In honor of Renee...
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Please ignore the fact that I look as big as the house that Dorothy dropped on the Witch of the East or, as Kelly said, that the Scarecrow knocked me up.
Being Dorothy has been a long-time wish for me (Shut up. I love that movie), so I am sort of disappointed about the following things:
1) That the prefab costume I bought kind of sucks and because it's made for a variety of sizes, it cinches weird at the waist and fits wrong making me look really fat
2) That the ruby slippers I so lovingly made got ruined in the rain. I have to re-ruby them again for today's office costume party.
Oh well. Dorothy didn't let evil witches, flying monkeys, snippy apple trees, or trixy doormen get in her way and I'm not going to let these (relatively minor) problems get in mine. Here's hoping you all have a fun and safe Halloween filled with lots of candy and -- perhaps, if you're good -- the Great Pumpkin!
Monday, October 30, 2006
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Two very sure signs that I need to back away from the internet and possibly interact with actual humans:
Somehow, I think I need a life.
- When my Writing for the Web teacher keeps referencing other web writers and bloggers and I already know who they are. This has happened twice now. She described The Rob, who I knew instantly from her initial description since I’ve been reading him for well over a year. I felt like the biggest dorky dork and waited until she put his URL on the board to say, “Hey! I read him!” Turns out she’s sort of friends with The Rob, which in turn made me geek out ever so slightly. This is silly, of course. Then last night she mentioned Mo Pie who I had read until she went into super secret hiding. When Mo Pie went into hiding I could have asked her for access, of course, but I didn’t because I didn’t want to seem like weirdo lurker girl, which is, of course, exactly what I am.
- When you have dreams about traveling to Scotland with a tour group and meeting up with dudes from the internet who you barely know. This is really the most damning sign. I had a dream last night that Renee, Mazz, Kit and I went to Scotland with some tour trip and I broke away from the group and went to a pub to meet up with Stouff, who in turn made me write my autobiography on a pub napkin until Renee, Kit, and Mazz snuck away and joined us. Then we began drinking like champs and started goofing around the pub. I don’t know, you guys.
Somehow, I think I need a life.
Monday, October 23, 2006
First up, a couple of shout-outs.
1) To B. Fry — Thank you for letting me grip your hand and cling all over you like a girlie girl at Eastern State Penitentiary last night. Having never been before and finding the mere idea of such a place to be insanely creepy, much less with people popping out and doing the whole scare-the-crap-out-of-you thing, well, I appreciated it.
2) To Mikey Likes It! — Just because you’re fantastically fun and completely quotable at all times. Favorite quotes from last night included “I hear the voices [in my head] all the time, they just never say anything relevant.” and “I think we should take this time while on queue to perfect our performance of the Thriller dance.” Awesome. The latter quote spawned an entire evening of doing that Michael Jackson claw move.
I greased the lens and framed the shot
This morning I was officially asked to head the video project next year since my co-director from this year is leaving. Should I be laughing this much?
I am quite bummed that I missed out on all the 48-hour film challenge goodness this year, from both factions. I would have loved to help either one out (or both) but could do neither, in part because I was so wiped from editorial conference video and in part because I had approximately one frillion other things to do this weekend, half of which I didn’t get done anyway because I decided to blow off responsibilities in favor of friends that I had been neglecting for far too long.
Speaking of a frillion things…
Any thought I had that I would be able to take a breather after the conference was over were retardedly optimistic at best. I still have a frillion things on my plate, most of them social this time around though. This weekend will be particularly amusing as Friday night alone I have three different social engagements, none of which I am able/want to get out of. Take a look:
5:00-6:00 — Happy hour for my co-worker/editor/co-director/friend that’s leaving
7:00-9:00? — Official Parlor Launch party (Parlor is the literary journal for Rosemont, and since I have signed up to be on the staff I really should make an appearance)
8:00-?? — Luke and Leslie’s Halloween party
Why do I do this to myself?
Speaking of Halloween…
What in the WORLD should I be this year? I was going to be super cute and be Twister for Halloween, but then all costumes sold out. And then last night I found out that Kittastic — following the eerie way that all girls whose names begin with “K” think alike — had made her own Twister costume (although different from the one I linked to) so I can’t go as that even if the costumes magically went on sale again. I need help. Renee, your costume is fun, where did you order it from? I need something cute and awesome stat!
1) To B. Fry — Thank you for letting me grip your hand and cling all over you like a girlie girl at Eastern State Penitentiary last night. Having never been before and finding the mere idea of such a place to be insanely creepy, much less with people popping out and doing the whole scare-the-crap-out-of-you thing, well, I appreciated it.
2) To Mikey Likes It! — Just because you’re fantastically fun and completely quotable at all times. Favorite quotes from last night included “I hear the voices [in my head] all the time, they just never say anything relevant.” and “I think we should take this time while on queue to perfect our performance of the Thriller dance.” Awesome. The latter quote spawned an entire evening of doing that Michael Jackson claw move.
I greased the lens and framed the shot
This morning I was officially asked to head the video project next year since my co-director from this year is leaving. Should I be laughing this much?
I am quite bummed that I missed out on all the 48-hour film challenge goodness this year, from both factions. I would have loved to help either one out (or both) but could do neither, in part because I was so wiped from editorial conference video and in part because I had approximately one frillion other things to do this weekend, half of which I didn’t get done anyway because I decided to blow off responsibilities in favor of friends that I had been neglecting for far too long.
Speaking of a frillion things…
Any thought I had that I would be able to take a breather after the conference was over were retardedly optimistic at best. I still have a frillion things on my plate, most of them social this time around though. This weekend will be particularly amusing as Friday night alone I have three different social engagements, none of which I am able/want to get out of. Take a look:
5:00-6:00 — Happy hour for my co-worker/editor/co-director/friend that’s leaving
7:00-9:00? — Official Parlor Launch party (Parlor is the literary journal for Rosemont, and since I have signed up to be on the staff I really should make an appearance)
8:00-?? — Luke and Leslie’s Halloween party
Why do I do this to myself?
Speaking of Halloween…
What in the WORLD should I be this year? I was going to be super cute and be Twister for Halloween, but then all costumes sold out. And then last night I found out that Kittastic — following the eerie way that all girls whose names begin with “K” think alike — had made her own Twister costume (although different from the one I linked to) so I can’t go as that even if the costumes magically went on sale again. I need help. Renee, your costume is fun, where did you order it from? I need something cute and awesome stat!
Friday, October 20, 2006
The Editorial Conference is over! Videos went well! Good responses! I am pleased with results!
And that, my friends, is ALL I am saying about that. For anyone who caught my earlier post (Hi Mare!), please disregard as I was drunk and retarded at 3 a.m. when I wrote that.
I'm pooped, you guys. I'm going home and collapsing on the couch.
And that, my friends, is ALL I am saying about that. For anyone who caught my earlier post (Hi Mare!), please disregard as I was drunk and retarded at 3 a.m. when I wrote that.
I'm pooped, you guys. I'm going home and collapsing on the couch.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
In about 90 minutes at the swanky Desmond Hotel in beautiful Malvern, PA, the world premier of the 2006 Editorial Conference Video will begin. I'm slightly nervous (what if they don't think it's funny? What if they can see all the mistakes in my animation?) but I'm also so checked out mentally that I barely even care. The annoying thing about this it that after all the hard work and craziness, these pieces will be shown at the conference and then once more here at the office and then they are pretty much forgotten about.
The other thing about this year's video is that it's my co-director's swan song. Every year Howard says it’s his last year doing the video, but this year he really means it because he is leaving the company. How sad is that? Keep in mind that Howard is also one of my editors on my pub. Think about THAT for a second and about how crazy not having him will make me in the coming weeks.
90 minutes, you guys. Keep your fingers crossed for me.
The other thing about this year's video is that it's my co-director's swan song. Every year Howard says it’s his last year doing the video, but this year he really means it because he is leaving the company. How sad is that? Keep in mind that Howard is also one of my editors on my pub. Think about THAT for a second and about how crazy not having him will make me in the coming weeks.
90 minutes, you guys. Keep your fingers crossed for me.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
So what do my roommate and I do after a night of drinking Captian Morgan's Private Stock?
We go for The Ultimate Breakfast at Malvern Fire Company and then we sit around reading the New York Times and watching the Santorum/Casey debate on T.V. Because we're nerds like that. That's just the way we roll.
Question: Should we be laughing this much? This debate is hysterical. It has more drama and shenanigans than an episode of Passions. It started out hysterically when Rick Santorum was asked the first question about some innocuous thing like taxes and then appropo of nothing he started losing his shit and getting all defensive and angry and yelling at Bob Casey, who had not yet said a word. Casey, who I am voting for not because he's all that spectacular but because he is the lesser of two evils, looked so sane and calm by comparison. When Casey began his rebuttal, Santorum kept inturrupting and spazzing out. It was delicious.
The whole debate went on in this fashion. Don't get me wrong, Casey had his low moments too. But the main freak out moments belonged to Rick. Things were so ridiculously heated, I swear they were seconds away from saying, "Yo Mama!" to each other. Mike and I are betting that after the debate one of two things happened:
1.) They wrestled
2.) They had angry man sex.
Casey is currently leading in polls by 49%, thank God. I don't think Rick really helped himself out much during this debate, but during the final remarks pulled the "I'm just an Italian kid from a steel town" shtick and insinuated that Bob is just ridding on his name and his father's legacy. Which I don't think is a wrong assumption, but I'm hoping that many people don't buy it. Santorum needs to get the fuck out of the Senate, stat.
We go for The Ultimate Breakfast at Malvern Fire Company and then we sit around reading the New York Times and watching the Santorum/Casey debate on T.V. Because we're nerds like that. That's just the way we roll.
Question: Should we be laughing this much? This debate is hysterical. It has more drama and shenanigans than an episode of Passions. It started out hysterically when Rick Santorum was asked the first question about some innocuous thing like taxes and then appropo of nothing he started losing his shit and getting all defensive and angry and yelling at Bob Casey, who had not yet said a word. Casey, who I am voting for not because he's all that spectacular but because he is the lesser of two evils, looked so sane and calm by comparison. When Casey began his rebuttal, Santorum kept inturrupting and spazzing out. It was delicious.
The whole debate went on in this fashion. Don't get me wrong, Casey had his low moments too. But the main freak out moments belonged to Rick. Things were so ridiculously heated, I swear they were seconds away from saying, "Yo Mama!" to each other. Mike and I are betting that after the debate one of two things happened:
1.) They wrestled
2.) They had angry man sex.
Casey is currently leading in polls by 49%, thank God. I don't think Rick really helped himself out much during this debate, but during the final remarks pulled the "I'm just an Italian kid from a steel town" shtick and insinuated that Bob is just ridding on his name and his father's legacy. Which I don't think is a wrong assumption, but I'm hoping that many people don't buy it. Santorum needs to get the fuck out of the Senate, stat.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
And it's because the aninmation piece is DONE, bitches. Done, done, DONE.
In case you're wondering, four minutes in animation time when you don't have proper tools and are animating using Photoshop and iMovie equals out to approximately 4 thousand years and 20 million headaches in real time.
I am also drinking because my roommate had an especially hard day and requested that I drink with him. And considering that he never drinks, I felt obligated to help him out.
Also, just in case you wondered, Captian Morgan's Private Stock and Gingerale is really fucking good.
I spent the entire day filing with the Doc and Teresa. Teresa is a fun girl who I miss. You know what's hard? Being too busy to be with people who you really miss or who really need you.
I think I deserve a drink too. I may be slightly tipsy right now. Shut up. I needed it.
In case you're wondering, four minutes in animation time when you don't have proper tools and are animating using Photoshop and iMovie equals out to approximately 4 thousand years and 20 million headaches in real time.
I am also drinking because my roommate had an especially hard day and requested that I drink with him. And considering that he never drinks, I felt obligated to help him out.
Also, just in case you wondered, Captian Morgan's Private Stock and Gingerale is really fucking good.
I spent the entire day filing with the Doc and Teresa. Teresa is a fun girl who I miss. You know what's hard? Being too busy to be with people who you really miss or who really need you.
I think I deserve a drink too. I may be slightly tipsy right now. Shut up. I needed it.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Hey, Hi! Thanks to everyone who commented and sent me emails yesterday. I’m feeling better today even though I still have a frillion things to do. Wednesdays are just such a bitch for me. And I’m not going to lie to you — I am still totally fried and overwhelmed. But I’m treading water much better today and my tasks seem much more manageable after getting through yesterday. Everyone keeps asking me what will happen if we don’t finish the video (only six days left and counting). I keep responding that we will finish because not completing this is not an option. Even if Howard and I have to stay here overnight next Wednesday to finish editing, we will get this done. We have to.
In the meantime, it seems as though I have been given carte blanche to get wasted at the bar after the dinner next week as everyone wants to be my D.D. Heh. Everyone in the company owes Howard and me a drink for this work anyway, so I am holding you all to the offers.
In the meantime, it seems as though I have been given carte blanche to get wasted at the bar after the dinner next week as everyone wants to be my D.D. Heh. Everyone in the company owes Howard and me a drink for this work anyway, so I am holding you all to the offers.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
More than ever before in my life, I feel like I am drowning. My head is barely above water right now.
Everyone think some good thoughts about me. If I make it through the next week all in one piece and manage to get everything done...It'll be a friggin' miracle.
Everyone think some good thoughts about me. If I make it through the next week all in one piece and manage to get everything done...It'll be a friggin' miracle.
Monday, October 09, 2006
Best part of my day: Painting a coworker purple and spiking his hair orange so that he can play this guy in our video. Also, said coworker's performance in video segment -- More ham than in a butcher shop, baby. Oh, and I also got to blow bubbles from off camera for this piece, which is fun to begin with, but now I get to list myself as "Bubble effects" in the credits too.
- Welcome to Cold War II: Electric Bugaloo.
- I would so vote for them.
- Nothing leafy and green is safe anymore.
- You can't play music on a baby, but you can use a baby as a weapon.
Not news, but should give you an indication on how my day is going:
- We were shooting a scene for the video at lunch today and it required me to scoot down this large rock to get close to the actress as we did her cutaway shots. As I slid down the rock, my pants got caught on a jagged edge, making a nice clean rip on my left ass cheek. My favorite pair of jeans too. Further proof that the only law that rules my life is Murphy's. Luckily I live close enough to my office that I could go home and change.
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Well, it's ready, I guess. I present to you: Photo Fiction. Yeah, I know it's not exactly the most ingenious name. But there it is. I'll be posting to it about 4-5 times a week for the rest of the semester, if you are in the mood for some short stories.
Also, please cut me some slack. It’s ass-hard writing fiction when you haven’t done it for eleventy thousand years. The last time I wrote a piece of fiction, it was in college for Woodcrest, and as I recall it was pretty sucky. So don’t judge too harshly, kay?
Also, please cut me some slack. It’s ass-hard writing fiction when you haven’t done it for eleventy thousand years. The last time I wrote a piece of fiction, it was in college for Woodcrest, and as I recall it was pretty sucky. So don’t judge too harshly, kay?
Thursday, October 05, 2006
1. That the editorial conference video project was just done already. It ceased being a charming side project and became tedious work ages ago. I’m tired of trying to arrange my life around other people’s schedules for filming, I’m tired of trying to figure out the craziest most convoluted ways to export this stuff to DVD/VHS/Quicktime when they won’t give us any software to do it with. Not to mention that we only have 15 days left, and we have tons of shit to do yet. Including me completing that damned animation piece. Guess what this weekend is, you guys? Animation Camp!
2. That the really cool photos I have for my Web Writing Class Blog would scan themselves so that I don’t have to waste countless hours doing it when I could be doing other things.
3. That I could come up with a solid idea for my writing piece for my other class, the class that makes me nuts. The piece is due in less than a week. 7-10 pages, needs to have a clear audience and purpose, can really be about whatever I want, should have some root in my “lived experience.” For my rough draft that was due this week, I wrote about Chris being wounded and the Iraq war and my dealing with that whole mess. The problems with the rough draft abound, including a) has no real resolution as I (and Chris and the rest of the world for that matter) are still living it; b) it’s depressing as all hell, and nobody wants to read that, leaving me without an audience; c) my teacher has been referring to this as an “autobiography” for weeks now only to tell us last night that it doesn’t have to be an autobiography, but she wanted us to have lived experience in it so that’s what she called the piece. And then my head promptly exploded. Because…I just feel that she’s being purposefully elusive sometimes. And I get why she’s doing that, but I just don’t respond well to that sort of teaching style. I understand that she wants us to focus on the little things. But it’s like doing a puzzle. Sure I can focus on piecing together this one corner, but show me the picture on the lid of the box so I know what the hell I’m doing. Anyway, suggestions welcome, if you have them.
4. Sushi. I am craving some good sushi like mad, you guys.
5. That I could have a free minute where I wasn’t thinking about work, or the video project, or grad work, or helping the Doc, or my messy messy room. A free minute to think about…wait for it…nothing at all. My brain is so wound up I’m having trouble sleeping.
6. Oh, man, while I’m at it, I would love to have a night where I go to bed before midnight. I am such an old woman.
7. That I could be paid to sit curled up on the couch with Dill and my laptop and spend the day looking at Lost discussion boards and theory website. Because last night’s episode, in spite of featuring way too much Jack’s annoying ass, was awesome. Ben/Henry? Creepy as all hell. Love Michael Emerson in this roll, LOVE.
2. That the really cool photos I have for my Web Writing Class Blog would scan themselves so that I don’t have to waste countless hours doing it when I could be doing other things.
3. That I could come up with a solid idea for my writing piece for my other class, the class that makes me nuts. The piece is due in less than a week. 7-10 pages, needs to have a clear audience and purpose, can really be about whatever I want, should have some root in my “lived experience.” For my rough draft that was due this week, I wrote about Chris being wounded and the Iraq war and my dealing with that whole mess. The problems with the rough draft abound, including a) has no real resolution as I (and Chris and the rest of the world for that matter) are still living it; b) it’s depressing as all hell, and nobody wants to read that, leaving me without an audience; c) my teacher has been referring to this as an “autobiography” for weeks now only to tell us last night that it doesn’t have to be an autobiography, but she wanted us to have lived experience in it so that’s what she called the piece. And then my head promptly exploded. Because…I just feel that she’s being purposefully elusive sometimes. And I get why she’s doing that, but I just don’t respond well to that sort of teaching style. I understand that she wants us to focus on the little things. But it’s like doing a puzzle. Sure I can focus on piecing together this one corner, but show me the picture on the lid of the box so I know what the hell I’m doing. Anyway, suggestions welcome, if you have them.
4. Sushi. I am craving some good sushi like mad, you guys.
5. That I could have a free minute where I wasn’t thinking about work, or the video project, or grad work, or helping the Doc, or my messy messy room. A free minute to think about…wait for it…nothing at all. My brain is so wound up I’m having trouble sleeping.
6. Oh, man, while I’m at it, I would love to have a night where I go to bed before midnight. I am such an old woman.
7. That I could be paid to sit curled up on the couch with Dill and my laptop and spend the day looking at Lost discussion boards and theory website. Because last night’s episode, in spite of featuring way too much Jack’s annoying ass, was awesome. Ben/Henry? Creepy as all hell. Love Michael Emerson in this roll, LOVE.
Monday, October 02, 2006
No duh, Horoscope:
Taurus
Pull out your electronic organizer, dear Taurus. You've got people to see, places to go, and a lot of work to accomplish this month. With a packed sixth house of work projects, you'll be on the go and in charge of some mighty interesting assignments. Those projects will take you far, for they will allow you to prove to higher ups that there is much more to you than meets the eye.
Gee, ya think? Christ, you don't need to be a seer to predict that one.
Taurus
Pull out your electronic organizer, dear Taurus. You've got people to see, places to go, and a lot of work to accomplish this month. With a packed sixth house of work projects, you'll be on the go and in charge of some mighty interesting assignments. Those projects will take you far, for they will allow you to prove to higher ups that there is much more to you than meets the eye.
Gee, ya think? Christ, you don't need to be a seer to predict that one.
