RE: Reasoned discourse

• Even if we don't completely agree on all points (though I can't stand Glenn Beck), that's the whole idea. Reasoned discourse.
  
  There are certainly brighter folks than I in this regard, but to me, the issue is that National Issues and International Issues and Social Issues and Financial Issues are not strictly Red vs. Blue or GOP vs. Dems or (showing my age) Elephants vs. Donkeys. Maybe, issue-by-issue they are, but taken as a whole Party Platform, it's hard to vote "Us or Them." We've got to do more across-the-aisle compromise. We've got to elect candidates who are open to compromise.
  
  I'm a middle-class, relatively-conservative, white guy living in New England. I like some of Romney's plans; I like some of Obama's plans; I like some of the Republican ideas; I like some of the Democrat ideas. There are some far-right ideas that could be explored; there are some far-left ideas that can be explored. I can live with this if you can live with that. It's the all-or-nothing thing that drives me nuts.
  
  Big Politics has lost sight of trying to solve the Country's problems - or even mitigate them. It's all about getting "our guy" elected or re-elected so "our agenda" can make through Congress. And if it can't, "your agenda" will suffer similarly. It's sad. And so unproductive to our country's interests.
  
  Eliminate PACs, the Electoral College, and Career Politicians; implement term limits and shorter campaigns.
  
  And no Robo-Calls.

A Quick Look At Some of the Filming of “Clear History”

(Editor’s note: This was dictated so it is kind of chatty... And confounding things, I was dictating while I was watching TV, so I got some curious interpretations.)

I talked to Scoopy the other night and she said I could/should go up to watch what was going on in Gloucester. She told me to check with Jay, but I could probably park down by the Holland’s. So I did; Jay said it would be OK. I decided to take a 1 hour so out of my lunch hour to head up there to see what was going on...

At Exit 13 off 128 there big yellow and blue/black signs with “CH” on them, with an arrow pointing down Concord Street.  As I continued down Concord Street there were signs at the road to Wingaersheek Beach and at the intersection of Bard Street all pointing down Concord Street. I thought that was probably a signal to the movie set but couldn’t figure out what “CH” meant (now I know). When I got to Jebeka Lane there was a security guard and another guy.  I told the security guy that I was here to watch some of the filming at My Aunt’s House (I’m with the band). And that she said I could. The other guy came over. He was with the crew, apparently. I talked to him for a moment he said I’d have to park up here by the side of the road.  And I told him that I'd spoken to Jay, the Site Representative, and Jay said I could park down by the Holland’s, near the tool shed.  He and his walkie-talkie eventually cleared it and off I went.

So I drove down the driveway and pulled into the Holland’s driveway and parked by the tool shed surrounded by generator trailers. I was met by a Location Representative, Chris. He was a good guy; a young guy (25?). He would be my escort on-scene.

Walking towards the house, he pointed out the canteen or the cafeteria trailer which was set in the garden area.  Also, he pointed out some of the set carts and trailers (photo 1).

We crossed over the bridge and there were a lot of people milling about. A dozen or so (it’s all union). Chris took me over to an area behind the kitchen which had a tent set up and he told me that it was the audio and video supervisory area (photo 2).  There were a few small monitors set up. There were people listening on headphones and stuff like that. Chris said that the house was actually full so it would be difficult to get inside and look around. One of the sound guys gave me a wireless headset and I got to listen to what was actually going on in the house.

I asked if I could take pictures and he said that it would be fine, but I couldn’t take picture of “talent.” Hence the external photos:

1. The canteen, props area

2. The audio/visual area

3. The dining room porch (Note: this picture somehow disappeared. Baffling me. If I find it, I’ll send it along. It’s a picture of the dining room porch area covered in black cloth. Like a tent or a dark room.)

4. The director’s area

I spent some time at the A/V area watching a scene, listening on the head set. It was pretty cool to hear the banter amongst the actors as they got ready for the scene. Then everyone was called to order and the scene began. And then Larry David walked into the dining room from the kitchen grabbed a chair and sat down at the table.

Way cool!

I recognized that kitchen! I know those chairs! I know that light over the dining room table! No one tipped it. :)

Background: Chris told me that this was the final scene for the movie. Larry has just been released from prison and is visiting his buddies on their Saturday night poker game. It’s a night scene being filmed at 1pm in the afternoon. Arrangements needed to be made (photo 3). All the first floor windows were blacked out.

I asked Chris when the movie would come out.  He wasn't sure but said been through the whole film process and “theater” films could take it up to a year. But he said he'd seen some of the “dailies” and from what he had seen they've looked relatively complete. He thought the editing process would be pretty minor in this could be pretty good to go relatively quickly.  My guess is that it will be on in the spring.

We walked around to the front of the house where there was another set-up on the porch (photo 4). This was the Director’s Area. Bigger monitors, more screens. More people milling about (it’s all union).

 Up on the porch I watch (on the monitors) the fourth take of the same scene. Each one different. Larry David shows do a lot of ad lib. The characters in the scene were Larry and a bunch on Boston comedians (maybe Jonathan Hamm, maybe Kate Hudson, I don’t know). They were sitting around the table, having some drinks. Maybe they found the liquor closet.

I asked Chris about the movie and about movies in the area. He said that this was a modest film -- the budget was about $10,000,000. He'd been on Massachusetts movies with $100,000,000 budget -- a world of difference. He was pretty impressed what they were doing was going on here. And he said everyone loved the location - how can you not?

Chris and I watched a couple of retakes of this particular scene, and then the filming stopped.

At that point things are calm down for low bit and I was able to go inside the house. The living room was totally cleared out and they had blackout curtains from the TV to the fireplace. Everything inside that main part of the living room was off limits, or at least on-set.

I poked my head through the curtain and saw more people milling about in the living room (it’s all union). I got to go into the dining room, possibly brushing by Larry David (!). He was in the room. It was very crowded. It looked like the director and helper were deciding if the takes were enough. I didn’t linger. I was in the way. But it was cool to see the cast around the dining room table, sitting on the chairs, and such...

Then it was time to go.

I handed back my headset and went back to the car. Jay said they would be filming a night scene later (in actual night). But it would be a “movie night.” There was a huge flood light system down by the Holland’s that would light up the cove. Jay said that was pretty impressive. There were flood lights on the roof. That would have been cool to see.

Next time…

Maybe the sequel.

RE: Apropos of nothing...

I love it when she calls me "Baby."

So I take E and a couple of friends to Canobie Lake Park last Saturday night for Screeemfest. My offer to chaperone them around the park was met with looks of abject horror. So I was left to my own devices. I will say that no one's Bucket List is complete without experiencing the Majesty that is Mini KISS.

A CD for J...

A CD for J...

TITLE

IF, BACK IN THE DAY, WE WENT TO THE SAME COLLEGE AND WE FOUND OURSELVES AT THE SAME PARTY AND WE TALKED AND MAYBE DANCED A LITTLE BIT AND SUCH, THIS IS PROBABLY THE OTHER MIX-TAPE I MIGHT HAVE GIVEN TO YOUR ROOMMATE AND AWKWARDLY ASKED HER TO GIVE TO YOU.

TRACKS:

1 Birthday
2 Shake the Mind
3 P-Machinery
4 Instinction
5 Crosseyed and Painless
6 Muscle for Brains
7 Candy Love Satellite
8 Red Guitar
9 Wild Party
10 Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly)
11 Singing Rule Britannia
12 Sparks Are Gonna Fly
13 Absolute Beginners
14 Even Flow
15 Unsung
16 Tattooed Love Boys
17 Love Like Blood
18 Hyperactive


LINER NOTES


So, there's this:

If - Back In The Day - you were to browse through my music collection, you would run across these. And many others, to be sure. This would be late-Eighties for the most part. Some few songs may be a little later, but that's the general timeframe.

This is not a "themed" disk; there is no story here; no point or message trying to be given. I'm not even sure if it flows all that well. This is not a disk of my favorite artists by any stretch, although some are represented. There is no Zeppelin, no Bowie, no New Order, no Police, no Numan, no Ultravox, and no XTC. This is before I listened to Ministry and Skinny Puppy and Pat Metheny and Cocteau Twins. And well before Underworld. There's no local Boston music. I might call it WFNX.

These are some of my "Oh cool! I love that song!" songs. These are some of the songs that made/make me sing in the car, put a spring in my step. I might even dance to them. These are some favorite songs and ones I want to share...

If nothing else, you can glue a circle of cork to it and it makes a nice coaster.
:)


P.S. How many bands can you name?

RE: Favorite images that pop to the top

If I close my eyes, there are some favorite images that pop to the top.

1). Newborn Charles sucking on my finger.

2). Holding a brand new Elizabeth.

3). J dancing in front of my window.

4). J peacefully asleep next to me.

5). Braddie putting his tummy in the water at the beach.

6). Charles chasing mini-bears at Philmont.

7). The Drambuie draw at the Stockton.

RE: It's just too stupid

It's just too stupid.

After E's game - that finished at 7:15pm - several of the parents thought it would be good idea if we all went out for dinner. 15-20 people. 8 o'clock. Friday night. Route 1. No reservation. Family friendly restaurant. "Are you sure, Elizabeth? I had other plans for dinner." "No daddy, everyone's going." We get there late (without Charles, who couldn't be less interested in eating Mexican food with grown-ups and 12 year old girls and their younger siblings) about 8:15. I'm told a 50 minute wait. For dinner. Start doing the math. At 9:30-ish we are seated. At two tables. Because seating 15-20 people on a Friday night on Route 1 with no reservation at a family friendly restaurant.... You get what you get. The waitress takes our orders a little after 10pm. Consider the math here.

There were no dads there who ever thought this was a good idea, btw. No happy male grown-ups. Did we guys sit togther? Yes. Did we use invective? Harsh language? Yes and yes.

On the way home (and Chas wisely gave up and is staying at Wave tonight), I am told the the softball uniform needs to be washed before the game tomorrow ("why don't you have quarters?"), there is an extra-credit science project at the lake that starts at 9AM tomorrow that "everyone" is doing, and that "Everyone is going to a friend's softball game at 12pm tomorrow, so can I go?" And her softball game is at 2:30pm. Consider the math here, too.

Fine. I say. You make it happen. "Well, daddy, you wake up early. Can you get me up to do the laundry?" Maybe, I say. I was really looking forward not having to get up early; we'll see. "So you're going to deliberately sleep in so I can't wash my uniform and get to the lake?" Elizabeth, I say, it would be best if you stopped talking and we went to bed. Let's see where we are in the morning.

So she went right to bed, told me to turn the TV off so she could sleep.

And here I am.

Smiling to myself. Thinking how petty that all is. And wishing I could have told you in person (or phone), so you could get the full. Inflection. Of my voice. And remembering that I should have said, and I can hear you say it now, "Sorry, Elizabeth. Maybe next time. We have other plans tonight. "