happy Mothers Day

I love you Mumbo

You have given me the quiet purpose and steady support to build myself in to myself. Thank you, also, for the sense of humor and the knowledge that questions are the answer.
You've given me things that I miss terribly, (like being an expert downhill skier and being able to jump my own, five foot two, height - horseback) but I feel richer for your teachings and your bravery for letting me try.
The things I curse you for - my hair, the constant desire to rearrange my furniture - turn out to be not so bad.
My only regret is that you live thousands of miles away and I can't pop over with my ironing because I still refuse to buy an ironing board. Speaking of popping over, I still have fantasies about your perfectly golden brown, over-sized, crispy... yet moist and steam laden on the inside, buttery, POPOVERS. I remember a simple recipe from some mainstay Cookbook. Could it be that you just followed the recipe, owned the right pan, paid attention to it, cooked it just slightly longer than prescribed, and delivered it with grace, flair and love?
Hmmmm. Sounds like a recipe for life.


Below is a video (rights - ABC television, 1989) of two lovely ladies that you introduced me to back in the day. Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett singing "Mommas Alright". Happy Mothers Day. I love you.

Principal and Location photography has wrapped

"...however you live,
There's a part of you always standing by,
Mapping out the sky,
Finishing a hat...
Starting on a hat..
Finishing a hat...
Look, I made a hat...
Where there never was a hat..."

We are finished filming. All thats left is wrap... Releases, Purchase Orders, tracking down final Invoices...

My first time out as the big boss was everything I was afraid of... All encompassing, ridiculously difficult, satisfying, invigorating, maddening, dangerous, exhausting, scary... amusing, terrifying, and finally, finally financially closer to what I deserve to be paid.

Glad it's over, though. I'm proud of the job my department did. Proud of the team. We scouted, put under contract and managed as we filmed some very unique, unusual and difficult locations. And nobody died doing it. Lost a lot of sleep over it though.

Now it's time to take a week or two to put the papers in order to back up the hoops we all jumped through to get this flick made. Focus Features and Universal Pictures will appreciate our careful wrap. We will appreciate the 8 to 10 hour work days.

We filmed at a State owned Mental Institution that was miraculous in many ways. I adored their road signs 'on campus'. Their stop signs say "STOP! in the name of life". Of course, someone changed the sign by the entrance, changing life to love.

...anything special

"...Do something special
Anything special
And you'll get better because
Come on and just do mimic
When you gotta gimmick
Take a look how different we are!..."



Dustin Shuler's Spindle was de-constructed yesterday. I spent a lovely day scouting Berwyn for a Nike commercial two summers ago. I loved photographing the weird Cermak Plaza sculptures on a clear blue day.










The Spindle was copyrighted and I remember a great debate as to weather to pay for the rights to use it in their print adds. The 'no's won and the sculptors did not see the light of filming...
Shame, really.

"Anyone can whistle, that's what they say-easy"

We filmed at a real insane asylum a few days this past week. A forgotten wing, untouched and abandoned by the state of Illinois was filled with ghosts of the previous century. Crazy place on many levels.