Well, on Monday of this week I volunteered for the first time at a food kitchen in the Haight. It's on Waller St. and is called the Food Distribution Center. It caters to the needy and homeless and people who need food. Great organization and was so grateful to be a part of the experience on Monday. I plan to go back and volunteer more. It felt great to be a part of something that is doing good in this world and helping people. We help put food in individual containers and prep basic parts of the meals and then pack them into boxes to be taken and distributed. WOnderful to be a cog in the wheel of helping folks. :-) My friend Wendy invited me to try it out and I was not disappointed. :-) Was busy as heck there going from one task to another. Also been busy with self tapes galore for LA and SF projects. Seems like at least 3-4 a week if not more. :-) Good! I've become the master of creating self tapes. LOL. Lots of watching programs on Netflix and Xfinity Streaming as well. Thursday I start back working as a test proctor for the City and County of SF. Looking forward to that as well. Had about 2 weeks with not much to do (besides self tapes ;-) ) so glad to get back to test proctoring. Yeah! Work! Wishing peace and safe health to everyone out there! Be safe and be happy! :-)

Life has been good and BUSY! Lots of actor work. Have had two major commercials going lately; one for Stanford Hospital and the other for California Real ID. People from all over the state have been letting me know. :-) Had a pharmaceutical shoot in San Diego last week and looking forward to a busy March. :-) Have been a professional full-time working actor now for over 12 years. Love my life and looking forward to good things in the year! :-)

February Dreaming...

Okay, so I am finally getting around to creating another post. Two in January, not stellar but, hey, better than nothing! So it is February now and still haven't solidified my 2016 Goals for the Year. (I know what they are mostly, but need to solidify them on paper in a meaningful, purposeful and productive way...not to mention measurable way. That makes it a bit more difficult. Also, need to really clean my place. (Sore subject...ouch!) Okay, so I stated in a previous post that I need to move to LA to find those opportunities that will push me into that next level of artistry and opportunity I call being an actor. It's true. I know it's true. I can't wait for it to happen here in the land that I love...sigh. But if only it was that easy...to just move. Fears I have. Stability down there. The ability to find other "part time" adventures like I have here to keep me afloat. There are plenty of not-so-visible things that working at the SF Symphony and The Go Games including health care accounts that subsidize my health care costs. The symphony is a union job with many benefits that come along with that including getting paid a living wage. Imagine that. Feel like I need to have a nest egg in order to move down there that can keep me afloat while I am getting myself acclimated to the South Land. Hmmm...I need a plan...some luck in the money department where I come into a big sum of money...sooner rather than later. That would give me some freedom to take a chance. (Yes, there are a number of voices that go off in my head about all this...but I truly can't give them energy. Need to keep that for putting positive notions around my dream.) I want to work towards a goal that includes the move, if for no other reason, to allow myself to see what I can do down there being immersed in the world of an actor. Got to think more about this and plan...any thoughts, please let me know. I'm all ears. On another note, had to cancel my trip to Vermont to meet up with my high school friends (our fearsome five) and squelch the idea of an actual vacation (haven't had one really in over 10 years.) My schedule at the symphony made it impossible to make it happen. :-( That led to one of my friends saying that I need balance in my life and I seem to put priority on work vs...(family, friends, people) Well, like I told my friend, it's not that I do put work first...it's I have to put work first...my survival and having a roof over my head dictates it. I love not having a 9 to 5 job but comes with it are the drawbacks of not have a flowing salary for security. I have had both and, frankly, I am more happy with the current situation pursuing my passion. It's not for everyone, but I find my life more vital, in the moment and satisfying having to make my way every month. It requires diligence and faith but it allows for creating my world in the fashion I want it. enough for now...

Starting A New Week In January

Okay, so my new website at www.ricklasquete.com is up and running and I have been adding to it like mad this past week. It's almost addictive once I get in there to work on it. Have to tear myself away from it. But it's all good. This past week was mostly good. A bit of work at the hall, for Go Games and also for CCSF administering physical tests to police candidates. Lots of fun. Also, got to be a part of a big feature film produced out of Canada "Birth of the Dragon" about Bruce Lee's life leading up to his fame in the US. It's a period piece so we all got to dress up in 60's garb. But because of this shoot, I also missed two of three auditions I had this week. :-( Never like missing opportunities like these ones. Always a bummer to miss out on being considered for new projects. Enjoyed the film work and am grateful for it. Just wished I could have done it all. Such is the life of an actor. Looking forward to this week. Lot's of work starting mid-week. Hoping for new opportunities for gigs to hit as well. :-) (With Rachel Cheng in these photos)

Starting Off The Year Right

Hi All! It's been quite a bit of time since I last blogged here. But I'm feeling rather productive today so I am going to blog away. Spent most of today working on my new website which was in bad need of an overhaul. I have been paying for my web service for years now and without the benefit of an up-to-date site. So barring any problems with redirecting my domain name to this new improved website, I should be good shortly. I used to work for the company that hosts my site so would think I would have no problem creating a half way decent website. But alas, when I first approached updating...I was trying to update my existing website. Big mistake. Unless you are the one that put this website together in the first place, it is pretty near impossible to work with it. I tried and got very discouraged (last year..uh huh). There was just too much unknown involved in my friend's process in working with my original website (which is in my account) but with lots of customization. I found myself today thinking...hmmm...what if I just created a new website and see if this website builder that I sold successfully for almost a year really is easy enough to build a half way decent website that I could be proud to put out there. Since it is an "actor" website, I don't need alot of bells and whistles in the first place. Guess what...I'm pretty stoked that I now have a site I can go into and update as I need to and know what to do to get the site there. Finally, I'm getting my money's worth after paying for several years now and living with a website that is nice but impossible for me to update. So, in turn, I have been very reluctant to give out my website domain to anyone. Yeah! I feel like I have accomplished a big thing now and, believe me, I have lots more to do both around the house (understatement) and creating goals for 2016 and taking a good look at 2015 to help me figure out those new goals. (Celebrate the last year's goals accomplished and take a serious look at those I didn't and figure out what I need to do in 2016 to get there.) I have been seriously thinking that I need to move to LA now. I still need to go through my process but I need to make my energy shift in that direction. That means some serious saving of money (a nest egg) to do so. (Do I hear a National in my future? lol, but seriously...just kidding...no I'm serious!) Lot's of ambivalence for a number of reasons (I will explain them later) but if I am to be serious about my career it feels inevitable that I be in the place where important decisions are made and do what I can to put myself in that path. "if not now, when? Right?" A friend over the holiday season said it very well..."Sometimes you just have to step out into the unknown and trust that you will be caught, supported and able to thrive." I agree...That's what I tell others...time for me to start believing it as well. With that, I need to think about eating today. Haven't done so yet. I know, bad Rick. But give me a high-five! I created my new website. Woohoo! :-) Have a great weekend everyone and let this be the start of a wonder-full, prosperous new year for us all! Rick

Making Good Habits, Catching Up, and Moving On

Okay, so I have been VERY negligent in keeping my blog up...like 3 yrs worth...yikes! You may ask "well, what the hell have you been doing all this time?" and I would reply..."working, living, enjoying!" and that would be true.

But I do want to get back into the habit of blogging...make it a habit. If not for the occasional reader, then for my own satisfaction, account, and well-being.

So here I go again...let's see...I am continuing to take things to the next level...professionally, I have a new agent, STARS, in the bay area. Still have Cast Images in the Sacramento area. Have been happy with both. But still pounding the pavement to get in front of casting agents and producers to get work. It's actually paid off. Next week I have 4 bookings; one which is a national print job...yeah. One of them I will probably have to turn down due to conflicts with the national print job. :-( C'est la vie, I guess.

Finally, have both a commercial reel and a narrative reel. See:

http://pro.imdb.com/video/demo_reel/vi3679034905/ Commercial Reel (short)

http://pro.imdb.com/video/demo_reel/vi106144025/ Narrative Reel (short)

http://pro.imdb.com/video/demo_reel/vi2354356505/ Narrative Reel (long)

All are up now on my imdb page : www.imdb.me/ricklasquete

(Another achievment, I have my imdb pro page up and pretty much up-to-date.)

Taking class and making in-roads and improvements to my craft. Happy about that. I need to make great strides in my work and want to be taken seriously as an actor.

This year my goals are lofty but concrete and focused. I want to make more quality films. I want to penetrate the LA market, make it into the Hollywood inner-circle and get a significant role in at least 2 films (and/or television shows) this year.

I need to be able to make some pretty significant connections into the industry. where to begin? This whole going down to LA...living there? A part of me knows that logically it makes sense to be where most of the work is...and one can be taken seriously...emotionally and pratically...I want something to actually pull me there so financially I have a reason to be there. Ah, the debates that go on in my head...

There's also the idea of getting an agent and a manager in LA to get things going on there. I wished money was no object, or better yet, it was an object I had plenty of. ;-)

Okay, keep focus on the important stuff...the rest will come.

Till next time,
Rick

Taking It To The Next Level...

Okay, so I have been thinking a lot lately about goals and desires and dreaming about what the "next level" would be for me.

Is it here (SF)? Is it there (LA)? What do I need to do to get there? What will it take to break through to the next level? How do I feel about that?

Have been having some success with my work lately. It's been 15 months now that I have been following the dream, being creative and being resourceful in making it work.

Having wanted to get back into class to "exercise" and "grow", I have been able to find one I can actually afford and do some work, experiment, and learn.

Boy, do I love to learn. The internal critique has been put on very low so I can actually enjoy the fumbling, the going out on a limb and just having fun with it.

A big part of me wants to be doing more, getting more chances to fumble, glean the lesson and jump into the next situation from which to build upon.

Okay, so that's my motivation, my direction. Find more opportunities to put my feet to the fire, fumble and learn; tweak and go forward, tweak and go forward.

Saw the Academy Awards a couple of weekends ago, on DVR recording of course. Was wondering just what it was that got the likes of Meryl Streep and Sean Penn to where they are now - their abilities as actors. What was the work they needed to do to hone their craft?

I am nothing if I am not a striver for excellence.
Not only do I want to move people and speak the truth through performance but I want to do it at the highest level.

So my question then becomes "How do I get there?"

I know I can, I just am not sure exactly "how"?

I recently got word that a spot for a project I did called the "aha moment" had been completed and was directed to a website www.ahamoment.com where I got to see mine and a bunch of other people's moments captured on film. It was a nice concept and I was rather proud of my spot.

It was truthful. It was real. It also revealed to me a lesson about being in front of the camera, or maybe a gleam at what is real and truthful and how that comes across on the camera. Something to remember when acting. Something to carry in my tool bag.

But I digress.

I will put my focus on what I need to do to "take it to the next level".

I love the life I am leading. No promises or guarantees, but plenty of carving out who I am and developing that into what I love.

And so I step forward to see what is around the next corner.

Till next time,
follow your heart and intuition and go for it!

Rick

The December Frantasy and Reflection Upon a Year 2008

Well, it's that time of year again. Folks are frantically doing their requisite Christmas shopping and planning for that penultimate fantasy of getting together with family and friends.

Am I imagining this, or is it like ARTIC-COLD this year for December. Sure it is winter, but I live in California where the winters are mild and the living is easy. Not! Could it be...Global Warming...in reverse?

Or maybe I'm just getting older. Not!;-)

Anyway, for years now I have not bought into the frantasy - frenetic fantasy.
I love the spirit of love and closeness that the season can imbue. I love the getting together with family and friends. I hate the expectation and implied obligation of going into massive debt and spending stressful evenings and weekends looking for the right present for everyone you touch. That crazy-making, deeply meaningless repetition of institutional behavior is one I proudly can say is not a part of my repertoire anymore. And I am the better man for it. Truly.

I would rather spend my time reflecting on all the people, things and events that I am grateful for this past year. And what a year it has been!
December marks, for me, a full year of living life centered around my passion and purpose. Last December, I embarked upon a decision I had made after losing a very high paying job that took me quite a while in finding.

The circumstances for losing the job were baffling at the time and put me into a head spin of depression and a feeling of "okay, where do I go to now?"

The unexpectedness of it and the unwarranted reason for it made me obsess over how it could have happened.

Once I was able to get past the "how it could happen" somewhat successfully, I was able to focus on the "how can I use it to propel me forward in my life".

It was an "ah-ha" moment for me, to say the least. I realized that maybe the universe had already been talking to me, and finally I was listening...or was made to listen...or made myself receptive to listening.

I got it. Life is too short to be doing things that are not your purpose in life.

While I was making loads of money during this 8-month stint, I was not pursuing my passion, my purpose...performing...moving people in that way.

The universe spoke LOUD this time.

So I went out of the box, the comfort zone, the norm of the necessity of a secure 9-5 job and speculated that maybe I could swing surviving and pursuing my passion by making it the center of my life rather than relegating it to the periphery of it.

Through a patch-work of gigs and part time work and the discipline of spending time each day to cultivate it, I have managed to survive and thrive to a certain level upon using this paradigm. And I am loving the fact that I can. (Mind you, I have had help from the support of friends, both financially and emotionally.)

This is where I am most happy. This is where I can have true control over my life's direction to live my life's purpose : to move people through performing.

It is my joy, my pride and my rock.

The fact that it is a life long lesson to learn from and improve upon is a deeply ingrained value that I embrace and cherish.

So, I have been able to observe how my tenacity and perseverance have paid off. I have seen how planting seeds actually do create a bounty from which to create sustenance.

I do feel guided and watched over. It is a humbling experience. It creates great gratitude on my part.

This year has shown me that resourcefulness and stepping outside the box pays great dividends in accomplishment and satisfaction.

I often find myself thinking "I love my life". It is a life built for me. It suits me.

I have a mantra of "I lay down my sword and allow all good things in" and it has served me well.

This year has been one of setbacks and advances, all of which have made me better for it. I don't let the setbacks hinder me. They are just a change of direction. They are put there for a reason.

I am grateful for the wonders in my life. The birth of my grandson. Watching him grow each time I see him, his personality developing, the world ahead of him full of possibility. It reinvigorates me and reminds me that I am the same.

I look forward to 2009 and all the possibilities, all of the choices I will have, all the lessons I will learn.

I am grateful for the life I have.
Time is our inheritance. We choose how to spend it.

Till next time,
Ciao.

Rick

Today is a great day...and not so great!

November 5th, 2008 Day after Election

Thoughts about Proposition 8 Passing in California
Taking back the right for Gays and Lesbians to Legally Marry


You said a mouthful, Andrea.

Ironically, from what I have seen in the literature I have gotten in the mail, a
big push was made from the "religious" black community to support this
proposition.

If only people of color and other minorities would have only stopped to think
about the message that this sends to the state, the country, the world.

By discriminating against one minority group because of their difference, the
state of California has weakened the mandate for equality in every minority
sector. It has given every bigot more affirmation that their hate, fear and/or
intolerance is okay and, in fact, justified.

The proponents of this proposition used the most effective strategy known - play
on joe-general public's -"fear". "Teachers in the classroom would teach about
gay marriage."
As if knowledge about a certain sector of people would somehow spoil their
child's world view.
How did any of us learn about the black struggle, about asian miscegenation laws
that would have not allowed my parents to have gotten married only 10 years before they did. (This prohibited asians
from marrying caucasians up until the forties.)

We call ourselves the greatest nation (and state) in the world, yet just about
every other western nation in the world recognizes homosexual equality under the
law. They are not caught up in this religious doctrine that says "we are better
than them". Ironically, this is called Christian. I doubt that Christ would have
ever put up with such hypocrisy and elitism.

When the No on 8 campaign says it is just wrong, unfair and
unconscionable...under the law, it is!
Forget about your religious beliefs...remember we have a nifty bill of rights
that separates church and state.
And a declaration of independence that states "all men (and women) are created
equal.

Yet, in this day and age, we are not equal under the law. We are still keeping a
sector of the population from exercising their inalienable right to equality and
recognition under the law. We still have two america's. One that says we are all equal, and another one that perpetuates that we are not.

Why does this bother me so much? I do not have a significant other, a husband, a
life-partner.

Because for every tax-paying homosexual couple out there that is committed to
each other, there are rights and legitimacy that are being violated and spat
upon by a majority that clearly does not understand that when you deny the
rights of a few...you denigrate the rights of everyone. You give an excuse for
the intolerant to commit these violations on anyone. This is, and always will
be, a legal issue not a religious one. Everyone has a right to their beliefs. No
one has the right to dictate some one else's beliefs. But everyone needs to
legally respect equality if we are going to claim all men are created (and
treated) equally. If we truly believe there is a separation of church and state.

The Yes on 8 campaign may claim a victory in the name of "traditional" marriage.
But for all Californians, and all Americans, this is a step backwards in the fight for equality, the fight for dignity and the fight for
what is fair.

The struggle continues.

Saddened and disappointed in California.

Rick
:-(


-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: "Andrea Rogozinski"
> Last night I listened to Obama's speech with tears in my eyes-what a breath
> of fresh air!!!! I am proud of my country! Although I am overjoyed by the
> decision last night, it has been a little clouded for me here in Cali. I
> find it upsetting and counterintuitive that in an age where we as a nation
> are able to triumph over our long lived history of separation and
> discrimination and elect the first black president; we, in the same breath,
> passed Prop 8 which perpetuates a system of discrimination. I am really
> disappointed about that today.
>
>
>
> Andrea Rogozinski
> Executive Assistant

The Dog Days of August...

Guess I know what that means. Normally, it would mean the hot, hot summer days with unbearable heat and having to endure that. But since I live in San Francisco, that doesn't apply. Days lately have been foggy and overcast gray.

For me it means scraping to get by work-wise, literally.
Looking for some work this month to fill the holes of little work at the symphony, seemingly little modeling work, and seemingly little prospects on the near horizon.

But I must remain optimistic. :-) if for no other reason than to keep a positive energy flowing around me. Yes, I am a believer in like attracts like.

Okay, the list of good things in my camp.
I have a beautiful grandson, Jacob. (It's getting easier saying that word...grandson. He's wonderful...it's just the implications ...I'm getting older...the forties are the new 20's ??


Of course, I am grateful for his parents, my son Josh and Nicole, his wife.
Wonderful kids, if ever there were.

I love living in SF still and in my place at Park Merced.
What's not to love?

Okay, so it is the financial grind to a halt feeling that I feel that is getting a bit uncomfortable...it always is!

But I do have faith. Look at July...thought it was going to be a vast wasteland financially, but it turned out to be my best month and even exceeded for the first time my monthly goal. Yeah! (Another thing to be grateful for!)

Then there is my place and the need to clean it. REALLY. It's been well, many months and I still have not focused on thoroughly cleaning it...and it needs it....truly.
What's up with that? Good for a full scale tour of "analysis", I'm sure.

Also, been looking for the next artistic project to get involved in. Haven't yet seen that materialize.

Taking stock in those things I need to and want to really work on in my performing. Voice, physical demeanor, acting chops, and working the skills over and over.

But for the moment, I guess I will have to settle for the dog days of August to inspire me and get my butt into gear!

My life... and welcome to it! ;-)
Till the next post...Keep it positive and smile. It'll keep 'em wondering.