Going Diesel

I bought a car in August. It was a Honda Civic, a basic economy car known for its reliability and its gas mileage. Many of my friends live off the subway lines and many miles from me, my work at WGBH is hard to get to without a car, and every job I seem to be applying for requires that I have my own transportation. So I caved.

Despite my good intentions and rationalizations, it became clear that driving this Honda was gnawing at my soul. The automatic transmission confused me and it's all together possible that the unfamiliar territiry simply made me paranoid, but the mileage just never seemed to be what it should be. I felt like I wasn't even making it to 30 miles per gallon, and slowly I stopped visiting people because I felt guilty.

I would be on edge driving to have dinner in Waltham (only a 10 mile trip from my home) because I figure that's probably almost half a gallon of gasoline that I'm using, and by driving all the time and burning so much gasoline I'm contributing to so many problems including health risks associated with the gasoline exhaust, greenhouse effects, and warped political priorities that have arisen to ensure US appropriation of foreign oil.

So after owning the Honda for less than 6 months, I decided it was time to sell it and buy something that didn't stress out my morals so much. Enter, 1989 VW Jetta. For now, this car will run on diesel which is not much better for the environment, but at least is more efficient. I can get approximately 45-50 miles to the gallon, as opposed to just under 30 with the honda. And as it warms up I can transition to biodiesel and eventually, with the help of these guys, to SVO (straight vegetable oil).


Click here for Quicktime movie (in a new window)

Thanks to Chad for the excellent camerawork, encouragement and company.

For more inspiring videos about running on alternative fuel, check out RyanIsHungry

Runtime is 1:17

Technorati Tags: volkswagen, vw, jetta, diesel, biodiesel, SVO, straight vegetable oil, vegoil, alternative fuel

Making Ice

While some may think it's a difficult, highly technical endevour, I'm pleased to present you with the idiot's guide to making ice. Turns out it isn't difficult at all, just takes a delicate balance between starting out with very little water in the first place, and accidentally leaving it outside in the car all night long while it's snowing... The result is beautiful. Just don't tell my mom I've been freezing the new Nalgene she got me...


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Runtime is 28 Seconds

Technorati Tags: ice frozen water+bottle winter cold

Hot, Cold.

Commentary on global warming?
On the unusual winter we've been having?
A day in Chinatown...
Or just some random moments that caught my attention...


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Runtime is 1:27

Technorati Tags: hot cold odd+restrooms

Stained Glass Installation

I posted this video of me working on stained glass a few months ago. Well, here's the final product, what all those countless hours of work helped to create!


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Runtime is about 3.5 minutes

Music is "Ce matin la" by Air

Technorati Tags: stained+glass window art artist glass

I Work Nights

I was talking to Ryanne online while at work, and when she found out what I was doing she exclaimed "you're me!" and sent me these links:
New Friend
I work Nights

This is for you, Ryanne....


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Runtime is 4 Minutes

Technorati Tags: Ryanne ryanedit editor work nights

Green, Brown.

a moment.



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Runtime is 30 seconds

See more of Chad.

Technorati Tags: socks green brown color changing+color light

Carp Caviar

More Carp Caviar can be consumed at Bottomunion.com


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Runtime is 15 seconds

Technorati tags: carp+caviar bottom+union carp caviar

Happy Birthday From Mike

My birthday was a little confusing this year. It happened in Australia before it happened here, because of the international date line. Australia doesn't have Thanksgiving, so in Austrailia I had a birthday to myself, but I spent it on the airplane, and in the US I had a birthday on Thanksgiving and nobody around me except Chad knew until the following day. I kinda just didnt really have a birthday this year.. but I still did, as people keep reminding me. How bizarre...


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Runtime is about 30 seconds

Technorati Tags: airplane voicemail birthday mike

Koalas are not Snuggly.

We learned a lot about the cute, cuddly koala bear while in Australia. Namely, that they are not really any of these things. While they are fairly cute, the common conceptions stop there. They are not bears and, as we discovered, they are also not snuggly.

We were watching this guy,and then we noticed there was a mom with a baby on her back higher up in the tree.

My sister decided to take a video of the mom and baby duo, and as she was doing so the cute, cuddly, innocent guy pictured above tried to (or did) rape her with her baby still on her back. Apparently, this is the norm for koalas. In fact, the ranger said that koalas simply do not have consensual sex. Ever. Nice eh?


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Runtime is a little over 30 seconds

Technorati Tags: koala australia

Takahe Attacks my Dad

The Takahe is one of the most endangered birds in the world. It was actually thought to be extinct for a good stretch of time, before being rediscovered and relocated to a protected island. Well, since my vacation in New Zealand was accompanied by my ornithologist father, we had to go to that island and check it out, along with all the other protected birds there. We were lucky enough to see it munching during lunch time by the picnic tables, and as if that isn't enough, it tried to eat my dad's pants. It makes you think, is it really any wonder this bird isn't doing so well? It's not like it can get by on its charm and good looks, either...


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Runtime is 1:40ish

Technorati Tags: takahe new+zealand father dad bird+watcher bird endangered+species

Foiling

a day at work looks something like this, only 550% slower and with hundreds more pieces...


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Runtime is 1:46

Technorati Tags: stained+glass foiling art glass color work

"The Birds" - starring my sister

my little sister went to Aussie for a year abroad. She thought she was going to paradise, but little did she know she was entering a Hitchcock film... I'm only going to show you the setup, you'll have to visit her blog, g'day mate, to see the actual attack!


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Runtime is under a minute

Halloween Is Christmas

Congratulations! After a number of inquiries, you are about to be rewarded with a heartfelt and somewhat risky video blog. The text below is included in the video, but there is non-synchronis audio so I figured I'd let you come back and read it in a static form if you so desire...

I couldn't get the file to compress very much without totally losing readability, so I apologize for the large file size. but this post is mostly for me anyways, so i guess it doesnt really matter..

*****

Yes, I know. I've not posted in months and not provided an explanation. For this, I can't decide whether to be sorry or proud.

I will confess, it has been hard to break up with someone with whom I publically created art. The breakup causes the art to change, inevitably, but how? I had no template for what to do next and so I did the only thing I could think of, and tried to keep going. But, in doing so, I snuffed out the spirit of the vlog we had together. Because it isn't mine to take. I mean it is... but it isn't. It was ours, and now it is nobody's. So why am I posting?

Since the breakup it has been very difficult for me to retain my sense of individuality in this world that is so immediately connected on level after level. I've felt like in order to move on I need to re-establish a life that is my own, that I selfishly keep away from Mike lest he influence or judge it. The problem is that if I don't erase him from my life, I will never be satisfied with what I have because i want him to be there with me. What a dilemma.. how can I erase him from my life when I know that he's watching it on a video blog?

Because of this predicament, I've refrained from posting anything. Because I know he will see it, and I'm not ready for that. I'm speaking from this moment in time, not predicting that this will go on forever or even claiming that it's been the conscious motivation behind my silence up until this point.

Anyways, I was in a mood today to clean out my life. It started with some clutter in my kitchen and went and went until I was watching all the old footage that had never been cut and sitting silently at my desk astounded at the precious moments that were hiding there, and horrified that i would now have to make a decision either to allow their existence or to delete them... I could probably argue that deleting them would be helpful in moving on, but it's hard to delete something like that, knowing that the person is no longer there to live a new moment with. So I've decided on a new form of healing. Posting it.

I have no idea why I never posted this particular clip, because it's pure magic. This is the Mike that I could never keep up with but loved more deeply than I could explain. The Mike who left me because he, unimaginably, thought he couldn't give me what I deserved. So, for the first clip that I post conciously knowing that he is probably watching... Mike, I (maybe stupidly) would just like you to know how much I miss you.


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Runtime is 3:13

Also included in this video are Jan McLaughlin of the Faux Press, Randy Mann, and Road Node 101

Technorati Tags: road+node+101 vloggers jan+mclaughlin randy+mann halloween christmas math proof

Merlin on Drugs

Merlin had to have surgery on his foot, apparently sometimes when cats are declawed and it isn't done quite right, the claw can try to regenerate over time, but by that time it has nowhere to go so it just sits inside the foot being really irritating and eventually tries to grow out some random place. which is what happened to merlin. This amazes me, because he was declawed when I got him and I've had him for 5 years! So they had to go in and remove the offending parts and amputate a part of one of his toes, because the internal infection had gotten so bad. poor guy!! so he's ok now but he is NOT happy. in fact, this is almost certainly the most offended merlin has ever been. usually he's just scared, but this time he's pissed off. there's no question about it. maybe a little humiliated, too, if i can anthropomorphize so much...


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Runtime is about a minute

Technorati Tags: merlin cat pet surgery vet cast drugs

Graduation

I have no video to go with this because I couldn't find my camera battery that day - these photos my mom just sent me. My parents are the best, and it was great for them to take care of me that weekend while I did the first major thing on my own, without Mike, since moving to boston. I love you both so much, thanks for supporting me through everything.

Santa Cruz Cruiser

I'm finally posting again. dun-dun-nu-nu!
uh .. yeah - most people who will see this know the story, mike and i broke up and i was like "well now what?"
is it "headoff" now?
no.
do i start my own separate site now?
for now, i've decided no - this is my life and people come in and out of it and I have to accept that fact.
so here you go. its just me now... at least for the time being.
and i'm still headsoff.
maybe i'll talk more about this later, if you're really nice....


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Runtime is 30 seconds

Icelandic Film Festival

Mike's friend from college (who is also incidentally originally from Iceland) is in town, and he brought us a movie to watch. Pretty freakin exciting... too bad you have to play it on a computer.


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Runtime is 50 seconds

Technorati Tags: iceland region+encoding

Spring Leaf Buds

I love it.


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Runtime is 18 seconds

Technorati Tags: Techhonrati tags: spring, leaf, leaves, green

Road Trip / Field Trip to Cine Lab

Last Friday, half my film class went on a field trip to Fall River, Massachusetts to see the lab where our film gets processed and printed and get a better understanding for what is possible and how it all happens. More than learning about the lab, we enjoyed the beautiful spring day and excuse for a mini-road trip...
-serra


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Runtime is 3 1/2 minutes

Technorati Tags: Techhonrati tags: Cine, film, lab, field trip, road trip

April Snow brings May what?

They say April showers bring May flowers; not sure what this will bring.....


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Runtime is: 21 seconds

Music is: "Hear me out" by Frou Frou

Technorati Tags: Techhonrati tags: snow, flake, april, boston, weather, Frou Frou