Tag: Cortney Chyme

Weigh-In Wednesday – Searching for the Sun

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

Sometimes, being positive isn’t about finding the silver lining in the storm clouds, or seeing the sun from behind the rain. It’s about appreciating the rain, and how refreshing it can be while it is coming down. It’s about appreciating the dancing shadows in the storm clouds as they roll, and flow. It’s about recognizing your pain, embracing it, and realizing it will pass. 

Not everything is good all of the time, but even when things aren’t good, they’re useful. Flowers rarely grow from sunshine alone. It takes a balance of rain, and some lumps of shit, along with the sunshine for them to thrive.

If you spend your time trying to only be positive, not only do you fail to learn to deal with your problems, but you lose the experience of the pain your problems bring. Without being able to feel, embrace, and deal with pain, you can’t fully appreciate the happiness, and the good. As I’ve said many times, the valleys help define the mountains.  The oceans help to define the land. Contrasts exist to show us what can be, what is important, what we should value, and the things, and people that deserve our greatest efforts.

Movie Poster for Stages

Weigh-In Wednesday – Back to Routine

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

The previous weekend was the 48-Hour Film Project. Our movie titled, Stages was filmed in record fashion. Our first year leading our own team; we kept the production streamlined, the story easy to follow, and sensible, and our production schedule stayed very close to schedule for the entire day. Because I directed it,  filmed it, and edited it, it was less of a challenge keeping the vision on point.  The Premier Screening was this past weekend, and I have to say, I think it played well. Not as flashy as some films, but given our small team, and limited technical resources, it still came out clean, and cohesive, and seemed to have the emotional impact we were going for. Confirmed by a few different viewers, some even said it appeared on screen as one of the best looking, best filmed movies of the day.

Weigh-In Wednesday: Still Recovering

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

It’s the end of an era. I bought that house in 2008 (the process started in the autumn of 2007) , and moved in shortly thereafter. It was a house, a meeting place, a home, an office, and a photography studio. With my technology business, we helped dozens of local businesses on their path to success, and modernization. We worked multi-million dollar projects for an international medical manufacturer, hosted technician training for their contractors, developed wireless network assessment calibration , and reporting techniques, and policies, software R&D for their products, and customer support, all while implementing their solutions at hundreds of hospitals across North America, and Australia. I hosted monthly networking meetings for over four years to bring Buffalo businesses, entrepreneurs, and clients together.  I designed creative photography concepts, and hosted collaborative photography sessions involving photographers, models, and other artists. That house saw fund raisers that raised thousands for organizations like the SPCA, Family Justice Center, and Buffalo Animal Shelter. I hosted marketing events for Xerox, and other local businesses. It saw mimosa Sundays, and New Year’s Day gatherings for friends. It hosted meetings for 48-Hour Film projects, and outdoor movie nights on the back deck. I raised chickens, and gardens, and provided a place for my kids to explore, be artistic, play games, and have fun. It gave a home to friends who needed a place to land, and most recently, Rika, who also needed a place to land. It experienced joy, and happiness. It experienced sorrow, and heartbreak…

Wednesday Weigh-In – Independence Day Interrupted

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

If you’re going to celebrate Independence Day, you’re truly celebrating the principles that drove our nation to independence, which are all very well outlined in the Declaration, and the Constitution.  You’re celebrating the idea that if your government isn’t truly working on behalf of all of its citizens, changes are necessary. Replacing the government is necessary, and should happen when necessary.

You’re also celebrating the individual right to state such things, and question what the government is doing. Patriotism isn’t blind flag waving, fireworks, standing for anthems, and shouting rah-rah about an entity with imaginary borders on a round planet. Understanding that is a big part of Independence Day.

Weigh-In Wednesday – Random Thoughts Edition

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

I’m still not sure why people think that a 71-year old man who has been nearly criminal, and definitely unethical in his business practices for the last 40 years would have been anything but that once in a political position. Apathy, and simply not paying attention are two of our nation’s largest shortcomings.