Jeeez.

I'll say it again!
Jeeeeeez!!!

That means I'm stressed out :)

I have so much to do this month. Who said that Senior Year was a breeze? They should be punched in the head, because they are deceiving the masses. Today I have due: a reading response on "Retrieving the Tradition & Renewing Evangelicalism: A Primer for Suspicious Protestants" (which is a really, really great volume on Church History. If you're not familiar with Tradition, you should definitely take a gander. So rich.) A project Summary, and a review on Thomas Watson's "Body of Divinity". My biggest midterm is tomorrow, as is a greek test, and a thesis presentation. In November, I have three big book reviews, a symposium analysis, two class-long presentations (in addition to my weekly hour-long thesis presentation...), and a 20 page minimum paper on how failure of subduing the land leads to sexual immorality. And that's only the big stuff :(

Gossssh.
Yiiiiikes.
I feel unprepared.

In other news, my set design for the film (did I tell you guys about that?) went really well! I'm still in the process of breaking down the set, but everybody loved it. Hurray!
Also, Colton got an impromptu job on a feature film! I probably won't get to see him for a while, but I'm super proud that he's pulling focus for the A camera. Go Colton! And the director and AD have both made several comments about how glad they are he got to come... apparently, he's one the most consistent AC. (Poor team... they lost about half their crew less than a week before the shoot, because the union got involved, so they had to scramble to reassemble a crew. But hey, that's how Colton got called, so I'm pretty glad about their rotten luck.)
Also, I had my first real photo gig! With Andy and Susie, some of April's friends. Here's a few pictures:

(I scanned the film myself. I'm proud.)

Job!

Now don't get too excited... I don't mean a vocation type of job. I mean a week-long project.

I'm the art director for Bryce and Colton's new film!

It's called Sunderwater, and it's a prequel to JesusFish, a larger film which will be shot in May.

It's this great southern story about a young boy named Light. In Sunderwater, he visits his grandmother, an elderly, eccentric black folk artist, and she tells him the legend of the Jesus Fish, which has been around since she was a little girl.

I'm in charge of Production Design, so I'm in charge of turning an empty room into a cluttered folk art studio. For $50 or less. I think I can do it, though! I also need to do a few things for the front of a house and a dock, but not as much.

I've made some progress! I bought an old ugly flower painting at goodwill, then painted over it nice and bright, then added snake tongues to the flowerbuds and a scary face to the flowerpot. It's the Garden Gorgon! I love it.

And here's a picture of the painting I did last night.

Pretty folk art-y, huh?
:)

Three fall Things!

It's October! It's October!

1) A Fall Song
   composed by: me. And I'm just making this up as I go, so sorry if it's not very good... It's meant to be sung to (sortof) the tune of that one monty python song about the lumberjack.

Fall is a time where the leaves turn gold
And you put on a sweater cause your arms get cold
Appley dumpling a la mode,
It's super delicious, I've been told...
Pumpkin carving is so fun
I etched Frodo in a pumpkin once (which is true, by the way.)
You can fly kites in the nice warm sun
And mix up some cocoa once you're done!

The end.
Ps, here's my Frodo pumpkin. I made it last year for a jack-o-lantern contest at school. I didn't win :(
(But that's okay, cause the guy who won made a swine flu pumpkin which was totally awesome.)

2) Pictures!!!
They're not here yet, but they will be. Colton sent me a roll of Kodachrome in the mail! (it's a type of slide film that has been discontinued. The colors, especially skin tones, are unrivaled.) I just finished off the roll and sent it off to Kansas to be processed. Dwayne's Photo is the only place left in the world which is liscensed to process Kodachrome... and you have to send all rolls in by December 30th. After that, Kodachrome will be no more. So this is probably the only roll I'll get to shoot in a lifetime. I sure hope I used it wisely!

3) Fall drinks!
I was studying for a midterm this afternoon, and so I went into a local coffee shop and ordered a first for me: chai smoothie with a shot of espresso. I like tea and coffee both, but I've always considered them to be in very separate categories. But I asked the barista what he suggested if I was in a chai-ish mood, and he said that he wouldn't charge me extra to add espresso if I tried it and told him how it was. So that's what I did! Lemme tell you - it was delicious. The espresso really cut the sweetness in an incredible way... it was sortof like eating a toasted marshmallow from the inside out. It was sweet and mellow on the surface, but after I swallowed the smokey spices and black pepper from the chai and the earthiness of the espresso stayed on my tongue. And the espresso rounded out any acidity in the chai. I can't wait to try it hot! (It was really warm in the coffee shop and I'm wearing a wool sweater, so I just couldn't handle it hot today)

I can't wait to get my film back.
Also, I bought a pair of Italian leather Cole Haan loafers at Goodwill for $3. Yeah!

MMM.

I have made a brilliant new discovery:

Gaea Cooking Sauce!!!

All the delicious flavor of Greece,

In a Jar,

Purchased for 2 Dollars at the Food Pantry

(What can I say. I'm a starving college student, newly off the meal plan.)

Here's what I did:

I sauteed some mushrooms in butter and put some penne on the burner.

Once the mushrooms were lovely and brown, I added some leftover grilled chicken,

about 1/4 to 1/8 pint of heavy cream, and a few tablespoons of this sauce!

(I shook in a little extra sugar, basil, salt, and pepper just for good measure)

Then I just added the pasta, and voila!

Enough deliciousness to last me a few days :)

Hello, Hiawatha!!!

So. I have a confession.

I had a terrible crush on Hiawatha back in the day.
I had a Hiawatha book,
and knew this little chant about him.

So, of course, I did some light study in Native American Culture!

When I found out there was a Powwow in town,
I had to go. And Colton was even visiting!
Here's a few sweet pics...

The Silversmith. Colton bought me a lovely ring, and her husband polished it up to a gleaming shine, like her smile!

The Wolves. I'm not sure how I feel about this ethically speaking, but it was still pretty cool to see them up close.



This photo is all about the kid on the right. He was sitting on the haystack next to Colton and I, and said that he was a really good dancer, and could do indian-style dancing, as well as rap dancing on the floor. When the drums started, he just hopped right in there!



Maybe my favorite.

I think I would sortof love dressing up in this garb.



Hair wrapping!!! When I was about twelve, I bought one of those little gizmos that's supposed to make hair wraps, but it never really worked. Ps, check out the bokeh on this one! Gorgeous.



Reportedly, her dog can dance with the best of them.



So fierce :)

I love this guy! What a weird combination of Hippie and Native American. You should have seen their van.



And his wife. They have a facebook page for their crafts, apparently... If I find it, I'll be sure to post a link.



A Gem of a Family.



Sisters.

Whirlwind Weekend, Part 2

Let me tell you a little more about my saturday.

I have passed this lawn mower track every time I drive home from school, and vice versa. I've always wanted to go to a race. So I did!
Partly because some of my friends are making a documentary,
but partly because I just wanted to experience some southern entertainment with Colton and Bryce.
I am truly a southern girl. Not in music preference, accent, or bar frequenting, but in nearly everything else.
I love fried foods. I love southern literature (excuse me, Flannery OConner. How are you such a genius.). I love lazy days on the dock across the street. I love the characters you meet at Lawn Mower Races, or Powwows (soon to be featured on my blog). I love the warm nature of the people. I love the hospitality. I love how beautiful my surroundings are. Let me just say, Tennessee is the loveliest country. Actually, anywhere in the Deep South. Have any of you seen the documentary Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus? I highly, highly reccommend it. It really does capture the strange side of the spirit of the South, especially in regard to the intersection of the violent and spiritual.

As for the actual race, it's apparently a much bigger deal than I originally thought. This particular race is, I think, the one before the semi-finals, before the nationals in November. Which I am most certainly attending.
These racers have travelled all over the country. I thought that it was strictly a southern sport, but there are tracks in all 50 states. There were even some racers from Canada.

This one guy, Delaney, (pictured below) has raced all over for years, and has won 19 majors. The New York Times even covered his story once. When the guys interveiwed him for the documentary, he asked them if they wanted to meet his rival. "That guy over there," he said, "is Superman." They're best friends. There's such a familial aspect to these races. Everyone knows each other. The lady that let us in told us who was racing by their states, not their names. "The Alabama crew's here all the time. The North Carolina's are here too... we're not gonna go there. We've got Kentucky, Georgia, and I think Mississippi. In November Canada'll come, and all the Northerners. Oh yeah, they come from all over."

Delaney Smokes 'Em.

A Faithful Observer.



Happy to Be Here.



Tommy Daniels Himself.

Tommy asked to take this picture of me on his mower (which, by the way, can go up to 75 mph.) How could I refuse?

Whirlwind Weekend! Part 1.

Hey!!!
So. Colton came to visit (and teach some film workshops) from wednesday to monday morning! My goodness, how excited I was. We had the best weekend. I have a ton of pictures, but I'm going to try and post them a little bit at a time so I won't have super long posts.

At the workshop, I worked under Glen, who I've worked with a few times on other sets. He's the most excellent gaffer/electrician. One of the hardest workers I've ever met! And he's lightning fast. He taught me how to put up an HMI, and change lenses and scrims. I also learned a little more about how to work C-stands (they have a million knobs!) and learned the color bands of different levels of diffusion. Maybe I'll be a lighting guy when I grow up :)

(just kidding, I think.)


Later that afternoon, Colton and I (and Bryce, too. Of the Grecian Urns, check them out on itunes!) (ps, sorry I always advertise, but they really are phenomenal, and are trying to finish paying for college.) went to a lawnmower race! I pass the track everytime I drive from my house to the school, but I've never actually seen a race. We stayed for quite a few hours, and met the coolest people. I had TONS of fun. Here's a sneak peek at some photos to come!

The super mod twin division tearing up the track!

Engine Trouble.

Little Spectators

And big ones :)