Hey Sis! And In Other Words...

It's time for everyone's favorite variety of bite-sized blogging goodness.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present...

Bits and Motherf'in Pieces

My blogging software got an unexpected upgrade when I rebooted Firefox today. Its parent company got axed so it changed from Performancing to ScribeFire. Oooohhh... ScribeFire. I like it!

The vacation has been refreshing so far. I've gotten plenty of good advice from a range of people and I think I know where I went wrong and where I want to improve if given the chance to interview for the film chair position again. I no longer believe I was purposefully humbled, but it did anyway. I'm actually typing up my concepts for ideas to move the committee forwards.

Hey Sis! Thanks for reading the blog but I'm not upset.

Two post-MNL projects lined up right now. Me and Quoc will be working on concepts for a music video and I am prepping concepts for a project that I will only call "The Ohio Project."

"The Ohio Project" is an interesting idea that I've been toying around with for awhile but the actual plot of the project just came to me a few days ago. In order for it to work I'm going to have to master a type of shot that Quoc and I have never even attempted. The story is simple, but as well, I've never written anything like this before. The whole point of this project is to get out of my comfort zone.

When I do some proof of concept shots I'll release them as a teaser for the complete project but I think I would like to write some of the script down before I go yapping about it anymore.

That's all for today. Here's a solo in dedication to my new favorite video game. The Godfather for Wii

Decisions...

I fight for what I love.

If one thing stays constant in my life it is the above statement. That part of me never changes, no matter how "mature" or "responsible" I become. I fight for the things that I love.

I had a talk today with the president-elect of the SEC. I did not talk to Ameer sadly. Ameer was not allowed to talk, so instead I was told by the president-elect that I was not chosen because the decision makers did not want to fill the position. There are a million ways to take this statement and if I wanted to I could choose to form a conspiracy theory that would make all those area 51 and WTC 7 guys look like suits. But here is how I am going to take it...

I was humbled today.

I was brought down a notch because for the past year I believed a chair position was waiting for me. Most people around me would agree that my position all along was not if I was going to be chair but what chair would I run for. This assumption of mine was never questioned. It was questioned today.

So now I go back to the drawing board. Tonight I am going to watch Big Fish, but not as a member of the film committee. I'm going to wait in line and flash my student ID because for the next week I am not going to be a part of the SEC. There is no other way to put this, this is 50% whiny-boy protest and 50% head-cleaning time. I can't separate the two from each other. When I return next Thursday I will apply, once more, for the position of film chair. To all of you reading this, I would appreciate if more film committee members with strong ideas run for the chair position. There's a good four or five of you who have the ability there to be a great chair.

I told the president-elect that today I felt like I was dumped. I still have that feeling. I haven't had a dry eye all day and it's starting to hurt. But, in spite of it all, I love film, I love the film committee, I love the people who make up the SEC, and because of that love, I'm going to fight to keep it.

While I'm on the subject of love...

I rarely do this, and I really should do more of it in case she forgets.

I declare my love for you Megan, and I declare my intent to keep on fighting for that love.

Taking a vacation

I'm just letting all of you know that I will be taking a one week break from my SEC duties starting immediately. The reason for this is probably already spreading around so I find no need to bring it up here. I will be back in the office next Thursday and at that point I will have a decision on my future with the organization.

It brings me no happiness to say these things, it brings no relief as well. I've been holding back tears for two hours right now and I just need to take some well-deserved time off to figure things out.

A war with one man, and no enemy

So I had a post planned full of ranting and raving about how the SEC was trampling my first amendment rights.

I deleted that crap five minutes ago.

What actually occurred today was that I managed to pout for a good half a day and the SEC took a small step towards forming new policy about artistic speech. Notice how I didn't say student speech? This is partially about that, but more importantly it's about focusing on having a set of standards for content across the SEC.

The current policy about controversial content is simple. If the adviser thinks it may be offensive, then the content is not cleared. I do not know if this is written policy, but it's what I've faced over the semester. This policy is basically de facto censorship. But after talking to advisers, chairs, friends, and myself, I would like to announce a new draft policy that I will be bringing up next week.

1) Content in SEC events can only be prohibited if it does not meet the "community standards" of the attendees of the event and the members (staff and students) of the SEC. (This protects first amendment rights with regard to obscenity laws.)
2) If the content of the event may be considered offensive (as decided by the adviser) then a disclaimer must be attached to every printed advertisement of the event as well as signs placed in front of the event entrance.
3) If the content of the event does not reflect the views of the SEC, the Texas Union, the University of Texas, or the specific location of the event, a notice of such must be placed in front of the event and all print materials handed out during the event.

These three points should help with allowing more controversial content into artistic events and provide protection from complaints.

What this all comes down to is the future. The future for Madrigal Night Live is in making great sketch comedy. Great comedy sometimes confronts society with itself. In order to do that you have to have the freedom to say thing everyone won't agree with. I really think that we can grow into this future and I believe that with good communication and setting new policy we can do it.

Loving SXSW

Thanks for all the birthday wishes folks, you brightened my already great day. Here's a video for you.

My Wii is about to be SUPERCHARGED

Normally my videos are at the end of the post but is so AMAZINGLY funny that it needs to go on top.

Three days...

Wow. I can't wait to no longer be a teenager. Talk about 7 years you don't want to repeat.

SXSW bag stuffing is tonight and then after that spring break truly begins because my Wii is getting modded by a man who introduced the external modchip wii mod to the world. He lives in west campus and he's going to help me install an open-source wii modchip that should play any backups I want. I'm really hoping it goes well and after finding out he posted the exact mod I wanted, I'm even more excited.

Modchip impressions will be coming late tonight.

Damn Man! You Guys Rock!

http://www.myspace.com/peoplemachinemusic
http://www.myspace.com/kaarerocks

You know that moment when you feel like your the first to discover something great? You pass it around to all your friends saying "HERE! THIS IS THE FUTURE! AND YOUR AN IDIOT IF YOU DON'T GET IT!"

I'm in the middle of that moment.

Kaare Egedahl, a man I've known since we were TWO, sent me a facebook invite to showcase the reforming of a band, or at least that's how I read it. Now, I haven't spoken to Kaare since the last day of middle school and since I last viewed his facebook profile when I added him, it seemed that he grew up well, with a bit more facial hair then I remember when he was 13. But when he linked his band's profile...

Shock...
Awe...
Beauty...

The shock came from the realization that not one, but three middle school friends of mine where in this band.
The awe came from the the first few notes, this was not the music I remember Kaare being into when I last knew him. I had to remind myself, he introduced me to Korn when I was addicted to VH1, indirectly leading to me becoming a music lover.
The beauty came from the music. Lyrics, they were an instrument, not a device. The music was a wave of audio, this was far more mature than the music that had come out of SE Nebraska when I was up there.

I immediately wrote up Kaare and told him that it was awesome and he should play SXSW if he ever gets the chance. The though of there being a future where three Paul Breaux alumni where in a band and one Paul Breaux alumni was introducing a film at the same festival is just too cool for words.

Check out both profiles. Hear good music.

One Week Left

Till I become a twenty-something.

Scary.

This whole identity-crisis funk I've had this semester is I think in part because of this concern over the switch from a teenager to something, older. It's the classic issue I've faced over how much to rebel and how much to go with it. I think I'm starting to reach a point where I can look at myself and go "Damn, I can actually grow up to be a leader."

One day last year, during my first Madrigal Dinner, Travis interviewed me about a leadership project he was working on and the one thing I can remember telling him is that I didn't have any desire to be a leader, as long as I didn't have to be a follower. It was the truth at the time, but times change, and with it visions of the future.

I really want to get this film chair position. I really want to bring to film a closer connection to the bloodstream of Austin film, something that I've only observed in these 2 years but where I hope to eventually end up in. I want to continue to get bigger and better with my projects. I have to continue to write material, in the hopes that sooner or later, I can catch a break on something.

This is the crossroads folks, growing up is hard, even harder when you think that part of who you are should be immune to growth. I've created this persona of being the eccentric fat kid who wants to rebel against it all and be "himself." But as all person's are, it's 50% truth and 50% bullshit.

In twenty years, the 39 year old Michael Domangue is going to look back on the 19 year old Michael Domangue and wonder why the hell he took this turn when he did, and he'll hate the 19 year old. But you know what...

Screw the 39 year old.

I have a life to live now. And I'm going to love it.

Thanks to Katherine for the amazing CD she sent as a birthday present. It helped a lot today.

Meet the new profile pic

So... just posting this up here to add to my Blogger profile. Got tired of the picasso pic. Thanks to Chris again for these AMA-zing shots.