I stayed at work late tonight because Candyce was having a girls night out. It’s a Friday, and most people are ready to get out on the weekend. But Adam and I were making some major progress on the site, and it was more exciting to stay at work that to go home. But by 7:30, I realized I’d been working eleven hours, and I was beginning to make a lot of mistakes. That’s always my sign that it’s time to quit.

I always feel uncool when I leave work late on a Friday, like everyone has started the party without me. Right as I was thinking that, I looked to the right to catch a glimpse of a modern house that’s been under construction for the past five months. Except this time there was a lighted “Open House” sign out front. I made a U-turn and pulled up to the house.

This place was amazing. The lot that it is built on is off of a the busy Camelback road, but it’s a good lot because you have unobstructed views of Camelback mountain. I pulled into the gated driveway, which ironically was in the “backyard” closest to the the road. Most houses that line Camelback road will have a driveway off the street in the neighborhood, and then use the space between their house and Camelback Road as a backyard. But at this house, the backyard was made into a front yard, with a gated turnaround driveway. In the center of the turnaround was a column with a large bowl of fire at the top. It was dark out, and the flickering fire made all of the luxury cars in the driveway look even more mysterious.

I got out of my car and I could see into the house through the massive 30 foot tall glass wall that opens up to views of the mountain. From the driveway to the house is a downward-sloping covering that you only see at hip hotels and modern homes.
It’s the kind of house that is absolutely so cool that you have to pause compose yourself before you step inside. It’s like, who just hops into a Ferrari like it was nothing?

I stepped inside and introduced myself to the owner/realtor/designer. He was only 30 years old, which is amazing in itself. Most open houses are set up to help potential owners feel comfortable and welcome in what could be their new home. But this place felt more like a night club. Music was playing in the speakers. They had an open bar. Everyone in the room was dressed like it was a night club.

The house is listed at $3.6 million, and as I toured the house, I could see why they could expect that much money. It was like being on the set of a music video. Huge walls of art, clever lighting, expansive rooms, everything! It was like a modern resort. He converted what would’ve been the front yard into a backyard paradise with a pool and edgy landscaping. It looked like Palm Springs in the 1950′s and 60′s. There was a lot of attention to detail. Even the drainage grates in the showers were custom manufactured to look cool.

It was fun to have a conversation with someone who knew a lot about modern architecture in Phoenix. Since I haven’t really been a “local” in Phoenix since I’ve moved here, it was refreshing to have a conversation about my new found local interests.

I hurried over to Candyce’s house to watch the Suns game. Unfortunately, Steve Nash couldn’t plays because of his sprained ankle, and San Antonio beat us pretty good. I hate it when injured teams play each other. I know that’s part of the game–injuries–but it’s more exciting when two talented and healthy teams battle it out on the court.

This morning I interviewed the Andy Fickman, the director of “She’s the Man,” a new teeny-bop movie with Amanda Bynes. It’s one of those movies where a girl pretends to be a boy in order to beat the system. It’s a difficult movie to review for lifeteen.com, because we live in a sexually ambiguous society. Ten years ago, it would’ve been a fun and funny movie, but it was hard to watch that movie and have my perverted mind not wonder if the movie was going to end up in some kinky dilemma. Because of this, I didn’t know if I wanted to do the interview. But I figured it’d be a good chance to see what decisions the director made and why.

I had an exclusive interview, which is rare. In these press tours for movies, you usually have to sit at a table with other media outlets, and you get to ask a couple questions at most. But this morning it was just the director and myself sitting in fancy chairs on the second floor of the Ritz. I felt like I was the host on “Inside the Actor’s Studio.”

The interview went well. I still don’t know what to do with it, but we’ll see. By the way, I am typing this on a Friday night because Candyce has to work in the morning so I had to make sure she went to sleep early. And my TV is unplugged in the middle of the kitchen because I’m retiling my living room. So writing a journal is all I can think to do before I go to bed.