da-na ... da-na-daa ...

Well, I could write all about my current health issues which are impacting on the day-job, in addition to the added stress of the Evi-- Wi-- (erm, I've said waaay too much) . . . the lovely lady my Father loves and dotes upon and won't hear a word said against: my Step Mother, who ... and it is nightmare-ish for all concerned, especially her ... has been diagnosed with a serious form of cancer (although no one is using the T word, or palliative) but they found it early and she should pull through fine after a long and trying dalliance with chemo, radio, and drugs over the next 6 months, probably.
And no, I wouldn't wish this on her, despite everything. But it reminds me of the HELL that was 2004/2005 when my mother died.

But all of the above is boring and painful and generally crappy. So instead I shall write about something wonderful!
When you're as low as you can get, anything nice that happens is wonderful, but this really, really is. Maybe.

WONDERFUL.

Okay - health impacting on day job, has also impacted on my self-esteem, so in order to regain my feelings of self-worth and the illusion of power, I decided to self-publish my two Tarot books (I'll point you at 'em when they're out - should be the next month or so).

So I'm doing the final edit on both books, getting them shipshape and up to scratch - basically quite a lot of work (as I'm having to learn some functions in word and in PDF that I've never used before), liaising with artists, and beginning to think I'm a bit busier that I wanted to be. But what the heck, I'm achieving my dream of seeing my work in print, and if no bugger buys them at the end of the day, so what. At least I'll have tried! :)

... and then ...



EEK!

Just when you thought The American collaboration had completely expired, and the producer was long gone, ... he's circled back. :) And I swear I saw him lick his lips!

Basically he wants a finished script in December.

We're still discussing. It's early days. But suddenly my workload seems to have grown exponentially.

And thankfully, you can write from your sick bed. - - Otherwise I'd be totally stuffed, mainly because I'd have already eaten through my arm with boredom.

Anyhow, WAY-HEY! :)

....

For those of you interested:
I had what was most likely swine flu back in July, and it doesn't go particularly well with Asthma (I was one of the first to get it just after they'd stopped testing and said "Ring your doctor"), and the after effects - for me - have been unpleasant. I was doing okay, but feeling crappy, and then in late September I got a temperature (a brief lurgy of some kind) and since then I have been totally wiped out. It really ain't pleasant. The doctor says post viral crapness can go on for many, many months. All I can say is, I hope not, because this ain't fun.
If you have the chance to get the vaccine, I would say take it... but obviously it's your choice and I'm not qualified in any way to give medical advice. It's just my opinion, for what it's worth.

Time to Nest

It’s that time of year again, when the nights are drawing in and dark o’clock comes earlier and earlier in the evening and hangs around far too long in the morning.
You try to ignore the clock and stay snuggled in bed, nesting.
(Sadly without the cat – my evil black and midnight Monster was run over last year by some scumbag who doesn’t believe speed limits exist at 3am. I found it very traumatic, I don’t want to talk about it.)

Snuggled in bed, nesting....

This morning it wasn’t my internal clock that woke me, it was a sound I recognise from way back when I was little and we lived in the middle of nowhere – the harsh, abrasive sound of a mouse chewing its way through cardboard.
Better than a rat, most definitely – I’ve got nothing against rats per se. Pet rats are lovely. But the wild ones ... they get my hackles up, when they’re not caught being very cute in that brief second when the light comes on and then they vanish at light speed.
Both sets of rodent are considered vermin, both sets can be very cute and “ooh-aah, look at its little nose, and its ickle paws. Aah.” And both sets can be very, very destructive. Chewing through cardboard is the least of their sins.
Mice like nesting in paper. As a writer I have a fair bit of paper hanging around; carefully stored in boxes – ideas and inspirations noted down over the years, to work on later.... So I guess mice love my environment as much as I do, but in a way that makes me panic.

I have set up two live traps (self-made, so it may be a disaster), and baited them. Hopefully I’ll catch the little bugger and transport him away somewhere safer. He, or *horrified gasp* she, can spend the winter nesting somewhere well away from me thank you very much.
My nest is mine, I tell you. MINE! Grrrrrrr.

Z'up?

So, where have I been? ...

Holiday, followed by family crisis, discovering facebook, writing, researching, mulling.

What am I doing next? More research and mulling, maybe some writing ... unless I procrastinate by getting the rust off the car and all the fun of discovering how to paint bodywork badly, that that involves.

In short, sorry about the lack of posts. I'm in hiding for the mo. Back as and when.

Phill has an excellent post on:

Format

If you've been having a rant about how scripts are supposed to be formatted, you should seriously go and read the above post. Follow the link you lazy writery types!

Happiness is the return of someone you really miss.

Philip Morton is back!

The future playground?

So how is the film/tv/internet story venue changing?

We are currently in the process of changing over to a new business model - from 'scarcity controlled' to experience based 'when you want it, where you want it, how you want it'.
Interesting times for anyone in the visual media business.

Barrett Garese has an essay on the subject you might find interesting, here.