"Most times, it isn't easy to know where to start a story, or what to include in the telling. The threads of any present moment are spliced into the weave of the past in a complex and often inexplicable way, and just when you think you've got the pattern figured out, another seems to emerge and the meaning unravels. Or to use a different metaphor, the present and the past swirl together like different colors of paint you're mixing in a bucket, one color marrying with the other in swirls that eventually belong to neither. Exactly when the two become something different than either are alone, it's impossible to say." (Susan Wittig Albert – Chile Death (1998))
After many months of being told I would have to move out of my classroom at Lamar for the renovation, we were told January that the move would actually take place in a few weeks. The next two months I began slowly sifting through 19 years of accumulation and managed to clean out tons of things and was almost finished in March. The move took place the day before spring break; we got all 27 computers and all the furniture moved to the portable where I would only spend about one month. Several hours were spent during spring break preparing the portable. One month later my room was ready and everything got moved back. On top of all this I had two very challenging classes which sometimes made life very difficult.
The renovation is almost complete and in the next month the building will finally be wired for the Internet. We will at last have a PA system that works for the entire campus. It will be a relief to have many months of hassle ended. This year the district ended the block schedule we've used the past several years (8 class periods spread over 2 days) and went back to 7 periods every day. It proved to be a more strenuous schedule for all of us.
Our principal was chosen as Texas Middle School Principal of the year and was a finalist in the national competition.
The past three years, as many of you know, I worked as an extra on one movie each summer. This June I almost worked as an extra on one movie but when I got to the site found no one there and later discovered that all of their footage had been ruined. A week later I began work on a movie, "Pageant", on which I would spend several days, be in about 11 scenes, get a few lines of dialogue, and possibly two screen credits. The movie has been submitted to South by Southwest and we will find out if it was accepted by late January (it wasn't). In late December I was in a pickup shot for it (one scene had to be re-shot because the sound on the original was poor).
In early July, immediately after what I thought was my last scene in "Pageant", I began work on "Miss Congeniality" (which just opened nationwide) starring Sandra Bullock, Michael Caine, William Shatner, and Candice Bergen. I spent eight very long days working on this movie playing a backstage employee and got to speak to both Caine and Shatner as well as being paid about $550. I am visible in two scenes; the first is after the flaming batons when Sandy goes backstage & chases away the pageant girls by her water glasses. I pass behind Caine and only the side of my head is briefly visible for a fraction of a second. A few minutes later I am clearly visible during the announcement of the final five. There are several shots of Caine watching the action; I am about 10 feet behind him, watching a light board and looking up and down. During the filming I started a casting list for Austin films, signing up about 100 of the extras. This list has grown to over 560.
Two weeks later (because of my casting list) I worked on another film, "Still Steel Frames", for two days, again getting some dialogue. This film is still being edited. A few weeks later, after school had started, again due to the casting list, I worked one day on "My name is Buttons," which should be finished in March.
In late November I got a phone call to work on "The New Guy" and spent two long weekends of four twelve-hour days working as a paid extra for this movie. It appears that I will used in its movie poster (nope). It is directed by one of the co-writers of "There's Something About Mary" and will open nationwide next May.
I have written detailed accounts of my experience on the first four films and am working on the latest. You can read the details at by clicking on "messages"; click on "subscribe" to receive future accounts.
In mid December after discovering that they had none, I started a casting list for Dallas films; there are already 40 members.
I met and got autographs from Armistead Maupin (who is as delightful as his wonderful books), Ted Koppel, Laszlo Kovacs (cinematographer for "Easy Rider" and "Miss Congeniality"), Stephen Montague (composer and, now, friend), David Sedaris (hilarious), Spalding Gray, Joan Collins, Stacy Keach, Paul Mazursky, and Jim Jarmusch. I got to see ex-Presidents Carter and Ford speak in April and James Earl Jones in January. By mail I got autographs from Robert Duvall, Tim Robbins, Lauren Bacall, Philip Roth, Rob Reiner, Al Pacino, Ken Kesey, Milos Forman, Karl Malden, Jill Clayburgh, Jason Robards, and Blake Edwards
I saw one of the most unusual concerts of my life in May, Steve Montague's "Horn Concerto." It was performed by 12 automobiles, using their horns, engines, radios, headlights, and windshield wipers; it was so much fun that I saw both performances. An expanded version was performed in London in June.
I finally took the "moonlight prowl" at UT. If you're in Austin and haven't been, I highly recommend it; it's a tour of the original "40 acres" and is free, fascinating & great fun. (www.utexas.edu/tours/prowl)
Got a very cool voice recognition system for my Mac. Much of this letter was initially dictated on it. It's much easier to use it when I need to write a long document; it makes some mistakes, but is pretty accurate.
For years I've wondered how much walking I do at school. Last year I bought a pedometer and was surprised to find how much I walk (a daily average of 4.5 miles, 1600 miles for the year.)
I read about 200 books again, the best of which were "Get Happy" by Gerald Clarke (bio of Judy Garland), "Ender's Shadow" by (a parallel novel to my all-time favorite book, "Ender's Game" Orson Scott Card and "Remnant Population" by Elizabeth Moon.
I saw tons of films; I recommend "Almost Famous", "Finding Forrester", "Genghis Blues", "13 Days", and "A Time For Drunken Horses"
Saw only 29 plays this year, the best of which were the delightful "Male Intellect: An Oxymoron", and "Virtual Devotion."
I continue to run a daily joke list sending items out to over 200 friends.
Have a great new century.
