Feature photo by sappymoosetree. Above photo bywilderdom

In a recent Newseek interview, Maurice Sendak tells anyone who thinks the new Wild Things movie to be too wild to just go straight to hell.

I applaud him.

Just as I applaud him for fighting the original publishing house who wanted the soup waiting in Max’s bedroom to be warm instead of still hot.

I tried to convey how dopey “warm” sounded. Unemotional. Undramatic. Everything about that book is “hot.”

It makes me crazy to think anyone would seek to neuter this wonderful book by telling us life shouldn’t be hot, dangerous, shouldn’t be something that maybe, just maybe might force us to stand close to the edge look down over the abyss and think, “Oh, shit. This is huge.”

Where The Wild Things Are terrified me as a child. It took years before I could hear it all in one sitting. Yet I still came back to it, time and time again, until I fell in love with it. Now, when I read it to my daughter, I read as much for myself as for her.

Skipping forward almost fifty years, it seems the same fight surfaces with the film as parents worry our children will be too frightened by it.

I see this too often.

In the playground: Parents hover over their children, interrupt when they fight instead of allowing these young people to develop methods of their own for coping with conflict. I see it when I hear adults complain of the endless routine in their lives, but they are scared of what lies beyond what they already know. Thus, these same complainers stay unhappy when they could travel, find a new job, develop a new project, join a skydiving group or just try something to push the edges of comfort, even a little.

Photo by myradphotos

I’m not saying it’s easy, but it’s certainly no more difficult than staying in one place, bored and unhappy.

H.G. Well’s Time Machine depicts a world in which humans follow this culture of fear to its (possibly) logical conclusion.

Are we to become the Eloi, a bunch of simpering weak beings who live only to escape death at the hands of the Morlocks, a band of menacing underground dwellers? They don’t go out at night, constantly look over their shoulders, and wait for death as the ground might swallow them whole.

Is that really what we want to be?

I can certainly understand the desire to provide stability for your children. They need family, a home, a place where they can feel secure while they explore the ever growing world around them. At a certain point, though, the safe world stops allowing for the same level of growth.

That’s when we need to branch out to find bigger playgrounds for exploration.

Take your children to the movies.

If it’s really too much for them, believe me, they’ll let you know, and you can leave, but at least you have given them the opportunity to stretch their own boundaries and choose.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION: What ways have you pushed your own boundaries? Would you suggest it to others? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

When I got laid off from my job this past December, a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders. I had no money, no job, and nothing to tie me down. As soon as the New Year turned, something inside me turned as well. I told my brother I wanted to drive through all fifty states and film a documentary of the stories and voices from the economy collapse.

Two weeks later, my brother quit his job, and we embarked on this journey called “The Recess Ends” We’ve interviewed and captured hundreds of hours of footage. Many of the stories presented themselves as stand alone, individual pieces. The following clip below is titled: The Frankel’s.

T.R.E. Frankel’s from B-Rilla on Vimeo.

We met this family in New Mexico.

They have more people living under one roof than I can count on my own fingers. One by one, they open their house for people to stay. They feed them, they clothe them, they treat strangers just like their own family.

The Recess Ends premieres in San Francisco on 9/30/09. Please email therecessends at gmail dot com to RSVP.

When I got laid off from my job this past December, a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders. I had no money, no job, and nothing to tie me down. As soon as the New Year turned, something inside me turned as well. I told my brother I wanted to drive through all fifty states and film a documentary of the stories and voices from the economy collapse.

Two weeks later, my brother quit his job, and we embarked on this journey called “The Recess Ends” We’ve interviewed and captured hundreds of hours of footage. Many of the stories presented themselves as stand alone, individual pieces. The following clip below is titled: Simpler Times.

Simpler Times from B-Rilla on Vimeo.

We can always learn from the past. Listen to the wise.

Music: Bryson Vancleve

When I got laid off from my job this past December, a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders. I had no money, no job, and nothing to tie me down. As soon as the New Year turned, something inside me turned as well. I told my brother I wanted to drive through all fifty states and film a documentary of the stories and voices from the economy collapse. Two weeks later, my brother quit his job, and we embarked on this journey called “The Recess Ends”

We’ve interviewed and captured hundreds of hours of footage. Many of the stories presented themselves as stand alone, individual pieces. The following clip below is titled: Signature On A Small Town.

Signature On A Small Town from B-Rilla on Vimeo.

Traveling and music always seem to flow together.

This is Matthew Alch. His songs embody the spirit of the traveler, the vagabond, the wandering nomad.

I hope this clip keeps the endless search going, wherever you are.

When I got laid off from my job this past December, a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders. I had no money, no job, and nothing to tie me down. As soon as the New Year turned, something inside me turned as well. I told my brother I wanted to drive through all fifty states and film a documentary of the stories and voices from the economy collapse. Two weeks later, my brother quit his job, and we embarked on this journey called “The Recess Ends”

We’ve interviewed and captured hundreds of hours of footage. Many of the stories presented themselves as stand alone, individual pieces. The following clip below is titled: It’s Not A Party In New Orleans

It’s Not A Party In New Orleans from B-Rilla on Vimeo.

It’s difficult to comprehend and understand the full situation of New Orleans.

Old, young, rich, and poor, celebrated Mardi Gras to the fullest. It’s the symbol of life for the city of New Orleans and it’s people. It is a celebration of life and being part of an amazing community.

Much of the city is still abandoned and left to rot. However, the people there are more alive than ever. It’s about what they have, not what they don’t have.

When I got laid off from my job this past December, a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders. I had no money, no job, and nothing to tie me down. As soon as the New Year turned, something inside me turned as well. I told my brother I wanted to drive through all fifty states and film a documentary of the stories and voices from the economy collapse. Two weeks later, my brother quit his job, and we embarked on this journey called “The Recess Ends”

We’ve interviewed and captured hundreds of hours of footage. Many of the stories presented themselves as stand alone, individual pieces. The following clip below is titled: A Long Way From Home.

A Long Way From Home from B-Rilla on Vimeo.

Alaska, is truly the last frontier. As soon as we landed, we started driving. We didn’t know where we were going. We just wanted to go somewhere.

We ended up in Homer, Alaska.

At the edge of the sand spit, we met Claudio, his motor home, and his puppy golden retriever. He didn’t even have to say anything, and we knew he had found the purpose for his life.

Claudio, truly knows how to live. Something we can all learn from.

The Recess Ends-mobile. Photo: Austin Chu

When I got laid off from my job this past December, a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders. I had no money, no job, and nothing to tie me down.

As soon as the New Year turned, something inside me turned as well. I told my brother I wanted to drive through all fifty states and film a documentary of the stories and voices from the economy collapse. Two weeks later, my brother quit his job, and we embarked on this journey called “The Recess Ends”

We’ve interviewed and captured hundreds of hours of footage. Many of the stories presented themselves as stand alone, individual pieces. The following clip below is titled: Boston Hustle.

Boston Hustle from B-Rilla on Vimeo.

We saw Paulo at the Havard stop on the Boston Underground. His music followed us outside as we departed the subway building. We returned to record some of this music, but left the station with something more than just his songs.

For Paulo, performing in the subway was more than just selling CDs. It became an addiction for people’s smiles and for him to fulfill his deepest desires: expressing and sharing his emotions through his cello.

To all you street performers, Thank you.

Follow our journey and film: The Recess Ends

Photo: Marxchivist

Without concrete plans or much forethought, the two relied heavily on the kindness of strangers to help actualize their film. Since then, they have gathered over 300 hours of raw footage they aim to condense into a 50 minute length documentary film titled “The Recess Ends.”

“We went in with no plan, no goal, no vision,” documentary filmmaker Austin Chu said. “[Brian and I] thought, ‘Let’s just drive through every state. Let’s just observe. Let’s just listen. Let’s just be open to what people have to say.’ ”

As it turns out, having no plan was the best plan for them. From utilizing social networking sites and major media outlets (the brothers have been featured in CNN, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, and many other local media stations), Austin and Brian followed the spontaneous trail of human connection and always found extremely giving hosts across the nation.

“In Bennington, Vermont, we didn’t know anyone,” Austin said. “We passed through our entire network [and found] a friend of a friend who knew someone who might be working there. Two hours later we got picked up and had a place to stay. People are really generous even when times are bad. Humans are good people.”

And ultimately, that’s the message the Chus hope to impart to audiences. Though family budgets are getting squeezed and employment is harder to retain and even harder to find, there is value in basic human kindness, generosity, understanding, and communication.

Photo: Kevin N. Murphy

“A lot of the stories we’ve come to see and capture [show our] values are so simple, and yet we’ve strayed so far away from it that it’s become enlightening,” Austin said. “This film will give people 50 minutes to reevaluate themselves and connect with others spiritually and emotionally. Instead of asking, ‘How can we fix the economy?’ let’s start asking , ‘How can we help each other?’ Let’s start communicating with one another.”

Open communication is the backbone of “The Recess Ends.” Through candid conversations and even open mic sessions in an elementary school, the footage showcases the resilience of the American people in the light of a down economy.

Deeply impressing is the creative spirit of the 5th and 6th graders in Queens, New York. When a local teacher who was using the brother’s travel across the nation to teach his students American geography gave his students the optional homework assignment of expressing in their own words how the recession was affecting their family, the kids came back to school the next day with poems, rap lyrics, and songs. Two are featured in the film’s trailer.

“We set a time to spend a full afternoon with the kids after school,” Austin said. “This next generation, they are growing up in something many of us didn’t grow up in. It’s not, ‘I don’t get my Xbox360,’ it’s ‘I don’t get to spend time with my mom anymore because she has to work two jobs.’ They use words like ‘foreclosure’, ‘mortgage’, ’stock market’, ‘recession’.”

Photo: hermmermferm

While it was sobering to witness 11 and 12 year olds speak on such topics, the two filmmakers nevertheless noticed an optimism pervasive throughout their footage. That optimism and the inherent kindness of the people they met along the way, fueled the brothers throughout their grueling five month shoot.

“We’re only hearing negative news, but in reality, we saw everything completely opposite,” Austin said. “The relationships we’ve made and the people we’ve met [are] priceless. You couldn’t pay us a million dollars not to do it. We feel rich.”

The film is set to premiere in San Francisco September of this year with final copies available to the public in October. Check out the website for more information, updates on the film, and weekly webisodes.

Official Trailer: The Recess Ends from B-Rilla on Vimeo.

This Thanksgiving, the great organization Story Corps is declaring November 28, 2008 the first annual National Day of Listening.

From their website:

This holiday season, ask the people around you about their lives — it could be your grandmother, a teacher, or someone from the neighborhood. By listening to their stories, you will be telling them that they matter and they won’t ever be forgotten. It may be the most meaningful time you spend this year.

We at Matador agree that listening to the stories around us–and helping to share them–makes for a richer, more connected and meaningful world. We encourage everyone to participate in the National Day of Listening . . .simply by recording a conversation with a friend or loved one (check the video guide below).

Feature photo by PoYang_博仰. Photo above by Stuck in Customs.

Vancouver, it seems, has a knack for incorporating the undesirable into the accepted norm of everyday life. There are months of rain, an out of control homeless situation, and an undeniably poor public transit system, but the city forever saves face with its stunning mountain views and seagulls at the quay.

It’s for this reason I felt that the effects of September’s economic tsunami would have less obvious signs of impact here.

This past September, Vancouver saw a 42% drop in home sales. That’s fundamental for any city, but it’s an especially bold underscoring of the end of an era in Vancouver.

Throughout the past five years, Vancouver housing prices have thundered on in anticipation of the upcoming 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Now, with the global economy in its current state, confidences waver.

Add to this the fact that the Olympic games are to cost taxpayers an estimated $2.5 billion in lieu of the original declaration of $600 million, and things begin to look as though Vancouver is facing its very own financial problems.

Photo by Road Fun.

Still, there’s only one way to find out for certain. I decide to view the busiest district of Vancouver – its downtown – on foot looking for anything and everything. First it’s Robson Street, a lengthy strip of shops, buskers and restaurants.

This is Vancouver’s beauty belt, one in which Vancouverites and tourists alike have always poured great gobs of cash into.

Two blocks into my walk, for lease signs begin popping up in gutted storefront windows. By the time I’ve walked the length of Robson, no fewer than ten of these signs have created an ugly gap toothed grin along Vancouver’s favourite street.

Next I head to Gastown, Vancouver’s oldest neighbourhood. Here I really don’t see many signs of a city facing an economic crisis. The tourist shops are still crammed with tacky souvenirs. Japanese and Korean tourists hurry by, shopping bags in hand, cameras hanging faithfully from their necks.

I follow them to the steam clock where other tourists are poised with their cameras for the famous whistle that takes place quarter hourly. Standing there amongst this eager crowd, I can’t help but feel a renewed confidence. I head off with the sounds of the steam clock’s tune behind me.

Photo by Duane Storey.

Onward into Yaletown, a converted old warehouse district that now houses high-end condos, shops and restaurants. This is Vancouver’s denizen of comfort and financial security: Ugg-booted, yoga pant wearing moms push tandem strollers, gabbing on their mobile phones as they glide by.

The sounds of construction seem to be everywhere – a direct contradiction to the ten for lease signs I count in a matter of blocks.

Things go from bad to worse when I spot the Vancouver Condo Centre building, its windows plastered with for lease signs. I walk on, stopping at the corner where construction of a luxury apartment complex looks to be all but stalled.

The sign at the base of the lot proclaims the complex to be “Yaletown’s Last Opportunity”. I wonder if this “last opportunity” actually rests more firmly with the seller than any prospective buyers.

It’s getting late and the daylight begins to drain away. I decide to head for home. My mind buzzes with unanswered questions as I walk: are we suffering? Or is it business as usual in Vancouver? Are things just slow or are they slowly grinding to a halt?

I pass a homeless man, his arms raised in exaltation to the sky, mumbling frantically to himself. Whatever he knows, he’s certainly not telling.

Photo by Duane Storey.

Vancouver’s lips are sealed, forever doing its best to save face. I continue on, passing a hipster guy sporting an Obama shirt that declares, “Black is the New President.”

It’s been less than 24-hours since the first black president in the history of the United States was elected and already there is evidence of his presence here. I consider this: maybe it isn’t all a matter of hiding the bad with the good.

Maybe Vancouver knows that the bad is fleeting and that the good, no matter how premature, deserves our immediate attention. Maybe Vancouver understands a thing or two about the importance of hope, chiefly that in ways both metaphorical and literal the sun will come out sooner or later, and dry up all the rain.

With this in mind, my eyes drift toward the mountains on the horizon. The seagulls are busy squawking and circling the bay. All we can do is hope, but just between you and me, I think there’s a sea change coming.

Photo by hypertypos

Debt. It’s the American way. It’s just something that we accept – right?

For many years, I did just that. I accepted that I was going to be in debt and I would try my best each month to pay off those credit cards, school and car loans, and at the same time pay for food, gas, and other essentials an adult needs to live a simple lifestyle.

Seven years ago, I was enjoying a successful career in the music business. As life would have it, things changed and I was faced with a fact that my music job was going away and the prospect of finding another job was very slim.

So I made a decision to change my career. I would go back to school and become a teacher.

I began working as a teaching assistant in Los Angeles Unified Schools. Reality set in when my income dropped dramatically – I was now making $9.75 per hour.

I had no health insurance. I had to pay for tuition and books. I had no savings. I couldn’t pay my rent. I began dipping into my retirement account and I used my credit cards.

Photo by asplosh

Fast forward three years. I’m out of school. I get a great job in Northern Virginia as a teacher. I’m finally making a decent salary but again reality sets in. My retirement account was emptied by my move across the country.

I soon found that at the end of each month, I was using my credit card for basic living expenses – like food and gas to get to work. Before I knew it, I had $30,000 in credit card debt and $30,000 in school loan debt.

I was only paying the interest on my credit cards (about $500 each month). There was no way my credit cards were going to ever be paid off unless I won the lottery or someone died and left me a mess of cash.

The stress of this sent me into a depression that I didn’t understand at the time. It was as if I was being strangled each day and I didn’t know how to get or where to turn.

I went to see a lawyer. He was very kind and said, “You’re right. You do not have enough money to live with these credit card payments.” He advised bankruptcy. This wasn’t something I wanted to do. Only losers declare bankruptcy, right?

Loser or not, I decided to go down that road. Now, two years later, I feel it was the right decision. The pressure I felt each month was gone. I no longer had credit card payments, and my school and car loans were manageable. The feeling of being a loser began to disappear.

Of course, there’s a bit of a lifestyle change when a person files bankruptcy. There is no “using my credit card”. My credit union, God bless them, gave me a credit card with a $2,000 limit.

For the most part if I cannot pay cash for something, I go without. I cannot travel much, and although I’ve never had an extremely extravagant life style, I am very careful to stay on budget. As a teacher I get a small raise each year, and my hopes of being able to save some money were actually beginning to blossom. All is good, yes…?

Photo by sittered

This summer there was a terrible flood and I lost just about all of my worldly possessions. They don’t tell you, but renter’s insurance only pays out about half of the value of the items to be replaced.

The other half came out of my pocket. Soon, my $2,000 credit card was up to the limit. I took this in stride, paying as much as possible each month, thinking that all would be ok.

It hasn’t been. Things needed replacing, and other life things happen, and I haven’t paid off my $2,000 credit card. Again, I kept telling myself all would be fine; I would just have to be careful each month until my credit is paid off.

And the topper. Last Friday I went down to my car to go to work and discovered that all the tires and wheels of my car were stolen. My car was literally sitting on the ground.

When I saw my car I just thought, “You’re kidding me…this seriously isn’t happening.” I now have to come up with $500. Winter is coming, all of my warm clothes were destroyed in the flood, and I’m not sure what I will do. I cannot charge these expenses. What will I do?

Things like this happen to people each day. I cannot be bitter or feel sorry for myself. I’m not sure what I can do…just have faith that I’ll be OK.

I went to school on Friday, finding comfort in my 6th graders’ smiles. That’s what I focus on. My students and work. Maybe that’s the real American Way. I focus on the good in my world, my work, my friends, and bottom line, it isn’t as bad as it seems. Life always moves on.