This was a category of the blog that I was a bit apprehensive about, but last night while eating a very well prepared & well photographed dinner by Dana she said, “your day isn’t quite the norm and you should write about it”.  If you’re new to me, or us, for the last 10yrs I’ve been  running around, flying around, released, booked, dropped, picked up, let go, front and center, back of the crowd, on hold, on option, hired and fired.These terms have kept me on edge and anxious for the past decade; add a “Dream Killer” (aka Dana) to the mix and my fears and uncertainty’s about this career come to life.

With all due respect without my amazing beautiful dream killing wife I would probably be broke, lonely, and unhappy.  We have been together for the last 12yrs and she has pushed me to not get fat and happy because things are going good at the moment and made me realize this could end tomorrow. What are you going to do with your life?…What’s the back up Plan? Great questions. So over these last 10 years trying to figure out my ‘plan B’, I’ve built skateboards, airbrushed surfboards, made dog bowls, bought a house, renovated a house, received my CA Real Estate Licence,  my CA Insurance License, and finally my CA General Contracting license.

Creating, designing, and building things are my true passions. After ten years I’ve finally found a “real job” that’s stuck.  When I’m not modeling I’m running Dattola Designs, my landscape business. Dattola Designs specializes in small outdoor spaces, fences, decks and pergolas. Having this business alongside my modeling and commercial jobs creates quite the dynamic at times. For the last week I’ve been working on a home that’s about to go on the market in Eagle Rock. Just as  I was about to finish this project, I booked a modeling job through my Italian Agency “Beatrice Models” in Milan. So on Wednesday morning after a 5hr layover in NY I arrived in Milan. The next day I worked for CP Company, after 9hrs and 65 outfits I was back to my hotel. The next day I was back on a train, then a plane, then home. When I got home I had to finish the Eagle Rock project which brings me to my day yesterday:

I woke up (5am) went for a 8mile run, got home to help get the gremlins ready, loaded up my truck with tools for the Eagle Rock house along with the kids, headed out the door, dropped the kids off with their grandma, spent 5hrs of finishing a deck/planting plants/laying 35 bags of mulch, rushed to a Starbucks to shower in the sink, put on some nice clothes and fancy shoes, rushed to hollywood for a commercial audition for “Marshall’s”, picked up the snot noses and was back home to share my day with the beautiful Mrs. by 6pm.

Its been 10yrs of this juggling – I’ve grown quite comfortable with it and am very grateful and fortunate.  Well, I need to run – literally I need to go for a run it’s 6:05 and I have a very similar day today…