the voice of eli

tonight i watched the book of eli. needless to say, by the end of the film, tears had welled up. the story had come full circle and was truly amazing. 

a man fought to save the only copy of the bible left in the world. his survival skills were beyond that of all those he met. he had a destiny for which he was determined to fulfill. 

"the lord is my shepherd, i shall not want. he makes me lie down in green pastures. he leads me beside still waters. he restores my soul. he leads me in the path of righteousness for his name sake. yea, though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death, i will fear no evil, for thou art with me..." psalm 23

when the book itself had been stripped from him, he realized that it was not the earthly possession that was important, rather the guidance from the voice he had heard and the words that breathed life on the pages- that which he had learned. 

when he arrived at his destination, the words he had read over and over- were in his mind and heart- and he was able to record the entire book, from beginning to end that it might maintain light in the world. what's more, is that he had been blind- and the only remaining book had been in braille. so when it fell into the wrong hands, the word could not be used for evil, but for good. 

"i will bring the blind by a way they did not know, i will lead them in paths they have not known, i will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. these i will do for them and not forsake them" isaiah 42.16

the young woman he had befriended along the way, did something even more spectacular- she carried on his mission- to reach those who had not heard, and fight the good fight, in the name of righteousness. 

it is an apocalyptic film that not only maintains the nature of man, but shows that even in the midst of that is lawlessness, there "is a voice crying out in the wilderness, even when no one is listening, even when it is not changing people, just to keep the common untruth from changing us." (richard rohr)

persons unknown

nbc's summer drama, persons unknown, is a bit of a tag to the ending of abc's lost. now granted, i never got into lost, and i should probably give it a second try. and i'm certain, that for lost fans, persons unknown won't compare. however, the mysterious show has kept my attention and i'm interested in what happens next. s

even people wake up in an abandoned hotel - without a clue as to who would kidnap them or why. cameras surround the island ghost town as well as electro-shock security and no identifiable way to get out. there are mysterious door men and asian cuisine  that do not seem to know any more than the constituents do about their presence in the town. the camera rocks back and forth between and full screen characters and the eye of the cameras watching them- creating an eerie and bizarre horror film thriller. not only so, but from the outside - a journalist is following one of the disappearances and his interest could get him injured, if not killed. the dialog and writing are simple, maybe too simple among the characters and it's obvious that the plot is nothing new, but i suspect that the odd twists and turns of the storyline will, at the very least, keep an audience in tune. 

i do wonder, however, if the show might be too intense for a summer fling. nbc's shows have struggled for one reason or another in the last couple of years, and thus far, abc is trumping their ratings with the bachelorette and true beauty after just three episodes. it's also been reported that it was originally created for syfy -and certainly - that comes out in the various scientific problems they tackle to solve throughout the course of the show.  it is also being directed by none other than michael rymer (battlestar galactica, which i whole-heartedly enjoyed). nevertheless, nbc picked it up. 

needless to say, if you're in need of a crime, mystery-thriller, this might be worth watching. 

genevieve garcia

taken june 11, 2010

Project Homeless: Panhandling Poet

"What kind of stores are you looking for?" he asked me.
"Eh, I'm just browsing today, thanks though."
"Well if you were to give me four words, and were to hear the most beautiful poetry you've ever heard, do you think you could spare some change?"
"I don't have any change," I spouted, "but I could get you a sandwich if you're hungry."
"Yeah! Sure, Ok, so what four words do you have?"
"mmm, beautiful, untamed, place, people" I rattled them off the top of my head, and didn't put much thought into it.

But Craig proceeded to recite, indeed, fascinating poetry, more or less: spoken word with all of the noise and music around us. It was 5pm in the afternoon and Little 5 Points on a Friday was hopping. I stood and listened intently, not thinking to record the lovely poem he created just for me. After a couple of minutes: I should his hand and told him he'd earned his meal and headed for the cafe around the corner. A sandwich and a picture later, he was on his way to the next stop, where-ever that might be.

A Haggard Grace

I noticed on my FaceBook the other day that some folks I know were tagged in an album entitled "St. James Planning Party." The man behind the photos calls himself Tony Webster and St. James is the church being headed by none other than Ted Haggard. There has been a lot of commentary and controversy surrounding Haggard's desire to start another church, and mostly among Christian people: whether or not he has the authority, whether or not it's biblically legal, whether or not his invitation to all is appropriate, etc.

And I am here to say this: What is going on with Ted Haggard is between he and his God. Only time will tell if this is truly his destiny, and honestly, I would never wish disaster or failure on a man who is trying to live out his forgiveness. If he so believes that God is leading him to teach others, to receive others- then by all means that is what he must do. To those of you who say that Haggard's invitation to all people of all walks of life, including those of the gay community- is an abomination to the standard of the Church: who are you to decide that? Do you know what the Church is all about? Do you realize that your stance is dangerously prejudice and against all the Christ taught?

Jesus received everyone. No one is asking you to agree. Nevertheless, why continue to publicly punish Ted for his sins?

Interestingly enough, what I noticed the pictures, was a group of people who were coming together and choosing to be a family. The pictures portrayed touching smiles, and a receptiveness, an openness. These were people that were coming together to not only do life together but figuring out how they could bring life to others. They appeared down to earth, and there were pictures of families with children. More importantly, every one of Haggard's family was attending, available and part of the process. Thank you, Tony, for the peek.

I pray that Ted will find a way to minister to others. For we have all fallen, why not use his experience to reach out? Sometimes your most treacherous of experiences can be the grace another needs. I grew up under Ted's leadership, and if this be a new and reformed man, then I commend him, and his wife and his children for trying something. Only time will tell. God speed.

Once upon a time, a producer and musician called Danger Mouse (Brian Burton) joined forces with another musician called James Mercer, of the Shins. And together, they are the- Broken Bells.

Thursday night, Center Stage hosted their concert. It is their first tour and I have to admit that I was more than impressed, if that is possible. Danger Mouse is an astounding musician and throughout the night, made his way between the organ, a guitar and the drums. Mercer led vocals and guitar...while the rest of the band accented them both quite nicely. In fact, the sound effects from the band were phenomenal and sounded very much like their self-titled LP.

They moved easily from song to song and said very little except to acknowledge their team of musicians and their opening band, Morning Benders. The flow of the live music was thoroughly entertaining.

Their style carries a bit of an electro-rock-pop sound, and it's obvious that Burton's talent is showcased in every song, even down to the background scenes on the screen behind them. All in all, the concert was fun and despite the duo taking the stage a little later than first thought, the crowd was packed in and enthused.

First Head-Bangin' Concert

Do you remember your first concert? We all have the memory, I'm sure, and I certainly remember mine fairly well. I was about 9-years-old, I think. My mom took me...to see Degarmo & Key, a Christian "pop-rock" band (or were they trying to be "hard-rock") at the Civic Center in Lima, OH for their Heat it Up tour. We sat within about the first 10 rows of the stage and my mother forgot to bring ear plugs. Of course, as a kid, I didn't care. I loved being up-close and I loved it loud. Ha, I still do. And it's true, stacked away, I still have the cassette tape signed by Dana Key. And hey, what can I say, Eddie Degarmo's "key-tar" was a hit! It seemed like both men disappeared after that album, but in fact, they both became producers for their own music labels in the 90s and recorded solo albums (none of which I ever listened to). Nevertheless, the memory jarred my brain when I saw an article saying that Dana Key had died at the age of 56, may he rest in peace. And for good measure, enjoy...ha ha

A Few Highlights...

Thinking Blank

Sitting at Starbucks, this morning, and everything seems oddly quiet. True there are people talking, music jamming and Navy aircraft overhead, but still, my mind feels still, almost blank. I took the long way around to get here- Scenic Highway, so conveniently named and no, I did not bring the camera. Perhaps I simply did not want to think about what shot to take, or where to stop for one. Enjoying the ride felt more appropriate...and now I am here. The silence I am experiencing seems frustrated: it is as if I am wanting to think of something or perhaps a few things, and yet I also want to feel peace in the silence. Neither exists, right now, alas, I keep writing.

The irony it seems, is that I keep waiting for something, but what I cannot be sure. It seems that this is simply my state of mind, despite the fact that there is no practical noun to be waiting for. Is it possible for the subconscious mind to merge itself into the conscience during moments of absolute awareness? Something to think about...

Big Brother Somewhere

Recently SNL did an astounding job poking fun at the census. Politics mandates that the Government gets to count us. Ironically, too, my friend LaDonna is making a quick $12 an hour to hound people for their information. Joy.


So what really are the numbers all about? And will city planning politicians take action when observing demographic discrepancies? The answer is: who knows?


But LaDonna did bring up an interesting point- at the end of the day, all the information requested is typically public record. And in the age of the internet; truly anyone could find out anything about you, if they really wanted.


It's true that I'm not a fan of the Government being able to hunt me down and invade my life but the concept itself got me thinking. How private is our society, really? From Social Networking to buying a car to filling out taxes, a piece of us is planted somewhere, somehow for someone else to see. And it does show that our “footprint” is implanted and it proves that each person is not truly invisible. Whether or not the reasons hold genuine intentions, the fact remains that each person is wanted for something, seen as someone, and is somewhere.


So the question remains, why not make a statement? Why not tell a story and make an impact?

High Tide

Tonight, we went out on the beach. It was muggy, but cloudy, and there was a perfect breeze sweeping across my face. I approached the water, half expecting there to be traces of oil or goop washing up to the shore, but I saw none and decided to step in. Brian, LaDonna and I walked along the coast line, taking pictures and pointing out the crashing waves. The tide was high, and the clouds threatened rain.

When we walked a little further, Brian pointed out that the sand was two different colors. Where waves has washed up, a created line of shells, broken sand-dollars and seaweed sat along the shore. Everything between the line and the where the water began seemed tinted: a beige-brown color of sorts. On the other side, the sands were white- even the wet sand. He noted that the darkened sand were traces of oil and had heard that it just may be the case. Neither LaDonna, nor I had thought of that, but it seemed to make sense.

After some time, sitting, talking and laughing by the waves, the clouds in the distance got bigger and were moving fast. “That” threat to rain was now on its way. As we packed our things and headed for the car, I couldn't help but be totally captivated by the magnificent sky. It was as if the clouds were each forming their own identity. Each cloud was thick, dark and rolling, moving: it almost looked fake, as if HDR or 3g effects had been applied for the scene. It was a conducted performance that demanded an audience. And it was fascinating. I pulled out the video camera in hopes to catch some of the flashes of lighting but instead only got sporadic horizontal flashes on the screen each time a bolt in the distance hit. Nevertheless, one could tell that this thundering display would only last a short time as I could see clear skies in another direction. The wind from the coming storm moved the waves faster and more violently. I didn't want to take my eyes off of the power shown of nature in front of me.

But in the end, we made a dash for the car and took off, but not without a little comic relief. As I was leaving, I noticed that the local television station had brought their truck and were ready for action when destruction came. Those silly storm chasers. A small adventure to be sure.

project homeless: jerry, a true blues man.

it seemed to be a rather uneventful day. but when i went to meet up with richie today, i found him sitting with a street friend we see often, the blues man. i joined them and jerry told us that he was trying to make it to the veteran's bunker some miles away. we bought him a wings plate and when he finished he pulled out his guitar and serenaded. from "my girl" to "stand by me" to "because he lives" to a number of old blues, he sang from the heart  and skillfully crawled the 5-string guitar. he didn't seem to mind that i had pulled out my camera phone. he even earned a buck from a random guy walking by the table. we sent him on his way with a little support. he had said that he had been sleeping on the steps of a church and somehow, still everyday he makes his way around the city, walking, taking a bus, riding a borrowed bike. i am amazed that with a benign tumor on his shoulder and arthritic concerns (off and on), he's able to trek and play continuously. there is something to be said for his determination to keep going every day. i wonder if could submit some of my footage to playing for change....it's a thought.

untamed focus media - finishing the website

finally, after 6 months of work and teeth pulling, i have a website up. it's paramount to a number of things that i want to accomplish in my life and i'm glad i have something to show for it. the past 3 weeks have been a crunch and many times i almost felt like i was back in college cramming the last of my term paper together in hopes for 'a.'  honestly, it's a breath of fresh air. i will continue to update the photo gallery and films as i shoot, travel and write. it's like another chapter of my adventure begins and i am thrilled. check it out if you haven't... http://untamedfocus.com and stay tuned for all that is to come.