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Luci and I are going to Hamburg, Germany for 2 weeks for her Mom’s birthday. We spent most of today running errands in preparation. Looking forward to a much needed vacation.
I’ll finally have the time to read the transcripts and start a cut and paste script as well as work on expanding sections of the proposal in hopes of being invited to submit by foundations.
We tentatively scheduled travel plans for Akron, Ohio for July 15th to visit and interview Dianne (Darr) Couts and her Mother.
Spent the day dubbing tapes and going over the budgets for the trips. We’re trying to figure out how much longer the grant money will last and project the spending for the remaining interviews. Akron, Virginia, Chicago and Colorado Springs are yet to be scheduled.
I was hoping to hear good news from some of the foundations we approached before we left, but nothing so far.
An uneventful day of personal errands.
Jimmy and Ann stopped by and we chatted on our “patio”.
We wake up, pay the bill and hit the road. On the way back, we drove SR 15 which is a tree canopied highway. Quite scenic and relaxing. We were back in Brooklyn by 3:00.
Had just enough time to unpack, relax and eat before we went to see Peg Simone at Apocalypse in the Lower East Side. Served as a cool little wrap party for Boston.
It felt good to go out and see friends.
Luci and I get to John’s house around 10 a.m. and talk a little with John. We taped for about an hour and along with his son, we went to lunch. Blue Ribbon BBQ. Awesome food. Tasted like the south.
We taped for another couple of hours until we all felt everything was said. We all talk about the possibilities of Africa in January when the weather is best there. John’s been back a few times hunting, but not to Mamou. The building is still there but it’s being used as an agriculture school (we think). We’re going to start following up on some contacts there and try to start budgeting and planning for it. We’re very excited about the possibilities.
We all went out for Middle Eastern food for dinner and again, another great restaurant. Luci and I said our goodbyes and went back to the hotel.
I have a long rant on the particular hotel we stayed in, but that’ll have to wait. Suffice it to say, the list of questions we need to ask before we stay anywhere is getting quite long. Seems that most of the travel/service industry is riddled with hidden fees and charges.
Still living and learning.
We get to John’s house around 9:30. Kathy is being interviewed on camera today as well. Come to find out, both of them are sought after quite often as experts for religious programming and the like. Kathy has appeared as a commentator on A&E's television series "Mysteries of the Bible". We taped for about an hour and had to leave.
One of the developments I wrote about earlier was the possibility of meeting with John Michalczyk, an Emmy nominated documentary filmmaker and Chair of the Fine Arts Department at Boston College. John Darr was very active in getting him our materials and setting up the meeting. Professor Michalczyk was impressed with our work so far and had great suggestions to make the film stronger. It’s was a great meeting and we walked away feeling we are on the right path.
He was very kind and gracious in offering his support. This is such an important step for us to hear feedback and advice from such an experienced filmmaker.
Sent an email to my supervisor asking for an extension on my leave of absence. We are so close to completion of the essential interviews, I would hate to have to stop now. The grant money is diminishing quickly and we’ll have to self finance for a little while, but we’re too close to stop and feel we can do it if we tighten up our belts a little. We’ll see what happens. Wish us luck!
We get to John’s house around 10 a.m. and set up. The house has windows on all walls of the formal living room. The light is nicely filtered through the wrap-around porch and allows us our easiest lighting set-up of one key light. Our set up is spacious and looks great. We talked on camera for about an hour and a half before John had to teach his summer class. John’s experience as a professor/lecturer is apparent in his efficiency with words, we get a lot of information in a short amount of time.
He arranged for us to get a location permit for us to tape in his class so we go and get it signed and sit in for the first half of the three hour class. We learned a lot about Matthew and began to learn about Luke-Acts before he called a break.
The class is a scholarly look at the Bible and it seemed to be the closest to church I’ve been in a long time, but very very far from my last church experience. I wish the churches I attended explained and discussed the Bible in such a way. I would have understood and appreciated it much more.
Went to Manhattan to pick up the equipment and we were on the road by 1:30 to Boston. It took an hour to clear the Bronx with all the construction on the BQE, but after that it was all smooth.
We pulled into Newton around 6:00, checked into the hotel and called John. Him and his wife, Kathy, picked us up around 7:30 and took us to Papa Razzi for an awesome Italian dinner.
They are both Bible scholars. He teaches the New Testament at Boston College and she teaches Hebrew Bible at Boston University. We went to their house (a gorgeous and huge Victorian in Newton) for dessert and coffee and more conversation.
Yet again, we have been made to feel very welcome.
Got all our stuff together for the trip. Took Buster to the garage to get his ignition fixed. It costs $80 more than a rental car for the week, so figured we should fix our car instead.
Spent a relaxing weekend with friends. Grilled trout Saturday night and had a quick trip to the beach on Sunday.
We continue to make audio dubs and transcribe the interviews, but we’re nearing completion. Made some overdue phone calls. Had great conversations with Aunt Ann, Beverly and John Darr. Reserved equipment for Boston and organized our light kit and expendables kit.
Spent some time at night with friends we hadn’t seen for awhile.
Received an email from Aunt Ann about a play called “Sin: A Cardinal Deposed” that began in Chicago, but will be opening in Boston while we’re there. Read this great article in the Globe. Many of the issues we’re addressing in the film are also dealt with in the play.
Friday nights show’s proceeds go to the Support Group, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP)
Luci and I will go and make contact with the group after the show. John and his wife may come along with us.
There are a couple things developing that I’ll post later, but it’s very exciting developments for the film. As soon as things are definite, I’ll let you know, but it’s too early to discuss and don’t want to jinx them.
Luci is making steady progress with transcribing the interviews. Plans for Boston are solidified. Booked the hotel and discussed logistics of trip to Boston with John.
Sent out three letters of inquiry. A process in of itself. Have two other foundations to approach who allow a full proposal submission. Assembled the packages and readied them for tomorrow’s mail.
We registered our domain name and “parked” it for future development! www.allgodschildrenthefilm.com. It’s a long one, but I foresee it as a posted link on pages and won’t need to be typed. We have great plans for the site, but won’t focus on it yet. Don’t know what good it would/can do now.
I wrote a strong (I think, I hope) letter of inquiry for foundations we’ll pursue for funds/grants. Didn’t get any in the mail today, but tomorrow is realistic.
Socialized some tonight. I feel I’m losing touch with our friends, being out of town so much and the fact that they (you) can read about my life on line. Call me. Mail me. Please! Or start a BLOG so I can read about you!
Began writing a letter of inquiry template to approach foundations with. Although the fundraising guru, Morrie Washowski, says to call and forego the letter, some explicitly state “no phone calls” so we’ll take the traditional approach with this next batch. I hope to have at least two in the mail by the end of tomorrow.
A day off. Didn’t know it was possible for me to sit on my couch and watch movies all day long. The best of the day was also the first, “Justifiable Homicide”, a doc exploring the how and why the NYPD murdered 2 Bronx youths. All Rudy Giuliani fans should see this film. The rest of the movies I watched aren’t really worth mentioning.
Spent most of the day watching footage and making dubs.
Made plans with John Darr to visit him in Boston in a couple of weeks. He will be the first interview of the third family, the Darrs. Looking forward to it. We’ll plan a 3-4 day trip. We’ll drive this time. We had originally planned to go next week, but it turns out Harvard is having their graduation that week and all the hotels have jacked up their rates. Even the Super 8 Motel is charging $140 a night! Besides the rates, the traffic will be an issue too, so we bumped it a week.
The search for that right grant continues.
A day of decompression and catching up. Unpacking, running errands and adjusting to the jet lag (sleeping).
Checked out of the hotel. Sticker shock at the counter when I found out every local call was a $1. We should have just stayed online the entire time! Live and learn.
The flight was so, so, so much better back! Although this was still a Delta flight, Northwest was running it. Everything seemed to have a better feel to it and the flight was one hour shorter. This time we stopped in Detroit.
Back in New York, we grabbed our luggage and got Buster out of the Airpark (rip-off) and got home to Brooklyn. It’s always great to get back. Another successful trip.
A little bad news came our way today. The Radziwill Documentary Fund won’t be able to give us a grant. We’ll be able to enquire after the 7th of June as to the reasons. I suspect it’s because we already have a grant and they like to be the first money in.
Luci and I returned the equipment and met up with Marilyn and Shawn at his shop, Seattle Stairs. He’s a craftsman specializing in stairs. Truly functional art and I don’t use the word art loosely. Marilyn went with us to lunch and we said our goodbyes.
We went up to the Capitol Hill neighborhood and looked around the shops. Maybe the closest thing to the east Village in Seattle. As sunset approached, we boarded a ferry to Bainbridge just across Puget Sound from Seattle. Beautiful. Went back to the hotel and grabbed a bite at the restaurant and called it a night.
