[Oberjej]

actually, we are talking about doing another trip. i don't do them completely for free and they are a decent, not great, source of income.

however, the problem was that when we tried to do one to the canadian rockies, we had a dearth of interest. not enough people signed up for us to be able to pay for the reservations, so we had to cancel.

it seems that a key to success in these ventures is to go for a destination that is popular, safe and secure. after all, you know that falling canadian maple leaves are like ninja throwing stars, for god's sake. you've gotta watch those folks... yaah, ey?

(feel free to throw the gold kind at me, though, as i'm a collector.)

we also lost a lot of people on our last cruise in the caribbean thanks to hurricane wilma, and though i enjoyed the trip greatly, from a financial perspective my 'cut' was so modest that it was almost pro-bono, once you factor in the time and energy involved in going.

for this reason, kevin and i are looking at a stay, not a cruise, in hawaii. two hotels, two fantastic tropical locations, solitude and no controlling schedules or tour guides we have to wrestle with... freedom to explore on your own.

there you're still in the us, you don't need to mess with passports, immigration, customs and possible security issues, and we can do deeper personal work, rather than be distracted by the decidedly unseemly side of americana in cruise-ship consumption mode.

i may still take nelson up on his offer for a more private soiree' in the amazon, if i can have some space and a private room while i'm there, but i honestly don't know if it would sell enough to make it worth doing it as a publicly-offered event. we may be able to organize a smaller "reunion" event if desired, so the group is a more manageable size.

either way, each day i am gone increases the complexity -- but once we've sold the film i should be better able to figure out when i can go and when i need to be in la.

hawaii, on the other hand, will probably be just fine. this time we're going to keep excursions to a minimum so we can really focus on process. everyone here who's been on a previous trip probably had the same feeling -- too much to do, not enough time to talk. i'll make sure that we work the film schedule around whatever dates i choose. since i'm not directing, line producing or signing checks, i won't need to be there all the time.

such trips are draining for me because of the excess social interaction. my needs for contact and release end up being heavily over-balanced toward the contact side in such situations. no matter who you are, 'engulfment' can kick in if you're center stage too long.

however, if i did not have a busy schedule of dates we had to hit, giving me time to retreat and be in solitude, then we're far more likely to have the best presentation when i do speak and interact with others.

we're expecting to get dates for hawaii soon... so i'll keep you posted!

- david