Sunday, April 30, 2006

Two Presidents comedy sketch starring George Bush
I didn't think that anything could top Laura Bush's stand up routine at last years' White House press correspondent's dinner. But either Bush is way more comfortable with his inadequacy than I imagined or else this is a desperate effort to raise his approval rating: http://onegoodmove.org/1gm/1gmarchive/2006/04/two_presidents.html
posted by Unknown @ 8:15 PM 0 comments

Saturday, April 29, 2006

save the internet
posted by meg @ 10:36 PM 0 comments

AC/3: bigger guns: revenge of the apocalypse again (long distance)
Alright boys and girls:

You have mad skills that I need. Mad ninja skills. Mad ninja artistic skills. Or you know someone with said skills. Or etc.

We've got an ACTION COMEDY CO/LAB (extreme) coming up at New World Arts and we could use you in the lab-rat ranks.

We're looking for writers, actors, visual artists, musicians, directors
and otherwise creative people to pull off a 24-hour festival that will
leave Goshen in a pile of rubble. A 24-hour festival without the boring, the bad, the slow, the romantic, and the anything else that
doesn't involve blowing things up.

And get this: YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE TO BE HERE to take part. You can be a
part of the action from anywhere in the country, anywhere in the world.

What can you do from afar? You register, we give you an
assignment, and you hit the ground running. You could write a short scene. You could take photos. You could compose and record a song. You could make a collage. You can work solo or with others. Anything emailable. And you choose your time frame - work the same 24 hours as us, or some other 24 hours in the next week - just let us know your preference when you register.

As long as you can email it to us, and we get it by noon (EST) on
Saturday, May 6. If you get it to us by 5pm Friday, May 5, we may even use it to inspire further art during the festival. Whatever you do, do it with stealth and heroism. Whatever you do, Sign Up:

By May 1. That's soon. So do it now! We can't wait to work with you.
posted by eric @ 1:57 PM 0 comments

Friday, April 28, 2006

Crocodile steals, chews up chainsaw
posted by kate @ 8:23 AM 0 comments

Thursday, April 27, 2006

Well dude I hope to see more of you once I'm in Chicago. I mean, you can visit me, or I can visit you. Though if I visit you over the summer you I'll have to get someone to pick me up from the South Bend airport because I'll still be too young to rent a car. Hah.

So actually, maybe you should just come to visit me. I got yesterday approved for a one-bedroom near the Morse stop on the red line, so I'll have some space for folks to sleep during weekend hangouts. Assuming that they can entertain themselves while I work Saturdays.
posted by weiss @ 7:49 AM 0 comments

all you suckers
um. i just now graduated from that college we all went to together way back in the day. i had senior seminar with your little siblings. they complained that you were graduating from law school and they were just graduating from college. i beat them up because i was your freshman year roomate. ok - that generalization just got fairly specific didn't it?

actually i have two classes to go, which i will finish through IU continuing ed over the summer.

i love you. forever. and i just added you to my blogroll as proof. now that i have a job, i have plenty of time to post things - how sweet is that?

not in DC,
eric
posted by eric @ 9:53 AM 0 comments

Wow, literally Fox News now speaks directly for the White House
no kidding
posted by Landon @ 7:22 AM 0 comments

I found fascinating this article on employment and labor law implications of the May 1 walk-out. Don't know if those of you with better things to do than go to law school will care.
posted by weiss @ 3:20 PM 0 comments

Toby Miller? Anybody know a Toby Miller?
so..... I asked a friend of mine to pass off some names of people who could be my best boy electric for this shoot I'm working on. Anyway, this kid shows up and we're both like, "dude, I think I've worked with you before." but we run through some of the recent things we've worked on without any matches. so we sit, baffled. later on, during a company move, we're having a little chat and he mentions that he's from wooster ohio, and I'm like, "no way, I know a bunch of people from wooster and the nearby town of canton", and he's like, "no way" so the conversation continues, and I find out this kid went to Central Christian School, graduating class of '02, and he knows who Ross and Julia julia are and his grandparents were amish. So weird! it was menno-land meets manhattan and we were both seriously weirded out. but kind of cool. so we swapped amish jokes and talked about casseroles and had a grand ol' pacifist time of it.
posted by meg @ 10:07 AM 0 comments

Congratulations, Jules! You almost make me wish I wasn't leaving town. Still, it will look great on your CV when you apply to play for the Chicago Symphony.

I am studying family law today. Oh man can I tell you about divorce and gay marriage! Maybe even a little bit about gay divorce!

Also, for those of you around in DC tomorrow, I suggest you itty on down to the Old Post Office for a dinner of iced cream!!!1 I'll be there starting at 6:00. Last year I ate eight. This year I'm going for ten.
posted by weiss @ 11:19 PM 0 comments

My own quick update
I'm starting to realize that the only time I blog is when I want to talk about myself.

Guess who won her first professional gig? Oh yeah! This summer, I will officially be an orchestra member in Washington, DC's Summer Opera Theatre Company. We do three performances of Verdi's Il Trovatore (July 16th, 19th and 23rd) in some hall at Catholic University. Ok, so maybe it's kind of a practice professional gig where most of the players are students and they hold your hand through the whole process. But I auditioned and I won, and damn it, I'm getting paid to play my flute!
posted by julia @ 10:48 PM 0 comments

quick update
I'm gaffing my first features!!!! Actually, we've been in production since the 17th, but I've been so ridiculously busy, I've hardly had anytime to blog about it. It's been a surprisingly great experience so far.

Also, One of my roommates is taking a 2 month holiday in mid-may and the other two are leaving in july for two months, I think,... so if anyone knows of someone who wants to live in new york for a few months, let me know.
posted by meg @ 9:50 PM 0 comments

I was excited to hear about that courageous woman as well. Unfortunately, it's hard to know what can be done about Chinese abuses, as was pointed out in the Post. Most hopeful to me are the rural peasant uprisings.

Also, Nate and John, if you read this blog, you should read about this class-action against the CPD. If anyone else could direct them to this, it would be great.
posted by weiss @ 8:56 AM 0 comments

Photo ops for Democracy
In other news, Chinese Democracy activists have had another iconic photo plopped in their laps. This time it comes it comes courtesy of a minor media lackey of the Chinese government. You'd think they'd have started giving workshops on how to avoid this sort of thing since Tienamen square:



There are actually three different versions of this photo. Click on the photo above to pick the one you want to use for your poster at your next Chinese human rights protest.

Of course, the Kathmandu Police are churning out dozens of these delightful photo ops every day. Do you think they have an office pool going on which riot cop can get on the international photo wire the most times before the king abdicates?
posted by Unknown @ 6:19 AM 0 comments

Corduroy up for the Hoosier Lens Award!
Corduroy is up against four other Indiana films for the Hoosier Lens Award (the same award that Pearl Diver won last year) at the Indianapolis International Film Festival. Not only that, but it has also been accepted by its third film festival, the Midwest Film Festival in Chicago.

For those interested in attending:

Indy: It's showing at 12:15 P.M. on Saturday, April 29 at Landmark's Keystone Art Cinema, located in the Fashion Mall at Keystone at the Crossing in Northern Indy.

Chicago: It's showing at Landmark's Century Cinema (2828 North Clark Street at Diversey) on May 2 at 7 P.M. (8 P.M. Goshen time).
posted by D-Bo @ 2:20 PM 0 comments

Comms, they call me Pollyanna, but I think the reality is that small town life has a lot more to offer culturally than it is generally given credit for. What small towns can't offer, unfortunately, are certain kinds of jobs, which happen to include the kinds of jobs I want. At least, the kinds of jobs I want right now.

Also, Kanags, please clarify what "Chicago-style theater" is.
posted by weiss @ 9:01 PM 0 comments

I think the Kanags and the Elkhart Truth editorial board agree with you, Landon.

Not the International Herald Tribune, though...

"I doubt there is a chamber of commerce in the entire Hoosier State that would endorse this portrait of it as the country's capital of boredom and despair."

In other news: Happy Easter!
posted by sasha @ 6:27 PM 0 comments

haters...
I mean, I know I'm going to be slammed repeatedly for sticking up for my hometown...but so much hate, come on? How 'bout a little love, like, "but Goshen is just slightly above all of the other mega-destructive dirtwater hopeless prarie towns of the bleak and redneck midwest with its local coffee shop, farmer's market, activist theater, and attempts to rehab its downtown and millrace."
posted by Landon @ 10:19 AM 0 comments

pretty apt description, really.
the reviewer from the post also described goshen as "somebody's dirtwater home town."

yep.

now we know how the people in allentown, pa felt when billy joel wrote that song, "allentown."
posted by Sara @ 4:32 PM 0 comments

Lovely
Nobody can say it better than The Washington Post, sez I, based on their recent description of Goshen as

"... one of those bleak, sad burgs standing isolated on the prairie, with undistinguished architecture, crumbling infrastructure and second-tier fast-food joints. It's so homey and so towny and so cloying, grasping and mega-destructive to the spirit that you wonder that it didn't squish your delicate talent to atoms..."

Now isn't that special.
posted by meg @ 10:45 AM 0 comments

I saw Nicole Kidman today. She was crossing the street at 17th and K, right by the entrance to the Farragut North stop. I was crossing the other direction, heading to school to pick up a book. I was going to say something to her to check if it was really her, but then I hesitated because she looked to short. Later I realized that she probably looked too short because that's how celebrities always look in real life, or so I've heard. She also looked to skinny, but aren't all celebrities having weight problems these days? I haven't been to the grocery store recently, so I'm not sure if that's still a pressing concern for celebrities. Darn. I seem to have missed what will probably be my only chance to meet Nicole Kidman.

So, on the subject of disappointment, here's a facinating article about car bombs.
posted by weiss @ 10:55 PM 0 comments

Supererogatory!
Well, I went to put "supererogatory" on my list of awesome words that I need to use more often and BAM! it turns out it is already there (which is kind of funny considering the meaning of the word).

Other than that, life is good (I did hit my head in a real "you do it to yourself " kind of way, but whatever).


posted by sasha @ 10:27 PM 0 comments

dummies!
posted by kate @ 1:35 PM 0 comments

more-adult conversations
I escaped "the city" Saturday night by way of traveling with a friend up to the adirondack mountains to a post-and-beam log cabin, handmade by the owner, with the wood that grew on the land where the cabin was built. It was an amazing cabin, still in its last stages of construction, that used methods of bonding the that required very few other materials and relied on the natural shrinkage of drying wood to keep the joints stable. Very awesome. The people that we hung out with were what I would classify as more-adult-that-myself, in other words, people who were 5 to 15 years older than me. They had careers, SOs, and kids. I found myself in a funny balance between playing soccer with the kids and drinking beers with the more-adult adults. The guy who built the cabin was into some awesome extreme sports, like helicopter skiing, and let me ride his dirt bike. I flipped it within the first 30 seconds of getting on and lost a lens in my glasses. (I'm now using some old prescription sun glasses that make the world about a stop and a half darker but keeps things generally in focus). Despite the impaired vision, I got back on the bike and had an amazing time. Another one of the guys was the captain of an oil tanker from Belgium. He spend half of the year aboard a ship and the other half hanging out with his family. Sounds amazing. All in all I'd say I enjoy the world of more-adults, but I'm glad I don't have kids. It seems nice to have a stable career, a house with no mortgage, and a spouse. I'm not looking to move into that realm anytime soon, but I enjoyed the chance to see what it would be like to be nearing 40. Now, back in the world of internet, cellphones, and a fledging career, I feel refreshed and ready for another month of weekendlessness.
posted by meg @ 12:48 PM 0 comments

More things that I love!
The only thing better than positive 'Lonesome Jim' news is... when that news comes from the DPRK!
posted by sasha @ 11:27 AM 0 comments

Three things that interest me I love!
Breakdancing, the DPRK and conflict resolution.
Now together at last!
posted by sasha @ 10:23 AM 0 comments

So, in the series of things to do before leaving DC, we can now be checking off "going to a reception at the Cuban Interests Section." FA!!

And many thanks to Celeste, who checked out places for me to live today, and was impressed by one particular apartment building. So, perhaps that'll be where you can find me in a few months.
posted by weiss @ 8:44 PM 0 comments

In search of Joel Beachy
Hey everybody. I am looking for the mailing address for Joel Beachy. We received a check for $63.60 for him months ago and I need to make sure to send it to him.

Does anybody have any idea where he could be?
posted by D-Bo @ 1:46 PM 0 comments

I have the COOOOLEST film friends!!!!



posted by meg @ 9:47 PM 0 comments

how to piss off at least half of the campus...
.. skin skunks on the picnic table by the rot.

So for zoology we've got this specimen collection--2 mammals, 1 fish, 1 amphibians... We've got to get the animals, kill them if they aren't dead already.. then skin them and stuff them. It's worth 100 points.
And two girls in the class got skunks (which might get them extra credit).. but they can't skin them in the science building.
But anyway.. needless to say today's skinnings got a lot of mix reactions, including pissing a lot people off. (I had a rabbit..)
posted by Erini CS @ 7:03 PM 0 comments

boys will be boys
posted by meg @ 10:27 PM 0 comments

Hooray Phil! When I'm work at ASK we can sometimes during the summer walk down and eat lunch by the lake. Just kidding. I won't have time to eat lunch. But I'm glad to hear that you'll be around. Chicago RULEZ!

Seriously, I'm extremely excited about it all.
posted by weiss @ 8:49 PM 0 comments

i'll be in chicago on saturday!
just in time to do my TAXES!

me and juicey are in chiapas right now. we set a new record for transportation yesterday, saying "adios" to mike and stan in Xela (quetzaltenango), taxiing to the bus station, then a school(chicken) bus to Huehuetenango, then another school bus to a bordertown, and trasfered to a mini van to the border. after crossing the border we took a collectivo to a van and then in Comitan we got a mini bus to San Cristobol! crazy! so if anybody wants a zapatista doll, put your order in now!
posted by kate @ 2:11 PM 0 comments

Actually, Meg ...
... one Goshenite did make the cut of Lonesome Jim. If you look really closely at the very end of the bar scene you can see my dad (sporting his mullet) sitting at the bar.
posted by D-Bo @ 10:45 AM 0 comments

Yes Meg it's true, New York does suck. Be cool, be kind, come with me to Chicago! Goes for the rest of you all too!!
posted by weiss @ 8:52 PM 0 comments

no premieres... they've already opened! But I did get to sit in a condor for nearly 8 hours on saturday. woot.

Also, NYC sucks... ok, not really, but I'm not happy with it.

Some one stole both my bike wheels this morning. sucky. so I carried my limb-less bike home and cried. ok, I didn't cry, but I wanted to.
posted by meg @ 4:39 PM 0 comments

Which way? Megway!


Happy April 1st, Meg!

Also, congrats on the movie releases! Do you get to go to any premieres?
posted by sasha @ 3:27 PM 0 comments