Hello. I'm back. I was away. Yesterday, I took an Amtrak train up to Santa Barbara where my buen amigo Sergio Aragonés and I spoke to a class of undergraduates who are maybe-perhaps interested in careers in the entertainment industry. This was at the University of California, Santa Barbara where the class is taught by my longtime pal, Cheri Steinkellner. Cheri knows the field well. She and her husband Bill are Emmy-winning TV writers and producers (Cheers, The Jeffersons, many others), Tony-nominated playwrights (Sister Act) and they've done loads of other impressive things.
The class seemed to enjoy hearing about Sergio's and my careers, together and apart…and they enjoyed watching us do a mini-version of the Quick Draw! game we do at Comic-Con. Afterwards, Sergio and I went to dinner with Bill, Cheri and two of their friends. Sergio went home. I spent the night at the Steinkellners' lovely home and then today, Bill drove me back home to Los Angeles. And that's where the heck I've been.
I'm taking the weekend off from thinking/writing about the presidential election. I wish I could take June, July and August off as well but I'll probably be back following the thing by Monday. Tomorrow, I have a Muhammad Ali anecdote to share with you.