Life Advice From Old People

I love this...hilarious and poignant. He really is guerilla in his approach of getting interviews from 'old people.' He chases people down in the check out line at Whole Foods! I should try to get this guy's greatest epiphany...(and figure out how to follow this blog!)

http://www.lifeadvicefromoldpeople.com/

News, Authors, Race Car Drivers and more....

Last week was so busy I haven't time to check in here and I see I now have new followers! hooray! welcome! since we're so small now, I can do that, yes? : )

We just got our first press coverage! The First30Days.com did a profile and then sent out a newsletter about Epiphany yesterday. I was interviewed for the profile but had no idea she was going to feature us in a newsletter that she sends out every day. I received mine at 11:11am - the 11:11 phenomenon has been something that I have experienced over the past several years...I'm sure some of you know what I'm talking about and have experienced it, too...but anyway, that is a story for another day...if you've never checked out the First30Days.com site -- RUN! (to it, that is...) It's wonderful and has SO much great information...her daily newletters are perfect in execution I have to say - short, sweet, to the point and full of great information...here are the links to the Epiphany stuff and you can explore the site - signing up for the newsletter is super easy, too...

http://www.first30days.com/profiles-of-change

http://www.first30days.com/profiles-of-change/Elise-Ballard

I also did 3 new interviews last week with people with amazing epiphanies...Mark Thornton, who left his job of COO of JP Morgan Europe to become a meditation teacher and expert and wrote the best-selling book, Meditation in a New York Minute: Super Calm for the Super Busy, after his greatest epiphany; Ali Afshar a renowned, world-record holding race-car driver; and Andrea Buchanan, a director/producer/writer and author of the wonderful book, Note to Self.

I filmed all of them so their videos hopefully will be going up on the site in the next month or so...I wish they could go up sooner but I am leaving for Texas and New Orleans tomorrow to do interviews and see my family and friends and experience some Texas heat! (Everyone thinks I'm crazy but I miss hot summers - LA gets hot but not like Texas or New York and somehow it hasn't even felt like it's been summer to me this year and now it's almost over - so I'm heading south to try to claim some summer magic before we enter fall...) BUT I think some of my other videos that we've been working on will be able to be posted in the next week or so, so I'll keep you posted! Hope you are having a magical summer and enjoy these last lazy (yeah, right) days of August...

Ali Afshar in his office where we shot his interview in Santa Monica, CA.

My awesome crew, Drew and Sergio...

Andrea Buchanan (right) and me in her office in Los Angeles.

Julie and Julia Movie Revelation

Of course I saw Julie and Julia opening weekend (see blog 7/30)...Makes me want to wear pearls and listen to old standards and even - gasp - cook! or eat rather...you come out of the theatre practically salivating and dreaming about what you're going to eat next...

It is about love - love of food, love of significant others, falling in love, maintaining love, loving your work, your family, your friends, finding out what you love, and finding love with others in society, too, as both women find they are loved and appreciated by people who love what they do. It is a great movie - thank you, Nora Ephron, for doing another film that clips along, is funny, moving, uplifting, and you learn something - about a slice of history (Julia Child's) at the very least. The film is based on the books, 'Julie and Julia' by Julie Powell and Julia Child's book, 'My Life in France.' Merryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci, Chris Messina (who I've actually seen work in a class I was in and have never been more moved by someone's work in class ever - therefore, I wasn't surprised when he was so good and his character was so real, that I simply got lost in the reality of the film and forgot I knew him!), and all of the other actors were superb. Everyone I was with loved the film and we all give it enthusiastic thumbs up - WAY up! Guys have even been enjoying this film so it's a great choice for co-ed outings...

To tie this into epiphanies, (you knew I had to do it, this is the EpiphanyChannel blog, after all), I spoke in my earlier blog about how Julie has an epiphany to write a blog and thus began her project that developed into a book and now this film. Well, in the film, it shows Julia Child also had an epiphany - but hers is more gradual - the epiphany that she is to cook and that is her 'calling' so to speak, is a more gradual process, but she realizes it and life unfolds from there. This film shows 2 kinds of epiphanies that I am noticing with my project - sometimes people have instantaneous epiphanies like Julie did: in one moment practically, she decided to do a blog and did it and it changed her and her life almost immediately. And then there are ones like Julia had where you are changing over time and the epiphany is when you realize that this has been happening and that you have changed which tends to give you a new perspective and way of approaching things in life. Both are epiphanies, just unfolded in different ways.

ps:

for the possible monday blahs...some trailers for upcoming films I think will be interesting...enjoy.

It's Complicated, directed by Nancy Meyers, Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin (Comedy)

2012, directed by Roland Emmerich, John Cussack (Action, Drama)

The Stepfather, Sela Ward (Thriller)

Epiphany: I was a Baseball Virgin!

Get your mind out of the gutter, this isn't Bull Durham...but before Tuesday I don't think I've ever been to a professional baseball game! It struck me that this is strange because baseball is in my very genes, considering my grandfather had played in the minors, which my date said truly does feed most of the players into the majors. So for my first professional baseball game, I saw the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Milwaukee Brewers in Dodger stadium 17-4, and it was, well, simply awesome...It was a beautiful night and we had rock star seating - 2 rows from the field and the owner of the team was a few seats down with the dugout nearby where a fight sort of broke out at the end - so seemingly baseball-ish to me, it was exciting. Other highlights: tons of bats broke when they hit the ball, a guy ran out onto the field in the middle of the game and about 5-6 cops ran and tackled him after chasing him for a while, and then Manny Ramirez hit a home run! Which apparently has not been the norm since he's come back from being suspended for allegedly using steroids. The reason I was especially excited to be a few feet from Mr. Ramirez while he waited and warmed up to bat is this: since I am not a sports fanatic (embarrassingly not at all), and he is one of the few baseball players I'd heard of and is a hero out here, when I put together a wish list for Epiphany, I put him down as a sports figure I wanted to interview. Actually, since his suspension, I'm even more curious to know what his greatest epiphany might be. So anyway, here was this one sports figure I'd had on my 'wish list' of potential interviews and there he was - right there in front of me! and I happened to have my camera in my purse...(it was so fun I'm starting to research other sports figures I could interview - I'm actually interviewing a race car driver next week...any other suggestions, send them on in...)

hitting the home run...

at the end, the players all do the 'good game/congrats' thing and I asked my friend why they don't do it with the other team and he replied, "This isn't Little League." Well.

I still think it would be nice but, then again, maybe dugout fighting would cease to exist...

Epiphany, Epiphany Project, EpiphanyChannel.com, wha?

It was pointed out to me that some people might just stumble upon the EpiphanyChannel Blog and have no idea what it is.  Oh.  I don’t know why but I assumed that everyone would only come to this blog via the website – shows you how well-versed I am in the world of blog - SO, in case you have stumbled upon this blog having no idea what EpiphanyChannel.com is or who I am...here is the trailer about the Epiphany Project and book for your viewing pleasure.  All of these interviews have been conducted 'guerilla style' with just me, my camera and these amazing people who have shared their greatest epiphanies in life with me and you can go see, hear and read about them on the website (and the quality of the video is much better there, too)...I have done other interviews for the book that weren't filmed, and there are more filmed ones coming - some are still being edited, and some are lined up to film as I write this - so keep coming back and stay tuned! (and please go check out the website and share your stories and suggestions if you are so inclined!  I’d especially love to know whose greatest epiphanies in life you’d like to know about…)

thanks and have a good one!