My grandfather was born outside of Dublin in the town of Skerries. He was last there in 1919 after the end of World War 1. He died before I was born, so all I have connecting me to him are photos, memorabilia, and notebooks written in indecipherable shorthand. A couple years ago, I finally made the journey to Ireland with his photos as my guide. Not only is Skerries very similar to how it was almost 100 years ago, but it turns out one of my cousins still lives in the same thatched roof house. I need to go back and spend more time meeting these other McGuinnesses.

In an age of video games, action heroes and televised war zones, we have become less a people of action and more a nation of spectators. Two business men in town for a conference bypass the normal diversions and follow a young woman abducted off the street to an abandoned warehouse. When their cellphone dies, they have two choices: walk away or get involved.

3 Bullets. What are you willing to risk?

Director John Heimbuch of Walking Shadow Theatre will be holding  auditions on December 8th and 9th.

If a pandemic wipes out civilization, all you really need to ride out in style is your best friend and a 1966 Lincoln Continental. Wrapped up work on the independent feature Last Breath written and directed by Ian Hansing. This post-apocalyptic  road film was a contrast in filmmaking to Souvenirs, but in the end, still fun to make and with some excellent images in the can.  Shot by Matt Kane and his 2 man camera crew, it was a reminder that you can still make a film worth watching without all the fancy gear and gadgets. Though shiny toys are still shiny.

The Lincoln Continental was also the Limo that JFK was riding in when he was assassinated.

If Justin Timberlake was able to bring sexy back (I hadn’t noticed that it had gone anyplace) I figured I could bring the bow tie back. of course, it helps to have the New Doctor Who, Matt Smith running around saying “Bowties are Cool.” and my guess is that he will get all the credit if there is a resurgence of the dickie bow. But at least I am doing my part in Minneapolis.

I have no clue as to the art of blogging. It seems to run somewhere between reporting and the opinion page. Most people link to someone else’s reporting and then expound on the story in their own thoughtful, visceral, enraged or passive way. For a man in possession of as many opinions as I am, this cyber world of opinions should be one that I embraced years ago. Unfortunately, I hold the written word as slightly sacred. A person is taking time out of their lives to read the words that you have written down. You should take time to think about what you are writing. Casual conversations are fine for opinions. The written word is the place for thoughtful arguments, reasoned and fact-based. With the advent of the 24 hour news cycle, we have managed to get more opinions and less evidence.

At a cocktail party or brunch or over coffee I will let tear one unprocessed opinion after another, because I know my audience. Once your words are written done, you no longer have that control. You can no longer amend your statements through dialog or offer clarification if your audience lacks necessary information. The comment section of blogs demonstrates the need for continued discourse on most subjects. But like the proverbial drunken uncle at the wedding, we prefer to spout off and move on to the next thing.

I am done spouting. Time to find a good view and a good read.