Some of the crew here have discovered that I have a blog, and are wondering more and more each day about how they will be treated in it. We've been working some pretty long hours. That's about all that I am prepared to say just now. I'd hate to spoil everything by presenting my opinions about these guys online now. After all, I have to share living quarters with most of them. Even before I considered writing about one of them, he played a prank on me that went over all the more poorly when the prank went off right over my bedding. Last night, I had to wait for a scene to play out away from the camera, and as I was harmlessly aiming a bungy-like device at one of the crew, I was picked off by sniper fire from someone else. So, there's a private little war about to break out, and I just wanted to apologize to all of those innocents who are liable to be caught in the line of fire, especially Jason. Sorry, bro.

I tell my wife that there's so much running through my mind that I can't type a coherent sentence about it. So, I'll make an attempt at some stream of consciousness typing, and maybe you'll get an idea of what I am experiencing:

rooms littered with organized clutter kitchen is sometimes inviting other times a deathtrap choking heat humidity so much that I sweat out all water before it ever makes it to my kidneys no camera cart must carry as much on me as I can Marlo leaves things out of my kit when she digs in it should have been a dentist xbox no tv reception should have brought some dvds to watch jason has a knack for making a sucking chest wound seem like it could have been much worse this big computer goes through battery power like it was nothing house is on a dark street too dark might fall onto something that someone dropped bruised my anus getting out of box truck truck needs work lights inside so dark at night must wear many lights they call me the mothership at night wish people would stop calling me mike think my sweat glands are overworked cutaneous nerves acting up in different places now wish i'd packed two more pair of shorts need to make a grocery list for next run to store miss my wife and kids but i hope that they understand where i am trying to go with this is it because i was in a movie when i was a kid that i want to do this or is it because of my other neurotic drives

Next, I am off for a 5-wk shoot in Gonzales, TXto work as a camera assistant on another HD feature called "August Evening". First prep day is 18 Aug, and we may shoot through 25 Sept, depending on the breaks. I'm very excited about the project, because I may be called upon to light some scenes and perhaps even operate the camera. What most guys don't realize is that I will make fine cinematographer -- I just need a chance to show it! I finished reading the script last night. It's full of emotion -- more than any other project I've worked on, and it's sure to get noticed on the film festival circuit because of the subject matter. The director loves to shoot in other languages. His last short film was shot in Japan in Japanese (he doesn't speak the language). This one will be mostly in Spanish, and he speaks no Spanish, either! It tickles me to think about how Chris comes up with these ideas. I know I'll have a blast as I camp out with the rest of the crew there in Gonzales.