The old haunts made new again.

It has been several years(more than five, I think) since I went to food with any of the high school chaps at the Ram. It felt like a totally new place, really, since we and it were a totally different chemistry than what we used to be. Not in any strange sort of way, though. It felt just familiar enough mixed with the odd sensation of newness one might feel at a place they've never been before. Maybe some of the conversation felt very similar to that. In any case it was fun and I consider myself quite the lucky fellow for the experience. I have, and have had, an incredible number of awesome people in my life.

Unusual nature.

Because widespread natural fires are fairly uncommon in these parts. The common effects go largely unnoticed by most people, it seems, other than the occasional small-talk references about the weather. I know most of the effects are subtle anyway. The color-shift of the sun's light is sometimes striking to me, yet almost indiscernible at other times. The smell of the smoke is more difficult to recognize. The haze in the atmosphere is quite thick, though, and even hid the sun almost completely from view noticeably earlier than the actual time of sunset. At one point it was so faded I could barely tell what I was looking at. Anyway, I'm enjoying it. Like most of natures unusual occurrences, I tend to enjoy the oddity of it all.

Kids are way cool.

And they are very interesting case studies of human culture. They seem to reflect many of our better intentions in a very unambiguous way. Their perspectives are so limited and at the same time they seem so boundless. The kindness of the human soul emanates from their innocence. It is a good reminder of these things whenever I am in their company.

Capturing the memories of youth.

It is pretty much always fun to be around very young people. They have an energy and motion that inspires all by itself. And I am looking forward to being a part of it tomorrow as I get to capture a moment that will hopefully reflect that energy for years to come to the families of those involved. I like the idea of being a part of history even if it's just a part of somebody's personal history.

The wily, cool music scene of the day.

I went to a music show in a bar in Ballard tonight and was quite impressed and unexpectedly surprised by the music which was witnessed therein. It wasn't the quality that I was surprised by as much as it was the style; something unique, entertaining, fun and somehow a bit further from the musical path I have explored... which, in itself, is quite a broad path to say the least. Ultimately, I intend to seek further into both of the band's historical discographies which is not something I have often thought of doing after a small-sized show of this kind in the past.

Pulling hamstring like a non-champ.

At least, I can't remember hearing about a champ who did that. I did it in the middle of a pretty normal, very humble basketball game where the only spectatorship derived from it's waiting participants. Maybe that's a good thing. No stakes, no actual loss. It hurts to walk around... and sit... and bend forward... and lift my leg... but thems the breaks, man. I just hope it goes away faster than the last two times it happened.

Writing, producing, editing, and camera operating all in the same day.

Which means it was quite the fun day for me. Outside of music, art and sports, there is very little else I could have even added to the day which could have made it actually better... which probably isn't saying all that much, now that I think of it. But whatever. I was a pretty lucky dude today.

Working on Saturdays.

I think it used to be so much more of a hassle. I remember there being a time when I had worked Saturdays so frequently and for so long that getting them back was a momentous occasion which I cherished greatly. Now, even though it doesn't happen that often anyway, I don't seem to mind losing them to work. Maybe this is a sign of my deep entrenchment in the anti-social life I have become a part of. Kind of a bummer, that. I should probably try to change that.

Welcoming the return of the rain and gloom.

I have become quite accustomed to the unusually hot summer this year, largely because of my higher outdoor exposure and higher than typical temperatures along with it, but my fondness for rain certainly didn't take a vacation. And today's Washington-like weather brought more than a few smiles to my face(at different times of the day, of course... since I only have one mouth). And, even though my work was pretty decent today, you can tell I enjoyed the weather even more than normal since it is definitely the main topic of this post. Boom(thunder-style). Bloggin' in(about) the rain.

Long, sunny day.

We were expecting it to be long but the exceptional level of sun was a bit under the radar. It made for a splendid day of work, however, despite it being a bit more of a physical drain on the energy levels. I have only seen a little more than half of our footage so far but I think it looks decent. I will pick the rest up on Tuesday and I think it'll be quite exciting to see what our other shooter got today. All in a fun day's work!

Highly productive days are highly satisfying.

The big work comes tomorrow but all the prep work ends today. And, of course, there is always quite a bit more one can do to prepare for any emphasized moment... but the satisfaction of feeling like the effort expended to prepare actually means something certainly helps the confidence which, almost invariably, increases the quality and chances of success as you go through the moment. It is sort of a layered, multi-faceted reality. Every positive piece of the equation encouraging the others, directly or indirectly, improving the synergistic momentum toward the ultimate goal. Anyway... it's a big, messy way of saying something simple... which I am currently at a loss to do... mostly due to lack of focus and need for sleep.

Inspirational advice.

When somebody who has walked quite a bit further down the road, in any particular facet of life, I am always quite interested to hear his or her perspective and share a bit of his or her experience. And it's always a fun experience to do it in a group setting with many other people keen on gleaning the same kind of wisdom nuggets I am. Wisdom nuggets rock!(couldn't pass up on that one)

Getting ready for the big-time.

Only a couple days away from some pretty interesting, very technical, very exciting shooting and I am almost as prepared as I would hope. Tomorrow will be plenty of time to knock the rest of the prep out, though, and I am quite enthusiastic about wrapping up the pre-production process on this project. We have been planning for nearly a year... so that's pretty much awesome. Anyway, I am probably just a bit overly excited about all of this. Fun times.

Time is so easy to overlook.

It seems to daunt the impatient but almost anesthetize the oblivious. I feel like I am not totally in the 'oblivious' camp but do tend to think I am not far from that end of the spectrum. The moments when I seem to recognize this can be somewhat harrowing, though, and often lead me to thinking about all the time I 'seem' to be wasting. I could be so much more actively engaged in the quest for a significant other. Work and career are not necessarily unworthy endeavors, though, and do seem to claim the largest chunk of my focus. I guess it's all a massive and fairly understated tug-of-war in my priority scope. Oh, the fun of divided intention vs. the merits of undivided attention.

Friends with radness.

It is an enviable position and one I am grateful to enjoy. For the radness I appreciate is incredibly kind, talented, and often willing to have me along for the ride. The indelible pleasantries afforded most people who take the time to pay attention.

Another busy weekend.

And even though this weekend will be more of a work weekend I will be delighted for the opportunity nonetheless. A relaxation of a different kind. The relaxation of enjoying and focusing on something that I love doing that happens to be considered work.

Unqualified success.

Despite our 48-hr team not finding any additional awards for the night we still had fun and are definitely encouraged by the experience as a whole. The competition was incredibly good but we definitely saw it as an achievable level for us. We truly were the kings of the night!(and queens)

Things still moving forward.

And staying busy being productive and not just busy... which does actually happen a lot if I'm not careful. I think it would be part of the reason I have not found any meaningful relationships over the last 15 or so years. Right now the busy stuff is actually leading to new and potentially important happenings. More of the community building and other similar sorts of things. Is it a sacrifice or an artful dodge, though? Even I don't really know the answer to that. Ha.

Building a community.

This is never an easy task. The interest level is only marginally affected by the things one can attempt improve it. The fluidity of its membership is almost directly controlled by life factors for each person that are almost entirely outside of the groups influence. Every individual has a different understanding and motivation for what the community even means to him or her. And through all of it, whatever form of leadership that exists is only as good as its communication and ability to inspire both those being led, those leading and the individual leader him or herself. Building a community will only occur through failed steps and the repetitious engagement in the learning that follows each one.

Returning to the week.

I am quite grateful to have an extended weekend once in a while. And it is even more fantastic when you get to throw a little camping into the mix. A nice, easy transition back into the work swing is practically icing on the weekend cake. Which means work should feel somewhat shocking tomorrow. Ha. I've been tromping around in the sun and now I need to jump back into the water. No worries, though. It looks to be like some of the normal-quality stuff I've been enjoying lately.

Jamming and camping.

I just got back from a delightful weekend of music in the woods. It was a big group of friends that gets organized at a friend's house out in the sticks near a river and there's food, musical instruments, a big field, beautiful weather, and lots of fun to be had by all. I found it to be incredibly relaxing and just the right thing for my weekend. I got to hang with my nephew so that was cool, too. Plus, I didn't have any internet or phone access the whole time I was out there... which is definitely an awesome thing to experience every once in a while.