State of the Schwarz Address

Last year around this time I posted my inaugural state of the Schwarz address. Based on everything that has happened recently and everything else on the horizon I believe this to be the appropriate time for another address.

February 14th, 2010, a date which will live in infamy (at least for me), reminded me of one very important, indisputable fact of life: the only guarantee on this big blue ball is that there are no guarantees. Two months later I still wake up every morning, or in some cases afternoon, thanking the man above that I'm still here, no matter what's going on in my life good or bad. Contrary to popular belief, it's not all good, but I am certainly thankful nonetheless. I joke about it now and how it only enhances my legend and adds another chapter to what will be a best selling biography but, all kidding aside, those events early Valentine's Day morning could have just as easily turned fatal. The fact that I WALKED away with minor injuries and no lingering effects after being hit by 2 tons of steel traveling at 45-50 mph is nothing short of a miracle.

An event like that has a way of giving a person some perspective about what's really important. It's so easy to get caught up in the "real world" rat race that we don't stop to appreciate things. My good friend and fellow Bad Boy Bell has touched on my next point in one of his recent posts. Do not take these times for granted. Live every day like it is your last. If you're not happy with your situation, do everything within your power to change it. Run your life and don't let it run you. It may sound corny and cliche but it's the truth.

Alright, enough with the life lessons. What's going on in the land of Schwarz? Well the last month or so has been nothing short of amazing. Over the last month alone I've made a triumphant return to the St. Patrick's Day Parade after a year's hiatus, I beat out 3 other guys for a stand-in role on what's sure to be a hit TV show, I've been to Athens a couple of times, had a couple of pool parties, and I filmed a few scenes with Owen Wilson, Jenna Fischer, and Christina Applegate on Lake Lanier.

Simply put, it was great being back at the St. Patrick's Day Parade. An outsider would've never known I did not attend the previous year. Just like riding a bike, I didn't miss a beat. Everything was just like I remembered it, from cutting loose in the Boom Boom room, Crawford's party, the Knights, the squares, to the sash, return of the white coat (which is a story in itself), and my annual status report on Pmac given to Capt. John. The Tybee Parade and Celtic Cross, as usual, lived up to their hype. Next year I'm definitely going to try and make the Marshall's Reception. Sure, a lot of people are saying the big parade felt different this year but try taking a year off and then tell me it wasn't "as good."

I made 2 trips to Athens in the last month. One in order to celebrate my first TV gig and the other for G-Day. Some of the results include: Blind Pig fried pickles, Diamond Dog losses, a lot of kamikazes, several pairs of Georgia licensed aviator sunglasses, progress towards the new and improved blond bombshell in my life (this one's got beauty and brains), a stirring rendition of "Hey Soul Sister," a reunion with fellow Horseman Rod, an open container citation (practicing for Twilight), and the Dawg Duo becoming virtually unstoppable. Just when I thought I was getting too old for the Classic City it pulls me back in again and I couldn't be happier.

The most exciting part of the last month has been my introduction into the TV/film world. Being a stand-in for the new TBS comedy Franklin & Bash, I essentially did whatever the actors were supposed to do in the scene as far as movement and even got to recite some lines. Zach Morris and I (and about 20 other extras) are a lot closer than we probably should be after his cotton piece fell off in the jacuzzi scene. Then again, myself and another stand-in, a busty blond by the name of Bridgett, are a lot closer as well after having to rehearse a makeout session in the hallway and a rather intimate moment in the bedroom. Bridgett, if you're reading this, the pleasure was all mine. Hi ohhhhh!! I also made my small screen debut, ironically as a tailor, fitting the antagonist of the show for a custom made suit.

A typical day on the set of Franklin & Bash lasted on average 12-14 hours. So you're talking about going in at 7 AM, getting out around midnight or 1AM, trying to squeeze in a run or lift to offset Craft services around 2 AM, asleep by 3 AM and up again at 6 AM. That can wear out even the best over a 2 week span. To compensate, I had enough Rockstars, Red Bulls, and 5 Hour Energies that I probably shaved 5 years off my life. I had such a good time though the sacrifices were worth every bit of it and I wouldn't change a thing. It was quite an eye opening experience and thanks to my solid networking skills (and Maker's Mark) at the wrap party I was able to land an extras role on the movie Hall Pass, which I worked on this past weekend. The wrap party, held at the Intercontinental in Buckhead, deserves its own post so I won't go into detail but let's just say it was wild (understatement) and I did a good job.

During a break on Lanier I wrote my name in the sand...

Anyways, on the set of Hall Pass, they paid me to walk the beach at Lake Lanier, throw the football around, lay in the sand, nap in a hammock, drink non-alcoholic beer, and talk to pretty girls. I told Owen Wilson Wedding Crashers was Top 5. They even put my Camry in the background and paid me for it. Definitely came out ahead on this one. I received some pretty solid face time during a scene with Jenna Fischer and some old guy I didn't recognize too, but you'll have to wait until 2011 to see me on the big screen.

View from the hammock...

Unfortunately I couldn't go into too much detail about some of these events because I might as well have just written a book at that point. If you would like me to elaborate on anything above just ask and I might do a spin-off post.

So what does the future hold for Schwarz IV, or should I say, Ric Starr? Tune in tomorrow night at 9 PM ET/8 PM CT to find out...