On the set with "Clean House"

I convinced Danielle to let me bring my camera to work this last Monday and here are the pictures I came home with. I had forgotten that Mondays where different and only half the crew shows up, but here you go none the less. This was only a 13 hour day... I had to be at work at 5:45 the next morning.

New Design

How do you like my new blog design?

I'm in the middle of looking for work and trying to get on the set of a feature, if you know anyone... let me know. :) You can find my resume at http://www.jameskanka.com.

Danielle's Car

$30 Taxi
$35 Parking Ticket
$15 Jumper Cables
$85 Battery
-$10 Gas savings
---------------------
$155
+
A little story:

After washing my hands I jumped in the car turned the key and looked down at the digital clock. "12:00pm" like it has been every time we've started the car this week. An easy fix I thought as I grabbed my cell phone to see what the time was... 12:00pm... uh. I guess Danielle's car is back and on track. Or maybe I am...

P.S. Thanks Mike for the diagnoses.

P.P.S Real story goes that I already began changing the time before I checked the real time and had to go all the way back to 12:01pm. I felt smart.

Las Vegas in 30 Hours

A full tank of gas, 8 hours of driving alone through a desert, and only 30 hours in Vegas was totally worth it to spend the night with my lady and take this picture.

People I've Met or Seen In Person

This is a list I put together while working at The Washington Bureau... if you read it you'll be able to tell how big a dork I am. "Hit With" means I shot a live interview for FOX, MSNBC or CNBC.

Famous

Met
Hillary Clinton - Shook hands with and have seen several times
Barak Obama - Shook hands, went into office and seen on capitol hill
Nacy Pelosi - Seen several times and shot an interview in her office for "To the Contrary" w/ Erbe
Tucker Carlson - Picture and met... rode down elevator with
Bob Dole - Met
Colin Mockeri - took a picture of him with Gary at RTCA Dinner
Dan Rather - Said a few words to him while cleaning up after a hit
Kenneth Mclintock (President of Puerto Rican Senate) - Met and shook hand, live hit
Chrissy Gephardt - for the Daily Show
Ben Stein - spoke with him on the Elevator in our building on his way to Fox
Jewel - Cannon Rotunda for a RNN interview
Mia Farrow - Met and shook hands with as we did an RNN interview, Very Nice--a little spacey. 11/16/07
Tony Snow - Came in for a live studio hit for FOX my last week at TWB. I asked him how his cancer was and he said he was doing alright and that he was taking pills and waiting for treatment to progress. He had great hope that in 3-4 years technology will have been advanced enough to cure his cancer. I mentioned that working at the White House must have been stressful but he said, "No, It was the most fun I ever had at a job."

Just Seen
President Bush - Made eye contact, picture, and waved and got thumbs up back at RTCA dinner
Vice President Cheney - Walking through the capitol to the State of the Union
Christina Ricci - saw coming out of building (made eye contact)
Brian McKnight - Saw him walking into Cannon for James Brown tribute
Richard Gere - Saw in the Capitol on first day of 110th congress
Karl Rove, General Pace, Brian Willams, Bill O'Reily... (RTCA Dinner)
Anderson Cooper - saw the first day of 110th congress in the Cannon Rotunda
Chris Mathews - (several times) Rode elevator with, and got in the background of Hardball.
Carlos Ghosen (CEO of Nissan)
Geraldo Rivera - Press Conference
Rob Lowe - walked past me in Rayburn while waiting for an elevator
Hayden Panettiere - In 400 N Capitol and Gary and I stopped in on her Press Conference for the whales
Paul Simon - Outside the Cannon Office building, he was looking old and I wasn't sure who it was at first. I thought he looked a lot like Paul Simon.. he was. I was within arms reach and I got a smile.

Senators:
Hit with
Barbara Boxer
Tom Coburn
John Cornyn
Chris Dodd
Byron Dorgan
Richard Durbin
John Ensign
Lindsey Graham
Chuck Grassley
Judd Gregg
Chuck Hagel
Orrin Hatch
Kay Baliey Hutchison
John Isakson
Ted Kennedy
Jon Kyl
Mary Landrieu
Frank Lautenberg
Patrick Leahy
Joe Lieberman
Trent Lott
Mitch McConnell
Robert Menendez
Ben Nelson
Bill Nelson
Mark Pryor
Jack Reed
Ken Salazar
Jeff Sessions
Richard Shelby
Gordon Smith
Snowe
John Thune
George Voinovich

Seen around
John Kerry
John McCain
Harry Reid

Represenatives:
Hit with
Pelosi, Nancy
Hoyer, Steny
Boehner, John
Putnam, Adam
Abercrombie, Neil
Bilbray, Brian P.
Bishop, Tim
Cantor, Eric
Cooper, Jim
Engel, Elliot
Frank, Barney
Hoekstra, Peter
Hunter, Duncan
Kucinich, Dennis J.
King, Peter T.
Larson, John
Lowey, Nita
Lungren, Daniel E.
Maloney, Carolyn
McHenry, Patrick
Michaud,
Moran, James P
Murphy, Patrick J.
Paul, Ron
Pierce, Steve
Poe, Ted
Rangel, Charlie
Rohrabacher, Dana
Rogers, Mike
Ros-Lehtinen, Ilena
Shays, Christopher
Shadegg, John B.
Shuler, Heath
Skelton, Ike
Smith, Adam
Spratt, John M. Jr.
Tancredo, Thomas G.
Wamp, Zack
Waxman, Henry A.
Wolf, Frank R.

I got a whole bunch of bannanas, but I aint got nothing for answers

I couldn't help myself... I have to post another video today. These kids have a bright future.


Boy Friends 010 - Donkey Kong from Team Genius on Vimeo.

Check out the first 9 vids at http://www.teamgenius.biz/

Voodoo Sacrifice

The title is misleading, but you'll understand once you see the short. One of the best silent animations I have ever seen! Darker than Pixar and more to say. GREAT STUFF!

http://www.pixelnitrate.com/movie.php?movie=sebastians_voodoo

The great thing about this is that I believe everyone knows what the ending will be about half way through. Which says a lot about us and the cost of love in an evil world.

Vimeo

Danielle and I are about ready to take our separate journeys to the same place, Las Vegas. I'm driving and she's flying with her work peeps. But, before we leave I want to introduce everyone to Vimeo. It's a great video community and has only original content. Sign up, upload something, and then make friends, like me.

By the way, I just uploaded two new, or old, videos this morning--from 2003 and 2006. Check them out, both star an Elwood.

California

This whole week I haven't gone to work once. I must admit it is kinda nice, especially when I'm able to read a book, edit a video, get lunch with friends, and make new friends. It's also nice to have things planned ahead like going to Las Vegas with Dani for some of next week. When I finally get back I'll start working again and then my parents and sister will be here next Sunday and the Sunday after that Friel and company will visit too. Busy busy, I also just got word that both Chase & Elizabeth and David & Ariel will be visiting Labor day weekend. Sweet!

If you are still not jealous watch this video of the California Coast.


california coast from michael baca on Vimeo.

I had a dream

Last night I dreamed that Dani made a living playing the glass harp. Like the guy in this video...

Glass Harp 3 from ed on Vimeo.

Then I woke up and saw this next to her side of the bed and I understood.

Slideshow from our Wedding

Since Danielle started work and I've been at home I've begun to upload some videos. Here for family and friends is a 20 plus minute video slideshow.


Wedding Slideshow from James Kanka on Vimeo.

Homeless Outreach Video

MBC Uptown Homeless Outreach from James Kanka on Vimeo.

Here is the video that I finally got around to editing and posting after my first post in April with a slideshow here. My only regret is that I didn't shoot much of the clothes handout because I got engrossed in conversation with Mac, the homeless guy wearing a light blue hoodie. I had a great conversation with him and felt blessed by it but I completely forgot to shoot anything after.

Uptown is doing this again on the 27th, same place. If you see Mac let him know I, the guy with the camera, made it to LA safetly.

What is Art?