Archive for August, 2005
Buh-bye Summer
Friday, August 26th, 2005Summer is officially over. As I left Harvard Technology Product Center on Friday for the last time on a regular work schedule, I walked through the Yard, grinned at the five distinct groups of Japanese tourists with various digital camera devices, and overheard yet another pretentious ideological debate about nothing tangible.
This is the end of summer. I have to tie up a few loose ends on Monday before Orientation Leader training begins on Tuesday. Then it’s a whirlwind two weeks before school. And then… school.
This summer did not seem like summer. I took a full semester load and worked part-time with Apple at Harvard. I had fun, just more work than fun, but I’m pretty sure that I crammed more fun into the weekend than work into the week.
A recap!
Two weeks after classes finished, The 24th Annual EVVY Awards took place. Production weeks were crazy. A whirlwind trip to San Antonio, TX to be Arthur’s sister’s friend’s date to her high school Senior Prom added to the excitement. Arthur and I danced for a few minutes before leaving Prom. Some macho guys were ready to Cowboy Up on us, which made the dance I wished I could have had in high school all the more special.
This was my last EVVY Awards as a major player. I will be involved in the 25th EVVYs, but I do not want to be a producer again. Some of this sentiment stems from me not winning the Best Website category. The EVVY Awards consumed so much of my time this year that I didn’t have much work to enter. I have worked too hard on this show to never win an EVVY myself. This cannot happen next year. I would much rather be involved creatively than manage people as a producer.
Adam, Bryan, & Ryan convened in Boston a week after The EVVY Awards. We had a gay ol’ time taking a Duck tour, eating at Quincy Market and Top of the Hub, cruising Downtown Crossing and Newbury, geeking out at the Apple Store, and jumping on an Emerson admissions tour. I love these guys! No matter how many amazing people I meet, these genuine guys will always mean the world to me.
Less than a year after shooting Mark & Kara Lamb’s wedding in Tampa, FL, I was shooting another wedding in the Lamb family. Jamie and her fiance Mark became one on June 18, 2005, and I was there capturing it all from three angles in widescreen. I *love* that Emerson allows students access to incredible equipment.
I have shot several weddings. Most pastors are more than accommodating to audio and video documentation. However, this pastor decided to be an ass. He refused to wear a lavaliere mic, threatened to pause the ceremony if I was visible on stage, and denied me and the bride from getting shots she desired. God needs better messengers than this man. And I had no problem telling him so after the ceremony.
After the ceremony and pictures, I was leaving with the Maid of Honor. As I was following her, someone called my name from behind. I kept walking forward, but the Maid of Honor stopped. I proceeded to unknowing take a step onto the trailing dress just as the Maid of Honor decided to start walking again. This tension resulted in a shrieking loud, but fortunately small and easily covered, rip. The Maid of Honor was chill, but I looked like a moron in front of the wedding party.
The wedding photographer decided that my day wasn’t bad enough. So during the reception, he physically shoved me out of his way when we were both trying to capture the same memories. I am not one to physically retaliate, but when the photographer pulled this stunt on the groomsmen and me during the cake cutting, the groomsmen were rallied and ready inflict pain upon the photographer.
But it gets even worse. I took two Sony PD-170 camcorders with me and reluctantly had to check my Apple Powerbook. The TSA x-rayed my suitcase, saw the laptop, opened my suitcase, dropped my Powerbook, placed it back in my suitcase without putting the clothing padding around it, left a note, and eventually told me they wouldn’t do a damn thing about the damage they caused.
This was the wedding from hell for me, but at least I didn’t get stranded in Florida because of a hurricane, like last time.
July 4th brought happier times. Arthur’s mom, step-dad, and sister flew up to Boston for a visit. We took a day trip to Rhode Island to visit the Newport Mansions, which were amazing.
No city does July 4th like Boston. We picnicked along the Charles all day to reserve a grassy spot from which we watched the nationally broadcast fireworks display. The Boston Pops with fireworks are an experience every American should partake in at some point. Ever cooler, CBS broadcasted off the roof of Emerson’s 100 Beacon St residence hall.
I took an important step in my life this summer when I told my family that I was gay. Truly, I think this step seemed bigger that it really was, but the announcement sure rocked Lynchburg. The trip also served as Arthur’s first experience to one of my home towns. We stopped by my high school, my mom’s grave, and my church.
This summer, I had two wonderful roommates: Sean and Keto. Sean was one of the first people I met at Emerson and we’ve been good friends ever since. Arthur & I met Keto through The EVVY Awards. She is probably one of the sweetest women alive and I enjoyed her domestic company (and her Japanese cooking skills).
Keto took Film 1 this summer. She developed a brilliant plot series and made the mistake of casting Arthur & me for her final project. All bias aside, she will probably win an EVVY for Best Film 1 this coming spring.
August brought many trips. The first trip was back to San Antonio, TX for Arthur’s grandparents’ 60th wedding anniversary. Arthur’s mom planned an incredible surprise fiesta, complete with mariachis, Mexican catering, and lots of crazy relatives. Arthur’s desire to stay one more day + a bad storm the next day resulted in me missing my ASL 2 exam, but thankfully my professor allowed me to complete another assignment upon return.
One wedding anniversary is never enough. So Arthur & I drove to my grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary. Freshly outed, I was unsure how my larger family would react to Arthur’s presence. No one said anything to me, but what is unsaid often rivals what is.
I hadn’t been back to PA for a long time. I was reminded of how time stays still for no one. This was the first interaction with my cousins that wasn’t like when we were kids. This was my first time visiting since my cousin Brett died. This was my first visit since finding out my cousin Ashley has cancer and a child. This was the first visit where I didn’t get to see my cousin Matt because he was in the hospital suffering from cystic fibrosis. Life is so short and so difficult.
My next flight took me back to San Antonio for the screening of Barang, Arthur & Cary’s documentary on Western influence in post-Vietnam Cambodia. Barang is easily one of the most professional works to come out of Emerson and I am thrilled to have been a part of it. The screening was a huge success on many levels.
So that’s summer 2005. Time does not allow me to recount every amazing experience. I am thankful to be surrounded by so many loving people, places, and opportunities. Dinners with Jess Reynoso, Jess Miller (and sister, friends), Lucinda & her mom, Cary Bell, Keto’s mom, and others are cherished. Emersive projects and new professional undertakings built new career steps. Life moved a bit faster and I felt more adult than I ever have before.
Push-to-Annoy
Friday, August 26th, 2005I hate Nextel’s Push-to-Talk service. and its users. Is retrieving a number from your speed dial and having a conversation at a normal non-disrupting voice volume that much more arduous? Most every cell service company now has free in-network calling, so push-to-talk has no economic advantage.
My limited observations reveal that push-to-talkers are gossip queens and want the whole world to hear both sides of their conversation. They also need that ear-piercing blip noise to signal when the person on the other end is finished with a thought.
If you are a push-to-talker, there is help. Try text messaging if you want to look cool.
Pimpin the V66
Thursday, August 25th, 2005My Motorola A630 refuses to charge without extreme contortion of phone and charger. Somehow the phone’s charger connections only work at the very front, which makes charging a difficult process. I don’t think I have any sort of warranty to fix my beloved phone.
I found a crappy used V66 on eBay, so I will be answering your calls on that chintzy thing until I can get a new phone in January. :-\
Kinkos
Saturday, August 20th, 2005I often write about outstanding feats of incompetency and today’s subject is Kinkos.
Warning: the following post contains material inappropriate for younger audiences. (more…)
Blood Supply
Thursday, August 18th, 2005The Red Cross, faced with a shortage of blood donations, has found an unusual way to get potential donors to their doorstep: free iPods, vacations, gas cards, and meals. Let me rephrase: The Red Cross would rather spend $200 on an iPod for your blood than allow a gay male or anyone with a tattoo donate blood.
I gave blood every time the Blood Mobile came to my high school my junior and senior year. I have not given blood since out of ideological protest. I encourage you not to give blood, even if you are eligible, until the law changes.
Stripping Gaza
Thursday, August 18th, 2005For the past new mornings, I have been glued to FNC watching the stand-off at the Gaza Synagogue. Israeli soldiers are now removing their own protesting people. It’s heartbreaking to watch. One scene of a prayer session with a soldier, border guard, and an evicted settler praying together near the site was as powerful as the famous Tiananmen Square tank scene. Just as I watched terrorists attack the United States live on television on 9/11, I’m watching (hopefully) a peace process unfold in real time. I know both sides in Israel have dirty hands, but I hope that the Palestinians will match the Israelis’ boldness in pursuit of peace.
New LiveWire Site
Wednesday, August 17th, 2005I launched the new LiveWire site today.
Internet Explorer provides as much support for CSS as a Wonderbra on a 90-year-old woman. To compensate, I created two WordPress themes that looked exactly alike: one made with CSS and one made with tables. The CSS layout is the default theme. At the top of the index.php CSS theme file, I included browser detection code. Users visiting with Internet Explorer are redirected to the table-based theme. The ThemeSwitcher WordPress plug-in allows me to switch the theme just for the person (and not everyone else) through a URI. Here is the code I used:
< ?php if (eregi("MSIE",$HTTP_USER_AGENT)) {
header("Location: http://livewireradio.us/index.php?wptheme=LiveWire+Radioactive-IE ");
} ?>
The ThemeSwitcher plug-in is also nice for testing WordPress themes that you are developing without interrupting access to your site.
Boston Pedicab
Tuesday, August 16th, 2005Kristy Fortier picked Arthur & I up for a ride to Cottonwood, where we met Jess Miller for dinner. Kristy works for Boston Pedicab and gave me my first pedicab experience. Riding in a buggy behind a bicycle amidst downtown traffic is quite the thrill. No joke.
Switch sans Switchers
Monday, August 15th, 2005About a week ago Apple launched a new Switch site. I literally received 27 e-mails about the new site, most of them saying, “You’re no longer on Apple.com!” Honestly, I don’t care that I am no longer on Apple.com. I stopped receiving royalty checks a long while ago and I really didn’t like that photograph of me.
Working as an Apple Campus Rep for Emerson College (and at Harvard University this summer), I often address the same basic questions from college students (and their parents) getting ready for school. The new Switch site is a natural evolution of the original campaign that addresses these questions more directly. The original Switchers campaign showed normal people preferring the Mac, but skimped on the finer details. Apple chose (thankfully) to get dirty in the details with the new campaign.
The new Switch site is genius. It follows the five natural steps in switching with answers to every major potentially deal-breaking question along the way. Apple obviously learned lots about Switchers during the past three years and every detail of the new Switch site testifies to critical understanding of its users.
Switch is no longer about over-glorified Real People switching. It’s about helping the hoards of new and potential Mac users join the club we’ve been hailing for so long. Welcome!
Pre-Flight Wi-Fi
Tuesday, August 9th, 2005Despite a grueling airline experience this past weekend, I found much stress relief in using my Powerbook to turn downtime into productive time. And for only $8 an hour, I was able to do just that.
When will airports realize that providing free Wi-Fi is like providing free air conditioning? And what about power outlets? Arthur and I sat on the floor huddled around a lone power outlet. Even the newly opened $400-million Terminal A in Logan Airport missed this design element. With more and more fliers traveling with laptops, iPods, portable DVD systems, and other personal technology devices, providing a few power outlets to recharge is common sense.
I don’t want 33 retail outlets in Terminal A. More places to spend money on things I don’t need nor have the space in my checked luggage to carry are not the best way to distract me from my delayed flight. Nothing compromises airport security more than having lots of retail outlets with employees and product shipments that go through significantly less security than your average grandma getting frisked for having a nail file.
But back to Wi-Fi. To further prove the incompetence of Massachusetts, Logan Airport demanded Continental Airlines to stop providing free Wi-Fi to its Presidents Club members because $8/hr for spotty and slow Wi-Fi cannot compete with free. Continental filed a complaint with the FCC in response.
