Graduation Post: Post-Graduation....~Emails~
2006-07-20, 11:55 a.m.

Yo Chris,

Thanks for the �welcome home�. It was hard to leave Michigan as I really wanted to spend more time with you while we were there and it was difficult to have to share you with the others. You were clearly the star of the season as graduation is a very important milestone in anyone�s life and it was great to see you getting the attention that you richly deserved.

My thoughts were on you for most of the trip home. Up until now, I always knew what was ahead in your life��it was going back to school in the next grade. But, this time, I wasn�t sure of what your plans might be and I confess I felt a little uncomfortable. I kept a thought rolling around in my head�.�what could I have done to help him more in getting prepared for life or�.what can I do to help him now/?�. As our first and most special grandson, both Nona and I feel a special obligation to do all that is in our power to help you in the career of your choice.

We know, as I am sure you do, that your Mom and Dad would be extremely proud and pleased if you chose to attend MSU and get a degree there�.and this would clearly help you in you life�s pursuit of money, wealth and prosperity. Nevertheless, and I am sure they realize this as well, college is not for everyone and many people achieve success and fame without ever placing a foot in a college class room. I know that your vision in life is to work in the film industry as an actor, director or producer and I have no doubt whatsoever that you can succeed. It won�t be easy, of course, as virtually everyone that pursues this dream reports that there are some very lean years before you become known in the field, but the sacrifice is certainly worth it to those who ultimately succeed. My own opinion is that whatever your goal or objective in life is��you need every edge that you can get. Life is tough�real tough and preparation seems to make all of the differences in the world. Luck seems to favor those who are prepared. In our conversations, you mentioned Full Sail College in Orlando and that seemed to make a lot of sense to me. Getting enrolled there would clearly put you in touch with the professionals in the film industry. You would have access to MGM Studios, Universal Studios, Disney Productions and hundreds of performing arts centers in which to get that necessary experience to go along with that education.

Accordingly, I would like you to consider this proposition: See if you can get enrolled in Full Sail and if you can, you can stay with us while you are attending school. I will get you your own car and make sure that you have spending money. No strings attached. If you are successful in life, our only request will be occasional tickets to First Night performances and, of course, tickets to your first Oscar nomination. Think about it.

We are having a great time with Diana and she has been the perfect house guest. We are getting ready to go to Daytona Beach for a swim. We will stop and get some Kentucky fried chicken and have a picnic at the beach. We have had a ball so far telling her stories about your Dad when he was young and, of course, stories about the Florida visits with you and also Becca. She swims a lot in the pool next door and never seems to tire of that.

Well, Nona�s calling me to get ready so I have to go. Stay in touch and let me know if there is any help that we can give you anytime. (I loved �Batman Begins�)

Your loving Nona and Papa

~~

My reply:

On the day of my Open House, I couldn't help but feel a strong nervousness. Some people, such as many of my friends, were overly excited about their open houses. It's natural for one to love so much attention, of course, and for the occasion of graduation, it's everybody's favorite kind of party: a party for themselves.

Sure, they were nervous about their Open Houses, but not as I was. They had a fun nervousness...the kind any child has on the morning of their birthday. They wonder what kind of surprise party their friends are going to throw them. Of course, too often do people realize that there is a party, and the surprise aspect is sufficiently ruined. I'm that way. I don't like surprises (at my last birthday party...one of which I was completely clueless about...I was offended at first because I saw all my friends together at the restaurant...without me).

But my nervousness never left me. It was surprise after surprise...greeting each and every person who came to this party, celebrating my graduation from high school. Of course, I appreciated each and every person who showed up...I loved seeing everybody...and seeing everybody together. I loved that I could talk to somebody, and that there was never a quiet moment. Sure, I could have used a couple of relaxing minutes, and I'm sure I had plenty, but I didn't hide out to get relaxed.

But the surprise was the improvisation skills that I learned from Drama class...I really needed them. Improvisation is a fantastic skill to have...it's really hard to learn, though. But that was the difference between my nervousness and any of my friends� nervousness about their Open Houses. They...didn't...need it.

Improvisation: Not Required.

But for me, I couldn't just walk around and tell people "Yes, this summer I plan on writing, and this fall, I plan to see what I can do with it." People don't understand how interested I am in film and writing and the editing processes of movie making...and even if I took all the time in the four hours of my Open House...it would still be hard to convince anybody.

Some people were okay with it, basically telling me that this decision was acceptable and that it wasn't a bad idea. Sure, this made me feel a little more comfortable...with the individual who told me this...but talking to so many others, I had to watch the uncomfort in their movements and listen to their lack of confidence in their words. I really don't like to disappoint people...but in this situation...of telling them my plans for summer and fall...it was really hard not to think about what the other person was thinking...what they thought of me.

All too soon, I just started telling people about "Full Sail," and saying I have been looking at the college for the past year. I wasn't lying, I was being very honest. "Full Sail" is a college I have been looking at the past year. And big movie executives do recruit out of Full Sail for big-studio productions. Full Sail would be a great learning experience and going there would be a very intelligent idea, I'm sure.

The only part that wasn't honest was that "Full Sail" isn't something I want to have to go to. To me, college feels like something that would just hold me back. Yes, education is important, education makes you prepared for what you want to lie ahead on the road of life...and luck favors the prepared...

Education is taught to a lot of people...I don't want to know what everybody else knows...I don't want to learn what I've already learned...and I don't want to just get lucky. I don�t want my knowledge of film and moviemaking to be tainted by some teacher�s views. If I were to ever have a chance to thank all of my influences, preferably with an award in my hand...I don't want to have "Full Sail" in the back of my mind. I would want to thank no more than the people who helped in the making of my movie.

What I'm saying is...I want to earn what I get. I want my talent to be shown in everything I do...not my resume. I want to earn the confidence of my producers, and make them a lot of money...doing what I love. The Film Industry has always been what I am most passionate about.

I feel, right now, the only one who has the complete confidence in what I can do and where I can go...is me. And I feel like I have to prove myself...to my friends...my family...and the world.

"Full Sail," as of right now, is my plan B. It's a plan I can fall back on, and land safely. Your offer to live with you, while it sounds like the most fun, and I wouldn't ever want to turn it down, is not something I'll forget. I know, to many people, it may look like I have all the time in the world, but I don't want to use all the time in the world. My time is now, right now.

And no matter where I go or what I do, I'll always have you to thank. You and Nona. You've been an influence on my life, my personality, and who I am.

My plans for this summer are to write...I've been writing movies my entire life. When I was a kid, and my sisters would laugh at me for humming and making action-sounds while playing with action figures...I was writing movies in my head. And over the past 4 years, I've been really writing...I have a lot of paper that I've used for ideas, plot lines, characters, and even funny lines...all completely original...inspired, but original. I've written out plot devices, character development and design, transitional scene ideas, inspired dialogue, and inventive camera angles.

Even if I don't go anywhere in a year, I'll have seen a lot more. I'll have done a lot more. I'll have learned a lot more. I'll have written scripts that I can use no matter where I go to pursue what I'm most passion about.

Living a life with no regrets...so far so good.

Thank you.

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