A Brief Texting History - 2/17/10

all of this took place in a span of an hour

Austin- watching citizen kane AGAIN in an nku cinema studies class. that like 4 times now. I want to watch blue crush.

Alex- I liked Citizen Kane for the first twelve minutes and then I turned it off to watch 'over the hedge'

Austin- Deep focus cinematography was best used in Waterworld

Alex- I think that the allegorical tale told by 'when a stranger calls' exceeds anything western cinema has ever attempted

Austin- Montage editing was really revolutionized by eisenstein in his late classic 'overboard'

Alex- The undiscovered genius of tarkovsky really shows in his underground opus 'short circuit'

Austin- The South Korean new wave was initially sparked in the late 90s by 'A Goofy Movie'

Alex- German expressionism was originally the brain child of jay roach

Austin- mary pickford was so good in 'the hangover'

Alex- bertolucci impressed me with 'danny deckchair'

Austin- I was really surprised to see jean gabin doing the voice of the groom in 'the corpse bride'

Alex- and what about melissa mounds playing the piano in the beginning of mamma mia?

Austin- pure brilliance. but I much prefer pierce brosnan AS the piano in 'ray'

Alex- you have made a most excellent point my fellow. here, here. i'd nominate him for an award, however that would mean ousting john leguizamo from the 'best instrument; category. and we all know his performance as the trumpet in paul blart mall cop 2' was suberb and probably the only thing that's kept him from killing himself

Austin- john leguizamo is making a big cameo in 'step it up 4'! so excited! that is if he makes it that long

Alex- God knows. He lives with kevin james and terry gilliam now. they're all supposedly working on a reboot of wolfman.

Austin- wolfman? I heard is was 'Selena: the Resurrection'...with j lo

Alex- no no, you're thinking of 'aliyah vs. left-eye: the return'. The tagline is 'if at first you don't succeed...'

Come on Now...la de da da da

I need to get out of here, man.

I feel like I'm in a constant limbo. I'm stuck between two thoughts. And I won't be making a decision anytime soon.
I find the beauty in all things, but it doesn't last outside the moment. But I'm still so grateful for that.

I'm in need of a shift in personality, some new force pushing into my deflated old mind. I'm not sure what has brought about this change. It's not exactly bad, but it's not good either. I'm sitting and watching the interaction between my fellow human beings, and internalizing none of it. I'm HAL and my hollow glass eye is switching back and forth between moving lips and unheard words.

I've been walking through hallways and feeling the texture of the paint on the wall against my dry hands. The limbo is clouding my mind, but my heart is secretly rejoicing. Sometimes, I wish my mind and my heart would get together and talk.

The first thought to travel up from my heart to my brain neurons is that "this too shall pass". And I honestly believe that. But when?
Until then, I will obey blindly to God's will. Praying to know that everything is in the hands of Love personified. Praying for guidance. And it has come, in small doses. May my heart not harden.
It won't.

As long as this exists in the world, I can be happy. Seriously, I mean that. This is like instant gratification to me, hah. Music is so beautiful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUTmDZX2aZg

Utah.

Utah. from Austin Dressman on Vimeo.

Gettin' all religious up in hurrr...

1 Nephi 5

Lehi rejoices as his sons return alive and with the brass records God commanded they retrieve from Jerusalem. He immediately offers sacrifices to God and almost immediately begins to read through this newly acquired scripture. Within the brass plates are the 5 books of Moses, a history of Lehi's family. He soon realizes he's a descendant of Joseph, son of Jacob, sold into slavery in Egypt. How amazing would that have been to find something like that out for the first time? These records would serve as a history and religious knowledge to the Nephite people in the years to come.
The Mulekite people, who were led out of Jerusalem 11 years after Lehi, were highly favored by God and seemed to be on the same path as Lehi and his family. But they did not have any brass records. They soon dwindled into apostasy and unbelief and lost their language, civilization, and religion (Omni 14-18). This is why these brass plates are so important and ultimately why scriptures mean so much for us.

All of this makes me so thankful for God trusting Joseph Smith, as well as the present human race, with the restored Gospel. Essentially, the Lord is doing the same thing as He did with Lehi. The Book of Mormon is our record, our history. Not only did God want to set up His true, restored church on earth, He wanted us to know truth for ourselves.
It makes me wonder if God will do anything similar to this in later years...
Though at the same time, it's silly to think this because God gives divine revelation to a modern day prophet. So if there ever was to be some big divine revelation, it would come through His living, breathing church.

That is such an amazing comfort to me.

untitled thought

"What joy! what wonder! what amazement! While the world was racked and distracted—while millions were groping as the blind for the wall, and while all men were resting upon uncertainty, as a general mass, our eyes beheld, our ears heard, as in the ‘blaze of day’; yes, more—above the glitter of the May sunbeam, which then shed its brilliancy over the face of nature! Then his voice, though mild, pierced to the center, and his words, ‘I am thy fellow-servant,’ dispelled every fear. We listened, we gazed, we admired! ’Twas the voice of an angel from glory, ’twas a message from the Most High! And as we heard we rejoiced, while His love enkindled upon our souls, and we were wrapped in the vision of the Almighty! Where was room for doubt? Nowhere; uncertainty had fled, doubt had sunk no more to rise, while fiction and deception had fled forever!"
-Oliver Cowdery

I read this yesterday and felt such a strong connection to it. I felt as though I had felt it before, I had lived the words Cowdery speaks of. I may not have seen with my eyes, the grandeur and brilliance of a vision, but I have felt with my heart and soul, the same love and desires of God. It is a peace above all peace, a sagacity above all wisdom.

It confounds my mind but relieves my soul.

The Red Shoes

One of the most beautiful movies I've seen, from the score to the screenplay to the production...

The whole film is as if it were an elaborate ballet production, the screen acting as the stage. The Red Shoes was so far ahead of its time.

"One day when I'm old, I want some lovely young girl to say to me, "Tell me, where in your long life, Mr. Caster, were you most happy?" And I shall say, 'Well, my dear, I never knew the exact place. It was somewhere on the Mediterranean. I was with Victoria Page." "What?" she will say. "Do you mean the famous dancer?" I will nod. "Yes, my dear, I do. Then she was quite young, comparatively unspoiled. We were, I remember, very much in love."

TODAY IS THE DAY

I forget how much of a Scorsese nerd I really am until he releases a new movie. That man made me love film. I remember watching Goodfellas and Taxi Driver and realizing just how powerful film was as an artistic medium.
Shutter Island. Today. I am seeing it. YEEESSSSS.

this guy edits together the best director tributes...
http://bennettmedia.blogspot.com/2008/10/films-of-martin-scorsese.html

Thought

When people say someone "found God", I think it sounds utterly pointless. It's not some treasure hunt.
God has been there all along. They simply chose to finally recognize the presence.

velhice.

velhice.
Originally uploaded by .JpBrito

Hands are the outward representations of our souls.
They express our feelings.
They carry out our actions.
They send messages previously unspoken

We use them to seal an agreement.
We use them to gesture towards a greater answer.

Hands are the instruments of hate.
Balled up, they create chaos.
Hands are the instruments of love.
Together, they become one.

Two hands together in one
One texture against another
Reminding us that we're alive
We're alive.

the sky has the answer to every question

Dorm Window from Austin Dressman on Vimeo.

this is kinda crap (as a video). but you get the idea. the sky was beautiful.

The Saturday Late Shift

I sit staring at the clock on my work phone. In approximately 2 minutes the library will close. I always try to time in my head when the final announcement will be made.

There is a certain atmosphere created after all of the librarians lock up and leave.
The lights to all 5 floors are suddenly cut off, the librarians hand dropping from the one switch that controls it all.
It is a feast for my ears.
For a split second, the library reaches dead silence. If you listen closely, it sounds like the world stops spinning.
But almost immediately this silence gives way to the teeming activity of the after-hours. I hear the hundreds of fluorescent lights crackle and expand. The heat that once illuminated them is gone and they are forced to go back to their original reposed contortions.
In between the crackling I hear the night janitor begin his rounds on the first floor. The side door he comes in through slams and sends an echo through the open middle from the first floor to the top glass skylight. Sometimes I can even hear the many keys he holds brushing up against his leg.
My attention moves from these intricate noises to the bold orange sunset against the glass siding of the science building across campus. I get up and walk to the window, no shoes, half-eaten apple in hand and I take in the vibrance of the color.
I can't see the sunset but I can see its reflection. I stand admiring the image and the noises from the shuttering library walls. It reminds me once again that I'm not alone. The peace that is already in my heart is only reassured.

I got baptized today in to a Church where I have found true peace and happiness. This week made me realize that we can find joy in any situation put before us, good or bad. I think back to today, one of the best days of my life. My head about to go under the water, my eyes shut tight, the smiles of my family and friends sitting in front of the fount, Brother Lord preparing to say the blessing...a smile reached across my face and then I was under. I stand replaying the beautiful moments, the covenant I've made with my Savior, and the life I have ahead of me.

The reflection of a brilliant sunset slowly sets in the western sky.

Golden Age

So I've officially decided that my style of filmmaking...or rather the way I like to hold a video camera is that of old British 60s Music Programs. I don't know if that's weird to say. I just love the movement, the saturation, and that attention to production design. They are so over-produced and it seems like some golden moment in time that could have never actually happened. There's a certain eerie materialism to it all too.

Notes from an Airport Pt. 2

A collection of stuff I wrote down through my recent trip to Utah...


I am caught up by the words, "And it came to pass"
The phrase is so widely used in scripture to start thoughts and transition between verses. Normally I just skim past it. But I realized that there is so much more meaning behind it.

It's simplicity reminds us that all things pass. Nothing is permanent unless we choose to make it seem that way. God extends His loving hands for us to use as both an anchor and a sail.
_____________________

A slim Asian man purrs and coos, his crying daughter resting against his shoulder. Her small hands wrap around his neck and meet at the foot of his balding head.
He is eternally patient, reassuring his restless child with a steady hand and fluid rocking motion. The window reflects a plane lifting off the runway from the other side of the terminal. He watches it glide softly through the air as the baby's cries subside.
_____________________

"When I was a child, my grandmother told me that the sky speaks to those who look and listen to it. She said, 'In the sky, there are always answers and explanations for everything; every pain, every suffering, joy, and confusion.' That night I wanted the sky to talk to me."
A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah
_____________________

Ether 2: 24
"For behold, ye shall be as a whale in the midst of the sea; for the mountain waves shall dash upon you. Nevertheless, I will bring you up again out of the depths of the sea; for the winds have gone forth out of my mouth, and also the drains and the floods have I sent forth."
-So much beauty...
Anchor and sail.
_____________________

I push my eye lids together with unrelenting force as the plane begins its climb into the sky. "Be Still, My Soul" rings clear above the boom of the engine. I open my eyes to see illuminated cityscapes. There is a patchwork quilt of crisscrossing streets and newly paved parking lots. The stars cry out in unison to an empty night sky and my mind can relate.
Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord.
A fierce winter storm throws punches on both sides of the plane. My eyes can't focus on the world below with the constant turbulence-the cityscapes become long exposure light trails as my head bobs against the plastic window.
When disappointment, grief and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
My heart leaps at the thought. My mind is no longer running. I close my eyes and see God's arm outstretched from the heavens. Worldy thoughts and desires fall with the heavy snow outside. I am with my Savior, limp in his eternal arms, my head resting on his shoulder.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past
All safe and blessèd we shall meet at last.

My eyes open and I see.

Drawn out Metaphor

Ok, I'm probably taking this metaphor way too far. But think of it in the context of "Love".


I build elaborate sandcastles only to have waves knock them down.
I put so much of myself into it only to see it washed away within seconds.

But the joy is in the process. It's the building, figuring out the design. You're on your toes, anticipating the waves by building temporary blockades. And when that ultimate wave hits, you're left in utter despair, wondering if it was even worth building in the first place. Why spend so much time, so many tireless hours to have it debilitated in seconds?

But sometimes, you manage to create something beautiful that lasts. It's far enough away from the rising tide. It makes all of the previous attempts seem all worthwhile.
I thought I'd found it, maybe I have, maybe I haven't.

For now, I'm still frivolously building, trying to keep the waves out, trying to appreciate the process.

I'm not giving up that easy.

Sunny D

There is a certain peace


In walking side by side with someone you admire


My heart isn't leaping, my mind isn't racing,


My whole being simply acknowledges the missing puzzle piece I've just acquired.

Notes on a Reverie

Quantic beats vibrate the dull fabric. Horns blare from all sides and I cannot tell if they are from passing cars or the speakers. Pure joy exudes from every pore as I haphazardly dance within the constraints of the drivers seat. The wheel is my bongo drum, the sides of my legs the snare. I notice my foot is lead and as I ease off the gas. The music flows through every inch of my being. I can hear every individual note and the chills flow down my spine. I scream and yelp and indulge in every raw feeling that surfaces.
Are human beings capable of living in such ecstasy at will? The ground as my witness, I've been through difficult times. But there are certain switches I can flip at any time and I'm floating above. For as long as I remember, even before I recognized myself as a person of faith, I attributed this raw passion to God. How else could my mind and body synchronize so perfectly with a given moment without divine creation? It's one of my strongest testimonies.

And now Quantic's Descarga! mix illuminates the lightposts I travel under. The vibration pulses and the horns blare and the percussion is in sync with my hands. Thoughts of her fly between the passing cars and exit ramps.

Music is a religious experience.