Just Some Water Getting Hotter

The High Cost of Low Price

2006-04-04T22:05:00.000-05:00

An article I came across on the internet today (from imdb.com):

Wal-Mart Hit by 'Brokeback' Protest:

Wal-Mart has turned aside a massive letter-writing campaign by the American Family Association urging the retailer to refuse to stock Brokeback Mountain, being distributed by Universal Home Entertainment. The group, which has successfully campaigned against what it considers to be broadcast indecency launched the campaign last week after ads for the film began being displayed prominently in the retailer's 3,900 stores. In an interview with today's (Tuesday) Los Angeles Times, the AFA's Randy Sharp, accused Wal-Mart of helping to push the "gay agenda" by "trying to help normalize homosexuality in society." He added, "But how many copies are they going to have to sell to [recoup] the losses of customers who they've offended and will no longer shop at Wal-Mart?" But a Wal-Mart spokeswoman replied, "The fact that we are offering the movie is not an endorsement of the content of the movie or any specific belief. ...We simply offer the latest titles that consumers want."

This got me thinking... Instead of expending considerable time, energy and resources getting up in arms over the content of a film (one I would gather many of these protestors haven't even seen), why not start holding Wal-Mart accountable for its countless crimes against the American Family? Such as...

1. State studies are revealing that Wal-Mart employees are the top recipients of taxpayer-paid health care. Because Wal-Mart does not offer their full-time employees (and by Wal-Mart standards, "full time" is 28 hours a week) affordable, effective health care, they are forced to turn to taxpayer-funded programs like Medicare. These employees alone are costing the American Family over $100,000,000... EVERY YEAR. Why not protest a multi-billion dollar corporation that refuses to care for the basic human rights of its nearly 1.2 million American employees?

Snakes & Martyrs

2006-03-02T10:22:00.001-05:00

Hi, all.

I've really resolved to try to update this blog more often. Hence the new look and three posts. It's not that I don't think about posting... It's just hard to find time.

Things in NYC have been pretty great. School is a lot less frantic this semester, and I find myself much more invested in my projects. I'm really only working on three things: a feature length screenplay entitled "Pilkington," rewriting my script that Kat is directing this summer, and starting on preproduction for my own film, "Miles Wynberry of Glendale Lane." I feel like I've streamlined my work this semester, and it's helped overall with my feelings of malise and that I'm maybe wasting $50,000 dollars. (I've kind of decided I'm not?)

Sarah is wonderful. We both have our hands buried in wedding planning -- she a bit more than I, sad to say. She's visited twice thus far this semester, and I'm going home for Spring Break (I know... I have no idea where the time has gone) on March 10th to stay for a few weeks. We visited the Coney Island Aquarium last weekend, and it was fantastic. I mean, where else are you gonna see two walruses (walri?) having sex? That was worth the price of admission alone.

This weekend, Shane and Dave are visiting and we're gonna go see one of our favorite bands, Mogwai, on Monday night at the Avalon. The show's sold out, and I'm really looking foward to it. I think we're gonna do some touristy things, like eat pizza and maybe visit the Statue of Liberty. It'll be nice to have some friends from home get a real glimpse of my life out here.

Well, I'm off to class. Until next time.

PS / The new TV on the Radio album is an instant classic. I worked on their new video shoot a few weeks ago, and let me warn you... This record is going to take over the world. I wasn't a huge fan of their debut, but this one... Wow. It's better than 90% of anything that's come out in the last 6 years. No joke.

My Favorite Films of 2005!

2006-03-02T09:27:00.001-05:00

here are my favorite films of the past year, in proper order...

20. last days
19. crash
18. thumbsucker
17. oliver twist
16. 2046
15. good night, and good luck
14. walk the line
13. murderball
12. the constant gardener
11. brokeback mountain
10. match point
09. batman begins
08. the beat that my heart skipped
07. charlie and the chocolate factory
06. me and you and everyone we know
05. junebug
04. capote
03. grizzly man
02. the new world
01. syriana

honorable mentions: king kong, forty shades of blue, the first 2/3rds of munich, brick (which i just saw last week, but was pretty great)

best revival of 2006: elevator to the gallows (at the film forum... soon to be released on dvd by the good folks at criterion)

worst films of 2006...

05. sin city
04. harry potter and the goblet of fire
03. the squid and the whale
02. a history of violence
01. elizabethtown

biggest letdown: jarhead

most anticipated of 2006...

10. little children - tom perrotta novel gets the todd field (in the bedroom) treatment.
09. a scanner darkly - richard linklater directs philip k. dick in rotoscope.
08. the departed - scorsese remakes the stellar asian film, infernal affairs.
07. for your consideration - the new film from the folks behind a mighty wind & spinal tap.
06. borat - an entire film devoted to ali g's hilarious, culturally inept alter ego.
05. a prairie home companion - altman (and pt anderson) adapt garrison keillor.
04. marie antoinette - sofia coppolla (hopefully) reinvents the period piece.
03. southland tales - a sprawling, screwed up ensemble pic from richard kelly (donnie darko).
02. the fountain - after six years, aronofsky's sci-fi epic finally sees the light of day.
01. zodiac - david fincher returns to the serial killer genre with a stellar cast.

Pray for Flannery

2006-03-02T09:27:00.000-05:00

My cat, Flannery, has officially been missing for a week now. Please pray that she's okay and that she'll come home soon. I know it may seem dumb, but I've had her for almost two years, and I raised her from scratch, so she's like a little sister to me. Thanks.

Okay...

2006-01-20T09:21:00.000-05:00

Here it is:

I haven't posted on this thing in almost two months (aside from my music list), and for that I am ashamed. Trust me, though, the time off has been well earned.

I'll return with a much longer post later, but I just wanted to let this particular cat out of the bag for those of you still checking this thing out and still interested in my life...

I am getting married!

Sarah officially accepted my proposal of marriage on December 13th, and we couldn't be happier. The date is this July 8th, exactly one year after we began dating. Honestly, we've known from the start that this is what we wanted, so it's great to finally have the ring on the finger, as they say. Over the coming months, I'll be posting a lot about the wedding as things develop, so check back often for pictures and lurid details.

That's my big news. Now, I'm back at Columbia, trying to edit a film I shot over break, and getting back into the swing of things with classes. This semester, I'm writing a feature-length script, so I'll be doing much more writing, which is right up my alley. Less busy work. All signs point toward the film I'm shooting this summer, "Miles Wynberry of Glendale Lane," and much of my work this semester in some way builds up to that 12 minute film. Like before, I'll be talking about this one a lot too, so check back and let me know what you think.

Gotta run to class now. Just wanted to share with you my fantastic news. Hope all is well and that you've had time to rest over the holidays. Here's to aught 6.

YEAR END MUSIC LIST :: 2005

2006-01-08T14:27:00.000-05:00

TOP 45 (or so) ALBUMS OF 2005

45/44. FOUR TET :: "Everything Ecstatic" & CARIBOU :: "The Milk of Human Kindness"
43. SAM PREKOP :: "Who's Your New Professor"
42/41. JOHN VANDERSLICE :: "Pixel Revolt" & FIELD MUSIC :: "Field Music"
40. FRANZ FERDINAND :: "You Could Have It So Much Better"
39. THE SHINING :: "In the Kingdom of Kitsch You Will be a Monster"
38. THE WHITE STRIPES :: "Get Behind Me Satan"
37. GORILLAZ :: "Demon Days"
36. BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE :: "Broken Social Scene"
35. THE PERCEPTIONISTS :: "Black Dialogue"
34. MY MORNING JACKET :: "Z"
33. WOLF PARADE :: "Apologies to the Queen Mary"
32. HOOD :: "Outside Closer"
31/30. SUPERWOLF :: "Superwolf" & JASON MOLINA :: "Magnolia Electric Co. Home Demos"
29. THE CLIENTELE :: "Strange Geometry"
28. FROM MONUMENT TO MASSES :: "Schools of Thought Contend"
27. DANGERDOOM :: "The Mouse & the Mask"
26. ANIMAL COLLECTIVE :: "Feels"
25. SAXON SHORE :: "The Exquisite Death of Saxon Shore" & "Luck Will Not Save Us from a Jackpot of Nothing EP"
24. ANTONY & THE JOHNSONS :: "I am a Bird Now"
23. BECK :: "Guero"
22. OF MONTREAL :: "The Sunlandic Twins"
21. FIONA APPLE :: "Extraordinary Machine" (Both Versions)
20. PATRICK WOLF :: "Wind in the Wires"
19. ...AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD :: "Worlds Apart"
18/17. NADA SURF :: "The Weight is a Gift" & YOUTH GROUP :: "Skeleton Jar"
16. SPOON :: "Gimme Fiction"
15. MIKE DOUGHTY :: "Haughty Melodic"
14. M83 :: "Before the Dawn Heals Us"
13. SAGE FRANCIS :: "A Healthy Distrust"
12. THE DECEMBERISTS :: "Picaresque"
11. BRIGHT EYES :: "Digital Ash in a Digital Urn" & "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning"
10. SIGUR ROS :: "Takk..."
09/08. KANYE WEST :: "Late Registration" & COMMON :: "Be"
07. THRICE :: "Vheissu"
06. AESOP ROCK :: "Fast Cars, Danger, Fire & Knives"
05. FEIST :: "Let It Die"
04. SUFJAN STEVENS :: "Illinois"
03. DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE :: "Plans"
02. THE BOOKS :: "Lost & Safe"
01. BLOC PARTY :: "Silent Alarm" & "Silent Alarm Remixed"

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

ANDREW BIRD :: "The Mysterious Production of Eggs"
DAEDELUS :: "Exquisite Corpse"
BRITISH SEA POWER :: "Open Season"
PORTASTATIC :: "Bright Ideas"
THE BOY LEAST LIKELY TO :: "The Best Party Ever"
TOM VEK :: "We Have Sound"
JASON FOREST :: "Shamelessly Exciting"
BOARDS OF CANADA :: "The Campfire Headphase"
EDAN :: "Beauty and the Beat"
13 & GOD :: "13 & God"
BELL ORCHESTRE :: "Recording a Tape the Colour of Light"
THE CONSTANTINES :: "Tournament of Hearts"
PELICAN :: "The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw"
CRITERIA :: "When We Break"
IRON & WINE :: "Woman King EP"

BEST SOUNDTRACK OF 2005: "Me & You & Everyone We Know" or "The New World" (Tie)

BEST COMPILATION OF 2005: "Run the Road: UK Grime Compilation"

MOST OVERRATED ALBUM OF 2005: CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH :: "Clap Your Hands Say Yeah" or COLDPLAY :: "X & Y" (Tie)

BEST SINGLE OF 2005: "Banquet" by BLOC PARTY or "Feel Good, Inc." by Gorillaz (Tie)

MOST ANTICIPATED OF 2006: MOGWAI :: "Mr. Beast" (March 6)

They Fit Together Like a Puzzle

2005-11-13T10:15:00.000-05:00

Hi!

Wow. It's been a really long time since I posted, and if you've been checking this thing, please accept my apologies for the lack of content. I know I always yap about how busy I've been, but this time it's really really true! I swear!

Anyway, feeble forgiveness aside, things have been crazy here in the NYC.

Sarah flew in last Friday for our usual seeing-each-other-every-two-weeks thing, only this time, instead of just hanging out for the weekend, she threw caution to the wind and stayed until Wednesday night, so we had the pleasure of spending a whole six days together in a row, which is pretty much unheard of in our relationship (and probably equal to, say, one month in a normal romance). Every time she walks down that ramp from her gate in LaGuardia, I get these huge butterflies and feel like a little kid waiting in line for a rollercoaster that I'm just tall enough to ride. (Wow... and the award for worst analogy goes to...) Needless to say, we were both really happy to see one another, and we made the most of our time here in New York.

Actually, I think the best part about having Sarah here for almost a week was the chance for us just to settle in a bit and kind of experience some semblance of normal life. I mean, this time there was less pressure to get out and "sell" New York or show her all the sights. Instead, we spent a lot of time walking down Broadway, reading in the park, watching episodes of Lost, talking in my apartment... Normal things we miss when we only have three days to cram in two weeks' worth of excitement. Saturday night, we were supposed to catch March of the Penguins (which I still have not seen) with my friend Michael, but something came up and he couldn't make it, so Sarah and I decided to skip the movie too and do something outrageous that we've never done together...

Cook dinner!

Yes, that's right. We went to the grocery store and bought a bunch of veggies and tofu and came back to my apartment and made an amazing stir fry, replete with candles and music. Actually, not only was this the first time we've cooked dinner together, but I'm fairly certain it was also the first time the dining room was used in my apartment. Whatever the case, it was a beautiful evening and probably my favorite of the entire week. This is proof that when living in New York City, just staying in and cooking dinner can trump the view from the Empire State.

So us first-years here at Columbia are in the throes of our third Directing assignments, and Sarah was kind enough to act in two of these while she was in town. The exercise is based on a short story by Chekhov called "The Kiss," and involves a) a party, b) a young man leaving the party for some reason, and c) said young man being kissed by a mysterious young lady in a mysterious location. This is the most involved project we've had to shoot yet, and getting a lot of people together for a shoot can be difficult, but it was nice having Sarah here to experience the process. On Sunday night, we went to a restaurant in the West Village called Cowgirl for my friend Lauren's shoot that involved her Grandparents, and Monday night we walked down the block to 540 and played "partiers" in Michael's epic. Sarah had a rather meaty supporting role in the latter as "Party Girl #2," and let me tell you... for those 45 minutes... she was that girl.

Tuesday evening, we took the 1 down to Ground Zero. This was the first time I actually stopped and looked at the sight since arriving in the city... at those giant, gaping holes in the concrete. Sarah and I wondered if the jumpers landed where we were standing as we tried to imagine the entire block choked with rubble and ash. A Polish woman asked me to take her picture.

Later on, we wandered into Chinatown and then Little Italy, where we had an incredible dinner of salmon in a tomato-cream sauce, and $10 shrimp cocktail that included... let me finish... four shrimp. (The best $5 worth of crawfish I've ever had.) The evening was cool and clear as we walked down Canal Street, and for a little while at least, New York seemed small and private and ours.

I shot my directing project Friday night, opting to forego the whole party thing for something more ambitious. I grabbed Michael and Nick's friend Laura (also an actor in the program here), and we headed out to a bar called Mona's here on Amsterdam. After bribing the bartender, I shot my opening scene: Michael drinks alone, sad. Eyes alluring woman across the bar. She eyes him back. Looks escalate until Michael gathers the courage to talk to her. Poof. She's gone. He runs out of the bar, intent on finding her.

Cut to a lot of "Cops" style sprinting through NYC with me trying to keep up with Mike.

Laura enters the subway at 110th. Michael follows and we cut to him just making the train as it pulls away from the platform. Here's where the fun began: I decided to shoot the "kiss" section of my exercise in the subway, which I understand now to be a sign of my mental deterioration, as it is both illegal and impossible. At this point, though, I was in filmmaker mode and I didn't care at all about those odds. I was barking orders, swinging my camera through the crowd, asking people not to look at me, "directing" as the car cut a sharp swath through downtown. Amazingly, two hours and countless stops later, I got all the footage I needed. The whole process was really exciting and I'm so glad I decided to try something different. At the very least, even if the film doesn't ultimately work, I learned something about shooting on the fly.

So, today I'm editing. All day. And then I'm writing and doing script breakdowns and blah blah blah. I have so much work to do before Thanksgiving, I almost want to throw my hands up and just surrender to the firing squad. Oh well. Like sharks, we keep moving.

That's about it for now. But, as usual, I'll leave you with some photos from my week with Sarah. I hope everyone is well and please continue to pray for me as I'm really under a lot of stress out here, and I'll do the same for you. God bless...

Invisible Chidren

2005-11-02T09:30:00.000-05:00

If you would, please take a moment to visit...

www.invisiblechildren.com

I went to the Thrice show last night at the Roseland Ballroom, and received some really interesting information about this organization. It would be great if you could all check out the good work they're doing. Maybe we could each donate a little as well.

Wow! Somebody Give This Guy an Oscar Already!

2005-10-27T21:48:00.000-05:00

If I haven't said it before, Orlando Bloom is an incredible actor and a treasure to our profession.

I tip my fedora to you, sir. May you live forever!

Sincerely Yours,

Bo Bishop
President, Young Men for the Promotion of a Bloomian Utopia

My Sweetheart, the Ghost

2005-10-26T09:15:00.000-05:00

First off... Let me just apologize for not updating this thing in a while. Last week was pretty much the most hectic seven days I've experienced since arriving at Columbia. I had a major project due in every class... That's seven total. A typical day consisted of waking up at 8 am, making a pot of coffee and getting to work, breaking twice to eat, and going back to bed at around 2 am. Needless to say, I was in serious need of a break.

So, I flew home on Friday and spent the weekend at home, which was wonderful. There really is nothing like Ohio in October. Such maudlin, gray weather... I love it. The trees were at the height of their change, unlike here in NYC (still green all over). Sarah and I wanted to have an Autumn-y weekend, so we made hot cider on Friday and carved pumpkins with her family on Sunday (with my "scary face" winning grand praise from the Wagler contingent, I may add).

The best part of the weekend, though, happened on Saturday night...

Sarah and I drove out to Pittsburgh for what she believed would be an evening with one of my favorite authors, Chuck Palahniuk. Earlier in the week, I told her that a friend gave me tickets to an exclusive reading, and begged her to go with me, even though I knew she would probably be less than thrilled at the prospect of watching someone read for two hours.

So, we arrived in Pittsburgh, directly in front of the Mellon Arena where I told her we would be parking. People were streaming into the venue, and I asked her to see who was playing. She looked up at the neon sign and went completely pale...

It was her favorite band in the world: U2.

She really didn't say anything for at least 30 seconds until I said, "Hey, why don't we go to this instead?" She just kept saying, over and over, "Honey... If you're lying..." I told her that I lied about the Palahniuk reading just to get her to Pittsburgh, and that I had actually bought 3rd row seats to the concert on ebay. She absolutely freaked out and started crying. Like, real tears. I have never seen anyone so surprised in all of my life... It was great. Making someone feel that happy is such a cool experience. I'll never forget the look on her face. It was, as they say, priceless.

The show itself was pretty fantastic. They came onstage to "Wake Up" by the Arcade Fire--one of my favorite bands--Bono ascending from the middle of the room in a hail of metallic glitter. The first half of the set was tight and pitch perfect, including great versions of "Where the Streets Have No Name," "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," "Vertigo," and "City of Blinding Lights." The only flaw came about midway when the band launched into "Sunday, Bloody Sunday," and Bono emerged from the crowd wearing a blindfold that said "Coexist" and featured several religious symbols. He went into a rather strange monologue about the need for all of Abraham's children to love each other, and while the message itself was rather moving, the way he went about it was really off-putting. Sarah and I just kind of stopped dancing and watched, looking at each other once in a while to confirm that we both felt a bit uncomfortable. All in all, though, the concert was amazing. They played for about 2 and a half hours, and their setlist included everything I wanted to hear, including a long finale of "40" from War.

Now, back in New York. It's getting very cold here now... Only 43 degrees today as I write this. My friend Mike from California doesn't know what he's getting himself into. He called me rather panicked this morning, unsure of how many layers he should wear. I may need to break out the Winter coat for the first time today...

I'll be back later with some actual thoughts and feelings... You know, the real stuff of blogs.

The Endless March of Sand

2005-10-13T09:25:00.000-05:00

"Of Dust and Nations" by Thrice. From their new album, Vheissu.

The towers that shoulder your pride, the words you've written in stone, sand will cover them, sand will cover you. The streets that suffer your name, your very flesh and your bones, sand will cover them, sand will cover you. So put your faith in more than steel. Don't store your treasures up, with moth and rust where thieves break in and steal. Pull the fangs from out your heel. We live in but a shadow of the real. Step out from time, see the dust of nations. Step out from time, hear the stars ovation. Saturn will not sleep, until the sand has made us clean. Still we stack our stones and bury what we can. But it all will be undone, and nothing built under the sun will ever stand before the endless march of sand.

These lyrics are, in my opinion. some of the most thought provoking to emerge from mainstream American culture in quite some time. It makes me wonder if we're on the verge of experiencing some kind of cultural reformation in this country, where the currency of truth once again amasses value...

The Doctor Makes a Housecall

2005-10-13T08:59:00.000-05:00

I was supposed to go see George Clooney's new directing effort, Good Night, and Good Luck, tonight with my roommates. I've been anxiously anticipating this film for some time. Clooney hasn't ever been one of my favorite actors (I can never really forget the fact that he's George Clooney... He never entirely vanishes for me), but I'm a huge fan of the first film he directed, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. (If you've not seen it, I highly urge you to run out to your local video store and grab a copy.) Clooney as a director has a real command of telling a visual story. His direction and camera movements are both classical and inventive, and he knows how to get some really great performances from his actors. Honestly, I think he's one of the most promising directors working today.

I say, we were going to see the film tonight, but it was just announced that Mr. Clooney himself will be coming to Columbia tomorrow for a special film school screening and Q&A. I'm pretty jazzed. I can't wait to ask him really nerdy questions about directing actors and setting up eyelines and lens selection for shooting black and white interiors. I mean, it's pretty cool that George Clooney is coming to my school to show us his film and talk about it.

So, tonight I think we're gonna go see The Squid and The Whale instead. It's a new film starring Laura Linney and Jeff Daniels, written and directed by Noah Baumbach (the guy who replaced Owen Wilson as Wes Anderson's writing partner on The Life Aquatic). Like Good Night, and Good Luck, Baumbach's film has received its share of high marks, and I've been looking forward to this one as well. I'll post a few reviews this weekend after the screenings.

I was talking to my friend Charlie last night, and we're both so amazed at the amount of potentially good films on the horizon. This could be a really great year for filmmaking. I know I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Title Track

2005-10-12T17:56:00.000-05:00

It's been brought to my attention that certain persons (who shall remain forever nameless) are somewhat unhappy with the state of my blog. These individuals feel as though I don't share enough of my personal thoughts up here in cyberspace, and these individuals are probably right.

But, I never started this thing with the intention of publishing a diary. The sole reason I created "Just Some Water Getting Hotter" was to satiate the number of emails I was receiving on a daily basis requesting pictures and updates about my life and adventures in the Big Apple. This was just an easy way to post some snapshots of my apartment and trips to Central Park without writing 300 individual emails.

Don't get me wrong... I wish I had the time to spruce this thing up a bit. Better yet, I wish I had the time to write those personal emails to everyone. But, frankly, I don't. I already spend 75% of my day in a classroom and the other 25% in front of this computer writing story treatments and shot lists and scene breakdowns. Thus this blog is what it is: a little outpost on the information superhighway for persons interested or bored enough to look at photos of Coney Island and read about my movie opinions. Anyone concerned with the current shape of my brain can drop me a line and I'll give you my cell number and we can have a conversation like civilized people used to do before the advent of time saving technology.

I guess what I'm trying to say is... I never wanted this page to be a blog. My intention was never to post my opinions and feelings and personal thoughts. There's something kind of creepy about random people reading about my life (i.e. young men from Iceland), and I'm a sailor who values his privacy on these high seas.

So, I've kind of already accomplished my goal with this page. I've posted pictures of my apartment, of Coney Island, of Union Square. I've talked about my classes and projects and mishaps and boredoms. The question now is, where to go from here...

Honestly, I think I'm just gonna keep this thing as informal and unpretentious as I am physically and intellectually able. When I have some thoughts to post, I'll post them. When I have some pictures I enjoy, I'll share those. When I want to give of myself emotionally, I'll try to do that too. If you would rather read about someone's interior on a regular basis, I'm sure you could just surf around this site for a couple minutes and find exactly what you're looking for. But, if you'd like to check back here once in a while and see what I'm doing, where I've been hanging out, what flicks I've seen or what music I'm listening to... Please be my guest.

And, as always, all comments are welcome.

Thinking of a Word that Begins with "S"

2005-10-12T17:35:00.000-05:00

Hello, friends and family...do not be deceived. This is not the fun-loving native NY city boy you all know and love. Alas, indeed it it someone much more Ohio-ish than he. Just thought I would jump on and share some pictures of our weekend here together for all of you who were wondering what the perfect portrait of young love might look like (ahh, sigh)....enjoy. -Sarah

We went to MoMA (the Museum of Modern Art) on Saturday. It was raining cats and dogs outside and the place was packed, but really cool none-the-less.

They had a really cool installation where an artist had 40 vocalists sing an opera while she recorded each voice individually. Then, each voice came through its own speaker in a large room and you could sit at the center and hear them all around you, or you could stand beside a speaker and just listen to one person sing. It was a totally unique way to experience the music.

An installation in which 100 cameras filmed one man around his apartment. Sarah was rapt as if these televisions were showing episodes of "Lost."

After the crowds in MoMA, we wanted to just sit in a quiet cafe for a while and talk. So naturally it starts to pour and we duck into this place around NYU called Silver Spurs that features faux-cowboy decor and cheeseburgers the size of an olympic discus.

Sunday morning, we ate breakfast at our favorite joint, Deluxe. Unfortunately, we decided to be "adventurous" and order really unique dishes, both of which haunted us for the entire afternoon. Here I am (Bo), sitting at the bar, pretending not to notice the pretty girl with the camera.

After breakfast, we headed down to one of my favorite places in all of Manhattan: the Lower East Side. The area is really hip and urban and filled to the brim with interesting shops and locals. The weather was a lot better, but not warm enough for all the normal Sunday street vendors with their homemade pickles.

Later on in the evening, we decided to take a stroll through Central Park (Sarah's first visit) and just spend some time talking and praying together. The experience was very nice after walking all day in the chaos of NYC. Central Park is such an amazing place and pretty much the reason I haven't totally lost it living here. Sarah found this tree and fell in love. The nuptials are in July, I believe.

Saying goodbye today was difficult and emotional. You think this would get easier over time, but it doesn't. Every time I say goodbye to her, I hate it even more... (Cue the strings...)

P.S. -- The infamous "Sarah Biting Arm" picture has been removed at the request of the New York Society for the Ethical Treatment of Englishmen (better known as NYSETE). In its stead, we proudly introduce "Sarah Grinning Salaciously." Please enjoy.

The Things You Want End Up Wanting You

2005-10-10T20:04:00.000-05:00

Here Comes the Fear Again

2005-10-07T08:30:00.000-05:00

I talked to my good buddy, Shane, last evening. For those of you not "in the know" (as the kids tend to say), he's been cleaning up after hurricane Katrina for the past few weeks with the National Guard. This little vacation has not only interrupted his semester at Kent State (and, you know, life in general), but also the recording of our Clemens album, "May the People Accept You as a Ghost of the Future." Good news, though. He's coming home this weekend and should be able to get back into classes at Kent without having to forfeit this semester.

If you cool people could please keep him in your prayers as he travels back and mends a busted hand, I would sure appreciate it and so would the man himself. Hopefully they'll let him stay home now for a while, because I know for a fact the ladies miss him at Thursdays.

Also, a quick note before I begin this rockin' weekend: Thus far everything is fine in NYC. I'm aware of the "heightened" security on the subways, but the mayor himself insists he'll be riding them all weekend with his daughters. I guess they have police posted at every station entrance and a lot of undercover cops riding the subways themselves, so I guess we just soldier on. Please don't worry about me. Just maybe pray that I have the discernment to feel if anything's amiss.

I had a dream last night that I bought a really big cockroach for a pet, and it was able to swim fairly gracefully, skimming atop the water in its bowl.

Every Planet We Reach is Dead

2005-10-06T08:17:00.000-05:00

Classes are in full swing now, and I've been working like crazy, pretty much from the moment I wake up until the moment I fall asleep. In fact, two nights ago I had a dream in which I sat around a table with three of my classmates and we developed a story. That's it. No one suddenly turned into a giant lizard or ripped the roof off and flew away. Nope. All we did was talk about act structure and character development.

So this is the reason I haven't been updating this thing as much as I would like, and for that I apologize. I had a chance to get out and explore a bit this week, and I took some pictures I'll share here in a moment. (Notice anything about the one to the right, Dave? Hmmmm?)

First, though, I'd like to talk a bit about a few films, since that is the reason I'm spending all this dough.

Last Friday evening, I caught a screening of Capote with my friend Michael at the Lincoln Plaza. This film stars the ever amazing Philip Seymour Hoffman as Truman Capote and chronicles the 6 year period he spent writing In Cold Blood (he has nothing on you, right Kevin?). Now, I imagine some folks may find the subject matter boring (and if the subject itself sounds drab, you may want to skip this one), but I must say that I was totally and utterly sucked into this film in a way that rarely happens to me these days. Usually, when I watch a movie, I'll think about the process in some respect--whether the lighting or lens selection works, how they got a shot, the actors' eyelines, etc. But with Capote, I totally let go. So much so that I forgot anyone was acting. Philip Seymour Hoffman utterly vanishes as the diminutive title character, and the supporting players are equally impressive, especially the great character actors Catherine Keener and Chris Cooper.

Ultimately, though, what really got me about this film was its sinister simplicity. I say "sinister" because of an amazing reversal that happens three-fourths of the way through. The movie is shot very conventionally, meaning no fancy camera movements (if the camera moves at all) and a very drab color palette--no reds, no oranges, no yellows. It's classical filmmaking at its most effective. This drabness numbs you for the majority of the film. As Capote interviews the murderers and subsequently befriends them (and none of this is a surprise if you've read the book or seen Richard Brooks' really great 1967 film adaptation), we believe them to be good people in a bad situation. We come to really like these guys, to sympathize for them. The simplistic style of the film invites us to develop and maintain these feelings.

Then, we flash back to the night of the murder, and we are literally jolted upright. What we see is red... Red everywhere. Real blood and real ruthlessness. Blood spurting from an innocent man's neck. And in that moment, I was reminded of who these men really were and what they did, and I was sick to my stomach for feeling empathy for them. Like Capote's novel, we are reviled by the violence, but we need to explain it away or cover it in reason and logic, or (in the case of what I do) make it pretty and cinematic and literary. But, it really just comes down to the fact that these men killed in cold blood. This scene alone is worth the price of admission. I really encourage all of you to see Capote.

A History of Violence, on the other hand, displays some of the worst uses of violence I've seen in quite some time. This is a film that's been getting huge buzz ever since it debuted at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. It stars our man from LOTR, Viggo Mortensen, as upstanding family man Tom Stall. Tom owns a diner in a small, friendly town. One evening, two men enter the diner to rob it, and Tom flips out, brutally killing both of them. National news catches wind of the story and soon Tom is a bonafide hero. Not long after, though, three strange men show up in a black Towncar, convinced Tom is really Joey Cusack, a mob enforcer who vanished over 20 years ago.

Don't worry, I won't give away any of the film's "twists" (if you wish to call them that), but I do want to talk about the violence. This is, even in the title, a film that concerns itself with the various modes of, and reasons for, violence. Quite literally, over the course of its two hour running time, the film chronicles pretty much every form of violence one could image (not always graphically, but often so): violence against innocent people, against children, bullies, bad guys, women, gangsters and cops. Essentially, each scene of violence serves to illuminate another form of violence in the history of cinema, in the same sense that Pulp Fiction showed us what is was really like when Bruce Willis guns down a random bad guy (who actually turns out to be the film's leading man). But, where that film chose to save its violence for the truly essential, shocking moments, A History of Violence never lets up, and thus none of the violence is particularly effective. In fact, the one minute of violence in Capote shocked and moved me more than the entirety of History, was essential to the story, and essential to my understanding of its themes. A History of Violence tried to take me somewhere, but I just ended up in a limbo where I didn't really even care.

So, I guess what I'm saying is: Run to see Capote. Avoid A History of Violence. Both, I believe, open wide this weekend in theatres across the country.

Sarah's coming into town again this weekend and I'm really excited. We've made a bunch of plans, but you know how that goes. I know for sure that we're going to hang out in Central Park for a while, as she's never been there and I've developed a lovely obsession with it. We're also going to visit MOMA (finally!) and probably the Lower East Side on Sunday when they have the open air markets. Aside from that, I'm sure we'll just enjoy each other's company and remember all those day-to-day things we miss with the distance. She's a lot more excited to visit the city this time, as she knows what to expect and it won't be as overwhelming. I'm sure we'll take a million pictures (we're, um, a bit addicted) that I'll post on Monday with all the juicy details...

I finally showed my first directing exercise in class this week. (For those of you who do not know, I was supposed to play it last week, but it was not on my tape and I was tremendously embarrassed.) Well, my professor, Ben Ross, ended up really enjoying it, and we watched it a few times and I told everyone how I accomplished the different shots and what not. It was a huge relief. Part of me thought he would absolutely hate it, because I really went out on a stylistic limb and just figured I would shoot something that represents my cinematic tastes (all those great whip pans and tracking shots). The objective was to film a "process" without using sound and to clearly tell a story. I decided to film my roommate's girlfriend Tracey cleaning my Pentax and taking a picture of Grant's Tomb. Pretty simple, but easy to work with. There were a few moments in the film that really caught my prof's attention, and they were complete mistakes on my part, but I'll take 'em. I'm hoping to post it up here for all of you to check out, so be on the lookout later this week.

Today, I'm acting in a scene from the great play This is Our Youth. My character is Warren, a little punk who gets pushed around by his "friend" Dennis. My acting partner, Ryan, gets to slap me a bunch of times, which is great for him. I'm not really looking forward to this (I have a love/hate relationship with my acting class/professor) but it could be fun. I'll take pictures and post the bruises.

Pizza + Hotdogs

2005-10-01T20:52:00.000-05:00

I spent the afternoon in Central Park yesterday and caught some fun Autumn shots I'd like to share with you good people. The weather really is spectacular here right now. If anyone would like to visit, now's the time, because soon I'll be knee deep in coldness (which is, coincidentally, the name of my new emo band).

Same Ghost Every Night

2005-09-30T12:37:00.000-05:00

It's official: Autumn has descended upon Manhattan.

In my opinion, this is great news, because that means I get to wear jackets and blazers and zip-ups. It's getting pretty chilly... The high today is only 68 degrees, which I know is downright hot for some of you, but bear in mind NYC has maintained a fairly steady boil ever since I arrived over a month ago, so the sudden shift is rather dramatic.

The leaves are on the cusp of changing, so I'm going to spend some time writing and reading in Central Park today. My week has been very hectic, so I'm looking forward to having some downtime in which to order my thoughts.

Speaking of... I had a pretty amazing breakthrough this week regarding a feature script I've been developing and which I'll actually write next semester. For those of you familiar with the concept (it's one I've talked about for quite some time), it's called "The Speed of Film (or Elements in the Air)," and it's about a 33-year-old office clerk named Lincoln who, in the Summer of 1956, drives cross country to recover his brother's body. Along the way, he picks up Henry Miller, who's making a documentary about the vanishing American West, and the proverbial crap hits the proverbial spinning blade. For the longest time, this project hasn't really been a story so much as a concept, and getting some sort of narrative sense as to what actually happens has been difficult.

Well, this week in my Elements of Dramatic Narrative class, I had one of those moments when the lightbulb just burst above my head and suddenly the whole thing made complete sense. I won't bore you with all the details, but I've become super excited again with the story and can't wait to get started with the dirty work of writing. I'll keep you informed, and maybe when I get a solid synopsis I'll post it for you all to read.

I realized today that I have yet to post any real pictures of my room. So, without further ado... here are a few I took today. Hope you enjoy.

Meaning Amidst the Chaos

2005-09-28T14:06:00.000-05:00

From The Poetics, by Aristotle:

Epic poetry and Tragedy, Comedy also and Dithyrambic poetry, and the music of the flute and of the lyre in most of their forms, are all in their general conception modes of imitation. They differ, however, from one another in three respects--the medium, the objects, the manner or mode of imitation, being in each case distinct.
For as there are persons who, by conscious art or mere habit, imitate and represent various objects through the medium of color and form, or again by the voice; so in the arts above mentioned, taken as a whole, the imitation is produced by rhythm, language, or 'harmony.'
Since the objects of imitation are men in action, and these men must be either of a higher or a lower type (for moral character mainly answers to these divisions, goodness and badness being the distinguishing marks of moral differences), it follows that we must represent men either as better than in real life, or as worse, or as they are.
Poetry in general seems to have sprung from two causes, each of them lying deep in our nature. First, the instinct of imitation is implanted in man from childhood, one difference between him and other animals being that he is the most imitative of living creatures, and through imitation learns his earliest lessons. Next, there is the instinct for 'harmony' and rhythm, meters being manifestly sections of rhythm. Persons, therefore, starting with this natural gift developed by degrees their special aptitudes, till their rude improvisations gave birth to Poetry.

I'm currently reading The Poetics for my Elements of Dramatic Narrative class. I found the above passages to be very comforting in relation to film--being that it's an artform that strives to both imitate humanity and excite through rhythm, ultimately producing (we hope) harmony. Thus, a good film is really like a good song, having a structure that is at once logically consistent within its key and meter, while also remaining surprising in its shape and progression.

I've been rather discouraged lately about some of my projects, and perhaps about this whole Columbia thing in general. But, I realize that I should be a filmmaker striving to create harmony, not discord, no matter the size and scope of the work.

Everybody's Working for the Weekend...

2005-09-21T16:10:00.000-05:00

I'm in the DMC right now (that's Digital Media Center to all you non-Columbianites out there), editing my first Directing assignment. It features Tracie, my roommate Nick's girlfriend from California, in the role of "Girl Cleaning Camera and Taking Picture." Oddly enough, the "plot" involves a girl cleaning her camera and taking a picture. This epic was shot on location at Grant's Tomb, which is located three blocks west of my apartment and has become one of my favorite places to sit and write.

The assignment is fairly simple: film someone performing a process and cut it together without using sound or music. But, it's actually a lot more difficult that it initially seems. Basically, you have to shoot a bunch of coverage of someone doing something and try to cut it together without it becoming a Michael Bay (director of The Rock and Pearl Harbor) exercise in editing (or what film professors lovingly refer to as f@*# cutting). This has put everyone in a constant state of panic around these parts, as this exercise is our first chance to "show our stuff" to our teachers, but also rather limiting and (in some cases) seemingly unshootable. So we've been scrambling for actors and ideas all week.

Tonight, we're having a big School of the Arts cruise, which involves a fancy dinner at 7 on a boat in the harbor and then a cruise around the island of Manhattan after dark. I'm not sure if I'm going to stay for the actual cruise, but I'm looking forward to another meal on the school's dime. If I do go, I'll be sure to take my camera and add some pix up here later of the vistas.

I'm going home this weekend to visit Sarah and our respective parents. Honestly, I really need the time to decompress, as life in the city has been quite stressful as of late. Don't get me wrong... I like living here. NYC is incredible and I can't wait to get out and explore again, but I really get sick of the constant noise and stress and concrete. I need a break and I cannot wait.

This Could be a City, This Could be a Graveyard

2005-09-18T16:32:00.000-05:00

Friday evening, I was once again wandering aimlessly around Midtown under my first truly oppressive New York sky (like, Godzilla-worthy storm clouds) when I decided to duck into the Loews on 66th to catch a flick. I was just in time for the 7:30 Thumbsucker, so I bought a ticket, grabbed a center seat, and cracked open my copy of Tropic of Cancer, waiting for the lights to dim.

Before they did, though, a youngish looking hipster type shambled to the front of the room, accompanied by an equally hip young lady, who announced into her mic, "Hello everyone. I'm Cynthia from Sony Pictures Classics, distributor of Thumbsucker. We have a special treat for you all this evening. With me is Mike Mills, the director of the film." The youngish hipster waved at us. We all gave him a round of applause as Cynthia handed the mic over.

He thanked us for coming and took our picture a few times. He was super excited, because we were one of the first paying audiences to see his film, which he had spent the last six years of his life developing. I could really tell he was genuinely happy to speak to a nearly sold out crowd. He thanked us again, sat down at the back of the theatre, and we all watched the movie, which was a sweet little coming-of-age story about a 17-year-old kid who, imagine this, sucks his thumb. He goes through the various stages of awkwardness throughout the course of the film, but the movie really does have a nice heart, and I had a good time watching it.

After the film, Mr. Mills answered questions for about 20 minutes. It was pretty funny, as a film student, to listen to the kinds of questions people ask filmmakers outside of the classroom setting. "Why did you use editing to tell this story?" -- To which the director responded, "Because we had all these strips of film that we had to put together." Or, "Why did you use the color blue in the bathroom?" A: "Because the house we found had a blue bathroom." When everyone else finally left, I approached Mr. Mills and we had a really nice 45 minute conversation about films (he thanks David Fincher in the credits), film school (he was an art major), and Elliott Smith (who was supposed to write the score, but he sadly passed on before that happened). All told, Mike was a great guy. He gave me his cell phone number and offered to take a look at anything I wanted to show him, so I'm sure I'll run some of my directing assignments by him in the near future.

I played some poker last night with a few guys from the program and ended up winning $20, which was a nice surprise. I hadn't played since the Spring, so it's nice to know I still got that cold, dead stare down.

NYC is still hot and humid. Near 90 today. I've been spending most of my time in the Hungarian Pastry Shop on Amsterdam. It's my official coffee shop now. A cup of coffee is $1.80 with free refills. They even put the pot on the counter, so you can pour your own. How great is that? I like having a place that feels like my own here. It's comforting.

Now if only I could find a cool place to dance on Thursday nights...

Under the Weather

2005-09-16T15:54:00.000-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days. I've been running like mad, filled to the brim with business. But now it's Friday... blessed Friday... and I get a chance to sit here for a few moments and just breathe a little.

I'm not feeling very well this weekend. I woke up two days ago with a runny nose and now can't seem to shake a slight cold. Oh well... The mild sickness itself isn't bad; it's the medicine one needs to take to make one's self feel right again. I've been walking around New York in a constant fog of sinus pills, talking to random strangers about large white birds and tripping out in short film class. Seriously... I propose we just end this "non-drowsy" charade once and for all. We know it doesn't really make you tired, but it does send you face-first into a shallow pool of unconsciousness. You function, but not really.

So I guess I've not really been functioning for the last two days.

I've settled into a pattern here. The other day, I was telling Sarah that I had this weird realization: When my dad and I drove out to the city, everything seemed hyper-real and exciting. Now, one month later, I'm walking around NEW YORK CITY and acting as if it's perfectly normal. What does one call that? I mean... I've actually become accustomed to living here. By no means does it feel like home, but I have my shops and my spots to grab coffee and make copies. I have my apartment and my schedule. In many respects, I'm on complete autopilot, merely waking and walking the six blocks to class and staying there for ten hours and walking the six blocks back home and working for another four hours and going to bed. It's just so strange to think that I'm actually taking this city for granted. I'm surrounded on all sides by vibrant and pulsating life, and it's normal, and I hate it.

I want that feeling back of taking the subway to Columbus Circle and walking to Lincoln Square and reading in Central Park and I want it all to feel brand new again. I don't want to take any of this for granted. I suppose it's natural, but after you see the Empire State building 20 times a day, the sight loses a bit of its lustre. Every other time I've visited NYC, I've felt something very specific. It's a feeling I can't really articulate, but one that always excited me and one I've come to associate with the city. Now, that feeling is gone. Maybe I just need to get away from Columbia for a while and reboot. I doubt another trip to Coney Island will do that, but I need to expand my horizons a bit and see more sights.

This weekend, tons of good movies open out here: Everything is Illuminated, Proof, The Corpse Bride, The Lord of War, Thumbsucker, and Capote. I've still only gone to see ONE movie out here (I can't believe that) outside of a Columbia classroom (and that was the amazing Elevator to the Gallows at the Film Forum), so I plan on catching two of these while they're hot. Any suggestions? I think I'm leaning toward Illuminated (a book I absolutely adored) and Thumbsucker, but Capote is extremely tempting too. Lord of War is written and directed by Andrew Niccol, a favorite of mine for making the supremely underrated Gattaca, but it's getting really lousy reviews, so I think I'll wait until I hear anything else about it. Let me know if any of you see any of these, or any other good films for that matter.

I'm also really upset because one of my absolute favorite bands, The Arcade Fire, played last night in Central Park as part of the CMJ music marathon that's going on right now in the city. I, of course, could not attend said concert because you had to purchase a pass to the whole marathon to get into any of the shows, and said pass cost $300. Granted, if I had more time I'd also get to see pretty much any band I want this weekend, as every label in the world descends upon the city and sets up shop. Feist and Doves played Wednesday. The Arcade Fire last night. But, what really really really really really really really made me cry was the fact that someone very special ended up OPENING for Arcade Fire. A little known musician by the name of David Bowie.

Sigh.

The Arcade Fire. Under the stars in Central Park. With David Effing Bowie. Not only playing his own set. No. But also joining The Arcade Fire onstage to perform as well.

This is a great city. It's also very frustrating.

Content Rules the Marketplace

2005-09-12T17:36:00.000-05:00

I had my first directing class yesterday with Ben Ross, and I must happily report, very much unhyperbolically, that it was the most rewarding film class I've ever been privy to thus far in my short career. We spent a great deal of the time analyizing a Polanski short film called Teeth Smile, and deconstructing various scenes from Taxi Driver and 2001. Professor Ross seems very much in line with my sensibilities, and I'm really looking forward to our working relationship, as he is also my advisor.

I also went to the sold out Sigur Ros show last night at the Beacon Theatre with Michael, who had an extra ticket and was gracious enough to invite me along. They only played two songs from their new album, Takk..., which was a bit disappointing, but all in all it was a great experience. They brought a string quartet with them, and their visuals were, as usual, top notch and always complimentary to the music. Jonsi's voice was a bit spotty at times, as was the drumming. Not the best time I've seen them live, but mediocre Sigur Ros is better than 90% of everything else.

It's been a really stressful few days, but things are looking up. I get to act on Thursday in a David Mamet scene called "Cold" for my Directing Actors class, which should be interesting to say the least. My partner has never acted before, and he is terrified of the proposition, so I'm sure the sparks will fly. I just hope we can make it our own, even in a little way.

She's My Coney Island Baby

2005-09-11T17:01:00.000-05:00

I can honestly say there is no place on Earth quite like Coney Island, Brooklyn.

My friend Michael Hill (a first-year filmmaker from Huntington Beach, CA, and a fellow photography buff / NYC adventurist extraordinare) decided to take the trip down with me, and we walked to the subway station excited by the prospect of seeing the Atlantic and enjoying what's left of the sunshine New York has to offer this summer.

We stopped off in the West Village to have lunch with two other first-years, Lauren and Roberto (that's Robert over there, looking quite handsome in my Revival shades). On the way to their apartment, a nice young man passed Michael and myself and grabbed his crotch, announcing, "I got ten inches." We thanked him for his kind offer and praised everything holy in heaven that we don't live in the Village. While I'm sure this kind of thing does wonders for real estate values, I'm quite happy with the quiet confines of Morningside Heights.

After lunch, Lauren, Michael and myself hopped on the F train and took it all the way into Coney Island, which is at the very bottom tip of Brooklyn (about a 45 min jaunt, all told). Midway through the trip, though, the train broke ground and sunshine flooded our car. The last half of the journey we rode above ground, Chicago-style, getting a glorious eyeful of the Southeast borough.

Then we smelled it, the mighty Atlantic, the salt and seabreeze. And there it was, the object of my wanton, desperate affection: Coney Island. All glorious and gorgeously decaying.

As we walked to the beach, the sun was just beginning to slope down toward the horizon, right along the spine of the Space Needle.

We walked around for a while, just taking in the sights. It was really strange being that close to the ocean and still so far removed from a normal beach setting. There was no denying that this was still New York. Trash littered the sand. English was spoken as frequently as Spanish or Yiddish or Italian. One of the arcade booths proudly invited us to "Shoot the Freak," which involved, as one might imagine, shooting a real, living circus freak with a paintball gun as he (or she) ran around a little gallery. This is the birthplace of the hotdog and home to the International Mermaid Festival. Myrtle it is not.

Here's a few shots I took early on:

Soon, we walked down the pier and there was an overwhelming stench coming from the beach. A crowd of people had gathered along the left side and were staring over the edge, down at the water. Curious, we pushed our way through.

This is what they were looking at:

Closer? No problem...

If anyone can tell me what that is, I'll give you a dollar. Everyone on the pier had their ideas, but none of us could equivocally pin it down. I think it looks like a shark that's been dead for a long time, but who knows. I may just be a big fish, but I heard someone say that fish don't decompose like that, because of their chemical makeup, but this person was also selling mangos on a stick.

After leaving the pier, I took some interesting pictures of the former Coney Island Community Center, a building that captivated our collective attention.

I'm really enjoying the panoramic feature on my digital camera. That bottom picture actually ends up being about eight feet from left to right, so it may be fun to have it printed up some day and framed. (Sorry it's so small... The file was just took big to fit any other way on this humble site.)

After the sun set, we wandered through Astroland and snagged some final shots:

All in all, it was a wonderful experience and I can't wait to get my pictures developed that I took with my Pentax. Hopefully they'll turn out nicely.

Well, I'm off to a screening of Amarcord for my Elements of Dramatic Narrative class. Tomorrow, I'll put up some pictures I took of the Manhattan skyline last night that I'm quite fond of. Hope all is well with my friends and family. Call or write or visit soon. I really do love you all, no matter what the wind whispers.

Winners Never Quit

2005-09-10T10:02:00.000-05:00

Okay, okay, okay.

Here it is: Today's the day I finally get to Coney Island. The last two times I've tried I ended up in Central Park, oddly enough...

The first time, Sarah called while I was in the subway, so I left those torturous depths for the reception-friendly expanse of Columbus Circle. If you don't know, this is the south-west entrance to the park, and I just couldn't resist taking a stroll while we talked on the phone. I ended up sitting by the southern pond for a few hours, writing postcards and just enjoying the New York vistas that Central Park offers.

So, yesterday I had class until 12:30. While I was trying to decide what to do after, that old Coney Island specter wrapped its icy fingers around my neck and started dragging me south. Again, I was going to transfer to the F train at 96th Street, but I ended up at surface level in search of a record store one of my friends informed me resides in that area. While I did not, in fact, find the store, I did find my way once again into Central Park, this time farther north than I've ever been. After a nice little walk, I happened upon the Turtle Pond, which is a refuge for both box turtles and dragonflies. An older man was there feeding the turtles with a cucumber (no ranch dressing, I'm sorry to say, Dave). I saw three or four baby turtles swimming behind their mom, just following her wherever she went. Made me go all wet-noodle.

Anyway... My first week of class is over. It's gonna be pretty intense. They didn't lie in the brochures. I'm taking 21 hours this semester, which is actually three hours over the Columbia limit, so we're taking one of the classes on the sly and officially signing up for it next semester. I have Directing, Screenwriting, Producing, Film Theory & History, Elements of Dramatic Narrative, Directing the Actor, and Short Films. On top of that, we have a few workshops and screenings each week, and every Friday the school brings in a famous director to screen his or her new work (Aronofsky is coming soon to preview The Fountain and I've heard Polanski is gonna swing by with Oliver Twist). So, my boat's pretty full. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers, if you're so inclined.

So, I'm off to Coney Island. I'll take some pics and post them later. I hope everyone is well and enjoying the final days of summer. I'd love to hear from all of you, and my second wave of postcards is headed out this week, so keep watching yr mailboxes!

Live from Sierra Leone

2005-09-07T17:33:00.000-05:00

I received a pretty interesting email from Sarah today. She's currently taking a class at Akron called Human Diversity, and today her prof asked the class what twelve things were vital to their existence. The only stipulation was that these things had to be tangible objects, meaning one could physically obtain them (as opposed to, say, "love" which is an abstract idea).

Here is the list that the Akron students agreed upon, in the order they thought of the items:

01. Money
02. Shelter
03. Sacred Text
04. Cow
05. Companion
06. Drinking Water
07. Antibiotic
08. Shoes
09. Mode of Transport
10. Electricity
11. Cell Phone
12. Soap
13. Blanket

I found this list rather intriguing, in that American college kids believe money to be essential to basic survival, let alone the absurdity of a cell phone (I guess that's what the electricity is for... or maybe the cow). I guess it really just depends upon one's idea of survival. In that case, this list is a pretty good survival guide for a long weekend in a shopping mall.

As a contrast, here is the same list, this time produced by homeless boys in Tanzania, in the order of importance:

01. Clothing
02. Caring Adult
03. Safe Drinking Water
04. Best Friend
05. Snack
06. Quiet Place to Sleep
07. Bathing Water
08. Rice
09. Porridge
10. Shoes
11. Oranges
12. Haircomb

While there are certainly similarities between the lists, this one doesn't mention anything about either money or shelter (aside from "quiet place to sleep"), because those things are completely foreign to these kids. And cell phones? Do we really need cell phones to survive? Or electricity? I'm not trying to preach, just raise a few questions.

And, it could be because I'm absolutely broke. My loans STILL haven't gone through, so I don't really have tons of expendable cash at the moment (not that I will when they do), which is fine when I think about these lists. My needs are more than met, and just because I can't buy everything I want doesn't mean I should in the first place. Those who know me know I talk a lot about consumerism in the Western World and the ills it inflicts upon those less fortunate countries in our debt, and I've really been thinking a lot about that topic here in New York City, one of the most impoverished and consumeristic cities in the world. Here is the paradox of the homeless man collecting soda cans in a Prada bag.

So I guess I just want to use this little space to encourage all of you to make your own lists and really consider what you need and what you can live without. I've thought about mine today, and here it is, in no real order:

01. My Family
02. My Girlfriend
03. Friends
04. Clothes
05. Renewable Food Sources (Garden, Goats, etc.)
06. Clean Drinking Water
07. A Leatherman
08. The Bible
09. Shelter from the Elements
10. Soap
11. Penicillin
12. Source of Fire (Waterproof Matches, etc)

Also, one last thing: I know I talk about American Apparel a lot, but I just want to urge any of you thinking about buying some new clothes to consider shopping their online store. It's a great company that really cares about it's employees and manufactures all of its products in America with sweatshop free labor. They even use their own employees as models. How cool is that?

Sorrow Drips Into Yr Heart Thru a Pinhole

2005-09-05T19:17:00.000-05:00

Today is my father's birthday, so right off the bat here I need to embarrass him by posting a picture of him deep in slumber. I took this whilst we were moving into my apartment, and I guess the old man just can't handle the rigors of hard labor anymore. What's really troubling is I took this photo five minutes after receiving my keys. He hung that picture up on the wall and promptly passed out, leaving me to singlehandedly move the rest of my gear into the place while making sure local hoodlums didn't draw their graffiti all over our van. Sheesh.

At any rate... Here's to you, Dad. May you live forever.

So, onto the posting. Sorry I haven't updated this thing in a minute, but as some of you know, Sarah was in town for the weekend and brought with her all the business and excitement of young love. We had the best intention to post a new message Friday or Saturday morning, but for some reason this blog site was acting funny and wouldn't allow me to insert spaces between paragraphs. Thusly, I became infuriated with emo technology and swore off posting altogether. But, she's gone now and I'm lonely, so here I sit.

Our weekend was great. I wont regale you with all the details, but we did take some fun pictures that I want to share. Sarah arrived Thursday evening and I took the M60 bus through Harlem to Laguardia, which was a fun experience in itself. I saw the Apollo theatre and dreamed of one day spitting some serious flavor upon its hallowed stage. That evening we just hung out around Morningside Heights, taking a short tour of the campus (very beautiful at night, btw) and having some Italian at Pertutti's. This pic was taken outside of my building by a midget named Horatio. He often sits on the front steps, playing his Jew's harp and commenting on the sad state of East Indian championship kickboxing.

Friday, we had breakfast at my favorite place, Deluxe (great goat cheese and spinach omelets). Then we decided to go to Union Square for some shopping, which was maybe a bad idea, because it was Sarah's first experience with the crowds in NYC, and she was rather overwhelmed, as can be the case if you're not familiar with being smushed constantly on all sides by hordes of unwashed, rancid people. We sat down in Union Square park and had a conversation and a nice moment of peace. This is a (rather overexposed) pic of the statue at the center of Union Square. While it may be crowded, it's still one of my favorite spots in NYC.

That night we came back to Columbia for a screening of our Orientation projects, which was really fun. Everyone was in good spirits, ready to be done with the stress of orientation. My group's film, Not Without My Gerbil: The Dickie Parnell Story, was received well, but for some reason the last 30 seconds were missing from our tape, which was disappointing to say the least. But, Sarah and I had a blast watching all the flicks and I had fun introducing her to all my fellow film geeks. Hopefully I'll be able to snag a copy of the film to show you guys on break.

After the screening Sarah and I took the L train out to Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where I FINALLY got to experience the American Apparel store on North Six! Huzzah! I must say, it was well worth the wait. We spent some time walking around in Brooklyn, and Sarah had the opportunity to see her very first NYC rat, which she was super excited about, lemmie tell ya. We met up with my friend Jonny at the Union Pool, which is a cool little grog shop. After all the excitement earlier that day, it was nice to just have a drink and relax a bit and listen to some music with friends.

Saturday was probably the best day I've had thus far in the city. We woke up and ate at my place, reading the New York Times together with our feet propped up on the living room windows. (Every three minutes, NYC tour busses roll past my building, and I really enjoy watching them while I eat my toast. It's been my ritual ever since I moved in. For some reason, the pattern is just really comforting.) This was my first chance to read about all the madness going on in the South with the hurricane aftermath. I'm still shocked and can't believe the lack of relief afforded to these American refugees. It's rather embarrassing to see the variance in governmental assistance between disasters in Florida and those in other states. I'm really not trying to be a conspiracy theorist (UFOs in the Vatican!), but when Florida gets hit, they get help right away. Whatever the case, bravo to those of you going out of your way to help and I hope we all donate any way we can, whether that's time or money or prayers.

Anyway, enough pontificating. After breakfast we went down to Canal Street and looked around at all the street vendors. They had these little box turtles all over the place and we really wanted to buy one, because they look so sad. At one point, we saw a woman with maybe 30 of them in this little bucket of water and it was just crazy depressing. They're so tiny and fragile but she was just tossing them around like little bits of garbage. Sarah asked me if we could buy them all and release them into a pond, so maybe next time she's here we'll go on a box turtle liberation mission.

We grabbed some lunch in Chinatown (not as good as I've had before, but the pot stickers were like delicious heaven), and headed over to SoHo in search of the New Museum of contemporary Art. Along the way, we were sidetracked by all the amazing little shops and side streets. We walked around for about an hour and when I looked at the map, I was a little surprised to discover that we had walked almost all the way across Manhattan from west to east (totally missing the gallery). Sometimes, it's really funny to me that Sarah and I make plans, as they tend to get thrown out the window with the best intentions. We decided to walk up Avenue A into the East Village. In Tompkins Square Park, we laid down in the grass and read magazines and just relaxed after all that walking. The sun was setting over the Hudson and the evening was warm and murmuring and beautiful. An amazing ending to an equally amazing day.

It was really difficult to say goodbye to Sarah yesterday, but I also have a new peace in my heart about our relationship. It's strange, but the distance and now the time together have sort of been testing grounds for the reality of our somewhat crazy situation. Before I came out here, I was worried that the distance would destroy us. Both of us (and I'm sure all of our friends and family) wondered if we could handle it, if our relationship really was strong enough to stay the storm. Instead of being unbearable, the distance really ended up bringing us together in a strange, lovely way. Honestly, I was worried that this weekend would be strange though. Worried that Sarah might not feel the way she did before or that the spark wouldn't be there or whatever. Worried for many different reasons. But, our time was beautiful and safe and so completely comfortable. It just reaffirmed and expanded upon everything I felt before. I miss her now, but I also have an extreme peace about our relationship, because we decided long ago that we aren't strong enough to do this on our own and that we need to commit our relationship to God and put things in his hands. It's nice to know that there's nothing I can do to hold Sarah through my own strength, but that all things bloom through the spirit.

So today I spent the afternoon in Central Park, watching people feed the ducks and walking the same path Gene Hackman and Angelica Huston walked in The Royal Tenenbaums. I think I really needed the time to decompress before classes officially begin tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to the work, though. Salivating for my chance at the bit. Hopefully I'll feel the same way in a month or two. If I show up on your doorstep is ashes and sackcloth, please be understanding and take me out back and hose me down. I'm taking 21 hours this semester, so I don't even think I'll have time to be tired. You know I love to juggle me a few good projects.

So, that's about all I have right now. Sarah says I need to write more "thoughts and feelings" on this blog, so I'll leave you with these: New York City is not the same without the World Trade Center. The skyline just looks strange and empty. Punch-Drunk Love could very well be the best P. T. Anderson picture, although Magnolia still rules my heartstrings. I'm kind of sick of the whole neo-disco thing going on in music, so hopefully that trend is gonna end soon. I don't know if we'll have bodies in heaven, because what about aborted babies? There can't just be a bunch of fetuses (fetusi?) swimming around up there in amniotic fluid, right? And now for the most emo thing you'll ever hear me say: I cannot stop listening to the new Death Cab for Cutie album, Plans.

Oh, and here's a few other pictures we took this weekend:

(That last one's for Dave.)

Day Two of My New Life

2005-08-30T18:53:00.000-05:00

So here it is: My first day as a Columbia student SUCKED. Plain and simple. Not only was I inundated with information and bad ideas from other students, but I still haven't received any cash from my loans and my rent is due on the 1st. On top of that, we had a premiere screening last evening of Steal Me and the director, Melissa Painter, a Columbia graduate, informed us all after the film that "no one can make a living as a director without falling back on something else." She's been working for ten years in the business and hasn't quit her job as a waitress yet. So, not only am I paying an insane amount of money for this education, but I won't even be able to handle my loans when I'm finished without cleaning toilets at Howard Johnson. Needless to say, it was quite discouraging.

But, today... TODAY... was much much better. The first two speakers this morning (producing and acting professors) were amazingly encouraging and exciting. They both reminded me of why I wanted to be here in the first place, that filmmaking is an artform that should be learned and respected, and that... hey... I could always fall back on teaching if directing jobs are few and far between. I also feel renewed in my desire to kick some serious can out here and show these NYC kids how ohioians with quality do.

So my orientation group spent the entire day shooting our project. Oh yeah... just to let you know, part of this orientation week involves us splitting up into groups and writing, shooting, and editing short video projects which we'll screen this Friday night for the entire school. The only guideline we were given was a line: "It's in too deep, but I think I can get it out." Not the most Godardian place to begin, but it's been fun. My group decided to make a mock-documentary about Richard Gere and his relationship with a little boy entitled Not Without My Gerbil. I spent the day running up and down Riverside Drive, filming Buddhist temples and opulent mansions. It was great, sweaty fun. We're gonna start cutting it together tomorrow, so hopefully it'll all fit together. I'll let you know.

This morning, I also took a few pix of my area. Here's my street:

Those are the buildings across the street from mine.

Speaking of...

There it is! The Delaware! That's my door, ya'll. Straight outta a Woody Allen flick. It really is a cool building.

Here's a pic of our screening room at Columbia:

It's a cool little space. This is where 1st years spend 90% of their time, I'm told, so I'll probably be super sick of it by Friday.

I'm meeting Jonny again tonight to talk shop. We're working on a little script right now called Pilkington and I'm also gonna try to convince him to let me borrow his cinematic flavor on my upcoming 'Bia shorts (his "flavor" being some fine gear and cinematographer's eye). Sarah and I talked today about her being here for my first short this December, so I'm probably gonna write a part for her and see how that goes. I think I'd enjoy directing her for a change. :)

Hope all is well with everyone. Please write soon and keep me in yr prayers.

lv.bo

PS / Here are two somewhat mysterious pix of my room. I won't reveal the entire glory until I get everything up on the walls and what not, but these'll give you an idea of my digs.

The hair continues to grow, although, sadly, the beard does not...

We Will Only be Together in the Headlines

2005-08-28T23:34:00.000-05:00

Tonight, I met up with Lauren and Roberto, two of my fellow first-year Columbia classmates. We got some coffee in the West Village and I finally had some New York sushi at a nice little place on Houston. Let me say, it was pretty darn good, but Sakura in West Akron still holds the key to my raw-fish-heart.

After dinner, we hit up the Film Forum for a screening of Elevator to the Gallows, an amazing French film noir from the late 1950s, directed by Louis Malle, with music by jazz legend Miles Davis.

The film was really great. If you have the chance to see it, I would highly recommend it, although I'm not sure where you could find a copy of it at the moment, as it's not out on DVD. The prints are making their way across the country and you can check that schedule out HERE.

After the film, we met up with Shri and Geoff, two other 'Bia producing students. We all caught the train back up here to 116th together, blabbing about movies while everyone around us rolled their eyes. I really am impressed with my fellow classmates thus far, and can't wait to meet everyone else. I could really see myself becoming good friends with a few of them, so this year is already looking up.

I start orientation tomorrow officially, and Sarah starts her first semester of classes at Akron University, so big changes abound in both corners of my life. I'll let you know how it goes.

lv.bo

ps :: I'm currently listening to...

Broken Social Scene by Broken Social Scene

And reading...

Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis

Brookyln Jonny

2005-08-28T10:39:00.000-05:00

I took the 1 down to Lincoln Center last evening to catch a screening of Junebug, but it was sold out, so I just decided to wander around Barnes & Noble for a while when something great happened...

My phone rang, and it was my good friend from NCSA, Jonny Gillette...

Jonny lives in Brooklyn these days, and he just happened to talk my name onto the guestlist to the sold out Of Montreal concert at NorthSix. If you've not heard the pop genius that is Of Montreal, get over to Amazon and check out The Sunlandic Twins or Satanic Panic in the Attic.

The show was amazing. A really great way to spend my first night alone in NYC. (I say my first night alone because my good friends [and excellent couple] Dave & Brodie came up for a visit earlier in the day and we continued our tourist streak by taking the elevator up the Empire State Building.) Of Mont. played pretty much everything I wanted to hear and their live show was one of the tightest I've ever seen in my life. I highly recommend catching them on their current tour if you can. (Such as Cleveland @ the Beachland on September 7th?!)

Side note for those who know me... I passed the American Apparel store in Williamsburg last night on the way to the show. I promised Sarah I wouldn't go in until she gets here next weekend, so I just pressed my face lovingly against the glass and whispered soft words of devotion to the manufacturer of the world's greatest t-shirts. (I shall join you in less than a week, my love!)

Until next time,

lv.bo

My First Ever Blog

2005-08-28T09:53:00.000-05:00

Hey Kids...

So, it seems like everyone and their grandmother has a blog these days and, frankly, I really didn't want to jump on the bandwagon. But, I've been receiving so many emails from people this past week wondering how I'm doing, what life is like in the city, what's going on with my apartment and my roommates, etc... So I thought I'd make this little page and update it every once in a while with news and pictures so you can get a better taste of what my life is like in New York City.

My dad and I drove out on Wednesday, August 24th and I moved in on Thursday. The process was pretty much painless, although walking around the campus really did take its toll on our legs and we pretty much crashed Thursday night. So, Friday was my first official morning as a resident of NYC and what did I do? Pretty much the most touristy thing imaginable: I got up at the crack of dawn, took the 1 train down to Rockefeller Center, and stood outside the effing Today Show with 5,000,000 other tourists and their homemade signs and t-shirts. The reason was honorable though: Joss Stone was giving a free concert in the Plaza and she happens to be one of Sarah's (that's my girlfriend, Sarah Wagler, to those beyond the loop) favorite singers, so I had to go and check it out and take pictures. Here's one of the lady herself in action:

And here's a picture of my lovely girlfriend, also in action:

At any rate, the concert was pretty rockin' and Miss Stone had an amazing drummer, so it was a nice way to kick off my first morning in the city.

My apartment is located in Morningside Heights, on West 122nd between Broadway and Amsterdam. I wasn't expecting much by going through campus housing, but I was pretty much blown away when I saw the place: it has a study, dining room, living room, large (roach free!!) bathroom, kitchen with all new appliances and cabinets, 12 ft. ceilings, finished hardwood floors and crown molding around the walls. Apparently, I got really really lucky. I'm only paying around $700 a month for this place, and another girl in this building who doesn't attend Columbia is paying almost $4,000. The area around the apartment is also great. I'm two blocks north of the actual campus, with a cool selection of restaurants and shops right down the block on Amsterdam.

I have two roommates: Nick and Tony. Neither one is a filmmaking major, but they're both in masters programs (Theatre and Newspaper Journalism, respectively). Although I haven't seen them very much thus far, they both seem like really cool guys and I'm sure we'll get along swimmingly. The good news is, we have plenty of room for guests, so if anyone feels like spending a weekend in the city, feel free to let me know and you'll have a place to crash.

I'll post some more pictures here as I take them. Hopefully I'll get some of my place and my roommates up soon. For now, just know that I'm happy, loving the city, and missing Akron like crazy. I start orientation on Monday, so I'm gonna go enjoy my last day of freedom by reading and writing in Morningside Park.

Be well and talk soon.

lv.bo