I was first introduced to The Swell Season in the fall of 2006 after watching Once at the Strand Theater in Rockland, Maine. In many ways Once embodied the foundations of life: love, relationships, family, finding yourself, challenges, and progression.

From Wikipedia, “The Swell Season is a folk rock duo formed by Irish musician Glen Hansard and Czech singer and pianist Markéta Irglová. “The Swell Season” name is derived from Hansard’s favourite novel by Josef Škvorecký from 1975 bearing the same title.”

Although their third and newest album Strict Joy is wonderful, there is a rawness about The Swell Season’s live performances that radiates authentic emotion, passion, and feeling we can all appreciate.

There’s also a fantastic trailer for the new album here.

While growing up I was allergic to common animals like dogs and cats. It was immensely difficult because I have always had a strong affection for animals. Wanting a dog but not being able to keep it inside because of my severe allergies, my father transformed our pool shed into a dog palace complete with tiled floors, electric heat, windows, insulation, doggie door, and fenced in area.

We started with our first dog, a yellow lab we named Buttercup. A few years later we added a second yellow lab and named her Sierra. I deeply loved Buttercup and Sierra but going away to college and later moving to Maine created large physical and emotional distances from them, and we saw each other less and less.

While living in Maine, my parents came for a summer visit and we went for a walk in the Camden Park. As the sun dipped beneath the horizon my parents began to explain that cancer had rapidly spread throughout Sierra, and that they had no choice but to put her to sleep, reliving her from her suffering.

Upon hearing this I began to feel very disconnected with her passing by not seeing her regularly. After watching this documentary I am able to better connect with her passing and identify with the emotions I was unable to feel for so long. May you find peace and connection with your family during this holiday season!

This trailer had 5 views the day it was released. It’s been 7 days and now it has almost 15,000. Watch and you’ll see why.

I make a conscious effort to keep this blog politically unbiased, but we would see the realities of war if this trailer (and eventually full-length documentary) was broadcast on major news television stations.

Iraq and Afghanistan is a sticky mess, no question about it. I often have extreme reservations about the direction we’re heading in, or lack thereof. Regardless, I have only positive thoughts for our men and women overseas.

Battle for Hearts and Minds Trailer from Danfung Dennis.

Simple and brilliant. What else did you expect?

Dan Winters photographs Spike Jonze for the New York Times Magazine.

For a long time I did not consider myself very religious or spiritual but over time I have started to search for and find my own path. While browsing through the local Red Box I stumbled across Faith Like Potatoes, a movie based on having faith in all that surrounds you. I highly recommend it. For those that do not consider themselves spiritual or religious, I still recommend it! Make the story what you want it to be. There’s a good chance a poem that means something to me is going to mean something else to you, right?

For the first time in my life I have thought about making a short film.  I credit this idea after having read David Lynch’s Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity. I know nothing about making short films but a large part of my excitement is simply because of that.  Plus, I can tie in some of my old writing with visual ideas I now have in mind.

Seagull, Southold, New York, 2009

Watch here.

Where the Wild Things Are was one of my favorite books as a child and I’m very excited to see the movie because of it.

Interesting fact: Shawn Records is a Pause, to Begin photographer and Max Records, his son, is the lead character in the movie. Shawn may have or may have not told me this when I visited his house in Portland back in May, 2008, and I may have or may have not been told to keep it under wraps until the trailer’s release.

Congratulations, Max, Shawn, and family!

Note: if you’re using a blog reader please click here to view the trailer.