Monthly Archives: December 2008

film, film making, music, photography, random thought

snow day

i bought a new camera the other day.  it was a very exciting day, because along with shooting stills, it can capture 1080 hd video.  

since i was little, i have wanted to make nature documentaries, and more recently, i’ve been interested in feature film as well.

so, a few days ago, as i started this post, dallas had a rare cold snap, and we were given a decent amount of snowfall.  it is a very welcomed sight here.

a short film was the result of some test video that i shot on our brief snow day.  it’s the first of (hopefully) many short nature films to come.  who knows… i’ve got a few ideas for longer fiction pieces as well… (i’ve already got the filmmaker’s ego – notice the gratuitous use of my name in opening and closing credits)

for optimal viewing, be sure to click “hd” in the upper right-hand corner.

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family, random thought, writing

less is More

 

 

 

there will be less someday


there will be less someday —

much less,

and there will be More;

less to distract and amuse;

More to adore

less to burden and confuse

More to undo

the cluttering of centuries,

that we might view again,

That which star and angels pointed to;

we shall be poorer —

and richer;

stripped–and free:

for always there will be a Gift

always a Tree.

 

— ruth bell graham

 

 

 

my friend, miss jessica dean… thank you for this magnificent poem.  merry Christmas to everyone!


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music, photography, random thought, writing

sister winter

i love winter. when i lived in wyoming, winter was considerably more “involved” than it is in texas. but the fact remains; winter is the season of death.  no matter where you live.

certainly i am no lover and harbinger of death. “slayer” is not carved into my arm.  but i am obsessed with what inevitably walks patiently beside death:  the opportunity for renewal.

where there is ruin, there is hope for a treasure.  ~  rumi

there was a time in my life when my heart froze over – it took so many years to thaw.  sufjan’s song sister winter reminds me of this time.  

it seems to be a beautiful and poignant letter of explanation to his friends.  he tells them that his heart has returned to sister winter, and is as cold as ice.  the weight of sadness is almost too much to bear.

he goes on to describe in filmic detail a failed relationship.  it cuts deep into the listener. 

but what i love most about sister winter is the end of the song. it builds and builds… and when all of this scar tissue and raw emotion culminate and burst forth, breaking free from the frost, sufjan belts out an intense, “and my… friends, i’ve… returned to wish you all the best…  and my… friends, i’ve… returned to wish you… a… happy Christmas!”  the ice melts, and love flows again.

it ends with bittersweet undertones.  sustained strings in unison fade.

may spring come!  but not before we have proper time to mourn our losses.

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