One More Day

Me. At Work. One More Day.

Who Is Tucker Max?

So for the past several months I have been in Shreveport, LA working on the film shoot for "I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell." The movie is based on the book of the same name, that is in turn taken from select stories from the blog of the same name. All of which began when Tucker Max started emailing his college buddies about his insane, extreme, over-indulged, and often over-exaggerated stories of his weekends.

It really is just the same old Frat Nation romp we've all seen but from the mind of a backwoods law student from Kentucky. So not only is it some of the most degrading and redneck material you've ever read but it's explained with the vocabulary of a lawyer. Just what we all needed, 40 pages taken to describe acts that you wish never existed, even if they only exist in Billy Bob's head.

I'll only go to see the movie to see my name roll by on the screen. You can guarantee it won't be for the midget stripper or the poo covered bathrooms. Yes, I did say bathroomS, plural.

Although, and it's probably the case with most movies, the behind-the-scenes action is more exciting. Tales involving laundered money, quarreling camera departments, actresses angry that they have to ride in a van with porn stars they went to high school with, and rotting meat in desks. It definitely all is in a day's work.

Needless to say I'm very glad this project is coming to an end.

Where to next? Who really knows, but from the bottom of my heart I say, "Au Revoir Louisiane," because I'm leaving and not planning to come back anytime soon.

Whoah! Holla! Whoah!

So I have been shafted many times trying to see Cirque du Soleil's first stadium show, Delirium.

First it was coming to Shreveport, LA of all places and I left two weeks before the show to return to New Zealand.

Then it was in Scandinavia just a short while after I left there as well last summer.

Now there are no scheduled dates and I'm out of luck......UNTIL they decided to release it as full-length feature event!!!

So starting tonight for 4 nights it's showing in cinemas all across the country. Granted the movie experience won't be as amazing but as least it's still an experience, right?!?!

If you're any friend of mine you should get your happy butt out there to see it!

Here's a little sneak peak.



I'M SO EXCITED!!!

Swedes Are Crazy.....Crazy Good

Lykke Li first American Release, "Little Bit"

Our Efforts Do Make a Difference

So apparently, my Satan, the evil Monsanto Corp., is not making a profit from its bovine growth hormones because people are demanding milk free of the nasty stuff. So as a result they are trying to sell off that division of their company.

It is just a small step, but it shows that our actions and choices can modify that of large, powerful corporations.

More can be read on treehugger.com.

I Guess We All Have Issues

So acclaimed NZ children's book author, Margaret Mahy, was recently convicted of drunk driving. I agree that being around all those kids, all the time, would drive me to drink too.

What makes it better is that she's 66 years old. Whoah, granny got a drink and she probably wasn't even that great of a driver to begin with.

Here's the article for all the details.

Green Thumb? Part 2

I didn't post any pics of the Pohutukawa planting before the internet at work went down. So here they are.



Haha, they are in the plastic bag. The growing directions said to keep them in there to maintain a damp soil. I thought I took another one of the tray with soil in it, but I guess I didn't. Oh well, It's not really that much to see right now. Hopefully it will be soon!

WOO HOO!!!!

Green Thumb?

I have just received packs of Cabbage Tree, Manuka Tree, and Pohutukawa Tree seeds from New Zealand.

We'll see if I have what it takes to grow a little bit of New Zealand here in the heart of America.

I'll try to keep everyone up-to-date on my progress, but first the directions for the Manuka and Cabbage trees say to soak the seeds over night. This puzzles me but I'll go ahead and trust the labels.

Here's my soaking cups up at the office.


Very exciting, I know.

A Little Gem From Down Under

Ok, it's not deep, but boy is it fun. I'm sure some of my old NZ friends would agree. Just sit back and let your booty shake.



All I can say is that I wish I had a light-up stripper pole. I'm jealous Kylie, jealous.

Cancer Reading for July 20th

"One dream at a time, small hopes compounding to become great expectations, that's the energy for you to put out today if you really want to manifest your dreams. All consuming fantasies have their place, but building possible dreams now can make the impossible happen sooner than later."

Amen!

It's Not All My Fault

So I was trying to figure out a way to post only the song but I had to settle for this weirdly homemade video. What's important is the song anyway.

I love Alanis Morissette and I listen to her quite a bit. For some reason I had never heard this song until this past week. Quite appropriate. I think we often go to extremes in our dealings with people and either take complete fault or none at all, when really we fall somewhere in the middle.

So for that, It's not all me. It's not all my fault. I may remind you but I won't take it all.



Also, She's having an online concert on July 24th at 1pm CST here.

Below are the lyrics to "Not All Me" so you can follow along with crazy Alanis's voice.

I wear their face on top of my face
I am the perfect target screen for your blindly fueled rage

I bear the brunt of your long-buried pain
I don't mind helping you out but I want you to remember my name

It's not all me
It's not all my fault
I may remind you
But I won't take it all on

past-riddled riddled rage I see the buttons I engage
with my dignity in place I'm all too happy to assuage

It's not all me
It's not all my fault
I may remind you
But I won't take it all on

Lest I find my voice find the strength to stand up to you
Lest I state my limit and take on only what is mine to

We are a team I'm here to help mend and re-seam
All I trigger unknowingly a job I hold in high esteem

It's not all me
It's not all my fault
I may remind you
But I won't take it all on
I'll take only some of it

No Wonder

I just realized that last week was the Riddu Riddu Festival in Norway. Which means that it has officially been a year since I have been up in the air on my tissu. Wow, no wonder I've been sad lately.

Trouble In Fair Christchurch

I read this article on Christchurch's The Press Website. Oh the things you have to deal with when you're a prostitute.


Prison sentence for setting up prostitute for robbery
By DEAN CALCOTT - The Press | Tuesday, 15 July 2008

Two men who set up a prostitute for a robbery were caught after she realised her supposed client was in on the crime, a court had been told.

Ali Ahmadi, 24, a refugee from Afghanistan, and Mustafa Hussaini, 19, an immigrant from Iran, who were both found guilty of aggravated robbery, were each jailed for 4½ years by Christchurch District Court Judge Phil Moran.

The judge said the victim was a prostitute working on her own account. Ahmadi had engaged her services, taking alcohol to her premises and leaving some downstairs after taking some upstairs to her room.

After talking to the woman he went back down to get the rest of the alcohol.

Meanwhile, he unlocked the door to let in Hussaini.

While Ahmadi was upstairs having sex with the prostitute, Hussaini burst in with a pistol, held it to her head and demanded money and her car.

The victim, terrified after being threatened with being shot, talked him out of tying her up, then showed where her car was parked and handed over the $120 Ahmadi had paid.

To make things look "kosher", Hussaini also took Ahmadi's wallet, the judge said.

But the woman realised something was amiss and accused Ahmadi of being in on the robbery.

The judge said the jury rightly found both men guilty, and he regarded both as equally to blame.

There was a degree of planning, the victim was a vulnerable woman on her own and the offending had a significant impact on her.

Little could be said in mitigation, apart from that her car was recovered, the judge said. Appearing for Ahmadi, David Ruth said the firearm was a starting pistol.

The case was similar to a dairy robbery because it was of an owner-operated business.

Ahmadi had already been in custody a year, Ruth said.

Appearing for Hussaini, Allister Davis said Hussaini maintained his innocence, and he was assessed at a low risk of reoffending.

Evermore

So I'm very excited that itunes just added the rest of the discography of Evermore. I loved them while I was New Zealand and had no way of buying their new cd.

"The Lights Surrounding You" was one of my most favorite songs.

Enjoy!

Is America Elvis or is Elvis America?

When it comes to being American not many things rank up there with Apple Pie, Fourth of July, and Baseball, but this past weekend I went to a preliminary competition to decide this year's best Elvis impersonator. It made me realize that Elvis, the man, as well as the legend are all very American. Weird I know but this whole thought came rushing into my head when there was one contestant that hailed from across the pond in Wales, United Kingdom.

I think it would be fair to say that this gentleman was by far the worst contestant in the bunch. Couldn't get the accent and even when choosing his outfits, he just missed the mark. For instance, for his first performance he dressed as Elvis from what I'm guessing is a lesser known one of western films. Ok, when you think of Elvis do you think of bright red slacks and and white western shirt with red shoulders? Yeah neither do I.

This whole bizarre experience made me think that maybe Elvis is so American that maybe other places just do not quite understand it.

Before I get too carried away, I think it has to be said that I am not by any stretch of the imagination an Elvis fan. I think his story and his drama are fascinating but I could not name a single movie he starred in nor could I sing more than the chorus to any of his songs. However, I do know the lip snarl, the shaking hips, the bouffant hair, he liked to eat fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches, and the quotes "Thank you. Thank you very much" and "Ladies and Gentlemen, Elvis has left the building."

Also, one of my most favorite memories is walking down the Las Vegas Strip on New Year's and passing by the Bellagio Fountains and having them start dancing to "Viva Las Vegas" and hear the hoards of party revelers roar with excitement for a song that helped immortalize the city as well as the singer.



When these are the foremost indicators in your mind about a person, I think it is fair to say that their icon status is more than legendary. It's cosmic.

So it is just fine to let people across the world have their stab at impersonating him, but you should all be warned that unless you have some deep connection to the crazy intense patriotism of the U.S., you two will probably not get your Elvis impersonation quite right. After all, what's more American than swirling your leather clad hips from a poor upbringing in Tupelo, MS to a mansion called Graceland and commander of the title, The King of Rock n' Roll?

Which brings me to another question. What is it in that Mississippi water to produce the likes of both Elvis and Oprah?

Sentimental Sam Sunrise

So out of sentimentality's sake I've been watching webcams of Christchurch while I've been insanely bored at work. Here was today's sunrise.





I miss it even if it is winter there right now. I'm not outside enough here to enjoy the fact it's summer.

How Could I Not?

So I think I'm becoming Kristina's publicist but how can you not talk about something so amazing! She just had some pictures made and I had to share them. I'm thinking she's a Mabel Stark in the air.







She truly is the Loveliest of the Lovelies!

Maudlin

Recently, I have been reading a book called "The Final Confession of Mabel Stark," a fictionalized biography of one a the greatest tiger tamers in circus history.

Last night reading, one passage took a particular hold of me.

He stood, took my hand and shook it like we were about to sign a land deal; he even brought his heels together in a click before retaking his chair. Frankly, I wished he'd kissed me. It would've made the whole thing less weird.

Instead, we sat, staring at the door to the lawyer's office, listening to the dull hum of a ceiling fan. If Louis was thinking what I was thinking it had to do with the way one minute two people can be close enough to clean the inside of each other's animal wounds and the next minute be worse than strangers. It was a maudlin thought, so I passed the time dwelling on it, for I've always considered maudlin to be one of the truer ways of feeling.

I have always heard the word maudlin and never fully understood it.

Dictionary.com defines it as and adjective that means tearfully or weakly emotional; foolishly sentimental: a maudlin story of a little orphan and her lost dog.

Without knowing the full meaning, maudlin hit me and I must say right now I'm truly in a foolishly sentimental time in my life.

Miss Stark, we might be kindred spirits.

Overkill

This might be a little too much, but Kristina has just been doing her first big stab at getting performances video taped and put online. So here's another one that's a bit longer and technical problem free. WOO HOO!!!

Aerial Diva

A few weeks past, one of my great friends that I went to circus school with performed at a wedding. Unfortunately, her mic couldn't handle her routine as well as she does but she handles it beautifully. If any of you are in Perth, Western Australia anytime soon and are in need of an amazing performer, I'm sure we could work something out.



Kristina, you are the Loveliest of the Lovelies!

Australia!

I'm so excited about Baz Luhrmann's newest movie, Australia. It's about an English aristocrat played by Nicole Kidman who travels to Australia. The film is set in the Northern Territory in the 1930's and 1940's particularly around the time of the Bombing of Darwin.



I can't wait!

From The Vault

I was busy cleaning up and packing and I came across this DVD of me skydiving. I went as a graduation present to myself. Take note of the long hair and the excessive Hook 'Em Horns. Whew that was a long time ago!



I think it's time for another jump.

The World of Christopher Robin

Halfway down the stairs
Is a stair
Where I sit
There isn't any
Other Stair
Quite like
It.
I'm not at the bottom
I'm not at the top;
So this is the stair
Where
I always
Stop.

Halfway up the stairs
Isn't up;
And Isn't down.
It isn't in the nursery,
It isn't in the town.
And all sorts of funny thoughts
Run round my head:
"It isn't really
Anywhere!
It's somewhere else
Instead!"

Doppelgangers?

A while ago I did my celebrity look-a-likes. Recently, I've been told that I look like David Archuleta from this season's American Idol. I don't really agree but in his honor, here's a little post of the people that I most get told that I look like.

First, David Archuleta


Eric McCormack


Hal Sparks


Chris Kattan



Summation: Basically, I'm compared to any short, somewhat awkward guy who has dark hair and eyes. Awesome!

Why Green?

There are a lot of reason to "Go Green." We've all heard of the various ecological, economical, and health benefits of recycling or eating organic foods. I, like quite a few others, have been intrigued by all of this and how we can change to make the world we live in a better place.

This intrigue brought me to buying the newest issue of Vanity Fair, their annual Green Issue. In this issue there is an article regarding the surprising practices of a super agriculture corporation, Monsanto. This company is the industry leader in creating Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). Basically they modify several crops so that they are resilient to pests, weather, and even the pesticides sprayed on them, also made by Monsanto. They also create an injection that makes dairy cows produce more milk. First it should be said that no studies have determined whether these modifications are harmful to humans but I feel that God and nature probably had it all figured out better than we could ever do. So as a belief, when given the choice, I would choose the non-modified food.

However, I was never worried about what I was eating and where it came from until the article shed some light onto Monsanto's business practices. Monsanto takes extreme measures to ensure their products are used and protected. They require their seeds to accompany an agreement that farmers will not re-use seeds, i.e. go against decades of tradition of replanting the very seed they paid to grow.

Monsanto has also been known to test fields in the area where their seeds are grown to see if farmers are, albeit accidentally, growing Monsanto seeds. This is a natural occurrence because of wind, but that does not keep Monsanto from following through with lawsuits.

On top of this behavior, Monsanto is also responsible for the most toxic landfills in the U.S. and in the U.K. As they were a chemical company before they discovered their gold mine in agriculture.

I've never been completely devoted to organic foods or non-enhanced milks, but I would never be friends with someone who took the sort of actions that Monsanto has and as a result I find it hard to put money in their pockets and I would encourage others to ponder the dilemma as well.

Monsanto's lobbying and close alignment with the government has resulted in a lack of labeling on foods that contain GMOs and even trace amounts of them do find their way into organic foods but eating organic is the best way to keep your meals Monsanto free and I would much rather support people who value the world we live in and those of us who live in it, something that Monsanto clearly doesn't concern itself with.

Please read Vanity Fair's article for a more in depth look at this issue. The article can be found here.

I'd also love to hear everyone's opinion on this, especially if some farmer's are reading this and can talk about actually dealing with Monsanto products.

Is This The Way Amarillo?

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I'm headed home! Do you know the way?

Isn't Texas Great!

Where else can you see this?

Granted, it's not a real Prada store and only an art instillation but it still looks fantastic!



This photograph was taken by an Austin photographer named Craig Washburn. Other pieces of his work can be seen on his website at http://www.craigwashburn.com/

Backwoods Barbie

This has been out for a while but I feel the need to bring everyone else up to date that may not know.

Dolly Parton is 62 and has released her newest album, "Backwoods Barbie." It is her first country album in 17 years and also the highest debuting CD of her career. She was set to tour for the album but had to cancel as a result of a back injury. Well, if you can't watch her live you might as well watch her new video with the hilarious Amy Sedaris.



And to top it off she even does a cover of UB40's "You Drive Me Crazy."

Gotta love it!

Haircut

So I had a haircut recently and you might say it looks like this, but less Swedish and less feminine.

Zac Efron

So today, I was reading this magazine in Barnes and Noble...


...and a passerby said I looked just like him.

Umm, thanks but I don't think so.

Sir Edmund Hillary Dies

The Kiwi heart inside me hurts.

Here's what CNN Had to say:

(CNN) -- Edmund Hillary, who gained worldwide fame after he and guide Tenzing Norgay became the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest, has died after suffering a heart attack.

New Zealander Hillary, who was 88, died at Auckland City Hospital on Friday morning at 0900 local time, Hillary family spokesman Mark Sainsbury said. "He had been in good form and been looking forward to coming home, and had remained in good spirits to the end," Sainsbury said in a statement issued by the Hillary family.

"The family are honored to accept the government's offer of a state funeral, recognizing the impact he had on all New Zealanders. They are also comforted by the messages of support from around the country and around the world.

Funeral arrangements would not be set until family members had returned from overseas, Sainsbury said.

"His great friends the Sherpa people have called [his wife] June and are organizing their own memorial service in Nepal." Video Watch a friend pay tribute to Hillary »

On May 29, 1953, Hillary and Tenzing became the first men known to have climbed the 29,035 feet to the top of Everest and safely return.

A beekeeper who served during World War II in the Royal New Zealand Air Force, Hillary began climbing while in high school and traveled to the central Himalayas to join a British party exploring the southern face of Everest in 1951.

He returned in 1953, when he and Tenzing made their ascent -- spending 15-30 minutes at the summit. Hillary left a crucifix at the top of the mountain and Tenzing, in keeping with his Buddhist beliefs, left an offering of food.

Hillary took a picture of Tenzing at the peak but, because the Sherpa guide did not know how to use a camera, there are no pictures of Hillary there.

He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II upon his return to England, but continued exploring -- reaching the South Pole by tractor in 1958, joining the first group to climb Antarctica's Mt. Herschel in 1967 and boating east Himalayan rivers and the Ganges.

Prime Minister Helen Clark paid tribute to Hillary, describing him as the best-known New Zealander ever to have lived.

"Sir Ed described himself as an average New Zealander with modest abilities," Clark said.

"In reality, he was a colossus. He was an heroic figure who not only 'knocked off' Everest but lived a life of determination, humility and generosity."

Flags throughout New Zealand flew at half-mast on Friday, while callers flooded talkback stations with tributes to Hillary.

Many shared anecdotes of personal meetings with the late adventurer, describing him as an iconic New Zealander whose achievements were important to both the country and the world.

Antarctica New Zealand chief executive Lou Sanson said his enduring image of Hillary was his love of the natural environment of the frozen continent.

"Most of all you could tell he was in love with what was outside, which was that wild, harsh continent and the ability to live in that," Sanson said.

In his later years, Hillary became a strong supporter of environmental causes and worked to improve the lives of Nepal's Sherpas.

His Himalayan Trust has helped build schools, hospitals and airstrips in Nepal since 1961.

Hillary was not always complimentary of the more than 1,300 people who have climbed Everest since he did. In 2006, he harshly criticized a group of about 40 climbers that left Englishman David Sharp, 34, to die as they kept climbing to the top of Everest.

"Human life is far more important than just getting to the top of a mountain," he said at the time. "I think the whole attitude toward climbing Mt. Everest has become rather horrifying -- the people just want to get to the top," her said of the mountain.
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In 2003, Hillary was made an honorary citizen of Nepal on the 50th anniversary of his historic climb.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/01/10/edmund.hillary/index.html

Christmas Lights: Never Depressing

*UPDATE* Apparently the house above won for best decorations in town. Wow


Blow-Up Lawn Ornaments aren't depressing either.