Oscar Bound

Happy Birthday to Me :)

Still trying to get back on track after losing my dad last month, but making good progress. Normally I have plans for my birthday but this year I'm very content to just spend a relaxing day doing whatever moves me in the moment. Just found this fun little personality study for those born on July 18th on-line this and I love looking at this stuff. Let's see how much is true....

July 18 Cancers are high-energy individuals with a psychic bent. They understand the ways karmic forces can facilitate self-realization. Deeply in touch with their own subconscious drives, they're usually able to achieve their aims through focusing on those inner desires.
    VERY TRUE...all of it!! (wow...I'm actually a bit amazed at this!)

July 18 natives often come from a family where the parents encourage competition between siblings. They make extraordinary parents. They love the rough and tumble aspects of playing with their children and are eager to be involved in their activities.
    NOT SO TRUE :(  Happily, my parents never encouraged competition...and I'm not great at rough & tumble play. BUT I like to think I'm overall a pretty good parent (maybe not extraordinary...but I guess I still have time since my cherubs are only 9)

July 18 natives usually enjoy robust good health, though they're often guilty of overtaxing their physical resources. They should be aware of their propensity to scatter their energies. They should concentrate on a focused workout that incorporates aerobic and breathing techniques.
    TRUE  Overall I've always been in good health and really don't get sick unless I'm feeling overwhelmed (which unfortunately usually happens when I travel!) As far as exercise, the operative word is SHOULD...yes, I SHOULD :) 

It does not usually matter to July 18 people if they have a high-powered job in the corporate world. They seem to have the golden touch when it comes to making money. They enjoy taking financial risks and don't flinch from losses. It's all part of the game to them.
    TRUE (Did have a big corporate job but left 15 years ago and never looked back...and in my mind I have the golden touch :)  I've definitely taken risks with investing in all of my film projects, which is all just now starting to pay off...so I'd say this one is pretty accurate as well.

July 18 natives get as much fun from participation as they do from victory. Although they have a competitive streak, it's competition that turns them on. Their goals aren't written in stone. They change and intensify, just like the personality of the people involved.
    TRUE! I'm always saying to my friends that I love the thrill of the journey in all that I do...I also love winning and have been fortunate to win awards for every project I've done so far, but I love the process of seeing the idea become a reality...that's what really lights my fire! However, I still want that OSCAR!!!!

*Birthday analysis courtesy of: http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/july-18-birthday-astrology.htm

In Memory of Dad

Following is the eulogy I gave for my Dad, Gary Joseph Schneider, at his memorial service yesterday. He passed away unexpectedly from a massive heart attack last Tuesday at age 66.

Little did I know that when I began my quest to become a filmmaker seven years ago, that one of my first projects would be a script that would provide the basis for what I want to say today.   When you develop a script, the experts say, “Write what you know.” So I thought for awhile, and it wasn’t long before I knew that of all the people in my life, Dad’s larger than life personality was the right place to start. 

The next decision to make was what the actual storyline was going to be. We all know Dad led a colorful life full of ups and downs, but I decided to focus on what I knew best….and that was our relationship as father and daughter  So, the story quickly began to unfold in my mind and eventually on paper (thanks to my writing partner, Liz)….this was to be a tale of reconciliation and redemption…..of two people finding their way back to each other and finding peace within themselves.  The title of the script is “Relative Distance” and that’s the concept I’d like to talk about for a minute.

Typically when defined it means “a distance relative to a specified reference point, usually one in motion.”  To me, it means how close or how distant I was to my dad at any point in time.  Between us, we’ve covered about every distance on the map…but it was the distance of the heart that of course takes its toll on your soul.  There were many times when Dad and I were not in touch….sometimes because he was in a dark period and others because I was mad at him for what he might have done during those dark periods.

Despite all of those times, we eventually found a way to close the distance and find our way back to each other. I’m glad we did, because for the last ten years I was fortunate to know my dad as the guy I like to think he really wanted to be, but didn’t know how to earlier in life.  The dad that I’m choosing to remember is the man who:

*bragged to anyone who would listen that he had “seven wonderful children”

*got a kick out of teaching his grandchildren to fly kites

*loved his dogs and couldn’t turn away a stray

*enjoyed a good card game of 500 and thought nothing of bidding 10 no trump without the joker

*had to drive a Lincoln or a Cadillac….whether or not he had a dime to his name

*was able to find humor in almost every situation

*could make friends with strangers instantly, spending hours on the phone with credit collectors, hanging up to say,  “That person was from Des Moines”

*admitted “he was a handful” but asked Gloria to put up with him with a charming smile and a plea for some more ice water

*always worried that I was mad at him if he didn’t hear from me for a couple of weeks, no matter how many times I reassured him that I wasn’t

*cheered me on in my film endeavors and would leave me voice mail messages posing as Steven Spielberg to make me feel like I’d hit it big

*the man who couldn’t stop thanking Chris and I for all of the help we gave him once he couldn’t work anymore

*and mostly, I will remember him as the man who I know loved me deeply and told me so every single time we talked.

So now, when I think about the term “Relative Distance”, it has one more meaning to me….that Dad will from now on only be as far from me as the memories I hold in my heart.

As a footnote, about six months ago, the “Relative Distance” script magically fell into the hands of an up and coming production company in NYC and they are currently planning to produce the film next year. They recently asked me to provide some casting suggestions and when I asked Dad who he would like to play him I had to laugh….his list included Charlie Sheen,  John Travolta  and Patrick Swayze.  I said Dad, one is too young, one is too Italian and the other is not doing so well….maybe you should give it some more thought.  I’m hoping for Nick Nolte myself ☺