Late in the evening

First thing I remember, she's dancing round the kitchen with a cup of sugar floating in her hands, yeah...

Record player in the corner, Paul Simon's One Trick Pony. 

She's a professional video editor, working in film and tv. It's very cool watching movie trailers made by someone you know.

Last weekend she produced the 48-hour Film-A-Thon, a collaboration of film-makers at Cinema Divina, creating a short film from start to finish, idea to screening, in 48 hours!!!

Next thing I remember, there's a pie crust on the counter and I'm making sure I roll the edges thin, yeah...

It's been such a fun day. 

Earlier, at the tarpits, I asked for 5 things I didn't already know about her. Got more than 5...

Likes rockclimbing

Studied martial arts and fencing

Loves the smell of a photography darkroom

Had her photography published in Performer magazine

Studied theater for two years and even started a theater club

Filmed a documentary in India about a young girl sold into slavery

Salmon and broiled Chard, Big Chill soundtrack, apple pie from scratch, Coen brothers filmography. 

That's what it is! 

It's the way she connects then and now, contemporary with old school. It's that she's teaching me what's new in film-making, but her shoes and her dance and her art and her dreams belong to earlier times. That's what it is. It's that I'm in the 20's and the 2000's at the same time!

Last thing I remember,  we're Raising Arizona and I'm heading for the door and walking home, yeah...

It's late in the evening, and the music's seeping through. 

A single phrase to describe my friend Julia Alty: New Old School

Back In The Day

Took me 4 years to say his last name right.  

One of my favorite things is introducing great people to each other.  Suren is  an old friend from Guitar Center and Melinda Rice is an incredible violinist I know from church. Today I'm watching them work together and I'm just sitting here in amazement as they bring to life this song about a bright boy whose name means "bringer of light."

Ever since I've known Suren we've been working on recording music. Back then we had little equipment and less experience.  

I lost track of him for a few years while I was out of town. I really had a great time in the country. Met some excellent people there, too. That's a different story. 

When I got back from Oregon, I learned that he'd been producing and engineering with some of the best in the business. The kind of names separated from a grammy by only a single comma. He's learned the craft and the business of the music industry, and yet managed to retain the integrity his soul-patch indicates. 

As I watch him and Melinda creating the backdrop for Luca's song, I'm enjoying the sight of Suren dialing the top-of-the-line equipment we used to dream about back in the day. Now he's the music supervisor for an animated series in production. Ten years, still going, still building, still making it happen. Much respect to my indomitable friend. 

One phrase to describe my friend Suren Wijeyaratne: 

Soulful Tenacious Producer Craftsman