lightning

     i made this film to describe my experience of brain tumor diagnosis. it combines clips from boston’s brigham & women’s hospital with footage from wyoming to signify the at once wearing and enlivening forces of mortality. 

two doses in…

     thanks for all the good wishes and responses to my last posting! it was very fun to share the video with you. i spent friday at the doctors and my brain mri is somewhat changed- i think improved. Less of the picture is enhanced with contrast and my oncologist says he thinks that the remaining tumor looks “broken up.” 

    the chemotherapy should not have made a mark after just two doses, however the doctor concedes it is possible. Given how intense my side effects have been, he thinks my physiology may be more sensitive to the drug than the average- so it might already be working!

    also, my blood counts have been wonky. the numbers show that my counts dip slower than expected and also rebound half as fast as is normal. The doctor does not know why. On the bright side- if the chemo is hurting my bone marrow, it’s probably hurting my aberrant nerve cells too!! that’s rad.

The doctor has decided to half my dosage of chemotherapy and go from there, increasing if possible. This will reduce my risk of leukemia and maybe make me feel better too. i’m supposed to eat lots of steak in the meantime:)

That’s the story. Thanks for coming here to check in on me; it means a lot!

baby blue

i might have figured something out…! please watch this first of several short films i have recently edited from previous Super8 footage (Wyoming, 2007).

this first piece, entitled “baby blue,” collects images of the abandoned horn ranch, located not 2 miles north of the darwin ranch.

Merging the grand emptiness of the wyoming landscape and ruins of the horn ranch’s previous inhabitants, “baby blue” explores the elusory significance of personal origin.

update

Just an update since i haven’t posted in so long. This friday i meet with my oncologist and have an mri to see if the chemotherapy is working! the doctor said that it is unlikely that a change will be visible so soon- but it’s exciting anyway. I’ve been spending my days editing previous footage from my Super8 film camera. I’ve attempted to post the movies here, but alas no luck.  Hopefully my next post will include a short film:) 

Thanks to anyone who is checking in despite my long absence! Wish me luck for friday. I’ll let you know all that happens:)