Tour of the Most Populous States

I'll be leaving San Diego later this month, saying farewell to the city I've lived in (well, at least had an address in) the longest outside of Orlando. I've taken a job with Air Center Helicopters in Burleson, Texas, and I will live a short distance away in Fort Worth. I will certainly miss being in San Diego, but I'm excited to start a new adventure in a new place and also be reunited with Glory again!

Moving on I am thankful for a supportive and loving family, smart and funny nieces and nephews, and good health in an uncertain time in our society. I hope we can somehow find a path again in this country that leads us close to our founding ideals and that "more perfect union." In the interim, I am glad to have a network of people I trust and respect, as well as some healthy skepticism for people in positions of power. Looking forward to the next adventures!

Farewell to Pacific Beach

Inaugural Post

This is my first Coastal post and I commend Linda's diligence to have me see the composition through.   I will try not to duplicate any info from Lea's previous post.  I like Linda's bullet point structure and will go that route for round 1:

- I will start with what I am thankful for - family, health, job, tiny bit of breathing room financially & each new day.  It is wild to consider that we had a baseball & soccer season, two weddings, summer camps, etc. that are all likely canceled.  We now have slower evenings and a lot less husting.  Week nights no longer consist of rushing to practice or slamming down dinner to avoid a 11 pm bedtime. 

There is so much pain associated with Corona/Covid (CC) but I think an unexpected benefit is that people and families can slow down and stop creating for a season.  I am trying to slow down enough to hear what Lea and the kids are asking, telling & sharing with me.  Ninety nine percent of this requires that I slow down and pause whatever "urgent" project I am working on. 

- From a work perspective I feel like we are in for a tough year to 18 months.  Most media is expecting a "V" shaped recovery but I am in the "U" camp.  A presenter from JP Morgan recently recommended that people should write down what think will happen in any given scenario using percentages.  If one does this and they keep a running tally then they establish a track record of their estimates, prognostications, bets, etc.  Once they have years of history they can look back and see how wrong (or right) they were.  The JP Morgan presenter was discussing markets and the economy and this practice helped him trust the "data" more and his emotions, biases & desired outcomes less.  In the spirit of the practice above I will use this blog to capture one of my guesses.  I hope it is wrong for obvious reasons.  1) in 2019 there is a 75% chance that the S&P 500 falls 45-50% off all time highs of mid February 2020 (so far we only hit 34% down then bounced back)

- Books : I have not read through all of the Dalton family favorites yet and I am excited to read a few more of those this year.  I am currently reading a boring book on psychology call "Pre-suasion"

- I feel like I can see the kids growing older day to day.  I especially notice it right now with Peter & John.  There is a chance that Lucy has a photographic memory if and when she decides to turn it on.  I don't say this lightly.  I am reading a ~100 page kids book at night to the girls and Lucy, without seeing the page, can recite what one character is going to say to the other at any given time.  She does this to annoy Addy sometimes but blew my mind when she first pulled it off.  She has read the book 5-6 times but this is a big kids book with hundreds of conversations.

- John is regularly talking about "the corona".  I think that he thinks it is a bird or mosquito or something that can appear at any moment.  On a walk today he told me that he wanted to get "the corona".

Until next time...Brendan

Homebound and Homeschooling

On occasion, I have thought about homeschooling my kids.  Not all at once, and definitely not with only a weeks notice, and yet here we are.  Currently Peter and I are in the living room listening to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets while he plays nintendo and I get some emails finished.  I've unsubscribed from so many list serves that want to tell me how their company is handling the COVID-19 crisis.  Technically this is a grace week for school with real distance learning beginning next week.  We're learning how to navigate a day where we can't really go anywhere but still need to get school work done.  So far we are concentrating on typing club, piano, reading, and trying to get along with each other.  Some of that is easier than others!

I've talked to the kids about how this effects their day to day and Peter & Lucy seem to understand.  They haven't asked once to go visit a friend and they're only mildly disappointed that many of their activities are canceled.  I'm a little sad that we will likely not have a baseball season this year, we really loved Peter's team and he seemed to be enjoying it.  After a year of being scared and nervous of getting up to bat he has tackled that fear and crushed a few hits into the outfield and has grinned from ear to ear while running the bases.  We incentivize him by paying him to different outcomes at the plate and I can't decide if this is good parenting or not, but he loves money and $2 seems to be enough to get him to stay in the batters box and swing instead of hoping for a walk.  John also started teeball with Brendan and Allen Peacock as his coaches and he adores it.  We are very sad his season is likely over too and watching 4 year olds try to play baseball is some of the most fun you can have on a Saturday morning.

 We did get to go on the 4th grade field trip to St. Augustine - I had a great time with Peter and his friends and had many memories of Edna running around buying as much candy as she could.  Peter and his friends bought cheap brass rings with their names on them and Colleen Tenney and I joked that Peter and Dylan will exchange theirs with each other. :)


We were also playing soccer at XL soccer before the shutdown and everyone enjoyed that.  Lucy & Peter love being goalkeepers and shout out how many goals they stopped the other team from scoring and Addy races down the field to be the first one to the ball but then backs off when someone else arrives to the ball.  John loved his coach and gets annoyed to see that he is also coaching several other teams.  We liked it because it was inside, served french fries & drinks and basically kept the other kids entertained while we watched games.

The girls are also doing art classes at Creative Jane Orlando and they both seem to love it but I especially am happy for Lucy to have that outlet.  They bring home really fun projects and I'm glad to have found something that fits into our schedule that is just for Lucy.  Addy goes too...but mostly because she doesn't want to be left out.  Addy's in Kindergarten finally and she loves it.  She really never enjoyed preschool and always thought she was too old to be in a class with any of her preschool classmates - she LOVES being at school with Peter especially.  Her teacher is Mrs. Downing who we all really like. 

John is still our baby and decidedly not a baby anymore.  He would like to have all the privileges that Peter has, including biking to Yay Yay and Grand Dads house on his own.  It's always, I'll to it myself, go away! Until he realizes he really can't live without me and then he wants me to do everything for him.  I'll tell you what I won't miss...wiping bottoms and pushing people on swings.  Colleen Tenney is John's teacher and I'm thankful because we are good friends and she takes great care of John with his dairy allergy.  We had a scary event with him this year and were in the ER for more than observation which has made John scared of shots and doctors, but he has a great attitude about what he can and can't eat and the big kids are pretty good about it too.


I just filled out the 2020 census and am feeling pretty productive this morning!  Brendan is canceling flights we had to a few weddings in the next couple of months including his sister Theresa's.  She got married last week and we will celebrate hopefully this summer.  During COVID-19 I'm entertaining myself reading internet memes about this not being a motherhood competition about who is the best homeschooler and what everyones schedules are - we will get to a routine soon, but for now I like not having to rush out of the house in the morning or force them to do their piano in the 10 minutes we have before we race off to someone's practice somewhere.

I know there are no real details in here and it's not an exciting post...maybe I'll get back to it while we are stuck at home - but I wanted to get it done in March!

Some of our most fun memories this year have been our trip to San Diego to celebrate Uncle Bale and our most recent trip to Greenville for the baptism that wasn't yet :) and we squeeked out a fun week in Pensacola Beach before the beach was closed for the next few weeks / months?!  Here are some of my favorite pictures!

The Elliotts After Sam

Hello Family!

It's been a long while since our last update, most obviously because Sam was yet to be born in our previous post and in this one he is 18 months old. He is an actual delight.

Samuel Taylor Elliott was born on September 18 just a few days after his official estimated arrival. We survived the summer heat by staying at the YMCA splash pad for hours and thankfully Charles entertained himself while I sat in the cool water. Sam was born healthy, for which we are incredibly thankful. As with Charles, our first 6 months were rough on the amount of sleep but we barely remember that time anyway. Sam's nickname is smiling Sam and it is fitting. He is, without a doubt, the happiest baby I have ever been around. These days you can find him on his 3-wheeled scooter bug races around the house, or laughing hysterically as he tries to bonk your head with his, or throwing a fit when you try to take him out of the swing, or reading every single book he lays his eyes on.

Charles loved being a big brother from day one, enjoying playing, teaching, and generally entertaining Sam. Spencer and I are now realizing that we might have expected just a bit too much of Charles as we notice that Sam is just a month shy of Charles' age when Charles became a big brother. He is something special -- just don't expect him to forget anything you've said or done. Charles loves that he is big enough to get to the park without having to ride in the stroller and usually insists on going down the big slides. His best friend is his 3 year old neighbor, Leo. They'll play trains, chase each other, and sing with each other for as long as we will let them. Often Leslie and I have a train belonging to the other family waiting to exchange the next time. Charles also still loves his school and seems to have made an impression on all the parents that see him at drop-off / pick-up. He stops to ask questions or tell a story about every 2 steps or so. It's testing my patience but I also love watching him learn.

After Sam's arrival, I had to take a good, long, hard look at what we wanted our lives to look like as we pursue entrepreneurship here in Greenville. While I had initially planned on working in a professional capacity from home, it quickly became obvious that I was a bit naive in how to make that happen. So while it was difficult at first, I came to terms with stepping back from anything that looks like a professional role and throw myself into full-time caregiving for Charles and Sam. The shift was mostly a mindset shift but I noticed once I let go of loftier expectations of myself, I was much happier and more content to spend my time filling their cups. Now some days they completely frustrate me (as a 3 and 1 year old would) but for the most part, we are all happier and more fulfilled this way. 

Westgate on Wardlaw is progressing nicely now after a long and rainy winter. It didn't seem like we got in a string of 7 days in a row with working weather but the roofs are on, windows are in, and masonry should start this week or next. Obviously a lot of factors at play here, but we are still optimistic about selling all six of them by the end of the Spring. www.westgateonwardlaw.com.

We've moved houses since the last update and are still enjoying getting together in the cul-de-sac with our neighbors and their kids. Most of them are boys around Charles' age so that makes for a fun and growing "bike gang". Our streets are safe enough for them to ride and for us to enjoy a cold beverage with friends. There is also a park barely a 5 minute walk from our front door with 2 playgrounds, some ball fields, tennis courts, and a paved loop so we've been especially grateful for that.

I'd be remiss not to mention that I'm writing this while we are all experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic. It's too soon so know what this will end up being but for now, schools are closed, restaurants are shutting down, and anyone who isn't consider "essential" is being asked to either work from home, or not go to work. Current recommendations are to not gather in groups outside of the people who live in the same space, and certainly not more than 10 people. I am grateful that my boys are still a bit too young to understand and hopeful that Spencer and I can maintain a sense of calm and peace for them and our household. We weren't able to have Charles and Sam baptized as planned and I've been working through that disappointment by remembering to be grateful for the visit we did have and trying to become more reliant on God's control over our lives. I am reminded daily that we are among the fortunate ones.

Trials and Transitions

In March after returning from Portofino I told my reserve and active component chain of command that I would not deploy our detachment on time due to lack of materiel and operational readiness.

After the McCain and Fitzgerald collisions at sea, U.S. Pacific Fleet told his Echelon V commanders (me and my peers) that if you were not ready, do not deploy. This was in response to the fact that previous pleas for personnel, materiel, and funding by many PACFLT units were often ignored and delayed in order to meet operations. HSC-85 had it worse as a reserve unit, especially as we transitioned to the MH-60S helicopters, a transition which the active fleet fought tenaciously for irrational and personal reasons.

Despite ADM Aquilino’s statement and years of telling the chain of command we were undermanned for the operational tempo they expected us to meet, my refusal to deploy was met with shock, surprise, and anger.

The entirety of this year was focused on rebuilding our squadron’s reputation and holding my chain of command accountable for what they as leaders owed us. In doing this I made the determination that every decision I made would be geared toward the long-term health and welfare of the squadron and not the immediacy, the route that many of my predecessors went. I do believe that my tenure was a good one and left us better off, but it was exhausting, a word that doesn’t come close to the reality of the effect on me.

In April I traveled to Norfolk to our helicopter community readiness and future needs conference. I leveraged the “attention” our squadron now had to get projects we had asked for for years “fastracked,” meaning I got one of four completed within a year. I drove up to DC the weekend previous and after the conference which was a fun distraction.

Later that month I attended the change of command of HSC-6 in which my good friend James Jerome turned the squadron over the Todd Pike. Todd is as outspoken as I, so it was nice to have him in the CO meetings the next year to take some of the heat off me. I also attended a traveling Cirque de Soleil show that was under a tent which was really cool.

The last flight of the HH-60H was in May. We were supposed to have a ceremony and the flight at HSC-85, as we were the last operational squadron to fly that variant. However, because of our problems getting deployed, they moved the ceremony and flight to HSC-3, the training squadron that flies that helo to train foreign pilots. My good friend Ed Weiler, the CO of HSC-3, reached out and asked if we would like to have some of our people on the flight and we took him up on the offer.

A combined MH-60S and HH-60H flight, one of the last for the HH-60H

Red Wolves and Fire Hawks at the HH-60H sundown ceremony

I also started the Executive MBA program at Wharton (WEMBA) in May. Our first week was spent in Philadelphia with both East and West cohorts. I would spend the next year traveling back and forth to San Francisco every other weekend. While more school – and difficult school – kept me very busy it was also welcome respite from the Navy world.

Forum at Wharton

Ben Franklin welcome to Wharton

June was spent almost exclusively at work getting the detachment ready to deploy, which they did to Australia later in the month. I would go to Australia to visit with the detachment and see their performance in exercise Talisman Sabre. They did a great job and earned many accolades. I traveled with them to Japan to meet with new deployed chain of command leadership in my first face-to-face meeting with them as Commanding Officer.

Night load in Australia

In August the Commanding General for U.S. Special Operations Command came for a short visit to the squadron in San Diego before we flew him around the area as he visited special operations units in the area. This was a great coup for our squadron, which I was able to secure since General Clark’s aide was my USNA classmate Garrett Kulcyzki. We were able to share some of concerns about how the squadron was treated and viewed by the Navy, and how that would negatively affect his command, which paid dividends in the future when we would once again battle to not be shut down.

I went to Anaheim in September with Mack where we saw Mike Freeman play for the Indians. Later that month I traveled to Missouri to attend my former CO Quentin Packard’s wedding to his new wife Rachel, which was another welcome distraction while attending but also was an expensive and non-direct travel experience.

Fall baseball

Once again, we traveled to Nellis AFB in October for detachment training. We had made some great adjustments in how we worked, and the detachment OIC was a trusted friend Gregg Castellucci, who had been my wingman in Iraq. A year had made a measurable difference, which was noticed and appreciated by many members of the squadron. We had a mini celebration with some of the senior officers at a Jimmy Buffett concert while we were in Las Vegas.

Unfortunately, during this time away, we had a Sailor commit suicide back in San Diego. With only a year to go through the full grief process for the Clement death and PTSD some sailors had from the helo ground collision, scars were just reopened as we went through the memorial service and CACO process again.

I came home for about ten days over Thanksgiving and got to play in a Member Guest tournament with Dad. It was fun to be with Dad and realx at CCO. The golf course was in top condition which was great too.

In December we performed a detachment rotation. I also had my second round of final exams from WEMBA, a requirement I conveniently forgot about when I though more school was a good idea! I came home for Christmas and then went out to Japan to see the newly deployed detachment since I would not see them again as Commanding Officer. On the way back I stopped at Special Operations Command in Hawaii to bid farewell to that chain of command.

Sunset flight in Japan

January brought the end of three years as Executive Officer and Commanding Officer of HSC-85. We had the Daltons, Loflins, Elliotts, Suzy and Terry, and Patsy and Ron out to enjoy the ceremony and a few days in San Diego. It was a very different atmosphere than my oncoming change of command, and I counted as a measure of our success the many distinguished guests that we had in attendance. I turned the command over to my friend and classmate Chris Lemon, and the new XO was my longtime friend Joel Voss who had led the delayed detachment to smashing success in the previous six months. Our change of command party was very fun, and I think the whole family enjoyed meeting and talking to many of my colleagues that attended.

The crew at change of command

My plan for the next couple of months was to take leave and try and relax. Some of that was fooling myself as I would have to find a job during that time as well, but I was trying hard to pretend. I went to Breckenridge for a couple days in February with good weather and good company.  In March I had a trip to the Florida Keys planned for fishing and relaxing in Key West. With the onset of the coronoavirus though I cut the trip short after fishing and came up to Orlando. The weather and fishing were awesome though as you’ll see in the pictures.

A big bonefish despite a rookie cast!

Nice little tarpon after a very rewarding cast and float!

As the Mom year comes to an end, there is more transition in progress, which I am looking forward to. My latest stint in the active duty Navy is over, and almost everything to do on exit, including with the VA, is satisfactorily completed. The new unknown is our societal response to the virus. School is remote and will be for the foreseeable future. Job hunting remotely has been hard, as well as trying to decide where I will want to be and what I want to do. For the moment, I am just hoping for a little less stress and more focus on the good parts of these updates!

Same kind of different in LA

A same kind of different.

That is basically what is going on with me.

Most of the time I feel like I haven't made any progress towards my goals, and at the same time am getting older. I guess that is sort of how time works. It can be disheartening to feel like everyone in your circle is in a different, more secure, place than you are -- but everyone has their struggles, even if we aren't aware of them, or something.

There are some things that I've done that, in theory, should at least better prepare me for opportunities. Mainly, my time at Second City. I started taking improv classes about two years ago, mainly in hopes of making myself more attractive to potential agents/managers. That whole process takes about 18 months, so, since you can do math, you can see that I've finished the program. I didn't get any representation out of it, but it honestly was a fulfilling experience. The last leg of the program is called Grad Revue, and it's where you and your fellow classmates write and perform and hour-long sketch show. I like to think our 6-week run was a pretty good one. It definitely took me out of my comfort zone, which is likely the whole point.

During my time moving through the Second City Conservatory, I was simultaneously going through their sketch writing program. That has a similar end-goal of producing a sketch show at the end of the program. Most of the time you, the writers, cast the show and are done once the show is up. I decided that I would also like to perform in the show, so I had to audition for my fellow writers and thankfully, they humored me. Or I was good. I don't know.

Since I was spending so much time at Second City, I decided to get paid for it. A job became available in the office, and I was hired part-time. That has grown a little bit, and I am maxing out my hours as a part-time employee. In addition, I have made some good friends in the community, which is something I am grateful for.

Oh, and I've done stand-up a few times which is something I never would have imagined actually trying. I don't think you'll see me with a special any time soon, but I do think it helps with writing, and maybe someday someone important will be catching an open mic or something.

Sticking with the comedy and part-time theme, I've recently added a second job. It's at a place called Dynasty Typewriter. Dynasty is a 200-seat theater -- the old Hayworth theater to be precise. I basically work the door and sell popcorn and stand by the back gate to let comedians in to the greenroom. It's not very sexy, but the people are cool, and I met Adam Sandler, so there's that.

I do still audition occasionally for commercials, but my booking ratio literally could not be worse. I think I get callbacks at a pretty decent rate, so at least there is a some good coming out of it. Things are pretty slow right now for everyone, which is hard to take solace in, but it's something.

One of my biggest challenges remains asking those around me for help. It's not something I am comfortable with, and I don't think it ever will be. I have done a little bit of asking, and nothing has come of it, which can make it harder to ask the next person. But, that's the world I live in, so I would do well to get used to it.

Something I actually am a little bit proud of is completing a pilot. I took a writing class a while ago that was focused on writing a spec. A 'spec' is an episode of a show that already exists(the show exists, not the episode. You write this made-up episode.) My teacher allegedly didn't think it was terrible, so that gave me a little bit of confidence to try to write more and to potentially ask people to read what I write. So, I wrote an original pilot. To completion. I mean, there are still improvements that could be made, but it has a beginning, middle, and end. Now, if only I could do that more often and send it to industry friends to read and maybe get a job or something from it. We shall see.

It's a good thing though. It's a step. It's moving forward in a positive direction.

It's getting more comfortable with being uncomfortable.

It's a wholly different kind of different -- and it's good.

Mack in LA

Hello All,

Not a whole lot to report on in the macro "whats going on in LA". I continue to go on a few commercial auditions a month, a number I'd like to see go up. My agent can't really drop me for another year, but I'd like to book something so he doesn't feel like he should. Also, because I'd like the money. I've been looking to move apartments now that my lease is month-to-month. Ideally, I'd like to find something geographically close to where I am, but for a little cheaper and with a window I can look out of without an intimate view of neighbors' pets using the patch of grass. Also, being able to see sky would be dope. I just finished working on a play as a stage manager, something I don't really have a whole lot of interest in, but was asked to do, so of course I said yes. It has helped my "Mack is great to have around on productions" reputation; we'll see if that leads to jobs that, you know, pay. I've committed to writing more, for the [number too high to count]th time. I'm sure this new notebook I bought from my neighborhood book store is the key to overcoming all the obstacles involved, like actually stringing words together in a manner so as to form coherent sentences layered on top of one another. Socially, things are going fairly well, though I still feel as if I have to say yes to everything because who knows if saying no to a particular event will be the one that bars me from ever being invited to anything else ever again by anyone. I mean, I still watch plenty of Netflix alone, so I could lean more into that if need be. 

Recently, I had a day that encapsulated a good part of the things that happen to me / I do on a semi-regular basis in LA, so I will recreate it here for you.

[To the tune of "I love LA" by Randy Newman]

Earlier in the week, Whit Watson (or as Mom referred to him since I started working in the booth in 2004 "Walt Whitman") texted me that he was going to be in LA and asked if I wanted to meet up for dinner. Sure, I said. I made the drive west to Santa Monica to meet him and Todd Lewis, another Golf Channel personality, for dinner and drinks. It was lovely. They offered to get me tickets to a day of golf. Great, I said. Thursday, I don't have anything going on that day. They forgot. Whit got me a ticket for Saturday. Clubhouse access. I'd make it work.

I set my alarm for 6:00am. I was a little surprised my phone allowed me to set it that early, as I didn't know that was possible. There are very few things that get me out of bed with zero snoozes. Golf related activities being the only one that comes to mind at the moment. I need to make the drive to Santa Monica to pick up my credential from Whit's hotel. So I can at least get on the course for a few hours. I have plans today.

I'm the first in line for coffee at my go-to coffee spot. I find this a little odd, shouldn't a coffee place open earlier? Anyway, yeah I'll have a pastry too. It's early, plenty of time to work it off. I'll be walking around the course, I need some energy. You know what, make it a chocolate croissant. Why don't they take better care to get the chocolate more evenly spread throughout the dough? The type of person ordering a chocolate croissant would enjoy getting chocolate in most every bite, I would think. 

The valet asks if I'm checking in, I'm not, I'm picking up something from the front desk, I'll just be 2 minutes. 

"Hi, I'm Mack Dalton. I'm picking something up that one of your guests, Whit Watson, left for me." 

"Of course," the woman at the front desk says. She'll just need a photo ID. "It says Charles."

"I know, I go by Mack. It's short for Malcolm, sorta."

The drive from Santa Monica to the golf course is not far. Though, my planning takes a bit of a hit when I realize that the Clubhouse Pass does not get me any sort of preferential parking. There is not a public lot. The streets all say 'NO GOLF PARKING'. I wonder if they really mean it. Whoops, this street made a mistake. Instead of 'No Parking Anytime' temporary signs, they have '2 hour parking' temporary signs. I wonder if they ran out of the 'No Parking' ones. I have to leave in about two hours anyway. It's early, they aren't awake to yell at me for parking on their street.

I enter the course as a man is being kicked out for scalping tickets. Who is buying a ticket from a scalper at 7:00am? Apparently no one, even if they wanted to. 

"Sir, you can come right through here with that pass."

"Oh, thank you."

The woman checking badges gives me a wristband, tells me I don't need the pass anymore, if I don't want. I tell her I'll keep it just in case I start to scrapbook.

She laughs. 

I take about two-and-a-half steps into the clubhouse before I see Don Emery, the former Interlachen GM and current Riviera GM. It takes me introducing myself for him to recognize me, but then he does immediately. We chat about California, and he remembers all the reasons I came out there before as well as every one of the Interlachen member's names. He tells me to wait right there, he'll bring something for me. A Riviera member's badge. I can go anywhere. Probably could even rip one off the first tee if I had my clubs. We part, and I begin to walk the course. The only error I've made is forgetting about a gap in play due to the second round bleeding into Saturday. So, no golf yet. But I see the course, then go watch my close, personal friend Dustin Johnson hit some balls on the range. You know what? I am feeling a little peckish. Member's Only dining room? No problem, here's my badge. 

"Good morning sir, can I get you a cup of coffee? How about a seat by the window?" That'd be great, thanks. Sure, it's cutting into my course time, but I can't remember a time I've turned down a luxury that was made available to me. I'll go ahead and pay up front, Justin Thomas is putting a few feet away and I'd like to see him before heading out. 

I grab a couple of pictures so I can post them later, and head back out of the gates. I have plans.

--

9:45am

"Hey man, I saw your insta story, are you still coming over?"

"Yes, on my way to yours now."

It's NBA All-Star Weekend. Practice starts today at 11:00, but we need to get there early to get the CAA tickets. Although it's clear this is a day that the NBA just opened up to the public to have one more money-making event, it was pretty cool. 

 Overall, there wasn't really a whole lot going on here. I felt bad for the "hype-people" brought in from three different teams. It's pretty hard to get hype for layup-lines and the three-man-weave. Yes, the best players in the world were running these drills, and yes, it was hilarious -- at least to me. One of the hype-people was from the Magic. It wasn't Scotty B. This joke I told myself made me laugh, also to myself. 

The most impressive part of practice was to see these guys talking and doing much more than dribbling. 

Let's grab a quick bite, I have plans. 

--

2:30pm

"Hey man, I just got out of my interview. I'm going to change at the hotel, then let's meet?"

"Yeah, just finishing up lunch. I'll head that way. Let's do Venice Ale House for a beer on the boardwalk."

I've already driven to the westside, and back, once today. But my friend Karan Desai is in town with his girlfriend. He's here to interview with USC and UCLA for the next phase of his Doctor journey. It's the only time between his interviews and my work schedule that works, so even though Maps says it'll take 45 minutes. I point the nose back in that direction. 

At 4:00pm I find nearby parking and walk the few blocks down Rose Ave, past Main Street, past Neilson Way, past Speedway Blvd, and onto the boardwalk. I use to make this walk every day when I lived and worked over here. Somehow it's gotten even more bro-y. I apologize for the crowd, and lament about the number of changes in the area that make it more popular, but less cool than it was before. Snapchat turned my favorite bar into their personal cafeteria. Not to mention they bought the old office and had the audacity to not play beer pong on the balcony with Top Gun playing in the background. I mean, it's Saturday. What are they even doing with beachside property if they aren't going to use it? Maybe it is the same level of bro-y after all. Anyway. 

We catch up, have a couple of local beers, watch as the light turns from blue to gold. 

I have to be at the theater at 6, and believe it or not, it's 4:45 and I need to go. I know, it's crazy, but it really does take that long. Yeah, I take the 405 up and around to the 101 and come back down that way. It's a little out of the way mileage-wise, but the other options take even longer time-wise and unfortunately, I have plans.

--

6:15pm

"Sorry I'm late. Traffic, ya know?"

I have my duties for the play pretty much down by now, but run through the cues a few times anyway. The last thing I want to do is to screw it up for the actors. They've managed to sell all their shows out, which is pretty impressive. 

You know what isn't impressive? Showing up late. Even worse: showing up late and not understanding that it's going to be disruptive to the play for you to walk in after it's started. Really? Parking was tough? I mean, I know it was tough, but it's not 45 minutes late tough. Oh your a family friend just trying to support? Great, get here on time. You had a reserved seat? Yeah we gave that away at the start time. Sure, go on in, whatever. You're going to be embarrassed when you open the door and the whole theater looks at you because the door opens at the front of the stage. Anyway, I have work to do, you aren't going to make me miss my cue. 

Great show guys, really well done. Now if everyone could please exit the lobby. Yes, thank you, we appreciate you coming. Please leave something in the donation box. I need to break down the set, and I have plans. 

--

11:00pm

"In lieu of gifts, please bring a bottle to share," read the invitation. 

I'm excited to get this invitation. This party could be a lot of fun. It's also possible I will know almost no one there, so it's stressful.

When I arrived, I was greeted at the front gate by a doorman with a guest list. I'm on it. 

"Would you like a specialty drink as you make your way up the stairs to the party?" Sure, how far could I need to travel?

I don't see anyone I know. Then, thankfully, I see the host. The host is a guy I met through some mutual friends, then became friends with myself. After a few hangs, I discovered he was a writer/producer for the HBO show Veep. His house is, well, it's nice. 

He needs to you know, be the host, so we part after pleasantries and I pour myself a drink. I'd finished the other one on the stairs. I take my drink and pretty much just start walking in a circle around the house. On my second lap, I was like, 'hey, that guy looks familiar.' It was Jason Sudeikis. We nod hello as we pass each other. I turn the corner, and there is Olivia Wilde. We don't acknowledge one another. I continue my circle. 

I eventually find a few other friends and sort of glue myself there for a bit. Then, a friend's girlfriend shows up, and we begin to chat. She tells me a story about her friend Kelly. She goes on, saying that I should meet her because she is a big golfer. I say okay. 

A bit later, on another circle, I find myself in the dance room, a place I don't think I should be without at least another drink. I go to exit, when my friend's girlfriend stops me. She introduces me to her friend Kelly. Kelly Rohrbach.  This is not a comfortable place for me to be, at all. But, how can I leave? I stay and dance for a bit. She ends up leaving, so I continue the circle which ends at the bar. 

The dj packs up and now I need to decide if it's time for me to go ahead and leave as well. Almost any other time, I'd be last man standing and see if anything interesting happened with the pool situation. But I knew I had to work the next day, so I finish my drink, say goodbye to the host and walk down the stairs to the exit, a few steps behind Joel McHale. 

Got in the wrong Uber. Got in the right Uber. Ordered some McDonald's and re-watched an episode of Mad Men before dozing off into a "what world am I living in" sleep. 

--

9:30am

I wake up, feeling oddly inspired. 

I have plans. 

---------------------------------------------

That's all, for now. 

Love,

Mack

Update from Lea

Currently I have John locked in his room because he refuses to nap, and then he is so tired that all he does is hit everyone in the family (mostly me).  So I'm a little frazzled (like a frazzled thing, I'm not sure what that is...a line from John's favorite book).  I'm keeping busy with some Camp Gladiator workouts a few days a week, tennis once a week, I've signed up to be a part of the SAC committee at Lake Silver, which should be interesting at the meeting today given the events of yesterday.

Addy is currently watching too much tv while I wrestle with John, Lucy has quit teeball, and Peter is beginning to be anxious about his gifted testing next week.  Valetines Day was yesterday though and I managed to sneak a few minutes remembering that I do actually love them and I am actually a good mom.  We had sushi take out for valentines day and watch the olympics until about 930pm when I fell asleep.  It's just not the same watching Shaun White on the replay, but hopefully I get to enjoying the Olympics in about 8 years.

I met up with Liz McIntosh from Glen Arden for coffee this morning and we talked about me and Lucy going to mother / daughter camp at the end of the summer so I am looking into that.  It falls on the first weekend of Pensacola so there are some logistics to work out, but nothing new for a family of 6 (which is also nothing new for mom and dad).

This is probably not a great time to write this update, but I'm trying to distract myself from the screaming "mama!" and gagging sounds that are coming from Johns room and torturing myself reading mom blogs that tell you about the psychological harm you are doing to your child by not responding to their needs.  I'm about to use the leftover organic free range chicken i got from the farmers market that no one ate into a chicken pot pie that no one will eat tonight.  Then they'll complain they are hungry when it's time to go to bed.  I think they'll get a good dinner next Tuesday when we will have tacos.  Except for John because he can't have milk, cheese, or beef.  Peter is enjoying baseball and Lucy enjoys eating candy and playing with her friends on the sidelines, we are going to find her a painting class and see how she likes that.

hmm.  i think that is all for the last 2 days, i'll try to keep you posted on the events here.  Currently Lucy sleeps in a nest (literally) on the floor because she took a plant of mine and spilled the moss / dirt all over the floor which i haven't cleaned up yet because the vacuum broke and I only get my house cleaned every other month on Thursdays and the spill happened last weekend.  Only one more week to wait.

love lea

speaking of tired, i think i've corrected no less than 5 spelling mistakes and I imagine there are more in here, but I'm just pressing send and I'll notice them later!

coast to coast and back again

Hello, readers.

Wow. I guess, uh, it’s been a while, huh? What’ve you been up to?

Oh, that sounds nice, seems like you’re doing well.

Oh, me? Since the last time we spoke? It’s uh, yeah, I’m great.

I moved, again. Back to the west coast. Those LA dreams didn’t quite fizzle out, so I went ahead and threw my hat back into that cauldron of self doubt ring. I’ve landed back in the neighborhood I initially started in, Beachwood Canyon. Upon getting back, the first order of business was to reconnect with some friends.

At a birthday party, I had a conversation with my old downstairs neighbor. He welcomed me back and asked me what I was doing for work. At that particular time, the answer was ‘not a thing.’ He said he had a project coming up and if I was around and interested, he’d love an extra set of hands.

I was around. And interested.

The project was an independent feature film written and directed by a married French couple. Half of the crew was also French, including my friend. I took 3 years of French in high school, so I was practically part of the gang, AKA an easy target for teasing when I attempted to join in on conversation. Over the course of the next month of shooting, I was able to work myself up from ‘an extra pair of hands’ to a ‘co-producer.’ That in-and-of-itself was a pretty cool thing.

35 days of shooting a film with a mostly French crew was fun. Then, a few months later, we learned it was about to get even more fun. The movie was headed to France, as part of the Cannes Film Festival. That was certainly not the expected outcome when I had said, “sure, I’m not doing anything else”, six months prior. I, of course, had to go. I mean, there’s a better than decent chance this would be the only opportunity to go to Cannes as a participant, so I registered and booked all of the necessary logistics. Carpe Diem, etc. There were screenings, and dinners, and parties. I had bought a few white shirts for the tux that I was going to be wearing all the time, but ended up wearing once, and only because I had packed it and I damned well was going to wear it even if I didn’t absolutely have to. When I wasn’t with the group, I would wander the town by myself and then down to the Plage Croisette. It was a very fun experience that I can’t really believe happened.

During the shoot, I met the casting director for the film. She also taught classes, and I thought that maybe it would be a good idea for me to get involved with those in addition to knowing her on a professional level. I started classes with her and built a rapport. Not long after, she asked me to help with the production of a play. Which I did. Then she asked me to stage manage another play, which I did. Then did it again for another play. Now, I am the TA for her scene study classes. Which is nice, because that means I get to take them for free, which is pretty clutch. She keeps telling me how impressed she is with my growth which either means that I started off pretty terrible and am now not terrible, or, started off just okay and am now better than okay. Tough to tell really. In the most recent class, I did a scene and when we were getting feedback she said, “I never thought of you as a leading man, but after seeing you there, I said, ‘oh, Mack can play leading man.’” So, if you know me, you know which part of that statement I’ll be fixated on. I do think I am getting better, and I do feel like I’m making an impression on the guest directors our teacher brings in. Who knows if it ends up making any difference at all, but it doesn’t hurt.

Along the way, I decided I needed to brush up my comedy chops, so I got back into some improv classes. I had previously taken classes at UCB here in LA, and wanted to try something different. So, I found myself at The Second City Hollywood. The Second City is likely the most well-known theater and school when it comes to improv and sketch comedy. So many names have come out of their Chicago location, it’s insane. Once I began classes, I knew I wanted to see it all the way through to their graduation program, Grad Revue. It would take a long time, and a lot of money, so I decided to join their work study program where you trade hours of working at the theater for classes. I continued through the program, doing shows along the way, and began to make friends with the staff. Some part time, actually paid, jobs opened up, so I decided I was at the school so much, I might as well get paid for it. So I began working in the office. I’ve since been in two sketch shows, one of which I co-wrote, and a dozen or so improv shows. I’m nearing the end of the program, and my classmates and I are in the process of writing our final sketch show, which will run for 6 weeks this summer.

Since doing all of that isn’t scary enough, I have started to do some stand-up here and there. I don’t think I’m very good, but I do get the occasional laugh and as one of my friends says, ‘it’s shots on goal’. Gotta keep on putting shots on goal in order to score. So, that’s what I’m trying to do.

Being back in LA has been a good thing, overall. I certainly miss my family and friends back home, but it feels good to be trying to make stuff happen out here. I’ve managed to reconnect with friends here, and make a good amount of new friends. I don’t know that I’ve made too much measurable progress, but it feels like something might be around the corner. How far away that corner is, remains to be seen. I think that’s about it for now. If I think of anything else, I’ll edit the post.

Elliott Update Part 2

Lea's right -- this blog was meant to keep us all updated on each other but we've started using other means to stay in touch. Plus, I found that it was difficult to get enough time to sit in front of the computer uninterrupted for long enough. Excuses!

We are still enjoying our new life in Greenville and have some pretty major updates:

Samuel Taylor Elliott was born on September 18, 2018 at Patewood Hospital in Greenville. He is the happiest, sweetest baby. His smile lights up a room and we are loving loving on him. The transition to two kids has not been easy -- we are short on rest and patience but long on play and love! Sam is starting to sit with some assistance (at 6 months) and like Charles, loves grabbing faces to bring them to his mouth. He grins super big when Charles comes up to play with him; that usually ends in tears but it is nice for the 2 seconds of kindness.

Charles turned 2 on February 9, 2019! We had a small gathering thanks to Lea's tradition of inviting the number of friends as you are old. Charles has two friends, Jack and Leo, that have been coming over on most Fridays so that was an easy invite! I worried that his day wouldn't be special because I have very little time or energy to plan (Sam is a super sweet smiler but he did not sleep and did not like to be left alone) but that was wasted energy because he felt so adored he continues to sing happy birthday to himself. He is absolutely loving school, where he goes two days a week and would spend every moment of it outside if he could. He talks A LOT and Spencer and I brag (probably annoyingly) about how smart we think he is. Charles is a joy to have around, is developing his sense of humor, loves "big hugs", reading, his cousins, the playground, and kissing Sam.

Spencer and I bought a house in December of 2018 and so are now first time homeowners! We love the layout -- the open space loops through the rooms making it easier to transition from space to space. I'm grateful that we have room for a "play room" as well as a backyard with a patio. Now that spring has sort of sprung, we are out there every day. There is also a pretty awesome guest room and we are hoping that will encourage family and friends to come stay with us.

On the business front, we are still looking for a business to purchase and operate. In the meantime, we've become real estate developers and are working on a luxury townhome project in downtown Greenville called Westgate on Wardlaw. It was fun putting together the floor plan and designing the exterior of the buildings. Now we are waiting on permits issued from the city and hope to start construction in the next month or so. I've also started working a bit more with Lea and doTERRA which has been a nice outlet.




Lastly, we had to say goodbye to Pax a couple of Thanksgivings ago (which shows how little I've updated since). I know I mentioned that he was sick and things got progressively worse quickly. Having him put down was the hardest and yet one of the most loving decisions I have ever had to make. While I think every one should know the joy from having a dog like Pax, I do not wish any one that heartache but I know it is inevitable. 

Travel, Tragedy, and Neglect

I started the year in Japan, having traveled there by C-17 military transport from Africa with half of our detachment, two of our helicopters and support and maintenance equipment. We made stops in Diego Garcia and Thailand, but they were short with not much exploring possible. We did all enjoy some beverages beachside on the tiny Diego Garcia atoll and it was fun to have the detachment all celebrating a next step together. Unfortunately, once we arrived in Japan and ran our unload and launch drill I saw the beginnings of fatigue and training issues which would rear their head even more later in the year.

Looking rough in Diego Garcia

I arrived home in early April, secured a great apartment in Pacific Beach and promptly left town again to attend the wedding of my friends and former Harvard roommates Sean and Jess in Hawaii. I had a great time, though I was visibly exhausted. My wedding role was to be the reception dinner “MC” and I received pretty good reviews. Sean and Jess were pleased which is all that counts.

Sunrise at Haleakala

I made two trips in May, one to Orlando for Mary Michael’s wedding and one to see friends in Washington DC where I attended a Kygo concert at a new venue called the Anthem in southwest waterfront area. It was wild to see the changes in the city after only eight months away.

The crew at Mary Michael's wedding

June brought you and Dad to Southern California and I was able to show you around the “new” squadron for the first time. I saw Les Miserables for the millionth time at the San Diego Civic Center. I also embarked on one of the more fun trips of the last several years, a few days in wine country with Mack and some DC friends. We had great service thanks to a letter of introduction from ABC Fine Wines and Spirits and learned about lots of new wines – I even joined a wine club from Duckhorn that I’m actually satisfied with!

The parentals at HSC-85

With Mack at Duckhorn Vineyard

I spent July 4^th watching fireworks in Imperial Beach at a squadron get together and though summer was now in full swing, my post-deployment leave travel became less enjoyable as I became more stressed about the job I knew was in front of me, with very little support or even hearing of grievances from our chain of command.

The command tour honeymoon ended later in July with the death of Petty Officer John Clement (from Florida) due to maintenance malpractice. The next six months would include memorial service planning and execution, caring for the Clement family and enduring safety and liability investigations into the incident. I was able to come to Portofino shortly after the incident, but I’m not sure my presence did me or anyone else any good - always good to see everyone and the kids though!

Waffle House crew

Christian came and visited San Diego in August. He had never been so it was good for me to get out and show someone around. We did all the San Diego things, and additional mutual friend came down from LA and we went to a live 80’s band (the Molly Ringwalds) concert which was very fun and a welcome distraction.

In September I made a couple weekend trips to LA to see Mack’s show “A Box of Tissues” and go to the LA Film Festival Showing of “We The Coyotes” an independent movie that he was involved with that was also shown at the Cannes film festival in France.

I also had to “end” my year of mobilization by going to a third location decompression program in Germany since I was deployed to an austere location. At first I thought it was a real hassle, but once I accepted that it was mandatory I tried to make it work and enjoy myself. Nothing earth shattering happened here, but I did enjoy our two tourist days with German food and beer. I went from Germany to Norfolk for demobilization which is a very stressful process when trying to be XO at the same time, ensure your pay doesn’t get stopped and a number of other things that make you anxious because you are a “special case”. But everything worked out and I returned to San Diego expeditiously.

"Decompressing" in Germany

At the squadron we hosted the Seawolves, sort of a squadron alumni reunion, which was a huge hit with our sailors and our chain of command. It was a nice morale boost that would soon be forgotten as Joe and I were ordered to move up our change of command with four days notice. I will forever be mad at the process, because it robbed me of celebrating the day with you all, but Mack came down from LA and Chris Dalton was also there, which was very nice on both their parts. I become Commanding Officer on October 20, 2018.

Mack and classmate Matt Martin in the HSC-85 Wardroom

With Chris Lemon, my Executive Officer and USNA classmate

Just before the change of command I made it up to Massachusetts for a weekend for my friends Jon and Liz (Harvard and DC) wedding. The travel was tough – planes trains automobiles to a remote location – but the mini-Harvard and DC reunion was very fun and the wedding was really very nice.

Wedding venue glamour shot

The early change of command delayed us getting our detachment that was training up to deploy to Nellis AFB for their necessary training period. Against most people’s advice I decided we needed this detachment and we departed the day after the change of command, me flying the lead helicopter. I was vindicated in the decision because it was our first training detachment with the MH-60S helicopter and we were able to identify numerous weaknesses in the systems that we would need to find workarounds for before deploying. If it wasn’t completely evident that we were going to be in trouble to make deployment timeline previously, it was now. We did spend one leisure weekend in Las Vegas which helped out with some much needed team building.

The Nellis Detachment gunners

In November I made it to another of Mack’s shows and home in Orlando for Thanksgiving. Any renewal of “good vibes” was quickly dashed as the deployed detachment suffered a ground mishap, and I was ordered to deploy again to Japan to take care of things there. This was a ridiculous order – to take charge of two grounded helos, two broken ones, and 40 personnel in Japan, leaving my 8 helos, 350 personnel, and replacement detachment sorely in need of leadership at home – but it would become one of many.

Christmas in Japan

I returned to San Diego in January trying to get our MH-60S, which were the dregs of the fleet, reluctantly transferred to us, ready for deployment from the “preservation” status that they had previously been in. In February we made another training trip, this time to Fort Carson, CO, which was miserably cold flying. It was also evident that the detachment was not ready to deploy.

Former Redwolves pretending our current jobs are fun

After another short trip to Portofino I would enter the next Mom year in March having to make a decision with large ramifications on my career and the future of the Firehawks – whether or not to refuse to deploy due to lack of support and readiness. 

Life can't be all bad with these jokers in your corner!