'Heart Of A Dog' A Review

Heart Of A Dog is an experimental documentary by artist Laurie Anderson. The film centers on Anderson's late dog Lolabelle with spoken word meditations starting with the death of her pet branching out into Anderson's own childhood, 9/11 and the surveillance state, the Tibetan view of the after life, and various abstract montages.

The manipulated archive footage, stills, animation, and reenactments pair eerily with Anderson's breathy narration creating a contemplative, ethereal, and surprisingly funny tone. The film is more like a dream than anything resembling a narrative, gliding from topic to topic with long abstract transitions.

Visually the film is rich and saturated, more focused on the colors and images as a whole than what is in them be it people, animals, or structures. Much of the film is only partially in focus enhancing its dreamlike quality. The music pairs beautifully with the images and the narration producing something that is possibly better defined as a multi-media art piece rather than a movie.

Emotional, cryptic, and thought-provoking if a bit devoid of structure to its periodic disadvantage.

See It.

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"Always say 'no pun intended' to draw attention to the intended pun." -Teju Cole

"From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere." -Dr. Seuss

"A pun is the lowest form of humor, unless you thought of it yourself." -Doug Larson

"Only the pun remains. The pun, beloved of Shakespeare, children and tabloid headline-writers, is normally eschewed in the modern, sophisticated circles in which I move." -Arthur Smith

A Fortuitous Meeting 2

Most of the day I was feeling slightly melancholic. For no particular reason I could discern, maybe the holiday aftermath, maybe simple fatigue. Whatever the cause I found myself lethargic and unable to dispel my gloom.

Nicole and I went to the movies, an activity which typically brightens my mood, and when the lights went down two people slunk in and sat in front of us. After a brief moment of frustration at having my view partially obstructed I recognized them. They were our friends Mike and Meg. It was such a pleasant and unexpected encounter, the movie was pretty out there so it was fun to watch them react and grab their shoulders at various points in consternation.

After the movie we went out to dinner, an impromptu double date. We talked, joked, ate, nothing spectacular just a really nice opportunity to spend some time together and gab. Over the course of the evening my mood lightened and eventually my blues dissipated completely.

Now I don't think our random encounter was divinely orchestrated but I do know that Mike and Meg came along when I needed to be shaken out of my apathy. Sometimes all it takes is getting out of the house and the universe does the rest. Although it is quite a small thing, two couples meeting unplanned at a movie, it felt like more than mere happenstance.

Discontent

Sadness would be easier to take
if it had sharper teeth
if it tore and pierced
instead of its slow
and plodding creep
like the abandoned
armchair
in your parents'
unfinished basement
quietly disintegrating
eaten but moths
and mold
unbeknownst to you
until you plop down
in its wetness
ill prepared, then resentful.

Friendsgiving

I have to work tomorrow so instead of heading back to Rockford Nicole and I stayed in Chicago for the holiday. This was the first time I haven't spent Thanksgiving with my family and although I missed them it was really nice spending the holiday with friends. Meaghan and Laura hosted a get together of about 18 improvisors, the company was great and the spread was assorted and delicious. While there were some half-hearted thanks given during dinner the conversation was predominately taken up with bits. So in order to reflect and stay grateful- a list.

I'm thankful for the temperate season,
for money in the bank and food in the fridge,
for movie theaters, book stores, and bodegas,
inspiration and the opportunity to give it form,
friendship in all its rejuvenating incarnations,
the unwavering loyalty of family,
and for the love and support of a great woman.

'Legend' A Review

Legend is a crime drama about the Kray twins in 1960's London. Reggie and Donald Kray(Tom Hardy) are the crime bosses of the East End as the film progresses, with the help of the American mafia, they gain control of the entire city of London. Reggie woos and marries local girl Frances(Emily Browning who also narrates) and attempts to keep his psychotic brother in check.

The plot is predictable and has the lackadaisical pacing of a pedestrian biopic. The film uses exhausted gangster troupes used to better effect in predecessors Scarface and Goodfellas but Hardy's dual performances elevates the conventional content beyond the formulaic. He soars as the unfettered Donald and grounds as the charming Reggie. Although the cast sports some significant talent the others are unable to shake the constraints of the script.

The soundtrack seems to be all period appropriate which inhibits its pacing, the trailer contained more contemporary and fevered scoring which was much more effective, pairing well with the violence in the film and Hardy's performances. The film itself relies solely on the momentum of Hardy to carry it along.

Unremarkable save for Hardy's magnetic performances.

Rent It.

One Down, Three To Go

After the Chicago comedian exodus of last year a lot of the people that remained were forced to assess where they were and where they wanted to go. I didn't and don't have any desire to move to one of the coasts to try and make it, but I realized I wanted to take my shot, take the next step forward and to me that meant grad school.

The past month and a half I've been getting together various items for applications to poetry MFA programs. It's been an intensive process- selecting poems, revisions, writing statements of purpose, securing letters of recommendation and transcripts. It's an odd experience, trying to represent yourself in an honest and succinct way in an effort to be accepted.

The application process lends itself to second-guessing and doubt, I've found that trying to anticipate and cultivate the image of a good applicant is tempting but ultimately useless. I don't know what these various institutions are really looking for and the truth is just as likely to get me in as something fabricated.

Today I submitted my first of four applications. Even if nothing comes of it it feels good to have set the goal and to follow through on it. Sometimes taking the action is more important than the result.

'The Night Before' A Review

The Night Before is a Christmas comedy about three friends who spend Christmas Eve partying and hanging out, a tradition started when Ethan's(Joseph Gordon-Levitt) parents were killed. Fourteen years in the friends have started to out grow their tradition Issac(Seth Rogen) is married, has a steady job, and a baby on the way. Chris(Anthony Mackie) is a successful professional athlete with a late blooming career(due to steroids, which feels a bit unnecessary) and burgeoning celebrity. Ethan is the odd man out, a perpetual Peter Pan who has just ruined a long term relationship with Diana(Lizzy Caplan) due to a refusal to meet her parents. After fourteen years the friends will have one final blow out and then put the tradition to rest.

Although JGL is the presumable protagonist Rogen almost naturally takes center stage, either because his performance is more believable or his story line more compelling, JGL is relegated to the sidelines by Rogen's energy and Mackie's casual compelling charm. Mackie's grace and comfort onscreen is inherently watchable no matter what the subject matter, he lands his jokes, he has heart, and the steroid subplot used to give him a "journey" is forced but not distractingly so. Jillian Bell as Issac's wife Betsy and Michael Shannon as weed-dealer/guardian-angel Mr. Green are the other two clear stand outs. Bell is funny, sweet, and supportive, an equal, a welcome departure from the over-bearing-shrew troupe, Shannon is going full on Cage in some bizarre but delightful amalgamation of stoner sage and Clarence from It's A Wonderful Life.

The soundtrack is awesome with a couple musical numbers in the film(a Big homage, Run–D.M.C. karaoke, and Miley Cyrus performing a modified Wrecking Ball). There is plenty of laughs and enough heart to satisfy everyone but the real pleasure of the film comes from its numerous and exciting surprises. A parade of fully flushed out supporting characters(most notably Ilana Glazer as the manic Grinch) bring an incredible amount of energy and momentum to a film that already has three charismatic leads.

Enough of the spirit to warm the heart, enough gags to flush the cheeks, a future cult classic.

See It.

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"Any system against us is against the divine." -Saul Williams

"There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest." -Elie Wiesel

"Sometimes I think that I was forced to withdraw into depression because it was the only rightful protest I could throw in the face of a world that said it was alright for people to come and go as they please, that there were simply no real obligations left." -Elizabeth Wurtzel

"The new physics provides a modern version of ancient spirituality. In a universe made out of energy, everything is entangled; everything is one." -Bruce Lipton

Tech Savvy

It is an increasing expectation
to surmount the phone and its distraction.
To relate in the real
one must circumvent the digital.

What promise do coffee lines
and commuting hold
when compared to CG designs
and simulated adventure.
Endless information
near boundless influence
unrestricted interaction-
a prospect difficult to question.

But careful how far you recede
don't mistake facsimile for deed.
Plugging in can become a habit
barriers increasingly elaborate.

'Mockingjay Part 2' A Review

Mocking Jay Part 2 is the final installment in the Hunger Games series, a YA book trilogy adaptation. The film opens on Katniss Everdeen(Jennifer Lawerence) receiving medical treatment after her attack from the Capitol-brainwashed Peeta(Josh Hutcherson). The rebellion goes into its final stages with Katniss increasingly marginalized, the writing is on the wall and Katniss is no longer essential. As Peeta struggles with his sanity Katniss becomes more determined to go after President Snow herself.

The film gets a lot right but it is using inferior source material, without the construct of the games themselves and with the pressure of conclusion there is a percipient dip in quality of the final book and therefore this final adaptation. The ending is rushed, many of the characters turn on a dime, and the conclusion is incongruous with the whole arc of the lead.

All the actors do a fine job especially Lawerence and Hutcherson who are expected to make some swift and impossible emotional shifts. But there is a lack of social commentary and character development present in the previous installments. Even though there are some battles in the film it all feels like falling action.

Satisfying enough.

Rent It.

A Fable About Discipline

There once was a great tortoise
who was one thousand years old.
He lived on the beach.
Every hundred years he went for a swim.
And let the salted waves
carry him for a day
but no more.

It is thought
he knew something
we did not.

This was long ago.

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Photo credit CR

“Rain falls on the just and the unjust alike.” -Thomas C. Foster

“Gazing from the moon, we see one earth, without borders, Mother Earth, her embrace encircling one people, humankind.” -Frederick Glaysher

"Moral authority comes from following universal and timeless principles like honesty, integrity, treating people with respect." -Stephen Covey

GORP

In an effort
to avoid the temptation
of swedish fish
and peanut butter snickers
I made myself
a batch of trail mix
for each day
this work week-
dried cherries, salted almonds,
oats, honey, and yellow raisins.

The hope is
this high energy nosh
will propel me
through the doldrums
of insurance quotes
prickly mortgagees
and the banality
of hours spent with
computer, keyboard,
mouse and screen.

Content

Currently I'm still adjusting to my new job, working on grad school applications, and recording the second season of my podcast Hindsight Hour so I've been a little remiss in keeping this blog updated as my energy has been diverted elsewhere. In consolation here's a list of some of the stuff I've been watching that I've enjoyed recently that I would recommend.

Master Of None- Aziz Ansari's Netflix series is the Gen Y version of Louie. Each episode tackles a specific subject- gender, dating in the digital era, minorities in entertainment, LTRs etc.- and although it is funny there is a tone of introspection and commentary that is very refreshing.

The Comeback Kid- John Mulaney's new Netflix special is a really funny tightly crafted hour of comedy. After being consistently underwhelmed by him I was shocked at how much I enjoyed this

Ex Machina- Just came out on Amazon Prime, one of my favorite movies of the year.

The Wolfpack- Just released on Netflix, another one of my favorites of the year.

Once I get my grad school applications out I plan to return to posting content with a bit more inspiration.

'Spotlight' A Review

Spotlight is a drama about the Boston Globe Spotlight team which broke the Catholic Church cover-up of pedophile priests. The film opens on the Globe news room in July of 2001, a senior editor is retiring and a new executive editor Martin Baron(Liev Schreiber) is coming in to take the reigns. After a brief speech by Spotlight head Walter "Robby" Robinson(Michael Keaton) the camera follows him down to the basement office of Spotlight where we meet the team- Sacha Pfeiffer(Rachel McAdams), Michael Rezendes(Mark Ruffalo), and Matt Carroll(Brian d'Arcy James). In his first week Martin advises the Spotlight team to delve deeper into litigation spearheaded by eccentric lawyer Mitchell Garabedian(Stanley Tucci) against a priest for multiple counts of child molestation.

The ensemble cast is incredible. A clinic in realism and trust. The focus is on the process of journalism, the gradual unspooling of this complicated and difficult story. Hardly any time is spent on backstory or familial context for the core Spotlight team but through the basic fundamental procedure of journalism we get a clear and compelling sense of who the characters are. The performances from the four main team members are all fantastic with a nice surprise from James the only non-famous actor of the quartet. Schreiber also puts in a remarkable, understated performance and Tucci is more restrained(and believable) then he has been in years. All work together to create a compelling piece of cinema, by steering clear of overwrought emotions and melodrama and focusing on the nuts-and-bolts of reporting we get a glimpse of some astonishingly rich characters.

The cinematography isn't especially artful but the film is shot with patience, lingering on the reporters as they pour over books or wait in courtrooms, giving weight to not only the story they are endeavoring to break but how they do it.

There is one glaring problem with Spotlight and it is a lack of women. McAdams is excellent but she is essentially the only notable female in the entire film. An element of this gender imbalance surely comes from historical accuracy but even so in a film so methodical and sincere you expect a better solution than simple capitulation.

A wonderful, inspiring celebration of long-form investigative journalism. Dynamic, subtle performances.  A story that continues to resonate.

Don't Miss It.

Deactivate

This past week I deactivated my Facebook account. In most respects I'm not an opponent of the digital(love instagram) but I just found myself upset by it while also compulsively checking it. The world can be a cruel place, this isn't anything new, every day there are small and large scale tragedies happening and I think its important to be informed. However.

Overtime I've found the echo chamber, grandstanding, toothless nature of Facebook to be truly off putting. I agree that important information needs to be spread but posting and sharing takes so little effort and even less understanding that it lacks any real meaning. There is also this element of posturing, of narcissism about it all, cultivating a "compassionate" and "informed" digital persona, an element of "look at me I'm so enlightened" that is just exhausting. It propagates the illusion of involvement, of influence, of progress.

In my experience even if the content that is being shared is good and the sentiment accompanying it genuine it does not incite change, it is not actually participation in a political or social discourse. Petition signing, monetary donations to organizations, actual in-the-flesh protests/demonstrations, those have some actual stakes. Sharing a Huffpost article with your circle of friends who have the same beliefs as you doesn't actually do much.

Our culture is more partisan than it has ever been, beliefs more ingrained. There is little ground given in debate and discussion, minds rarely changed. This is no where more apparent then on Facebook where huge threads will develop from that one antagonistic conservative/liberal friend you have from high school/former co-worker/family member who tenaciously comments and uses incendiary language. No one is persuaded, everyone is angry. It's a zero sum game.

This all coupled with the fact that my checking Facebook had become habitual. Whenever I had downtime at work, at home, while commuting, a spare minute in line at Starbucks I'd check it even though it almost unilaterally intensified my boredom and caused me frustration. I couldn't stop I had built it into my muscle memory.

Now I don't say all this out of a sense of self-righteousness or superiority I just got tired of it, it made me feel bad. Social Media and digital technology is suppose to be helpful, make life easier, streamline communication, bring people together. At this point with it so ingrained in our day-to-day lives we have to police how successful it is for us, how much we get out of it, and decide if it is, in fact, useful.

It's important to remember that true change, inspiration, and tolerance are found in reality. Not in a What Disney Villain Are You quiz or 14 Vital Things You Don't Know About Syria article, as diverting as those things may be.

'Spectre' A Review

Spectre is the 24th installment of the James Bond franchise, the fourth with Daniel Craig as 007. Bond is, once again, going rouge with the imminent take over of MI6 by MI5. With a final mission from M(Judi Dench) to disobey M(Ralph Fiennes) and hunt down an international shadowy criminal organization that is seeking to make a global governmental digital alliance which it can exploit. Sound complicated? It is!

Craig's Bond is exhausted and uninspired. The two romantic trysts of Bond actually seem like sexual assault which makes his supposed "journey" to hopeful monogamist bewildering and offensive. At one point there is a close up of Craig's hand clasping the hand of 30-year-old co-star Léa Seydoux in which his numerous liver spots are visible highlighting their considerable age difference and how inappropriate and unbelievable the situation is. Craig was never the suave or funny Bond, he was the physical Bond, action focused. Which, again, makes this installment mystifying given he is roundly beaten in almost every encounter.

The plot is a recycled and re-purposed version of previous Bond movies, it is tired, tired, tired and totally incongruous with the previous Craig installments. Some of the ensemble put in decent performances but with a feeble script and a lead so checked-out he is almost non-existent there is not much that can be done.

Uninspired, lifeless, and dangerously out of touch.

Don't See It.

John Irving

Last night I went to an event at the library with John Irving. Chloe joined me and made it to downtown just as the event was starting. Last time Irving was in town was ten years ago promoting Until I Find You, we were at that event and it was in the same theater. Chloe brought her copy of Garp and in it was her ticket from the last time. Synergy. 

Although the event got off to somewhat of a rocky start, the interviewer seemed a bit dull and self involved, it quickly gained momentum. After the perfunctory reading Irving seemed to come alive, energized and talkative, he was gracious, comfortable, playful, and comically prickly, much more so then last time I saw him. He was more at ease and seemed to be relishing the performative aspect of the evening. He disparaged critics, expressed frustration with the progress of sexual politics, provided some reading recommendations, explained the somewhat ethereal process of where his characters come from, discussed his love of the theatre and how it informed his writing process, and even recited some King Lear and Richard III.

After his somewhat jarring introduction the interviewer was excellent, he asked Irving the right questions to get him talking and didn't interrupt, didn't back track to get his question precisely answered, created a place for Irving to talk at length about whatever he wanted to talk about, which is what we were all there to see. An inspiring evening.

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"There is a part of me that will forever want to be walking under autumn leaves, carrying a briefcase containing the works of Shakespeare and Yeats and a portable chess set. I will pass an old tree under which once on a summer night I lay on the grass with a fragrant young woman and we quoted e.e. cummings back and forth." -Roger Ebert

"To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting." -e. e. cummings

"I read and walked for miles at night along the beach, writing bad blank verse and searching endlessly for someone wonderful who would step out of the darkness and change my life. It never crossed my mind that that person could be me." -Anna Quindlen

Ideas

Like a lightening strike
in the middle of a field of corn.
Like the moment
a decision is made
to attempt the first kiss.
Like a snow flake
in its fractal beauty
landing randomly
on a child's tongue.
Like a lonely seed
falling from a discarded sack
finding solace in a patch
of warm earth
sprouting against all odds
into an unexpected blossom.
Like surprise itself.

They are not created but discovered
always lingering in the ether
searching for form, substance,
and translation.

Schwa Alums

Last night we had three LA Deep Schwa members in town. The first time we've had such a full roster in a couple months. It's always great when old members come back, they bring a fun energy and there's a sense of history and longevity which make Schwa unique.

It's especially exciting to have Brian and Nooch back(Joe comes back about once a month, other members visits are more sporadic), they were on Schwa when I first started watching the team, part of the incarnation of Schwa that really opened my eyes and inspired me to want to do improv, showed me what it could be. I'm very thankful folks that have moved away/on still make time to come back periodically to play, it means a lot.

David Mitchell

Tonight Nicole and I went to a reading by one of my favorite authors David Mitchell(best known for Cloud Atlas) followed by Mitchell in discussion with The Matrix co-creator Lana Wachowski. The event was at the Music Box and was packed with predominately Gen Y and Millennial nerds. I don't use that term as a pejorative, I consider myself a nerd being a die hard scifi/fantasy fan and a voracious reader, however there were lots of black frame glasses and socially stilted conversations going on, it was a little much.

Mitchell was charming and joyful, Lana, a personality in her own right, wasn't necessarily the best interviewer but watching the two friends and creative luminaries converse was incredibly cool.

With his last two books Bone Clocks and the newly released Slade House Mitchell has solidified the pattern he's been establishing namely that his oeuvre is all part of one collective universe with repeated characters and themes.  When asked by Lana why he's essentially writing one long protracted story he provided three reasons.

First, that it's cool, he likes the recognition you get when a character reappears and cited a couple examples. Second, when he was writing Black Swan Green he needed a more sophisticated older character to introduce the protagonist to poetry and music. Instead of creating a new character he used an existing character from Cloud Atlas and it worked really well so he decided to keep doing it. Third, he wants to write about everything, use everything, even though it isn't possible, to try to make one maximalist piece of work.

All in all a very fun and interesting evening. If you haven't read any David Mitchell I highly recommend him.

'The Assassin' A Review

The Assassin is a martial arts drama set in 9th century China. It follows Nie Yinniang(Shu Qi) the titular assasin who shows mercy on one of her missions and is then punished by her master Jiaxin(Fang-Yi Sheu) a Taoist nun. She is sent to far off province Weibo to kill the military governor who is also her cousin and former betrothed.

The film is visually lush and expansive. Sweeping panoramics, quiet flower blossoms, and exqusite interiors. It evokes a sense of the grand and the intimate. The score is incredible, a melding of diegetic and non-diegetic sound, serving to intensify the already palpable mood. There is a stillness and splendor to the film but also a nonchalance which makes it feel incredibly unique.

The plot is a bit confusing, its never terribly clear who is related to who, the relationships between characters, or what is necessarily at stake. This could be a result of being unfamiliar with Chinese history or the story in question. Ultimately this uncertainty doesn't hamstring the story's momentum but does demand a little more focus.

Stunning cinematography, an eerie evocative soundscape, a hard-to-follow but worthwhile narrative.

See It.

'Actress' A Recommendation

Recently released on Netflix streaming Actress is a 2014 documentary about Brandy Burre, famous for portraying political consultant Theresa D'Agostino on The Wire, who gave up acting in order to start a family in Beacon, NY. The film follows Burre as she questions the homemaker life she's chosen, attempts to restart her acting career, and falls out with her partner Tim.

What's most compelling about the film isn't Burre's story, although it is absorbing, but the subtle obscure exploration of image, roles, and the nature of performance. Burre is a study in contradictions, lamenting her suburban life but not wanting to leave it, disgusted by the ageist sexist entertainment industry but drawn back in order to perform. At points it seems Burre is playing the stay-at-home mom, playing the neglected housewife. Not that there is anything false about the scenes and interactions the film captures but there is something heighened and mecurial about Burre, morphing to best suit the situation she's in and playing it with full knowledge of the camera.

A fascinating look at an artist in middle age, 21st century societal ennui, and how far the pressures and allure of Hollywood can extend.

A Strong Current

Since I got sober it seems like time has started moving faster. There was a time when my life seemed to be standing still, I was constantly bored, frequently afraid, and often under a self-imposed isolation. Days would last eternities. Sometimes I wouldn't know when I was. Morning or night, weekend or weekday. Minutes would crawl. That's no longer the case.

As I continue to learn how to be responsible, set and attempt to achieve goals, listen and support others, show up, make time to do the things I need and want to do, I've found life moves a lot faster when you're actually living it. Now weeks, months seem to be flying by. Last year seems like yesterday. There's so much to do, a lot gets done, but there's always more. Time rolls on. Things change and evolve. Summer gives way to Fall which creeps into Winter. And always forward, always progress, the hands of the clock speed on, the calendar flips, and the future once so stagnant now buoyant and beguiling.

Fragile Things

Love is a fragile thing
like hope- the thing with wings.

At times so delicate its brittle
ready to collapse at the slightest quibble.

Launched onto the precipice,
your partner now a nemesis.

For a thing so powerful it can be weak
vulnerable to calm critique.

Don't take your love for granted,
you may find yourself abandoned,
compromise and remain enchanted.

'Crimson Peak' A Review

Crimson Peak is a period supernatural melodrama about wealthy American Edith Cusihing(Mia Wasikowska) and her mysterious British suitor Thomas Sharpe(Tom Hiddleston). 1901 in Buffalo, NY Thomas comes to town to seek funding from Edith's father, a wealthy architect and contractor, for mining equipment he invented. He's denied however through the meeting he meets Edith and begins her seduction. After Edith's father is killed by an unknown assassin Thomas and Edith marry and retreat to his estate in England. The house is old and deteriorating and Thomas sister Lucille(Jessica Chastin) is less than cordial.

The film has a slow almost glacial pace and blends genre in a way that isn't entirely successful. Even though there are ghosts in the film and it is resplendent with Gothic imagery the actual story isn't complimented by those elements, their more of a distraction. The narrative content of the film is pure melodramatic romance, more Flowers In The Attic than The Changeling, which certainly holds interest however is somewhat of a disappointment given the macabre trappings.

The lead performances, Wasikowska and Hiddleston, are relatively confused. Their relationship comes together so quickly its unbelievable, Wasikowska seemingly doesn't even react to the sickly horrific state the ancestral house is in. Although the film feels very lethargic the emotional journey of the characters is swift to the point of incomprehension.

Incredibly rich and beautiful production elements, convoluted plot, muddy performances.

Rent It.

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"I mean, whatever kills you kills you, and your death is authentic no matter how you die." -Jerry Garcia

"If we had any nerve at all, if we had any real balls as a society, or whatever you need, whatever quality you need, real character, we would make an effort to really address the wrongs in this society, righteously." -Jerry Garcia

"Yeah, I miss the Grateful Dead. I miss that groove. I miss the brotherhood. Absolutely. There's no doubt about it." -Mickey Hart

Expectations

A week or so ago someone reached out to me on FB to be in a video for the iO Comedy Network. I was a bit hesitant because I didn't know anyone involved. I've found blindly committing to projects can sometimes lead to frustration, creative compromise, and/or a usurping of time. But it seemed like it would be fun, require minimal commitment, and videos are not something I typically do.

For the past couple days I've felt nervous about the shoot, concerned it wouldn't be a good experience and would eat up most of the day. I did my best to curb my fears and adjust my expectations. Go into it with an open mind and a positive attitude.

It turned out great. I was there for about an hour, everyone was very nice, proficient, and professional. It was a fun experience because I was able, for the most part, to go into it without a bad attitude or preconceived notions of what it would be. Something I need to try to practice more in all aspects of my life.