Well out of the biggest tournament I have played in to date with some very very good players I placed 5th. Outside the money but very good and a confidence booster since I came to the final table second in chips!
I played a good game, tight at times and loose at times. I bluffed a couple of pots and took them down!
Overall I feel that when I am able to play in a bigger tournament I'll do well!
Saturday, July 30, 2005
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Time Warp
When I was a teen I would listen to all of the people who were older than me talk about how life has passed them by. How that they graduated high school and woke up the next day being 30. I never believed them but now I can see what they were talking about.
I understand now that the older you get that time actually speeds up!
I'm sure there is a scientific principle behind this phenomenon!
If I were a person who continually looked backwards and at the decisions I made and what I could have done differently or an action I could have taken or not taken....well if you did that and could harness this power of the aging time warp and find a way to go forward or backward. Well if you could bottle that power!!!!
You would probably sell that bottle of time travel goodness to people who have a lot of regrets. With the grass always being greener in the neighbor's yard you always seem to forget that there is a huge leaking septic tank just below the surface.
A long time ago I learned that I am who I am now because of the decisions made with the best information at the time. It isn't very often that you find someone who says, "I'm going to make the worst decision I could possibly make in every single situation that requires me to make a decision!"
The person you are now is the result of decisions of yourself and others. I have it pretty good, better than I probably should be doing in fact. Yeah I like to complain from time to time but overall I don't know what I could do to make things better or me to be happier...other than working more with my projects that is.
Time travel in a bottle isn't a reality yet so for the time being that decision is one I won't have to make! Thank Goodness!!!
I understand now that the older you get that time actually speeds up!
I'm sure there is a scientific principle behind this phenomenon!
If I were a person who continually looked backwards and at the decisions I made and what I could have done differently or an action I could have taken or not taken....well if you did that and could harness this power of the aging time warp and find a way to go forward or backward. Well if you could bottle that power!!!!
You would probably sell that bottle of time travel goodness to people who have a lot of regrets. With the grass always being greener in the neighbor's yard you always seem to forget that there is a huge leaking septic tank just below the surface.
A long time ago I learned that I am who I am now because of the decisions made with the best information at the time. It isn't very often that you find someone who says, "I'm going to make the worst decision I could possibly make in every single situation that requires me to make a decision!"
The person you are now is the result of decisions of yourself and others. I have it pretty good, better than I probably should be doing in fact. Yeah I like to complain from time to time but overall I don't know what I could do to make things better or me to be happier...other than working more with my projects that is.
Time travel in a bottle isn't a reality yet so for the time being that decision is one I won't have to make! Thank Goodness!!!
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Sometimes A Moment
Is a very powerful thing. It doesn't have to be a lot. Well I just had a two hour moment.
Anyone who knows me pretty well knows I am a boxing fan. In fact when I was younger I believe I could have been a boxer, maybe even a good boxer. Well with the geography of the situation there was just never that opportunity around here so I pursued other dreams.
Funny, this is sort of a two movie review that ties in to a moment. I'll start here, some movies are more than movies, they transcend film and become art and an experience.
Yesterday a friend and I went to see The Devil's Rejects. Hoping that this would take modern horror films and like a shot of adrenaline to the genre, Hollywood would start to make good horror films again. It wouldn't be too bad if this was actually a horror movie, it wasn't. It was more like a road/crime movie.
It had violence, yeah. It had blood, yeah. Horror movie, no. Wasn't even close.
Don't expect scares but you can expect William Forsythe to turn in a good performance and some unexpected laughs. You can also expect many many scenes that are too close and lots of slow motion...
An experience, a moment? Yes, the drive down and back was good and very productive. In fact we came up with a cool idea for a short film that I think would be fairly easy to do! It's innovative, timely, and funny! The meal afterwards wasn't too bad either.
Million Dollar Baby.
Well you will all know it is a boxing movie. Not a boxing movie like Rocky. Rocky was a underdog movie that happened to be about a boxer. A boxing movie is Requiem For A Heavyweight. A moment of art on film.
Million Dollar Baby is about heart and skill. It is about life and death and more importantly the quality of life you lead. Regrets and forgiveness, triumphs and tragedy.
To describe it beyond what I've written is to do it an injustice. To watch it is to experience it. Not like the dreck of War of the Worlds with its tacked on happy family friendly ending and momentum stopping Tim Robbins scenes. Not like the wave of Japanese Ghost Story remakes which has spread like a rash in the cinema. No not like that at all.
Anyone who knows me pretty well knows I am a boxing fan. In fact when I was younger I believe I could have been a boxer, maybe even a good boxer. Well with the geography of the situation there was just never that opportunity around here so I pursued other dreams.
Funny, this is sort of a two movie review that ties in to a moment. I'll start here, some movies are more than movies, they transcend film and become art and an experience.
Yesterday a friend and I went to see The Devil's Rejects. Hoping that this would take modern horror films and like a shot of adrenaline to the genre, Hollywood would start to make good horror films again. It wouldn't be too bad if this was actually a horror movie, it wasn't. It was more like a road/crime movie.
It had violence, yeah. It had blood, yeah. Horror movie, no. Wasn't even close.
Don't expect scares but you can expect William Forsythe to turn in a good performance and some unexpected laughs. You can also expect many many scenes that are too close and lots of slow motion...
An experience, a moment? Yes, the drive down and back was good and very productive. In fact we came up with a cool idea for a short film that I think would be fairly easy to do! It's innovative, timely, and funny! The meal afterwards wasn't too bad either.
Million Dollar Baby.
Well you will all know it is a boxing movie. Not a boxing movie like Rocky. Rocky was a underdog movie that happened to be about a boxer. A boxing movie is Requiem For A Heavyweight. A moment of art on film.
Million Dollar Baby is about heart and skill. It is about life and death and more importantly the quality of life you lead. Regrets and forgiveness, triumphs and tragedy.
To describe it beyond what I've written is to do it an injustice. To watch it is to experience it. Not like the dreck of War of the Worlds with its tacked on happy family friendly ending and momentum stopping Tim Robbins scenes. Not like the wave of Japanese Ghost Story remakes which has spread like a rash in the cinema. No not like that at all.
Monday, July 18, 2005
AARRRRGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
Well it turns out I deleted some important footage out of the middle of the final edit!
I was running short on hard drive space, so stupid me....I deleted some clips I didn't think I needed anymore so that I could digitize the clips I needed to finish the project right?
Well what happened is this, I started to do the digital cut (transfer it to tape)when all of a sudden a black screen came up and said "Media Offline" which meant that I was stupid and deleted some important scenes!
So I spent another three hours doing some very careful splicing and re-digitzing the scenes I needed from the master tapes. I have fixed about half of the scenes last night before I went to bed.
I am going to fix the rest after work today AND THEN call the productin studio and see if I can schedule a time to have the credits done and any other tweaks that they might be able to add to make it a better quality production.
I was running short on hard drive space, so stupid me....I deleted some clips I didn't think I needed anymore so that I could digitize the clips I needed to finish the project right?
Well what happened is this, I started to do the digital cut (transfer it to tape)when all of a sudden a black screen came up and said "Media Offline" which meant that I was stupid and deleted some important scenes!
So I spent another three hours doing some very careful splicing and re-digitzing the scenes I needed from the master tapes. I have fixed about half of the scenes last night before I went to bed.
I am going to fix the rest after work today AND THEN call the productin studio and see if I can schedule a time to have the credits done and any other tweaks that they might be able to add to make it a better quality production.
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Surprise Part 2
I am now in the process of transfering Locker to tape!
My plan is to still call the production studio tomorrow and schedule a time to bring the tape by and have credits done to it and if they have any kind of tweaks they could add that they feel would be helpful!
I should have had this done months ago!!!!
My plan is to still call the production studio tomorrow and schedule a time to bring the tape by and have credits done to it and if they have any kind of tweaks they could add that they feel would be helpful!
I should have had this done months ago!!!!
SURPRISE!!!
I have finished editing Locker!
That is right, I just took the bull by the horns here and decided to cut the rest of it together myself!
It sucked! I am starting to hate editing but I finished it!
Now all I have to do is take it to a local production studio and have the credits added and have it transfered to either tape or a dvd that I can have duplicated!
I appreciate everyone who responded to the recent email posting about asking for a editor! I really do! Thanks!
Yes I feel so relieved now! It clocks in around 55 minutes without the credits so that should bump it up to about 2 more minutes so I'm pushing the hour mark! I really wanted to hit the 70 minute mark however I just didn't have enough material or story to do it.
I am confidant that I will have the copies to my actors and producers ready within a month and will have some to sell soon!
What a great day it is to be alive!!!!
That is right, I just took the bull by the horns here and decided to cut the rest of it together myself!
It sucked! I am starting to hate editing but I finished it!
Now all I have to do is take it to a local production studio and have the credits added and have it transfered to either tape or a dvd that I can have duplicated!
I appreciate everyone who responded to the recent email posting about asking for a editor! I really do! Thanks!
Yes I feel so relieved now! It clocks in around 55 minutes without the credits so that should bump it up to about 2 more minutes so I'm pushing the hour mark! I really wanted to hit the 70 minute mark however I just didn't have enough material or story to do it.
I am confidant that I will have the copies to my actors and producers ready within a month and will have some to sell soon!
What a great day it is to be alive!!!!
Saturday, July 16, 2005
My Confession
My friends I come to you today to confess my sin...of enjoying a (GASP) reality series. I know I know, please don't tell me about it but hear me out first. Anyone who knows me knows that I hate reality shows.
I hate them with a passion unrivaled with any other kind of pop culture hatred I could muster...the kind that is normally reserved for Tim Burton kind.
However I also have a weakness my friends. I have a weakness that is my kryptonite and that is for has been stars. It has long been my theory that sometimes celebs tend to surround themselves with yes-men (or women), people who will tell them what they think they want to hear instead of being straight with them and giving them a much needed dose of reality...so to speak.
Well they get ungrounded and lose themselves in vanity, self absorbtion, and start to believe they actually are what everyone has marketed them as....which is usually a fantasy.
Well when someone is at the top of their game there is only one way to go and no matter how at the top you really are the public changes and their tastes change and you are no longer what you once were. You could be the highest paid star of all time but in a few short years it is likely that you will be a memory. There are very very few people who have staying power that lasts years let alone decades.
Well the Surreal Life meets the bill for people who were at the top at one time or another in one fashion or another and have been passed by and have fallen into the archives of pop culture to make room for the next big thing. These disposable pop icons have become footnotes or punchlines with delusions of jumpstarting a career or extending their fame for another 15 minutes.
They get paid. They get to be seen. They get to show off how pet coon crazy they really are to a huge audience!!!
I have a passion for stories of people with instant fame and fortune. Dave Chapelle for instance! All of a sudden his small little show blew up big time and made Comedy Central a lot of money! Well they rewarded Dave with a huge contract which overwhelmed him and everyone knows the rest of that story with how he bolted out of the country.
My reality series fascination (with only one show) is just that friends, a fascination. I won't start watching Survivor:Guatamala or anything like that. I have the fortitude to check myself to this one and only series of misfits who are real victims in a way.
They are the victims of other people's expectations. They are the victims of marketing machines and even though they probably went along with it willingly if not happily they got more than they bargained for.
I hate them with a passion unrivaled with any other kind of pop culture hatred I could muster...the kind that is normally reserved for Tim Burton kind.
However I also have a weakness my friends. I have a weakness that is my kryptonite and that is for has been stars. It has long been my theory that sometimes celebs tend to surround themselves with yes-men (or women), people who will tell them what they think they want to hear instead of being straight with them and giving them a much needed dose of reality...so to speak.
Well they get ungrounded and lose themselves in vanity, self absorbtion, and start to believe they actually are what everyone has marketed them as....which is usually a fantasy.
Well when someone is at the top of their game there is only one way to go and no matter how at the top you really are the public changes and their tastes change and you are no longer what you once were. You could be the highest paid star of all time but in a few short years it is likely that you will be a memory. There are very very few people who have staying power that lasts years let alone decades.
Well the Surreal Life meets the bill for people who were at the top at one time or another in one fashion or another and have been passed by and have fallen into the archives of pop culture to make room for the next big thing. These disposable pop icons have become footnotes or punchlines with delusions of jumpstarting a career or extending their fame for another 15 minutes.
They get paid. They get to be seen. They get to show off how pet coon crazy they really are to a huge audience!!!
I have a passion for stories of people with instant fame and fortune. Dave Chapelle for instance! All of a sudden his small little show blew up big time and made Comedy Central a lot of money! Well they rewarded Dave with a huge contract which overwhelmed him and everyone knows the rest of that story with how he bolted out of the country.
My reality series fascination (with only one show) is just that friends, a fascination. I won't start watching Survivor:Guatamala or anything like that. I have the fortitude to check myself to this one and only series of misfits who are real victims in a way.
They are the victims of other people's expectations. They are the victims of marketing machines and even though they probably went along with it willingly if not happily they got more than they bargained for.
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Modern Advanced Radio
Well friends I have done something I really didn't think I had a need for.
I have done something I really didn't think I would use very much.
I have seen the future friends!
More precisely I have heard the future friends!
What is this miracle of modern science that has enthralled me like a moth to a flame, like a neanderthal to a club, or Michael Jackson to a child's birthday party at a Chuckie Cheese?
It is satellite radio! That's right!
Three geo-synchronous satellites are beaming delicious audio into my very place of work!
GONE are the static infested airwaves!
GONE are the commercial laden broadcasts which occasionally produce a song, like dreck dredged up to the bright sunshine only to be exposed as the dreck it is!
GONE are the playlists that feature so many predictable songs DAY IN AND DAY OUT!
GONE are the DJ's who rattle on and on but are censored by the terrestrially based FCC!
After a mere two days of satellite radio at work with everyone and their dog, cat, fish, in-laws, outlaws, and total strangers coming in to hear the crisp clear tones of musical purity! They have experienced and marveled at...YES...channel 23!!!
The Amazing Hair Nation channel!!!!
The glory that is 80's hair bands!!!!
Friends I can hear everything from Twisted Sister to TNT.
From Guns N Roses to Great White.
From Def Leppard to Dokken.
From Aerosmith to Zebra.
That's right, I have died and gone to metal maven heaven!
Now you may ask yourself, Why, yes WHY do you care so much about 80's metal bands?
Well my friends I'll tell you...
I have a THEORY!
My theory is very simple and yet complex.
On the surface it is simple, the music you grow up with is what imprints itself into your mind and that is the music that you associate to good times of youth, fun, revelry, and rebellion!
Now the complex part is this, for some of our seasoned citizens out there they probably get the same feelings from Frank Sinatra, Tommy Dorsey, and Glen Miller!
It just so happens that my day of discovery had bands around like The Scorpions, Metallica, Van Halen pre and post Sammy Hagar, the Mighty Motley Crue, and the brash, bold, and badass Guns-N-Roses!
A band that was capable of stellar heights and dismally low lows but what they put on vinyl was immortal! What they did with Appetite For Destruction and Lies scaled the highest mountains and used that as a launching pad and redefined the genre for years to come!
But I digress....Satellite Radio Rocks!
I have done something I really didn't think I would use very much.
I have seen the future friends!
More precisely I have heard the future friends!
What is this miracle of modern science that has enthralled me like a moth to a flame, like a neanderthal to a club, or Michael Jackson to a child's birthday party at a Chuckie Cheese?
It is satellite radio! That's right!
Three geo-synchronous satellites are beaming delicious audio into my very place of work!
GONE are the static infested airwaves!
GONE are the commercial laden broadcasts which occasionally produce a song, like dreck dredged up to the bright sunshine only to be exposed as the dreck it is!
GONE are the playlists that feature so many predictable songs DAY IN AND DAY OUT!
GONE are the DJ's who rattle on and on but are censored by the terrestrially based FCC!
After a mere two days of satellite radio at work with everyone and their dog, cat, fish, in-laws, outlaws, and total strangers coming in to hear the crisp clear tones of musical purity! They have experienced and marveled at...YES...channel 23!!!
The Amazing Hair Nation channel!!!!
The glory that is 80's hair bands!!!!
Friends I can hear everything from Twisted Sister to TNT.
From Guns N Roses to Great White.
From Def Leppard to Dokken.
From Aerosmith to Zebra.
That's right, I have died and gone to metal maven heaven!
Now you may ask yourself, Why, yes WHY do you care so much about 80's metal bands?
Well my friends I'll tell you...
I have a THEORY!
My theory is very simple and yet complex.
On the surface it is simple, the music you grow up with is what imprints itself into your mind and that is the music that you associate to good times of youth, fun, revelry, and rebellion!
Now the complex part is this, for some of our seasoned citizens out there they probably get the same feelings from Frank Sinatra, Tommy Dorsey, and Glen Miller!
It just so happens that my day of discovery had bands around like The Scorpions, Metallica, Van Halen pre and post Sammy Hagar, the Mighty Motley Crue, and the brash, bold, and badass Guns-N-Roses!
A band that was capable of stellar heights and dismally low lows but what they put on vinyl was immortal! What they did with Appetite For Destruction and Lies scaled the highest mountains and used that as a launching pad and redefined the genre for years to come!
But I digress....Satellite Radio Rocks!
Saturday, July 09, 2005
Poker Night With Friends
Well tonight was a poker night at a friend's house. It was great! It really showed me that my skills are improving.
I started with 40 bucks. Which was kind of a challenge to get. I went to a local grocery store and asked for 40 extra after making a purchase right? Well the cashier acted really put out and upset that I needed quarters and some ones instead of two 20's.
Ugh, what does it matter? It is the same amount, just count it differently please.
Anyway I arrive and so does everyone else and we start playing! there are six of us in a dime ante game where the basic bet is a quarter. I feel pretty good about it! After about two hours I'm up quite a bit and then one guy calls a game that builds the pot up to huge amounts. You have a high card and a low card and you bet to see if the next card delt is in the middle of the high and low card. The only way the game ends is if one person clears the pot.
It was towards the end of the deck and I am dealt a Q3, there is a lot of money in the pot. I'm talking over 50 dollars, I bet 15. The card is a Q which doubles the amount you have to pay....yeah, my nice stack takes a huge 30 dollar hit. Well by the time this game ends I'm down to about 5 dollars.
Here is the good thing though. By the time the game broke up around midnight I was at exactly $40.05!!!! I worked my stack back up again to even. Although I was ultimately down from the stack I had I was still very happy I didn't lose money after a big hit on my stack and was able to build it back up!!!
Yeah...it was a good night!
I started with 40 bucks. Which was kind of a challenge to get. I went to a local grocery store and asked for 40 extra after making a purchase right? Well the cashier acted really put out and upset that I needed quarters and some ones instead of two 20's.
Ugh, what does it matter? It is the same amount, just count it differently please.
Anyway I arrive and so does everyone else and we start playing! there are six of us in a dime ante game where the basic bet is a quarter. I feel pretty good about it! After about two hours I'm up quite a bit and then one guy calls a game that builds the pot up to huge amounts. You have a high card and a low card and you bet to see if the next card delt is in the middle of the high and low card. The only way the game ends is if one person clears the pot.
It was towards the end of the deck and I am dealt a Q3, there is a lot of money in the pot. I'm talking over 50 dollars, I bet 15. The card is a Q which doubles the amount you have to pay....yeah, my nice stack takes a huge 30 dollar hit. Well by the time this game ends I'm down to about 5 dollars.
Here is the good thing though. By the time the game broke up around midnight I was at exactly $40.05!!!! I worked my stack back up again to even. Although I was ultimately down from the stack I had I was still very happy I didn't lose money after a big hit on my stack and was able to build it back up!!!
Yeah...it was a good night!
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
July 5th's Pictures Very Moving!
The spirit of the 4th of July was on display today in the local paper. After seeing the pictures it really hit me about all that is important in a modern 4th celebration and why.
Not the original 4th when our founders decided to take on many many hardships to overcome the British Empire to gain our freedom but what they foresaw the 4th could eventually be. The freedom to celebrate with family and friends. No, the only outdoor grilling then was probably rabbit on a spit over a open fire. There was no such thing as a fishing derby or a harmless fireworks display. The 4th had an entirely different meaning then and I'm proud that we continue to be the leader of the free world and a beacon of hope to others.
What my friend captured in those pictures is nothing short of beauty and majesty:
1. A child with a flag painted on his forehead.
2. Two fish on a bridge that crosses the park lake...er...pond.
3. A child with a sparkler.
4. A massive aerial fireworks display with the bridge in the lower third of the picture and reflections on the water.
5. A nine year old in a seed spitting contest.
What was captured in these pictures....well it is immortal. It is the spirit of the 4th made manifest and tangible. Anyone who knows me knows that I get choked up kind of easily when I get emotional and I had to really compose myself this morning when I saw these pictures.
Now what I can also tell you is what my friend will probably tell me after she reads this, "Why do you always like my worst shots?" She will then probably tell me about the technical aspects of them and how she could have made them much better after seeing them in the paper.
Well I can't argue that since still photography is something that is still kind of alien to me. I have no training in that and she is probably right in everything she will tell me about them...in a technical aspect.
I'll probably respond by saying, "No one since Norman Rockwell has captured that kind of feeling in me in still life, and I am grateful anyway. Thank you."
Not the original 4th when our founders decided to take on many many hardships to overcome the British Empire to gain our freedom but what they foresaw the 4th could eventually be. The freedom to celebrate with family and friends. No, the only outdoor grilling then was probably rabbit on a spit over a open fire. There was no such thing as a fishing derby or a harmless fireworks display. The 4th had an entirely different meaning then and I'm proud that we continue to be the leader of the free world and a beacon of hope to others.
What my friend captured in those pictures is nothing short of beauty and majesty:
1. A child with a flag painted on his forehead.
2. Two fish on a bridge that crosses the park lake...er...pond.
3. A child with a sparkler.
4. A massive aerial fireworks display with the bridge in the lower third of the picture and reflections on the water.
5. A nine year old in a seed spitting contest.
What was captured in these pictures....well it is immortal. It is the spirit of the 4th made manifest and tangible. Anyone who knows me knows that I get choked up kind of easily when I get emotional and I had to really compose myself this morning when I saw these pictures.
Now what I can also tell you is what my friend will probably tell me after she reads this, "Why do you always like my worst shots?" She will then probably tell me about the technical aspects of them and how she could have made them much better after seeing them in the paper.
Well I can't argue that since still photography is something that is still kind of alien to me. I have no training in that and she is probably right in everything she will tell me about them...in a technical aspect.
I'll probably respond by saying, "No one since Norman Rockwell has captured that kind of feeling in me in still life, and I am grateful anyway. Thank you."
Friday, July 01, 2005
So The Choice Remains...
I am still pricing XL1s cameras via Ebay...however while I have been doing this I have also been saving money and now have nearly enough for a XL2.
So what do I do about that? I am more excited about a XL2 and the best set up would be to have two XL2s as I have said earlier. Since there is no project looming in the near term I believe I am going to save for the XL2s....unless I can get so much value by getting another XL1s at such a good price I couldn't pass it up.
My secret project is well underway and progressing and I will soon hold some meetings with the trusted circle that knows the details to flesh out the storyline and related arcs.
Since my first choice to edit Locker hasn't responded to me I have choice B on deck and will be contacting them tonight or tomorrow.
So what do I do about that? I am more excited about a XL2 and the best set up would be to have two XL2s as I have said earlier. Since there is no project looming in the near term I believe I am going to save for the XL2s....unless I can get so much value by getting another XL1s at such a good price I couldn't pass it up.
My secret project is well underway and progressing and I will soon hold some meetings with the trusted circle that knows the details to flesh out the storyline and related arcs.
Since my first choice to edit Locker hasn't responded to me I have choice B on deck and will be contacting them tonight or tomorrow.
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
What Do I Do?
Alright here is the situation!
Last night I found a healthy bird in my pool under a plank I left in there so some kittens could crawl out.
Now this bird is full grown, doesn't appear to have a broken wing or broken leg or anything like that. The bird isn't favoring any thing or appear to be damaged in any way.
But it won't fly.
I kept it in a cage last night in the house and gave it some seeds and water...well not really seeds. I scraped some whole grains off the top of a loaf of bread but it is as close to getting it something to eat as I could.
I thought maybe the bird had been overcome with the heat from yesterday and just couldn't fly out of the relatively shallow empty pool for some reason. So I picked it up and brought it inside to cool it off. Now it is the next morning and he still won't fly away.
It will barely walk but he seems content to just sit there and look around. It is cool outside right now and there are a lot of birds in my yard so I'm going to leave it out there and hope it gets the idea and has the Disney ending and flys home!
Last night I found a healthy bird in my pool under a plank I left in there so some kittens could crawl out.
Now this bird is full grown, doesn't appear to have a broken wing or broken leg or anything like that. The bird isn't favoring any thing or appear to be damaged in any way.
But it won't fly.
I kept it in a cage last night in the house and gave it some seeds and water...well not really seeds. I scraped some whole grains off the top of a loaf of bread but it is as close to getting it something to eat as I could.
I thought maybe the bird had been overcome with the heat from yesterday and just couldn't fly out of the relatively shallow empty pool for some reason. So I picked it up and brought it inside to cool it off. Now it is the next morning and he still won't fly away.
It will barely walk but he seems content to just sit there and look around. It is cool outside right now and there are a lot of birds in my yard so I'm going to leave it out there and hope it gets the idea and has the Disney ending and flys home!
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Indie Film Conference Today....Sort Of
Well it had promise anyway.
There was a conference in a nearby city that three of us attended. I can say that I enjoyed the makeup guy they had and the actor they had who is a regular in CSI: Miami.
Everyone else seemed to either be in over their heads or were trailing my knowledge. The distribution guy was thrilled that he had gone to Tower Records and they had agreed to put a project on their shelves even though there really isn't a finished product yet....and so the day went.
I was happy about lunch though which was good. I had a honey BBQ'd sirloin steak with grilled peppers and mushrooms...with a side of fries and a desert.
The other highlight was seeing Land of the Dead. It also had promise but I found myself wondering why in this futuristic society with the DEAD ACTUALLY ROAMING THE STREETS that having a lot of money was a big deal?!?! I did like the idea of someone rebuilding a secure society inside a building and trying to make believe that everything was everything again. I found the concept very good in that weird ironic/sarcastic way.
I just wish that someone would decide to make a scary movie again instead of relying on gore effects as a crutch to make up for a weak story or to gloss over plot holes so big you could drive the Dead Reckoning though.
Here is the basic premise of nearly every scary movie I've attended lately....come up with promising plot. Spend too much on effects while forgetting to add any tension to get the audience involved and when you remember that the audience might be bored...WHAM! You throw some fake blood in their direction or have a cat jumping out of the closet scare...then tack on some stupid ending like in Hide and Seek.
Now for Locker news. I have contacted a local production company to finish it with me. To add the credits and get it into a format I can duplicate. They were going to have a meeting this past week and contact me when they could schedule me in...they have yet to contact me. So I'll attempt to call them next week and see if they want to work with me. If not it is onto yet another plan B.
Yes and I am writing a new project which will either be very innovative or fail so big that it might turn some heads! More on that in the coming months!
There was a conference in a nearby city that three of us attended. I can say that I enjoyed the makeup guy they had and the actor they had who is a regular in CSI: Miami.
Everyone else seemed to either be in over their heads or were trailing my knowledge. The distribution guy was thrilled that he had gone to Tower Records and they had agreed to put a project on their shelves even though there really isn't a finished product yet....and so the day went.
I was happy about lunch though which was good. I had a honey BBQ'd sirloin steak with grilled peppers and mushrooms...with a side of fries and a desert.
The other highlight was seeing Land of the Dead. It also had promise but I found myself wondering why in this futuristic society with the DEAD ACTUALLY ROAMING THE STREETS that having a lot of money was a big deal?!?! I did like the idea of someone rebuilding a secure society inside a building and trying to make believe that everything was everything again. I found the concept very good in that weird ironic/sarcastic way.
I just wish that someone would decide to make a scary movie again instead of relying on gore effects as a crutch to make up for a weak story or to gloss over plot holes so big you could drive the Dead Reckoning though.
Here is the basic premise of nearly every scary movie I've attended lately....come up with promising plot. Spend too much on effects while forgetting to add any tension to get the audience involved and when you remember that the audience might be bored...WHAM! You throw some fake blood in their direction or have a cat jumping out of the closet scare...then tack on some stupid ending like in Hide and Seek.
Now for Locker news. I have contacted a local production company to finish it with me. To add the credits and get it into a format I can duplicate. They were going to have a meeting this past week and contact me when they could schedule me in...they have yet to contact me. So I'll attempt to call them next week and see if they want to work with me. If not it is onto yet another plan B.
Yes and I am writing a new project which will either be very innovative or fail so big that it might turn some heads! More on that in the coming months!
Sunday, June 19, 2005
Irrational Fears
I probably have one of the most irrational fears of all time. At first it may not seem like it but after I explain my weird logic I think you might be able to understand a bit more.
My irrational fear is that after I die my body won't be discovered for a long time. Why is it irrational? Naturally because after you die, what do you care anymore? It's over and time to see what is next, on to bigger and better things!
Well here is my logic on the matter. I am more afraid of what it implies has happened to me before death. Think about it for a second, my irrational fear is that my body won't be discovered meaning that:
1. I have outlived everyone that cares about me or I care about. (I dread this one the second most)
2. Have ticked off all of the people I did know and care about to the point where they have left me.
3. Fade away and become so emotionally disconnected that everyone forgets I even existed. (I dread this one the most)
What does this exactly mean?
Does it mean that if you don't have someone around you that you don't exist?
Does it represent that no one is an island and everyone somewhere, somehow has a connection to someone, somehow?
That your actions now matter how small or mundane has a action or reaction that creates a connection to others?
So if any of those questions are affirmative in the least degree then to what point is everyone connected but not realize the effect they have on others? If someone disconnects themselves is that an act of self centeredness knowing they might play a role in helping someone else? Do you have a responsibility to your fellow human being?
Dying alone is something everyone faces no matter how many people are surrounding you and no matter how much they care about you. Being discovered afterwards or not is what really defines the kind of life you have lead.
My irrational fear is that after I die my body won't be discovered for a long time. Why is it irrational? Naturally because after you die, what do you care anymore? It's over and time to see what is next, on to bigger and better things!
Well here is my logic on the matter. I am more afraid of what it implies has happened to me before death. Think about it for a second, my irrational fear is that my body won't be discovered meaning that:
1. I have outlived everyone that cares about me or I care about. (I dread this one the second most)
2. Have ticked off all of the people I did know and care about to the point where they have left me.
3. Fade away and become so emotionally disconnected that everyone forgets I even existed. (I dread this one the most)
What does this exactly mean?
Does it mean that if you don't have someone around you that you don't exist?
Does it represent that no one is an island and everyone somewhere, somehow has a connection to someone, somehow?
That your actions now matter how small or mundane has a action or reaction that creates a connection to others?
So if any of those questions are affirmative in the least degree then to what point is everyone connected but not realize the effect they have on others? If someone disconnects themselves is that an act of self centeredness knowing they might play a role in helping someone else? Do you have a responsibility to your fellow human being?
Dying alone is something everyone faces no matter how many people are surrounding you and no matter how much they care about you. Being discovered afterwards or not is what really defines the kind of life you have lead.
Friday, June 17, 2005
A Sock In My Sleeve
So there I was, early morning and I felt pretty good! I was showered, dressed and out the door...things were going well!!!
I get to the quick shop where I get coffee and then a guy who works where I work comes up behind me and I feel a tugging on my shirt. Allow me to elaborate my confusion here...I usually wear two shirts, a t-shirt with a work shirt over the top of it so I can use the pockets. Well this guy is generally a cocky type of person and we might nod to each other in the halls and rarely talk. Which is fine, I don't bother anyone and I'd like the same to happen to me:)
So I feel this tugging and I turn around with a quizzical look and look at him in the eyes, not a intimidating look but a "What are you doing" look when he holds up a sock he had just pulled from between my shirts that was hanging out of my sleeve!
I know there is a metaphor here. Let me see if I can explain it as well. I try not to be a confrontational person anymore. Sometimes it is necessary but if I can talk I'm happier and I don't get that sick feeling inside after being physical with someone. That morning I was almost at that point for no reason.
I was clueless as to what was going on and someone was trying to help me. I was so wrapped up with something else that I didn't see the help that was being offered. Like when friends tell you something but it just never clicks for some reason. Something never connects in your mind and when it does and that light comes on you suddenly see things from a different angle and it makes sense!!!
Despite how foolish you might have been before and how wrapped up in something else you might have been and just couldn't see the beauty of the forrest because of all of those pesky trees, that is when you need to step back and evaluate your situation and see what your friends are telling you. I learned a pretty good lesson because someone was trying to help me when I thought he was....well I don't know what he was doing but that is kind of the point of turing around in the first place! hahaha!!!
Now on to the filmmaking parts! I am looking into hiring an editor to finish Locker.
More on that when I get an estimate to see if I'm going to do it or not!
I get to the quick shop where I get coffee and then a guy who works where I work comes up behind me and I feel a tugging on my shirt. Allow me to elaborate my confusion here...I usually wear two shirts, a t-shirt with a work shirt over the top of it so I can use the pockets. Well this guy is generally a cocky type of person and we might nod to each other in the halls and rarely talk. Which is fine, I don't bother anyone and I'd like the same to happen to me:)
So I feel this tugging and I turn around with a quizzical look and look at him in the eyes, not a intimidating look but a "What are you doing" look when he holds up a sock he had just pulled from between my shirts that was hanging out of my sleeve!
I know there is a metaphor here. Let me see if I can explain it as well. I try not to be a confrontational person anymore. Sometimes it is necessary but if I can talk I'm happier and I don't get that sick feeling inside after being physical with someone. That morning I was almost at that point for no reason.
I was clueless as to what was going on and someone was trying to help me. I was so wrapped up with something else that I didn't see the help that was being offered. Like when friends tell you something but it just never clicks for some reason. Something never connects in your mind and when it does and that light comes on you suddenly see things from a different angle and it makes sense!!!
Despite how foolish you might have been before and how wrapped up in something else you might have been and just couldn't see the beauty of the forrest because of all of those pesky trees, that is when you need to step back and evaluate your situation and see what your friends are telling you. I learned a pretty good lesson because someone was trying to help me when I thought he was....well I don't know what he was doing but that is kind of the point of turing around in the first place! hahaha!!!
Now on to the filmmaking parts! I am looking into hiring an editor to finish Locker.
More on that when I get an estimate to see if I'm going to do it or not!
Sunday, June 12, 2005
Outbid Again!
But not to worry, we shall get our camera sooner or later!!
Again, time is on our side for this!!
Had a good conversation with Chris last night at a local coffee shop.
The best part is when we started to discuss the kind of movie we would like to see. I honestly want to create a good story that anyone can see. I immediately brought up The Straight Story as my template of what I would like to do.
A good story, no profanity, no violence, and touching characters that anyone can relate to. If I could either get a hold of that kind of script or if I could coax my fingers to type that kind of script!!! Wow!!!
Anyway, time to find another camera and place a bid!!!
Again, time is on our side for this!!
Had a good conversation with Chris last night at a local coffee shop.
The best part is when we started to discuss the kind of movie we would like to see. I honestly want to create a good story that anyone can see. I immediately brought up The Straight Story as my template of what I would like to do.
A good story, no profanity, no violence, and touching characters that anyone can relate to. If I could either get a hold of that kind of script or if I could coax my fingers to type that kind of script!!! Wow!!!
Anyway, time to find another camera and place a bid!!!
Saturday, June 11, 2005
A New Bid
I have placed a bid on a XL1s this morning. If I can get it for the price I bid, it will be a huge savings!! It is only a basic package but if this price holds up then there will be plenty of money left over to add whatever I wish to it!
It ends tomorrow so we shall see what happens!!!
This is some exciting stuff!!!
Now I also saw a movie that has everything I love about movies in it! It wasn't a GREAT movie but it was very solid and very entertaining! The Machinist.
To sum it up, a man has had insomnia for over a year. It is a mystery that starts when Trevor Reznik starts to see some strange things from his lack of sleep. Since I hate spoiling a movie for people that is about all I can say about it. There are several layers of mystery here that really pay off in the end:)
Very good!
It ends tomorrow so we shall see what happens!!!
This is some exciting stuff!!!
Now I also saw a movie that has everything I love about movies in it! It wasn't a GREAT movie but it was very solid and very entertaining! The Machinist.
To sum it up, a man has had insomnia for over a year. It is a mystery that starts when Trevor Reznik starts to see some strange things from his lack of sleep. Since I hate spoiling a movie for people that is about all I can say about it. There are several layers of mystery here that really pay off in the end:)
Very good!
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
NO Camera....Yet
I was out bid on the camera I was hoping to purchase...by 26 dollars!!!
Such is life, the other one I was eyeing was sold on a buy it now which was more than I really wanted to pay since it had little else than a camera with it.
I know there will be a great deal coming up and with nothing big planned right now other than some reshoots...time is on my side!!!
I have a budget planned out so that I'll be able to pay cash when the right camera deal comes up and if it doesn't before we are going to shoot our next big project...well I'll have some money to sink into the actual production!!!
It's a no lose situation!!!
Such is life, the other one I was eyeing was sold on a buy it now which was more than I really wanted to pay since it had little else than a camera with it.
I know there will be a great deal coming up and with nothing big planned right now other than some reshoots...time is on my side!!!
I have a budget planned out so that I'll be able to pay cash when the right camera deal comes up and if it doesn't before we are going to shoot our next big project...well I'll have some money to sink into the actual production!!!
It's a no lose situation!!!
Friday, June 03, 2005
How About A Film Update This Time???
Alright film fans, here is the latest! The editing is not done!!! Woohoooo!!!
Wait....that isn't exactly what I wanted to tell you all, I'm on the verge of purchasing another XL1s. I have a bid on one cam with another in the wings if this one fails.
A two camera set up will help SO MUCH with filming it is unreal!!! My shot selection problems of variety that I had in Locker will be long gone, we will have a back up of any shot we do, AND it will take about half the time to film something which will make things faster on us and our actors!!!
I have kicked it around quite a bit and have come to the conclusion that another camera is what us as a group really need to continue right now. Well other than a full time staff of script writers to give us the material to shoot.
Yes another camera is what is really needed to do a much higher quality of job!
And yes when I find the right deal we will have it!!!
Wait....that isn't exactly what I wanted to tell you all, I'm on the verge of purchasing another XL1s. I have a bid on one cam with another in the wings if this one fails.
A two camera set up will help SO MUCH with filming it is unreal!!! My shot selection problems of variety that I had in Locker will be long gone, we will have a back up of any shot we do, AND it will take about half the time to film something which will make things faster on us and our actors!!!
I have kicked it around quite a bit and have come to the conclusion that another camera is what us as a group really need to continue right now. Well other than a full time staff of script writers to give us the material to shoot.
Yes another camera is what is really needed to do a much higher quality of job!
And yes when I find the right deal we will have it!!!
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