Saw the midnight showing of the new 007 flick Quantum of Solace last night. A review is forthcoming, but I will tell you that despite some criticisms, I feel like the movie delivered on its promise to kick seven different kinds of ass.
I was off today, so I have spent quite a lot of time cleaning out my office. I thought it might be fun and/or frightening to share some of the random things that I have found.
My packet from NASDA
Sometime around 1998, I stumbled upon a poetry contest that was sponsored by the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), which used to be one of Japan’s national aerospace agencies. I can’t remember the details of the contest. I think the poem was to be read in space or something. Anyway, I like space and stuff, so I entered the contest. It was pretty easy, because all the contestants had to do was complete a poem that was already started and we only had to write two lines of seven syllables each. Here is my poem (my lines are italicized):
Turn space somersaults
as many as you like
That is weightlessness
My spirit alone at last
My body unencumbered
I think I should have written your instead of my. Anyway, I didn’t win, but NASDA sent me a packet with a photo of the astronaut who was going to read the poem and a bunch of other stuff that I don’t understand because it is all in Japanese. One page is clearly the finalists and their entries, but it is also in Japanese, so I can’t make fun of the winners. There is only one English entry on that sheet, but my poem is way better than his. I’m not bitter, though.
My first time on the Internet
This is even better. My team is going to get a huge kick out of this. I haven’t said anything about this, but I actually have a new role at church and I no longer handle the sound reinforcement or any other production technology for that matter. However, my very last act as Production Ministries Leader was to work with a consultant to plan and budget for the installation of acoustic treatment in our main event center. Well, I found some printouts (yes, dot-matrix printouts) of my very first sessions on the Internets, which I had access to when I worked for AT&T after separating from the Air Force. It was May of 1988 and I was hanging-out in rec.audio learning about…acoustic treatment. The company referenced above is still in business. They didn’t have a website because, you know, the web hadn’t been invented yet.
My ticket to stardom? Not exactly.
This is my pay stub from when I was an extra on The Underneath – possibly the only Steven Soderberg movie that did not find any commercial success whatsoever. It also looks like I only made about $50. So, I wasn’t discovered on the set, I didn’t get a SAG card, and I didn’t make much money – why keep the pay stub? I’ll tell you. This pay stub proves that I was in the movie (although I’m guessing it would take a forensic scientist examining the film frame by frame to find me). Anyway, I was in the movie with Elisabeth Shue, who would later star in Hollow Man…with Kevin Bacon. And that dear friends gives her a Bacon Number of 1 and me a coveted Bacon Number of 2. Yes!
Don’t know what I’m talking about? Look here.
Okay, I’m doing more blogging than cleaning, so I’m going to quit now. I still have to write my movie review, I have to work this weekend, and I have to start getting ready for my road trip with Charles next week. More on that later.
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