My Weekend, By Matthew Shevin.

Hobo Pizza food truck. So yummy, I wanted to slash its tires and flee with a dozen pies.

I always love that this dude is protecting children from predators, and himself from the dangers of UVA rays.

Nature Boy’s happy place: trespassing on city superintendent grounds.

I prefer In-N-Out not only because the burgers are yummy, but because I worry about telling people “I had Five Guys” who don’t know it’s the name of a restaurant.

Oh, California, You’re The Best.

When your boss sees posts of you snowboarding on Instagram, he’ll say, “You missed work because you were sick. And judging from these pics, YOU WEREN’T LYING.”

Then he’ll fist-bump you.

You can still make this scenario happen out here, because Mammoth Mountain, a very kickass resort just five hours north of LA, is still open. Their policy is to keep the lifts running as long as there’s snow on the ground. And thanks to a very wet winter, they got dumped on, and won’t close until August 6th.

If we didn’t already have the best of everything on the west coast – sunshine; beaches; beautiful, smart, happy people; no mosquitoes – add to that: fun in the snow ten months a year. Pack your shit. See you soon.

Progress.

We’ve come a long way since a dentist was your second-grade teacher on fluoride day.

*Thanks to my friend Jenn for sending me this pic.

An Excerpt.

I played piano when I was a kid, until my parents let me stop.

You’ve got to choose your pursuits – they can’t be foisted upon you. I love acting, and I’d better, because it’s not for the easily discouraged.

Right now, I’m reading Alec Baldwin’s new autobiography, and it’s a fascinating look into what was not an easy path into show business. Alec grew up borderline destitute, with a high-school teacher dad who was too proud to take a second job, and a depressed mom struggling to raise six kids. (In addition to his three brothers, Alec has two sisters.)

As he became more confident in his acting skills while living in New York in the early 80s, Alec decided to drive across country with his friend Tuck and give LA a shot. While recalling the trip, he mentioned something I wholeheartedly agree with: actors are his favorite people. My actor friends are some of the most thoughtful, interesting folks I know.

Here’s Alec’s story:

In Kansas, Tuck’s dad, a “Missourah” gentleman of the old school, took us for the obligatory stop at Romanelli’s for a roast beef sandwich. Next, we visited Dallas and Tuck’s brother, Bill, a former military pilot who went on to work for Delta Air Lines. Tuck, the youngest child, was the lone “artist” in his family. I related, as my own home had lacked any cultural trappings. Though acting had never been my goal and I had grave doubts about my future while heading to LA, living with a comedian like my friend Gary and then an actor like Tuck was rubbing off on me. Gradually, people outside the business seemed dull, guarded, and predictable. Part of falling in love with acting is falling in love with actors.

New On The Menu: Cats.

My First Favorite Movie Of The Year.

If you ask a veteran if they’ve killed anyone, and they say they don’t like to talk about it, that means no.

It’s better to watch what happened for yourself, which you can, with Dunkirk, a true story about the desperation of 300,000 British soldiers cornered on the beaches of Dunkirk, France in World War II.

Christopher Nolan wrote, directed and produced the film, and the beauty and scale of it is amazing. It’s gripping from the first second. and I’m not sure how Nolan recreated all the large naval vessels and fighter planes to this scale, but he shot it in 70mm and it’s amazing. Virtual reality should be this stunning.

I’m sorry my dad isn’t around anymore, because he was infatuated with World War II history, and going to war films together was our thing. He would have loved this.

I saw the film at the flagship of all theaters everywhere: ArcLight in Hollywood, which displayed wardrobe from Dunkirk, along with Tom Hardy’s character’s cockpit. Pretty damn nifty.

This is an epic film, and unlike the non-killer vets, people will definitely talk about it years from now.

The One Time You Can’t Add “In Bed”.