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How awesome was the New Graduate Student Orientation? Let me tell you. It was very awesome. I met all the new students from both the Film & Video – Screen Directing MFA program and the Film & Video – Creative Producing MFA program. Some knew me from campus visits, some knew me from Marginalia, and some couldn’t care less who I was. (KG, I’m looking at you.) That was a joke people. Not really. No really it was a joke. But I bet KG will start reading my blog posts now. You never know whose name I’ll drop. Anyway, it looks like a talented and slightly hungover group.

After the orientation, I rode The El home to get cleaned up and geared up for a night of documentary research. Did I mention I’m working on a roller derby film? I am. Life is good.

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I flashed my press pass and took pictures of the match from the UIC pavilion floor. The plan for the night was to get test shots. This is so I will know how to shoot when I bring my full crew to film the project. I was able to truly appreciate the athleticism of these skaters. These women were nimble on their feet and knew how to lay on a hit.

After watching the derby action, I found myself inspired. I experienced a “eureka moment.” I realized there is a new way to film derby that will make it exciting and intimate, keep the sex appeal, and attract commercial sports fans. Like most strokes of genius, it was one of those ideas that’s so simple you wonder why no one has done it before. (Trust me, they haven’t.) All you have to do is…Oh…I almost slipped. I’m not spilling my creative secrets yet. But don’t fret. (I love that word as a verb. Fret. It just rolls off the tongue.) You’ll get a chance to see how I was inspired after I film my documentary.

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Oh yeah, one more thing. I have a great idea for your “to do” list. Kingston Mines is a great blues club that is free to students and teachers with an active school ID on Sundays through Thursdays. A couple of my friends were in town, and we caught a show. Check it out.