Gonna be the Sh!t...

So there's a capoeira movie coming out. A friend sent me the trailer,
and I'm excited. Some would be ashamed to say this in any sort of
public forum, but I like kung fu movies. I've gained an appreciation
for the genre. In the past I thought it was silly to see people
flying and doing all kinds of comic book action, but today I can
appreciate the aesthetic and broad offerings of many of these films.
Like any other type of artistic expression, some films are more
successful than others. Either way, I can confidently say that I like
this sort of movie.

But now there's a movie on the way that seems to have this same sort
of action. Its like the Shaw brothers went on vacation in Salvador,
and now they want to do something a little different. I don't really
know who directed the film. Maybe I'll pay more attention to that
later. It will be interesting to see how the film is received, and
what it does for attention it grants the capoeira community. One
thing that I think will be particularly interesting is the way that
people will deal with the way that discussions of race/discrimination
at the turn of the 20th century in Brazil is framed in the movie.
Also, how will today's movie-going audience digest the movie's
portrayal of injustice--and this will probably have to show up in the
film since we're talking about a folk hero? Are the problems that
Besouro fights against issues that die with the villains and the hero?

I'm going to have to keep my ear to the ground.

Oh, and if this movie doesn't come out in the US fast enough, I may be forced into seeking out bootleg copies. It's the way of the world.

Yeah, its gonna be good!

Venezuelan Internet Radio, anyone?

I'm wondering if anybody knows of any internet radio stations that
spend much of their airtime talking about politics. Oh, by the way, I
am interested in Venezuelan radio stations. I will check http://www.aporrea.org
to see if I can find anything there, but if anyone out there has any
information for me, I'd be happy to hear from you. I want to listen
to the radio while I'm working in the library.

To be honest, my job isn't the most stimulating one around, but I do
get to spend the day listening to music, podcasts, documentaries, and
the like while remaining productive. That's the key, right? While I'm
there, I have to get things done. Still, I thought that I could keep
my mind on Venezuelan politics during these working hours, and that
would facilitate my writing after work.

If you know anything, let me know.

It has been a while

Yes, I know it's been a very long time since I last posted. In fact, even Shaily wrote me some mean messages because I hadn't been posting. I guess I should never assume that nobody is reading this blog. Apparently someone is always interested. If they're interested in what you have to say or they are just interested in wasting time is not important now. What is important, however, is that there is slight demand for me to keep up with this.

One of the things keeping me away has been the work I have been doing. I recently went to the LASA meeting in Rio de Janeiro to present a paper on capoeira and transnational something-or-other. I hope to continue working on the topic, so it was a great chance to get some of the thoughts down on paper (or screen). Now that I'm back, I'm trying to get back into my dissertation writing. I've begun to write again, but it's never easy to switch topics.

Besides all this, I have been working on a photoblog for the last few months. I have been posting images to Misfired Pixels as well as on Flickr (Hopefully blogger doesn't have a problem with me linking these sites here. We'll see if they do anything about it.) If you're interested, check out the sites. Feel free to leave comments, good or bad. Photography is something that I enjoyed some time ago, but I have neglected my camera for years. I'm only now beginning to make up for that lost time.

On my way

So I am getting a few things under control before I leave for Caracas. I will be beginning a new blog that will be dedicated to the work I am doing in Caracas. I think that it would be best to keep this blog as my own private project if I am going to be serious about making some of the work that I do public through the same medium. Here I will remain free to say whatever I like, while on the other blog, Andando en Caracas, I will be talking much more about the experience of being back in the city that hosted me for nearly a year during my dissertation research.

While I am there I expect to see a lot of activity. This should give me lots to observe while I make my way through the streets. Hopefully I can find as many people interested in giving their opinions and telling their stories as possible. So far, just in preparing for this trip, there have been many people who have agreed to make themselves available for questions. The next step is actually finding and talking with them.

Much of what I will be sharing here on blogger will be the sights and sounds of the city. I realize that I am not likely to stay in the same part of the city that I called home before, and that my experience will be quite different. Still, I want to share what I routinely experience in my short treks throughout the city with my friends in the US and elsewhere. There are some things that I would like to share--things that I experienced before--that are extremely difficult to describe. It may be difficult to communicate to someone the sights and sounds of the city, especially when they escape the traditional forms that we may find ourselves accustomed to in our own cities. My descriptions need help, so I am going to do what I can to remedy the situation.

On Andando en Caracas I expect to post audio and video files along with text. If all goes well, the media will be available as a podcast, which would be easily downloaded with a variety of podcasting software, such as iTunes. If you are interested in taking part in this little experiment, I welcome your joining the discussion by subscribing to the new blog. A link to Andando en Caracas should apear to the right of the screen.

feeling the pressure

Oh man, I feel bad about slacking on you guys. I have been busy with a lot of nothing for the last couple months. At the moment I am preparing for a follow up trip to my research site. I will be there for around a month, and I hope to be able to work as fast as possible.

Of course, this means that I will need as much cooperation as possible from all the people participating with me. That is something I will have very little control over. I think that I may spend a good deal of time hunting down old contacts and friends. During slow times, I can do a lot of sketching, taking pictures, and trying to record as constantly as possible (video and audio).

Most of all, I'll be keeping you posted on what I'm up to while I'm gone. I promise. I won't forget about you again... for the 5th time.