Bittersweet

This morning's goodbye was bittersweet. It shouldn't have been this emotional.

 What should have been a kiss goodbye turned into a road trip. 

All of the memories: bringing home both girls from the hospital as babies, the discovery of Jamie's cancer, the loss of the tip of one of my fingers. Arguments and laughter.

You were good to us, Shamrock Street. We built memories and turned that house into a home. Building a life, growing a family within your walls.

Skull Tshirt - Day 1

This tshirt was a birthday, maybe a Christmas present from my wife and daughters.

I have a fondness for skulls and bones. I have as far back as I can remember (which isn't exceptionally far). It probably started back in the late 80's when I served in the USCG. During Quartermaster training in Yorktown, VA in 1990 I got my first tattoo, a traditional skull and crossbones. This was my first skull (and my only tattooed skull). Now my desk is littered with them.

I dig this painterly skull and that my family was inspired to get it for me.

I have a lot of t-shirts

This has been a source of strife at home. Oh, the girls don't mind, but the boss lady... she's gone off on a rant a time or three about how much closest space my t-shirts take up and how many hangers I use and how all of them should be folded and blah, blah, blah. She doesn't wear them. It shouldn't be that big of a deal.

Many of my t-shirts are memories in cloth. I have a bunch of boring t-shirts that are monochrome or ringers but the rest of them carry memories: memories of events, memories of times gone by, memories of friends.

Based on a feud with my special lady friend, ror the last year-ish I have been doing my own t-shirt laundering. I guess you could say it was the last straw (although the final hanger might be more apropos). I've been busy with rehearsals and the show run of The Secret Garden (2 weekends left; come see this fantastic little show) so my laundry didn't get done in what I would consider a timely manner. As a matter of fact, I wore all but a work-out t-shirt. I was down to one t-shirt on a lone hanger in my closet.

Tonight I did laundry. A fresh start if you will.

Tomorrow I'll start blogging my t-shirts. You'll see them. Here. And learn a little about the sentimental me (although you shouldn't expect a lot of sentimentality out of those ringers and monochromes).

Image courtesy of: SnapKnot - Local Wedding Photographers

Film

My 12 x 12 in 2012 project (12 films in 12 months in 2012) is coming along nicely. I have made a whole bunch of films (not 12 yet) and I am well on my way to meeting my goal.

My most recent film is Resurrection Bay, an "end of love" story shot for the 2012 Balto 48 Hour Film Challenge. Resurrection Bay won both the Audience Choice Award and the Judges Choice Award.

Here is the statue (I call her Linda).

 

And here is the film.

We made Resurrection Bay in 28 hours. It was relaxed and focused and fun. We had 20 hours to kill so we made another film, Love & Hate.

Here it is.

I said I have made a lot of films but I have only made 4 towards my goal of 12 x 12 in 2012 (several were for pay and I don't count those because they are essentially somebody else's film).

In May I shot GABR1L for 24 Hour Film Racing's 2012 challenge. GABR1L was one of 28 movies that screened in Vancouver, BC at the end of June.

Jamie and I flew to Vancouver for the screening and had a wonderful 40 hours wandering around Canadia like it was our own private theme park. The film screening was the highlight. GABR1L didn't win but we did have a grand time.

Here are some of the other films that screened that night: 2012 24 Film Race - Vancouver Films

In March I shot a film penned by Peter Porco for the UAA Spring Break 48 Hour Film Challenge. Hot Lead, Cold Type won the Judges Prize in that contest.

7 months have passed and I have managed 4 films. I have Zombies Don't Laugh, a serial cliffhanger zombie epic, in pre-production and several shorts in the works. Stay tuned for more frozen pictures from Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain Films.

I slept...

I slept and dreampt so hard, so hard I don't remember any of the dreams but I remember that I dreamed. I awoke and went to the bathroom. I had drempt off my face. My mouth was a tiny formless slit. My nose a couple tiny holes. My eyes were tiny and colorless. My head was misshapen like a bruised lemon or an eyed potato. I couldn't remember what I looked like. My nose? I know I had one; what did it look like. My eyes? My drivers license said.. My license. I pulled it out of my wallet but my picture was gone. Slept off. Drempt off. I don't know which. The license said my eyes were blue. I looked, looked deep into my face in the mirror and could see, looking deeply into my eyes that maybe there were kinda sorta blue. I don't know. Did I sleep off my face? Was it drempt away? What is a face anyway?

Filling in the Latest Gap

Another few weeks, ok, a month skipped with no blog post. Yeah.

So what have I been doing... lets see:

Movie stuff:
I have been learning Apple's Motion program (for animation).
I put together the final cut of "Young <3 Zombies" and I added animated title sequences.
I shot exit interviews with the four designers I followed for my Object Runway documentary.

Educational stuff:
I have taught a bunch more classes at UAA.
I have spent a few more mornings at Vieve's school teaching (and learning) storytelling.

Social stuff:
Jamie and I went to see Perseverance Theatre's presentation of Blue Bear.
Jamie and I went to see Teo Castellanos and D-Project at Out North.
I was Pit Boss for casino games at a private party.

Creative stuff:

I helped paint sets for TBA Theatre's production of Three Little Pigs.
I have worked on technical and equipment issues for KONR.
Jamie and I helped our friend Loren with his snow sculpture.
I drew a skull.

Other stuff:

I punched myself in the face with a metal pipe.

I have probably done a bunch of other stuff too that I've forgotten about. I've hung out with some cool people. We've gotten back into the hot tub (now that it has warmed up).

There's a bunch of stuff on the horizon. I just need to take the time to write it all down as it happens. I'll get there... maybe.