Now
August 2026
Unfortunately, I had pneumonia, so apart from feeling crappy, at least I got to enjoy some great books and tv series/films.
I took the Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) course on Audio in Moving Images. This four-part webinar series offered an introduction to the essential role of audio in moving image materials, with a focus on the formats, challenges, and practices involved in preserving and working with sound.
I read The Public Domain by Stephen Fishman, Talking Pictures by Ransom Riggs, and The Left and the Lucky by Willy Vlautin (looking like my favorite novel of '26 — I also read and enjoyed his earlier book, The Horse. I reread Archival Storytelling by Sheila Curran Bernard and Kenn Rabin.
I watched The Bear (seasons 3, 4 & 5 — "Every Second Counts!"), Say Nothing, Odd Man Out, and Dolly Parton: Here I Am.
I've been listening to The Alarm, Pretenders, and Nine Inch Nails' Ghosts I–IV.
Inspired by Derek Sivers.
& Then...
July 2026
I compiled a report based on the replies I received when I recently asked the following question on LinkedIn: What is one thing you wish you had done or learned at the start of your career, and what are you exploring now to better prepare for your future?
I took the Radio Boot Camp Workshop How to Bring History to Life taught by Andrew Parsons. It was a great three hours spent and was perfect for my interest in audio archival research and oral histories.
I read London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe and thrums by Thomas A. Clark.
I watched Our Nixon, Confessions of a Good Samaritan, and Listening to Kenny G.
I've been listening to The Smiths, U2, and John Prine. Sometimes music can hold a place in time that's nice to revisit every now and again.
June 2026
I'm the new Speaker Series Coordinator for the Archival Producers Alliance and so excited to be playing a more active role with this community of over 500 independent documentary filmmakers who specialize in archival research and acquisitions.
I'm revising a bunch of very old (and bad) poems instead of burning them. We'll see what new perspectives time will bring to the page.
I'm reading Doing Oral History by Donald A. Ritchie. I just finished You Can Never Die: A Graphic Memoir by Harry Bliss which might be one of my favorite books of the year.
I really enjoyed these films: Misha and the Wolves, How Do You Measure a Year, American Godfathers: The Five Families...
I'm working on an oral history project about my old man who served in the US Army at the end of World War Two in France. He passed away in 2014, so it's nice to listen to him tell his stories again. I'm also revisiting an old film that I made in 1991 and experimenting with AI tools to upscale the footage and improve the sound design.
I'm learning how to use Airtable to inventory* archival footage and the DAW Reaper to make bizarre field recording-inspired music (or noise).
I'm listening to a bunch of Negativland, Moby, Kraftwerk, and Matmos.
*My mentor prefers the term inventory and not log.
May 2026
I'm finishing a bookcase that I built last month.
I'm reading Ears to the Ground by Ben Murphy. It's a wonderful exploration of field recording and electronic music.
I'm watching more archival-based films - I really enjoyed Terrance Davies Of Time and the City.