So I’ve mentioned that I’ve been into calligraphy lately. Here is a sample of something I’ve done. I made a title page for my sister’s writing portfolio last week (hope you don’t object to this, Erin…I’ll take it down if you do). It was my first attempt at Gothic script (with slight alterations by me). I was pretty happy with how it turned out. This was the thing I was “graphing” last week at 2:45 am. And now I’m posting about it at nearly the same time. I’m not helping my reputation. Anyway, I’m excited to try out some new fonts. I even bought a calligraphy book. I’m thrilled.

I could stand to make some money on the side and add to another part-time/freelance/random job to my growing list, so if you know of anyone who needs a grapher or calligrapher (there’s a slight difference, and I can play both roles well), please consider me. I think this further establishes me as a distinguished artist. I mean there’s not much more of a distinguishing activity than calligraphy, is there?

My interview/article with Kyle Harvey was published in last week’s City Weekly. You can see it online here (until Wednesday or Thursday).

Some of you may already know this, but now it’s official: I got a grant from the Nebraska Arts Council. It was a huge surprise, and I am very grateful. So now I just have to force myself to sit down and write the short film/films that I want to direct this summer. I’m hoping that this will provide extra motivation/pressure. And perhaps the more people I let know about the summer film, the harder it will be for me to evade it. I really want to do it and I’m so excited and ready to make another film. I don’t know what my problem is, but it has been really hard for me to start this script.

Anyway, here is the press release. Check it out, I am a “distinguished artist.” Never thought I would be referred to as “distinguished”, but I think I could get used to it.

Destroyer. Omaha. The Waiting Room., originally uploaded by NotoriousLBT.

Destroyer played here Friday night, it was an awesome show. Mal Madrigal opened and sounded really great.

I’m not sure when this started, but it’s been a while now that I’ve been enjoying the italicized warnings at the end of certain New York Times movie reviews. I think that Manohla Dargis started the trend, but it looks like it’s spreading. It seems almost like an inside joke among the arts writers, a brief look into their personalities to show that despite their erudite analyses in a respected, lofty publication, they still have a sense of humor. As intended, they also serve the purpose of informing possible viewers (and parents) of material that may be found offensive, too mature or too graphic.

Here’s an example from today’s Iron Man review, written by A.O. Scott: “It has a lot of action violence, non of it especially graphic or gruesome. Also, Iron Man has sex, and not with the suit on. But not completely naked either.”

Here’s a poetic, haiku-like example from Redbelt by Manohla Dargis: “Blood and raw words.” For In Bruges she writes: “Dirty words, bloody wounds.” It’s like Jim Carroll writing movie reviews. The Other Bolelyn Girl has a good one too: “Roving hands, rolling heads.” Too perfect.

Dargis can also be flip while providing cultural commentary, such as the warning for Vacancy: “The usual: knife and gun violence, brief female nudity, profanity.” Some are also funny for their specificity, like this one for The Number 23: “It has adult language, scenes of animal endangerment, and one realistic-looking slit and spurting human throat.”

They are like little gems sprinkled throughout, which makes finding them all the more fun (because some reviews have no warning at the end, and others are boring like “strong language and violence”, for example).

p.s. Can anyone remember the name of a more recent movie that was described as “Fight Club for teens?” I remember that one having a good one.

you stay up until 2:45 am doing calligraphy.

There has to be a better phrase than “doing calligraphy.” I suppose “practicing the art of calligraphy” would be more suitable. I propose the term “calligraphizing”; it’s more efficient and sounds less haughty and more street.