Dreaming for the Stars

As I watch Deep Space Nine for the first time, it talks about wormholes to other galaxies, and I wonder, will we as a species, make it to the furthest reaches of space? Will we dream big dreams today and in the future? Or will we rely on the dreams of the past, visionaries dead and gone, somehow alive in the systems and procedures built decades ago?

I wonder about the American Dream, how we used to dream big dreams. Dreams of going to the stars, no matter the cost. Personal sacrifice led the way, as people died for their dreams. They believed in what they could do. They believed in where we, as people, could go.

As the economy continues to take a dump on us, I wonder if it will open our eyes collectively to dreams that were there, providing a time and a place for them to come into focus.

Action is the only way that dreams become a reality. Maybe one day, the American Dream will become realized as an active pursuit in dreams for a better world. Not just pipe dreams or things to get people excited so that they will vote, but real visions of the future that inspire people, ultimately motivating them to get off the couch into the laboratories of life.

Apple Pledges $100,000 Toward Gay Marriage Fight

Today, in the local Vancouver paper, The Columbian, they published a story about Apple pledging $100,000 to defeat California's Proposition 8, which would ban same-sex marriage in California. Read the posting on Yahoo's news site.

This got me thinking about the majority of churches that rely heavily on Apple computers for their operations, either in design, video, music production, and office use. Does the money that these churches invest in Apple computers directly fund a cause that they are so adamant against? Does the money that consumers pay directly fund causes that they wouldn't normally support? It makes me wonder how much of what I buy directly supports politicians that I wouldn't support, or other issues that I haven't thought about, or have opinions on. Is this really that big of an issue, or has it been swept under the mat of acceptability?

Interesting questions as I continue my journey throughout the world.

Tacoma/Seattle Vacation

I just got back from my vacation to Tacoma and Seattle with Kristina. It was a great trip! We visited the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, the Underground Tour, Pike Place Market, Experience Music Project/Science Fiction Hall of Fame, the Seattle Public Library's amazing building, and a trip to my sister's house for her housewarming. As I said, a great trip, and I'll post photos soon!

Quote of the Day

I use Google Apps for my business e-mail and calendar, and on the start page is a Quote of the Day. Today's made me laugh:

"Whatever you may be sure of, be sure of this, that you are dreadfully like other people." - James Russell Lowell

Just goes to show that no matter how hard I try to be original and unique, I may very well be dreadfully like other people.

Is that so bad?

Random Late Night Thoughts...

...While the DVDs Burn.

I'm sitting here spacing out at the monitors, waiting for the last couple of DVDs to finish burning for tomorrow morning. My church does a fall series every October through November, and this year we are creating our own, instead of relying on a Rick Warren or John Ortberg study. Based on "The Monday Morning Church" by Jerry Cook, I filmed a conversation between my pastor, Dave McCabe, and Jerry, as they discuss what it means to take Christ to the world each day. It was a great discussion, and we were able to create 4 sessions, each with two sections, corresponding with the chapters in the book. We will be filming the rest of the discussion next week, so I am looking forward to that.

It's amazing how long it takes to burn 3.3 GB of data to a DVD-ROM. Let alone to make 30 copies. In the time it took to that, I ate dinner, watched "The Thirteenth Floor", playing Yahtzee, drank half a case of diet root beer, surfed the web, wrote this blog, and thought about looking at the spiffy DVD duplicators on DiscMakers' website.

Oooh, I just put in the last disc now!

Becoming the Vision of the Future

What does it mean to dream up big things for the future if they never get accomplished? Just a quick thought for the day.

Is Compartmentalization Making our Lives Easier?

Have you noticed that people like to form their opinion about something based on a small percentage of what lines up with their held belief?

Take the oft-quoted stance of atheists that all Christians are hypocritical. Compartmentalization says: if a small percentage of Christians are hypocrites, it is safe to assume that all Christians are hypocrites.

How about politics? One of the core differences between democrats and republicans is the right to choose versus the right for life. Compartmentalization says that I am going to label whether a democrat is good or bad based on how I feel about the right to choose versus the right for life. Every issue in politics is at the liberty of compartmentalization. Economics, foreign policy, how much experience is necessary to hold the office of the president, the list can truly go on and on and on.

Here are a few interesting uses of compartmentalization: all heavy metal is satanic because a small percentage of heavy metal bands are actually Satanists; all Muslims are evil because a small percentage are Islamic Fundamentalists; all of Hollywood is morally corrupt because a small percentage of people enjoy making films that can be deemed as immoral.

This seems to be a fine line between actually bringing peace and diplomacy to the world, as opposed to labeling everything so that we know whether it is good or evil, and how we need to act against the said issue. It is a dangerous line, and it is no wonder that people get upset when stereotypes are formed on the sole basis of a small percentage.

What Does it Mean to Worship?

In the previous post about Young@Heart, I mention that the old man sings "Fix You" by Coldplay in such a way that he showed me a picture of remembrance, respect and love. He infused his life story into the song, and brought it alive. Several of the shots that followed were people singing with their eyes closed, probably envisioning their friends that were gone, and I couldn't help but ask the question, what does it mean to worship?

Is worship an industry that cranks out songs for people to sing in church? Is worship remembering what God has done for you? Is worship inspiring passion for people to live for God? Is worship boring? Does the American, Evangelical church have the wrong idea of what worship is? Is it more than just singing? What does it truly mean to worship?

I think worship can be defined as infusing your story into the meaning of what you are doing, singing, creating, thus inspiring remembrance, respect and love for God and others. Nothing can point to God better, than to do what He has created you to do, with all that you have, regardless of what others will say.

Well, I have rambled enough, I'm sure I'll ramble more...

Young @ Heart with Time to Change

When I am old and close to death, I want to die having lived a full life, still active in the things that bring me excitement, passion and inspiration for life.

Last night, I watched a documentary about a chorus of older people in their 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s singing contemporary songs by the likes of the Clash, Coldplay, James Brown, Ramones, and Sonic Youth. Living up their name, Young @ Heart, it made me cry at several moments to watch a group of people learning and singing difficult songs, despite losing friends, fighting illness and plaguing moments of the senior kind.

The passion and zeal for life that those men and women had, put to shame most people that I know, including myself, and it was a wonderful showcase of a beautiful part of the human spirit that perseveres, regardless of pain and hardships.

The most iconic, beautiful and heart-wrenching performance was a man singing “Fix You” by Coldplay. Originally meant to be a duet with his good friend, who passed away before the performance, the man showed me a picture of remembrance, respect and love, by singing the song with every ounce of energy that he could muster up, infusing the song’s meaning with his story. An important detail that added to the performance, was that the man himself was given two years to live, and was four months past the deadline. He had an oxygen tube up his nose, could barely stand, and at several moments in the film, he too was close to death.

Another lady was 92 years old, feisty, and full of life. In a way, she reminded me of my own grandmother, willing to say whatever is on her mind, not ashamed, not worried what people will think. As she sang “I Wanna Be Sedated” by the Ramones and “Schizophrenia” by Sonic Youth, I felt happy and joyful, not because old people were singing punk rock songs, but because she was 92 years old, active, alive and doing things that she probably never thought she would be doing at her age. She passed away after the film was made, but she was truly someone that loved life and wanted it known that others should live life with that same amount of passion.

It is important for me to take time and really reflect about my life and to make sure that I am living a passionate life. Encouraging others by allowing them to witness my actions, words, examples and relationships. That alone paints an important image of what it means to be young at heart.

A Return to Form

As many of you know, I have been doing the Weight Watchers program since May of 2007 and lost 76 pounds. Around February of this year, I went to Gambia, Africa and didn't stick to the diet, as I was grateful to enjoy some delicious African cuisine. Since then, I have had a difficult time returning to program, and gained 20 pounds.

All that to say, I have gotten with the program again, and I am enjoying the fact that I don't feel like a complete slob and loser.

I'll post weekly updates about my progress. Maybe that will keep me focused. Or not, we'll see.

It's Been Too Long

I haven't recorded any music in a long time, several years to be somewhat exact, but tonight I put a new twist on a song called Astral Being that I wrote in 1998 in my dorm room in Seattle. Check it out at: http://www.myspace.com/thesongsofchrismartin, the song is called Astral Being 2008. You can also check out the 1998 version, tuned to C#. Fun and heavy, and the guitar tones are so much better today than 10 years. Of course, 10 years I go I was using a Digitech RP12, as opposed to the Line 6 Pod X3 Live that I use today. It's amazing how far technology as come in terms of guitar processors.

Wicked Cool

Some photos from a brief photo walk today.

One of Those Moments

I just had one of those moments where I realize my job affects the clothes that I wear. In the spirit of doing digital media production and working on the computer all day, I am wearing a red shirt, green shorts, and blue shoes. Oh brother, I'm even dressing in RGB! There is my moment of pure geekness.

The Saga of the Failed Drive

The saga of the failed drive is now over. I have all of my data, and now I don't have to recreate the work that I was right in the middle of when it failed.

The Dark Knight

It is rare when a movie moves me so deeply and shakes me to my core. I have weird and eccentric taste in movies. I like Delicatessen, Amelie, Time Bandits, Brazil, but while those are based in almost fantastical worlds, The Dark Knight is set in a seemingly modern-day reality. And that is truly what makes the film both amazing and unsettling. The late Heath Ledger's performance was amazing, including his stint as a nurse getting some Purell. Equally impressive was Aaron Eckhart's performance as Harvey Dent/Two Face.

More to come as I process the movie. It sure created some interesting dreams last night.

The Saga of the Failed Drive

My main data drive is currently in California getting probed, recovering the data that I didn't have a chance to back up. This has affected me deeply, and I have learned to back up my data on a daily basis. The feelings are very crazy, it's as if part of me is missing. I know that may seem weird, but there was so much work on there from the past three years of my life. The majority was backed up, which was good.

Let this be a lesson. Back up your data. Back it up. It hurts when it goes away.

A Moment of Sickness

Delayed write failure on Drive F:

Random Musings

As opposed to my last blog posting, today is a beautiful day. Slightly overcast, just waiting for the sun to come out and make it nice and warm. Kristina and I got a gas grill, so I have some ground turkey marinating in onions, garlic, garlic pepper and marinade. Yum! Turkey burgers for dinner.

I have been rather inspired by things from Europe and Britain as of late. The first is the new Coldplay album, "Viva La Vida." I have been a Coldplay fan for a couple of years, but their new album is definitely my favorite. Start to finish, it is the strongest and most interesting collection of songs that I have heard in a while. Next on the horizon is "Death Magnetic" by Metallica in September. I am one of those fans that has Mission: Metallica Platinum membership, so I have gotten to enjoy their random musings and promotions for the new album.

The second inspiration is a French film called "The City of Lost Children." Very fascinating look at the search for the cure of the aging process, cloning, amnesia, and kids forced to take care of themselves because the adults are too interested in other things.

I recently purchased Softimage XSI to work on some 3D animation projects, and with it came a training DVD called "The Artists Guide to XSI." My only experience with learning software has been tutorials, books and the classroom, so this DVD was my first step into learning software. I'm hooked, what a great way to learn something. Books are good, but when it comes to complex software and techniques, actually seeing what's going on and being able to follow along simultaneously is a definite advantage that really excites me.

Well, I think that is about it for this episode of random musings. Offspring's "Hammerhead" is on, and I am going to work on some modeling tutorials in XSI.

Greed, Lies and Propaganda

June 10th and it's pouring down rain, cold and dark. I grow tired of the presidential race. It's not really a race, considering it has gone on longer than it really needs to. I grow tired of sensational journalism, as if they are actually reporting anything new. I'm tired of greed preventing the truth from actually coming out. I'm tired of propaganda telling me what I need to believe so that I will continue feeding the machine that keeps the world running. I'm tired of lies. I want the truth. It is true that the truth hurts, but how many people must be hurt in order for the truth to remain hidden?

I am tired today, but life goes on. It always does, regardless of whether I think I can change that or not.

The Rough Cut is Done

After two weeks of solid editing, my rough cut for my trip to The Gambia, Africa is complete. After showing to several people, I will now complete the final edits this week and it will show next weekend at church. Pretty exciting! I have edited 25 hours of material down to 10 minutes and this week I want to get the final cut to 9 minutes.

23 Hours of Fun

Going back to work today, armed with 23 hours of mini-DV from my trip to Africa, a 1 TB external FireWire hard drive, and enough work to employ a small army. No wonder I woke up before 5:00 AM. Jet lag and a side of anxiety.

Initial Thoughts on My Trip to The Gambia

For many years, I have wanted to come to Africa. I have read about it, seen movies about it, heard songs about it, but it wasn't until I finally traveled to Africa that I realized that I really didn't know anything about Africa and why people end up living the way they do. Extreme poverty, health issues, hunger, thirst, all that things that can destroy an entire continent. Yet, these things ultimately don't stop the Gambians. They continue to live, to eat, to drink in the worst conditions; hot, dry, dirty, smelly. They work a grueling day for about $5, just enough to hopefully feed their families that night. If they didn't make anything, they would not eat. They devote themselves to a religion that doesn't help them, and they are surrounded by tourists.

In some ways, it could seem that they invite you into their misery so that they could have a taste of our good life. But what it comes down to is that they end up teaching you about sincerity, hard work, survival, contentment, and gratitude. All things that you can't truly know until you see their joy in life.

To be among the poor in America and come here, I realize that I am a "two-bob," a rich man, here in the Gambia. I make more in a month than they will in a year. And that makes me think, why does one human's life have more value than another’s? Is it only because of the country I live in, or is there something else that determines the worth of a human life?

All in all, this trip was life changing. It confirmed what I believe God has made me to do, and it showed me what contentment is all about.

Art of the Interview and Lighting Workshops

Well, it was a great weekend of learning some valuable information in the areas of interviewing people and lighting them. The lighting class was great in that it provided some fundamental lighting principles that I haven't really had the chance to play around with since I went to art school. The hands-on portion of the class was great and seeing the ways that you can manipulate and sculpt light was amazing and very exciting.

More inspiring and motivating was the art of the interview class. It lit a fire of excitement for what I do that I haven't really felt in some time. Seeing the process at which I work, and not being afraid of taking chances in asking tough questions, will hopefully push me towards some amazing moments in my upcoming trip to The Gambia.

All in all, the whole idea of a weekend of workshops is not only a brilliant idea, but you get to meet people that are doing exactly what you are, and that is worth a lot.

Jelly Beans

I took pictures of jelly beans today. That was the highlight of my day. Except for LOST of course.

Commercials

Life would be much simpler without commercials. TV shows that are supposed to be an hour would actually be an hour. Lost would be found in the missing minutes interrupted by the constant noise of consumerism. Heroes would actually save the world instead of telling me that I need to feel insecure about the 1987 Crown Victoria that I drive instead of the brand new Toyota Corolla. Do commercials exist for the sole purpose of making me feel so crappy about my life because I don't own the latest and greatest phone, car, internet service, beer, or lubricant jelly? In the words of my wife, "they do honey." Correction. "They do comma honey."

The Gambia; Workshops; Rebel Without a Crew; The Power of Inspirational Friends

My two week trip to The Gambia, Africa is steadily approaching, and I am starting to get really excited. I have had my yellow fever, hepatitis-a, and tetanus shots, as well as filled prescription for malaria medicine. I have purchased over 30 hours of mini-dv tape, a 16GB CompactFlash card, a circular polarizer, and a nice big backpack; everything that I need in order to video and photograph this trip. I'm looking forward to an interesting trip outside of my comfort zone. I have wanted to go to Africa for almost ten years now, and it is finally a reality.

As I go into this trip, I am looking forward to two film production workshops that I am taking this weekend. The first is on the art of the interview and how to draw out the story as you interview people. The second is on lighting. Two areas that I definitely enjoy learning more about.

I just purchased "Rebel Without a Crew," by Robert Rodriguez. So far I am loving what he is saying, more to come as I digest this book.

There is nothing like a friend that inspires you.