˙

'MOOZ-lum'

2009-12-06T12:22:00.001-05:00

i just finished Production Design on this film.
it's going to be swell.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=mooz-lum

Richard Barnes meets a Prehistoric Whale

2009-09-30T09:38:00.003-04:00

(i made this during September.)

On August 31, 2009, at the University of Michigan, in preparation for his gallery installation 'Past Perfect/Future Tense', artist Richard Barnes and a prehistoric whale skeleton led a parade of onlookers across campus from the Exhibit Museum to the Institute for the Humanities.

See the installation, Sept 17 through Oct 30, in the gallery at the U-M Institute for the Humanities, 202 S Thayer at Washington, Ann Arbor, MI

exhibition curated by Amanda Krugliak

music
ccmixter.org/files/Pitx/13813
ccmixter.org/files/stickymcbiscuit/670
ccmixter.org/files/accousticRyan/5248

A Pivotal Speech in the Idea War

2009-08-12T12:30:00.003-04:00

Brett Gaylor's documentary 'RiP! A Remix Manifesto' is a profound declaration in our Conceptual Era's "Idea War."

http://www.hulu.com/watch/88782/rip-a-remix-manifesto

MOOZ-lum

2009-07-05T20:05:00.004-04:00

I'm working on this film now.
(I forget that I have this "blog" often.)

Here're's some links about the film:
http://iamnotamoozlum.com/Home_Page.html
http://www.facebook.com/pages/MOOZ-lum-The-Movie/80227858126
http://twitter.com/Moozlumthemovie
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1450328/

Thoughts of this production design occupies me even in my sleep,
moreso than the inevitable extinction of my individual financial stability.

I eat big words for breakfast...
and regurgitate them here... for you to swallow again... ...

Whoa. I'm getting serious or something.Re: Arts Funding

2009-03-27T17:01:00.007-04:00

From: joeyostrander@gmail.com
Subject: Re: Economic Recovery Package Must Include Arts
Date: March 27, 2009 4:59:08 PM GMT-04:00
To: senator@stabenow.senate.gov

Really!?!

Thanks, for the cookie cutter response. It makes me feel like you really care. No response at all could have made me feel less neglected.

I fail to see how any of your attached email relates to continued annual loss of support for Art.

American Culture and Art are dying, Senator Stabenow, particularly in Michigan. The only self-sustaining visual art form in our country any longer is filmmaking. We cannot rely solely on a consumer public, nor especially on a capitalist economy to revive us. Sustenance for Art has always needed support from government.

Today is little different from days when men painted Roman chapels, or carved the physiques of great leaders from stone, from days when photographers documented for and future playwrights were employed by Roosevelt's WPA. Grecian sculptors, Michaelangelo, Dorothea Lange, Arthur Miller, each were supported and funded by their governments. Without such state-sponsored efforts, these historic artists could not have achieved such historic works.

American government has begun to decreasingly offer financial aid toward our Art education, production, and appreciation. The NEA has grown progressively weaker, more overlooked, and grossly underfunded relative to the evolution of the rest of our economy. A continued neglect of Art in America's future will foster the bankruptcy of our culture, and likewise the morale of our society.

This is not an argument. This is a warning, of inevitability.

Joey Ostrander
Photographer & Filmmaker
SE Michigan

On Mar 27, 2009, at 1:27 PM, Senator Debbie Stabenow wrote:

Joseph Ostrander
413 Ballard St, Apartment 1
Ypsilanti, MI 48197

Thank you ...

... for contacting me to express your concerns about the economic recovery plan recently passed by Congress. I supported this legislation because ... (click for full letter) ...

... ... [ blah , blah , senate intern , or computer drone , sent this ] ... ...

... Thank you again for contacting me. As always, please continue to keep me informed about issues of concern to you and your family.

Sincerely,
Debbie Stabenow
United States Senator

Look What We Have Created

2009-03-07T19:21:00.006-05:00

i made this short for PlayGallery.org and U-M's Arts on Earth.
this is Malcolm Tulip's clown class from the University of Michigan.
they don't know what they are doing.
but we are making fun.

funding for the arts is under-estimated

2009-02-07T12:03:00.004-05:00

The senate adopted an amendment to the current stimulus bill that effectively restricts any stimulus money for the arts, most specifically $50 million for the NEA.

"This amendment would mandate that no stimulus funding be used for 'any casino or other gambling establishment, aquarium, zoo, golf course, swimming pool, stadium, community park, museum, theater, art center, and highway beautification project'”
(senatus.wordpress.com)

but Toby Ziegler and I, feel differently about availability of funding for the arts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vA1hCogpHnk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zy1DClkECF4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZHr1o0Mnn0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gE-XqsGpP0

Li'l Brudda

2009-01-18T21:19:00.003-05:00

My little brother - entrepreneur he is - is starting his own corporate design company.
Or perhaps, it is two? One new (Chair Image Consulting), inside another existing (Core Design Group.) [Not sure. . Anyway.]

He is quite creative.
and here I am, supporting.

Did I mention I made (shot/edited) this?

2009-01-12T22:28:00.002-05:00

A video of interviews and images reflecting on the difference that the students of Michigan both experience at the University and make in the world.

These people are each very happy with their trajectories, and appreciative of their education.
I like all of them.
And they are nice.

"PUSHING DAISIES"

2008-12-22T00:42:00.003-05:00

that is, Pushing Daisies, the television series.
mm. yes, good.

http://abc.go.com/primetime/pushingdaisies/
http://www.youtube.com/user/47alias47?ob=4

ps.
oh yeah, did i mention: PUSHING DAISIES!

Is there a song about you?

2008-12-11T12:48:00.007-05:00

Songs of a Person's Name
http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node/3060867

This collection seems pretty extensive.
Apparently there are at least three songs titled "Joey"

Santa Monica Pier Blue Linescape

2008-12-10T21:43:00.003-05:00

... mmm...

Down Comforter.

2008-11-26T11:28:00.003-05:00

Ooops.
I forgot there's a blog under here.

It's almost Thanksgiving.!

I can never figure out how much of which half of the mushroom to eat.

*sigh*

Fever!

Michigan Film Tax Incentive Endangered

2008-10-03T00:40:00.003-04:00

Over the past couple days I've drafted a statement opposing a Michigan Senate Bill 1535 that would put a constricting cap on Michigan's current film tax incentive.

The cap would limit the state's support of the film/arts industry, turn away production companies from outside Michigan, and eliminate jobs.

I've attached the statement here
-- http://JoeyOstrander.googlepages.com/StAgFilmIncentCap.pdf --

Please feel free (i.e. compelled) to read, and call your Senator to tell them to vote against SB 1535.

"Will Experiment End World?" report from NBC

2008-09-13T19:39:00.002-04:00

... but we are still here... for now.

i feel good about helping

2008-09-11T01:41:00.003-04:00

tonight an old woman almost passed out on my front steps trying to carry a box of penny banks half way across downtown Ypsi to a coffee shop.

i helped her carry that change - it was heavy - and we had a nice little discussion about our optimism on our country turning around after the upcoming election. (Go Blue)

i dropped her and her change off at the coffee shop where the late night waitress graciously began to count here pennies for her, and serve her a fresh tasty cup o' ... joe.

hurray, Robin Hood.
*cheerful sigh*

Art Truck; Truck Art :: phase one ¡!

2008-08-22T23:16:00.004-04:00

with plenty more to come...

'Paint My Truck' Day

2008-08-12T01:23:00.003-04:00

Yeehau! ***Completely Uncensored***

Today, August 12th, is 'Paint My Truck' Day.

Once upon a time long ago there was a 'Paint My Buick' Week, but the Buick has since been dead and buried, mourned and... and Now there is a 'Paint My Truck' Day.

Come to participate with so many others on a crazy adventure for all ages. Contribute to this passionate and driven art.

From 12 Noon til Dusk and beyond, my gorgeous matte black canvas of a truck will be at the Black Elk Co-op at 902 Baldwin, Ann Arbor, MI.

Join. Paint. Be merry, and see Joey, who will not be censoring any of the painting. Paint whatever you like.
just do it.

I love you,
Joey

... and this is what i'm doing now...

2008-08-09T10:41:00.006-04:00

Art House
http://www.savearthouse.com/

also, i made those website photos.

this is what i'm doing right now

2008-07-19T13:03:00.005-04:00

art direction
for local independent feature
Starlight & Superfish
http://thetriumvirate.com/starlight/

Earth v. The Earth

2008-07-05T15:36:00.001-04:00

Often we call our planet "The Earth" as if it is an object, much like we may refer to the man, or the clock, or the home, creating some personal detachment from it.

But sometimes we call our planet "Earth" giving her a name, like an artwork, or a beloved ship, or a pet, or a friend, creating a relationship between ourselves and Earth.

Semantics? Perhaps.
But it is not the way we say it that concerns me, rather the way we think about our planet...
as a place, as a home, as a rock, as a friend... ???

The EFEX Project on the radio

2008-06-04T12:14:00.003-04:00

Here is a Michigan Public Radio news story about one filmmaking project I have been involved in in the past. You can listen to an .mp3 of the radio broadcast which aired June 3rd, 2008.

Clearly it, and we filmmakers, are gaining some recognition for the hard work we are doing in this state.

((( I hope the very few people who actually see this post will be interested in listening. It's a well composed news story. Thanks to Jennifer Guerra, et al.)))

pony

2008-04-16T15:53:00.001-04:00

tail

Fingers Trailer

2008-04-08T14:19:00.002-04:00

a short film i worked on in Nashville, Tennessee, during spring break 08.

also, i met the King of Rock & Roll's studio piano.
we got lost in each other's eyes.

... --- it's all about the guitar placement. look for it. --- ...

I could write about a hundred things...

2008-04-07T09:30:00.002-04:00

... but I don't want to write about anything that I don't have photos of.

I could take more photos.
I can, and yet, I will.
Epiphany!

How come musicians get to have all the fun?

2008-03-18T00:49:00.000-04:00

i'm so busy this month.

2008-03-15T19:21:00.000-04:00

that is all for now... because i am so busy

"Bilal's Stand" Trailer One

2008-02-20T09:33:00.003-05:00

This film premieres at the Michigan Theatre in April.
I helped make it.
Providing the light including the sun. (among other things)

It will be stellar.

My Blueberry Nights

2008-02-16T16:10:00.001-05:00

by Wong Kar Wai

This director really does have beautiful eyes.
I think I will lik-- love this movie.

If i ruled the world,

2008-02-09T13:59:00.000-05:00

I would decree sundaes be eaten on Sunday,

dressing up would be encouraged,

driving cars would be discouraged,

more movies and music and theatre and art would be produced,

everyone would plant at least one tree every year,

the world would be more colorful,

people would smile at strangers when they pass on the street,

and leaving the bathroom without washing your hands would be criminal.

The People in This Neighborhood

2008-01-27T22:58:00.000-05:00

I ride the bus home from work. I also ride the bus to work, but that's another story.

Yesterday as I stood waiting at the Arborland Mall bus stop to catch my second bus, A few people came and gathered there with me. One of these people was an pepper-haired older woman in a purple ski coat and baseball cap. She sat on the bench near me, laid her bags on the ground, and took a sip of her steaming beverage. "How are you?" she asked me.

So I replied, "I'm alright, thanks.... A little cold though."

"Get yourself a free sample coffee at Starbuck's. There a good company. I've been dealing with them for years. There's another one down there by, uh, Golfside."

"Yes, they're everywhere."

(brief pause... ever so brief)

"Yep, you never lose with them, good company." She continues, "I came down here today, to the mall here to check out these shops. I told myself I'd go to all of them, but I only made it to three. I should've told myself I'd come down here and get to as many as I could, then I wouldn't have to be disappointed, miss out."

(ever so brief)

"I stopped over at Michael's to see what they have. They have some good deals there. Some things for 69 cents - I like to buy objects to pose with because I'm a model. Sometimes I'll glue small animals to my body," - she stamps her fingertips on her knee, "or tie things to myself... or I can get things to drape over my chest. Michael's, they usually have some good bargains."

"Sometimes they can be over-priced," I counter.

"Yeah, but I can usually find something there. I try to - I stop by thrift stores to find knick-knacks and props to use with me. But you can find good things a lot of places." At this point, the number 4 bus, my bus, pulls around the corner.

She continues, "I have to be ready for my bus... when it comes here. It co- - -"

I couldn't hear what she continued to say because I walked away to get on the bus.

It's not that I don't like to meet new people; I do, but I had this uncomfortable feeling that I had to draw her in class at some point during the last four years. Uncomfortable.

French Radio

2008-01-25T00:56:00.000-05:00

I found this new radio station on iTunes, RADIO NEO 95.2fm, in the Alternative tab.

It is French.

I can't keep up with hardly anything they say or sing.
But I really like to listen to it.

The music is phenomenal, and other big words that mean "I like it."

It's slogan is "Liberateur de talents." ...hm...

EDIT, later that day:
and this one too, LA GROSSE RADIO, Rock & Alternative French Radio | www.lagrosseradio.com

EDIT, even later: OK, so some of the music was really great, but maybe these stations are just that good only sometimes. Now I don't want to listen anymore today.

push

2008-01-22T12:58:00.000-05:00

I am more lost than I've ever been.

I am sure of so little.

But I still keep trying. , , Because this is what I know... to do. because i am sure of somethings._

because someday,, , th- _ ;
someday, those sure things... will be.

change & stay the same

2008-01-22T00:14:00.000-05:00

i'm tired of pretending that i'm happy all the time

from now on i will say what's on mind
the truth
and act on what i feel

but i'll still be nice to everyone. i can't help that

if there's only one thing

2008-01-20T23:30:00.000-05:00

I understand the adage goes: 'You can't have everything you want,' meaning you'll need to make important decisions in life of what to pursue and what to sacrifice.

But what if there's only one thing that you've decided that you want? Anything else - any possession, any dream, any memory - is secondary... is worth sacrificing if you could just have this one thing because maybe it is everything you want, and maybe you never knew it until now...

How does that work?

Can I have it?
~~I think~~ I'd give up anything just for a shot... just for one chance to prove that she's worth it _ __ ___

doubts of selflessness

2008-01-14T02:16:00.000-05:00

My motivation has always been bred by the doubt of others. If I am told I cannot do something, naturally I find a way to do it.
But at times I question whether this M.O. will help me reach the most ambitious goals I see for my future.
Will constantly swimming upstream prove my worth? Will I earn accolades if I always defy what is expected of me, though I only want what's best? Will earning what I believe is best set me apart and away from the people I long to have near me?

Why can I not have everything I want? Why must I sacrifice one joy for opportunity, pleasure for responsibility, myself for others? Why do I feel I ought to? Why do I feel this way?

And does this make me a good person? an ignorant man? selfrighteous?
Does or will what I do matter... ever?

ripe with i thought so

2007-12-30T00:05:00.000-05:00

i am the rustlove harmonica
in the temporary river
of misfortunate circumstance
tributarized by melon-balling spritzers
of haircut microphones
singing alleyway triggers
of ass-i-kiss-tic ballads
for the best, never committed

now that's the truth
you heard me

winning

2007-12-17T10:37:00.000-05:00

I am starting to win.
I have a job... working in video editing and other media.
I may get to do some photography and documentary for the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair.
I've moved to a comfortable new house.
I am finding the desire to be creative once again.
And it snowed.. a lot.. and I'm happy about that.

Now, if I could only get paid.

PS.. I added a ONE page element on the right. They're about fighting poverty. It's worth checking out.

losing

2007-11-08T00:44:00.000-05:00

I've lost all motivation to continue posting here
as few people actually read what I write.

Until further notice,
I am taking a break from this...
"accounting"
of the events of my mind.

Besides,
until further notice,
I am losing all battles with the world .. .

Did I tell you that I biked 17 miles from Westland to Ann Arbor last Wednesday?

2007-10-30T10:29:00.000-04:00

I did.
Seventeen (17) miles.
Half of it down a dirt road.
(Often the gears would lock up. I walked the bike up five hills.)
The ride was a difficult, up-(and sporadically down)-hill, two hour fight.
But I made it.

I stopped for ten minutes on the dirt roadside to eat an apple and stretch.
I took a short nap on the grass when I made it.
I stretched again.
I took a cowboy shower.
Then I worked for seven more hours... on my feet.

Needless to say, I did not bike home.
I was tired, but surprisingly not sore.
I felt good,,, healthy,,, and accomplished.

My Theme Song

2007-10-16T19:39:00.001-04:00

This is my theme song.
I didn't choose it; it chose me.
Sometimes I hear it playing, but there is no radio around. I could be anywhere, and the right thought just pops into my head, and this song plays, and I can actually hear it... in my ears. Of course, this happens with a number of songs. It is like they're recorded in my head... but never so often as with this song.

Jason Kendall Ray

2007-10-15T17:49:00.001-04:00

It took me an hour and a half to read this article...

____Ray of Hope____
about Jason Kendall Ray
aka Rameses, the UNC mascot,
aka youth leader,
aka front man for Nine PM Traffic,
aka etc, etc, etc...

Recently,
as we were discussing how I believe some people I am close to look to me expecting to see pride or strength or success,
a friend asked me who it is that I look up to.

While one may expect some obvious well-known professionals,
directors or artists or writers,
I had never deeply considered the individuals that inspire me to be who I am.

I have never truly kept track of the people and their stories whom,
when I hear of or read of or meet or get to know them,
I am affected, moved, shaped, changed.

I think this record begins today
with Jason Kendall Ray.

Stranger > Familiar > Neighbor

2007-10-08T16:55:00.000-04:00

I went to the Matthaei Botanical Gardens on Saturday.
(Keep in mind: it is Autumn. So, the colors? Grand.)
U-M A&D professor Nick Tobier was hosting a performance
in their perennial garden.
I was the video documenteer.

While the performance was warm, musical, and comedic,
it was not the gesture that lightened my heart the most.
Rather
as I spent the few hours
beforehand and afterhand
roaming the grounds, the gardens, and the Flora & Fauna art fair,
I passed a myriad of patrons,
each of which (young, old, native, migrant, short, shorter...)
greeted me with a smile, a hello, or both.

It was this contact,
even the simple gesture of acknowledgment in eye contact,
that made my day.
It made my day. It made my week.
It renewed my appreciation
in the value of living in a community
where people are happy and they care,
"where everybody knows your name,"
or where
regardless of whether you are a stranger, someone familiar, or a neighbor,
you are always welcome.

This is the most welcome amongst strangers I've ever felt.
And now,
even though I still don't know their names,
they do not seem so strange any more.

"green"

2007-10-04T23:49:00.000-04:00

the power of suggestion

you see green because
you are led to believe that you are seeing green because
the green that you think you see
is the green that you see
is green because
it is

This short intends to play with the mind's perception of what one is told and led to believe that one sees. Through the power of suggestion, what one sees is green. So ask yourself: Do you see green? Do you believe what you see is green?
I believe it because I shot it. I am telling you that what is shown here is green because it is, but don't take my word for it. Watch it again... more closely.

music: "De Usuahia A La Quiaca" by Gustavo Santaolalla

Dream 9.28.07

2007-09-28T09:54:00.000-04:00

I am eating "lunch" with a child actor - in my dream.
(I quote "lunch" because everyone basically eats whatever they feel like during a midday lunch-sized break from shooting this strange scary movie, which had, in part, preceded this moment in my dream.)
He eats some freshly prepared Caesar Salsa...

Take a moment to imagine what this dish looks, smells, tastes like.
A white florray with hints of earthly green and red garnishing each scoop of the dusty rainbow tortilla slices. Bountifully chunky, and not too saucy, the bulks of his bites grab the chip preferring to be stomached by the young man rather than grace the forbidden ground of this gas station parking lot, even tented from the sun as it is. The air is warm and almost dry, but when child actor cracks the lid it radiates a conditioning into the air as a crisply-opened refrigerator door. The aroma and the breeze of Caesar Salsa wrap around my nose, my mouth, my face. I inhale and profess, "If I could have whatever I wanted for lunch every day, I guess that's what I'd eat too."

And of course, because this is my dream, everyone chuckles,,,
including the pretty girl sitting on my left
with an apple red lunch
meeting her apple red lips...

but that's another story.

Save Joey

2007-09-27T12:13:00.000-04:00

Like most people, I am motivated when what I do is seen and encouraged.
Unlike most people , I need this motivation.
For some recent time, I (namely, my imagination, which is more important to my survival and personality than my brain and heart) has felt like a dead puppy.

Your mission - whether you choose to accept it or not - is to help bring me puppy back from the dead.
This is not a one person job; it is a community effort...
for all those who care about me, I challenge you to tell me what I could/should/(hell, what you would) do.

Joey needs your help.

cold air + sun sky = autumn

2007-09-13T12:10:00.000-04:00

I like wearing long sleeves on days like this. It keeps you warm, but not too warm, and not too cool. It is almost - I wish every day was like this (but maybe with a few more clouds/sq.in.

ps. word math is fun

ps.ps. every day. like this.

I Feel Autumn

2007-09-12T13:39:00.000-04:00

I can smell it coming soon.
The sky is perfectly overcast.
It's rained in September.
A leaf fell of a bush today.
I'm wearing long sleeves.

I want to work on an apple orchard this season.
I wonder if they hire...

Perfect from Far Away

2007-09-01T03:41:00.000-04:00

I just spent eight days with two of the coolest nieces this side of the moon. It's been the most fun I've had all summer. It's a shame I'll have to go home tomorrow.

Also. I just fell in love with this Sam character in Garden State.

I'm afraid to make a big change because... what if I fuck it up again.
(don't tell me there's no reason to be afraid because I am.

I am.)

Me and Me from This to That

2007-09-01T00:04:00.000-04:00

Marla...
the little scratch on the roof of your mouth
that would heal if only you could stop tonguing it,
but you can't.
-Ed Norton, Fight Club, 1999

Roses are red
Violets are blue
I'm a schizophrenic
And so am I
-Bill Murray, What About Bob?, 1991

From that day on,
we was always together.
Jenny and me was like peas and carrots.
-Tom Hanks, Forrest Gump, 1994

New Bio Brief

2007-08-30T11:49:00.000-04:00

This is the short artist biography/statement that I am offering online galleries and networking sites that I am joining:

:::
A photographer raised, corrupted, and redefined in Southeast Michigan, Joey has always had an eye for the uncanny, peculiar, and extraordinary characteristics of the typically ordinary. He deconstructs the stories narrated by his imagination, and reconstructs them in the eyes of his camera. The ultimate image paints a perspective one would often never have otherwise seen.

In my own words, I am a pathological observer of my environment and my mind who carefully chooses the moments he shares with the world.
:::

What do you think?

By the way, so far I can be found at...
Saatchi Gallery
Fine Art America
Art Gallery Worldwide
... with more to come soon.

GOrGEOUS!

2007-08-25T16:51:00.000-04:00

Resilience

2007-08-22T22:24:00.000-04:00

I've been feeling knocked down a lot lately,
but I get back up.
I always get back up.
It has been difficult.. recently.

Not knowing how many times
I'll be knocked down this hard
before it gets easier:
that is difficult.

Getting up is what to do though.
I'll keep it up,
getting up,
hopefully long enough.

Soon I expect the falls won't feel so heavy.
Eventually every hit won't knock me down.
Someday soon I will be as strong again as I was not long ago.
You'll see.
I hope you'll see.. because I know I will.

If I Had a Jet

2007-08-19T01:47:00.000-04:00

If I had a jet, I could live in it.
I could sleep in a jet bed. (Maybe a round one on a rotating frame.)
I could shower 30,000 feet in the air.
I could host jet parties miles up.
I could fly anywhere in the world,
and wake up in a different city every morning
...if I wanted to, that is.
Because I could also wake up in one spot every morning,
and then take off after breakfast.
I could go to the beach on any coast.
I could go to a photo shoot in Iceland and in Aruba in the same day.
I could stop for lunch in Tokyo on my way to Hong Kong.
I could pick up a date in my jet. That could be impressive.
I could take many friends on vacation,
or just get away, fly away, by myself when I need a break from the world.
I could go up in the sky just to find a moment of peace
and think for a while about...
whatever I felt like.
I could do a lot of things if I had a jet.
But I do not. Yet.
So until I do I will have to use my imagination.

(also if i had a jet i might want a space ship...)

Accidental Hero Vs. Accidental Villian

2007-08-16T02:44:00.000-04:00

Today I did some yard work at my friend's house. (When you are poor and struggling for work, friends hire you to help out a bit... and this helps you out a bit.) So I did quite a bit of magifying some bushes and grasses.

Among the taller-than-me bushes I found grapevines abundant. They were covering - no, blanketing the brush, which was fighting just to earn some light. Oh, but the grapes were young and not quite ripe. This posed a dilemma. I did not have trouble deciding... the baby grapes and choking vines must go. So I cut them away - most of them - and tore them from their deadly grasp on the branches. I saved the bushes, but..!!

While I was recklessly and aggressively tearing away vines, I failed to recognize a bird's nest in the tall branches... until I had gone and knocked two infant barely-feathered sparrows from the nest. I noticed them lying on the ground after they began chirping. They could not fly. Their eyes barely opened. They could only but thrust their legs about and cry for help.

I was afraid to touch them, but had to return to them to their nest or they would die. I went to the garage. I gloved my hands up, and found a small nest-sized garden shovel. The birds were lying in some pile of dead leaves. Hopefully this broke their fall and not their fragility. I delicately scooped each up sliding one then the other into their crib overhead.I hope my non-skin interference in the rescue didn't taint their motherbird away from them.

I think I saved these birdlings today, though I also almost killed them. I hope I did not. This could make me a bad person... a little bit.... or at least careless.

Why Measure Age in Years? ...and who's counting?

2007-08-12T03:30:00.000-04:00

It seems that the harder I try to forget my birthday - and how young I am each year - the more people remember it, and try to remember it, and make it a bigger deal than it needs to be. I feel like my birthday's become about the number.

I have a strange fascination in claiming to be 23 years old (or young.) After all, it was a great age to be. While it's all in good fun, some I know are put off by this as if I were playing a game reserved for older women,,, or somehow, staying young.

I do retain immature features -- a "baby face," clumsiness, a youthful sense of humor... and for those who know me well, often enough a sense of behavior close to half my actual age. Yet I can be a growed up when I so chose. Hell, I can often volunteer to play the selfless leader. (shameless plug of pride) See. Maturity at work, right?

I want all of you to know: while I am a man with fears - some of which I can admit and others I hide - I am not afraid to age. In fact, I relish in earning wrinkles, gaining wisdom, and counting days until something else happens. I cannot wait to turn 50. I cannot wait to tell grandchildren stories. I enjoy living, growing, aging...

To be quite honest, I think it's the waiting that seems to bother me. When life is moving slow, when there is little going on - eventlessness - I tend to notice that I'm getting older.. and without doing something, or being productive, or earning the life I've been offered.
Because, after all, time is not money, it's priceless.
And I feel I need to make the most of it all.
I ought to earn my hours and my breaths. Oughtn't I?

Who's counting years anyway? I'd rather my age be counted in good deeds,, in which case, I'm relatively old.
Maybe in the thousands of deeds... perhaps a million deeds old.

Luxuries Hold Me Back

2007-08-10T21:24:00.000-04:00

I am more productive when I do not have luxuries at my disposal. The comforts of life relax me. When I am amidst them, I feel content to the degree that I do not have to earn them.

For example... my parents' house, where I currently live, is always air conditioned, very cool beyond the point of comfort. I definitely never sweat in this household. In fact, often enough I am cold.
This luxury relaxes me; it slows me down. I complete work, but at a slower pace, later, and seemingly with more effort.
If I lived in a hot apartment with, at best, a fan, I think I would try harder. I think I would want to work to improve my situation. I would gain a perspective on life of the things I could have versus the things I do not.
You know, my work may even be better. And in fact, it has been.

I want to get a part time job (in a creative field, of course) in Ann Arbor I think. I want to get a place out that way with little luxuries. I want to take care of myself. I want to begin working harder... and producing more art, better art.

I Want to Be a Magician When I Grow Up

2007-08-10T01:41:00.000-04:00

I want to perform illusions that dazzle people. I want to have incredible secrets that no one can decipher. I want to create ideas that no one could ever imagine. I want to show you all things you would never believe.

And I will.
You'll see.
But you will not believe.

Have You Ever Watched a Movie and You Just Don't Want to Stop Watching It?

2007-08-08T01:57:00.000-04:00

..you just don't want it to end? The story is so good,, or so real..
i was watching Half Nelson. I like this movie.
It is really intense, and intensely real.

It makes me feel.
(this is the most important thing a story can do to someone.)
Sometimes the story seems so real_
I feel the same feelings that the characters feel...
joy, pain, courage, fear, sympathy, weakness, passion, anger, love..

I wish more people could be as expressive as actors are.

.

Noodle Brain Is In My Head

2007-08-07T19:23:00.000-04:00

I am so exhausted and worn from working on film reshoots the past five days that my brain feels like a noodle..-- a long noodle dropped into a pile and packed together, then placed in the top empty part of my head, and filled with happy thoughts, but also taught to let my body know when it needs to rest (and sleep... during the night... for a reasonable amount of time.)

PS, yall. I'm tired

Sixteen Hour Film Shoots Make My Muscles Cry

2007-08-05T05:08:00.000-04:00

physically exhaiste
mentaly exhausted
emotively exhaieist
my feet hurt
my nose hurt
my thy hurt
my ankle hurt
my butt hurt
my arm-
my self hurt, and my soul hert
beguin 1230 -> end 430 (leave home 12noon -> come home 5AM)
my muscles cry all day uintil there id nothing left in thie weeping glands...
ill tri harder next time , poppy
love joey

I Love to Make Movies

2007-08-04T03:19:00.000-04:00

I just got home from the first of four days of reshooting/additional shooting for a movie I've been helping make for some time. Obviously - or not so much - it is the middle of the night. I still am amidst my fourth wind of the day, so I chose to exclaim about how I loved being on a set again today.

I love being creative. I love to solve the problem of how to make the story look best. I love to make pictures especially when they move.
I love the camaraderie of friends working together on something we enjoy and share a passion for. I love that we do it when many doubt that we can. I love that we do it here and now, in Michigan, as young adults, without hesitation, and because we believe that we've earned the right to do what we do.

I love making movies.
(and i love you.)

How Can I Organize This So More People WIll Read More of What I Write Here?

2007-08-03T10:43:00.000-04:00

I'm thinking reformat the layout so it looks more like a news webpage. Then I can designate posts to specific topics, or columns. And I can make pages to navigate to where multiple posts of the week are archived.

Maybe I need to chill on how much I write. Somedays I don't feel like writing, but most I feel like posting a lot. And people do not usually scroll south on the page to find some of the interesting stuff when the post at the top is kind of lame... like this one.

While I'm thinking, here is a pretty picture to look at:

If I Could Fly..

2007-08-02T15:10:00.000-04:00

..maybe I would get bored of being up in the air so much.
It'd look nice for a while, but who would hang out with me up there.
I hope flying into outer space won't make me feel this way.Perhaps I'll make that trip a short one.

Recent Infrequency of Me

2007-08-02T03:01:00.001-04:00

.woh...
When I actually get a regular job, keeping up with this all-too-frequent-ness of this story is going to be hard. I take a week("-ish") to mourn the loss of my Buick - which will become a part of this Detroit Dream Project. Then this week I am working on prep and reshooting of some scenes for a film. I am having trouble making time to tell the world about my adventures and thoughts,,, or thoughts and adventures,,, one or the other.
If my life, in fact, becomes all too frequent, I'm afraid this blog will... un-become... it... (all too frequent, that is.)

Will yous miss me more then?

Michigan vs. Notre Dame

2007-07-31T01:12:00.000-04:00

The greatest rivalry in college football - Michigan over Ohio State as we all know - may soon be bested by the other greatest rivalry in college football between the two winningest teams in college football history.

The contract between Michigan and Notre Dame has been extended through 2031 season. The two most storied teams in college college football will play each other every year for decades.

By the time this contract expires I expect Notre Dame to realize the mutual benefits of joining the Big Ten conference. Then these two schools will play each other every year forever.

And at some point the Michigan over Notre Dame rivalry will become the greatest. Ohio State will take its place in the second toughest rivalry back seat exactly where it belongs... behind a classier school with a stronger heritage.

Face it red and silver, more people just like green and gold...
almost as much as maize and blue.

The Buick Is Dead

2007-07-28T20:40:00.000-04:00

On Monday, last Monday, I did a bit of work at The Second City in Novi with Amy Duffy, stage manager. I helped her build a new set for the upcoming months. It was fun.
I drove out there in my proud vibrant colorful car of character. Though some of us do not, I know most of us like the Buick... some of us love it.
But on that fateful evening, after I made my way to the car
parked just adjacent to the fancy restaurant patio
for all the rich food eaters to marvel upon,
I found it would not start. This has been a problem for weeks, ever since I returned from my trip out west.

She had trouble starting once on Ann Arbor, but we were able to resuscitate her with help of Mitch from MSU's baby black Beamer.
She had trouble starting once when I stopped at a gas station for a refill. It almost seemed to much for her, but a mechanic helped me revive her.
And then she failed to start again outside The Second City Novi. Amy tried to help me bring her back once more. We tried for a half hour... maybe more. But... but it was hopeless. I had to pull the plug. I couldn't bear hearing her struggle just to crank her engine once. Every turn of the key built a larger frog in my throat. On the verge of tears, I told Amy, "It's over."

I called my father to come help me unload my belongings - the trunk of fun, the Buick paint, the change I kept in her console we would use to pay the occasional parking meter. She would have to carry these burdens no longer.
Before I left her, I painted her over one last time, making sure to tag under her hood and around her interior. I wanted to leave her as pretty as ever.
Now I have.

Her empty shell sits in the rear of a lot in Novi adjacent a barren swamp. As much as I know her soul rests in a better place now, I cannot help but miss our rides together. For my own selfish reasons, I long for her to come back. But she cannot live forever.

Although there is the possibility - perhaps the probability - that what is left of the Buick will become part of a new public sculpture being called The Detroit Dream Project.

Nevertheless our days together are over. Things may never be the same.

It's Been Long Enough

2007-07-28T03:03:00.000-04:00

I think I'm ready to post again. Tomorrow.
Prepare for the sad news tomorrow. 'Cause that's what it will be. A sad news post.

In the meantime... an early sunrise from 30,000 feet up...
and south of Kalamazoo-ish, MI

I am Lloyd Dobler

2007-07-21T19:49:00.000-04:00

I think... that I am Lloyd Dobler.
I just watched 'Say Anything' for the first time today...
and I think it was a mistake..to have never known this story before.

Lloyd is a gentleman.
Everyone trusts Lloyd because he exudes responsibility and confidence, but at times he is nervous or fidgety.
Even when he is unsure of himself, at least he does what he believes in, what he wants.
That Ione Skye has a nice smile. It's big. And happy. And resonates a lot of the same things that Lloyd is.
Lloyd is also hopeless.
Lloyd is also vulnerable.
But he is passionate, persistent...
"I'm not going to meet someone like Diane Court at a kegger."
Lloyd rambles in the same way that I think.
Lloyd makes sacrifices for his friends.
Is Lloyd charming?

Am I Lloyd Dobler?
Maybe I give myself too much credit.
I mean, I'm not a fictional character...
but I think I try to be...
at least, a little bit...
sometimes.

"Nobody really thinks it's going to work..."

Jeremy Blake Swam Out to Sea

2007-07-21T03:32:00.000-04:00

This is a modern day Romeo & Juliet tragedy...

Jeremy Blake wrote a love note, removed his clothes and swam out to sea one week after his love, Theresa Duncan, committed suicide.

Blake was a guest in Ann Arbor as a part of the Penny Stamps Distingushed Visitors Series operated by the University of Michigan School of Art & Design, March 25, 2004. I saw him speak of his work... animating as a painter paints... and on film projects such as Punch Drunk Love. I was impressed with his art and his accomplishments at a relatively young age.

Romantic or insane? I would argue both. And Shakespeare would agree.
Maybe I would do the same.

Beck "Round the Bend" video by Jeremy Blake

Better Than Me

2007-07-20T20:34:00.000-04:00

I love playing basketball with people who are better than me. They make me want to work harder to earn what I want. And playing ball with them makes me want to be a better player. They make me want to be more fit. They make me want to play more ball.

And not just basketball. I want to play more sports. It's good for me. It makes me feel healthier. It makes me feel confident and accomplished, at least in terms of sports.

Fun is healthy.

I Cook an Omelette Like It's My Job

2007-07-20T16:18:00.000-04:00

handpicked greenest beans and delicate fragments of cheddar embedded into a white and yellow pigment brushed with brownness,
a fillet of egg-ly divinity

...my job

This Is Where I Go

2007-07-20T04:29:00.000-04:00

Want

2007-07-20T04:06:00.001-04:00

There are a number of things I want. I know what these things are. Some I want more than others. Some are petty. Some I feel I simply need.

A Louisiana hick (read:populist) governor Willie Stark was scripted once to have said, "Sometime... a man so full o want, he plain forget... what't is he want."
Words of wisdom from a "(?)wise(?)" man...?
I'm not so sure this wasn't false. Or maybe he had us all fooled.

But I know I want. And I really want somethings. And I think I know so. And I am pretty certain what they are and are not.

At this point I'm not sure I know what I'm talking about.
3AM!... no, 4!

My Good Mornings Are Often After Noon

2007-07-19T13:03:00.000-04:00

As I've said, I operate while unemployed on an awkward schedule. I cannot seem to fall asleep before 2AM, and I definitely struggle waking before 10AM. Of course, when others are awake in the house, I struggle sleeping too.

I seem to get more work done when everyone is a asleep. When the house is calm and quiet, I can focus on tasks at hand. I can read steadily without distraction. I can write these posts in no time. I am productive when my family appears absent. Sometimes I get lucky when they are all gone during the day. I need an office... or a place of my own.

This morning I woke at 12:40. This is in fact not morning but afternoon. My family is either gone or sleeping still on this unusual day. I've knocked a lot of my routine out in only half an hour. I am making eggs... oatmeal... and pancakes for breakfast...
or maybe just pancakes, well see if anyone else shows up to help me eat them.

Good Aftermorning.

I am not XL

2007-07-18T17:03:00.000-04:00

Folding (read: sorting and laying "neatly" in rows on the former entertainment center that is now my "dresser") some of my clothes today, I noticed a fraction of shirts that are labeled XL. I do not wear these shirts because against my slender physique, they resemble man-sails. Most of these - actually now that I'm thinking of it - all of these XLs are gifts from family members. I have once in my life purchased a XXXL fleece hoodie, huge and unbelievably warm, like a blanket for wearing.

I don't know when or why my family decided to promote me from Medium to XL, but they did so without my acknowledgment. Sometime when I became the tallest person in the family, their perception of me changed.
Perhaps there logic was that my new height determines a new girth.
Perhaps they thought that because my father wears XL that I being taller now should.
Perhaps they thought better to be safe than sorry: too big rather than too small.

None of this makes sense to me.
Granted clothes are scarcely made in my size. Stores rarely sell tall pants trim enough, or long sleeves long enough. And XL sweats always shrink baring too much forearm or belt.
Granted I am taller, but have never been as thick as my father (and by thick, I mean strong, Dad.) I've never even been able to borrow a belt.
And granted too small is ridiculous, but too big is just goofy. I like to be comfortable in my clothes, not constricted, and not robed.

I am not a giant. I am not Big&Tall. I am not extra large.
Family, please stop gifting me clothes. Just... don't.
PS. I may be more stylish than yous anyhow.

Another AllNighter

2007-07-18T03:53:00.000-04:00

I thought I was done with all-nighters when I graduated from college, but here I am awake at 4AM on a Tuesday night, Wednesday morning - or somewhere in between. When will I never learn? Probably forever. Who knows else what? I'm lost-ifused...

ate some ice cream that me dad had mixed hand-picked cherries into. I (h)ated it, and spit all the fruit out... of my mouth.

(((gibberish)))mumble
,
I'm tired but not sleepy
insomnirific music videos
nocturnal state not a goo-
smashing bottles over cowboys heads, and Slash on guitar
,,,whooaaaaaaaaaaaah -OA.

I feel dead in my eyes. I slept all day almost til the sun was down except it wasnt really up today(yesterday) because it was rainy all day which I liked but I slept

this is my favourite picture

little josheye

Dreams 7.17.07

2007-07-17T13:05:00.000-04:00

I had like four dreams last night/this morning. Crazy. Let's see what scraps I can recall from them...

In one dream I could float around. My shoes were like some sort of hover shoes or something because I just glided around an inch or so off the ground, but I definitely felt like Gumby.
With the slickness of my new sweet ass shoes, I sneaked into a corporate office building to try and find a friend who has refused to speak to me for a while. I "skated" (or "coasted," or "Gumby-ed") my way around a maze of peach-walled cubicles only to be stopped and questioned by random nagging staff. I thought at some point I had seen this friend but was influenced to leave rather than continue searching.
As I hovered my way out front - it was night by the way, and I know not why - this friend came chasing out after me. We talked awkwardly for a minute. Friend offered to call me soon sometime to hang out... as if there had never been anything wrong. Then I woke up, wondered about the shoes, and went back to sleep hoping to dream something better.

In another dream I was walking down a street, reasons unknown. It was also night. I passed a bank heading into a parking lot, and saw two young guys with guns preparing to enter said bank. I don't think I cared, so I pretended like hadn't seen them, but one gunman called to me telling me to "come on inside" with them. I ran. Ducking around one brick wall, I was forced to try escaping into none other than a McDonald's. (This may have been worse than being taken hostage, but I was spooked.)
I hid under a cashier's counter as the gunman barged in. He jabbered on something about looking for me. People screamed a bit, but not much. And eventually, because in this dream I am too big to fit under a counter, he spotted me. As I stood to face him he said something cocky, pointed his gun at me and fired.
I flinched, but instead of feeling a bullet hit me in the chest or arm, I felt it wedge in my right ear... not like a bullet shooting my ear, but like an ear plugbeing pressed in. I looked back at the stunned gunman, and pulled his bullet from my ear. It was unscathed, looked brand new. Then another bullet sprouted in my ear... and another in the other ear. What the hell, indeed! I pulled these out, but alas, two more. We chuckled over it. The gunman hesitated to try and shoot me again. Feeling mildly invincible, I offered the gunman the bullets in my hand. He asked me for more. I continued to pull bullets from ears until he was satisfied.
Thank God I woke up from that one.

In another dream - also night - I was stuck in a house with people I do not know. One reminded me of Colonel Sanders. He was the grandfather. I was one of three kids, a friend of the grandson.
I can't seem to remember much of this dream, but it involved some supernatural gift the grandson had that chased some evil from invading our home, or dimension, or planet... I guess.
At the end, the grandfather crashed out in the garage where he lived. My friend's older sister came home wondering what was up. I tried to flirt with her for a minute; she ignored me; and before I knew it, I was boarding a bus home in front of their house... in the middle of the night.

Writing about those dreams made me forget the fourth one.
If I remember it ever, I will come back to this entry and tell yous... but that is unlikely.

One Firework Experiment

2007-07-16T22:53:00.000-04:00

I don't know why it took me eleven days to post it. Maybe I just had to think about it for a while. But this is what happened the first time I tried to photograph a firework.

It's a little messy, but in a way that makes you want to play with it...
like finger paint.

Who Am I in My Dreams?

2007-07-16T12:48:00.001-04:00

I have already forgotten my dream from last night, but this story is not about that dream. It is about who I am or who I become when I fall asleep each night.

Granted I have plenty of trouble remembering most of the time. Many times I am simply myself in usual or unusual situations, like going on a road trip with people I know. Few times I may not even be in the dream. Sometimes I am watching from that third person floating-over-people point of view. But sometimes I am someone whom I aspire to be.

My dream Saturday night/Sunday morning - while I don't recall the most of it including the plot line - involved me being a pilot. Well... not an experienced or even a trained pilot, but I was flying a plane. I was a co-pilot in a commercial jet. The pilot was trying to teach me how to operate the controls. Most of the buttons were labeled with labels from buttons that I have actually seen before, like on a laptop keyboard or a cash register... or an arcade game.
At some point - I think after the first landing - the pilot skipped town. I was left to pilot the plane, AND I was given a new apprentice to teach how to fly it. Needless to say, I did try to teach him, but we mostly ended up doing aerial acrobatics in our commercial airliner and landing (safely) in the water while we played with the buttons.

I often become a "me" that I daydream of being: a pilot, an undercover agent, a chef. These are all on my list of back up jobs in case I fail as an artist or filmmaker.
But what bothers me is that I have never in my dreams been a baseball player or an astronaut. These are at the top of my list. In fact, I would give up (at least for some time) being who I am now to be play baseball or go into space. But I do not dream at night of being these "me"s. I wonder if this is because actually becoming either of these seems so far-fetched or out of reach. I could be a chef quite easily, but how much closer I am to becoming a secret agent, or a pilot.

Knowing that chances are slim that I may ever play in the Major Leagues or leave the Earth's atmosphere, I would love to at least dream that I can.... even if it's just once.

Battle Scar Make Me Proud

2007-07-16T02:01:00.000-04:00

I like my shiner. It is too bad it is only temporary. It makes me feel tough. Sometimes I squint my eye just to make it hurt because it makes me feel tough. Behold, my battle scar.

Only Two Certainties

2007-07-15T00:51:00.000-04:00

Right now there are only two certainties in my life.

One is the necessity for a glass of milk each morning. I simply cannot function properly if I do not drink a glass of milk when I wake up. It's like a cup of coffee. Or if I don't have it, I may as well have woken up on the wrong side of the bed.

The other is basketball, which is the only extracurricular thing (aside from searching for employment) that I do with any regularity. Well I don't do basketball, I play it, but... it is... it gives me some kind of routine to attach on to for now. And it's good exercise to boot.

Dream 7.14.07

2007-07-14T11:52:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was my dad's birthday.
So in my dream, it was also my dad's birthday. I decided to take him golfing. My stepmom and little sister also came along though they do not golf, but they wanted to spend time with Dad.

We went to this new upscale golf course. The place was packed. Obviously it was very popular... and very expensive. At the only counter - I don't remember waiting in any line - we could order pretty much anything you would find a pro shop, or a bar. Naturally we needed:
a tee time for two,
golf balls,
lunch,
a membership (I think,)
two golf bag strollers because there was no way golf carts could drive this course - I'm pretty sure there was an elevator somewhere -
and two kegs... which could be carried on the strollers. (I guess we were thirsty.)
Unfortunately because this place was so new and fancy, the bill totaled over $600. I put it on my credit card. I don't how it went through because my credit card is overdrawn right now, but... over $600.

The first tee was on the close side of the building on the second floor. By the time we hiked up to it, the line at the counter ran outside, and a line had hiked up behind us at the tee. I looked out across the course.

It was like nothing you've ever seen before. It was indoors in a massive warehouse-sized complex. This place was bigger than a WalMart. Each hole was corridored off from the others by ceiling-high nets and plexiglas walls. Arranged in a maze, the holes wound around corners where the doglegs were more like U-turns. Golfers were banking shots off of walls. Some holes overlapped others above or below as each seemed to move up or down multiple floors. This strange course reminded me of an uncanny mixture of an indoor driving range, a mini-golf course, and a carnival fun house, but on a much larger scale.

My dad and his new clubs were already prepared to tee off. And as he took his first swing, I was still trying to strap the keg and my bag onto the stroller. People waiting behind us began to heckle. While I tried to hurry faster, they only grew more impatient. My dad had banked his first shot around the corner and onto the floor below, so he offered to go ahead and play the rest of the hole while I was catching up. We could play back together on the second hole. He, stepmom, and Racheal walked downstairs.

Meanwhile - this is where things get worse, not better - I thought I had strapped everything in properly. I looked for my driver, but my clubs are an incomplete set and some of them get misplaced once in a while. The driver was gone. I could've borrowed one of my dad's, but he had gone ahead. 'Come on,' people continued to harass me. The line was building. And the counter attendants were peering up the hill (or corridor, or incline, whatever.) I just grabbed a club, dropped my ball, and swung. I topped the ball. It bounced between the walls a bit. I dropped another. I swung again. I missed. Then the keg and my bag fell off the stroller. People were getting loud. I started to look for my family, but I didn't see them.

As I tried to pick up my things and pack them onto the stroller, a couple golfers jumped in front of me. They teed off, and the line gradually edged me against the wall. I threw my bag over my shoulder and pulled the keg along on the stroller. (I'm pretty sure I left a club behind.)

I took off cutting across fairways wandering throughout the second floor. I began calling for my dad who was forced to continue playing without me. I felt like a little boy lost in an amusement park. Here I am standing in the center of this maze that is some insane golfing complex looking for my family because we've been separated. I spun searching in every direction, but saw no one I recognized. I could hear only golf balls flying by. The passing golfers ignored me as they played through. I sat down and started to cry...

I had tried to do something nice for my dad and my family. I had found this amazing new adventure. I paid for a very expensive outing, which I had not even been a part of yet, and it was coming closer to an end with each passing minute. Watching the feet of each passing golfer felt like clubs swinging against my chest.

I got hit in the ribs with a golf ball. No one bothered to yell 'Fore.' I staggered to my feet, and started down the path to the front counter. At the bottom of the hill, my dad had just arrived up front as well. He was looking for me at the counter asking if they had seen me. I came up beside him. I tried to explain what happened, but I was still shaken. I didn't need to; he understood.

We gave the owners (or managers, or counterpersons, whatever) some hassle over the trouble we had. They tried to give us trouble back. But in the end we gave them their kegs, they gave us our money back, and we played through... from the fifth hole where my dad had stopped golfer traffic in order to find me.

Thank God Nothing Bad Happened Today

2007-07-13T23:01:00.000-04:00

Apparently today was Friday the 13th and I missed it. If anything bad had happened I wouldn't have been able to blame it on the unfortunate coincidence that today is both a Friday and the 13th day of July.
Aren't I lucky?

...which reminds me.

2007-07-13T18:11:00.001-04:00

There are at least four separate cordless phones in my house.
When someone calls the house, no two ring simultaneously...
and no two share the same ring tone...
but every ring sounds like a chirping bird - a different chirping bird,
so when someone calls, the house sounds full of chirping birds...
and since we collectively rarely answer the house phone,
each chorus of chirping birds is followed by the typical answering machine recording... and a finale of two quick and sharp dog barks.

I hate it because I think it is funny,
and I think it is funny because I hate it.

Lack of Frequency?

2007-07-13T17:40:00.001-04:00

I haven't been in a particularly articulate mood lately. Hence the infrequency of stories. I have been in listening mode, or in a mood to listen to people... and to think about things... and to be discrete, I guess. Still today I am not feeling articulate, so... short stories are shorter.

Also, look for a link to an online photo portfolio by me... sooner than later... hopefully.
And featuring classics such as...

a softly-lit portrait of Stella, the overdramatic parakeet.

I Wish I Was a Musician

2007-07-12T22:02:00.000-04:00

Am I a musician?
I can play the piano,
but I don't have one.

David the Distraction

2007-07-12T21:10:00.000-04:00

We were trying to work on a photo portfolio. I thought I could use his help or at least his encouragement, but all he wants to do is play games.

David the (Thieving) Gnome... and my wallet

Basketball Vs. Face

2007-07-12T12:04:00.000-04:00

I have the prettiest shiner. I earned it playing basketball on Tuesday when I caught a 230-pound elbow on the cheek.

You can barely see it under my right eye, but I can feel it.
And it - well, it barely hurts, and only when I squint...
or smile.

Good People Want to Do Good...No Matter How Much They Must Sacrifice

2007-07-11T23:31:00.000-04:00

I am afraid I am a good person.
Does being a good person hurt me?
At what point is the sacrifice too much?
Am I taken advantage of on account of my kindness?
Should I ever stop being a good person,
even for a moment,
and help myself?

Tooths = Magnets

2007-07-11T22:21:00.000-04:00

Today my teeth are magnets for licorice.
Not black licorice-flavored licorice, but the red licorice that they claim to be flavored like strawberries, but it isn't flavored like strawberries 'cause it tastes more like red-colored sugar than strawberries, and I hate strawberries - have nothing to do with 'em - and this sure as hell don't taste like no strawberries...
taste like...
I'll tell you what it taste like: taste like a little bit of love, little bit of warm in my soul.
These particular licorice, for the moment, plug any holes that may be there.
Red non-strawberry licorice...
filling my happiness back up for the time being...
because it's red...
but mostly because it's sweet.

Gusts to 27mph

2007-07-10T16:12:00.000-04:00

93º
42% humidity
It is hot, but breezy.
The aroma of thunderstorms,
Approaching whitecaps loom over the western horizon

Shade in the backyard...
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim,
David Sedaris, Ben Folds, Plain White T's

Flies eye my lunch:
Tuna fish, home-made salsa, spinach dip,
Ham-cheese-onion omelet,
All on whole wheat burger buns,
A can of ginger ale, and a glass of water

The sun hides for a moment
Though there are no raindrops
Yet
Anxiously awaiting the first strike of lightning
Amidst the orchestra of upturned leaves,
I will have a solid photo portfolio by days end...

Underappreciated Lifesavers in Seoul

2007-07-10T12:03:00.000-04:00

Drinkers in Korea Dial for Designated Drivers nytimes.com
Chronically fatigued, underpaid, and overworked overnight, I have a great respect for someone who has the courage to perform such a job. I would hope they realize the that they not only provide a transportation service, but a lifesaving service. When this business picks up more world-wide, and statistics are readily available on these designated drivers for hire, I expect the numbers of lives they save (i.e. the decline in drunk driving accidents) to be comparable to the lives that firefighters or policeman save.

Great public service. Kudos, South Koreans.

Spider Vs. Sleeping Joey, Postponed

2007-07-10T00:53:00.000-04:00

Go figure, the only female I ever find randomly lying in my bed is a spider.
Some luck.

Had I not caught her under my covers, one of us surely would have paid for it. Tonight I chased her out.
But if she returns, perhaps we will lie awake all night talking about how much we long for the comfort of -
Yes, right.

If I ever found a random lying in my bed, I would ask her who she is and how she got here, regardless of how single I am at the time. I would heroically help her find wherever she was lost from. Fighting bad guys along the way, I would reunite her with her lost love. I would receive gracious thanks and praise from the townspeople for my noble deeds. And riding off into the sunset, preferably on a faithful steed, back to my bachelor-esque life of rescuing the people, I could be heard singing most debonairly the theme to Batman.

And if I find that spider in my bed again, I will probably have to kill it.
This makes me sound insensitive, I think to myself, as I drift into a deep slumber. The venom of her sultry sting coursing through m-

You'll have to forgive me. It's late.
And I just don't feel like deleting this because it makes me laugh.

"Doctors are now medicating unhappiness..."

2007-07-09T19:47:00.000-04:00

It looks like there is a solution to waking up in the morning.
CDC: Antidepressants most prescribed drugs in U.S.

"'Depression is a major public health issue,' said Dr. Kelly Posner." And here I thought it was a fact of life.
"She added that 25 percent of adults will have a major depressive episode." I thought we all would. Is it not everyone? This would be depressing.

I understand that some people can be clinically depressed, but prescribing drugs to make someone happier = just one more reason I am disappointed in America.

I read the news like it's my job.

2007-07-09T12:26:00.000-04:00

Really. I wake up every morning and feel like my day cannot begin without checking up on the world. Perhaps I need to make sure it is taking good care of itself. Do I need to save the day? Or do I just need to know it is safe to go outside?

The News is like my 'Good Morning' cup of coffee... although I hate coffee. It's usually a glass of milk I can't go without. Erases that parched feeling, you know.

In the morning, I always look at (in this order):
** the "Headlines" RSS feed in the Firefox toolbar - usually links to BBC
** CNN.com for straight-to-the-point fact-based news
** NYTimes.com for creative stories I more enjoy reading - if I were biased this is all I would read
** ESPN.com for sports news obviously
Then I link or search to wherever the stories I have read might lead me. Whether it's some new technology, a big game recap, discoveries in space or on Mars (my favorite,) or - what I expect myself to keep up on - art/film news, I always seem to look for something extra to read... especially if what I've read so far seems boring. I wouldn't want to start my day off feeling like the world is going to be boring today.

Today's topics of interest:
** a plastic plane - well... mostly
** the case of the missing lake
** “The Case Against Perfection”
** homeruns bound for "the drink" - I have no idea where I got that from. "The drink?"
** and the biggest annual bicycle race in the world

Naturally I am drawn to the articles with the most photos, or sometimes the prettiest photos. Some of which are just photo essays. Others are friends' blogs, especially when they keep them up-to-date. And sometimes... sometimes it's the facebook that has the best photos of the day. I usually don't even read a story if there isn't at least one picture.

Movie trailers are good to keep up on. I have a special place in my heart for talking robots. Not the lame-ass fictional kind, but more realistic ones.

And often enough, I have a soft place.

Oh. And I always check the weather too. Ann Arbor's, not Westland's, regardless of where I'll be. Dangerously hot today...

I think I'll go play some basketball before I get back to job searching... and law fighting.

How many clicks does it take 'til you get to _____________ ?

2007-07-09T01:38:00.000-04:00

Nine clicks got me here (...or there) - http://artmakers.blogspot.com/ - where I saw Scotch Tape sculptures.
Where will the 'Next Blog>>' button take you?

Now On... and on

2007-07-08T22:43:00.000-04:00

I like these guys.
In June, while I was out in LA working on a documentary, they introduced me to some of the hip-hop scene. (I ran into Andrew Kligier at a show they host, Elevation.)
They let us crash at their place a few nights too. And introduced us to some killer breakfast.
Good people... Now On:
DJ Haircut, IX Lives, and Jackson Perry
= Drew Cohen, Mike Demps, and Jackson Perry

Am I Not Dreaming?

2007-07-08T12:36:00.000-04:00

I have not had - or I don't remember having - a dream since the last time I played basketball... last Sunday, nearly a week ago.

Before then, I had been getting exercise pretty regularly, something intense every other day and at least stretching every day. I had also been dreaming. I wrote about a couple of them here. They were obviously decent vivid memorable dreams. But now I have been very busy sitting on my ass for five straight days. Mostly at the computer trying to get some photography favors done and feeling more and more pressured to find for work... (so they can get me outta the house. They could not want this more than I do.)

I cannot help but think that this lack of exercise is somehow related to my lack of dreams, and probably lack of imagination lately. But why? Is it simply because I haven't exercised and kept my body healthy? Is it because I've been cramming on things that "need" to get done, and stressing about them? Is it because I haven't played and released some of this stress? Is it because the blood circulating through my brain is stagnant?

I went swimming yesterday. I went out to the bar last night. Still I do not remember dreaming before I woke this morning. Maybe I need to do something that makes me sweat and think. Maybe I just really need to exercise both my body and my brain if I want to dream. From the sound of it, I think I do.

Who has a ladder?

2007-07-07T19:46:00.000-04:00

I have paint... of course.