Be Kind, Rewind

What I loved most about making a movie Michel Gondry style is how free it was. There was no set script, no redos, and no editing. The movies were all far from perfection, but they were all still great. Some groups were better then others, but all the films had at least one good moment that had the whole room laughing. They were equally as fun to watch as they were to do.

And although I don't have much film experience, I think shooting them chronologically really worked well. There were certain lines or scenes that we thought would work, until we actually got to shooting it. By doing everything in order we really got to see what did and didn't work. And it also helped us think of new lines or parts that would work. Not having everything so planned out from the beginning was important because it forced us to think about each scene as we were doing it, instead of just following a script. I think this allowed for new ideas to come out constantly right as filming, and many of these ideas were brilliant. Filming with the Be Kind, Rewind protocol was effective, easy, and fun. I also feel that I got a lot out of it, even as a first time film-maker. Granted, the groups with more experience seem to have better reasons for why things work, but I seemed to have grasped what does and doesn't work.

Magazine Ideas

So I've been thinking about what to write for the magazine and here are a few things I've come up with:

• A list of gift ideas for each kind of recipient. For example, there would be things to get for your boss and things to get for your mom. Ideas would vary for each relationship you have with a person.
• Outfits for each kind of holiday party.
• Things to know how to do, especially in the winter. For example: How to find the right length coat, how to find the perfect winter boots, what's a good winter color scheme, etc.
• Cost effective things to do in NYC/Long Island in the winter. (I'd have to do more research on this one)

Claude Monet

Monet was a French painter in the late 17th century to the early 18th century. He was an early founder of the French impressionist movement, along with Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley, and Frèdèric Brazille. His paintings we're often landscapes and portraits. His "Haystacks" series revolve around stacks of hay found in a field after the land has been harvested. In this series Monet makes a distinct difference in the perception of light for each season, time of day, and weather.

The Freedom in Sight Restriction

Ironically enough, the blind tour made me see life through the eyes of a child. Everything in the world seems so new when it's all pitch black. I never realized how cold door handles are, how smooth tile can be, or even how empty some hallways are. I've always been familiar with the Community Center, but all the little details I felt without seeing made some parts feel completely foreign. That scared me a little. Knowing that a place you've visited hundreds of times in your life can become so unfamiliar in a matter of moments is unsettling. Almost as unsettling of being completely guided around the pitch black nothingness by someone your unfamiliar with as well. Megan is so funny and nice, but having your safety in the hands of some one you've said maybe two words to in your life brings up issues. Trust issues to be exact. I've never been the kind of girl that spills out her life story to someone she just met on the grocery line. What helped me cope was being able to lead Megan first. Although I've never been particularly close to Megan, I didn't want her in harms way when she was in my care. Once I was blindfolded I had a feeling Megan would do the same for me. I still was unsure of following her lead at times because I was just so certain there was a staircase there. But after I would take the plunge I'd realize I was completely safe. Then there was freedom in being able to trust, freedom in seeing (or not seeing) the world, and freedom in walking around in nothingness.

The Day Freedom Rang

Alone in her village,

she tries hard not to shine.

She fails and she sparkles.

Unsure of the attention.

Does she like it or not?

She decides she does not.

But then she sees that it's fine,

or rather, it doesn't matter.

There is no time to ponder.

It is what it is.

So she let freedom ring,

in the form of a

little red dress.

The day would be remembered.

It was the day that

freedom had rang.

Where Did I Go Wrong?

That's not me in the picture, but those are my shoes. Me and my friend Jayne have had this project to stud our converse for a few months now, and we finally did it. I can't say I'm completely happy with the way they came out, so honest opinions are wanted. I can't even tell if if I ruined a perfectly good pair of new shoes or not.

These are Jayne's shoes by the way:

Opinions about both please please please! They both might not be completely done if we figure out a way to make them better.

Super Sister!

Today was hectic to say the least. I overslept until 7:00, ten minutes before my ride picks me up. I got on whatever I could and even had a good thirty seconds to spare before my ride texted me, letting me know she was at my house. The rest of the day was same old same old. There was a major headache I got towards the end, but my day didn't seem to go as bad as my morning set it up to go.

Then I got a call from my mom saying she wouldn't be home soon since my dad took my little brother Aaron to the hospital since he couldn't breathe. I panicked. This was the third time in the past five months that Aaron was rushed off to the emergency room. The first time was bad food poisoning, and by bad, I mean bad. Like "throw up just one more time and we'll have to get your stomach pumped" bad. The second time was for bronchitis, landing Aaron a week long date with an inhaler and two heavy duty prescriptions. This being the third, I couldn't help but freak out. He's my only sibling, and I know at times I deserve less then the perfect sister award, but I can't help but to worry. Especially since his hardcore bronchitis was only about three weeks prior. My biggest worry was the thought that his bronchitis had struck him hard, in the form of pneumonia .

It was the bronchitis that struck Aaron so hard, but thankfully it stayed in the form of bronchitis. A stronger version then before, but still bronchitis. Something that if kept controlled and properly taken care of will have little to no effect on my little brother in the long-run.

If I was put in the same situation as Aaron would I worry nearly as much about myself than I did for him? Would he worry at all about me? I see Aaron as my kid sibling. At seven years old he still seems like four to me. I can't help but worry about him, especially with our large eight year age gap. I find myself almost neurotic to a point, even when he has play dates I want to make sure he doesn't get hurt. And for that reason, why should he worry about me? I'm his big sister. I protect him, not the other way around. I'm strong and fifteen years old. As I heard one of his friends say to him on the playground "You're sister's in high school? Thats so... old!" With such a large age gap he can't help but think that I'm invincible, a tough teenager, nothing can harm me. I'm super sister.

I wonder if I can ever get to the point with Aaron where I can watch him do something stupid, but let him make the decision because he's old enough. Will my eight years matter when I'm 48 and he's 40? I think not, but I think the emotional attachment to being super sister won't ever go away. Aaron definitely doesn't see me as a mother but I see similarities between our relationship that I can see in a child-parent relationship. My constant protecting him, his image of me being so superhuman, my incapability to let him make a decision.

I always like being super sister, but sometimes I just wish he was my own age so I could have the same sister-brother relationship that a lot of my peers have.