Wednesday, February 28, 2007

3 New STVT Vlogs at Seven Days!

That's right, sleep is for pussies (pussycats that is).

Go to the Stuck in Vermont vlog/blog at Seven Days to watch some bite-sized VT tid bits detailing Saturday's Mardi Gras parade, Sunday's Oscar party at the Olde Northender (organized by the charming David pictured above) and Green Candle Theatre Company's production of Keely and Du which opens tonight in the FlynnSpace.

Goodnight.

PS The Oscar vlog won't be posted until around 2pm...don't ask why...

Is Madonna Plastic?

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

The Best Moment at the Oscars

Jack Black and Will Ferrell complaining about their lack of Oscar action in a kick ass musical number? What a dream come true. It was too loud at Ye Olde Northender to properly appreciate these lyrics (plus I was too busy blabbing) but thank goodness for YouTube so I can enjoy it later!



HAW! This reminds me of that Kids in the Hall skit about the Oscar-bait movie featuring a guy with a spike through his head. I am sure that if Farrell starred in a movie about a guy with no arms and no legs, it would be warmly received by Oscar.

But knowing Farrell, as capable as he may be of serious Shakespearean acting, he would no doubt pepper the limbless part with poo jokes - who can resist!

For fun pics of the Oscars at Ye Old Northender, check out David's snaps here. It was my first time at the Y.O.N.E and I got to meet the infamous Brookezilla in person and match people to their MySpace pics. A good time was had by all and a STVT vlog will follow! Thanks for a great party David!

AARP Tackles Blogging

In my new capacity as a freelance "vlogger" (a word that was explained to me under 1 year ago - who knew it would become my "profession"), I usually start out by defining the term "vlog" to people I am attempting to interview.

My usual spiel goes something like this, "Hi, I'm Eva and I'd like to ask you some questions on camera for a Seven Days vlog."

Then they look at me funny (understandable really) and I elucidate, "a vlog is a video log, sort of like a blog." If the confused expression remains, I usually continue with, "It's a video that will be up on the Seven Days website."

There are sometimes people who nod knowingly right off the bat and cut me off with a curt, "I know what a vlog is." Strangely, these people in the "vlogging-know" are often not whom you might expect?

Thanks to AARP (courtesy of my mom), it looks like some political Seniors are getting in on the blogging wave:

“Blogging”: What’s It All About?
Have you read or heard about “blogs”? They’re the topic of much conversation in the political world. It seems like everyone wants to get a blog or has a blog or is reading or commenting on blogs. According to some observers, blogs are ushering in a new era in media and in politics – competing with traditional media (newspapers, television, and radio) in bringing commentary and news to millions of Americans and connecting people of like–minded political persuasions in conversations and debate about the issues of the day.

For many of us, this brings up an obvious question – what is a “blog”?

The answer is fairly simple. “Blog” is short for “Web Log”. The best way to think about these is that they are, at heart, online diaries. The only real difference between a diary you might keep at home and a blog is that blogs are public – their authors invite commentary, agreement or dissent, competing thoughts, and generate discussion.

While blogs are becoming more and more established in the realm of politics, there are blogs on all types of topics – from movies to music to food to local events.

These days, presidential candidates have blogs on their websites. And there are many bloggers falling across the political spectrum, from liberal to conservative to libertarian and beyond.

As a sampling, below are a few links to political and media blogs that you may find interesting:

Conservative Blogs:Liberal Blogs:Other Blogs:
PowerlineDaily KosHot Soup
InstapunditEschatonPublic Eye(CBS)
Red StateUnclaimed TerritoryBrian Williams (NBC)
The Corner on National ReviewTalking Points MemoThe Blotter (ABC)
PajamasMediaThink ProgressThe Politico

Do you have a blog? Do you visit and read blogs? Were some of your favorite blogs not on the list? Let us know - send us a link:
blog.aarp.org/feedback/2007/02/about_blogs.html

Sunday, February 25, 2007

YouTube XMas

I went to bed last night with 277 YouTube subscribers and woke up with 578 subscribers - which has now gone up to 788. I thought Christmas was in December? My email IN BOX is packed full of pages and pages of subscriptions from very odd sounding user names. Is this how it feels to be Emmalina for a day?

At first I figured I hit the jackpot and got featured on the YT main page but quickly found that not to be the case (which is probably for the best as I do not think I am mentally prepared for the harsh spotlight that comes with being featured and having thousands of people tell you how "gay" you are).

I don't think I would have figured out the source of my YT spike had it not been for a heads up from Zack who let me know that I was featured on the new user sign up page. So when the zillions of people joining YT on a daily basis (are they real I wonder?) sign up for accounts, my channel gets recommended!?

So far I have talked to two of the other "Popular Channels" recommended for subscriptions. Abe has worried that there is cheating involved and people will be angry at his subscription spike. Tom is also overwhelmed with subscriptions but did not know the source of the sudden spike.

Ah well, little pleasures almost make up for still being cold after yesterday's Mardi Gras shoot. Maybe someday I will even be able to feel my fingers again. In the meantime, my Gmail account has never felt more loved. Thanks YouTube!

Saturday, February 24, 2007

New STVT Vlogs (and Mardi Gras)!

I am too tired and sick to blog much BUT please check out my two new Stuck in Vermont vlogs over at Seven Days featuring Friday's art opening First 50 at Kasini House and the Valentine's Day Blizzard and its impressive effects on downtown Burlington.

I still have to pinch myself every time I pop over to the Seven Days website and see my name on their main page below Freyne Land - that man is amazing, seriously, amazing. To quote Wayne, my cable access compatriot, "We're not worthy."

I could blather on more but I caught quite a chill shooting Mardi Gras today. It is the sort of chill that seeps deep into your bones and makes your fingers ache - or is this frostbite? Ah well, it was worth it for the chance to see the parade from the cherry picker at the top of Church St courtesy of Magic Hat.

What an awesome parade and what a great cause. It is good I only had that one jello shot at the Hood parking lot (courtesy of the lovely House of LeMay) or I might have slipped to my death later when we were blowing in the wind and trying to get out of the path of the wayward Victor's Secret float (gyrating men in lingerie wearing angel wings - could they have been more awesome?) which was too big to get around the corner. And despite this, did I manage to hold my camera steady? Er, sort of, my hands were icecubes at that point.

My teeth are still chattering but it was worth it cause I got to walk the parade path while shooting all sorts of fun footage of Alan and the Bob wearing bright, colorful costumes and riling up the crowd as they led the parade up Church St. Is there anywhere else I would want to be living right now? Well, an empty beach might be nice...but no, you can keep your sandy shores, I love being stuck in Vermont!

Friday, February 23, 2007

Stuck in Vermont Moves to Seven Days


OK, I know I should not count my chickens before my ship has hatched and all that jazz but can I just be really happy for just one second and crow merrily from the rooftops? YES! I can! This is my blathering blog and I can be as obnoxious as I please! Plug your ears if need be.

You know the fairytale Cinderella? The poor evil stepsisters (who are far easier to relate to than bland pretty Cinderella) try so hard to jam their enormous feet into the petite glass slipper, but it is to no avail. I think in some versions, they even cut off their toes to crunch their bloody feet into the dainty little shoe.

Well, that has been me for a long time now, trying to jam my foot into a slipper that didn't fit. How heavenly is it to put on a shoe and have it feel just right? That is how working for Seven Days feels, like a comfortable old shoe. Only, that sounds all wrong. But you get my drift.

Stuck in Vermont has a new home and it is at Seven Days. The move is courtesy of Online Editor/Blogger extraordinaire Cathy, beautiful site design for STVT by Don (ooh, red and black, how classy-n-punk!), most excellent logo design by Scott and fabulous song in the opening credits by The Smittens.

I am so excited and have more ideas for vlogs than I can keep straight in my head. VT is full of interesting people, happenings and stories and I can't wait to sink my teeth into them! CHOMP, chew, chew, swallow!

Be on the look out for vlogs about the VDay Blizzard, Oscars in VT, First 50, Mardi Gras and Keely and Du - and that is just this weekend! And please comment with any feedback/ideas you have! STVT is a work in progress but now that I am wearing shoes that fit, it is sure to be a fun ride! Wait, does that make me Cinderella? Eeek!

PS And while I am crowing, did you know the fabulously talented Seven Days writer/editor, Margot Harrison, is now doing movie reviews? Yes, yes, 'tis true that she is my sister and fellow deadbeat but that doesn't biase me as such. I know good writing when I read it:

Those fine performances give real heft to a tragic event late in the story. Like the adult fairy tale Pan’s Labyrinth, Terabithia presents fantasy as a way of surviving realities that are hard for anyone — let alone children — to face. Unlike Pan, Terabithia is probably not too disturbing for most young viewers. The “tearjerker” part of the movie is presented with such low-key realism that it may even hit adults hardest, while kids struggle to absorb what’s going on. (The scene that drops like a bomb in the novel passes very quickly on-screen.) - Margot Harrison, Seven Days

LIVE at RETN!


Lord knows I love me some public access TV. Well, I also love me some RETN which is the Educational Channel 16 on your dial. I have been doing some freelance work with RETN and was glad to be at their studios February 21st to shoot the LIVE! taping of The Truth of 9-11: What Now? which was a panel discussion examining the upcoming VT ballot measure to decide if there should be a new investigation into 9-11. Don't you just love VT?

I was the Floor Manager which meant I got to do the super cool 10 second countdown which involves lots of hand-eye coordination. I also got to write things on a dry eraser board for Scott, the most excellent host, to read. Messages like, "Steve from Ohio on Line 1" and other such gems.

It is really fun being part of a production team. Everyone has their place and we all work together like an WOM. Even more fun, you get to hear the voice of the director/God in your ear through headsets. Unfortunately, God (AKA Jim) was cracking me up and telling jokes such as, "Uh oh, I got a paper cut, I'm going home," and "Hee hee, he said doody." Keeping a straight face while a panel is discussing the aftermath of 9-11 and the voice in your head is making you laugh, never easy.

It is also hard to stand still for 2 hours and to not say anything. I did half assed tree poses to keep my feet from falling asleep. Keeping still is hard enough for a hurricane of energy like myself but keeping my motor mouth silent? Ooof, that was the hardest test of all! But I managed and we were all so happy when the show was over and we pulled it off! We did it! We went LIVE! and didn't blow anything up! Hurrah for Educational TV, headsets and hand signals! Go team!

Sonic Sunset







I know, I know, time to shut up about Sonic Youth already but it has been a long time since I posted any cloud pictures and this sunset reminds me off...you guessed it, the Sonic Youth show Sunday! HAW!

Swiss Baby Lauro on YT

My Swiss German cousin/doppelganger Annelis - we are the same age and our fathers are the same age - just had a baby named Lauro. Her husband made this video of the baby and Annelis (there is some swollen-with-milk boob action which may be why it has 2000 views).



How cool is it that I can switch on my YouTube to see my cousin's baby in Switzerland? Annelis comes from a small farming town called Bleinenbach. Her family has lived in a multi-generational traditional Swiss homestead for years with red geraniums hanging from the windows, a stone oven in which to bake bread and a working farm out back. The local cemetery is chock full of Rosas, Fritzs and Sollbergers.

When I was last there in 2000, there was no computer in the house and my Uncle Fritz was still milking the cows, driving the tractor and slaughtering pigs despite his bad back. His wife Heidi works like an ox gardening, baking and cleaning and the entire family have jobs in the service industry - plant nursery, flower store, canning factory. Horse driven carts still ride up and down the streets in this little town with its beautiful rolling hills and mysterious dark woods. When I am there, I feel home.

This was the email from Annelis in her cute broken English - she is the only one in her family who speaks it:

Hi Eva

You did make very good movies on you tube. My husband makes also some movies there. If you like you can search under LUKAS HALLER. You can find about three movies I think. One about the birth of our son, one of a weekendtrip with friends and one with friends who visit us. The music he makes by himself. He is a good singer its my opinion. I hope you will enjoy this small videos.
Greetings,
Annelis

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Stuck in Vermont 5: Sonic Youth


At long last, the Sonic Youth vlog detailing the post-show activities Sunday night at Higher Ground.

This show kicked some major VT ass. What could be more inspiring than seeing/hearing artists still rocking the shit out of life decades into their career? Hells yeah.

Thanks to Sonic Youth for coming to VT, to Higher Ground for bringing them here, to JDK for making their super cool, thought-inspiring posters and to all the psyched SY fans who talked to me after the show (many of whom were Canadian...hmmm).

This marks the first episode of Stuck in Vermont that "officially" falls under the grand auspices of Seven Days - the hottest paper in town if you ask me. It is a partnership I am super excited about and there is no where else STVT would rather live! So be on the look out for a Stuck in VT vlog/blog on the Seven Days site in the future and many more vlogs about local artists, events and shows!

That is the thing about VT, even when you are buried under a mountain of snow, it isn't so bad because there is so much to do while you are stuck, waiting for the snow to melt...



And on a legal note, a huge thanks to Sonic Youth for letting me use their killer song "Incinerate" off their hellah hot new album Rather Ripped and also to Geffen Records, Universal Music Enterprises and Silva Artist Management for filling out all the very complicated paperwork and giving me a much needed lesson in copyright laws.

And to the Jennifers at UMe and SAM for making this all happen - and in record time!! You are both getting VT care packages in the mail, mark my words, maple syrup and flannel. Oh yes, beware!

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

SY Incinerate


Still can't post the Sonic Youth vlog until their manager clears the song (or not - fingers tightly squeezed) but in the meantime, you can check out the killer pics JDK took of fans and their SY messages here.

The poster was beautifully designed and the fan's hand-written messages run the emotional roller coaster range from heartbreaking to silly. You might even see some folks you recognize.

Gotta love interactive poster art after a killer show that I am still soaking in (or maybe that is the sleep deprivation?). I think the brown poster is my favorite and I am still kicking myself for not grabbing one. IDIOT! Damn my single-purpose, video-shooting obsessed mind!

Here is Sonic Youth playing live at Bonnaroo in 2006. I am still amazed that they came to our little state and so glad to have been standing next to an amp and riding their wave of sound. I think it is time for another swim:

Monday, February 19, 2007

Sonic Youth Kicked Some Vermont Ass!

What on earth were Sonic Youth doing in Vermont you may ask? Beats me but I think it has something to do with Higher Ground being AWESOME! Oh yeah!

I was up all night vlogging some post-show fan interviews so this has to be brief (yeah, yeah, not my style). Mid-week there will hopefully be a Seven Days-approved Stuck in VT episode about the post-show festivities after the epic Sonic Youth show (cross those fingers).

In the meantime, here are some of my whacked out show pics (oh, to be flashless, ouch). I stood up close to the speakers and felt the vibrating sounds wash over me like Niagra Falls mixed with crack cocaine. It was like being underwater and swimming in an undulating sea of dissonant noise. Delicious and refreshing, Sonic Youth always satisfies.

And what other band asks the audience for book recommendations mid-show? A rock band that reads? They are one of a kind, yes siree.

Thanks Sonic Youth. You made it okay to:
Ask scary hipsters questions on camera.

PS Kim Gordon is my Superhero. Can I grow up to be her? Now?


Friday, February 16, 2007

Pale Blue Dot

Steve in Ireland sent me his most amazing and thoughtful music video/montage (Oh, be still my heart). It blew me away and left me with the same lingering strange feeling (fear tinged with hope perhaps?) that haunted me for weeks after seeing Children of Men. Good thought provoking stuff:

Buried in Burlington


After three hours of shoveling (OK, OK, my sister shoveled for three hours, I quit after one, it's grueling!), our driveway is still not completely free of snow. The sides of the drive are mountains of formidable cottony snow.

I may have quit shoveling early but I made up for it with steaming hot tea and fresh blueberry muffins. Mmm, snow days taste so damn good! I flaked on class and yoga (after all, I couldn't get my car out, right!) and stayed in to soak up the feeling of doing nothing.

Later, I dared to venture out of my underground hovel. Downtown Burlington is apocalyptic, like a snow bomb exploded all over the place. Sidewalks are strangely geometrical, sharp angles cut into the 5 feet of snow, parking meters peek out from snowy hillocks like flirty schoolgirls, the sound of squealing tires echo in the air, Church St is a ghostland with massive mountain ranges of snow piled up in the center of the street.

There is something so magical about this winter wonderland that has encased the city. It is like nature is taking the reins back and reminding us who is boss. This is humbling and a little bit scary, the good kind of scary.

Thanks to Lani for some of the above pics!




Thursday, February 15, 2007

Eva's Clog Vlog in 7 Days


Oh Happy Day! Today I got my very own funny Valentine from my most beloved Seven Days! Hip hip hurray! The vlog I shot in Johnson this past Saturday of their Winter Carnival is being used by Seven Days and even gets some play on their most excellent website!

Meghan Dewald wrote the wonderful Scene@ piece that my video is illustrating. I think they complement each other nicely but, of course I would say that! You can read/watch the Scene@ here and even more fun, check out the cute button-sized vid on the home page - eyes to the right! Why do I love cute 'lil miniature things? It is like the Barbie-sized YT vid!

I've loved Seven Days and their stylish indie flair for some time now so I am really excited to be teaming up with them and can't wait to see what happens next. There are so many people and places I would love to feature! What a perfect excuse to see what hot art projects, events and what not are going on round town!? I'm shooting another Stuck in Vermont this weekend - maybe two! Just try and stop me!

Buried in the Wild Wood

My! it was fine, coming through the snow as the red sun was rising and showing against the black tree-trunks! As you went along in the stillness, every now and then masses of snow slid off the branches suddenly with a flop! making you jump and run for cover.

Snow-castles and snow-caverns had sprung up out of nowhere in the night -- and snow bridges, terraces, ramparts -- I could have stayed and played with them for hours.
- The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

Today we are buried underneath layers upon layers of quiet, heavy snow. This morning I carelessly ventured out to the dentist (on 1/2 hr of sleep, damn you addictive vlogs to hell!) and Highway 89 was mighty treacherous, to say the least.

It was like a guessing game trying to pick out hints of the road while being engulfed in a white universe of endless white on white. And then a truck would speed by on your left and almost run you off the road in a blinding cloud of white and slush. Oof, I took the normal roads home.

I approach bad weather driving like a typical heedless/clueless Californian. It never occurs to me that my little Japanese car won't be able to make it up the steep hill of Main St. My first winter after moving back to VT, I got stuck on this hill when a car in front of me stopped. Instead of freaking out, I just put the car in park and laughed my ass off. It was so strangely amusing to me - I was stuck on a hill in Vermont and didn't know how to get home, why was that so funny?

The hill in Winooski almost got me today when a car in front of us stopped suddenly (NEVER stop on a hill when there is ice to contend with - argh!), but I managed to slowly inch my way forward despite the pull of gravity.

My windshield wipers were caked up with frozen muck and left thick icy streaks across my line of vision, making it next to impossible to discern shapes through the fog. Luckily, my ever-useful Jedi senses were able to guide me home safely in 0% visibility.

It all worked out in the end even if I did get stuck when pulling into my driveway which has mountains of snow still accumulating as we speak - thanks snow plows! It only took half an hour of crazy shoveling to detach the thick wet caked-on snow crust from my car's low underbelly.

By the time I stumbled into the warm house, I felt like I was returning from an exhausting, tribulation-filled journey and a tiring battle waged with the wild elements. I kissed the ground to give thanks to the gods for sparing me! OK, I may be exaggerating a wee bit there but I was glad to be home.

Ah well, it is nice to see the weather striking back. Feels safe to be buried (without being dead), safe and snug in our little hovel. Hope my freelance gig gets cancelled tomorrow. I am not looking forward to digging out the car again and braving the white-out. Snowy VT montage on its way eventually...

This weather reminds me of The Wind in the Willows when Mole and Ratty get lost in a storm and go to visit Badger's lovely cozy little home underneath the ground. As the snow continues to fall and engulf us in its quiet, I can almost imagine spending the rest of my days underneath its dark surface and living off of roots and canned beans. Perhaps we could grow carrots in the basement? Not too bad a life, really.

`Once well underground,' he said, `you know exactly where you are. Nothing can happen to you, and nothing can get at you. You're entirely your own master, and you don't have to consult anybody or mind what they say. Things go on all the same overhead, and you let 'em, and don't bother about 'em. When you want to, up you go, and there the things are, waiting for you.'
- The Wind in the Willows

The story of the Wild Wood and the Humans that Once Lived there...will this be our fate one day...?

Well, very long ago, on the spot where the Wild Wood waves now, before ever it had planted itself and grown up to what it now is, there was a city -- a city of people, you know. Here, where we are standing, they lived, and walked, and talked, and slept, and carried on their business. Here they stabled their horses and feasted, from here they rode out to fight or drove out to trade. They were a powerful people, and rich, and great builders. They built to last, for they thought their city would last for ever.'

`But what has become of them all?' asked the Mole.

`Who can tell?' said the Badger. `People come -- they stay for a while, they flourish, they build -- and they go. It is their way. But we remain. There were badgers here, I've been told, long before that same city ever came to be. And now there are badgers here again. We are an enduring lot, and we may move out for a time, but we wait, and are patient, and back we come. And so it will ever be.'

`Well, and when they went at last, those people?' said the Mole.

`When they went,' continued the Badger, `the strong winds and persistent rains took the matter in hand, patiently, ceaselessly, year after year. Perhaps we badgers too, in our small way, helped a little -- who knows? It was all down, down, down, gradually -- ruin and leveling and disappearance. Then it was all up, up, up, gradually, as seeds grew to saplings, and saplings to forest trees, and bramble and fern came creeping in to help.

Leaf-mould rose and obliterated, streams in their winter freshets brought sand and soil to clog and to cover, and in course of time our home was ready for us again, and we moved in. Up above us, on the surface, the same thing happened. Animals arrived, liked the look of the place, took up their quarters, settled down, spread, and flourished. They didn't bother themselves about the past -- they never do; they're too busy.

The place was a bit humpy and hillocky, naturally, and full of holes; but that was rather an advantage. And they don't bother about the future, either -- the future when perhaps the people will move in again -- for a time -- as may very well be. The Wild Wood is pretty well populated by now; with all the usual lot, good, bad, and indifferent -- I name no names. It takes all sorts to make a world. But I fancy you know something about them yourself by this time.'

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Stuck on Church St Pre-VDay

It was the day before Valentine's Day and I was lurking on upper Church St freezing my hands into popsicles and trying to get people to talk to me about what VDay means to them.

With dropping temperatures and an approaching storm, rushing people were not that excited to gab on a street corner in front of my camera. Still, a few kind souls obliged and here is the result with a very pretty song by The Smittens to boot:



Happy Valentine's Day from all of us who are Stuck in Vermont
(as of tomorrow, that may be literally true)!
xxoxo

Happy Heart Day

Let's face it, Valentine's Day sucks when you are single. But that is not to say that it is always so great to be in a couple on Valentine's Day either. My point is that I have been doing a lot of soul searching this winter and even though it is Valentine's Day and I am alone, I feel pretty good about that.

Below is a new DBC Vlog reviewing Regina Spektor's song "Fidelity" and talking about what it means to be whole versus to have holes. And how we are all just trying to figure the same shit out, whether we are single, coupled or Einstein.

“A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”

Albert Einstein

I shot this vlog many months ago but thought VDay would be a good time to finally edit and post the sucker. Much of the darkness I am referring to in it has, luckily, passed. But it lingers, and probably will the rest of my life. I am ok about that. It is a continuing journey but it is nice to know you are not the only one making it.



So on that note, this video goes out to my ladies who have been taking this dark journey into the great beyond by my side this winter: Suzanne, Lesh, Abbie, Lani, Margot, Tracy, Kelly, Renee, Sarah, Sophie and the Mollys.

This video also goes out to Tony in Nashville who made me the best mix CD ever and tried valliantly to post a Wikipedia entry for me (!?), to Tonci in Croatia, James in Manchester, Parisa in NYC, Travis in SF, James in Little Rock, Zack in LA, Keith in Austin, The Junk Thief in SF, Joanne in LA, Nathan in Austin, Jeff and Charlie in SF, Robin in Alameda, Lauren in Oakland, Jeff in Waterbury, Jeff in Alameda, Anne-Marie and Charity in the UK, Chris in Indiana, Tyler in ?, all my best buddies at the Flynn and 7 Days and the nice people who sent me VDay cards ... jeez, what is this my Oscar speech? The point is that love is everywhere, you just have to open your heart up and there it is!

Happy Valentine's Day everybody! xoxoxo