Putting together some embedded instagram posts from my stay.
I did a previous blog about the air quality issues that kept me inside with an air conditioner & air filtering machine -- and the lack of data about that https://annebarschall.blogspot.com/2025/08/lack-of-air-quality-data-in-coos-county.html
Sept 29 I went to Feirstein to participate in a student project. The student, Ariana Melendez-Franco, was filming a scene from the movie "Magnolia" in class. It was a small assignment -- tho hopefully will result in some reel for me.
I was away on a retreat the weekend before and only learned that the scene was going to be filmed Monday on Sunday night. Monday I also had an extended doctor's appointment, with lots of testing. Miraculously, I managed to learn most of the lines -- and the student wasn't too picky about errors.
I was interested in the project because seeing this movie is on my to do list, since I'm a Tom Cruise fan & his role in this film is widely considered to be his best acting -- yet I haven't seen it. The scene we filmed was not one of his scenes.
This project was a classic illustration of how important it is to read the whole script, even if you're only filming one scene. In the scene we filmed, I played a woman named Rose who was confronting her husband, Jimmy, about his alleged molestation of their daughter. I somehow had the idea that she was already convinced that he was guilty and that her primary emotion was anger.
The student had a different idea -- probably more based on the real story -- that Rose was trying to figure out whether to believe her daughter or not. Jimmy's responses convinced her that her daughter was telling the truth and she was persuaded to leave her husband. She was both angry and sad, not just angry -- probably more sad.
If I had understood this distinction, I would have approached the scene differently. Hopefully, I got a good enough interpretation based on the direction I received.
The professor also came in and gave some direction. He told me I did a good job, tho, I, at this point, am not at all satisfied with what I did and would have done it quite differently had I really understood the scene.
Anyway, it was a good experience. I actually felt like I was in class myself -- learning something from the professor.
This school is a bit tricky to get to, as I had to take 2 subways and then a bus that only ran every 20 minutes, and I just missed the first one. The G subway stopped at a very confusing intersection on Flushing Ave. Fortunately, other people helped me find the correct bus stop -- in particular a guy who was also filming -- altho in his case it was of someone doing tricks on a skateboard -- dangerous, given that the performer was in the street.
The school itself is at the entrance of Steiner Studio -- a very large movie studio that is also their landlord. The big gate to the studio looked very enticing
On the way back, I discovered a ferry from the nearby Brooklyn Navy Yard to 34th street in Manhattan. If you have the option of taking this ferry to either Feirstein or Steiner Studio, I would highly recommend it. It was much more fun -- tho more expensive -- than the subway. Apparently this ferry also goes to Astoria
Here are some videos I took from the Ferry
This is a video that the student sent me
Someone will have to tell me if I did a good job.
The following are not "conservative"
I'm learning a lot about the lack of air quality data in rural areas. I am going to buy a Purple Air monitor and get it installed somewhere around here. We probably need more than one.
I first noticed some oddities comparing the air quality maps from Apple and Weatherbug. This was July 26. That was the day I woke up with chest congestion when I was sleeping outdoors on the screen porch.
You'll notice that Apple, on the left, was saying 135 and Weatherbug, on the right, was saying 68. It's hard to reconcile these maps; tho, given how I felt waking up that morning, I'm pretty clear that Weatherbug was lowballing it.
The air cleared up for a while after that, but then got bad again.
I had some conversations with Grok to help me learn more. Grok introduced me to two websites that sell air quality monitors and then publish the results on maps
iqair.com
purpleair.com
After talking to Grok, I made an air quality collage (August 3, 2025):
