Been a proactive month

You know what they say about too many irons in the fire.

I suppose it doesn't really mean anything, after all, in a fire, all the irons get hot right?

Have called lots of local companies for production work, we've done some great pre-production for AirOne Flight Academy. However, it appears we'll have to postpone the project until srping, but it's going to be incredibly cool and the client wants to get it done right, just like I do.

Also, been working on numerous screenplay ideas and are developing those into products of value for myself to direct. Creating something of value for the masses is an interesting process. Certainly packaging entertainment can't only be about yourself, because eventually millions of people can come on board that project if it's done right - to entertain.
We have one hot property that Kim and I are sending out to LA. I'll let you know what happens.

All I Hear is Crabcakes! is almost finished. I'm going to sample it around to see what all you friends think. It's been a fun 60 second project for the Trail Dance Film Fest Competition. Putting a complete story in that short time span is a challenge, I can't wait to share it with you guys here, but it may not be until after it premieres at the festival at the end of January.

Video games are too damn fun and they seem to interfere with my creativity and output, so Steam was uninstalled the other night. No more team fortress for six-eight hours a night. Or any other games for that matter. I'd love to kick up some WoW right now and go raiding. Ah well, back to work.

Remember, take risks and live life to the fullest.

A great week for awards at SWFF!

Contactee won Best Okie Flick at the Southern Winds Film Festival. I wrote, produced and directed this short sci-fi film, it was released in late 2006. It was amazing to get it into the festival this year and I had a great time meeting great people and filmmakers.

James Bridges, the director of SWFF informed me that the judges for the Best Okie Flick were all from the Oklahoma Film Commission and they unanimously voted Contactee for this award. I am honored by this award and I thank the commission for their interest in this film. Thank you!

Take Me To Heart won Best Music Video at SWFF. I participated as Director of Photography and it's so great to be part the project. Monte Wilson, the director, and his producer Kevin Kruger, have been taking this video around the world, winning awards and getting wonderful press for Brian Menshew and his album Notes on the Human Condition. It's wonderful to win awards and I give thanks to everyone on the team and those that recognized the work of a very talented Monte Wilson. Thank you!

Contactee showing at SWFF

SWFF is in its fourth year and seems to be growing and getting lots of recognition for indie film and video projects.


I am privileged and honored to have my sci-fi (syfy?) short film Contactee showing at Southern Winds Film Festival, in Shawnee, OK this weekend. The showtime for Contactee is Saturday evening, 9:20pm at their outdoor venue. Can't tell you exactly where that is, only because I've never been there before. :D
This was my first shot at directing a narrative story of this scale. Everyone worked so hard on this movie and the results can only speak for themselves.
As always thank you to mom & dad, friends, family, crew, cast, producers, costumes, food, location owners....the list goes on. Thank you!
I hope the weather turns out nice and we have a great evening of fun flicks to watch!




Also showing at SWFF is the music video Take Me To Heart, directed by Monte Wilson. It's showing right after Contactee at the outdoor venue, Saturday evening at 10:00pm.
I was fortunate enough that Monte called and asked me to participate in this project. It turned out beautifully and I am truly stunned at the results. Monte showcased his talent at directing on this project and has submitted this film to festivals around the world. It has been getting tons of recognition and awards. I am humbled.

www.southernwindsfilmfestival.com

Motorcycle ride

Got the bike out for the weekend and it was great to ride to Lake Wister in southeast Oklahoma. This was the first time taking a trip with Kim as a passenger, and it went smooth, no problems at all.

We took our time and the journey down to the lake took about five hours and we also took an hour for lunch.

There are cabins at the lake, and we got to stay there for free since Kim got some coupons that we could use to pay for it.

The V-Strom ran in tip top condition, nice and easy, plus the weather was beautiful without much wind, and it stayed cool throughout the morning.

I was a little worried about how Kim was going to be as a passenger, but she absolutely loved it.
We ran into some road construction on the way and talked with a road worker for about ten minutes while waiting at a stop. His name was Hector and he was really fun and making the best of working out on a hot day.
We rode from Norman to Lake Eufaula and then southwest through some small mountains that had a beautiful view. The mountains were not tall, but the thick trees were gorgeous and I can imagine it's even better in the fall when the colors begin to change.
We made it to the lake and were ready for a rest. The cabins were nice with furniture and a little kitchen. We enjoyed hanging out and watching hi-def television. The show we got hooked on was "Locked Up Abroad" and it was interesting to watch the stories about the crazy stuff people get wrapped up into in foreign countries.
The lake was nice but there wasn't too much else to see around the area. We rode over to Poteau and grabbed some groceries for the evening.
I really wanted to get back before dark, so we hitailed it back,
settled in and watched some world cup soccer. We don't know too much about soccer, but we watched it anyway while we made dinner.
The next day, we walked around some of the area and it's really beautiful with forest and hills in the distance. The tallest "hill" in the world is apparently in the area, but our interest was not peaked enough to go check it out. We thought we saw it in the distance while riding to Poteau, but not sure if it was the actual hill or not.

The ride back was a more heat and sun. But we took breaks often and I tried to stay cool pouring water all over my shirt and jacket.
We stopped at a little service station near Holdenville and I thought it was the coolest thing ever to use the old style gas pumps we grew up with.
We rode on to Krebs for an Italian lunch at Rosanna's restaurant, then made it back home by four o'clock. The ride stayed safe and fairly uneventful. I remained very cautious and slowed down when anything in front of me look uncertain. Even though it was over 90 degrees out, the ride was easy going and felt good, with the bike running smooth with no troubles.
The southeast part of the state is very nice for riding because of all the hills in the area. I look forward to going back down there soon.

Help for Wildcare Wildlife

Wildcare Wildife Rehabilitation in Norman.
Since my recent volunteering at Rocky Spot Dalmatian Rescue, I've come across many opportunities to help animals, people and facilities involved in animal rescue. Pepsi is donating up to $250K to projects people vote for. This is one a friend of mine recently sent to me.

http://pep.si/9xtK3y

Follow this link here and you can sign up to vote for Wildcare in Norman, OK and help them get the money that would greatly expand their facility. The best thing about this is you just donate of few moments of your time per day to vote. What's easier than that?

Volunteering at the dog rescue

I kept watching episodes of The Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan. I love seeing how he works with dogs and how he gets them to behave with their owners. Even more amazing was how he approached the rehabilitation of dogs that were traumatized in some way.

I love dogs. I've wanted to have a big dog for years, but where I currently live, it's small and there is no fenced yard. Thus, owning a larger breed would be a bit of a problem.

So I got to thinking, "Okay, I can't own a dog. But is there a way I can be with dogs." My friend Stacy had been volunteering with rescue organizations and I thought maybe this would be something I could do as well. I had never worked with any animal rescues before, but after attending A Black Fur Affair in Norman, which promoted the adoption of black animals, I knew that this could work for me. I emailed Stacy and she referred me many different options, one of those being Rocky Spot Rescue.

Rocky Spot Dalmatian Rescue is located in Newcastle, OK and only five minutes away from where I live. They rescue these amazing spotted dogs and had a few beautiful Dalmatians that hopefully will find a good home. It is supported by volunteers and donations to keep the facility running and are always needing any help for feeding, vet care, and medications. Their website is rockyspot.org. I got in contact with Sue by email and was scheduled to get a run through the kennels in a week. Putting it mildly, I was excited, yet nervous.

Let's face it, big dog's can be intimidating. Since I was going to be working around many large dogs, I knew it would be best to get a little more education, especially how dogs behave in packs, since this would be the first time in my life to be around a group of larger breeds. Usually, I am a little skittish around the big dogs, not know their temperaments, and the uncertainty of aggressive behavior and possible attack.

I watched lots of Cesar's shows and read his book, Cesar's Way. This guy connects with me. I already love psychology and what makes people do what they do, and so learning about what makes a dog tick (no pun) was very interesting and exciting. The way Cesar explains what a dog is, gelled with me perfectly. His explanations are simple and effective to get the point across and I think that he is a true gift to the world.

Armed with a new knowledge of dogs from Caesar, I felt much more comfortable and confident to be around the large canines.

On Thursday morning, Sue met me at the facility to show me the ropes of how to feed the dogs, clean their cages, pick up after the dogs and prepare the next day for other volunteers. The dogs were going crazy barking and excited when I first entered the kennel. I did my best to stay calm at all times and be relaxed, so not to intensify their excited state.

As I got shown the routine of how the rescue was operated, the dogs were wonderful to be around and I had a great time being there plus helping them stay healthy and clean. Thankfully, there were no incidents with any of the dogs, and I felt so much better knowing that reading Caesar's book and watching his show made all the difference for me to be a "knowledgeable dog lover."

After two hours, my pants were muddy, I smelled like dog poop and I had an awesome time. Sue was fantastic and was fun to talk and work with. I thank her for letting me get involved with the rescue. I look forward to going out and meeting the other volunteers and playing with the pups again soon.

Be who you are, my friends.

Motorcycling is beautiful

Went motorcycling on a beautiful evening. It was about 90 degrees out, but after 6pm it started to cool down and become very comfortable. It reminded me of why I wanted to learn to ride. I had ridden small motorbikes as a youngster and always thought it was so fun. I knew when I grew up that I wanted a motorcycle of my own and go ride.

Two years ago when I decided to finally take the plunge, I researched the bike I wanted exhaustively (way too much) and signed up for a safety course. I learned as much as I could, reading books and safety reports on the web. I got all my safety gear that covers me from head to toe in case of a crash. Just being out there on the road for hours feels amazing. There's no way to really describe the words. Bliss keeps coming to mind, a very high state of being, heightened awareness, sensory acuity, the beauty of the world comes into focus and it's wonder is clear. I don't think I ever felt that as a kid riding along the railroad tracks.

Creating a kind of life that is yours is a great thing. Being who you want to be and taking risks in life brings a sense of aliveness. Living my childhood dream of owning my own motorcycle has been worth it.

Take risks my friends.