22 1/2

That is how many hours I have now been up.

I woke at 6:30 Friday morning, it is now 4:50 Saturday morning. This is not due to insomnia or some other ailment, but because I have spent the past 8 hours at my first film shoot. My friend Kate is one of the costumers for the movie, which is a short called Never. She needed pirates, and being the fuzzy type, i guess she thought I fit the bill.

Making movies is a lesson in hurry up and wait. The actors call was for 8pm and we did not shoot the part I am involved in until 3:30. Not that I am complaining, it was fun and everyone is great.

Needless to say, I am tired. You see, my beautiful wife is up in Iowa this weekend with the car. I have been riding my bike to and from work/gym for the past month or so, and so, it is not a problem to bike to and from the shoot. But riding the bike home at 4 in the morning is something else. There were a couple moments when I was a little more scared than I get riding downtown at rush hour. Mostly cabs who are stalking patrons, or arbitraily stopping in the middle of the road with no flashers or anything.

I did get a propostion form some sligtly drunk co-eds to ride my on my handlebars. I did hear a guys drunkenly yelling at someone on his cell phone. I did hear a couple trying to decided if someone was gay or not. I did see someone kicking some major butt air drumming in the backseat.

I did see, as I turned east on to my street, the sky fading from deep dark blue to a beautiful turquoise. I do hear the birds singing.

I am going to bed.

My two neices

nicky and hannah, originally uploaded by meggomae.

Here is a picture of Nicky and Hannah, my 2 neices.

Click the picture and it will take you to Mae's flickr site and you can see more pix.

Welcome

Everyone...your attention please....

Please welcome Hannah Isabel Nielsen into the world.

She is our new neice. The stork stopped by at 4:21 this morning. He dropped off a 7# 7oz 19 1/2" hairy healty bundle.

I will have pix as soon as dad gets home and uploads them.

[info correcetd per mae's comment]

That's The Way

Billy Preston died yesterday. He was known as the 5th Beatle for his work on Let It Be and Abbey Road.

Below are two videos.

The first is That's The Way God Planned It from The Concert for Bangladesh. The second is a cover of Georg Harrison's My Sweet Lord.

That's The Way God Planned It



My Sweet Lord

The World According to DUM

mutant dorks, originally uploaded by AngloBaptist.

Check out Mae's Blog and Tripp's Blog for and explaination

The Man

The Man, originally uploaded by CelticWander.

Turns 65 today.

Bob Dylan is a hero of mine. I have most of his domestically release albums.

Happy Birthday!

Prayers

Barabo, originally uploaded by CelticWander.

Say a prayer for Barabo. He won the Kentucky Derby. He was favored to win the Preakness, but a furlong in to the race his jockey Edgar Prado pulled up on the horse. Barabo broke his right rear leg in 2 places, above and below the joint. His life may have been saved by Prado. But there is still a chance he may have to be put down. So, please keep praying for Barabo and his family.

A Must See Film

This Summer's Must See Movie

(cross-posted at my blog: http://myspace.com/celticwander)

Al Gore has a documentary coming out called An Inconvenient Truth. It is a very frank film on the very REAL issue of Global warming, as he says, "This is not a political issue, it is a moral issue."

Here is the trailer:

Geek = Me

I have started a myspace.com page here: http://myspace.com/celticwander

I will still blog here, but overthere i will do some other stuff...not sure yet

The Reverand

Has some news...

Tell him consplats!

The New Pad

Llama nee, originally uploaded by CelticWander.

So yesterday I said our new pad has yet to be named, well...here it is...all family and friends will be welcome at The Llama Nee Inn

[Update: Logo created by MAE]

There you go

2/3

That is my estimate on how much is packed.

For those who do not konw, we are moving to nice grown up apartment on Monday. We are moving out of the Knotty Pine Inn. We are moving into a nice 2 bedroom as yet to be named/photographed place. (If anyone is available, we will begin at 10:30 am...help...please)

It is hard to tell how much is actually packed since our little apartment is sprouting boxes out the wazoo. But in my estimation we only have the bathroom, about 1/3 of the kitchen and knick knack yet to pack.

This makes me happy, because packing is the worst part of moving in my opinion. I do not mind the schleping or the unpacking...it is the packing...

So, thanks be! We are almost done!

Affirmed

This comes for Tripp's most recent post. He talked about how his craft of a singer was affirmed by Bobby McFerrin. Here is my story.

I was working stage crew at college and Mr. Hal Holbrook brought his Mark Twain one man show through.

It had been a long day and was leaning against a table taking a break when someone started giving me a shoulder rub. It was Mr. Holbrook. He said Thanks, you all are great. Needless to say, I was Freaked out a little...I am getting a sholder rub from Hal Freakin' Holbrook. We chatted a little bit. I told him about me, and when I said I was from Springfield, he started asking about people who were extras in a movied he shot there years ago. He rememberd their names.

As for the afirmation it was 2-fold. One was that he encouraged me to keep plugin away at my craft, and don't be afraid to do my own thing. But the most important was that of a very humble man who did not forget those who helped him get to where he was.

-----

One other one was Gary Sinise. I met him after the first preview of The Steppenwolf's production of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest several years ago. He was also a very nice guy. He stood by the stage door chatting with 2 friends and I for a good 25-30 minutes. He encouraged us all to keep our hearts in the game and 2 of us started our own theater companies. But the other thing was that of a very humble man who did not forget those who helped him get to where he was.

Seems to be a theme. A theme I will never forget

Promised Picture

Mae and Justin, originally uploaded by meggomae.

Here is the Picture of the Glam Mae and me at the premier of Say Hello To Clive For Me

Not Much Of A Traveler

Cliff tagged me...

Not very impressive, yet...hopefully in the next couple of years I can fill this out a little more.



create your own visited countries map
or vertaling Duits Nederlands

Let's All Go To The Movies, Let's All Go To The Movies

Clive, originally uploaded by CelticWander.

Last night Mae and I went to a movie. More accurately, Mae, Trish, Tripp and I went to a movie. Actually, Mae, Trish, Tripp, about 1200 other people and I went to a movie last night. We all went to Kate's and Larry's movie. We went to the world premier of Say Hello To Clive For Me at the Pickwick Movie Theater.

Kate was the art director for the movie, and Larry co-wrote the script. It was a fun little crime drama/comedy in the veign of Oceans 11 and more had the style of the English Crimainal movies like Lock, Stock and 2 Smoking Barrells. It was quite fun. They began filming the movie about a year ago, and wrapped on our wedding day.

It was fun to go to a premier, everyone dressed up all nice and stuff. Mae looked fabulous. Trish looked like a movie queen in her black and white. And Tripp and I wore kilts. What would you expect. (I hope to have pictures soon.)

Afterward we went to IHOP.

All in all a good night!

This is Bob

Bob, originally uploaded by CelticWander.

This is Bob at our wedding.

RIP My Friend

Bob

I just received a call from my mom informing me that Bob passed away last night. Bob was like an uncle to me.

Bob and my cousin (dad's cousin) Kathleen had been together for 30 years. Bob was one of those guys, like my dad, that anyone who knew him will not soon forget. He had a great sense of humor, could be and was very serious when something demanded his attention, and could be counted on.

I remember many things about Bob.

Bob worked at the Illinois National Guard for years. His house was just down the road from Camp Lincoln. I remember being there with Grandma and Grandpa with Kathleen when he would come home in the green fatigues and compat boots.

I remember he and Kathleen at all the summer cookouts growing up.

I remember just sitting at the picnic table with him and his O'Douls.

I rememeber when my little brother was under 5 years old and told him, at my grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary party at the DAV hall, that smoking cigars would kill him.

I remember that that was the last day he ever smoked a cigar, 20+ years ago.

I remember how much he and Kathleen cared for each other, not just romantically, but when times got rough.

I remember he and I both rolling our eyes when he came to my college gradutation in a suit. I was in one, too. Those of you who know either of us know that this was the day hell froze over.

I remember at my wedding, Bob gave me a beer cozy that said, "These are my dress clothes."

I will always remember Bob.

I will keep praying for Kathleen.

RIP Bob

We all loved you

Thomas MacDonagh

MacDonagh, originally uploaded by CelticWander.

Thomas McDonagh was a teacher/poet who was also one of the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising.

I don't know if their may be blood between us, as I come from McDonough. It is possible. I like to claim his, anyway. You can read more about Thomas and the 1916 Rising, here and here.

Below are the lyrics to the song The Foggy Dew. A memorial to the men who died as a result of the 1916 Easter Rising. Here is more info about the song.

The Foggy Dew

words and music by Father P. O'Neill

'Twas down the glen one Easter morn
To a city fair rode I.
When armed line of marching men
In squadrons passed me by.
No pipes did hum, no battle drum
Did sound its loud tattoo
But the Angelus bell o'er the Liffey's swell
Rang out in the foggy dew.

Right proudly high over Dublin town
They hung out a flag of war.
'Twas better to die 'neath an Irish sky
Than at Suvla or Sud el Bar.
And from the plains of Royal Meath
Strong men came hurrying through;
While Brittania's huns with their great big guns
Sailed in through the foggy dew.

O' the night fell black and the rifles' crack
Made "Perfidious Abion" reel
'Mid the leaden rail, seven tongues of flame
Did shine o'er the lines of steel.
By each shining blade a prayer was siad
That to Ireland her sons be true,
And when morning broke still the war flag shook
Out its fold in the foggy dew

'Twas England bade our wild geese go
That small nations might be free.
But their lonely graves are by Suvla's waves
On the fringe of the gray North Sea.
But had they died by Pearse's side
Or fought with Cathal Brugha,
Their names we'd keep where the Fenians sleep
'Neath the shroud of the foggy dew.

The bravest fell, and the solemn bell
Rang mournfully and clear
For those who died that Watertide
In the springing of the year.
And the world did gaze with deep amaze
At those fearless men, but few
Who bore the fight that freedom's light
Might shine through the foggy dew.

Ah, back through the glen I rode again
and my heart with grief was sore
For I parted then with valiant men
whom I never shall see more.
But to and fro in my dreams I go and
I'd kneel and pray for you,
For slavery fled, O glorious dead, when
you fell in the foggy dew.

My Home Town

Up rooted, originally uploaded by CelticWander.


This is a photo from my hometown. Springfield, IL. The tornadoes hit it Sunday night. Only minor injuries reported.

My mom was without power for nearly 36 Hours.

Pictures can be found:

Here
Here
and
Here