Monday, May 05, 2008

Hi. I'm Tom.

Most days, I sit behind a Mac and dwell in the land of Final Cut Pro and video cameras. I shoot training and marketing videos for a living, and music videos and short films for fun. I'm a decent cameraman; I'm better at shooting documentary style than elaborate lighting setups.

On my lunch breaks, I read Martin Buber and Gabriel Marcel and Vanity Fair and chick lit, like Bridget Jones or Therapy by Brit writer David Lodge. Don't tell anyone. Oh yeah, and Catholic writer, Peter Kreeft. Don't tell my parents. (My dad was a Protestant pastor.)

I used to travel a lot. Actually, I moved a lot. I still travel. I'm trying to cut back on the moving because I've got a gorgeous little girl - Silvi. She gives me a hug everyday when I get home. She tells me she loves me. It breaks my heart. I also have a son, Ian (what a fine Scottish name.) He was born with Down syndrome, and was diagnosed with autism when he was five. I'm excited to see what he has to offer the world. Their mother, Annie, is a potter. Wednesday nights are her nights to escape into the world of clay and glaze and kilns. Other nights, we watch The Amazing Race or American Idol. We walk to our coffee shop. Our bakery. Our bookstore. When it's warm, the lake. We love where we live; it has sidewalks.

I watch a lot of foreign films. Caro Diario is my favorite film. Nanni Moretti is my favorite director. I want to direct films. I make my living directing corporate videos. I want to write a novel. I make my living writing educational media. I don't feel sorry for myself.

Some days I do.