My agent calls today to tell me that the pilot for "Good Morning Miami" is being re-shot. I'm glad that I am still in it. It is going to overlap with the "Honda" shoot a little, but it should work out.

Today one of my brother's leaves to go back to Virginia, he had been in town for a week and a half. It was great to finally have him here in LA. He had never been this far away from home and he was able to see what I do on a daily basis.More to come.....

I get the word that I booked the "Honda/Japan" spot!! This is really good news. It is on-camera commercial, internet, print & movie theatres. They are also saying that the same 3 guys may be doing more spots in the future. It feels good to have gotten this with no appointment. Also, my buddy Greg tells me that he booked one of the leads in a film that shoots for 6 weeks in South Africa. Cool!!

Today I attended a free career festival @ one of the many acting schools/workshop places around town. It was just something to keep me busy and learn more about the specific industry professionals that were in attendance.

YES! We get a callback as a group; well 4 out of the 6 of us did and it went great. The whole callback session was groups. It was one of those rare situations where I really felt the job was mine. We also knew that they were only going to hire 3 of whatever group they chose. Oooops. I began to think about if I got the job but Craig didn’t. Ewww! Anyway, my agent called later in the afternoon to say I was still in the running.

This is one of the main reasons I get in my car everyday and do drop-offs. You never know what you might run into when you are out in the field.

Alright!!! Another commercial audition, and this time I was requested by the casting director Jeff Gerrard. Cool! This is where I am trying to get-on the list of being in demand at least somewhat. The audition went pretty well but not great, it shoots in Dallas in a couple of weeks. I would LOVE to go to Dallas in a couple of weeks. Time will tell I guess.

On the way home I stopped by Chelsea Studios to drop off photos to commercial CD's. Actually, I wasn't even dropping of for me I was doing for some friends. I usually carry their photos with me as well. I had already dropped mine the other day.

Anyway, as I am crossing the street I see a group of four Caucasian crossing as well. I'm thinking "what the heck are they going in for"? I figure I look just like those guys; other than being black of course. As I get closer I see that I know one of the guys, Craig Welzbacher. We have attended workshops together in the past.

Craig asked me if I was here for "Honda/Japan". I say no, but I will check it out and see if they are seeing African-American guys as well. Craig gives me the low-down on the situation. Turns out, Craig was the one with the appointment actually a call-back. He was told to bring 3-4 of his friends. So he gave me the green-light to join his group. Thanks Craig!! We went in and had a great time. A callback would be nice. This is one the main reason that I get in my car everyday and do drop-offs. You never know what you might run into when you are out in the field.

Today I went to Broadcast Preview @ the Television Academy of Art & Sciences. What they do is to show a preview of all of the new shows for the upcoming fall season. I was surprised to actually see quick shots of myself in the pilots for "Life with Bonnie" & "Good Morning Miami". Hopefully they will really be recurring roles.

My first appointment since I've been back. I go in for "Providence". I felt like it went well enough. Hopefully, I will get a callback this week. On Monday I have a request appointment for a commercial. Things are starting up. Yeah!!

Today I attended the public hearing on paid casting director workshops in Van Nuys. Interesting to say the least. The day consisted mostly of people who are in support of workshops expressing their feelings. I must say I was surprised that very few people who are against them even bothered to show up. It seems, to me, like a mostly stupid debate. I mean if you don't want to do them then-DON'T!! It ain't rocket science. An interesting thing to me is that most of the people say that they don't learn anything in these seminars. That's fine, but they try to get me to say the same. How can you not learn anything? The outcome one way or another won't affect me all that much, but I would like to remain a choice for those who might want to use the tool.

Back in the saddle!! I'm home, here in LA once again. I am so ready to rock & roll. My vacation was great, but now it's time to get busy. Call my agents; stop by so that they "see me in the flesh". So much of this business is "out of sight, out of mind".

Today, on my last day of vacation, I went to a get-together with the core group of friends that I grew up with. I hadn't seen these guys in from 8-11 years. This was a wonderful culmination of great vacation.

My last day in NY. I get breakfast in Harlem, shoot down to the Village to find a hat and some earrings and back up to the Samuel Beckett Theatre to see my friend Gillian Foss in a play. It was a wonderful piece by Mike Leigh titled "Smelling a Rat", also in the cast were Michelle Williams from "Dawson's Creek" and Eddie Kaye Thomas from "American Pie 1 & 2". Gillian and I worked together at The Harley Davidson Cafe. I got to speak with her briefly after the show and off to Newark International Airport I was.

My birthday was yesterday the 28th and my NY friends Genine & Chanel took me to see R&B singer Teena Marie to celebrate. While she was buying the tickets I stayed in the car since it was double parked on 42nd Street. Right at that moment a limo pulled up, I thought it might be Teena coming in for her sound check. It was and I got a photo with her. Yesterday, I also got to hang out with a fellow cast member of the play I was in back in '97, Marcuis Harris.

Today I went to the site of the World Trade Center. To say it was unbelievable would be putting it mildly. To actually be in the space that I've seen in such a tragic way was something I can't even describe. I can't even imagine what it was like 8-9 months ago. I got off at the Brooklyn Bridge stop on the 4/5/6 subway line and was walking toward the memorial hearing the typical "sounds of New York". Ya know the hustle, the bustle, the confusion, the tension. As I approached the memorial all of that stopped. It seemed like that city block, in the middle of downtown NYC, was protected. There was a feeling of calm in the air that was something I had never experience before in such a normally frenetic place. Once I actually got to the site of the many buildings that were no longer standing, I was speechless. My older brother used to work in one of the towers; I had been in the towers and have a photo that I took from the top of one of them. I hope we, human beings, never have to experience anything so tragic ever again.

YES!!! This morning I am on my way to the Big Apple! Yeah!! New York City! It's been almost 2 years since I have been there. Kazarian-Spencer & Associates (KSA), my commercial agency in LA, just opened an office in NY. I'll stop by to say "hi", I just want them to know who I am because you never know. I really want to keep a solid connection to NY. I also stopped in to see my former NY theatrical agent, Penny Luedtke of The Luedtke Agency, just to say "hello" and see how she is doing. This trip to NY is also to see some old friends that I haven't seen for a while, some of which I worked with at the, now defunct, Harley-Davidson Cafe in mid-town Manhattan. I have very fond memories of living in New York and may one day again in the future. Oh yeah, I got a ticket on Orbitz.com for 85 bucks traveling from Virginia to NYC. WHAT!!! That is cheaper, faster and just better all the way around than the Greyhound bus I usually take.

Twice this week I visit my former acting teachers classes. I normally stop in to get a dose of the early Meisner exercises and watch scenes being performed. It is always a good experience and it brings back fond memories. Since I have New York and LA experience, many of the students wanted to ask questions of me. It's kinda weird being in the hot seat with people actually listening to what I have to say.

Okay I'm back home and ready to rock & roll. I contact the two agents in town, that I know of, one of them has a "Bell South" audition for me the following Tuesday. It's in North Carolina at the regions most important casting office, but it's 300 miles one way. It kinda felt like it was a cattle call so I declined. The other agency never called me back.

YES!! I am out of here!!! I'm on my way to LAX to go home to Virginia for damn near a month. This is what I have been working for, to be able to do exactly this. Go home and spend time with my family. I am probably staying a little too long because there is still work to be had in LA, but I need a break. I routinely burn the candle at both ends.

Monday morning and I want my mommy!!! No, seriously my arm has gone absolutely nuts. I go back in to the doc first thing and he sends me to a specialist a Cedars-Sinai Hospital. They check to see if I have any blood clots in my arm. I seem to check out okay and by the next day the swelling has subsided. Whew!!! Not cool. Doctor appointments mess up my damn schedule!! Anyway, thankfully it seems to pass.

WHAT!!! Okay it looks like I have to go to the doctor, my arm is out of control. Seriously. So I go in and, believe it or not, the process was pretty painless. The doctor didn't really know what it was; he thought that I had been bitten by something. They X-rayed my elbow, which was fine and put me on medication. The doctor tells me to come back on Monday or at least call.

Also, I have audition for "Pizza Hut" today. The interesting thing is that it is same CD and director as the "IBM" spot I recently booked. Rumor has it that they use a lot of people over and over and don't do a lot of callbacks. Cool!! That's why they were on my target list.