Anniversary #2

R and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary in St. Michaels, MD, a small town on Chesapeake Bay, over the weekend. We spent two nights in a bed & breakfast, biked a 20-mile loop, ate a romantic dinner in a gourmet restaurant, and went for a sail in a 121-year-old skipjack. On the boat, we dredged some oysters from the bottom of the bay, opened them up (shucked 'em, if you prefer), and ate them right there. They don't get any more fresh than that... not that they actually tasted good or anything.

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.

Sunlight

It was revitalizing to get outside over the weekend. On Saturday we spent the afternoon working on the yard and cleaning the cars. On Sunday we took the bikes for a spin through Rockford/Brandywine Park and stopped for lunch in Trolley Square. This was the first weekend of the year with beautiful weather; I'm glad we were able to take advantage of it. The only bad thing about a weekend like this is we didn't get much done inside the house, such as the usual chores and the editing of the latest BLFC segment. I'm going to be feeling some pressure during the evenings this week to get the video done, especially since R and I are going out of town next weekend. I've been cutting down the time it takes me to edit these things, but I'm still not exactly quick.

On Saturday night we went out to dinner at Mikimotos and then attended a play, courtesy of our friend Chris who had extra tickets. It was opening night of Shakespeare's Henry V put on by the Delaware Theater Company. The minimalist set and the actors playing multiple parts -- sometimes going to battle with themselves -- reminded me of a group of kids playing at a tree fort and required a stretch of my imagination. The moments of inventiveness, however, like a shadow duel behind a canvas screen followed by the characters stepping out in front of the screen and splashing cups of fake blood on it, saved it for me. As glorious as our HDTV is, a night of entertainment and culture away from it was welcomed. Plus, they don't serve champagne and dessert at our house after we watch a DVD.

A Series of Wrong Numbers

I put out a call for entries back in the fall of 2005. After receiving all of the entries I would get by January 2006, I let the editing sit for a year, half holding out for additional submissions, half too busy with other projects to get to it. Now, at long last, I finally present the completed "A Series of Wrong Numbers". If you remember the concept, then you know this is more of an experiment than an actual movie. In some ways, it's an experiment that failed because when it comes down to it, it's not that interesting to watch. The slow pace might test your patience. But please watch it to the end. You'll see something new from me there: my first foray into music. I created the score for the final scene and also for the closing credits. The score is an experiment in itself -- sort of a test before I attempt something similar on more serious projects. I'm not much of a musician, but I like the idea of not being dependent on anyone else to create my soundscapes. I want the ability to tailor sounds for exactly what I need. That way I can create videos in the future that are from my head in the purest form possible.

Thanks very much to those of you who contributed a segment to the project. You did an outstanding job. The flaws in the final product are not yours; rather, they are problems in the overall concept. I was impressed with your imagination and appreciate your support of another one of my crazy ideas.

Big days

Last week was full of days like season finales, like final exams -- big days where you need to rush out of bed, rush from one place to another all day long, and then rush back into bed so you can get a decent night's sleep so you rush out again the next morning. This is what spring has always been like for me and probably for most people too. If you ask me what's makes spring so busy, I couldn't even tell you. Since I've been done with school the reasons seems to differ every year. Maybe it's all in my head. No, I take that back -- work was hectic last week any way you spin it, and it involved plenty of overtime. We also had big events going on after work, which adds to the stress because it requires leaving work on time. And if there's one thing harder than leaving work on time, it's leaving work on time two days in a row, as was the case last week.

Thursday was the Jack of Clubs premiere. The movie played well. Obviously you could tell you weren't watching a Hollywood-level production, but anybody who has seen the online trailer knew not to expect that. It wasn't a movie to watch for nuanced performances or a sharp script, but people seemed to like seeing Delaware on the big screen and supporting a filmmaker who is working his way up, movie by movie. I personally enjoyed seeing how every shot turned out and remembering the trivia and effort from behind the scenes. I also enjoyed visiting with some friends from the shoot who I ran into at the gatherings before and after Thursday's screening. It was a good evening.

Friday was the Barefoot Ball. This was a big party we attended on the riverfront that was sponsored by the Delaware Theater Company. Included in the ticket price was all you could eat and drink from various local restaurants and micro breweries. They also had a live band, so R and I had to show off some of our moves on the dance floor : ) It was another fun night and a good way to kick off an otherwise lackluster, yet very welcomed, weekend of getting caught up with work and relaxing.

That's all for now. Come on back to Jeblog later this week for an extra special surprise!

Tres leches

Happy belated Easter. We spent the holiday with some relatives of R's in a suburb of Baltimore. We hid some eggs for the kids' hunt, broke our alcohol fast with some excellent wine, and ate an ultra-tasty dinner. For our contribution to the meal, we brought a cake from a Mexican bakery. We had a heck of a time ordering the thing because nobody there knew English, and my Spanish is broken at best. (Who am I kidding, I knew a few words, and that's it.) Eventually we managed to purchase a tres leches (three milks) cake, which we highly recommend by the way. We had it for the first time at the dinner party we threw a few weeks ago. Some friends brought it with them, and we were blown away. It was definitely worth the communication challenge to track another one of those puppies down.

Another thing we did over the weekend was paint our spare bedroom. It was a close call though. We had just barely enough paint to finish the job. Seriously -- we used the absolute last drop of paint to cover the last white spot on the wall. We had to stretch it a little thin, so if you ever stay with us, don't look too close.

There are three new CityLife News Team videos that are going to be posted in quick succession (as of this writing only one of them is available, but the others should follow soon). I just wanted to point out that I did not shoot or edit these videos. I was offered the chance, but I had to pass it up because the shoots took place during the work day. A talented guy named Chris, who helped produce the other CityLife and Bud Light videos, took the videography reins on these, and I think he did a great job. Chris also built the web sites where these videos are played. He recently upgraded the video player that is being used on the site, which fixed an audio issue we were having (you may have noticed the annoying skipping that was occurring). Anyway, the videos look and sound better now. Check 'em out again when you're in the mood for a BLFC retrospective... or don't.

Lastly, see Thom Yorke go to town.

Bud Light Film Crew #4

My latest video is now posted at www.BudLightFilmCrew.com. I'm happy with the way this one turned out. It actually came together very quickly and easily. I did most of the editing one night when I couldn't sleep. I got out of bed around 11:30 and by about 3am the video had taken shape. I spent a few additional hours on it when I was more awake, but it still took the least amount of work out of any of the videos yet. I even had chance to create the new opening sequence, using Adobe After Effects for the first time. That program is going to open up a lot of possibilities for me. One last bit of trivia – do you recognize the song that plays in the video? It was featured in The Departed. At least my video has something in common with an Oscar-winning film.

DC

Today is my 28th birthday. Time goes fast, I don't feel that old, etc. You've heard it all before. I won't get all philosophical on you. My cherry blossom girl and I spent Saturday in Washington, DC, doing the tourist thing. It was good to see the array of iconic monuments and memorials, as well as the awesome blossoms (yes, thank you, I am a dork) currently in bloom. We had a unique dinner (steamed muscles, quail, crab stuffed peppers, shrimp, and white asparagus) at a Spanish tapas restaurant. Afterwards the hiccups won another battle over me. I thought the lack of drinking would keep my system in line, but that theory proved false. Luckily, I have a sweet, patient wife who got me back home safe. She also had to take care of me on Sunday when my left eye was bugging me. Apparently I somehow scratched it the night before because I woke up on Sunday with foggy vision, a painful sand-in-the-eye feeling, and a bottomless tear duct. Miraculously it started to clear itself up by the end of yesterday (I think it was the blueberry/banana smoothie that cured me), and today it's back to normal again. I felt very baby-like and helpless over the weekend, yet also too old and less invincible than usual. I should be in my prime at 28, so what's up with that? Am I going to be one of those people who dread their birthday every year, especially the ones for ages that end in zero? Check with me again exactly two years from now, and I should be able to better answer that.