Calibration of Clarity

Found the above in the the computer, and have no idea what job it was from, who took it, or when.

The past really seems to fold over on itself, always getting a little smaller, a bit more compact as time moves on. This job at The Shop accentuates this effect even more so; routine, day to day, activities mix up the memories and blur the edges.

It may be the age too, but I've found it takes a hell of a lot more concentration to make sense of the past. Thankfully, the present it easier to decipher with wisdom, and the future comes off less daunting.

Clarity is rare. Focus often, or you just might lose it.

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Death Cab For Cutie - Brothers On A Hotel Bed

Ending Note: Sundance prep underway. Gotta love Sundance.

Inanimate Objects?

The Boss came by the shop a while back with a couple new calculators. I named mine Simon. You know, like the old school game.

Found this in a truck that came back from a job:

For those that don't know, technicians color code their gear, so that we don't lose it, and everyone knows what belongs to who. The shop uses yellow. My color used to be dark green.

Apparently, whoever this truck went out with, remembered my color, and was kind enough to return one of my old cube taps. It's probably traveled all around the bay area, been out for years, and has now come full circle. A little wiser, a little more worse for wear, but finally home. 

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The Notorious B.I.G. feat. Bone Thugs N Harmony - Notorious Thugs

Ending Thought: Girls named Camille are dangerous.

Bandages

Old friends are to your general well being, as a bandage is to a scraped knee - they may help a little, but really, they just make you feel better so you can live life. 

Last night flew over the bridge after work, into the city. I hit the Big Midget Shop where I tossed back a number of beers and an even larger number of darts. One of the partners that runs the shop was the Gaffer I Best Boy'd for for the last three years of my freelance career; we're not really very good friends, but strangely have a very strong relationship. Although we never see each other to go catch  a movie, or go to BBQs, we worked very closely on set and grew to trust one another.

Conversely, his shop is also the main competition to my own shop, but the bay area's film industry is small enough that we've all figured out that it's easier to work together than against one another.

By coincidence, the technician that trained me on my first big movie was at the shop as well.

It turned into five hours of beer, darts, loud music, old stories, Doritos, and a warehouse full of laughs. 

This weekend, slap on a bandage, and find your happy.

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Benjamin Francis Leftwich - Atlas Hands

Ending Note: I don't recommend the film industry to anyone, but wouldn't trade those years for a thing.

Works Hard

Some old news that I've recently been reacquainted with.

Used to work fairly regularly with these guys, who made a video that was invited to some show down south a couple years ago.

I remember how seven years ago, we would make all kinds of crazy music video, working 19 hour days for free. Now, they're kind of a big deal, even getting an introduction at the Guggenheim. They've been kind to a number of us, and it's that affinity to loyalty that I find the most admirable.

Hell, even Abram likes 'em.

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Donna Summer - She Works Hard For The Money

Ending Note: Terri Timely is Corey Creasy and Ian Kibbey, two of the most creative and honest folks I've met.

Living The Dream

Nearly gave myself a hernia today.

Had to load a truck at work, and there wasn’t enough room, so I decided to store a 12K fresnel on a shelf.

This, folks, is one of the main reasons I gave up the freelance electrician life – after eight years, I’ve acquired a bum wrist, bum knee, bum back, and bum shoulder.

Only bums I’m interested in nowadays are directly connected to cute brunettes. Zing.

Opposite of this, is something I found attached on the front of one of our trucks that’s been out on a low budget feature for the past three weeks.

This (as scary as it seems) is one of the things I miss most about the set life; the silly, moral boosting, crew bonding shenanigans that goes on to just get through the show. That, I do miss, and wish I hadn’t given up.

Me: "What'd you do today?"

Wonger: "Went to work. You know, living the dream."

Me: "Yeah?"

Wonger: "Yeah. Wasn't my dream, but you know..."

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The xx - Heart Skipped A Beat

Ending Note: You should go watch Beginners. Yeah, you should.