Welcome to the Cloud Pit. This is a webpage, not a blog.

Shortly after my last update, I was turned on to an internet meme that challenges you to come up with 101 realistic life goals, and achieve all of them in within 1001 days. Thinking of 101 somewhat significant goals is actually a lot harder than I anticipated. I started writing my list in March and I still only have 65 things on my list. Of course I'm not waiting until I finish the list to start after my goals, and I'm actually aiming to finish everything before I turn 30, which would put me a little under the 1001 day mark.

On the last weekend of this month, I'll be traveling to backwoods PA for a wilderness rafting adventure/bachelor party. Hopefully I can knock two or three things off the list when I get back.

Favorite Song	None Shall Pass by Aesop Rock
Favorite Album	Oppenheimer (self ttled)
Favorite Movie	3:10 to Yuma directed by James Mangold honorable mention No Country For Old Men directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
Favorite TV Show	(discovered in 2007) Heroes - Season 1 (aired in 2007) Rome - Season 2
Favorite Book	(discovered in 2007) Watchmen by Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons (published in 2007) The Accidental Time Machine by Joe Haldeman
Favorite Trailer	Sunshine honorable mention Iron Man

Despite the fact that I'm typing this update in the American Airlines terminal of the Chicago O'Hare airport, I won't be able post until I get back to LA much later this evening (read, 20 days later) because sadly, the internet still isn't free. So its 2008, the future, and the world is still lagging drearily behind my expectations.

In my update from October of last year I mentioned a "theoretical" promotion that has since solidified into an actual promotion to junior editorial within Herzog. I'm working nights, almost exclusively on HD Online Editing. My primary activity over my Christmas vacation was explaining to people what I do when I'm not on vacation, and after watching the blank look come over people's faces during the fifth or sixth sentence of my speech, I get to wishing I had just pointed people toward this wikipedia article about onlining.

I'm also moving again. I don't really like the apartment I live in. It is big, but that is about all it has going for it. It is expensive, gothic and old, has no laundry, parking, or air conditioning, and the paper thin walls and large windows invite the sound of the busy intersection right into room. I gave my 30 days notice without having a new place in mind - a move that people who don't live in LA can hardly comprehend, and within only a few days of searching I found a place in Studio City. More on the new place in my next post when I will hopefully have pictures.

Well, constant reader, this is it. This is an update for the sole purpose of linking you to other interesting things on the internet. Any plausible deniability that this is not a "blog" has just gone out the window.

Make sure you check out my friend and colleague Matt Walden defend America's most hilarious presidential candidate on G4's Attack of the Show.

And while you are surfing, check out Jon Ronson's three part documentary Crazy Rulers of the World. The first part is about secret paranormal experiments conducted by the US military. Don't start watching this until you have 40 minutes of free time, because you won't be able to look away.

I forgot to mention that there is a new black and white photo on the portfolio page. It is called "The Night Crew."

The word "blog" isn't that old. I was hoping that it would come to mean "a prefab fill in the blanks web format with hosting supported by advertisements" but instead it has come to mean "any website with regular editorial updates." So I give up. Call this a blog if you want, you can't fight the English language, but I'm still going to call it a website.

Anyway, I've always tried to keep this site about myself without making it into a public diary, but I think it would be strange for me to not mention that Cristine and I have separated after almost four years. Anyway, without punishing you with details, I'm living in our apartment by myself right now, probably moving in December, and Cristine is taking care of the cats.

In other recent developments, I was moved back to night work at Herzog Cowen in time for my one year anniversary at the company. I had worked nights from October of last year through the end of June this year - 9 months. I spent 3 months as a daytime assistant editor, and now I've accepted a move back to nights but I'm theoretically no longer a general assistant, but rather a junior editor and online assistant. The difference, this week anyway, is that I'm actually cutting something instead of making quicktimes and digitizing tapes.

I also wanted to report a successful birthday. The highlight was a They Might Be Giants show at the Avalon in Hollywood (thanks to Cristine for the tix), and the big surprise was the opening act Oppenheimer, who sounded amazing. They are playing at the TLA in Philly where I first saw TMBG years ago this Thanksgiving weekend, and if I had $800 for a plane ticket home I would be there. So if you're in the tri-state area for the Thanksgiving, I highly recommend this show.

I'm not so materially obsessed that I relish the thought of growing older for the sake of receiving birthday gifts. Still, September has always seemed like something of a speed bump in the year, a good time to slow down and take stock. All that being said, this post includes a list of shit you could buy me for my birthday if that's something you're interested in doing. And if you're last name isn't the same as mine, I don't see why you would be.

Warning! Don't attempt to browse Polish Poster.com unless you have a least an hour of free time, because I guarantee you will be unable to resist exploring this ridiculous website. There are three of my favorites.
1. Innerspace
2. Star Wars
3. Alien

And perhaps most importantly an Amazon.com wishlist filled with exciting miscellanea.

August 26, 2007

The three year anniversary of this web-effort is approaching, and due to a dreadful staleness in the kind of self-news I have to offer, posts have trickled down to six and eight month updates. So in case you were worried - no I haven't lost my fingers, or forgotten how to use spell-check - I just haven't had much to talk about.

In work related news, I've learned a lot at HCE, and since my last post, have moved from working nights (6pm to 4am, five days a week for NINE months) to having a fairly secure daytime position as an assistant editor. My role in the company has changed often, from logging tapes, general night assist, to leading the night assist crew, to B-roll pulling, to day time general assistant, and in the coming weeks I'll be focusing on online editing (conforming finished pieces for delivery, color correction, and quality control). Anyway, everyone will know my name at this year's Christmas party.

Also, Christine and I moved this summer. If you decide to send me something in the mail (thanks for those books Bryan), make sure you get my new address. The place is much bigger and nicer in many ways (for example, I'm typing this in my office) without being much more expensive. I don't really have any pictures of the place yet, but I'm sure I'll post them in another six months. I did however just take a picture of my office with my cell - and that reminds me - be careful not to leave a phone set to vibrate on the lip of the sink while the water is running. In other news, I recently got a new cell phone.

I don't know if I mentioned it before, but last summer I started hounding people to participate in online advertising offers as my "referrals" - so that I could get a free gift. I wasn't able to convince most of my so-called friends to sign up for anything, but the venture worked out very well overall. I did eventually receive a totally free X-Box 360 (which I immediately had modded) and a free Zune (which kicks an ipod's ass) before I got bored with the effort.

Without really meaning too, I've become a Microsoft apologist wherever I go. I now carry a PC laptop in a wonderful Microsoft branded messenger bag that also holds my Microsoft Zune, and you wouldn't believe how much shit I get for it. You know what, I actually think apple makes some neat products, but when I have that kind of money to spend on frills that I don't absolutely need to get by - first I'm going to have my teeth whitened, then maybe I'll get an iphone.

I shake my head in wonder every other day when I hear the date, and this has been going on since late March. This year has been fast and challenging in every way. I haven't worked this hard since I was in film school, or partied this little since I was in diapers.
As usual, I'll end this post with a vague promise to keep the internet more informed about my goals, my expectations, and the all the changes worth mentioning. On that note, see you around Christmas.

Oh, and of course, a shout out to my friend and FSU film school classmate Will Bigham, winner of the first season of On The Lot. Congratulations Will and best of luck!

Far too many of my posts begin with an apology for how long it has been since I last updated this site, but if you rely on the internet to get information I'm afraid you're always going to be the last to know everything.

I'm pushing for 2007 to be "the year that was cool, but you don't have to make a big deal about it." And in that spirit, here's a non-threatening billeted list of highlights from the season.

I mean to make other updates to the portfolio section - I added a long time ago a non-link to a Firefly video I made, but I'll probably take it down because I don't think anyone cares and I'm kind of over showing it to people anyway.

I do want to post Courtney Powell's music video that I edited a few years ago, and can, and will, but not today.

September 18, 2006

My birthday is this coming Sunday, the 24th of September, and while I'm not planning anything, I thought I would put it out there that lottery tickets would be an excellent way to show you care. Lots and lots of lottery tickets. Preferably Mega Millions or Super Lotto. But I would also accept Powerball. Quickpicks are fine, you don't have to personally choose the numbers.

If gambling isn't your thing, but you're still aching to celebrate, two of these window shades one of these cell phones (1, 2), or some chocolate malt carnation instant breakfast would all be acceptable in lieu of lottery tickets.

September 08, 2006

Over a year of editing for Good Time Golf is at a functional end.

Unemployment brings into sharp focus that list of things that you normally keep in the hazy distance, of stuff you hope you'll never have to do . I've been scanning that list all morning and my eyes keep flicking hungrily between "sell body for science experiments" and "rob liquor store." Now you're think, Dave, you are hy-larious, and I agree. Unfortunately hy-larity is poor resume filler.

The big news is that I've moved my site to a domain that does not imply that my name is David Cholland. Welcome to The Cloud Pit. The Cloud Pit is the title of a story that I wrote almost ten years ago that was based on an amazing dream. Someday it will be a screenplay, but in the meantime, enjoy the domain name.

When I moved the site, I gave it a head to toe polish, added some pictures to the color photography section in the portfolio, and also posted the long awaited, if not anticipated Wreckumentary - an epic documentary on the making of Glitter Girl - a short film I crewed on in my first year of film school. Check the portfolio section.

If you are a potential employer who found this website by reading my resume, you can find more of the same kind of information on the resume page of this website, and you can rest assured, I would never actually rob a liquor store. But maybe you should hire me just in case.

In the way of personal news, I gave myself a going out of work present by grabbing an enormous 36inch HDTV from Craigslist. I'm finally able to use the progressive scan feature on my DVD player, with which I swiftly conquered season one of 24 and season two of Veronica Mars. And to top it off, I can now watch the third seasons of Veronica Mars, House, and Lost in true and beautiful HD. My god those shows are good. The jury is still out on 24 as I limp into season 2 - I prefer my drama with at least a grain of levity.

And he's okay!

Its been two months and I guess I'm sufficiently recovered from my addiction to episodic television on DVD to write this update. Not only did I watch seasons one and two of Lost, and House MD, but I tossed in season one of Veronica Mars as well. With the new seasons of Deadwood and Entourage beginning somewhere in there its been a very busy time for sitting around and watching TV. The high point was of course when my dual obsessions with authentic Mexican cuisine and episodic television found an unbelievable overlap in the Season 2 finale of House MD in a scene filmed at the taco stand down the street that supplies 40% of my meals.

I didn't just watch TV these last two months. I also went to the movies. I went, for the first time, to Graumann's Chinese Theater, also known as the-place-with-all-the-celebrity-handprints-(and-shit). I saw X-men 3 there, and even though I was 700th in line and made to stand on a different street than the theater was on while in line to get it, we still got pretty good seats. So good in fact that we were within spitting distance of both Brett Ratner and Bryan Singer. The biggest cheer from the sold out crowd that night was for the Superman trailer. I went back to see Superman on opening night (Bryan Singer not present this time), and the movie was okay, the experience was okay, but lacked the excitement of the X3 show. After seeing both movies I wish more than ever that Singer had continued making Xmen films and that Superman had gone to...who cares.

There was a lull in my work for Good Time Golf while the director moved to California. During that lull I filled in for two weeks for Greg O'Bryant as the night assistant editor on the show Intervention (which airs on A&E). This was an interesting break from Good Time Golf since I don't think two shows could be any more different.

In an effort to get the blood that settled in my ass flowing through the rest of my body I re-joined Gold's Gym. This is akin to inviting a known crack addict to stay in your home. I suddenly find money disappearing from my wallet and all I get in return is pain. Physical pain. People who are in shape love to tell you about how great it feels to work out, etc. People who are in shape can eat it. The only reward I get from working out is the delicious smoothie I buy afterwards at the gym cafe. They are clearly, CLEARLY putting an addictive substance in those smoothies (my favorite has peanut butter, banana, yogurt, milk and protein. and I get them to add strawberry). I pay them more every month for blended ice beverages than I do for the privilege of using their exercise equipment.

I don't think I ever intended this website to be a chronicle of my wasted time, but here it is anyway. I started playing the old role playing game Fallout this week, and have Fallout 2 on standby. If you ever need to make five hours disappear instantly, I highly recommend this method.

I am hereby posting notice that there will be no further updates to this webpage until I have finished watching the first seasons of both Lost and House on DVD and then caught up on the second season episodes now airing. More to come on this obsessive television event.

April 23, 2006

The #1 question I get these days, and by that I mean, the single question I've been asked by one person, is "How's LA?" Since you already know that everyone is fake, the weather is better than wherever you are, gas is expensive, traffic is bad, and everyone speaks Spanish, I'll try to focus on some of things you might not know about living in California.

First. There is a donut place on virtually every corner, in every little city strip mall with five stores and four parking spaces, but none of them are Dunkin Donuts or Krispy Kreme. I know what you're thinking, 2 - 2 = 0. That's what I thought, but the recipe for the donut is apparently a secret everywhere else in the world except here.

Second. Ground beef does not exist in Los Angeles, however, you can't leave the house without being force fed carne asada. I discovered I was within walking distance of a little taco hut, and thought "I'll have to try that." I now eat there approximately every other night. Its not that it's the greatest food I've ever had, but its good, really good, and its cheap, and its practically in my front yard. I haven't patronized an establishment this heavily since the Nando's Chicken addiction of 2001.

Third. Getting an apartment in Hollywood with your own washer and dryer means you are either Prince or Julia Roberts, and you can afford to just buy new clothes when yours get dirty. Getting an apartment with "on site" pay laundry, like in a college dorm, means you are fortunate but not particularly special. I am not fortunate. I am currently spending about $12 and 2 hours a week at the laundromat. I am not used to involving my car and the presence of total strangers in my laundry, and the only thing I like about it is that it gives me an excuse to just sit and read for an hour.

Fourth. Throwing away all of your furniture and appliances is a very liberating experience. You should try it. Getting all new furniture and appliances that conform with with two sets of opinions, is like being draw out on a rack. Have you ever gone home and not had a chair?

Anyway, we're getting by. Cristine is working as Mary Louise Parker's assistant while she films the second season of Weeds over the next few months. She is planning to take a few days off from shaking hands with celebrities to visit the Tribeca film festival where her film "Sirah" will be screened and where, with any luck, her career will blow up like Rachel Ray.

Well its done. In a couple of weeks Cristine and I will be buying furniture in Hollywood, California. Our apartment is on Willoughby Ave between Vine and Gower, and our lease is only month to month, so there is no telling how long it will be before we move again.

I've made some changes to the website. I've reversed the order of the pictures in the color and black and white sections. From now on, the most recent picture added will be the first picture displayed.

I combined my bio and contact pages and added a picture of yours truly.

I have also updated my resume to reflect my most recent professional work.

My last update was in the shamefully distant past, but since I'm now temporarily living with my mother again, the one person who reads this page faithfully has no reason to visit. But for the inconstant reader, I am alive and well, and living in Delaware once more.

Shortly after the events of last Thanksgiving, we moved. In mid-December I bought a car-top carrier from Sears, and then Cristine and I threw away, donated, or sold everything we owned that would not fit into our cars and/or car-top carrier. Cristine now keeps a vigil over our cats at her parent's place in Alexandria, and I am in Claymont, working on editing projects for Good Time Golf.

Notice I said cats, plural. Carlos is now a member of the family despite my early protestations.

In early Jan, my benefactors were nice and crazy enough to take me with them to edit on location when they filmed their upcoming Puerto Vallarta MX show, so I made some coin and tucked another foreign land under my passport. Didn't really do or see much because I was working in the hotel for most of everyday I was there. Ate a lot of fajitas and shot a roll of film basically. My favorite picture from Mexico should be color picture 14 in my portfolio section.

The script I wrote for the Incubator Film Contest did indeed become a film, which in turn became a finalist, which was apparently well received though it did not garner and prizes.

I'm adding to the portfolio section the trailer I cut for The Sky is Falling, the film I edited for my master's thesis qualification. Not that its a particularly new film, or a new trailer, just a new portfolio page.

November 25, 2005

Cristine and I just had our first Thanksgiving on our own. I learned a great deal. I kind of knew that it was a mistake to wait until 8pm on Wednesday night to buy a frozen turkey, but I was mostly worried about not finding one. They had three left, and the smallest one was 20lbs. Now, Turkey enthusiasts will tell you that thawing a turkey is a tricky affair with the constant risk of creating a bacteria farm that will leave toxins in your food even after it has been cooked. Fuck all that. We finally settled on thawing the bird overnight in a large cooler full of cold water out on the deck, but only after repeated attempts to sink the bird to the bottom of the bathtub were unsuccessful. In a nod to the turkey enthusiasts, Cristine did go out in the middle of the night to change the cold turkey water at regular intervals. After pulling the bird's semi-frozen neck out through its ass on Thanksgiving Day, the cooler was then filled with a peppery brine solution Cristine prepared, to complete the thaw. Note - remember to make sure the spigot on the cooler is closed before dragging it into your kitchen and dumping five gallons of brine into it. Other lessons learned - pillowcases and socks are great substitutes for the potholders you are too young to buy, but don't plan on using them ever again. These, and other household items are also good for soaking up the rapidly carbonizing fluid spilling over the side of the disposable roasting pan. In any case, don't use paper towels because they will immediately catch fire.

Whatever. It tasted good, and there's still at least 8 pounds of it left.

November 17, 2005

Hey, lots going on. I'm supposed to be working right now, so I'm going to keep it short. Cristine and I recently celebrated our two year anniversary (also known as "The Melting Pot Anniversary"). If you haven't been - lovely. The build up for the famous chocolate fondue maybe a little too much, but the spinach/avocado cheese fondue came out of left field and took home the trophy.

I just bought a computer a couple of months ago, but I'm at an impasse with my editing workflow and am forced (sigh) to put together a ridiculous beast. The parts are on their way, and I'm really going to have to elevate my game to put this thing together. I've already run into trouble - my new 19" LCD monitor was the first thing to arrive, and after I plugged it into my old computer, I realized it wasn't going to work with my new computer because it doesn't have DVI inputs. I'm hoping this is the only glaring oversight I've made, but I'll find out soon enough. Incidentally, Newegg offers their own line of credit, and if you make a purchase over $500 you have 6 months to pay or not pay without finance charges. I'm going to wish I had not discovered this.

So much for keeping this short.

We're hosting a stray kitten on a rent to own program, but our cat Victor isn't taking it well, so it looks like the little guy won't be able to stay. We've named him Carlos for the time being and he has very bad gas.

This week I'm also busy writing a script as part of a team competing in the Entertainment Industry Incubator Film Contest. We'll see, huh.

October 19, 2005

First, I've added pictures from Sandro and Megan's wedding, easy to find from the portfolio page.

Here is the final word on my status as a feature film editor. I was called less than a week before filming and told by a member of the production staff that I was hired, I was the editor for the film "What We Did on Our Holidays." After less than a week of shooting, I got a call from the producer, already the second person to hold that title, expecting to hear about how dailies were being handled and I was told "its not going to work out." Apparently the film was sold to a UK distribution company that demanded an editor with feature credit. The phone call ended in an explosion of anger on my end. I had already taken leave from my old job, and because I hadn't yet signed anything, I had no recourse. A subsequent call, established the fact that the producer and indeed the director (now dig this) did not know that I had been hired. Anyway, dialogue opened and I found I might still have a job, so long as another editor had his name on the film as well. The phone tag goes on for a another week. During this week, the entire production staff I've been dealing with leaves the film, quit or fired, I'm not entirely sure. The next call I get is from the director, the only one there acquainted with my plight. The message is, hold on, maybe you can do a first cut. I also hear a rumor at this point that I'll be offered a cut of the trailer. And then, utter silence. The film wraps, the people go home, the film school washes it hands of it, and I got my old job back. That's the story of how I went from being a feature film editor to being unemployed for four weeks. And hey, I understand that films get sold, companies make demands, and my experience is not yet a reflection of my talent - so I had to be let go. This is show business. But there is a right way to do things, and a right way to treat people, and from the stories I've collected, that just didn't happen this time around.

On top of all that, I'm fat. So I went to check out the brand new Gold's Gym a few blocks away. A word of advice, if you are at all susceptible to what's known as the hard sell - don't EVER go into a gym, for any reason, unless you are prepared to purchase a membership. Anyway, I've got a membership now, and I didn't even see until after I'd signed the paper that all the cardio machines have TVs with DVD players on them. Now I can get in shape AND watch all 24 episodes of Space Above and Beyond.

We've been given an expiration date for our stay at our current Tallahassee address. December 15th, we have to move out. Don't know where to yet. Hopefully home, for the holidays

September 17, 2005

Still waiting to discover definitively what my next job is, and in the interim squandering my youth on Nintendo and internet gambling. I'm only really making an update to make a triumphant announcement that conveniently segues into another birthday gift idea. Finally, Space: Above & Beyond has been released as a complete series on DVD. I've been waiting years for this and it snuck up unexpectedly. Right now, it is only on sale from Best Buy, and I strongly recommend you buy it for me and then come over to watch it.

I've been offered a job editing a feature length film. It's indie, low budget, produced in cooperation with the Florida State Film School, crewed by and large with alumns - but a its a real movie.

Cristine and I have moved to a new place in Tallahassee. Marc Carlini's place actually. Shoot me an email if you're interested in having my new address. Its a gated community with a couple of pools. Incidentally, don't buy swimming trunks with pockets, because your cell phone and keys do not want to go swimming.

More important than any of this are the two episodes I have yet to watch of the prematurely cancelled show Firefly on DVD. The richly deserved feature film based on the show (Serenity) comes out on Sept. 30. I could go on and on. Hopefully I won't do something stupid like get a tattoo, but I really like it.

Last week I drove to Maryland for the wedding of good friends, and encountered more privately owned beer at the after party than I would have thought legal. At least enough alcohol to get you on some kind of watch list. Anyway, the wedding was lovely and the company was very warm. I hope to have some pictures up this week.

Then I went home to Delaware, mostly to eat, and rest up for the return drive. My brother, Mark, has lost over one hundred pounds. Its ridiculous.

I sustained myself during over 24 hours of driving this week with the unabridged recordings of Polar Star and Red Square, two of the four sequels to Martin Cruz Smith's Gorky Park - my number one favorite book I've picked up in the last 12 months.

July 22, 2005

I have to be more careful with Frontpage. I published without meaning to my 1,000 word digression about my new computer to my homepage sometime in the last few days, and I apologize if you read it all, looking for the point. I'm pulling it down and stuffing in a sidebar - My New Computer - The Mark IV Dynasty.

Anyway, I've more or less left the Equipment Room (I may come crawling back yet) and have been editing from my own little studio for the past week, and making a considerably better living.

Also, I got in the mail the cherry on top of the Mark IV Dynasty - a brand new film scanner. So hopefully when my schedule clears up, I'll be able to upload more photos.

I'm also going to be replacing the photography section with a portfolio section very soon because I actually have a request - the Art of Autobiography spec trailer I edited last Fall.

I took 50 Cent's advice and switched the style up. The changes to the site are mostly structural. The new links give the site more continuity, more visual integrity. Incidentally, due to my own stupidity, I lost any entries to this page that I made during May, and I can't retrieve them. I doubt I said anything important. I've edited the bio section a bit, nibbled off some of the cheese. And I took my phone number off the contact page - seemed dangerous. You can always email me and ask for my number.

The big news is - this is my last week working in the film school equipment room. Next week I start a short term editing job that should provide me with enough financial leeway to spend a little time looking for another job. More info about my new job when I actually start work on it, and can say for certain that things are going as planned.

Jeremy and Pete visited a few weeks ago and the trip was a great success. We did just about everything there is to do in and around Tallahassee: canoeing, camping, beaching, swimming, fishing (Jeremy wouldn't forgive me if I failed to mention that he caught a little shark), greyhound racing, poker, and we got drunk in a spaceship.

No picture from me, my camera battery was dead. Jeremy has some pics, and when I get a hold of them I may host them.

Speaking of pictures, I've upgraded my camera with a new, fast prime lens (bought with my winnings from playing poker), and a hot shoe flash. I'll be traveling to Virginia this weekend to play official photographer at the wedding of my friends Sandro and Megan.

Pretty soon I will have a new film scanner, which means more pictures will be appearing on my site. I'm also considering changing the photography section of the page back to a portfolio section, and adding some other types of media now that I have more user-friendly web hosting.

I added a few pictures from my camping trip. They were shot on Kodachrome, the original slide film. Its a pretty neat stock, lots of depth, great color. Only three labs in the world still process it. I also added a black and white Photoshop project.

Jeremy and Pete will be visiting for most of a week, starting Thursday. I'll post again after that with more news and pictures.

Wow. Slow down. Your own dot.com address? How did you do it Dave? Money. Mere pocket change, and about twenty minutes is all the move to legitimacy took. I spent a ridiculously disproportionate amount of time hovering over dot.com registry sites, checking to see what names were taken, etc. I don't know what all the hesitancy was about, but now I'm committed. Take that blogosphere.

The last month or so records no professional success, but a tremendous amount of growth as a hobbyist. At the beginning of May, John, Greg, Cristine, and spend two days and nights camping at St. Andrews State Park just south of Panama City. This was a first for me, and also new to my adult life, a healthy amount of saltwater fishing. John and I, Beth Bailey too, have been pulling pretty sorry looking fish out of the water for the last month, and once we went as far as eating a cooler full of catfish despite the protestations of almost all of my senses.

I don't have any new pictures yet, but I'm finishing my first roll of Kodachrome now, and I promise to update and post some scans as soon as I get them back.

What's new. I liked Revenge of The Sith, maybe even more than Return of the Jedi, but I haven't made up my mind yet. Of course, I'm not blind to some of the choices and clichés that I just can't believe were allowed to exist in a film as important as this, but hey, he's accountable to no one, and the film works. End of story. Until the TV series.

April 11, 2005

Its been a month since I've last updated and not much has changed. Imagine my surprise.

The only interesting thing that's come up between now and a month ago, is that I joined the Tallahassee Astronomical Society. This weekend I broke in my membership by driving out to the middle of nowhere to meet some very kind strangers with huge telescopes to see what we could see. They have their own little observatory on couple of acres outside of Tallahassee they call Starhill. Ever seen five million stars at once? I really want a telescope.

While I was there I took some photos that may or may not turn out something like the background of this web page.

Meantime, I added some new color photos.

March goes by so fast, I'm sure it will be April again before I update, so I'll try to make this one count.

Cristine and Marc are working on the cut of Idol Beliefs, and while I haven't seen it, I've heard the response from the faculty was very positive.

While I haven't finished any editing projects or written a script this year, I have used what petty earnings I manage to pocket to fund new studies in low stakes gambling. After two weeks of gas station visits, I'm finally growing weary of buying Florida Lottery Scratch-Off Games. $2 is too much to pay for an anti-climax. And to cap it off I finally scratched an itch by learning the ins-and-outs of the betting at the Greyhound track. John and I went to the Jefferson County Kennel Club and managed to fail to predict a race outcome for two hours. But yelling at scrappy dogs is a lot more fun, and feels slightly less ridiculous than yelling at a scratch-off ticket, and so remains my low stakes wager of choice.

Also last week, I got a call from Sheldon Kahn, A.C.E. (editor of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Ghostbusters, and more recently Be Cool). He called me on my cell phone to tell me he'd seen my resume, and offered to take me to lunch sometime. Rock. The weird part is, I'd been ignoring his calls the night before because I didn't recognize the number he was calling from, and Cristine told me I should answer it anyway, saying, "Maybe its Sheldon Kahn." - I'm not joking.

I'm going to the library after work today to pick up Orson Scott Card's Shadow of The Giant, the latest release in the Ender/Bean series. If you're a fan, this one might have slipped under your radar, I know it snuck up on me.

I'm updating the Photo section with some new pictures. Having run through just about every print stock in the last year, I'm shooting a variety of slide films with the usual mixed results. I took some shots at the track last week, and I'll post them as soon as I can provided they turn out alright.

Just to let you know, I've changed my Steve McQueen tribute IM name to God Save McQueen. I hope I never get tired of this.

What's to tell. The FSU Film School thesis production cycle has begun anew. Cristine's film Idol Beliefs, about a very young Muslim girl who has trouble making friends at her Catholic school, began filming yesterday. The thesis films are all shooting two at a time this year and on 16mm film no less. This means smaller crews, and enough money for DI timing and a digital media finish (perhaps in addition to 35mm prints). The changes, I guess, are in response to the money-sink-hole-shoot-forever style filmmaking that thesis has become over the last few years.

Speaking of last year's thesis films, the Television Academy (The Emmys) announced the winners of their College Television Awards, and The Sky is Falling was the only film from FSU to be recognized this year (2nd place, Comedy). Congratulations to producers Nick Huynh, Danny Tenkman, and Stephen Roberts, and director Adam J. Kreps - it was a very challenging film. I guess this makes me an Emmy award winning editor, sound mixer, script supervisor, actor, and stunt man. Rad.

People keep asking whether or not I've cut the last film I've shot yet, and the answer is still "no." Of course, I wanted to have it done by now, but there is always something swallowing my free time. Any way, I'm putting another project through the avid right now and The Two Vows is up next.

When I'm not editing these days, which is often. I'm trying to fill the gaps in my cinematic experience on home video, since the theater is full of crap. As a result, I've gone a little crazy for World War II films, and for Steve McQueen. Celebrate with me by sending me a message at my new screenname: GodSaveMcQueen

Also, a while back I was challenged by a reader to defend my decision to leave Hero off of my top four list. Hero was alright, but when you put it up against the yard stick of stylized kung-fu movies (Crouching Tiger) it comes up really short in terms of character. I appreciate the interesting way the story was told, but it was completely melodramatic. There was like a ten minute suicide/crying scene on top of a mountain. Come on.

January 13, 2005

Comcast sent me a note saying that if I wanted, they would send me a free web cam and now that it has arrived, I thought I would use it to show you, if I could travel through time, the reproachful look I would give to the man who murdered Gandhi. Its not the best quality, and keep in mind, its very hard to take a picture of yourself with one of these things, but I think the message is clear.

I've settled in Tallahassee again, and resumed a life of small leisurely accomplishments. Usually about two per week, like getting new wiper blades for my car, which I'm getting around to doing.

Which means I'm not moving to LA and not doing the ACE internship, facts which are beautifully generative of one another.

While the meeting with the members of ACE went smashingly, they gave FSU's reservation at the table to another, very deserving grad, Megan Robb. So I spent a week agonizing over whether or not I could accept the internship because I don't live in LA and I can't really afford to move there and work without pay. This became the sticking point during the interview, and in the end, they basically did me a favor by praising me, encouraging me, and inviting me to come back when I move to LA where I will have their support whether or not I apply for the internship again. Believe me, this is good.

While you're here, I encourage you to note the disputed resemblance between Pete and Master Shake in what I like to call The Master Pete Challenge!

January 05, 2005

Some of you will remember 2004 for its record setting hurricane season. Some will remember if for the massive underwater earthquake and the deadly tsunamis it triggered. I will forget all of that, and remember 2004 as the year I left the movie theater either confused, sad, or angry approximately twenty five times.

I was working on a big page of the best and worst of 2004 and remembered that no one really reads this page, and if they do, it isn't to find out why I disliked The Passion of The Christ (It was boring). But since I put a lot of thought into it, I'll give you the capsule version,

My problem with last year's run wasn't the best and worst, it was all the uninteresting flotsam in the middle that failed to move me one way or the other. A lot of disappointment from Spider-man 2, The Village, Alien Vs Predator, Riddick, etc. Even the Life Aquatic was strikingly uneven.

Is there reason to hope in 2005? Yes.

The New World, Constantine, War of the Worlds, Batman Begins, Sin City

If we join hands and hum the theme to Citizen Kane, maybe these movies won't suck.

Also, until the "portfolio" can be diversified in terms of kinds of media, I'm demoting it to a mere "photography" page. Someday when I have a real host I can post samples of editing, and maybe writing samples when I figure out copyright law. But anyway, the photography page has been updated.

December 30, 2004

"The Holidays" continue, and I hope that you are making out like a bandit. I sure am. Got a new hard drive, so I can increase my editing work flow and I got a new suit. They are both grey. My favorite new toy is one I got for myself while shopping at the mall of all places. Hey, it was on sale.

In other news, this year the Florida State University Film School will make six short films during the Masters program thesis semester and Cristine , my lady love, was chosen to write and direct, as were few of my otherwise favorite people at FSU.

I just got the schedule for the A.C.E. internship program and it's pretty grim. I don't know if I can afford to do it, or if I can find the money, if it will be worth it.

What's happened since the last time I addressed the world? The Christian right elected the leader of the free world reminding the rest of us why we were kicked out of England in the first place. 30,000 of oil have been dumped into the Delaware river, but more importantly Paris Hilton visited Wilmington. And Oliver Stone shit the bed.

The BIG BIG news is that I will be taking time off work for at least a month and making a tour of the U.S. It starts Dec. 17th with a drive to Washington D.C. where I will be visiting Cristine's family for a few days. Around the 20th I will be in Delaware, looking forward to running with the old crowd. After New Years, Cristine will be flying back to Tallahassee and I will be staying in town for another week, possibly going up to New England to visit friends in their new natural environment.

On the 7th of January, I'll be flying to Los Angeles for the weekend to interview for the ACE internship on the 8th. Not a lot of time, but I hope to see friends and get a better grip on what I'll need to do to move to LA.

I'll be back home for a day or two and then I'm supposed to be driving back to work on Wed. the 12th.

If you'd like to convince me to stay in either Delaware or Los Angeles or New England longer than I plan to, tell me the address of the place I'll be sleeping and the address of the place where I will be making more than 8 dollars an hour and I will give it heavy consideration.

October 15, 2004

The dicks at Ritz camera never called me back after the interview. Not even to say that I didn't get the job, which I think is the professional courtesy you ought to extend to someone who put on a tie for you. Days later however, I did get a call from the FSU Film School asking me to come work full time in their equipment room for Mr. Keith Slade, the new ER manager/faculty member. Yes, it does suck being asked to hand things to students who used to hand things to me when I was their senior, but its an honest buck, a fun, easy days work, and its just left of the center of everything and everyone I know in Tallahassee.

In my spare time, I'm working on my new home AVID (don't ask) on some FSU projects for myself and my colleagues. I'll be building an editor's reel soon and applying for the ACE Internship that takes place in Feb. 05. And I'm also trying to get a sci-fi outer space feature script off the ground (pun intended).

September 19, 2004

I have a job interview at the Ritz camera at the Tallahassee mall on Monday. Living in Dick Cheney's America with a five figure debt, and no health insurance in a town that believes in pet fees for renters isn't the breeze it used to be. On my business card I quote Dylan Thomas, "I labour by singing light, not for ambition or bread, or the strut and trade of charms on the ivory stages..." - well I take it back. I am definitely willing to labour for bread.

I'd like to take this time to openly announce that I not only do I like the music video for George Michael's "Freedom '90," I furthermore think it is awesome. You should watch it again. Amazing cinematography, great editing, several explosions, and lots of supermodels from the hot turtleneck period right in between cocaine chic and heroin chic.

Do you like shiny things? If you are a philosopher and/or a fan of science fiction, you are probably used to Hollywood treating you like a child with Downs Syndrome. Someday I hope to be instrumental in bringing an intelligent piece of speculative fiction to the screen, but until then you'll have to watch A Sound of Thunder.

Having graduated film school tens of thousands of dollars in debt
I will be living and working in Tallahassee, FL for an indefinite time
before moving nearer to the entertainment industry.

Some of the links on this site may not work yet. soon.
hopefully in the next few days I will put some pictures in the
portfolio link. If anyone has good advice about purchasing a domain name and hosting services, let me know.

	Editor / Filmmaker
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