Where have I been?

It's all about the shofar. Good times.

News!

trailing behind

David O. Russel's new movie finally has a trailer as well.

Trailer for I Heart Huckabee's

I heard that the score by Jon Brion is something he is having an exceptionally wonderful time working upon.

goodbye home

Yesterday I went home for the last time; the last time because it had vanished, and all the places I remember are gone now, and in the house I grew up in (for the most part) there's nothing left for me anymore. Somehow this isn't so sad.

44 wishes, water, wind, sky and stars (falling)

Thursday - drove 13 hours to Seattle. I tried to rescue a dog stranded on a dirt median on I-5, ping ponging back and forth between the wall of rushing metal coming from both sides. Pulled over at exactly the same time someone did from the southbound lane, and between the two of us the dog made a dash right past the open door of my car across 4 lanes of northbound I-5 traffic, and I thought I'd caused a 20 car pile up, until he made it and leapt over a fence to safety. If someone owns a beautiful black lab who is restless outside of Redding, California... You need a taller fence. Rolled in too late and too tired and under the light pollution of Seattle so I missed the Perseid meteor shower at its peak for the first time in six years.

Friday - drove 3 hours and caught a ferry to Port Angeles. We were supposed to be crashing at someone's lake house, but around midnight our convoy of vehicles found out that on this night it wasn't an option so we were going to camp in someone's yard. This sounded fairly weak at 1 am, until we pulled in and saw the backyard overlooked the ocean and you could see Vancouver Island from it. I slept with my head sticking out of a pup tent, looking up at the sky watching falling stars, the remnants of the Persied meteor shower which had peaked the night before, and if I looked upward I could see the lights away across the water.

Saturday - we reached the private lake and swam and boated and jet skied and threw each other into the water and did stupid flips and wheelchair raced and threw beer cans at each others' heads and I showed a kid a school of fish and a nest of baby birds and this kid was great, earnestly curious about everything and if he asked you a really big simple question and you answered he'd listen, and his dad's a diver so he was paddling around doing his best mini Jacques Cousteau so we bonded and I taught him how a scraped knee isn't worth getting upset about and I think he actually really got what I meant. It was my older sister's birthday and her friend Steve's, and I thank them for the hospitality at his parent's place. I am always happy when I have water and stars so this was a long overdue accidental vacation.

Sunday - ferry back. Zoned out, none us really able to make conversation. Between the three random people who rode in my car, the only song in my collection of albums we could all agree on loving was "Float On" by Modest Mouse so we played it and sang along way more times than necessary.

Nick played a show in Chicago with Modest Mouse. He's back and we'll do some business stuff for a few days before he goes off again for Death Cab matters.

Tomorrow I decide if I'm shooting in Portland on film or DV. Then off to Portland for awhile.

I need sleep something fierce.

cryptographic personal reminder

Don't ever tell anybody anything.  If you do, you start missing everybody.


What a load of horseshit. Worst advice ever. Let go. You'll feel lighter.

(one last thing) i'm going to miss this?

Since I'm still getting email about it - the Comic Con pics are in the July archive to your right. Enjoy.

Several people have spotted a Great White Shark at Del Monte Beach in Monterey, right next to the spot I dive regularly.

I miss diving. I had one of the most pleasant dreams I've had in years last night, that I was swimming really realxingly with a bunch of friends in a system of canals that went on for miles and miles. It made me miss diving and I woke up wanting to hit the Breakwater Cove. As crazy as this sounds, I'd love to be out there today, looking for my own private Megalodon. Maybe we could become friends and I could teach him to bite that sea lion in half who nearly did me in a few weeks ago.

Which reminds me - in the annals of all time super battles that kids can theorize about - Godzilla vs. Gamera, The Avengers vs. The Justice Leauge, Muhammad Ali vs. Superman, Glenn Danzig vs. The Northside Kings, Bruce Lee vs. Wong Jack Man... I was told earlier this summer about footage of...

Great White Shark vs. Killer Whale.

Let's just say this... Jaws is Orca's bitch.

when you are out there on the road for several weeks it shows

I'll be on the road for most of August starting tomorrow, through the start of September. I hope to drop by The Decemberists recording their new album in Portland to shoot some archival material for fun, then Nick and I will be bouncing ideas in Seattle and as he likes to say "TCOB". We'll close out summer fun at the Pixies show in Bend, Oregon on Sept. 4th. Hopefully by mid September I'll have (finally) moved to Los Angeles and October should see me in London - I hope to hit Ireland if possible, friends in Corcaigh please offer couches and grace.

That should mean that by mid October we'll be back in a heavy production schedule and we'll have a foundation laid where our production backbone is solid enough to secure film equipment at low cost and on short notice. Plans are afoot for a short on Super 16mm, followed by a video or two, and maybe something else surprising in between.

Since moving to Mac I don't have a viable laptop I can sync so email will be spotty at best, but I will try to update here when possible. Hit my mobile, or my preferred method of communication - the electronic whisper known as the text message.

the new villain

Really interesting article in the Washington Post about the appearance of the corporation as a villain in movies - which extends to the idea in culture of how we view corporate power.

Think of the first global corporation -- the Catholic church -- with its offices in many countries (monasteries and churches), language peculiar to the institution (Latin), aggressive takeover methods (the Crusades), vigorous marketing campaign (missionaries) and competition-killing strategy (the Inquisition). It took 1,500 years and Martin Luther's entrepreneurial spirit to create a viable alternative for consumers.

Link

the last time i saw you, you were doing lines of coke off a urinal

Garden State is worth your time and money. It is flawed, and some of you will roll your eyes at it, but like it shows us, we're supposed to care about people deeply not even in spite of but because of their flaws. It is easily one of my favorite films. I cannot think of another movie that feels more honestly like certain parts of my life have. That does not mean you will love it, or embrace it; just for those who read here who know me personally that I can say "this is how some things I've told you about felt".

At least he's honest.

Bush says he will never stop finding ways to harm our country.

i am cleaning house and nick is cleaning up the country

Nick's band will be playing shows this fall in battleground states opening for Pearl Jam in an effort to get young people to engage in the election process this year. Here he is in New York yesterday with some people, courtesy of the AP Wire.



Info on upcoming shows.
LA Times story with stupid required registration.

While he's been taking care of that, I did some serious cleaning of my apartment and did a bunch of production legwork for a possible shoot this August in Portland involving a band I love dearly who take their name from Russian history. More details soon. That aside, I am continually struck by a desire to live more minimally in terms of stuff. I wonder if it's an age thing. I just want to be more stripped down and mercenary or perhaps it's getting ready for a move.

nothing to report, sir

Below I stated it was possible to drive from San Francisco to L.A. and back within 24 hours without sleep and on your own. I must revise this: it is possible, but the day afterwards you will end up sleeping like a comatose Sleeping Beauty on sleeping pills who has African sleeping sickness.

I got to catch up with Julie today who I miss too much and thanks to her employment by New Line Cinema we are now able to incorporate slang terms for the most deviant sexual acts without any shame into our regular conversation.

I had the weirdest moment today with an old gentleman in line at the supermarket. He was very elderly and half asian, white shaggy hair and missing teeth but like me a long face and still slender and standing up straight. Some people emanate a quality - his was a zen calmness that you can't aim for but only be. I was fascinated by his face; because I have no real watermark to determine how I'll look as an old man and I can't even imagine that, and for some reason we talked while waiting in line and he lived by the ocean here and I aspire to do that someday and I had the eeriest feeling like I was meeting a future version of myself if I can get things right. He did tell me that living out there by California One was a good life. I can't remember the last time I had a conversation with an elderly man but I just knew that if I could've talked to him longer I might've gotten answers to questions I've had since my memory begins. Sometimes I wonder about modern life - our social structures keep us away on a personal level from people whose ages are vastly different than ours, and I don't know if that's fair or even smart.

Today I also bought gifts for friends, and I cannot wait to hear how Martin Wong reacts to his. This is the summer I fell back in love with physical mail.

He had the kindest smile. I hope someday I can figure out how to do one of those.

If you're looking for all the Comic Con pics they're moving into the archive so look over here to the right ->

the house that you grew up in isn't really your home anymore

I know there won't be another film this year that I crush on as much as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but Garden State is perhaps the only other movie that has burned its way into my subconscious since seeing the trailer so many months ago. Opens next week.
Linky to trailers.

It is possible to drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles and back in one day without the aid of caffiene or sleep. If you are so inclined. You must bring a new album, water, dried fruit, and redoubtable willpower. It has to be worth it, too.