Last day of March...how d'ya like them apples?

Holy cow! Poof, just like that, March is over. Not "in like a lion and out like a lamb"...nor, 'in like a lamb and out like a lion.' It just blew in one wet, cold end, and chugged right out the other (just slightly warmer, is all).

In and out.

Wet, and wetter still.

It's ok though, the rain is necessary, and really...isn't it better than the freezing snow? I think getting stranded in the rain is preferable to becoming a human popsicle in one's car, right?

Weather chat aside, how's life moving along for everyone? It's 11:30 in the evening, and I am somehow too awake, yet, to climb into bed. I have just watched Slither for the second time, and found myself jumping at all the right moments; cringing when it was appropriate; covering my mouth so the slugs wouldn't get into the second female lead's mouth (you know how it works). C'mon, don't pretend that you don't 'swerve' in your chair to avoid getting hit by a car or to duck a punch, or to see around a corner when you watch a movie. Suspended disbelief, baby!

And yes, I know some of it (Slither) is super cheesy and somewhat lame in the SFX department, but by and large, even the bits of campy were clever and fit the tone of the movie.

They did a lot of laughing at themselves, which made the entire movie that much more entertaining (believability be damned).

Besides, watching Nathan Fillion's cute little facial expressions is totally worth the 120 minutes (oh, and yes, I stopped and rewound bits and pieces here and there - nyah).

"That's some f***ed up sh*t", dead-pans Bill Pardy.

Oh....do yourself a favor and watch it!

Tomorrow is the first meeting I will attend for the DWIFF, although many more volunteers have been at work on this puppy for over a year, now. I will meet my new PA 'boss', and a few other critical members of the team, and will get a task or 4 as well. The meeting will happen at Tech Town, and despite the fact that I will get another chance to be in a very cool place (and maybe get some stills of the area), I am dismayed by the distance and waste of gas. I will reserve judgement and bite my tongue until I see how everything moves, then I will either utter the other thought that is knocking around inside my skull, or it will go completely away. We shall see.

BOO! (made ya jump, right?)

If you're looking for my quilting photos & blog entries, they're now at: www.truenorthquilter.blogspot.com

Alright, ya happy now? OFFICIALLY...2 more weeks

The next two weeks will be crammed with stress, trying to get demo's done (sharing time on the equipment, mostly) and being prepared for the last hurdle in "Career Perspectives". Although, good news, I did hear from the DWIFF (its founder, Scott Dunham http://www.dwiff.org/), and he asked if I would be interested in being his P.A. Very cool, no?

Hhmmmmm...what to say?...how to answer. [insert Church Lady face here]

D-oh!

Also, I will be wrapping up my stint as Audio Technician for "Bible Quiz Time" once production/taping ends April 3rd. Strangely enough, I will begin my next gig as a P.A. (Production Assistant/Grip) that same evening with Wolfman Mac!

I will find out my specific duties when I arrive at the studios...but this is all very cool, and necessary, and useful.

More in a bit, details to come. Until then, have a great day!

If you're looking for quilting photos & blog entires, they're now at: www.truenorthquilter.blogspot.com

OK....TWO more weeks! Just TWO!!!

Question:

What's the difference between terror and sheer, pit-of-your-stomach excitement?

Answer:

Having two weeks left.

Happy Birthday, Nathan!!!!! Mmmmm-meat!

Can't let the day slip away without sending you a birthday greeting and a happy thought.

So....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, you lovely Canadian!

 

Hope you had a shiney day!

 

With love and admiration,

Bill Pardy

Plugging away

Sounds like I am fixing leaks in my bathtub, doesn't it? Or, maybe leaks in a boat.

LOL

Whatever the case, I am plugging (not 'plunging') away. Diligently working to satisfy the requirements of the next few weeks...between team projects and resume requirements and the final demo must-haves...I am dog-paddling like mad. Couple the graduation/class requirements with a lack of equipment to use, and you now have a major catastrophy on your hands.

That's right, despite the fact that the Editing Lab is utilized only by the RTV09-07 class on Monday (as well as on other days), Mr. Uptight...Mr. I-have-a-corncob-lodged-up-my-superior-ass, has now prohibited our class from using the few "3rd quarter" pc's/Mac's for our demo assembly, too.

Let's think about this for a moment, shall we? 1) We've paid - in full, mind you - for the priviledge to be there - sometimes getting sufficient teaching, sometimes not. (Not going to take the time or space here to debate the latter statement.) 2) Paid to use what they pass for "state of the art" equipment. 3) Have suffered through the really crummy scheduling and educational path set up for Video Prod students. (Again, won't waste time here going into the lack of merit in the horrible curriculum.) 4) Waited until literally the LAST moments to get hands-on time with the new cameras...too few cameras at such a late stage in "the game" for so many people.

So now, we are to be denied the use of the necessary tools to make the best use of our time remaining in order to get our demos as ready as they can be. What the freak!?

Seriously?

Oh yes, I feel a conversation coming on with somebody big...bigger than Mr. Ego.

Three more weeks!

THREE! Count 'em...1, 2, 3. Then that's it. Pfft!

3!

Who'd have thought this point would ever finally get here. I mean, yes, certainly I knew this time would arrive...duh. World spinning, time elapsing and all of that...I am not a complete nut job.

As an adult, having watched my own sons grow - and experiencing the passing of time in a much different way than younger folks do - I was surprised at times at how it seemed to crawl, and at others...well, time flew! And there was no rhyme or reason to it...it just was what it was.

But these weeks, this last quarter...holy crap! Supersonic time transport. Whew!

More shortly, I just need to get it together and head south for the day. Have a good day everyone, and smile.

Interesting...very interesting

Tech Town. Have you heard of it?

Maybe you haven't, yet, but you will. http://www.techtownwsu.org/index.htm

Got to see a small portion of it last night while attending an MPA talk...and I was blown away by the innovation of the building, and the concepts used - in all of the many aspects.

While having a short tour of the main (first) building, we met one of the tenants, and had a chance to get hands-on with old (and I mean O-L-D) PC's, which had been either recovered from their date with a dumpster, or donated to a program called Academic Computing Environments, a Detroit-based initiative company. These old computers have found a new life with a glorious purpose.

Maria and I took time away from the night's speech/speaker regarding insurance and financial planning to extend the tour and informational experience...and man was it worth it! We were able to speak a little more in depth with Mr. Jim Hare, one of the partners and innovators of the worthwhile ACE program. These people have found a way to really give back to the community, by using what most would consider to be a worthless commodity. To try and do it justice, I have cut and pasted the snippet provided at the Tech Town home page regarding ACE:

"A computer technology architecture business that rebuilds obsolete computers for schools. Academic Computing Environments supplies school districts facing budget constraints with an affordable means of teaching computer literacy to students and eliminating the digital divide."

This was a warm, inviting environment, and fascinating from the ceiling to the floor. Thank you, Mr. Hare, for taking the extra time to explain your vision and mission, and I hope you can provide a link for readers to go to in order to learn more, and to find a way to get involved.

Check it out, people, and support the push to innovate Detroit.

The future is our future!

Hey! Where are all of the flower sprouts?!

After walking around Belle Isle's conservatory this past weekend, I was marveling at the number of bulbs which had begun peeking out of the soil in their sidewalk planters. Scadwads of tulips and daffodils (I imagine), about half an inch to three quarters...poking their sunny, promising lil selves out of the cold dark soil.

So I, of course - being the somewhat eager, but competitive soul that I am - rushed home to scan my own front flowerbed for signs of life from anything except the bumper crop of weeds which I'd allowed to consume the flowerbed last summer.

Depression does strange things to one's spirit and desires.

I now am in need of a few dry, but blissfully sunny days, where I have nothing at all planned, so that I can don my work boots and leather garden gloves, and really get a lot of cleaning done to get ready for a beautiful garden summer. (I know, you think that should be "summer garden"...but no).

Have a great day, I shall return soon. Peace out.

Just a handful of pics from the "KODAK Moment"

Before you can do this...

you must know this:

Randy and DeWitt showed up with a very cool ARRIflex 16mm camera, and then Randy deconstructed it before our eyes. POOF!

He explained the workings, the bits and pieces, and the do-dads and widgets.

All very neat and spiffy...could have gone on for hours asking and learning...but that would have run into the second session.

Ah well, I have the time and the drive, so I will manage to learn it at another time.

And I will, mark my words.

Once he was through re-assembling the ARRI, it was a thing of beauty. We grabbed up all of the gear and trudged to the conservatory, where we took turns learning the ins and outs of laying out shots, marking the stops, the AC's duties, what a camera person REALLY does, and how it gets done.

Way different than an ENG shoot. Much cooler, too!

Once again, many thanks to Randy and DeWitt, and to Serenity! My eyes are wide open and my brain is on hyperdrive. Just let me get started.

Get outta my way, world! Stand back and watch me soar...

I am a leaf on the wind!

Seriously!?

I haven't blogged in a week? What a lame duck I am!

It has been a nutty, coo-coo week...nothing specific to do, but lots of it (whatever it was). A test - mid-terms - on Wednesday, and I was photographing everything and shooting tape like mad. Fun, fun, FUN...seriously!

I had help from my class cohorts with the

"human square"

- it's for my attempt at an 'opening' (and for personal demo stuff). I want to get it edited and running for at least one show. If that doesn't happen, well, then for my demo piece, at least. Doggone FCP, anyway!

Oh, received a 98% on the test...thanks for asking. :^) Tah-dah!!

Today, I went to a Kodak 'Stop By, Shoot Film' thingy; held at the aquarium on Belle Isle. Yes! That beautiful old, closed building next to the conservatory. It was so cool! Although, the crux of the filming was done in the conservatory, and not in the aquarium. I took the liberty of sneaking a few shots of the inside of the tank display area. Sadly, while we were able to walk through the workings of the aquarium itself (behind the scenes, so-to-speak), I had my hands full, and so was unable to snap any pictures of the holding tanks and breeder tanks, etc, which was all so incredibly fascinating, and derelict, and eerily silent. It was screaming to be photographed!

Thank you to Serenity, and to the KODAK folks, for providing the opportunity, AND the fabulous venue! Enjoy the photos.

This was a smattering of the photos I took while at the conservatory. I intend to go back to the Isle several more times...there is a lot still to get "on film" - statuary, outdoor shots, more architecture, the river and skylines. We truly have a gem here in our own backyard, perhaps you need to head to the "D" and experience it for yourself. I know I am glad I was out and about.

My eyes are open. Come join me in the fun. Til then, have a great nearly-spring weekend.

Slowly I turned...step by step...inch by inch...

Okey dokey, made it through week 27; A.K.A. week 3 of Q4. O-o-o-o-r-r-r...in layman's terms, we have 5 blessed weeks left! Can you feel the excitement? The pressure?

Well, can ya?

!

We have to get together demo tapes/reels, and the Audio members of our class have been all over that. Of course, we (the Video component) need to get a video reel together, and I am wondering what the parameters of that will be. The sooner we are told, the better off we will be.

Yeah, right. [sgnort] Still need to wrestle the tape of a Specs in Focus show from Matt, so that I can make a copy of the three talent gigs I participated in for my reel (possibly. Mostly, I just want them for my own benefit).

It's late, and I have things to do that must get done, so I will return another day. Have a nice weekend, and to anybody reading this, sitting in the path of the latest snow storm...keep warm and stay indoors.

Hey! don't forget to turn your clocks ahead on Sunday, March 9!

Oh, by the way....

It seems I was wrong regarding March coming in like a lamb.

Thbbbppttt!

Quilting photos & blog entries, after 2010, now at: truenorthquilter.blogspot.com

A snow day!

Hot diggity dog! And while it's not sunny outside, it certainly is bright.

Bright and purdy and shiny. Shiny, I say.

Shiny!

Yesterday went out as camera person with the group, and we drove to old Tiger Stadium...couldn't stop thinking of Grandpa Schaffer the whole time we were there. Except, of course, for those periods of concentrating on shooting good b-roll, and trying to keep my fingers from freezing while also trying to turn the camera on and off for footage capture. Those buttons are inconveniently placed for tripod use - especially with gloves on. LOL

Argh! Blast the cold.

Shot some exceptional b-roll, then muffed some of it trying to do zoom in's for a close up of an emblem or door sign for effect. Should have just locked the camera tight and taken still footage after the zooms. Ah well, live and learn.

But it was freakin' windy, and even when locking it for some of the shots, the camera still wobbled. Crazy cold and windy!

Logged the footage on a video log sheet after several attempts to capture the film onto the pc. Thanks, Brenden, for staying the extra several minutes after class to finish the chore. Sorry, Mark, for the delay in getting the heck "outta Dodge." All in all, we have about 14 to 15 minutes of great b-roll...and probably would have gotten more had it not been so cold.

We also motored over to Comerica so that Alister would have comparison footage between the two parks - his producer feature is sports-oriented, and he has decided to focus on the dereliction of the old ball park, and the subsequent loss that has been felt in the community, and the impending destruction of the structure. At least, I think that is what it is all about.

Anywho...time to get the day going. Boys to feed and things to do. Take care and enjoy your day, no matter what you are doing (or where you are doing it).

Here's wishing everybody had an excellent weekend!

Aside from my mom, nobody in my family ever answers email...which, I think, is why I choose not to send email - and possibly why I take my time in replying if I ever receive anything.

I've had some family members gripe and whine, and badger, and send emails of little substance - but filled with questions - and when I send a response in a very newsy letter, I get "Hey! What took you so long?" in return.

See? Why bother?

Somebody asked: "Don't you think reading this here will hurt their feelings?" My answer: "No. Since they don't read the blog, no biggie. Plus, if they did read it, it is the truth, and while the truth may sting a little....it shall set you free!!!!"

On to good things: Finished Project #1 for the final quarter.

That requires a "WooHoo!"

W-o-o-H-o-o-o-o!!!

As Producer, I had to write the rough draft script, create storyboards, est./manage crew, and push the editing of the b-roll and final prject. After that, Producer must then edit the script to match the actual tape, edit the storyboard to match, then hand the project in (all components) on time. Ta-daaaaahhhhh!

I am taking in a DVD to burn the project onto, and my hope is to load it here for viewing. We will see.

This week is busy...I have a meeting to attend Tuesday after class to get things lined up for helping out as a videographer on the Vagina Monologues theatrical performance in Southfield (lo-o-o-ong drive to Westland from Specs); the internship at the Bible Quiz show happens Thursday morning (lo-o-o-ong drive), and then possibly have a pre-show gig as photog on Friday at rehearsals - big 'maybe'.

It never rains, but it certainly does pour, eh?

Be well and stay happy. My love to all.

Q4:Week 27 - Can you believe there are only 6 more weeks to go?!

Holy cow! Six short weeks and counting. Mind you, that's of school. It's been 9 full months of non-employment, and I am getting weirded out. Freakishly terrified to open mail. Seriously anxious about having full time work lined up after the UIA ends late in May.

In fact, there will be just about a month between finishing at Specs and the end of unemployent income in order to really buckle down. The thought of returning to my old life in the corporate game leaves me feeling blue, especially after all of this time and money, but if a position presents itself I will jump on it so long as it helps get us back on our financial feet and in balance...just until this new career provides an opportunity.

I don't mind starting off at the bottom, so long as I know I can keep the bills paid, food on the table and the wolf from the door.

God willing, I will find out something positive about a job I phone interviewed for over a week ago. The decision is taking longer than first told to expect, but I know God is working in my favor, and whatever happens will be what is necessary to make the outcome go as it should in order for me to fulfill my dreams and the goal(s) in my heart. It is all according to His plan.

Until then, eyes on the prize. School ends for RTV 09-07 Aprill 11th, and we graduate April 18th!

Wish us well, and think good thoughts. Please throw a prayer out there for me, regarding that job. Thanks!

Come on spring!

Today has started off beautifully...very sunny, clear and crisp. Almost makes the extra snowfall from the last 24 hours look beautiful. Although this attitude of mine could simply be the headiness of not having to drive down to Southfield for the next two days, so pardon the drool which may drip onto the keyboard.

Little birds have begun to scratch around the back door, looking for remainders of feed which had been cast out the back patio door over the winter. The girls now sit and wait in great anticipation for the flutter of wings and the hopping and bobbing of little bird-y heads. They creep swiftly to the door and gaze at the little visitors - all the while chittering and squeaking. I am fairly certain we, the humans, have the better show - watching our felines. If the birds only knew, it would be total aviary cardiac arrest!

I am going to make the best of this quiet sunny morning, and the time of total quiet and complete happiness, and head to the sewing table. I feel a streak of uninterrupted creativity coming on. Oh! And don't forget to change your calendars. The fun of rolling a page on your calendar to a new month is kind of fun - until you get to the end of the year, and you realize it's gone by much too quickly. You parents will understand that last statement best.

Everybody enjoy your weekend, and the company you keep. Keep well and be happy!