RIP, Heath Ledger

So, like much of the world today, I was shocked and saddened to hear of Heath Ledger's sudden death.

And I'm sure I'm not the first person to write about it in a blog, either.

But as an artist, as an ACTOR, this hit me hard.

He was several months younger than me.

He had nothing but potential. His work in 'Brokeback Mountain' was superb. And after 'The Dark Knight' comes out, and the mass public sees what he did with The Joker, I'm sure his career would have sky-rocketed. And now, naked in a subleased apartment surrounded by pills, his candle burns out. It's a damn shame.

Life can go away at any moment. It's important to remember that. When we, as actors, complain about our roles. Are slow to memorize our lines. Moan about how hard our life is.

But it is the life we've chosen.

We should work our asses. Off.

Heath Ledger's passing has made me realize one thing: work as hard as I can, because tomorrow I may not get the chance.

RIP, Mr. Ledger. You're an inspiration, and you'll be missed.

J Matt's Winter Vacation-Epilogue

Wow. Fell off of the road-trip blog wagon there. Sorry about that.

Anyhoo...

I'm now back in Urbana after 4-ish weeks in Cali. I had a good time. Saw friends, family, animals...some all at the same time. The highlights, I'd have to say, involved the animals. Take for instance these Elephant Seals I saw outside of Cambria, CA. I give ye seal videos:






I dug them.

Quite.

At any rate, I don't have much to say. Home was, and continues to be, exhausting and welcoming at the same time. Nostalgia, distance, regret, hope...all of these feeling carried equal weight with me.

And if I learned anything from the trip, it was this:

No regrets. Move forward.

Happy 2008!

Some more photos:

A bridge in Big Sur, near where I used to live:



The Donner Party Memorial...I drove past here 2 days before this whole area was snowed out.

Happy to be back home!

Cheers,

J