Monday, November 5, 2007
Forums in the works...
I'm working on adding a forums section. Maybe someone will actually look at it...
Sunday, September 30, 2007
keeping us up to date
jwillie -- always keeping us up to date. thank you. also, to add to the Mixed Methods Studio madness, i, crazy_delicious, have access to the blog. watch out! bi-coastal blogging action comin' at ya.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Mixed Methods is Bi-Coastal Again!!
No, we haven't re-opened the Boston studio, but the Seattle gang has moved to Washington, DC! How crazy is that? Well, since our best work happens when we are the busiest, we should start cranking it out soon! Stay in touch and we'll let you all know when we actually get back to publishing!
Thanks for your patience (like there is actually anyone reading this...)!
jwillie (now in DC!)
Thanks for your patience (like there is actually anyone reading this...)!
jwillie (now in DC!)
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
It Happened on a Bus One Day...
This is a comic script recounting an incident I witnessed on the bus this morning. It smacked of the sort of inter-personal battles those of us with geek tendencies face. Just for the record though, I wasn't the "man" in this scenario, I was sitting on the side seats so I had a pretty good view of the whole thing. Also, this is still a WIP, and I will keep updating it as I can. I think I will try and draw it too, at only three pages, it seems feasible.
Semi-Autobiography
Page 1:
Page 1 is arranged in three equal tiers. Frames 1&2 are in the top tier. Frame 1 is a quarter page wide, Frame 2 is three-quarters wide. the second tier, Frames 3&4, reverses this: Frame 3 is three-quarters wide and Frame 4 is a quarter wide. Frame 5 takes up the entire bottom tier.
Frame 1:
Close-up on man sitting in back of the bus.
Caption: "I wonder why this isn't a classic? It's a great book."
A slightly out of shape man with a goatee and dressed in a black hoody and dark gray slacks slouches in the back row of the bus, all the way in the corner. He is reading a cheap, aged paperback science-fiction book, Starship.
Frame 2:
Medium shot looking towards the back of the bus, it's getting crowded, but the back row has only tow occupants, each sitting all the way in the corners.
An attractive blond young woman in green scrubs and a light blue polar fleece jacket is approaching the back seat. She has a small Timbuktu style bag over her shoulder and a coffee in the other hand.
Caption: "It's got all the classic elements, but I've never met anyone else who's read it."
Frame 3:
Same shot as Frame 2. The woman is in the process of sitting down, but spills the coffee. The coffee arcs across the seat heading towards the man in the corner. The woman has a look of surprise on her face as the coffee falls. The man is so into the book that he doesn't realize what is happening.
Caption: "I should add this book to my blog, let other people know about it"
Frame 4:
Extreme close-up of the woman, showing the shock on her face.
Caption: "Hmm, should I add it to myspace, or the swamp?"
Frame 5:
Close up showing man and woman, along with the bus seat. The bus seat is covered in coffee, some of it is on the man's left hand, and partially on his book. He has a look of shock and disgust on his face, and isn't looking at the woman but at his hands and the book. The woman is looking at him and speaking.
Woman 1: I am so sorry!
Woman 2: Are you alright?
Woman 3: I am SO sorry!
Caption: "What the hell, she spilled on me!"
Page 2:
Frame 1:
Close up, same as Frame 5, Page 1.
Man: Hmmph. <<Better sound of frustrated acceptance, like, "I know what you just did and I don't like it, but I can't do anything about it now."?>>
Woman: I guess it wasn't hot any more?
Caption: "What do I say to a girl like THAT"
Frame 2:
Close up, showing just he man's and the woman's faces.
The man is facing the woman now.
Man: That's why they don't allow food and drink on the bus. (The look on his face should be somewhere between deer in the headlights, and you've ruined my precious book you stupid cow)
Caption: "I can't believe she spilled on me!"
Frame 3:
The man and woman are both looking straight ahead, with an empty seat between them. There is an uncomfortable tension between them right now.
Caption: "That could've gone better."
Frame 4:
Semi-Autobiography
Page 1:
Page 1 is arranged in three equal tiers. Frames 1&2 are in the top tier. Frame 1 is a quarter page wide, Frame 2 is three-quarters wide. the second tier, Frames 3&4, reverses this: Frame 3 is three-quarters wide and Frame 4 is a quarter wide. Frame 5 takes up the entire bottom tier.
Frame 1:
Close-up on man sitting in back of the bus.
Caption: "I wonder why this isn't a classic? It's a great book."
A slightly out of shape man with a goatee and dressed in a black hoody and dark gray slacks slouches in the back row of the bus, all the way in the corner. He is reading a cheap, aged paperback science-fiction book, Starship.
Frame 2:
Medium shot looking towards the back of the bus, it's getting crowded, but the back row has only tow occupants, each sitting all the way in the corners.
An attractive blond young woman in green scrubs and a light blue polar fleece jacket is approaching the back seat. She has a small Timbuktu style bag over her shoulder and a coffee in the other hand.
Caption: "It's got all the classic elements, but I've never met anyone else who's read it."
Frame 3:
Same shot as Frame 2. The woman is in the process of sitting down, but spills the coffee. The coffee arcs across the seat heading towards the man in the corner. The woman has a look of surprise on her face as the coffee falls. The man is so into the book that he doesn't realize what is happening.
Caption: "I should add this book to my blog, let other people know about it"
Frame 4:
Extreme close-up of the woman, showing the shock on her face.
Caption: "Hmm, should I add it to myspace, or the swamp?"
Frame 5:
Close up showing man and woman, along with the bus seat. The bus seat is covered in coffee, some of it is on the man's left hand, and partially on his book. He has a look of shock and disgust on his face, and isn't looking at the woman but at his hands and the book. The woman is looking at him and speaking.
Woman 1: I am so sorry!
Woman 2: Are you alright?
Woman 3: I am SO sorry!
Caption: "What the hell, she spilled on me!"
Page 2:
Frame 1:
Close up, same as Frame 5, Page 1.
Man: Hmmph. <<Better sound of frustrated acceptance, like, "I know what you just did and I don't like it, but I can't do anything about it now."?>>
Woman: I guess it wasn't hot any more?
Caption: "What do I say to a girl like THAT"
Frame 2:
Close up, showing just he man's and the woman's faces.
The man is facing the woman now.
Man: That's why they don't allow food and drink on the bus. (The look on his face should be somewhere between deer in the headlights, and you've ruined my precious book you stupid cow)
Caption: "I can't believe she spilled on me!"
Frame 3:
The man and woman are both looking straight ahead, with an empty seat between them. There is an uncomfortable tension between them right now.
Caption: "That could've gone better."
Frame 4:
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Exorcism Cleaners - The Holy Version
This is a prose version of a story for future consideration. The doorman at our office had the initial idea, and I fleshed it out a bit.
Exorcism Cleaners - The Holy Version
Downtown, there always seems to be a profusion of rundown cleaners. So from the outside, the Exorcism Cleaners doesn't really stand out. However inside, something is definitely different. The walls are dingy, which is expected, but they are decorated with all manner of crucifix, crosses and pictures of the Virgin. Some look like they've been used as hammers. And the truth is, some have. Sometimes you just have to beat the Devil out of some people. Father Nudyovski doesn't believe in desecrating the cross, so even when these holy symbols become beat to hell, he can't bear to throwthem out or to otherwise dispose them.
He is a graying 30-something man. His hair is still full, but kept short. He carries himself like Bogart in the Maltese Falcon, there is something of a bygone era in his mannerisms. Whether they are studied or natural is impossible to tell. The Father owns Exorcism Cleaners and is the head cleaner. His other staff are less holy, though only marginally less effective. The father's standing with the Church is also somewhat marginal. Since the Vatican no longer authorizes exorcisms, Nudyovski had to go freelance. But that connection with God is hard to break.
A long granite counter, black of course, separates the lobby from the shop. There are the obligatory cleaning machines and conveyors, but also basins of water, racks of what look like spices and other vaguely religious paraphernalia lying in well ordered if dingy shelves and cases. There isn't a view even in the shop that doesn't include at least one crucifix. There is a whole bookcase dedicated to different versions of the bible. And this is just for the "everyday" copies, there is a separate vault for the rare versions. The whole place is poorly lit, it's obvious that spotless stain removal is not the primary aim of this cleaners.
The father is in the shop right now, hovering over a long gown. The gown appears to have been white originally, but age and the horrible murder of it's owner stained it to a blackish-red. The father is patiently sewing up the multiple gashes across the back. The front has already been fixed up, there was only the diagonal slash where the brides head had been removed with something heavy and sharp.
As he finishes the sewing, he mumbles a few Latin verses. He moves the gown to a different table, this one long enough to hold it's complete length. At each end he puts a crucifix-shaped candle holder with three candles each. He reached inside his suit-coat and retrieves a small vial. Another blessing and he dashes the holy water across first the front then the back of the gown. Where the drops hit the bloodied gown, it starts to hiss emitting a small wisp of steam and a smell of charred meat. The red changes from dingy and old to bright and fresh. The puddles start to coalesced across the silk, slowly at first, then faster. The bloody garment starts to steam all over.
The father appears calm, but his chanting increases just slightly as he reaches for a large gilt crucifix on a china platter. He genuflects and raises the heavy golden symbol above his head. Then WHAM! He brings it down with a thud right across the breast of the gown. The steaming intensifies. He raises the crucifix back up, leaving its silhouette burned in pure white on the surface.
"BE GONE! BE GONE spawn of Satan! Leave this relic and return to the bowels and your fallen master!!" His deep voice, normally understated, booms throughout the still of the shop. He repeats the incantation again in Latin, then in Hebrew. Again and again he issues the command. With each repetition the white spreads across the gown, cleansing the blood and age. When the gown is pure white, he stops shouting. His voice becomes barely audible as he administers the last rights to the fallen bride. The gown stays white. The only indications of its past violence are the repairs made by the father.
With that done, he picks up a plastic bag and wire hanger. He hangs the gown in the bag on the conveyor and checks the register for the next article. That was a messy wedding. The family hoped that by purging the evil from that long ago day they could change their fortune. The father, however, knows that miracles are rare, and only time will tell whether the families luck will change.
Exorcism Cleaners - The Holy Version
Downtown, there always seems to be a profusion of rundown cleaners. So from the outside, the Exorcism Cleaners doesn't really stand out. However inside, something is definitely different. The walls are dingy, which is expected, but they are decorated with all manner of crucifix, crosses and pictures of the Virgin. Some look like they've been used as hammers. And the truth is, some have. Sometimes you just have to beat the Devil out of some people. Father Nudyovski doesn't believe in desecrating the cross, so even when these holy symbols become beat to hell, he can't bear to throwthem out or to otherwise dispose them.
He is a graying 30-something man. His hair is still full, but kept short. He carries himself like Bogart in the Maltese Falcon, there is something of a bygone era in his mannerisms. Whether they are studied or natural is impossible to tell. The Father owns Exorcism Cleaners and is the head cleaner. His other staff are less holy, though only marginally less effective. The father's standing with the Church is also somewhat marginal. Since the Vatican no longer authorizes exorcisms, Nudyovski had to go freelance. But that connection with God is hard to break.
A long granite counter, black of course, separates the lobby from the shop. There are the obligatory cleaning machines and conveyors, but also basins of water, racks of what look like spices and other vaguely religious paraphernalia lying in well ordered if dingy shelves and cases. There isn't a view even in the shop that doesn't include at least one crucifix. There is a whole bookcase dedicated to different versions of the bible. And this is just for the "everyday" copies, there is a separate vault for the rare versions. The whole place is poorly lit, it's obvious that spotless stain removal is not the primary aim of this cleaners.
The father is in the shop right now, hovering over a long gown. The gown appears to have been white originally, but age and the horrible murder of it's owner stained it to a blackish-red. The father is patiently sewing up the multiple gashes across the back. The front has already been fixed up, there was only the diagonal slash where the brides head had been removed with something heavy and sharp.
As he finishes the sewing, he mumbles a few Latin verses. He moves the gown to a different table, this one long enough to hold it's complete length. At each end he puts a crucifix-shaped candle holder with three candles each. He reached inside his suit-coat and retrieves a small vial. Another blessing and he dashes the holy water across first the front then the back of the gown. Where the drops hit the bloodied gown, it starts to hiss emitting a small wisp of steam and a smell of charred meat. The red changes from dingy and old to bright and fresh. The puddles start to coalesced across the silk, slowly at first, then faster. The bloody garment starts to steam all over.
The father appears calm, but his chanting increases just slightly as he reaches for a large gilt crucifix on a china platter. He genuflects and raises the heavy golden symbol above his head. Then WHAM! He brings it down with a thud right across the breast of the gown. The steaming intensifies. He raises the crucifix back up, leaving its silhouette burned in pure white on the surface.
"BE GONE! BE GONE spawn of Satan! Leave this relic and return to the bowels and your fallen master!!" His deep voice, normally understated, booms throughout the still of the shop. He repeats the incantation again in Latin, then in Hebrew. Again and again he issues the command. With each repetition the white spreads across the gown, cleansing the blood and age. When the gown is pure white, he stops shouting. His voice becomes barely audible as he administers the last rights to the fallen bride. The gown stays white. The only indications of its past violence are the repairs made by the father.
With that done, he picks up a plastic bag and wire hanger. He hangs the gown in the bag on the conveyor and checks the register for the next article. That was a messy wedding. The family hoped that by purging the evil from that long ago day they could change their fortune. The father, however, knows that miracles are rare, and only time will tell whether the families luck will change.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
It's Alive!
The Mixed Methods front page is now the blog! You can link to all the other pages from here now too. I'm working on a snazzy new design for the site that reflects the blog more. It's not that the design of the blog is that much better, but this will give a coherent feel and plenty of room as we grow the site.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Another Month, Another Post...
So do we have anything new? Well technically no, but doesn't a blog update count? We should probably put a link to the blog on the Mixed Methods Site... That would be a good update for the next post?
--jwillie
--jwillie
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