smitten smitten smitten

_posted in dayedayerocks | 30 March 2008

The opening scene of No Country for Old Men

The coupling of Johnny Greenwood's soundtrack and Robert Elswit's cinematography in There Will Be Blood

Apica Notebook III

Richard Dawkin's review of Expelled

David Simon's Final Letter to The Wire fans

March's Lessons Learned

_posted in dayedayerocks | lessons learned | 29 March 2008

Number 01.

Using dull knives makes cooking more like a chore than a joy.

Number 02.

Carrying a 4.5lb camera for 5 hours straight feels more like carrying a 50lb weight. But that end of the day pain feels oh so good.

Number 03.

Money (or lack of money) makes most of your decisions for you.

Number 04.

Practicing patience only makes me more impatient.

Number 05.

Spring cleaning does not mean shifting shit from one room to another.

Number 06.

Being right isn't always what it's cracked up to be.

Number 07.

Being behind a camera makes me forget everything else. Putting the camera down is like being thrown back into chaos.

news and more news

_posted in dayedayerocks | film | 10 March 2008

I've been in a holding pattern concerning a few projects, so I've not wanted to speak on them until I got an official thumbs up as it were. The most important (and interesting) of the non personal projects has been officially thumbed up!

As I mentioned my friend Antero is a recipient of the MacArthur Grant's Digital Media and Learning Innovation grant, in collaboration with Greg Niemeyer of UC Berkley. I had the opportunity to pitch an idea to Greg over brunch some weeks ago and let me tell you, the energy around that table was amazing. It's been some time since I congregated around a meal and talked about art and ideas. It was a great feeling. By the time I got home the energy was too much to contain, so I put it to good use and tackled my to-do lists. I actually put a few open-ended projects to bed that weekend.

My pitch, documenting their project. Greg and Antero's project is Black Cloud: Environmental Studies Gaming. Take some time to read about it.
Black Cloud Project Site
Mac Arthur Foundation's Digital Learning and Media Project Site

The game is going to be ran twice, once in Los Angeles at Manual Arts High School, South Central and in the Zamalek district of Cairo, Egypt.

I'm happy to say that I will be working on documenting the game: filming the process of creating the game and prepping it for students, the actual game played by the students, as well as helping the kids create their own short documentaries about the game and what they've learned. More details to come as things unfold of course.

I'm super excited about it all.

Some of my other projects are work related and I'm happy that I'm finally going to work on some extremely interesting and creative things. I'll speak on those as they reach their final approval stages.

_soundcheck: mellow: cq

just a few of the many reasons i love sergio leone

_posted in film | 08 March 2008

I started the morning off with Once Upon a Time in the West. I can never just get through the movie in one shot. There are too many perfect moments and I have to go back and watch them over and over again. Let's forget about the cinematography, the music, the landscape for a second (hard to do, but let's try) and we're left with some classic dialogue. There are so many great lines but these are my favorite. And a hand full of Irish gingers (that's for you harume)! It's all about Sergio this weekend.

_quote 1

Harmonica: And Frank?
Snaky: Frank sent us.
Harmonica: Did you bring a horse for me?
Snaky: (Chuckling) It looks like we're...shy one horse!
Harmonica: You brought two too many. (Harmonica shoots the three henchmen dead)

_quote 2

Jill: Mrs. McBain goes back to civilization. Minus a husband and plus a great future.
Cheyenne: You deserve better.
Jill: The last man who told me that is buried out there.
Cheyenne: You know, Jill, you remind me of my mother. She was the biggest whore in Alameda and the finest woman that ever lived. Whoever my father was for an hour or for a month... he must have been a happy man.

_quote 3

Frank: How can you trust a man who wears both a belt and suspenders? The man can't even trust his own pants.

_quote 4

Harmonica: Five thousand dollars.
Cheyenne: Judas was satisfied with 4,970 dollars less.
Harmonica: There weren't no dollars in them days.
Cheyenne: But sons-of-bitches? Yeah.

_quote 5

Jill: And you! You saved his life.
Harmonica: I didn't let them kill him. That's not the same thing.

_vidcheck: sergio leone: once upon a time in the west

just in general...

_posted in dayedayerocks | education | smitten with | 07 March 2008

Currently Smitten With

Bedrich Smetana's Vltava (Die Moldau)
Engraved Moleskines
The Rubber Room
Pyrex Love
Mad About Mugs
Zakuski

This I Believe

Everyday I read a "This I Believe" essay. Everyday I learn something new, everyday something resonates within me. I've included one of Antero's kids "This I Believe." I may have not mentioned it but he's blogging for the LA Times now. I know, superstar. OH! And he got won a massive MacArthur Grant with Greg Niemeyer from UC Berkley!

_quote 1

I had big expectations of the students, but after my first day, I asked my sister about what was wrong with the people in my school. She told me that the people I expected to see go to different schools and I asked why hadn't she taken me there? She took the time to explain.
The first thing she asked me was: "Do you think segregation is only in Sudan?" I said no, but I don't think there is segregation in the U.S.
Berhanu: This I Believe

_quote 2

In sharing this story, I believe I can speak to someone who is where Catherine was: Someone who is valuable, who is worth while, and who is loved. I believe that in one moment of admirable strength, the chains and silence can be broken, if even with only a whisper that says, "I need some help."
Tiesha: A Moment of Admirable Strength

_quote 3

Family is defined by bonds much deeper than birth, or skin color, or genetics. Those of us lucky enough experience 'found' love know that family is defined only by the heart.
Stephanie: Family is Defined by Bonds Deeper Than Birth

_quote 4

For those that claim motherhood (or stepmother-hood) is a thankless job, I submit that all of us are nothing more or less than the sum of who we love. It doesn't matter whether your family is whole, divorced or divided, the only way to achieve any kind of happiness in this world is by loving a handful of people. I believe we are marked by the people who love us, whether we like it or not, for the rest of our short lives on earth.
Amy: The Best Kind of Grief is Gratitude

test from macjournal

_posted in dayedayerocks | 01 March 2008

I finally got the MacBookPro back and it’s taken me the last two days just to reinstall apps and copy over my files. I use at least two machines a day, sometimes up to four and I’m ashamed to say even with being Queen Geek I haven’t properly streamlined my computer life. I’ve been using MacJournal for about 6 months and just never set up the blogging option and a few other things that will make life easier (hopefully). So this is a TEST. Is this thing on, can you hear me?