Project Steev

A Reassuring Thought

My friend José posted something to his blog that really gives me some hope in these seemingly dark times. Basically it is the idea that people are divided into 2 schools of thought: those who really want you to be scared that if "law and order" and the "institutions" break down, civilization will collapse into a Hobbesean nightmare of everyone for themselves, and then other people who recognize that people are basically good and will band together to help each other and protect each other from harm and mishap when the going gets tough.

Like José says in his post, "print out this brilliant comment... and keep a copy handy at all times given the faddish resurgence of doomsday cults."

It's so easy to panic and be afraid. But hey, let's not, okay?

Back Home Trying To Get Stuff Together

It's been a while since I've blogged here but I've been more active over on my new border news website/blog, http://newsontheline.tv - this was created, as I explained a couple posts ago, for a new border project, which I call "Transition in the Borderlands" - the idea was to travel along the border during the week before and after Inauguration Day, and talk to people about how they think their communities are effected by the border wall and border militarization, and whether they think things will change and how, now that Chertoff and Bush are out, and Obama is in.

Now I'm done with the trip and busy catching up on other things and going over my footage. I'll be editing together several little vignettes, in addition to the 2 that I've already done:

Yesterday's Twitter tweets:

• 08:54 Getting dressed and watching obama?s limo on tv #
• 10:15 Heading 2 Calexico 2 do interviews #
• 11:04 Waiting at the port in calexico 4 my interviewee 2 come thru frm Mexicali #
• 13:24 Back from Mexicali #
• 14:37 At Imperial Dunes Rec Area #
• 21:42 feeling happy to be back in Tucson. #

New Border Project

I drove all the way to San Diego yesterday. I'm starting a new project to visit some spots along the U.S./Mexico border, communities impacted by the wall and other militarization, in the final days of Bush and the first days of Obama.
I'll be blogging in detail as I go at a new site, http://newsontheline.tv/.

Yesterday's Twitter tweets:

• 08:11 waking up and thinking about funding for future projects. #
• 10:22 marvelling at how fascinating it is when u can see 2 or more totally unrelated "friends" on Facebook posting the same video. viral, i guess #
• 13:53 really wanting to blurt some very strong opions here on twitter but would probably bite me in ass someday when i'm running for president. #
• 14:45 feeling very jaded. sigh. #
• 15:57 just spent 2 hours on a conf call. now going for a walk to clear head. not much work getting done. waaah. #

More Tweets.

Still no time to blog so i am posting tweets again.
Lots going on but can't bring myself to blog about it. why? hmm.

• 09:23 reading a report about digital initiatives in indpendent filmmaking, www.itvs.org/producers/digitalinitiative/fieldreport/index.html #
• 10:04 feeling overwhelmed. #
• 13:40 more good news. short version of my border film, Wild Vs. Wall, has been accepted 2 Sedona Film Fest. arizona.sierraclub.org/border #
• 14:37 putting my 2008-in-review letters in envelopes... #
• 15:24 thinking i might be overcaffinated. #
• 16:06 just applied for health insurance. yay. #
• 16:36 hating twitter marketeers #
• 16:47 Wondering if "Trying to Pretend" by MGMT is ironic and how many fans realize it. it fucking must be. brilliant really. #

Yesterday's Twitter tweets

• 09:38 checking email, just walked dog. cold out, too cold. #
• 09:48 trying again to figure out why Firefox is still wanting to connect to my old computer, and hanging/crashing when it can't find it. so stupid #
• 10:35 talking with FF support person on IRC. annoying cuz he doesnt seem to get it. #
• 11:21 still talking to this Firefox support guy. we've tried everything. dammit. #
• 17:32 omg, i think i finally figured out my stupid firefox problem i've been dealing with for 6 hours today and many more over the last 2 weeks. #
• 17:35 oops, i spoke to soon. Firefox still fucked. dammit. #
• 20:06 feeling persecuted by technology. all day today. #

Last Tweets of 2008

• 09:08 trying to figure out how to be more productive today than yesterday. and more productive next year than this. sigh. #
• 09:22 Listening to a hilarious mashup of Rick Astley and Nirvana (the 2 most famous songs of each) on WFMU.org.. ROTFL!!! #
• 11:40 editing editing, editing.... i think i need more coffee... #
• 15:29 reading mention of my border film in this week's Tucson Weakly: tinyurl.com/84vmr4 #