ALTERED...to Make Different Without Changing into Something Else...

This week I was blessed to play a part in the movie "ALTERED". It is being shot around Chicago and Atlanta and is a Kely McClung film. He wrote, is directing and is one of the lead actors in the horror/suspense film. "Vampire Diaries" star, and McClung favorite, Robert Pralgo also stars in the film. McClung and Pralgo have that chemistry like Scorsese/ Deniro, and Soderbergh/ Damon. It is evident on the set and easy to see in their onscreen flow in "Blood Ties" and "Kerberos." Add to the mix Jessica Imoto Harney, the line producer and assistant director on the film and the trifecta bounce ideas like super balls, catch them in mid-air, slip them in their pockets then lay them on film flawlessly.

It was cool to be in those moments as both a spectator and player. The synergy between the triad is palpable. McClung sees everything. The air becomes a part of the shot and the world is in the scene. Nothing is taken for granted and overlooked. Yet nothing is contrived and set design-ish. I worked with Steven Soderbergh several days on "Contagion" and he is a gentle genius with a keen attention to detail. Kely is the same but he takes it to another level. He sees the world like a canvas and uses all of it. His senses for a scene, sound and light include taste and touch. Each moment captured is an experience, not a picture.

ALTERED is going to be a success. Period! It deals with balance, the hardest thing we have as humans to deal with. I know it's my Achilles heal. There's work and family, yes and no, this project or that, what's right and what's wrong, good or evil, get up or sleep the day away, use or stay clean. This film gets down to the true meat of the issues that trouble man and gets to the core of "what's it all about?"

As a recovering alcoholic/addict and depression sufferer who lived both functionally and in the streets homeless, hopeless and rudderless for 28 years the lines can be blurred. I did things then for survival that I now consider terribly wrong. My addiction was a loyal servant then a sadistic master. I thought God wanted me dead. I now see He had my back the whole time. I have done more for my fellow man in my few years of sobriety than my entire life as an addict. That's the way He wanted it.

A man who steals milk for kicks is a thief. A man who steals milk for his infant child is still a thief but the line becomes blurred. The balance shifts on the morality scale. A thief is a thief. I would never wish to kill a man but would do anything to protect my family. Anything. The part of balance I get now is that if I fall I get back up again. I don't have to stay down. I don't always have to fight. I can choose to stay in the center of the seesaw. Sometimes the best balance is not trying to figure it out and just being content with riding the beam.

Look for more on ALTERED at thealteredmovie.com and on Facebook search "The Altered Movie". This movie will scare you, keep you on the edge of your seat, freak you out, leave you guessing and most of all it will leave you thinking and questioning. I love flicks like that. I dig films that open up dialogue and make people engage the tough universal puzzles we try to put together down here. ALTERED pushes all the buttons. I am proud to be a part of it. Thanks Kely, Imoto, Robert, ALL the crew. You guys rock. I will never forget being a part of the ALTERED family. PEACE!

Have A Day!

People who know me well have heard me mutter,"Have a Day!" many, many times. It says it all. "Have a great day," or "Have a nice day," are the norm, and quite pleasant to hear from friends, shopkeepers and passersby, particularly from the ones who actually mean it.  "Have a blessed day," is my favorite response to people who cross my path, but it can be a little too brand specific for some of those whom I encounter.

To an Atheist, "have a blessed day," is stinging. If you don't believe in the blesser, a kind "bless you" in passing conversation, or following a hearty sneeze, must leave them feeling unfulfilled. It must be confusing that no one is wishing them good health or undeserved gifts. For all Atheists I want to offer you a permanent Grandfather clause of "May MY God Bless you!" This is to cover all present and future sneezes and positive wishes for your life. Since it's MY God, you have nothing to worry about when it comes to your non-belief and you can take comfort in the fact that the Atheist  philosophy has not been violated. I'll take all the heat!

The unconvincing, "Have a nice day!" from a rude check out girl or Walmart employee who just smashed my cookies into the revolving bagger is not "nice."  Even more unnerving to me is when they put one tiny item into the huge, non-biodegradable bag. I somehow walk out with 5 items in 6 bags. Visions of turtles and porpoises choking at sea on my bag that held my box of Rice-a-Roni troubles me. It is not a "Nice day!" moment.

"Have a good day!" is quite cheeky and cheerful when the kids are smiling and my wife is beaming at me on a bright sunny day. However, if I have been the dumping station for all of the crap my fellow man can pitch out into my tiny universe that day, I feel the urge to reach across the counter and slug the well wisher and reply, "Have a good Dentist!" In the middle of a rotten day, those words might as well be "hope your day continues to be a living hell!" It would make me feel less frustration.

That is why I have come up with the perfect solution. When you want to end a conversation on a pleasant note, tell the person in your midst to, "Have a Day!" It's ideal. It is an innocuous, non-feeling proposition to just exist for the rest of that 24 hours. It is a wish for a continued life until the clock strikes midnight. It doesn't take religion or moods into account. It is an acceptable reply to digest when your trudging through the crap that occasionally rains on your precise coordinates for that day.

In a world where terms are sanitized into ambiguous catch phrases it fits right in. It offends no one, except the dead! Most people welcome having a day. It keeps expectations and ambitions for achieving great feats at bay. It is a call to just populate the universe for the next 24 hours. It isn't far reaching or filled with pressure. It is quite calming and not too far reaching.

To an addict like me, having another "day" of sobriety is amazing. To the couple in marital distress on the verge of separation, having a day may be the one that starts them on the road to reconciliation. To the person at the end of their rope, having a day may be the one that moves them towards hope. To a sick or dying loved one, having an extra day with them is a gift.

What a perfect thing to wish upon someone. Try it tomorrow when the moment is right. Tell a stranger to "have a day!" Wait for their reaction. It may be a laugh. They may think you're nuts. But this simple statement guarantees a response. Give it a shot and until I talk to you again I hope you "have a day."