Monday, February 23, 2004
We played our first basketball game in the Arena and wow it is some building. Soccer fields, track course with long jump sand pits and pole vaulting tracks, floor hockey, self defense classes and basketball. Ok, so which one of these elements do you thing was the least important in the planning process? You guessed it, basketball. There was only one hoop and we had 14 guys show up. 5 on 5, half-court. As physical as it can get. Not to mention the fact that the basket was really stiff and the lighting system in the Arena lends itself to impossible shots. It was like playing in a cavernous cave or something like it. I've never been in such a building. It was a far cry from the intimate, cozy courts we had been playing at. Time will tell, but this time, let me tell you.
On to some job stuff. I began the solicitation process for the film festival that we are putting together in October. "The 4th Annual Festival of Visual Culture" www.viscult.net
I put together an email and sent it out to about 10 universities around the world that offer studies in Visual Anthropology. I received a response from NYU and an Acamdemy in New Mexico, which bodes well for the international aspect that we (read me) are trying to generate.
I am also in the middle of plannig our itinerary for Rome and Cannes - tough job, I know. I gotta say that this could be a real cool thing. I have my fingers crossed. It sure seems like it is going to happen. We have received approval from our financiers and are awaiting approval from the Cannes festival itself. They say that there are limited number of invites per company which means that it could still be up in the air and until then, fingers are firmly crossed.
But now onto a much more definite trip - Amsterdam. It's happening in less than 10 days. Tickets have been purchased and the excitement is building. I wonder if the Hague will still be in session regarding the Israeli barrier. I would like to check it out if it is, could be interesting. Volatile, emotional, interesting.
Speaking of Middle East politics, I have started to reply to Op-Ed pieces in Arabic publications and I received a message from the author of a recent op-ed that I took issue with. He took issue with my issue taking and we had a polite back and forth and eventually saw eye to eye. It was quite thrilling, however small it really is. It was gratifying to be able to express myself in such a way that I was able to force a compromise. I suppose that it could be something to do with this journal and how I am writing more and more every day. I was thinking about a subject that I will suggest, maybe even force upon my children one day and that is debate. Sure all those kids in high school debate seemed like a bunch of dorks, but looking back we all looked like dorks - spiked hair, tight rolls, Generra.
Finnish lessons are moving slowly, but...well slowly. It's fascinating to be in a class with two guys from Switzerland who pick up languages like I pick up...well something that I pick up easily. We were learning partitive - a word I have no idea about - and Emanuel said to Tobias, "Oh, it's like the negative partitive rule in French." He said this seriously and Tobias understood and then was able to comprehend the rule. I still don't know what partitive means (I can understand that it is necessary, but that's as far as it goes) and this guy was throwing out negative partitive rule of French.
If this were high school, I would make fun of them. (I would do this because they make me feel stupid and so a few well placed insults would easily make me feel better about myself). But how do you make fun of the Swiss? I really don't know. And then I would feel even more stupid about not being able to make fun of them that I would be forced to resort to the ol' reliable - I would wrap their stinking Swiss Army house and see how they like it. I guess the point here is that I should study more.
On to some job stuff. I began the solicitation process for the film festival that we are putting together in October. "The 4th Annual Festival of Visual Culture" www.viscult.net
I put together an email and sent it out to about 10 universities around the world that offer studies in Visual Anthropology. I received a response from NYU and an Acamdemy in New Mexico, which bodes well for the international aspect that we (read me) are trying to generate.
I am also in the middle of plannig our itinerary for Rome and Cannes - tough job, I know. I gotta say that this could be a real cool thing. I have my fingers crossed. It sure seems like it is going to happen. We have received approval from our financiers and are awaiting approval from the Cannes festival itself. They say that there are limited number of invites per company which means that it could still be up in the air and until then, fingers are firmly crossed.
But now onto a much more definite trip - Amsterdam. It's happening in less than 10 days. Tickets have been purchased and the excitement is building. I wonder if the Hague will still be in session regarding the Israeli barrier. I would like to check it out if it is, could be interesting. Volatile, emotional, interesting.
Speaking of Middle East politics, I have started to reply to Op-Ed pieces in Arabic publications and I received a message from the author of a recent op-ed that I took issue with. He took issue with my issue taking and we had a polite back and forth and eventually saw eye to eye. It was quite thrilling, however small it really is. It was gratifying to be able to express myself in such a way that I was able to force a compromise. I suppose that it could be something to do with this journal and how I am writing more and more every day. I was thinking about a subject that I will suggest, maybe even force upon my children one day and that is debate. Sure all those kids in high school debate seemed like a bunch of dorks, but looking back we all looked like dorks - spiked hair, tight rolls, Generra.
Finnish lessons are moving slowly, but...well slowly. It's fascinating to be in a class with two guys from Switzerland who pick up languages like I pick up...well something that I pick up easily. We were learning partitive - a word I have no idea about - and Emanuel said to Tobias, "Oh, it's like the negative partitive rule in French." He said this seriously and Tobias understood and then was able to comprehend the rule. I still don't know what partitive means (I can understand that it is necessary, but that's as far as it goes) and this guy was throwing out negative partitive rule of French.
If this were high school, I would make fun of them. (I would do this because they make me feel stupid and so a few well placed insults would easily make me feel better about myself). But how do you make fun of the Swiss? I really don't know. And then I would feel even more stupid about not being able to make fun of them that I would be forced to resort to the ol' reliable - I would wrap their stinking Swiss Army house and see how they like it. I guess the point here is that I should study more.
// posted by Howard @ 11:15 PM 
