Nomadism 101: Scotsdale, AZ

I spent this weekend at a boarding school in Arizona - I joined Lennox and Danny M. on their annual trek across the desert from LA to Thunderbird Adventist Academy at the edge of Phoenix. Lenn always speaks of the time he spent there as a really special part of his year - being able to share his stories and music with the high school students. I jumped at the chance to get out of town - I'd get to hang out with two amazing musicians and meet some new people.





There's something really special about teenagers - all the hurt and hormones vibrating inches from the surface. We smirk and write it off as angst - but there's something pure about it - people floating somewhere between childhood and adulthood, all prickly with those beautiful rough edges society hasn't sanded down yet. I've always preferred diamonds-in-the-rough to the over-processed mass of shiny we seem to value so much, but I suppose I digress.




So--being surrounded by academy kids who are learning far too fast to cram all the uneven edges into neat, little, masks always brings out the melancholy in me. So, to you, the kids of TAA - careful with those masks - they get stuck and slowly steal your souls; but I suspect you already know that. Thanks for sharing your time with us, listening to us, and letting us listen to you. And to one particular person, thank you for sharing your stories with me; sometimes I need to be reminded why what I do matters, I'm glad a few little films I created years ago were able to get you thinking - you know, it has nothing to do with me, I just listened.