where was the train going? did you get on it? this has a ghostly quality to it that is befitting to your afterlife. glad to know you are still out there in some way or another. afterlife or not it is great to be in contact with you and to know you are still creating, recording and thinking.
one night–early one morning, actually, at about 4–i was walking to my car from the library. all i wanted to do was drive home and go to sleep. in order to find free, off-campus parking, one had to cross the tracks. on this particular night, i heard a train approaching, and when i got to the tracks, it had stopped right there at the crossing. there was no way to get to my car unless i was willing to crawl under the train to the other side–and i wasn’t willing to do that. yet i pictured myself shoving my backpack across the tracks and getting down on my hands and knees and willing myself to the other side. but then the thought of the train moving, suddenly jerking forward, stopped me–and i waited. for over an hour, i stared at the huge metal boxes and their heavy wheels and listened to the brakes continually engage and disengage. occasionally, i heard the horn blast far up ahead. in a weird sense, i was interacting with this very large piece of machinery. at the very least, it had shown up and affected my life for a what seemed like a long time. every few minutes, the thought returned that maybe this was my chance–maybe i’ll cross now. but i didn’t until the train finally pulled away.
when i heard the train in this video, it was late at night and i was writing in the living room. i knew it was on the same track as the one that runs near the campus. there was a ghostly quality to it. so perhaps the piece captured what it was meant to capture. thanks for commenting.
thanks for sharing the context. it adds a lot. this is inspiring to me because i just bought a new pocket HD video camera and i’m trying to figure out what i would use it for. i want to expand back into video again but want to do projects, etc. and i’m already over-thinking it before i’ve even begun.
this shows me that video can be simple and create a mood and record a memory that i don’t have to have some grand concept or plot in order for it to have power.
i wonder where that rain went? who was on it? what experiences they were having. this memory sets up an interesting memory that could easily be turned into a short story. i appreciate you sharing it with me because maybe soon i’ll be able to reach within and pull similar memories out and convey them in a ghostly manner that leads viewers into their own internal memory hard drive.
the music interests me too. how did you compile it and what were its sources?
3 Comments
universaltron
October 10, 2010where was the train going? did you get on it? this has a ghostly quality to it that is befitting to your afterlife. glad to know you are still out there in some way or another. afterlife or not it is great to be in contact with you and to know you are still creating, recording and thinking.
logocentric
October 10, 2010one night–early one morning, actually, at about 4–i was walking to my car from the library. all i wanted to do was drive home and go to sleep. in order to find free, off-campus parking, one had to cross the tracks. on this particular night, i heard a train approaching, and when i got to the tracks, it had stopped right there at the crossing. there was no way to get to my car unless i was willing to crawl under the train to the other side–and i wasn’t willing to do that. yet i pictured myself shoving my backpack across the tracks and getting down on my hands and knees and willing myself to the other side. but then the thought of the train moving, suddenly jerking forward, stopped me–and i waited. for over an hour, i stared at the huge metal boxes and their heavy wheels and listened to the brakes continually engage and disengage. occasionally, i heard the horn blast far up ahead. in a weird sense, i was interacting with this very large piece of machinery. at the very least, it had shown up and affected my life for a what seemed like a long time. every few minutes, the thought returned that maybe this was my chance–maybe i’ll cross now. but i didn’t until the train finally pulled away.
when i heard the train in this video, it was late at night and i was writing in the living room. i knew it was on the same track as the one that runs near the campus. there was a ghostly quality to it. so perhaps the piece captured what it was meant to capture. thanks for commenting.
universaltron
October 10, 2010thanks for sharing the context. it adds a lot. this is inspiring to me because i just bought a new pocket HD video camera and i’m trying to figure out what i would use it for. i want to expand back into video again but want to do projects, etc. and i’m already over-thinking it before i’ve even begun.
this shows me that video can be simple and create a mood and record a memory that i don’t have to have some grand concept or plot in order for it to have power.
i wonder where that rain went? who was on it? what experiences they were having. this memory sets up an interesting memory that could easily be turned into a short story. i appreciate you sharing it with me because maybe soon i’ll be able to reach within and pull similar memories out and convey them in a ghostly manner that leads viewers into their own internal memory hard drive.
the music interests me too. how did you compile it and what were its sources?