Russ the Bear

I'd like to meet:

Since I am a bear, I also like to climb trees. Similarly, I am looking for someone who will try to climb me like a tree every chance they get (I mean this literally, so don't you nymphos be gettin any ideas...Well, OK, as long as you don't break any of my branches!). Piggy back rides are my forte, so watch out because I am probably heavier than you.
I am OCD when it comes to creating symbols of my affection. For example, my latest creation is sending one book to each of three Swiss children I bonded with in Mexico.
One book is specifically assigned to each child with a personal note inside from the BFG (me). One of the girls (Margaux), for example, was assigned "The BFG", and the note explained that her book was about her and the BFG's adventures together that she didn't remember but that the BFG (I) had hired an author to write about so that she would always be reminded of them. See my blog for the exact notes.
In terms of the kinds of things I have done for girls, my creativity includes the tradiational wooing from a treasure hunt with notes inside balloons to the the tradiational rose on the doorstep each day for a week with perhaps a stanza of a poem for each day. It also includes more extravagant wooing, perhaps in the form of a 3ft-3ft-7ft box made to look like a toy package with a hired professional actor (dramagram) to play the part of the toy.

These are the things I like to do, and I never do the same thing twice...unless it's easy (Ha Ha! Get it? "Take it easy, and if it's easy, take it twice."). No, seriously, I never have and never will do the same thing twice, and each thing is unique because of the girl.

I get this from my mother (as well as my corniness). I am looking for someone with similar qualities. I am not saying I want someone similar to my mother! I just like creative forms of affection. Plus, she is too nice anyway. If anything, I am looking for someone with the best character traits of many of my family members.

Some might call me a mama's boy. To an extent, I am (being that, like my mother, I can be too nice). What I often meet as a challenge in every relationship is ending relationships with "friends" who exploit my generosity and personality.

I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt too often. Mostly because my life is a movie, and I feel and experience what I would like to have happen before reality kicks in.

Some of my best fiends live in this movie with me. A lot of our behavior is impulsive, exciting, and adventurous. My brother and I used to just drive around our home town because it was fun to explore or just chill. Another time, in Korea, my co-workers and I left at 2am to go snowboarding after only deciding it after work was over.

One time, I decided to pack up my stuff and ride my bicycle from SF to LA, half of which I rode (230 of 570 miles). I hitch-hiked 6 times to get to SB and then took a bus from there to LA (luckily that night I was able to convince a bike shop to stay open to box my bike because the next bus was the last one for the night and because they would't allow it unless I boxed it). At the bus station in LA, I met a Russian girl at the bus station who I later took to a lifeguard tower in Venice Beach only to decide to drive 2 hours south to a camping site on another beach where we got hammered on a bottle of Jack and went skinny dipping. Good times. (No, we didn't have sex)

Although I'm on the hunt for the in-heat lady-bears in my wilderness, please note that I don't growl on the first date. Purring, on the other hand, is a possibility. However, don't call me kitten until we are deeply involved. I am a bear anyways.

I know it will take me a while to find my perfect match, so I am more casual about the dating scene than you might think. In fact, I don't want a girlfriend right now, but I would like to date and to see what is out there. I am still definitely open to the possibility of a relationship developing, but I really want to take it slow this time around. So, please don't try to kiss me on the first date.

So if you are ready to go out on adventures in the wild, then I am your guide. But tours are filling up quick, so reserve your spot now or else you might miss the bear before he goes back into hibernation!

In terms of being in a relationship with me, I am not a jealous guy as long as you periodically grab my hand or grab me (or climb me) to give me a kiss on the cheek. Just a smirk or eye-contact from the other side of the room could be enough. I also like biting and scratching. Did I tell you I was a bear?

Since all you girls on here make rules for us boys, I thought I should be able to make rules for the girls, since we all do anyways. Perhaps it is better to make it known. So...

you should have long straight hair, a nice smile, nice skin, no six-pack but not fat, not huge tits, and not wear too much make-up (nothing else matters); you should be a good dancer (which means you can turn on a dime and know how to be led); you should drink heavily when we can and know how to pour a beer (being able to drink boxed wine is a plus); you should be clean but also able to go days without taking a shower (or at least be able to bath in an ice-cold stream); you should not smoke cigarettes, but you should smoke cigars; you should be ticklish and like to tickle others; you should be somewhat devious and seek to and constantly plot fun or scary things against me (because I will be doing the same to you, so you need to put up a fight); you should have a loud, fake, straining laugh for those times when stupid jokes are said; you should be able to fart/burp and be around someone who farts/burps (however, you should not like the smell...that would truly be weird); you should find gross-out competitions fun and partake in them regularly; you should be able to be classy and witty at the appropriate times and enjoy being completely inappropriate at times where you should behave (i.e., playing footsy or something more naughty), but you should be able to hide your naughtines, too; you should enjoy sports and encourage me to work out (perhaps as a prerequisite to "gettin some") and at the same time resist (but also give in to) the irresistable "Russell the Love Muscle" (no, that's not the name of my thing...my thing doesn't have a name...it doesn't need one); you should enjoy spending all day in bed and also be able to motivate me to do the things you want to do without using the guilt option (or at least not the type of guilt that makes me have to console you or fight you...that's bullshit); you should be able to try new things despite your fears and trust me to help you through them (e.g., learning to snowboard) or just be someone who is fearless...that would be awesome, but it's not necessary; you should be able to be left alone amongst my friends and successfully befriend them all; and, finally, you should be able to have multiple children because I will need someone to play with now that all my friends are grown up.

As for guys and other platonic relationships with girls, the above still applies, except without the sex. The climbing part can be negotiated.

My friends from Water Polo.

Music:

My career in the music biz began with my father. He used to play the keyboards in a band in college. The drummer of his band is now an exec at Geffen. The guitarist/lead vocalist helped to start Earthlink (he is also now in federal prison for the next ten years for a separate investment scandal/pyramid scheme involving $650 million of other people's money).

Papa Bear (my dad) made me take piano lessons, but I quit because I never got to learn any cool songs like my friends were learning (e.g., the theme songs to Star Wars or Beverly Hills Cop).

Two things my father taught me best: honesty and humility.

One thing I have never quite learned: how to say thank you at the right time.

Even though I quit piano, I moved from instrument to instrument including: xylophone, baritone, and drum pads (real drums were too loud, so practicing was strange...hitting sticks on a table woulda been better). I have dabbled a little with the guitar, too. Still, never really took to anything. If I had to choose one, I would definitely pick up piano again.

I know how to play "Mary had a little lamb" on a telephone keypad. One day my friend called me and told me to call 102.7 KISS FM because they were having a contest for people who could play songs on telephone keypads. I called and won a CD! I had a choice between Ace of Base or Tony, Tone, Toni. I now wish I had chosen Ace of Base.

But I love live music of any kind. I think it started with my friends' band in high school. They are in my friend's list under the name Lemon Sun or Robert or Chris . I hadn't seen them in years until recently, and now they are awesome! I can't believe they are still together. I live in LA now, so I can finally go see them again. They are really really good.

In college, I had this friend, Jeremy Lay, who used to play his guitar all night long in the dorms. I wish I was still in contact with him. He was only at Berkeley for a year. He is from Lexington, Kentucky. He was cool....Oh my God! He found me! I thought it was a scammer at first, but I just talked to him for a while. He is a lawyer now for product defense. Pretty cool.

Also from college, and my water polo team, I have a friend Timmy who is "awesomely" multitalented. He has a few great tunes, but needs some professional recording. You can listen to him at Tim's Music Project .

Another water polo teammate and friend of mine from the same team, Dave...we call him Super Dave ...has an awesome punk bank called The Sweet Nothings .

Another guy from water polo, Beau, who I haven't seen in years, has a sweet song about "model bitches". Last I heard, he was working as a guard restraining people in an insane asylum. Weird stories you hear about your friends sometimes. Oh well. He should totally get that song recorded. It would be a huge one-hit-wonder.

In my filmmaking days in college, I met a busking (playing on the side of the street) individual named Ted Ekman . This guy was really good! Some professional recording, but not really any distribution. I tried hooking him up with my
connection at Geffen, but my dad's friend from college didn't like Ted. I don't know why, but I remember him saying something about Ted's wavering voice and lyrics. But I like the wavering voice!!! It's on purpose, and it sounds unique. The lyrics are all awesome! They inspired me to write some really great music videos. I gave up trying to get him on MySpace, so I just made him a profile and manage it for him.

Here is one of those music videos. A documentary about chins. Just kidding, I didn't write that, but I wrote the code!

I used to hang out with a band called Bonsai Tribe here in Venice. They were super awesome, but they broke up. I used to go to their gigs and pretend I was their agent.

Christian (I can't find his page) is the bassist of Bonsai Tribe . His roommate Jackie would stop some serious hearts if he ever took his one-man-show on the road. But I guess he isn't too serious about that sorta thing; he just freestyles on the guitar like Jack Johnson or something similar. Oh well.

Brad Wolfe is a cool guy who is a friend of my cousin and sister. He is actually really really good, and he uses his music, inspired by his late girlfriend Sara, to help promote awareness and raise funds for research and treatment of sarcomas, such as Ewing’s sarcoma, which affect children and young adults. The money goes to his organization, the Sunbeam Foundation .

I recently found my half-cousin, Kika , on MySpace. I haven't seen or talked to her in probably 10 or 15 years! I heard she was living in San Diego, and now I found out she is a DJ! Pretty cool beans. Hopefully, we will have a chance to catch up one of these days.

Now I live with a witch who is a med-school student at UCLA. Her boyfriend (an experimental fusion-punk-funk-jazz-rock bassist by night and a criminal defense lawyer by day) just moved in. He grew a rat tail because I had a business mullet. He sings singets to me in the livingroom while we watch WWF and debate over who was better: Hulk Hogan or Andre the Giant.

I still kinda want to be a talent agent, but I have no pull...yet! I have always been interested in being a music talent agent. We'll see what happens!

Movies:

I used to want to be a movie director. I designed my own film and digital media major at Berkeley. I pretty much had to teach myself and my classmates (as time went on) everything technical about making movies. I learned a lot that way, but it would have been nice to have a partner(s). It was hard being an athlete in classes full of foofy artists who didn't respect my creativity until I opened my mouth or saw what I could do.
I have a filmmaker page at Russ the Bear Films . I realize that I suck, but it was fun. And the ideas are interesting.
I was in a movie once. It is called Whatever It Takes. I knew the producers, so I got to be SAG (which means I got to eat the good food and get paid twice as much). I was an extra, but you can see me in almost every scene. I am kinda the friend of the group who just kinda hangs around and doesn't say anything to the popular people of the group; totally not like me in real life.
I have also worked in the administrative side of filmmaking. I worked as a PA on Ray, Sahara, and Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, as well as some others of which you might not have heard.
Since college, my filmmaking ambitions have fizzled. I still write short scripts and music videos occassionally, but for the most part I am done.
My current ambition for the film biz is to work for a company called Fintage House . They are based in Amsterdam, with locations all over the world. They focus on the distribution and protection (leasing) of intellectual property rights. They have clients and customers all over the world in sports (Real Madrid), music (Janet Jackson), and literary media in addition to films and actors (Jackie Chan). Just a cool company I want to work for.
I am currently pursuing my MBA in International Business, so it might be a possibility! Wish me luck!

Television:

In highschool, I had a friend, Amanda , whose dad wrote the screenplays to a prime-time television show. It was cool to go over to their house once a week, eat pizza, hang out, and watch their show. The coolest thing about it was that it was the beginning of his career, and I have had the opportunity to watch him grow.

However, you won't find Amanda in my friends list because she never calls me back. I deleted her. She used to be in my top eight. Let's see if she notices when I am gone.

Wow...it's been almost a year. I think she is mad that I have this on my page.

Books:

Asian Management Systems, Management in India, Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management
Friends

My Family

My friends from high school and La Canada.

My friends from San Fransisco & Berkeley.

My friends from West L.A.

My MBA Classmates

My friends from Some Fake City.

My friends from Huntington Beach

Heroes:

My great-grandfather, Charles Strite , invented the first pop-up toaster. You can google him or click on his name. I once made a potato bazooka. That was friggin awesome!!!!
My grandpa, Tatu, was recuited by the OSS and sent to the University of Chicago because of his language abilities. He learned Mandarin Chinese and was sent over to China during WWII. The OSS is now known as the CIA. John D Rockefeller founded the University of Chicago, which is probably why Tatu gave us the family motto, "Life, [livingness], and the pursuit of happiness". The way I see him now is the way I want to be when I am his age - retired in Mexico with scotch for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, a viagra-popper for dessert, and my family and friends constantly coming to visit throughout the year to parrrrtttaaayyy conquistador-style!!!
You can see, or rent, his house in Manzanillo, Mexico, at a website I designed for him. Copa de Oro is the name of his villa. That city is seriously a magical place.
Tatu is the father of my mother, who - as you know - supported me through everything!!! I recently gave her a really cool gift. It was something that I have always wanted to do for her. I was recently inducted into the La Canada High School Hall of Fame. For my speech, I stood up infront of the crowd (on the basketball court) during the half-time show (me), and on the microphone I asked the crowd to scream as loud as they could when I gave them the signal. I called my mom on my cell phone, asked the crowd to wait while it rang, asked the crowd to wait so I could leave a message, and left a message telling my mom where I was and thanking her for all she had done for me. Then, I gave the crowd the signal to SCREEAAMM!!. They did. It was awesome. My mom called me back crying....I'm her favorite son :O)
Some of my other heroes include two of my cousins/uncles (they are each other's brother, and cousins of my mom's). One started Macromedia. The other worked at Palm, quit, and started Handspring, which was bought by Palm, and he is now the CEO of Palm.
My sister just got accepted into Tufts University for dental school. She is almost my hero. Right now, I think we are tied. It depends on who is more successful. If I am more successful, then I'll be her hero.
As for now, my MOM is my hero! She just passed the RN National Exam and is now officially a nurse! I am so proud of her.