We Start Filming

a quick note on the state of things

Hello friends!

The flight was smooth. Seattle-Istanbul-Sofia. John Wick 4. Masterful lighting and shot composition. Sleep for 5-6 hours. Always a bonus on such long flights. I listened to the short story “Bobok” by Dostoevsky and “The Selfish Giant” by Oscar Wilde. According to the audio program, Wilde wrote about Bobok and Dostoevsky about the giant. I wondered what would happen if we got our authors and the world literature they produced all mixed up.

I started reading “Notes from Underground” by Dostoevsky.

The week before I left was the hottest so far in Seattle this summer. Ava and I wrote my novel in the park for 2-3 hours at a time. She was chasing after the ball and I was chasing after words.

During the days I would write at a neighborhood cafe. This picture was on the electric post across the front door. The woman in it watches people go in and out from the cafe all day. Whatever she has to say to them, she says it in her looking.

I finished reading “All quiet on the Western Front.” The book left me deeply shaken. It’s essentially an eye witness account, a literary masterpiece by Erich Maria Remarque who fought in World War 1.

“I am young, I am twenty years old; yet I know nothing of life but despair, death, fear, and fatuous superficiality cast over an abyss of sorrow. . . .”

During the past two months we have been preparing my newest documentary “Spoke - the incredible journey of fire fighter Rudy.” We have assembled a dream team of filmmakers!

Here we are with author and screenplay writer Martin Ralchevski and producer and director Nikolay Egerman for a Bulgarian feature film. I’m the Creative Producer on the film. We start filming on Saturday. I’ll be writing more often from the film set.

Having a dog is such a joy! She often reminds me to just play. I brought her favorite treat all the way to Bulgaria. Found it in my pocket during a security check at the airport.

Every time I leave the house, she sees me off. I hope you have someone special to see you off as well on your world travels!