Lamorindan ~ 10/08/10 Issue ~ T. Black, scribe pro tem
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Brad Davis looked in vain for the Reverend Ray Welles then proceeded to opine the following anyway: "The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending and to have the two as close together as possible." George Burns
GUESTS
Jim Yu, Moraga and guest of Bob Riegg
Tom Velken, Orinda and guest of Hays Englehart
Josh Cooley, Hays' son-in-law of and today's speaker
BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES AND A NEW HONDA BIKE?
Gillett Johnson - Wedding anniversary celebration with Tamra on a non-working visit to Napa. Tamra with presents and Gillett with a card. $20 fine applied by Prez Peeks.
Mike Edwards - Other than a birthday for Kathy, a birthday for Mike (spent working with the winery all day), birthing of the 2010 crop of Cabernet and a Rotary Anniversary (spent cleaning the garage) nothing much happened last week. He donated $55 to the LSR coffers anyway.
Rick Ashburn - When reminded that he had a birthday a week ago Rick chided the powers-that-be for "missing it." He nevertheless felt it was important enough to come up with $5 for each decade (you do the math).
Pat Flaharty's birthday was today. No further comments other than a $40 contribution.
Gary Fulcher had a brand new, bright red, Honda MT 700 parked outside. That cost him $5 (the fine, not the bike) for taking up a legitimate, full size vehicle parking space.
GOT KIDS? JOIN IN ON ANNUAL PUMPKIN CARVING EVENT
Brad Davis wants every one to bring at least one kid to the sixth annual Pumpkin Carving at the Garden Park Apartments, Thursday night, October 28, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. This is always a lot of fun for everyone, with all of the kids having an especially great time. Be there!
SAN FRANCISCO WALK FOR WORLDWIDE END TO POLIO
Sunday, October 24 is the date. Between Pier 39 and the Ferry Building is the venue. Rotary International President Ray Klinginsmith will be there. Pre-registration and FULL DETAILS are on the District Website www.rotary5160.org.
DISTRICT CONFERENCE IN SACRAMENTO, NOVEMBER 4-7
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| Flaharty says "Do It!" |
This year's conference will be held at the Holiday Inn Capital Plaza, 301 J Street, Sacramento, CA, November 4-7 (Thursday to Sunday). The official opening session will be the Friday lunch, and area clubs are encouraged to 'go dark' that week, and make up at the opening session. The Thursday events are optional, but include another Bo Morse golf tournament at Rancho Murieta , and the much heralded "Cosmopolitan Cabaret" dinner and show, which always gets raves. The musical "Suds" will be playing.
Enjoy a full conference schedule of topical issues, with plenty of social time. Friday night will be a Club Hospitality Night coordinated by Gretchen Peralta, at the California Railroad Museum. Saturday night is the Governor's Dinner, preceded by a reception. A special treat planned for those able to stay, is a luncheon on Sunday in conjunction with the Annual District Interact Conference.
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| Prez Peeks will greet you there! |
The meal package ($199) gets you six conference meals (Friday lunch, Hospitality Night at the Railroad Museum, Saturday breakfast, lunch, dinner, and Sunday breakfast), and attendance at all conference sessions. The Hotel Conference rate is no longer available, but check with the hotel for room availability directly through the Holiday Inn.
This year daily event tickets are available. If you can't make the entire conference, you can still go up on Saturday for the day. It costs $35 for lunch. Andrew Smith, our Rotary International Scholar, will be there to take part in a panel discussion. Hays
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| Joe B. |
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| Hays E. |
Englehart and Joe Bettencourt will have a booth onsite to introduce the District to their wondrously conceived Home Team Project, complete with brochures, a "how to" DVD and a newly created Home Team website. District Clubs will gobble this up as an LSR Home Team Thanksgiving gift for needy seniors!
To register visit the ever popular District website, www.rotary5610.org, in case you missed it a few paragraphs ago.
BARTENDING AND FREE TOWN HALL THEATER TICKETS
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| Step right up to the bar |
So sez David Waal. If you volunteer to tend bar at a Town Hall Theater event from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. on a theater night you will receive two free tickets to a future event. No training is required for our obviously well oiled and skilled group. Let Dave know by November 1 and he will set you up, so to speak.
RENO TRAIN TRIP
This fun filled event is once again on the schedule for Friday and Saturday, January 21 & 22. You never know what you might see there. George Chaffey mused it was special to watch Paul Fillinger trying, and failing, to pull a handle on an ATM at a Casino during one such excursion about 5 years ago. Doesn't compare to the Whack a Mole, Chicken in a Pot, stuffed animal acquiring events though. You have to be there.
TGITLFOTM ON OCTOBER 29 AT CAPTAIN'S WINERY
The same ATM-challenged Paul Fillinger attempted to announce another special event for TGITLFOTM this month. However, Prez Peeks instantly shot him down in deference to other, presumably more deserving, performers on the agenda. If Paul had been
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| No ATM at Captain's Paul |
allowed to speak you would have undoubtedly learned that the Captain's winery has a beautiful location in the hills above St. Mary's college, with an astonishing hillside full of grapes currently under harvest and a hillside wine cellar to boot. We will not be bringing our usual beverages to this event. Wine will be furnished by Captain's and we will make a per person donation of $12 to cover their costs. Maybe Paul will speak to this in more detail at an upcoming meeting. Then again...maybe not.
ARIANNE DOES SAN FRANCISCO WITH OTHER EXCHANGER'S
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| Life is good! |
Did she ever! The San Francisco weekend included:
A birthday celebration, Pizza Party, No sleep, Cable Car ride, Fisherman's Wharf, a Marine recruiter, a Bolivian Entertainer, a visit to Alcatraz, the Blue Angels, China Town, a picnic at the Palace of Fine Arts and who knows what else she might have left out. Too bad she doesn't get around more often.
THE PROGRAM
If this man doesn't have the coolest job in the Bay Area who does? Josh Cooley, the title on his name card at Pixar is "professional Hunk", is really one of nine story board directors at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville. Josh is a graduate of the Academy of Arts in Kansas City and began work with Pixar as an intern. He has worked extensively with several highly successful Pixar films such as Ratatouille, Toy Story and UP.
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| Is this job fun - or what? |
Josh took us on a visual tour of the Pixar environment, which is very much on the order of a country club. The main building was designed with the creative people located on the right and the techno-geeks (reporter's term) on the left, thereby simulating the structure of the brain. The facility has games, a movie theater, individually designed offices, e.g. a speakeasy, shark going through wall into the hallway, toys on shelves from floor to ceiling in President's office, and small houses instead of cubicles (supposedly cheaper). Walls in meeting rooms are covered with caricatures, several shown by Josh as extremely amusing examples of himself. Classes are taught at "Pixar U" in such diverse subjects as Art, Yoga, Self Defense and Fencing.
Josh works on the creative side of the house in Story Arts. His job is to create blueprints for a story (similar to an architect for a house). The blueprints are actually single images, one drawing needing to tell an idea in two seconds. The drawings describe actions and provide emotional connections. The drawings are in black and white and are usually done in two minutes time or less. How may drawings to a full story blueprint you ask? How about Ratatouille - 81,722; Well E - 110,972; UP - 85,192. The Story Board Process goes through scripting the idea; "jiggling" the scripting, writing, acting composition; going back and forth, pitching the story and finally agreement, which, according to Josh, leads to complete chaos among all concerned.
Story ideas come strictly from within the company. Every Pixar film has been a financial success. Toy Story 3 topped out at over $1 billion, as the 5th most successful thus far in the entire movie industry. Disney now owns the company and provides the promotion and marketing for the films. Steve Jobs contributed heavily to the company culture. George Lucas' influence was early on with Computer Graphics.
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| Tell us another "Story Board" story soon, Josh |
Josh showed visual clips of the Story Board process...from raw story blueprints, to layout and character animation, clothing and feathering, shading and lighting. Everyone marveled that Josh actually gets paid to do this. What a wonderful way to make a living! He is giving back to the industry by teaching Story Boarding at the Oakland Academy of Arts. Unfortunately Pixar is a closed corporation that does not allow public tours. Oh well, we got a great view of it from a creative, animated insider. Thanks Josh, and now on to your next barn burner!
CALENDAR
10/22 District 5160 Governor, Karl Diekman
10/28 Pumpking Carving, Garden Park Apartments 5 p.m.
10/29 Expose yourself, TBA
10/29 TGITLFOTM, 5:30 p.m., Captain's Winery, Moraga
11/4-7 District Conference, Old Town Sacramento
11/5 Steve Falk, Lafayette City Manager
11/9 Board meeting
11/19 Candy Pierce, Rotary Foundation
HOME TEAM CALENDAR
November 13, January 8, March 5, April 30, June 25
