keep on blogging in the real world

sage wisdom from a motorcycle shop in fishtown

2011-03-12T14:58:00.002-06:00

a while back some friends and i were out on a friday night and ended up walking through this shop... there was an art gallery set up in the back corner. i had no clue what it was other than, really really amazing inside. the motorcycles chained to the rafters along side a giant disco ball were my favorite. Phil, a neighbor of mine posted this video on facebook a little earlier in the week. i think this guy is right on the money about the deindustrialization of america and how so few people know how to use their hands anymore.

Handmade Portraits: Liberty Vintage Motorcycles from Etsy on Vimeo.

good work still wins...

2010-08-13T21:20:00.004-05:00

it's good to see that talent and originality still have their places in the motion graphics industry.
you don't see it often anymore, but it's nice when you do. maybe i'll rant about that another time...

watch it here

greensgrow

2010-08-07T11:56:00.003-05:00

Haley and I are members of a CSA that's located a couple blocks from our house. Every other week we go pick up tons of fresh, local produce. Here's what we go this week. I'm glad Haley likes figuring out how to cook all this stuff. I'll just stick to cooking our eggs in the morning.

Heirloom Tomatoes (2 pounds)

Red, White and Blue Potatoes (1 pound)

Cabbage (enormous)

Kale

Basil

Nectarines (6)

Zucchini (4)
Spinach (1 bag)

Cantaloupe

1 dozen eggs

and mozzarella cheese

more origami

2010-07-24T13:08:00.002-05:00

Origami_orchid from Jason Harmon on Vimeo.

Here's one more origami test. It's got some issues, but for now I can live with it.

origami

2010-07-06T15:19:00.003-05:00

At some point in the next several months I'll be working on a project that's should have a lot of 3D origami in it.
Yesterday I folded up a little bird and tried to match it in 3D... here's what I got. The audio is a track from The American Dollar

Origami Test from Jason Harmon on Vimeo.

hello internets...

2010-03-14T22:07:00.001-05:00

I'm back.

wedding paraphernalia...

2009-12-28T08:45:00.004-06:00

I've been married for 3 months now. It seems like that's about the amount of time it takes for the rush of planning, preparation, and celebration to settle into the pace where memories find their stride . I wouldn't have changed a thing about our wedding and pulling it all off wasn't even that tough (thanks to all the help we had)... but still I think remembering is a little more my speed.

Here are a few pieces of wedding paraphernalia, or maybe memorabilia, for anyone who might care to take a look.

Here's a book we made, you can see a preview or on the off chance you'd want to buy one, anyone can. It's 65 pages long, probably has around 100 or so photos in there. Everyone who has seen it has been impressed, so either it's nice or our families have low expectations.

And here's a link to a video Haley's friend Michael Schwartz made for us. He did a great job capturing the feel of the day. We were really happy with it.

Jason & Haley from Michael Schwartz on Vimeo.

Im Married...

2009-10-04T18:26:00.002-05:00

Here's the mural my friend Allen painted for the ceremony / reception.

Mural Timelapse from Jason Harmon on Vimeo.

Everything was perfect for the wedding. Thanks to everyone who helped. I'll have to write a little more about it all a bit later.

food in philly...

2009-08-30T10:02:00.004-05:00

I've had several conversations with people since moving to Philadelphia about... how should I put it... the amazing averageness of most of the food the city has to offer. I'll go ahead and say it... I've had way better cheesesteaks in Birmingham. Birmingham definitely had better bar-b-q and even has better Thai food. There's no cheap Mexican food here... not like the stuff I'm used to at least. I feel like most of the transplanted Philly residents I've talked to have similar feelings. The food here costs more than I like paying and for the most part, its just mediocre. That said... I've been pleasantly surprised over the past few months to find a shining few exceptions. They definitely aren't going to top anyone's "must do list" for tourists, but if you just want some really tasty food at a fair price you should check out these places.

1. Hands down my favorite restaurant in the city... Que Chula es Puebla. From the moment Haley and I were seated and immediately served their refried bead drizzled tortilla chips I was hooked. The building is totally unassuming. It stands all alone in an odd little intersection of Kinsington / Fishtown with a plowed down empty lot on one side, and what seem to be abandoned or nearly abandoned buildings on another with row houses and corner stores rounding out the other sides. Nothing out of the ordinary for North East Philly. But inside there's the nicest people cooking up the best authentic Mexican food I've ever had. Chorizo, chorizo, chorizo... so good in whatever form you order it. I haven't talked to anyone that's been disappointed by this place... or who haven't gone back repeatedly. So good.

2. Ekta. I don't know the truth of how this place started, but all the stories agree that somehow the owners have connections to and had a fallout with the owners of Tiffin. I don't really care honestly, Ekta's food is delicious, it's not too expensive and if you're smart you can order one entree, which is enough to split and sometimes even have leftovers from, some non and you're set for under $20. Awesome.

3. Pichanha. Gene told me that he'd found the Brazilian section of town while looking for supplies for a Brazilian style BBQ he and Laura were having at their house (which was also very tasty). I was excited to go check it out. As soon as we stepped into the little grocery store way up on Castor Ave it was like I was back in Viçosa. No one spoke english, Guaranana was stacked to the ceiling and the butcher sold unbelievable cuts of beef at around $3/lb and chicken hearts by the bucket full. After getting the supplies we headed to Pichanaha for dinner. There are plenty of fancy Brazilian steak houses around... the kind you pay $50 for an all you can eat night of waiters bringing piles of meat to you table, provided you have the green card up. If you want to go that route, you can at Pichanha though I'm almost certain you can do it without the $50 price tag. But the smarter way to go is to grab a plate and go down the side buffet and load up on traditional Brazilian sides... rice and beans that are so much better than any I'll ever be able to make... and at the end of the line tell the grill man what kind of meat you'd like to try, he'll give you the cuts you want then weigh your plate and you only pay for what you want. If you want more, just hop back in line. I had a pound and a half of food for $12... which was definitely all I could eat. This place is definitely not the easiest to get to, but is definitely worth the trip.

food from Pichanha

I love that none of the food that's becoming my favorite in Philadelphia is traditionally Philadelphian. Next on the list is Ethiopian food in West Philly and hand made perrogies in either Port Richmond or Manayunk.

one month from today...

2009-08-26T16:38:00.000-05:00

I will be a married man. Whodathunkit.

AA Bondy concert... edit

2009-08-19T15:09:00.003-05:00

SXSW on NPR... I really love AA Bondy, which doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but whatever.

Listen Here

Just saw that he'll be playing in my neighborhood Sept. 11th. Anyone want to go to the Kung Fu Necktie with me?

I'm not making this up...

2009-08-17T20:50:00.003-05:00

RIP Nicole

2009-08-09T20:51:00.008-05:00

Haley and I were walking around Fishtown / Kinsington this afternoon taking some photos when we stumbled across probably the oddest thing I've ever seen. We found a really beautiful abandoned building and while poking around the side of it Haley ran across an elaborate arrangement of stuffed animals.

She yelled for me to come up and take a look. I was so in awe. I was really excited at first... what a find! Who would do something like this? So weird.

Then as we were talking, trying to make sense of this it became obvious what we'd found. Haley caught on first, "Rest in Peace Nicole," I heard her say. Then as I backed up I saw what she was reading. I'd been standing on it... spraypainted on the ground.

We stayed there for probably 15 minutes, maybe more, taking pictures and just looking at it. The longer I looked and the closer I got to the toys the more sad I got. It's almost stupid to say, but all the toys looked so full of emotion. Their eyes were haunting. Its as if all of them were lamenting the, obviously untimely death of their former owner.

Even the postures of the stuffed toys seemed dramatic to me. They remind me of the depictions of Hell in renaissance paintings. This memorial is probably the strangest thing I've seen... definitely the strangest thing Haley and I have found together on our walks around the neighborhood that we love so much.

simulating...

2009-07-09T12:32:00.003-05:00

I've been doing particle simulations for the past 2 weeks.
You probably don't want to know how many hours have gone into making this water.

a question for all...

2009-07-07T08:05:00.002-05:00

should I buy this?? I love these things and Haley found this one in DC. Its a good deal for what it is, but is still pretty expensive. Thoughts?

technology sucks...

2009-06-24T21:27:00.002-05:00

so since sunday night... my laptop's display, graphics card / logic board, to be more exact has died... my iPhone can no longer tell me how much battery life it has... comcast has cut my cable line (literally came to the house and cut the wire with a pair of wire cutters)

what have I done to anger the technology mongers of Philadelphia??

banksy is the man...

2009-06-21T11:15:00.001-05:00

seriously... the... man.

thrift store find...

2009-06-19T18:27:00.002-05:00

I found this while in Ardmore with Haley. I paid $8 for it.

Retail price for a used Sony HD radio tuner......... $179!!!

I saved $171.

this is almost home...

2009-06-08T23:01:00.003-05:00

I'm all moved in... mostly unpacked... and sometime in September it will be home.

Here are some pics. More are on my flickr page.

Birmingham with Haley

2009-05-24T10:36:00.002-05:00

All the important stuff.

it's true...

2009-05-11T22:53:00.002-05:00

7 months ago I met the most incredible person I've ever met and two days ago, when I did my best to get a big question through a tightening throat and over a fat tongue, she cried and answered, "yes." Now we get to spend the rest of our lives together, and that's why I'm happier now than I ever thought I could be.

This is my fiancé, Haley, and me. I like us a lot.

tweeting...

2009-05-05T15:57:00.006-05:00

I'm interested in making automated tweeting robots... either that or having things in the world of twitter effect real life objects... I'm still thinking. Anyway in beginning my search for how to make it work I've found some interesting stuff.

Plants. Here.
*Updated Here's the company and tutorial

Toilets. Here

note to self...

2009-04-22T08:42:00.001-05:00

Never passive aggressively give clients terrible color choices in hopes of steering them toward your own choice. They inevitably will choose the grossest thing you put in front of them.

friends...

2009-04-07T22:38:00.004-05:00

So I've been to Good Karma Cafe twice in the last few days with Haley, to visit our friend Carolyn who is the newest barista there (I think if you tell go in and tell her you read about this on my blog, you might just get a discount... but don't hold me to it.)

Anyway... both times I've gone, friends I haven't seen in a while stopped me to say hello. Sunday on my first trip to share some biscuits and strawberry jam with Carolyn (both home made... Haley is developing her own jam recipes) my friend Matt stopped and said hello. Then tonight while dropping by before going to another friend's show... Steve Speir bikes by and yells "Jason Harmon!!" He recognized my hair.

Then at the show, just a few minutes before we were ready to leave another new friend came by and sat down to talk for a few minutes.

I love being known. It feels so nice to go places and have people stop to talk to you. It happened all the time in Birmingham, I'd been there a while and felt like I knew everyone so I was never surprised... but here it feels so serendipitous. I like it.

Moving...

2009-04-03T14:28:00.002-05:00

Found out this morning that I got the coolest house in Philly, probably the universe, to rent starting in the next month or so. I'll post pics as soon as I can take some.

Rob Chiu...

2009-03-31T10:41:00.003-05:00

The Ronin (Chiu's site)

A few posts ago I mentioned seeing an interview with Rob Chiu. He's just updated his site with his new reel, and I can't stop watching it. I'm not sure why I like it so much, but I definitely do.

via Motionographer

Saul Bass...

2009-03-31T10:31:00.003-05:00

At work we're doing a promo that, probably more than references, but I'll say references the work of Saul Bass. I've never really taken a close look at his stuff, because I've always been a little turned off by the work that "references" his. Anyway, his stuff is killer and I'm sort of excited to work on the promo.

Here's a video of Saul talking about film titles... its long so I didn't bother to embed it.
Bass on Titles

a year later...

2009-03-29T21:59:00.002-05:00

So I realized that it was one year ago this weekend that I left Birmingham. Years go by a lot quicker than they used to.

I thought about trying to explain in this post a little of what I was feeling or a little of what led to me leaving, but honestly so much has changed in the last year, that I just don't care to dwell on those things. It's not that those things don't matter, they do, and they're a big part of what has brought me to this point. They're just not worth enumerating in a blog post.

God has been really gracious toward me over the last year. I didn't think I would like it here. I honestly don't think I expected to find much of a life here, but God has given me more life in Philadelphia than I would have dared to hope for. I don't use the word much, but I really am awed by what He's led me to here and I think those things are definitely worth enumerating. God's given me a church that I'm growing to love, and a community of people that are open to doing the same. I was on a membership retreat for the church this weekend, and had so much fun beginning to forge what I hope will be meaningful relationships with such beautiful new friends. God's given me a job that's challenging. This past couple of weeks I've had to bust my tail to try to create and concept my own ideas for commercials and promos... and my ideas and concepts have been bad. I've felt like I'm terrible at my job... but I don't feel defeated. I'm a little down for sure... but for the first time I sort of understand what all the athlete guys I hung around in college talked about when they said they needed their coach to "rub their noses in the dirt and tell them how much of a sissy they were." It's making me better. It's making me not settle for my first idea, or not to settle for an easy development of that idea. I'm learning. God's given me new friends, and hopefully if all goes well a new place to live that's so close to all of them, in a neighborhood that I've loved from my first trip there. And I'm not sure if this is what tops it all off or if it's the ingredient that's mixed in throughout and makes all those things so sweet, but either way I'm so grateful that God has given me an amazing relationship with Haley...who really is the coolest person I've ever known.

God has been unbelievably gracious toward me, and I've seen that most clearly this past year. I've taken to not writing much personal stuff on here... but I'd be amiss not to, at least this once, in light of unbelievable year God's given me.

a modest list...

2009-03-15T14:02:00.002-05:00

I'm not big on lists, but I've had my thinking on them challenged as of late. Here's a modest list of 27 things I'd like to do before I turn 28. I'm a few months late to the game, so take it easy on me for some of the easy targets on there.

1. Eat dinner in the trolley at the Spaghetti Warehouse.
2. Shoot guns at the firing range across Spring Garden from the Spaghetti Warehouse.
3. Master one delicious Mexican dish and cook it often. (Quesadillas do not count)
4. Visit Richmond Virginia.
5. Write a semi-complex but functioning Processing sketch.
6. Eat Ethiopian food in West Philly with Haley.
7. Play guitar more.
8. Learn more about tea and cheese
9. Do something at work that I'm not embarrassed to tell people I did.
10. Explore places outside the city once a month.
11. Bake bread.
12. Ride my bike to work semi-regularly.
13. Do personal projects.
14. Get soft pretzels from the place on Washington.
15. Go to the site of the Philly World's Fair.
16. Spend some time at home with my family.
17. Watch a Woody Allen movie.
18. Read Catcher in the Rye.
19. Cook with Granny and Pop and get some of their recipes.
20. Grow a few vegetables.
21. Move to Fishtown.
22. Make some sweet beats in Reason.
23. Play outside more.
24. Wash my car. (It's a bigger deal that you might think.)
25. Make some stencils.
26. Pray more.
27. Take a long trip.

six cents

2009-03-10T08:11:00.002-05:00

Haley and I determined that some things cost more for Home Depot to sell than they do for us to buy. Bolts for '05 VW Golf battery clamps are one such thing.

Bolt = $ 0.06
Estimated Hourly Wage of Home Depot employee = $10.00
Number of Employees needed to ring up one bolt = 2
Time Elapsed during said ringing up = roughly 3 minutes

so...

[(hourly wage / 60 *to get money earned per minute)] times the number of minutes worked) times the number of workers = cost to Home Depot in Man Hours of Selling one bolt

And if my math is right that brings Home Depot's cost to...

[($10.00 / 60) x 3] x 2 = $1.00.

I admit after doing the math that's a little disappointing. A dollar. But we only paid six one hundredths of that dollar... that is impressive.

inspiration...

2009-03-06T11:22:00.002-06:00

I like making stuff... I rarely do it outside of work. Work typically takes it out of me, so the thought of sitting down and spending long hours at home in front of my computer typing code, pushing pixels or trying to make music is usually pretty unappealing. Especially when I consider all the other things I could do with said hours. But... recently I've found myself wanting that time at my computer... wanting to make something I can care about. I like that feeling.

I found this site today and have watched several of the interviews... Rob Chiu, Chris Hewitt and Mate Stienforth in particular.

Last night I went to dinner with a bunch of folks and heard a guy talk about a lot of semi-heady stuff. What's sticking out the most is heroism. How we need heroes so that our imaginations can be engaged; to cause us to aspire to be more tomorrow than we are today. I've got some new heros now, maybe thats why I feel more inspired.

alabama...

2009-03-04T16:55:00.003-06:00

I'm going there at the end of May... I'll be in good company.

Can't wait to see everyone.

safari 4 beta...

2009-02-27T08:13:00.004-06:00

I like it a lot so far. I'm a big fan of open source software and all, and am thankful for Mozilla and Firefox... but Apple just plain out gets it. They make stuff that functions really well and is just a pleasure to use.

Thumbnails for your top sites.

Coverflow view of your history

Developer bar so you can view source code.

and there's a really nice RSS reader built in. You can download it here.

holy crap...

2009-02-26T11:04:00.002-06:00

this is the most amazing video I've seen in a long, long time. I've always loved when I get a crappy avi file or mp4 file and get to see that trippy kind of digital noise, especially when it gets "caught" on someone's face. These guys killed it here and I have no idea how the hell they did it. I'm amazed.

I found this video on Moving Brands blog. They do fantastic physical computing installations, check out their demo reel.

photos by Haley...

2009-02-22T22:47:00.004-06:00

Haley does a lot of amazing things, taking pretty photos is one of them. She posted her photos from Peru on her Flickr page. They're pretty wonderful. You should look at them and have a better day because of it.

arduino class...

2009-02-22T22:31:00.003-06:00

first Arduino test from Jason Harmon on Vimeo.

so I went to the Hactory and took a 6 hour seminar on Arduino, microcontrollers and electronics. so fun. here's what we made in class... I modified the code that we wrote in class a little to make this light blink and a little speaker make clicky noises. not too fancy I know, but I guess a guy has to start somewhere. today Haley and I went to Circle Thrift and found old toys with electronics in them. we gutted an Elmo and a baby Mickey Mouse and got all kinds of buttons and servo motors. I don't know what Im going to do with them yet... but its going to be entertaining.

so good!

2009-02-17T22:56:00.000-06:00

I wish I were that clever.

sweet metal...

2009-02-17T11:50:00.003-06:00

so its been a pretty metal kind of week for me. First I find out that the pastor of my new church digs metal... that's awesome. Then my buddy Allen points me to the new Lamb of God album... awesome. Then me unbelievable girlfriend gives me the gift of metal for Valentines day... she got me a photo book of a bunch of Norwegian black metal bands. (she said since it had blood on it, it would be an appropriate Valentines day gift... she rules.) THEN... talking to Allen again asking about other bands he tells me about Rosetta. Who I quickly find out are from Philly... and are playing the same night that I found out about them in Fishtown. And here's where it gets better. Jeremy a guy I work with told me a while back about a friend of his that does the visuals for Neurosis, then played with Red Sparowes, then started his own band called, A Storm of Light... which happens to be the band that Rosetta was opening for. Needless to say, awesome show. Here are some pics. I also had a killer time right before the show helping Haley sew a pillow... and as good as the show was I think I would have enjoyed continuing to sew even more.

if you really know me...

2009-02-10T21:45:00.004-06:00

then you'll understand why this rules so much.

When Haley showed at my place for our dinner date, this is what her hands looked like.

She's pretty much my dream girl.

Here's a list comprising what we did while we were out for dinner.
1. Listened to metal music. (though I seriously doubt she liked it very much.)
2. HomeDepot to buy spray paint... which is what her hands were covered in.
3. Also at HomeDepot we found a "Clear Can" which is a revolutionary storage container with which we are creating a time capsule. (you can see its documentation in the corner of the pic.) So far the receipt for the time capsule, a business card from a Mexican restaurant, Chiclets and a penny are in it.
4. A.C. Moore for fabric dye and an impulse purchase of the February Martha Stewart Living magazine.
5. Listened to A.A. Bondy (which she may have liked a little more than Children of Bodom)
6. A lovely Mexican dinner... with complimentary Chiclets.

making stuff move...

2009-02-06T10:50:00.003-06:00

I've wanted to know more about using my computer, and video, to control physical objects via microcontrollers for a long time now. This morning I signed up for a 6 hour seminar that should give me the basics on doing just that. I'm pretty excited about it.

It's through the Hacktory, which is amazing.

the american dollar (the band)...

2009-01-29T18:40:00.002-06:00

I saw this video (made by my heroes at Onesize) a few weeks ago. After watching their new demo reel several times I thought I'd take another look at the video... which is great... but the music caught me this time. At work this morning I bought "A Memory Stream." Actually bought it from iTunes via my phone... crazy times we're living in. I've listened to it at least 3 times today, possibly 4.

Great music, beautiful video (which deserves to be seen in higher quality than youTube so check out Onesize.nl and while you're there check out their reel... they seriously do some of the best work going.

do these things happen to anyone else?

2009-01-24T16:43:00.002-06:00

Bored today... thus the multiple posts. I met my buddy Matt (he's the guy on the cover of that magazine) for some coffee in Center City today. It was fairly nice out so I walked up. After hanging out / running errands with him for a few hours we parted ways at 15th and Chestnut. I decided I'd walk down 15th to Federal or so then cross over to get to my place. This seemingly random parting point for Matt and I turned into two very odd occurrences for me on my walk home.

#1. In front of McGlinchey's (Philly's #1 dive bar) I walk right pass a guy in a tuxedo. Full on tails and white bow tie. As I pass I think, "look at that guy, who in the world would be here wearing that." Then I realize that its my friend Ben. I was too far past him to yell, but I know for sure it was him. When I got home I sent him a message on facebook and I saw a status update from earlier to day, "Ben is all tuxedoed up." So weird.

#2. A girl I work with had her car "stolen" over the weekend. She'd parked her car around 13th and Pine and went back to get it and it was gone. There was a no parking sign so she thought it might have gotten towed. She called around and no one had it in their lot. The police were no help, they told her it had probably been stolen and there was basically nothing they were going to do about it. They did tell her that on occasion if people are parked in places with temporary no parking signs posted their cars are towed away and left on a different street... usually within a 3 to 4 block radius. She bought a new car this past Thursday I think, after she'd given up hope of finding her old Corrolla with a Ron Paul sticker on it. On 15th Street between Carpenter and Washington I found her Corrolla with a Ron Paul sticker on it. (almost a mile from where she'd parked) I called her an told her where it was... she was astounded... as was I.

Bizzarro-ville. Do these things happen to anyone else?? What are the chances?

good news... bad news...

2009-01-24T09:48:00.003-06:00

This came up on my facebook page, thing, today.
I can't win.

sweet subway poster...

2009-01-24T09:40:00.003-06:00

Saw these here. Awesome.

oh-ba-ma!!!

2009-01-22T10:00:00.003-06:00

I'm an Obama man, don't misunderstand me... but I've been pretty uncomfortable with all the hoopla the last week. Giant concerts... dramatic orations by celebrities with full symphony accompaniment... multiple gallery exhibitions with massive bodies of work. It's just been a little odd. He's got to be the most well marked man (or perhaps most well marketed idea) that I'll see in my lifetime. And I suppose that's ok... he seems to be a man worth marketing.

I saw these today. (from fffound.com originally here) I like the absurdity of them. I don't want to come across cynical, I love what Obama has said he stands for and I'm hopeful that he really means it.

a networking genius??

2009-01-17T12:53:00.004-06:00

I just might be.

A guy I work with has been telling me about how nice it's been since getting an XBox 360 and Xbox live. He mostly uses it to watch streaming Netflix movies. I used to have XBox live, but since moving into the new apartment I cancelled my membership because of how inconvenient it was going to be to network my XBox. My router is all the way down the hall where my desktop computer (which I use as a media server) is so I can't move it. I didn't want to run a 150ft cable down the hall either. So I figured out how to use my laptop as a wireless receiver and boost a wired connection from it to the XBox. It's working splendidly so far and I've enjoyed watching two episodes of 30 Rock. When Haley gets back I'll enjoy "Man on a Wire" with subtitles. It was tough to understand the first time since half of it was in French and the rip I had of it didn't include subtitles. Soon I'll also enjoy getting my butt handed to me by some 12 year olds in Halo.

traveling to nyc?

2009-01-15T21:05:00.002-06:00

Here are a couple legit things I learned on my latest trip to nyc.

1. Bolt-Bus on Tuesday night rules. I paid $10 and arrived in midtown in two hours.
I'm almost positive there is no possible way to get there cheaper. If I had driven, the tolls would have cost more. The train costs $35 more at best and is only about 40 minutes faster. (but because of how the schedule worked out I actually only got there 20 minutes later than the train would have gotten me there.)

2. iPhone & Google maps is the smartest public transit navigator that I'll ever be able to fit inside my pocket. We had no clue what we were going to do... and little clue how to get there and we did things and got there fairly easily. We also had no idea how to get to JFK from where ever we might end up that day... but we did that too. And with my iPhone I was able to make it from JFK back to Penn Station all by myself in time to catch my train back to Philly.

That's about it.

so far this morning...

2009-01-13T08:17:00.004-06:00

this is what I've done. (A is hidden by D... same location)

and... I was still the first person in the office today.

south philly 6:30am...

2009-01-11T10:51:00.002-06:00

Had to take my car to get a few things checked out last week. After I dropped off the Breeze, I had some time to kill before meeting Haley for breakfast so I walked around for about half an hour.

carnival cruise lines = purveyors of lies

2009-01-05T08:58:00.002-06:00

Fact: this didn't happen. The crowd in this commercial was definitely not the crowd that the fine folks at Carnival made wait around for more than 3 hours before sending home without the satisfaction of seeing a pinata smashed with a wrecking ball.

The lama stood in an empty parking lot for a week after the "event" then they quietly took it down around 9:00 on a sunday. No wrecking balls, no candy, no fanfare, nothing but a bunch of lies.

a.a. bondy

2009-01-04T21:34:00.003-06:00

So Casey posted this link a while back (because he's cooler than me). I've probably listened to these songs 20 times over the past few days. I have a tough time figuring out why I like the music I do.... Scandinavian metal... hymns... southern folk. But whatever it is that makes me like stuff, A. A. Bondy has an awful lot of it. I love it.

Check out some of his stuff.

fishtown...

2009-01-01T15:52:00.005-06:00

Haley and I rocked out the last of 2008 (best year of my life) by taking some pictures of Fishtown. It was cold. It was awesome.

obama... you need to talk to this dude

2008-12-23T09:29:00.001-06:00

microwaves...

2008-12-18T16:43:00.002-06:00

also check it out in HD here just click the "watch in HD" link under the video

merry christmas from my office...

2008-12-18T16:07:00.000-06:00

beer run!

2008-12-14T13:32:00.003-06:00

Since you can basically only buy beer by the case in Philadelphia (there are exceptions, but cases are the way to go) some friends and I go together every couple months and get a bunch of cases then split them up. Today we got 7 cases. It was kind of amazing.

We divided them up in the parking lot, and probably looked a little too excited about our purchase.

statistically speaking...

2008-12-11T21:49:00.004-06:00

Cormac McCarthy said in an interview with Oprah that statistically speaking at any given time there is in fact a luckiest person in the world. He's right I suppose... I mean people win stuff... some people win a lot of it... and if you could tally all wins (or whatever else one would qualify as a sign of good luck) and make a list, there would in fact be a person sitting atop that list as the luckiest person on the planet. I think I know this person. She lives in Philadelphia and is my girlfriend.

Here's the breakdown.

Oct. 5th: First time I met Haley she buys a lottery ticket at a corner store in Fishtown. She says its her first one... wins $8.

Nov. 14th: At a fund raiser for Peru, there's a drawing for acupuncture treatments. A ton of people enter. Haley wins.

Conversation about an hour ago: "At our Holiday party I entered a raffle for a free weekend in Woodstock New York. I left the party early. I wonder who won." About 10 minutes ago I get a phone call. "Guess what? ... I won the weekend in New York."

That's three increasingly valuable prizes in as many months. I might need to plan a trip to Atlantic City for new years. Unbelievable.

my co-workers are a constant source of encouragement...

2008-12-05T13:46:00.001-06:00

I love hymns

2008-12-03T21:34:00.003-06:00

because they are full of stuff like this.

For every poor mourner, who thirsts for the Lord,
A fountain is opened, in Jesus the Word;
Their poor parched conscience, to cool and to wash,
From guilt and pollution, from dead works and dross.

A robe is provided, their shame now to hide,
In which none are clothed, but Jesus is bride;
Though it be costly, yet is the robe free,
And all Zion’s mourners, shall decked with it be.

-from The Gospel Brings Tidings by William Gadsby
-brought to my attention by Red Mountain Music -listen -buy cd

One of my favorite things about going to Alabama last week was going back to Red Mountain. The music is no small part of why I loved that place so much. Thanks so much to all the folks who lovingly work on it.

it's different here...

2008-12-01T08:45:00.005-06:00

I'm glad to have gotten to spend Thanksgiving in Alabama. It's been wonderful to see so many of the people that I've missed so much since I left. I also couldn't be more excited to almost be on my way back to Philadelphia to see the new people Ive been missing.

aftermath...

2008-11-26T09:15:00.003-06:00

This is what I expect the tables at our houses in heaven will look like after we welcome home old friends.

Thanks to the Smith's for the warm welcome, and being the hardest people in Birmingham to say goodbye to. I've missed you guys.

tagged...

2008-11-19T22:08:00.003-06:00

So I was tagged by Susan. Due to said tag I am writing 6 or so random things about myself. While I'm glad to respond to the tag, I don't feel the need to tag anyone else specifically. But if any of the 2 or 3 people that read this would like to write random stuff about themselves in return go for it.

I've developed an odd affinity for pumpkins this season. I don't ever remember liking pumpkin pie, but I liked it this year. I've also drank a ton of pumpkin beer. DogfishHead Punkin' is the best by far. I even made, well sort of made, pumpkin bread this week... kind of weird.

I'm learning that I'm a much bigger nerd than I ever thought. My boss was giving away a book of fractals, and I was excited to get it. I like all the math in it, but don't understand a lick of it. I also was abnormally excited to find out that z-depth information can be contained and manipulated in RLA files exported from 3D programs when imported into 2D compositing applications.

I am really terrible at bowling. I wish I were better, but I am not.

I have an irrational fear of getting my fingers chopped off after falling down during the act of ice skating.... which I've never done.

The fact that the Market - Frankford line is both a subway and an el blows my mind. I mean I get it... but still.

I constantly replay conversations and events in my head. I think of things I should have said, or said differently. I wonder how that would have changed the outcomes of conversations. I think that I do it so I'll be better prepared next time. I never am though. Every time I walk away and my head is flooded by more clever comments, better explanations for myself or the perfect parting words that I typically am left to say to myself.

broken iPhone...

2008-11-16T22:06:00.003-06:00

So... my iPhone broke. It actually kinda got soaked by the most rain I've ever seen in my life... while it was in my pocket... as Haley and I were also being soaked by said rain. I'm no meteorologist, but I would say at least 8 to 12 inches of rain fell in the amount of time it took us to walk the last 5 to 6 blocks to my apartment. We looked like we'd been swimming in our clothes. Ridiculous. Anyway... the phone would turn on, but there was about a third of the touchscreen that no longer worked. I got up this morning and decided I'd drive to King of Prussia (yes that is an actual place) to the Apple store and see what, if anything I could do. I get there, make my maintenance appointment, then get to walk around for about two and a half hours waiting on my Genius to become available. In that time I got attacked by a toy helicopter, had my hands exfoliated with salt from the dead sea, found a bathroom to wash dead sea from my hands, and determined that Vampires are definitely in this season.

After all that was done I met Wallie*, my Genius.
"Whats the problem with your phone?"
"The touchscreen isn't working in these areas."
"Oh that has to do with the thermal layers. Let me run the info and if its under warranty we'll get you a new one and you'll be on your way."
"Oh great."
I knew it wasn't under warranty, but I'd let him run it just in case. Then something amazing happens. Wallie goes to the back and gets a small white box... from a gigantic lego-castle-ish stack of small white boxes and pulls from it a shiny new non 3G iPhone. After typing in some stuff on his computer he comes over and says,
"Its not under warranty, but I ran the serial and your phone is known to be prone to this type of issue. We're going to replace the phone at no cost to you."
"Oh great." and in my head I think... "my phone is prone to getting soaked by an afternoon torrential downpour. cool."

Hooray Apple! Hooray Wallie! And hooray for not asking any questions about when I first started noticing this problem!

Check out other pics from this guy.

*not his real name... I remember his real name, but though it might be better to not use it.

my neighborhood...

2008-11-10T22:36:00.009-06:00

Took this a little while back while walking home. Its a couple blocks away. There's a lot of speculation about the meaning of shoes tangled in wires. I think it means at some point in time someone threw some shoes up in the wires to see if they could get them caught. I had shoes tangled in the wires at my place in Montevallo too. Probably meant the same there.

what I've learned about Philly...

2008-11-10T22:31:00.002-06:00

I've decided that Philly is a town that's just waiting for something to honk its horn at.

would this be too offensive...

2008-10-18T11:35:00.006-05:00

So the Phillies are in the World Series. In all likelyhood the Rays will be in. This got me thinking. My buddy Allen lives in Tampa, I live in Philly... we need to finally work together on something.

We're brainstorming. Here's the direction that I'm leaning. I find it amazingly interesting that people are talking about how the Rays rise from being the worst team in baseball last year, to the best this year... has something to do with it being the same year that they had a PR make over, changing their name from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to now simply the Rays. People have, perhaps only jokingly, said that now the Lord is on their side. Allen says people in Tampa actually talk about that a good bit.

I think it'd be pretty amazing to sell World Series Indulgences at bars. You know like the Catholics used to do so families could buy their dead relatives out of purgatory. I want to get a Rosary Box or some kind of old looking box and decorate it with a blend of religious iconography and baseball memorabilia, make a paper pad of indulgences and let people purchase them. I'd like to make a couple of these little altars and install them in a couple neighborhood bars. I'd like to let people write prayers and drop in the box as well. It'd be cool to take some photos to document it too. Would that be too offensive, or just the right amount of blasphemy?

i'm old now...

2008-10-15T22:15:00.003-05:00

ridiculous...

2008-10-14T10:04:00.001-05:00

Minilogue - Animals from ljudbilden on Vimeo.

see more of this dudes stuff here

RSS feed of the Beast

2008-10-12T22:19:00.003-05:00

hipsters...

2008-10-09T22:12:00.003-05:00

Interesting article about hipsters, and the end of the Western Civilization.

A tidbit, "We are a lost generation, desperately clinging to anything that feels real, but too afraid to become it ourselves. We are a defeated generation, resigned to the hypocrisy of those before us, who once sang songs of rebellion and now sell them back to us."

Read the full Adbusters Hipster Article

and yeah I know... two in one day.

a short one...

2008-10-09T19:33:00.002-05:00

I think John Dorian said once, "If my heat wrote songs they would sound like this." I feel pretty much the same way about David Bazan. His songs are playing on repeat in my head at most any given time. Here's the one that's dominated the rotation lately.

Epiphany

2008-08-01T23:47:00.002-05:00

It occurred to me tonight that Doogie Houser M.D. was the world's first blogger.

Eat it blog world. No matter how hard you try to catch up... you're (we're) just chasing the 80's.

a month in...

2008-04-27T20:40:00.003-05:00

Well I've been here in Philly for a month. Things have gone so much better than I thought they would. I'm not sure thats saying a whole lot... as the move approached I found myself being more and more of a pessimist, even in the midst of all sorts of provisions that should have reassured me that things would be just fine. Maybe all those provisions are a post for another time... or better yet if anyone is wondering about them let me know and I'll email or call you.

It's starting to sink in that I actually live here now. I got my first parking ticket the first weekend I was here... an appropriate welcome. Went to a Phillies game. I'm learning to enjoy hockey... I'm already rockin the playoff beard so I at least look like a local. I've been going to work for three weeks. Getting up each morning, heading out the door to wait on the bus. It actually feels a little like Im in elementary school again. I have my token... which reminds me of milk money... I wait for the crossing guard to wave me across the street (there's actually a middle school right where I wait on the bus... and an elementary school down the way)... then I get on the bus, usually to stand awkwardly with my butt or crotch (depending on if I like them... Montevallo caf goers should remember that game) all up in someone's grill. Sometimes on a good day I get a seat, and someone else's butt or crotch in my grill. I actually saw a girl on a bike get hit by a car whilst waiting for the bus. The crossing guard had just taken a break because she was tired or something. Good thing no one was hurt, she'd be on permanent break then.

I always enjoy the walk from wherever the bus drops me off to work. The first few weeks I got off at a different street every day because I didn't quite get how the request stop stuff worked, and I got confused as to which street I was supposed to get off on. Sometimes I get off on the wrong one just so I can enjoy the fact that I work in Center City. Its pretty amazing to me. I used to watch movies and see characters walking down crowded city streets, in the shadows of huge buildings as they went to their jobs and fancied myself as such a character. Even though I always imagined that I'd take a shot at it eventually I always thought my chances were pretty slim. I remember walking to work my first day and telling myself, "Slow down and enjoy this.. you worked your ass off to get here so don't let it just pass." So I did slow down. I actually stopped and looked around a little. It was pretty surreal for me. And Im thankful to have the shot.

Since then though doubt again has crept in and I've been dominated by it. Work got tough real fast. I've started to doubt myself and have made a lot of stupid mistakes. But some days are good and I feel like I actually have done something worth looking at. Im looking forward to more of those days.

I should be moving into my apartment in the next couple of weeks. I posted some pics here. Its a big place and I don't have much stuff. All of my stuff actually fits into a 5 X 10 X 8 storage unit, and so I guess if I wanted to I could stack it all up in the corner of one room and have a skating party once I move in. Im looking forward to having an office / music room. I guess I should say that Im looking forward to having hobbies again and it will be nice to have a room in which to engage in those hobbies. In Birmingham all my free time either went to overcommitments or trying to making better work so I could get a better job. Now hopefully that I'll be doing better work as a job I can spend my free time on music / learning non work computer stuff and just hacking around in general.

Last night after dinner with the Twilleys and some of their friends I was being asked some kind of get to know you questions which I actually kind of enjoyed... mostly about my family and where they were. "All in Alabama," I said. Then I was asked if it was a big deal that I left. I've wondered about that. I suppose to me it is... or maybe it will be. I told my old boss in Birmingham that the one question that haunted me was "Could I cut it anywhere but here?" Its a big deal for me to find the answer to that. The strange thing is I really don't care what the answer is... either I can or I can't and I'm fine with either, its just the not knowing that drove me crazy. I'm far less scared of failure than of never having taken the chance.

Well as usual, I've rambled on incoherently... hope if anyone's been wanting me to blog enjoyed it.

Last Birmingham Blog

2008-04-03T08:31:00.002-05:00

I should be leaving within the next hour or so. I've been told by several friends that I'd better blog more often so I figured I'd best go on and start.

I honestly haven't had the down time I'd liked to have had to sit down and write and process all thats been going on in my head with this move but to try to sum it all up, I basically go back and fourth thinking this is the best thing I'll ever do, and this is the worst mistake I've ever made. And that cycle happens about every 90 seconds or so. Right now the "worst mistake" side is tending to win... but I believe the closer I get to my new home the "best thing" side will gain its lost ground.

Its been hard saying goodbye to people. The community group was tough for me. So many people who I respect so much and have grown close to over the past few years, so many people who've known me for so long that it scares me to think of how old I'll be when I'll know folks in Philadelphia that long. The SouthTown guys were great at our goodbye... I'll miss them more than they'll realize. No more J. Clyde... that just sucks.

I really love it here... I've never said any different. Sometimes I wonder if I've let a bad job situation run me out of my home. But I don't give a lot of credit to that thought. Sometimes you just have to take a shot at something different. I've said several times that if I never go whatever work I do in Birmingham I'll resent it, because I'm comparing it to some ideal that I've concocted in my head. Maybe that ideal is real somewhere, but if I never look I guess I'll never know. The ground is hard in Birmingham for the work that I've found myself in, and its broken my back. Maybe there's softer, more manageable ground north of here.

Leaving is harder than I expected; much harder. I'll miss my friends and family here. So for all the friends I had to say goodbye to and those that I didn't get the chance to, I love you guys and look forward to seeing you all again soon.

Airport blogger revised

2008-02-22T13:50:00.004-06:00

** whilst in the airport I originally posted this via my iPhone. I've gone back and added links as well as cleaned up some typos.

Well, I've been up since 3am. I've be been in ATL (which everyone knows how much I enjoy) for about 8 hrs due to all the rough weather in Philly. Normally I think I'd be pissed, but its been pretty fun actually. I met an awesome older guy, Joe Vitali. Probably in his 70s or 80s as best I could tell. We probably spent 3 or 4 hours chatting. I listened as he told me about growing up in Philly in an Italian neighborhood where his dad owned a grocery store.

"We were all Italian; the whole neighborhood. There was one Irishman though. And when the Americans started moving in my dad told me to go down to Acme Grocery and get some american bread for them to buy." He told me all about his kids, all 9 of them. His boy thats in the Marines. The other son thats a movie star... "He knows martial arts... Revenge of the Ninja is his (Keith Vitali) most famous. He's been in some with that Jakie what's his name too. And on Oprah talking about bullies. Just fished a book too. Its bound so beautifully, he talks about being on Oprah in there too."

He told me about his mom thats 108. And how she and his dad were married in '22 and how he died in '04. "88 years if my math is right."

And then he told me about his own wife of 58 years, and that she'd passed away just 2 weeks ago. Thats why I'm here you know. My five kids in Columbia are renovating my house. When I get back it'll be a new place. I think that'll help."

I hope it does, but I have my doubts. He teared up as he talked about her. The he handed me a piece of paper. "I don't even know why Im showing you this, my son wrote it." it was the eulogy that was read at his wires funeral,you could tell he was planning onkeeping it. It was beautifully written and I almost joined in Joe Vitali's tears.

"What a life, I tell ya! Boy I got a great family, I brag on 'em too much. You should see my granddaughter, she plays on one of those traveling soccer teams... what do you call 'em?? Well anyway, she doesn't just play in South Carolina, but in North Carolina, Tennessee, all over. I'm really gonna enjoy seeing her play."

It was amazing to meet Joe and it was his company that made this a good day.

"Hey sweetheart," Joe says to his sister over the cell phone I'd been helping him learn to use. "Oh nothing much just sitting here with my friend Jason Harmon. We've been passing the time together. He's visiting Philly. "

He smiled at me as he hung up.

News

2008-02-17T20:10:00.005-06:00

So... I decided a few months ago to start applying for jobs all over the place to see what would happen. I applied for jobs in Atlanta, L.A., Santa Monica, Chicago and New York. I even applied for one in Kansas City. I got good responses from a good number of the companies; even felt about 90% sure that I'd be moving to Santa Monica. But that fell through. About a week after that I made up my mind; if I haven't gotten a job offer by the time my lease runs out, July 1st, I'm going to up and move somewhere.

I've always wanted to live in NYC so I figured I'd move that direction first and if nothing turned up, then I'd move west. Also since last summer when Gene and Laura moved to Philadelphia they've told me that if I ever want to move up that way, I could stay with them till I got on my feet. So I called Gene and talked about this idea I had of moving to New England and trying to find work in NYC. He and Laura graciously told me I could stay with them while I tried my hand in the New York market.

Well, a couple days after that I found two job postings for a motion design house in Philadelphia. I applied. Within 3o minutes of applying I got a response email. About a week after that email I had a phone interview. About 2 hours after that phone interview I had a plane ticket. So now in about 4 days I'll be flying up to talk with Blue to see if they think I can cut it in the city of brotherly love. I hope I can. Here's a little of what I've been up to since becoming a blog-recluse. Hopefully a website will be coming soon as well.

Jason Harmon Demo v 2.0 from Jason Harmon on Vimeo.

This American Blog

2007-08-05T21:53:00.001-05:00

"I saw that movie, and it changed my life," she said. But she didn't say it jokingly which would have been fitting for the conversation. She said it sincerely, quite matter-of-factly actually. "For the first time, I felt understood. Like there were other people like me in the world. There were these weird people who liked all these weird things, and that was the first time I knew I wasn't the only person like that."

I knew exactly where she was coming from. About a month ago I had a similar kind of experience, it wasn't a first... just the first in a while... oddly enough she was there for it.

We were sitting out in front of the bar we all go to on Thursdays. This particular Thursday there were five of us tops. Conversation came quickly and I sat and listened to her give a defense for idealism, "Martin Luther King Jr. was an idealist, he changed things." And as the conversation moved to lighter things, we all considered the question, "Could any bands of our generation have the kind of longevity as the Beatles, or Zeppelin?" "Maybe Nirvana," she says. The conversation meanders on, hitting on this and that, never really settling anywhere for too long. In conversations like that, thoughts move quickly. They're fluid. And as all these thoughts flowed from my mind out into the conversation where they were either met as friend or foe by other former thoughts, there was one that stayed firmly fixed, "I feel understood. I'm not the only person like this." Time and again the things she said, were the exact same things that I was about to say... I wasn't alone in my thoughts, and that was refreshing.

Loneliness sucks... that is in fact a true statement. Its biblical... "It's not good for man to be alone." People in college ministries have a lot of fun with that. Really "witty" guys ask out girls during meetings and quote that scripture. Everyone laughs and thinks that guy is so clever. But they laugh because the heart of that statement, and even the sentiment of that spiritual Casanova on stage hamming it up for a date, resonates with them... It is indeed not good to be alone. That truth is embedded in our hearts, like it or not. We feel the weight of it without thinking about it. But its deeper than just asking girls out, or being asked out right? Sure there's got to be truth in that statement on some romantic, marriage kind of level, but even more simple than that, just on a social level, emotionally platonic, feeling like you're alone in the world sucks.

Well of course that's nothing new, but lately I've been noticing a something else. In those rare occasions when your loneliness is challenged, when you're met with the possibility that there are others like you, something interesting seems to happen; something wonderful. Hope springs. But that's not all that happens, at least not in my experience. That hope that wells up, well, it's not alone.... it seems to consistently be accompanied by disappointment and sometimes even pain.

Today, I'm blatantly ripping off This American Life, a radio show that I'm a huge fan of, so our theme today: Hope and Disappointment. Where there is hope, will disappointment naturally follow? If so why is that? Where does hope come from in the first place, and what causes disappointment? As is typical, I'll be bringing you a couple of stories related to this theme. Act 1 - "The keys of Point Breeze," a story of a recent conversation I had with a good friend of mine who has just moved to Philadelphia. Act 2 - "Dude, where's my church??" The story (hopefully abbreviated) of my experience of being drawn in to the church that I'm currently a member of, and how in the two years that I've been there so much of what drew me in seems to have gotten lost, though I hope I that's not the case.

A disclaimer about both of these stories... they involve other people. I am by no means trying to speak for them or tell their stories for them (though I hope to be accurate in my accounts of what people say)... Im just attempting to recount my experiences of conversations / events, and by doing so explore this idea of hope and disappointment.

The stories are long so I'll do multiple posts.... and I actually will post all of them.

Hope its worth your time.

2007-07-08T12:43:00.000-05:00

Well... I thought there would be lots to come from Philly, and there may still be a few posts that find their way on here, but I just haven't really been in the mood to write lately.

I've been thinking a lot about what's true. What is true about people, what defines that truth, how it's recognized. I've felt recently that my affections / loyalties are being fought for. Sometimes the persuasions are subtle, analogies that vilify, stories that are weighted. Other times they are more overt... "we can do this and that when you move here." Others still are trickier, gifts from employers received the very day I was thinking of applying elsewhere. Compliments from co-workers, just minutes after conversations about how frustrating a project has been.

I'm seeing that I too am fighting this fight for loyalty as well. "You should check out this show, you'll love it." "This guy is awesome, you should listen to him." When I find something I like, I push it on folks. I wonder how that makes people feel. I'm tired of feeling pushed and pulled. I don't want to be the one pushing. There must be sincerity in it though. These friends care for me and want to protect me. These like having me around. I get so much enjoyment out of something that I don't want friends to miss out on it.

But there's something awful about it too. Its manipulative and it's wearing me out. Conversations become encoded messages and I leave probably decoding them wrongly, but either way tired from trying. Gifts for jobs well done come across as bribes. And I wonder where the truth lies.

I can't help but wonder if it isn't just better to let people find their own way, or is lack of involvement worse? I want to arrive at my own conclusions, to make my own discoveries, at the same time though, I wonder if no one was there beside me in the midst of it, if I'd just end up feeling worse. It's hard to let others find their own way. Trying to control things, or manipulating people, is easier than seeing them make mistakes or possibly being faced with mistakes of your own. What if one person's conclusions stand in opposition to your own... no one wants to be faced with the possibility that their conclusions weren't right.... myself included that's why I'm so tired of thinking about all of this. What if I've been wrong? Wrong about people, friends, all of it. There is a distinct possibility that I'm just flat wrong. And what's worse, I have no idea how to tell.

I can't say that I'm all that close with my family, but earlier today, for the first time, I wondered if the reason why is because they understand what Im talking about right now. They let me find my own way. I appreciate that, though I think this is the first time I've seen it that way. In the past I've interpreted it as them not caring enough to be involved, but I think I've been wrong about that too.

lots to come from Philly...

2007-05-17T21:15:00.000-05:00

For a long time now I've only used this blog to post stupid videos, video's I'd been working on, or pretty much mindless strings of words that flowed out of boredom or frustration. Recently I've been thinking a lot, and I've had a lot of time to do it. I'm going to attempt, as several fellow bloggers and blog heroes / friends of mine have done before, to use a personal experience as a format to get out what's been brewing inside. In my case a recent trip to Philadelphia.

As anyone who has ever had more than a 3 minute conversation with me well knows, I have a hard time staying on topic. I'm in no way a linear guy; just don't think that way. I'm scattered. I start a sentence, only get out half the word, think of a better way to phrase the thought that my mind has already left in search of the follow up only to begin the sentence over three times before getting it out. And by the time it's finally out I'm busy chasing the rabbit that ran across some other synapses in my mind and I forget the original point that I was getting at. (the fact that I do this is not a recent discovery to me but rather a very well known and sometimes frustrating quirk) But usually somewhere along the rabbit trail, something I think of reminds me of my original thought and I'm back to square one....

All that to say... bear with me because I'm not going to tell this story in order... if indeed I tell it at all. I'm going to try and share, with all who care to read, my observations and the subsequent rabbit trails I find myself on during my time in Philadelphia (which was only a few days). I hope that makes some kind of sense... but true to form here's a better way of saying all that. I'm not going to give you the play by play of my time there because that wouldn't be any fun, but rather I hope to share what I experienced by being there. I'm so looking forward to writing about it all, and taking a little closer look at myself through it. I've avoided writing anything remotely personal on here for roughly a year now. I suppose a little self-disclosure is due.

put on you diapers...

2007-05-09T23:31:00.000-05:00

cause this junk is funny.

last one I'll post...

2007-04-25T22:17:00.000-05:00

I wasn't going to post it at all actually, but Ginny asked about the next installment... so look out internets... hope you can handle the traffic.

Its still not perfect... but the tracks are a lot more solid and the shots are way more complex. Maybe the folks at the festival will like it and you'll see a real deal version on tv this summer.

check it...again

2007-04-21T21:28:00.000-05:00

I added a new shot... the second one (it took forever because of all the camera motion) and color corrected all of it.
Some of the tracks are still off, so if I get some time I may work on those a bit more too.

Thanks for all the comments so far.

little something I've been working on....

2007-04-15T14:24:00.000-05:00

more to come in the way of writing later. but here's a work in progress that I'm working on for a few commercials....
its a big pic, click on if you want to see the detail.

absolutely beautiful....

2007-04-05T19:30:00.000-05:00

http://www.onesize.nl/project.php?id=33

this is absolutely amazing. Its an experimental piece by one of my new favorite motion design houses. these guys are from the Netherlands too... which makes them double cool

SKYDIVE FACE SUKKA...

2007-04-04T21:04:00.000-05:00

this is where I still live...

2007-04-03T21:01:00.000-05:00

if I had a digital camera (other than the dandy one on my phone) I'd take a picture of my cheap one bedroom apartment and post it right on here so everyone could see it... but i don't because, as the would be picture of my apartment could show, I'm cheap but I digress.
Today after returning from work, at a reasonable hour for the first time in a while I might add, my land lord walked up to me and asked me if I was planning on renewing my lease. I'd been thinking about it for a while. The question of leaving is one that I tend to keep close. A lot of my friends are moving or have already moved. Others have interviews all over the place, or at least have interviews at different places here in town. But for me this spring doesn't seem to hold much in the way of big change. I moved last year, and shortly after changed jobs. Granted that move was only a few blocks and the change in jobs was fairly similar, but it felt like a lot. It seems like I can't go a single week without someone asking me when I'm going to leave Birmingham. I guess that's a hole I dug for myself. I talk about leaving, I really like the thought of it too, and I think I will someday, but I'm not so sure that day will be this year.
For the first time in 7 or 8 years (since my junior year of high school) I'll be living in the same place for more than 11 months in a row. I couldn't be happier about it. I get tired of it here, my job gets frustrating, I get lonely, I get mad at my church, basically I get bored, but I just don't feel like I've walked far enough down this road to get off of it yet.

I've got some more things to write about but seeing as how this is my first real post in several months, I guess I should ease back into it. So, taking note from my friend Su, I'll stop short and hopefully post again soon.

and people think graffiti writers are stupid...

2007-02-25T22:57:00.000-06:00

i tend to disagree.

i don't know how old i am...

2007-02-15T20:33:00.000-06:00

in recent conversations, about 3 or 4 of them actually, the topic of my age has arisen. each time when asked the question, "how old are you anyway?" i confidently answer 24... apparently that answer suits me since i've been giving it for the past 16 months. a little while ago while talking about a possible laptop purchase, i say, "if i get it, it better last me till i die." my friend responds in an imitation old man voice, "i've had this laptop since i was 25 years old." "silly girl..." I think to myself, "i'm only 24." then i say, "but i'm only 24" and she laughs, knowing the truth because our birthdays are in fact only a few days apart, and then informs me that i am 25. i realize that on my birthday this reality should have sunk in... but i was busy and for whatever reason it just didn't take. i feel like a different person now... i seem to have lost a year, that scares me.

so to all the people that i've recently had conversations with about feeling like an old 24 year old... there is more truth to that statement than i thought. i should work less.

(on a side note i think i remember writing something a few months ago on here about thinking like a normal 25 year old or something, so i suppose there are times when i realize my own age, but sadly those times are counteracted by months of obliviousness)

another update...

2007-02-04T14:02:00.000-06:00

over the past week I've become aware, once again, of how fortunate I am to have the friends that I do. life's been a bit of a bummer for me lately. when Im in a funk like that, its a sho-nuff funk, and I tend to stay there feeling sorry for myself for a while. but the past week in particular my friends have been a great help in the unfunking process, and Im really thankful for that. one of the most exciting parts about it for me though is that in addition to my tried and true group of buddies, some of the unfunkers haven't been the usual suspects. one guy in particular, a 60-year-old co-worker, has been a great surprise. also old friends have entered again and I remember why I love them. it seems that just when I have decided that Ive been forgotten, Im shown that Im remembered. thats comforting.

on a side note for anyone who hasn't seen me in the last month... Im rockin a beard now.

till next month...

whats been happnin...

2007-01-20T16:49:00.000-06:00

lotsa work is whats been happnin. thats why I haven't written in forever. i used to write in my down time at work, subsequently when there's no down time there's no writing. but... due to the fact that my office has now moved, and the internet service that we had at our old office, which is completely paid for by my boss, would not transfer from our old location to the new one, but would however transfer to my apartment, I can blog from the comfort of my own home, and all for free... at least free to me. other than work being crazy, the rest of my life feels crazy too. i think for the most part i bring it on myself. i sometimes wonder if i'll ever have the thought processes of a normal 25 year old human. i tend to stress myself out about everything, be over analytical, and not too much fun to be around... well i am those things at least in situations/contexts that i feel are serious or where a lot is at stake or that are just really important to me. that kind of sucks because then the things that are the most important or the closest to me cause me the most distress and i have the hardest time enjoying the things / people that i want to enjoy the most. as far as i can remember i've always been that way. recently though, i'm starting to see this as a fault, and wondering how to deal with it. maybe dr. phill has a website that i can check, again from the comfort of my own home, and without the judgmental glances of coworkers.

here's a video david showed me...

2007-01-20T16:47:00.000-06:00

Stop Motion Battle

montly blog update...

2006-12-21T16:12:00.000-06:00

I love Christmas. Always have, and even though my experience of it is changing because Im gettin old, I expect I'll always love it. I was at SouthTown last night setting up video equipment so the kids could watch a movie, eat popcorn, and drink hot chocolate. At least that was the plan. What actually happened was we set up the equipment the kids complained about the hot chocolate, asked for water instead, spilled all of the above on the floor, threw popcorn in the puddles, and fought with each other. Thats about what I expected so it really wasn't too big of a deal. There were a few kids though that watched the movie (the Santa Clause 2). There weren't any more chairs so Brandie and I sat in the floor... soon enough every single kid followed, all squeezing as close to her and me as they could. Then the kids started fighting and calling each other "you ol' nasty" and other various holiday names. The party in the floor soon came to an end, and that combined with the number of kids who had either become disinterested or sent home, left plenty of chairs for the rest of us good boys and girls. So we finished the movie. There was one scene that struck me... and I know that sounds ridiculous due to the fact that its Tim Allen as Santa Clause but still... there was some kind of party where all these grumpy adults were, and Santa (not looking like santa but still having special Christmas powers) was seeking to spread some Holiday cheer. Santa pulled out a sack of presents and started calling names. The adults were pretty hesitant but after a couple of them opened their gifts, which were vintage toys that they loved growing up, the crowd grew merry and the party turned into a big ol' love fest with all the adults playing "toss across" and "rock 'em sock 'em robots." The thing that hit me was this... its wasn't getting stuff that made the people happy, it was being known and understood. Maybe it was nostalgia, who knows? But I know when I get some dull old shirt or something like that for Christmas I don't feel warm and tingly. But when someone gives me something that captures a little piece of who I am... that gets me. The reason it gets me is because that gift is something tangible saying, "I know you well enough to know you'll understand." I think thats pretty swell.
Anywho there's my december update hope it'll tide you over to next year.

some high-points from my holiday...

2006-11-26T19:46:00.000-06:00

(not necessarily in order of fantastic-ness)

1. learning a little about Flame...

2. watching "Walk the Line" with my dad... favorite lines by far...

"Mr. Cash your fans are Christians. They don't want to hear a record of you live from a prison, trying to cheer up murderers and convicts."

"Well, they must not be Christians."

3. realizing why I have a good relationship with Pop. We'd both much rather talk than watch TV... even if all we talk about is SEC football.

4. drinking beer with gene.

5. beating super mario brothers 1 (NES) in less than 8 minutes. yes, it can be done. the guys in the video below did it in less than 6. i've still got some work to do.

i'm learnin...

2006-11-16T14:04:00.000-06:00

or at least i'm trying. i've got about 3 to 4 feet of manuals to read. i stopped counting pages, chapters, and volumes and started thinking in terms of the trusty ole english measurement system... and that stack doesn't include the numerous PDFs, help files, online tutorials, and user forums. it's pretty daunting, but it's fun. i met a guy that knows this stuff in and out. talking with him, seeing the stuff that he'd done, and hearing about what his friends were doing, has got me pretty motivated to learn this junk. he came in to help troubleshoot our new-top-of-the-line-ultra-swank system this week. i also found out that he is a programmer and is responsible for writing the code for some of the stuff that we will be using soon.
anyway in addition to learning all this software (smoke, flame, maya) now i'm seeing that if i want to really be on top of things i'm going to need to learn 2 more operating systems, and even a little bit of programming. so as i'm learning software, i'm having to wade my way through all the ins and outs of networking and filestructures of linux (not to mention making a linux box talk to the mac's and windows machines in the place) i really haven't had to deal with it much, my boss has though, and from seeing what he's gone through it don't look easy.
anyway all in all i'm having fun and am excited about being here. i actually got a call from my old art professor yesterday asking me to consider going to grad school at Penn State. honestly the prospect doesn't sound as appealing as what i'm doing now. i'm going to talk to him a little more about it though. i also don't think that i would cut the mustard in grad school. anyway here is some more cool stuff for anyone who would like to check out.

Shilo Design... these guys rule (check out the Huff show open)
Autodesk... makers of all things that are myserious to me.

this is a screenshot from flame...look interesting to anyone?

he doesn't look a thing like jesus...

2006-11-10T17:30:00.000-06:00

i love those moments where art and truth cross paths. i especially like it when i see that intersection in pop media. about a month ago i was watching snl and saw the killers playing some songs off their new album, Sam's Town. i've never been much of a killers fan, always thought they were a little too poppy to have any weight. but i watched anyway (after all what else would i be doing on a saturday night??) "he doesn't look a think like jesus, but he talks like a gentlemen just like you imagined when you were young." the lines haunted me for about a week. it was so clever and yet so true. the song is called "When You Were Young." a friend of mine brought over the album last night. i've probably listened to that song 10 times since then.

"you sit there in your heartache, waiting for some beautiful boy to save you from your old ways... he doesn't look a thing like jesus..."

i'm seeing just how often i want to be rescued from my present situation by some idealized person, or even by idealized situations. thats why i'm constantly disappointed in people and experience discontentment with my job... i'm looking to them to make my life better, to satisfy me in some way. but those things never will (its not their intended function... at least i don't think it is) and its wrong for me to expect that they could. i surely don't want anyone to put those expectations on me.

anyway, check out the killers' new stuff. that one song is really one of the only ones off the album i like, but you guys are probably cooler than me and have better taste in music so take that advice for what its worth.

Beware of the Bear...

2006-11-06T12:57:00.000-06:00

So Ive got this idea for a movie...

A reanimated Zombie coach Bear Bryant is hired to coach in the inner city so can he whip some troubled youth into a great football team... but the catch is he has to eat some of the kids to stay alive. The PTA will vote to keep the Bear on as a coach sacrificing the band and smart kids as long as the boys win a state championship. During the state championship game at Legion Field (where the Bear became the winningest coach in college football history) the Bear storms the field at half time eating various members of the opposing team's marching band. An angry parent then shoots the Bear in the head (thats the only way to kill zombies) and then angry long time Alabama football fans kill the parent who killed the bear. Eventually after much bloodshed the referees restore order and the game continues. Zombie Bear's boys go on to win the state championship and dedicate the season to their fallen mentor... all while standing in the crimson stain of the Bear's (and many band members) blood. I think its got some potential.

movie blog updated...

2006-10-30T10:28:00.000-06:00

check it out if you'd like...

one of the things i miss the most...

2006-10-30T09:37:00.000-06:00

a few things i've seen recently...

2006-10-12T14:51:00.000-05:00

Julie from the original Real World not the blonde mormon from New Orleans. i saw her leaving surin in 5 points last sunday night. both friends that were with me didn't know who she was so i was alone in my glee... (i'm way too familiar with this season because i've watched it untold amounts of times while editing out everything but negative statements or situations for an art project... maybe i'll explain / post a video another time.)

a little fella, no older than 6 wearing football pads riding his sisters bike, which was too small even for him, all the while blowing a police whistle. (this tops my favorites list of things i've seen recently.)

a guy, who seemed a little unstable, walking in front of my office with a wal-mart bag and a little blue bird of some sort riding on his shoulder. the bird was alive and not stuffed.

lastly some pretty rad commercials. check them out if you wish. these guys are some of my motion design heroes.

Loyal Kaspar Check out work / recent work / sampo (thats the pic) also the kayak stuff is awesome.

Belief these guys also do fantastic work.

still makin it...

2006-10-09T16:59:00.000-05:00

i figured i'd better write something on here before i lost all readership. (i actually don't think many people read to begin with but anywho...)

i've actually written a good bit lately. i've almost put some of it on here. i've typed stuff at home and saved it on my little usb drive with intentions of sharing it, but when i start to upload it, i decide against it. there've also been several times when i sat down and started writing in this little "compose" window and i just stop half way through and log out. i guess i'm feeling more and more like i have less and less to say. i wonder if that makes any sense. i used to view this little offramp of the information superhighway as a spot where i could say fancy things and make people think that i am fancy as well. then i would be revered among my peers for my wonderful insights into life and western culture and all that. now most often, i find myself with nothing to say. there are a few friends blogs that i read... they are listed to the right of this, and there are a few that i like a lot that aren't (Susan's, DS in Southside's, Under the Mountain, and a couple others... sorry I haven't added them yet guys), and i enjoy reading what they have to say. i've found few others that are genuine. my granny asked me if id come and teach her sunday school class one day. all i could think was, "what would i have to tell them?" i was laying in bed the night after i was asked to do the sunday school thing thinking, "this time last year i was preparing to talk to a room full of college kids about Gospel Centered Community. im not sure what i'd do if they asked me to come back.

on a different note, i'll be one quarter of a century old tomorrow. so far i have a high-minded scholarly book (that my sis gave me) that makes me feel smarter just by owning it, an X-Men dvd, which serves as ballast, two hamburgers and a little less than half an apple pie to show for this accomplishment of making it one more year.