Panhandlers & The Best Days of 2013...so far

January 23rd

I skipped work and went to Sundance. In the morning I went as a "chaperone" to a screening of Ain't Them Bodies Saints at the Rose Wagner theater. My friend Jeff teaches high school and invited me along. After the film we got some food and then I headed for Park City.

One of my favorite artists, Bleu, was performing in the ASCAP Cafe. I didn't have credentials to get in, but I contacted Bleu (via Twitter and Instagram) and he said he could get me in. !!!

I was early to Park City, so I just walked up and down main street for a while. I saw Joseph Gordon-Levitt talking to someone. He was asking that person for tickets. I wondered who that person was. I may never know. I saw Michael Cera chumming it up with some people across the street.

Ryan Miller, the lead singer of Guster, had two films he'd scored at Sundance. Safety Not Guaranteed was a big hit the year before. Now he had In A World... and The Kings of Summer. He's a big deal. I knew he was around because he was also performing at the ASCAP Cafe. (I got a picture with Ryan a few months earlier at a concert in Park City. White denim! Here's a youtube video from that show.)

I sent Ryan a tweet, but didn't know if I'd hear back from him. Then, as is a common problem in my life, I had to poo really bad. I entered a building and there was Ryan Miller. I talked to him for a bit. He is a super nice guy. He was at Sundance promoting his films. He had just finished doing a symposium on scoring film. He was about to do a show. And he took time to visit with me. Rad guy. Must be a Boston thing.

Bleu and Guster are both from B.O.S.T.O.N.




Bleu's awesome manager, Stacey, got me into the ASCAP Cafe. Bleu's set was fantastic. Ian Ball, of Gomez, performed next. Awesome. Then, during the next set, I'm standing there while Bleu, Ian, and Ryan Miller were all chatting. Mind blowing; a Time Traveling Wilburys.

Bleu and I then enjoyed Ryan's set together. So cool. Enjoying an amazing artist with another amazing artist--and I'm just some guy. (Who looks more excited in the picture, me or Bleu?)

Bleu and Stacey invited me to go eat with them, but I had to go pick up Rachel from school in Salt Lake. We had box seats through my work to that night's Jazz game. It was a lot of fun. The Jazz even won!

2013 was only a few weeks old and I had already had a day to rival any other in my life. Could 2013 have any more to offer?



June 8th

Two days after the day described above, we bought tickets for They Might Be Giants performing at The Depot. I had just over four months to be really excited about "June 8th." Somewhere in those four months TMBG announced an in-store performance and signing at Greywhale Records: more to be excited about! Also, I cut and donated my hair. I had been really busy with work, life, and styling my hair...so I had not thought too much about HOW I was going to enjoy my day, I just new WHEN: June 8th.

Even though I'd gone to bed around 4:30am I woke up early on June 8th because of a common problem in my life: I had to poo really bad. I had three hours of sleep. I could not go back to sleep. I had to get ready to meet They Might Be Giants. They have been my favorite band since I was about 9 and my uncle Brent played the song "Turn Around" for me.

When should I get there? What should I have them sign? How should I style my hair? Then, the biggest question of all: if I can get my picture taken with TMBG, will I be satisfied with it being a cell phone picture? I contacted my best friend Nick, who just happens to be a professional photographer. I asked if he could possibly come take pictures at this thing. He told me he was at a shoot and that he would swing by on his way home. Best friend.

I got everything in order and headed to my sister's house; she was joining me for my adventures. (Rachel was throwing her best friend a bridal shower, so she couldn't attend the in-store performance.) We got to Greywhale and Andrea, being a genius, asked where the signing was going to take place. We enjoyed the set standing at what would be the front of the line while Nick dashed around like a mad man taking pictures.

Then it was time for signing. A couple people pushed in, but we were still about fourth in line. John and John signed my McSweeney's issue 6, my IFC 2011 t-shirt (I wore the 2012 one), and their new Nanobots CD. Nick took this picture of TMBG, my sister, and me.

Andrea and I headed from Greywhale to The Depot. (Okay, we stopped at Wendy's first and one of my double stackers was only a single stacker, but I'm not going to let that ruin my day!) We sat and visited for a few hours, waiting for my wife, family, and friends to arrive and for the venue to open. There was only one couple in line ahead of us. The venue opened before the rest of our party arrived, so we hurried to the front of the stage and tried to act...big. Rachel and everyone else arrived and joined us by the stage.

The opening act was Vandaveer. I'd never heard them before, but I really enjoyed their sound. I recommend checking them out.

Then TMBG came out and rocked and rocked and rocked.

Drummer Marty Beller is a force of nature. He has so much energy, and that energy fuels the audience. I caught his eye early in the show. I had so much fun screaming for, pointing at, clapping along with, cheering for, jumping because of, and bowing to HRH Marty Beller. There were also great moments of connection with John & John and Danny & Dan. (Not Dan as much, because he was on the opposite side of the stage from where we were.)

The whole show was amazing. The fact that they played "Turn Around," a song I don't think I've heard them do live before, made it extra awesome for me.

TMBG's crew noticed my enthusiasm throughout the show and, as soon as it was over, handed me a setlist. Dope! We got a bunch of stickers from the band. Marty signed a drumstick for us which Andrea gave to her husband, Matt. I was able to exchange a few words with Marty and Danny. I bought a Nanobots hoodie and Factory Showroom on vinyl. This was the greatest concert experience I've ever had. I left feeling super great and tired and hoarse.

We walked a few blocks to our car and that's when I was approached by a bum.


You were thinking, "The title of this post starts with panhandlers and he hasn't said anything about that. I want to know about panhandlers!" Well, dear reader, your time has come! Here are a few thoughts on the subject:

I was once at Voodoo Doughnut in Portland, Oregon. They had a sign in their store asking people NOT to give money or doughnuts or anything to panhandlers. I just tried to find the sign online, but found this article instead. The sign said that panhandlers created a dangerous and threatening environment for their customers and then recommended donating to local soup kitchens, etc.

Around these parts people *cough* Mormons *cough* are really kind and giving. A man on a corner with a cardboard sign probably makes more money in a day than I do. My wife wrote on her blog about an interesting eye opening experience she had with a panhandler.

In conversation on this very topic earlier this week she asked, "If everyone stopped giving panhandlers money, would our streets be covered in the bodies of dead panhandlers?" We determined that would not be the consequence. Panhandlers continue panhandling because it works for them. If it stopped working for them, they would find another way to get by (relying on charity, finding employment, murdering and stealing, etc.).

I believe in donating to charities. I don't believe I should feel bad for not giving someone on the street a dollar. I have given people dollars before. I gave money to a man with a sign near a grocery store. He was in that exact same spot the next time I went to the store a week or so later. I got the feeling he wasn't looking for any other way of life. This irritated me. I gave a lady a dollar because she said she needed it for the bus. She took the dollar and RAN to the bus stop just in time to take the bus. She was honest. I lucked out. The point is: I don't like to give money to these people and I am okay with that because I donate time and money to charities.


Back to June 8th!

The man approached me and said, "Hey, man. How's it going?"
"Great! How are you?" I replied as I increased my walking speed toward my car.
"Good, man."
"Great!" I replied (inferring that he was actually "good" and not just being a kind conversationalist).
As I unlocked the car and everyone started getting in he called out, "No. Wait, man!"
I paused. I think it was because I felt bad for my snotty inference.
He continued, "My car is broken down and I need to get back to Provo."
"Sorry, I don't have any room in my car." True. We were five people in a five person car. I found an out!
"No, man that's not what I need. I need $4 to take the train."
He said he only had $1. I offered him $3. Plus his 1, that was 4. I was being kind of a dick.
"No, man. I need $4."
Fine. I get it. Whatever. I handed him $4 and just before I quickly turned away to get in the car he said:
"Thanks, man."

For a moment, as he thanked me, he looked like my grandpa.

My grandpa died years ago while I was in Canada serving a 2-year mission for the LDS Church. I never got to say goodbye. I didn't get to go to the funeral. I never got to grieve. I think about him a lot and I miss him a ton. I paid $4 to see my grandpa for a split second, and it was worth every penny.

This one time...

I wrote a rap about someone with whom I was having dinner. He barfed. It was pink. I love him.

"I saw him chew and then I knew that he would spew. Yes, he threw up - the screw up. Please pardon my jargon, he glarged on his plate. It was too late. I saw the color of his chunder made me wonder what he ate."

Enough about throw up. It's time for me to grow up. And le....

Sorry, I was rapping again.

Speaking of rapping, my favorite rap that I've never been able to stick into a song:

I'm makin' shake 'n' bake 'n' takin' cake in for dessert.

Thankyouthankyou.

Throw Back

This one time, it was my older sister's birthday and she was having a party in our backyard. I was a young teenager (aka scrawny). My friend Chris Manning was with me (also scrawny). We (probably mostly me) were annoying one of my sister's friends. He, being a couple years older than us, was a couple years bigger than us. So, here's what happened (with the guy's name as Guy):

Setting - Backyard in the evening

Guy has pinned Steve to the ground. Chris stands nearby. Steve CANNOT MOVE.

Steve (to Chris): Should I do it?

Chris: Yeah.

Guy: Do what?

Steve: Break your nose.

Guy: You can't do that. (To Chris) Can he do that?

Chris shrugs his shoulders slightly in a how-much-do-you-want-to-find-out? sort of way.

Guy unpins Steve.

Guy: That's messed up.

Guy walks away.

Aaaaand...SCENE.


Chris immediately plays along having no idea what I'm talking about! What a spectacular moment in junior high friendship! Chris went on to do other great things, like marry my little sister and make babies with her.

It was four minutes of two...

I'm sitting in my office. It feels like late Friday night, but it's actually early Saturday morning. I'm laying edits to tape. Three edits, three tapes, three hours (roughly). I am listening to all of my TMBG (over 500 tracks) on shuffle and wearing a TMBG shirt! Sitting in this building, alone, is creepy. Being alone where I'm used to being with people is creepy. Driving alone in a car = not creepy. Walking alone in the halls of a building (office/church/etc.) = creepy. Roaming a deserted Universal Studios theme park alone = great movie idea. Maybe one of the Chilean miners shows up and becomes our protagonist's friend, but they can't communicate easily. So they communicate using Elvis lyrics. Gold. (And a very current reference...thanks, CNN!)

Really, I'm just bored right now. Someone please save me from this boredom. If you have my number call me right now. (I'm counting on Colton.)

Do the Curly Shuffle

Time, once again, to put iTunes on shuffle and write about a couple few songs.

Twist and Shout - The Beatles
While this song might make me think of parades in Chicago, I actually thought of the first youth theater show I directed (which was a version of Alice in Wonderland). Tweedles Dee and Dum have that whole deal with shaking hands. They say something like "Now shake." "Shake." Then I had my sister (who was the musical director) start playing this song (my other sister was the choreographer). A postmodern gag I had to incorporate. It was fun.

Crazy - Barenaked Ladies
This song (and the Gordon album) remind me of my Uncle Brent...who I believe had this song on his wedding video, or another one like it. But I think of him. So, there.
I think I'm a good deal like my Uncle Brent, which is totally cool with me. (Not sure what he'd say.)

I'm Only Sleeping - The Vines
Well, I think of the Beatles and the film I Am Sam, for obvious reasons (which, if you don't know...Wikipedia it).

Money, Money, Money - ABBA
I am amazed at how often iTunes shuffles up ABBA for me. I love this song. I like ABBA. I hate Mamma Mia! (the musical and the movie...not the song). If you want to disagree, we can have a debate. Sounds fun.

Brighter than Sunshine - Aqualung
Wow. I haven't heard this song in a while. It is beautiful. Why this guy calls himself Aqualung, I may never know (I like Jethro Tull, but I don't think I'd name myself after their songs...especially not that one.  Strange (and beautiful).

One more, then I've got to go to dinner with my newly returned missionary brother (and the rest of the family). Elder Sean Aaron returned from the Zimbabwe Harare Mission last night around 10:30pm. He is cute and skinny and talks funny and I love him. We are going to Mimi's tonight. I love Mimi's.

Beautiful Life - Ace of Base
I'm thinking I must be in a playlist I started creating and never got past the letter B. The Vines would have snuck in with my Beatles drop. How embarrassing. Next time I promise to be in my full library and not a playlist. Sorry. My bad. (PS, this song keeps skipping...I better re-import it. Yes, I have Ace of Base greatest hits on CD. What?)

I have a job

Here's the story...with NO pictures.

I'd been looking for work for a while (almost a year :| ). Before Spain I had applied for all sorts of jobs around town here in Orem Land. After Spain, I had emails from one "Convergys" (I didn't want to work there...but I needed a job...like, pretty-sure-Rachel-is-gonna-leave-me needed a job). The emails said they wanted to interview me for a job (DirectTV technical support) that would require working on Sundays (the perfect excuse to find a better job). Anyway, I never responded...they tried calling me...called the home phone...spoke with Rachel...I had an interview the next morning.

I went in for the interview, fully expecting to say "I ain't gunna werk on Sundays!" Then I would punch them in the teeth and run. I get there, guy comes out, gives me paperwork, asks me to fill it out, is about to leave and I'm all "Um...I don't want to work on Sundays." Then...he looked at me for... what... seemed... like... a... very...... very... long... time. He snapped out of his trance and slowly said "You won't have to work on Sundays..." and disappeared.

So, I fill out paper work. Wait. Go in for an interview ("In a call center, it is typical that...etc."). Wait. Get told I'm going to have a second interview with the AT&T guys. (Who?) Wait. And go back to interview with the AT&T guys.

The first question they asked was "Do you have any questions about the job?"

Me: "Yeah. What is it?"

They explained that it is managing sites that are getting VPN installed (baby sitting adults). The interview was easy because I was flippant. "Tell us about your strengths." "I'm totally awesome, idiots."*

The only question that had me worried was the last one: "Tell us about the last spreadsheet you created."

My first thought: "I don't make spreadsheets."

Then I remembered: "This is going to sound nerdy, but I actually made a spreadsheet last week as I was analyzing a full-length film that had under 70 edits total. Shot number, duration, description, etc."

The one manager was like "I love movies!" And that was that. I signed new-hire-type papers the next day.

I started work the end of April/beginning of May (not entirely certain right now). It turns out that Convergys as a corporation might be the devil himself, but our team was pretty good.

While working there my most excellent friend Nick sent me a craigslist posting for an Avid editor job at a place in Provo called Infomercials Inc. I went for an interview. Went for a second interview, which was actually an editing audition (four applicants participated in the Tri-Wizard Tournament). Got a call the next day and was hired. I put in my two weeks notice at Convergys. I started at Infomercials Inc. the beginning of August. I love it. Great company. Great people. I'm really lucky. THANKS NICK!

I made a few friends at Convergys...one of whom has maintained contact with me (Thanks, Andy!). It was a good experience. I didn't hate my job there. But I definitely found a better job. Again, thanks Nick. I still owe you dinner.

So, yeah. I'm working in Provo. Editing in Avid. It's pretty great. It would be nice to get out of Utah at some point (no offense, immediate families)...but we'll be here a while (ain't going nowhere).

Woo!

*I didn't actually say that.

So...We're in Utah

Yeah, the place we went to didn't have the internet. What up with that? Here are some pictures to tell the short version of our Spain trip.

So sad.

This is when the car we had for a couple of days broke down for no reason. We had to get a new one. It was a hassle. (Rachel took this picture of me and my parents posing.)

So chubby.
(I didn't pose for this picture, or I would be sucking it in.)

So happy.

This is Rach driving the new car after my parents left. They had to cut Spain a couple days short to go on a business trip to Cancun. It's kind of the opposite of out of the frying pan and into the fire.

So shocked.

Our time in Spain came to a close after seeing lots of amazing things of which I am not sharing pictures. Sorry (but not really).

All the red you see on the board = cancelled flights. Remember that Iceland volcano thing. Yeah. (Spain is south enough that the ash cloud didn't bother us getting out of Spain. Seriously, look at a map.)

We flew from Madrid to NYC with Julianne Moore. She had driven all day from Paris to fly out of Europe via Madrid. She looked great!

So jazz hands.

This is our short trip into Central Park waiting for the MoMA to open. We flew into NYC late at night and couldn't leave until the next day...so we pushed our flight from NYC to SLC in order to check out the Tim Burton exhibit (which was closing in a few days). You don't believe me? Proof:

So busted.

BAM! We took this picture and an employee said "No pictures!"

Then we flew home sitting next to a woman who had me hold her purse and blanket while she went to the bathroom...then she told me she had just attended her son's funeral. He had been shot in the throat. It was a great story...I don't tell it very well. Sorry (but not really).