Name:Brian Country:United States State:Tennessee Metro:Nashville Birthday:6/25/1982 Gender:Male
Interests:movies, blowing things up, hangin out with friends & family, bowling, volleyball, four-wheeling, shooting guns (need to get my permit!), WYSIWYG, and certainly God! Expertise:Lighting Design, Wholehog programmer, Lighting tech, Monitor engineer, ebay, listening to people's problems, driving big trucks w/o the proper license to do so. I love what i do! Occupation:Engineering Industry:Entertainment
Man, I love doing blogs... but I suck at doing them regularly - so here's what ya get instead... a lot of pictures and some stories to go with them. We'll hafta back-up the train a bit to cover it all... hang on!
So we're in Huntington, WV for a day off and then a show. This is where Marshall University is and the whole tragedy with the airplane going down and where the movie came from... We Are Marshall. Small little college town... EVERYONE knew we were there, not because it was a small little college town, but ALL of our busses were lined up outside at the city's nicest hotel on MAIN STREET. Good gosh there was always people horded around the buses... Anyhoo, I get into my room and find THIS lurching on my friggin bag!
Yeah, I'm pretty sure I yelled and tried to throw something at it. Crazy thing is, these boogers were all over the town! Especially at the campus... flying everywhere, dead everywhere, and really loud! They make a weird screech and when there's several hundred thousand around, you get a little creeped out. Anyone seen The Mummy? yeah.
Here's part of the memorial they have at the stadium:
I helped myself to the field. By this time it was so bloody hot outside, some clothing had to be shed off. Don't be jealous =)
I'm enjoying my day off in Huntington, and our rigger calls me and he's like "Daddy-o... we're gonna have some effing problems tomorrow buddy. This place doesn't have any steel, but they say you can hang 100,000lbs, and they had an engineer in here recently and he disagreed. I don't know what to tell you daddy-o, I'm confused too and this place is just the pits. If we had some horses and some dirt, it would be okay ya know? We're gonna hafta bring in the B-rig and just make sure none of the roof starts bending, okay?" Yeah. We get there, and this is one of the many things we saw that day:
Some kind of after-market bridge for people to cross? I just laughed... took a picture... and carried on =) Our promoter rep sets up my FOH risers and tables each day in coordination with the venue. Well, can I tell you the number of times the venue has put out the tables and they were BROKE!?!? I seriously lost count after 7 (i know, great east texas education). So our promoter rep got smart and made what should be the obvious, even more obvious.
We had a day off in Mobile, Alabama and had a nice time at a great hotel and a few attractions around the area. A few of us caught a taxi to see the USS Alabama... turned out pretty cool.
And before our show in New Orleans we had another day off =) Even though parts of it is a little run down and trashy... I really did enjoy New Orleans and think it would be great to spend some more time down there. We were downtown, so there was plenty to walk around and see. We got some hurricanes and walked around with a buzz for a while... that made it better =) My hotel room was HUGE! I walked in and heard music playing in the background. Kinda scared me at first because I've walked into people's rooms before when they assign me the wrong room... yikes! But I walk in, go through the hallways (in my room, still), round the corner, pass the bathroom suite (yes, a suite, you could have probably fit a bed in there... marble floors, big tub, separate tiled shower, great porcelain throne, nice view of the city), keep goin down the hallway, and it spilled into this bedroom. Needless to say I slept great that nite!
I found this feller on Bourbon St. I wanted to offer some money and buy his shirt... i'm too chicken though.
And after New Orleans, that basically wrapped up our first leg of the Carnival Ride tour. We've done a lot of shows! But thankfully, I'm not exhausted and I'm excited to ramp up into the summer and fall... we'll be busy for sure. I was wondering why my bag was getting heavy to haul up and down stairs... c'mon Jenkins!
I had a birthday and turned 26... the boys and girls on the tour got me (and Juan, another crew guy) a birthday cake. We lit that thing up!
And I get back to Jeff & Patti's place, and they have this waiting for me on my pillow. Aren't they just great? The cigars, that is. hahahaha... nah, P&J are too good to me! Thanks friends!
So Jeff blogged about this too, but basically my truck broke down after I worked out at the gym. I go outside to crank it... *click*click*click* Freaking aye! So i ask for a jump-start and an employee helps me. Does nothing. So I'm dumb and realize I have one of those pre-charged-jump-start-devices in my toolbox... dope! Try it... nothing. Dangit! Call Jeff and he's like "hey... Patti's been cooking for 5 hours... okay, maybe not that long, but she wants us to eat, and that sucks about your truck, but she says I can't eat until you get here. Can we eat first and then fix your truck?" Hahhahahah... at least he's honest!
So we eat (it was great!) and go to Wal-Mart (grrrrr... which i hate, but it was the only thing opened at the time) and buy a battery. Install the battery, NOTHING! Son of a..... So we push my truck into an area where the tow truck could probably get it... taking 2 parking spots. Before we left, I told Jeff "ya know, should we push it a little more into the other parking space, cause I bet ya some clown will try to park his little car in that spot and I'm gonna get hosed." But I dismissed the idea and we went home... defeated. I arrange a tow truck and get there early in the morning... and would you believe it... some ass clown!!! parked in that tiny spot and his car was in the drive way an extra 5 feet or so. Ridiculous.
So Jeff left me and had to go get his broke back, i mean back broken at the chiropractor. The tow truck guy doesn't speak english (great!) and we try to get it out like it is... almost hit another car... no luck. So we push it even further into the parking lot and get it up on the bed. Got it on there, got it to the mechanics shop. Luckily they didn't have to replace the starter, but only some electrical screws and terminals that it was connected to. Got out pretty cheap!
And tell ya what, if anyone runs into this dingbat on the road, steer clear! Twice, i tell ya, TWICE this guy cut me off. One time in Franklin, and then two days later in Brentwood. The next time I'm calling the number and gonna share some of my faith and testament with him. Seriously!
So there's my last month in a nutshell... I'll leave ya with this. I saw this when going home from Bandit the other day: "What seems to be the fire, son?"
So while we were in the middle of FREAKING NOWHERE Washington (Yakima) we decided to do a little trailblazing and kill the incredible amount of time (3 days) we had on our hands. Check out the Washington Trail Blazing section in my photos. Here's Me, Friend, and Billy.
We tried to take a group picture... but Allie got left out
We played the show in Yakima, WA (which the next day, Carrie accidentally told the crowd we were in "Yamica" Washington... hahaahah, it was great!) and rocked it out. Got bored during the day, so me and P.Hole (one of our lighting techs) decided we needed a gay cue in our show.
After the ACMA's, we played in Reno. Two great things happened in Reno. 1) our rigger is crazy and likes to climb things (ironic, isn't it?)
And 2) a local IATSE guy dropped the forks on a forklift ON MY HANDS! Thankfully, I got my hands out quickly and only had one banged up finger. I asked the guys to raise the forks (like I do everyday, everywhere) so I could adjust the spread for the bigger cases. Well he raises them, I tell him I'm going to adjust them (notably, with my hands!), and he decides to hit the lever that slams the forks to the floor. It hurt like a banshee! It's getting better now, though. Went to the ER and they drilled some holes in my nail to relieve the pain.
So now that I'm officially homeless, 'tis the season to begin bumming off of all my Nashville friends. First up... Jeff & Patti! haha! They were gracious enough to let me crash at their place for a few days. Nick came by for a night and visited before catching a flight to Tulsa. Good times!
We went to Johnathans for drinks and food.... And then Jeff farted.
...And then he got embarassed =)
Nick the TV & DVD LD Wizard
Since we had a few days off in Nashville (Finally! It's been since January almost!), I spent the time and reformatted my laptop. Always a good sign:
It took a long time... so I took a picture of my shoe. In Widescreen Format. Enjoy!
And I guess I did everything right cause we got iChat video rollin and goin! We're definitely a bunch of easily-amused people =)
Having Nick come over and hang out was great and all... but it left me with a delima the next day: Which towel is mine?!?! Dangit!!!
Well well well, here we are, a 1.1 years later and I write a blog. I had intended on doing it on the 1 year anniversary, but I forgot. Surprise! I'm glancing through iphoto to really see what all went on for a year. Dang... a lot. Most of it: WORK!
I've done award shows, talk shows, club shows, and festival shows. I've been able to relax a little bit too... Got to spend a few days in Key West and visit the Dry Tortugas - awesome. Watched Chicago the musical, Wicked, and KA - all were awesome! Can't wait to see some more. We're in Vegas for a few days, so I'm going to try to FINALLY see "O."
Life has changed a little bit. In November, I got let go from Miranda and a week later hired by Carrie. Wild! I was with Miranda for a year and a half... had a lot of good times and learned a ton. Been out with Carrie since January and it's certainly been another jump-start to my career. I'm working with a great designer and a big company... kind of a lighting designer/directors dream. I do my job, do it with excellence, don't have to worry about anything else, stay out of the politics, don't get involved - and wahlah... I'm making good money, being challenged, going places, and taking the next step in my career. I love it...
Funny that most of my bosses have been females so far.... and even some that act like females. Scary!
On the twist of that, I'm also homeless. There ya go, I said it. Officially homeless. Okay, so it's not that dramatic. My bud and his wife are moving into their condo soon and had to put the house up for rent. Well, our schedule with Carrie is crazy busy, so I had no time to find a new place, apartment, or roommate. So in 2 days, I found a storage building, moved all my stuff, got a PO Box, forwarded my address, and here I am. We got home late on the 8th, so I ran home and began packing boxes until 11pm. Went back to Wal-Mart and took more boxes; Then began packing again until 4AM. I hauled most of the boxes myself, but had to call my buddy Leif to come help with the big stuff (ironic, cause he is such a small guy). I was cheap and didn't rent a u-haul or penske, so I made about 15 trips back and forth from the house to the storage building =). It was kind of surreal closing the garage door and realizing all my belongings were in this tiny little space. And I definitely got my workout!
Speaking of working out... I'm 25lbs lighter than I was a year ago. I'm now around 145-150lbs. While out with Miranda, a few of us decided to trim down after seeing some results Miranda got for a music video. So Tony-the-Trainer took a few of us (Chris-monitors, Aden-bass, and myself) and whipped us into shape! Basically, I started with portion control with my foods. I realized I was ALWAYS over-eating and that was my biggest problem. I probably lost 10lbs just by controlling my diet. Then we began jogging, walking, and lifting some weights. I'm very happy with the results we got. No magic formula, no extra special diet.... just being responsible for yourself. The only downside is during Christmas I gained a little bit and we've been so busy with Carrie that I haven't really kept a regular workout routine. So, I'm still struggling to get back in the habit and keep the results I worked damn hard for.
I'm also a future home owner! Yup, I'm all grown up now and waiting to close on a little townhome in Brentwood, TN. Just a little north of where I'm at now. I got a great deal and it's an end unit with their biggest floor plan. Around 1700sq I think. I looked around and prayed about a bunch of places I saw; This one felt right. So I guess I'll find out in Oct/Nov if I made a good decision or not. Yeah, I'm a bit scared since this is my first home purchase... big investment. But on the other side I'm positive I've done a lot of good homework and consultation into my first purchase. I'm excited.
So that'll catch us up for a bit... I promise to start blogging more regularly now. Well... maybe =)
Well unless you've been living in a telephone booth for the past week or two, you've probably heard about the whole Don Imus outcry. Here's the jist of the story: Don Imus is a "shock jaw" radio host, has been doing radio for a boat load of years. The other day during the NCAA women's finals, he and his producers were commenting on the game. They were talking about how rough the women players looked, how they had tattoos, and he wrapped it up with "That's a bunch of nappy-headed hoes." Since he made the statement he's made apology after apology. Some black reverends caused a huge uproar. And now he's lost his job.
What started it all:
I agree with most everyone that the thing Imus said was completely out of line and totally uncalled for. Well of course, this started a whole snowball of events. And spearheading these events was none other than Reverend Al Sharpton and Reverend Jesse Jackson. Go figure. Before you know it, these "Reverends" are calling for his job, condemning the man, and have taken a simple statement (granted, a foul one) and made it into a much bigger issue than what it really is.
Well Imus ended up apologizing over and over again. He talked about the issue on his show before he was fired. He told the public he wanted to make things right and talk to the basketball team directly. His wife talked on the show and expressed how nice the team actually was and for people to stop sending hate mail to the team, but rather re-direct it to her husband. Heck, He even went onto Al Sharpton's radio show and talked with him about the issue.
So here's a man that inadvertently humiliated some hard-working women, but made every effort to try and rectify the situation. I think this man made a mistake, truly realized what he said was demeaning, and asked the women, as well as the public, for their forgiveness. Regardless of what Sharpton or Jackson may think, I don't believe this was an expression of his hatred or prejudice for black women or anything else those Reverends may have pulled out of the sky. The man goofed up on his "shock jaw" talk show; look back at the history of his talk show and I'm sure you can pull up some dirt on issues he's made for himself.
I'm not an Imus supporter and I'm sure many of the issues and topics he's talked about in the past are things I wouldn't agree with. Much like the Howard Stern stuff... I simply don't like it. But putting my listening preferences aside, I do believe what has happened to this man is wrong. The outrage I have is the response from Sharpton and Jackson. Time and time again these two men have given the black community a bad representation and reputation. Some friends and I have been saying Sharpton and Jackson need to be stripped of their "Reverend-hood" for the past 2 or 3 years. I totally want blacks & whites to be united and these 2 men seem to constantly stir crap up.
A few years back as a photojournalist, I was covering a story of (rev.) Jesse Jackson visiting a dominant black church during MLK day. The hatred that was coming out of his mouth was unbelievable. MANY white and black churches had congregated together (especially in our city) to celebrate MLK day and unity. Black church congregations went to white churches and vice versa. What would seem like a step in the right direction for unity and harmony, Jackson thought otherwise and had the audacity to strike them down. For the life of me, I couldn't find out why a large black church brought in a man to preach segregation from the pulpit. He offered no hope or progression for blacks and other races to be united, but rather blacks to be independent and stand up for their heritage.
And lets look at Sharpton on this whole Imus thing by itself. From the get-go he's calling for Imus' job, striking him down, etc. Sharpton BRIEFLY mentions the airwaves and the television show. After Imus loses his job, Sharpton goes on to say that it never was about Imus, but rather the airwaves! What a double standard this guy is living and saying. He never once asked people to rise up against MSNBC or CBS themselves, but rather Imus was the target of his propaganda. And now supposedly it's not about Imus? Horse radish!
I believe both of these men have repeatedly pushed their own agenda and misrepresented the black community. And my heart honestly goes out to the black community because time and time again these men have made asses out of themselves. I really do believe there has to be a change in who is apparently representing the issues of african-americans today. It seems ever since I heard of these guys in my high school days, it was always negative. I think if it was in Sharpton's and Jackson's heart to do away with these issues and really, whole heartedly, push for equality, love, and peace, then it would show through their EVERY DAY actions.
Here's what a guy had to say from the Kansas City Star.
Whitlock statements reminds me there are level headed black people that know how to deal with today's society. He reminds me the whole segregation and prejudice issues that keeps coming up can be dissolved with proper leadership! It's refreshing to see this video and know that new black leaders are going to rise up, and hopefully they will be filled with love, great ideas and the ability to dismiss these issues that keep haunting our society.
