Miss Lonelyhearts Pays a Visit

The Future

2011-06-08T20:55:00.001-07:00

Never climb a limbless tree without an exit strategy. Learned that the hard way. Sprained my ankle, kind of sucks.

Somehow Cape Cod completely missed the spring season this year. It went from hoodie weather to t-shirt and shorts weather in just about a week or so. Funny how things can change that fast. The pollen isn't making my life too fun though. Pretty much fatigued or sinus pressured all the time. It is raining at the moment though and my dad said that rain will wash away the pollen. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Watch the French animated feature film L'Illusioniste the other day. Here's the trailer for any interested parties:

Some interesting news in technology:

Sony let's two people watch two different shows on the same tv at the same time!

Nintendo announces new console; confuses everyone!

iCloud!

The film works pretty much without any dialogue, a difficult feat considering that they are trying to keep your attention for an hour and twenty minutes on visuals alone. Bittersweet and fantastically beautiful. Check it out.

Really tired so I'm going to stop it here. I start camp in two weeks! Pretty excited for it.

Speak easy,

Neil

retro.future

2011-05-06T20:18:00.000-07:00

Been working 40-50 hour work weeks which hasn't proved to work well with my writing schedule. A few weeks ago I hit the 90,000 word mark and decided that that would be a good a time as any to start trimming the fat. Since then I haven't got a great deal of work done (without daily goals I find it terribly hard to be productive) but I hope for that to change in the weeks leading up to camp.

Quick list of things:

- 127 Hours: Terrific film, watch it right now.

- Twilight Zone: If you have Netflix instant watch I highly recommend watching "Masks", "Five Characters in Search of an Exit", "Walking Distance", and "It's a Good Life".

- This is cool: http://www.learnmorsecode.com/

- Everything Will Be Okay is now available for free! (One of my all time favorite short films)

- Stay away from the book Film Club by David Gilmour (not worth the read. hours wasted)

...and without further ado...I give you the house of the future.

Speak easy,

Neil

last.fm/user/seedownthesun

2011-03-24T17:28:00.000-07:00

I've been working hard, 36 hours a week at Stop & Shop doing construction type work and rigorousness working on my novel. Earlier this evening I passed the 80,000 word mark. I will probably have the rough draft done by the end of April (approx. 120,000 words) and a first draft completed before I leave for camp towards the end of June. Not sure what I'm going to do from there. Honestly by then I'll be so busy looking for career work that the whole project will have to go by the wayside.

I went to the Penny Arcade Expo a few weeks ago with my Dungeons and Dragons crew. Basically it is a video game convention/exposition run by the guys who make the popular gaming comic Penny Arcade. Apparently it got a lot of publicity this year because I have actually met a lot of normal people who know what it is.

For anyone who wants to know what this thing is all about, I recommend this video here to explain all that I don't feel like explaining.

I even got to play the very arcade machine that was featured in one of my all time favorite documentaries King of Kong.

Speak easy,

Neil

Zed's Dead

2011-02-19T18:52:00.001-08:00

Just read an article on the Wall Street Journal with Conor Oberst (named the best songwriter of 2008 by Rolling Stone magazine). In this article he calls himself "a good thief". He goes, explaining that many of his lines and concepts are collected from aspects of conversations he has with friends or books that he happens to be reading. Last year I watched a Q&A with writer Chuck Palahniuk where he said something similar. He said that he would be at a party and overhear a conversation and then run to the bathroom to frantically write down what he'd just heard word for word. I find that I work the same way. If I here something interesting I'll write it down on my phone (notebook feature). It's a lot less conspicuous than carrying a paper and pencil with you and everyone will just assume that your texting someone.

Watched Breakfast At Tiffany's for the first time the other day. Love Audrey Hepburn, love the atmosphere of the movie, loved most of the script, didn't really like the pseudo-Hollywood ending. Didn't feel fitting but I suppose I'll have to read the book to see how Capote told the story. Also, really strange Chinese stereotype character seemed forced and weird.

Reached 61,000 words today. Trying to get to about 100,000 by the end of March so that I can start the editing process and hopefully have a first draft on my hands by late May. Love what I have so far.

Found a menial job to work at. Finished the hiring process this afternoon.

Speak easy,

Neil

PS - Watching Pulp Fiction

50k

2011-02-08T20:55:00.000-08:00

Don't have a job at the moment but I have been writing on a daily basis. I just passed 50,000 words towards my manuscript but most of that is unedited. I feel like I'm probably about halfway done with completing my first draft. The work just doesn't seem to end.

The three hardest things I've come across while writing...

A. Content - What is worth writing about?

B. Editing - What was I trying to say? How am I going to turn this into something seamless?

C. Atmosphere - Did I include enough details to make this scene work? Did I include too many?

Here's a short list of stuff I like at the moment...

1. On Becoming a Novelist by John Gardener

This is both interesting and helpful. It's not very long either, running at around 150 pages. Sometimes Gardener's input seems tedious or obvious but most of what he says about being a novelist is worth reading.

2. A More Perfect Union by Titus Andronicus

Not as brutal as its namesake but Titus still pulls off some raw and fun punk hooks. This is the first track from their new album The Monitor, a concept album about the Civil War.

3. Batman: The Long Halloween (Graphic Novel)

The book that was the inspiration for The Dark Knight. I'm not that far into it right now but I'm finding it pretty interesting, despite the fact that super hero comics are not my personal preference.

4. Dungeons & Dragons

The game, not the movie. I joined a D&D group that meets every Monday night. It's a lot more fun than most people would think.

5. The IT Crowd

Clever English sitcom that I first saw on my flight back to from England. What really makes the show is the character Moss. Funny stuff.

Speak easy,

Neil

Schrodinger's Hard Drive

2011-01-18T21:17:00.000-08:00

I went to the local indie cinema to apply for a job and I stupidly put the summer camp on my application. When I sat down for the interview the woman asked me if I was planning on going back this summer. I said yes because I'm incapable of lying to anyone that asked me a straightforward question. I suppose that's what they mean when they say nice guys finish last. Anyway she said she didn't want to hire me because she wants a year round employee. She gave me reference sheets to hand out to my previous employers but she said she would still have to think about it. Personally I could just find another job somewhere else but the real reason I want to work there is because I have a deep love for film and would work there for free just for the opportunity to get an all you can see Regal movie pass.

In other news my hard drive crashed and at the moment I have no idea whether I am going to be able to retrieve my information. I ordered a sata to usb cable that should be able to help me out with the process but I have yet to get that in the mail. For me, it is both alive and dead at the same time.

I am still dilligently working on my manuscript and just reached the halfway point yesterday (although I write out of sequence so my estimate could be way off). Currently the running list of people I plan on sending the first draft to is as follows:

Dell Smith, Liz Smith, Kathryn Hakala, Taylor Rose Marvin, Sara Hanson, Andrew Lippman, Ross Lippman, Robin Johnson, Laurie Murphy, Bradley Murphy, Daniel Barrett, Carolan Fleer, Kristina West, and Ariel Lauri. If I have forgotten you or if your name isn't on this list let me know so I can send you a copy.

Speak easy,

Neil

Sadie

2011-01-07T19:58:00.000-08:00

Since I got back to the Cape, I've been locking myself in my room in the basement and writing a ton. My goal is to write at least 1,000 words a day and have been been pretty successful thus far. Yesterday I bought a bunch of post it notes so that I could visualize the outline for the segment of the manuscript I'm working on. My goal is to have the first 70 pages written and edited by the end of the month. I figure if I give myself more deadlines I will get more work done in the long run (whether or not I stick to the deadlines is another matter entirely.)

This is a picture I took of my brother fracturing his ankle. Judging by the look on his face I reckon it hurt quite a bit.

This is Sadie. Nice dog. Two different color eyes.

Speak easy,
Neil

for all the writers out there.

2010-12-09T19:28:00.000-08:00

There were a bunch of people outside the student union today handing out books. From a distance I could tell that they were novels and not bibles so I picked one up. The book was Wild Animus by Rich Shapero. Since I am well aware how expensive self-publishing costs, I asked the girl what the deal was. All the information she gave me was that Shapero decided to hand out free copies of his book instead of spending money on advertising. Made sense to me.

Standing in line for coffee I read the first few pages. I didn't think it was too bad until I started noticing that Shapero's style was needlessly wordy and full of adverbs. I saw a note on the back cover that said that there are 3 CDs that accompany the book and that "the novel serves as an emotional shell" for the music. I don't know about you but when I think of the word "Shell" I think emptiness. I think hollow. Not the best word choice. When I got to the library I hopped on a computer and googled the book. Here's some stuff I found:

- The book has been distributed (for free) throughout the US, Australia and most of Europe.

- The author was born into a rich family and serves as a board director for several different companies.

- The book has 84 one-star reviews on Amazon (out of 134 total reviews).

- I read this and then watched this and got tremendously annoyed.

And some notable comments I found about the book:

"I saw an ad on Craigslist in my city that is soliciting hires for the distribution of this book. I had to investigate and I found this article among many others that detail the curious tackiness of this whole enterprise."

"To make matters worse, Shapero has hired a number of people to distribute the already expensive box set everywhere. Shapero refuses to stop. He hired actors to dress up as “nerds,” and “wave signs and shout negative things about the book” to create controversy and interest. Evidently, he had the goal of distributing 1 million copies."

You can get the first three chapters of the book here if you want to check it out for yourself. All in all, I am going to conclude by saying that I am glad that popularity can not be bought. As a writer and a musician I see what Shapero is doing as tremendously masturbatory.

Speak easy,

Neil

Lost Ark

2010-12-07T16:48:00.000-08:00

I am in the middle of writing a 10 page paper on Daniel Clowes' Wilson (amazing graphic novel by the way) and heard about this when I was listening to an interview with Clowes. A bunch of kids spent 8 years remaking Raiders of the Lost Ark shot for shot. They started when they were 10 years old. Sort of a real life Son of Rambow except even more fantastic. I think I'll watch the whole thing this weekend.

Speak easy,
Neil

Sanguis Circus

2010-12-07T08:51:00.000-08:00

This weekend I am heading over to Rhode Island to take pics for Brad's band. They have a live show at a bar, three 45 minute sets. Should be pretty cool.

I created a new blog (tumblr is a blog site, right?) called New York Circus. It is a mashup comic where I take a panel from Family Circus and replace the caption with one from a New Yorker cartoon. I made the icon for the page last night in Photoshop. I am really proud of how it came out.

Got the idea while I was working on my Comic Art paper.

Only 2 projects and 2 tests until I am free to move back into my parents house and get a menial job.

Speak easy,
Neil

You don't have to understand everything...

2010-12-04T18:58:00.000-08:00

Super busy at the moment (although I am usually busy, this is extra busy crunch-time finals week!). Moving back to Cape in 2 weeks. My friend Mike and I are setting up an office in his grandmother's basement to get work done (music, writing, animation, etc.) and I couldn't be more stoked. Pictures will be posted once we are settled. I've been making a lot of headway on the novel that has been stewing in my brain for the last 3 or 4 years. It's one thing to prepare for something and it is another to actually do it. I am really happy with it so far though. If you want

Found this picture online. Probably the funniest jpeg I have ever seen.

Speak easy,

Neil

some films

2010-11-20T13:05:00.000-08:00

I've watched a bunch of movies within the past week and I thought I would share my thoughts on them.

Helvetica - More than just a documentary about a font, Helvetica explores the history of type faces, graphic design, and advertising. This was actually recommended to me by my technical writing professor. Click here for a great interview with the director of the film.

Nowhere Boy - I did like this film, but not as much as a wanted. Overall, it is about a boy named John Lennon who has a complicated family life. You do meet Paul and George along the way but the movie is not about The Beatles, per se. It looses focus often and keeps going without really giving any inkling on when it is going to end or peter out. Probably a good one for the Netflix Queue.

Paranormal Activity - First off, I would like to say that I love the idea that this is a low budget film that made a lot of money. Money can buy crane shots, car chases, and explosions but it can not buy good actors and a great story. With that being said, I do not think that Paranormal was a good film. Most of the film involves the audience getting to know two people, a young middle class couple named, Katie and Mescha. For such a slow burning film to work you really need characters that the audience can latch onto and some thought provoking dialogue to boot.

One more small problem I had with the film was how often Katie called Mescha by his name. It felt unnaturally and became really annoying around half way though. I know, stupid thing to get mad about but if you watch the movie again, please count how many times she does it and let me know.

Films on my to-see list:

Tarnation, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Pt. I

Speak easy,
Neil

The Rabbi.

2010-11-16T21:09:00.000-08:00

Okay, so there’s this guy goes to the town Synagogue and says “Look Rabbi, my life is so miserable. My house is always a mess, my wife and I don‘t get along, and my children, they don‘t listen to me. Is there anything I can do to make my life better? I am at the end of my rope.” The Rabbi thinks for a minute. He strokes his long grey beard. He tells the man “Buy a goat.”. The guy says “A goat? How can this help me? Are you sure about that, Rabbi?” “Yes” the Rabbi replies. “Buy a goat and check back with me in one week.” The man follows the Rabbi’s orders and buys a goat from a local farmer. One week later he returns to the Rabbi. He says “Rabbi, I bought a goat but it‘s only made my life worse. I have to clean up after it and feed it. It has not helped anything.” The Rabbi nods his head and says to the man “Buy another goat.” The man can not believe what he has heard but follows the Rabbi’s word. One week later he returns to speak with the Rabbi. The man says “Look, Rabbi. One goat is hard enough but two goats, a wife, three children. All of this is too much for a man to handle. What do you think I should do Rabbi? I can not go on living as I do for very much longer.” The Rabbi’s response: “Buy another goat.” The man nearly pulls out his hair. He says “One more goat? I can’t handle two living in my house. I still have to provide for my family." “Do you trust me?” The Rabbi says to the man. “Yes Rabbi. I do.” The man goes out and buys a third goat. One week later he goes back to see the Rabbi. The man looks awful. Hasn‘t shaved in weeks. He smells terrible. Large bags under his eyes. He says “Rabbi. I am a serious man. I have followed your teachings since I was a young boy. I came to you for help. To make my life better but your advice has only made things worse. These goats, I can not handle them anymore.” The Rabbi smiles at the man and says “Sell the goats.” The man can’t believe his ears. He says, “What was that Rabbi?” The Rabbi says, “Sell the goats. Come back to see me in one week.” Sure enough, one week later the man returns to the Rabbi. The Rabbi asks the man “How is everything going?” The man shakes his head, laughs and says “My life is great, Rabbi. Thank you.”

Speak easy,

Neil

Settling For Geology

2010-11-11T19:25:00.000-08:00

Can not get over how unproductive my day has been. I guess I'll just have to work extra hard this weekend. Wish they would turn up the heat in my building.

Speak easy,

Neil

Woman, strap on your petticoats. Men, buckle your bootstraps.

2010-11-04T20:16:00.001-07:00

Lev and I are holding a wine and cheese night at our apartment next Wednesday. I encourage you to zoom in on the image above and read through the description. I spent a lot of time on it when I should have been doing homework.

These two comics were the first to get published. Guess they put my submissions out of order. Anyway, here they are!

Speak easy,

Neil

miss lonelyhearts transends the internet

2010-11-02T18:24:00.000-07:00

I will be publishing comics in my school newspaper starting tomorrow. That was the project I was talking about last week. I have been working on them for a the past week or so and completed 5, which I submitted to the paper last night. Decided Miss Lonelyhearts would be a good name. Same spirit, different medium. This means that I will probably be updating the blog at least five times a week, if I keep on top of the comics (already a week and a half ahead of schedule).

This will mark the first time I've ever put my stuff out there to a large audience. The comics page says that there are about 10,000 people who read the paper and even if you cut that number in half, it's still kind of scary. I actually lost some sleep over this notion. I mean, it's all well in good when you write something and you read that yourself, or hand it off to the person next to you, or write a blog with 10-15 people who follow you, but having your worked looked at by thousands of people is kind of freaks me out. I know a lot of creative types will be reading this, so you must know what I'm talking about. Anyway, off to my British Literature reading.

Speak easy,
Neil

Utopic

2010-10-31T19:58:00.000-07:00

Spent the evening reading Utopia by Sir Thomas More. The word utopia in English means a perfect or ideal place. If you take the Latin word "Utopia" and translate it into English it literally means "no place". Thought that was kind of interesting.

Some of my favorite exerts...

..."What he fears is that his eyes will be deceived by a counterfeit. But if you consider the matter, why should a counterfeit give any less pleasure when your eyes cannot distinguish it from a gem? Both should be of equal value to you, as they would be, in fact, to a blind man."

[His thoughts on counterfeit jewelery]

..."Health itself, when distinguished by pain, gives pleasure, without any external excitement at all."

..."In choosing marriage partners, they solemnly and seriously follow a custom which seemed to us foolish and absurd in the extreme. Whether she is a widow or a virgin, the bride-to-be is shown naked to the groom by a responsible and respectable matron; and, similarly, some respectable man presents the groom naked to his future bride."

[On the subject of marriage in More's factitious land of Utopia]

Bill Cosby bought lobster for all the students at UMass. I wonder what is done with the leftovers. It would be a shame to kill all those lobsters just to throw them out. Especially when they are served full figured.

Speak easy,

Neil

Comic Art

2010-10-26T20:42:00.000-07:00

I've got a project I am knee deep in but won't announce it until it is actually finished (using a relative sense of the word, you'll see what I mean). Anyway, it is something I have wanted to do since I was a little kid and I think now in my early 20's I am finally to the point where I can do it with some competence. I'll post as soon as I get more to say.

Mid term tomorrow in Comic Art class. Haven't studied but I am pretty confident in my abilities to write about Superman and La Familia Barron for 50 minutes.

I got a Lady Gaga poster at Walmart this weekend. It is hung above my desk. I am actually a big fan of some, but not all, of her work.

Speak easy,

Neil

Catfish (no spoilers)

2010-10-16T15:56:00.000-07:00

Just got back from seeing Catfish. Yes, I went to see a movie by myself on a Saturday afternoon on alumni weekend. Would you except anything less? Anyway, the film is a documentary and not just a film shot in the cinema verte (i.e. Cloverfield, Blair Witch Project) style like I had originally thought. The editing was really what made the movie. The subject, 20 something New York hipster Nev Shulman, proves to be funny, brave and engaging throughout the entire film, even when things do not seem to be going his way. There are many twists and turns and I would love to talk about it and go on and on but there's not much I can say without taking away from the experience of the film. For those who are interested in seeing it, I'd say that you ought to go into the theater with an open mind. If you haven't seen the trailer yet, don't bother. Just go see the film without any sort of preconceptions (it will be an entirely different experience, trust me).

I would also like to note that it is an incredible coincidence that Catfish came out at the same time as The Social Network. They are two sides of the same coin. One gives a realistic account of the creation of Facebook, while the other gives some incite into what it is like to be a user of Facebook and the social significance of the website.

It will be very interesting to look back on Catfish in 10 years as some kind of technological time capsule, as I'm sure we will be in a very different place developmentally as far as social networking is concerned.

If you are interested in documentaries, definitely watch American Movie, and The Devil and Daniel Johnston. They are the bees knees.

Speak easy,

Neil

TWITTER

2010-10-07T17:10:00.001-07:00

Just started a twitter account yesterday. You can find it here. I like the spontaneity of it. Pretty interesting technology.

My flatmate, the one I have been writing about, took a 4 and a half hour shower. Some people I do not understand.

Going to Boston tomorrow to hang out with a few friends. Won't be blogging but I'll be twittering so if you are super interested in how I am doing you can get an on the minute update. Until then, going to Starbucks to write about Wordsworth and Chaucer. Speaking of which, my friend Mike got Heath Ledger confused with Owen Wilson. When I corrected him he said "Whatever, same person."

Speak easy,

Neil

Couple Things

2010-10-04T19:05:00.000-07:00

Saw The Social Network this weekend and loved it. Totally recommend it. Not sure if it is one that you absolutely must see in theaters but it does complete the experience. The film explores a lot of how this generation socializes and how far we have come just in the last few years. The script is incredibly tight and clever, the cinematography is great (directed by David Fincher of Fight Club, Seven and most recently The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), and the pace is incredibly fast (perfect for kids of the ADD generation).

Recently saw the trailer for Catfish. The Rolling Stone claimed that it is a documentary although I am pretty sceptical.

This segment from the Disney Channel is amazingly stupid and absolutely worth watching.

Speak easy,

Neil

Le Fonz

2010-09-30T17:57:00.000-07:00

Listening to a Henry Winkler interview while I do my French translation homework. Got an A- on my first ever professional writing assignment. Still have to wash a pair of underwear tonight so that I can have something clean for tomorrow. All my clothes are dirty but I am going back to Cape Cod this weekend for my Grandfather's funeral so it is a good time to do the laundry for free. The workload for my classes is getting increasingly worse and will probably be that way for the next ten weeks (which is really all I have left!). Haven't been able to do much writing (i.e. novel writing) but have done a little bit of animation for my short film (a lot less easier to do when I have my free time). The following is an exert from the novel I am working on. Just thought I would post it because, I don't know...might as well, right?

________________

It was the first night in a long time that the air felt cool and uneasy sort of like it is on Halloween night, just not as cold. When I was little on Halloween I would make my mom drive me to school in the morning so I didn’t have to sit on the bus. A few of the bigger kids would always wear these terrifying masks and costumes. The kind that hide your eyes and smell of cheap sour plastic.

“When are you going to get Will Brautigan’s office?” I asked.

“In due time. You do know that he lives in that office with his baby right? I asked Tom about it and he said that Will makes all the counselors park at the other end of the parking lot so they don’t disturb the baby when they get back. One false move in the dark and I’m a goner. Pee makes a very distinct sound. And once that stream starts, it doesn’t stop.”

“When are you going to get another chance? Tomorrow is our last night and then Friday you’ll be too busy to pull off something like this.”

Corey stood pensively staring off into blank space, stroking his imaginary beard.

“You’ll have to move quick though. You don’t have much time.” I pulled my cell phone out from my pocket to check the clock. I pressed the red hang up button and the light from the phone illuminated my face. “Harvey will be back on boys’ side within the next five minutes or so.”

“Okay. Here’s what I’m going to do. I‘m going to try and pee on the side of the office closest to the entrance and Splinter Cell my way back before the last drop falls on the vinyl siding. Wish me luck.” Corey sprinted to the nearby fence and sprawled himself across it, sidling along the wooden planks before he broke into a run and disappeared into the night.

David and I stood in silence for a moment, watching the darkness that had swallowed Corey up in one swift and soundless gulp. The spotlight behind us made our shadows stretch far along the dirt path. David was the first to break the silence.

“And so our young Corey becomes one with nature, following the will of the wolves that have come before him. He will expel a warning from his loins, echoing a new age. Man shall make his mark on every house and let the wilderness know full well that this is no place for her. This camp is-”

A sharp screech interrupted David. The crickets stopped chirping. Immediately another loud cry filled the air, lifting goose bumps from my skin. A thump and a hard thud followed. It was coming from the staff laundry room. One last wail traveled out from behind the screen windows of the wooden shack. It sounded like a woman maybe but I couldn’t be sure. I looked over at David, his gaze firmly transfixed towards the flickering light above the door of the building. A clank sounded. Metal against metal. A door opened on the other side of the building. And then footsteps. They were loud at first but softened as they traveled farther away.

“Whuh…?” I started to mumble something but couldn’t find the words.

“I don’t know.” David whispered. “I don’t know.”

He took individual steps. Slowly. One after another. I found myself following his tracks. The air was still. My body was chattering.

______________

Speak Easy,

Neil

Films and that

2010-09-23T17:49:00.001-07:00

Not last night but the night before I woke up to a very pungent and horrible lingering outside my door and subsequently under the cracks of my door and in my room. This was 3 in the morning. I lost sleep because my flatmates room smelled so bad. I tried to wrap my head in an unwashed sweater to drown out the smell but that didn't work. Woke up yesterday morning to go to the rest room and nearly threw up. Lev and I went to the building supervisor after trying to knock on the guys door a few times. The supervisor came up with us and banged on his door. Eventually he responded and said that he had thrown up a few times and had neglected to clean it up because he was sick. I'm not sure what the problem is because he wasn't acting sick at all a little while later when he did come out of his room. He remarked that he didn't realize how bad it smelled and that someone should have febreezed a little bit. It's not bad anymore though. I actually got back from class this afternoon and was glad that my eyes didn't itch from the smell of the apartment. Internet works fine too. It took them almost a week to realize that we were set up with a bad hub. Way to go OIT.

Got inspired to work on an animated short film. I don't know if I talked about it on the blog or not but it's sort of a mix between this, this, this, and this. It focuses on different films and how they sort of weave into what's going on in your life. Like how I consider Batman Begins to be an important film but only because I saw it with my friend Paul before he went off to the Marines for the first time. The one I am doing chronicles about a span of ten years and really doesn't even scratch the surface of what I would like to do with it if I were to make more. There is a complete first draft but I have only sent it to my little brother.

I'm doing a little stop animation with it too. Trying to get the feel of something from the mid-90's. Like that Clerks-style grainy black and white high contrast production that stopped as soon as film when digital. Very little animation and more squiggly Dr. Katz stuff so that I can actually finish it (animated short films take a looooooong time to produce if you have to completely redraw the object in a different position every single frame).

Speak Easy,

Neil

The Fifth Sense

2010-09-21T16:23:00.000-07:00

One of my flatmates is peeing in jars in his room and won't come out during the day. The only times he does leave his room are around 3 of 4 in the morning. Saw him twice in the last week. The smell is overwhelming when you enter our apartment. First it started as a sort of faint hamster cage smell which evolved into what I imagine a ferret nest smells like. It's gross. We have tried to complain to our RA and our building advisor. Also my internet doesn't work to well. Hopefully OIT will sort that out in the next few days. Until then, Beowulf.

Speak Easy,

Neil

Some photos I dumped off my phone.

2010-09-16T17:43:00.000-07:00

Actually got the chance to sit in on a game of Dungeons and Dragons this summer. I wouldn't mind having a weekly campaign to look forward to but alas the group that invited me to play is miles upon miles away so for now I'll have to wait.

The other day I cut my finger on the lid to a Fanta bottle. It bled for about 10 minutes. Did you know Coke invented Fanta to appease the Nazi's? Not only did they want to incinerate all the Jews but they also strived to have their own soft drink. I suppose 1 out of 2 ain't too bad.

Last week UMass got a bunch of people together to make the worlds longest California roll. I don't know if they actually succeeded but I did hear that they had so much sushi left over, they didn't know what to do with it. Pretty pointless if you ask me. I was there for about half an hour but left because they wouldn't stop playing California Girls by The Beach Boys (hideously redone to be sushi themes - "I wish we could all eat California Rolls.").

Had my first successful week of Technical Writing class. I'm not too bad at it either.

Speak easy,

Neil

Aquaman

2010-09-14T19:48:00.000-07:00

Trying to figure out if I'm going over a speed bump or a cliff. They both feel the same with a blindfold on.

Here's an exert from the book I'm working on right now...

Sean was sitting at the bench with Corey. They were in the middle of a conversation about Aquaman and whether or not he had any sort of political ties with Poseidon, which quickly turned into a conversation about whether or not it would be considered bestiality if Aquaman were to have his way with a mermaid. More specifically Ariel from The Little Mermaid. It was still early, around 8:30 in the morning so only a few of the day campers had been dropped off. I was sitting at the end of the bench looking at the note that I’d found at the overnight sight. A lot of the symbols looked like letters from the Alphabet but even with that information most of it didn’t make any sense.

“She’s got the intelligence of a human. She talks like a human. She wears that sea shell brassier. You think that thing’s covering up fish breasts? I don’t think so.” Corey said.

“Dolphins are one of the most intelligent beings on the planet but that doesn’t make it alright to fuck a dolphin. And believe me, people do. Just look it up on the internet.”

“Mermaids, though. I know that they’re not the same as humans but they are still pretty close sans the tail. Did people say Spock was the product of bestiality? No, no one ever said that. His father was a Vulcan, his mother was an Earthling.”

“That’s more of a race issue.”

Everyday Sean either wore a pair of worn-out black Crocs or shoes with old gray socks hiked high half way up to his knees. His shirts, always loose and wrinkled like how peoples’ skin gets once they’re old enough to get the early bird special at Ruby Tuesdays. Corey was sporting his ‘Got Capitalism?’ shirt and a fairly unkempt head of thick black hair hanging just above his eyebrows. Deacon had left his clipboard nearby so I picked it up and wrote Deacon smells! across the top of it, dotting the exclamation point with a heart.

“What do you think Tsuf? I’d like to get your input. Talk some sense into our good friend Sean over here.”

I put Deacon’s clipboard back where I’d found it.

“I don’t know. I guess if they like each other then-”

“Oh. My dear sweet young Tsuf. This is not a matter of affection. It is a matter of biology and sociology.”

“Besides, Aquaman shouldn’t be falling in love anyway. He’s got a whole ocean to protect from Black Manta and Kordax. A guy like him with no secret identity shouldn’t be making a love nest outside the hallowed walls of Atlantis. Save the heartbreak for Spiderman.”

“Well, I don’t know much about Aquaman but I have seen The Little Mermaid like a hundred times. In the movie she started as a mermaid and really wanted to be with that guy Eric-” I said.

“Right. Typical female behavior. Falling head over heels for the handsome rich athletic type without even taking the time to get to know him.”

“Head over heels, Corey? Head over fin is more like it.” Sean snickered. Corey rolled his eyes.

“God, would you guys let me finish one freaking sentence?” I smiled. “So she knows she has a chance with him if she becomes human. She chooses a side and deals with the consequences.”

“That hardly supports either thesis. The question at hand: is it bestiality?”

“Bestiality? Yes if she’s part fish. No if she uses dark octopus sea magic to get legs so she can be fully human.” I said

“The parts need to line up too. Love is easy…Anatomy is difficult. They touched on the subject in an episode of Futurama.”

“Is Aquaman even human?” I asked.

“You know, she has a point.”

Corey shook his head. “That doesn’t change anything. I stand by my argument.”

s.u.p.e.r. h.e.r.o.

2010-09-13T16:53:00.000-07:00

We made super hero masks in Arts & Crafts this summer. Here is a picture of my favorite.

Actually cleaned my room today. My procrastination has been getting the best of me. I've lived here for over a week and didn't actually officially unpack and put away all of my stuff until this afternoon. Finished watching Breaking Bad for the season and now I'm catching up on The United States of Tara. Both top notch shows. Been writing a bit towards my manuscript and might post some on the blog at some point. If not, you could ask. Always looking for insight and criticism from people I trust. I am trying to flesh out this short story I wrote last semester "Tsuf and the Two Rabbits" into a novel maybe. Got to go. Jim is outside my building.

Speak easy,

Neil

I can give you a hard time whenever I want.

2010-09-09T18:06:00.000-07:00

A little girl drew this picture for my room-mate. He hung it up in our cabin.

Just finished getting my classes sorted out for the semester. I reluctantly had to drop a course in Science Fiction in order to make way for an upper level English course. Almost signed up for creative writing but decided to go with professional writing instead. The whole concept of forcing myself to write something for a grade and then having that critiqued and judged by a bunch of my peers kind of freaks me out. I'll let people read my work but I'd rather keep it out of the classroom.

I have two new flatmates this semester. They're both pretty cool guys but one of them hasn't really left his room at all in the five days that we've lived here. I've actually only talked to him twice. Once on move in day and the other when he came to my room to ask if I could hear his computer speakers from my room. Yesterday the outside of his room kind of smelled of urine and I was afraid that maybe he had died or something. A few hours later we heard him playing some war themed video game so I guess he's all right. I'm convinced that he pees in a container in his room because I am right across the hall from the restroom and I never see him use it.

We can try to predict the weather but can't make any promises

2010-09-04T06:41:00.000-07:00

Staff Board for Camp Farley 2010 conceived, drawn and painted primarily by Neil Everett Johnson and Taylor Rose Marvin.

Hurricane Earl was nothing. It was all hype. Nothing more than a Glenn Beck hissy fit.

My grandfather is at some local Hospice care center and most of my family is there with him. We are visiting in shifts for now so at the moment I have some time to my self to pack for school and what not. Tomorrow I move in and come December I should be all done with college (knock on wood). From there I will get a temporary job then another summer at overnight camp and then find a job more permanent.

I turned 23 this summer. It seems to me that by your mid-20s you should probably have your priorities together and have a good solid plan for the future but at the same time the whole [college>marriage>family] seems so 1950's post World War II America. I think that the 90's slacker era has paved the way for a little more wiggle room for those in Generation Y (which I think is what they are calling it). After college and before settling down I think I should be able to pull of some kind of lazy professional lifestyle until I decide to put down a mortgage and get a basement and a dog and a family health care package. I think it is a reasonable expectation for someone who is ready to start paying back their student loans but not quite ready to use their degree to its full potential.

Here are some songs I've been listening to this summer...

Foxy Shazam - Oh Lord

Velvet Underground - Pale Blue Eyes

I'm Not a Band - I'm Not a Band

Wonderful - Rainbow Colors

Yael Naim - New Soul

Yeasayer - O.N.E.

Hall & Oates - You Make My Dreams Come True

Vampire Weekend - Cousins

Mumford & Sons - Little Lion Man

The Flaming Lips - Do You Realize??

Matt & Kim - Daylight

Joanna Newsom - Sprout and the Bean

Some stuff I've watched recently...

American Movie (Saw it years ago but worth seeing again)

Inception (Slow at times and a little more action for the sake of action than I am used to but still a really cool and thought provoking film none the less. Also, movie theaters are way colder in the summer than they should be. Turn down the air conditioning and charge less!)

Scott Pilgrim vs The World (One of the coolest movies I've seen since I can remember but definitely not for everyone. Worth seeing if you are a male between the ages of 15 and 26 who enjoys video games, indie rock music and possibly comic books)

An Education (Meant to see this when it came out but didn't end up watching it until I got really sick. Not the best movie I've ever seen but still pretty solid.)

The Invention of Lying (Some good jokes but too preachy for it's own good with little to no payoff. If you want a Ricky Gervais film, watch Cemetery Junction. It's ten times better.)

Speak easy,

Neil

NORTH D

2010-09-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

It's been a long summer. Lot's of fun but lot's of stress as well. Part of it has to do with the fact that summer camp does not allow for a lot of free time. Sometimes you just need a few hours to sit around by yourself and drink some coffee and watch a movie. Haven't had any time to write but definitely stockpiled a lot to write about. Should be going back to Amherst on Sunday where I'll be movie into North D, the most posh dorms on campus. I recorded a few demos including the song I posted on my last blog entry. Will probably host them on myspace when I get my laptop hooked up to the internet.

Speak easy,

Neil

days between my days

2010-07-24T22:48:00.000-07:00

It's almost 2 AM. I just wrote this song. Got work in the morning. Had a good birthday.

________________

Days Between Days

I wish I had days between my days

Some extra time to sleep my life away

I’m sure it would…be pretty good

I wish I had days between my days

I wish that I had hours between my hours

Some extra time to take a nap and shower

I would be clean…and have time to dream

I wish that I had hours between my hours

I wish that I had minutes between my minutes

We could make some love and then fall in it.

Some extra time…while you are mine

I wish that I had minutes between my minutes

I wish that I had seconds between my seconds

To look in your eyes and see my reflections

My beating heart…might break apart

If I don’t get seconds between my seconds

I wish that I had years between my years

Some extra time to keep you here

Before long…you will be gone

I wish that I had years between my years

______________

Speak easy,

Neil

watching Americas Got Talent

2010-07-11T19:23:00.000-07:00

Just realized that it has been a real long time since I've posted anything. I'm at camp now working long days in the hot sun and ruining my feet by walking around in flip flops all day. It feels really weird being back in America but at the same time it feels like I've never left. No real culture shock. Not a lot of backlash in relation to jet lag. Back to using the American dollar and drinking Dunkin Donuts.

My dad got a trombone and tried to show me how to play it this morning.

I was invited to sit in on a game of Dungeons and Dragons next Saturday. I am seriously considering it.

Speak easy,

Neil

South Africa!

2010-06-11T17:35:00.001-07:00

I met a German girl today and she said that some people in Berlin attribute David Hasslehoff for the bringing down of the Berlin Wall.

The world cup is going on and people are telling me to get excited but I just can't. Sports are all the same to me. Everyone in England good be making a big fuss about the world series of chess and I would be just as intrigued by the game.

Speak easy,

Neil

Never Too Late For Coffee

2010-06-10T16:41:00.000-07:00

8 days. Spending most of my time listening to public radio podcasts, animating a T Rex for an animation project I'm working on (not going to talk about it until I am sure I'm going to finish it), and writing. Finished Dells book the other day and found it more entertaining than some of the other books I've read this semester. Half of my friends have left Notts for the semester. Still need to get my CPR certification before camp starts.

The other day I was at the supermarket picking out some juice. It was on the top shelf and after I picked it up off the top shelf I lost my grip and it toppled to the bottom of the fridge shelving unit. There were several times where I almost grabbed it on the way down. I was a little embarrassed and when I looked around to see if anyone had witnessed how clumsy I am capable of being I noticed that the only one that saw was a very frail old man that was all by himself. He gave me an understanding smile and I smiled back. It was pretty great.

Speak easy,

Neil

3 Steps to Obscurity

2010-05-31T17:57:00.000-07:00

I turned my dorm room into a pin hole camera using the 'camera obscura' technique. My post the other day, which included a performance of the band by the same name, got me looking online on how to do this myself. Scientifically I have no idea how this works but I can explain how to do it.

Step 1: You will need a small to medium sized room with one window and an empty white wall opposite that window. It works best if it is really bright outside.

Step 2: Make sure that the room is completely dark. Block all light from coming into the room. You may want to duct-tape large thick black trash bags to the window to keep that light from coming in.

Step 3: Make a hole in front of the window the size of a quarter or half dollar for the focused light to come through.

Here is the view outside my window:

And here is what the wall looked like (with the image of the outside projected and flipped):

It is really, really cool to experience this first hand.

I went to the Broadmarsh Bus Station at 2 AM last night to see off my friend Ariel who headed back to California for the semester. Some girls really like to drag out their goodbyes. I'll miss the friends I've made here but I have gotten so used to leaving people since I am constantly moving around. It's kind of sad actually. Anyway, I get back in 18 days and I'm sure the time between arriving at Logan and starting my staff training at Camp Farley will be completely filled. Between studying abroad, camp, and college I won't be able to see a lot of my Mashpee friends this year.

In other news I bought my first ever roll on deodorant today and I have to say that I am thoroughly impressed.

Speak easy,

Neil

Obscura

2010-05-29T16:55:00.000-07:00

A little less than 3 weeks left and I'll be back in the states. The weather here has been pretty good up until today, which was rainy and cold. I've got my last final in a few days and then I will be one semester away from finishing college. I am looking forward to getting a degree and not being tied down to scholarly pursuits. Within the last day or so I have been reading through my uncle Dell's novel which he is trying to get published. Dell, if you're reading this I would like to say that I am enjoying it a lot and look forward to talking to you about it. It's actually kick starting me into writing again. For the last few weeks I have been holding off on writing due to my studies but I think I'll be able to get a good portion done before I get home.

I have been listening to the song I Love How You Love Me on repeat almost all day. There are three separate versions that I have been listening to and variations are great.

Also, went to see Prince of Persia. Fun and the kind of film you should see in theaters but not really a good film.

Speak easy,

Neil

#260

2010-05-23T13:02:00.000-07:00

Studying for my literature final. Which in UK you would say 'I'm revising for my exam'. If you said studying for your final they might now immediately get what you're saying. I can hear the coffee brewing all the way from the kitchen. As a quick study break I am buying myself some homecoming gifts. The first is a DVD that I ordered last summer and I waited for months and it never came in the mail so instead of dealing with all of the fuss that comes with dealing with the postal service I am ordering it for the second time (youtube doesn't have a trailer for the film I am buying, so here is a trailer to the first film in the series). And secondly I am getting David Levithan/John Green's new book Will Grayson, Will Grayson. I will need something to read during day camper rest for the first week of camp.

Speak easy,

Neil

Edinburgh

2010-05-20T18:50:00.000-07:00

This is Hamish, Edinburgh's resident mascot and beloved furry cow. He used to be fat because tourists would feed him a lot of junk food but now they offer "Hamish food" in the gift shop (a healthy and efficient way for them to monitor his food intake more closely). I bought a poster of Hamish to bring home with me. Overall, I would say he's a pretty cool guy. The tour guide we had said that some people used to grab onto his horns and so they had to put up a second fence to keep people from doing this. I don't think he minds though.

This is Greyfriar's Bobby. Many, many years ago there was a grounds-keeper at the Greyfriar's cemetery in Edinburgh. This grounds-keeper was very lonely so he got himself a small dog and named him Bobby and they became quick friends. They did everything together. After two years the grounds-keeper grew ill and died. They buried him in the very cemetery that he and Bobby watched over. Bobby was very, very sad that his master was gone. Instead of moving on, Bobby sat on his master's grave awaiting his return. For years Bobby sat patiently, waiting and waiting. The new grounds-keeper fed the dog but before long this grounds-keeper died as well. The story of Greyfriar's Bobby became more and more popular as the years went on. The town offered to pay to keep Bobby healthy and happy. After fourteen years of loyalty, Bobby too passed on. Many people tried to petition to allow Bobby to be buried at his master's side but due to state law, it was illegal to bury a dog in a human cemetery. They buried him as close to the cemetery as possible. However, they did put a headstone in the cemetery in honor of him. Some people leave flowers for him. Others leave sticks because it is believed that he would have loved to play with them.

Man's best friend.

The cafe on the third floor here is where JK Rowling famously wrote the first two books in the Harry Potter Series. It is also said that Grayfriar's graveyard is where she went for inspiration. In fact, some of the headstones are where she got names for various characters.

Speak easy,

Neil

Lennon, Kafka, and Spiderman

2010-05-13T08:30:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've last updated but that's mainly due to 1) Travelling and 2) Laziness, I guess. I was trying to get my plane ticket changed so I could go back early in June but that didn't work out so I am stuck here until June 19th. These are some pics I sifted through. They are from my trips to Prague, Berlin, and Amsterdam. I've got stuff to say about each place but I'll save that for later.

Speak easy,

Neil

An open letter to young mothers.

2010-05-02T10:37:00.000-07:00

Dear Young Moms,

Don't bring your 4 year olds to see Iron Man 2 for their birthday. They will just spend the entire time talking loudly to themselves asking if War Machine is okay and wondering whether or not Samuel L. Jackson's character is a pirate. They are young and get restless easily. They should not let anyone under 8 years old to get into a PG-13 movie. Also, don't talk on your cell phone in the middle of the first act. It is crucial that I understand the motivations of the characters on screen. Please be considerate in the future.

Yours Truly, Neil Everett Johnson

__________

Speak easy,

Neil

Kick-Ass Review

2010-04-19T13:43:00.000-07:00

Just got back from seeing Kick-Ass. I thought it was pretty good but there are some minor problems I had with it. One article I read claimed that the movie was a "ebullient blend of the best bits from Spider-Man, Watchmen and Superbad." It does definitely feel like an amalgamation of those with a whole lot of other stuff that Quinton Terrintino would love to see on the big screen (if you had no problem stomaching Kill Bill Volume I, then you will have no qualms with this film). I would say, however, that it is not as fun as Spider-Man, which was a whole lot of fun from beginning to end and had plenty of action along the way. Kick-Ass started out presenting violence and masked heroism as something that is realistically painful with real life consequences. There are bruises and broken bones and trips to the hospital. This makes the action scenes, specifically involving the inexperienced Kick-Ass (yes, that is his superhero name) to be a little more stressful. Peter Parker was, in the audiences eyes, never in any real danger. Watchmen had some strong themes and very human characters. Despite being a little lengthy, it carried a lot of the same literary ideals that made the original comic so popular (and the only graphic novel to make it on Time Magazine's list of 100 greatest novels of all time. Quite an achievement). One of the bigger problems in a lot of the reviews that I have been reading of the film, especially Roger Ebert's, is how the film is not morally grounded and could leave the viewer with a warped perception of violence. I do agree with this although it is, at it's core, just a "cool", "badass" movie. It isn't trying to be anything that it's not. Also, it is not as funny as Superbad. There are a few exchanges that are pretty funny but there are a lot of points where it does miss the mark. Overall I would say if you like Kill Bill, Watchmen, Sin City, or other films of that ilk, I would say this is worth a watch. If you are easily offended or could never dream of sitting through difficult to watch films like as Hostel or Saw, then don't see this. You will probably hate it.

The only reason I did a more in-depth review for Kick-Ass, as opposed to some of the other films I've seen recently, is because after seeing it I was sort of torn on whether I liked it or not. It wasn't a straight up dud like Dear John and it wasn't an undeniable delight like How To Train Your Dragon.

Films and Iceland

2010-04-18T16:29:00.000-07:00

Iceland is proving to be as stubborn as ever and will not let up with the smoke and ash. I am pushing back my travels to mainland Europe until Saturday (hopefully). For the last few days I have been going to movies and visiting local coffee shops to get some writing done (reached 14,000 words this evening on the project I am currently working on. I'm really liking it too).

Some of the films I've gone to and what I thought of them...

Remember Me: Not that great. I was expecting more from something from the guy who directed The Sopranos. Kind of a crappy script. Sad ending that didn't really make the story or message any better, just really sad. Rob Pattinson wasn't too bad though. Just wish he would pick some better films to do.

Dear John: Never have I seen a more bland protagonist. It made me wish I was watching the Notebook. I didn't really like the messages here either. They were basically 1) if you are a bad boy, joining the army will fix you and make you a decent human being and 2) if you are head over heals in love with someone you should do as much for them as you can for them even if they don't treat you very well. How about living your own life and not meddling too much in other people's private affairs? I felt kind of bad for Nicholas Sparks after watching this one.

How To Train Your Dragon: So good. I would recommend this to anyone, old or young. Same writer director as Lilo & Stitch, one of my all time favorite animated films. Good, relatable characters. Some awesome visuals too. Lot's of great comedic actors in here too. I usually hate Dreamworks animated films but with a 98% rating at Rotten Tomatoes you can't go wrong. As good, I'd say, as anything Pixar is making these days, which is saying a lot.

Speak easy,

Neil

another victory for hysteria

2010-04-14T16:02:00.001-07:00

These are some doodles I did the other day that I think I might want to use for t-shirt designs or something. The top one is a hedgehog (obviously) inside a Matroyshka and the bottom one is a compsognathus playing a game boy. In reality the compsognathus (although one of the smallest dinosaurs) would tower over a game boy.

Less than two days left of my solitary confinement. The closest thing I have to a friend right now is this guy that works at the local coffee shop who I have forced awkward small talk with. I hate it when you talk to someone for five minutes when both of you only have thirty second worth of stuff to say. I can get a ton of work done at coffee shops though, assuming I drink my coffee slow and I am not sitting with anyone. Somehow the people moving in and out and the fact that I can't just leave when I still have coffee in the mug gives me a sense of urgency, throwing procrastination out the window. With that being said I am starting to write a lot about some of my experiences here. I'm not sure if I want anyone to read it unless it is absolutely necessary. It's fairly personal and completely unfiltered. Embarrassing I'm sure.

Since I'm exhausted I'll just put up a slew of pictures instead of writing any more.

Speak easy,

Neil

Euro for Euro, Pound for Pound

2010-04-13T08:33:00.001-07:00

Had a lot of fun in London and Dublin. London proved to be incredibly expensive but we didn't pay for accommodation in Dublin because my friend Mike has family there so we were able to stay in homes for free. I leave for Prague on Saturday. Wrote about 6,000 words in the past two days and hope that this week is going to be a good one for writing. No one is around because everyone is on holiday. My friend Ariel is coming back on Friday and from there we are going to travel some more.

By the way, the brunette is my friend Kristina who lives in my building. The other girl is her sister Alyssa who visited the UK last week. Both good travel companions.

It looks like it's going to cost me up to $350 to change my flight in June so it may be worth it for me just to spend another nine days here and then start camp almost immediately when I get back. The downside to that is little to no time to catch up with my friends. I suppose that's what weekends are for.

Speak easy,

Neil

The Clink

2010-04-04T15:27:00.001-07:00

Spent the last few days in London. It's a beautiful city (if not a little cold this time of year) with some fabulous architecture. I took a ton of pictures and spent more money than I would have liked but right I am trying to keep that out of my mind. Went to the Film Museum of London today all by myself. Totally worth the £10 to see some Spongebob animation cells and a scale model of the Aliens alien. Got the hang of the London Underground. Heading to Dublin in a few days. Super tired and exhausted at the moment. Writing this from a hostel actually. Judging from the Americans I've met here (my traveling party and flatmates excluded) I can see why Europeans have a negative image of them/us. The hostel is called Clink and is (from what I can tell) a repurposed courthouse/prison. The computer room is a court room and I am in the Probation Box in front of the judges seat.

Speak easy,
Neil

Note to self: Reinvent Wheel

2010-04-01T12:56:00.000-07:00

My Finnish flatmate Fillip* filled this one out for me after dinner this evening. I think it is accidentally insightful and also kind of awesome.

*Awesome unintentional alliteration.

Squirrel citing! They are not to keen on getting their pictures taken.

Slightly obscene/on point advertisement for a clothing store in the city centre. I will give them some credit for incorporating the most conservative of sex positions for their window display. They could have done a lot worse.

There was a bar that was doing face painting one night. They were slightly amused/confused about my choice of design.

My room!

Speak easy,

Neil

p.s Congrats to Liz for being on the Martha Stewart Show! So exciting. Wish I could have watched it on the telly.

Mare, as in Nightmare

2010-03-28T18:37:00.000-07:00

One of my friend Mike's house mates drew this on the whiteboard in their entryway.

This little schoolhouse is on the edge of campus. I thought it was cute but a little dishevelled. Have no idea if it is still in use.

Passed this guy reshingling this house while crossing a bridge earlier today. Thought it would be a good 'slice of life' picture. The weather was great. Can't wait until it is 20 degrees warmer and t-shirt friendly.

Went to a rave in town the other night. Fun but a little overcrowded.

Also, I got a haircut. It's kind of a Matt Damon from Good Will Hunting style.

Went to a bar last week called the Pit and the Pendulum. Basically looks like if Edgar Allen Poe and Edward Gorey pooled their money together to open a bar. The cocktails are named after the 7 deadly sins and the shot menu is composed of heavenly virtues. Wrath was strong, Lust was sweet and Sloth was very very chocolatey.

Also went to the Malt Cross (think that's the name). Quaint bar with this pleasant stage which is left over from the vaudevillian era. We played Scattagories, Connect 4, and Guess Who. The music consisted of The Strokes and The Postal Service. I was thoroughly pleased.

Rugby was an interesting experience but sports still kind of bore me. There's just something about them that I don't care for. Maybe I should start betting on games.

Speak easy,

Neil

Everything Is Borrowed

2010-03-11T14:36:00.001-08:00

I haven't seen any ducks here but there are plenty of geese on campus. So far I've only seen one squirrel. They seem kind of rare here, at least at this time of year. There are different breeds of birds here that sing all the time, especially at night. Someone told me that if you steal a goose from the campus you get kicked out of school. Been busy and the internet connection here is slow, so every time I want to update anything it's kind of a process. Last night I met up with three of my friends from camp that live in the area. This weekend I'm seeing another friend from camp when I go to London. I'll take pictures!

I wrote a song the other day when I should have been rereading The Great Gatsby. My friend Mike let me borrow his guitar for the time being.

Meet me in England (if you get the chance)

G C

My soul didn't come from a star

G C

Oh, My soul didn't come from a star

D G

No, my spirit didn't travel far

G C

I wanted to see you today

G C

yes, I wanted to see you today

D G

just watched the minutes as they flew away

C G

and If in my mind

C G

I somehow could find

C G

A Way for us to realize

At the same time

C G

That it could be

C G

just you and me

C G

you say my judgement is blind

but I guess that we'll see

Am C D

It's just a matter-er-er

of time

G C

Stop looking up into the air?

G C

Why do you keep looking up in the air?

D G

You only see what isn't there.

G C

I guess that I shouldn't complain

G C

Oh, I guess that I shouldn't complain

D G

because I always feel better when it rains

C G

And if it don't feel wrong

C G

I might write you a song

C G

But I know that your busy

So Your song won't be long

C G

And if our future seems bright

C G

I could book you a flight

C G

if you take the red eye

I could meet you tonight

Am C D

It's just a matter-er-er

of time

G C G C D Am C D G

G C

I wanted to see you today

G C

yes, I wanted to see you today

D G

just watched the minutes as they flew away

Probably a little cheesy but whatever.

Speak easy,

Neil

Football

2010-03-01T16:19:00.000-08:00

Speak easy,

Neil

Delux

2010-02-28T16:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I went to Leicester to go visit my good friend Jake. My friend Ariel came too and we all had a great time. While we were there we went to go see The Princess and the Frog, which was actually quite good. It took place in New Orleans and really showed off the culture of the city (there were even two nods to Tennessee Williams that I picked up on).

Jake explained to me that this actually means "f*cking delicious".

Speak easy,

Neil

Old Pictures.

2010-02-26T16:15:00.000-08:00

Here's some pictures of me when I was little that I uploaded onto my computer before I left.

To this day I still blink 50% of the time I am photographed.

This is when I thought it was cool to wear black and wear t-shirts over sweatshirts.

Lookin' good at Dell and Liz's wedding. First time I wore a tie on my own accord.

Me and Grandpa.

Been kind of busy so I haven't updated in a while. Started reading The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemmingway. My short story was 400 words too long and I've been able to part with about 200 words so far. After that I need to rework the opening and try to establish some sort of conclusion. I'll submit it to the competition but as far as I'm concerned I have already got a great deal out of the writing process and don't really care one way or the other if I enter my work at this point. Having a deadline forced me to take an idea I've been sitting on for a while and compose that onto a word document.

Inbetween homework assignments I've been watching the British sitcom Benidorm (decent comedy about a cheap vacation hotspot) and reading the novel It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini (the title is accurate since the story itself isn't 'funny' as much as it is 'kind of funny'). Since last book I finished was Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar I can't help but compare the two (both characters get hospitalized for suicidal tendencies so I feel like they are at least moderatly comparable). I wouldn't specifically recommend Funny Story. The characters are thin, it isn't specifically deep, and the narrator is kind of a whiny baby. The author was hospitalized for depression so I suppose it is a fairly accurate portrayal of the situation. The only reason I'm still reading it is because the font is so big. It feels like I'm reading a lot, which is a nice change of pace because all the stuff I have to read for class has small font and takes a while.

Have to get up early tomorrow to visit my friend Jake in Leicester. Haven't seen him since camp. I'll try to take more pictures.

Speak easy,

Neil

Optical Express

2010-02-20T08:35:00.000-08:00

Finished the first draft of my short story Tsuf and the Two Rabbits earlier today. It's about 400 words too long so I'll have to cut some content somewhere. I'd like to enter it into a contest by the end of the month. Nothing to lost, I guess. In order to even keep it close to the requirement I had to cut the story down significantly. Meanwhile I've got a 1,500 word essay due for TV cultures on Tuesday.

I saw this advertisement on my Facebook page.

They're on to me.

Not sure why this one showed up on my page. Don't know if I would trust free eye surgery.

Speak easy,

Neil

Portrait of a Lady

2010-02-14T12:03:00.000-08:00

Started reading Portrait of a Lady for my Selected American Novels class this morning at a delightful little coffee shop in town. This is Ariel who lives with my in Broadgate Park. She is from California.

The hot chocolate was very pretty.

I went to see the movie Valentine's Day this afternoon. Some of it was really cheesy, some of it was poorly acted (not all of it), some if it felt sloppily written, but all in all I think it's a really cute film with something for everyone. There are some great plot twists that really bring the movie together too. Checked out Rotten Tomatoes and it looks like the movie is critically panned virtually across the board. One critic said that "You're going to like half of the fluff, but it's ultimately very forgettable." I agree with that but in a good way (if that's possible).

There is a short story contest that I plan on entering at the end of the month and this weekend I got a good portion of the project finished. Don't want to post it here but if you are interested in helping edit the first draft you can leave a comment and I will send it your way.

A second floor view of Beeston.

Speak easy,

Neil

co.uk

2010-02-10T14:57:00.000-08:00

Clementines are the way that you wish life would be. Sweet, contained, and easy to manage. Instead life usually ends up more like oranges. Often bitter, hard to peel, and riddled with unwanted seeds.

Speaking of fruit, I've been buying a lot of kiwis lately. They are one of those fruits that you really have to sit on for a few days or else they will not taste like you dreamt they would. It's always funny to bite into an un-ripened fruit because more often than not I'll eat the entire thing because throwing it away will seem like such a waste. I can't count how many bad pears I've finished. Anyway, the enzyme known as proteinase, which is supposed to be good for breaking down proteins (found commonly in kiwi and pineapple) is making the inside of my mouth very tender. Loving the kiwis but starting to think it might not be in my own self interest to be eating as much as I've been (hurts when I eat the skin of the kiwis). If only the fruit was more expensive. Then I wouldn't have this problem.

See how there are shadows in this picture? That is the sun. If the sun is out, that means it is a nice day in England. There aren't a whole lot of nice days but we make due. Actually two hours after I took this it started to hail. By the way, this field is very close to were I live and if you look to the right you will see a bunch of students practicing rugby.

The mannequins here creep me out. Most of them are usually in realistic poses and you don't realize that they aren't real people until you get up close or try to make eye contact with them. The torso depicted below creeped me out for a different reason (unrealistic expectations! Not sure if the picture does it justice but this model had a laughably thin waist line).

Europeans are at the cutting edge of fashion.

Not sure what this Ferris Wheel was in the middle of town but it did add a little to the ambiance.

Speak easy,

Neil

feel the bubbles

2010-02-07T12:18:00.000-08:00

Paid a £5 deposit to play paint ball this morning but slept in instead. At 8:30 am the last thing I want to do is get shot at by strangers. Most of my house mates decided against going too (it was originally supposed to be a group thing). This evening, after being cooped up in the house for the majority of the day, I went with my friends to go to a church sermon. Turns out we read the time wrong and the church was closed. £3 to take the bus there and back. Almost half way through The Great Gatsby. Ordering pizza.

I'm starting to get used to the £1 coins instead of using dollar bills. If America got rid of all the one dollar bills and replaced those completely with one dollar coins the economy might slightly improve. People don't care about spending change. If you have a pocket full of quarters, you'll probably want to spend it as quickly as possible just to unload the burden.

Mom, I think you should show this video to your classes!

Speak easy,

Neil

...and it snows

2010-02-03T13:11:00.001-08:00

Went back to Nottingham centre today and bought some clothes at Primark (an English store that is cheap like Walmart but actually has stylish/hip clothing options).

Quickly stopped in a vintage clothing shop. It costs roughly $70. Cheeseburger takes the shape of a t-shirt to avoid being eaten. No one is the wiser.

This is a girls hedgehog shirt that I saw in Topman. Didn't want to take a picture of it because I thought it might be awkward of me to do so at the time. This is my spirit animal.

Blink 182 has a song devoted to Star Wars called A New Hope. I would have known that sooner if I actually listened to all the songs in my iTunes.

Speak easy,

Neil

Nottingham Centre

2010-02-01T10:35:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures that I took when my friends and I went into Nottingham centre.

Started going to classes today. I have a Television Cultures class and we are studying The Honeymooners and Dragnet right now. Here is the blog I wrote on the second day I got here. This was right before I had to pay £25 to get my hard drive into working order (erasing all of my programs and a few files in the process).

I am off the internet for the second night in a row (they say the first three days are the hardest!). £82 later and I am almost done buying my bare necessities for the time being. Never have I had to buy my own salt. That is how you know you are on your own, when you have to buy your own salt.

It’s the first time in two years or so that I actually have my very own room and I couldn’t be happier. This morning I went to the study abroad orientation presentation and got started getting my modules (classes) verified. The campus is large and at one point I got lost. So far I have seen two Subway restaurants.

Some of the things I have noticed since I got here…

- - Red Bull is almost half the price.

- -The English love to recycle.

- - DVDs are really cheap unless they are really new (£3 for Alvin and the Chipmunks)

- - Most phones are ‘pay as you go’ and not on a plan.

- - METRIC SYSTEM!

- - Lots of coins. There are £1 coins and £2 coins. £5 is the smallest note you are going to get in change.

- - Double decker buses.

My suite mates are really nice. Haven’t really met any English people yet.

Watching American Movie right now. It is a really great movie. It’s one of those pieces of art that motivates you into making your own stuff and at the same time leaves you with a deep sense of realism.

Legs are tired. Need to do less walking tomorrow.

Speak easy,

Neil

£ for £

2010-01-30T14:11:00.001-08:00

Yesterday's blog (mom, in case you were wondering) was from my first night in the UK. Before I got the internet here I wrote a few blog entries to post periodically once I was connected with the outside world again. Bought a duvet and sheets since then. Haven't started going to classes yet.

Went into the city today. This is the pub that is built into the castle of Nottingham. Pretty neat but too busy so we went somewhere else.

This is something I wrote last Monday...

I took a nap this evening at about 7 and for the first time in a week I actually feel refreshed. The last few nights leading up to my flight out of Logan I was feeling that background kind of stress that keeps you from sleeping the entire night without a hitch. There was a poster sale today in the center of campus and I bought a few that I liked. They were 3 for £5! That’s cheap anywhere.

Got all my classes signed and verified but I can’t really sign up for anything until I get the internet working on my computer. They’re not making it easy, let me tell you.

Some things I’ve noticed about England…

-There are Cash Machines everywhere. And they call them Cash Machines instead of ATMs.

-The term “fortnight” (two weeks) is used quite liberally.

-They don’t have a very good assortment of peanut butter.

- Naked ladies in GQ.

The professor who signed off on my philosophy classes was very strange. Every time he had to think about anything he closed his eyes for ten about ten seconds. He also talked in a very slow, but not in a stupid way. It was more like he was choosing every word very carefully. Between these two quirks my meeting with him took about 20 minutes and I was late to meeting my friends. Oh well. Sometimes life slows down and sometimes it speeds up. Right now I’ll take all the slow life I can get.

Speak easy,

Neil

Time Change

2010-01-29T12:00:00.000-08:00

Just moved into my room here at Broadgate Park in Nottingham, England. The room I am staying in is a single in a suite that I share with 4 or 5 other people. I talked to one of the girls across the hall upon arrival and found out that the suite is filled with Americans and maybe one guy from Finland. Tried going to sleep but realized that I wasn’t tired; my sinuses were just really irritated. This could be my body’s reaction to the pressure changes that I went through while flying but I can’t be too sure. Fiddled with the knobs on the heater and figured out how to turn it on. This is great because at the moment I have no real bedding. Earlier when I was taking a nap I improvised by using a towel, a thin blanket I decided to pack last minute, and a few hoodies.

This morning I woke up at 5 am in Boston. I was staying with my friend Ross who goes to Emerson. The T station opens at 5:30 so I got there as soon as I could. Probably could have slept another hour because the subway cars were few and far between. It wasn’t until 6:45 that I arrived at the international terminal at Logan. Lucky for me there weren’t any lines for anything (except for Starbucks!) so I was able to go through security and baggage check with ease.

The plane ride itself was kind of relaxing. Vegetable lasagna and the movie Paper Heart (which was alright). I had a whole aisle to myself since there weren’t a lot of people on the flight. It was the first time I ever used those complimentary face masks that they give you. Boy, would it be terrible if you were allergic to the fabric that is made from.

I was picked up by a guy named Kevin that owns his owns the “Posh-Car: Chauffeured Executive Travel Service”. He seemed a little stiff at first and we didn’t get to much small talk. I asked him what kind of music he listened to and he said that he mostly listened to traffic reports. After a while he ended up talking about the stuff he was interested in. On his vacation time he goes to Kenya with his buddies to go sport fishing. He said the best time to go is December and January. I couldn’t imagine reeling in a 200 pound marlin. Kevin said it’s quite a rush.

Apparently there is a lot of money in chauffeuring weddings (if you own a suite and a Mitsubishi E Class). For two hours worth of work he can make $300 to $400.

I’ve got to try to get to sleep sometime soon. It’s 1:43 am in England, 8:43 pm in New England. I want my 5 hours back!

Speak easy,

Neil

Bones

2010-01-22T21:06:00.000-08:00

Just got back from seeing Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones. I can't remember the last time I felt so utterly and completely emotionally drained from a film. Overall I thought it was a great film with only a few slight problems. One thing I learned in film class was that you own emotional response to a film has no bearing on the quality of the film at hand. It says more about you than the movie. It made me think about death and karma and how we really wish we could change things sometimes but often we'll find that the best thing to do is move on. It made me think about how death is not a good enough punishment. At the same time though people (bad bad people) are sometimes born that way and if someone has murder in their veins is it really fair to judge them so harshly? Maybe.

Late and still packing for tomorrow. Just brushed a flea off of my knuckle. How does that happen? It's January!

Speak easy,
Neil

+44

2010-01-22T16:55:00.000-08:00

Not too much time to write since I still have an onslaught of stuff to go through before I leave for Boston tomorrow (and then England on Sunday).

I'm going to miss my cat over the next few months. Goodbye's are always hard. She hates getting her picture taken.

Mike drew this picture of me with the body of a koala bear. Although he didn't get my nose right exactly I think it turned out great.

Looked at the paper today and I thought the cat had thrown up all over the front page. Turned out to be a picture of a rabbit.

Speak easy,

Neil

Zeus Mii

2010-01-17T20:05:00.001-08:00

The Blockbuster near my house is closing and I got Darjeeling Limited for $3.99 (so good!). They're selling movie cards and I picked up a few at 5 for $1.

My friend Ross and I made a Mii of Zeus Lippman on the Nintendo Wii. I think it came out pretty well considering you can only make humans.

By next Sunday I'll be in Nottingham desperately trying to get over jet lag. More stuff to write about once I'm gone.

Speak easy,
Neil

Brainstorming!

2010-01-08T13:57:00.000-08:00

I have figured out how we can quickly find a cure for AIDS. We simply give Bill Gates the virus. He will use everything at his disposal to pin down a vaccine. It probably won't take more than a week!

Speak easy,

Neil

The Current State of the Economy

2010-01-06T20:26:00.000-08:00

Burger King apparently has such a high turnover rate that the employment line has turned into a deli counter. Considering the economic crisis, this leaves me with quiet optimism.

McDonalds and Burger King both have creepy mascots. The only difference is that Burger King embraces it.

While reading through my UK dorm terms and agreements for next semester I came across this segment: "9.2 You must not generate any smells which cause annoyance or inconvenience to other occupants of The Residence or adjoining premises." I don't believe I have ever come across an inconvenient smell, but I'm sure it can't be too pleasant.

Speak easy,

Neil

less awkward

2010-01-04T20:57:00.001-08:00

I watched the movie Bolt today and it was a lot funnier than I thought it would be. It was produced by John Lassater (who also produced Wall-E, Up, Toy Story, etc.), so it was on par with some of the Pixar films. Fun to watch Susie Essman (Curb Your Enthusiasm) and John Travolta play bickering cartoon animals.

Still waiting for Jimmy Fallon to get less awkward on late night.

Went to Taunton today with Ross. The more I leave the Cape, the more I want to live here when I get older. I don't really like the cold weather but I can always buy more sweaters. The city of Taunton is nothing to write home about but (like anything else) is pretty beautiful in the right light (we got there at golden hour so the sun was in the ideal position for taking pictures of buildings from the passenger seat).

This building was kind of nice. Super tired.

Speak easy,
Neil

Free beer.

2010-01-03T17:18:00.001-08:00

Found this Craigslist advertisement while in Rhode Island last week. I was checking to see what kind of stuff people were giving away for free in the middle of nowhere. The title was slightly misleading.

We didn't have a pickup truck so we couldn't pick it up.

Speak easy,

Neil

2009

2009-12-31T20:55:00.001-08:00

Things that make me glad that I experienced 2009:

1. Movies

Up - Old man and a young boy scout go on an adventure together in this computer animated comedy that is touching and fun for the whole family. Sounds like I should hate it but this was the

A Serious Man - One of the most well put together films the Coen brothers have ever made. It proves to be both a very personal story and deeply philosophical, fusing the biblical tale of Job with the paradoxical thought experiment of Schrödinger's cat.

Inglorious Basterds - A culmination of everything I like about Quentin Tarentino movies (even has a short narration by Samuel L. Jackson). Brad Pitt and Christolph Waltz take this film to a completely new level. Plus B.J. Novak guest stars.

Star Trek - Wish I had seen this in theaters. It proves to be more like the old Star Wars movies than the Star Wars prequels.

[500] Days of Summer - Great chick flick for guys. Fun and carries with it an interesting message concerning true love.

District 9 - Great visual for a $30 million dollar budget. Intriguing characters and a lovable baby alien (in case your girlfriend gets bored).

Honorable Mentions (films I didn't see but were probably great): Up In The Air, An Education, Fabulous Mr. Fox.

2. Merriweather Post Pavillion by Animal Collective

-One of my favorite albums of all time. Fantastically engineered with a full sound and amazing vocal melodies. Also dancable at times.

3. This Star Wars Episode I Movie Review

-This entertained me immensely while I was dealing with a random bout of insomnia. It is far more well crafted and entertaining than The Phantom Menace ever was. This is the kind of thing I always hope to stumble across on the internet but rarely ever do.

4. Television

LOST - Arguably better than its ever been. If you haven't started watching it yet. Now is a good time to catch up. Season 6 is airing next month, the final season that will hopefully answer all of the questions that have been piling up over the years.

Dexter - Dark and addicting. Great performance by John Lithgow this season.

Venture Brothers - By far the best writing and animating I've ever seen in a televised cartoon serial. Mostly for a younger male audience.

Flight of the Conchords - Just as funny and clever as their first season. Displays a different brand of comedy than most television programs on today.

Jersey Shore - Entertaining, shallow, and too funny.

Also...Breaking Bad, United States of Tara, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Mad Men.

5. Youtube

- Great way for the entire family to waste countless hours of time. Constantly growing and changing. Plus HD. :)

Things from 2009 that left me confused:

1. Twitter

2. Lil' Wayne

3. Jon and Kate

4. Twilight

5. Meghan Fox

xmas

2009-12-25T20:01:00.000-08:00

I got a digital camera for Christmas so I'll be able to post more videos. Merry Christmas!

Speak easy,

Neil

Sinterniklaas

2009-12-13T20:10:00.000-08:00

Here's a pic my friend Chris took when I was in Boston. It looks like Santa is patting me on the head. It's an illusion! I am actually several feet in front of him and protected by a layer of glass. I was never in any real harm.

Just ate a small pack of Mike and Ike's and now my gums are bleeding. There's something a little unsettling about that.

I should be studying for French but I ended up learning Lady Gaga's Bad Romance on guitar instead. The universe works in mysterious ways.

Earlier today I came across this clip from the new Alvin and The Chipmunks movie (which is actually called The Squekwel! I thought that was just a stupid advertisement ploy.)

This blunt sexualization of CGI chipmunks kind of weirds me out. I'm not going to lie.

One more week and then I'll have a month off. Looking forward to it!

Speak easy,

Neil

Making Time

2009-12-03T09:08:00.000-08:00

Lovely

she has a koala spirit

blue, soft, and endless.

Her kindness doves and spills

Like lava, it pours under doors.

creeping closer to plastic urchins,

the shards silken.

______________

We started reading "Tooth of Crime" in my Modern American Drama class the other day. It is an absolutely bizarre post-Apocalyptic play about an aging rocker. The play is written in a symbolic poetry style fashion. That is what I attempted to do with the poem above. Not sure if I really get the concept, but it's pretty interesting none the less. The picture is one I took of my cousin Carolan at Thanksgiving last week. Working on two papers due tomorrow and have another one to work on due next Wednesday. Sherman Alexie this afternoon! Probably don't have time to go but I will have to make time (might have to see Stephen Hawking about that).

Speak easy,

Neil

Red heat

2009-12-02T18:55:00.000-08:00

Here is an excert of something I was working on when I should have been writing my Shakespeare paper.

______________________

I breathed heavily on the negative strip and polished it slowly. Any dust or scratches that appeared on the negative would show up on the print. You could make as many prints as you wanted from that one negative but once the negative was permanently damaged, that was it. That image, that black and white memory would be ruined and any print you made with that marred negative would reflect that.

When I got into the darm-room I made very sure that the door was closed tight so no outside light could get in. All of the photo paper was kept in a metal tin that resembled a sliding bread box except inside it had shelves where we put the paper. The room was dark, but there was some light on so you could see your way around. The lights were dark red so that they wouldn’t affect the paper. Also, red has a lower frequency on the electromagnetic spectrum, which makes it easier for your eyes to adjust. As far as our brain is concerned, red is the closest color to black. If that wave had a significantly lower frequency, it would be a radio wave. If it developed a higher frequency, it might be an X ray or a gamma ray. Red is the drop of point of the visible spectrum. If red’s frequency lowered the slightest bit, it would be heat.

I carried the photo paper carefully from side of the room to the other, making sure it remained untouched by any light that would darken the final print. Once exposed by the negative’s light from the enlarger, I carried the print to the developer solution where the liquids mixed and married to reveal an image. It showed itself slowly, a picture of a dilapidated house shying towards the surface. It is quite a beautiful and intimate process actually.

______________________

There is a Sherman Alexie reading tomorrow on campus that I am going to try to go to. He was on The Colbert Report last night.

Speak easy,
Neil

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving

2009-11-29T20:09:00.001-08:00

Sometimes life feels so difficult and your work load seems endless but then someone gives you a Korean monkey seaweed mango gelatin snack and everything becomes a little less stressful.

Speak easy,
Neil

long exposure

2009-11-22T20:03:00.000-08:00

Things I don't understand...

1) gambling
2) sports
3) betting on sporting events
4) the Saw movie franchise
5) kristen stewart's movie career
6) angler fish
7) antiperspirant
8) the science behind basically everything Thomas Edison ever invented
9) the crusades
10) women

Here are some pictures I took while we were waiting on the top of a mountain for a meteor shower. The mountain took about half an hour to climb and it was a cold and fairly miserable excursion. The sky was cloudy and we ended up being seven hours for the event anyway.

Lev wouldn't let me use my flash because he was doing long exposure photography so I had to get creative.

Speak easy,

Neil

Mr. Shrike dictates...

2009-11-17T16:12:00.000-08:00

"Art is a way out. Do not let life overwhelm you. When the old paths are choked with the debris of failure, look for never and fresher paths. Art is just such a path. Art is distilled from suffering. As Mr. Polnikoff exclaimed through his fine Russian beard, when, at the ago of eighty-six, he gave up his business to learn Chinese, 'We are, as yet, only at the beginning...'. Art is one of life's richest offerings."

Speak easy,

Neil

Slight Rebellion off Madison

2009-11-15T19:00:00.000-08:00

I saw this for the first time today. It is the only official illustration of Holden Caulfield, printed in Collier Magazine in the 1945 Christmas Issue. Apparently JD Salinger had started writing what would end up being The Catcher in the Rye some 10 years before the books official publication.

Shopping for sweaters and bellow-cameras on eBay.

Yesterday was my one year blog anniversary!

Boy Detectives

2009-11-12T20:40:00.000-08:00

I was accepted into the study abroad program I applied for a few weeks ago. If I get all of my financial aid papers in on time I could be studying at the University of Nottingham as soon as January 25th 2010. Pretty exciting new. I am, however, hardwired in such a way that I am constantly anticipating for the other foot to drop. In short, I am almost always anxious that my plans will hit a bump. It is not a great way to live but it does force me to plan alternative routes.

Just finished The Curious Incident of the Dead Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon and just started The Boy Detective Fails by Joe Meno. The former was an interesting read but I don't think it had the deep insight I was anticipating. An easy read and provides an interesting look into the inner workings of the mind of a British teenager with autism. Both books deal with boy detectives, although the latter delves more into the fantastical mystique, veering closer to likes of The Hardy Boys and Johnny Quest. I'm enjoying it so far but it has not proven to be as personal as Hairstyles of the Damned, the only other Joe Meno book I've ever read.

This is a t-shirt design I am working on right now. Penny farthing gentleman hedgehog.

Speak easy,

Neil

Quand j’étais une jeune fille...

2009-11-08T18:21:00.000-08:00

I went to go see the movie A Serious Man last night all by myself. For the last few days I have been pretty sick (yep, sick again and it's not even really winter yet) and it was nice to just get out of the dorm. The movie was really funny and I think it helped that the old people sitting next to me and the old people sitting behind me kept laughing during basically every scene throughout the entire movie. Even though I live in a college town I swear that the age of the average movie-goer for that specific screening was at least 50. I learned that old people do not think it is at all funny when young teenage boys excessively swear. Here's the trailer for anyone that doesn't know what movie I'm talking about.

It takes place in the 60's too, which was nice for me because all I've been doing is watching Mad Men so I went in with a predisposed and fresh understanding of the time period. Mad Men is really good too, I would definitely recommend it for anyone that likes 1) good television, 2) sexual harassment and misogyny in the workplace, or 3) advertising.

I have about 40 pages of my novel thrown together at the moment and have a few titles floating through my head. Not sure when I'll be finished because most of it comes out while I am procrastinating so I can't really gauge how much time I will be spending on it per week. Some titles I have considered which are references to things in the text or have some sort of symbolic importance...

- The Leak

- Freeze Thy Young Blood*

- Hollow Bones of Angels

- Matroyshka**

- The Rusted Obelisk

- Water Wings

*Quote from Hamlet that I really like.

**Layered Russian doll

Let me know if any pop out as a specifically good title.

Back to my French paper. My assignment is to write a composition from the perspective of a little girl. It's more fun than I thought it would be.

Speak easy,

Neil

globe trotting

2009-11-04T21:00:00.001-08:00

One of Lev's stole this snow globe from a hippy run Halloween party last weekend. It ended up in our room but we will try our darnedest to get it back to its rightful owner at some point. The inscription says: "Winter Solitude: In the world of one color, the sound of wind." Pretty deep stuff. They look really cool if you shake it up, put your eye up to the glass, and wave it in the direction of a light source (lamp, street light, computer screen).

Got my CIS study abroad application in. Now I just need to wait around to see if I got in.

Speak easy,

Neil

There ain't no sky above

2009-11-01T19:40:00.001-08:00

Here are two passages from James Baldwin's Go Tell It On The Mountain, a book I am reading for my English 300 class. It's getting really good but I can't finish it right now because I've got other work to do for other classes.

_________

"Little-bit - d'you love me?"

And she wondered how he could doubt it. She thought how infirm she must be not to have been able to make him know; and she raised her eyes to his, and she said the only thing she could say:

"I wish to God I may die if I don't love you. There ain't no sky above us if I don't love you."

_________

Babies, bawling, fatherless, for bread, and girls in the gutters, sick with sin, and young men bleeding in the frosty fields.

_________

I think I know why USPS employees "go postal". For the past week I have been going to the post office a lot because I have been sending out all my study abroad stuff. There seems to usually only be one guy manning the front counter and he is almost always really irritable. I do not blame him though because he constantly faces long lines of clueless people who have no idea what they are doing. Not only that but have you ever looked behind the counter. It's just a huge chaotic mess of envelopes and boxes and post it notes. Seems like highly irritating work. They briefly covered this topic on Seinfeld.

Here's another picture from Halloween, taken by my floor mate Connie. Lev dressed up as Gunther, a Swedish model turned pop-sensation who is responsible for the horribly awkward song Ding Ding Dong (not for the easily offended).

Speak easy,

Neil

P.S

Post your favorite songs that remind you of the winter. I am gearing myself up for Christmas carols and repeated listening of Matt Pond PA's beautiful rendition of Holiday Road.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T18:02:00.000-07:00

My hands have smelled like lobster for the past three hours and the only person I can really blame, besides myself, is Bill Cosby. Every year for Halloween, Bill Cosby donates a bunch of money so every student at UMass Amherst can have a lobster dinner. There was this one guy that I was sitting next to who was asking everyone if they would give him their lobster voucher if they decided not to take advantage of the Bill Cosby Lobster Halloween extravaganza. He probably ended up eating seven and he didn't even use a lobster bib. This guy knew what he was doing. So, anyway, I realized that lobsters are pretty overrated. Pistachio nuts are worth the hassle, lobsters are not.

I dressed up as Jim from The Office. This is a picture of me in full attire, trying really hard to make the Jim Halpert face.

My friend Kluas' idea of being a classy gentleman is taping a monocle to his face. Halloween really brings out the creativity in people.

Speak easy,

Neil

Sigma Kappa

2009-10-27T09:25:00.000-07:00

Thought this was pretty interesting. It is the 'Big Sister Ten Commandments' for the Sigma Kappa sorority. Some girl from my floor downloaded onto my computer.

___________

1. Thou shall be a good role model
(Thee girls look up to you, always keep that in mind)

2. Thou shall follow National Policy
(If you break it than why should they follow it?)

3. Thou shall be a GREAT listener
(Your little sister should be able to come to you and trust you)

4. Thou shall have time
(Make sure you can be around for them throughout the semester)

5. Thou hall not dwell on the past
(Look to the future! Remove “well before we…” from your vocabulary)

6. Thou shall be a responsible Sigma Kappa
(Be the kind of sister that you want our new members to become)

7. Thou shall be a resource but not give false information
(If you don’t know the answer send them to the VPNME)

8. Thou shall have a positive attitude
(If you’re negative you’re going to bring them down, love Sigma Kappa)

9. Thou shall understand the financial responsibility
(You must make a scrapbook to be given before the following initiation)

10. Thou shall work their hardest to make this a fantastic new member period
(Your role is crucial to their development as future sisters)

___________

Currently recreating MC Escher drawings with hedgehogs thrown in. It's harder than one might think. Tomorrow I'll probably post what I have of that whale animation I have been talking about. No time right now to correct the problems I have with the movement of the tail but I think it'll do for now. Something I'm quite proud of.

Sincerely,

Cornelius

Auburn and Emerald

2009-10-25T21:02:00.000-07:00

...is probably my favorite color combination. Second up would be blue and brown.

Just watched Cat On a Hot Tin Roof for Modern America Drama and really enjoyed it. Now it's time for Hamlet, French homework, and revising my paper on the dichotomous schism presented in the Asian American coming of age memoir Stealing Buddha's Dinner as it pertains to food and popular culture (all while listening to Charlie Brown Christmas...still not sick of it!!!).

Might end up staying in Amherst for Halloween because of ride complications. Life will be so much easier when I can afford a car and a house and my own Donkey Kong arcade machine.

Speak easy,

Neil

successful guys don't hang out in laundromats

2009-10-24T19:25:00.001-07:00

Last week was midterm week which meant papers and revisions and studying and essays. It feels really good to have some solid grades in for my courses this semester but I've still got so much study abroad paperwork to finish up in the next few days. I won't even know if I'll be able to go for another few weeks. This is the kind of anxiety that I could do without.

Reading through some more ridiculous relationship advise via Yahoo...

Where to meet single guys: sports bars, steak houses, driving ranges, movie theaters, class, sushi bars, supermarkets, industry events, cigar bars, and dog parks.

Where not to meet single guys: salons (too gay), clubs (no relationship potential), frozen yogurt shops (no single guys), cruise ships (they will probably have wife/girlfriend), laundromats (successful guys don't hang out in laundromats).

People will meet each other. I think that telling women to make a conscious effort to go to steak houses to meet guys will just end with a bunch of disappointed thirty something women. Stuff happens, it's not really up to us what it is or how it happens. It's just chance.

"Miracles. Events with astronomical odds of occurring, like oxygen turning into gold. I've longed to witness such an event, and yet I neglect that in human coupling. Millions upon millions of cells compete to create life, for generation after generation until, finally, your mother loves a man. Edward Blake, the Comedian, a man she has every reason to hate, and out of that contradiction, against unfathomable odds, it's you - only you - that emerged, to

distill so specific a form from all that chaos. It's like turning air into gold. A miracle. "

-Dr. Manhattan (Watchmen)

After the whole Balloon Boy thing I realized that I get 100% of my news through the internet.

Speak easy,

Neil

Parfois elle vaut la peine, parfois elle n'est pas.

2009-10-15T18:41:00.000-07:00

Hating writing about Shakespeare right now. Henry IV Part I. A Midsummer Night's Dream. It's all blending into a big mess of perchance, anon, thou wilt, zounds, doth proclaimed. A Lot of these close readings I've been doing feel like I'm digging and digging though the material and, despite hitting bedrock, I keep digging and digging for content.

Thou sayest well, and it holds well too, for the
Fortune of us that are the moon’s men doth ebb and
flow like the sea, being governed, as the sea is, by
the moon.

Andrew's probably coming to Amherst this weekend which should be fun and then I might be headed to the Cape next weekend depending on whether Jim has room for me. So many papers and tests in the next week though. Power through it trooper.

Speak easy,

Neil

Sleep Cycle

2009-10-14T18:10:00.001-07:00

Read this interview with filmmaker Don Hertzfeldt today and really liked this segment where he talked about the way he perceives the director/audience dichotomy...

it's sort of like giving somebody a nice gift.... you sew them a nice coat and you enjoy watching them opening it and making them happy. but then you need to get the fuck out of there. it's theirs now, let them try it on and walk around and live in it. don't keep coming over and saying "how's it fit? did you notice i put pockets on the inside? those stitches were imported..."

Lev says that I sleep too much so I have started keeping track of every nap.

Sometimes I pick a specific album to listen to in order to set the mood while I am reading a book. For example, when I read Dracula I listened to nothing but the Donnie Darko soundtrack and most times I am reading the Catcher In the Rye I listen to the Charlie Brown Christmas album. Some other good albums to listen to when reading...

- All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone by Explosions In The Sky

- Coraline Soundtrack

- String Quartet Tribute to Arcade Fire

- Our Endless Numbered Days by Iron & Wine

Speak easy,

Neil

Burninator

2009-10-13T19:23:00.000-07:00

I just realized this evening that I have a sideburn on one side of my face and not the other. How did this happen?

slaughter house

2009-10-12T20:17:00.000-07:00

This weekend I've done some homework and done some extra curricular writing. The application date for study abroad (or at least where I want to go) is approaching very quickly.

The following is an excerpt from a chapter I am working on. The narrator here is around 10 years old.

"After lunch we had art class with Mrs. Arnold. She was a Native American and wore Native American jewelry and had a big cow skull on the classroom wall. She said she got it in Arizona and that some people would charge $200 for the skulls and some people would charge $100 for the skulls, but she only paid $25 because they were just left over from the nearby slaughter house and no one had any good use for them after they took all the meat from the cows. If you charge a lot of money for something or make something really hard to get, people will think it’s more special than it really is. Mrs. Arnold liked being called Native American and hated being called Indian. My parents and the other teachers used the word Indian though, so I didn’t see what the problem was. “I’m not from Indian, and my ancestors weren’t from India. I am Native America.” She would say.

One time me and a bunch of my friends went to Plymouth Plantation and saw Mrs. Arnold there. Plymouth Plantation is a tourist destination where people dress up like pilgrims and pretend it is the 1700's. Most of it was filled with European settlers in wooden houses and buckled hats but there was a small corner dedicated to the Indians. When our group came by, Mrs. Arnold pretended not to recognize us and just gave a short presentation on how to make beaded blankets. Unlike all of the white people there, who spoke very old fashioned all the time, the Indians just talked regular English and even wore t-shirts. This one guy was playing the role of William Brewster who was one of the most important people on the Mayflower. My dad said he was my ninth great grandfather so when I met him it was like meeting a celebrity. It was a little disappointing to meet him though because when we talked to him he didn’t say anything impressive about being a leader or living through the long voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. Instead he told us something boring about how they didn’t have any plumbing in the settlement and had to use outhouses. He even used the word shit, which was really surprising for me. The only time an adult had ever said swears was when they thought I wasn’t listening or when they forgot I was around.

In art class all we did was play with clay. I would build a little guy out of clay and make him talk and walk around the table. There were these dull knifes and cheese cutter wires and little scalpels that we were supposed to use to craft something intricate to take home and show our parents how artistic we were, but my friends and I usually just used the tools to dismember the little characters we made. Every day we did it I thought we might get yelled at but Mrs. Arnold never came by to check on what we were doing, especially on the days we played with clay. The animal I sculpted the most often was a rabbit. After I’d cut its tail off with the scalpel and saw its ears off and slice its torso down the middle, I’d pretend that he was sent to the hospital where I’d have to put him back together and fix him."

There's more but I'm still working on it. At the moment I have about 30 pages, most of which is random thoughts and ideas that will be integrated into an overall story. I don't know exactly where I am going to start the narrative but I have a really good ending that I'm looking forward to writing (I've heard that the ending is the hardest thing to come up with).

Speak easy,

Neil

Edit: This week in movies.

(1) Watched Away We Go and was sorely disappointed.

(2) New trailer for Toy Story 3!

(3) This decades Blair Witch type movie Paranormal Activity makes $7 mil on 160 screens. Which is hugely record breaking.

Percentages

2009-10-10T19:18:00.001-07:00

I feel 95% than I did last week and 20° Celsius no longer feels like 20° Fahrenheit (I was at one point sleeping with 2 thick sweaters on). Luckily I did not have to go to health services. Last week I got a letter in the mail stating that I was denied Mass Health because I didn't send them some sort of Job Update Form.

Right now I am just about done scouring my old blog entries to see if there is any content that I would like to keep for novels or short stories. I'm keeping about 5% of all blog content. There are so many projects that I want to work on but it's hard to focus on just one to work on in any given afternoon because I feel like neglecting another. Someone told me Da Vinci only finished around 3% of the projects he started.

Speak easy,
Neil

Curiouser

2009-10-04T18:44:00.000-07:00

Last night I heard a rattling coming from the heater underneath my window. The electric heat is officially up and running in my building which is bad news for me because the dry air really irritates my nose. Between the heat and my constant need to blow my nose (I think I'm almost over my sickness) I have been getting nose bleeds fairly consistently over the past 24 hours. While I was working on my homework this evening I noticed a very strange streak of blood that had formed on my napkin which looked like it spelled out the word "LIVE". Somehow I take this as my body trying to send me some sort of message. Here is the napkin in question.

I don't know if this is more or less strange than the time I found a dust bunny that was shaped just like a real bunny (see April, 25 2009 blog entitled Fly Trapped In An Octopus Web).

Speak easy,

Neil

Tasting Roads

2009-10-03T16:14:00.000-07:00

When I'm at school I judge how much time I have in the semester not by days, but by how many meals I have left on my meal plan. For instance, at the moment I have 150 meals left. I started the semester with 200. This means I am approximately 25% into the semester. Also, I would like to add that I do use almost exactly 200 meals throughout the semester (take or leave a few). When I was staying in Moldova I estimated how many times I would have to bathe, and used that as a measurement for how much time I had left.

Some of my favorite quotes (as of recent)...

(1)

"I to the world am like a drop of water

That in the ocean seeks another drop,
Who, falling there to find his fellow forth,
(Unseen, inquisitive) confounds himself."

{Act, 1, scene 2, lines 35-38, The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare}

(2)

"An honest man is always a child."

{Socrates}

(3)
"What a beautiful face
I have found in this place
That is circling all round the sun.
And when we meet on a cloud,
I'll be laughing out loud.
I'll be laughing with everyone I see.
Can't believe how strange it is to be anything at all."

{In The Aeroplane Over The Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel}

(4)
"I got two hands on the sunshine
I got one foot in the grave
I got 25¢ in my wallet
And I'm feeling mighty lucky today.

My bones are made out of ivory
And my blood is made out of ocean waves
And someone stole my wallet
But I'm feeling mighty lucky today."

{Lucky Today by Cloud Cult}

(5)

"Mandolins are tuned G D A E. The physical world has a tropism for disorder, entropy. Man against Nature...the battle of the centuries. Keys yearn to mix with change. Mandolins strive to get out of tune. Every order has within it the germ of destruction. All order is doomed, yet the battle is worth the while. "
{Miss Lonelyhearts by Nathaniel West}

(6)

"I'm a connoisseur of roads. I've been tasting roads my whole life. This road will never end. It probably goes all around the world."

{From the film My Own Private Idaho}

Special thanks to Katie for letting me borrow her copy of Miss Lonelyhearts. I let Brad borrow my copy but he hasn't returned it yet. Last time I asked him about it he said that he tried to read it but it made him so depressed that he had to stop reading. I'm sure he'll get to it eventually.

This is a quick sketch of a possible duck animation I am going to tackle once this whale is all finished. The next part of the whale I need to work on is to perfect the movement of the tail (which will be incredibly difficult). Otherwise it is almost done.

Can't stop watching this commercial...

Speak easy,
Neil

Coming To Town

2009-09-30T20:16:00.000-07:00

Photo of sick me trying to get some rest. In the song Santa Clause Is Coming To Town, the line "so be good for goodness sake" is one that I find particularly strange. It is presented as some sort of conclusion to an argument that doesn't actually exist within the song. If there is a present argument within the text, the conclusion would be something closer to "so be good for someone is always watching everything you do". I do like the "goodness sakes" line though so I suppose one would have to fine tune the rest of the song so that it worked from a logistical standpoint.

Today is my 201st blog post! Forgot to mention 200 yesterday.

Speak easy,
Neil

Il y a becaucoup je voudrais savoir.

2009-09-29T19:46:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I had an appointment with the UK study abroad adviser. It looks like, currently, my options are Nottingham (maybe 100 miles North of London), Lancaster (North Western England), and Swansea (North Eastern Whales). My decision lies solely on the modules (or courses) that each Uni has offered for next semester. The money I currently have in the bank will most likely go to air fare over to the UK. All the preliminary fees can be tagged onto my bursars bill although it looks like I'll probably have to take out something like $15,000 in loans for the excursion (but that is not factoring in an financial aid). If you are still reading this and are still thoroughly interested...it means you are probably my mom.

I'm sick and behind on my French homework but still found the time to spend an hour at Starbucks (tried the new VIA that they have been advertising the hell out of. It wasn't bad.) this afternoon mapping out the novel (working title: Water Wings) I am working on and also the vulgar british sitcom about a group of independent wrestlers (think Entourage meets The Office [UK]) which is maybe half way finished.

If any of my projects have any chance of reaching completion, I decided that I should probably work on each one for at least half an hour every day.

Speak easy,
Neil

Comedy of Errors

2009-09-28T16:36:00.001-07:00

If you are going to try to take over the world, never start with Europe. Start with Australia and then take over Asia. Once you those and your borders heavily defended, you should do fine. I've been playing a lot of Risk.

I heard an interview today with a guy that interviewed over 40 comedians. Apparently the majority of comedy writers suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder and most, if not all, suffer from some sort of depression (on a fairly regular basis). This leads me to think that comedy is an inherent quality that is ingrained within oneself, like a mild personality disorder or something like that. It could also be biological, for instance some disorders are onset by enlarged glands.

Just finished Sherman Alexie's novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. It was an easy read and one of the more solid novels that I've read in a while.

Speak easy,
Neil

Duck/Otter

2009-09-27T17:05:00.000-07:00

My whale animation is going slowly because (1) it's incredibly time consuming to figure out how to animate with such complex movement and (2) because when I do get into the mood to focus on something, it usually means I have to focus on my homework. I do, however, have a conception to extend my aquatic themed animation project. The two main characters include a duck and an otter. Yesterday I went through about 6 or 7 different models before I decided on this little guy.

The otter is going to be a little bit more difficult to figure out but I feel like I'm getting pretty close with the one on this page.

Lev says my camera has an incredibly slow ISO. I think, in low light, the low shutter speed can look kind of cool.

Trying to get an on campus job. Apparently the study abroad program is fairly expensive ($150 application fee, $600 deposit, and an estimated $800 in transportation alone). There is also the spending money I will need for an entire semester and books that I'll need to buy when I get there. Worst case scenario I can take out a personal loan or borrow.

Speak easy,
Neil

egg cart

2009-09-22T20:53:00.000-07:00

Just witnessed two idiots drive a egg shaped golf cart into a guard rail and run off. One of them bashed their head on the windshield. I guess there are some things that people find amusing that I will never grasp. Lev may have been the only one to alert the authorities.

All of my financial aid stuff is squared away at the moment and now I just have to wait for the sluggish blind octopus that is bureaucracy to set in motion before I can reclaim my post at the cluster office. Need to save and make money for studying abroad.

Finished my bracelet. It's not perfect but it is the largest friendship bracelet I have made to date (15 strings).

Lev's side of the room. He proudly hangs the Russian and Israeli flag, while I have the British and Moldovan flag. You might also notice that he has an affinity for cars. That's kind of his thing.

Someone showed me this website today, which has a bunch of quiz/games. I tried to guess all 151 Pokemon in less than ten minutes but failed. Maybe when I have a clearer head. Also, I have been completely engrossed in the UK teen-drama Skins. Totally fantastic.

Speak easy,
Neil

43 weeks

2009-09-21T20:34:00.000-07:00

Today in my English Drama class I learned the difference between a tragic character and a pathetic character. A tragic character, if I can remember correctly, is a character that makes decisions that he probably shouldn't have made that lead to his downfall. A pathetic character is one who has bad times befallen on him that are not a direct consequence of his own actions. The only main difference is that one may still have their dignity by the time the curtain closes.

I went by the study abroad fair and will be looking through the pamphlets this week to choose a school. Instead of picking one nearby my friends who live in Southern England, I have decided to pick the school that I think I will get the most out of. That is to say, I am looking to go into this experience (if everything works out the way I hope it will) to try and make it on my own and see if I can sustain myself (and by that I mean make friends that aren't friends of friends and not get into a really introverted and antisocial state of being) somewhere where I don't know anyone. Ticket prices from London to Romania aren't too unreasonable either. There is a chance that I might try to make my way back to Moldova for a week or so if I have the time and money.

43 weeks of classes left of college.

Speak easy,
Neil

Drinking Tea Makes Everything Better

2009-09-20T18:14:00.001-07:00

Ducks are hanging out at the pond again. It seems like ages since I've seen a duck but I'm sure there were a few hanging around the camp. Lately I've been feeling slightly under the weather (I spent almost all day in bed yesterday), but it's mostly just drowsiness. Tomorrow is the last day to pick up or drop out of classes so I will probably looking for an on campus job within the next few days (now that my schedule is not subject to any change). It would be nice to have some more stuff to fill up my schedule because, like I've stated before, the more free time I have, the more free time I waste.

This bird let me get up real close to take a picture of it. I don't know if you can zoom into this pic very much, but it has incredibly pretty eyes.

Lev and I hung the British flag outside our window today and I'm sure it is looking great (although I haven't left the building since I put it up so I haven't actually seen what it looks like yet). Speaking of Britain, the study abroad meeting is tomorrow afternoon so I'm sure I will have an update on my European studies status by tomorrow evening.

Animating the whale has got me thinking about possibly trying to do some sort of aquatic themed short film (the one I have involves a duck and an otter). The way I see it is if I enter an animated film into an independent short film festival, I will get a lot more attention for my work because it is animated. Also I have been tooling around with the idea of writing a horror movie script loosely based on The Creature From The Black Lagoon, although I haven't actually seen The Creature From The Black Lagoon, so I suppose it is safe to say that it is just about a lagoon/lake and a lagoon/lake monster. My only real experience in watching horror movies is Funny Games (which invokes more sadness and pity than fear), Låt den rätte komma in/Let The Right One In, and Shaun of the Dead. I suppose I could try it as a graphic novel, which is a medium that I've always wanted to try but never really had any ideas that would fit.

I was thinking that the song After Hours by Velvet Underground would be an amazing song for a horror movie trailer. Let me know what you think.

Speak easy,
Neil

0

2009-09-17T19:58:00.000-07:00

If all twitter users were forced to write in haiku, I would probably be more interested in twitter.

Speak easy,
Neil

The Most Lamentable American Tragedy of Neil Everett

2009-09-15T17:15:00.000-07:00

Right now I am working on a terrifically difficult friendship bracelet for a dear friend of mine. It is composed of fifteen strings and is taking quite a bit of time to construct. Just figuring out how to keep the strings separate and organized was a herculean text in and of itself. Hopefully it will be completed within the next few weeks.

The whale animation is going pretty well. All in all I predict it will be about 3-5 seconds in length but I'm sure I will tie the animation itself into a larger project at some point in the future. I am saving the progress of the animation itself every so often so that I can post it up here and show you the process.

It would have really helped if I knew going into the project (1) how a whale is supposed to look, and (2) how a whale is supposed to move. It has been a logistic nightmare as far as redrawing and retroactively altering the look and movement of the creature (but you will see that in time). Drawing some sort of character design sheet would have helped. Overall, I think the whale is a lot cuter than I had originally intended, which I suppose is a good thing.

Playlist:
To Whom It May Concern (or my favorite songs at the moment)

1. The Books feat. Jose Gonzalez - Cello Song (Dark Was The Night Compilation) (Nick Drake Cover)
2. Grizzly Bear vs. The Knife - Heartbeats/Knife Remix
3. Anathollo - The River ([Engine] Glow)
4. Joanna Newsom - Peach, Plum, Pear (The Milk-Eyed Mender)
5. Carla Bruni - Quequ'un M'a Dit (Quequ'un M'a Dit)
6. Velvet Underground - After Hours (Velvet Underground)
7. Cloud Cult - Lucky Today (Advice from the Happy Hippopotamus)
8. The Streets - Heaven For The Weather (Everything Is Borrowed)
9. Dan Deacon - Pink Batman (The Spiderman of the Rings)
10. Joanna Newsom - The Book of Right-On (Walnut Whales)

Embedded youtube links for your navigation convenience.

Speak easy,
Neil

P.S - The title is a reworking of the complete and original title of the Shakespearean play Titus Andronichus, for anyone that would be curious.

Devices

2009-09-10T20:18:00.000-07:00

I've spent more time animating whales this semester than I have doing my homework, although I'm sure this statistic will change over the next week. Earlier today I bought a round trip bus ticket to Boston, where I will be spending my weekend.

These two images were born from me playing around on Adobe Photoshop CS3.

Speak easy,
Neil