I waited to post this entry a little because I knew the activity I would be participating in this week would pay off with a great story. It did not disappoint. I have a college friend named Tripp Crosby who is also an Atlanta resident. He was also a Media major at Asbury. And he was and still is very good at what he does. Tripp until recently was working for Northpoint Community Church (Andy Stanley's Church) as a video video editor. He is now on his own. I had run into again recently and asked if I could be of assistance on any upcoming projects. I wasn't looking to be paid, I was looking to learn. He taught me many things in college about video production and I still have a lot to learn now. He was happy to have additional help, so he gave me the time and place to be and the shoot was all set to happen.
Now Tripp has been able to land several video projects with Christian hip hop artists. This project was another Christian hip hop music video. The setting was a subsidized apartment complex in a less than desirable part of town. We were to be shooting in the dumpsters behind the complex. Nice. The storyline of the song/video was that three guys in suits were to try and put a meal together out of the garbage, only to be interrupted by a chef welcoming them into a legitimate feast. You can derive the Biblical symbolism here. So we had a crew of about 8, with three actors and we shot from 6:30 pm until about midnight. Long night. Not to mention the fact that the whole time we were there, it smelled like rotting garbage. At least the temperatures were nice outside. Among my duties for the evening: moving lights, moving sandbags, setting up props in shots, running gear back and forth from trailer to set and vice versa, and my favorite; running interference with the random homeless guy who decided he wanted to be a part of the crew. I now have a good bit of experience talking with random homeless guys who very rarely make any sense. But as long as you nod and pretend you understand that seems to satisfy the conversation.
It was a long evening but very interesting to watch Tripp work with his director of photography, his actors, and the other crew. I was able to see how they planned to pull off this field shoot with minimum budget, and still get what they wanted. It required some creative lighting and a nice camera. I unfortunately was not able to be a part of the other shoots which included the green screen with the rapper, or the banquet shot at a local hotel, but it was an interesting and educational evening.
Stacey update: She had her first official residency interview today with Morehouse's Pediatric Program. It is not her first choice, because its focus is a little different than hers, but she could achieve the end result by being there. Plus its in Atlanta. She is the shining star of the Peds program at Morehouse, and so they would love to have her in the program. This begins several months of her traveling to various programs and cities to interview for Residency programs.
Finally this weekend we are planning to attend the Smyrna fall festival. Stacey wants to go to get the full spirit of the season whatever that means. I'm going because it advertised fair food. Fair food is the one reason to go to a State fair or a fall festival. I take that back. There are two reasons to go to a State Fair; fair food and people watching. People come out of the woodwork at State Fairs. The ultimate scenario: sitting on a bench with grilled corn and a funnel cake while watching people enter and exit the woman with a snakes body tent. Now that's a hot date right there. Sadly I don't think the Smyrna Jonquil City Fall Festival will have a woman with a snakes body tent or a five foot man eating chicken (reference to The Little Rascals Movie - ask my Dad about his reaction to that scene, its a legendary Cobb family story) But hopefully they will have grilled corn or a funnel cake.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
Information Overload
As I wrote last week, I attended the Catalyst Conference. It was incredible. My brother Ryan came down with his Pastor and they attended with me. We had a great time processing the content and laughing at the antics of the emcees. Very refreshing time to hear so many new ideas, and be centered again in what its all about: The Gospel message. When you work in the church or for a faith based non-profit, its easy to become desensitized to the point of the work you're doing. God calls us to care for others and help bring them into relationship with Him. The point of serving someone food when they are homeless or bringing a meal to a friend who just lost a loved one is to be a vehicle for Jesus' love for them. We need to partake in that selfless act as much as they need our care. Actually, we probably need to partake in the selfless act more. In a world that is so full of consumerism and "What is in it for me?", we all need grounding reminders of the Gospel Message.
Stacey and I went to see Call + Response the movie Monday night. For about two years now I've been working on the cause of Human Trafficking and Sex exploitation of minors in Atlanta. That has connected with a number of other people and organizations working on the cause. About a year ago I met a guy named David Batstone and another guy named Justin Dillon. David had created the Not For Sale Campaign to bring awareness and action to modern slavery. 27 million modern day slaves in the world. And he helps us understand not only the problem, but solutions we can be a part of. He was touring with Justin who is a musician and someone burdened with knowing the truth. He decided to make a film highlighting the issue and marrying his passion of music with his passion for this issue. Call + Response is his answer. It released Friday for one week in 12 cities at certain theaters. It was really compelling. So compelling I'm spreading the word, in the avenues I have:) Please check out www.notforsalecampaign.org, www.callandresponse.com. You can start there. Learn about the issue. If you don't know about it, you'll be appalled. We're talked about child soldiers, 11 year old forced sex slaves, families in bonded labor at rice plantations, forced domestic labor, and more. And this is happening in the America along with the rest of the world. If you want more info just ask me with a post or email. I've been in this issue for a while.
Finally, as I said earlier my brother came into town this weekend to attend the Catalyst Conference. He set a bunch of ridiculous records on the Wii Fit. I'm not sure how he managed to dismantle all of our marks on Saturday morning so easily, but it could be several frustrating weeks before my Mii (your little character representing you while you play) can obtain the levels of Guest C. Thanks a lot of bro. Not everybody can get paid for running around with high school kids like a crazy person. I'd probably be in better shape too.
Stacey and I went to see Call + Response the movie Monday night. For about two years now I've been working on the cause of Human Trafficking and Sex exploitation of minors in Atlanta. That has connected with a number of other people and organizations working on the cause. About a year ago I met a guy named David Batstone and another guy named Justin Dillon. David had created the Not For Sale Campaign to bring awareness and action to modern slavery. 27 million modern day slaves in the world. And he helps us understand not only the problem, but solutions we can be a part of. He was touring with Justin who is a musician and someone burdened with knowing the truth. He decided to make a film highlighting the issue and marrying his passion of music with his passion for this issue. Call + Response is his answer. It released Friday for one week in 12 cities at certain theaters. It was really compelling. So compelling I'm spreading the word, in the avenues I have:) Please check out www.notforsalecampaign.org, www.callandresponse.com. You can start there. Learn about the issue. If you don't know about it, you'll be appalled. We're talked about child soldiers, 11 year old forced sex slaves, families in bonded labor at rice plantations, forced domestic labor, and more. And this is happening in the America along with the rest of the world. If you want more info just ask me with a post or email. I've been in this issue for a while.
Finally, as I said earlier my brother came into town this weekend to attend the Catalyst Conference. He set a bunch of ridiculous records on the Wii Fit. I'm not sure how he managed to dismantle all of our marks on Saturday morning so easily, but it could be several frustrating weeks before my Mii (your little character representing you while you play) can obtain the levels of Guest C. Thanks a lot of bro. Not everybody can get paid for running around with high school kids like a crazy person. I'd probably be in better shape too.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Wii are having fun
What a weekend. We had dinner on the Duke University credit card Friday night with a bunch of sportswriters. We had a great time catching up with my good friend Bryan Strickland who covers Duke Athletics for the Durham Herald Sun. He was coming into town to cover the Duke-Georgia Tech football game. We try to catch up whenever that occurs. So in an effort to get together he was invited to have dinner with other sportswriters, hosted by the Duke Sports Information Department. He inquired about us coming along. And Duke, fine institution that it is, welcomed us with open arms. Marvelous evening had by all.
Saturday we headed to Bobby Dodd Stadium on GT's campus to watch the Blue Devils, the new college football juggernaut take on the Yellow Jackets in a noon ACC football showdown. We did the traditional pre game, stopping at the world famous Varsity for some burgers. We then walked across North Avenue over the GT campus. As we discovered we had quite the tickets. These tickets had been purchased at a charity event by our friend Johnny Myers. These tickets ended up being 50 yard line and 12 rows up. Yeah, nice view of the action. Beautiful sunny fall afternoon. There is definitely something special about college football and all the fanfare and pageantry. College basketball is fun to watch in person, but is much more about the game. College football is an event. Before the teams came out, the famous Wramblin' Wreck drove out onto the field in between the band, and you could feel the energy in the air. The first half was very entertaining and Duke went into the locker room trailing by a field goal. Stacey and I were feeling pretty good about our chances. During halftime somebody told the Georgia Tech football staff that Duke doesn't have much of a secondary and well 27-0 happened. Oh well it was fun while it lasted.
Saturday evening we took it easy, recovering from not drinking enough water during the afternoon and both having headaches. That kind of stuff really sneaks up on you.
Sunday morning we went to church and heard a great sermon by Dr. Steve Hayner, the scholar in Residence at Peachtree Presbyterian. He teaches at Columbia Seminary in Atlanta. He is currently the chairman of the board for International Justice Mission, on the board for World Vision and was the former president of Intervarsity. How is that for credentials. He talked about the call Jesus gives us to reach out to the rest of the world. Sunday was World Communion Sunday and so there was a natural emphasis on remembering our fellow Christians throughout the world.
Sunday Evening Stacey and I attended a very interesting event. We have a rock star friend named Alan Yates. He has a band and has a couple of CDs. Well, Alan has developed a songwriting themed team building workshop for corporations. He needed to do a test run on the program on some people, so we were among the people. It was very cool. We actually wrote a song collectively and then his band performed it live. He also had created a presentation that gave an inside look at writing songs. Alan has been in the business all his life. His credits: Best friends with Collective Soul, touring with them at one point and helping to produce some of their music, he did some producing for Elton John, the White Stripes, and Sister Hazel. And on top of all of that, if not for Alan I would not have experienced some of the hot Atlanta bars. I went several times to local spots to watch him perform. I'm typically not a Dark Horse Saloon kind of guy. I think Stacey had a better time with the workshop than me. She was really good at coming up with song lyrics. I was impressed.
Finally, Stacey is now healthy again and thus we have started our Wii competition. We play tennis, baseball, bowl, and box. The Wii is the great equalizer and thus our battles are fierce. She bowls a mean wii game. I have figured out the baseball quicker than her, and we're pretty even in boxing and tennis. And when it comes to the Fit, she is a hula hoop fiend. I've never seen someone rotate their hips so fast.
One more item, this week is the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta. It was started 9 years ago by INJOY, John Maxwell's organization. It is one of my favorite experiences. Great speakers, really fun moments and great music. My brother Ryan is coming down from Dalton with his Pastor and boss to attend the conference and they are staying with us. I'm really looking forward to attending with them and my Atlanta friends Johnny Myers and Roxie Chess. It's awesome. This year's speakers are Andy Stanley, Jim Collins (Good to Great), Seth Godin, Tim Saunders (former exec with Yahoo), William Young (The Shack), and more. The goofy thing they do is with 10,000 people attending they attempt to break a new Guinness World Record each year. I'm a part of the world's largest pillow fight, the largest frisbee toss, and largest dodgeball game. The year before I went they set the record for the most simultaneous whoopie cushion discharges. You get the picture. Who knows what this year will hold.
Enjoy your week and get a Wii, they're awesome.
Saturday we headed to Bobby Dodd Stadium on GT's campus to watch the Blue Devils, the new college football juggernaut take on the Yellow Jackets in a noon ACC football showdown. We did the traditional pre game, stopping at the world famous Varsity for some burgers. We then walked across North Avenue over the GT campus. As we discovered we had quite the tickets. These tickets had been purchased at a charity event by our friend Johnny Myers. These tickets ended up being 50 yard line and 12 rows up. Yeah, nice view of the action. Beautiful sunny fall afternoon. There is definitely something special about college football and all the fanfare and pageantry. College basketball is fun to watch in person, but is much more about the game. College football is an event. Before the teams came out, the famous Wramblin' Wreck drove out onto the field in between the band, and you could feel the energy in the air. The first half was very entertaining and Duke went into the locker room trailing by a field goal. Stacey and I were feeling pretty good about our chances. During halftime somebody told the Georgia Tech football staff that Duke doesn't have much of a secondary and well 27-0 happened. Oh well it was fun while it lasted.
Saturday evening we took it easy, recovering from not drinking enough water during the afternoon and both having headaches. That kind of stuff really sneaks up on you.
Sunday morning we went to church and heard a great sermon by Dr. Steve Hayner, the scholar in Residence at Peachtree Presbyterian. He teaches at Columbia Seminary in Atlanta. He is currently the chairman of the board for International Justice Mission, on the board for World Vision and was the former president of Intervarsity. How is that for credentials. He talked about the call Jesus gives us to reach out to the rest of the world. Sunday was World Communion Sunday and so there was a natural emphasis on remembering our fellow Christians throughout the world.
Sunday Evening Stacey and I attended a very interesting event. We have a rock star friend named Alan Yates. He has a band and has a couple of CDs. Well, Alan has developed a songwriting themed team building workshop for corporations. He needed to do a test run on the program on some people, so we were among the people. It was very cool. We actually wrote a song collectively and then his band performed it live. He also had created a presentation that gave an inside look at writing songs. Alan has been in the business all his life. His credits: Best friends with Collective Soul, touring with them at one point and helping to produce some of their music, he did some producing for Elton John, the White Stripes, and Sister Hazel. And on top of all of that, if not for Alan I would not have experienced some of the hot Atlanta bars. I went several times to local spots to watch him perform. I'm typically not a Dark Horse Saloon kind of guy. I think Stacey had a better time with the workshop than me. She was really good at coming up with song lyrics. I was impressed.
Finally, Stacey is now healthy again and thus we have started our Wii competition. We play tennis, baseball, bowl, and box. The Wii is the great equalizer and thus our battles are fierce. She bowls a mean wii game. I have figured out the baseball quicker than her, and we're pretty even in boxing and tennis. And when it comes to the Fit, she is a hula hoop fiend. I've never seen someone rotate their hips so fast.
One more item, this week is the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta. It was started 9 years ago by INJOY, John Maxwell's organization. It is one of my favorite experiences. Great speakers, really fun moments and great music. My brother Ryan is coming down from Dalton with his Pastor and boss to attend the conference and they are staying with us. I'm really looking forward to attending with them and my Atlanta friends Johnny Myers and Roxie Chess. It's awesome. This year's speakers are Andy Stanley, Jim Collins (Good to Great), Seth Godin, Tim Saunders (former exec with Yahoo), William Young (The Shack), and more. The goofy thing they do is with 10,000 people attending they attempt to break a new Guinness World Record each year. I'm a part of the world's largest pillow fight, the largest frisbee toss, and largest dodgeball game. The year before I went they set the record for the most simultaneous whoopie cushion discharges. You get the picture. Who knows what this year will hold.
Enjoy your week and get a Wii, they're awesome.
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