ipod bling & swollen lymph nodes.

I originally started this post over the Labor Day weekend but I got about two sentences in before I felt an overwhelming urge to fall asleep on my keyboard. Thus, I called it quits and decided to start fresh, 3 days later. Well, fresh besides this particular entry's title.

First, the iPod bling. My loving husband recently bought me an iPod video out of the blue (yes, me, an iPod! And an iPod video at that!). He engraved it with some pet names we call each other, as well as our wedding date. It was very sweet. He also edited every memorable dance routine from this season's So You Think You Can Dance and put all of them on the iPod, which was also an amazing feat. Geez, I'm spoiled.

So my friend and I, along with her mom, decide to go out shopping on Labor Day, and we're milling around the housewares section of a particular store that was having a moving sale...she brings me 3 iPod cases, all marked down to a whopping $1.18. I had my choice of dressing up my new tech toy with a blue, pink, or silver be-dazzled iPod case. The sequins were frightening and funny at the same time. So, I got the silver. Don't be jealous. ;)

And the swollen lymph nodes. Those are no fun. Never had 'em before, and to be quite honest, they freaked me out a bit. My sis recommended Ester-C and Airborne since I'm "in-between" doctors. Airborne, might I say, is the nastiest medicinal ANYTHING I've ever tried in my entire life. Granted, I've never taken any pill larger than my thumbnail, nor have I had to have painful injections anywhere, but let me tell ya....Airborne = gross. It's as though they took every unpleasant-tasting thing in the world (liver, tuna, and green olives), bottled it up, turned it orange, and manufactured it in dissolving tablet form.

Something I've noticed the past several days, and actually on an ongoing basis, is our generation's ability to listen, or lack thereof. Listening has seriously become an ancient art, and I'm the last person who wants to admit that. But perhaps it isn't just my generation, either. I try my darndest to be intuitive to people and my surroundings, and for the most part, I'd say I'm a decent listener. But I find myself getting frustrated with people who, when I have a conversation with them, I have to preface it by saying, "I've got three things to tell you," and BAM, BAM, BAM. I rattle them off, one by one, because I know I've lost their complete attention after 30 seconds.

I call it the 30-Second Attention Span. After about 30 seconds, my listener's eyes glaze over, dart around the room, their head starts to dip to one side, or they completely cut me off and change the subject. It's aggravating. For the most part, I experience this at work - and I'd like to say that when I find my own attention slipping I'm verbal about my own inattentiveness, apologize, and have someone repeat themselves.

But I still can't help myself but find an individual entirely refreshing when you can see them listen. You see their facial expression steady, fixated, and absorbed in who speaks to them. When I meet new people, I find myself criticizing whether they're really listening or not - especially when meeting new people at work. I was at business lunch with a coworker where we met with the owner of an ad agency, and I kept watching his eyes. There's a lot to be said when an individual can't look someone else in the eye. As a shy child I was never able to look someone in the eye. I'd bow my head, hide behind my parents' legs, anything I could to stay out of the attention of someone else. It wasn't until I was about 17 - when I stopped being so introverted, that I broke that habit.

I'm glad this was a short work-week. (our power at work went out on Wednesday so we were basically out the whole day!) I'm looking forward to breezing through tomorrow and enjoying the weekend. Hmm, perhaps I'll do another blog, and up the quote to 2 blogs a month. ;)

"new" pics. from a month ago.

I use that term loosely. I've posted these photos to Facebook and MySpace, so I figured I'd post 'em here as well. These are some pictures from this year's 48 Hour Film Project - featuring various cast and crew from "Goode & Ledbetter."

finally, rest for the guano-covered weary.

I've been having quite the busy past few weeks. I haven't exactly been absent from my computer, but it does feel strange to sit in front of this eerie blue glow for more than 15 minutes.

I've also been well-educated in the nature of bats since my last post, as well.

For example, did you know that:

1) Bats eat mosquitoes?
2) They make cute little chirping sounds when they're disturbed...and high-pitched shrieking noises when they're ANGRY?
3) They look like burnt chicken nuggets when you find one dead outside a building in the blistering heat?
4) They poop...A LOT.

Yes, I've had quite the encounter with bats in the past 2 weeks. We've been working with an entertainment company to document a local company that "evicts" animals from the dwelling-places of humans. Y'know, they'll relocate (but won't shoot) that pesky Cotton Mouth in your front yard.

So one of the big jobs that this local company has is to get rid of some bats in a well-known Victorian house in downtown Little Rock. And by "some" bats, I mean thousands. We followed our heroic bat-removers on their scout, through their "prevention" process (installing bat-doors and caulking windows, cracks, anywhere bats can get in from the outside), and their renovation process (cleaning up bat poo, putting in new insulation, repairs).

Our "talent" consisted of the owner of the company, Mike, and a few of his employees - Tommy, Nelson, and Bubba. Yeah, every company in Arkansas has to have a Bubba, right? They were (and still are) awesome. Laid back, funny, down-to-earth fellas who shy as far away from drama as possible. They're heartwarming, hardworking, and incredibly tan - due to days out in the sun chasing after raccoons, repairing damages to roofs caused by squirrels, and rescuing wounded critters.

But the most challenging part of it all was the heat. We reached highs surpassing 100 this week - which meant heat advisory and a stay-indoors-past-1PM policy. Unfortunately, the high of 99 last Friday meant absolutely nothing.

I started out last Friday morning by hopping in a car with our executive producer on our way to Dardanelle at 7:30AM. Our mission: to document the adventures of Tommy and Bubba in a Presbyterian church filled with bats. The guano falling from the ceiling had caused a stench so bad they had to cancel services. AUW to the rescue!

By the time our day was over, I had been physically pressed the most since the beginning of that week. I'd climbed a 40 foot ladder (I'm not quite the fan of heights) to follow Bubba and Tommy onto the roof to shoot them installing bat doors. I videotaped the end result of spray-foam hardening in an opening while bats had tried to get out some time ago: bat skeletons and gross orange stuff.

I had also fit my upper torso into the attic of the church, later that afternoon, for approximately 8-10 minutes. The temperature ranged anywhere from 120 to 150 degrees. Drawing close to the tiny entrance in the ceiling caused whatever body part was nearest it to immediately perspire. I'd say that part was pretty dangerous - at least for me. I had simply perched myself inside to make sure Tommy, Bubba, and Tim would not pass out and fall through the ceiling.

And last, but not least, right before we wrapped, my last shot was in the space beneath the bell tower of the church, a narrow room with a high ceiling. Its flooring was filled with a mixture of 4 inches of guano and insulation. I met this mixture with an unsteady hand as I hoisted myself and my camera into the space. But at this point I had already had guano fall into my hair, stepped in it, accidentally wipe it on my face...yeah, gross.

All that to say...it was still fun. It's not every day I get to be in a small room with bats flying inches from my face, waving a camera around to try to capture their irratic circling and high-pitched squeals on tape. I'm hopeful that we'll get picked up. This ride has been amazing.

And if you've never seen a bat in real life before...just think: flying chicken nuggets. ;)

sweat, bug spray, and sunblock.

That's how I smelled about an hour ago. Now I'm fresh and sweet smelling as clean laundry and daisies. ;)

This week has been a whirlwind. It was my first shoot ever to work 10-hour days, and on a project that required a lot of attention-to-detail, thinking on your toes, and being ready and available for anything that was needed. 32 tapes of footage. Countless scenes and shots. Multiple cameras. Since Sunday's 6:30AM call time to today's 8:00PM wrap, I've been working as a script supervisor/tape wrangler/PA/driver/shopper/"slater." And that last title was in no reference to Mario Lopez. ;)

I love teamwork, and I hate egos. I love it when people who are passionate about something come together and utilize their skills and talents. Today marked the end of an awesome week. The weather conditions were insane, as well. Today we shot out at a house in Mabelvale (a gorgeous back lawn might I add) in mid 90's temperatures for hours at a time. Crew call was late - 10AM - so you can imagine all of us drenched with sweat only an hour into our shoot.

It was my first time working as a part of a production company FOR a larger, much higher-grossing studio out of California. And for being my first experience, it was cake. Our director, Strath, was amazingly calm and laid back, but definitely commanded attention with his amical demeanor and Australian accent. He was very talented - and amazingly easy to work with. His wife, Marcy, was incredibly sweet, great to talk to, and equally mellow. They were awesome. As were Bob and Amy, our freelance lighting technicians and shooters. Very down to earth, hardworking, and fun to be around.

This week also gave me more insight into the joy of what I do. Every now and then, questions such as "Do I need to stay in this career field forever?" and "Should I do something else?" tend to slip into my mind. But I like what I do. I like it enough to want to do it for a living - not to the point that I'd hate to do it as a hobby, and that's a good thing.

With Ultimate cancelled for this weekend, I'm looking forward to finally settling down and doing things around the house that need to be done. For example, I've got 5 happy loads of laundry just waiting to be done. Woohoo.

I took a look at myself in the mirror a bit ago to see how much I had tanned. I say "tanned," but I really mean "how much blacker did I get?" You see, we Blasians aren't too proud of getting any darker. I don't like looking like a dark African native. I've turned a few shades darker - not too unbearable, but still, something that I won't be proud to show off. ;)

I also went to the 48HFP awards ceremony on Thursday. I was so tired at the end of that day that I almost didn't go, but it was worth it. I felt as though all the awards that were handed out were well-deserved, and Amalgamated (once again) did an awesome job with their film this year. While "Goode & Ledbetter" didn't win any awards, it did make #3 out of the audience awards of the entire 3-day screening process.

It's always nice to know that we'd make some money in the box office. ;)

a month overdue.

A few things have happened since my last post. I, for one, did not purchase a 40 gig nano for $199. (How unfortunate, I know).

We participated in the 48 Hour Film Project. My iBook died. Kyle got a new job. I played some Frisbee. My nephew left to live in Japan with my parents for a year. Now he may be coming home. We almost made an offer on a house. And, I've slept some.

The most significant (and though I love my dear nephew) of these events has been the film. The last film I participated in making was my own, about 4 years ago. It was horrendous. It was a psychological mystery/drama/thriller about a girl who, through an odd and rare eye disease, started seeing a girl who looked just like herself. Oddly enough, it turns out to be her dead twin sister.

Don't ask.

Needless to say, "Blindsided" will not be seeing the light of day again, but our film for the 48HFP, "Goode & Ledbetter," fared much, much better. To say we made a film in 48 hours is a huge thing, especially for those involved who've never completed a film, script, in such a tight deadline. Or within a deadline at all. This was something for them to be proud of, and I'm proud of my team. To the 20 actors, and the 18 crew members. It was an amazing weekend, with little sleep and big laughs.

Our director pointed out at the Q&A following our screening that the complete lack of drama that went on during those 48 hours was nothing short of a miracle. Sure, there were hiccups and tired cranky words muttered during the writing session that lasted until 5AM, but that was the worst of it. For the other hours, we were having fun, and working as a team.

The film also made me re-examine my current position with my employer. Although there's only so much preparation that can go into a film of such a tight deadline & with specific requirements, I think I had all our ducks in a row, going into this thing. I got excited about my own potential, and felt almost suppressed during the entire week following the event. It was like coming off of a high, and plateauing into the everyday grind of mediocre work that requires much less concentration and skill. It's not like it was my current employer's fault - it was that the sudden transition was nauseating.

I've much more to say but I'll have to leave that to another post. Right now we're on "vacation" (house-sitting for friends), and we only have 3 days to savor a nice big empty house to ourselves.

Which reminds me...I want a house.

I want a house somethin' awful.

a 40 gig nano for $199?

Uh-oh, and only 1 more day until the sale is up. What a steal.

46 days to go...

...until Transformers hits theaters.

To say I'm excited would be a ridiculous understatement. I'm ready for the Optimus Prime and Megatron show. With a side of awesome sound effects, explosions, and a giant serving of Autobot and Decepticon action. The only other film I recall wanting to see this badly was Garden State, because it involved my beloved Zach Braff. But this yearning for Transformers could very well pick up Garden State, smack it around a bit, and kick it all the way to Cybertron.

If you haven't seen the exclusive Yahoo trailer, you simply must. Shame on you for not watching like a giddy little school girl.

In small screen news, Kyle and I watched the first half of the Idol season finale. This has been the first year for me to even half-heartedly pay attention. Had it not been for Cingular Video on my cell phone I would never have discovered the awesome Jordin Sparks, through her amazingly awesome (love my shallow vernacular?) rendition of, "I Who Have Nothing." You have my vote, Jordin. Those judges and their commentary need to go, though.

This summer will be interesting...I'm looking forward to a short trip to Delaware to see my baby brother graduate high school, with some prospects of visiting Orlando or Chicago. It's been since October since we've done anything vacation-like, so I'm excited. I'm also looking forward to a canoe trip to the Buffalo River, as well.

Today's workday consisted of building a slew of website GFX templates, involving some rather in-depth research into countries. Lemme tell ya, trying to find 3 free non-copyrighted JPEGs of French Guiana and Guadeloupe is not my cup of tea. Others were much easier, such as Hong Kong, Israel, and the UK. Got a refreshing dose of information on many countries through Wikipedia. Which, by the way, I'm loving more and more. It helps me to research such things as the Spanish Civil War, spider monkeys, and alien robots that are robots in disguise.

Insert witty comment here.

happy maroon 5 week.

I've heard covers of their songs on American Idol, on the radio, and they're also going to be the musical guest on SNL this Saturday. Yeah, well, I'm much more excited to see Zach Braff hosting the season finale. It's going to be great! Either that, or it's going to make me think I'm having a twentysomething-life crisis, that I should yell in the rain, and then sing a song about poo. I would love love love to see a Scrubs parody this Saturday night.

Kyle and I watched Pan's Labyrinth last night...Absolutely loved it. It captures the very idea of what I think an "adult fairy tale" should look, sound, and feel like. And it also caught me up on some Spanish I've been missing out on. =o)

It's only the middle of the week, and tomorrow feels like Friday. Today was such a beautiful, breezy, fresh-air day, and if it's anything like this on Saturday, we're going to have a blast playing ultimate frisbee. I can't wait.

Our trip to Branson this past weekend was awesome. It's so good to see family, whether Kyle's or mine. We all just get along, and we always have a good time. We are definitely blessed to have in-laws that we can laugh, argue, and joke with.


Here's one of my favorite pictures. Sweet little Callie Ann, with her big blue eyes, and my favorite blue-eyed boy.

no rest for the frizzy-haired.

Something I've never enjoyed about Arkansas: its humidity. When I was growing up, there was always an outlet: namely the Pacific Ocean. You could smell the salty ocean when you poked your head out of my bedroom window in Hawaii, and you could feel breeze rustle through the trees in the Philippines. Granted, it was still hot, but not quite so muggy. And no matter what hair product I use - cheap or expensive, I have zero relief. It's days like this where I wouldn't mind being completely bald.

call me irresponsible.

Okay, so not only is that an awesome awesome cover by the wonderful crooner Michael Buble', but it's exactly what I was yesterday, irresponsible. I won't spare very many details, but it sure wasn't pretty. It involved a camera, Gov. Beebe, and a disc that was already half-full. Eeek.

I tried a Kashi meal today. I've passed by their cereal boxes at the grocery store and glanced at their granola bars, but never purchased anything by Kashi until yesterday when Kyle and I decided to buy some microwaveable meals for the rest of the week. Mine was lemon pepper chicken. Not bad. Wasn't sure what to think about the rice pilaf, since I'm not used to that sort of texture, but not bad at all.

Next up: lime cilantro shrimp!



It definitely looks a lot better on the box. =o)

watch out world.

It's my very first post. That's right. Good-bye, Xanga, MySpace, and countless other failed attempts at creating the "right" Blogger site. I'm back in the game.

And I clearly have nothing else to do at 10PM on a Thursday night.