a character captured in time

i was reminiscing about an indy film i worked on in Hollywood Georgia a few years ago called "Grilling Bobby Hicks". i got the chance to play a comic-relief meth-head hillbilly who basically made enemies all over town, but who everyone loved to hate:) Dodge Taratoot.




watch the trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zt8fvH-W54

visit the website:
http://www.stimulusfilms.com/page3/page5/page5.html

WhAt Do YoU dO wItH yOuRs??

i'm stuck on the subject of skeleton keys.
i made another video that isn't as informative as the last one.
i added a touch of light-heartedness to this one.

my Skeleton Key Wind Chime commercial

here's what they look like in action folks!!

25 Things...

Here's one of those games floating around on Facebook.
I decided to make it a blog post today.
Feel free to make your own and share a bit of yourself with Blogger.com:)

i'm an Eagle Scout

i have seriously considered changing my name to Cecil Linden Geer IV

i rode a mule named Junkie down into the Grand Canyon to see the Colorado River during an absolute blustery blizzard. i coped with death within 30 minutes of the 8 hour journey

i could eat mexican food, two times a day, for the rest of my life

i was once tackled by an off duty undercover FBI agent while filming a hidden camera news program as i was part of a staged public purse snatching

DollyWood is a yearly family Fall tradition

my voice didn't change until the summer of my eighth grade year, presenting me with the opportunity to sing soprano with 199 other kids in the National Honors Children's Choir in Constitution Hall in Washington, DC. 13 of the 15 songs we had memorized were in ridiculous languages, but ridiculous in a good way:)

i still own my original NES, Super NES, and N64 consoles

i absolutely love good improv - music or stage

i once showed up at the airport a week early for a flight to NYC, which, after i realized, considered it my dry run, and went home

i accidentally found myself in the middle of an explicit photo with Kiera Knigthly and i'm the only one who has the proof

my record for going with out a shower is 12 days

i almost always wipe the seat afterwards....except in public

i rearrange at least one room in the house a month

i refused to believe that Santa Claus wasn't real until the 6th grade because i couldn't fathom my mom and dad making this up, and i distinctly remember that feeling of never being able to trust my parents again, once the truth was discovered

in high school i was one of only two guys that did pole vaulting. that rocked

i've become one of those people who have a shop at http://justingeer.etsy.com, but i'm not sure how to market it....

i think if i could, i'd never leave my room

i take an equal ratio of baths to showers

i'm allergic to most things

i've never been to Stake 'n Shake, and now that it's been this long, i think i'll set the record for myself of never going, albeit tempting

on my 21st birthday, i awoke curled in the mulch underneath a tree in a Best Buy parking lot

i turned 23 in London, my first visit abroad

i turned 25 aboard the Black Pearl, Valentine's Day, filming Pirates of the Caribbean II & III

i turned 27 in Cusco, Peru on my way to Machu Picchu

skeleton key wind chimes

lately i've been working with making accent items to add to your garden this summer. skeleton key wind chimes are my current venture:)

these sets of skeleton key wood cHimEs Are Recycled from crape-myrtle trees that are annually cut. i cut the wood into thin chips, stain them and sew them together with industrial strength thread to form the overall shape of the wind chimes.

each wood chip has its own unique design where particuLar parts On the surface of each chip refuse the stain, creating drastic lines and markings. and because each wood chip is separated from the others, it allows them to spin indiVidually in whatEver direction the wind catches them, creating quite an aesthetic illusion.

the skeleton keys range from 1 1/2 inches to 3 1/2 inches. and the chimes total length ranges from 17 inches to 30 inches.

Chasin a Toad

Here's a glimpse of what my parent's herb and flower garden looks like while my time is occupied with a toad that we always find hiding in the same spot. After he wandered away, I caught him and took him back, only for him to wander away again. The rain shut me down or I would've played with that toad for hours:)

I'm Not Crazy About Snakes

Pearson Falls, NC

my fish tank

when there's nothing to do, film your fish.

The economic situation defined via alcohol consumption

Heidi is the proprietor of a bar in Norfolk.
In order to increase sales, she decides to allow her loyal customers - most of whom are unemployed alcoholics - to drink now but pay later. She keeps track of the drinks consumed on a ledger (thereby granting the customers loans).

Word gets around and as a result increasing numbers of customers flood into Heidi's bar.
Taking advantage of her customers' freedom from immediate payment constraints, Heidi increases her prices for wine and beer, the most-consumed beverages. Her sales volume increases…massively.

A young and dynamic customer service consultant at the local bank recognizes these customer debts as valuable future assets and increases Heidi's borrowing limit. He sees no reason for undue concern since he has the debts of the alcoholics as collateral.

At the bank's corporate headquarters, expert bankers transform these customer assets into DRINKBONDS, ALKBONDS and PUKEBONDS. These securities are then traded on markets worldwide. No one really understands what these abbreviations mean and how the securities are guaranteed. Nevertheless, as their prices continuously climb, the securities become top-selling items.

One day, although the prices are still climbing, a risk manager of the bank, (subsequently of course fired due his negativity), decides that slowly the time has come to demand payment of the debts incurred by the drinkers at Heidi's
bar.

However they cannot pay back the debts and Heidi cannot fulfill her loan obligations and claims bankruptcy.
DRINKBOND and ALKBOND drop in price by 95 %. PUKEBOND performs better, stabilizing in price after dropping by 80 %.
The suppliers of Heidi's bar, having granted her generous payment due dates and having invested in the securities are faced with a new situation.

Her wine supplier claims bankruptcy, her beer supplier is taken over by a competitor.

The bank is saved by the Government following dramatic round-the-clock consultations by leaders from the governing political parties.
The funds required for this purpose are obtained by a tax levied on the non-drinkers.
Finally an explanation you can understand...

The Pack Pockets

Here's my newest journal creation:) I call it 'The Back Pockets'. When i started construction on this particular one, i had the idea of it representing things crammed in a back pocket, but the title wouldn't come until I saw a tag that had been ripped from the inside of a pair of blue jeans. Written in a sharpie marker, it said, "The Back Pockets".

THE STORY
I went to a place in Atlanta called WonderRoot. I've only been once, and it was because a friend of mine was in a band called "The Back Pockets" that had formed 1 month prior to their show, and they were performing their 'avant-garde' in the cramped basement of this small art center for the lead singers birthday. After their show, everyone congregated outside for the big turn-taking event, "Bust the Piñata". (I did not get a turn) However, when the final blow was given to the piñata, which was in the shape of a Narwhal, it spewed forth plastic Easter eggs!! Inside the eggs were candy and other trinkets that the band had made, (mainly the hyper-active lead singer/birthday girl, who just did that kind of thing, but in a crazier way than how you might think, for the lack of a better way to describe her, or rather, and most probable, the lack of time i'm willing to spend describing her:) Anyway, I grabbed some eggs from the carnage of papier-mâché , and when i got home discovered my new "The Back Pockets" tag, "that had been ripped from the inside of a pair of blue jeans" :) And that same tag was the finishing touch of this journal.

The journal rests in it's own pocket made from a pair of casual lounge slacks with denim accents. The front denim flap that rests on the cover houses paper clips holding my personal business card, but upon removing the paperclips, you could attach any kind of pin and display your own works of art. Or add some Velcro to both bottom sides and create a pocket to carry your pen around!

An oversized safety pin tucks neatly into the front pocket where the journal rests, but can be taken out and clip to a book bag or hung from any anchor at your desk or on your wall. Inside the pocket I've also included a double sided eraser pencil (part of the FBI Atlanta Division 'Drug Demand Reduction Program' who's motto is "USING DRUGS IS POINTLESS") a refillable glue stick, and a Micro Vision Uni-Ball pen (my favorite!!). On the back of the cover you'll find a tiny pocket in the top left with a functional button. Inside that pocket??? Who knows what I've hidden???

I do. I put several glow in the dark stars in there. There's a belt loop as well for hanging or attaching!

Once you take the journal out, you'll find it's fairly basic. On the inside front cover, i glued a piece of album art; a representation of crooked piano keys. The picture extends the front cover so it folds back onto the outside front cover. I left it unglued on the outside for the owner to decide what happens to it. It can be made functional or glued down on top of more cover art that extends from behind it!!

The back inside cover pocket contains a large cut out of a vibrant gree tree frog (perfect for a back pocket) and the outside back cover displays a mini-green note card. I glued the envelope to the cover and the notecard to the front of the envelope; also upside down. The notecard opens downward, allowing the envelope to be used as another pocket. This notecard is a from TheHollister25. Check her shop out for more cool cards and stationary

And that's it! I had fun building this one, but now i'm totally over it. I have an idea for another traveling journal that is to be shared with friends.

so peace out!
And PEACE to my buddy RYAN who's in training camp right now
check out the music he made before he left!!

Her Keyper

The design for this journal itself kind of slowly morphed into what it is now, which is a series of magnets, velcro, folding flaps, and a clasp-able string with an attached key....for symbolism:) The case in which the journal is concealed, on the other hand, came to me in one sitting.

I used a Highland Park 12 year aged malt whiskey box, glue, magnets, keys, and a bit of engineering to create a sturdy folding journal case with four flaps. The keys come form a collection that my grandmother gave me when i was younger. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the box transformed into its new shape so easily.

The cover of the journal features a stencil spray design i did of a character named Sidney DeBeaumarche. Her hair hangs down and attaches to a sort of spindle where a string is wound and hangs with a key tied to it's end. On the lower right side of the journal is a magnetic flap that keeps the book latched.

If you unwind the key on a string, it leads you to the back of the journal. Here there is a plastic window that uses Velcro to clasp and is perfect for displaying small pictures of business cards. Behind this is a larger flap that opens, also latched by Velcro. There is a card flap that can help hold notes or money.

I especially like how simple and elegant this entire journal came out. It looks professional and deserves a fine resting place in just the right creative hands.

You have find this item at The Artists' Sandbox

March 1st 2009 is a SNOW DAY!!

that's right, it snowed it atlanta for the better part of the day. i was lucky enough to get to enjoy it from the comfort of my semi-warm 1920's home....besides the part where i went outside to film THIS!!

The music is from "Songs From a Piano A"


Perfect for this winter weather...
my Treasury:)

Cabin in the Woods

'Oh Christmas (lights in a) Tree'

My day job involves working with christmas lights for about 8 months out of the year. We start as soon as June stringing up lights in trees to make sure that we can get all the jobs done before the month of December. It takes a while. People get mad when they see us. People yell things at us. But we have to start early or it won't get done. We're not magical elves. Those guys don't do shit as far as decorating Atlanta for Christmas, so yeah, you'll have to look at unlit lights for several months. Don't worry, we won't turn them on!

People that walk by us while we're working seem compelled to have to say something. The only problem is that they all say the same thing! Maybe not in the same words, but it's always along the lines of, "Christmas lights already? Psh!" or "Ya'll can't wait til after Thanksgiving for godsakes?" Um, no we can't. It's a catch 22 here. We don't want to hear you complaining that Christmas sucks this year because the lights aren't up, but we also have to put them up early while dodging kids hunting for Easter eggs, so what are would you propose we do?

It's really not that bad. I tend to sing when i'm up in the trees anyway so i'm off in my own world. But i do take notice of people's behaviors from time to time. It's a great place to watch people from:)

So i took a picture of a tree with lights on it and darkened it up a bit, and then created this stencil to be used on a shirt:)

Something good from something else good:)

I've been 28 for 6 days...

...and i can't get the taste of adolescence out of my mouth. and that's all i have to say about that:)

I've started working on a new song. I'm in love with it. I do believe my roommate is growing quite tired of it, but what people don't understand is that turning a song into perfection takes a lot of repetition and scrutiny. that just pretty much means it wears the song out. way out. like "holes in the ass of your jeans" out. it takes a very special person (aka musicians) to sit through it all and piece it together so that it's actually listenable to the audience.

And after typing that last sentence, i just learned that "listenable" is actually a word. I was certain the word must have been added recently, because i've never heard it, albeit an obvious choice. i'm so sure i can find a word out there that is blatant and common that we've just not thought about putting in the dictionary yet. I searched online to see when the word was formed and was surprised to find that it's been around since 1915-1920. Whatever. they didn't know what they were talking about back then. we should've just recently added that word, i swear.

I did however come upon this story once again. Let's all take a look back...

_____________________________________________________
Bling Bling' Added To Oxford English Dictionary

The next time you and your pals coin a slang term to describe your latest bejeweled accessories, don't bet on keeping it exclusive. The linguistics "gangstas" over at the Oxford English Dictionary aren't "new jacks" to the latest "def" lingo.

The venerable definitions resource has already added other hip-hop-turned-mainstream terms like "jiggy," "breakbeat," "dope" and "phat" to the online updates of the 20-volume dictionary, and now it has started drafting an entry for the latest OED-approved term, "bling bling."

The term, which is used to describe diamonds, jewelry and all forms of showy style, was coined by New Orleans rap family Cash Money Millionaires back in the late '90s and started gaining national awareness with a song titled "Bling Bling" by Cash Money artist BG.

The rapper, who is currently promoting his new album, Living Legend, told MTV News, "I'm so surprised that that word has spread like it has. But I knew it was serious when I saw that the NBA championship ring for the Los Angeles Lakers had the word 'bling bling' written in diamonds on it."

And while BG once felt territorial about his much-loved term, he's since opened his arms to the slang's universal appeal.

" 'Bling bling' will never be forgotten," he said. "So it's like I will never be forgotten. I just wish that I'd trademarked it, so I'd never have to work again."

Friday the 13th

I was talking to my mom on the phone yesterday and she was telling me how the rest of my family had dreamed about my Aunt Sandra Kaye who died several years ago from breast cancer and she was asking if i had. I do catch myself from time to time, and actually more often than i'd guess, just sitting and thinking about her for 10 minutes or so, but i've never dreamed about her, that i can recall.

My mom then said how my dad had been missing his mom lately, as she's been dead a couple years now as well. We started talking about my dad's parents in dreams we'd had over the past and i realized i'd never had a pleasant dream about my Mema and Papa, and I never got the chance to met my mom's parents. Then my mom told me about the dream she'd had 2 nights ago about Mema and Papa. She walked into their old house and Papa was sitting on the floor not moving or acknowledging anything really. He was always very easy going, relaxed and let Mema take care of him. Beside him, Mema was on the floor and up against the wall scratching it wildly talking nonsense. She then turned and looked at my mom with crazy eyes and then my mom woke up.

I told her the dream made me think it was the last impression that dad's parents left on her before they died; kind of an accumulation of who they were and how they acted.

Last night i dreamed about Mema and Papa:

The dream seemed to start all of a sudden, as if a channel was turned on and i happened to be staring right at the television. And oddly enough, the dream started out on a television. i just didn't realize it at first. All i saw was a close-up of my grandmother's face. She looked unhappy. Kind of like the way she looked for the last 7 years of her life. Smiles were forced, unless drug induced by her medication, she didn't care about anything anybody was doing with their lives and all she could see was the darkness she worked herself into. Which she did just as she said she would, right after her husband died.

So i'm looking at her face and i feel pity for her. Then the camera backs away and i can see she's on the set of The Price is Right. She's a contestant but isn't acting like it. She seems totally out of place and depressed and as if her surroundings at the moment don't exist her for. Then from behind the red curtain, Papa rolls out in a electric wheelchair, although he never had one of those. I haven't seen my grandfather in a dream since he died over 10 years ago, so when i realized it was him my heart stopped and my whole body felt heavy. My mind was convinced he was back and i was catching this all on television. I yelled for my roommate to come in the room. I said, 'James, come and look at this. You have about 2 seconds.' I remembered getting kind of agitated that he wasn't coming to see because this was like a once in a life time moment or something; seeing my grandparents who i believed to be dead, on The Price is Right. (albeit, i say that game show because it had that atmosphere, but none of the props or key people in the show).

So Papa rolls his wheelchair to the microphone at the podium and starts speaking. There was no volume to his voice and i couldn't hear anything he was saying, not even his tone, but i could see that one side of his mouth was starting to go numb and then it was like he was reliving his stroke again while saying whatever it was he needed to say to the audience. Then he backed up and started rolling all over the stage without direction. It was obvious he was losing control of his mind and body slowly while watching him. His wheelchair took him behind the curtain back and forth a few times, and then headed stage right toward these stairs. He didn't stop though. His chair reached the top of the 6 stairs, stopped and dumped him on his face onto the floor. The crowd erupted with a mixture of laughter and covered faces, but all were enjoying the scene. One stage hand tried to help him back up to his chair but after 2 seconds of looking at him on the floor and realizing she couldn't do anything, she kind of rolled her eyes and walked away. I just remember seeing moving crowd shots of the audience going nuts and have such a great time while replaying shots of my grandfather face planting off the stage in the middle of a stroke.

It was then that i was suddenly there with him and all i could think to do was turn to the crowd and scream at the top of my lungs at them. It was obvious there was no help to be found and i couldn't forgive these people for reacting the way they were. They were laughing at my helpless grandfather who i hadn't seen in years and i was useless, trying to look through tears and anger.

That's when i woke up. And that's how i had to start this Friday the 13th.

Friendship, Team Work, Success, Being Rich

friendship is such a funny thing. just the way we naturally draw ourselves together in groups. we base it on looks, social status, maybe finding qualities in others that aren't exactly and presently strong within ourselves, and obviously in common interests. but when you break it down, friends give you something that you need. as i think about my friends....that one makes me laugh, that one knows exactly how to bring me out of a bad mood, that one allows my mind to go to places it normally wouldn't go, and that one makes me feel like a total kid:) i can only imagine what they're getting out of me. and hopefully it's as good as what im getting.

i need to do a better job of this next one, which is surrounding yourself with people who can help you achieve your goals. there is nothing selfish about doing this. especially after understanding friendships. being able to work with others to achieve a common goal is priceless. putting people together where everyone benefits is the best example of team work. now, if you can surround yourself with friends who fit this bill, then you've lucked out. for the most part, we all find ourselves working with people better known as 'co-workers'. not that they can't be your friends, but at that location, you're dealing with people who operate under a team work mentality, (or they should be).

next comes knowing what you want. you absolutely have to know exactly what you want. you dont have to have any clue about how to get it, or what's needed to achieve it. you just have to know exactly what....it....is. ~(5th)~ and its probably gonna change as you get closer to it, or even once you've reached what it is you want. your drive and passion will move you forward, and your brain is your tool to figure the steps as you go along. but as long as you know what you're after, you'll find it. and if you don't believe that, reread the 5th sentence in this paragraph.

and finally,
friends benefitting from one another, working together well, knowing what they want, and working forward to get it.
that's my definition of "being rich"

[thanks celisa, for the blog title:)]
check out celisa's
unique, vibrant, epiphanizing, breath-taking, inconceivable, brilliantly genius and colorful jewelry
in her Etsy shop:)

Body Language

Did you know that body language probably is 100% of communication? That means that spoken language is at 0%!! Because all the numbers in the percentage went to body language. I'm also learning that aggressive or dominant body language is a sure-fire way of getting what you want.
Some of the best 'words' spoken in body language are used by:
- the upward head tilt
- the open stance, with no limbs crossed
- invading personal space
- the distgusted smile
- squinted eyes
oh man, these are good:)

I had an audition today where the guy i was partnered with in the scene displayed some of these body language expressions toward me before, during and after the audition. I didn't necessarily feel belittled, and that's probably because i was aware of what he was doing. But despite how i felt, to anyone watching, he was establishing dominance. Maybe because he considered me a threat, or maybe i look like the kid that beat him up in grade school:) Nonetheless, he was beating me to the punch, and i was basically watching the scenario being painted, allowing him to go where ever it was was he wanted.
Today i played the part of the coward. Too bad the audition was for showing manly companionship. At least i learned something in the process. I'm learning how to become....an ass.

But if you're casting for that nerdy coward role, here's my experience:)
....a la 'Motorhome Massacre"

Today I found www.Pandora.com

Pandora:
It allows you to pick songs and artists you like, and it finds the music for you, and creates your playlist. If it plays a song you don't like, give it a thumbs down and you'll never hear it again. A thumbs up and it's your very own:) It's the best kind of radio station:) The kind you build for yourself!!

You know what though? They don't have my Songs From a Piano CD's on there, so if you're going to Pandora for my piano music, you won't find it. Luckily I know exactly how to get you to where it is:)

Listen to my music at the following links:
Songs From a Piano A
Songs From a Piano B
or some of my songs with lyrics:)

That Was Necessary

I realized about an hour ago how i'd motivated myself this morning to clean my room. Somehow, directly after proclaiming that epiphany, i forgot all about it and continued on with....wait, what did i do today?

I had to have some kind of proof that something visually stimulating had been accomplished. And a clean room is visually stimulating in my book. And my room cleans up pretty sharp:)




If nothing else, my room is clean!!

Need something productive to do? Check out my shop @ Etsy today:)
I'm also managing a Treasury called, "The Journals of Etsy"

Something Need to Change?

Before I get started here, I found myself online last night and thought i'd share:) This was when i had an abundance of hair:)
Watch the right side of the screen @ 13-15 seconds into the commercial:)


HILARIOUS!!

- - okay anyway - -

I'm a neat freak. I'm not OCD about it, but i really need things around me to be straightened up and put in its' place. But check out what i've been living in for the past couple of weeks!



Total disaster!! What's going on inside my head over here? Random piles of what looks like junk are everywhere! I have too many things to work on:) Hmm....the question at hand....what should i work on today?

I think maybe i'll try to make sense out of my room, and i'm sure the perfect project will make itself known. Wish me luck!

My 1st Moleskin

This is my first attempt at keeping a journal. Well a Moleskin anyway. I did end up with 4 journals by the end of college but they're quiet rough and reading them is painfully boring. Just a log of events. My first Moleskin, pictured here, is mostly a mess of rambling, copying text, and short entry logs of events. I certainly hadn't figured out just how much fun you can have with these things. This was about 4 years ago now, and I happened to be filming an indie project in Athens, Georgia called 'Art of Suicide'. I instantly fell in love with Moleskin journals during this experience. It was so easy to keep the book in my back pocket, although i was folding it at the time. But I carried that thing with me everywhere. You can probably see the book in the film a dozen times or more:)

Art of Suicide....brings back good memories:)

The Time Machine

'The Time Machine', is the most dangerous of scraps i've ever created, but the intricacies can be examined later. The front cover features a dismantled watch that not only acts as the latch for the book, but in turn holds a small brass pin. The pin resides behind the watch's faceplate which acts as a secret compartment, held by velcro. But where exactly is the pin to be used? And for what?

Inside the front cover displays an assortment of wires and electronic parts. You'll find some of it interactive, such as the memory stick, some of the bendable wires, and the bubble in the center that also contains tiny watch parts. The back cover has more electronic parts, some movable, and includes a watch face (w/hands) of Mickey Mouse. The book also plays Mickey's theme song. Both Mickey memorabilia can easily be removed if desired....it just so happens that the theme song is actually needed for time travel, which is the only reason i included it.

'The Time Machine' is for that mechanic at heart who loves taking things apart, seeing how they work, and putting them back together so you get it to do what you want it to do:) Tinker away friend, but be careful....this book is a time machine after all.


If this description does not suit you well, perhaps try another themed journal.