Playing with Dolls

Only 4 more days before I embark on my two-week trip to Russia. I'm busy getting my camera equipment and luggage ready for another adventure of a lifetime. There's so much to look forward to shooting several medical news stories in the largest country in the world. This superpower is strict about who visits as well. It's taken weeks of paperwork to gain approval for a VISA and I'm still waiting to receive my passport back.

PilotGirl Productions™ is sightseeing Moscow and St. Petersburg and capturing stories from hundreds of Tula residents about the economy, culture and social fabric of living in Russia. I'm working with the Albany-Tula Alliance, a grassroots, not-for-profit volunteer organization that has learned that the most powerful tool for the improvement of humankind is the direct sharing of knowledge, resources and trust among communities and individuals.

Mutti is hoping I come back with a Matryoshka doll, also known as a Russian nesting doll. She spotted one in Boston during our recent weekend excursion but it was outrageously expensive. I promised her the real thing from a street vendor including the best Russian Stoli vodka produced.

In Good Times and Bad

It's 'Hug a Vet' weekend not 'Hug a Fiancee' weekend. But, that hasn't stopped the world from getting married this weekend. Your looking at one downright disenchanted videographer nonplussed by shiny, happy people. After playing videographer for three weddings in the last 72 hours I'm ready to elope.

Wedding #1 was a real trip. While spraying the groom coming down the aisle from behind the best man, I fell backwards into a giantic ceramic urn sitting atop a table stand filled with lovely pink and white gardenias. I caught the vase in midair while simulteaneously videotaping the procession. I was shaking in my shoes as the flower girls and best man looked around wondering where the sound of falling water was coming from. Under my breath, in great desperation, I whispered "please, sir, bestman, whatever your name is, help!" His quick reaction saved the whole ceremony as he uprighted the vase just in time for the couple to start reciting their vows.

Wedding #2 was another disaster . Following a smooth exchange of wedding vows and introductions at the reception, the first couples dance began. Again, while simultaneously videotaping this key moment I backed into another tall antique-looking vase filled with an aromatic bouquet of carnations, daisies and lillys. This time there was nobody to help avert the calamity. The porceline vase tumbled to the ground rolling about on the hardwood floor. Oops. Thankfully, the bride and groom were too engrossed into each other to even notice.

Wedding #3 was the last straw. Rarely do I shoot a wedding where everything goes smoothly. No ceremony is orchestrated, planned or rehearsed so odds are good that something will be bumped, bruised or missed. It's never on purpose but inevietably the deacon/priest/reverand will block my view of the exchange of rings or maybe the flower girl will bump the second camera out of balance. This time it was my Lithium battery that failed me during the critical "garder removal" at the reception. Mr. Newlywed was inching his way up his new wife's leg when, boom, the light on my camera went dead and we're all sitting in the dark. By the time I raced to reload, Mr. Newlywed was happily prancing about the dance floor with a white garder in hand. Ugghh.

Shooting weddings is one of those "toughest job you'll ever love" projects - unfortunately the only love I ever feel is between the bride and groom.

Match Making

Besides Rocco, Mutti and myself, I may have a 4th tenant moving in! Her name is Armelle and she's a wonderful French Artist in her early 50's with a degree in Expressive Art Therapy - recently earned in Switzerland. Her and her 15 year-old kitty made Albany home many moons ago so they know the area well. Now that her lease is up she's looking for companionship and a more comfortable environment.

Enter 1 single-minded business gal with a home big enough for half of China and affordable rent and Armelle has found her new family. Before rushing into anything though we did what every couple should do before moving in together. We determined our 'compatibility' using (don't laugh) ancient Vedic principles of astrology, the Western and Chinese zodiac, numerology and even horoscope compatibility. Everyone knows that a 'good' housemate situation creates positive energy and a 'bad' one creates friction and static. So, besides asking about the obvious (rent, cleanliness and sharing chores) it's equally important to find about each others background, temperament and cosmic energy.

I never much thought about "nature's forces" or the "principles of Feng Shui" until Armelle started discussing it tonight. "My bed will need to face East" she said, looking over the room, "and I won't need the tv, I only watch Netflix on my laptop". Excellent, I thought to myself. And with that last revelation, I knew I didn't need some secret cosmic architectural design to determine our compatibility. I found a film connoisseur, a green freak and a computer afficionado...now lets hope puppy and kitty feel the same way.

Public Convenience

The novelty of owning a dog should subside soon but until then I can't help but blog all about him. While walking him this morning we came across a kink in our bathroom break loop. To my disappointment, the "tall grass" pitstop was mowed down by the town municipality over the weekend. My creature of habit refuses to go in his yard, the neighbors, even the park ~ only tall grass will do. Quickly we had to find alternatives that wouldn't get him or me in trouble for not carrying a pooper scooper and/or plastic bag. I ran him down a hill, over a bridge and across the street to the last vestige of wooded property save from development. Good 'ol Rocco relieved himself without missing a beat.

This dog is so easy to predict and with the right diet (minus table scraps) there's nothing disgusting to surprise me. I have to admit, the whole scenerio got me thinking about Google maps, especially after reading about safe2pee.org, a site that pinpoints the location of gender-neutral restrooms throughout US and Canadian cities. As silly as that sounds, the site is still in beta phase but already lists 799 bathrooms from Albuquerque,N.M. to Washington, D.C. A site for humans not dogs.

But, what if Google could do the same for pet owners? It could be called safe2pee4dogs.com and have locations mapped of hydrants, uncut flower beds, telephone poles, stop signs, mailboxes and of course, overgrown weeds. Sounds farfetched but it's this kind of entrepreneur shit (literally) that makes millions. Owning a dog brings a whole new dimension of reality - maybe someday that reality will pay me doggie dividends.

Staying the Course

14 days has come and gone and it's time for me to adopt my big beautiful Golden Retriever outright from Peppertree Farms. The 2-week grace period was only briefly interrupted by super early morning walks, torn carpet in 2 rooms, a slight flea problem and random barking in the dead of the night. But, hallelujah, this is the first relationship I've been in where the 'dog' hasn't run for the hills! How happy am I? I'm always 'barking up the wrong tree' but this dog is perfectly happy to sit and most importantly 'stay' with me. I found a winner, big sloppy kisses and all... now, I wonder if the Spectrum Theater would mind Rocco sharing popcorn and a flick with me tonight? ;)

Friedman's Perspective

One of my favorite mustached New York Times columnists is in town tonight speaking at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Pulitzer Prize winner, Thomas Friedman. He'll be joined by the creator of a show I would die to work on someday, Don Hewitt of "60 Minutes" along with the first African-American woman to travel in space, Dr. Mae Jemison. It's a trio worth hundreds of dollars but at RPI the event is free to the public. Unfortunately I'll be working in Kingston all day but thankfully I can catch the archived webcast online at RPI's website. Thomas Freidman's works are brilliant and if you haven't read his thoughts on Arab oil or 'petrolism' as he calls it, climate change, foreign relations and of course, money and greed go to your nearest local bookstore and buy his books. He's even hosted several documentaries for the Discovery Channel including the 90-munute special last month called "Green: The New, Red, White and Blue". Some see him as obtruse, glib, even reverential and also too rich to be objective. Give him a chance to explore his opinions and views tonight at RPI and tell me what you think.

Free Fern Fronds

Armed with a sharp hand ax, my friend Linda was up to no good canoeing the Normanskill River with me on Sunday. I was aiming to save some green and needed Linda as my accomplice so as soon as tall leafy ferns were spotted Linda hopped from the canoe and hacked away. In a couple hours we gathered enough foilage to fill the canoe as well as an empty flower bed. Thank you Linda for playing Ranger on Sunday and scoring more than just a boat-load of leafy plants but paddling exercise as well.

Hillary Highlights

Senator Hillary Clinton has a good shot at being President in 2009 and today she was endorsed by New York State Governor Elliot Spitzer on the steps of the New York state Capital. Under beautiful blue skies Hillary delivered a blistering attack on the Bush administration's handling of the environment, Iraq, healthcare and the economy. "We have seen a culture of corruption and cronyism for the last six years," she said to the raucous applause of about 4000 people. I played producer/grip girl for political junkie Susan Arbetter's new local PBS show New York Now. Next to me, atop the media scaffolding, stood all my old cohorts from my days with CBS news, still grumbling and miserable. It was nice having my hands free to clap during the speeches from Lt. Gov. David Paterson, state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and Senator Chuck Schumer. On the opposite side of the Capital a huge group of peace advocates held up signs and banners wanting the troops home and an end to the war. Senator Hillary promised that should Bush fail to end the war by the time she's elected, she will. That helped secure my vote.

Carbon Paw Prints

Ghandi once said, “”The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”

Rocco just snuck up to my room and is sleeping quietly at the foot of my bed. It only took a week of sleeping on a dirty bean bag in my equipment room to feel welcome to join the pack upstairs. It's nice having a 4-legged creature watching over me as I sleep or maybe pretending to since he couldn't hurt a fly. When thunder and lightening struck last night he dashed under my computer desk wanting to be protected.

My neighbor gave me a book by a leading dog expert on discipline and training, Cesar Millan's New York Times Bestseller "Cesars's Way" ~ achieving balance between people and dogs. Cesar also has a popular show on National Geographic called the "Dog Whisperer". I'm hoping to teach this old dog some new tricks including how not to bury chew toys and milk bones in flower gardens and chase garbage trucks that could squash him like a pea.

Environmentally, Rocco is doing his part to fertilize an empty plot of tall grass just down the road. And rather than my driving to the Y for a workout I'm running 5 miles with him every morning. I'm apt to plant more trees and hedges to create a boundary for the dog as well as switch from chemical lawn treatments to organic products. For all the socks that Rocco is chewing through I admit he's turning me into an even bigger environmentalist.

Dreesen in the House

Ronnie Schell move over ~ Comedian Tom Dreesen and I spent all afternoon in his NYC hotel room laughing it up before his David Letterman appearance today in Midtown. Of course, I was knee deep in production and lighting equipment with a crack team of producer filmmakers calling the shots. Yes, even funny man Tom Dreesen welcomed the chance to make a cameo in the documentary we've been shooting for 6 months. In fact, PilotGirl Productions™ made "Variety" magazine this week talking all about it ~ just a little blurb but still worth noting. Following the interview, unbeknowst to us, Tom tested his "Late Show with David Letterman" material on us before going onstage. His is a kind of romantic, good-natured, satirical comedy you wish more young comedians did but don't, probably because it's a generational thing.

He kindly arranged VIP seating for us in the Ed Sullivan theater and seeing that I'm a rabid Letterman fan I knew to bring a sweatshirt and sneak a snapshot. Like I said, Tom is not a manufactured comedian, he's from the 'old school' and ran with guys like Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball, Richard Pryor and Bob Hope. He's a legend in the stand-up world and makes regular appearances on Letterman and in Las Vegas. What a super swell and all-around wonderful human being.

Oh yah, Lindsay Lohan was on the show too.

Mod Mountain Biking

Roadkill takes on a whole new perspective when your biking on the side of the road. No longer is it a quick flash of a dead squirrel, like in a car, but rather a messy, smelly and rotting carcass of bird food. Roadkill, potholes, saddle soars and idiot drivers who weave into your shoulder, these are the drawbacks to long distance biking. On the plus side is the sense of accomplishment and a new wardrobe when you finish!

Today, my excercise-mogul Ms. Nola and I rode from Albany, NY to North Adams, Mass, a one-way journey that took about 4 hours to complete. Ms. Nola exceeded my every expectation, many times leaving me trailing from a half a mile behind. She road with new tires on her super light Trek 1500 twenty-one speed and dressed with a sunvisor helmet, sunglasses, toe-clip shoes and a CamelBak. I, on the otherhand, rode a 12-year old mountain bike with semi-slick tires, a wet sticky cotton t-shirt, a undersized 10-year olds helmut that cut into my chin (I lost mine) and casual sneakers. Boy was I an ugly sight for soar eyes, so much so I wisely forgot my camera at home. Of course, 10 minutes and 5 miles into a 45 mile journey and I could care less what I look like.

Route 43 is blanketed with rolling hills, narrow passes, few houses and steep climbs over the Berkshire Mnts. Farm land with an occassional chewing cow or barking dog interupts the wooded back country. The weather shines brightly over a little meandering brook that parallels the road. All is right with the world while we ascend another vicious climb, over and over and over again. I repeat my mantra to block my burning thighs. "Mountain Goat, Mountain Goat, Mountain Goat". It's our treat when the day is done to go shopping at the area's premier outdoor specialty shop, The Mountain Goat. And by the looks of me, I need the Mountain Goat more than gatorade and a powerbar combined.

My New Best Friend

Have you ever seen such a gorgeous profile before? He's my new best friend Rocco! I picked him up from a volunteer, not-for-profit shelter called Peppertree Rescue. Rocco is 9 yrs old, part Golden Retriever part Collie and sadly comes from an abusive family. He's long been rehabiliated staying with foster parents waiting for a permanent adoption to take place.

That moment arrived today! My first dog - how happy am I? Against all better judgement including my allergies, frequent travels and a tight budget, I found myself adopting this loving, intelligent and beautiful creature. Finally, a running buddy, watchful guardian and all-around loyal, steadfast and affectionate companion to live out the rest of my thirties with and maybe then some. I should have done this sooner!

Thoughts on the Run

I was a fairly decent runner in highschool but didn't really participate in sports until after college. It was in my twenties that I ran marathons, raced several 5Ks and participated in a bunch of smaller running clubs. The magazine "Runners World" and a bottle of gatorade were definite fixtures on my bedside stand 10 years ago. Never did I think that someday I would be hooking a wireless mic onto the hairy chest of Runner's World Executive Editor and 1968's Boston Marathon winner, Amby Burfoot. It was a elated moment to meet a tireless man of 60 yrs. who still runs marathons and thinks nothing of exceeding his 115,000 mile running career benchmark. Anybody who runs knows Amby Burfoot, reads his columns and aspires to be instructed by the legend. PilotGirl Productions drove down for the day for feedback to a documentary we're doing on ultra-marathoner Serge Roetheli. Amby (short for Ambrose) gave us genuine gold (as Bob English would say) for the camera, as if he's been training for this moment all week. I dare say he's inspired me to bike to Williams College in North Adams, Massachusetts on Sunday from my home here in Albany! 60 miles is nothing compared to Amby's triumphs but it's a hell of a Spring start for me.

Pennsylvania Politics

Allentown, Pennyslvania is still a ways away from St.Vincent College near Pittsburgh but since I'm heading that way for a job this morning I thought I'd include an interesting conflict brewing at this prestigious 161 year old Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts school. As you may have read President Bush is delivering the commencement speech for 300 graduating next week. It's an exciting and privledged moment but some students question how holy the President truly is. The school places great importance on morality, hospitality and peaceful relationships between people and nations but they don't feel the President displays many of these qualities. They have begun a petition that point out the obvious. It's worth a read.

Dear President Bush:

Political motives aside, and with the highest respect for the Office of the President of the United States, we the undersigned friends, students, and alumni of Saint Vincent College respectfully protest your acceptance of the College's invitation to speak at commencement on May 11th.

Since it was founded in 1846, Saint Vincent College has strived to embody the ideals of the Catholic faith and the fifteen-hundred-year heritage of Benedictine education. The College's mission is firmly rooted in "the love of values inherent in the liberal approach to life and learning." We believe your administration's disregard of opposing viewpoints has deeply divided the nation and flies in the face of this approach.

Your poor stewardship of the environment, policies that favor the wealthy while ignoring the needs of the poor and the sick, and reckless squandering of the lives of our troops by clinging to failed tactics in an ill-conceived, unjustified war are at odds with our values. Values that—rather than being unique to Catholicism—are universal.

Archabbot Nowicki, the College's chancellor, believes that your address would help to "burnish our reputation as one of the finest liberal arts schools in the country," but we believe that linking the school to your administration would irreparably tarnish Saint Vincent.

The College's mission is to provide men and women with a quality education "to enable them to integrate their professional aims with the broader purposes of human life." Your purposes are not our purposes, and your beliefs do not reflect the values and heritage of our cherished institution.

Unconventional Wisdom

Writing articles and shooting quality video for travel vignettes while away on a media junket is no easy task. There are interviews, lighting, audio, battery power, tape stock, consent and release forms and permissions to worry about. There are time constraints, weather issues and traveling print journalists to work around. There's finding enough time to shoot, take notes, blog, email and have a wee bit of time for myself to actually enjoy the experience. It's hard work and anybody who has traveled with me knows the weight of my gear. So, in saying that, I've arrived at my favorite part of the entire craziness - the editing process!

The editing process is my 'cool down' period. It's when I sit back, relax and revel in letting the hard work dailies fall into place. All this week and next I'm knee deep in digitizing raw footage, tracking down sound effects, locating music and assembling footage. The workflow is relatively seamless from editing, mixing, sweetening and rendering the finish product; this is my favorite part of the entire process. And especially after weeks of pounding the pavement in crowded cities, I can finally sit back in complete silence and let the creative juices flow. If something was missed while shooting, well there's no way I can go back and reshoot so I live with the coverage I get.

It truly is a ying-yang world; part frenzy and part calm - one can't exist without the other. I subscribe to Post Magazine and read about the rigors of the major motion picture industry and indie film world. Directors/producers/writers live and breath every element of this intense post and pre-production craziness for many many months. How do they do it? How does a celebrity director like Paul Verhoeven and Quentin Tarantino do it over and over and over again putting their lives on a shelf until the work is done? My work is a passion that results in some of the most satisfying visual experiences I've ever had but to maintain this pace takes a toll and I really can't imagine how the cinema world does it.