beautiful, funny, sad & true

I had a strange weekend, in both good and bad ways.  Last night, I felt kind of tied in knots (still do, quite honestly), so I watched an episode of Six Feet Under to help me relax.  The episode I watched happened to contain one of my favorite scenes, which encapsulated everything I’d been feeling lately, and also gave me some advice which turned out to be exactly what I needed to hear.  Incidentally, it involves a bit of ‘adult’ language (which I only use judiciously in my blog), so if that’s something you’re sensitive to. . .well, you’ve been warned.

If you’re not familiar with the show, Nathaniel is the dead father (That’s not a spoiler, don’t worry; his death happens in the very first scene of the very first episode) and David is the younger of his two adult sons.  Nathaniel’s apparition appears to David after a particularly traumatic experience that David endured in a previous episode, which would be a huge spoiler if I revealed it here.

Nathaniel Fisher: You’re missing the point.
David Fisher: There is no point, that’s the point.
[pause]
Isn’t it?
Nathaniel Fisher: Don’t give me this phony existential bullshit, I expect better from you.  The point’s right in front of your face.
David Fisher: Well, I’m sorry but I don’t see it.
Nathaniel Fisher: You’re not even grateful, are ya?
David Fisher: Grateful?  For the worst fucking experience of my life?
Nathaniel Fisher: You hang onto your pain like it means something, like it’s worth something.  Well, let me tell ya, it’s not worth shit.  Let it go.  [to himself] Infinite possibilities and all he can do is whine.
David Fisher: Well, what am I supposed to do?
Nathaniel Fisher: What do you think?  You can do anything, you lucky bastard, you’re alive!
[pause]
What’s a little pain compared to that?
David Fisher: It can’t be so simple.
[pause]
Nathaniel Fisher: What if it is?

What if it is?  What if it is that simple?  Nice to be reminded every once in a while.

When I saw that La Maison en Petits Cubes had won the Oscar for being the best animated short film, I was stunned.  Pleasantly.  I say that because I love Kunio Kato’s work, and I’ve posted some of it in my blog before.   I am SO SICK of always being ahead of my time.

That’s a joke, by the way.  My tongue was planted firmly in my cheek as I wrote that.

Here’s Part One of the video. I trust that you can find Part Two on your own.

In all the stress, I forgot to mention the good thing that happened.  As of yesterday afternoon, I have a second niece.

So there. . .yesterday wasn’t all bad.

After over a year of the black template, it was time for a change around here.

I finally stumbled across a new template that I liked, after much searching.  I don’t like everything about it (specifically some of the fonts; I’m trying to figure out how to change them) and I had to change the header to keep it from changing away from the color bar to other images.  The original also has a biplane, a night sky, and a Japanese rising sun, all of which have exactly nothing to do with this blog, so they’re gone now.

Nice to see a brighter, happier version of BFST, I have to admit.  I loved the old design, but in these dark times I wanted something a bit more cheerful.  Just one more example of my ‘Out With Crappy Old 2008, Cause Here Comes 2009!’ ethos.

I also took the opportunity to check in on Twitter and see if they’ve made any changes too.  Turns out they have, as you may have noticed.  I went for the Flash version this time.  Let me know if you have difficulty seeing it.  Actually, y’know what?  I take that back.  Just go download a newer version of Flash, would you?  Sheesh.

I volunteered to go in to work for a couple of hours of overtime this afternoon, which I almost never do.  Some people live to work, and others work to live.  I’m definitely in the latter category, but this time I thought a couple hours here and there would be a good idea to improve my reputation around the office a little.

Came across a new blog today, thanks to Twitter, that I really enjoy.  It’s called the list of now, and I’m adding it to my blogroll, but I also wanted to share it with you publicly and give her a little ‘shout out’ or whatever the kids these days are calling them.

OneYearAgo

Incidentally, I just realized that BFST has been around long enough that I can start doing TwoYearsAgo now.  Cool.

As I promised, here are my favorite pictures from this past year, in no particular order.

The landscape between Utah and Idaho is vast, and seems quintessentially American somehow.

This picture was taken outside the studio when we were mixing Andrea’s CD.  There had been a freak snowstorm overnight, and we all woke up to this beautiful scene. Amazingly, the snow was all gone by the afternoon.  We finished mixing the songs, and then I drove back to Portland and went on a great first date.  That was a good day.

Andrea had just read and been inspired by the book Blue Like Jazz, and she wanted to take a little hike around the campus of the college here in town in which the book is set. Though it has changed in the decades since the book was written, this was and still is a beautiful place to hike and explore.

This is one of my favorite locations to take pictures.  It’s an abandoned cannery town along the Columbia river. Sorry about the small size.

When Breanna and Justin and I were on tour in Reno, Justin was getting his CD mixed in Portland, and the guy would send Justin mixes via e-mail, for him either to approve or to request some small changes. After our show, he and Bre were listening to the final mixes, so I left and walked around for an hour, and took about a million pictures of the city at night.  Came back and listened for a while, and when they went to bed, our host and I stayed up talking for another hour and a half afterwards. That was my favorite day (and night) of the tour.

ViolinistKarlee, me, Breanna and Justin on our tour, after our show in Redding.  This picture just puts a smile on my face every time I see it.  Karlee is such a lil thug.

This is my car, all loaded up with instruments to go to the studio and record my parts for Andrea’s CD.  I’m always amazed at just how much stuff this car can carry, despite its diminutive size.

ChefDave, in an instantly classic pose.  I love the way the light is gleaming off the knife.  Incidentally, you owe to it yourself to eat at the Sego Lily Cafe in Bountiful, Utah, by the way, next time you’re there.  Dave’s food is phenomenal.

There are lots of abandoned military bunkers outside Port Townsend, Washington, and I could easily spend a weekend just taking pictures of them. I love the way the light interacts and contrasts from room to room.

Ah, beautiful Astoria, Oregon, seen from the highest point in town.  That’s another place that provides an almost endless supply of photographic opportunities.

This picture I didn’t take, but it’s such a classic that it warranted inclusion on the best pictures of the year.  It’s the Cinemagic theater here in Portland, when they were in transition from the movie Hancock to the Dark Knight, and this was the sign change, in progress.

I love looking back over the year in this way. Even though this was a particularly difficult, painful, and challenging year, there were certainly plenty of good times too.

Here’s to a better 2009, though.