My sister Sandy lives in Wisconsin and for the most part is fairly predictable in her hobbies. She likes watching the Green Bay Packers play on television. She likes crocheting. She likes playing Board Games with the family. (Her current favorite is BLOCKUS. We played dozens of games while she was here for the wedding.) She works at the only high school in town, loves curriculum design and layout. These things are fairly predictable. There is, however, one thing that Sandy loves that has always surprised me. She loves the Kentucky Derby and she avidly follows the Triple Crown race. She will often call and remind me it is on so we can be watch it together (as she did the year I was in Maryland for a bookmaking workshop). Today, she called me after it was done and she sounded upset, almost like she’d been crying. She said she wasn’t crying but asked me if I’d seen the Derby. She told me about EightBelles, the first filly to run the Derby since 1998. A spirited horse, EightBelles finished second. Apparently, Big Brown, the horse favored to win had a spectacular surge at the end and won the race by nearly five lengths. As soon as she crossed the finish line, Jockey Gabriel Saez felt the filly EightBelles stumble and collapse beneath him. The track veterinarian examined the downed horse and discovered she had broken both of her front ankles. EightBelles was euthanized on the track. Oddly, it was Big Brown, the winning horse, that had previously had foot problems and the horse that was causing worry because of the dirt track. Sadly, there are all sorts of gender metaphors that come to mind about the first filly in so many years, running her heart out, holding her own at the head of the pack, only to be brought down be a catastrophic bilateral injury. It was a sad ending to the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby.

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On 19 April 2008, Sara Hisle and Christopher Bowe were married in an evening ceremony at Stonebridge. Family members from Wisconsin, Wichita, Minneapolis and Phoenix were in attendance. For the rehearsal dinner, Chris’s mother, Sandy Bowe, made a video about their early lives, their courtship and engagement. These Small Hours is presented below in two parts (to conform to YouTube length limitations). Photos from the Wedding Ceremony and the Reception/Dance are also listed below for those friends and family members who were unable to attend the celebration in person.

• “These Small Hours”, Part One
• “These Small Hours”, Part Two
• Photographs from Wedding Ceremony
• Photographs from Reception and Dance

One of the things I love about YouTube is that it makes it so easy to share these sorts of things with family members around the world. And, with their commitment to make the videos as accessible as possible for virtually every computer system (regardless of age), it makes it pretty easy for anyone who is interested to enjoy them. So, if you don’t know Chris and Sara, you may want to skip this blog entry and bypass this media.

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This weekend, there was a wedding in the family. My sister Sandy’s eldest son Christopher wed Sara Hisle in a romantic evening ceremony. All of my sisters and their families were in attendance. All of Jeff’s family and most of their children made the trip from Wisconsin, too. Sara’s family from Minnesota and Witchita came for the nuptials. It was a midwestern exodus, to be certain. Everyone commented on the lovely couple, the lovely location and the lovely weather. In April, everyone appreciates the desert southwest. It was a charmed evening and we all had a great time. We danced like there was no tomorrow. Sister Kim and niece Kayla rocked their hearts out. Sisters Sandy and Roxie had equally happy feet. The Greening Girls just want to have fun! And, what better time can be had than at a celebration of the union of a young man we all watched grow into adulthood?

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My nephew, Christopher, got married this weekend so Alec came in for the wedding. Imagine my surprise when I arrived at the airport and found this burly man waiting for a lift. Fortunately, he cleaned up pretty well. PamelaJo popped in with her camera and surprised us while we were getting ready to go (NO, I will NOT post those photos) and took a few snapshots of us in our Sunday best.

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LUSAKA, Zambia - Southern African leaders discussed Zimbabwe’s deepening electoral crisis in a marathon summit that ended before dawn Sunday with a weak declaration that failed to criticize the absent President Robert Mugabe.

Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa had called the emergency summit with 48 hours’ notice. Afterward, his foreign affairs minister told reporters there was no crisis in Zimbabwe, echoing statements made by South African President Thabo Mbeki.

Mbeki said Saturday there was “no crisis” after he had to fly to Zimbabwe before Saturday’s summit to engage Mugabe, who reportedly was not taking calls from African leaders last week.

Mbeki’s policy of “quiet diplomacy” on Zimbabwe has been likened to appeasement that allows Mugabe to continue his autocratic rule unimpeded. The Southern African Development Community that held the summit has been accused of pandering to Mugabe with disregard for its own constitution to promote democracy.

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(Read like Dr. Seuss rhyme)

Look at me, look at me, look at me now!
You could do what I do
If you only knew how.

I study the scriptures one hour each day;
I bake,
I upholster,
I scrub,
and I pray.

I always keep all the commandments completely;
I speak to my little ones gently and sweetly.

I help in their classrooms!
I sew all they wear!
I drive them to practice!
I cut all their hair!

I memorize names of the General Authorities;
I focus on things to be done by priorities.

I play the piano!
I bless with my talents!
My toilets all sparkle!
My checkbooks all balance!

Each week every child gets a one-on-one date;
I attend all my meetings (on time! Never late!)

I’m taking a class on the teachings of Paul,
But that is not all! Oh, no. That is not all …

I track my bad habits ‘til each is abolished;
Our t-shirts are ironed!
My toenails are polished!

Our family home evenings are always delightful;
The lessons I give are both fun and insightful.

I do genealogy faithfully, too.
It’s easy to do all the things that I do!

I rise each day early, refreshed and awake;
I know all the names of each youth in my stake!
I read to my children!
I help all my neighbors!
I bless the community, too, with my labors.

I exercise and I cook menus gourmet;
My visiting teaching is done the first day!

(I also go do it for someone who missed hers.
It’s the least I can do for my cherished ward sisters.)

I chart resolutions and check off each goal;
I seek each “lost lamb” on my Primary roll.

I can home-grown produce each summer and fall.
But that is not all! Oh, no. That is not all …

I write in my journal!
I sing in the choir!
Each day, I write “thank you’s” to those I admire.

My sons were all Eagles when they were fourteen!
My kids get straight A’s!
And their bedrooms are clean!

I have a home business to help make some money;
I always look beautifully groomed for my honey.

I go to the temple at least once a week;
I change the car’s tires!
I fix the sink’s leak!

I grind my own wheat and I bake all our bread;
I have all our meals planned out six months ahead.

I make sure I rotate our two-years’ supply;
My shopping for Christmas is done by July!

These things are not hard;
It’s good if you do them;
You can if you try!
Just set goals and pursue them!

It’s easy to do all the things that I do!
If you plan and work smart, you can do them all, too!

It’s easy!” she said …

… and then she dropped dead.

For all of the driven Mormon Mothers I’ve met … by ‘Dr. Sue’ (a.k.a. Vickie Gunther)

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We’re experiencing a bit of “good timing” with the film Zambian BAD TIMING. The film is now listed in the Internet Movie Database (IMDb). So far, only the title is in … they say the actual names / credits take another week to ten days to get updated. It’s so exciting to finally see everything coming together and the people in the film getting acknowledged for their work. Everyone involved with this project gave a solid month of their life in Zambia to get this film made. The crew also spent six months before the project in training and preparing for the project. Following the shoot in Zambia, the crew spent another couple of months helping with the rough cut … and several more continued another year with the revised cuts.

We’ve been test screening the film with small groups and the response has been really terrific. When you edit a film, you watch it thousands of times and lose all perspective on it. You think it keeps getting better but it’s so subjective. The really exciting thing is that people who know nothing about the film, know nothing about Zambia, know nothing about the production challenges are understanding and liking the film. They’re liking the good people, disliking the bad people and are getting really involved in the story. It’s a very satisfying feeling having people watch the film and enjoy it. I can hardly wait for the Zambians to see it.

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Gary Gygax, one-half of the team that invented the original fantasy role playing game (Dungeons and Dragons, of course), passed away on March 4, 2008. From his modest Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, home—with collaborator Dave Arneson—Gygax’s game ultimately generated over $1 billion in sales and was played by an estimated 20 million people. During my college years at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, I was one of those folks. I loved that game. My friends and I would spend hours, rolling the many sided dice as we explored underground lairs in search of treasure, trinkets and valuable experience points. For a long time, I was really into the game. I became a dungeon master, drawing my own elaborate worlds, populating them with gnomes, wizards, thieves and monsters. Some of my favorite memories of good times with friends revolved around those D&D games.

There were a number of reference manuals (which I am embarrassed to admit that I still own after all these years) on being a Dungeon Master, on capabilities of Creatures and Monsters, on every aspect of the game. Contemporary RPG games (like World of Warcraft or Halo or Assassin’s Creed) have players collecting experience points for chasing down and killing opponents. With D&D, it was all a roll of the dice … from four-sided to 20-sided … that determined our fate. Other than the drawings in the manuals, there was little to look at, so it was all in our imagination. Gary Gygax may very well have been the genesis of the modern gaming industry. May he rest in peace.

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Last evening, (Thursday, March 6, 2008) Beth McDonald, Schumacher Mercedes and the folks at KEZ threw a celebratory dinner for the twelve Woman of the Year nominees. It was held at the Hyatt Gainey Ranch in North Scottsdale. The Hyatt is always wonderful. Great ambiance, great food, great service. The only thing that could make it better is if they held it in the mineral pool at Spa Avania. Just kidding, of course. I kept telling the other nominees that there would be a swimsuit competition later in the evening. Now, mind you, some of these women established orphanages in Afghanistan, escaped violence in Bosnia and faced personal danger on streets serving the homeless. But, mention a public viewing in a bathing suit and they tremble with (mock) fear. It was funny.

Nominees were allowed to bring three of their friends to the event. Most everyone seemed to have invited the person who nominated them for the honor (I, of course, invited my nominator, Pamela Jo). Each table had two nominees and their pals (MCC Media Arts professor Jeanette Roe and FilmZambia-supporter Tammy Fannin rounded out my party) AND two representatives of KEZ. We were joined by the delightful Smokey Rivers (former on-air personality and current programming director) and the gracious, gregarious Kevin Gossett. We ended up in a fun conversation about KILTS (yes, he used to wear a kilt) and the winds that whip off the Great Lakes. He grew up in Indiana, so I got more insight into Purdue University.

The event is sponsored by 99.9 FM and Schumacher Mercedes Benz. We received an evening and dinner at the Hyatt, a day at Spa Avania and (Alec’s and my favorite) a great Mercedes Benz model car built to 1/18 scale with working doors, hood and trunk. The model is a very durable and accurate metal Benz and, as it is no doubt intended, motivates me yearn for one of my very own. The Schumacher folks were at the table beside us. Mr. and Mrs. Werner Schumacher were in attendance and generously presented winner, Zema Kovac, with an oversize check for $2500. Everyone was teasing about wanting to go with her when she went to the ATM. Young Michael Schumacher was there with the folks. The other nominees were given (in addition to all of the other prizes), a crisp Ben Franklin. I was being silly and saying, “Look what I got for the night.” Michael teased back and said, “No, that’s for the whole year.” Funny. Nothing I love more than a great sense of humor. (In my internet search, I discovered there’s a Formula One driver by the name of Michael Schumacher who is considered the greatest driver alive. Not the same fellow, but interesting just the same.)

We had a great evening. Arizona Supreme Court Justice Ruth McGregor spoke about her path from entering college to get her teaching certificate to her current position on the Arizona Court. She shared funny stories about her college days and early days as a female attorney. I was fascinated with her story and thought, “Heck, someone should nominate her for woman of the year.” So, if you know a courageous woman that you think deserves the honor, go to KEZ to Nominate for the Beth McDonald Woman of the Year.

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Yesterday, March 2nd, little sister Sandy celebrated her big birthday. She and her pals actually observed the big event on Friday. Like so many members of my family, Sandy works in education so her key pals and colleagues tend to work parties and such into the Monday through Friday work week. As you can see by the photo, she was much remembered and much teased about passing into a new decade. The biggest joy for her was that her eldest child made a SURPRISE trip back home for her birthday. She said she was so shocked, her knees went weak and she almost fell when she realized he was there. Overall, I think it was one of her best birthdays ever. I’m sure it was even more meaningful for her because Christopher will be getting married on April 19. This was their last celebration as the nuclear family of four. A monumental year for her in many ways. So, happy birthday Sandy Lee!

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These days, it seems like everyone and their brother is making money on the web. I’ve been blogging on this site since March of 2003. That’s a whole lot of content. Unlike my more commercially-minded pals, I’ve always resisted putting banner ads and such on the site. My web guy tells me that have the most web space he’s ever seen from any client. Between the VOD (video on demand) files, all of the Sundance podcasts and how-to filmmaking information, and all of the other blogs I have, my web needs are a bandwidth nightmare. In fact, in January, when I typically blog for Cinema Minima for Sundance, there have been years that we have shut the server down.

So, while I have a ton of content, have hundreds of thousands of hits every month, and a pile o’ media downloaded, I make no money on this adventure. Apparently, I just share information and blog for the sheer joy of it.

While I was doing the blogging thing, I spent a lot of time researching all of the money-making web options. After years of researching the whole process, reading tons of posts and even a few books (like Tim Ferris’ FOUR HOUR WORK WEEK) on the subject, it seemed like there was a critical mass of information available that could be streamlined for anyone who was thinking of pursuing the same sort of path as I had been contemplating.

Jeniece, Jonathan, Brandi, Pamela Jo and I have also tested a number of different tools, programs and such. So we decided to share everything we’re finding on a different website. To find out what we’ve learned, what’s been successful and what’s failed, go to Make Money, Work Anywhere. Maybe we’ll be able to save you some time and money.

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Tonight there is an exciting celestial event! There is a total lunar eclipse occurring at 1 Virgo 54. This is of great interest to me because my rising sign is 1 Pisces 53 (directly opposing the eclipse) Astrologically, an eclipse means the ending of some things and illumination of new things. So, the occurrence of the eclipse on my ascendant (Sun on the ascendant, moon on the descendant) within ONE MINUTE, is pretty significant. Theoretically, the influence lasts for about six months. So, I’ll have to write about whether or not anything totally monumental happens. According Robert Wilkinson on his site, The Aquarius Papers, “The Sun is the Light, while the Moon gives form to that Light. With the eclipse Sun in Pisces, we’re offered ways to understand the vaster field we all live within, while the Moon will help us focus on the place and function of all the specifics. Of major significance is the Moon conjunct Saturn, fusing our feelings with our purpose, helping us get clear about the limits of what we are and aren’t supposed to be doing. Saturn shows a need to demonstrate expertise and “grab the brass ring,” this supported by Uranus prodding us to put ourselves out there as well. Saturn is retrograde, leading us inward on a journey to wisdom through the experiences shown by this eclipse.” It will be very interesting to watch the next few months unfold. If the common wisdom on eclipses is true, I should be having an interesting few months.

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I got two text messages from Alec today. At first, I thought he was writing about something he needed to buy because the text message said something about credit. Then I realized he was telling me that he had his FIRST Internet Movie Database — IMDb credit. It was terribly exciting. Now, both Alec and Jacob are on IMDb. Former students Mike Luciano, Jake Parker, and Kohl Glass are also on IMDb. It’s very satisfying to know that people may have been able to use what they’ve learned in work that they really love … and are recognized for … a very cool thing indeed.

On February 15, it was two (2) years that Alec had been in Manhattan. It was the spring of 2006 that he went and, to be honest, I had my doubts that he would stay there. He was barely 18 and he went alone. He took a class and found a post-production job. In August, he went to Zambia as part of the film crew. In October, he returned to NYC with Jacob in tow. After their experience in Zambia, they were ready for the challenges of establishing themselves in the industry. Their credits in IMDb let everyone know they’re making their way, on their own, under their own steam.

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I’ve been getting a load of grief for not blogging more. I’ve got friends, family and former students writing to chastise me for being so sloppy about blogging. I wish I had a good excuse but I just don’t. It isn’t that I haven’t been doing anything. We have been busy editing the feature, trying to meet a couple of important festival deadlines. We are working on the documentary; it’s got a new “B” story that needs to be worked in. All of the film work is no different than usual.

On top of that, I’ve been tutoring animation and filmmaking for fun and profit. I’ve got a wonderful young guy (13-year-old, seventh grader) who loves all things Maya, AfterEffects, FinalCut, Flash and Motion. We have a lot of fun. Working with him reminds me of the things that make me passionate about teaching. On top of that, the company has been doing classes at ASU and for private clients. So, it’s not like I’m sitting around sticking my fingers in my ears but, if the truth be told, I do have time to blog … I just don’t know what to blog about these days. Most of what I’m working on is related to the Zambia films … which people have been hearing about for the last year and one-half. Some of the other things I’ve been working on are under a bit under wraps. So, it really limits what I can write about.

So, if you’re a former student, send an email or two on what you’re doing these days (so I can write about it) or send an email about what you’d like to read more about. Either thing would be much appreciated. On that note, I’m going to end this post and do another one … so it LOOKS like I’m being diligent.

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Last week, I was working on an endurance task. We were stitching the hems on three (3) pieces of canvas that were 18 FEET by 33 FEET. That is one big piece of canvas. Anyway, while one is working on that sort of task, lots of conversation will surely occur and that conversation will cover a broad range of topics. At some point, my memory drifted over the tragic fire that occurred in 2003 in Providence, Rhode Island. No doubt we were talking about our next screenplay and I was drifting through whatever memories I had of Rhode Island. The fire popped in.

My recollection was that the band GREAT WHITE was performing, the pyrotechnics at the beginning of the show ignited the foam on the ceiling, the fire spread extremely rapidly, at least one of the escape doors was blocked or chained and over a hundred people died. That was what I thought I could remember.

So, last night, I searched YOU TUBE, Wikipedia, CNN and (in an homage to George Bush) the Internets. My memory was pretty accurate. Almost everything was correct (only 96 died in the fire, four from injuries later). I haven’t been able to find anything about blocked escape routes yet. I’m still looking for that. The owners of the club and the manager of the band all made plea agreements in the years following the deadly blaze.

NOW, here’s the weird part of the story.

TODAY, in the New York Times, a settlement was announced about that very fire. WPRI-TV News Videographer Brian Butler was at The Station (that was the name of the nightclub) gathering video for a news story on safety in public places. The television station was sued by survivors and family members of the deceased saying Butler had blocked the exit while filming the spread of the fire and frantic escape of the audience. A tentative $30 million dollar settlement has been reached. A quick look at the video reveals how quickly the fire spread. Computer simulations by the NSIT show the fire spreading at the rate of a FOOT per SECOND. There was no sprinkler system in the facility even though it should have had one according to fire code.

Video of the fire can be found on You Tube. CNN also had a link but it was invalid. There isn’t anything that points to the importance of safety in public places. I just think it is weird that I was thinking about and talking about it last week and an article appears in the NY Times today. That is just weird.

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