Monthly Archives: January 2012

General Growlings

In Which the Dingo Speaks

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Hello and welcome.

Well, the journal has been up now for a couple of weeks and I’ve yet to properly introduce myself. My name is Jeremy, and I’m an aspiring writer and amateur photographer. I am also <insert ominous music here> The Dingo. But shhhhh, don’t tell anyone. I’d hate for my secret identity to be leaked to the press. 

From an educational standpoint, I hold two degrees – a B.A. in psychology and another in theatre arts. This means that I am able to understand crazy so that I can be crazy. My friends can testify to the fact that I probably didn’t need a university education for this to apply to me.

Crazy.

I also have a puppy, who (at the time this article was being written) is pushing 10 months old. Her name is Riley. This is her:

She liked the bows so well that by the time we got home from the groomers she was eating them. She has pretty good taste – those are fancy and plastic and yellow, after all. Yum.

The reason that I decided to create this journal is that I wanted to have a creative outlet that I can share with other people. My secret motive is that I have become lax and I spend way too much time on the computer (writing an online journal should help with getting away from the computer, don’t you think?). As I very rarely share any of my work, I am not nearly as diligent as I should be about creating it. That, dear reader, is where you come into the picture.

Now that my vaction in Mexico is over (thank God – that beach was just so relaxing; I’m glad to be back to fast-paced Dallas life), my goal is to publish on this journal at least 3 times a week, at least to start. Here is what you can look forward to:

MONDAYS: Random articles about random things, and if I am particularly lazy perhaps just a movie review. (Did I mention I like movies? I didn’t think so. I mean, why would would a trained actor who doesn’t actually act enjoy watching actors who do act?).

WEDNESDAYS: A weekly log of the deep and philosophical conversations I have with Riley. She has a lot to say about our American culture and society. I can’t keep up with  her intellectually. “Conversations with Riley” is my way to ask for your help in understanding her viewpoints. Please, leave comments explaining it to me.

FRIDAYS: “Eye of the Beholder” is my attempt at sharing my amateur photography with the world. I admit I still have a lot to learn about photography, but I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I enjoy taking them. 

I also hope to post additional randomness on random days as the random mood strikes me.

Questions? 

Eye of the Beholder

Serenity and History

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Today’s “Eye of the Beholder” post is a double-header from my first trip to Israel. I’m lucky enough to work for a company that sends me to different countries periocically, and I get to see such great sights.

First up today is the Wailing Wall. Of the two, I feel this one if stronger both photographically and emotionally:

The area is flooded with a soft blue light that I feel adds a certain sadness and beauty to the vista. This seems appropriate to me. For those that don’t know, visitors to the wall write prayers on small slips of paper and put the prayers into the cracks in the wall. Once you leave your prayer, you walk backwards away from the wall, so that you literally don’t turn you back on the prayers so many have left.

The second photo is of the Dome of the Rock. This was taken from a distance with a camera with limited zoom ability, which I think works in its favor for this shot. From this vantage, you can see the cityscape of Jerusalem:

As for trips, I’m now off to Mexico for the next few days. I hope to have some great shots when I return!

Eye of the Beholder

Winter is a Double Edged Sword

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Having been pretty much raised in Texas, I have to say that this photo puts a chill in me that is hard to shake:

This picture was taken when I briefly moved to Chicago – in the middle of winter, no less! When I look at this picture today, I am reminded of the beauty that winter can bring us that we often forget. I am also reminded of a time in my life that, quite frankly, was the most difficult for me personally. 

The end result, and the lesson I learned, is that most experiences are a double edged sword. You can take the blizzard and crumble, or emerge stronger than you were during the summer. I like to think that the latter held true for me.

Eye of the Beholder

The More Things Change…

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Last year, my company sponsored a photography contest where the prize was that the winning pictures would be enlarged and put on the walls of our office. Well, I happened to have just purchased a new handy dandy camera, and thought to myself, “I should give it a go” (which has been a recurring theme in my life over the last year or so).

The picture I entered was this:

The reason that I love this picture so much is that it reminds us of the ever true saying, “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose”, or “the more things change, the more they stay the same”. So I chose the obvious for the name of this piece: “The more things change…”.

And yes, my entry is now on the wall at my office.

Howling at the Stars

Movie Review: Contraband

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As much as people grimace when they think of Marky Mark from the 90’s, Mark Wahlberg has grown up to be a great actor in his own right. For me, he has elevated his craft to the point where I am happy to see any new movie has has him attached to it, even when the trailer promises an overused plot. Such is the case with Contraband.

My faith in Wahlberg paid off.

Wahlberg’s recent movie choices have been of high quality (The Fighter comes to mind.) With this in mind, I was hopeful that Contraband would be enjoyable, if predictable. And while it was predictable, there was one twist had surprised both me and the audience. I won’t ruin this for you, as I plan to keep these reviews as free of spoilers as I can.

In this movie, Wahlberg plays a retired smuggler who is drawn back into the life for one final job. I know, I know, this is what had me worried too, but I needn’t have been concerned at all. Wahlberg does a great job of building a real person. His “anti-hero” character of Chris Faraday was one that we could all stand behind and root for, and Wahlberg did a great job of keeping his characterization fresh.

Joining Wahlberg in this movie is John Foster (who plays Faraday’s fellow retired smuggler) and Giovanni Ribisi (the villian of the movie). Foster did a great job supporting Wahlberg’s Faraday, and has the important job of keeping Faraday’s family safe when Fraday takes this one last job.

Ribisi does a great job as the villain Tim Briggs. Briggs plays an up and coming underworld boss who Faraday has to pay off to save his family. As always, Ribisi does a great job of making you feel uncomfortable and maintaining a feeling of instability in his character.

I definately recommend that you see Contraband. For more information about this movie, visit IMDB at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1524137/.