WE TOOK OFF for another interesting day after a breakfast at IHOP, which was a pleasant change from the usual Dennys. Then it was off to a skate park in a beautiful new outdoor mall where we interviewed kids from a program called "Friday Night Live." We got a few good sound bites and I made some nice friendships that I’ll hopefully maintain. We packed up and caught a quick lunch before it was off to "Muscle Beach"

When I found out we would be around the Los Angeles area on the trip, I decided to contact Joanna Pacitti to see if she’d be around. She’s a new recording artist on A&M/Interscope/Geffin record label who I’ve been very close to for the last four years. (We used to have the same Personal Manager.) My motive in asking her to be a part of the show was twofold: I haven’t seen her in over a year and wanted to spend a little time with her, but more importantly, I thought she could definitely add something to the show. It would be a great way to get her out there in front of the teenagers of America. So today we met her at Venice "Muscle Beach" at 4pm. We got there a little early and Frank, Buck, Ray (the director,)Samantha (the producer), and I went to check out some sites along the beach for possible shooting locations. I found it interesting to have more creative control over "my" segment and I liked that I was involved in every step of the process, from making the contact to the interview. However, I was also quite nervous to be interviewing her because it’s always complicated when you’re interviewing a close friend. But it worked out wonderfully; she was very comfortable, and the things she had to say were great and definitely usable. For me, it was a very surreal experience, because I really miss her and just the fact that I got to see her twice in the same week made the trip all the more better.

Speaking of the trip, we have one more day left, so this’ll be my last entry. It’s been an amazing trip. I’ve learned things about myself, realized why I’m in ‘Peers’, met some amazing people with incredible stories, and had the time of my life hanging out with some of my very close friends. I’ve also found it very rewarding to see the fusion of the three kids from "Jeters Leaders" into our group. When they first came to the meetings, Helen, Celia, and Daniel were very quiet. But as the trip has gone on, they come out of that shell and I’ve found them all to be very special in their different ways. They’ve gotten to experience things on this trip they’ve never gotten to experience and just watching that has been incredible. I never found myself thinking about where they come from, or the life they lead, because they’re just like us. In particular, it’s been really great to watch Daniel grow. He got into being a sound technician, and you can just see the glow in his eyes when he gets be a part of the crew. Wouldn’t it be cool if this gave him a new direction for his life? It was also the first time he really interacted closely with white teenagers—and to help him do that feels really cool.

I could go on for a few more pages, but I’ll cut it short, for you handful of parents who are actually reading this (all your children are doing fine!) On a personal note, this trip has been life changing in a way. Throughout High School I’ve always put a professional audition in front of anything else. I might call in sick to school, lie to a coach, leave school early, or even take a bus in from a local vacation! I was really frustrated, because this trip came at inconvenient time, and I knew I was missing out on a lot of possible auditions. However, I found that I didn’t think about that ONCE. I was so busy and having so much fun, that it was okay that I was missing out. Now, how is that life changing, you ask? Well, it’ll definitely influence my college decision, which I’ve been struggling with all year long. The fact that I’m now able to accept missing an audition is worth its weight in gold.

On a closing note, we need to chip in and buy Frank a GPS system, because we got lost every day, Also, I will never eat a Dennys again.