The Countdown and Beyond

It's been 10 years

2008-05-24T15:14:00.000-07:00

So I'm sitting here in jeans a t-shirt and a sport coat, about to walk out the door to go to my 10 year high school reunion. That seems kind of ridiculous to me... not the t-shirt and sport coat, the fact that I've been out of high school for 10 years. It should be interesting... instead of sitting around and getting drunk illegaly with people I don't really like, I get to sit around and get drunk legally with people I don't really like. Actually, it might be kind of fun. I just wish I had something more interesting to say than: "Yeah, I'm in grad school for Visual Effects... and I live with my Mom!" At least I'm not divorced with 3 kids.

What it sounds like inside a Diet Coke can

2008-05-10T21:06:00.001-07:00

Watch this video and discover what it sounds like to be inside of a freshly opened can of Diet Coke.

http://www.pixelcorps.tv/macbreak133

107-Year-Old Bulb States the Case for Leaving Lights On

2008-05-10T21:01:00.001-07:00

107-Year-Old Bulb States the Case for Leaving Lights On [Livermore Light Bulb]: "The LA Times has written a sweet little feature about Livermore Fire House's lightbulb that has been burning for 107 years without a break—unless you count the 22 minutes it took to transport the bulb from Fire Department HQ to Station No. 6 in 1979. That's almost a million hours' worth of low-wattage, you know. Unofficial keeper of the bulb, retired firefighter Tom Bramell reckons its longevity is down to old-fashioned craftsmanship. 'I believe the bulb has stayed alive so many years because the makers gave it a perfect seal, so no air gets inside the bulb to help disintegrate the carbon filament. This bulb operates in a vacuum and it doesn't burn hot. That's the secret.'"

(Via Gizmodo.)

I don't think I could do this...

2008-05-10T20:43:00.001-07:00

So I came upon a really interesting video on youtube today.

The Blasphemy Challenge

That's some pretty hardcore shit. I'm not a believer... and I'm sure I never will be, but I just could not do this. Maybe it's because I was raised Unitarian and can't deal with stepping on others toes, but I just couldn't do it. Anyway, lemme know what you think.

Back home twittering fun

2008-05-05T09:37:00.000-07:00

So I'm back in Louisiana. It comes with some serious mixed emotion. I'm happy to be home, REALLY happy to see my dog again, and am generally feeling better (although a tad less healthy with no hills to climb daily.) But I can't help but feel an intense sense of failure at coming back home... again.

I have really discovered the joy and value of twitter. For the longest time I was kind of sensitive about who I followed. I like to receive tweets on my phone and didn't want to get too many texts. Then I switched to unlimited text messages and it's been a whole new world of twitter to me. When I see that someone I follow is following someone else, I generally follow them so that I can see the whole conversation. It's pretty incredible watching the community that seems to be developing. It's like watching communication across the world in realtime.

Well, back to work.

Out of the hospital and into the...

2008-03-16T00:46:00.000-07:00

So they let me out of the hospital today with some goodies... Xanax, Vicadin, and Colace to keep me pooping right. I think it's a good sign that I'm flush with energy and really wanna be creative. Hopefully when I finally go through the sleep cycle again, I won't wake up puking and with horrid cramps. I can finally drink diet coke again, which usually means that I am getting better. the picture to the right is the weird chroma key thing that PhotoBooth did to me, kidna cool. I like how it keyed out my moustach3. I like replacing e's with 3's. Anyway.... finally feeling creative, so I guess I should go and create. I think this might be a post I edit greatly in a few weeks.

A long time...

2008-03-03T21:49:00.001-08:00

So... I guess it's been a really long time. Sorry about that. I guess it's a good thing. I've been busy enough here that I haven't really had the time to post anything. Things are definitely going well here. I guess I'm beginning to fall into my "old self" with all of my old patterns. I of course have my token friend here who is gorgeous, really into all the things I am into, a model, fantastic, and conveniently unavailable. But... that's the way I do things. Quite seriously, I am meeting some great people out here, and getting to experience some really incredible things. I went and saw Ray Harryhausen speak, I went and saw Blue Sky Studios talk about their work, and I went to the San Francisco Siggraph meeting and watched last years electronic theatre on a 4k projector.
So yeah, the people are great. My classes are pretty great. The experience is awesome. I just need a way to make some fucking money so that I can stay.

IMG00065.jpg

2008-02-26T20:22:00.001-08:00

IMG00065.jpg
Originally uploaded by kmkelley617

IMG00062.jpg

2008-02-14T18:00:00.001-08:00

IMG00062.jpg
Originally uploaded by kmkelley617

"I'm watching a trainwreck

2008-02-07T00:16:00.000-08:00

and the trainwreck is me."

That's a pretty fantastic line from Quarterlife. I kinda feel like that sums up how I feel about things... but not really. Things aren't going so wonderful out here. I'm actually in a really good mood tonight, I feel incredibly creative and am kinda ready to go out and conquer the world. But, I worry that I'm gonna wake up and that will all be gone. I don't wanna wake up lonely, broke and bored again.

It's really kinda weird having the capability to write in this kind of forum. I don't know that there has ever been a time in history when someone could post their innermost thoughts and feelings for strangers, even worse their family and friends, to read an instant after they are written.

But, back to where I was going before. I kind of feel like I'm in a weird rut. A repeating cycle. I get down and I can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, then I feel like I see it, and it gets brighter, and bigger, until I realize it's not a light at the end of the tunnel, it's just an oncoming train carrying more shit that I have to deal with.

That was kind of an akward metaphor, but I think you get the point. This whole experience boils down to trying to keep some sort of precarious balance between crushing, mind-numbing, brain battering fear and the desire to live out my dreams that keeps pushing me forward. Every time that I get completely freaked out and wanna pack up my shit and run home to my comfortable Louisiana life, I have to realize that I have an interesting opportunity here that I have to keep striving to make into a reality. I am actually going to school for what I like to do. I have an assignment to "play around" with trying to model a scorpion. That's pretty cool.

My podcast debut

2008-02-06T23:15:00.000-08:00

So I had my first experience with podcasting on Monday night. I was a guest on the Absinthe themed episode of Beer School. It was a lot of fun... but the lesson that I learned is that the green fairy will kick my ass. I should not play with her anymore.

Listen to the episode... completely with my horrible voice and snickering.... by clicking here.

Am I naïve?

2008-02-06T22:16:00.000-08:00

Should I feel comfortable waiting for a bus alone in the dark on an empty street? I do.

The only reason to watch the super bowl pt.2

2008-02-03T22:45:00.000-08:00

Almost wet myself when the TV hits him at the end.

The only reason to watch the super bowl pt.1

2008-02-03T22:40:00.000-08:00

Refreshes the palette, and THE LOINS...

The experiment continues

2008-02-01T21:50:00.000-08:00

As you can probably see, I added Google AdSense to this page. I will never ever post anything about anything that has to do with my last post, because the ads that are showing up are absolutely horrible and I don't like them here. Sorry for that... but if you see something you think is interesting in one of the ads, click on it. I think somehow I get paid per click somehow. I don't really know how it works, but if Google sent me a check for 5 bucks once every six months that would be fine.

When I moved out here I was beginning an experiment of sorts. Take someone who is completely addicted and obsessed with Television, and put him in an environment where he has no cable. This is the first time since I was at Sarah Lawrence that I have been without cable... and it's kinda frightening. The experiment is not to see how quickly I will kill someone or become a drug addict, the experiment is to see how I will get my Recommended Daily Value of media, not that it doesn't all come to me from Cox, Comcast, or Time Warner.

1. Netflix: I'm a new subscriber to Netflix. I used to have Blockbuster Online, and I loved it. I could take the movies I got in the mail back to the store and get free rentals, I was never without a movie. Then one day I noticed that every time I added something to my cue... Blockbuster told me they were adding it to my Facebook profile, without ever asking me. That's fucked up. Maybe I don't want everyone on my Facebook profile to know that I just added "Can't Hardly Wait" , "Bring It On" , and "Bring It On Again" to my cue. They could have at least made me opt in. So I cancelled that out of sheer frustration and signed up for Netflix. The selection and user experience of Netflix is about 1,000 times better than Blockbuster. I actually enjoyed the process of signing up, rating movies, and then loading up my cue. It really was an awesome user experience. I've gotten pretty good at getting one movie back out the door at the latest the next day, so with some easy trips to the mailbox I'm pretty much never without a movie this way either. Netflix also lets you watch movies instantly on the web... which is pretty neat, but the selection really sucks. There are only about 4 movies in my queue that I would have any interest in watching. The quality sucks too... not quite as much as the selection, but I'm still not impressed. This is definitely the, I'm REALLY bored on a sunday night option.

2. Hulu: I'm relatively impressed with Hulu, NBC and FOX's entry into the online TV watching ring. The selection is pretty good if you like shows on Fox and NBC... but the writers strike has really made it difficult. They put shows up usually the day after they air, but with so few new shows airing, there's really not much new content. Sure, if I wanted to watch Who's The Boss and Air Wolf, I'd be set. The quality is not bad and looks pretty good scaled up on my 26" Vizio.

3. ABC: I just tonight discovered that ABC seems to have a pretty good online option. They have the entire catalog of Lost seasons up for viewing in "HD." I really don't know what this means, but they do definitely look better than an standard 720 x 480 video clip. I don't think my internet is fast enough here for them to stream in full HD (1280x720 is what I think they are calling their brand of HD) but it does still look better than Hulu. I know that this will probably keep from buying new ABC shows on iTunes. Unless of course I start having streaming issues.

4. iTunes: The old standby is still the best option here. So far there is definitely no option here for getting "premium" content that looks this good. I really am genuinely impressed with how good these shows look scaled up on my LCD TV. The new ability to rent movies is pretty fantastic too. I rented "Raising Arizona" last night and was very pleased with the quality. I have rented but not yet watched "The Day After Tomorrow." It will be very interesting to see if the quality still holds up on a huge blockbuster VFX film. I don't really need to see a movie like "Raising Arizona" on a big screen at exceptional quality, but a movie with explosions and the world freezing may not hold up as well.

5. Joost: Crap! It was a nice try and I think they are trying to make a go at it with CBS as a content partner, but for some reason the way that just seems to completely hijack my computer when I am using is bothers me. I like the idea of a net app that doesn't live in a web browser, but I don't like the way that Joost is implemented, and it just doesn't work often enough.

6. Miro: This may be the most promising option at the moment for "non-premium" content, and definitely the place to go to wow people with the quality of HD programming. I know that pretty much everything that I can get with Miro I could also get with iTunes... but I just like the way that Miro handles video podcasts more.

So I guess that those are all of my options laid out before you. I think that I'm gonna make it work. Really, what major network TV am I missing here. I guess CBS really doesn't factor much into this mix, but there's nothing on CBS that I am so addicted to that I am going to fall apart not being able to watch it. I pretty much made myself hate CSI in all it's flavors. It's become more common in syndication than Law and Order. I think that's a new term, a show has been "Law and Ordered" when it is in syndication on so many networks that you can find it on the air at least 16 hours out of the day.
It is pretty incredible that there are so many options out there for getting media. The only thing that I don't have available to me at the moment is an Apple TV, which I really don't think is that necessary. I would love to be able to rent movies in HD from iTunes, and I would love to be able to do all with with one tiny little remote, but I don't know if that is worth $300 to me.
I will keep updating the progress of this experiment and if anyone has any ideas or suggestions, please post them in the comments.
OUT

Oh, and if anyone has any suggestions for a really small wireless keyboard and mouse combo for the mac, I would appreciate it. Something like that new logitech keyboard... but I don't think you can use that on a mac.

Vagina Dentata?

2008-01-28T00:15:00.000-08:00

An interesting marker of a society's acceptance of sex and things sexual is how it appears in their culture. Based on my experiences today I'm kinda surprised there aren't people walking around in assless chaps fucking of the street corner. This afternoon I went and saw Teeth, a touchin story about a girl who wants to save herself until marriage, until things get a little crazy and her vagina starts biting people's heads off... I never thought that there was an actual history behind these kinds of stories, but there is, and there's even a name, Vagina Dentata. I may never get some of those images out of my mind... but it was definitely humurous.
Then this evening I watched Breaking Bad. I never thought that a show could somehow combine a handjob with the excitement of selling something on eBay for more than you expected. It was a pretty good show, I have been expecting a show like it to copy weeds. A suburban father finds out he has lung cancer and starts cooking meth. He has a loving with and a kid with Cerebral Palsy. Screwball comedy ensues. I can't imagine what my new roommate must have thought as he overheard me watching this show. I don't really care to be honest, he's gonna find out I'm a depraved weirdo eventually.
OUT

The boredom is starting to crush me

2008-01-26T22:35:00.001-08:00

Well I knew it was going to happen... it was just a matter of when. I don't really know what I was expecting, I just really didn't think that the icepicks of loneliness would start stabbing me behind the ears this early. If you're my family reading this... DON'T FREAK OUT. Maybe you should stop now. I'm sure everything is going to be fine... but there's really not much to do in a brand new city... surrounded by thousands of people, where you really don't know a soul. Classes start on Tuesday, and I'm sure having a distraction from this boredom is really going to help. But I've really gotten used to life that is easy and filled with constant entertaining distractions. This may be the first time I've lived without cable TV in about 6 years.
Anyway... that's enough of my rant. It's not so much that I'm sad or lonely... it's just that I'm ready to get to class and ROCK NOW! rather than sitting around here with nothing to do but watch Netflix downloads.
OUT

My View

2008-01-26T22:29:00.000-08:00

So this is what I woke up to this morning...

Proud to be an Urban Knight

2008-01-25T20:45:00.000-08:00

One of the greatest things about College, and often the greatest incentive to many, is the camaraderie that goes along with having a common sports team to root for. Part of having that sports team is having a mascot. USC has the Trojans, LSU has the Tigers, Ole Miss has the Rebels. For some reason, whenever I choose a college I always end up with the gayest mascot possible. Sarah Lawrence had the Gryphons, a mythical creature that could definitely kick some ass but was lame all the same. The Academy of Art has, and this is not a joke, the Urban Knights. Although I really do like the logo that was created for our city dweller friendly mascot, the concept is still ridiculous. This is an art school. We're supposed to be expanding our mind and getting drunk and having sex and then getting our heart trampled upon. How else will we have all of the inspiration that we need to take all of our feelings on the inside and show them to the public. Anyway, I probably shouldn't make fun of all this. I'll probably end up in love with a lesbian on the Women's Rugby team, yes we really do have one.

So I got jewelry put back in my ears today. It feels nice... my ears aren't flapping in the wind today. I spent about three hours round trip going to get them done. It has not really stopped raining since the day that I got here. But it really, really poured today. When I got home I was wet everywhere not covered by my jacket. My feet were soaking wet and my pants are still not dry. I kinda feel like the city conspired to get me here by making the weather perfect when I came to visit. I would have come even if it was rainy, but it's the cities deceptiveness that angers me. Anyway, I still don't have a roommate. But I don't wanna live with any false hope that I never will.
I came across a post by John Foster of the Pixelcorps and Beer School recently that everyone should read about Rocking Later. It's very inspiring and is really interesting coming from the one person who really tried to keep me from coming here.
OUT

The Horror of ID Pictures

2008-01-24T23:11:00.000-08:00

Well it's pretty surprising that an expensive University like the Academy of Art would have a homeless student... but apparently I am their first. I certainly look homeless in this picture. You would think that the guy taking the picture would have at least clued me in to the fact that my hair was standing up in random places. Now I just have to figure out how to carry this thing. I can put it on the included lanyard with a pre-requisite flash drive connected, or I can put it in the ID pocket of my ScottEVest. Either way is about the nerdiest thing I could possibly do... but I've got that great homeless picture on the card to make me a little bit edgier.
So I guess this is my third night staying here. The big-ass flashing, humming, probably cancer causing computer system is all set up with a combined 63" of monitor space. The brand new Vizio HDTV is set up and connected to the computer, but the antenna I bought doesn't get any channels and the Mac has no internet yet, so I've been watching Freaks & Geeks non-stop since I set it all up. I still have no roommate, but there is a clear half of the room for him to move into. I would assume he is coming tomorrow... but I would be pleasantly surprised if noone ever did. I think I'm going to go get my ears re-pierced tomorrow by Peter's old friend Mic... I can't really be a college student without at least a few piercings.
OUT

Finally here

2008-01-22T23:49:00.000-08:00

Well, here I am. First post from the new room. I have no roommate at the moment, which is a very good thing. My shit is everywhere. I bought this fancy new HDTV, and I bought this fancy new HD Antenna, and I can't get shit. I'm sure I'm doing something wrong, but I need TV god damn it. Anyway, it's really nice. The view out the floor to ceiling windows of my room is of the bay, and I think you can kind of see Alcatraz to the right a little. Hold on, lemme take a picture.

Ok, never mind. Camera phones really don't take good pictures out of apartment windows in the dark. But, it's pretty. You'll get to see it one day. Anyway, I should go to bed now. I have to get up in a few hours and go get myself oriented.

Brightly Colored Buttons

2008-01-22T09:21:00.001-08:00

Brightly Colored Buttons
Originally uploaded by kmkelley617

In-N-Out

2008-01-20T15:07:00.001-08:00

In-N-Out
Originally uploaded by kmkelley617

Damn that was good!

IMG00044.jpg

2008-01-19T16:34:00.001-08:00

IMG00044.jpg
Originally uploaded by kmkelley617

AZ sure looks like TX

Still in Texas!

2008-01-19T08:24:00.001-08:00

Still in Texas!
Originally uploaded by kmkelley617

Pecos, TX

2008-01-19T04:46:00.000-08:00

So I'm sitting here in the most uncomfortable bed ever at the Motel 6 in Pecos, TX. Interestingly right next door to the Quality Inn we stayed at on the way back from L.A. almost 3 years ago. Surprisingly they even have Wi-Fi in Pecos... but sadly, it may be the only thing they have in Pecos. We enjoyed a... flavorful, meal at the Flying J truck stop, because it's all we could find, and then headed back to the hotel. I bought that fancy Busty Skull Nurse shown in a previous post at the Flying J, what will be the first of many really strange things I find at truckstops on this trip.
I woke up at about 4 this morning and couldn't fall asleep, so I took the time to listen to part of the Juno Soundtrack. Kimya Wilson is incredible. It's so simple and lo-fi, yet so lyrically complicated. Maybe complicated isn't the right word, but it's definitely beautiful and interesting.

I will find my nitch in your car
With my mp3 DVD rumple-packed guitar
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else
But you

Up up down down left right left right B A start
Just because we use cheats doesn't mean we're not smart
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else
But you

The above Moldy Peaches lyrics from "Anyone Else But You" are fascinating to me. And they are even better when sung by Ellen Page and Michael Cera. Anyway, it's about time to get back on the road.
OUT

The best trucstop purchase ever!

2008-01-18T19:34:00.001-08:00

The best trucstop purchase ever!
Originally uploaded by kmkelley617

The Busty Skull Nurse

Dinner?

2008-01-18T18:42:00.001-08:00

Dinner?
Originally uploaded by kmkelley617

In Pecos, Texas.

This is actually French Toast with strawberries, not Blood and Guts.

What?

2008-01-18T13:19:00.001-08:00

So believe it or not, in the sleepy town of Abilene, Texas, the Fire Department is actually busier, but slower at the same time? I guess I do get it after reading it a few times, but it sure was a funny front page headline when I saw it at the store.

Crushed cars

2008-01-18T09:58:00.001-08:00

Crushed cars
Originally uploaded by kmkelley617

There isn't much worth looking at on the way to El Paso. 650 miles to go.

Bearded O'Brien?

2008-01-18T06:38:00.000-08:00

Conan looks like a douche with a beard. And how does that support the writers?
Anyway, this is the 1st post from my phone. I made it to shreveport and in about 8 hours it's off to El Paso. Hopefully we'll get to see OTEP play at UTEP... (No one ever gets that joke.)
OUT

Bearded O'Brian?

2008-01-17T21:52:00.000-08:00

Addison

2008-01-17T17:56:00.001-08:00

Addison
Originally uploaded by kmkelley617

Finally leaving

2008-01-17T11:14:00.001-08:00

Originally uploaded by kmkelley617

1 day to go

2008-01-17T07:03:00.001-08:00

Well, shit! 1 day to go. I leave tomorrow from Shreveport, which means I have to finish packing and get on the road to Shreveport withing the next 3 to 4 hours. All of the goodbyes have been said here, all the farewell dinners have been had, there is really nothing left for me to procrastinate while doing. Once I finish writing this that is.
There are definitely some people I didn't get a chance to go and see, and I feel kinda bad about it, but I did have the flu for about two weeks and really couldn't leave the house for any extended period of time.
Anyway, I'm pretty much ready to go at this point, at least mentally. Except for the dog. Pretty sad that the only thing that is making me really sad about this move is that I can't bring this big giant grey animal that farts and licks his butt all the time.
Well, enough of that.
Sorry for the rambling nature of all of this. I really should go take a shower.

picture taken by Leo Reynolds, found of Flickr.

4 days to go!

2008-01-14T21:00:00.000-08:00

Well I think I only have 4 days to go until I leave. If I can stop running a fever and coughing until I puke, I might actually get to leave on Friday. I guess my fever never really hit 100 today, but I certainly felt like shit. That whole achey chills thing really sucks and is not the way I want to spend four days in the car. I went to the eye doctor for the last time in Baton Rouge today. Good News: my doctor's best friend is a retina specialist in Oakland, Bad News: I still have a blood pocket in my right eye and my have to get a vitrectomy. I think that's what it's called. They cut your eye open and drain all the fluid off so that it will refill with no blood in it. Tasty huh.
I discovered the best video game ever today. Gish is an independent game release, an genre of video game I didn't realize existed until very recently. It's a 2d side shooter that uses physics instead of shooting. Basically it's a really inventive puzzle game that has you rolling across the screen as a little ball of tar that can jump, slide, and stick to the wall and cieling. It's only $10 bucks at steam, for the pc, but I think you can get it for the mac too if you do a web search. Anyway, I guess that's all I can say at this point. If anyone has a great flu remedy that doesn't involve homeopathy, echinacea, or golden seal, let me know.
OUT

5 days to go

2008-01-13T12:00:00.000-08:00

I didn't think it was possible, but I think that CSI, in some flavor or another, may come on more often than Law & Order. I think I've seen about 35 episodes of CSI or CSI:Miami in the last few days. That CSI:New York shit sucks.
So I'm still sick. I'm beginning to wonder if this shit is ever gonna go away. I'm coughing like I never stopped smoking and my head feels like someone's sitting on it. I haven't really gotten anything done in terms of packing, I can barely stand up for more than a few hours at a time.
Anyway, I'm ready to get better and get the hell out of Baton Rouge. School starts 2 weeks from tomorrow. I haven't really wrapped my brain around the fact that I'm gonna be getting my ass kicked with school work again in a few weeks. At least it's all stuff that I actually wanna study.
OUT

IMG00024.jpg

2008-01-11T11:21:00.005-08:00

IMG00023.jpg

2008-01-11T11:21:00.003-08:00

IMG00025.jpg

2008-01-11T11:21:00.001-08:00

Dentist

2008-01-11T06:35:00.001-08:00

8 Days to Go (8, 8, 8 is great)

2008-01-10T21:46:00.000-08:00

Well Unfuck... there are only 8 days to go, and I have so much to do. I just left my going away dinner from my friends at Channel 2, and I'm a little (read alot) drunk. So forgive the incoherence.
I really think I'm gonna miss Channel 2. Not the unbelievable lies that I was fed about what my job was going to be, or the endless stream of horribly shitty boring commercials that I was forced to write, or the trainwreck-like style that was used to manage the place (although that was fun to watch), but the people. I have not found a greater group of people to work with in a long time. I guess there is some sort of commrodery amongst the people that are forced to shovel shit in hell. But, I really like these people. I really learned a lot from them and had a lot of fun working with them. As I continue through life's journey I realize that everything is about the journey, and not the destination. I guess I am realizing more and more as I take that journey that it's the people you meet along the way that make that journey so fucking great. It may be something as simple as making jokes about how hot we can get this box or pulling your huge cable, but it's what you do to get through the shit of the boring hell that is work. And if you can use other people to get through it all, you should really appreciate them and what they bring to your life.
Anyway, they I'm going to get each and every one of my teeth ground upon in the morning, before work, way too fucking early, so I guess I should probably curl up and go to sleep.
Good night. And you know, I did write a substantial post earlier today, so deal.
OUT
Oh, and thanks to Johnny Blood for the great picture of the Number 8 that I got from Flickr. And if he has a problem with me using it, he probably shouldn't have made it downloadable.

Detail004

2008-01-10T20:59:00.001-08:00

IMG00015.jpg
Originally uploaded by kmkelley617

Once more... with feeling

2008-01-10T13:50:00.000-08:00

So I really did shoot my last commercial today. Team Toyota and Honda came in to do a Congratulations LSU spot. The process made me remember one of the very first commercials that I shot while working here. It was also one of the first spots I did with the title of "director." At least that's what it now said on my business. So I guess I felt some compulsion to make the people on camera evoke some sort of emotion. The commercial was for a group of cardiologists or something, they were on camera in front of a blue screen prattling off some sort of shit about how much they care and how advanced the technology was in their practice. I don't know who wrote the shit, oh wait I guess I did, but they were delivering the lines like they were made of stone. They had the energy and emotion of dead fish. And was then compelled to say something that I have never, and hopefully will never, say again.

"Could you do that once more [pregnant pause] with feeling."

The second I finished saying it, I knew I was doomed. How could anyone trust me to direct them if I was talking like a gay director of a New York Modern Interprative dance troupe. It was one of the most embarassing, uncomfortable, and just downright weird moments of my short-lived career as a commercial producer-director.
Anyway, that's what is what was rattling through my head today as I shot my last car commercial.
Out.

9 Days to Go

2008-01-09T20:31:00.000-08:00

Well, I guess I'm into the single digits now. I shot what may have been my last car commercial (and maybe my last local commercial, or even commercial in general) ever. It's kind of a weird feeling to do something that you are so uesed to doing, and to realize you may never do it again. I really probably shouldn't be saying this... I'm gonna be really emberassed when I shoot that next car commercial.
Anyway, it's been kind of a shitty day. I think I am just tired of sitting around and waiting to move. I just wanna get it over with already.
And I think that may actually be all I have to say. That's how incredibly non-eventful a day it actually was. I probably could have slept through today and not even noticed.
Good night, Good bye.

photo credit: Tabbi Kat. Found on flickr a freakin' great place to find pictures.

The last car commercial I will ever shoot... I hope.

2008-01-09T07:33:00.001-08:00

Originally uploaded by kmkelley617

10 Days to Go

2008-01-08T21:41:00.000-08:00

10 Days to go.... It's interesting what happens when you get closer to making a huge life change. Things seem to begin to occur that would have made you think differently about leaving if they had happened 2 months ago. Thanks to the grace of a co-worker I got a great freelance job this evening and made more than half a weeks pay in less than four hours. I see that flat screen hd set I've been looking at in my future ;) I wouldn't usually set foot in a Wally World, but at prices like that, who cares if they're destroying the fabric of american society.
I'm feeling much, much better today. I had no problem shooting Team Honda commercials and then running off and editing some video until 9:30 at night. It was kind of fun actually, I haven't gotten to seriously sit down in front of Final Cut in a long time, and I am amazed how proficient I still am. The whole experience gives me a little confidence boost that maybe I can get some freelance work in San Francisco and maybe I will be able to live a little more comfortably.
I know that I should probably be filled with deep insights into my emotions with everything that is going on in my life, but I really haven't had the time to think about much of that tonight. Which I guess is much better than sitting at home hacking up a lung with a fever and the aches.
Apparently Hillary won the New Hampshire primary, that's kinda scary. I may be a bleeding heart liberal, but I don't even like Hillary. I don't really like any of the democrats, but Obama is sure better than a guy who doesn't think Science is important (Huckabee) or a guy who thinks that Golden Tablets were buried in the desert by god in the 1800's. And please, no Ron Paul '08 shit in the comments, a pro-lifer who wants to get rid of the National Endowment for the Arts will never get my vote no matter how much he wants to stop the war.
Enough.
Out.
KRIS

image credit: always13. Found on flickr and licensed under a creative commons license.

Detail002

2008-01-07T21:59:00.001-08:00

Part 2 in my series of close up camera phone shots.

11 Days to Go

2008-01-07T21:33:00.000-08:00

So I've got 11 days to go. It's been 4 days since I had a cigarette and as I look to my right at all of my worldly possessions sitting in my mother's dining room, and I realize I can only bring what will fit in the back of a full-sized rental car, I really want a fucking cigarette. I think I'm pretty much over this god damn flu. I've got this occasional hacking rattle coming up from my chest and out of my throat on occasion, but the fever, sweats, chills, and aches seem to have gone away.
As much as I don't really wanna go to work for the rest of the week, there is actually a part of me that does. What do I have to loose. If I screw up at something, the worst they can do is ask me to leave. And I do remember times at that job I did actually enjoy. I just wish that I could do a better job of explaining my illness and make people understand that it is not completely my fault. Sometimes, I'm just going to get sick. I think I'm about to send out a mass e-mail to friends and family and release this onto the public, or at least the parts of the public that know me. So get ready folks, the gloves have come off and if you are choosing to read this, you are not allowed to get offended by my sharing of the things that I want to say. If you think my words might embarass or ashame you stop reading, or at least remember you have been warned.

image credit: leo reynolds and licensed under a creative commons license.

Detail001

2008-01-07T11:13:00.001-08:00

Detail001,
originally uploaded by kmkelley617.

The FLU

2008-01-07T09:44:00.001-08:00

The FLU,
originally uploaded by kmkelley617.

Tired of this.

12 Days to go

2008-01-06T21:23:00.000-08:00

Well I guess it's officially time to begin the countdown, not that I haven't been counting down since I decided to go, but it's officially 12 days until I leave for San Francisco. And I have the fucking flu. Being sick really sucks. I think I would rather be in the hospital with one of my famous puking fits than sitting here with the flu. At least the puking can be stopped with a quick rush of narcotics to the vein. The only thing helping me now is sleep, advil, and the occasional shot of codeine flavored cough medicine. I got all my shit moved out of my house and into my mom's a week ago today, wow it feels like yesterday, and I had really expected to get a lot more done between now and then. Time really flies when you feel like shit.
At least I've had my fun new T-Mobile Blackberry Curve to play with today. I'm gonna start posting from it when I figure out how.
Out for now.

photo credit: © All rights reserved ficus. Found on flickr. Ficus: if you mind, just let me know.

Adobe Media Player is finally out

2007-12-20T12:26:00.000-08:00

The title says it all. Lets see if I can get it to work. I couldn't get previous releases to work so...

Startin' things off

2007-12-18T23:58:00.000-08:00

So I guess it's time to re-enter the wild world of blogging. I've tried to do this several times in my life and have never been very successful. But since I'm about to move again and try to plant my flag in the 7 square miles that is San Francisco, I figured it was time to start this again. My point here is to create a place where I can share my thoughts and experiences with the people I care about in other parts of the country that might actually give a damn what's going on in my life. And also to have a place to share the massive amount of work that I imagine I will be creating in the process of trying to get my MFA.
Anyway, at the moment my computer is crunching away at encoding some video so that I can put together a resume/reel site so that maybe I can get one of those job things that seems to be so necessary. I'm gonna try to do it all in flash which should be an interesting adventure in continuing to learn actionscript and the technical side of making a video player in flash. I'm trying to figure out exactly how I'm going to do it right now. I think I want to make everything happen in ActionScript so that I don't have to use the stupid pre-made flash navigation skins that flash provides. But who knows, I may take the easy way out and go pre-made all the way.
I need to get back to work, but it doesn't help much that I feel like shit and really wanna go to bed, but I slept for 5 hours this evening, so that may be impossible.