The Christmas recap

I had a nice Christmas over here at "The Lattice Factory" - hope you did too.

Dinner with a friend and a 19 month old munchkin on Wednesday - involving lots of playing blocks and learning our colors - all while sitting about / laying around the floor.  If you're gonna play with a little bit, you gotta get down to their level.  Also, blocks are pretty entertaining.  Just sayin'.

Busy with the work all week long - thank God Jose and Arturo were available to help.
We did this striped, frost installation at Boston Consulting Group on Friday.
Wednesday they helped me remove several hundred square feet of film from a condo in Buckhead - what a pain that was !

And the view from the 38th floor of 10th and Peachtree wasn't bad while we were working.

Saturday, "The Source of the Trouble" , me and close friends went over to Buford Highway to have a traditional Chinese dinner at Chef Lu's Restaurant.  Good food - even better because our friend is Taiwanese and fluent in Mandarin so she ordered everything.

And according to my fortune cookie - things are looking up!  Even if the picture edit/rotate didn't work out so well.

I was up early today - Christmas day - to work out.  Including yoga, a HIIT cardio workout, and a bit of weights (leg day) + lots of crunches - 500 in all !  

I averaged about 500 crunches / inclines per day this past week.  Finally seeing progress.  

Went to church with "The Source" and then had dinner with her and one of her friends.  Wore the fancy / ugly Christmas pants I got on sale from BR.  Not bad. 

 This is what happens when you wake up at 3:30 in the morning and "have a little spot".

And my brother sent me this for a Christmas present.

Here's the rest of my workouts from Wednesday - Sunday (Xmas):

Wednesday December 21st,

                      100 - crunches

                      10 - minute yoga for beginners / stretching

                      15 - minute HIIT workout

                      20 - 170 lb. squats

                      20 - 170 lb. squats

                      20 - 170 lb. squats

                      50 - incline sit ups

                      50 - incline sit ups

                      4 - mile morning walk

Thursday December 22nd,

                      175.8 lbs.

                      100 - crunches

                      10 - minute yoga 

                      15 - minute HIIT

                      100 - crunches

                      8 - 170 lb. bench

                      6 - 170 lb. bench

                      7 - 170 lb. bench

                      50 - incline sit ups

                      50 - incline sit ups

                      8 - 170 lb. bench

                      6 - 170 lb. bench

                      6 - 170 lb. bench

                      50 - incline sit ups                    500 - crunches/inclines !

                      50 - incline sit ups

                      1.5 - mile morning walk

                      12 - pull ups

                      10 - pull ups

                      10 - pull ups

                       .5 - mile evening walk

                      20 - 40 lb. curls

                      25 - 40 lb. tricep lifts

                      50 - incline sit its

                      14 - 40 lb. curls

                      20 - 40 lb. tricep lifts

                      50 - incline sit ups

Friday December 23rd, 

                      20 - minute yoga 

                      10 - minute yoga stretching                          

                      100 - crunches

                      15 - HIIT  workout

                      100 - crunches

                      2 - mile morning walk

                      50 - incline sit ups             400 crunches/inclines today !

                      50 - incline sit ups

                      50 - incline sit ups

                      50 - incline sit ups

Saturday December 24th,

                      5 - minute yoga - core

                      100 - crunches

                      10 - minute yoga - stretching

                      100 - crunches

                      15 - minute HIIT

                      100 - crunches

                       2.7 - mile walk

                      100 - incline sit ups

                       50 - incline sit ups            500 crunches/inclines today !

                       50 - incline sit ups

Sunday December 25th,

                      100 - crunches

                      100 - crunches

                      10 - minute yoga stretch

                      100 - crunches

                      15 - minute HIIT

                      100 - crunches

                      15 - 185 lb. squats

                      15 - 180 lb. squats

                      15 - 175 lb. squats

                      100 - crunches                   500 crunches today !

                      20 - 40 lb. curls

                      20 - 40 lb. tricep lifts

                      2.1 - mile morning walk

                      179 lbs. weigh in   - Yikes - 5 lbs . from my low on Monday / Tuesday !  Jeez-ZUS !

                      1.5 - mile evening walk

I listened to this interview Joe Rogan did with Metallica frontman, James Hetfield, last night but put it on again this morning and enjoyed it a bit more.
It's worth your time.

Decided to get out of the neighborhood last night and go to The High Museum for Friday jazz night.
Had a good time listening to the music, looking at the art, and goofing off with Kenny.
Miss Casey joined us at RiRa Irish Pub in midtown for a couple drinks afterwards.
Nice chill night with friends.

"No, Kenny !!!  Noooooo!"

Not my best photo - gotta work on my selfie skills.

Jumanji just wrapped!
Here's a picture from Kevin Hart's Twitter feed.  You can see William Tokarsky getting punched by Hart and Indiana Sifuentes in the background.  I was standing on the far right just out of frame when this pic was taken.  Hopefully I make the edit.

I spent 6 days on set not doing a whole lot but was asked to come back for a 7th day and spent a great deal of that one with my mug squarely in the camera.  We'll see when it comes out.

Ridiculous long days on set this week.  14 hour day on Tuesday, 13 on Wednesday, and almost 16 today (Thursday).  Back at it tomorrow.

Matt B., Chad J., and I got a little punchy on set today.

Please note peaceful and contented look on Viking Jesus there on the right.

I'm not sure if a goofy blog qualifies as social media but I think it's probably alright to post a couple of pics of me, Matt B., and Chad J. on the set of Jumanji from today.
We spent all day at the old Norfolk Southern building downtown.
Got to be on set with Mr. The Rock, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and a pretty, young, red-haired actress that I can't name at the moment.
Very long day - 6 AM - 9 PM on set.

I'm a "Dragoon" - whatever that means.

Matt and I were getting a little punchy after a few too many hours in holding.  

And, of course, there were my favs - orange peanut butter crackers !

I was feeling a bit dark back towards the end of October when I wrote this.



Dark poetry for a Black Moon:

My first memory

as a child of less than three,

is the sound of my mother crying.

Sitting on her lap,

hearing that awful wailing,

wicked nails cutting deep into doughy white arms,

as I watched the paramedics slide my father's body

into the coroner's wagon.

On a bad day I can still hear that terrible howl.

I've had Bonnie Raitt's "Angel from Montgomery" on repeat all day.

But it doesn't help.

I was 7 the first time I caught a bloody nose from a grown man

and 15 when I left my mother's house for the first time.

I remember being hungry.

I remember potatoes -

a hundred ways to cook a potato -

and being hungry.

Outside of a crushing depression -

not much more.


There was a beautiful girl

whose mother cared for me

and welcomed me to her table.

She fed me well and loved me simply.

That made a difference.

But never enough to make up for all the rest.

What I wouldn't give to be back at her table again.


When I was 21 I fought 6 skinheads out in the street

and sent one boy to the hospital.

It was hardly enough to ease my burden.

I just bruised my knuckles and walked away

exactly the same as before.

All this life is a trade -

everything you've owned and worked for,

for something you might never get

might never even see.

If I offered you your last breath

for 10 years of hard labor -

I wonder if you’d take it?

I made the deal -

and walked away

just the same as before.


Some days I feel myself flying thru the air once more

and I can't tell

if it's just me falling

or me throwing myself into that fight again.

Some days I want to be that wild damned animal

going after them boys without a second thought for myself -

what ol' Chief Broom called "that wild animal cry of the cornered and the dying that doesn't even care for itself no more”

just to feel something.

It's not the fear of the end that makes them howl -

it's always the what comes after that follows 'em in

and forever.

Now that I'm an old man

with an old dog nearly asleep on the floor -

one eye nearly closed -

I wonder if there's a point to it all.

I've lovers that used to love me

and friends I don't talk to

brothers I don't speak to

and an empty space near my heart.

I made my peace -

I wrote my will -

I signed the DNR -

left my things to 2 little boys that are now young men

and yet still here I am.

It's the hardest of things

to go your own way

to make your path -

All in your time

And mine as well.

Well it was a long hard week but it ended on a fairly positive note with some extra good news out of the blue.

First, Friday November 18th was my 11th "canciversary".  To be quite honest, about 8 years longer than I ever expected or might've reasonably hoped when I was diagnosed with te' brain cancer in 2005.   Clival chordoma patients, particularly 10 or 20 years ago, didn't have a lot of longevity going for them.  3-5 years is normal for diagnosis to death so I've really beaten the odds on that score.

Saturday, my favorite overweight Central American friend drove into town to help me with a couple of moderately high paying jobs that went fair to midland.  One client paid today - much better than usual.

Then Saturday afternoon I heard from a lady at UPMC who wants to run an edited version of my "Never Argue With A Spider - 10th Canciversary" story in the UPMC newsletter that is sent out to patients, doctors, and donors - which is pretty cool.
I had sent that story to my doctors there earlier this year and hadn't heard back so I assumed they either didn't get it, didn't read it, or just didn't enjoy it.   So it was a nice little, out of the blue, pat on the back.

I'm still waiting to hear if / when that same story gets picked up by Hard To Kill Fitness.  I'll post here when I hear back from them.

Also, got booked for 6 days on a major motion picture being filmed here in Atlanta with my buddies Matt Bolick and Chad Joyce.  Probably not supposed to say, but it stars Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson - so maybe it'll be fun.  I'll be a biker again, natch.

Quiet day today.  Just me and "dog" chillin' out.

Homicide Hunter - Outlaw

My first speaking role on TV finally aired tonight !
They cut a few of my lines and went with the actual witness / shooting victim instead but still fun to watch.
Matt Bolick and Brian Lancaster who were also with me in The Walking Dead, Saviors moto. club were in there too, as was Chad "Viking King" Joyce that I just worked with up in Tennessee.

A humble beginning but both Matt and I had our first speaking roles on this one.  With a little luck and my new agent *fingers crossed* maybe this will be the start of something bigger.

Got some decent screen caps below.

Brian Lancaster from The Walking Dead Saviors motorcycle club.

That's me!

Matt Bolick - also from TWD Saviors moto. club.  Chad Joyce to his left.

Great shot of Matt Bolick riding his Harley on HH.

Matt Bolick and Chad Joyce as Hell's Angels talking to Carl Marino on HH.

Chad "The Viking King" Joyce.

There's my grill again.

The moment I got shot in the face with the AK-47.

Brian Lancaster getting a little 'tude-y with Detective Kenda.

Yep.  That's ma grill again.

Another little spot of good news tonight.
Hard to Kill Fitness - @hartokill_fitness on Instagram has decided to pick up my piece on crossing the 10 year mark after te' brain cancer.
They had a call out this morning looking for submissions from writers - mostly military, sports, and/or training related - but I decided to take a chance and send in my piece.
Received a very nice note this evening that they would be putting it up on their website very soon!

Check them out.  Great group of tough ass retired military guys doing amazing things - and their workouts will absolutely crush you!  ,))

https://www.instagram.com/hardtokill_fitness/?hl=en

https://www.hardtokillfitness.co/

Found this paragraph in my November Horoscope over at Astrology Zone:

"You will have other bonuses from that new moon. If you are an author, columnist, or screenwriter, Neptune will send you the lyrical, gem-like words to use in early November. Because Neptune is strongly associated with the silver screen, you will likely be able to write in a highly cinematic way, and if you write songs or poetry, you will be at the top of your game."

https://www.astrologyzone.com/forecasts/cancer-forecast-november-2016/

Nat'l Geo Channel and "The Human Spirit"

The latest post in which I've just returned from "on location" in Vanleer, TN.

What a long damn day !

Up at 3:00 AM.  Left Atlanta a little after 5:00 AM.  Arrived on set around 10:15 - about an hour and half outside of Nashville - way, way, way out in the middle of nowhere on a huge old farm.
My buddy Chad Joyce was there too.  We've now worked together at least a half dozen times - on Baby Driver, Spiderman: Homecoming, Homicide Hunter, Too Close To Home, and The Originals.

                   I have no idea why a viking would be wearing a leather duster.  

Plus the plastic armor makes me look a bit chubby.

                                   Chad Joyce as Viking King                                         

We checked in at 11:00 and filmed a couple of scenes out in a big field as well as a big fight scene.
And then we more or less stood around for the next 8 hours until about 10:30 PM when we had a big fight scene at night near a big bonfire.  The film looked pretty impressive from what I could occasionally catch on one of the monitors.  Fire, smoke, fog machine, snow machine, and all of us dressed up like vikings and barbarians fighting to the death.
I killed a guy with a sword.  A few times.

We wrapped around 2 am and I drove until I couldn't focus on the road anymore and pulled into a Kroger parking lot to sleep until the sun came up again.  Drove another hour or two that morning until I found a rest stop and had a proper nap and drove the rest of the way home.  

It was not entirely what I had been told in terms of "very featured extra" but it was ok.
Chad was chosen as the viking leader and had his grill in the camera all day long.  He looked great and I'm sure you'll see a ton of him when the show is released.  Me - not so much.  Maybe in a few shots but not as much as I had thought or hoped.