Thursday, December 20, 2007
2007 holiday letter
We had a good year, one that was notably less hectic because it didn't involve picking up and moving to a new state for once. Yes, we were able to settle in and enjoy life in Wilmington, and, as usual, we had the opportunities to take a few trips as well. This year we visited Philly, New York City, D.C., Boston, Miami Beach, Chesapeake Bay, Acadia National Park in Maine, Honduras (Raia only), and, of course, sweet home Minnesota. Our position here on the east coast has been the perfect jumping off point for exploring this part of the country, and we're getting some great photos out of the deal!
Jeff has been busy working for [a small software company we don't name in the blog] and has been excited to witness the the company taking off – it has doubled in size since he started and has been signing some big-named clients. He also started his own mini-business, Moon Lake Multimedia, this year. Since he knows very little about how to actually run a business, he's been focusing on the work for now, specifically by shooting and editing short videos for a local magazine's website. The monthly gig has provided Jeff with some valuable practice in the art of videography and the chance to purchase some increasingly professional equipment.
R continues to work at the DuPont central research facility in an ethylene co-polymer semi-works facility. She likes the small team and varied challenges the job presents each day. In early 2008 she will be moving on to a new, undetermined assignment, so change is in the air! In her spare time she has been taking graduate courses at the University of Delaware towards a master’s degree in mechanical engineering, starting with a challenging math course and now a fluid mechanics course. She also practices yoga and coaches an all-girl Lego robotics team on Saturdays.
This year we enjoyed visits from Jeff's parents and our good friend L. If any of you would like to drop in and take a whirlwind tour of the surrounding area our door is always open, despite a chilly draft in the winter :-)
That's it from us. We hope this note finds you well. Have a holly, jolly Christmas!
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
A new era begins, as soon as I have some free time
There are way too many things happening this month. December and May are the two months out of the year that never seem to slow down. They are a constant rush of one thing after another. Right now our highest priorities include finishing up our shopping and getting the holiday letter out the door. There have also been a few surprises recently thrown into the mix, like having to sit in an auto shop for four hours on Saturday only to discover I have to drop the car off during the week for an appointment anyway. Maybe I should have bought a new car instead of the new camera. No way -- I love my car (even though I think R secretly wants to trade it in) and I absolutely love the camera! I want to shout it from mountain tops.
We did have time to go out for a nice dinner at 821 Market on Saturday. I've also been slipping in a few minutes of "wasting" time on my computer here and there too; I'm going to be slowly and carefully posting some more clips from the self-proclaimed infamous "Cottage Cheese" video in the next few weeks, so keep an eye out for those. Oh yeah, we also watched a couple of movies over the weekend: Superbad, which was super-better-than-I-would-have-guessed, and an interesting, smaller film called Sleuth, which was playing at Theater N. While we're on the topic of entertainment, R and I will be attending a play on Thursday called The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). It sounds like a fun show.
Work has been hectic again too. I still have a remaining, unscheduled vacation day for this year, but I'm not even sure if I'll be able to use it because there are so many things to do before my scheduled vacation begins. There will be some fun events coming up before the holiday too, like a company happy hour and a team dinner in Philly, so I guess work isn't all bad.
My purchasing of this camera is truly a turning point for me. I've got some big ideas and lofty ambitions. Most likely my projects will be stretched out over so much time that my passion for them fades a bit before they are complete, but I'm excited to be able to continue contributing my part to the vast digital wasteland that is the Internet, now, possibly, with an improved aesthetic. I've said it before: I want to make something memorable, even if it's only memorable for me. This new camera reignites my passion.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Honduras holiday special
Monday, December 03, 2007
Bud Light Film Crew #12
I probably should have cut this month's video shorter, but since it's going to be the last one I do for a while, I wanted to make it a little extra mega. So ends a full year of Bud Light videos; my next project will be to compile them on a DVD and shelf 'em. I'd like to say the videos improved a great deal over the course of the year, but honestly I think the first one remains one of the best. #4 is probably my favorite, however, just because of the sheer energy and craziness of the St. Patrick's day party that we managed to capture. #6 is easily the worst of the collection, but I blame that on the fact that I didn't personally shoot it (I'm pretty arrogant when it comes to this stuff, aren't I?). #8 and #11 are solid videos, especially in their revised/extended forms (now available on YouTube). Speaking of YouTube, #3 is the most watched of my videos on that site, with 1,155 views, probably because it comes up on searches for the Rock/Paper/Scissors Bud Light commercial that aired during last year's SuperBowl. We don't have a way of counting the number of video views on the Out & About website, but the guys there tell me the Bud Light page is relatively popular.
I'm looking forward to having a few months off from the monthly assignment. My new camera is in the mail! I'm going to need some time to learn how to use it. I'm also going to be switching to a newer version of Adobe Premiere for editing, and there might be a learning curve attached to that as well. All in all, my palette will be expanding in 2008. There will hopefully be some opportunities for commercial work, so that I can finish paying for this camera, but what I'm really looking forward to is doing something more creative -- something that tells a story, something that is, maybe, nice to look at.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
T'giving
My meal today was a steak off the grill, a salad, a potato, and some cranberries (see, I got into the spirit). I also enjoyed a jog, some editing time, and a movie. I've got a series of movies lined up for the next few nights that know R doesn't mind missing. Tonight, it was the ultra-bloody 300. Tomorrow, it's the widely-considered-scariest-movie-of-all-time, The Exorcist, which I somehow never managed to see up until this point of my life. And finally, on Saturday, I'm thinking it's gonna be Fire Walk With Me because I'm jonesing for some Twin Peaks but holding out until Christmas for the new DVD box set. Plus, it's going to sound killer on our new sound system.
Speaking of electronics, I am dedicating some effort this week to purchasing a new video camera. This is not an easy task for me since the camera I want is worth more than the current value of my car. All of the money I made from my video work during the last year (14 paid gigs in total) amounts to a little over half the cost. Not only that: buying a camera will end up snowballing into a bunch of other expenses -- a new case, a new wide-angle lens, an extra battery, etc -- all of which are of a professional grade and thus more expensive than I am used to. If I keep up the video work, a new camera should eventually pay for itself, but I still have to wonder if this particular one is more than I need right now. Am I ready to make the jump to HD, even though my current computer won't even be capable of editing it? (I'll have to shoot in standard definition mode until I upgrade -- oh yeah, there's another thing to buy, a new computer.) Even in standard definition though, with 3 CCDs, this camera will shoot better looking footage than I'm shooting now. It's like the difference between using a point-and-shoot versus an SLR in the world of still cameras. The harsh reality of the situation is, if I want to be taken seriously as a videographer, the Sony Handycam I've been using has got to go (or at least become my backup).
I should be thinking about gift ideas for everybody else, not myself. I can't believe the Christmas season is already here. I'm dreading the crowds this year; mall traffic is especially horrendous in Delaware. The lack of sales tax here draws people from all of the neighboring states. I'll make it my goal to do as much shopping as possible online.
Man, this is more than I was planning to write. I guess being alone today has left me loquacious. I have to remember the week is not done yet -- I need to work tomorrow. Time for bedo.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Another awesomely average weekend
On Friday night we attended a surprise 30th birthday party for a friend, Chris, who you might know from his appearances as a host of four of the Bud Light videos. The party was a good time. I spent part of it shooting video that I will be editing down as a gift for the dude. Chris has done a lot for me upon moving to Wilmington, including getting me the connections I have with Out & About magazine. He does IT work for a few different companies and organizations around town, so he might throw me some additional web video work in the future. I look forward to the opportunities.
After Frisbee on Saturday, R and I drove up to Philly to visit Calumet Photographic, where I drooled over the video camera I've had my eye on, and Ikea, where we picked up some shelves and things for the house. We also went to a unique Mexican restaurant called Xochitl (pronounced so-cheet), which, as the name implies, didn't serve your typical tacos and burritos -- R ate cactus and I had steak. We followed dinner up with Blades of Glory on DVD at home, with sleep grabbing us about half way through.
On Sunday we spent a good chunk of time assembling our new shelves and re-organizing the living room. R also made some butternut squash soup that was really tasty, especially on the cool fall day that it was. Before we knew it, night was upon us. I've always had a love-hate relationship with Sunday nights: I enjoy our typical frozen pizza dinner when we get each other caught up from our respective phone calls to the 'rents, but I hate to see the weekend end as another long week looms. Oh well, at least I don't need to deal with Sunday night homework anymore. R, however, is not so lucky. Did I ever mention she's taking graduate courses in engineering at the University of Delaware? That's keeping her busy.
Coming up soon on Jeblog:
- R visits her pregnant sister in Honduras, leaving me to my own devices for six days.
- The first segment in a possible series of late-night written ramblings called "Zomething Different."
- The final Bud Light Film Crew video before I take at least few months off from them. And it's going to be about dodgeball.
- Plans for new video work I will doing during the aforementioned few months off.
- A 2007 year-in-review post.
- More weekend recaps.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
With the lid off
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Bud Light Film Crew #11 - Censored
http://www.budlightfilmcrew.com/
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Now's the time on Sprockets when we dance
Gotta run. I'd like to watch a scary movie tonight, but I'm not sure if it's going to happen. Time is running short. Happy Halloween, everybody!
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Spoon, man
The other band I'm really digging right now is The National. I've only heard their latest album, Boxer, but it is currently blowing me away. I'm quite sure this is going to be my favorite album of 2007. Each song on it is chill-inducing and absolutely gripping. By the time a song is done I'm anxious listen to it again, yet I'm too thrilled by the next song to actually go back until I'm through the whole album. The lead singer's vivid descriptions, enhanced by the haunting textures and moods of the music make for a very visual listen. In fact this is the first set of new music I've heard in a while that makes me want to take out the camera and shoot a music video, probably one that takes place in the middle of the night. It's very inspiring like that.
More about the weekend: On Saturday night we attended a Halloween party thrown by a coworker of R's. Do you want to know what we dressed up as? If you can wait until next week, I'll post a photo. On Sunday afternoon we took a fun bike ride. R and I usually try to find paved trails to bike on, but it didn't happen this time. We were with two other couples and they took us biking on what was essentially a hiking trail. It was pretty rough riding, but we didn't mind the challenge for a change.
I'm in Madison once again this week for work. My first two times out here I was so hyped up on adrenaline that I barely slept. This time the work isn't as demanding and the newness and excitement of business travel is wearing off. So now it just feels more like work--work without the promise of going back to the comfort of home and eating dinner with my wife. It's also torture to not be able to edit the latest Bud Light video while I'm here. I still need to put a lot of time into it before the month ends. So far the highlight of this week has been our dinner out at Ruth's Chris Steak House (a national chain, but a good one) last night. I had the filet, and it was cooked to absolute perfection -- totally worth the two hour wait to get our food. Wow, it was good.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Commercial break, Lynch-style
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOGNyV9ngMk
While we're at it, here's another favorite from a few years ago. It congures up Eraserhead imagery while advertising for the Playstation 2. Well done, if I do say so myself. And I do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msMehuZo3x8
And here's an oldie -- a public service annoucement from the talented Mr. Lynch. They don't make 'em like this anymore.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSWv90msTUc
Finally, check out the trailer for the new Twin Peaks DVD collection coming out soon. This must be where pies go when they die.
http://www.movieweb.com/dvd/news/86/23686.php
Monday, October 08, 2007
Wilmington weekend
On Saturday morning, R went to her weekly Lego League session and I played some Ultimate Frisbee at Rockford Park. I'm hoping to make the game a fixture in my Saturday schedule, at least on weekends when we are in town. There’s nothing quite like running until you drop to make you feel better about being alive.
In the afternoon we attended the wedding of local filmmaker Gordon D. and his bride Cindy. I worked with the two of them during Gordon's movie shoot last summer, and the four of us have subsequently become occasional dinner partners and decent friends. The wedding was a good time. I was able to reunite with some of the film crew and hear of the some recent success stories (e.g. our key grip is now working behind the scenes of HBO's The Wire). We met some interesting new people too. It was an artistic, creative crowd. I tend to get along better with people like that -- people who think about things other than baseball or the ever-so-popular football -- so it worked out pretty well.
Sunday was relaxing, yet productive around the house. There's not much else to say about Sunday other than it capped a nice weekend. It's the normal, well balanced weekends like this one that I like best.
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Man overboard!
A crowded mini-van ride later we were returned to our cars in Port of Wilmington. We all managed to survive the reward trip. The technical problems and tardiness of our delivery were actually well representative of the project for which we were being rewarded. I didn't expect anything less.
Monday, October 01, 2007
Bud Light Film Crew #10
This one is notable for bringing Kim back as a host. You may remember her as the extremely intoxicated girl from our St. Patrick's day video, who showed up again briefly, and even more funnily, in last month's outtakes reel. I hardly recognized her when we met for the latest shoot. She was completely sober this time and determined to redeem herself in the eyes of the friends who discovered video #4 online and gave her a hard time about it. In all honesty, the drunk Kim brought more humor and playfulness to the job than the sober one. But no offense to her; she did some fine, if more conventional, work here.
It's funny--the film "crew" seems to be shrinking. For this video, it consisted of me and the two hosts. Don't get me wrong, I like having the freedom to do what I want with the video, but I do miss having somebody there to help line up interviews, corral our very social hosts, and generate ideas for questions and lines. I usually keep my eye in the camera's viewfinder the whole time, and that takes up enough of my attention to not be able to prepare the content, especially since we make it up as we go. The raw footage for this month's video was lacking in both content and technical accomplishment as a result of trying to focus on both (or neither). Some months we have a surplus of good stuff to use in the final cut; this time I had to stretch what we had and hide some of the problems behind the editing. In the end, the video turned out better than I expected, but it's not our finest work.
I've been questioning the future of the BLFC lately. We'll definitely finish out the year, but is the magazine going to want to continue these into 2008? In some ways it would be a relief to be done with them. I would appreciate the extra time to work on my own personal projects (I still want to make that one web video that changes the world of web video forever). But I also hate to close the door on such a fun gig, especially when I'm on the verge of buying a new video camera and will want the chance to show off what it can do. Maybe I should lobby to replace the Bud Light work with CityLife News Team videos. I put one of those together earlier this year but was unable to commit to doing them regularly. Agreeing to a year of these videos would be a good opportunity to gain more professional experience. Then there's always the possibility of me giving full-time videography a shot, in which case I would want all the work I could get. I'd probably need a video gig for every day of the month. We'll have to see what transpires in the coming months.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
The absolute other end of Interstate 95
Dumb bells on a diving board
Baby's always attracted to the things she's afraid of
Big girl with the sweet tooth
Watches the skinny girl in the photo shoot
Freshmen squeaky clean
She tastes of chlorine
The company I work for is known, at least among themselves, for working hard and for playing hard. This weekend we played hard in Miami Beach. They flew 180 of us down there (with a relatively small charge for guests), put us up at a spectacular resort on the ocean for three nights, and treated us to good food and way more drinks than we needed. It was a whirlwind weekend and all-around great time. One highlight was on Saturday when we participated in an intense 3-hour scavenger hunt around the area. My team of six was so close to winning the $5,000 grand prize that it wasn't even funny. We've been kicking ourselves for losing it ever since.
Otherwise, company moral is up. It's amazing what a little beach time can do.
Sunday, September 09, 2007
New England expedition
Hoofing it:
Rugged terrain:
Heading up Cadillac Mountain:
Hazy sunset: Finally getting the chance to watch the Inland Empire DVD:
R and I returned home on Saturday from a week of exploring the upper east coast. It was an adventurous vacation--impeccably planned by R--and a success for a multitude of reasons but particularly, at least for me, because I felt completely refreshed and renewed. Yes, the circles under my eyes had disappeared (but have since come back due to a harsh re-entry to the grind).
Our trip began with a drive up to Boston where we spent three nights at a bed & breakfast in the city's South End, a neighborhood known for its selection of excellent restaurants. Be assured we made use of this fact by consuming three memorable dinners while we were there. Luckily we also did a lot of walking to counter the calorie intake.
On our first full day in town we walked the Freedom Trail, which led us to a bunch of historic sites from the Revolutionary War (e.g. Bunker Hill, Paul Revere's house, churches, cemeteries, naval ships, etc). For those interested in not-so-distant American history, we also came across the bar from Cheers : ). That afternoon, we made our way through both the Harvard and MIT campuses, with a stop at a Havud bah for a drink in between. There was mental energy in the air, or maybe it was only enthusiasm over the Red Sox game airing on the TV.
Our second full day was spent seeing Boston by water. We took a harbor tour on a boat with stops at a few islands to see an old fort, some modern art exhibits, and some great views of the city. On our way back we dropped by the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum for some additional culture. To be honest, I didn't connect with the museum. The art seemed murky and repetitive. Maybe the collection was too focused on a time and style I'm not into. Or maybe my feet were too sore by then to really give it a chance.
Boston is a cool city. It seems more realistically livable than NYC, but it's crackling with character all the same. Definitely worth visting.
The next day we headed north--way north--to Acadia National Park in Maine. We had a blast there as well. Again, there was a lot of walking involved. We basically hiked for two days with a day of bicycling (on rentals) in between. It's an amazing park because it contains these mountains right along the coast, making for some beautiful vistas and rugged terrain.
There were probably a lot of people in the park, but for some reason it seemed really easy to escape the crowds and get out on a hiking trail on our own. We'd also build a fire at night and it would blacken out the rest of the campground. The park was the perfect place to spend some quality time together, just the two of us. We drank red wine and ate s'mores that fueled some crazy dreams during extra long nights of sleep.
Our good eating continued into the camping trip too. One night we went out for some very large, very fresh lobsters. The other nights we cooked at the campsite--salmon cakes with asparagus, chicken sausages with zucchini and squash, not to mention some killer blueberry pancakes for breakfast on two mornings. R might also want me to mention that she started each of our six campfires with only one match each. She's a pro.
Getting away from a computer screen, breathing fresh air, and seeing the stars again was a treat. Ah, I miss the vacation. Good thing we have another one coming up REALLY soon. Details next week.
Monday, September 03, 2007
Bud Light Film Crew #9
You'll see we didn't shoot anything new for this one. It's a collection of unused material from the previous videos. That might sound like a lazy way out, but it actually ended up being more work than usual because I had over five hours of footage to sift through. Technically I could have started compiling something like this months ago, but we didn't decide to do it until it became too late to plan another shoot. Plus, I got so busy with my day job that the only time to edit I had was late at night when I finally put my other work away, and by then I was in a daze from staring at a computer monitor for way too long. So this might be another video that I continue to tweak when I can devote more time and attention to it.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Take me out to the UST alumni event
Speaking of good eats, we had some people over on Saturday night to make mini-pizzas on our grill. The 'za turned out well. I recommend giving it a shot. You just throw some rolled out dough on the grill, flip it, and then load it up with sauce, a pile of veggies, and cheese. Yum.
That's about all I have time for. More to come soon!
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Four pillows too many
Monday, August 13, 2007
IE anticipation all over again
First there was Lost Highway -- an extremely dark film about infidelity, jealousy, and guilt. Then Mulholland Dr. came into being. It starts out brighter but eventually spirals into blackness with themes of unrequited love, jealousy, and guilt. Now IE arrives. Like its siblings, it is dark, it takes place in LA (the city of dreams), and it uses a very similar identity-swapping device to capture its themes from multiple perspectives. There are also recurring motifs among the three films: red curtains; mysterious women who are distinctly blond or brunette; and sinister, metaphysical beings.
It makes me wonder, is Lynch’s latest release the cap to a trilogy? Is it a summation of all of his prior work (FYI: I once thought the same thing of Mulholland Dr.)? Or is he just running out of ideas? Honestly, I doubt that. Even if you remove all of the elements that IE has in common with the other films, there are still enough unique ideas and images to fill a movie. I believe he packed it full of allusions to his own work (and not just LH and MD) for a purpose. He wants to take everything we think we figured out about the worlds he has previously created and spin it wildly about, splattering it on the walls. Just when you think things couldn't get any weirder, Lynch manages to defy expectations again. He also inserted self-references to reward close watching (and rewatching) by fans. Why is there a man sawing through a log during the closing credits other than to wink at Twin Peaks?
That's not to say this is responsible filmmaking. In fact, it's way overindulgent at times. Lynch was probably given too much freedom on this project. I have begun to appreciate tight editing and restraint in filmmaking. Yet I don’t watch Lynch for what he withholds. When I watch his work, I want as much of it as possible. I care more about atmosphere than logic and reality. Lynch leads with feelings and moods. His movies have all these ideas just floating around in the air. They never quite settle into place; if they did, then there'd be nothing left to discover, nothing to think about while you lay awake in bed (not because you can't sleep but because you don't want to), no reason to buy the DVD when it becomes available.
I may not find the opportunity to watch a three hour movie or the 75 minutes of deleted scenes any time too soon., but I'll be stopping at Best Buy on my way home from work tomorrow because I'm anxious to simply hold it in my hands.
Cape Cantaloupe
Recent DVDs watched, with ratings:
Gattaca - 4.5/5
Zodiac - 3.5/5
The Last King of Scotland - 3.5/5
Little Children - 3.5/5
The Queen - 3/5
Shaun of the Dead - 3/5
Derailed – 2.5/5
Deja Vu - 2/5
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Good old New Zealand
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Buzzzzzzzz...
...like a bee, a busy one. Last week was nuts. I put in over 70 hours of work at the office. One day I showed up at 8:15am and didn't leave until 1:30am. Then I drove home and worked some more. The next night, it felt early leaving at 10:30pm. Further complicating things, there was a lot going on at home. R was attending a local conference for a few days and they put her up the swanky Hotel DuPont, despite it being only a few miles from our house. I didn't want to pass up the chance to stay in the 5-star, luxury accommodations, so I joined her there for two nights. There were other surprises last week too, like coming home from work to all of the fire alarms in the house going off at the same time for no reason at all. Then there was the unfortunate news about R's grandpa, as well as the (unrelated) bridge collapse in Minneapolis, both of which weighed heavy on our hearts and minds. With a little finangling, we were able to get R home to Minnesota for the funeral on Friday. I'm glad she was able to attend and say good-bye. I remained here, working away. By Saturday evening I was beyond tired of staring at a computer screen and my body was begging for a bike ride. Hitting the trail (or shoulder of the road, as it was) never felt so good. The cold beer afterwards, too, was appreciated more than usual.
Things have settled down this week, although work is volatile enough to change that in an instant.
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Bud Light Film Crew #8
The Starboard is a fun place to shoot. The people actually like us there. That's the biggest difference between this video and the last one--during the shooting of the previous video, we'd walk into the bar and everyone would shout "Miller Lite rules" or yell at me to shut my camera light off or put their hand over my lens. Maybe it's all in the timing; we need to get to the bar after everyone loosens up but before they get so sloppy drunk they forget all their manners. Unless we decide we want to explore the darkness of human nature in a future video, we need to get that right. We did at the Starboard, both times we shot there. It also helps that our host Jeff Reed is some kind of local celebrity at this place. He was in his element.
The strength of this video is the vibrant color we gained from shooting in daylight for the first time. The weakness is that it could use some tightening up in the editing. No matter how much time I have to work on these things, they always seem to get rushed out the door at the last minute.
One more thing... I was unable to use any of the 20 minutes of beer pong footage I shot. Apparently Bud Light doesn’t want to be associated with the game. I'm not sure why. Maybe they chose rock, paper, scissors as their drinking game and Coors got beer pong. All I know is I was forced to leave out some dynamic shots that would have added some action to the video. Maybe they'll make it into the director's cut.
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Leslie, 1916 - 2007
Grandpa O. was a Navy veteran; he was an excellent speller; he liked to sing in a barber shop quartet; he gave the benediction at our wedding reception. He was much more than that too. We are sorry to see him go but happy to have had him in our lives for as long as we did.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Come dance this silence down through the morning
We were able to stand quite close to the stage, and I would have had a great photo for you, but we are having some difficulties with our camera these days. The thing has been turning on and off with a mind of its own, quickly wearing down the batteries. We might be in the market for a new one soon. If anybody has any recommendations for a decent camera, let me know. I'm feeling lost without one.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Minnesota dreamin'
We were on the go again last weekend. We drove down to Virginia for a reunion with R's extended family and spent Saturday night in a hotel there. It was a good time.
It turns out I'm not feeling particularly wordy tonight. I might see about going downstairs and falling asleep on the couch.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Minnesota eating tour 2007
The cause of my stress was, of course, my job. I was expecting a busy week, but I never saw the extent of the overtime hours and flat out mental exertion coming. At 5:30 on Monday evening, my boss gave me a week's worth of work to do... and he needed it done that night. Well, getting it done that night was impossible, but I did finish by Wednesday evening after working on it for pretty much two days straight, taking breaks only for dinner, commuting, and a few hours of sleep. I was telling myself I would take it easy for the rest of the week, but Thursday and Friday were frantic, full days of work as well.
Needless to say I needed a vacation. It started out strong with a four-course dinner at the grand opening of a Wilmington restaurant called The Exchange. We met some friends from Out & About magazine there and had a great meal of gazpacho, salad, steak (salmon for R), and a French toast dessert. I had a beer with the first course and a glass of wine specially paired with each of the others. What a way to end a tough week. I recommend the place.
We got home late that night, packed for our trip, and slept for three hours before catching a flight out of Philly. We were in Duluth by early afternoon. My parents picked us up and took us to their place on the Range. That night we attended my 10-year high school reunion. I enjoyed seeing my old classmates again, some of whom I hadn't seen in the full 10 years. It was as interesting as expected, but I was more than happy to leave at the end of the night. We went back to my parents' and crashed into bed like a train off the tracks.
The next day we ate a turkey dinner with my grandparents and also stopped by my cousin's house to see his and his wife's new baby. That night and the next day we hung out with my parents and ate some more -- my parents' famous South Americans, dinner at the Wandering Pines, fresh walleye prepared by my talented mom, and various other snacks and desserts. The weather was poor, but we still managed to play some ladder ball, go for a pontoon boat ride, and soak in the hot tub. The relaxing had begun.
On Monday night we headed west for my father-in-law's house, where we woke up on all three mornings to massive breakfasts. There was also a wild rice meatloaf dinner comsumed at Itasca State Park's Douglas Lodge that was quite memorable. It was a good visit. I was able to relive my youth with my cool 11-year-old brother-in-law by taking the Super Mario World by storm. The two of us also took a spin on a carnival ride called The Orbiter on the night of the 4th that had me hanging on tighter than I like to admit. The rides were set up in Bemidji, the town we visited to see some fireworks. Our time with R's pop, bro, and sis also included a mosquito-y hike to a fire tower, an afternoon at the beach, and many fierce games of croquet.
The third leg of our trip was spent at R's mom and step dad's house. By this time in the week, the weather was perfect, and we made use of it on the lake, swimming and sailing. The eating continued as well -- think shrimp, grilled steaks, good beer, and tons of summery finger food. We made a trip down to Sartell to visit R's grandparents (and eat a pizza) and also spent an afternoon back on the lake with R's extended family. Good times and good people.
We spent our last night in Duluth catching up with my older brother and his wife. He was nice enough to wake up at 3:30 on Sunday morning to drive us to the airport. The return trip was pleasantly uneventful. It felt really good to get back here early enough on Sunday to do the laundry, buy groceries, and even take an afternoon nap before beginning another busy week.
Recurring themes of the vacation: food, relaxation, and family (like, but not quite like, the loons above). Thanks to all of our accomodating hosts!
Friday, July 06, 2007
Bud Light Film Crew #7
The lighting in the video looks better this time. However, there are still some problems with the overall flow... I also had to stretch my cover shots rather thin... and I was a bit rushed when I made the graphics... but I'm not going to write about those things because R wants me to remain positive on here. Let's just say the video is a fine addition to my catalogue. At least this time I can take credit for all of the mistakes since I was able to do the shooting and editing myself. I must say, I continue to get quite a kick out of working on these things.
I need to get back to my vacation. Check out the video here:
http://www.budlightfilmcrew.com/
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Shiver me timbers
Monday, June 18, 2007
Nerdy and numb
Helping fuel this nerd complex of mine, R and I went to a barbeque at one of her coworkers' home on Saturday night, and I realized that I'm really out of touch with drinking games (or, more likely, was never in touch with them in the first place). Apparently beer pong can be played without paddles. And how about this game called Thumper? What do the neighbors think of the rowdy group sitting out on the deck pounding on a table and yelling obscenities? I think it's pretty well accepted here on the east coast. It just sounds like a day at the office. The neighbors probably aren't home anyway -- they're probably all at the office.
You know what? They aren't kidding when they say soda can rot your teeth. A few years ago my dentist told me as long as I don't drastically change my diet I should never have a cavity in my life. I used to drink maybe one soda a month. Since beginning work with my new company, where the soda flows freely, I switched to about one can per week. Apparently that slight change in diet was enough to give me my first two cavities. Strangely enough, I started flossing regularly in the last six months as well as using the, supposedly, best electric toothbrush on the market (the Oral-B Triumph). Maybe it was too little too late, but those precautions were taken to work on my gums -- I wasn't even concerned about cavities. Anyway, good-bye, perfect teeth. I'm done with soda, by the way.
Two weeks ago we went to the Greek festival, last week it was the Italian festival, and this week we'll likely drop by the jazz festival. It's that time of year in Wilmington, I guess.
I hope this day finds you well. Farewell for now.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Taking the show on the road
On Saturday night we followed a team of professional surfers around to a series of bars where they greeted their fans and signed surf boards (although, to be honest, hardly anybody knew who the surfers were). During mid-day Sunday we revisited the Starboard for what they appropriately call "Suicide Sunday." I've never seen so many people intoxicated at 1:00 in the afternoon (but the 4th of July in my hometown has come close). It was difficult to get any intelligible interviews, but I still think the August video is going to look great. It was our first day-lit shoot so that should at least distinguish it from anything else we've done.
It was a good weekend. R and I got some beach time, went out for some excellent Japanese food, and had a free place to spend the night only a few blocks from the water. Now we're home -- work is off to a busy start, and I need to set aside some time to edit.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Top 5 in music
I could write an essay about each of these. I'm limiting myself to about one sentence for each just to keep this under control.
Favorite albums:
1) Achtung Baby by U2 - Simply put, a perfect album then and now; a complete reinvention for the band and for what music could mean to me.
2) Siamese Dream by The Smashing Pumpkins - The inspiration for almost everything creative I did during high school.
3) The Joshua Tree by U2 - Reminds me of driving up the north shore with my dad, driving home from the last day of school, driving down to Mobile to be with R, driving...
4) OK Computer by Radiohead - I started with an obsession over The Bends, but this is the one complex enough to keep me returning to it regularly after all these years.
5) Funeral by The Arcade Fire - A relative newcomer that brings the nostalgia with it.
Honorable mention: Disintegration by The Cure - This album is probably the most representative of my favorite style of music: downbeat, atmospheric, electronically tinged.
Favorite songs:
1) "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak - Too self-serious and dated? Or an atmospheric masterpiece? You know where I stand.
2) "One" by U2 - I love a lot of obscure U2 songs too, but just because this one is well known doesn't make it any less powerful.
3) "1979" by The Smashing Pumpkins - Ah, the freedom of youth -- my favorite topic.
4) "Falling" by Julee Cruise - Memories of Twin Peaks blend into my own.
5) "Gimme Shelter" by The Rolling Stones - This may surprise some people because I'm no more than a casual Stones fan, but this song just blows me away every time (I feel similar about Aerosmith's "Dream On").
Honorable mention: "Human Wheels" by John Mellencamp - Dark and poetic; an underrated gem.
Favorite concerts:
1) Mason Jennings, 2001 @ UST. This was practically a private concert for us and maybe 20 other people in the basement of a building at St. Thomas. The next year we were sardines.
2) Neko Case, 2006 @ Winnipeg Folk Festival. The perfect soundtrack to the storm that rose and then fell during the show, revealing a full moon.
3) U2, 1997 @ Metrodome. Eventually, I had this entire concert memorized, including the onstage banter and every electronic touch added to the songs.
4) The Smashing Pumpkins, 1998 @ The Hennipen Ave Block Party. The music was better when I saw them two years earlier in the Target Center, but making a day a trip out of this one with two good buddies in pursuit of adventure makes it a favorite of mine.
5) Damien Rice, 2004 @ Historic State Theatre, MN - This one is on the list for the music.
Honorable mention: Andy Stochanksy, 2002 @ UST. An opening act that, in my opinion, stole the show (from the headlining Matt Nathanson).
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Mini folk fest
Friday, June 01, 2007
Bud Light Film Crew #6 - editing only
I didn't shoot this one. I had other plans that night and was not at the shoot. I just attempted to edit the footage I was given, some of which was too dark, most of which was too bright, and about a third of which had no audio.
No offense to the guy who did shoot it. He accidentally had the exposure on the camera opened all the way up. I should have verified that the auto setting was turned on before lending him the camera.
We had originally tried to reschedule the shoot so I could be there. We got together the night before (a Tuesday) and shot 10 minutes of footage at a nearly empty bar in Trolley Square before realizing it wasn't going to work. Our idea was to profile a bartender on his last night of work, but everything we tried fell flat. The lesson learned: If we're going to shoot during the week, it needs to be done in the college town of Newark. That's the only place in Delaware with life after 9pm.
I'm not posting a link this month. If you do want to check it out despite my warning, you probably know how to find it on your own (hint: the link is the same every month).
Next month the film crew returns to the beach. We're going to shoot the July and August videos on back-to-back days over one weekend. Expect good things.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Afternoon in the museum
Oh yeah -- we had a star sighting at the museum. We saw this guy. You may have seen him in Roseanne or National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Okay, so maybe calling him a star is stretching it, but he was famous enough for me to recognize his face and voice while I loosely trailed him through the dinosaur exhibit.
From there we worked our way through Central Park and relaxed on some shaded lawn. The weather was just barely on the hot side of perfect. We watched a roller-skate dance party, ate some ice cream sandwiches, and paid our respects at Strawberry Fields for the third time.
Following that, four of us went out for an awesome dinner at a restaurant on Houston named Jane. I highly recommend this place, especially if you happen to know one of the servers. My steak was already reasonably priced, but with all the freebies (champagne, calamari, cheese gnocchi, dessert wine, banana brulée) from our friend who waits/tends there, we made out like bandits -- stuffed bandits. Holy cow that was some good food.
We finished the night by meeting up with the rest of the group again for some Sapporo at a Japanese restaurant in the East Village... and then we made the late night trip home. It was quite a day. Recounting it now reminds me of why R and I were so worn out on Monday.
At least we're getting to the point now where we've seen the major touristy things in NYC already, so now when we go we can just enjoy it and not have to worry about checking things off our list. I also slacked off on the picture taking this time, so I don't have anything worth sharing. Sorry about that. Maybe next time.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Lost in thought
The season 3 finale of Lost aired last night, and it did not disappoint. Anyone frustrated about the loose ends and new questions presented should have known not to expect a neat resolution. The series is 60% complete. Ending it now would be like trying to end The Lord of the Rings trilogy with The Two Towers. More time is needed to finish the story. Watching this show requires extreme patience; there's a lot of waiting involved. In the end, I believe the completed series will be landmark achievement, the archetype for all serial television to follow. I am enjoying following it every step of the way.
That said, I'm glad the TV season is over. I get a little more caught up in it than I like to admit. Now I'll have the chance to do other things, like watch TV on DVD. I'm only partially kidding. No, I think it would be good for us to get out more. I'm definitely a homebody -- the less stuff I'm required to do, the better. I can keep myself busy enough when there's nothing on my schedule. R, however, likes having lots to do. If we focused on my preferred lifestyle for a good chunk of the winter, then it seems fair to focus on R's for at least the summer. I do have fun when we go out and do things; I'm just not motivated to do the planning. I feel guilty for leaving it all up to R. I'll try to work on this.
For the record, my theory for the next season of Lost is that the castaways will in fact be rescued. They will go home in the next episode! But upon returning, everyone's life will turn sour (a la Jack's flash-forward) because the rescue wasn't meant to happen. Some "course correction" will end up bringing them back to the island--similar to how Charlie was meant to die and it inevitably happened despite the earlier attempts at changing his future. Season 4 will be all about how the group gets back to the island so they can fulfill their destiny, which will be explored in the remaining two seasons. That's my take at the moment. There's not much evidence to go on, so the best anybody can do is guess.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Currently
Reading: Lolita
Listening: Sky Blue Sky by Wilco
Feeling: Enthusiastic!
Realizing: Watermelon smoothies closely resemble watermelon juice
Dinking: Watermelon smoothie
Eating (well, yesterday): Epic turkey/carrot/zucchini burgers
Considering: Advice from a fortune cookie -- "You can't steal second base and keep one foot on first."
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Friday, May 11, 2007
TGIF
On Thursday evening I video taped an event for the Society of Women Engineers, courtesy of the obvious connection through my wife. I need to work on the editing this weekend, but there's not a whole lot of editing involved. It's basically an intro tacked on to the beginning of a 45 minute key note speech. I would have preferred to make a 2-3 minute, web-friendly news package complete with interviews and a voice over, but sometimes you have to record an entire speech I guess. This one will be going on DVD only, so don't sit on the edge of your seat waiting for a link.
It should be a low-key weekend. Tomorrow we're going out for dinner and to see The Lives of Others at Theater N. Also, I need to do some shopping for a certain birthday girl (May 16th - give her a call). Other than that we'll probably just get caught up on cleaning, laundry, and sleep to prepare for another week.
P.S. When is the last time you watched Sprockets? Now that's an ant farm of a different color.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Parents weekend
Mom and dad looking upon Lady Liberty from the ferry: R and I enjoying the pagentry of antique carriages:
My parents flew out here for the weekend to visit us and see some sights on the east coast. What a whirlwind weekend it was! We explored DC on Friday, New York City on Saturday, and the greater Wilmington area on Sunday, which included an afternoon at the annual Point-to-Point festival. It's a good thing my parents are still in good shape because we covered a lot of ground on foot. I'm beat... but I can't complain. Everything worked out so well -- the weather, the timing, the whole works. The best part, however, was just having the chance to see them again and to catch up in person.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Bud Light Film Crew #5
I'm upset about the opening shot. By the time I roll into the close up, Chris' face is way washed out. The camera light I have been using on these shoots restricts me from getting too close and too far from the talent. In this case I obviously got too close. And there was nothing I could do about it in post-production. The funny thing is, I've had a new light with a blue-tinted filter that would help diffuse it (and cool off the color temperature), but I haven't been able to use it yet. I bought it back in March, but it has been sitting in my closet since then because up until yesterday I didn't have an adapter needed between the light and battery pack. The backordered item finally came in, so next month I'm promising better, softer lighting.
Then there's the other thing... the guys from Bud Light noticed a Miller Lite poster in one shot on a wall behind the drummer. I've had to cover up logos for other beer brands before (hopefully you haven't noticed), but this one was particularly tricky because the logo is behind the drummer's moving arms/sticks. Unless he happened to be shot in front of a blue screen, there's no way I could insert something behind him. Cutting the shot wasn't an option either. It anchors the second half of the video because it's one of two shots where the band member you see is actually playing the music you hear. So what I ended up doing was place a few squiggly lines over the poster. They are over the arms/sticks too, but the lines are thin enough so that they are not very noticeable. It's the best I could do on short notice.
The video isn't as much of a stand out as last month's, but I like it. It's another one that came together fast. I went with my gut feel on the editing rather than stressing over every frame and second-guessing each cut. What it loses to roughness, it gains from the carefree, less-calculated vibe it has running through it. I think we really captured the essence of rock 'n' roll here. Maybe this is a step toward me making more impressionistic Bud Light videos. Wait, isn't that an oxymoron?
Monday, April 30, 2007
Anniversary #2
We had an excellent time. I enjoyed getting away from the usual distractions around the house and being able to focus on my lovely wife. It has been a wonderful first two years of marriage. We continue to grow closer and appreciate each other's company. I will limit the mushiness to that.