Movie Studio Theme Songs

What's it like watching a movie with Sarah? Depending on the movie, the first few seconds go something like this:

Practice Safe Googling

Tonight Facebook decided this ad was for me:

Something tells me if anyone Googles this girl, they're going to need a prescription afterward.

Reason # 583 Why I Love CraigsList

Saw this posting on the Lancaster PA Craigslist site:

Filmmaker seeks actors and other talent who have something to "bring to the table." Access to financing is a top consideration. Locations, equipment, editing, music, or anything else that may be useful to a film production. Creative roles available in short and feature projects in development. Please send basic info about yourself, what you do, and what you have to offer.

In other words:

"Hey, who wants to give me a bunch of money and then make a movie for me?"

Atop the Kimmel Center

While I was in Philadelphia, our pal Ralph was kind enough to stop by the city and show me some of his favorite sites in the city, which included some of his secret spots to snap photographs. It was really cool to see the city not from the viewpoint of a tourist guide but from the point of view of a photographer.

It was also really good to touch base with a friend again whom we see on a not-regular-enough basis. Ralph took me to the roof of the Kimmel Center, which just begs to be photographed. Ralph and I couldn't help but oblige.

Food in Philly

Sarah and I hit the town in search of something to eat. My pal Ralph showed me some of the sights earlier in the day and, now armed with my knowledge of the city, took Sarah to eat at one of the places Ralph recommended. There was a 40-50 minute wait at "The Continental" and the place was definitely too cool for me.

From there we walked down to option #2, a Mexican restaurant named El Vez. At least, by day it's a restaurant. By night it too had magically transformed into some cool hip dance club from the 80s and we were told the wait there would be 2 hours.

So, Sarah and I just turned around, went back to the hotel, and ate at the Thai restaurant downstairs. It was worth the wait.

Real (Bad) Time

Every time I go on vacation and stay in a hotel with free HBO, the same thing happens. I watch Real Time with Bill Maher and am reminded how much I can't stand this guy. Or his huge smarmy Crisco-blotted head.

It's like I have some weird kind of short-term memory.

"Oh hey, maybe NOW I'll like him."

(Five minutes later)

"Nope."

Body Works

Yep, Sarah and I made it to body works. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, so if you aren't familiar with this science/art exhibit, here's what it is: Some crazy guy took a bunch of actual human bodies, peeled the skin off, plasticized them, and then stuck them in plastic cases for the rest of us to look at. It's really fascinating, but at the same time, reminds me that Hannibal Lecter is still on the loose, and now his handiwork is considered educational.

Hangin' wif Ben

Part 2 of my first day in Philadelphia continues. I learned that turning left out of our hotel is much more interesting than turning right. Left takes me to the Free Library, The Franklin Institute and, I think, the museum of natural history. I know what I'll be doing tomorrow.

While I wait for Sarah to return from her Zumba class, I'm posting this. Maybe we'll hit Body Works tonight, maybe we won't. If we do, you know I'll be blogging about it. :)

Seriously...Do You Hear That?

I was waiting for the elevator to go downstairs and I heard...well...this.

I thought this was the kind of thing that only happened in the movies. Part of me wants a translator and part of me really doesn't.

Philadelphia's Unknown Sights

Sarah and I are in Philadelphia for the weekend; she is attending a Zumba conference and I....well...I'm just hangin' out and doing whatever I want. It's a little weird, though, because I really don't know anything about Philadelphia. It's a weird city to walk around, because I seem to be surrounded by roundabouts. Some of them are on one-way streets, some of them aren't, some of them have Walk/Don't Walk signs, and some don't, so it's just kind of a random "go when you can and hope you don't get hit" feel sometimes.

I walked around a bit this morning to take in some sites, but it's hard to do when you don't know what you're looking at or what you're looking for. So I would just wander around and look at the old buildings. Most of them look like museums or libraries but so far most of them turn out to be insurance companies or banks. Other buildings look like they have some cool history, but when I approach them, scary bums come popping out of the shadows and freak me out.

The city hall building is cool, but a lot of it is underground and in shadow, and well...let's just say there are a lot of places for creepy bums to hide and freak me out.

I did find Chinatown. So there's that.

This is what I've done so far. I'll keep you posted on my next venture out.

Zoo in Space

I'll be honest: I'm really pleased with the video Phredd asked me to put together for the song "Zoo in Space" from his new album Phreddtastic. He came to me with the idea of compiling a bunch of stock footage clips to put with the song and I had a good time going through old NASA footage and royalty-free cartoons.

Here's the final product, as can be seen on Phredd's Youtube page, along with more music to keep your ukulele-lovin' foot tapping.

Shakespeare for Dummies

Sarah and I saw went to Pittsburgh to see our friend JT in a performance of "A Midsummer's Night Dream." The cast did a stellar job, and by the end of the show we (and the rest of the audience) were howling with laughter. Because neither of us are well-versed in the Bard and his style, we had a little trouble figuring out what was going on. This was through no fault of the cast...I blame the playwright who sometimes rhymes, sometimes doesn't, sometimes uses flowery analogy I don't understand, and sometimes backwards speaks. I freely admit, there were portions of the play where I needed help. I just wasn't following ya, Bill. What was the deal was with the King and Queen...Fairy? I think? And who in the world was "the boy" they were fighting over? And what the eff is Puck?

Also, it was the only time I'd ever been to a play (let alone a Shakespeare play) where I was sitting next to a couple totally making out during the show. I guess that's what we get for going during Valentine's weekend, but come on. If you're in your thirties, you'd think you'd at least have some theater etiquette. But not these two. They showed up 10 minutes late, the lady took a phone call during the show, and then they sailed through the second act playing tonsil hockey like a couple of kids in the 1950's at a drive-in movie.

Yikes.

During the intermission Sarah and I discussed the play so far and came to the conclusion that we know a lot about a lot of things but Shakespeare isn't one of them.

I feel the need to clarify that Sarah and I really did enjoy the show and, again, by the end, the audience was howling with laughter. We just wanted them to fast-forward all the dancing fairies and get back to our pal JT.

Yellow Pages to the Ground!

Seriously, WHO is still using the Yellow Pages? Hasn't the internet made this 50-lb waste of paper obsolete yet? Why are people still paying to place ads in this thing when your business is just a click away online?

Fortunately, Kristi and I found a practical use for them.

The Not-So Long Walk Home

Sarah and I walked home from the coffee shop after a fun time learning about roasting coffee. If walking home doesn't sound very interesting to you, then you've obviously never walked home with Sarah.

Yet Another Day in the Snow

Sarah and I decided to venture out into the Pensylvania snowstorm, despite the newscasters begging us to stay home. After a brief return into the house for Sarah's snowboard goggles, we were on the way to our destination: Square One Coffee!

Just as we were finishing up our game of Phase 10, Josh, Square One's owner and roasting guru, asked us if we'd like to watch him roast some coffee. We jumped at the opportunity and, with his permission, rolled video. And for those of you new to the idea of editing, despite the length of the video, no, the roasting process doesn't take a mere 3-1/2 minutes. Unless you want really bad coffee.

Snow End in Sight

The snow in Lancaster PA continues, and so do the trips to the parking garage, Square One Coffee, and interesting conversation.

Bullcrap Jingle

There's a commercial on TV that drives me NUTS. It's a promo for Bulldog Lawyers (dot com), just one of the billions of 1-800 lawyers who advertise during what I call "Judge TV," that time in the early afternoon when shows like Judge Alex, Judge Joe Brown, and Judge Judy rule the airwaves.

The marketing gurus at Bulldog Lawyers (dot com) decided to make their ad stand out by composing a jingle that would not only be bad, but be sung badly, too. After airing a few times this afternoon, I'd had enough. I went to their website to yell at them about their ad and find out who this tone deaf over-smiling jingle man is who sings their song.

Much to my surprise, they have a chat feature on their website and I immediately logged in and began speaking with Bulldog Vicky.

Vicky: Do you have a question I can help you with?
Guest: Hi. Who sings the "Bulldog Lawyers dot com"  jingle?

At this point, there is a 4-minute lag in the conversation. Then, Bulldog Vicky returns:

Vicky: I don't have an answer.
Vicky: Do you have a question about a pending lawsuit I can help you with?
Guest: No. I just wanted to know who sings that jingle.
Vicky: Maybe if you call our staff they can help you.

Vicky was no help. Turns out she's not a Bulldog Website Chat Answer Person. Dot com.

PS. Sarah came in to the living room as I was typing this. She saw my snickering and asked what I was doing. "Blogging," I told her. "About what?" she asked me. "Bulldog Lawyers dot com," I answered, laughing. Sarah rolled her eyes and smiled. She already knows how I feel about them. Then she sat down next to me on the couch, leaned her head on my shoulder, called me a nerd, and watched the rest of Judge Judy with me.

Snowstorms Are Cool. Coffee is Better.

This takes place a couple days after my previous post. Sarah and I are off to get our car out of the Emergency Blizzard parking garage. But coffee is our real motivation.

Snow Problem at All

This weekend, Lancaster got hit with some snow. Because we live on a "Snow Emergency" street, we aren't allowed to park in front of our place. The City of Lancaster opens up a number of garages to park our vehicles for free during the storm. You might think it would be a bit of an inconvenience to park 15 minutes away, but it's not. I actually like the walk, and it gives you a nice chance to enjoy the beauty of the city covered in snow (the fact that the nearest garage is directly across the street from our favorite coffee shop doesn't hurt, either).





[caption id="attachment_1472" align="aligncenter" width="450" caption="All bundled up and ready to leave the parking garage and make the trek home"][/caption]



[caption id="attachment_1471" align="aligncenter" width="450" caption="Right around the corner from the parking garage is this cemetery"][/caption]

A Walk in the Snow

Our friend Alyssa is showing her photography at our favorite Lancaster coffee shop, Square One Coffee. Sarah and I walked down for the big debut, just as a monster snowstorm began to hit our area. It made for a fun walk.

Chevy Helpin' Haiti

Chevy Chase at the Hope for Haiti benefit. How clueless does he look? And is it just me, or near the end does it look like he just decides to play "talk on the phone"?

The "Lost" Pinata

Sarah and I held our weekly "Lost" viewing party last night. Big deal, right? I'm sure there were a countless number of people having similar gatherings, especially since it was the season premiere of the final season.

We decided to turn it into a taco party. I freely admit we may not have been the only one to do that; tacos are easy to make and loved by all.

It's probably pretty safe to say that no other party featured a unicorn pinata.

This baby is about to find out that even the black smoke is no match for Tyler's power punch.

 

Heather Hearts Sleep

I'll be the first to admit I love catching a few Z's in front of the TV or sleeping in on a weekend. Someone named Heather loves sleep so much, she felt the urge to scribble the sentiment on the front and back of a dollar bill.





I feel bad for VA. They got second billing. Sleep got top billing.

Hey, Heather, guess what? You're an idiot.

A Post-Grammy Request

Ok. The Grammys are over. As much as I sort-of not-really enjoyed the 3D tribute to Avatar,  can we all just agree to let Michael Jackson be dead?

Thanks,

Ed