All posts by Brian Paris

Virginia is Coming to Chicago

Virginia has decided to move up here to Chicago. I think that it will be a really good move for her. There are a lot of opportunities and fun things to do here in the city. Now I have to find a place that both of us can live. It is going to be tight on money, but I think that we will make it through.

I was really giving some thought to moving down to Champaign before she decided to move up here. I didn’t really want to do it, but I wanted to be close to the new baby. I guess now I don’t have to make that choice. So it works out pretty well for me, but I think that it will also be a good thing for her. It will also mean that we can share baby care in the beginning. I am sure that there is good daycare out there somewhere, but I really think we can do a better job ourselves.

Happy news for everyone.

Welcome
Creative Commons License photo credit: Zesmerelda

Heston Dies, Project Done, Time to Sleep

Charlton Heston died yesterday. Great old time actor who became an activist later in his life. He was born in a Chicago Suburb and went to school at Northwestern. I’d consider him a Chicagoan.

Just finished up a big project (pending no changes). I really like short projects with clear objectives. Makes it easier to focus and get things done. It feels like an accomplishment when it is over.

Lost some sleep over the last few days and am very tired now. I think I am going to get to sleep now and start fresh tomorrow.

Go Cubs Go

Hit Wrigley with Felper this afternoon. It was a great day. It feels like spring is finally here. Baseball, hotdogs and Wrigley Field. What could be better? Well the Cubs winning for one, which they did today. Fukudome is on fire. The crowd went nuts when he stepped up to bat. I am glad that he is off to a good start. We can’t forget our past heros – Derrick Lee jacked one out and Kerry Wood even got a save. Then we all got to sing Go Cubs Go at the end of the game.

There were a bunch of youngins out there today. I can’t wait to take my little one out there and make here a Cubs fan. (not an obnoxious one though). I think that will have to wait until next season.

Improv Improving

Had improv class tonight. I wasn’t perfect the whole time, but I finally feel like things are starting to click. Some of the scenes are really working (some are even funny). This level has a concentration on character. Don’t know why I haven’t made the connection before, but that really is the secret to improv. Quickly choose a character and then go from there. I have spent some time lately watching people. Everyone is a character, but some need a little bit of a kick to make it funnier.

I just signed up for a solo improv series of classes. It is taught by Andy Eninger, who was my first improv teacher. I like the idea of being able to create everything yourself. It is kind of like taking on the writer role in a scene. When I am writing I am in charge of everyone, and it will be fun to do this in improv. I am a little afraid of being responsible for everything in a scene. One of the best things about Second City training is that we learn to work off of each other. This will be a little different.

Lucky?

Went for a job interview today. And on my way there I stepped off the train at the library stop and a pigeon shit on my coat. People tell me that that is lucky, but at the time it didn’t really feel like it. Kind of had me flustered for a little while.

Another night of the show. The crowd was a little smaller (24), but it was still a fun night. If you haven’t see it yet, we are still up for two more weeks so come and check it out. We Get To Be Canadians.

Aries in the Air

Talked to Virginia yesterday. She has been studying the different astrological signs this year. She was telling me a little about the current sign Aries. I am on the cusp of Aries and Taurus, but have always self identified with just Taurus. I didn’t really know much about Aries to be honest. Turns out that I have a lot of those traits in me too. The biggest that she mentioned was that Aries are big on defining themselves. I have always had great resistance to other people defining who I am. It is my life after all, so I get to at least make the decisions about how I am going to live it. This independence is one Aries trait that I definitely have.

Speaking of defining myself, I have been going through a lot of self discovery over the last few months. I think that I like a lot of what I have found out about me, but I wasn’t really able to put it into words. Just so happens that I was writing a sketch with Ben Franklin in it tonight and ran across what is now my new favorite quote:

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. – Ben Franklin

Now that is a way to live a life!

Yes You Can

These are the most disruptive words that someone can say. You wouldn’t think it, but people are really afraid of their own potential. The main reason that people do not achieve their dreams is not because they don’t have the talent, but because they don’t give themselves permission to attempt them. I am here today to say to you, “Yes You Can.” You can be what you have always wanted to be, you can achieve greatness, you can bring about the change in yourself and the world.

Barack Obama says, “Yes We Can” and I want to expand that to you. We as a whole can change the world, but you yourself can make change in your own life. It isn’t a movement, it is just you deciding what is important to you and going for it.

Sounds easy doesn’t it? Well here is the bad news, it isn’t. It isn’t that you will have a problem, but the people around you will. You see people aren’t used to believing in themselves, so when they see other people who do they will feel threatened by it. Of course they won’t admit that they are afraid, they will instead trying to bring you down. If they can’t have their dreams, they sure as hell won’t want anyone else to either. Some of them may have even forgotten that they ever even had dreams.

The inertia of the world can pull people so far down that they give up. They become so comfortable with it that they don’t even miss them anymore and will think that they are the normal ones. It isn’t normal to give up your dreams. Don’t let them be the drag that pulls you down.

Keep yourself in focus. Remember your dreams. What did you want to be when you were a child? What are you afraid of? Sometimes what you are afraid of is the one thing that you long to be.

But most important remember “Yes You Can”

Final Cut Pro Meeting

Was running a little late after the bank business, but I really wanted to make the Final Cut Users Group meeting tonight.

Jim Kropp was talking about the show that he is currently working on. Sounds like a really fun show. You can check it out at 24-7chicago.com. I’ve been wanting to work on a show like this for a while. It premiers this weekend, so I will be looking forward to it.

Next up was a demo of Boris Effects plugins. Not really something that I use very often, but there were some interesting ones in there for some projects.

Last up was the demo of a RED camera. This camera is so intriguing. Best resolution of video cameras, but is more set up as a film replacement. Not a camera that I would use for my day to day stuff, but it would be nice to use for special projects. I can’t wait to see where this technology leads us in the next few years. It is amazing how far digital still cameras have come and I think that there will a lot of movement in video realm now. Everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon.

Chase is Great

Went to Chase Bank to open up a business account. They were so super helpful. I would highly recommend them if you are looking for a bank.

I was having some problems with my current bank, and my friend Laura said that she has had good luck with Chase, so I thought I would give it a try. The guy helping me was amazing. He walked me through everything I needed to get accomplished. Unlike my other bank that just told me to figure it out and come back when I had it done. It wasn’t like it was a lot of work, but I was really happy that he took the time to do it. He also helped out with some credit card stuff. So even thought I don’t have much money, I think that I will be keeping it with them.

Even invited the guy helping me to the sketch show. Maybe he will show up.