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April 25th, 2005
02:21 pm - Happy Day
Just got an email from Toby at Fat Wreck Chords. They want to use my e-card on their site. They'll let me know if I should make any changes to the text, but it looks like I'm about to be featured on Fat's website.
Current Music: The Fire Theft: Waste Time
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01:49 pm
Just made an e-card for the new Epoxies album. Sent an email to Shock and Fat Mike, hoping to get it put on the Fat website. If it's accepted, it'll be the most viewed project I've ever done. Makes me feel bad that it's not the greatest quality.
The new album is pretty damn good. I can't wait to see the band live again with some of these new songs.
As of yesterday, I'm now able to spin two diabolos at once. I need another Harlequin diabolo, because the Beach models are too fucking responsive and a bitch to correct.
Bought two Barger Rothery badges from the "16 Military Wives" video. I'm now a slightly larger Decemberists nerd.
I need breakfast.
Current Music: Epoxies: Radiation
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April 12th, 2005
01:48 am - Good news (sometimes) comes in threes
One
Just got an email from someone offering me an advance copy of their new album.
Two
I'm moving to Seattle. Starting tomorrow. It'll be a slow process, but I've got until May.
Three
I think I'm going to start working for Skinny Productions. (Ironically, The Epoxies are on Fat.) I'm going to see what I can do about promoting and, eventually, producing releases. I may be able to live out this dream after all.
Current Mood: rushed
Current Music: The Epoxies: Stop Looking at Me
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March 23rd, 2005
03:12 pm - Stop the Future
May 17 marks the Epoxies' second album release. It's their first album on a major label, which meanse their drummer probably won't be working at the Crystal Ballroom much longer.
Life just keeps getting better.
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March 22nd, 2005
08:53 pm - As four in the morning came on cold and boring
Today began at four on the concrete slab that barely allowed me three precious hours of sleep at Tyler's house. I had driven down last night after hearing on short notice of my dad's arrival at the Portland airport. At six I picked him up and headed north for the house on the mountain where I once had a rough semblance of a family. Now only one lives there, and he's happy as hell to be home.
We each took some time reflecting on the past two months at school and at sea, both recovering from lack of sleep. He drove me to the train station and I was back in Olympia in little over two hours.
I ran into Brandon, whom I'd met at the Colin Meloy solo show at the Triple Door, as I ducked into Phantom City to purchase the most impressive piece of music I've heard in quite some time. Brandon and I both bought a copy of Picaresque, then drove to my place for our first taste of the new album. We both refrained from downloading the leaked promotional tracks, and it finally paid off. We watched the video for "Sixteen Military Wives," a video I've already seen way too many times, played around with my melodica and keyboards, and he went home to study for the video contest . . .
. . . which was postponed until tomorrow.
But I'm still studying. I will have the Barger Rothery Academy badge. It must be mine.
So the end of today finds me without a car, alone at home, and cooking lentils for one. But I've got the infanta, the barrow boy and 32 softly focused, brightly colored eyes to keep me company. How could I be lonely?
One last thing: the accompanying photograph to "On the Bus Mall" has the greatest Portland-specific background. Kody and Wilson take note.
Current Mood: giddy
Current Music: The Decemberists: On the Bus Mall
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March 19th, 2005
02:23 am - Done pushing the barrow
I'm once again back home. The Seattle show was even better than the Portland show. Friends were made, choruses were belted, whales were fed.
We got all sorts of shit from the Showbox bouncers, however. For 45 minutes before the doors opened, we were lined up, lectured, threatened and forced to consume Orangina at ungodly speed. So my efforts to treat the band to another round of drinks were destroyed by some bastard employee of Seattle's most expensive venue. I really do despise the Showbox.
Since I was probably the only one there who'd seen the video, I called out to Chris during the opening of "Sixteen Military Wives." The shouting of "Luxembourg!" caught his attention, and we shared smiles as Colin began the first line.
Sleep fast approaches. I think I'll hit Portland tomorrow. I just can't stand being in Olympia for any period of time anymore.
Current Mood: tired
Current Music: The Decemberists: A Cautionary Song
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March 18th, 2005
11:17 am - And we'll all come praise the infanta
Just got home after seeing the Decemberists in Portland last night.
Heading to Seattle now to see them again tonight.
I love being unemployed.
Current Mood: numb
Current Music: Verona: Ye Olde Buccaneer
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March 6th, 2005
09:04 am
Yesterday was quite full.
I woke up at around 4am so I could get to UW in time for my test. I had to guess at pretty much avery question in the first two sections of the test, but the final section was made just for me. Pixels, canvas, clay, aperture--all the shit I understand about visual arts. None of that boring history crap.
The worst part of the test was that it was hours long, and no matter when one finished, one was required to remain until the testing period ended. I was done in half an hour. The next hour and a half could have given me more time to head to Portland, but instead found me silent, bored and without music, in a rather uncomfortable chair.
The next part of my day more than made up for it.
I went to The Nocturnal for the screening of the videos for "This Soldiering Life," "The Bachelor and the Bride" and "Sixteen Military Wives." The first video was decent, but was a bit lacking in the planning and editing. The second blew me away: 2D stop-motion using crepe paper, lit from both the back and the front, creating some beautiful overlays and silhouettes that I just never had the patience to animate myself. The third was great. It shows the whole team, the band and everyone involved put some effort into it. It was well planned and funny as hell. To see Colin's over-the-top performance as the American delegate in a high school MUN class, later buried in a mound of wadded paper . . . it made my year. I'm more excited than ever for the new album.
Rhea and I went out afterward to dinner at Roxy. God, that place has changed. I can't tell if it's better or worse. It's certainly lost some of its edge. But the chairs all match now.
I got home around 3am, after a nap at a rest area. I'm still a bit tired, and I don't believe I'll be comfortable enough to sleep well on the Amtrak. We'll see.
Off to San Fransisco now.
Current Mood: rushed
Current Music: Soul Asylum: Stranger
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March 4th, 2005
02:29 pm - If you want anything done right . . .
I've decided to ditch the dizzying building walkaround I've had unfinished for so long on my website. It's a nice concept, but I really have nothing to fill it with.
So I've finished the eight stories required for my eight credits, and finally posted something a little more polished than any other design I've had before. I believe I'm getting better at this.
www.offchild.com will always feature the storybook, although I'm sure it won't always be the only thing available on the site. I'd like to include the building interface and a better menu system someday.
As for the movie project . . . I got my eight credits for that too. But it ain't done, nor will it ever be. I've assigned the others to finish off what remains, though I doubt that'll take it very far.
So Evergreen finally lives up to its name this term. I'm sure these guys will all get the credits they ask for, because nobody's holding their feet to the fire. And the only thing I really learned is to avoid working with others.
Current Mood: every 4-letter word available
Current Music: Some By Sea: The Winter Rush
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February 28th, 2005
05:06 pm
I just had to run across the apartment to grab a ringing phone that George was sleeping next to.
I'm starting to realize a few biases I've developed regarding others' work ethics and health, and while I understand my position isn't the most forgiving, I'm growing quite fond of my angst toward certain types of people.
Being the kind who never gets sick, I realize I don't really know what it's like to have to worry about such an affliction. So immediately discounting everyone who gets a cold would be unreasonable. But the way I see it, if you take the entire week off and abandon your own project, your first day back home shouldn't find you feeling a little dizzy, or a little sick, or a little anything. If it's 5pm and you haven't done dick all day, you shouldn't have come home in the first place. No use pretending you're ready to do some work when you'd rather play video games and lie around all day.
Premiere is giving me shit. My computer keeps rebooting. It makes editing quite an experience. I think I may throw something next time. We'll see if my bedroom windows are in tact by midnight.
Just bought an Amtrak ticket to San Fransisco this weekend. It'll be quite a feat fitting my clothes, diabolos, cameras, tripods, tapes and production folders into my bag.
Current Music: Some By Sea: A Steady Diet of Stares
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February 2nd, 2005
08:53 pm - A slightly full day
I discovered today that all the complaints I've heard from my friends are warranted: I do indeed walk fast. Too fast for many to keep up. My interpretation of "leisurely stroll" is, in others' eyes, somewhere between "the pizza's getting cold" and "the world is ending."
How did I learn this? Today I was returning to Media Loan to return some equipment, and I was passing people.
Let me toss in a few details: In my left hand was a camera kit containing a Sony palmcorder. Not too heavy. In my right hand was a light kit containing three ancient Lowels, stands and cables. Very heavy. And thanks to a recent vasectomy . . . let me just say sutures. And an indescribable urge to emit a high-pitched yelp with every step.
I'd expect these three factors would slow my pace to that of a turtle caught in a bear trap. But I've got this sort of affliction that equates walking slowly to wasting time. Ironically, said affliction hasn't yet made its way to the part of my life that finds me explaining this shit on the internet.
But today has been both productive and enjoyable--except for the discomfort of the aforementioned operation. I began the Colin Meloy Tribute Project around noon, and already have had four songs submitted by fans. I almost have a new diabolo trick figured out, although I have no idea how to get out of it. And I spent lots of time with nothing between myself and the sun.
I'm still working on the current video shoot. Weeks behind schedule--but hey, who the fuck's counting? Nobody gave me an operative goddamn schedule. And apparently none of the audio work I outsourced (to a guy landing twice as many credits as myself) ever got done over the weekend. But my work will get done, regardless of how shitty the final result will be. My brain's already immersed in the next project anyway.
Current Mood: sore
Current Music: Shades Apart: Turn it Back Around
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January 31st, 2005
02:32 pm - Sterility isn't pretty
I am currently in more pain than I have ever been in my life. No exaggeration.
I don't know why I'm even typing right now. But the computer chair is the most comfortable place to be at the moment.
But I'm happy with this decision. Or at least I plan on being happy about it someday. Once the pain subsides.
Current Mood: FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK
Current Music: The Thermals: Born Dead
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January 27th, 2005
01:55 am - Another day, another failed dye job
Another decent day of shooting. Due to scheduling issues, we got stuck with the ancient Lowel light kit--the bulky, awkward case with the heavy lights. But since we only transported them across campus and between to neighboring apartments, they weren't much of a burden, and for once, we had a full day of filming without blowing a lamp. I can't believe the new Lowels are so delicate.
Most of our footage today found George topless, but with pants on. Between that and yesterday's study in evolution, I've seen more of this guy's skin than Scotty sees on a good night at the Magic Garden.
Tomorrow we shoot the scene with me playing a caricature of myself, discussing George's renouncement of drugs. I expect major issues during this one, because I only really trust one person behind the camera, and when said person isn't behind the camera, I get nervous.
I learned an important lesson today: just because hair dye may have an appealing price tag and come in a cute miniature paint bucket, it isn't necessarily a bargain. For instance, if it's purchased for less than two dollars (strike one) at Big Lots (strike two) and it's stocked in such a way that leads me to believe a former car salesman now works at the store (strike three, assuming this only counts for one point against such a purchase). Wow! What a deal! Only two dollars? That's 33% off MSRP! And it's all gotta go to make room for the next shipment of shit we didn't even bother testing on animals!
The shit completely washed out on the first wash. Not the first day after applying, but the shower you take an hour after rubbing the gunk into your hair. Though I suppose I shouldn't complain: I may still have brown hair, but the stuff didn't kill me.
Four days until I go sterile forever. The anxiety hasn't quite settled in yet, but I expect it will the night before the operation, soon to be known as "the night a 24-year-old wet his bed while sober."
Current Mood: stressed
Current Music: Colin Meloy: Shiny (live in LA)
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January 25th, 2005
06:05 pm - You just can't do this shit at UW
We shot the Stoned Ape sequence today for the film. This consisted of four college students, completely naked, covered in mud, their shivering frames traipsing around the forest in search of food.
I spent about an hour shooting the four as they stuffed grass and twigs into their mouths. When George finally discovered the mushrooms (purchased this morning at Safeway) and went through his self-awareness phase, he had the other three, still naked and caked in mud, praising him for his discovery.
And I got this all on tape. I have to go splice the footage together now. Two of my best friends, naked, prancing around the bottom rung of the evolutionary ladder. I'll soon become quite disgusted with this project. I'm pretty sure the rest of the video will feature slightly more evolved characters.
On a less disturbing note, I got my kalimba today. And I couldn't be happier.
Current Mood: hungry
Current Music: eE: Yellow Taraval
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January 22nd, 2005
06:10 pm - I forgot to mention this one . . .
The Covers Were the Stairs: The Sunny Day Real Estate Tribute Project has begun.
13 tracks so far. All beautiful renditions of classic SDRE songs. By fans, for fans, all that shit. There are about 100 more songs to cover, so get yours in as soon as you can.
www.sdretribute.com
Because I have way too much bandwidth.
And I took my WEST-B test today. Boring as fuck. Four hours with a #2 pencil will drive anyone insane. But I aced it, I'm certain.
Current Mood: tired
Current Music: DIM: Pheurton Skeurto (SDRE cover)
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January 21st, 2005
02:18 pm - Consumption, cleaning and Colin
It's been a while since I saw Colin Meloy perform in Seattle, and although I've all but given up on updating, there needs to be some sort of record on the matter.
For months we--that is, myself and a handful of equally obsessed fans on the Decemberists' message board--waited for this tour to begin. His first show was at the Triple Door, an upscale bar/restaurant/concert hall in downtown Seattle. I'm convinced I'd like to work there if I end up moving north instead of east after graduating.
I met several Decemberists fans there, heard everything I wanted to hear, bought three pieces of art by Carson Ellis (Colin's girlfriend), the tour-only limited EP "Colin Sings Morrissey" and my first Orangina ever. Then, in a move which lowered me to the social status of a 14-year-old girl obsessing over Green Day in the mid-90s, I gave Colin a copy of the Death Cab video, and he said he'd pass it along to Ben. As in Gibbard.
My mailorder tendencies are wearing down after receiving my last student loan check and stocking up on goods in a fashion to rival Mormon families preparing for the Apocalypse. Books on children's authors and digital cinematography, gig bags for my harp and keyboard, a tongue drum, a kalimba, a battery for my PDA, a 250 GB external hard drive for this video project, and enough Decemberists promotional materials to qualify me as an agent for the band: two five-foot panoramic posters, stickers, a shirt and all of their releases. And of course, a ticket to their March concert.
I've rearranged my room yet again. I still can't get people to stop asking me where the bed is upon first visiting, however. I don't understand why a bed is all that necessary in a college apartment. Or anywhere, for that matter.
I have a test tomorrow at 8am in Seattle for my graduate studies placement. It should be an easy test--general knowledge in the three main subjects--but Jesus. 8 in the morning. I think I'll invest in some Red Bull tonight.
Current Mood: hopeful
Current Music: The Decemberists: Red Right Ankle
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January 8th, 2005
12:31 pm - Coincidence?
About a year ago I bought a mug from Goodwill for fifty cents. It had the Adobe logo on it, with some random mantra underneath that could have served for any company's motto. I made some sort of joke about actually paying for something made by Adobe.
And after just a year use light use, perhaps five actual drinks, I find a slight crack down the side of the mug.
So now my Adobe mug is also cracked.
That said, I plan on purchasing legal copies of Photoshop and Premiere as soon as I'm out of school.
Current Mood: awake
Current Music: The National: Sugar Wife
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January 6th, 2005
05:26 pm - The last three months of my life
I finally exported a decent-sized file from the video project. I figure it's time to share it with the world.
I've posted the link on Death Cab's message board, so I'm expecting my bandwidth to skyrocket in the next few weeks.
Both files can be found here. One is 7 MB, and one is 60 MB. For now, I've got the bandwidth to offer both, but I might have to take the large one down if I get close to the 45 GB limit.
Now that's done, I'm already in the midst of pre-production for the next video. It's not a music video, and I'm only responsible for filming, editing and technical direction. We'll see how it turns out.
On a side note, I've found my new favorite snack: a drop of maple syrup atop a slice of cucumber. Seriously, try it.
Current Mood: energetic
Current Music: The Decemberists: Red Right Ankle
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December 31st, 2004
11:57 pm
Grace Cathedral Hill
All wrapped in bones of setting sun
All dust and stone and moribund
I paid twenty-five cents to light a little white candle
For a new year's day
I sat and watched it burn away
Then turned and weaved through slow decay
We were both a little hungry, so we went to get a hot dog
Down the Hyde Street Pier
The light was slight and disappeared
The air, it stunk of fish and beer
We heard a Superman trumpet play the National Anthem
And the world may be long for you
But it'll never belong to you
But on a motorbike
When all the city lights blind your eyes tonight
Are you feeling better now?
Some way to greet the year
Your eyes all bright and brimmed with tears
The pilgrims, pills and tourists here
All sing "Fifty-three bucks to buy a brand new halo"
I'm sweet on a green-eyed girl
all Fiery Irish clip and curl
All brine and piss and vinegar
I paid twenty-five cents to light a little white candle
And the world may be be long for you
But he'll never belong to you
But on a motorbike
When all the city lights blind your eyes tonight
Are you feeling better now?
Current Mood: better now
Current Music: The Decemberists: Grace Cathedral Hill
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December 25th, 2004
04:41 pm
After spending $300 on test reservations and going over the application for weeks, I'm still not sure I want to do this.
I hate Olympia. But I don't want to transfer to another school, especially if it'll make it more expensive than it's going to be. So it's Evergreen or no grad school at all.
I've never wanted to spend so much energy and time on something my heart just wasn't in. Now I find my motives challenged by my own principles, and it's hard to determine how I feel about this decision. But if I have the ability and resources to do so, why shouldn't I get this degree?
I don't have any plans to use the goddamn degree. I don't want to teach K-12. Mentor, train, inspire, perhaps raise someday, but not teach. If I do teach, it'll be in a country that doesn't give a damn about credentials beyond a high school diploma.
I'm actually scared about this decision. I don't know if I can go through with it.
Current Mood: indescribable
Current Music: Jason Webley: With
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