Arts and Lectures Series

Film Festival Day 3:

The first film was "Persepolis".
"An Oscar nominee for Best Animated Feature, this is the poignant story of a young girl in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. The precocious Marjane is clever and fearless, yet as the fear permeates daily life in Tehran becomes palpable, she must make difficult decisions about leaving her homeland."

I had been wanting to see this film for awhile as well and I was definitely not disappointed. "Persepolis" was awesome! The story was very well told. Marjane Satrapi does a great job meshing the transformation of Iran with the transformation of Marjane in the film. She does a great job of touching on the serious issues of Iran and also mixes in effortlessly bits of humor. This film was beautifully done and tells a great story very well.

The second movie of the night was "War/Dance".
"Set in Northern Uganda, a country ravaged by civil war, this Oscar nominated documentary is about three children who reside in a displaced persons camp in Patango. An invitation to compete in an annual music festival becomes a historic journey and an opportunity to regain a part of their childhood."

David and I actually did not stay for this one. We both would have liked to but my stomach was crying out for food, so we ended up grabbing some McDonald's and watching the season finale of "Lost" instead. Five out of Six films is a pretty good ratio.

And with that the UCSB Arts and Lectures Series ends for another school year.

Arts and Lectures Series

Film Festival Day 2:

The first movie of the second day was "Taxi to the Dark Side".
"The Oscar-nominated documentary from Alex Gibney is a stunning inquiry into the suspicious death of an Afgani taxi driver at Bagram Air Base in 2002. Incident records and candid eyewitness testimony uncover an unmistakeable link between the tragic occurrence and U.S. policy."

I had been wanting to see this movie ever since I saw the preview for it at apple.com, and it did not disappoint. This documentary was a little misleading in that I thought it was only going to talk about the incident at Bagram. What ensued was an in depth look at the Bush White house and the steps they took to enable what happened at Bagram. If you didn't like George Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, or Alberto Gonzales before you definitely will not be big fans of them after screening this film. One of the most intriguing parts of the film was the end right before the credits were rolling. In this small span of time Alex Gibney; the director, was videotaping a conversation with his father. His father used to be a military interrogator. His fathers message was basically this: the Bush Administration had broken his trust in the government. I felt that this was an appropriate ending to the film because his sentiments mirrored my own after watching this film. In a nutshell this film delves into the issue of getting intelligence from prisoners in U.S. custody and how the Bush Administration enabled the military and CIA to resort to torture.


The second film of the night was "Hot House".
"Winner of the Special Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival, this rare look inside Israel's highest security prisons features interviews with incarcerated Palestinians, from political candidates to suicide bombers. The film exposes how the prisons have become incubators for political education and influence Palestinian society at large."

This film was pretty intense. Some of the interviews revolved around detail accounts of suicide bombings that the prisoners had planned and executed. It was amazing to hear that they had no remorse for what they did. That was a point that I continue to struggle with. I think that the main reason for this is because I have no frame of reference for what the Palestinian people are fighting for. This film was a good insight into the conflict and was very interesting because it seems that inside the prison the Palestinians and the Israeli guards are able to co-exist in way that seems impossible in the outside world. With that said however, it is important to note that the Israeli's are the ones in control, but there is at least an open dialogue between the Israeli's and the Palestinians.

Arts and Lectures Series

The term is winding down and unfortunately so is the UCSB Arts and Lectures Series programming. This past week David and I expanded our horizons by going to the Santa Barbara Human Rights Film Festival. The Film festival lasted three nights showed two movies each night.

Day 1:

The first movie of the night was "4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days".
"Two college roommates in Romania arrange for an illegal abortion during the final days of communism and find themselves burrowing down a rabbit hole of unexpected revelations. The top prize winner at the Cannes Film Festival, Cristian Mungiu's thrilling film transpires over the course of a single day."

At first I didn't know what to think about this movie. After letting everything set in though this movie was very insightful, intriguing, and thought provoking. I felt bad worse for the friend who helped procure the abortion than I did for the woman who actually had the abortion. I was awed at her loyalty to her friend through everything that happened to her.



The second movie was "The Violin".
"A humble Mexican farmer executes a plan to recover weapons hidden on behalf of the peasant guerilla movement that he secretly supports. Culminating in a tenuous game of cat-and-mouse, this 'exquisitely suspenseful' (Variety) film was a Cannes Official Selection."

The directors choice to shoot this film in black and white paid off big time. The use of black and white mirrored the contrast/conflict at the focus of the film, added to the dramatic affect and made the movie relatable to many South American regions where these types of conflicts existed and or still exist today. This was a very powerful film. I was amazed at the courage and perseverance it took for the old man to do what he did.

I Did It!

That's right you heard me people. I did it! I bought myself a bed! Woohoo! I feel awesome!

I'm sorry Heather I was unable to document the purchasing process, but believe me it would have been a doozie! I must have laid on and rolled around on at least six different beds going from firm to plush to ultra plush mattresses. I finally decided on one today. I found my future bed at Sears.

It's a Queen Size Serta Perfect Sleeper Cupertino II Plush

I know I went big! I figured I may as well get as big of a bed as I could afford that would fit into my apartment because I'm going to have it for awhile. You never know I could always find someone to share it with some day. When that day comes I think we'll both enjoy the added space.

My bed gets delivered a week from today.

The process was pretty fun and fairly easy. The only bad part was some absolutely horrible customer service on Sears' part. At first I waited for about 20 minutes waiting for a sales associate to come to the area to help. Then I waited another 10 minutes waiting for the sales associate after she was paged to come to the area. So, after about 30 minutes of waiting I ended up wandering into the Appliances section looking for a sales person to help me. Once I found a sales person then came the process of purchasing and this older gentleman was giving me all sorts of headaches. I'm sure my attitude didn't help matters. I was already a little peeved at the situation.

What ever happened to the days of good customer service?

Wii Fit

I went with David on the hunt for a Wii Fit game and balance board on Saturday.

We finally found it at Software etc. Wii Fit is a game/workout program for the Nintendo Wii game consul. The program begins by calculating your Body Mass Index (BMI) and analyzing your balance. It then gives you what it has calculated as your Wii Fit age.

we eagerly got it set-up and gave it a good trial run. My BMI was a 29 which puts me in the "Overweight" category. Granted BMI is not a great measuring stick of healthiness I do agree I need to loss some poundage. This program is not afraid to hurt your feelings by not holding any punches in telling you how it is. I must admit though that things really hit home when all of a sudden my Mii character became pudgy right after I got my BMI results. It was a little disheartening.

I believe that seeing my Mii character reflect what I look like in real life was very powerful. Often times, people feel free to become and portray themselves differently in video games and online. These false realities are great for the fact that we can essentially become whatever we want, we don't have to repress aspects of ourselves. It is for that reason that I think the Wii Fit re-calibrating of each persons Mii character to reflect their BMI analysis is a way to bring reality into that false reality.

Well I've told you my BMI was way higher than it should have been, but I have not yet revealed my Wii Fit age. My Wii Fit age was that of a 46 year old! That's right 46! How depressing is that? I just turned 26 and my body is apparently like that of someone 20 years older than me.

Okay, enough of the sad stuff! This game encompasses yoga, strength training, aerobic exercise, and balance exercises. The game initially gives you so many exercises, poses, and games. As, you work out more you unlock more exercises, poses, and games. I enjoyed the balance games the most. The one balance game that I loved more than the rest was the Ski Jump! I've always been fascinated with this sport ever since I first saw it during the Winter Olympics.

Once again the Nintendo people have delivered another way to workout. This game is the perfect way to have fun and exercise. I loved it. Now I just need to get myself one!

Listen Up:

I listened to both the Cascada and Rascal Flatts versions, but I definitely like this version better. I think it evokes stronger emotions to the words of the song.

New Photographer

I was pretty bored at work today. It is the Friday of Memorial day weekend, so the majority of campus either headed out last night or were in the process of leaving this morning. Needless to say, things at work were slow. In my hours of boredom I was browsing through MSNBC when I read an article about a photographer named Nick Veasey. Veasey is a photographer who uses x-rays to capture the inner beauty of everyday objects, animals, clothing, and organic subjects. I found it very interesting that the x-ray equipment he uses is so powerful that emits enough radiation to be extremely harmful to humans, so when he shoots a picture he has to leave his studio.

Here are some samples of his work:




Here's the link to his website:
Nick Veasey

Arts and Lectures Series

Last night I made the trek to Campbell Hall once again to listen to a lecture. The lecturer this time was Pico Iyer.

"Pico Iyer, a part time Santa Barbara resident, describes himself as a 'global village on two legs.'" Named one of the 100 'writers who could change your life' by Utne Reader, Iyer is an acclaimed and perceptive observer of Asia and Buddhism and the author of several books including Sun After Dark, Abandon, and The Global Soul. Iyer's most recent book The Open Road reflects on his revered friend, the Dalai Lama's ideas and work as religious leader, politician, scientist, and philosopher."

The lecture portion was pretty good. Mr. Iyer spoke rather fast and drifted from story to story with little connecting the two, so it was a little difficult to discern the focus of the lecture. The most interesting part of the evening was listening to the question and answer portion. Majority of the questions revolved around what the Dalai Lama would think about this or that. Mr Iyer has spent a lot of time visiting and traveling with the Dalai Lama, so he had some very interesting insight.

One statement that stuck in my mind was how the Dalai Lama assumes so many different roles within the Tibetan culture and yet manages to combine them in ways that give the people what they need. Along those lines Mr. Iyer presented that is also how the Dalai Lama interacts with the rest of the world. When arriving in a new location he asks what the predominant problems of the area are and what issues do the people care about. He then hones his message to try to help with those problems and issues.

Another point that struck me during Mr. Iyer's talk was that of how the Dalai Lama struggles with trying to keep Tibet on the global conscience. Mr. Iyer stated that the Dalai Lama knows that non-violence is the only way to keep the Tibetan issue on the global stage. He notes that if Tibet resorted to a violent demonstration that the world would care less about Tibet even though it would get global news coverage; it would be fleeting at best. By taking the moral high road he is able to keep the issue of his people in the global conscience.

Overall, the lecture was very interesting and insightful.

From the Portfolio of Andy Everson

"Legacy"

Off the Radar...

"Standard Operating Procedure"


"Blindsight"


"Four Minutes"

Got Stimulus?

I got stimulated this morning people and the feeling is indescribable! Get your minds out of the gutter! I'm speaking of the Bush Economic Stimulus Rebate checks! I had been looking all week in eager anticipation of that wonderfully blissful six hundred dollars to hit my bank account. I woke up this morning and did my usual routine of dragging myself out of bed, eating breakfast, checking email accounts, looking at espn.com, reading any new blog entries of friends, and completing the yahoo daily word roundup. I then checked the old checking account balance and there it was the most glorious deposit from the IRS!

Most of you are probably trying to figure out just why I am so freaking excited about this. Well, let me tell you. I am planning to use this tax rebate to finally become the proud owner of a bed! That's right I said it a BED! By this point you are probably saying "Oh my god! Greg is getting a bed! Bye, bye inflatable furniture!" I can tell you that I am just as excited as all of you about this development. For those who don't know let me put it into perspective. I have been sleeping on air mattresses for approximately three and a half years now. I've gone through two of them by this point. The first one lasted about three years before it stopped holding air and forcing me to invest in another one. The second one lasted maybe three months before it started deflating, so I've technically been sleeping on a deflated air mattress on the floor of my bedroom for the past three or four months.

Yes, you are right it is about time that this finally happens! But, what mattress should I get? I've got a big task ahead of me! Wish me luck people I'm going in. Mattress stores beware I'm on my way to toss, turn, and jump on every mattress till I find the one I want. Let's do this!

Arts and Lectures Series

Yesterday David and I once again headed to Campbell Hall for a UCSB Arts and Lecture Series event. This one was a screening of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail". I had never seen this movie in its entirety, so I was eager in anticipation of experiencing firsthand what so many people had been telling me about. As an added bonus, John Cleese was there to introduce the film and then delighted the crowd with funny stories and answering audience questions.

The movie was definitely worth its cult status and deserving of its cult following. There were plenty of funny parts, great one liners, and who doesn't think a rabid knight destroying bunny rabbit is not comedic genius. I especially enjoyed the Black Knight scene where he has lost all appendages and then threatens to gnaw off the leg of Arthur, Arthur's companion Patsy and his coconut shells, the french taunters, the Knights of Neap, the ferocious bunny, and the bridge questioning.

The best part of the evening was listening to John Cleese's stories and ramblings about his divorce. To set the scene for you all, John was in a wheelchair because he had surgery on his right knee. While he was speaking about his divorce he got a little too excited and fell out of his wheelchair; not once, but twice. He playfully bantered with the audience. One particularly funny exchange began when a gentleman asked "John..." to which Cleese replied "who said you could call me John? You call me F*cking Professor Cleese!"

John comes to campus every year to support the arts and lectures film series. Last year he introduced "Life of Brian." The night was awesome and we both enjoyed it immensely!

From My Portfolio

"Santa Barbara Sunrise"

Arts and Lectures Series

On Monday night I went to Campbell Hall on the campus of UCSB to see Joel Meyerowitz's lecture.

Joel Meyerowitz is an accomplished photographer who defied the government to create a historical record of ground zero after September 11th. Mr. Meyerowitz did a brief introduction of how he came to realize that he wanted to do this and the struggle that he had to fight just to be able to do it. He then presented a collection of photos from the archive and the story behind each one.

Mr. Meyerowitz spent 12-14 hours a day at ground zero for 9 months photographing the aftermath of the attack, the clean up, the people, and the neighborhood surrounding ground zero. The presentation was very powerful and moving. One particular story that he shared with us was that of a woman who was operating one of the many excavators removing debris.

The story goes that whenever a body was found the workers had to identify them as either a civilian or a police officer/firemen. If the body was identified to be a police officer/firemen then the body was wrapped in an american flag and carried out by a honor guard. If the body was that of a civilian it was placed in a bag and carried out. So, whenever a body was found the workers either called for a "flag" or a "bag". Well, in this one instance this woman while moving debris came across the body of a civilian. The person who identified the body called for a bag, but this particular woman said no bring a flag. An argument then ensued between the two of them. This woman determined to have this body taken out in a flag lowered the jaws of her excavator over the body in protest till a flag was brought. From that point on every body removed from ground zero was covered in a flag.

Mr. Meyerowitz's presentation was exceptional and very moving.

Out to the Movies: Young at Heart

I saw this movie last night and all I can say is AWESOME! "Young at Heart" was an amazing documentary experience. There are plenty of laughs, a couple sad moments, and great performances. This movie made me think of my grandpa and how he still plays basketball almost everyday. I hope that when I get to that age I have that much energy to stay active.

Happy Mother's Day

A tribute to all things Mom!

From the Portfolio of Andy Everson

"Stories"

Relay for Life Pictures

Courtesy of Rob:

My Birthday

Maybe I'm getting cynical way before my time, but as each year goes by the pomp and circumstance of my birthday diminishes.

Today was the usual day at work with a couple birthday wishes here and there. I received an entire blog post by Heather featuring some of my favorite things, phone calls, facebook messages, and a couple emails wishing me a happy birthday.

After work I went to dinner with David and James at the Beachside Bar Cafe. We sat outside with a spectacular view of the pacific, the Channel Islands, and UCSB. Dinner was delicious! I started with a cup of Clam Chowder followed by Atlantic Salmon Hollandaise with rice and steamed veggies on a bed of sauteed spinach. Afterwards, we headed back to David and James's place where I opened my presents and enjoyed some ice cream and cake.

Overall it was a pretty good birthday.

My Favorite Present was this:

"Silence" by Andy Everson

Thank you David I love it!

Arts and Lectures Series

On Monday David and I went to a lecture given by James Q Wilson; the man to the left. Mr. Wilson's lecture was about a book recently released called "Understanding America: The Anatomy of an Exceptional Nation". That book is a collection of essays written by political scientist describing why they feel America is an exceptional nation. Mr. Wilson was an editor of the book.

The lecture was interesting at points and uninteresting at other times. Most of the lecture was Mr. Wilson comparing and contrasting the United States to European countries like England, France, and the Scandinavian countries. He brought up statistics to help make arguments. For instance, American citizens value liberty more than equality where in Europe it is reversed. He spoke of differences between the two continents on a variety of issues like crime, philanthropy, and voter turnout. He attributed some of the difference to being that the constitutions of Europe are built upon duties whereas here in America it is built upon rights.

Overall the lecture was interesting, but I was hoping to hear more about why the opinion of the United States is less than favorable from other countries around the world.

Off the Radar...

Out to the Movies: Iron Man

After I got my laundry done, and a shower taken I met up with David and James to see the first blockbuster of the year; "Iron Man". "Iron Man" is the latest Marvel comic book hero to hit the big screen. To be completely honest I never really followed Iron Man. I vaguely remember there was a cartoon growing up, but I was way more of a "X-Men" kid. With that being said, I was very impressed!

The director and screen writers were able to put together the background of the story in a way that flowed well and kept the audience captivated. It always seems that when it comes to these types of movies although the background is important it is slow and drawn out to the point that the movie is boring. Boring however, is not the word I would use to describe the first of the "Iron Man" soon to be movie franchise. There will be no doubt at least three installments just like what has been done with other Marvel comic book movies.

So, the movie was good and it deserved to make over 100 million dollars in its opening weekend. Robert Downey Junior looked right home as the main character. On the other hand though Gwenyth Paltrow and Terrence Howard did not seem to mesh with their characters as well, and were just awkward majority of the time. Here's hoping they get it together in the sequels.

Relay for Life

Relay for Life was a great experience! The relay started at noon on Saturday with the opening ceremonies, the survivors lap, and then the team lap. We set up our tent in our area on the track infield. We cheered on our teammates, played volleyball, soccer, and UNO to entertain ourselves throughout the day and into the night.

I walked for about an hour in the late afternoon going about 2 miles. I was back on the track from 8pm-10:30pm going for about 4 miles. When I got done with my walking time we began a rousing game of Apples to Apples. For those who don't know, Apples to Apples is just about the most awesome game ever. After the Apples to Apples festivities ended I came home and went to bed.

I got up early the next morning and headed to the track to root my teammates on to the finish. I walked again from 10am-12pm. I picked up the pace this segment and walked/jogged for about 5 miles. Afterwards, I went in to the Athletic Training Room and stuck both feet into an ice bath to soothe my UNO injury from the day before.

Yes, you heard me an UNO injury! I know how completely ridiculous right? Well here's the story. I sat down on the ground to play a round of UNO indian style. Apparently, in my UNO playing I put my peroneal tendon on too much of a stretch and inflammed the crap out of it. It does feel a lot better now.

I hate to disappoint everyone, but there will not be pictures of me wearing a coconut bra and grass skirt; it just didn't happen, but there will be some pictures of the weekend for each of you to feast your eyes on.

Now for the final numbers:
My goal was 200 dollars and I got 185 dollars in donations, so thank you to all of you who donated to me.
Our team goal was 1,500 dollars and our total donations ended up being 1,150 dollars.

Next year I'll make a deal with all of you. To whoever donates over ten dollars to my cause will be the first to be emailed a picture of me looking ridiculous. What do you say?

Chris Lofton

Here's a story everyone should read.
This article is about Chris Lofton a senior guard from the University of Tennessee.

Amazing strength physically and mentally.

Here's the Link:
"Tennessee's Lofton Quietly faced and beat Cancer"

Relay for Life

Today begins the Relay For Life! Our team of 15 known as "Athletic Trainer's in Motion" will be walking around the UCSB Track for 24 hours to remember those who have lost their fight with Cancer and celebrate those who have survived. Through our fundraising efforts we have ignited the hope that we can make a difference in helping to combat this condition.
We decided to have a Hawaii 5-0 theme for our walk. You may be asking yourself well what does that mean Greg. Well let me tell you, that means while I am walking around the track I will be wearing a Lei, coconut bra, grass skirt, a T-shirt that my friend Tina has secretly designed for me; I can only imagine what it is going to look like, with a squirt gun, and a fake police badge. I am sure right now many of you are thinking is there any possibility of getting pictures of Greg in this get up. Rest assured, I am positive there will be plenty of camera's to document this occasion and will be smeared all of the internet like a celebrity crotch shot. Ok so maybe I'm not that big time, but I need to spice up my blog a bit, so i'll be sure to post a few delightfully amazing photos for all of you.

To all of those who donated to the cause thank you so very much! I appreciate your warm hearts, kind wishes, and most of all your support!

Wii Tournament

Yesterday was a really good day! Things are beginning to slow down a lot at work and things seem to be falling into place. My boss decided to have a little impromptu grill out at the beach after work last night. As always the food was great and we all had a great time relaxing, cutting up, and just having a good time in general.
After the grill out was over and all the extra food was packed up a couple us headed to a co-worker's house for a Wii tournament. For those who don't know, the Wii is quite possibly the best gaming system of all time. The Wii is the latest release from Nintendo. The Wii system is very interactive and the game is sensitive to the players hand movements.
Our tournament started out with a round of Wii bowling that I finished 3rd in after dominating that game last summer during camp. Next up was Wii tennis. I split my two matches going 1-1. I lost my first match 3-0 and then won the second 3-2. Then we decided to play a game that none of us had ever played. We decided to play "Trauma Center: New Blood". This game was absolutely amazing!

The premise of this game is simply this: you are a surgical doctor dealing with everything from a Grizzly Bear attack, to tumor removal, and then what we ended up having to stop at; replacing a pacemaker of 5 year old girl. This game was soo intense! There is a pretty steep learning curve and it requires you to remember procedures from early on in the game. While we were playing there was constant screaming of "Vitals!" Vitals! Vitals" "I got it! I got it!", sweaty palms, increased heart rates, and huge sighs of relief when we completed each procedure. The pacemaker surgery however was too much for all of us to handle. After about 5 attempts at it unsuccessfully we decided to walk away.

Political Toons