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As much as possible: Buffy, Angel, Firefly… and now… Dr. Horrible! Thank you Mr Whedon!

Wow, a conversation with a friend recently reminded me of some old writing I did back in the day. That led me to look up a bunch of old websites that I’d put together (back when “frames” were all the rage). I thought it’d be fun to post some of these ancient relics from the interwebs of yesteryear:

• Alliance Armada - backstory for a never-produced five episode cable access sci-fi epic!
• Carried Away - a behind-the-scenes look at the development of a children’s interactive storybook from my Junior year at The Evergreen State College
• Threshold - submissions to the Alliance for Community Media for a live call-in talk show I produced (we won in the category “On the Fringe”)

Iron Man just topped a half-billion earnings worldwide. It’s times like this I wish ILM owned the content it helped produce. It would be nice to get some extra financial love. Pixar folks get bonuses when their pics make big money (do any Pixar films not make big money?). Anyhow, I’m happy to have been involved with one of my favorite superheroes and happy it’s received such favorable reviews. And speaking of good press…

Cinefex, an industry magazine, featured Iron Man in their latest issue #114. Whenever I receive a new issue, I quickly skim for any of my shots (ego search!). For three years, not one of my shots has appeared in Cinefex (or any other magazine I’ve seen for that matter). I’ve had lots of luck with trailer shots and even VES and Academy reels, but I’ve never had a shot appear in print… until now!

Cinefex’s Iron Man article includes one of my shots as filler. Woohoo! Okay, it’s not a featured shot and not a big deal really, but it was a nice surprise to see my work in a new format. That said, here it is, in all its crappy print-to-scan-to-monitor glory:

I haven’t started officially advertising to rent the house yet, but I just put up a website for testing purposes: www.7500SERamonaSt.net.

Check out the site if you’re interested and you have a moment. I’d love to hear if you have any suggestions for content or run into any technical problems. (A lot of what’s on that site is new to me technology-wise, so if anything breaks or is a pain to use i’ll change it.)

My goal is to put up an official ad on Craig’s List in middle or end of July (after bathroom linoleum and front door are installed). I’ll also put the word out here at work and I’m going to ask my friends at Laika to put an add on their message boards, too.

I’m still bummed I can’t live in it yet myself, but my work schedule combined with some unexpected income loss means I don’t have a choice at this point. I’m still planning to move back up to Portland in a couple years one way or another so don’t count me out yet!

Anyhow, I hope all’s well with everyone. Please take care!

No, no, not me. But my friend and former boss Paul Hill (above, tall fella on the left) was married this morning to his long time sweetheart, Brad (their seventeen year-old daughter Alex can just barely be seen behind Paul’s shoulder).

I believe this is actually Paul and Brad’s second time getting married. Continue Reading »

No, this entry’s title doesn’t refer to any sci-fi movie stuff… it’s actually my cousin Vicky’s job title at the place she’s been volunteering. Even cooler, the Oregonian recently wrote an article about her work there. Volunteer Vicky the TechnoHost! Awesome! Congrats on the buzz, cuz!

Oh, and if anyone’s still looking for something sci-fi in this post, here you go:

I hear these guys have a killer library. Trying to volunteering there is futile, though, as they only accept permanent positions.

Erin’s folks just rustled themselves up a pup. She’s a cute little tike. Does this mean Everett’s not the baby in the family anymore?

Haven’t talked much about work, but here’s a quick recap…

Last few weeks of Iron Man were busy as expected. There was an occasion where the director and visual effects producer stopped in to say some very kinds words to the crew. That’s a rarity and I appreciated it a great deal. I can’t wait to see the finished film.

So my new gig is… Star Trek! That’s something I never thought I’d have a chance to work on and I’m kind of geeking out about it. The teaser trailer is out now to whet everyone’s appetite, but the actual release isn’t until Summer 09.
You know, I was thinking: Lightsabers, Optimus Prime, Iron Man and now, Star Trek! What other influential childhood franchises could I possible hope to be involved with…? Ooh! Maybe the next Muppet movie? If I could work on a scene with Animal singing “Fever” with Rita Moreno my life would be complete.

My folks took this photo today of the house. The magnolia and azaleas are blooming. Yay!

See?! I knew it would be difficult for me to keep up with my blog!

It’s been a little under a month since my last post and I have a handful of updates, but I’ll start with the house.

I made two visits up to Portland over the last few weeks. The first was cataloging what needed to get done with the home. Mom, Dad and me went over every nook and cranny and made a long list of everything we hope to address in the next few months, plus we hit Home Depot, Costco, Lowe’s and Sears to start pricing things out. My second trip I met with potential contractors (electricians and window guys), had a chimney safety inspection/cleaning completed and saw the brand new washer/dryer installed (my Dad impressed me with a handy-man install of a 30amp outlet for the electric dryer with an assist from my uncle). That weekend I also had a long shopping day with Dad, meanwhile, Mom ordered blinds for the living and dining rooms. I also had a visit from my best friend and his cousin for more handy-man input (my best friend’s cousin recently completed designing and building a large addition to his family’s home). All-in-all a very productive trip with loads of help and support from family and friends as usual. I definitely couldn’t do any of this without them!

So what’s left…? Still got a long list of smallish projects plus a couple major projects. The big ones are: repair and refinish hardwoods, make it legal to sleep in the basement and make sure the home’s electric systems can safely support all my computer and television gear. I’ve scheduled the hardwoods for later this week, but I’m still comparing the multiple bids I received for adding a basement egress window and modernizing the electric system. I hope to make a decision very soon.

It’s crazy… the house is in great condition especially compared to other homes I looked at, but I keep experiencing sticker shock at how even the little things adds up. And the learning curve on things like permitting, taxes, utilities and rent rules is pretty steep. But as daunting as home ownership feels sometimes, I’m glad I finally made the move. I love the house and I’m glad I’ve finally started the long haul back home.

Cheers!

P.S. I can’t wait til Spring gets going! Turns out the former owner was an avid gardner, so I’m anxious to see what surprises will come up in the yard. Already, the tulip magnolia in the front starting to bloom and I can’t wait to see what kind of roses to expect from the climbing rose bush over the patio. Woo-hoo!