Holy Moly! SB's Blogging Again?

2014 Belle the Cat recap:

View from Ishnala

I started this year in the same way I've started pretty much every other page in my adult life - reflecting on the past, forecasting the future, shoring myself up with good words and inspiration in the form of quotes from great people, ("Help others. - D. Lama)... and getting it all wrong.

By the end of 2014, I told myself, I wanted to have a professional head shot. I wanted to have an IMBD credit.

I actually had three head shots taken. None turned out looking anything like me.

I embarked on a path to help a friend with a personal creative endeavor. In January we met for coffee and a first discussion. In April we started fundraising. In June we started shooting. We continued filming in July, August, then on into September, October and November, and despite having this in my head as a "summer project" we are still not done. (So no credit, yet.) 

I thought I wanted to run charity races: the Zoo run, the Depot to Depot, the Fruit Loop. I wanted to learn to bow hunt - to harvest my own meat.

Maybe I should have tried the walk.

I wanted to make songs with my husband in a silly band we called Kittens On Roombas. I wanted to have more backyard parties. I wanted to go to the State Fair. I wanted to go to conventions.

I did none of this.

I did garden, very lackadaisically, which is how I think I am going to garden from now on. Whatever grows, grows. I spent a lot on the water, which was nice, although I will think twice before floating an 11 ft. rowboat 25 miles downstream again (even in summer, it gets dark eventually). I donated to places I believed in, and set out a plan for 2015 donations.

As much as I plan as much as I think as much as I pontificate, I realized I will never have "extra" time.

I get high off of being the master of my own destiny, so I will be content with the enjoyment of deciding not to go to the state fair other than rearranging my schedule or sacrificing another event (in this case, a film shoot in the fabled Pabst brewery tunnels) to have the experience of going.

I tried some new restaurants: Sardine, Ishnala, Samba.

I ate a lot of fish fry.

I watched a lot of football.

I attended Fireball with the remnants of the Dane101 crew, a house burn, Scaryland, a 75th bday party, Fruitsfest, Irishfest, Focus on Goats, The Wisconsin Film Fest, a Roller Derby bout, a hockey game, the Zoo (2x in Madison, 1 in Chicago), Vegan Fest, a 5th bday party for twins at a pizza place, a Hawaiian BBQ work picnic, and The Amazing Acrocats.

I volunteered for the local library's 115th anniversary.

I wrote a blog post for a friend's blog.

I visited Cleveland, Disneyland, Sybaris, Portland, Aldo Leopald's shack, listened to Honky Tonk at the Shitty Barn with my aunt.

I made a reflective vest.

Got new car ties.

My cat Jackie chan died.

My sister's friend Danny was murdered by someone he was trying to sell his Playstation to.

I didn't go to APT.

I saw Warhorse, Naked in Amazo, Dorthy in Wonderland, The Dixie Swim Club and How to Train Your Dragon 2.


I visited my 102 year old great aunt (she was only 101 then).

I swam a lot - at the Y, at the gym, in the ocean, at hotel pools.

Ocean took my glasses; got new glasses

Got Lance.

Lancelot

Got a new job.

I ate John West Kippers.

I updated my passport.


So what am I doing now? Reflecting on the past, forecasting the future, shoring myself up with good words and inspirationin the form of quotes from great people ("Make good art." - N.Gaiman)... in preparation for getting it all wrong again. Apparently it's what I do.

R.I.P, Jackie.

Wisconsin Film Fest 2014

Back on March 7, we had a little get together for former Dane101 contributors. That was one day after the Wisconsin Film Fest schedule came out. Since 2010, I have blanket-covered the festival, seeking out trailer-a-days, tweeting my p.o.v.s, interviewing, podcasting and pre- and re-viewing everything from Feeding Fish to Bellboys. With the loss of the D101 outlet, I struggle to figure out exactly what to do with my time this coming weekend.

First off, I thought I would share the movies I'm interested in attending:

Friday 4/4 --
To Be Takei - 4:30pm - Union South
R100 - 9:15pm - Sundance 6

Saturday 4/5 --
Tricked - 5:30 - Union South
Wisconsin Own shorts (rush) - 6:15- :LVM
Bucket of Blood - 9:30 - Union South

Sunday 4/6--
Kumiko the Treasure Hunter - 5:30 - Sundance 6
The Congress - 6pm - Oventure

Monday 4/7 --
The Congress - 6pm - Sundance 6

Secondly, here are some other movies I could be talked into:
Food Patriots
Rent a Family
Stray Dogs
Domestic
Cannibal
Burt's Buzz
Wisconsin Rising
The Lumberjack at 100
Domestic
Dostoevsky behind bars
Approaching the Elephant
Le Weekend
Coherence
The Sacrament
The Overnighters
Cheetin'

And finally, things seem to have come full circle, as it were. I am currently spending most of my free time promoting and helping produce The New World Horror, and upcoming Wisconsin-based, progressive-minded zombie flick staring some of my friends and yours from Madison and the surrounding area. Watch for our fliers at the fest!

Tweet-lation Re: Kick-Ass and C2E2

I don't think Ebert liked Kick-Ass. He also said that all Chicago critics panned it.

But the fans tweet:
"It lives up to it's name"
"Go see this movie"
"Kick-Ass" was pretty freaking sweet. It really crept up on me and floored me. I was head over heels by the end"
"heard the phrase "kick-tastic" more tonight then I ever have before or ever will in my life. :)"
"I fucking loved kick-ass"
"KICK ASS the greatest film ever!"
"Kick-Ass reminds me once more that films can be great AND original at the same time. 5 out of 5"
" Holy shit! Kick-Ass was fucking awesome!! I can't wait to see it again, and I wish the sequel came out tomorrow!!!!"
" NYTimes comment: "For the sheer joy of being at the movies KICK ASS is the best film since The Sound of Music"–Paul H, Manchester, England"
"Exactly what I thought. It's like... every major action star crammed into one kick ass movie!!!!"


C2E2 updates coming fast and furious on the iPhone app and at http://www.mediumatlarge.net/
Sadly Anthony Michael Hall will no longer be at C2E2.

One more completely unrelated thing:

Tomorrow is the start of the Madison Farmer's Market - the LARGEST producer-only farmers market in the country (which ruined me for all other farmers markets... expectation set too high.)

Tough Love

"People are scared. They're desperate. You can't just stand around and hold hands and sing kumbaya and think the world is going to be a better place.... Life's tough." - Larry Winget

Funny that this quote (from a newspaper article I read) also seems to apply to Obama asking people to help him by making sacrifices for the good of the country.

"(The) values upon which our success depends-honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -- these things are old. These things are true. ...What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility."

And when people ask what we will think in 6 months when Obama has not solved all the problems he "promised" to in his speech, I answer that he has laid a lot of the responsibility on the shoulders of the people. If we do not fix our problems, perhaps we should not blame him.

I am taking this "tough love" approach for the new year. I want to use it to move forward on my career path, my exercise and diet goals, and other personal plans. Since I feel I have "found myself in the place just right" with my move back to Wisconsin, I am now looking forward to eating until I'm 80% full, keeping in touch with friends and family, networking and meeting new people through interests and volunteering, continuing to jog and do pilates, and hopefully enjoying the fruits of my labors while sitting under my own "vine and fig tree."

My very favorite moment

"Help us then, now, Lord, to work for that day when nation shall not lift up sword against nation, when tanks will be beaten into tractors, when every man and every woman shall sit under his or her own vine and fig tree, and none shall be afraid; when justice will roll down like waters and righteousness as a mighty stream.

Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day
when black will not be asked to get back,
when brown can stick around
when yellow will be mellow,
when the red man can get ahead, man,
and when white will embrace what is right.

Let all those who do justice and love mercy say amen! Amen! Amen

- Rev. Lowery Inauguration benediction. 1/20/2009


Full transcript: http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2009/01/rev_lowery_inauguration_benedi.html

One of the best moments of the inauguration

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,

'Tis the gift to come down where you ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gain'd,

To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,

To turn, turn will be our delight,

Till by turning, turning we come round right.

Top 10 Best and Worst News Stories of 2008

I couldn't find a good top ten list so thought I'd make my own.


WORST

• Santa Shooter - it's "Silent Night Deadly Night" come to life thanks to a deranged divorcee.
• Global Economic Meltdown - As a US taxpayer, I feel like I'm paying dollar amounts I can't even understand to gigantic companies that should know better.
• Global oil prices - When I drove home this summer, gasoline was $5 / gal. Now it's $1.50 - and we're suppose to think this is a bad thing. WTF?
• Flood in the Midwest - and Lake Delton draining! They're filling it back up though.
• Middle East still a mess
• Mugabe problems
  
• Cyclone Nargis and the seeming inept response of Myanmar / Burma government
• China earthquake - the rescue response seemed well orchestrated, but the overall impact killed almost 70,000
• Mumbai India bombings - though the people's response was very inspiring
• Dmitry Medvedev & Putin and the Georgia-invades-Russia-invades-Georgia situation.
  

(a booby prize goes to Brett Farve for un-retiring and going to the Jets. What a twit.)

BEST

• 1/31/2008 -- Kevin Everett, NFL player for the Denver Broncos who suffered a catastrophic spinal injury during their season opener, walks onto Oprah. Amazing.
• 7/3/2008 -- Rescue Frees Hostages from FARC. Significant due to the fact that one of the hostages was held for over 6 years, and the plan was executed very sneakily.
• 8/5/2008 -- Large group of Western Lowland Gorilla found that had not been known to exist. Good to know there's still hope for endangered charismatic megafawna.
• 8/11/2008 -- Jet lands safely after blowing a tire. There were many other airline stories this year, but I remember hearing about this one and being proud of the pilot and crew.
• Missing Hikers found alive - again, there were a number of these, but I like to celebrate when someone doesn't end up dying on a mountain side.
• COOL - country of origin labeling for meat finally implemented (with the expected loopholes.) Now if they could just find a way of keeping the plastic out of the milk.)
• Summer Olympics - Go World! Despite all the things I don't like about China's politics, and despite the pompous metal counts, I still love the Olympics.
• Barack Obama elected - Go USA
• Space Shuttle lands safely - we really should celebrate every time one of these makes it back home okay, especially since after 2010 they will be retired. The Orion will take over.
• Water Ice found on Mars - Go Solar System!

I care what my country does

Here is what I believe at this point in time:

I vote for people who will represent me in the government.

These people make and enforce the laws of the country.

I can either sit back and wait for my representative to make choices for me,

or

I need to tell them what to do (this is especially important if the person I voted for did not get into office- whether either of us likes it, they still represent me.)

SO -- first, I find my representatives in the lawmaking business:

House representative: Earl Blumenauer
Senators:Wyden, Ron- (D - OR)
Smith, Gordon - (R-OH)
(Find your representatives contact info here: http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml)

Now, I can write to them all (including the president) and tell them what I believe and what I think they should do, or I can contact them regarding a specific bill they will be voting on.

One of the easiest ways is to get the bill # from a worthy newsource - # H.R. 2060, H.R. 1592. However, if you search http://thomas.loc.gov/ for 1592, you need to enter hr first.

Or you can search by topic, and hope that you remember everything that you want your rep to know: http://thomas.loc.gov/ - searching by the topic "internet radio" - I came back with 3 results, including 2060. Searching by "sextual orientation" I came back with 18 bills, including 1592. "Hate crime sexual orientation" came back with 6, including 1592. Still, I can't tell when this is being voted on or discussed. There are two versions of 1592 - 3/20 and 4/30/2007. It is a good resource if you want to read what is actually being voted on.

Finaly, you can look here to see what is being planned for the week:

http://thomas.loc.gov/home/schedules.html

- confusing and I can't find where they vote-

Or here (for Senate)

http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/legislative/b_three_sections_with_teasers/active_leg_page.htm

or here (House)

http://majoritywhip.gov/daily_whipline/

What a lot of crap.

If you want to see how your rep has voted on a number of items, go here:

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/index.asp

And your senators go here

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/vote_menu_110_1.htm

This at least makes sence...

Anyway, it appears to be much easier to be reactive than proactive. My representatives in congress want to do their jobs and not ask for permission to vote a certain way.