Inc. and Lost Beer

...Not every potential client is ready. A while back, Jansport came by. Jansport makes backpacks. Tom Deslongchamp, who is an art director but, like everyone else at Wexley, is agile and contributes to pretty much everything, put on a white jumpsuit and a top hat and squeezed himself into a gigantic Jansport bag that sat in the corner of the upstairs conference room. When Jansport's marketing reps arrived, Deslongchamp hopped out of the bag and handed over the presentations. Perhaps it was a little much -- Wexley didn't get the job. Which is OK. Either you get what Wexley is selling -- a very particular sensibility and approach toward marketing -- or you don't.

The above excerpt is from an article about Wexley School for Girls (my employer) in the March issue of Inc. Magazine.

I'm trying to figure out how to datamosh(watch in HD). I can do it sloppily, but nothing close to the quality in that Chairlift video.

Jess and I are looking for a house to buy.

Here's a flyer I saw taped to a utility box:

coffee

I just experienced an epiphany:

The days that I have coffee, stuff gets done.

Oh no..

I don't want another expense. I don't want to rely on it. I guess I'm old now.

someone help

Reuben Can Fetch

Reuben Can Fetch from Tom DesLongchamp on Vimeo.

Check it out--my cat can fetch! He can do it forever. He must have dog genes.

Animal Massage

Animal Massage from Tom DesLongchamp on Vimeo.

Hope you enjoyed the experiment above. Jess was giving me a back massage, and it hurt so bad that I thought it'd be funny to record it. All the animals, except for Reuben the cat, are from PETCO.

I'm starting to feel like I'm in a place to make something substantial again. By substantial, I mean something that takes more than one evening to create. Kid Show is finished, from a festival standpoint, and it's time to make something new. I'm planning on doing some kind of live-action short, because that's the language I've been using lately... thanks to my new camera.

I'd like to write something original, but I was thinking about trying an adaptation. It might help me get my own gears rolling. I've been thinking of using some Richard Brautigan, because his writings are short/surreal snapshots of his life.

I'm going through a bit of a health trial at the moment. Nothing life-threatening, but worrisome. It's causing me some serious anxiety. I usually just ignore my anxious feelings, but these ones are a bit stronger. If you think to, say a little prayer for me--God will know what it's about.

Slow Down

The above photo was shot through a jeep window. The girl on the left is my wife Jessica, and the girl on the right is my sister Jenee.

I've decided to slow down. In a certain way, I've decided to give up. I've been fighting for the last year. Fighting for time, always to be discouraged, because there wasn't enough. There will never be enough, so I decided to stop trying and just slow down for a while; let things happen naturally. Soon after deciding that, I found myself enjoying things more, because I wasn't worried about what I could be doing. The little times I have for art seem more potent, because I'm not competing with life itself.

In the words of James Murphy:

"You got to give it up--if you want to live it up."

Except he was talking about money, but I think it still applies.

I'm still creating things, but I'm not letting it stop me from spending time with people.

Happy New Year

New Years Eve '09 from Tom DesLongchamp on Vimeo.

Happy New Year! Above is a little video I put together with footage from my new years' eve at my brother's place in Seatac, WA. It's got laughter, drama, ice covered pool, blood, hugs, and an unintelligible "Auld Lang Syne." It was an interesting night. Thanks to everyone who made it a fun night.

I saw Clint Eastwood's "Grand Torino" last night. It was the first movie with a packed in audience that I had seen in a while. I forgot how great that is. The audience is so responsive, because it feeds off the movie then off it's own excitement. I really enjoyed the movie. Some of the acting wasn't that good, but the story was so great that I could overlook it. You come out of the film feeling 50% veangful and 50% humbled. Well... maybe more humble, but it was great. I haven't seen most of Clint Eastwood's films, but I'm glad I saw this one.

Snow

In case you haven't noticed, there's a snowstorm hovering over half of the country. The above photo is from last night. It's my dad in his jeep. We went for an evening drive, partly to see if anyone was stuck, but mostly to exercise the power my dad feels when he climbs any snowy hill he desires. It was fun.