Tumbling, Expanding and Finishing…
Posted on | November 15, 2009 | 1 Comment
I find it particularly interesting when I witness portions of my life that have existed in one form of stasis for years, suddenly evolve. It’s not like it happens all of the time, but it has begun to happen in the last few months.
Let’s start with Tumblr shall we? And yes, I do mean the web based web 2.0 blogging service that is elegantly simple. For longest time I’ve always wanted to have a web-based project that utilized any interesting photography I’ve been able to snap. I tried “The Pebble Project” a few years back and that fizzled due to the herculean effort of keeping up with it. I almost gave up the idea entirely when along came an iPhone app that went on sale. What it did was allow me to take photos from my phone (not a great camera honestly) and then transfer them filter that made them into what looked like old school pictures from a polaroid camera. I even have to shake my phone to make them expose completely! It’s pretty cool and along with Tumblr’s own iPhone app, I feel pretty confident in mentioning the newest project I’ve been taking a valiant stab at. It’s called “Bits and Pieces…” and it can be found right here! It’s been fun and I think I’ve come up with some pretty awesome and compelling pics. Take a look and let me know what you think!
I’ve also been expanding out into the video tutorial realm with my clients and the WordPress sites I’ve been building for them. It’s far from Coppola or anything, but it has been fun working with video editing software a little more often and it’s been great working with other web-based services out there. So if you are interested in learning the basics on how WordPress sites work, check out my tutorials I’ve built in over on my Vimeo channel. It’s been a really fun learning experience for me.
Also, if you are curious as to what I used to create these tutorials, it’s an amazing screencast software utility called “ScreenFlow”. Google it, you’ll find it and love it! 
Lastly, I also had the distinct pleasure of FINALLY finishing the first draft or horror film screenplay that I’ve been collaborating with a good, good friend on for the last two years. It’s really good! And it also happens to be the only thing in recent years that I’ve actually finished. We took both of our wives out this week and celebrated the occasion with hearty toast and lots of reflection! So what’s next? The second draft! Which, with a little luck, should go a lot faster. We have hopes of selling it, but we also have hopes of making it into a graphic novel and film it ourselves!
We don’t know exactly what we’re doing, but there is one thing I can say with utmost confidence: it feels good… really good.
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Now playing: Iron & Wine – The Trapeze Swinger
via FoxyTunes
It’s That Kinda Introspective Day…
Posted on | October 15, 2009 | 2 Comments
… where song lyrics say it all.
“For Goodness Sake”
By Chuck Ragan
Simple backbeats seem to soothe me.
If I could hold them, I would. Let’s say,
take some rest, as if not wicked.
And walk around enjoying silence.
A world away, elders gather,
Speak thier tongue and hardly falter.
With words of bond, joy and grievance,
Simple songs, work and penance.
To drown hate like a stone, walk the path overgrown.
Never to lay awake, and if so for goodness sake.
Well down the road the deer are crossing,
The grass is greener where there walking.
Rattling beasts and heavy movement,
mark them now son before we lose them.
Bear your arms, ever so wisely, or burn them all, if you have no need.
And dress to kill but kill so kindly.
A hollow heart’s to weak and weary.
To drown hate like a stone, and walk the path overgrown.
Never to lay awake, and if so for goodness sake.
Now call me crazy, but all the old ways, of living simple are simply fading.
And all we buy is time before we die and lay on down desensitized.
A wise old friend recently told me, “an idle mind is the devils playpen”.
Mind the gaps and watch them closely.
Spread the love, but choose your friends wisely.
Love yourself, to love your family and find the difference between wants and needs.
Be sure to stop and count your blessings, smell the roses and fight for something.
To drown hate like a stone, and walk the path overgrown.
Never to lay awake, and if so for goodness sake.
Now call me crazy but all the old ways, of living simple, are simply fading.
All we buy is time before we die, and lay on down desensitized.
Autumn…
Posted on | September 20, 2009 | 1 Comment
Autumn! Where have you been? Come on in! Please! Sit down and make yourself comfortable! My home is your home…
New Branches…
Posted on | August 19, 2009 | 2 Comments
Last week I had the pleasure of visiting my brother and his family up in Charlotte VT, pretty much old stomping grounds as a child, and I got to see my niece Anna Belle and newborn nephew Timothy, or, shall I say “Little Timmy” as they like to refer to him . It’s so easy to get caught up in the “Aw he’s so cute!” or “What a smart kid you guys have raised! You sure have your hands full!”.
But, in the end, as I started my rocky ascent from Burlington’s prestigious international airport, what I came away with from that wonderful visit (actually from every visit up there really), is the undeniable gravity of family.
How being amongst the “new branches” in the family tree, make you check yourself constantly. How you can’t help but marvel at all the potential you have crawling on you or sleeping in your arms. That potential to be everything you ever were or weren’t. That clean slate that allows for a life free of the dumb mistakes you ever made. Of wiser, kinder eyes and bigger, more accepting hearts.
There’s not an ounce of jadedness or hubris… just unfettered dreams and imagination.
I’ve spent a good amount of my life trying to hold onto those tiny threads back to when I ran through the woods, using a Whiffle Ball batt for a sword, valiantly stopping all that threatened to take that moment away. But those threads fray with time and get harder to hold on to.
As I sit back and watch another summer quickly disappear, I’m so grateful to have these new, fresh branches to grab and tie those threads back on to. To reinterpret, remix, add to and completely make their own.
—————-
Now playing: Bon Iver – Blindsided
via FoxyTunes
About Friends…
Posted on | August 2, 2009 | No Comments
I can’t believe we’re already in August. I visited the site while I was at training last week and couldn’t believe that I still had the post up about the Golf being sold; from the end of June! 
The point of a blog is of course to update it and update it frequently. But man has life had me in a frenzy lately. Nothing bad per say though I regret that it’s involved a lot of what I like to call “screen time” (basically, time in front of a computer). But, I’m also in an odd little place where I’ve really been enjoying what I’m doing with said time in my off hours. I’ve connected with some pretty awesome people! On the days I feel like I need to unplug, I make sure that I do. But, for now, I’m gonna keep doing the little projects I have lined up on the side and enjoy connecting with people I never would’ve connected with otherwise.
When the time does come to unplug, I have an amazing network of friends to bring me back down and focus on what’s important to me. This weekend, above all weekends brought this fact home for me. We got together with friends in Raleigh and just sat around eating pizza, drinking Fat Tire and watching 3 horror movies that they all wanted me to pick out! The gathering wasn’t really even my idea! I didn’t host. I didn’t get the food. I did very little. In short, we all knew what a fun night for all of us would be and we threw it together. I don’t have too many friends I can do that with. I’m sure it wasn’t a big deal for them, they are all so genuinely and naturally kind people, but it was a big deal to me.
I’ve been walking a pretty introverted line my entire life and because of this, I’ve made much fewer friends then I bet I would’ve made if I was the extroverted type. I have zero regrets about this tact though. I’ve always felt that it was better to have 10 really close friends, than a 100 drinking buddies. So far it’s worked out really great 
.
I offer no pics of said individuals, no details. I only offer my sincerest thanks!
Life’s really damn short and I’ve been pretty blessed to share it with some of the best group of individuals on the planet! And I’m grateful for that fact every morning I wake up.
Tags: day to day > eco ramblings > ruminations > tech > thoughts