2018 Year in Review!!

Its that time again, it only comes once a year so I hope you are excited!!! I mean if you clicked on this you might as well stay and check it out, give it a try, see if you like it, see if it gives you a tingle of interest . . . . . still with me? Awesome! As always this is my yearly recap and if I forgot something this year that you feel needs to be included, please add it below in the comments. Got it? Good! Then lets get down to it!

January- Happy New Year! Day 1 and a frigid feels like -16 degree 10 mile run in Wisconsin inspires me to set the bar even higher this year and run 1,000 miles. That’s 83 miles a month average , woof! Back in NYC one day before the “Bomb Cyclone” hits and I get a snow day. Shortly there after I go to check on my bike only to discover my cover is shredded and the front fender is smashed into my front tire! GRRR at least there was a Property Damage Claim Form attached saying that a Sanitation Truck hit my bike, hooray for headaches! After a couple of shifts at Kick Axe, its back on a plane to fly to Los Angeles for my very first stunt job in Hollywood. I stay with my great friends Chris and Bethany. I even got a chance to meet up with Dina for a quick dinner in Glendale. I get to set of “The Affair” and meet the legendary stunt man and coordinator Manny Perry!! The gag is me doubling for a 14 year old kid, learning how to drive. I get in the car and get a feel for it and run a bunch of rehearsals and keep getting the same notes, more erratic and get closer to hitting the pole. I just couldn't comfortably get the car closer than 2 ft from the pole in any of my rehearsals. Finally we put the actor in the car with me and we go for a take. I bump up the erratic as hard as I can without losing control of the car then speed towards the pole and slam on the breaks. Everyone started FREAKING out as I stopped 4 inches shy of smashing into the pole. We only had to shoot that one take as it was perfect and I was so happy with how happy everyone on set was with the gag. I got so many pats on the back and high fives and compliments, it was truly surreal for me and I dont think my first Hollywood gig could have gone any better. Next up my sister Tia drives down from San Fran to hang with me for my last day in Cali. We played mini golf in Sherman Oaks (I won!) and then hung out bar hopping on Hollywood Blvd. I had a little bit too much to drink that night, thanks fish bowl at BeetleHouse! Chris joined us as we went to Dina’s work to close out the night, most of that last stop I dont remember haha. Still it was such fun to hang with my sis! Back in NYC and its back to work as I get booked on Daredevil to play a young baseball catcher. Special thanks to Empire Baseball for giving me a few lessons before my gig! I was surprised at work that by pure circumstance I was booked a group that David Skeist just so happened to be with. I was his Axpert for his Axe throwing Axeperience! Was so cool that it worked out like that. I meet up with one of my instructors from back in my AMDA days, the one and only Michael G Chin, as well as the beautiful and multi talented Nancy for some hump day drinks. Loved hanging and chatting with these wonderful people.

February- Begins with a Kick Axe work challenge. I was working and the challenge was to do a double throw, and hit both killshots (2 small blue dots on the target) I accepted and was actually the first Axepert to complete this shot, felt pretty awesome haha. Next up was the 19th Annual Superbowl Party where the Eagles upset the Patriots!! Many new comers this year as Lauren came a day early to help prepare and hang out, I always love spending time with her! Ben, Benjamin, Ilyana, Paige, and Dan all experienced their first Superbowl party joining Jenna, Chelsea, Lauren, Jess, Ella, Johnny and myself for some hilarious Jello shooting fun. 104 Jello shots were consumed before the games end as it was a very high scoring affair. Next up I go throw some Axes with Drew, Ben, Peter, Alexa and Christine on one of my days off. Was fun to actually participate in the games rather than run them. We all had a blast and everyone was really good. Nancy and her friends came by Kick Axe to throw on Valentines Day! Ilyana and I meet up as she was back in town (she recently moved to LA) and go check out a new mini golf place called Shipwrecked. It was a lot of fun and very well done. I won of course by 4 strokes :) Had a couple of close calls for stunt work as well, neither of them actually worked out. Something crazy happened though as I was asked for the 3rd time in my stunt career if I ride a unicycle, seriously, 3 times? That does it, so I go to Brooklyn Zoo and spend a few hours falling and falling and falling, tying to ride a unicycle. I will be purchasing my own as well so stay tuned. Not much else to report this month, I did go on a couple of dates if that’s interesting, both were fine, and never heard from again haha.

March- This month starts off with being booked for stunt work on Madam Secretary. A very easy day working with the man who mentored me, Brian Smyj, standing up on an “oil tank” in “Texas” about 30ft up on a catwalk, keeping an eye on an actor while pretending to be his executive assistant and also pretending that it wasn't freezing up there with the wind haha, I love my job! I also get news that I have won a spot in the 2018 New York City Marathon! I had entered the lottery drawing, not thinking much of it as I’m sure thousands enter every year and I never win any kind of “drawing.” I noticed my credit card statement went up by a couple hundred bucks and that’s how I found out I will be doing the Marathon in November! I get my first Unicycle and am waiting for some nice weather to get my uni-riding on. I meet up with Kyro, Ben, and Jenna for an impromptu fight scene in Brooklyn, always fun working with great friends making our own movie magic :) Next I book work on the feature film “The Goldfinch.” The gag is doubling a kid in a flashback scene of an explosion in the Met. We shot up in the studios in Yonkers. The first day was rehearsal getting the shot, I was working for the awesome Stephen Pope and I got to work with Jeremy for the first time, I love this guy! I also worked with Scott B. and JC! Next day was not much for me to do, but the stunt team was rounded out by Nicole, Ashley, Peter, Pai, Steve, Will, Devin and Rosie. On the last day we shot my gag, and instead of it being on a wire, I had to hold on to a pole while JC, Pai, Steve and Peter ran with it on cue to “pull me out of frame.” It was a good time, so look for my feet in the film haha. Many thanks to Stephen Pope for hiring me. Next up is the traditional St Paddys Day fun. Lauren and I got started in the am, having an irish coffee. We also randomly met Steph, from KC, who was in town shooting Chopped as a contestant. She was super sweet and apparently a traveling BBQ competitor, which is super cool. Lauren and I wandered and drank and ate the day away until she departed and I met up with Jenna on the Upper West Side for one last beer before calling it a night. I get called from the 2nd AD on Goldfinch and they need me back on set, only this time they are going to bury me in rubble and dust. It was a pretty gross day being buried head to toe and breathing that stuff all day, it got everywhere haha. Still love my job though, even got to shower in one of the fancy trailers afterward. Next up is Lauren’s Birthday! We spent the entire day roaming around, starting with Brunch at the Smith, Axe Throwing, Mini Golf, and Dinner! It was a long, very fun filled day celebrating my most wonderful friend!! The last day of the month brings change as Johnny moves out of the apartment and it is back to a 2 person living situation. Despite the increase in rent this is just far better for me in terms of where I’m at in my life, 3 people is just too much for me.

April- This month begins with Easter, and sticky buns! Followed by seeing Ready Player One with Ella and Jess. After that it was off to Astoria to visit Lauren who had a health scare and was confined to her own quarters. Aaron also stopped by to visit the House Arrested Lauren. Next up was my 36th birthday. I didn't leave the house as I didn't feel like doing any running around so had a very relaxing, rainy day indoors, practicing my uni-cycling, it was wonderful. I finally get my motorcycle back from the shop as there was $600 worth of damage done, now its just a waiting game to see if the city will actually pay me back for the damages. Shortly after my Mom (Judy) comes to visit me for my birthday. I picked her up from the airport and we went out for some food and a few beers. Next I took her to Kick Axe for axe throwing fun which she did very well at. Unfortunately she got a phone call that our last remaining horse Adar had unexpectedly passed away. It was very rough and tough the remainder of the trip as my mom was obviously very upset with the news. She powered through though as we went out to the HofbrauHaus for some dinner and drinks with friends. Thanks to Lauren, Stephen, Benjamin, Ben, Jess, Paul, Jenna, Dan, Chelsea and Paige for coming out to celebrate. The last day of my moms visit we went into the city and entered the Lottery drawing for tickets to see Book of Mormon. My moms name was the very first name drawn and we won 2 front row tickets to the show. It was hilarious and awesome as I have been trying to see this show for years now, I was not disappointed! After the show we went to see Ready Player One in IMAX, such a fun movie and I was happy to see it again. We finished the night with some sushi and watched some “Naked and Afraid” (its a TV show) back at my apartment before she left the following morning to fly back home. Thanks for everything Mom!! Next up is the start of Baseball Season! The Brewers come to town and Lauren and I head to Citi Field to watch them take on The Mets. Unfortunately The Mets prevailed, oh well. Shortly after the game I finally win the Hamilton tickets lottery and get $10 2nd row tickets for the show. Lauren joins me as my super special guest as we watched a very entertaining performance. I partner up with Kyro again and shoot a fun little fight scene as a conjoined twin with Ben as my other half. It was a very challenging concept and a very challenging fight but it turned out great. Next more work as I get a call to cover an episode of The Tonight Show. They are scheduled to have an axe throwing competition and since I have become quite the axe thrower, they brought me in to coordinate and teach Jimmy Fallon and Serena Williams how to throw axes. Jimmy had done it before and he was fine, no worries there. Serena is a different story, she seemed very dis-interested in practicing, odd for a professional athlete. Her first throw was abysmal as we rehearsed back stage and she hit the top of a door frame. I gave her a few pointers stressing the importance of the release. Her second and third throw were better but still pretty terrible. After only 3 throws she turns to me and says I think I got it . . . . Ok, sure . . . . Haha. Thankfully when we shot the show she was able to stick her last throw on the board as she repeated “its all in the release”, so she was listening to me after all haha. Was pretty surreal to be in The Tonight Show Studio and be able to coach a world famous athlete.

May- Wheels up as I fly back to Wisconsin to celebrate my Mom and her 2nd 3oth Birthday as we called it! My brother Nick and sister Tia also make it home to celebrate. We did all kinds of fun stuff like go to the Chicago area for indoor skydiving, went to the New Glarus Brewery, took in a Brewer game at Miller Park and hosted a house party to celebrate my awesome mom. We even got her concert tickets to see Foreigner for her Birthday! Much fun was had. On the last day in Wisconsin we took Tia to the airport and to kill time Mom and I played some mini golf, did some driving at the driving range and then hit up the Lakefront Brewery before I got on a plane back to NYC. Back in NYC and its off to Philly to support Alexa being chosen to run the American Ninja Warrior course. They shoot this overnight so we all gathered at a hotel to wish her well and then changed into costume to go to the course and cheer on the Ninja Warrior Princess! I rocked my raccoon onesie as we all dressed in warrior tattoos and screamed and yelled for Alexa! She did awesome, getting out on the 4th obstacle and missing the next round by 1 spot, they take the top 5 women to the next round and she finished in the 6th slot. Oh well! She did awesome and I was so proud and honored to be a part of it. Back in NYC I officially begin my training for the NYC Marathon. I get a call to help out Airon Armstrong on his short film “Orc Night” playing a Glam Rock Elf and getting into a fight with Hannah. Yay for fighting my buddies! I go upstate for a bit to do some “other” work on The OA. Was a nice getaway for a couple nights upstate in a hotel, even though its not the kind of work I am looking for, but still pays the bills.

June- Begins with a trip to NJ and my first dirt bike trail ride excursion. Aaron, Anthony, Alexa, Greg and I join up with Demian and Ryders Alley in NJ and spend all day riding the trails. It was a lot of fun, I was the slow guy but still had a blast. We even rode to a lake and jumped in to cool off for a bit. I get a call from LA as I had submitted for a stunt gig out there looking for an ice skater double that is my size. Paul is nice enough to give me a lift and we head out to aviator to get some ice skating footage to send to LA. It has been a few years since I was on the ice, but always feels good. Shot some stuff of me skating around and falling as well to send to LA. Unfortunately production decided they wanted a real figure skater so no dice haha. It happens a lot in this business. I work on trick shots at Kick Axe as there was a video that was shared with me of Deadpool doing all kinds of trick shots, but wasnt really doing them. I spent the whole month checking each trick shot off the list as I was confident I could do all the shots for real, I did. Hahah. I go on a couple of dates including one with Elizabeth, whom we share a couple of mutual friends in the fight world with. It was a fun time as we kind of bar hopped around midtown. Next I get invited to be a part of the Pride Parade as my friend Jess was going to be in the parade with her mermaid dance friends. They all needed to have a “seaman” to help out providing water and what not for the duration of the parade. I dressed in rainbow socks and suspenders to be a part of the fun and had a blast. Went to Queens to see Alexa’s new apartment as well as catch part of her run that aired on Ninja Warrior!! She was so awesome!!

July- This month started with spending more time with the stunning and super intelligent Elizabeth. We stayed in for the 4th of July and watched the Hot Dog eating contest on TV, as you do. We did go to Lock Yard afterwards and get hot dogs, and met Albert, our new favorite bartender. He even hooked us up with 2018 Coney Island Brewery Pride Pint Glasses for free. Elizabeth and I check out a Beery Brunch at Coney Island Brewery, it was extremely underwhelming haha. After Brunch I took her all over Coney Island to walk to Boardwalk and see the sights. We didnt do any of the rides or anything, but we did go to the Aquarium and saw the penguins, who seemed to be having a private moment. We stood in line for what seemed like forever to see the shark exhibit, but it was actually pretty cool! SHARKS!! We even went up the the rooftop bar of the aquarium for a drink, it was lots of fun! I begin the long process of remodeling a room in my apartment to create a brand new living room. I repaired and painted all of the walls. Next up I meet up with the one and only Joanne to check a band off my bucket list when I see The Foo Fighters Live at Madison Square Garden!!!!!!! It was an incredible show with incredible company and when they come around again I will for sure be going back, with my Foo Buddy of course!! Next up Elizabeth and I head to Greenpoint to celebrate the 40th Birthday of Paul. It was a fun get dressed up as a superhero party, which we humbly declined to be a part of, mostly because it was raining all day and I didnt want to get my home made rocket raccoon costume wet. Time for more work as I head up state for 3 days to work on “The Dead Dont Die” a feature film staring Bill Murray and Adam Driver among others. I had a blast working on this one as I played a Zombie Boy getting run over by a car. Unfortunately Bill was not working that day, and Bill’s double Chris was the one running me over. It was still all kinds of fun, and the Director, Jim Jarmusch, was incredible and very happy with my work, especially my bent over backwards zombie walk. I meet up in the city with Tina and the rest of the Stuntwomens United meeting and have some beer with some peers and learn about a fundraising gala that will be forthcoming! My stunt driving gig on The Affair airs! Last day of the month its back to work for Tony on “God Friended Me.” Doubling a kid in a chase scene, which he did himself, but hey, I got to get some rehearsal runs in haha. I finish up the living room remodel by moving all of the furniture in, setting up the entertainment center and adding some new furniture, lamps and an area rug. It turned out amazing!!

August- August starts off with more stunt work as I get booked to stunt double on “New Amsterdam.” It was a very easy day as Ben and I were the doubles and just watched as our kids have a nice school hallway beat bloody down. The actors did all the work as we looked on. I took the unicycle outside for the first time and worked on my free-mounting skills in the park for hours! I finally get a bunch more footage and put together a new stunt reel for 2018. I join Elizabeth for a little Shakespeare workshop at the Brick. Next up is more stunt work, this time its back to Gotham where I get to work with Alexa and Matthew, FINALLY!! It was a very long day dressed as punks fighting Bruce Wayne and eating the concrete over and over again (which means I fall face first on to the sidewalk, over and over again). Bobby, Suo Liu, Vera Lam, Jonas, Anthony and Bree rounded out the stunt team for the day. Look for it in January! I get my new running shoes that will be my shoes for the NYC Marathon, with a NYC Marathon design on them as, ya know, appropriate. Elizabeth and I head to Lock Yard for Trivia Night, as we have started to become regulars, and we take home 2nd Place!! WE SO SMART! Lastly this month, thanks to Elizabeth, I get hired to be the fight director for a new show for The Queens Theatre. Been a while since I have been involved in stage work.

September- Off to Long Island to start the month off with some high fall training with Drew Jaime Miller and Luke Vexler. It was a super fun 2 days of falling into an air bag from a scissor lift. Lots of fellow stunt performers were in there (way to many to name) over the course of 2 days. My biggest fall being 40’!! Drew and I also jumped into the side of the bag, as you do haha. I start fight directing for the show “Leaving Brooklyn.” It was fun to get back into a studio space again to work on live theater. I was brought in for a few very minor, but important gags. One of which involved an actor with a handicap, both in real life and in the show, who was in a wheelchair. The challenge was to get the actor out of the wheelchair during a fight with his older brother. I came up with the idea to dump the actor face first on to the floor as the other actor lifted the chair from behind. I have a brother so I know this holds no bounds when brothers fight haha. The actor pulled the gag off incredibly and it became a staple of the show causing LOTS of emotional reactions. Much more marathon training this month, including getting my super distance runs in. I get my very first piece of production swag in the mail from the project “The Dead Dont Die.” It was a hat of the police department from the film. It was super cool as it came with a note attached with a thank you from Bill Murray and Adam Driver, pretty freaking sweet. I get a phone call from the one and only Andy Gill who brings me on board to the film “17 Bridges” starring Chadwick Boseman. I was shocked when the voice on the other end of the phone said “This is Andy Gill” (For those of you who dont know, Andy is a BIG TIME stunt coordinator) and even more shocked when he said “we want you to play a cop.” Most of my work comes from doubling kids, not playing cops haha. I join Elizabeth at her fancy new restaurant “Rotisserie Georgette” for a complimentary dining experience. As she is the brand new Maitre-D they wanted her and a guest to dine in the restaurant to get the full experience. It was so fancy and so fabulous and we ordered so much!! Did a rigging seminar with Brett Copes over at Breakfall. Learned a bunch of new things but also was a great refresher for all the other things. Lastly this month Elizabeth and I checked out OktoberFest down by the South Street Seaport in Manhattan! We had beers, a pretzel bigger than our face and even watched stein holding competitions haha.

October- More distance training ensues for this month as the Marathon is a month away! Crazy! Regulars from The Mile, and participants in the Fantasy Football League that I have been running for 4 years now, come down to Bay Ridge for the Lonestar Game Watching Fun-ness (if you dont know about this deal . . you should!) Had a blast eating and drinking our faces off with Joe, Leanne, Asif, Navid and Elizabeth. Next up I do something very adult as I head to the Honda Dealership and I buy myself a car!!! Yup haven't owned a car since I was 16 but with the Philadelphia gig fastly approaching, It was time! I got myself a 2016 Honda Fit!! I am now mobile!! Next up Elizabeth and I head to NJ for the Stuntwomens Gala and had a lovely time dressed fancily and schmoozing with all of my peers. Not to mention open bar! Next on the very 2nd night of me owning a car, I Elizabeth and I drive into Manhattan to watch the show that she directed at the Producers Club and I learned a lesson the hard way about parking in the city. No Standing is even more detrimental than No Parking!! My car was towed and thanks to the amazing heroics of Elizabeth she remained calm, located my car, and we treked off to the impound to get my car. Forms and money later, we were on the road back home in the middle of the night. Owning a car is awesome! (womp womp) Time to head down to Philadelphia as I load up my new car and drive down to my hotel. I didnt know how long my stay would be as when I checked into my hotel they were like, we have you here for 5 nights . . . hmm ok, I only packed for 2, but ok. I head to set to meet THE Andy Gill and get acquainted with my stunt team Kaitlyn, Denney and my fellow officer and partner Jay Hieron!! The next few nights we shoot our scene on overnights. Riding with Jay, shotgun in a squad car. It was incredible working with all these guys. I also got to meet and work with Jalil Jay Lynch, Dan Mast and Terrence Julien!! Of course while in Philly I did get a few runs in, past the Art Museum as you do, but I did NOT run up the stairs (been there, done that). I get the weekend off and Elizabeth comes down to visit. We wander around Philly and eat and drink as you do. We watched the Brewers get eliminated from the playoffs only 1 game short of The World Series in a local Philly Bar where they were much more interested in watching the 76ers start their season. We also went bowling so I could show of my Midwestern skills haha. We had lots of fun. I come back to New York for a brief visit and to switch out my clothes and hang with Elizabeth up in Harlem before I head right back on the road to Philly for another round of shooting. Make sure you catch “17 Bridges” when it arrives in theaters! We wrap up our scenes and it was so much amazing fun to be a part of that movie and work with such LEGENDS in the industry. Back to NYC I go and on the final day, Halloween, Elizabeth and I meet up with Jenna and Dan and we tackle the Spy Museum!! Thanks so much to Amber for hooking us up!! We all got to participate in various Spy activities which tested a range of our skills and got de-briefed at the end which gave us our best suited spy job. Both Elizabeth and I had Identical results and were tabbed as “Spy Catchers” . . .. new career? Hahah

November- This is going to be a long one! This month starts with a quick trip to the Javitts Center to pick up my Race Materials and Bib for the TCS NYC Marathon. It was quite the spectacle filled with vendors and what not, but I just wanted to get in, get my bib and get out, it was early and I didn't have my coffee yet haha. A couple days later the big day arrived! I got up super early, had some breakfast, left a bag with Elizabeth, and took the very bare essentials with me into the city, then on to the Staten Island Ferry, and then on to a bus. It took forever, there was lots of waiting in line, and when I finally got to the starting area, I had enough time to lose my warm clothes, drink a couple things of water, use the facilities and then report to my starting corral. Ready to go I had many thoughts running through my head and finally we were at the starting line and the canon fired and everyone was off . . . . to a snail like slorg . . . which couldnt even be considered walking. A couple minutes later, a walk was established. . . and a couple minutes after that finally something that could be considered a pace began. There were so many people and it was the absolute perfect day for a marathon. I caught Elizabeth right near my apartment around Mile 2 ish as my 26.2 mile journey was just beginning. I took some risks early on in my race and had power gel that I took every six miles. I had the biggest smile on my face for most of the race as the streets were lined with positive energy, hilarious signs, and all kinds of strangers wanting high fives. The water stops were pretty congested and its super hard to down water while jogging, so a walk had to be taken to both get a cup, and drink before getting back on my pace. At around mile 15 I saw my wonderful friend Joanne who came out to support me and was able to get a quick video of me running by. Right around mile 19 or 20 was when I started to realize how difficult this thing is. Going over the bridge into the Bronx was a bit much that I took a 30second ish walking break. Once I got into the Bronx I was pretty overcome with emotion as I thought about Basilio and had a weird uncontrolable laugh/cry thing happen. I think about him a lot when I run and this was so much emotion that I couldnt stop it pouring from me. Once back in Manhattan I saw Jenna and Elizabeth a few blocks from each other up in Harlem, and them being there really helped push me. Down the stretch I pushed to maintain my pace, while seemingly everyone else was satisfied to walk the rest of the way. It felt more like a game of live action frogger as I tried to dodge the walkers while maintaining my pace. Finally crossing the finish line I had done it, all the work I had put it came spewing out as I screamed to the heavens as I crossed the finish line, collected my medal and space blanket and began the long line of walking to the exit. Elizabeth was there to meet me first and we hugged for forever, I was so happy she was there. After that we met up with Joanne, Jenna and Hannah D who had all come out to support me. It truly was one of the most rewarding and intense experiences of my life both physically and mentally. Not sure if I will do it again, but if you are thinking about it, do it! The outpouring of support from everyone in the form of texts and messages and FB was so overwhelming. That night I spent with Elizabeth at her place in Harlem as we celebrated with Shakes and Burgers!! The next morning I head back to central park to get my medal engraved with my finish time of 4:09:33 and my name. I also pick up a finishers sweatshirt! Shortly after this I get some very sad news as my Uncle Clay who has had heart problems for years and years and finally had a heart transplant, had suffered complication after complication after the transplant until it finally took his life. I book a flight home to be with my family during this difficult time. It was wonderful to see everyone but I truly wish it was under better circumstances. My Uncle Clay and I would always chat for hours when together for the holidays about life and things and thankfully him and I did that last Christmas. I am really going to miss his sense of humor and his love of life and he will always be the Alpha Male of the family. I fly back to NYC for a couple days before I turn right around and fly back to Wisconsin for Thanksgiving as I had already planned that visit. We had Thanksgiving with the family and raised a toast to Clay as he was fresh on all our minds and I am glad that my Aunt Kim was there with the family after such a sudden loss to celebrate with us all. It was tough but all in all was great to spend time with the family. Next up Mom, Blaine and I head to Madison to Camp Randall for The Badgers vs The Gophers in the Battle for the Axe!! The game unfortunately did not go in our favor as we got stomped by Minnesota. I guess when you have won that game for 14 straight years, eventually you are going to lose one. Oh well! Still love going to games. Back to New York I go to finish off November only to return to the news that my roommate is moving out . . .with 3 days notice!! Meaning I have to pay for the entire rent for the 1st of December as she had completely run out of money and was vacating the apartment before the 1st. Great news to return home to. However Elizabeth comes over and her and I set up the tree and decorate for Christmas, which is always a cherry good time! 

December- Bring on living alone and paying for all my rent and all my bills. Good thing I just got one of my big checks from “17 Bridges.” I decide I am going to take the month to purge my apartment of all the things that do not belong to me and simply throw them out. When you have lived in an apartment over 15 years and had numerous roommates in and out, things tend to pile up as you think it belongs to someone else, but not anymore. I get rid of a couch that has been sitting for ages, thanks to the help of Aaron. Bags and bags of random items over the course of the month had been gathered and put on the curb as I scour every corner of my apartment, and clean along the way. Is winter cleaning a thing? I get a call for work on Jessica Jones for some ND stunt work, thank goodness for one more gig to close out the year. I go to my fitting and am told I will be playing a helicopter guard. Cool. I get to set and have the incredible opportunity to work once again with Gary Stearns, as well as Stephen Pope, Jared Burke, Kyli and Luke Vexler. Seriously? What a team! Much to my surprise, not only was I going to guard the helicopter, but in one of the shots, they wanted to see us take off in it!! YUP! I was so excited as this was my first ever flight in a helicopter, and I was getting paid for it! Billy was the pilot and has been flying helicopters for 30 years, we zoomed up into the sky and took a quick tour around the east river. It was incredible!! Back on the ground Elizabeth and I take a holiday tour of the Dyker Heights lights for the holidays. This has become one of my favorite things to do, even though this year they didnt block off the roads, which was rather annoying. I finally pay a visit to the dentist as it has been quite some time. The last experience I had at a dentist in NYC was less than acceptable and led to work that did not need to be done and cost me. So yeah. This dentist was MUCH better and really worked to clean my teeth up and even confirmed my suspicions that I do NOT have cavities, nor require any cavity work. I head to Breakfall to film a holiday video with some friends and then go to get some K-Town chicken with Jenna and Johnny X Wang. Next up I host a holiday shindig at my apartment. Elizabeth made her delicious mulled wine and I baked some cookies! We were joined by Jenna, Dan, Aaron, Alex, Alexa, Christine and Hannah! We had a lovely time drinking and chatting and watching random videos and even walking the Dyker Heights lights . . . again! Most everyone crashed, except for Dan and Jenna, they had to tend to a doggy, and find Jenna’s phone haha. Christmas Day Elizabeth and I wake up bright and early and head to the Alamo Drafthouse to see Wallace and Gromit! It was a very sweet and enjoyable Christmas morning. Elizabeth and I webcamed with my family as we opened presents and then just spent the day watching movies and ended it with a fabulous Christmas dinner of steak, scallops, twice baked potatoes and asparagus that Elizabeth masterfully cooked. Elizabeth and I head to Yankee Stadium to watch the Badgers in the Pinstripe Bowl take on Miami! We got there super early so we could check out the stadium and get some food. It was an amazing game that was dominated by The Badgers as they took the game 35-3!! It was so much fun!! Unfortunately the year ends with some sadness as Elizabeth and I part ways. As much fun as we had together we both had to work so hard in our relationship to make it work. Some people are wonderful, amazing human beings but it doesn’t mean that they fit together in the universe. I wish her nothing but the very best and I was happy to spend the past 6 month with her. I will miss her for sure.

Anyways that brings us to the end of 2018! I hope you all enjoyed my journey. I look forward to hearing from all of you, so please feel free to add something I may have forgot in the comments below. Here’s to 2019 and I Seriously hope that YOU are a part of it! Cheers!