Tag: life

Stages - 5 Award Nominations at the Buffalo 48-Hour Film Project

Weigh-In Wednesday – September 11

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

Yes, we all know it’s September 11th.  As we have been told, we haven’t forgotten. We’re not allowed to forget, and with that, many aren’t allowed to reconcile the grief that day has caused.

It is a tragedy that honestly started our nation on a downward spiral of economic disarray, and increased ethnocentrism. Which is probably exactly what the terrorists wanted. Yes, honor the fallen, honor the first responders, remember them on this day. But maybe also realize our current state of affairs, and the endless wars that have further demonized us in the Middle East, and the breakdown of our alliances that we now have is evidence the terrorist got what they wanted. In that respect, we’ve failed to honor the fallen, and first responders correctly.

Symbolic memorials mean nothing if you don’t live in a nation that upholds the values it wrote into its Constitution.

But, who am I to say? After all, most conservatives still blame Obama for not being in the Oval Office when 9/11 happened.

Ridiculous Workday Notes

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

I have discovered my job is literally Peter Gibbons’s job in the movie Office Space.  Now, I love the movie Office Space, and in fact,traveled with a digital copy on my laptop to watch while on flights, in my hotel, etc..  while I had a contract that required weekly travel from 2006 through 2009. That job was a high-pressure job, and working from the road all the time wasn’t always easy, but back then, running my own business, and experiencing so many different places was so much better than just being in an Office Space type work environment.  Why do I say that my  current job is Peter Gibbons’s? Because the job doesn’t seem matter, at all. I do my work, which is completely trite, unrewarding, and for the most part without meaning, or consequence, good or bad. I get direction from management, but it’s rarely ever followed-up on, or consistent. I have eight different bosses who will all tell me the same thing, or in most cases, nothing at all. My presence is required, but at the same time, completely optional as long as work gets done. My only fulfillment comes via direct deposit, which isn’t great, but the flip-side is, once I leave the office I don’t have to think about my job at all. Not a single bit. No worries, no over-hang of stress, no wondering how I will solve problems, or make anything work. Nothing. I can completely focus on things that actually matter to me.

There is a certain serenity in that. I’m not changing the world here, but it keeps the bills paid while I work on changing my world elsewhere. When I’m here I hate it, and I want to leave, or find something new. But at the same time, I realize such jobs are pretty rare.

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 – Three Decades Later

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

By far, the people who complain the most, and about the most trivial, nonsensical things are Conservatives/Republicans/The Religious Right.

While they sit back, and call others “snowflakes” for things like, not wanting to be shot while in school, or not wanting the police to kill you during a routine arrest (often a BS arrest), or things like justice, and civil rights, those on the other side worry about coffee cups not being Christmassy enough, religious symbols not being allowed on public (tax funded) buildings, and scream about their faux persecution in the face of others demanding equal rights. They live on socialist ideals, and taxes, yet complain the policies they don’t want are all socialist, and therefore evil. They stump over free-market ideals, but when the free-market puts them in their place they complain they’re being discriminated against.

It’s a shopping list covering every aisle of hypocrisy, and irony when you think about it.

Silent Voices - where I got to play a complete jerk. Conservatives would say this would influence me to become one.

Weigh-In Wednesday – All This, and More

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

For those who need to hear it – the nicest people generally get a lot more hardship thrown into their lives. It is one of the things that makes them the nicest people.

They know what it’s like to struggle. They’ve fought battles, and those battles have built their uncompromising character. They have empathy for the struggles of others because they’ve struggled, and don’t want to see others struggling. They have big hearts, and tend to be extremely generous because in the end everything they’ve fought through teaches them the most important things aren’t money, or material possessions, but love, and seeing those they love live fulfilling lives. They understand true morality isn’t found in a book of fables, but in the way you treat someone who can do nothing for you in return.

This concluded my text based, non graphical internet inspirational meme.

Pride - And my Views in Buffalo Rising

Weigh-In Wednesday – Walking The Line

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

No, the Red Party isn’t our local communists. Let’s be honest, most communists are only called communists because that’s how the conservative right wants to define anyone with socially altruistic ideals, and demonize them for it.  This Red Party is about  raising funds for local organizations that provide services to underrepresented populations in Buffalo, specifically women in situations that may prevent them from being able to afford, or procure sanitary products when necessary. This is actually a major problem for many populations, whether the women are members of refugee groups that make it to America with little more than the clothes on their back, homeless women trying to get by, or women escaping domestic violence relying on the help of others to figure out where to go next.

It is a serious social issue, and for women in these situations, it is a matter of healthcare, and dignity. 

Living In The Buff Ten Year Anniversary!!!!!!

Weigh-In Wednesday – Banning the Bans

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

Religions just need to piss off from this planet entirely. I really don’t care what loopy fables you want to believe, what invisible being you want to worship, or what book you read it all from. You’re delusional. Delusions shouldn’t influence legislation, or even society. They should be treated like a disease, and eradicated as quickly as possible for the over-all health of our society.

We don’t need abortion bans. We need delusional thinking bans.

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…