Asleep in a park...

It was sunset on Granville Island and he/she was still sleeping.

My first thought was that it was a nice place to sleep.

(my second thought was that I need a longer lens)

At the foot of a park with children playing and owners and dogs running and panting and the sun sparkling off a beautiful fountain and a young asian boy practicing his saxophone.

I thought, 'Well, if you're going to be homeless, this is a pretty nice spot to pick.'

And then I realized that this is his home.

He's not homeless.

He's at home in the park.

And a deep sense of the transitory nature of life washed over me as I stood there.  Who's really to say that he's more homeless than me?  My  house is really just a cobbled together shelter of sticks and plaster and brick.  Yes, I technically 'own' it, but with the disaster looming to the south of us, who's to say who really owns my house.  If the bank 'called' my mortgage today, I'd be forced to move out.

(and thinking that thought makes me think of buying some kind of firearm so I could at least fight off the savings and loan guys for a time...)

Our security is an illusion.

And seeing all the homeless people in Vancouver has got me thinking that maybe they've got a leg up on the rest of us.  Maybe they've tasted an enlightenment born of suffering that the rest of us could benefit from gaining.  Maybe in our never ending quest to keep ourselves insulated from suffering and insecurity we've inoculated ourselves to the glories of an afternoon sleep in the park.

Now, granted, this might all be sounding very silly and ninny-ish and so on.  I get that.  I just wanted to follow that thought down the trail for a bit, because...

It's that sort of wondering, that sort of stream-of-consciousness thinking that leads to story.

For as long as I've been paid to come up with ideas and stories and sermons and speeches and scripts that's how it's happened.  I just go for a walk and something hits me.  Yes, there are days where nothing happens, but then--like a rush--I'll get a flood of ideas.

It's about living your life with your eyes and your heart and your spirit as wide open as possible.

Like this morning (and I didn't have my camera which is why I didn't shoot it which is why you're not seeing it) I saw another sleeping person, curled up at the foot of a storefront window, a storefront window that was part of the Versace store here.  Right above their head every high-end label in the World was printed on the glass.  I thought to myself, "Now, there's a dichotomy, a story, waiting to be told.

And I've found that these 'moments of clarity', these seconds where the timeless realm connects to your terrestrial wanderings, happen to artists and non alike.

So if you find yourself in need of a breakthrough at work or needing inspiration to write your wife (or your daughters) a love letter my suggestion is that you go for a walk.

You never know what you'll see come magic hour.

T

Just so you know I wasn't lyin'...

...about that empty room.

That's me, contrast and exposure pushed with shadows eased, to show you the empty room I was doing my 'openers' to, just a few minutes before we were supposed to start.

Real fun that one.  Opening a show that you're sure (in the moment) is doomed because there's no audience.

But it turned out okay.

www.visiontv.ca  (and) www.joytv.ca will show you the proof.

Pretty crazy stuff.

Oh man, sometimes I wish I was in the ice cream delivery business...

T

Be still my beating heart...

Oh holy crap!

(that's how the room looked like when we started...to see how it looked like when we were done, tune in to VisionTV [in Canada] this Friday night at 9:00pm, or stay tuned to this here blog and I'll post a 'lil somethin' somethin' for you when I get a minute...)

It was six minutes to seven.  

We were supposed to start shooting at seven.  We were supposed to have a couple hundred people in the audience because the political special we were getting ready to shoot was supposed to be one half in-depth interview and one half audience interactive.

It was six minutes to seven and the audience was empty.

That's right.  Not a soul.

I stood there feeling like I was about to die.  "Why is it always like this?  Why is it always so hard?  Why, in spite of all the work you do, does it always seem to not be enough?" So I took two steps towards the mobile truck outside--going to see my Director to talk about changing everything--and, before I could take the third step, one of our handlers walked in.  "We got fifty people!"

Fifty people?

Oh holy crap...

So, I turned on my heel, took a deep breath, got ready to go and by the time we started there were eighty in the audience.  So we switched up our axis (the direction in which we were planning to shoot...) and shot the room so that it looked fuller than it was.

And it turned out okay.  Maybe better than okay.

This friday we'll see how it all turned out, and not before then, because for the most part I was just hanging on for dear life while shooting it.  I told my wife afterward that I felt like I was white water rafting.  That's the thing that happens when you pack a room full of politicians and their partisan crowds.  The room was seriously divided into four and each part would erupt or boo or laugh at different points in the debate--artlessly doing their darndest to push their candidate and denigrate the others.

It felt a lot like high school.

There were moments of honesty but plenty of moments where you could 'tell' that the politicians were stringing you along, delivering a 'line' spinning a tale. Mostly I'm just happy we were able to finish the thing.

And that's the point for you friend.

Even when it's so hard you don't think you'll be able to survive.  Even when you don't have enough time to do it right (we had five days lead time).  Even when the audience doesn't show and one of the political parties pulls out two hours before you're supposed to shoot only to come back online forty five minutes before shooting and even if the room is a hundred degrees 'cause the venue didn't tell you their air conditioning is fluky.  Even if you can't get a word in edgewise because your guests are professional 'talkers'.  Even if it feels like total chaos.

Just keep taking those little steps forward.

Before you know it you'll have achieved something, despite it all.

T

Political call to action...

Okay, so this is what they call living on the wild side.

We're shooting an election special this weekend.  Saturday September 20th we'll be at the Roundhouse in Yaletown (downtown Vancouver) having an in-depth discussion of the ways in which FAITH--the things we believe about the issues we live with every day--is at play in this election.

Our feature guest will be Ms. Elizabeth May, leader of The Green Party.  That's her up top. We're excited to sit down with her, in advance of her first mainstream TV debate with the other four party leaders (Oct 1st and 2nd), to get her take on what this election means from a moral and spiritually tuned-in perspective.

In the second half of the show four local candidates--representing the NDP, Liberal, Progressive Conservative, and Green parties--will take the stage to debate each party's platform and add their unique take on the things Canadians believe and the ways in which they plan to address those beliefs if elected.

So here's why I'm posting this.

I'd like to be able to ask Ms. May and the other candidates questions that YOU send me. Questions from average Canadians, people like me, who care about our country and believe certain things about what's right, what's wrong, what's just, what's unjust and what a government should do to see the truth protected in a pluralist society.

So send me your questions.  I promise to put the best of them to our leaders. And I'll credit you, meaning you'll hear your question read and get a 'shout out' on national television--that would be all across the country--on Friday night, September 26th between 9-11pm.

And maybe--just this once--you could consider letting your friends know about this post, 'cause when it comes to politics, the more the merrier.

Seriously.

More.  Gimme' more people.  'Cause we need your questions.

(and maybe call or email your MP while you're at it or the editor at your local newspaper 'cause if enough people get on it, democracy can work...)

For real.

todd@aiyalonentertainment.com

Stress-business...

So I'm hanging on for dear life.

Doing my best to pull together the political special I referred to in my last post.  It's been a crazy day.  I think I've made well over a hundred phone calls and sent more than that by way of email.  This post has five things worth noting because:

a) You might be a show-biz person and this kind of 'tale from the trenches' story will encourage you re: what you're going to face, have faced, or will face again.

b) You might be a pastor and the whole 'manipulating your way forward for the sake of the common good' theme contained herein might be useful to you.

c) You might just be somebody with a job or a life that sometimes gets out of control and you feel like you're going to drop dead and this here story will help you feel like you're not alone.

So here are the five...

First, we locked everything.  The location fell into place this morning and we locked all four local Member of Parliament candidates (PC, Lib, NDP, Green) so we officially went 'go' with it, put a deposit in with our local production services company, booked flights and basically started burning through money.  The point here is that sometimes, even when a thing is huge and last-minute and seemingly impossible, it can come together if you work hard enough.

(and have money to burn)

Second, near the end of the day we got a call from Jack Layton of the NDP saying he'd come to our event if Prime Minister Harper comes.  That's really cool because it will help us make our case to Mr. Harper's office that this event is one that really matters for Canadians and is something he should make time for.  The point here is that, sometimes--if you hang around long enough just doing what you do--you'll have a surprise 'pinch hit' come in from a benefactor when you least expected it.  So hang in there.

Third, we began to notice some serious interest in the press re: what we're working on here so tomorrow we'll start talking to the press and promoting our event in earnest.  That's potentially fun 'cause it means we'll have a chance to connect with and impact more people. The point here being that you shouldn't even think (at least not too much) about promoting a 'thing' until it begins to show signs of promoting itself.  That 'self promotional urge' usually appears as a result of 'word of mouth' which you can neither create nor control but which simply starts happening as you talk to people in a way that's compelling enough that they start talking to people.  Point being, have something compelling to say, say it with conviction and when you start to notice momentum building, THEN start thinking about how to 'push' what's happening.

Fourth, we got turned down pretty harshly by the Bloc today.  They said (and I do in fact QUOTE) "We don't care about this kind of issue in this election..."

Shocking.

The 'issue' we're talking about is the spiritual faith and beliefs of Canadians.  Our thesis is simply that behind every issue and at the root of every policy there is some kind of belief about what's right, what's wrong, what's just, what's unjust and we feel it's important for voters to know what their potential leaders believe.

So, we're taking that 'slap' and talking about it.

And people are starting to listen.

Point being that, when people attack you or treat you with a lack of respect or indifference, if you keep your brain in gear, you might be able to find a way to turn that 'slight' into something that can help you keep moving forward.

Lemonade from lemons, or something like that.

So, keep at it, keep at it, keep at it.

Oh yeah, then my venue tried to pull out on me.  So fifth--you just can't control anything.

I'm blogging while waiting to hear back from them 'cause I called them and told 'em "Oh no you didn't..."

We'll see.

Such fun...

T

The oldest game in town...

Well maybe not the oldest, but pretty close.

I'm getting involved in politics this week.

(and the price of it has equaled busy-ness to the degree that my blog has been a bit neglected...)

So, this saturday in Vancouver, I'm going to produce/host a two-hour TV special featuring some of the leaders of Canada's major political parties (The Greens have locked, the Liberals and Bloc have expressed strong interest and we're still chasing the PC's and NDP) and all of the main MP candidates for B.C.

The idea is to explore the spirituality of the people, the campaign, and the main issues shaping Canada this time around.

It's an area (the spirituality of it all...) not often well-served.

Our politics tend to get so partisan--Lord knows, I spent much of my youth a near-single-issue-voter--that it's rare to see a discussion that explores the reason/belief that undergirds a policy or an approach to an issue that doesn't devolve into fear-mongering, hate-tactics or some other form of bullheaded silliness.

So, this weekend I'll get a chance to take a stab at it.

We expect to have a thousand people in the room with us and we're hoping for some explosive moments.

The first segment of the special will feature me in one-on-one interview with as many of the leaders as will come, or allow me to visit them this week with a crew, exploring their story, the things they believe about life and how those beliefs impact their approach to politics, democracy and this campaign.

The second segment will be a moderated question and answer segment where the leaders will field questions from average Canadians in the audience then the third segment will see us bid adieu to the leaders and have the local MP candidates from each party join us on-stage for a panel-style debate/discussion followed by Q&A with the audience.

I'm hoping it'll be pretty cool TV.

The special will air nationally on VisionTV on September 26th from 9:00-11:00pm and then repeat on the 28th.

An interesting tidbit for your eyes only is that the Bloc said they'd come but don't have the budget to afford to fly Mr. Duceppe out to Vancouver.  How crazy is that?  So, we said we'd pay. I'll be interested to see what they say to that.

Secondly, I thought you might want to send me some questions you'd like me to ask the leaders.  I'd credit you on the special and you, through me, would get to ask the present and future leaders of the Country the question that's at the heart of the matter from your perspective.

Just thought I'd put it out there.

T

Eight items or less...

I was supposed to be getting a bottle of wine...

It turned into a roast chicken, sushi, eggs, cheese, creamed honey, three cans of peaches, and shredded wheat.

That's nine.

Nine items.

And the 'express lane' at our grocery store is eight items or less.  

Now seeing as it was twenty minutes to closing time and the place was deadsville I figured I'd ask and see.  So I walked up to the express checkout girl and asked her if she was going to count the cans of peaches as one item or as three.  She looked embarrassed, blushed a little, then told me the 'scanner' (let's pass the buck, shall we?) would count 'em as three.

So I smiled, thanked her, turned my cart around and walked over to the less busy of the two remaining checkouts.  

(and each of them was quite busy 'cause the store was conserving staff and shutting things down therefore had only two lanes left open...)

As I walked away I could hear snickering.  People were laughing at me 'cause I turned away from the express lane even though I was only ONE item over.

I walked past the first remaining checkout and it looked pretty busy.  I got to the second remaining and it was even more so.  So I turned around again and returned to the first remaining checkout.

(all of this for a few groceries...)

I took my place in line, unloaded my NINE items, and noticed that the ladies in front of me were smiling at me a bit.  I didn't think much of it.  Sometimes women smile.  Then as they turned to leave, their groceries all packed, the one lady looked me in the eye.

"How many items did you have?" she asked, grinning.  "Well, I had nine."  "Thought so!" and she started laughing, good natured, and her friend with her.  Catching on, I looked at them and smiled in turn.  "Well, you know, it's a pet peeve of mine, people who go through the express lane with ten, thirteen items.  It's like they're telling the rest of us we count for less than nothing.  I just couldn't stand being one of those jerks."

(so self-righteous...)

"Yeah we figured..." said they.  And I took my opening for one last stab for the sake of the light in the dark.  

"Yeah well, you know what they say about righteousness?  It's what you do when no one else is looking..."

They laughed, good natured, and smiled at that too.

And as they walked off I had one of those quietly thankful moments.  Thankful that, for once, I did the right thing.  I didn't act like a numbskull.  I wasn't a jerk.  I did the right thing, just because it was the right thing.

(and Lord knows, that can be a rare thing in the midst of my busy days...)

And that got me thinking about you people and the moments you'll have this week where you can do the right thing--even when/if it inconveniences you.

And then I got to thinking about preachers and storytellers and I realized that you can't fake the good stuff.  Good writers, electric preachers, do it right because something's 'right' inside of them.  I don't mean they're 'all' right--because none of us are--just that sometimes they get things the way they're meant to be gotten.

They get it right.

And you can't fake right.

When no one's looking, when no one's around, you have to be able to go to the quiet place and pull blood from a stone.  You have to find the inspiration to inspire.  You have to anticipate how the audience will be reacting to what you're doing to them with your story/sermon structure and the ways in which you're manipulating the content and storyline and you have to design a piece of work that will mean something to them.

Same thing if you're leading a team at work or trying to make your marriage work.

You have to have it 'right' on the inside 'cause if it 'aint, what you show on the outside 'aint going to be neither.

(southern-ism intended...)

Or to put a twist on what Forest's Momma told him.

"Stupid does what stupid is..."

Right?

Right.

From checkout lines, to storylines.

Doing the right thing needs to come natural or, before you know it, you're a propagandist.

T