Supafly.com

It is about 3 AM my time and everyone here in LA is still going strong. I am fresh out of school and am happily entrenched in a 9am to midnight cycle. It won’t be long until I crash.

MTV decided to be generous and get us a room at The Ritz-Carlton. It is funny: this evening they came into the room and folded down the covers on my bed. There is not much you can do to a hotel room experience to top the competitors. Making the bed in the morning isn’t enough now, they’ve got to help you get in at night. They have heated towels, luxury bath stuff, fluffier bath robes, less fake wood, marble counter tops…but it is still just a bed looking at a TV with a desk pushed in the corner. I would gladly stay at Motel 6 and keep the difference.

I rode here from the airport with David (“I was the brotha that got kicked out of The Real World LA.) We drove near their loft on the way to the hotel and he spilled out some funny stories from way back when. I ran into David (RWNO) in the hotel lobby, then Lars, then… After two hours I felt like I had attended a family reunion/RW hall of fame, right there in the lobby. One after another dozens of Real World kids from over the years came in and joined the pow-wow.

John, Beth (both RWLA), and I had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. It was so nice sitting outside by candlelight, looking out into the shimmering marina and the subtly bobbing boats tethered to the rows of docks. It is always so fascinating talking to other Real Worlders. It’s like we sit around talking about “it” all the time, but just seeing how/what they are doing and who they are becoming given that we all share a common experience.

It feels weird leaving my new place in NY for few days when it feels like I just moved there. My stuff is still in boxes and I don’t have a bed there yet. My new roomies have been supercool in making me feel at home. I hope that I can find a good group of friends in New York. This summer can be ok, good, or remarkable. I know it will take effort not to sink into ok or good, but to get out there and make it remarkable.

It was almost a year ago when I moved into The Real World house in New Orleans. That means we’ve gone full circle and there are seven strangers meeting each other in New York right now. They are running around their smooth pad, all excited and eager. They are thinking about how they can’t believe they are on TRW, and dreaming about what they are going to share, which they are going to be for the MTV audience.

I am a bit jealous of those seven strangers. I guess it is the classic dilemma of I knew then what I know now. I am happy with what happened in New Orleans and in the edited version as well. But with so many things in life, there is that hindsight that is perfectly clear. But if we all could go back and redo things to make them perfect, then life would be bizarre. This one is just fine.

I am on a plane back to Atlanta now…man it has been a long day! With all the hopping of time zones, I don’t know exactly what time it is. My eyes are so heavy b/c I’ve only slept a couple hours. So where do I start?

I got into LA yesterday (Sunday) afternoon. After getting freshened up at the hotel, the six of us (Julie was late, as always) piled into a stretched Navigator. They got the big rig b/c BMP was going to tape us RW style. They never showed up, so we had the whole rod all to ourselves. Woo hoo!

Walking down the prestigious red carpet is always something I’ve wanted to do. It was pretty cool having the storm of camera flashes as we stepped out of the limo. I checked to make sure there was nothing in my teeth and that my fly was zipped.

It was exhilarating seeing all the celebs parading up the red carpet into the awards hall. The packed stands roared as we eased closer to the entrance. Reporters yelled our names left and right. David and I took turns playfully talking trash about “Survivor” in the reality-show-down.

It was so fun seeing three of the five RW directors, both producers, and Mary Ellis and Jonathan all in one section. There were seven seats waiting for us, each with a piece of tape assuring we sat in the right place. Wouldn’t you know Julie is sitting next to me?

For the 20 minutes before the show got rolling, we delighted in spotting celebs in the crowd. I don’t watch hardly any TV, so I felt a little gypped, not getting that thrill of recognizing as many people as I had hoped.

You know some people declare at the top of their lungs that, “I don’t get excited about famous people, they are just people.” But beneath that facade is someone who really wants to be famous, but belittles those who are. If one didn’t really think anything of celebs, they wouldn’t have the time to announce how much they don’t care about them. I on the other hand like meeting celebs. It’s fun and an experience that few are granted the opportunity.

The show wasn’t as glam-pop-rocked as the MTV Video Music Awards, but it was fun none the less. It was exciting seeing big shots like the Friends cast, Julia Roberts, Garth Brooks, Mel Gibson, and Sandra Bullock up close in person. They are all as attractive as they are on screen.

Just in from Boston, Julie slipped in about a quarter way through the night.

My heart sunk when Survivor won, though I wasn’t surprise. CBS’s cash cow will win on a CBS awards ceremony, especially on the dawn of a new season. Who am I kidding? The people voted.

A load of us ended up going bowling by the end of the night. A contingent from The Real World, Survivor, Nsync, and Friends battled it out in the alleys. Jenna from Survivor promised to give me their award if I could beat her in bowling. I tried twice and came up empty handed. I didn’t want their stupid award anyway.

Sarah gave Jenna and I a ride back to Pasadena in her baby blue ’68 Cadillac Convertible. It was all too classic of a scene rolling through LA in a drop top. After a little time freshening up, Jenna and I went to CBS to do the morning show for the East Coast. That means it is 5am in California. Jenna sat in front of camera and charmed the people in NYC. I propped myself against the wall and ate donuts.

I slept for an hour in my hotel room and another hour in the car on the way to the airport. A soft bench at the gate gave me a few more winks. That brings us back where we started.

(I feel obligated (pressured) to defend what I write in this journal. I suppose I don’t HAVE to, b/c we all like to think that we don’t have to prove anything to anyone. I guess I mean to say that I have to go out of my way to thoroughly explain myself and my experiences in this journal, b/c I don’t want others to have a clouded perception of me. They can choose to dislike me, but it must be b/c of who I am, not b/c of who one might think I am.)

(I understand that me just recording my life and thoughts can be misread as boasting. What am I supposed to do?…deny any exciting, glamorous, or exciting part of my life for the sake of convincing people that I am not fixated on my ego and accomplishments? It is a predicament I face every time I enter a journal entry. It sucks that is has to be that way, but I know how anything in black and white can be read three different ways, and most definitely will be. And irritating friends with a potentially misinterpreted journal entry is worth the bumpers of explanation in each journal entry.)

This talk of meeting famous people is no more than a little boy from rural Georgia telling stories about his trip to the big city. I enjoy every aspect of my 15 minutes of fame, and am not too cool to admit it. But, you know, the most memorable part of the past couple nights was being able to talk about my faith with those same people. I mean, it is my faith that keeps me going each day, and I delight when I find someone in the limelight that hasn’t forgotten who they are, or Who loves them. Being able to share about God was the coolest part of this whole weekend.

I think I am going to start pretending like I did when I was a kid. Back then pretending meant you could climb Mt. Everest, drive a tank, or live in a castle.

As an adult I know I can’t go around pretending I am Darth Vader or something, but I think I am going to pretend I am rich. This can work, b/c even if I were rich, I would probably live modestly, as I do now. Material things don’t do it for me and I never really splurge. I am going to pretend I am actually a billionaire, but don’t like to flaunt it with all the bling bling. You’ve heard of those people who own Texas but drive an Escort… So I will be the same me, but will be Daddy Warbux.

Every trip I go on I’ll pretend I paid for the whole thing. Every party I go to I will have funded, hired the catering, and paid the DJ. Maybe I own this hotel. But I am only staying on the 16th floor b/c I can make a lot of money when I free up the penthouse. You know, I am pretty sure I own the airline I flew over here on.

Tomorrow in LA, I will wear the suit I paid $3000 for, along with my $1000 shoes. My glasses: designer at $500. I will buy everyone’s dinner. The limo I am going to be picked up in plus the tip: $1500 for the night.

People always ask me what it is like to be famous or popular or whatever since the RW has been airing. I always tell them that it is pretty much what you would think. People recognize me, people listen to what I say, they are interested in what I do, and they like to help me out. Knowing that all this could’ve been figured out from a distance, I am going to pretend I and try figure out what being rich is like.

So tonight I am rich. We’ll see if it is all what it is cracked up to be.

It is just about to clock over to November 30th, and I will be 22 years old. Turning 21 was kind of funny, b/c that is the age that allows you to go and do as you please. But 22 is different b/c it is the springboard into the professional world.

When I was 18, I was on my way back from LA, eagerly anticipating going to college. The memory of driving onto campus for the first time is fading quickly. It is actually quite odd. I mean, it was only four years ago, but the brief flashes of that first drive onto campus are as vague as scenes from my childhood.

I always hear people say, “I was just a dumb kid…” I never have thought I was stupid, but as I grow older and learn more, I am embarrassed to think of the confidence I had just a few years ago. There is no educator like time.

I did a fun online chat today. One person asked, “Are you planning on posting any artwork to your website, especially that piece on your mantel.” I couldn’t understand what they were talking about. How do they know I have artwork over my mantel? Have people been stalking me?

After an hour on the phone (they read me the question, then I dictate the answer and they type it), I stepped into my living room. My roomy asked, “So what kind of questions did they ask?” I belted out the “Usuals.” He asked me, “So are you going to post the art to your site or what?” Those jerks! They were in the other room on the chat the whole time. They told me all the stupid questions they asked, and how excited they were when one finally made it to the chat. Those guys are so funny.

Well, I am in the studio and I’ve got to get back to my project. I am doing a 3D rendering and it’s a pain in the butt. The semester will be over soon!