Filming today

We will be shooting two of the six scenes from my new short film this afternoon. These are the two I'm the most nervous about, but this is also the most effort I've ever put into pre-production, so I am hoping for the best!

2018 recap

2018 might have been the best year of my life. I know that sounds like a hyperbole, but look at it:

Everyone was healthy. I try not to take that for granted.

The kids are at fun, easier ages.

I didn't have a traditional job to report to. The work I did, as a parent and as a photographer, I was passionate about. A sample of my professional work can be seen here.

R received a promotion at Boston Scientific. She's doing some important, exciting work there with medical devices. I'm proud of her.

I had enough free time to watch movies, read books, and exercise.

R and I got out on some dates, including fancy dinners, cool concerts, and even a weekend in Duluth.

We were able to travel as a family to California, Colorado, and northern Minnesota.

I maintained some creative outlets in addition to my paid gigs. We made a few more Cottage Cheese videos. We started the Old Red Car channel. I returned to film photography as a hobby. And, as usual, I took a bunch of personal photos for the Four Peas blog.

My little brother got married. The kids and I were able to participate in the wedding. My best-man speech went smoothly :-).

I can't list everything that happened over the year. For some reason the little moments--like when the four of us were stuck at home during the April snow storm... or Omri falling asleep on me daily during the bus ride home from Girl Scout camp... or seeing Veronica perform in a play... or discovering photographic gold during a solo walk through Sparta--are what stand out the most.

It's easy to look back fondly with a faded memory, but there really was something to 2018. We found a good balance. Unfortunately it probably won't last forever, but maybe we need less fortunate times once in a while to accentuate the good ones. I look forward to seeing what a new year holds!

Movies viewed in 2018

I had another wonderfully entertaining year of movie watching in 2018. My absolute favorite first-time watches were A Brighter Summer Day, The Double Life of Veronique, and Andrei Rublev. My least favorite was Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. I posted brief, initial reactions to most of these movies on my Twitter account, if you'd like to look back and read more.

—January
The Rules of the Game (1939)
The Witch (2015)
Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)
Ikiru (1952)
Silence (2016)
Vertigo (1958) - rewatch

—Feb
The Red Shoes (1948)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1982) - rewatch
A Ghost Story (2017)
The Innocents (1961)
Tampopo (1985)

—March
Get Out (2017)
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
Coco (2017)
The Silence (1963)
Woman in the Dunes (1964)

—April
Certified Copy (2010)
The Florida Project (2017)
Mother! (2017)
Andrei Rublev (1966)
Dunkirk (2017)

—May
Yi Yi (2000)
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)
It (2017)
Dead Man (1995)
Stranger Things season 2 (2017)

—June
In a Lonely Place (1950)
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Under the Skin (2013)

—July
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
The Double Life of Veronique (1991) - 3 times
Phantom Thread (2017)
The Shape of Water (2017)
Mishima: a Life in Four Chapters (1985)

—August
Good Time (2017)

—September
A Brighter Summer Day (1991) - twice
Persona (1966) - rewatch
Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)

—October
Nights of Cabiria (1957)
Throne of Blood (1957)
A Matter of Life and Death (1946)
The Thing (1982)

—November
Hausu (1977)
The Sandlot (1993) - rewatch
Late Spring (1949)
Eyes Wide Shut (1999) - rewatch
Andrei Rublev (1966) - rewatch
Lady Bird (2017)
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987) - rewatch
Ratatouille (2007)
Badlands (1973)

—December
Close-up (1990)
A Quiet Place (2018)
Roma (2018)
First Reformed (2018)
Monsters Inc (2001)