Sunday, May 29, 2005

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Thursday, May 26, 2005

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Monday, May 23, 2005

I'm A Friendster, She's A Friendster …

I signed onto Friendster today. I've heard of it, but since I wasn't really into web chatting or dating, I didn't really care enough to look into it. I actually signed onto Match.com last year, but was too chicken to fill out the profile and bailed. It's only since I've been blogging that I'm even remotely interested in any kind of interpersonal communication online beyond email and IM (which I haven't done in years). I'm pretty sketchy with my Blogger profile as well, which works for me right now.

Speaking of email, I received one from a new friend, Sumi, that I met at God's Love last week. She submitted a poem for the Thurs.Night site, and asked if I was on Friendster. She said that we could be "friendsters" if I signed up. So I checked it out. First off, I loved the design. The look and feel reminded me a lot of Blogger, especially the profile section (I had to check to see whether Google owned it too). You can even set up a blog on it. Unfortunately, the free version has ads on it, and I don't really need another personal blog, so I won't be taking advantage of that.

Sumi and I are now "friendsters" and I even found Will, another Thursday-Nighter, on there. And I actually started filling out my profile.

Saturday, May 21, 2005

This Explains A Lot!

I just did this quiz on a site called Blogthings. I found the link on the blog of one of my recent commenters, MoDigli. You answer a series of questions and they come up with your "young at heart" age. Mine, as you can see below is 20.

I always thought I was a little less mature than I should be, and I have been "drawn to" a few twentysomethings these days, but dang! That's almost a 20 year difference. I'm not mad though. People tell me I don't look my age, which is great (but not surpising—black don't crack, after all), but to know I'm this young in spirit is truly a blessing. I hope this will be the case 20 years from now.




You Are 20 Years Old



20



Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view — and you look at the world with awe.

13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world.

20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come...love, work, and new experiences.

30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more!

40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.





What Age Do You Act?


Making Time for Blogs

Since I started blogging last month, I really haven't read through too many other blogs. I've checked those from commenters to my blogs, and I've scrolled through quite a few as a result of my various listings (a requisite for being listed) and the Blogger navbar. I've bookmarked some, but there are less than a handful that I've actually read all the way through or commented to.

I'm sure you can read a blog any way you want, but I always like to start from the first post. I find it a lot more comprehensive and informative. I can get a much better idea of what a person's story is, and who they are in general. It's not the easiest way considering that some folk have been blogging for years; there can be tons of posts to get through (but hey, I've got nothing but time, right? ;-) ).

I've decided to start reading some blogs regularly now that I've got mine pretty much set up the way I want them. I'll of course continue to post regularly, but I'll spend less time on all the add-ons and links. I'm looking forward to getting to know some other bloggers, and who knows, I might just make a friend or two.

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

A Night at the Blue Note


Allyson2
Alyson Williams tearin' it up at the Blue Note!

I finally got a chance to go to the Blue Note Jazz Club last night thanks to my friend Dawn. Although I was born and raised in NYC, I've never crossed the threshhold of this landmark establishment. It's a shame, but pretty common for native New Yorkers not to see all the sights. The last Broadway show I saw was 2 years ago, and before that, maybe 10.

There was a couple at our table from Holland who were in the US, and at the Blue Note, for the first time. The other folk at our table were from the south, but I'm not exactly sure where; the accent sounded Texan. I also heard there were people there from Japan and other places. Japan has no shortage of Blue Note clubs; there must be about four of them there.

The featured artist last night was Alyson Williams. She had an R&B hit back in the 90's, Just Call My Name, which I love, so I was anxious to see her perform live. Unfortunately, she didn't sing it, but instead chose to do a full jazz set including old standards and covers of some more recent pop songs like Simply Red's Holding Back The Years. She did her thing though, so I had no complaints.

I was surprised by how small the stage was at the Blue Note, but I do like an intimate setting. Another friend of ours, Allen, also came, and although it was a tight fit at our table we had great seats, and a great time.

Sunday, May 15, 2005

Get FIREFOX!


Get Firefox!

I've just been checking to see how my blogs look on different browsers. I've been using Safari primarily since I have a Mac, but I still use Explorer for one or two things. Since I've been blogging I've heard a lot about the Firefox browser, so I downloaded it. I have to say that although both my blogs look good in Safari for the most part, others I've checked out look a lot better with Firefox.

It's not perfect, but it beats Explorer by a mile. I just looked at my blogs in IE and was horrified to see what it did to them. I don't know if it would be any different with a PC, but on my Mac it was ridiculous.

I already have a button in the sidebar, but after seeing the mess Explorer made of my blogs, I felt compelled to further promote the Firefox browser. I'm no real web geek, but seeing is believing. I'm looking forward to whatever improvements they make to it.

Friday, May 13, 2005

Light Bright 2005: A Success!

The Light Bright Project exhibit last night was a smashing success! Despite losing 2 nights of sleep, I got the video done. Actually, it's still unfinished but I was able to put it together enough to present. Technical difficulties notwithstanding, everyone loved it.

I was so happy to be a part of this project. Everyone is so positive, and the school really appreciated the effort put into it; they want us to work with them again next year. The kids were proud to see their work displayed (even though they didn't want to act like it), and they presented us all with gifts (I got a box of chocolates, which I love).

My Virgin Vlog

Here, ladies and gentlemen, is my very first videoblog. It's a little slideshow I put together from The Light Bright Project's 2002 opening exhibit. Michael, one of the instructors, is on the left, with my friend Patrick, Light Bright's founder, on the right.

Light Bright '02
CLICK TO VIEW

Tuesday, May 10, 2005

Discovering Vlogging

From the time I started this blog I wanted to figure out how to post video clips. I had seen videos on other blogs, but they didn't look like much so I didn't pay them too much attention.

As I've been working on the Light Bright Project, I thought about possibly posting a clip of what I'm working on here, but I didn't know how. I decided to start researching videoblogging and was blown away. It's in a world all it's own! People who vlog are very serious about it, and very committed. And I loved their creativity. It was really inspiring to me as a videographer and wannabee filmmaker.

I know I'll want to post some video to my regular blogs, but I'm not sure I'd want to commit to doing an entire vlog. Who knows? Never say never. One thing I know is that I'm much more comfortable behind the camera than in front of it.

Saturday, May 07, 2005

The Light Bright Project

I've been so consumed with blogging lately that I'm starting to neglect other projects. These aren't paid projects (thankfully), but are still important.

I've been working on something called The Light Bright Project started by my photographer friend Patrick as his way of giving back to the community. He enlists some of his photog friends to go into an elementary school and teach children about photography for a few weeks. This is Light Bright's third year. They've worked with older kids in the past (12-14) but this year they're working with fifth graders.

They start out with a few in-class lectures showing slides to teach the basic rules, then give the kids small cameras, a couple of rolls of film (one color, one b/w), and have them go out and shoot. After processing the film, the photographers help the students choose a photo from each roll and let them critique each other's work. The project is concluded with an exhibition of the students' framed photos.

I was asked to videotape some of these sessions and create a 10 minute reel which will be looped over and over at the exhibit. So far I haven't even looked at the footage yet. I still have to log it, capture it into the computer, and figure out some way to make it work. On top of that, it's been a while since I've edited anything, so I'm a bit rusty with Final Cut Pro. I know that once I get started, it should be fine (you know, the whole 'riding a bike' thing), but I've got to get out of the blogosphere long enough to do it. Thankfully, I only have about a couple hours footage to deal with.

The crazy thing is I offered to do this. I wanted to get back into editing so I "magnanimously" offered my services. I'll let you know if I did the right thing or not.

To learn more about The Light Bright Project check out Patrick's site: ptmulcahy.com

Friday, May 06, 2005

Photo Friday

I've been having trouble managing my blogging sessions so I decided to create a schedule. Today is "Photo Friday." I got the term from a site I found of the same name that creates themes for photographers to shoot each week. I've been working on setting up my photoblogs, so I'm devoting Fridays to all things photo.

I'll be posting to my New Word blog on Wednesdays, and will continue to post here daily (or as time permits). I have my Thurs.Night site also (not a blog), which I'll work on on Sundays (that'll only be twice a month, so I won't be that stressed).

That should cover it. Now I won't lose my mind out here in blogland.

Thursday, May 05, 2005

Operation: Pamper Mom - Part 1

Today I treated Mom to a manicure and took her to breakfast. This is the first day of the rest of her life and I wanted to get started right. It's also a kind of pre-Mother's day thing. We had a lot of fun. She never does anything like this for herself so I was glad to do it for her. She actually said that since leaving the hospital last night, life seems just a little bit sweeter today. I couldn't agree more!

Mommie & Me 1Me & Mom in 1985 (yes, I had a jheri curl)

Wednesday, May 04, 2005

Mom's Clean Bill of Health

My mom came home from the hospital today. She went into emergency on Saturday after experiencing a strange chest pain. They first said she had a clot on her lung, but after going through a battery of tests they found everything A-OK. Her blood pressure's still a little high, but everything else is cool. It's quite a relief considering that the one of the doctors made us believe it could be anything from a heart problem to cancer. We didn't know what to think. It was a bit of a scare, but it's all good now.

Mom's really got to slow herself down. She does so much for so many and doesn't always take care of herself. This is definitely a wake-up call for both of us. It's time for her to ease up and live as stress-free as possible.

I'm just glad she'll be home on Mother's Day.

Tuesday, May 03, 2005

Another Party?!

Yes folks, God's Love We Deliver had its annual Volunteer Appreciation Party last night at Club LQ, and it was off the chain! I'm limping today from dancing so hard. As with Saturday night, a good time was had by all. And I didn't drink too much either, which is good.

Group 6
Me & the Thursday Night crew. Represent!

Sunday, May 01, 2005

80's Party Report

Well the party's over and a good time was had by all. The whole wardrobe thing was really no big deal. I did manage to find an old pair of eyeglasses that I pulled out for effect, and I wore a velour shirt. Even though I bought it much more recently, velour was really big in the 80's. I remember people wore velour in all kinds of colors, especially sweatsuits.

It really didn't get too crazy, except for my friend Lars who sported a mullet wig. Despite the rain and the long day, I got there, drank too much, and had a lot of fun.

Group 1
Some of the Thursday Night gang at Donna's Party. Donna's got the fro.

Arthur & Melanie
Arthur & me in my velour