FIFTEEN MINUTE BREAK May 13, 2003

So much to tell about, but so little time. Smallville is moving to Wednesday nights next fall, airing before Angel and I would like to get my feelings on that, but something else takes precedence.

Went to the farewell barbecue for the Larmanie Town on the lot before they start tearing it down. The fake wild west town was erected in the late 1950's, and now it's making way for a new office complex in the image of a old New England Town- but again something else takes precedence even over that-

No, I came across some brutal confusion yesterday and that's what I want to talk about. Yesterday, after a co-worker dropped me off at a bus stop near Disney Studios, I got on the bus, and there was a black man sitting at the stop. He was there before I was, but I boarded before him. Instead, the black man asked the white bus driver where in Sherman Oaks was the bus stopping at. The bus driver obviously was behind schedule and I've known them to get agitiated when under pressure, so the bus driver told the black man to get on board because he didn't have time to explain it to him. BUT- the black man got agitiated when the bus driver didn't answer his question and before anybody knew, both were shouting profanities at each other. So the bus driver told the black man to get off the bus and the black man refused, so the driver pulled over and called for the Burbank Police on his radio- right in front of the Disney Studios. The black man then conceded and left the bus and flipping the bird at the driver as he pulled out.

Now what did I just witness here? I don't know it I could classify it as racism. I think both were in the wrong. I felt the black person could've cooled down with the language and stopped acting all defensive, but on the other hand, it wouldn't have killed the white bus driver to answer the guy's question while jumping the gun to call the police when the agitiated black person wasn't lifting a finger to him or threaten him with any type of violence. You know, I moved to this town not only to work in the movies but to learn about diversity, to live and learn amongst different races and cultures. The old black and white issue is no longer passe in these times- I hope someday we can all get past it.

Damn, the fifteen minutes are up.

~

Coat

FIFTEEN MINUTE BREAK May 12, 2003

Well, you can't please everyone.

I keep fogetting that some material that I write could easily offend. In the spirit of Free Comic Book Day, I gave some Deposit Man books out to some employees- one in particular, a new employee. This new employee has written some books of his own, so I thought we could compare notes. Well, this morning, when I clocked in at work I arrived at my desk to see my books returned to me with a note explaining that the material wasn't up to speed with him- which is ok, I realize it isn't for everyone- but I should have told that I do write for a mature audience and I do tackle controversial themes and there was probably something in it that could have offended him or his family. Or, simply it could have been my style of writing. I do admit that I am a wordy bastard and that Larry's lettering is a little off-kilter -which is a problem that I will try to recitify by getting a letter problem like Comic Craft of something.

On the other hand, I did receive a phone call from Oliver Simonsen at work last Friday praising the new book from the photocopies I sent him- I swear the guy is my most loyal fan. Like I said, it isn't for everyone, but you gotta weigh the good with the bad. It's mixed bag- like mixing the detergent with the quart of milk.

Well, more insight tomorrow,

This took less than fifteen minutes,

~

Coat