Finished moving my worldly goods, European division, into my new studio at around four o’clock in the morning. Now I’m leaving Paris yet again, on three hours of sleep and nothing but coffee in my stomach.

The (almost) four months I lived at 1 rue du Four, I felt like a visitor to Paris. I knew the clock was ticking, that I only had the apartment until the end of summer and I had to make the most of it. Now, I feel like I have a home.

8 rue Boutarel isn’t going away. The rent is so low – $4000 a year – that barring complete financial ruin, it’s hard to imagine I’ll ever be forced to give it up. Unlike New York, unlike San Francisco, it’s not connected to a job or a girlfriend or any other part of my life that might change. It’s a retreat, a little square of earth I can always return to. I’m so happy to have it. And the best part is, Patrick and Sandrine are my neighbors. I hope they stay together. I hope they never leave.

Prince 2 is looking good. It feels cool, being the young game designer who lives in Paris and breezes into town for the week to look in on the project that’s going to keep him rich for a few more years. I like the nuts-and-bolts aspects of working on this project, too. I hate to admit it, but it’s more fun than 16mm student filmmaking.

So, why don’t I do more of it? A question I’m beginning to ask seriously. As in, why don’t I come back in (say) December, rent a one-bedroom in North Beach or south of Market, pitch a new project to Broderbund, and live half the year here and half in Paris?

In May 1993 Robert will be out of school… he’d join me and Tomi in a flash. It’s something to think about.

Ken Goldstein (Yale ‘84) is working for Broderbund. Man, was I surprised to see him. Small world. I took him to dinner at Royal Thai.

Lunch with Doug. He wants to do POP: The Movie. He thinks he can raise $4 million from the licensees (Konami, etc.), then get the rest the usual way. $20 million budget, smart screenplay, him as exec producer, me as director. Release the movie (and the novelization) to coincide with Prince 4… which, given 18-month development cycles, I figure should be either summer or Christmas ‘96.

Four years ago, I was in the midst of Apple II Prince and had just finished the last rewrite of In the Dark. I was 24.

Time is going fast.

Here I am again at the airport. Seems like that’s the only time I ever get to write any more.

My last day at Broderbund was predictably frenetic. I was the last to leave at 8 pm, right after Scott. Tom Rettig brought in his favorite narrator, a guy named Mark, and we recorded the narration in under two hours. Nicole read the Princess. The Queen’s still a problem; we may need to bring in a real actress.

It’s coming together quite nicely. I don’t regret the time I’m spending on it; I’m enjoying it and also I’m learning a lot. In fact, I’d say I’m learning as much about directing on this project as I have on any film I’ve worked on.

I’m starting to think this computer-games racket is not only more fun than filmmaking but even, in some ways, cooler.

[In NY] Lunch with David at the Olive Tree. He thinks I should go to San Francisco and make computer games. “Who cares about movies?” he said.

Broderbund sent me a new 486.

Spoke to Brian. P.D. has been completely reorganized. Harry Wilker’s in charge of the whole thing now and reports directly to Ed Auer. Yikes. These are dangerous times we live in.

Getting this visa has been an odyssey. Pepe Horta says it’s all set, but I called the Cuban Interests Section in Washington and they don’t have it. I’ve been trying to send a fax to ICAIC, but the circuits are always busy. I made a plane reservation anyway for Wednesday the 22nd, on the 8:30 am charter from Miami.

I want to make a 7-10 minute film, with little or no dialogue, that paints a portrait of Havana in this poignant moment of transition. A way of life that most Americans have never seen and never understood is about to disappear, or at least undergo some sort of drastic change, and I want to get it on film.

Mark Netter is psyched to write Prince: The Movie with me. He also wants to move to L.A.

Robert wants me to hire him to design Prince 2 levels. It’s an idea.

Mark Abrams dropped by and I showed him Prince II. Stayed up till the small hours shooting the bull with him and Linda: true love vs. romantic love and all that. Hours I should’ve spent on Prince II level design, but what the hell.

I fly tomorrow and I have not yet begun to pack. Down-to-the-wire me.

I guess the next time I write, it’ll be in a different notebook, and I’ll be in Havana.

First day back at the ‘Bund.

The artists were happy to see me. They’ve done a lot of work since the last time I was here – most of it good, fortunately. It’s all starting to come together. We’re slated to ship in April. Seven months away. Seems like a lot of time, but…

Prince 1 is selling 7500 units a month now. Everybody’s thrilled.

Lunch with Harry Wilker, who’s just been promoted to head up product development (P-squared and E-squared) and thus is now John Baker’s boss. He hates games, but it’s too late for him to do anything about Prince 2 except clench his teeth and pray. He’s nervous about how much it’s costing. I don’t think I reassured him.

They all want me to come back in November. January will be too late. I hate to leave Paris again so soon… and as usual, I’ll have to buy my own ticket… but there’s a lot at stake, so I guess I’ll just have to do it.

Not that anybody except me cares or is keeping track, but this month my Prince earnings to date surpassed Karateka’s. Figuring in piracy, there’s maybe a million people out there who’ve played Prince. Maybe two million. That boggles my mind.

Demoed Prince 2 for Doug and John Baker. Lunch with Ken Goldstein.

An actress named Sarah came in to read for the Queen. I sat in to direct her. It’s fascinating how actors love being directed. This woman started out very cool and contemptuous of the whole thing, and by the end, she was just glowing.

Got down to making some levels, finally. Met with the artists (one by one) and with Jonelle, who played me the music she’s been composing. It’s not bad; it sounds like Indian restaurant music. Had fun speaking Spanish to Marcela. I have a good time at Broderbund these days.