More Words About Cities

Does everyone else feel completely useless when it comes to engine problems in their car?

When a mechanic talks to me and tells me that it will need X, Y and Z, I'm pretty sure my eyes glaze over and subconsciously there's a "ca-ching" reaction in their head. Their mouth probably salivates a bit.

And I'm completely competent with some things. I've replaced fuses, bulbs, filters, repaired broken door handles, locks, and anything else physically wrong is fine with me. But that engine is a big mystery.

And that's why I'm going to get screwed tomorrow when I go in to get my transmission looked at.

UPDATE: Didn't go to transmission place, figured it was electrical, it was. Dead battery, cracked battery connector and got a parking break light fixed. Cost about $300 after Seattle's stellar tax. I'd probably do it myself but I have a shoot on Friday that I need the van for. Still have transmission problems to fix.

I was the DP on this music video. Melanie tells me people don't know what a DP is. It's short for Director Of Photography... which means I make things look pretty with lights. After this shoot my lights still smell of lighter fluid... which may seem like a hazard, but I'm telling people it isn't.

Ravenna Woods Music Video - "In the World" 4k from Blaine Ludy on Vimeo.

I wasn't planning on doing the list this year. Don't get me wrong, I like making lists... but it all seemed a bit unnecessary and narcissistic. Then a weird creature, like the Canadian Mascot but with no need for so many legs, asked what happened to my list. So voila, I made a list.

Overall I feel like I'm missing much substance in my list. There's a lot of popcorn as a whole, and I'm not sure what that comes from... I may blame netflix streaming. It leads me to watch older films, generally not providing new releases, and then I've also spent much of 2009 watching TV shows on DVD (Six Feet Under, Dexter, Dr. Who, Dollhouse, Whitest Kids You Know, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Fraggle Rock, etc., etc.). Or it could just be that I'm drawn toward lighthearted entertainment more, like a moth towards that tasty burny flame.

Regardless, here you go.

( Top Films of 2009 )

I promised one 8-legged-antlered reader that I would update this more often, and specifically with information about cities. So behold, I went to Whistler!

Why? Well, I've been creating 43 videos for this NBC/Hilton joint venture Travelskoot, and they paid for me to go up there last week.

A quick rundown: NBC/Hilton are going to the top travel destinations around the world and creating between 40-50 videos at each place to highlight the different things tourists can do while in the area. Then these videos are going to the web to create an interactive map where tourists can plan their trip.

It's a pretty cool job, lots of perks like free gourmet dinners from restaurants, getting an inside look at the town from locals, and ooh, free t-shirt! Oh and I also get to run up my cell phone bill with constant international calls!

And Whistler is a fun city. I think that if I snowboarded or mountain biked and had no other commitments, then living in Whistler for a while would be awesome. The town is gorgeous, the people super friendly, and the activities varied (although probably expensive if you pay for them yourself).

So I went up last week and shot 22 videos on my first trip. I'm doing a second one next week sometime so I can get the other videos. It's exhausting actually, but that's the business.

As a two-for-one city special, I'm also headed back to Philly for the weekend, where I'm celebrating my Dad's birthday and going to Melanie's family reunion.

And I live in Seattle.

I've been told I'm critical of things and can't take simple joys and overlook flaws. Perhaps that's true. Here's my review of Watchmen...

( Spoilers Abound )

I turned 30 today, it's been a long time coming. Like 30 years long. I got caught with a deadline for an editing project so I didn't really get the chance to relax and enjoy it as much as I wanted, but I have a few moments for introspection while I wait for Melanie to get the bus home. So I'm thinking back, mostly on the last decade in which...

( ... )

I just realized that I'll be turning 30 in less than 3 weeks, I'm not too concerned with the number, but at the same time it seems like there's supposed to be a list of things you're supposed to do before that date. Does anyone know what those things are? And perhaps any I can do for little/no money while staying in Seattle?

A while back a good friend of mine Jeff Smith had a stunning shirt that his wife was forcing him to throw away. With his permission I rescued it, and to celebrate its new found lease on life I have taken it across the world to places that Jeff has never been.

Updating this tradition, I present "T-Shirt Bruges"

Quick Update From England: London got 4 inches of snow last night, and it's continuing to snow today, all flights are cancelled until 5pm tonight and the trains to the airport aren't all running. My flight is 9:40am tomorrow morning and there's a good chance I won't be able to get there in time if the trains aren't running. But I essentially have no internet or way to check anything, I have to just wake up at 4:45am and head down to the station and hope for the best.

Melanie can never understand why I don't like to travel.

Melanie got me the Dr. Horrible DVD for Xmas and we watched all the special features last night. For those who don't know, it's got a pretty rad Commentary done completely as a musical! Also it has one of the most complex hidden easter eggs system I've ever seen. Go buy it today!

As a bonus, I also heard last night that more Dr. Horrible is planned!
http://scifiwire.com/2009/01/huzzah-whedon-promises-there-will-be-more-dr-horrible.php


Oh, and have you ever noticed how utterly untalented and trashy Miley Cyrus is?

Seriously. Ewh.