Documentaries

To read my blogs, you may think I'm some kind of documentary connoisseur or something, but I'm really not. I mean, I didn't even see "An Inconvenient Truth." However, I have seen three documentaries lately that I think are really exceptional. All three of these have really stayed with me, and even (in the case of Dr. Bronner) months later, I am still thinking about it. The first was "Dr. Bronner's Magic Soapbox" which I wanted to see because I was familiar with Dr. Bronner's soap, (available at any health food store) and it's most significant characteristic: the nearly incomprehensible rant that is printed on each label. Or really, it's more like a series of rants on each label. It's all about themes like Dr. Bronner's idea of an ALL-ONE religion, and other sort of hippie, out-there stuff, which is a delight to read while you're in the shower. The film focused on the man, his family, his long history in soap-making, and his idea to use his labels to communicate his important message to all mankind. But ultimately, the film is REALLY about the classic question about where the line is between genius and madness.

The next documentary I can't stop thinking about was "Young @ Heart" about a group of elderly people who are in a chorus which tours internationally. What is notable is that they sing rock-and-roll songs, usually with more energy and gusto than people half their age. What set this film apart, for me, is the way the songs they perform become profound statements on their own experiences of aging. The way aging is viewed in this film isn't sad at all, but just a path that we all must take someday, and one that has certain shared ups and downs. I loved this one scene where the director had handed out CDs for the members to listen to when they practiced at home. The seniors weren't sure how to use the CD -- which side was up? Would it play? Get scratched? This guy Lenny was my favorite. He sang "Purple Haze" but consistently forgot the words! Haze? It's the haze of old-age dementia. The saddest moment, though, was when Bill, all hooked up to his oxygen and everything, had to sing "Fix You" by Coldplay by himself, even though it was supposed to be a duet. His friend died before he could sing. I should note that some of the people in this film have downright amazing voices, and Bill is one of those. His bass notes resonate like a much-younger Broadway performer. And those with less talent make up for it in pure exuberance!

The documentary "The King of Kong" was truly the funniest. For something that is unscripted, the amount of laugh-out-loud (yet unintentional) humor was just great. The success of this film lies in its characters, and the way the story was edited and presented. I was on the edge of my seat! I laughed, I cried (honestly!). The plot starts off like this: nice guy named Steve Wiebe from Redmond, WA is a bit of a loser and upon losing his job at Boeing (even though his life-script said he was supposed to have been a lifer) he brings a Donkey Kong game into his garage and sets out to break the high-score record. The record was set in, like, 1982 by a total jackass named Billy Mitchell who looks a lot like Paul Mitchell (hair guy), only his hair is even more helmet-y and his face even more horsey, buck-teeth and everything. This guy thinks he's hot-sh*t, with a trophy wife and everything. The story centers around Steve Wiebe's quest to break Billy Mitchell's record, which he does, and he tapes it as proof. The "governing body" of these types of records, to whom Steve submits his tape, called Twin Galaxies, is a whole other hilariously inept cast of characters. Twin Galaxies is, unbelievably, in cahoots with none other than Billy Mitchell. I won't give away the ending, but lets just say it's a nail-biter, a heartwarming story of good vs. evil. Steve is a classic good guy, and Billy a wonderful villain -- oh, the humanity! I can't recommend this enough.

All three of these films prove that documentary films can deliver a wonderful experience of story, character and suspense, every bit as much as a fiction movie can. I am not sure that I knew that before. My experience of these films has made me want to see more documentaries. Recommendations accepted...

Press Check

In case anyone wonders what I do on these alleged "press checks" I'm always going on, I snapped a photo last week at our printer in Vegas. Here's me inspecting a pile of PCBC registration brochures.

OK, no. More accurately, I'm biding my time while waiting for the guys to fix the web press. These types of delays cost a bundle for the printer (who charges by the job, not by how much time it takes to print), and wastes a bunch of paper. Paper is a tricky thing, especially when combined with water, as it is in printing. As you can imagine, the works get mucked up pretty easily.

And that means a very late night of hanging around, playing video games and causing trouble with my good friend and print broker, Chris. I'm lucky to have a printer I can tolerate for all these long hours (I hope he can say the same for me).

Helvetica: The Movie

I was so excited about this film, a documentary all about the typeface Helvetica, that I pre-ordered the DVD. I thoroughly enjoyed my first viewing at home, while Gary fled to the spare bedroom to watch "Prison Break" or similar. I don't blame him. It is fairly dry. Although bunches of critics can't be wrong -- this is a film with jillions of award nominations. I have to give credit to Gary Hustwit, a designer and filmmaker responsible for "Hevetica" -- he realized that there are millions of designers out there, all noticing this sort of thing, and all fascinated, even consumed by it.

Once I found out I would be teaching Typography I, I knew it would be a natural for my students, and I showed it at one of our first classes, and we ended up referring to it for the remainder of the term. I recommend it to all my designer friends, or anyone with a love of the visuals we encounter every day.

The film is an ode to Helvetica, but it is also a history of 20th century graphic design (and a little bit of 21st century). It is a "who's who" of contemporary graphic design, and it includes such luminaries as Massimo Vignelli, Neville Brody, David Carson, Paula Scher and Stephan Sagmeister! And not everyone (as you can imagine from this lineup) is pro-Helvetica. Paula Scher considers it the font of the "man" or the establishment. But some of-the-moment designers like this group called Experimental Jetset are in love with it, and use it in a more ironic way -- not in the literal way, for example, Massimo used it.

Its amazing that so much could be said for a typeface that was designed to be neutral and fade into the background. And once you see the shots throughout the film of the various places it is used where we would probably overlook it, you realize you have been changed by this film. Everywhere you go, you'll spot Helvetica. Even more than perhaps you used to. At least that was true for me. I guess the message is that we are all slightly changed or affected by this typeface, whether we realize it or not.

Trip Home

Gary & I took a trip back to the DC area to visit my mom this past week. Mom seems to be doing really well. Her community of Riderwood is so positive and offers so many active, fun opportunities for her -- I literally think the place is good for her health!

The big highlight of my trip was attending the 10-year anniversary of the women's book group I used to belong to when I lived in DC. I hadn't seen them since I moved away 6 years ago! It turned into an all-day event starting with brunch at one woman's home, proceeding to Georgetown for some shopping & visiting, then to the National Museum of the American Indian, then another shopping interlude, then to a great restaurant downtown with the whole group for a fun shared meal. What a day! When I found myself slipping back into the easy rhythm of these friendships, even after they've been on hold for 6 years, it struck me how wonderful it is to carry friendships in your heart, even if you are not always close by each other. It also became clear that my friends in California and my friends in DC share some interesting similarities, and I think seeing that somehow helps me to see myself, too.

Another highlight was attending my old church, Dumbarton United Methodist, in Georgetown. The welcome they gave me was overwhelming! Catching up with all of the people there took all morning -- luckily there was a pancake breakfast that day after church (for the 21st anniversary of the congregation's commitment to being a Reconciling church!) so I could connect with lots of the people I have missed so much. Dumbarton is so special, and being back reminded me of how lucky I am to be a part of that community, even as part of the diaspora. I need to renew my commitment to that church.

I have to say that watching the Superbowl was a fantastic experience on Sunday. We went to Third Edition in Georgetown and emerged at the end of the night with lots of new friends. I particularly enjoyed their ritual re-playing of the Redskins fight song not only before the game, but at halftime, and directly after the game. What a fabulous thing after having been the lone Redskins fan all season in Sacramento. HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!!

The trip continued with more visits with Dumbarton folks -- this time over dinner at Riderwood, as some of the members now live near my mom there. Gary is such a great sport to go along to event after event where he knows nobody, and he always enjoys himself, makes friends with my friends, and is kind and charming, too. I'd marry the guy again if I could.

We also managed to squeeze in a day trip to Annapolis which was fun. Showing Gary the historic town, with its Federal architecture and quaint character was great -- he, like me, always particularly loves towns on the water. We saw the Naval Academy and ate oysters and crab cakes. Yum.

If I hadn't had a head cold nearly the whole time, I would declare it an almost perfect trip. Oh, did I mention the awesome pub we found in Wheaton? Cheers to the Royal Mile, and to a fun week.

First Day of Teaching

I've never taught before. Or, more accurately, I teach every day as do most graphic designers, informing people about our work, and why it works, the value of graphic design, the design process, even technical aspects. But I've never taught a group, sitting in a classroom at an actual design college. All staring at me, expectantly.

To my surprise (and relief) my first class was fantastic. If you, like me, would define fantastic as: chaotic, nerve-wracking, fascinating (as I got to know my students), hilarious, slightly disjointed (I veered wildly off-topic quite a bit), and eye-opening. I declare it a success! My students are energetic, unfocused, extremely talented and goal-oriented, and each is so unbelievably unique from one another.

The school itself is still getting off the ground, but is a lovely facility, staffed with a young, vibrant, dedicated group of professionals, who are insanely committed to the students. The amount of support and one-on-one attention is really surprising.

Overall, I think this is going to be a very important experience in my career. I'm just taking it one class at a time for now, not planning to quit my "real" (day) job anytime soon. We'll see if I can keep Typography I interesting from 6pm to 11pm twice a week. I am pretty sure it will be the cool projects that will pull us through.

More on my teaching journey to come...

Meet Milo!

We were so relieved to finally be able to adopt this little guy. He spent a grand total of 18 days at the shelter (puppy jail, as you can see), and now he's happy to get a nice warm home, a fun new friend, Buster, and a hobby (chasing the cats). We introduced them on Friday, and they were fast friends. Buster was a wee bit jealous of the attention we were giving Milo. I think he'll get over that soon, though. Buster is so good-natured. Milo really liked hanging out at the pub Sunday afternoon, too. Could be that he was completely fawned-over -- I don't think his feet hit the ground once, with everyone holding & petting him! He's one cute, sweet dog, but I know we haven't even seen his whole personality yet. He's just trying to get healthy and rested again after his puppy jail ordeal.

A small dog stole my heart this week...

So Gary & I have been considering getting another dog. We spotted this guy http://search.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=9532510 online and went to see him out at the pound on Bradshaw this morning. He ran right up to us, and when we took him out to play, he stayed near us and tried to curl up on my lap. He's a sweetie. But he's really mangy, has runny eyes, matted poopy fur around his butt, and he's super-skinny -- you can feel all of his ribs. We loved him and were all set to adopt him BUT...

We couldn't. They apparently scan dogs for a microchip when they enter the facility, but they didn't detect one at that time. Then they re-scan the dog before they're adopted (or euthanized, shudder). Today they did the re-scan and found a microchip on Kelso (the name the pound gave him). So, they are going to start the search for the owners. I would be lying if I said I hope they find them. Maybe that's wrong of me, but I just know Gary, Buster, Sweetpea, Noel and I could fatten him up, give him a good bath, some eyedrops and some attention, and he'd be the happiest dog in the world. We'll know by November 8th if we get to adopt him, but chances are not too good.