“Cut towards your buddy, not your body.” I can’t tell you how many times I have seen people cutting something right at their own torso. But also, your buddy should always be watching out for your knife. This saying reminds them. 

“Measure twice, cut once.”  Unfortunately, this is almost always said when you have done something twice or three times. 

“Why carry an hammer, you have a radio.” or “Every tool on your bel can be used as a hammer, except a screwdriver, that’s a chisel.” Bryan yesterday called it tool improv. It’s the habit of using what you have on your person in a pinch rather than get up and get something else.  It should be noted that this is almost never as good as the right tool. 

“It’s a grip’s job to save time, not tape.” While the tape we use is expensive ($27+ for a roll of gaffer tape) the time of the whole job is more important.  This can be applied to all extendibles (things that are used to get the shot and are bought for each job. These are not considered rental gear. 

“Show concern, take no action.” One of the all time greats. This one has informed my life greatly. Often someone just wants to be heard. There is no need for you to get involved or it is not your job. Often people expressing their concerns about a job are doing exactly the same thing. But if you seem concerned about something,  they will stop worrying. Obviously if it is a real safety concern, you will do something. Your way. 

“Can’t tie a knot? Tie a lot!” This one drives me nuts. I don’t claim to be a master knotsmith, but I can tie a few solid knots and I hate trying to dismantle someone’s rope art.  You tie knots as much for the untieing as for the hold. Okay, somewhat. 

“It’s a dolly, not a deli.” This is usually directed at the camera guy riding on your dolly and packing it with food and drink. You can tell how boring a day s by the amount of snacks piled up on the machine. 

“Hot Points!” or “Free Dental Work!” or Shins and eyeballs, watch your shins and eyeballs!” Called out when you are carrying something long and pointy and or heavy and going around a corner or into a group of unwary clients or deaf PAs. Heavy pointy things like a ladder, or a 20′ steel pole, or a jagged piece of wood. 

There are more, but I gotta get to work. 

What do you get when you cross a Grip with a chimpanzee? A really dumb chimp.

14 hours in the blazing sun by a pool. Big maxi-brutes and dinos (large lights with an array of individual lights, think stadium lights on stands) competing with the sun. One hill to load in, one hill to load out. Lots of gear. Not enough guys.

And the tease of being right next to the pool, all day, and roasting and sweating, knowing that the pool was the hero, and there is no room in there for a sweaty grip.

That said, I usually forgive all of it at the end of the day. A job well done and all that. I also liked the material more than usual. Liking the material, that is kind of a unique thing, now that i think about it. We were shooting Santa hanging out by the pool, being harrassed and stalked by Melissa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melissa_Peterman), who was HILARIOUS! If you find yourself in front of a TV on 4th of July weekend, watch lifetime. The promos between all the christmas movies will be what we shot. We shot like 14 bits in the day. A pretty serious number.

One thing I notice about my job being a grip, even when it is hard, or even hellish, I still enjoy what I do. I have a really specialized skill that I have practiced and mastered and I still get to keep learning. I get to connect with people on a profound level, you go to war with these people. I got a serious grip workout yesterday, carrying 70 pounds of dirt (sandbags) and piles of metal up and down an incline all day. And, finally, the girls who work in production are cute. This is important.

I shared this with Scotty yesterday, while working in the fake gym for Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity Championship Wrestling. We decided to add a few excercises.

The Push It: Take some stuff, mostly metal, and put it in a wheeled cart. Load it with as much stuff as the wheels can carry. Now Push it around, up hills, through narrow doorways, onto narrow lift gates. This works both your legs and lower back. It’s great for the butt! (you should see the heavy carts we push around!)

The Sail. First we build some dexterity. Tie shoelaces to a pole that is suspended at full arm extension and casue full tension in the laces. Do this about 50 times. Speed is a factor.  (we tie big 8×8, 12×12 and 20×20 pieces of cloth and diffusion to large metal frames quite a bit.)

The Flag Move: Take a rigid 4′x4′ foot flat piece of anything. Metal frames, foamcore, are preferable. and stretch your arms while carrying them. The key is to carry as many as you possibly can.  (we have these stacks of 4x frames, big metal empty pieces of aluminum most times with some form of gel on them, and floppies, 4 foot metal frames with black duvetine tight against it, with a extra 4 foot section that “flops” down to make a 8′x 4′ black light stopper.)

The Ladder Dance: Take a fiberglass ladder, starting at 6′ and moving up to 12′ and move the ladder on your shoulder through crowded areas, calling out for people to be careful and watch the ends. You will build balance and strength as you use every muscle group in the body to keep the ladder safe.

I love my job.

Okay, now totally wreck the workout by eating the catering. Yesterday, they had Roscoes Chicken and Waffles.

So what does The Spaceman Company produce you may ask?  Good question. The Spaceman Company is an ontological entertainment and marketing company. We produce a wide variety projects and act as a vendor to major studios and event production companies. Creating intellectual properties and unique original ideas is a specialty of this venture. We also do personal consultation on a wide variety of subjects relevant to everyday life. In some ways, the main product of The Spaceman Company is space.  We create space for people to be who they really are. We create space for people to love themselves unconditionally. We build and illuminate space for one’s truest self to emerge.

Notice that as soon as I become a corporation, I become a “we?”

The thing about becoming a corporation is that you suddenly become somewhat more than an individual. You have a company to run! There are financial and business plans to develop, and stick to. Marketing of your company (you) becomes necessary. Suddenly, talking about yourself with gushing praise makes a little more sense. Would you buy you?  There is also production; are you being productive today?  If my product is space, am I providing the right kind of space that will encourage brand loyalty to The Spaceman Company?  Strategic partnerships become necessary.  A network of other like minded companies, striving for profitability and cooperation become real business choices. The office is really just a laptop, and whatever chair I am sitting in.

It is really, at this point just a mental shift. But, I think I want to follow this rabbit hole as far as it goes.

The Spaceman Company loves you.

It took me a little longer to get back into the swing of life after getting back from the forest (and i certainly did not work as hard as some!). I have spent the last few days trying to get back into life in the big city, and it has definitely been challenging.

1:20 am. First free minute to try and get a blog post going. I got a touch of video today, but there is no way I can get it up on our limited bandwidth. I decided to do this tonight, even though I am very tired.

Bugs. Yes. There are bugs. Bring bug repellent. Also, I have heard that if you take B1, mosquitoes don’t like your blood. Please confirm or deny.

The days are mild and sunny, the nights are cool and a bit damp. Word on the street is that it should get colder as the weekend progresses. Bring a good jacket, I didn’t.  Pack the extra blanket.

We are turning the electrical meter backwards with solar power. That is pretty dang cool.

There will be ice vendors.

The Do Lab crew is working 18+ hour days to bring you the best event we can. There is tons of equipment that we are putting all over the place. We have whole crews managing the logistics of this huge event. My request is simple, show the love. By the time most of you get here, we will have been working a long time. Be appreciative and generous. People of note to shower with love: Josh, Jesse, Dede, Aaron G., KJ, Monika, Brian F., Alphi, Travis, Tyler, Ian, Y2 and Brian Shaw, Heather Shaw, Charlie and Carl, Brent H and John G, Shena, Derek and Derek, Jedi and all the others I have forgotten or don’t know well enough to say. Bring presents.

It’s Jesslynn’s birthday and Charlie’s Friday! Sweet!

I forgot about the wild turkeys! Crazy.

Stay away from our power. Power? You brought ‘er!

Ok, Spaceman signing off for now.