about a burning fire...

I fought the law and I won. My parking permit fell off of my windshield the other day. I couldn't get it to stick for more than a minute or so and finally I just left it laying on my dashboard. So when the police made their rounds the other day, instead of checking my license plate to see if I was allowed to park where I was parked they simply assumed I wasn't because they didn't see my permit and gave me a $20.00 parking ticket! I only have $16.00 TO MY NAME (including in the bank right now because I got some money stolen and just plain am not careful enough with what I spend it on anyway...I am as broke as a joke...I didn't dry my clothes the other day after I washed them because I didn't want to pay another .75 cents...I just hung them up in my closet wet and folded my socks and put them in the drawer wet...every night before I go to bed I put my clothes for the next day on our heater to dry overnight)!!! So there's no way I can pay it anyway. I went to the police office just now and fought it...I won. The problem is I think my permit fell out of my car into the deep snow when I opened the door the other day. So, as of now I can't find it. "No problem" I say to myself. "I'll just go to student development and get a new one." Well, that would have worked except when I got there I found out you MUST BUY a new one...for, $20.00! I am screwed. But hey, Jesus was poor.
Imitating the lifestyle of Christ,
-Kevin

Due to all of the crazy randomness that happened this past weekend I am simply going to steal portions of Amy's web journal post (with a few things added by me) about the weekend rather than type it all out myself. We went to Aaron's house in Ohio and this is the story...


The Dinner Table Retreat (this is what happens when you put 9 college kids in a house by themselves)
Four Guys, Five Girls, No Parents, and a Farm House

This was a fantastic weekend...I had so much fun I just feel like I could burst. I just feel like I know everyone so much better--like, we bonded in some cool way...and we all laughed so much...it was just great. And, I have a new appreciation for Aaron and who he is...after getting to see his house and meet his friends and stuff. Oh man, so yeah....here's some highlights from the weekend.

*Katie, Stacey, Rania, Me, Laura, Kevin, Aaron, Tony, and Loren departed for Van Wert around 4:30 on Friday. However, the boys decided to cause a bit of mischief before we left (I'm not gonna write it here) but it ended up setting us back quite a bit because we had to keep turning around on Rt. 18 and drive on the shoulder looking for this thing that they lost (that they shouldn't have had in the first place) Finally, we just stopped the cars on the shoulder and looked for it.

*While everyone else was looking, Me, Laura, and Kevin found this really cool drainage pipe that went underneath the highway, so we walked all the way through it and under the highway...just to say we did it...there was really weird stuff growing from the ceiling...and we got it all on tape (except for I taped over it later and Kevin is now mad ;) Sorry Kev Kev) Then Aaron got mad at us for being in the pipe so he started yelling at us from the other end of the pipe and it was cool b/c we could hear him all the way from the other end of the highway.

* When we got there I had to pee really bad, but I couldn't concentrate because Kevin kept freaking pounding on the bathroom door so it took me like 15 minutes to pee because I had no privacy :)

*We watched a McGee and Me video and part of Home Alone which was a lot of fun.

*We all just sat around and talked about our most embarassing moments and we really got to know each other. It was seriously probably my favorite part of the weekend because I learned a lot I didn't know about my friends....well...almost my favorite part...;)

*We were all getting ready to go to bed, and Loren tucked Katie in while Aaron tucked me in (because Aaron is my buddy) and then I kept joking with Loren about how I got to sleep next to his girlfriend and so Loren came in and put pillows between us and by then Katie and I were really REALLY wound up...and so we were making wierd noises and laughing hysterically and Aaron kept pounding on the ceiling because he wanted us to shut up...so he finally came down the stairs and I jumped out of bed and tackled him....and then this turned into an all out wrestling match! This was so great because everyone was like, watching us....and Loren and Katie started wrestling too and it was hysterical. The boys beat us pretty bad...but we put up quite a fight....I seriously got so sweaty...we must have wrestled for like 15 minutes...it was great.

* Giving the boys facials and having them actually WANT to do them....(they said I was allowed to write about it...so it's all good guys) Seriously, we gave Aaron, Kevin, Tony, and Loren full facials...with a mask and everything! (and Aaron learned what exfoliate means) Then, I got super lucky, and had Aaron and Tony give ME facial and wow...geez...how lucky can you get to have two awesome guys give you that kind of treatment? hah. It's all on tape people...all on tape...

*Oh man! This part is great! So the next day we decided to go sledding (on what Aaron calls a hill but actually is a small, 9-foot dirt pile)....and you know how Aaron lives on a farm...well...we didn't have anything to wear sledding...so Aaron goes in the basement and finds like 15 pairs of Carrhart Coveralls for us to wear outside. We all looked like HUGE hicks...it was the greatest thing ever. (this is all on videotape too) But I swear, that was my favorite part because we all looked so cool. We went in the barn and got to see the three 100,000 dollar tractors that the Bakers own and we got to sit in them and we took pictures (all the while wearing Carrhart) and it was great. You seriously have to see the video.

Other Random Fun Events:

*Loren running around the house in the snow without his shoes on (truth or dare again:))
*going sledding on the big "hill"
*playing in the huge bin full of soybeans (it was like those ball pits at McDonalds...only better)
*Kevin and I wrote a song called "Let God's Love Keep You Warm" to the tune of Kum-by-ya and we sang it incessantly
*Kevin in general was funny this weekend. Like everytime he said anything I couldn't help but laugh.
*Shopping at Good Will
*Aaron and I covering the "Jemimah" part of the "Aunt Jemimah" syrup with a piece of tape that said "Rania" (because she's black:))
*Aaron's senior pictures (especially the one of him kissing his goat). Yeah, that was a good time.
*Kevin asking Stacey to pass the "Jew-ce" in the morning (because he always calls her a Jew)
*Rania doing everything the way they do it down South
*Really getting to know my friends better. I feel so close to all of you guys after this weekend....and everyone I've talked to so far says that they did not expect this weekend to be one of the best ones they've ever had. Well...surprises like this are definitely good....I love all of you guys so much! Here's to the Dinner Table Retreat!


That was my crazy-fun weekend in Ohio. Thanks to Amy for letting me steal most of her post.
Milk and Cookies,
-Kevin

I feel like my life is at a stand-still right now. I don't have much to write about. I am just kind of going along, doing classes and enjoying life. All is well down here at the wu. I guess one fun thing worth writing about is that last Friday night/Saturday morning around 1:00AM Kory, Nick, Melissa, and Kellie decided to come pay me a visit spur of the moment. They arrived here about 5:00AM and we were all dead tired from not sleeping all night (I had just gotten in for the night at 4:00AM). We hung out in the t.v. lounge here in Hodson and talked for a while then eventually all fell asleep for a couple of hours. When we all woke up we were soooo dead tired...we all looked like zombies. They had to leave before noon because Melissa had to be back for a dinner thing so we all HAD to get up and do something before they left. We ended up going to the flea market (where I had gone the day before and bought Scrabble, Dominos, and a couple of pins). Then we came back and ate before they left. We were so tired it made everything so much less fun. I think they were all regretting the decision to come here. Kellie said it was the worst day of her life. Oh well, that's my crazy, wild friends for ya. This week I have just been lying low, trying to watch League of Extraordinary Gentlemen but watching movies is a slow process here. I watch about twenty minutes at a time before classes, reading, or sleeping. So movies can take a whole week to watch. Prayer requests for the week: 1. That my time with Dakota tomorrow will go well and that he will see Christ in me. 2. God will do a revival in me. 3. That God would give me clarity and wisdom. Thanks for reading/caring! I get to go to Aaron's house this weekend with 9 of my friends from school here. I am excited about that. Ok, this post is entirely random and unorganized and I would like to apologize. I am a bit scatterbrained right now.
Je vous aime Anna.
-Kevin

So, it's been a while since I've updated this thing. The newest thing going on in my life is that I was able to get the job at IWU's television station. I am a camera operator and love the job a lot. I have gotten to do a lot of taping this week (almost everyday) and I love it so much. I seriously would do what I do for fun, so to get paid for it is so rad!!! I seriously am so very happy about it. I have also recently obtained (through my mom and a friend of the family) my first Hollywood contact. Her name is Cindy and she works for Dreamworks and has worked on projects with Disney as well. The information she has sent me thus far has been invaluable. It's so good to have information on what it's really like from "the inside" of Hollywood. Here is an excerpt from her e-mail:

"As for your staying in school --
Far be it from me to discourage any one from coming out here and trying to
make a go of it. I understand that burn, that ache to be here and take that
chance. It ate away at me for a long time
before I got out here to California! And it was so cool to finally walk
onto USC campus, to the Cinema School, and hear people all around me -- in
hallways, on sidewalks, at picnic tables -- talking
my language, sprinkling their conversations with words like, "...in act
2...", "...need to pull focus...", "...casting for the supporting
role...", "...answer prints...", "...dubbing stage..."
Ah! It was music to my ears!

So, I cannot discourage you from coming.
However --
Having said that --
I would want very much for you to realize that Hollywood is a pretty small
community.
There are tons of people who want in, but the jobs really go to only a few.
I've been very fortunate to get inside and have contacts now who call me
from time to time. (Just had another call from
Disney this week -- more on that later.) But I know soooo many who are out
of work right now. There are more people than jobs and the competition is
pretty tough. You need to know your stuff or get
out of the way. That's just the way it is. Studios can have their pick and
they're going to pick the people with the most experience.

Beyond that,
All the major studios are union shops and they cannot even look at you
unless you are in the union.
You cannot get into the union unless you have "so-many" hours of hands-on
experience.
You cannot get experience without working.

And you cannot get work unless
a) You can prove that you know what to do, by having:
1) a film school degree or
2) a resume, showing you've worked on other projects in that same capacity,
OR --
b) You know someone in the business who will give you that chance to learn
on the job.
That's certainly possible, but rare.

In all honesty, a 4-year liberal arts degree is not necessary.
But I cannot stress enough that if you want to direct, you need to know --
really know -- the industry, and how it works, and you need to know other
people's jobs or film crews will not respect you,
and no one will hire you.

For me, USC was invaluable. I know pre-production, production, and post.
I've written scripts, recorded dialogue on a set, I've run camera and lights
and changed film, I've directed actors and sat
on dubbing stages. No matter the production, if they're talking about a
situation, I at least know enough to be able to talk the language, I know
what to ask for (so I don't look stupid) and I
actually understand what they're saying if they ask something of me, as
well.

For you, if you really want to come out early,
I think it would be a mistake for you not to at least look into finishing up
your education at UCLA -- which has a good film school, and you could take a
few film classes a semester while looking for
work. Also, I know some people who have done well through AFI, American
Film Institute, which has specialized programs, -- just for directing, for
instance -- where you'll get hands on experience, and
at the end of a year or so, come out of it with a small film that has your
name on it -- something to help you open doors and get yourself hired.

LA is filled with "wanna-be's" who've never cracked the shell of this pretty
tight-closed community. No one is going to hand you a film to direct
without you having already directed. That's just the
plain fact. You'll either need to pay to make the film yourself -- in which
case you can do it however you want, or you'll need some sort of film
school -- even a few classes -- so that you'll get an
opportunity to make a film to show around town to people. The only other
alternative is the slow road: years of apprenticing to learn the craft. I
still think film school is a good alternative for
what you want to do."

As you may have guessed I am actually thinking about going out to California next year (which is what she was talking about when she said "coming out early"). I just feel like I am wasting money being here at IWU. I don't at all need a degree to make films. So, anyway, I am trying to figure out all this stuff. If you wish to, I would love prayer for wisdom as I am making a lot of big desicions coming up. Thank you to all my faithful friends near and far.
Much love,
-Kevin

Well I am in the full swing of school once again with papers starting to loom, reading to do, and all around business. I probablly have a job working in the t.v. studio this semester too which is very exciting. Hopefully it will work out. Chase did end up leaving the room. So, now Jon and I have it to ourselves and as much as I didn't want Chase to leave I love having so much space a lot. It is so nice to have half of the room to myself. Jon and I did a lot of cool decorating the other day and the room has never looked better. Good things are happening in room 112.
What will be will be,
-Kevin

So, I am now back at school and actually enjoying it a bit. I wasn't at all looking forward to it but now that I am here it's not so bad. I had such a great break. I got to spend this last week with Michelle in New York City thanks to my awesome grandparents who bought me the plane ticket for Christmas. I actually got bumped on the way too, so now I have another free ticket to fly anywhere in the U.S. which is very rad! I had a great week in N.Y. with Michelle. We took the ferry over to Stanton Island, went to CBGB's (the birthplace of punk rock in America), walked around Central Park, went to the Times Square New Year's celebration, saw the moon up close (ask me about it if you really want to know...it was amazing), saw Big Fish at the theater, played a lot of Scrabble, and just all around had a great time hanging out. I miss her already! I had such a good week. Now, it is back to normal life and school for me. I have harder classes this semester but I am up for the challenge.
It's time to start feeling good about Kansas again,
-Kevin