Guilty as charged: I don’t really have a good excuse for my lack of posting on this blog. If you give me another 6 months I’ll try to think of something good…maybe even exotic, thrilling and eye-opening. The fact of the matter is that I’ve just been really busy this year and I’ve opted for the quick and easy (140 character or less) type updates. Those of you on Twitter know what I mean. Anyway, I tend to post daily on there so you can always find me at @kiptyn .
One of these days here soon I want to upload some pictures and/or stories from the first half of the year. In the first 6 months of 2011 I found myself in places like Florida, Chicago, Canada (Whistler & Vancouver), Cabo San Lucas (Mex), all over Oregon, Seattle and more. There are some funny stories (maybe even pictures) to share one of these days. For now though I’m staring at an empty suitcase with nothing but a passport next to it. In the morning I’m off to Rome with stops and some time in Chicago and London along the way. Tenley is joining me and after a couple days in Rome we’re heading out on a 7-day cruise through Greece. I will be sure to take some pictures to throw onto this site and/or facebook/twitter.
Alright, off to pack and then grab a few hours sleep. I’ll get back on here more actively in the near future. If possible, I’ll put up a post or two while traveling. Arrivederci!
I know I’m long over-due for a blog post. It’s been an amazing few months so I’ll get back on here soon and put an update together. Sometimes life gets going so fast and while busy living I sometimes forget to take the time to slow down and share recent events. BUT, something I’m very passionate about is taking place this weekend so I wanted to share this with you all. On Sunday, May 1st in Irvine, CA Tenley and I will be participating in the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation walk/run event. PCRF has allowed other nonprofits to register a team and then use their event as a platform to support PCRF but also raise funds for the other nonprofit. Over the last 4 years I’ve been on the board of an organization my Mother founded called Cancer Angels of San Diego. I’ve seen first-hand the incredible impact CASD has on the lives of Stage IV cancer patients. Imagine being too sick to work and all you can think about is how you’re going to feed your kids or keep a roof over their head. Cancer is a tough illness but the physical component is only one part of the devastation. The emotional and mental battle can be equally as tough, especially for those who are so used to being strong and supporting loved ones around them. So, we provide financial assistance for essential living costs to hopefully improve the quality of life for these amazing people when they need it the most. The following is a short video Tenley and I put together to explain the event and the opportunity to get involved if you’re interested.
I know it’s short notice. For those that want to get involved there are a couple options: HOPE STRIDES For CANCER ANGELS TEAM PAGE
1) Sponsor A Walker (make a donation): Choose one of us walkers on the team (myself or one of my teammates) and make a donation. 100% of proceeds go to CASD!
2) Join The Team : Sign-up to walk (in-person or virtually), $35 entry fee goes to PCRF then set your goal and raise funds. 100% of proceeds thereafter goes to CASD!
*If you have any questions please post them here and I’ll try to reply asap.
You are appreciated, whether you can afford to donate at this time or not. Thank you all for your support!
Somehow January found me again and with it comes the realization that I’m still trying to catch up with November/December (and another realization that I may need a 12-step program to get me off these roasted macademia nut and pineapple cravings I’m having post-Hawaii). This blog area is used for a lot of things. In recent blogs it tends to be a place I write…a lot…too much. In fact, if any of you have made it through some of those novels then you deserve a medal of honor. So, to recap November and December 2010 I’m going to go with another school of thought… “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Here are several sets of “thousands of words” with a few other words to accompany them.
November 2010
I was honored to attend and present an award at the Stay Classy Awards recognizing philanthropic achievements across the nation. Video Interview. Some of my other favorite presenters included the founders of Invisible Children, founder of Movember, CEO of Zappos, President of Causecast.org & more.
Celebrating with Melissa & Tye at their baby shower. Great seeing some of the Bachelor Pad group again.
The American Music Awards (AMA) weekend was one I won’t forget. From the early weekend gatherings to the Ne-Yo Afterparty where P-Diddy, Keri Hilson, Jamie Foxx, Kelly Rowland, Ne-Yo and others performed.
December 2010
The 12/5/10 KIIS LA Jingle Ball was epic. Staying with the theme of good music performers from B.O.B, Katy Perry, Enrique Iglesias, Far East Movement, Taio Cruz, Selena Gomez, Nelly…. and more rocked it. Some pics:
12/7/10 Kim Kardashian’s new watch line launch party. A smaller but really fun party.
On 12/11/10 Tenley and I hopped a flight out of San Diego over to Maui. The next series of pictures comes from our 12 days in Maui. Some other pics are posted on Facebook. The aloha adventure…
**The following entry was written Friday night, 11/5/10.
I often post about what I’ve been up to in recent months and all the things I’m doing nowadays. Recent events, however, have brought some memories to the forefront of my mind that are so vivid and unfading that something tells me maybe I’m supposed to share it. The fact of the matter is that it’s been all unfortunate and very sad events…but in the end of all of this somehow I think I’ve been woken up and reminded of a very valuable lesson: Never take life for granted, appreciate every day. While it all started on the other side of the world with news of a tsunami hitting a chain of islands off Sumatra in Indonesia, it was later followed up by the news of one of surfings icons, 3x world champion Andy Irons, passing away. Then, the next day it hit right at home as I got news of the passing of a friend here in San Diego. The media has largely reported on Julien Hug’s passing as he was a fellow cast-mate on “The Bachelorette” last year. We knew each other though distantly before the show and became better friends during and after the show. Out of respect to his family, close friends and our community during this difficult time I only want to touch briefly on this topic to share my thoughts of what a respectable man Julien was. Julien was a true gentleman. Always looking out for others, it was his nature to make sure those around him were experiencing the best life had to offer. He was selfless. One of the most genuine people you’d ever meet. Here’s a picture of Julien at a charity event we were involved with earlier this year alongside San Diego Chargers, Padres, media and friends.
I got the news about Andy on Tuesday. It came following five nights in a row of going to bed with clear as day images of the faces of panicked children as I fished them out of a lagoon following the collapsing of a small bridge outside their village. That was 1999, thousands of miles away in what seemed like another world, the Mentawai islands. Coincidentally it is the place I first met Andy. Though unrelated, these two tragedies happening one week apart have somehow opened a treasure chest of memories in my mind. And so the story goes…
It was 1999 and a group of friends and I wanted to make the most of our Summer break from school and take a trip somewhere we’d never thought of going. Growing up surfing together the natural selection was a surf destination. We’d heard of a chain of islands off Indonesia with the best waves in the world. We didn’t know many people who had been but we’d seen pics in the magazines and heard amazing stories from some of the pros. Fast forward past numerous medical shots in preparation, renewing passports, a drunken layover in Hong Kong (who knew international flights gave free drinks the whole way… and 18 was old enough), two unforgettable days in Sumatra attending a local wedding and feeding monkeys along the mountain side; we finally boarded our boat and sailed off in the dark for a 12 hour journey to the tip of the Mentawaii island chain. We were young, we didn’t have much money and our boat reflected that…a slow sailing fishing boat that was forced to get a makeover now that some wide-eyed kids from the US heard about the hidden surf gem just 12 sailing hours off land. All heart, we loved that boat.
We spent the first two days surfing incredible waves all alone. At that point the trip had already far exceeded any of my wildest hopes. Day 3 we pulled up off a small island and couldn’t get the anchor down fast enough as we salivated looking out at the most perfect waves we’d ever seen. After nearly 3 hours in the water with my 6 friends, 4 were headed back to our boat just as another boat was pulling up. It had been 72 hours since we’d seen anyone else so this was actually a welcome site, we didn’t mind sharing. 2 guys jumped off their boat and paddled their boards into the lineup. It was two of the top pros in the world, Chris Ward and Andy Irons. (For kids reading at home who don’t surf, this would be the equivalent of having Lebron James pull up to join you to shoot some free throws on a golden court in the middle of nowhere…. Golf? Um, like having Tiger Woods (pre-scandal) swing by your house and ask if you’re up for a quick 18. Do you follow?). For 2 more hours my buddy and I shared the best waves in the world with 2 of the best surfers in the world. To this day, it was the best waves of my life. I will never forget that session, I will never forget that whole experience. Andy went on to win 3 world titles and play a key role in the evolution of surfing. I later hung-out with him among groups of friends a few more times. Him and I never became very close but some of my close friends became his closest friends. Those that knew him well said all good things. Sadly Andy passed away Tuesday from complications after catching Dengue fever while traveling with the surf tour. The whole surf community has mourned this loss. This video here, created by renowned surf photographer Brian Bielmann, pays tribute to Andy.
The Mentawai surf trip of ’99 was more than just surfing. It was a life experience I’ll never forget. While it was the best surfing of my life and I was in heaven in the water, the next three parts to this story all took place on land (or near it) within about 24 hours:
“IT SEEMED LIKE A GOOD IDEA AT THE TIME”: After 6 days on the boat the guys and I were ready to put our feet on dry land and explore a bit. We pulled up near a small island and the zodiac brought us as close to land as possible, dropped us and we waded our way to shore. At this time there was 5 of us total. After walking along shore for several hundred yards we noticed a small rock island, maybe 8 feet in diameter, about 100 feet off shore. At the top of the rock line was a bit of soil and amazingly a single, beautiful palm tree standing about 15 feet high. We had to take a picture on this little “island” which seemed so out of place. We waded out towards the mini island. I was in the front of our single file line and when I got about 30 feet away I noticed the silver lining all throughout the various holes in the rock. Strange, yet stunning. I got to about 5 feet away when I came to a sudden stop, arms out to the side, guy behind me nearly knocking me over. I realized something which at the time I remember thinking may be the last thing I ever realize. In these beautifully silver lined holes were eyes…lots of eyes….to clarify: snakes, lots of snakes. Thick, large, silver snakes coiled in the holes. There must have been 50 of them averaging somewhere around 6-8 feet in length I’m guessing. They were looking at me like “Seriously? You’re kidding, right?” Several of the snakes raised their heads… I quietly, yet rapidly repeated a highly intelligent phrase which cued my amigos to back up, like immediately ” sss, ssssnnnnaaaa, sssssnnnnnaaaaaakkkke, ssssssnnnnnaaakkkeeeessss, SNAKES, SNAKES, SNAKES!!!” After no more than two calm collected steps we were all like screaming school girls splashing through the water in a crazed dash for dry land. Thankfully the snakes stayed put. I imagine them laughing amongst themselves imitating us passing the story down to younger snake generations. “Remember the time…”
YOU NEVER WANT TO PISS OFF A WOMAN, ESPECIALLY THESE WOMEN: After just barely surviving the snake encounter the guys I decided maybe we were better off on that boat. We’d seen all the lush, wild landscape we felt like we needed to see. (More accurately we’d all screamed like girls and tossed our man-card miles away so we were putting our tails between our legs and heading back to the boat to drink a beer and resuscitate any sliver of machismo we still had left). We had literally taken about 10 steps when we heard rustling in the bushes up ahead. We could only imagine what kind of wild beast this could be. We all were at a stand-still staring at the bushes up ahead when out popped a woman. Sounds great right? Like the beginning to some deserted island joke with a magically appearing gorgeous woman? Thank you genie! Well, no. This woman was soon joined by about 15 other women…with shaved heads….carrying sacks slung over one shoulder….all carrying machetes. For those who don’t know what a machete is it’s a sword-like knife, a very, very large knife. No smiles, no hellos, no waving, just angry looks on their faces. Great, now we’re realizing we’ve not only invaded the snakes island but apparently there are humans here and judging by the looks of things they aren’t happy to see us. They walked towards us and all five guys stood steady, awkwardly trying to smile, wave, show some sign of anything non-intimidating. Like they would ever be scared of us. They approached us, slowed, looked us up and down, then continued on there way right past us. We took our first breath in what seemed like minutes, then bolted for the zodiac.
BURNING BRIDGES IS BAD. BREAKING BRIDGES? WELL THAT’S BAD TOO: One day after snakes and women with machetes we had made our way down the island chain to one of the largest islands we’d seen. This spot had one of the more well known waves as well. After a great day of surf our boat captain informed us that this island actually has a small village on it and he’d love to show us to the locals. Though our first land experience hadn’t gone as planned we thought we’d give it another shot accompanied this time by a respected local man. On land we made our way down a short trail and in the opening sure enough was a small village. Huts everywhere, livestock in enclosed areas, and kids, lots of kids! The kids came up to us jumping up and down with excitement and pointing. Mind you, we were surfers and four of the six guys had very blond hair (myself excluded) and the kids hadn’t seen much of this. They loved it. About a dozen kids came to our sides and walked with us for about a quarter mile where we came upon a large lagoon of sorts. There was a man-made bridge consisting of several columns in the water meeting up with long beams of wood laid across the columns. The captain told us to all get on the bridge so he could take a picture of us with the kids. “Will it hold us all?” After he responded yes and I asked if he was sure twice and he repeated twice “Trust me” we all said ok and gathered up on the bridge. The captain stood 30 yards away, camera in hand at eye level, counting. “1, 2, …” Have you ever heard wood snap before? It’s a loud, quick, sharp noise that is unmistakable… and we were hearing it. Time slowed as the wood snapped and I remember almost everyone around me plummeting (though only 4 feet) down into the water. Three of us remained on the columns and if it wasn’t for the screaming child pinned next to me in the wood I would have jumped in the water after the other kids. I looked down and to this day I will never forget the look of fear on this poor child’s face. Stuck between beams of wood and half-submerged in the water he was looking at me frozen with panic. I pulled him up out of the wood and was holding him in my arms when I realized the others were in trouble too. All the kids were screaming. My buddies were rounding them up and keeping them above water as apparently some didn’t know how to swim. In quick fashion, almost like trained professionals, we had half the guys in the water passing the kids up to the guys on the columns whom proceeded to swing the kids over to land just feet away. When something unexpected like that happens you don’t think, you just act. It felt like forever but it really must not have been more than 60 seconds before we had all the kids back on dry land. The cries stopped and next thing we knew the kids were laughing and jumping around hugging each other and smiling. Here we were thinking we traumatized these poor kids for life and they shook it off like nothing. Some still bleeding a little, splinters abundant, tears still wet on their faces and they’re celebrating. I’ve never seen anything like it.
Those are the faces I’ve seen in my mind for many nights now when I’m trying to fall asleep. I flash back to those kids scared for their lives trapped in broken wood pieces after the collapsing bridge. Then I see them safe on land, celebrating. But then, the wheels in my mind turn, wondering are they ok today? The tsunami that hit the Mentawai islands on October 25, 2010 hit square on this main island I write about. A surf camp had been built there since and many locals had built out that small village. The tsunami killed at least 400 inhabitants of the islands. We don’t hear much about it, it’s on the other side of the world, it’s remote, it’s just a spot on the map to many. But for me I still see those kids and I can’t help but wonder, 11 years later, are they still there and if so, did they make it through that catastrophic tsunami. I remember them as kids, 8,9,10 years old with terrified looks on their faces as we scrambled to save them after wood met water. Then I see them as I imagine them now, eleven years later, facing a natural disaster exponentially more severe then our scare many years ago. They are the rescuers this time, maybe husbands and wives, reaching out for the hands of screaming children around them. It’s a helpless feeling. I’ll likely never how this story really played out. I know, however, that I won’t forget the way the news of this catastrophe made me feel. I’ll remember the experiences I had in the Mentawai islands and I’ll always remember the people. Most importantly, I’ll learn from this and never take a day for granted. Life is a gift. My heart goes out to all the individuals who lost their lives and to the family and friends of those lost. This video shows some of the damage and reports on the experience:
I always try to post about positive things. I love to make people smile, share a laugh, or hopefully inspire them in some way. While the nature of this entry is ultimately somber, there is in my mind a feeling of hope and possibility. Why, you ask? I’ll tell you. This last week has been difficult. Some tough things happened and while it started on the other side of the world it ended, for me, here in my hometown. But I was reminded of something. Life is not guaranteed. Every day is to be appreciated, lived to the fullest. Sometimes it takes these unfortunate circumstances to wake the rest of us up. If not, then why? Ultimately there is a lesson to be learned. In some strange way I feel like those that we lose are, whether intentionally or not, sending us a message to get us off our butts and live our lives. Are you living the life you dreamed of? Do those that you care about know that you care? If the answer is “no” to either of those questions then do something about it. Life is an opportunity in and of itself. And we, whether we realize it or not, have the power to do something, anything we want.
These are the thoughts that I’ve relocated from my head to my keyboard. I’m done talking and writing about it, it’s time to resume being about it. I’m off to celebrate life…
It’s been a few weeks since I last posted. As I sit here in my hotel room in Calgary, Alberta, Canada I’m thinking now would be a good time to update the blog with some of the “goings-ons.” My last blog was published at 1AM on the morning of Friday, September 24th. Lets pick up from there…So after some sleep and a work-filled morning I headed down to Coronado to support United Cerebral Palsy in their Celebrity Waiter Luncheon. Great cause receiving strong support that day.
The following day (Saturday 9/25) showed up with 80+ degree heat, zero wind and clear skies. A group of us headed to the beach with surfboards and Stand-Up Paddle boards. It was pretty much a perfect day, complete with great waves, sunshine and an incredibly friendly pod of dolphins that cruised along the coast with us coming within a few feet from us a couple times. I wish I had a picture of that…but unfortunately that image is only stored in my mind, not on any camera, so here’s a picture of my buddy on the first wave of the day.
Later that night my family, Tenley and I attended the annual gala for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation – San Diego branch. I have several friends with CF, the first of whom I got to know when I was a young child. I got to see her and her mother honored that night…what an incredible night. Here is my friend immediately following her speech being greeted by her husband and son.
Monday I headed up to LA to attend an event for Frownies benefiting the Lili Claire Foundation. It happened to be the hottest day ever on record in Los Angeles but we all lucked out as the event was in the evening over the water on a yacht. The event was a good mix of people (one of which was Snooki, whom was a host of the event) supporting a great cause.
OCTOBER:
October 1&2: I opened the month in Orange County joining Tenley at OC Style Week as a guest judge of their fashion show. The part I judged was sponsored by Cadillac and involved the designers creating a gown that incorporated actual car parts. That’s the answer to the riddle for those of you wondering how a dude like me judged an evening gown competition…it had car parts, ok? (In all seriousness it was actually really impressive). Here’s a pic of 1) the event host Project Runway’s Nick Verrios, Tenley and I at the show then 2) the pool at the incredible Pelican Hill Resort the event producers were kind enough to put us up at and 3) the fashion show runway.
10/9: After a week of a lot of work with my current businesses and exciting meetings for my new businesses in the works, I was ready for a relaxing weekend at home. Ready for and actually happening are two different things. What actually happened was I hopped on a plane for a quick trip to Las Vegas. And I’m so glad I did. I was honored to attend the Agassi Foundation “Grand Slam For Children” event. Andre Agassi is a true philanthropist whom clearly cares so much about this cause. I’m a huge fan of any celebrity who actually rolls up their sleeves and gets involved with a cause instead of just attaching their name or throwing money to it. The night was filled with a guest list like I couldn’t believe. David Blaine was seated next to me at our table so I spent the night bouncing from inspiration from the event to total disbelief as David showed me some mind-blowing tricks….show off. Performers included Elton John, Rob Thomas, Jason Mraz, Jennifer Hudson and many more (not to mention some comedy relief from 73 year old Bill Cosby!). Here are some of the pics from that night. One funny note: Jason Mraz is a friend of mine whom I first met years ago as he was involved with an event in our hometown I direct for Switchfoot. Jason and I were talking before his performance at Agassi’s event and we took a quick picture together. Tenley was standing there and took a pic as well. Notice the difference in his expression in my pic compared to Tenley’s pic. Oh the power of a beautiful woman. Jason’s girlfriend is one of my closest female friends, singer/songwriter Tristan Prettyman, so I’ll let this one slide as I know she makes him smile the biggest. But it was too funny not to post. (Pics included- some red carpet, Andre Agassi working the crowd, Jennifer Hudson singing alongside a student from Agassi’s charter school, Jason Mraz “enough said” pics, David Blaine doing his thing).
10/10/10: Last year on 9/9/09 I started a campaign online for people to do 9 positive acts in 9 days. This year we did it again with #10for10 consisting of 10 positive acts in 10 days. Any little thing counts. After completing an act people were asked to share it online. One thing that I’d like to add here (as I have more than 140 characters) is that this campaign isn’t about doing something and sharing so you can get praised by others. It’s about doing something and sharing it as it might inspire others to do something positive as well. Every day each of us does plenty of good (opening & holding doors for others, recycling, etc). We do these things without thinking. This campaign was about doing something consciously each day and then sharing so others might be introduced to a new idea and/or inspired and want to pay it forward. The movement has been a huge success. Thank you to everyone who got involved.
10/11 & 10/12: After returning home from Vegas the day before, I came up to LA today (Monday) to attend Dancing With The Stars. I’ve been to the show a handful of times now but it blows me away every time…some amazing performances and to see them power through non-stop making live TV is impressive. Tuesday we came back for the elimination day and cheered for the Goo Goo Dolls while they performed and “awwww’d” for Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino as he was sent packing. Following DWTS we headed over to The Viceroy in Santa Monica for the Cirque du Tacori event hosted by InStyle. It was complete with circus like performances (pictured) and folks from all over North America. Good company to work for apparently. (Bachelor Fans- I hadn’t been back since, but The Viceroy hotel is where I went on my first group date (April 2009) on The Bachelorette. A night in which my friend Jillian Harris and I had our first kiss and Juan faked a shot which brought about David Good’s famous “Man Code” reference). Here’s are pics from that night showing that Tacori has learned how to hire awesome entertainment and Tenley and I still haven’t learned to look at the same camera at the same time. Other brief notes on the night can be found online or at this People Magazine link.
BRING ON CANADA…
Every now and again I am fortunate enough to get hired by production companies to come support events. This month I’m visiting Canada for the Edmonton Woman’s Show October 16&17 and the Calgary Woman’s Show October 23&24. I did the Calgary show last Fall with “The Bachelorette” buddies Reid Rosenthal, Michael Stagliano and Jesse Kovacs. I did Edmonton last April on my own. This time around I was lucky to be invited back and I was asked by the show producers (now friends) to help select the other guys to invite. Joining in both Edmonton and Calgary are buddies Jesse Beck, Jesse Kovacs and Dave Good (all whom participated in “Bachelor Pad”). I’ll post pics from this year’s events after it’s all said and done. I’m currently in Calgary with some time off before the guys and I do TV promotion Friday and then attend the show Saturday. Here are a couple pics from last Fall’s show in Calgary.
SIGNING OFF… If you’re still here reading this I’m really, really impressed. I mean honestly, could these blogs get any longer? I’ll try to do a better job in the future of posting more frequently. That will hopefully prevent the novel length entries. Cheers to all. Until next time…
I woke up this past Monday and the dust was just starting to clear. 5 days up in LA, a journey that started and ended in San Diego with my head hitting the pillow in Orange County many nights in between. See, the prior Monday (9/13) was the Bachelor Pad finale and it also happened to be my Mother’s birthday. Tenley joined the family for dinner and wouldn’t you know it her parents just landed at the San Diego airport, from Scotland nonetheless, just in time to join my fam and I for the finale. Can you visualize it? Tenley, myself and both our parents all gathered together in the movie room and ready for it to rain…cash…$250,000 to be exact. The perfect storm. One slight problem, the storm passed over Tenley&Kiptyn-ville and “rained” supreme on our neighboring empire Natalie&David…ville. Tenley and I have solidified our spot in Bachelor history as #1 at being #2. So there’s the comical introduction to a whirlwind experience that ended recently. High-fives and knuckle bumps to my friends Natalie and David for emerging victorious. Also, a big group (cyber) hug to the other cast mates. It was an honor to participate with all of them in the first ever Bachelor Pad.
Tuesday (9/14): I woke up Tuesday and decided the world has so much to offer and I chose to keep my head up and continue on the path to all those things I’ve been dreaming about. In a nutshell, my life is ahead of me and it’s time to look forward. So lets look back at it. Confused? Me too. Tuesday morning I left my office mid-day to shoot up to LA to join Tenley on her usual spot on “The Daily 10″ on the E! network. Filming that was a lot of fun. It was great to meet Catt Sadler and unfortunately hometown buddy (and co-host) Sal Masakela was gone to Toronto for the film festival. However, I still did get my hometown friend filler when it turned out a long time friend was the make-up artist on staff. Talk about an awkward but really funny moment, having a friend from highschool powdering my face. I was mid conversation catching up with her when I heard “In 3-2-1″ and jumped into my chair next to Tenley for the interview. The interview was quick and Catt’s energy definitely made it a good time.
Following the interview Tenley and I popped over to a store in Hollywood called Artisan de Luxe to pick-up some new threads. Very unique stuff, one-off clothing with some pretty cool clothes. We appreciated the introduction to their clothing line and it was very generous of them to have us in. Actually, I don’t think “appreciated” cuts it when I’m talking about Tenley and clothing. This woman lights up like a Christmas tree when anything wardrobe related comes up. I’m pretty sure I could cure the worst of her days by repeating any number of phrases made up of words like “styling…wardrobe…free…gifting” The funny thing is she is so incredibly naturally beautiful that she could wear anything and still look good. Anyway, the stop over was a good time and the clothing was much appreciated. Big thank you to Artisan de Luxe and the folks that set that up.
Wednesday (9/15): Wednesday I spent most of the day catching up on business before getting back in the car and re-visiting that ever familiar 405 freeway. Back to LA that evening to film a reality show about reality shows. I know, confusing…again. The show is called Reality Obsessed and it airs throughout Canada. Basically the host of the show works with different reality personalities in an effort to get answers on big picture questions about reality tv. In this particular episode the host wants to know about reality tv weddings. In the episode Natalie Getz plays the role of the bride, Holly Durst the maid of honor and I play the best man to the groom to be Murtz, the host of the show. A lot of laughs this day and a pretty random experience. This should be fun to watch…in 2011…in Canada only.
Thursday (9/16): Another day of waking up in Orange County but tonight my head hits the pillow in LA. Thursday evening Tenley and I drove up to LA to attend the Macy’s Passport Glamorama event supporting “Aids Project Los Angeles” and “Project Angel Food.” This was one of those cool experiences that I never really planned on doing much of. We arrived at the place we were staying and there was a private car waiting for us that the event coordinators sent to take us to the event. So nice of them. I won’t bore you with the hollywood details or red carpet talk…that’s not me. I’ll just say that I enjoyed the event, greatly appreciate the invites and it’s pretty cool to experience different things in life and while I never aspired to do anything “hollywood” I still appreciate the opportunity to do things like this. Lots of stories from that night. Met some great people and got to see some old friends. The show was pretty impressive. I know I’m supposed to comment on the fashion they were highlighting that night but that too is not my style and I have to say it takes a back seat to the super impressive little kids doing the dance performances. I’m talking 10 year olds just ripping the stage…really impressive.
Friday (9/17): Waking up in LA on Friday meant there was less miles to drive but more to do. I took Tenley to meet Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough at the dance studios as she was interviewing them for E! network’s coverage of “Dancing With The Stars.” From there we went to the actual E! building studios to film “The Dish.” What a blast this was! We had just received the short script the night before and literally laughed out loud reading through it so we figured the biggest challenge would be keeping a straight face filming it. We had fun and it ended up being a one-take thing luckily because our next commitment was in Burbank 20 minutes away in…well, 20 minutes. We pulled into the Disney studio lot just in time to meet up with Dave, Natalie and Elizabeth from Bachelor Pad. The 5 of us were participating in ABC’s Fall Launch party. At the event we did some question and answer, signed some pics and got to meet some very friendly people. I think most of the people there worked for ABC or Disney. Seems like a pretty cool company to work for. After the event we drove back to Orange County and tried something new…relaxing for the night.
Saturday (9/17): Waking up in Orange County with some time to enjoy the day was great. Breakfast out, some errands, some exercise and then back up to LA. We met up with Ali, Roberto and friends to celebrate Ali’s birthday. The night started at Ali’s friends house then moved to a great restaurant for dinner and ended at Sky Bar at the Mondrian Hotel. I’ve quickly become a big fan of the Ali-Roberto pairing. Those two treat each other really well and really seem to have a very genuine relationship. Good people, good to see.
Sunday (9/18): After several days in LA Sunday was dedicated to catching up on life and of course Sunday football. Following a relaxing yet productive day Tenley and I went to the Canstruction event benefiting the Orange County Food Bank on Sunday night. Try to picture really elaborate structures built only from canned food. Impressive right? The structures are up for a couple weeks and then all the cans are donated. I like the idea. This may be a bit of a tangent but one of the unexpected highlights of the night was the guy providing the live music. Check out Denny White. A really talented pianist and his voice kind of reminds me of James Morrison…that soul sound but really big voice.
Alright, that blog is officially 18.5 times as long as I had intended it to be. I promised myself I’d get that up online before coming into this weekend. It’s now after 1Am Friday morning and I’ve got a long weekend ahead of me. I’ll be sure to update the site with details on this weekends events after it all plays out. Hope you have a great weekend as well!
Hello!!! It’s good to be back online. I wanted to shoot a quick note of thanks to everyone for emails, twitters, facebook messages, etc. I’m honestly overwhelmed and so appreciative for all your support. It’s Tuesday (9/14) morning and I’m packing up some things and heading out on the road for the next few days. There are some good things in the works. I’ll throw up a blog post on here from time to time to update everyone on the adventure. Thanks again for sharing these experiences with me. Last nights Bachelor Pad finale was a wild ride and to be totally honest I didn’t know how I’d feel as it all played out. Oddly enough, thanks to everyone online, family and friends… I felt like I won. In some ways, money aside, I did win. Thank you all for helping me see that. Congrats to my friends Natalie and Dave for their victory on Bachelor Pad. They played a good game. Big thanks to the other 16 cast members as well for sharing this experience together. Ok, I’ll be back on here shortly to update this weeks adventure. First stop today is LA to join Tenley on E! channels Daily 10 show. Cheers!
I’ll be actively posting to this blog page following the airing of ABC’s “Bachelor Pad” finale on September 13th, 2010. I’ll be counting down until then!
I got the news about Andy on Tuesday. It came following five nights in a row of going to bed with clear as day images of the faces of panicked children as I fished them out of a lagoon following the collapsing of a small bridge outside their village. That was 1999, thousands of miles away in what seemed like another world, the Mentawai islands. Coincidentally it is the place I first met Andy. Though unrelated, these two tragedies happening one week apart have somehow opened a treasure chest of memories in my mind. And so the story goes…
