Happy May!

I hope that all is well in the land of you.

I got back on track last week with a bunch of groovy activities...

Last night I attended the ASIFA-East Animation Festival in NYC. I saw some INCREDIBLE cartoons!!! The ones that stuck out for me included two Bill Plympton pieces, a student film called "Hedgehug", and the Best In Show, "Fantasie in Bubble Wrap". The Dora the Explorer spoof "Maraka" was the funniest thing I've seen in a long time! You can see the winners' pieces as soon they post them on the ASIFA website.

The big news is that "The Upstate Four" (the Cartoon Network pilot I was in) won an award for "Excellence in Animation"! I was the first person Will & Fran Krause thanked when they accepted the award! That is a very cool feeling, I must say.

BTW last night I was accompanied by the beautiful and talented Nancy Gannon. She is an old friend from college who owns Sing and Play Party. If you want musical entertainment for your little one's birthday party, book her!

I had another great recording session at Full House Productions for Pearson Learning. I took the train this time since it's less expensive than parking and using up molten platinum, I mean gas. While at the station I ran into my good friend Liz Hartman. She is in charge of special events at two lounges in NYC. So if you wanna to book a party at swanky place, look her up! I took the train home with my recording partner Emily Bauer. Emily is a VERY talented VO talent and an awesome person. You check her out at www.emilybauer.com.

I wrote Act One of Episode Eight of Project T.E.R.R.A. So far, so good!

I narrated two and a half sci-fi short stories for Infinivox at Angelo Panetta's studio with the help of his intern Sierra. We ran out of time so I have to go back some time this week to finish the third. As always, Sierra did a great job! BTW "Kin" by Bruce McAllister is the best audio book I've ever narrated. You can read it here. AND I got to have lunch with fellow GKN member Liz de Nesnera that day. We had a great time!

TIP OF THE WEEK: Narrating "Kin" got me thinking about family. I think the saying "blood is thicker than water" is a lot of crap, in a way. I have seen people say and do horrible, unconscionable things to other family members that they would never even think of doing or saying to a non-relative. Another old saying is, "If you treat your friends like you treat your family, you won't have any friends".

I have a small family which I made even smaller. I've "dumped" family members because they just went too far and they're out of my life for good. It's unfortunate, but why should I keep someone in my life who constantly hurts me and the people I love?

Treat your family like you treat your friends. Give them the respect they deserve and don't take them for granted. At the same time, don't let family members treat you like dirt just because you share some genetic material with them. Family is not blood or money. Family is love and love is a verb, not an excuse.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

The arc of the moral universe bends towards justice. Martin Luther King Jr.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Do you treat your family the way you would want to be treated?

Have an amazing week!