1.11.11 - Ozzy Tour Eve

It's been strange to see my friends talking about classes on Facebook and not be a part of that. Normally, I would have started yesterday. I think I was scheduled for a film production course and web design for Tuesdays. Whatever, that's a null thought.

My roommate called me the other day and mentioned that upon checking out of my dorm room a few weeks ago, I neglected a lonely banana in our closet, which he recently found in a "mummified" state. I guess I also forgot to leave the unplugged fridge open, so he spent his first 20 minutes in the room scrubbing mold off the inside walls. Oops.

I'll definitely miss college this semester. It was hard to walk away from. Think about it... You establish yourself in an enclosed campus, and you've grown roots. You become a close family with the people around you. Roommates, classmates, members of different clubs, co-workers. I was living with these people, and loving every second of it. To be plucked from that equation while the rest keep going is unsettling.

Right now, life could not be more exciting and nerve-racking all at once. I don't think I quite realize what I'm getting myself into. I mean, in the next few months, I'll gain stories that I'll tell for the rest of my life! These are events I'll be telling my kids about in 30 years. This is the Prince of Darkness himself, the inventor of heavy metal, Ozzy Osbourne for God's sake! But you know what? The guy puts his pants on one leg at a time like the rest of us. He's here to do a job, just like I am, and I intend to act professionally with him. What am I gonna do, drool every time the guy walks past me? With that said, I feel like there's a lot of fun to be had, too. I've got some surprises that I plan on tucking away in my pocket until the time is right. Be on the lookout.


For the camera nerds, here's my setup (and it weighs around 25 pounds, good grief):

It consists of:

• Panasonic AG-HMC150 Camera
• Glidecam 4000HD
• Senheiser MKH416 Shotgun Mic
• Senheiser G3 Combo Wireless Mic Kit
• Kineflo LED Light Mount
• 0.8x Wide-Angle Lens

In addition...

• Manfrotto Tripod
• 535 3-Section Carbon Fiber Tripod
• 504HD Fluid Head
• Macbook Pro 15"
• 2.66GHz Intel Core Processor
• 8GB Internal Memory
• External 2TB Hard Drive (x2)
• Final Cut Pro 7
• Adobe After Effects CS5

It's game time tomorrow, and I've never felt more ready for something like this. My dad is actually covering the concert with me, he's a photographer for the St. Paul Pioneer Press. I joke with him that we should start Marshall and Son's Media Collective, sort of like those father-son barbecue sauce bottling companies. Maybe in another world.

I'm supposed to put up a video every show (which means every other day), so look out for content frequently and consistently. To check out a list of the tour dates, click here! Until then, wish me luck!