i'm blaaaahging

Our parked car was hit by a truck from one of the industrial joints on our block.

Honestly I'm sorta run down and in no mood for anything, but a good friend is in town and I've not seen her in a long time, so I'm excited to see her tomorrow.

From my office I just saw an aquaintance that also works here walking down the street... new haircut... sort of a mullet-mohawk thing going on.

I have a vague idea for an instalation... anybody wanna host it? I need a large fairly empty room....... oh and time to actually make it. anybody have time? I must, i'm blogging. crap... I just realized I owe a friend an email... Sorry Nat! I'll write it tomorrow... after I teach class, have lunch with another out-of-town friend, consult on an animation project, and clean the house for the first out-of-town friend that's staying the night. Oooohhh look at me, I'm so busy and cool.

OH, I threw some Smashing Pumpkins onto my ipod... sweeeeet.

I'm working on two huge projects at work... well... I'm avoiding two huge projects at work...

Culture Jamming

Read this article. http://www.goodmagazine.com/section/Guide/A_Brief_History_of_Culture_Jamming
I think you'll enjoy it. I did.
Is there anything you would add to it?

related:
http://www.woostercollective.com/

sprawled out

Is it suburban scrawling or suburban sprawling? I read scrawling somewhere today but thought it was sprawling.

Will the wife ever blog again?

Will I decide on a research topic for my research class?

Do any of you have answers for these questions? Why is there a w in the word answer?

Brent Green

I've been trying to take the time to write this since Sunday night. Of course time is rare for me, but when I found a moment, I was too concerned that I wouldn't be able to write something honest and smart. Mr. McMüller introduced me to the world of Brent Green, and it could be the best thing he's done for me. Brent is a self-taught animator... outsider, DIY, independent, experimental... he's all those words people put emphasis on, and he deserves the recognition those words automatically grant. He's based in Pennsylvania, and my guess is that it's a part of the Appalachains. His animations (the newest being Paulina Hollers, his most talked about {online} being Hadacol Christmas, and my favorite being Carlin) have an organic feel because of the tools and mediums he works with. In Carlin, he appears to use life-sized figures for his stop-motion animation. The house of his childhood (I want to believe that it really is the home he grew up in) becomes a character, and he even seems to animate the light and shadows. Or maybe he just doesn't know how to light a scene. I have a soft spot for personal narrative films, and while perhaps the aunt he speaks of in Carlin didn't really exist, he talks with the passion and emotion as if he is recalling someone he really knew. He achieves the same feeling in Hadacol Christmas, which he made while reflecting on the death of his grandfather. It's been said by many people that his narration is similiar to a preacher, and I wouldn't be surprised if he based his excited monologues on the Southern Baptist preachers I grew up with. I was always afraid of the "suck-n-blow" preachers when I was young, but his speaking-without-breathing style brings so much to the films.
His solo show at the Bellwether gallary is gone, and there's nothing currently scheduled I can send you to. The only films I can find online are his older pieces that do not have the same energy and urgency of his newest work, though they are still worth taking a look at.

Months ago, after the wife and I left a Sufjan concert, I talked to her about how I wish I could make short films with that much emotion, but also something that had the staying power that music has. I can listen to a CD over and over and over. I want to know how to make something that people will want to watch on repeat the first week they own it. Something people throw on their iPod and watch often. I think Brent Green is headed in that direction.

http://nervousfilms.com/
http://www.bellwethergallery.com/artistsindex_01.cfm?fid=142
http://www.directorsnotes.com/2006/12/02/dn-ep-012-hadacol-christmas-brent-green/

Celebrate Good Times.... come on!

The Wife has a birthday today. woot woot

Also, in 3 days, the wife and man blog will celebrate a 1 year anniversary.

girls and guns

I had this weird dream where a little girl (in the dream she jumped between ages 3 and 8 and was sometimes related to me and not) killed 2 people by shooting them in the chest. I spent a long time deciding if I should turn her in or not (she did it completely on purpose) or take the blame myself. I thought I could rehabilitate her. I finally decided to tell her father and he turned her in to the police. It turned out to be for the best.

I rarely remember my dreams...

scar face

Sometimes when I get real upset or anxious or some other emotion, the scar between my eyes on my brow turns red and is very visible.
My dad had a scar in the same spot that did similar things.
Mine's from a bike wreck.
His earned him a Purple Heart.

'Attle do Donkey

Golden Globe and SAG Award winning, and Oscar Nominated, Eddie Murphy!!!

the criminal system

Mr. Lawyer Dude (see photo) finally emailed me back... he pseudo appologized. I wrote him back with critiques of the way his firm does business and suggestions to correct it. He wrote back and said "thank you".

If I ever do go to court, I want it to be like this, complete with a Steve Guttenberg cutout singing and Ally Sheedy receiving deserved respect.

My blogger name was never truer

A law firm in Nashville sued me on behalf of their client. After speaking to a lady from their office on the phone, she decided I wasn't the J----s -. C-----N they were looking for since I didn't buy a Chevy and then move to Texas without paying for it. The letter had been sent to my mom so I called the office without actually seeing the letter. I asked the lawyer office lady to fax it to me and she didn't understand why I would want to see it if it wasn't me. I continued to demand that she fax it to me. I was like "You're in an office right?" "well, ye-" "and there's a fax machine there right?" "yes but I-" "Then you can fax it to me." I gave her my fax number but she never faxed it. I called back the next day. She said her surpervisor told her not to fax it since it was a mistake. (my mom was able to have someone fax it to me though) I told her I wanted a letter stating that the law office had made a mistake and chose the wrong J----s -. C-----n out of the hundreds/thousands of us that exist. She couldn't understand why I would want a letter stating they made a mistake, and swore it wouldn't show up on my credit report. She also said that they noted on the file that the letter had been sent to the wrong person. I told her I needed a letter anyway stating the mistake had been made. "Well why would you need a letter if I'm telling you that we know it's not you?" "Ma'am, I just recieved a letter stating that I was being sued for $15,464.10. That's a lot of money right?" "Ye-" "Wouldn't you be upset to recieve a letter saying you were sued for that much money?" "Well, yes bu-" "Wouldn't you want a letter to prove that a mistake had been made?" "I just don't understand wh-" "Ma'am, all I'm asking for is a letter. That's not a lot." "Well, I'll talk to the lady in charge and see what I can do."

These are only snippets of the conversations in which I raised my voice and she said stupid things. I also emailed the lawyer that was on the letter and is a partner in the firm. I told him about the conversations with the lady and asked that I recieve a letter stating the mistake and that my mother recieve a letter of apology because of how upset she became when she thought I was being sued. I've not heard back from him. I'm tempted to call and speak with the lady again, but the wife told me to let her make the next phone call because she wouldn't yell at the woman. I'm not sure if that's true. It's funny because I used to be the kind of guy that wouldn't have raised my voice or have felt the need for this letter. I used to trust people and excuse mistakes, but this really pissed me off and I'm not ready to let it go. Not until I get my letter.

Somers Day Makes Me Feel Fine...

Highlights of the Suzanne Somers clip:

-At 23, 39 and 47seconds the other host, Colleen, emits an extremely high pitched squeal laugh
-At 31 seconds Suzanne hits the spoon in the coffee cup and recovers
-From 25-29 seconds Colleen bounces
-At 48 seconds Colleen chortles

edumucation

I'm very grateful for my scholarship and tuition assistance. This semester I have to pay $3 for school. Plus books and the such.
Just this morning I got my grade for my theory class... my teacher called me because I had emailed him saying I needed the grade for my employer. I got an A-... congratulate me. I was really nervous about that class. He liked my final paper, in which I said the Christian Right was killing christianity as a spirituality, and unless the Christian Left brought the focus back to the original intent of christianity, they'd finish it off.
I said that in 3200 words.
This semester I'm taking a research class and a digital design class (photoshop, illustrator and so on). Those are Wed. and Thurs. nights. Then I'm teaching a drawing class Saturdays 10am-1pm. The wife has a hectic schedule this semester too.

We can handle it.

And it actually snowed today! Hooray!

Hear All the Bombs Fade Away

I thought it was 'Here All the Bums Fade Away'... misunderstanding lyrics can be funny.

Happy New Year all.

I'm still waiting for one of my grades from last semester... the final paper was worth 80% of my grade, so I'm a bit nervous, and I have to get a least a B in the class to continue school.

Holiday Vacation was fun. We won $25 on scratchers with an initial investment of $5 that was gift money. It paid for dinner.
We went in the ocean and swam in the pools and lots of Floridian things. good times.

sleepy for meepy

I had Diet Coke too late tonight so I am still awaaaaaaaaaaaaake!

Home Sweet Home

Back from vacation, it's always good to be home. The pbf is setting up our new printer. Woot! The dog is in her super sheddy time of year so every day is blonde dog hair day!

I see the light

My final paper is almost done. It's due on Friday, and I feel confident I'll have it done by Wednesday. My last class is this evening... he owes us a makeup class so tonight is scheduled to be 4 hours (6pm-10pm). Soon, I'll be a free(er) man. We're flying out early Friday morning, so there's debate if we will do anything besides packing on Thursday night. I would like to run around the city on Thursday because I don't have to do anything. I'm thinking I want to go to the MOMA or the Whitney, and to see the tree and windows... stuff like that. Fight the tourists! I find an odd joy being in crowded tourist spots.

Now's the time to hangout with me! Well, I'm busy tonight and tomorrow night and probably packing wed. night, but if you want to run around touristy spots with me on Thursday, just say the word... this is a lame public invite to all. When we get back from Florida next Friday the 29th, I'll be free of work until the 2nd, and free of classes until late January, so it will be a great time to invite me over for dinner and games! (I do have some commisioned paintings to do sometime before classes get started back though.)

So Time announced their person of the year: "You". or Us or whatever. While I'm not sure why Time still holds any say in who the person of the year should be, I do believe they got it right. I'm very interested in seeing how user submitted media changes our cultures consumption. Due to the overwhelming amount of media to consume, will we be more careful in what we choose (ultimately requiring "hollywood" to create better work) or will we be lazier in our choices, consuming anything put in front of us. Viral videos are entertaining and viral for a reason, but even I've watched crappy angst ridden films created by highschoolers on youtube merely because they are there to be watched.

And that's my media rant for the day. I don't mean to sound like "I'm getting my masters and I want you to think that I'm smart," I just really find that intersting and think a lot of you do too.
Okay, spell check's not working, so getoverit.

***edit***
My boss says that it is very decadent for Time to choose "You" as the person of the year, which in his mind is choosing entertainment over politics. I believe "you" is inclusive, being open to entertainment, politics, and other realms.

parties parties everywhere

Tonight is the school-wide holiday party. I was going to skip it, but everybody I work with (via the phone) from other dept.'s kept asking if I would be there and my boss said it would be best if I were... looks bad if you skip. Free b-b-q and booze I guess... It's at Blue Smoke so that's cool.

Seems like every evening thing for work is on a Thurs. night.

I HAVE to start writing my 3500 word term paper tomorrow. it's 80% of my grade, barf.

I'm looking forward to my 1.5 weeks off from work! and my grad classes don't start back until the 3rd week of January, so that's good too. I've gotten a couple of commissions for paintings that I need to work on after christmas. (thanks for hanging my work in the coffee shop Heidi!)

Dreamgirls

Watch this.

Happy Christ

Christmas present shopping=1/2 soul oppression+1/2 joyful giving

Mac and caviar

Tonight I went to a reception at the NY Public Library and ate macaroni and cheese with caviar on top... then I read about the death of God in a postmodernity article on my way home. (at times I roll eyes at myself)

I'm doing too much I think... so do I quite my masters completely or do I just cut back to one class? I WILL get my MFA in the (near?) future.

I told my boss today that I dread coming to work. We discussed things to ease that.