:: anne in the attic ::

Create Your Own Countdown

:: Monday, April 30, 2007 ::

It's a gorgeous Monday morning out there-- the light is perfect, and I have the day off. So, in a little while I plan to go out and get some of the location shots I've been wanting for the doc: city limits signs, the cd recording location out on Maxwell Road, some inside stained glass reflections. Actually, I've got lots of B-roll-- that's the easy stuff to get, it seems. But I do have two interviews lined up (and more in the works) about which I'm pretty excited. This is the good stuff. It's fascinating, like an experiment. You go in, your guidelines loosely defined, but you never know what you're gonna get from people, and the story line may take an unexpected path. I feel like I've set up the scaffolding for the structure of this film (I have over 40 hours of footage, much of it showing the inner workings of the choir in action), and now people are going to do the building up with their humanity, their personal histories. It will be interesting to see what length it ends up being.

Tomorrow morning, I have a follow-up appointment for my foot and the dreaded biopsy. Think good thoughts.

:: Anne 9:18 AM [smartass remarks] ::
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Had a bit of foot surgery yesterday, so I'm home today, off my feet for a couple of days. Everything is going to be fine and I'll be back to work on Friday, no problem. The thing that worries me just a little, though, is that there is also a patch the doc wants to biopsy. I suppose I'll let him, just to be sure. I just don't like anything invasive to my body. I'm over 40 and the only kind of surgery I'd ever had was dental-- a root canal or a filling. I've been lucky all of my life. I've been healthy, haven't broken any bones, and the most I ever did was pull a ligament or a tendon playing sports. Sprains are par for the course though, so I don't really count them.

Two summers ago I had stitches for the first time, when I tripped and landed my wrist and arm on some broken glass and had to be sewn up. I swear, the shots they give you before they stitch you are worse than the stitches themselves. In fact, on the second round, I told the doc to "just stitch me-- fuck the shots" and it was actually better that way. When you're in shock anyway, your brain is already screening out nominal pain.

Anyway, so I'm sitting around (that's the hell of it) with my foot sticking up. I've slept in (until 8-- whoa!), played a bit of guitar, made some calls, paid the bills & balanced the checkbook, done some stretching, answered some correspondence, had some delicious coffee, and have begun watching a film called "The Prestige." I am a Christian Bale fan, since "Empire of the Sun." I liked him best in "Laurel Canyon," but he was good in "Batman Begins" and "The Machinist." It's a fairly perfect day outside, wish I could take advantage of it, but I can't even change the dressing on the foot for 48 hours (= tomorrow around noon). Not very focussed today, but I suppose that's all right for now. A light day is necessary sometimes.

Also, I'm posting this video still here so I can link to it for a profile pic. For some-odd reason, Blogger does not allow direct profile photo uploads. Hm.

:: Anne 12:16 PM [smartass remarks] ::
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Okay, here's the music video I made for the local band Complicated. Finally. It's from a show I shot at "Cozmic Pizza/The Strand" a couple of years ago, and the song is called "Easy," by Cowboy Mouth. Happy Earth Day, everyone.

:: Anne 1:09 PM [smartass remarks] ::
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HB2007 + SB2 go to the Oregon House vote today.

It's a powerful feeling (one that will turn your stomach to molten metal) to know that, without ever knowing who I really am, without ever seeing my face, millions of people hate me and would even kill me for what they think I am.



Today I went to work, but my heavy heart was in Salem, where HB2007 (gay domestic partners) and SB2 (bans gay discrimination) are being put to a House vote.** Last night on the news, after the last of the Virginia Tech shooting coverage, our news teams turned to local issues here in Oregon. The networks showed footage of an anti-gay rally on the capitol steps, people holding signs of hatred, people looking so angry. The tears came as I looked into their faces-- their pain, their fears exacerbated by the religious "right." It just escapes me. I mean, who does this? And I thought, face me, damnit. Face us. Talk to us. Let down your guard. Practice that "godly" philosophy of acceptance and KNOW US. Are you so afraid you'll quit objectifying the issue that you'll see and feel us as like yourselves-- deserving of giving and receiving love? To love whomever we love. You'd think your "God" would condone such things, not forbid them. Where does it tell you to hate other people? We don't hate you....


**THEY PASSED THE HOUSE. Now, on to the Senate. Keep your fingers crossed for Oregon.

**Postscript: SB2 passed in the Senate on Thursday, April 17th. Go to the Basic Rights Oregon blog for a detailed report.

:: Anne 6:13 PM [smartass remarks] ::
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And I am sad. It's happened yet again. Today, another poor hurting soul got his hands on a gun and shot down dozens of his fellow students-- and then killed himself, this time at a university, Virginia Tech. Man, oh man. I remember when it happened here (Thurston) nine years ago in May of '98, and a year later in Colorado (Columbine) April of '99. (What is it about the Spring?) Words fail, but I am thinking of the unsuspecting and sudden victims, their families, and those who had no choice but to watch it all go down. No doubt the nation will hold its breath and grieve with them as the story of why unfolds. Why are we so unseeing or unwilling to see or acknowledge others' pain-- so much so that they would resort to such a massive display of violence? What are we afraid of?-- Is it the responsibility we fear? Well, we'd better figure it out-- how to reach these people, these anguished men. How can we better intercede BEFORE people become so desperate? That's all I can think and say for now. Peace, all.

::::: [photo added 17Apr2007 6:10pm] :::::

:: Anne 10:19 PM [smartass remarks] ::
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Just for fun, when you email me, tell me which song came up on the player.
Requests always, except that I'll keep my own work off this page.

Speaking of which, I did a little work on "One Good Lie" this morning. Maybe it's about time I recorded this blues song. It's a workout for the left hand, so it takes a good warming up first. It felt good to do that today.

Gonna catch a show tonight & relax-- one of my favorite bands is coming through town. Though it's not one of my favorite venues, I think I can suck it up for Girlyman.

:: Anne 1:31 PM [smartass remarks] ::
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I'll say it again, for those who've come here and wondered where the music is: it's over here, on my "MySpace" music site: http://www.myspace.com/anneintheattic

Thanks everyone, for listening. I've rotated in a couple of older tunes while I work on some new material. Does anybody have a lap slide I can borrow? Thanks to Sue M. for the use of her banjo-- "Take My Life" would not have been possible without it! Cheers and goodnight.

:: Anne 9:45 PM [smartass remarks] ::
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Yeah, I'm up. Hard to explain, but let's just say 'bad salsa' and leave it at that. To take my mind off of things, I've been doing some research and came across one of my favorite film clips of all time. It's an incredible montage sequence called "The Test" from the 1974 Warren Beatty film "The Parallax View."

For best results, hit pause (top left --> " ) on the black box music player above. If you have the internet speed and want a larger image, then click inside film box below to go directly to the video page, and once there, hit the button at the bottom right in the film box that looks like a square growing within a square to enlarge the video to fit your screen. This sequence deserves it.

::: THE PARALLAX VIEW [original version] :::


And now, check out what someone else did with the sequence to bring it up to date, make it more contemporary. Eerie, but you just can't look away....

::: THE PARALLAX VIEW [recent REMIX] :::

:: Anne 3:20 AM [smartass remarks] ::
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King Black Acid, one of my favorite bands, and who also hail from Portland, have made a video to their song "Into the Sun." It's very cool. Click here to see it.

:: Anne 11:21 PM [smartass remarks] ::
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