Fruits of Labor

This is Day 6 in Asia. By Friday, I'm glad to wake up after 7am and enjoy a breakfast of noodles and congee in the hotel's intimate dining room. It gives me breathing room before I prepare my draft of first round recommendations. Back at home, I've learned that the short film I co-directed with Greg, my writing partner, is 1 of 3 finalists in the NBC Comedy Short Cuts competition. The rumored grand prize is a pilot deal. And then I learn one project is in danger of losing elements that could dismantle all the work for the past year, sending me back to the producer "drawing board" and a show I created was passed on by a network. The juxtaposition of small victory and disappointment reminds me of a fruit they have here in Vietnam, the Dorean. It has a large oblong shape, like a green football with thorny spikes. It takes a long time to grow and it is said that the tree only releases the fruit at night because if it fell from the tree in the day, it could hit someone and cause great injury. Sliced open, it emits a sulfur smell that has been known to repel people. But if you continue in your quest for it, you experience the luxury of the fleshy inside that is sweeter than candy. The entertainment business is like that fruit, a challenge to taste the good parts but worth the journey. My quest continues.