying and my sister started banging on the window.
"NO MOMMY STOP IT!" Alex's muffled screams leaked through the car window.
"If Jesus lives in your heart there should be no room for words like that -- okay?" I nodded my head, my mom gave me a hug, "get in the car." That's all I remember.
I've never been a bad kid, like even today I am afraid to make mistakes because of situations like that, and it kind of sucks. I have been spending my life afraid of what other people thought about me and how that was going to effect my family, like every time I went out my parents said "Remember you're representing the Riggs family, there are always people watching you"
I would say, "like who?"
"We have eye's everywhere" they would respond. DO YOU KNOW HOW TERRIBLE THAT IS HAHA! Well it's funny now but then, not fun at ALL I would be petrified. So I say this because I do swear and it is a way for me to express my true emotions, how I really feel, and it's kind of like my first rebellion (PITIFUL RIGHT?!) because it's not a sin, I'm not cursing anyone, I don't use God's name in vein, I express my emotions, and SO WHAT IF I DID, you know people use Jesus to show you how bad of a person you are and I try my best to live like Christ but everyone makes mistakes, and that's why we're human, because we make mistakes, and guess who will LOVE you no matter what, Jesus. I'm not saying go out and get wasted, screw a bunch of random people, get all coked out, and die, I'm saying don't live in fear, because that is not the spirit God gave us, he gave us a spirit of power, a spirit of love, and a sound mind, so use those!
2 Chronicles 32:7 - Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed...
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
CHRISTMAS WISH LIST
Adam had a sick little wish list and I realized sometimes it's just fun to say what you want out loud even if you know you can't have it this year...or ever.
1. A new car (Mini Cooper)
2. A director's viewfinder.
3. $40,000 to make a short film
4. A whole new wardrobe (I finally got my style together, and while I am fly regardless now I can be twice that)
5. A trip to Europe
6. A sit down with Kanye West in hopes of shooting his next music video (All I need is a sit down, I'm that good)
7. In this place I would write a year's worth of free gas BUT GAS IS $1.87 never thought I'd see the day THANKS GEORGE BUSH FOR RUINING OUR ECONOMY! YAY!
8. A meaningful date with world renowned super model Adriana Lima (left.)
9. A job out of college
10. And a get out of debt free pass!
Well we'll see what God can do, in the meantime, I've got a pretty BAD ASS family (pardon my French, sometimes thats the only way you can describe something you love so much) JESUS, LOVE, and a little bit of LUCK, that's all you need right? .........RIGHT!