Archive for November, 2007

my friend Jim

jim

Well, we’re technically not speaking at the moment (and before the cries of ‘Life’s too short’ ensue, it’s kind of become tradition, so no worries), but ‘Handsome Jim the Weatherman‘ has the greatest luck when it comes to running into his musical icons. See, Jim’s also in a well-known country band and has been dabbling in music since I met him way back in ’96 – 6 months later, he’s randomly at some rodeo grounds and who walks in but George Strait, his biggest icon. Then, this week his other idol Pat Monahan (of Train success) drops by the studio and Jimbo got to interview him.

That’s like me making out with Shannyn Sossamon while being read to by Nick Hornby.

I love being a boy.

boy

Say what you want, this is how conversations should flow:

(MSN – over the course of less than a minute)

Aric: Bored!
Reggie: Me too. Want to get pissed?
Aric: Yes.
Reggie: Where?
Aric: Windows Scoreboard?
Reggie: 7-7.30p?
Aric: 7.30p.
Reggie: See you there.
Aric: I love being a boy – I’m going to put this conversation on my blog.
Reggie: Why?
Aric: Tell you later – you’re kind of f*cking it up now.
Reggie: Ok – see you there.

how about that?

I tried something new tonight – 100% honesty. In fact, so honest I surprised myself at how honest it was. Felt good. Going to try it some more. Sure, we like to think we’re honest people but to be honest, it’s the sum of the truth minus harmful news divided by friendship level – tonight was a breakthru, I immediately went online to see if Sar was on MSN (she was) to tell her (she was proud).

I should have tried this years ago.

uk montage

YouTube Preview ImageI was supposed to do this ages ago – but only had time for a montage of the recent visit to England.

Ollie’s infectious laugh should leave no doubt to the mood.

new years…

nye

Just got interesting – finally the people I wanted to meet will, with 4 mental days in Chicago. Tim and Robin Sisney (left) and Mel and Oliver Costick (middle), the 2 greatest couples in the entire world will be meeting up with my ex-girlfriend-turned-close-friend Jessica (right) – I have forever wanted all to meet up and it’s finally happening. Costick’s coming in from England, Sisney’s coming in from Wisconsin, Jessica from NYC and me from Tulsa.

Oh – I’m excited. There’s nothing better than watching British do America – especially with Sterling up against the dollar means they get every first round.

a good decision that I would have never made

hands

I took this a few days ago – older couple walking hand-in-hand through a shopping area. It’s nothing original, sitting back in your cafe seat, thinking or saying aloud, ‘Aren’t they cute?’, etc. This kind of commitment is something we all shoot for…and something I couldn’t offer. It got to the point where our most common factor was a shared view – she liked me a whole lot and so did I. But I didn’t want, nor could I, be a boyfriend, and finally she realized that.

There’s no worse thing in life then hurting someone – I liken it to a bodyguard, which is worse? Taking the bullet and feeling a bit of pain for a few weeks or not diving in the way and blaming yourself. I’d rather be hurt than hurt any f*cking day.

If ever you find me in 10 years or so, face down in a double-bourbon, you might know why – a constant existence of my inability to share.

this freelance friday…

trash

Feels like a working-person’s Monday – ugh.

It started off nice, nice coffee at 11.30am, while I listened to ‘Dear Amber‘ who featured, well, me, but then it started. First, with my family (ok, it’s not battling, just not seeing eye-to-eye), then Pierre about the direction of the show. Then my building management about their decision to steal my moped charger to talk to me instead of, well, coming up to talk to me and then a client who seems convinced that I owe him 32 shows.

I almost don’t want to leave the house.

making-out

Christine

My friend Christine sent me this photo today on Facebook and, aside from me wishing she hadn’t a) kicked me out of the cab that night and b) not stood me up a few weeks later (I’m only bitter ’cause she’s hot and a great writer), it got me thinking about making-out.

I’ve always been a big fan – life after sex became complicated. Life before sex had endless possibilities. If I get a kiss, will it be with tongue? Might I be able to sneak a feel over-the-sweater? Oh god, can she tell that my hands are slowly moving from her lower back to the top of her ass?!?! Et al. Making-out should be brought back. Yes, we’re in our 20′s/30′s and yes, if we so choose we can go home with said person, but that can get messy, and weird. But, making-out, you see is great. It’s not *completely* harmless, but is a good line between assertive and abrasive.

Bring it back.

urban yoga

It should be said that most of the time, I don’t know what the hell I’m doing. Sure, I’ve made a living out of producing podcasts, but I still have trouble subscribing in my own iTunes. I make little daily films, but don’t know a thing about cameras. I like movies, but cannot sit down and hold my own in a Ingmar Bergman discussion.

That being said – the films that I am proud of are the funky hybrid shorts of ‘Urban Yoga’ – a concept project that started more than a year ago when I complimented the tattoo’s of the guy sitting next to me in the cafe. His name was Duncan, he was a yoga teacher from the Bay Area and 2 weeks after meeting, we shot the first, of now 3 films – combining the rough backdrop of Shanghai concrete with his ability to make the hardest of yoga movements seem poetic.

The first one was crap (on my end), cheap camera, bad editing, but somehow, it has over 20,000 hits on YouTube.

YouTube Preview Image

The second was in his ashram in the Jing’An area – my personal fave, as I started writing in an introduction sequence:

YouTube Preview Image

This last one was fun, and the first one we’ve done in public. At the end of the Bund, with the olders taking time off of flying their kites to gather around… This one was the longest of the 2, as we now have the intro, sequence and ending montage of an older lady teaching him tai chi.

YouTube Preview Image

This last one has gotten some great reviews, just yesterday it was linked to on Shanghaiist, who have been really supporting ‘the shanghai show’, so…we’ll see. We’re in talks of shooting all over SE Asia, which would be quite cool.

almost forgot…

omkos2

What would a self-promotional entry be without mentioning Pierre and I’s radio show ‘o.m.k.o.s.’? We dreamed this up around 7am one ‘altered’ morning while sitting in his hot-tub, rain pelting our chemically-sensitive faces already tearing up whilst listening to Funkadelic’s ‘Maggot Brain’. A few months later, we released our first show to decent reviews, but in the past 2, it’s become a very f*cking good show. I mean. Very. He and I have finally reached the point where we don’t even realize the microphones are there and our playful dichotomy really comes out – oh yeah, there’s music as well, ha ha. It’s simply a stand against people who mock others for not knowing good bands – we’ve all encountered them. Between Pierre and I (now Scott as well), we know a lot, but also know that makes us nerds, not elite.

Last week, we changed the format to include a little direction, as we are now choosing a ‘theme’ for each week – sounds geeky (it is), but it works.

Here are the links to the last 2 shows, our personal faves:

Show #6 (random) [removed]

And…

Show #7 (covers) [removed]

Enjoy. We do.

-

[update: the o.m.k.o.s. shows are now defunct.]