Happy Halloween!

Nothing says "Happy Halloween" like a costumed 'critter' with the excitement level of a Boston Terrier and the anticipation of a three week long sugar rush.

Fall memories

I began sorting all of the photos I had of the boys (and others) earlier in the year, but became busy/distracted, and never allowed myself time (or permission) to get back to the task. The boxes sat stacked and gathering dust over the last several months, absolutely the wrong thing for pictures.

As time passed, other stuff was eventually added to the piles of photographs, and pretty soon there was a mound along one wall and spread over three chairs.

**May I add that the three chairs were added as a result to the remod work in the kitchen. EV-erything in the kitchen-dining area had to go somewhere, and it was easiest to store the dining chairs in my area in the lower level. Besides, it gave me surfaces to stack (more) stuff on.

[mumble grumble]

A day or so ago I grabbed the boxes of photos and began to sort through them for relevant pictures to share online, mostly because my sons were adorable when they were young, and because the pictures are bright and clear and they make me smile...so why not share them? Then I realized I could create a sort of chronological layout to view of Brian and Karl from year one to their late childhood years...possibly early adolescence.

Stay tuned, I'm still scanning the images, but I should have something for you very soon. Until then, how about the colors in this photo?

High winds'll do that to ya

Last night, as the temps began to dip for the evening...the remaining sunshine was beginning its rapid twilight fade...and the winds decided 'somewhat gusty' speeds should be replaced by the ol' 'zippity-doo-dah surprise', the sagging vinyl sheets of my front door portico took a bit of a ride on the wild side.

We were sitting in the living room eating stew and talking, when the wind suddenly gusted at just the right angle and speed and deftly blew (and pulled) at the rippled underside of the sheeting, peeling one piece completely free of the track holding it in place. Not only that, but the track itself - insufficiently stapled in place - was pulled and twisted with that same riotous gust. The father of the previous owner had NOT nailed (or screwed) anything in place in any truly permanent fashion. Rather, it looks as though no thought was given to how it all may look or behave or last over time. It was all just slapdashed enough to get the inspector here and gone, and the construction permit signed off on.

So, faster than a New York minute, there were four rather surprised humans congregated on the porch, grabbing, holding, thinking and scheming as to how to get the loose piece back in place, while trying to keep the two additional pieces (now hanging precipitously from the 'ceiling') from whipping about and hurting anyone, or allowing them to also fall to the ground.

Most of the work centered on how to get the track back in place with another loose piece still hanging from it - all the while not damaging anything too much more than already was.

We scrounged up a ladder and step stool, the drill, screws to make the repairs to the sagging track and covering, a hammer, and something to ply the edges back into the tight-fitting track.

Thinking back on it now it all didn't take very long, but it wasn't something I had planned on having to do. At first I couldn't see how we could fix it given the visual damage and the high winds still wreaking havoc, but after a few moments of deliberation (and somewhat calm behavior), we were all excitedly re-entering the house, proud of the work and geeked from having repaired the odd wind damage.

Invigorating!

I was hoping...

...to post some of Karl's class work here.

Sadly, the blogger program won't upload the bits and pieces from his class work. :( They are mostly Flash projects or .jpgs, or small .mov files...but for some reason the uploads are stalling - and it isn't the sizes of the pieces being uploaded.

Perhaps this weekend I will load the items onto my YouTube account and set up links to them here - then all you need do is click on the link to view them...if you are so inclined.

In other news - it's grey and windy and beginning to look a lot like winter. Brrrr.

Brian's jeep is finally gone; he sold it to a low-balling scrapper, but it is now history as far as we are concerned. The person who bought it paid him cash Friday evening, and then said he'd be back to collect it on Monday - which he did! Bud made grown-up plans to use the cash to pay for his car insurance (for the next couple of months) and to replace his broken phone. Still, his expression was hard to look at, and his attitude was bleak for several days.

Once the vehicles pulled away Monday afternoon, Brian's melancholy grew, but there were pangs of relief mixed in with it all. Life lessons that leave you with a lot of knocks and bruises (and which take a great deal of money besides) are sometimes not easily gotten over. Hopefully, you retain the knowledge and take it to heart and you make better choices down the road. Hoping and praying.

A good thing and a sad thing about Pickles

First off, yes.....I named the Katydid. Her name is "Pickles."

'Why Pickles?' I hear some of you asking, a-n-d how do you know it's a she?

Well, I'll tell you. She was a lovely green and quite lively, so there were many descriptive 'names' that came to mind, but none of the typical monikers you would assign to a living creature (bug) in one's home really suited her.

We came to enjoy watching her move about - she wasn't at all as mechanical as I would have thought - and she could really move with some speed when she set her mind to it (without taking flight). Whenever she realized the lid had been lifted, she was off to the races, and she seemed more than happy to simply rest on the rim of the jar. We'd have left her that way overnight, but fear of chomping kitty jaws prompted us to replace the cover - with her safely inside - although, the lid was always ajar for her to have fresh air moving around.

Spritzing the inside of the container with water always resulted in a great show. You could hoist the jar over your head and watch as she sucked up puddles from the bottom or sides. Good-sized amounts of water vanished in seconds when she was particularly thirsty, and this happened more frequently after she'd layed her eggs! Her appetite all but vanished once the eggs were left on one of the sticks in her jar - and, oh, how I wish I could have watched that miracle unfold.

And that, my dear fellows, is how I know that Pickles is a "she-did" and not a "he-did."

Sadly, we allowed Pickles outdoor time again today, and on this second sunny, warm October day, she decided to bid us adieau and not return to the door or window for the first time in 5 days. We will miss her company, but we are planning on taking care of our new charges over the coming winter months, so that in the spring we might have the pleasure of watching the new little Katybugs hatch and begin a new generation of cool bug madness in our gardens.

Oh, by the way

We've had a strange border living with us for the last three days and it's been entertaining (in an odd way) to say the least.

The girls have found our enigmatic green guest hard to resist, but even harder to play with, and the first night we caught Cleo in several attempts at trying to push the lid of the jar off to get more paws-on (and nose) time with the rather large Katydid.

Flop would just sit patiently with her nose pressed to the outside of the glass watching the lumbering movements, but Cleo wasn't happy unless she could get her nose right on it.

Karl and I arrived home Wednesday from his class to find the specimen sitting on the doorstep, somewhat tangled in cobweb in a corner of the door. He/she was hard to miss - that's how large it is. Karl freed it from the spiderwebbery and we decided to keep it inside for a bit to observe, and to simply marvel over its size. The cats, on the other hand, were keenly interested in playing! If Cleo could have put a saddle on it, I swear she would have ridden it around the house!

The next day Brian tried to turn it loose outdoors (after a romp with the girls) but several hours later, when I opened the door to get the mail, there it was again! It had made the journey back across the porch to our front door, where it perched.

K theorized that the warmth attracted it, despite the food source we endeavored to turn it loose on. I would have thought eating would have been higher on his priority least (or even mating), but apparently we have a rather alluring door. So, I gathered some items from the flowerbed for it to eat, crawl around in and feel a little more at home in, stuck it all in the jar (with the Kdid) and went about our daily activities. When we looked in on it later, it had eaten a good portion of a leaf and had become comfy pretending to blend in the rest of the 'decor.' Kind of cool!

Incidentally, I always thought critters like our Katydid met their moisture requirements while eating the greenery, BUT it turns out they actually go about gathering moisture all by itself, too. I know!

I watched my little green friend lap up all the rain mist from the new leaves without a break. The leaves were all damp when I stuck them into the jar, but after just a few short moments of careful and methodical turns, he had completely dried every surface of several leaves! It was amazing. Poor bugger must have been parched.

I feel badly that the temps have gotten so chilly lately, I guess this is why he prefers Casa Us over doing the normal buggy thing, and goodness knows I don't mind watching after it, but I am going to hate looking in that jar one day to find a dead bug.

Until that happens though, I guess we will just have some fun watching nature take a vacation.

What I miss most of all re: the last film project

No, not really but they were delicious to munch on every now and then throughout the production day. At some point, the baked goods ceased to arrive at the locations, and the hords of eating faces increased tremendously, so leftovers (of any sort) became a thing of the past.

These beautiful bisquits aren't the thing I miss the most (though it's really a close second...hmmm, third. No, make that the fifth most missed thing), and while the boys had their fair share of lovely snacks too (like these and more), and delicious dinners every night, courtesy of Mike and Andrew (just way later than an American meal should be eaten), I do miss the ease of bringing home good food already prepared. Fewer dishes, less work, no thinking or planning necessary.

Dinner tonight will be beef stew. If I had a working oven we would also have biscuits...mostly because I am in a warm-bread-mood lately. Yesterday I made some pretty good turkey burgers for a late lunch, to help fill Karl's stomach before heading off to class, but none of them remain in the fridge (that's how I know the boys liked them), so it looks like we will be having that stew...not that I mind.

Hey, maybe for dessert I'll make chocolate pudding.

What's on your dinner table tonight?

Is it just me?

Is it just me, or is October just zipping by? Is it in a hurry to get somewhere -- with or without me?

Is it just me, or is there an awful lot to do yet, season-wise, before stores begin stocking Christmas items?

Is it just me, or does it appear as though the leaves are in no big hurry to jump to their deaths?

So, a couple of weeks ago I surmised that it would be wise to wait until all of the leaves had fallen out of the maple tree in the front yard before attempting to rake this year. Yup...and then it rained. :^P Raking limp, wet leaves is no fun...and it's a lot of extra work to boot. Made myself a little cranky looking at half-a-tree's-worth of leaves soggily laying all around the yard, so I stopped looking at it.

B-u-t, the last several days have been beautiful. Sunny, rain-free, crisp, not too breezy.....a-n-d there's my tree. Still clutching a mountain of bright yellow leaves like it has some sort of contest with the other trees on the street!

The neighbors' trees are having a great time, dropping leaves like there's no tomorrow (and I am about ready to make a midnight attack and rake their leaves back across the lot line where they belong). Oh, yeah baby, I would.

I love the way fall looks. Love the way it smells and feels and tastes. Love the flavors of the last apples and the cider...and the donuts! The collections of colors in the leaves and fall flowers, and the greys of the sky and heavy clouds on some days. But most especially, I love the sun brilliantly shining through trees full of amber, orange, flaming- and rusty-red leaves. There's even a strange beauty to be enjoyed in the empty branches left behind once the trees are bare.

Is it just me, or.....

Oh, pheh! It's probably just me.

Because somebody asked...

The longest counter weighed 110lbs, and each of the two shorter pieces weighed in at 53lbs!!

I know!

216 pounds plus me, and it's still moving like a champ.

My little car handled it beautifully, AND got tremendous gas mileage while toting all of that weight around Canton, Livonia and then up M-24, around Pontiac to home.

Incredible!

Some progress...some not so progressive

I just keep finding more things that need filling!!! Somebody stop me!

I want to bake brownies!

I so want to pop muffins in the oven one morning and broil some ribs. I have a huge hankerin' to make a meatloaf and garlic spuds for dinner....but I can't (at least not that meatloaf part).

No oven.

No money to pay the carpenter to return and finish the job, either. This was not the way this year was supposed to go. NOT THE WAY! Once again, I sanded spots this morning that I mudded after finding them while sanding for the last final sanding - before priming - before painting...yadda yadda.

In other words, I haven't primed, so the paint isn't done yet, either.

This is the back stoop, it leads to the garage.

I ended up mudding more really crappy areas uncovered while sanding, and the dumbass perfectionist in me went to work correcting the flaws. Why didn't I just go outside and rake leaves? I dunno.

I dunno.

On another note, I do know we are having Pumpkin Soup tonight for dinner, mostly because last night we had spaghetti, and I wanted something easy enough to make in one pot on the stove, just so I can keep on moving with my cleaning and puttering while I wait for the mud to dry.

Honestly, it wasn't a completely lost day - I reorganized a few of the kitchen cupboards (dry goods, canned goods, etc), and put away a bunch of food that was dislocated when the rehab to the floor and cooking space began. Felt good to be putting away things that simply looked messy (things that outsiders wouldn't realize were the result of remodeling aftermath - and 'during-math').

I reclaimed a fair portion of the dining room table today, too; threw out some stuff, filed important papers, opened mail (don't judge me...it's been a crap few months).

Read an old paper. Almost read today's paper.

Vacuumed.

Sorted through some junk, and made mental notes on how to rearrange the lower level to make better use of the space (and allow me to get to the walls to bleach them down and prime them as well).

Yup, it may not have been the best way to spend the beautiful day, but it was all good - just not the progressive day it was meant to have been. Tomorrow will be another chance to make good on my goal for the walls - I just need to put blinders on to make that darned perfectionist side stay focused and on task.

Either that or I blind the wench!

Things never go according to plan

Yesterday was one of those days where, no, I didn't do the things I most wanted/needed to do, but then I did get something I very badly needed for a quilt I plan to enter into (and win with) an upcoming contest. So, in the grand scheme of things...not a horrible day.

Spent it with Jean from mid-afternoon on, in a very round road trip. She had plans to drive to A2 to pick up and transport one of her daughters to the airport, stopping - of course - to eat dinner and to deliver a few belongings along the way.

Kismit!

No sooner had I blogged that I was in desperate need of a certain material for the afore mentioned quilt contest, then Jean called to ask if I would be interested in a road trip. Of course! but I cast my bid to stop at any JAFs that might be in the area - if we had the time - and sure enough it became one of those items on the road trip.

Jean had found two in the general area of Ann Arbor, and had put them into her nav system (A.K.A. "Louise"), and off we went.

The first store was large and well-stocked, as far as quilting cottons and bundles, but for all that they had, they didn't have the one material I needed. Found a decent substitute, though, and settled on 3/4 of a yard, then scooted out knowing full well there was little chance on locating any more of the project material I desired. As we drove to the next (hard to find) JAF, I tried to warm myself to the resolution of having to use the sub material and work it in the best I could.

Once we located the small (last) JAF, we hustled in, short on time and patience. Quickly navigating to the calicos in the back of the store, we divided and conquered the area, not finding anything but flatfolded FQs and bolts of cotton. Out of desperation I asked a store clerk if they had any quilt bundle packs, and she walked us even further back, to a very well concealed few bins on a wall. I don't know how we missed that, but wheeeee!

In we dove, and Jean came up with the one and only matching quilt bundle about 45 seconds into our frantic dig.

Yea!

After looking through the remaining bundles, we ran to the register and paid for our finds (which were on sale...without use of a coupon!), then scurried to the car only to get back on the road and become wedged in horrible afternoon A2 traffic. Jean grabbed daughter Julie about 10 minutes later than she'd wanted to, and then we drove to a cute little restaurant somewhere in the city (Casey's Tavern on Depot Street - yummy turkey burger and steak fries). We took the chow to go as the Friday night dinner crowd and noise was a little much, plus Julie needed to pack. We ate dinner and chatted a bit, then got back on the road. All in all, an eventful day on the road, sprinkled with tons of laughs, good company and typical MI orange-barrel season frustrations. We capped the day by watching some Firefly (mmmeat, Canadian BF) and then nodding off to sleep.

:)

Anyhow, today I am happy....and busy - between the fortunate find and the work that now lies ahead of me (to meet the contest deadline), and the kitchen project that still requires a good deal of daylight hours to complete, I have my work cut out for me.

For now (today), I think it will be painting first and doing quilting stuff while the paint dries.

For a head's-up on the quilt progress, don't forget to check out the quilt blog www.truenorthquilter.blogspot.com.

Upward and onward

OK, well then...'onward,' at the very least.

The last two days were devoted to Karl and getting reacquainted with the house (digging out the sink from the mound of dishes, dealing with the mountains of laundry - mostly folding this time, getting back into the stalled kitchen project, etc). Now I only need to keep us moving in the right direction and keep the momentum up, and I think I have figured out how to do it. That's right, I am giving it (and by "it" I mean the current remod stuff and myself) a deadline!

A wha....?!?!?!

A deadline!? Are you nuts?

Am I crazy?

[not even a momentary thought]

Oh, yes my friends, I am. I am just that crazy.

Perhaps shooting for Thanksgiving...with the added insane notion of having turkey dinner here, eh? Is that enough pressure?

Oohhhh, I think it may be.

[insert a self-loathing maniacal grin here] Mwah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha

Today, those two darned walls are getting primed whether any of us likes it or not, and then I am heading for HD to get the paint! Yea!

But before any of that, this is also trash day. So, it is time to get the garbage collected and out to the curb before all else.

OK, so....sideways and onward! It's still "onward," right?

An update: waiting to exhale

So I managed to accomplish 3.5 of the things on my list. That's right, three and one half. One of the most important was getting the counter tops for the island, and now I can tick it off.

My sweet little car is sitting out in the parking lot, laden down with pounds and pounds of beech butcher block counter top. I am glad I have it in my car - glad to be taking it home, because now I am that much closer to having the kitchen done - but I am terrified about the effects of that weight on the interior of my car.

The longest counter is as long as the open space from the tail gait to the dash/windscreen, and there is no good place to lay that weight on the dash (let's face it, dashboards are not created to bear that much wait for a prolonged period of time - at least my Scion's wasn't). I guess I will see tomorrow if there is any permanent damage.

Holding my breath.

Today's agenda

Continue to rinse/pre-shrink cottons for quilt

Check on availability of counters for kitchen island

Pay a few bills online and snail mail

Maybe cut strips for the quilt (if I can settle on a block size)

Look for new postings (corporate and 'industry')

Read the Sunday paper (brought it from home)

Smile

It could have been funny

If she hadn't gone out of her way to actually say I destroyed her first cup of coffee, the whole thing could have been funny.

Instead, she decided to make her own first morning 'jo' - because, as she puts it: "Don't you think I can do anything for myself?" So I opted to brush my teeth.

When I got back out to the kitchen, she was preparing yet another cup of coffee. I asked her if she was having a second cup, but because she didn't "have her ears in" she began to prattle on in incomplete sentences and frustration...finally ending it with "if you had put the creamer where it belonged, it wouldn't have happened."

Yesterday, she shuffled bottles of milk and juice (and all the rest of the stuff on the top shelf in the fridge) around to locate her bottle of water. The 1/2 gallon orange juice container ended up in the front right hand position, where the 1/2 gallon coffee creamer usually goes. Mind you, the door shelf usually holds a smaller (pint or quart-sized) container of 1/2 and 1/2, where it is quick and easy to grab. BUT, this spot was filled by countless bottles of other refrigerated items - and this was my fault.

Her words, not mine.

"If you had just put things where they are supposed to be, you wouldn't have ruined my coffee."

Yeah, I am still smiling, cuz the thought of her trying to drink her coffee with orange juice swapped for creamer is sort of payback enough (in advance).

"I don't want to argue," she said. "I don't want to talk about it any more."

Yeah, except you blamed me for doing something I had nothing to do with, and here's your untaken thyroid pill.

Preparations

Why does it seem as if I have so much to do and no time to get it done? Despite the well known fact that I haven't a solid 9-to-5 job every day, I seem to be out of time when it comes to getting done those things which so desperately need doing.

I squandered one of the last beautiful weather days driving to visit friends, and now am packing to head to Gram's for the next few days - thus wasting another of the last opportunities available this year to tackle critical needful chores.

I think I am now going to rush to the hardware store and get a can of oil base paint and cover the posts that support the roof over my porch - this has needed doing for the last two years (easily). Despite my desires to PRIME and PAINT THE KITCHEN WALL, and to get ready for the last phase of that whole debacle/improvement, I must do what is most critical.

Another immediate need is to get screen doors installed both front and back. That has to be done whether the weather is compliant or not, so I will be door shopping next week (come hell or high water). Installation will happen at the earliest convenient time when there is no rain - with or without 60* temps!

Scarlett O'Hara, I feel your determination welling up inside me, sister!

10:10 10/10/10

Just thought this was sort of cool.

It's all good

I was sitting at the keyboard yesterday morning, blogging, searching for work, answering email, catching up on news of friends and family (mostly friends), and I chanced to look out the library window. The shade is always up, and at certain times throughout the year the scene of dappled sun through the Chinese Maple is heart-stoppingly blissful.

In the spring, when the skies are a vibrant blue and the leaf buds are bursting from red to green; or, in the summer, when our rogue-ish resident squirrel perches on a visible branch and grooms (or scolds our porch chipmunks).

And then there's the fall.

That time of year so utterly conflicted on its own behalf, but where the leaves begin their final few weeks of existence totally dependent upon (and affected by) the weather for their further development or immediate demise.

It was then I noticed the leaves had begun their inexorable dance to the ground. The very slightest breeze was evident, and that was all that was needed for the loosest leaves to be nudged from the tree.

A few fell here and there, and it was so delicate...so subtle...you would hardly have noticed it at all, but it put me in mind of the gentlest snowfall. I found it mesmerizing.

Later, while driving north along I-75, I suddenly started to think of the passage of the last few weeks (the whole month of September, really), and realized that October meant a huge change in the seasons and the foliage, and it means the end of our green period in Michigan. What prompted this realization were those few stands of trees set back in fields, the ones where the recent cold temps had had an effect on the colors of the leaves.

By November, the trees will be bare and the grass will be well on the way to muddy brown, the skies will become steely in tone for a great deal of the time, and moods will become somber and muted (until Christmas shopping and holiday decorating becomes all the rage). However, there is always that part of autumn that comes to visit us with incomparable beauty - in between the last vestiges of summer and the onset of winter.

Those brilliant weeks of jewel-tone trees. Copper-colored leafy ceilings. Trees decked out in vibrant yellows and shades of crimson and plums. Unrivaled oranges and velvety browns. A mixture so rich and unbelievably beautiful, you can't stop looking at it.

Sometimes the sun hits a spot with such intensity the whole landscape can make your jaw drop and take your mind off of anything complicated or messy. Let yourself go when you find a moment like that. Accept the momentary gift from God, soak it in and file it away. It's all good!

Links to articles regarding the last film project I worked on in the D, and/or articles and PBS reels regarding Matthew at work on an earlier project. If you Google Matthew Barney, you will find a number of informative things to read on this multi-faceted artist. http://www.freep.com/article/20101004/ENT04/101004004/1319/A-bizarre-journey-into-art-a-Matthew-#ixzz11Oqsw69w

http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/barney/index.html?gclid=CPehz93Ww6QCFQ775wod9lNoDA

A taste of Karl's OCC Animation class

This is one of four projects already completed in this particular class. Up to this point it has all been drawing, but yesterday, during class, the instructor introduced the group to sand drawing. It was interesting, and I could see where it could be a lot of fun to really get into, but it is time consuming to get any real detail, or to manipulate it 'just so.'

Karl was not so enthusiastic about this bit of animation technique, but his efforts in this small group project is the face that moves it's mouth (@ 00:11:00 in). The entire piece was a little short, so the instructor asked me to add a couple of seconds...mine are at the end (literally). The heart/snowflake and "end" were me (then I was asked to add some sound from their software package, to complete the thing).

Enoy! I will add more of Karl's work when it is saved in a format that allows it to be uploaded.

A little mental free-association

I had high hopes for getting the sanding and priming done in the kitchen, leading right away to the painting portion. So desperately do I want to finish this task, that I contemplated not giving too big a rat's behind about the final condition of the drywall before priming and painting.

That is to say, I was thinking about doing a pretty half-ass job so that I could get the whole thing done and over with in order to call back the carpenter (j-u-s-t that much faster).

As I was sanding and mudding more spots on the cold wall in the kitchen, my mind strangely, quietly, inexplicably turned to thoughts of the Duke. That's right, John Wayne took over my psyche.

Why?

I do not know why...but John Wayne - American icon, western movie hero and cowboy extraordinaire - sat tall in the saddle of my thoughts as I sanded and vacuumed and spackled.

Then....somehow, I began to think of Jackie Chan's character's name in Shanghai Noon: Chon Wang.

That put me in the mood for Chinese food, and then there I was! Standing on a step stool, hawk full of mud compound, dusty face turned toward the angle where the ceiling meets the wall, and my stomach grumbled.

I need to stop thinking so much. :)

PS - don't forget, all quilting photos & blog entries now at www.truenorthquilter.blogspot.com

W.I.4.

213.4

Been a while, I know. The scale has fluctuated wildly over the summer, but I am once again heading downward in the numbers. Hooah!

By Christmas I hope to be very near 200.

Back to school

This will be the first time in three weeks that I will be back with Karl in his OCC classroom - Brian has been attending (reluctantly) since I began working the last project. But...it will be my first time at the new campus since he's begun the Maya class at CCS (in the city) - thankfully that isn't until Thursday evening.

The boys have been telling me of the pains and hoops and brick walls they have come up against in dealing with the CCS folks - and I am bent out of shape! This is not the first time we have had bad info and incredibly poor (to no) communication. I will be calling the program folks at CCS in the morning to issue complaints regarding the numerous mistakes and time wasting their staff has once again inflicted on a student. Unbelievable!

As for his community college class - animation - he is slowly getting through the last assignment, which is due tomorrow. I will post the mp3 file for viewing after the pieces have been scanned and digitized. His portion is really cute, and well done (and no, this is not motherly pride), so I am eager to see how it fits in with the rest of the other students' work.

More later. Have a great day.

Pros and Cons

I began work on Ancient Evenings with a little over 3,000 miles on my car, figuring working the three days a week described in the ad (and discussed with Andrew, before beginning work) wouldn't be an issue when it came to being able to conduct some personal business (like calls, looking for work the other 4 days of the week, getting my oil change at 5,000 miles, etc, etc).

Well, I was wrong. So very wrong. By the second week, they were trying to get me to be there 5 to 6 days a week, even though they had many more PAs on their list. They wanted a 'constant,' they wanted a go-to-guy, and that was what I was for Andrew. But, I wanted to balance my free time with the freebie work thay were getting, especially while staring at a 2+ hour drive each day. How do you say "no" when you really want to say "yes"? But you know if you don't save some time for yourself you won't enjoy the rest of the time spent working because of the absolute resentment of what you will be putting toward their project and not getting done in your own world.

It's almost always a crapshoot.

That gig had it's ups and downs (as do they all), and I could tolerate most of it, but it does not mean I approved of - or condoned - the way production used the "interns" [a.k.a. "free labor"]because the uninitiated interns are all eager for a chance to work on a film. These newbies don't understand that there is a line (a big fat ol' line) that is crossed with gay abandon and nary a thought of compensation or apology or guilt on the part of the production masters pulling the strings and dangling the carrot.

For my part, I knew what I was getting into (I weighed the "internship" up against the street cred a Matthew Barney film credit would bring me), but I have been on the paying side of this type of work enough to know when the production company is squeezing the 'turnip' for all the blood it can get - figuratively speaking - and this turnip did keep some time for itself...until the paying days showed up (then I was in full a full, straight 8, because the cash was almost worth it).

Let me show you a little of the internal debates that rumbled through my brain each day. This is just a smattering, mind you.

PRO: The boys had some great meals from the catering leftovers early on in the game.

CON: Who are those two boys living in my house - I have sons? Did I pay the mortgage?

CON: The hours were absolute crap 89% of the time. What day is this?

PRO: I loved being needed, and getting respect & recognition for doing a good job at times.

CON: I hate being (& allowing myself to be) taken advantage of.

CON: I hated nicely helping the young ones find sources for items without getting a thank you or an 'atta boy', or a mention when the above-the-lines liked my ideas or finds as presented by the flunkys. Never again.

PRO: I finally did get paid for the last eight days. [YEA!!!] (MINI CON: Had to work/wait around 6 hours to get it.)

CON: Pigeon-holed into another paperwork position, again; not allowed to really shine.

PRO: It's over and life has returned to something of a normal state for a short while.

CON: It's over, and I would like another job; I'm bored and I still have a lot to do around home.

My sleep patterns are still fouled up, but the cold I have had the last six days or so is nearly gone. There are still two sinkfuls of dishes to wash, LOTS of laundry, a pokey Karl to nudge regarding homework, a bathroom needing cleaning, a kitchen to complete, and much more to tend to, but I would trade it all for another paying gig..............or would I?

Oh, and by the way, I put twenty-four-hundred miles on my car driving back and forth to the D (and all locations), PLUS the running to and fro for scavenged items, ferrying actors and performers (sheesh), running food to the barge workers, etc, picking up extra meals, and so on and so on. 2,400. 2,400!

CON!

Can't believe I "ate" the whole thing

It's been a little more than three weeks on this project, but it ended last night with a cold October bang. And where it looked like I was going to get paid for this gig (I was told I would be paid, at least for the last week), I think I may have been lied to in order to get me to cross the line to the camera side - which meant hosing over the gentleman who brought me onboard the project.

Typical production behavior.

In the meanwhile I have been stuck receiving calls from a lot of people regarding a myriad list of issues; most especially from the gentleman who leased us his 36' 5th wheel as a honey wagon. Sorry to say this whole experience will most likely sour him on leasing it to a film crew again. I have left notes and calls to the two who should be in charge of getting Dan (trailer man) onto the grounds in order to retrieve his trailer, but he continues to ring my phone, which has no minutes left on it. My next step will be to send him Mike's number should the calls continue to Monday.

Yes, that's right, for the first time, I am over on my minutes; and that's something else I need to address with Mike (the producer).

As I prepared to depart the major location Friday evening, I left notes and cleaned the catering area (AKA "crafty") to an impeccable state, but drew the line at the trailer. It was horrendous!

As soon as filming wrapped, and the stream of actors, singers, musicians, factory workers, production staff, camera, sound and misc others decended upon crafty for dinner, the above the line folks dove into the honey wagon and trashed it. They popped corks and drank, then left for the reception at another location on the grounds.

When I entered the cabin, the smell of alcohol was so strong, I had to step back. Empty bottles and cans were everywhere, and cups and wardrobe were strewn all about. People's jackets and backpacks, muddy footprints and general trash was just too much. The formerly clean interior was now a horror story, and I wasn't playing the hero in this one. Although, I did take the pile of thoughtlessly abandoned walkies and ear pieces to the lone girl in charge of collecting them. She, like myself, was left wondering "what the h*ll" as we stood alone in our respective territories.

Once the hord in crafty turned into a trickle for me, I began in earnest to clean the catering tents, and when the last person wandered in looking for a meal, I apologized for the food offerings - which were no longer steaming (the sternos had burned out long before) - and for the lackluster selection. You can only feed so many people when provided with a limited amount of prepared food.

I spent my time going back and forth between the catering tent and the trailer, grabbing my items and loading them into my car, and chasing after refuse and emptying carelessly full cans of pop and bottles of water before tossing them into the correct receptacles.

The night was soggy and cold and terribly windy, and I didn't see any merit in hanging about any longer than necessary, especially since I had done my duty, and I was now working into my 14th hour that day. I sent a text to Mike asking about the time to show up Sunday (since the catering driver told me that food had been ordered for breakfast and lunch), and received a text in return saying 'don't show up.'

"Call me so I can thank you" was the last thing sent...and I jumped into my vehicle and pointed the nose of my car toward home.

Since then there has been no word about payment for my time in production. That has been a bitter mouthful to swallow.