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Archive for April, 2009

Da Count – evening bike rides

30 Apr

sunset
dacountThe weather is now perfect for these. Hitting the road just as the glow of the set sun warms the sky can be quite magical. As I rode this evening the aroma of various blooms from the gardens in my neighborhood scents the air… roses, jasmine seemed predominant.

Windows lit from inside reveal the inhabitants of homes I pass. Some at dinner. Some at play. Most engaged in various modes of relaxation.

I turn the corner and the glow from the old lamp-post on the median catches a jogger in mid stride. She spots me as well. We acknowledge each others presence with a nod as we pass each heading in opposite directions.

A man walking his dog crosses the road. A couple strolling with a baby carriage engage in gentle conversation. A girl on roller-blades has her dog on a leash pulling as she rolls behind.

We are all sharing this time in our own fashion.

As I ride up my driveway on my return everything seems calm. The pent up energy I held just half an hour earlier is diffused. Just what I needed. Now that the evening ride can once again become part of the routine… I count it with a smile.

EDIT: 9:10

If you live in and around the Big NO… go see this! There are not that many independent theatre companies here… if you don’t support them… they go away. But more importantly… go see it because it’s a good show!

 
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Posted in Da Count

 

how to spend the first 30…

30 Apr

… of the daily 90 doing the dishes first thing in the morning? Forget to put water in the coffee machine. Yep, that’s what I did this morning. Placed the filter… scooped in the coffee… turned it on… then tripped off to give Mum breakfast. When I returned… no coffee. Looked in… ahh… no water. Well, while waiting the dishes got done, dried and put away. (Not that my coffee maker takes 30 minutes to brew a pot… but when you get on a roll…) Also spruced up a couple of drawers. So by the time I poured my mug… it felt well earned.

ON THE VIDEO EDITING FRONT…

… I’m starting webisode 3 today. Webisode 2 may still need some tweaking but I’ll determine that when I look at it today. Once I am satisfied… I will upload it for you to see exclusively. Yeah, it will be password protected (but you will get it here) until the client officially releases it. Don’t you feel special now? I am actually quite pleased with Webisode 2. There is a certain quirky sprite to it. But the greater value was learning more tricks while doing it. One (at least I) have no greater feeling of accomplishment then when absorbing knowledge while completing a task.

BLOCK SALE GALORE

If you are in the Big NO… there will be several this weekend around the Fresno High area. I’ll probably scope out the one on Princeton which is only a street north of me. Though rain is expected this Friday & Saturday. Hope the weather changes it’s mind… as is often the case.

Now back to editing… and then it’s gathering for Garbage Day tomorrow. As per usual… the borrowed image for this post is linked to it’s source site.

 
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Posted in just life

 

the ideas drawer

29 Apr

OK… it’s not an actual drawer… more like scribbles on pieces of paper of various sizes in folders, plastic bags, etc. Over the years I have amassed notes of ideas for plays, characters, concepts, lines and plots that may or may not have made it into any of my produced works so far. I ran across a folder last night. (Yeah, there are several dispersed around the homestead.)

Here’s a sampling…

THROUGH-LINE: A man wakes up to discover he is dead and his life doesn’t amount to crap.
ON THE CONCEPT OF THE SOUL & OTHER CRAP (Notes from The Dead Guy Show)

  • The soul gets bruised with the cruelty of life. – more often than not we bruise our own souls through our decisions and actions.
  • The soul shrivels most from indecision and inaction.
  • The reason for life is to color the soul with experience – life is college… death is graduation.
  • Physical death may not be the end of the coloring process – souls can choose to be “earthbound” for a period of time – for some, it may not be a choice but a requirement.
  • In the afterlife the soul can choose to be their “optimum age” from the life they just left.

CONVENTIONS

When you are dead…

  • You wear no pants – this is the first stage in shedding one’s earthly life.
  • You can help affect decisions and actions of mortals… you can place “inspirations” on the living.
  • The first stage is an earthbound transition – everything seems the same except you wear no pants.
  • You can karaoke at any time.

THOUGHTS & LINES (that may or may not have made it into the final work

……

ROLAND: “When someone gets married… are they doing it because that’s the best they can do?”
JIM: “Absolutely!”
ROLAND: “So, marriage is an act of resignation?”

…..

SKY: “I’ve felt a presence in this house on occasion… and not a good one.
JIM: “A presence… like a ghost?”
SKY: “Yeah… with real negative vibes too.”
JIM: “So, we are all dead… but we can still be haunted by ghosts?”
JOEY: “Some say we are haunted by the ghosts of our regrets.”
JIM: “Look we are not sitting in some Paris cafe discussing philosophy…”
ROLAND: “Ahh, Paris… I was once there on an audit… in my younger accountant days…”
JIM: That’s all very nice, Roland… but she just said there’s a ghost in this house.”
SKY: “Yeah… so?”
JIM: “But we are already dead! How can that be?”

……

JOEY: “Hey, you see a tank around? You’re still looking at 50 years in double time, buddy. This is no hit! Its way too clean. And nothing personal but you were not big enough for a hit this clean.”
SKY: “So, you still don’t know how you died. That’s too bad… really too bad.”
ROLAND: “Do I detect something in your tone that Jim knowing how he died somehow affects us all?”
SKY: “Somehow…. Perhaps…. For some of us… maybe.”
JOEY: “You’ve got to give us a little more to go on, babe!”
SKY:”I’m sorry Joey, I can’t. Jim still has to find out how he died.”

…..

So, there you have it. Have a Happy Hump Day!

Oh, I have also decided that any images borrowed to augment my posts will be linked directly to the site I found it at. So, just click the image to get there.

 
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Posted in works

 

it’s the minutia that I love…

28 Apr

… in the editing process. It is not enough to assemble the footage in some logical order but also shaping it. The first thing I pay attention to is structure. Then tweaking it so that the structure holds… (and if you are really good)… builds on itself.

There is also the ebb and flow of ideas on shaping it. Remember, there are no absolutes. There are times I will construct something and think that it’s good… come back the next day and change it to something simpler. (I’ve learned over the years that… simple is often best.)

Then there is accessorizing. For instance, yesterday I spent some time searching for sound effects… specifically cartoon sound effects. (Found some fun ones HERE.) These little touches can add a lot. However, another rule of thumb… a little goes a long way. Part of the delight is when a little blip suddenly happens. Too many blips and they only add up to a big blob. (Yes, you can quote me on that.)

OK… that’s my blurb for the day. Back to the editing machine. Hope I didn’t bore you too much.

 
6 Comments

Posted in video

 

ahh… it’s Monday

27 Apr

goggsNot that it makes much of a difference for me as the days of the week all seem to have melded for me of late. Still, that’s not such a bad thing really… for the most part.

GOOGLE EYED…

… I was yesterday as I furiously edited video. OK… I was by the end of it. This webisode (of ZEROS) was particularly challenging. (You’ll see it when it is done… hopefully, in a couple of days.) Though because it was challenging I enjoyed it quite a bit. Part of the fun was figuring out the pacing. What gives me a bit of an edge in this realm as a DIY kinda guy is all the work I’ve done over the years in theatre and playwriting.

Sometimes you need to squeeze all the air out of it… and sometimes you need to allow it to breathe. And it is essential to check the source material. Yeah, I know… it might sound strange for me to state that… but as often is the case… more often than not… most people don’t. Even though I spent hours yesterday… I managed to get about 2 minutes done. It doesn’t seem like a lot but I was quite satisfied with what I got through. Today I go back with fresh eyes and hopefully will get the rest of this one done. Then… it’s the next one.

Well, thats my blurb for the day. Hope you all have a great start of the week.

EDIT: 10:15

Oh yeah… this morning I also watched this week’s edition of Britains Got Talent. Once again THIS USER uploaded the entire program along with it’s sister progran Britains Got More Talent. Seriously, check out the little girl in part 2 of episode 3.

 

Da Count – ressurection

23 Apr

dacountThe veges that I put in that were not doing so well for a while… are coming back!

Pictures to come. So, it looks like I will have a crop of vegetables to live on this Summer.

That’s a big count in my book. Cheers!

EDIT: 9 AM

Here are a couple of videos that trashed sent me this morning.

 
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Posted in Da Count

 

a big ole branch…

22 Apr

branch… fell out of the tree in front of my house yesterday. I think it happened at night. I really didn’t want to deal with it yesterday so I just let it lie in the yard all day… I’m sure much to the chagrin of my neighbors. But this morning I got my lumberjack mojo on… and armed with my chainsaw did the decent thing. So, now there are logs all sized for the drying and burning that I will offer a neighbor who uses their fireplace in the Winter.

MY LEAST FAVORITE ASPECT…

… about video is the uploading and logging of the footage. That is what I’ve been up to for the past 2 days. (That… and the 90′s that I have diligently been keeping.) At least it is now all done and I can get on with the (obsessional) fun of editing. Yeah, that’s the reason I have been (and will continue to be) up to my eyeballs.

Still, I’m managing these blurby little posts on my blog, aren’t I? Hope you are having a nice hump day.

 

short thought # 1

21 Apr

chicken_curry

I was multi-tasking yesterday. As I worked on the last 30 (of 90) of the day (see several posts down) a chicken curry was simmering on the stove. In the short time I have spent in this mortal coil I have had the pleasure of tasting curries from various cultures.

I grew up being a curry snob (yeah, there really are such people) but as a little maturity set in I began to appreciate how various cultures infuse the essence of their taste aesthetic into their curries. I mused about opening a “curry house” of sorts when the following thought struck me.

If I were to open a restaurant that featured curries of various stripes, types and heat levels…

I would so call it… “Currylingus”.

 
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Posted in thoughts

 

up to my eyeballs time again…

20 Apr

eyeballs… which generally means that substance and content on this blog may be iffy at best. (OK… some may argue that content on this blog already contains iffy substance.)

However, I will try to post something everyday… be it videos, quips, thoughts… just don’t expect the long chewy posts for a bit. I’ll let you know once I’m out the other side.

Cheers!

 
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snot spectacular!

20 Apr

 
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