REMEMBER THE FRONTIER

The Skateboard Film Festival – Official Call for Entries – 2009

What:
The Skateboard Film Festival serves to promote independent film making in the skateboard community at large. It is open to the entire public by way of video and film submissions, and there are several categories by which each filmmaker can submit his or her video short or full-length movie. Winning films will be carefully selected by a panel of judges and shown during the festival weekend in SIFF Cinema’s state of the art theater right next to Seattle’s new Sea Skate Plaza.

When:
August 14th – 16th, Friday evening through Sunday afternoon.

Where:
Seattle, WA: Seattle International Film Festival Theater at Seattle Center.

How:
First, read the official submission guidelines here:
http://theskateboardfilmfestival.com/submit-your-film

Then, send your submission(s) and entry fee to:

The Skateboard Film Festival
10115 Greenwood Avenue North #146
Seattle, WA 98133-9197

2009 Deadlines & Fees:

FREE: Extended through March 31
Early: April 15 - $15
Standard: April 30th - $20
Late: May 15 - $25
Extended: June 15 - $40

No entries will be accepted after June 15th.

Categories:
Sponsor Me, Shop Video, Feature Film, Creative Short, Documentary, International, Wild Card. Details here: http://theskateboardfilmfestival.com/submit-your-film/

More information:

www.theskateboardfilmfestival.com or contact info@theskateboardfilmfestival.com

Phew. I haven’t written on my blog in over a month. Much has happened since I last wrote. The last 115 days or so have been both turbulent and thrilling. In the span of 100 days between my last contract gig and my new one I decided to start writing. I completed the nonfiction writing program at U.W. Extension. My mandatory break as a contractor gave me the opportunity–acres of time–to try out the discipline of writing, which I cherish.

The op-ed I wrote about Obama’s election night kicked off a writing exploration in the real world–no homework assignments other than the ones I gave to myself. Shortly after the P-I published my op-ed I responded to a random call for writers posting on Facebook. The poster needed writers for the Crossroads Shopping Center (Bellevue) newsletter. A week later I met with the Facebook job poster and the editor of the newsletter. They gave me my first assignment to write a 250-word piece about Silver Platters music store at Crossroads. I interviewed Mike Batt at the Queen Anne location. From there I took the interview back to my apartment and labored over each word until it was printable.

That first interview for Crossroads led to three more assignments. I’m currently working on the fourth, a story about a conversation group called Talk Time which meets at Crossroads and other locations on the eastside. I sat in on the class where met two conversationalists. One from India, the other from Taiwan. Then I interviewed the AmeriCorps volunteer who leads the group each week. Aside from the Crossroads work I also wrote three articles for the Queen Anne News. Each story more challenging to write than the next.

What I find thrilling about writing are the moments where I find myself learning something new about someone or some business or someplace. Writing for me is like the continuing education that doctors and licensed therapists participate in to keep their knowledge current. The world changes around me every single day and when I interview someone for a story I find that I’m able to examine that change for a brief moment. If I get to share my findings with others that’s all the more satisfying.

I call myself an information distributor. It’s what I love to do. When I learn about something new my first inclination is to share it. Sometimes I broadcast it on Facebook or twitter, but other times I will write someone personally with a new finding, which I think may benefit them or add to their life experience.

Over the last 115 days I’ve become jobless, a writer, a group organizer, a reporter, an interviewee, and now an employee. I’m back to work, but with a fresh confidence that I can’t imagine expiring. Before, I thought that my job was what I did and that’s it. But now I realize that there’s more to the story after I clock out for the day. I’m energized by the potential projects I can get involved in after 5 p.m. That energy in turn propels my enthusiasm for the work I do before 5 p.m.

My story about the Seattle International Film Festival’s expansion into Seattle Center was just posted on the Queen Anne News website. Check it out here. I thoroughly enjoyed writing this story. Interviewing Deborah Person was fun. If you’re a SIFF fan try to find a way to donate to the cause. They’re halfway to their goal of $3M needed for their permanent home.

Last week I interviewed David Edgin, a Queen Anne resident who had developeda new way to learn the alphabet. Check out the story here.

Here’s my first story for the Queen Anne News: http://queenannenews.com/main.asp?SectionID=26&SubSectionID=248&ArticleID=27667

The Cascadia Weekly just published an article by a friend of mine, Ashley Baron Rodriguez. Read Beyond Cheddar: Exploring the World of Artisan Cheese at Cascadia’s website and learn a thing or two about cheeses outside the orange brick–you know the one.

After stepping off the elevator and into a dim, blood red hallway I proceeded to find the men’s bathroom located on the 4th floor of Seattle’s Central Library. Public restrooms give me the creeps and they have since I was a kid.

The murky light and the deserted hallway cast villainous shadows in my head. None of this was comforting. Briefly I surmised that I must be in outer space. Somehow I walked through a time warp and I was walking on a spaceship. Television images of the Starship Enterprise’s interior flickered in my mind by the time I reached the men’s bathroom.

Calmly, I pulled the bathroom door handle. Nothing happened. I thought the door was locked so I pressed on around the circular hallway, which led me back to the men’s bathroom door I couldn’t open. Near the handle a sign read: Turn handle and push.  ‘Oh right, ‘ I thought, ‘Push.’ The door opened to a sterile bathroom with urinals to my right. To my left was a homeless man shaving. Over in the corner a duffle bag sat on the counter.

As I was about to turn from the urinal to the sink another homeless man came out of the stall to retrieve the large, olive-colored duffle bag. I washed my hands as if it was normal for a man to be shaving in a public restroom. None of us made eye contact. At the very instant I backed away from the sink to search for some paper towels a police officer walked in. No paper towel dispenser–only a hand dryer. ‘I hate these things,’ I thought.

While drying my hands the police officer addressed the man shaving, “Hi, how are you doing?”—an absurd question—“You can’t be shaving in here.” The homeless man grunted, “Oh okay.” My hands weren’t dry yet, but I was ready to bolt. The cramped bathroom had too much activity.

Back out in the dusky hallway the lights seemed dimmer than before. I scanned right and then left to get my bearings. Then I walked to the elevators and pressed the down arrow. The elevator chimed and the doors slid open. Before I got on the elevator I wondered, ‘Does that man get caught shaving in public restrooms often. Is this a common scenario for a homeless person—caught in the act of basic grooming?’

If he had been there I would have asked him directly. Clearly, I have much to learn about homelessness in Seattle.

Found this bottle of gravy mix in my parents’ pantry. I liked the type.

Saw this at Yoke’s grocery store in Sandpoint, ID. Had to snap a photo.