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Naked from the Neck Up
Friday, 10 August 2007
48 Hours: Hours 1 to 4
Topic: Makin' Movies

Friday

God's Country

A billboard on the roadside of I5 somewhere out of Grants Pass, OR features a man at one end, and then morphs him over several frames into a chimpanzee on the opposite side. The billboard reads, "Are they trying to make a monkey out of you?" as lists a website of whosyourcreator.com.

If that wasn't enough, surfing the radio gets me a whole lot of religious music stations...more than any other kind.

Clearly, Toto and I aren't in Kansas any more...or maybe we are and that's the problem.

But Back to where it started...

The 48 hours of the title of this and the following posts starts officially at 7:30 p.m. tonight.

The day starts early as I leave my motel in Grants Pass and drive the final four hours or so to Portland. There I meet Scott Cummins at his apartment. We quickly hurry out to get lunch at the Widmer Gasthaus pub (home of Widmer Hefeweizen) and starts discussing strategies for the 48 Hour Film Project.

7:00 p.m.: Scott and I meet up with Bert, our Director of Photography (D.P.) and arrive for the kickoff of the 48 Hour Film Project. There are something like 53 teams signed up. I quickly see how this works. Teams are divided into groups, and then reps for each group are called forward to draw a genre out of a hat. There is only one instance of each of the 14 genres in the hat, so for each group only one team will end up with a given genre. I have a great idea for Buddy Picture, so I sort of want that one.  Scott, on the other hands would love to get Superhero, but has said previously that he knows he'll never get it.

Scott nearly explodes with delight when he draws our genre: Superhero!

...and...Go!

7:30 p.m.: Next all the teams are given 3 elements they must include in their films, this to prevent people from submitting films they made previously. The elements are:

1. Character: Roy or Rachel Schwarz (no T), a Quality Control Expert

2. Prop: A Balloon

3. Line of Dialogue: "Do you smell what I smell?"

8:15 p.m.: We've relocated to the Kennedy School (an old school that is now a series of bars and restaurants to meet much of our team. Here I meet actors Kyle, Bill, Jenny, Illya and Harold, as well as our makeup tech Janet, location manager Kelly, and Script Supervisior Brendan. Scott anounces the genre and elements, and over dinner and drinks a lot of ideas are kicked around. The main idea that comes up is about a sort of DMV of superheroes, where Rachel Schwarz is rating heroes and failing them. Out of this come a couple of gags, including Bill's suggestion of the name Walter Ego.

Me with Kelly. Geek Girl Extraordinare!

Midnight: After a conference call with Dave in Minnesota—in which he suggests the villain have a line "Hello? Lawyer?" to describe how he's evil in his day job—we become concerned that the DMV of Superheroes gag is too obvious. Three different people on our team independently hit on the idea, and this worries us because of that many of our team hit on the idea, it's possible a team in one of the other groups did, too, and since we're in the last group, ours would be the last to be seen. We also kicked around ideas for a dramtic story, but nothing gelled. So, I make the case for the idea that struck me a week or so ago, in which two guys meet in a gay bar and hook up, not realizing that they are actually arch nemesis superhero and super villain in their alter egos. Scott agrees that it's unlikely anyone else will try it, so we agree to go that way.

Now, there's just the small matter of, oh, a screenplay...

 


Posted by molyneaux at 12:01 AM PDT
Updated: Tuesday, 19 May 2009 10:54 PM PDT
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Thursday, 9 August 2007
Road Trip (retrospective)
Topic: Vacation

I5 through central CA is one boring road though...so boring I'm not going to write anything about it, save to say I'm very grateful for cruise control, Podcasts on my iPod, and the AC which makes me forget the 97F outside temperature that my car's video screen constantly displays.

So, why am in on this enless stretch of gray asphalt in the middle of August?

A few weeks ago I was told by Scott Cummins—who directed Starship Exeter: The Tressaurian Intersection—that he'd gotten a team together to enter the 48 Hour Film Project when it lands in Portland. I immediately volunteered.  Scott told me I'd be the Property Master.

So here I am, en route, with the car loaded with as much stuff as I could fit that I thought might be useful: tripod, varizoom controller, christmas tree lights, odd goggles, art tape, leftover construction elements from the Flight Control set, etc., etc.

I'm not usually much for driving long distances. In most cases I prefer to fly. But, as I'd never been to Oregon before nor could I put all the stuff I had with me in airline bagage, it made sense to hit the highway.

After dinner in Redding I push on north. The scenery gets more interesting as I5 approaches Oregon, but the upper half of Mt. Shasta's lost in the clouds, so I don't get a good look.

I wasn't planning to push on all the way to Portland today, figuring I'll drive until I get tired and then find a motel somewhere.  I cross into Oregon, pass Ashland, gas up in Medford, and decide to do one last half hour and call it a night in Grants Pass.

I figure I'll read for an hour, but I turn on the TV out of curiosity and discover the AMC show Mad Men that Jim was telling me about. It's about an advertising agency in 1962. I get sucked in, enjoy it, decide I'll have to see more, and then I'm out like a light.


Posted by molyneaux at 12:01 AM PDT
Updated: Tuesday, 19 May 2009 10:55 PM PDT
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Friday, 13 July 2007
Friday the 13th
Mood:  cheeky
Topic: Just Cause...

Nothing bad happened.  Get it?  Nothing...bad...happens!

 

And the full moon doesn’t affect you, either.

 

Nyah.

 

Posted by molyneaux at 12:01 AM PDT
Updated: Tuesday, 19 May 2009 10:55 PM PDT
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Friday, 6 July 2007
What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas
Mood:  silly
Topic: Vacation

Posted by molyneaux at 12:01 AM PDT
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Thursday, 5 July 2007
Breakfast in Bleaksville
Topic: Vacation

Knowing I was coming to Vegas for a while, I had chatted up a few locals via the net to see if there was anyone worth hanging out with.  Of the guys I chatted with, one fellow named Keith seemed a sane enough fellow, so, I met up with him and two of his friends and went to breakfast at a local restaurant some distance from the strip.

Now, mind you, I grew up in Vegas, and I lived in BFE Northern Nevada for far too long, but I cannot for the life of me see what the attraction is of Vegas.  Once you get outside the tourist trap that’s the Strip, it’s just endless suburban sprawl, Houses, too few trees, and sandy empty lots between neighborhoods.  Bleak bleak.

Keith returns me to the Strip where I meet up with a buffet-stuffed Matt and Diana at the Bellagio.  We almost go into a Picasso ceramics exhibit there, but end up moving on.

It’s still hot. Not as bad as yesterday, but still up there. 


Posted by molyneaux at 12:01 AM PDT
Updated: Friday, 21 September 2007 2:07 AM PDT
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Wednesday, 4 July 2007
Independence Day
Topic: Vacation
My week’s vacation shifts into actual “holiday” mode today, as I join my friends Matt and Diana for 3 days in Sin City. Ok, I have to say it...it’s fraking HOT.  The temperature hit 116F...one degree short of the record for this time of you.  Jennifer was right when she described being in Vegas like “living in a blow drier.” We’re staying at the Mirage, so we cab over, check in, then hit the buffet for brunch.  Four plates of food later I’m ready for a nap...but the room’s not ready yet, so we wander.  First stop: watching a white tiger from behind a very thick plexiglass wall. We step outside to make our way to Caesar’s.  Did I mention it was hot?  We while away the afternoon in air-conditioned luxury, clothes shopping.  Got a couple of nice new shirts. 

Red Square at Madalay Bay was our spot for pre-dinner refreshments. We had some lovely Vodka drinks, but no cuisine inspired us.  We ended up at...

 

...New York New York it’s a Heck of a Loud place.  Had a decent dinner and decent tequila at the Mexican place there. Finally, we end up at the Imperial Palace where Matt and Diana gambled.  Me? I grew up in Las Vegas and Nevada, so gambling has zero interest for me.  I bid them good night and head to my hotel room.

 

The temperature at midnight? 90F

 

Did I mention it was hot?


Posted by molyneaux at 12:01 AM PDT
Updated: Tuesday, 19 May 2009 10:56 PM PDT
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Tuesday, 19 June 2007
Shut Up & Enjoy It
Mood:  irritated
Topic: Vacation

You can love your friends and still want to hit them with a shillelagh (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shillelagh_(weapon)).

There are some things you just can’t share with people who are not like minded.

I can be quite the talker, I admit. When I have something I’m interested in and passionate about, I can ramble on with the best of them. On the other hand, I can also be pretty quiet, especially in a place where there’s a lot to see, like, say, Yosemite yesterday.

You’d think we were trekking up a mountain, in the Sahara Desert, after having no water for a week, for all the complaining I endured over a measly mile hike down and then up 400 feet over a span on a mile each way. Numerous comments were made about how stupid it was to do a hike without water.  To put things in perspective, this walk was the equivalent of walking to Tommy’s and back, only slightly more steep in a few places, and with no Margaritas at the bottom.

Who knew humans were so fragile?  What an idiotic culture we live in where people believe they can’t walk a few miles without a life support system.

Coming back up is going to be hard!
Argh! I’m being bitten!
They always tell you to take water when you’re hiking.

Bitch bitch bitch.

There seemed to be less concern about the wild bear we saw than a lack of a pint of water. There’s a lack of perspective for you...

Wanna hike with me?  Here’s some guidelines.

1. Drink it in.  If I believed in God, this is one of those spots where you’d think he/she/it had kissed the Earth.  Soaking it up. It’s not like you see this every day. Quit yammering on about pointless drivel and appreciate where you are. If you can’t, stay home.

2. Stop your grousing.  You’re gonna get winded. You’re gonna be hot. You might even get a few bug bites. You might not have a drink for a little while. Life’s not all escalators, air conditioning and screen doors. Enjoy that fact.


But some people are never going on a real hike with me, water or no water.

 


Posted by molyneaux at 12:01 AM PDT
Updated: Friday, 21 September 2007 2:12 AM PDT
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Monday, 18 June 2007
Badgers and Mule Deer and Bears, Oh my!
Topic: Vacation

It's been a long time since I set foot in Yosemite, other than stopping for a moment on my way through.  In fact, I can't recall a single substantial visit since the early/mid 90s. Stupid, considering how close it is (4 hours to the Valley), and how much I like it there.

Two of the members of my road trip had never been before, so I decided to spend a few hours in the park before we headed back towards the Bay. 

Here's how the day went, in brief bites...

Bye Bye BFE: Hawthorne's so small that even gassing up the car at 7 a.m. I run into people I know...specifically, my brother in-law, on his way home from the graveyard shift.

Breakfast: At Nicely's in Lee Vining, CA, next to Mono Lake.  Mmmmm...biscuits and gravy

Tioga Parties: Bad jokes about "Tioga parties" abound as we drive up and through Tioga Pass (elevation el. 9,943 ft. / 3,031 m); portal to Yosemite from the Nevada facing side.

The High Country: First stop is Tuolumne Meadows (pronounced "too-all-oh-mee"), which is not far into the park's eastern end. I've stopped there before, but never really hiked around, so I decided to stroll the ½ mile to Soda Springs.

High points: dipping my toes into the Tuolumne River, and following an animal which we jokingly referred to as a "beadger" (not beaver nor badger), but which, on reflection, was probably a marmot.

A Wet One: shortly down the road from Tuolumne Meadows I pull over at Tenaya Lake. Ever since I went to New Zealand in 2002 I like to not just look, but immerse myself in places I visit.  At Tenaya Lake, this takes the form of wading in the surprisingly temperate (for a mountain lake) water.  Ahh... refreshing!

View from the Top: Shortly up the road from Tenaya Lake I pull out to Olmsted Point, a spectacular view of Tenaya Lake, Tenaya Canyon, Clouds Rest, and-most impressively-Half Dome, peaking (I meant that word) up from a not-yet visible Yosemite Valley. Clambered over the rocks here to get some photos of each other. I love this spot!

The long down: Highway 120 down towards the Valley is a 45 minute gauntlet of trees, the view of which no one but me really seemed to appreciate very much.

Grin & Bearing It: Spotting the Tuolumne Grove pullout, I did just that, and we hiked down the one mile and 400 feet in altitude to the grove, through a beautiful old forest of white fir, Douglas-fir, sugar pine, and incense-cedar. At the bottom, half the party went into the grove and the other half walked all that way for nothing, since they sat at a picnic table instead of doing the couple of hundred yards through the "Sequoia Gigantea", thus missing out on the change to walk along, atop, and crawl though one of these fallen giants. Their loss.

Highlights: we saw a bear in the trees at a bend in the path. We heard then saw baby birds in a small hole in the side wall of a tunnel tree. We saw a mule deer doe on the return loop. Hope the bear didn't find her!

Lowlights: See the next entry!

Flattened Cranes: Knowing we'd probably not be having a full meal until after leaving the park, I pulled into the Crane Flat rest area. An ice cream bar, egg salad sandwich, water and one Lunchables later, I felt ready for the rest of the afternoon. The name of Crane Flat led to a series of smart-aleck comments about various flattened wildlife, mostly from me.

The Valley Floor:

Too many people at Bridalveil Falls, so I didn't stay at the bottom long.  I led my party back along the path, then took a detour to wade in the stream flowing down from the falls. It was 97°F, so, whew, did that feel good! I sat on a rock in the stream and enjoyed the cool. As at Tuolomne Grove, half of my little party didn't join in this. Again, their loss!

As we drove towards Half Dome, we pulled over to gawk at some Mule Deer. Four of them. Two bucks and two does. No bears this time.

Exit, stage west: Our brief tour of the Valley over, I set the Prius for points west.

Sushi: Not a conversation. More a dissertation on it. Not everyone found this appetizing.

Cooing o'er Cows: Someone in the car likes cows. We saw a lot of them. We heard a lot of "awww"s.

No Chains Required: Upon reaching the outskirts of the East Bay, it was suggested that we stop in Livermore or Dublin to get dinner. After it turned out there wasn't a Marie Callender's for 30 miles, there was a consensus about going to an Applebee's. Once we got there I recalled why I never go to these places.  The menu is...bland. S.F. has spoiled me for restaurants.

Cool sweet cool: Arrive back in my neck of S.F. It's 59°F. That's a 38° drop from afternoon in Yosemite.

It's good to be home.


Posted by molyneaux at 12:01 AM PDT
Updated: Tuesday, 19 May 2009 10:56 PM PDT
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Sunday, 29 April 2007
Retro Entry -- Clothing Optional
Topic: Just Cause...

Just found a note I'd scribbled on a receipt Saturday December 16, 2006 in Berkeley. I was trying on clothes at Shoka. One pair of jeans elicited the following from friend-cum-fashionista, Becky:

 "Where did your ass go?"

 No sale.


Posted by molyneaux at 8:43 PM PDT
Updated: Tuesday, 19 May 2009 10:57 PM PDT
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Saturday, 28 April 2007
Shaken Not Stirred
Mood:  cool
Topic: Eats n Drinks

Part 1: Dim Sum

Dim Sum's my first meal of the day today, as I join my friend Steve and his two rambunctious sons for lunch. We stroll down Balboa to a local place I've never been before. The food is pretty good, but there's a lot of the dishes that just aren't my bag. Some really yummy buns, though!

We're joined by Steve's brother. I really like Steve, but he's straight married man, so I figured, can it hurt to meet his gay brother? His brother's a nice guy, but we don't get a chance to talk too much. They're off for a hike, but the time they expect to get back is after my presumed dinner engagement with Terry and Carol, so we have to part company early, alas.

Best moment of this part of the day: As we walked from the restaurant I grabbed the shoulders of Steve's oldest son and pushed him around like he was staggering. For the rest of the walk he was excitedly telling me to "Make me drunk again!"

This is how kids end up with Child Services, isn't it?

Part 2: From Agave to Elderflower

Evening rolls around and I pick up Terry and Carol and we head across the Golden Gate to get dinner at Guaymas in Tiberon. The food is very good, but we arrive later than we'd hoped to and the wait to get drinks, seated, and fodd is longer than any of us would like. The only real downside is that they screwed up my first margarita order and then I find it and the subsequent margie kinda bland.  Tommy's, how you're ruined me!

Back at Terry's, the forst order of business is to mooch a glass of the soon-to-be-released St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur from Carol. Not sugary like so many liqueurs, sniffing this you get flowers and fruit. It's got a flavor that hints at lychee. The first time I sipped it a few weeks ago I was surprised how it hot the front of my tongue and spread across the sides. Great stuff, and I need to get a bottle as soon as I can find one.

Armed with  this delight to the palette, I plop down as Terry pops the new Casino Royale film into the DVD player, and, thoughg I'm really tired, I somehow make it through the film without dozing.

I'll admit it: I'm no Bond fan. I don't think I've ever really gone out of my way to see a Bond picture, and I don't think I've sat all the way through any of them since the Roger Moore days. But I liked this film. It's tongue ocassionally touches cheek, put its not planted there. Bond's a serious customer and a misanthrope. I liked that a lot of the film was about the game in the casino, rather than excessive action sequences, albeit there were plenty of the latter for my taste.

If this is the shape of things to come, I'm more likely to see the next one. That's not to say I'll got out of my way to do so.

But what would you expect? I'm a tequila snob, not a martini man.

Maybe if 007 started sipping some Reserva...

 


Posted by molyneaux at 12:01 AM PDT
Updated: Wednesday, 20 May 2009 1:37 AM PDT
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