My DVR. I am so lost without it. I'd gotten so used to it, it is difficult now that I do not have it anymore. I'd record all my shows that I would miss during the week and even shows that I don't normally watch just out of curiosity. Now, I am missing things left and right because I can't figure out how ot program the stinkin' VCR. I always ended up recording channel 3 (HBO) or static or nothing at all! Argghh.
I guess in a way it is a good thing, I can be a lot more productive without TV bogging me down ;) Who knows what I could accomplish with an extra hour or so without the idiot box? Who am I kidding?
Friday, April 28, 2006
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Entitlement
I love him to death, but he is driving me insane! It's amazing how I have a few friends in my life who have a sense of entitlement towards me and/or my time. I admit to a certain extent friendship is a give and take thing, but can you consider my time too? I have already spent countless hours discussing this project with him. I am just completely brain dead when it comes to that subject.
So a good friend of mine wrote a script years ago. It is a short only about 30 pages or so and it is ok. The first time I read it, I told him my honest opinion - that it read like a PSA. He got really defensive, so I had to spend hours defending my opinion. Granted he solicited my opinion, and I gave it to him - hesitantly because I didn't want to have to justify every single nuance of my opinion.
So he called one of his other friends and she said the same thing and he got us both on the line and we discussed it for hours and hours. He was very defensive and argumentative.
So now he has revised the script and he kept a lot of what we said in mind, and it better, but in my opnion it is just ok. My main issue with the script is that I don't really relate to the characters, nor do I care what happens to them.
But he wants to belabor this script with me night after night. Well, what if I do this, or how about that? Long discussion. That's cool, but I don't know how much longer I can stand it. I don't want to write it....
The thing is my friend is a great director and filmmaker, but a writer...eh...he is just ok. It is kinda like Spike Lee in a way. I think Spike is a great director, but his writing is a little suspect. His films (that he wrote) I felt were preachy, one dimensional and generally just ok (with the exception of Mo Betta Blues and X) He just got better as he honed in on his strengths and left the acting to the actors and the writing ot the writers.
My friend is extremely analytical and often reads way too much into the details, but sometimes misses the big picture. He is very gifted with setting up a scene with words. When reading his work, you can literally see how the scene is supposed to look - which I think is phenomenal. But dialogue and sometimes character development....not so much.
I am no film critic - that's for sure. My idea of Must See TV is America's Next Top Model, so clearly I am not that deep :) Which is why I shouldn't be spending long countless hours analyzing a script - (I really should be writing my own). Don't get me wrong, I love reading scripts, but don't hate if I don't tell you what you don't want to hear.
So a good friend of mine wrote a script years ago. It is a short only about 30 pages or so and it is ok. The first time I read it, I told him my honest opinion - that it read like a PSA. He got really defensive, so I had to spend hours defending my opinion. Granted he solicited my opinion, and I gave it to him - hesitantly because I didn't want to have to justify every single nuance of my opinion.
So he called one of his other friends and she said the same thing and he got us both on the line and we discussed it for hours and hours. He was very defensive and argumentative.
So now he has revised the script and he kept a lot of what we said in mind, and it better, but in my opnion it is just ok. My main issue with the script is that I don't really relate to the characters, nor do I care what happens to them.
But he wants to belabor this script with me night after night. Well, what if I do this, or how about that? Long discussion. That's cool, but I don't know how much longer I can stand it. I don't want to write it....
The thing is my friend is a great director and filmmaker, but a writer...eh...he is just ok. It is kinda like Spike Lee in a way. I think Spike is a great director, but his writing is a little suspect. His films (that he wrote) I felt were preachy, one dimensional and generally just ok (with the exception of Mo Betta Blues and X) He just got better as he honed in on his strengths and left the acting to the actors and the writing ot the writers.
My friend is extremely analytical and often reads way too much into the details, but sometimes misses the big picture. He is very gifted with setting up a scene with words. When reading his work, you can literally see how the scene is supposed to look - which I think is phenomenal. But dialogue and sometimes character development....not so much.
I am no film critic - that's for sure. My idea of Must See TV is America's Next Top Model, so clearly I am not that deep :) Which is why I shouldn't be spending long countless hours analyzing a script - (I really should be writing my own). Don't get me wrong, I love reading scripts, but don't hate if I don't tell you what you don't want to hear.
Monday, April 24, 2006
When Email Goes Down...
You may as well go home! It's amazing how dependent I am on email - it went down and essentially I couldn't get much done.
I mean was I actually supposed to pick up the phone and call my clients? Eh, not big on that, in my business it's best to have a written record of the essentials.
Snail mail would take too long, and unless it's fed ex I don't have the best track record of making it to the post office.
On a good note, I got my taxes done on time and albeit it was 11:25 before I headed to the post office Tuesday night, I got the postmark and that's all that matters! I am twenty minutes better than last year. Which is better than the extension I had to file the year before. Baby steps!
I will make a concerted effort to do better next year. Maybe I'll do something wild and crazy and have them finished in March.
Office is crazy, yet a little more relaxed because most of upper management is in Las Vegas for NAB. Wish I was there, sounds like a cool trip - one day I shall go.
I am just rambling - the joys of laundry and vacuuming await. Who am I kidding? I will vacuum tomorrow ;)
I mean was I actually supposed to pick up the phone and call my clients? Eh, not big on that, in my business it's best to have a written record of the essentials.
Snail mail would take too long, and unless it's fed ex I don't have the best track record of making it to the post office.
On a good note, I got my taxes done on time and albeit it was 11:25 before I headed to the post office Tuesday night, I got the postmark and that's all that matters! I am twenty minutes better than last year. Which is better than the extension I had to file the year before. Baby steps!
I will make a concerted effort to do better next year. Maybe I'll do something wild and crazy and have them finished in March.
Office is crazy, yet a little more relaxed because most of upper management is in Las Vegas for NAB. Wish I was there, sounds like a cool trip - one day I shall go.
I am just rambling - the joys of laundry and vacuuming await. Who am I kidding? I will vacuum tomorrow ;)
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Incognito
I have been gone for awhile, mainly because I haven't felt like writing. I have thought of things to write about, but when I was near my laptop, I ended up surfing the web instead. So in the time that I have been away, here's what I have been up to:
Things are going great with me and my beau. We get along like peas and carrots ;) Yesterday, we officially started looking for a place. This is going to be....new. We went to one place called The East and the West at Ballston. They are basically apartments that are being converted to condos. They were featured on "Your New Home" on Channel 7. http://theviewatballstonmetro.com/ I guess technically they are new in the sense that they are installing all new appliances and fixtures. I felt somewhat optimistic when they said the prices started in the low 300s. When we got there, we found out that the 2 bedrooms are in the mid 500s....part of me just wanted to say forget it, but since we drove all the way out there, I wanted to see what a condo for a little over a half million looks like - I must say - it was not impressive. While the rooftop pool, fitness center and the e-lounge were very yuppie, the place itself was small. I am willing to bet the total square footage did not top 1000. The master bedroom was tiny, it reminds me of the room I live in now. You can fit a bed in and little else. It had a lot of angles which not make it very accomodating for my existing furniture. The master bath only had a shower stall. The second bath has a tub, but was tiny. The biggest disappointment was the small kitchen and miniature washer/dryer (like the one I have now) 4 pairs of jeans = 1 load. But there is good news - they were offering an incentive - if you move in within 30 days, they pay closing, and they offer $15,000 toward the mortgage. And the location is awesome. But I think a better use of 565K (as if that is even an option) would be a single family home.
I think I was just shocked that something so small could be so over inflated, I can't imagine making a profit when it is time to sell...
We also looked at a development in Hyattsville - it looks promising but it won't be done until next year. So we'll see.
Other than house hunting, we along with my fellow project managersand guests, witnessed the Nationals win their first home game Friday night. It was a rainy night and the game was postponed about 2 hours because of the rain, but the tickets were on the company so why not? We have diamond club tickets. Cetainly not the way I remember seeing baseball as a kid, but quite nice. All diamond clubbers get an armband and have access to a pre-game all you can eat buffet. Everything is free except alcohol. So we hung out in the buffet area for about 3 hours. Also during the game, they bring food to you :) All you pay for is alcohol and tip. Ahhh, I could get used to the diamond club. Hopefully the pm group will have another opportunity to go.
I also went to my co-workers 50th birthday party yesterday and although it was raining - he had a good turnout. It was a good time. I wasn't sure about going, but I like him and I had a better time than I thought.
My company is going through a transition, and a lot of changes are being made. Transitions suck, but I am optimistic that things will be better once it is over. In the meantime, I am going with the flow. Whatever happens, happens. I for one am all for change. We do a lot of things right now that just don't make business sense, so I hope that all changes.
I am still looking to do other things, so anything I can do on the side is a welcome change.
Today, I am just taking some time to regroup. I am in a little bit of a rut. But I have a few things to look forward too. I am helping a friend work on her pilot which is fun. And I am gearing up for the OC (Ocean City, Md) this Memorial Day weekend. I am pretty excited about that and there's Martha's Vineyard in August.
That's all for now - no drama, nothing exciting, just life as it happens. It's time to reinvent my life so it is a little more... juicy!
Things are going great with me and my beau. We get along like peas and carrots ;) Yesterday, we officially started looking for a place. This is going to be....new. We went to one place called The East and the West at Ballston. They are basically apartments that are being converted to condos. They were featured on "Your New Home" on Channel 7. http://theviewatballstonmetro.com/ I guess technically they are new in the sense that they are installing all new appliances and fixtures. I felt somewhat optimistic when they said the prices started in the low 300s. When we got there, we found out that the 2 bedrooms are in the mid 500s....part of me just wanted to say forget it, but since we drove all the way out there, I wanted to see what a condo for a little over a half million looks like - I must say - it was not impressive. While the rooftop pool, fitness center and the e-lounge were very yuppie, the place itself was small. I am willing to bet the total square footage did not top 1000. The master bedroom was tiny, it reminds me of the room I live in now. You can fit a bed in and little else. It had a lot of angles which not make it very accomodating for my existing furniture. The master bath only had a shower stall. The second bath has a tub, but was tiny. The biggest disappointment was the small kitchen and miniature washer/dryer (like the one I have now) 4 pairs of jeans = 1 load. But there is good news - they were offering an incentive - if you move in within 30 days, they pay closing, and they offer $15,000 toward the mortgage. And the location is awesome. But I think a better use of 565K (as if that is even an option) would be a single family home.
I think I was just shocked that something so small could be so over inflated, I can't imagine making a profit when it is time to sell...
We also looked at a development in Hyattsville - it looks promising but it won't be done until next year. So we'll see.
Other than house hunting, we along with my fellow project managersand guests, witnessed the Nationals win their first home game Friday night. It was a rainy night and the game was postponed about 2 hours because of the rain, but the tickets were on the company so why not? We have diamond club tickets. Cetainly not the way I remember seeing baseball as a kid, but quite nice. All diamond clubbers get an armband and have access to a pre-game all you can eat buffet. Everything is free except alcohol. So we hung out in the buffet area for about 3 hours. Also during the game, they bring food to you :) All you pay for is alcohol and tip. Ahhh, I could get used to the diamond club. Hopefully the pm group will have another opportunity to go.
I also went to my co-workers 50th birthday party yesterday and although it was raining - he had a good turnout. It was a good time. I wasn't sure about going, but I like him and I had a better time than I thought.
My company is going through a transition, and a lot of changes are being made. Transitions suck, but I am optimistic that things will be better once it is over. In the meantime, I am going with the flow. Whatever happens, happens. I for one am all for change. We do a lot of things right now that just don't make business sense, so I hope that all changes.
I am still looking to do other things, so anything I can do on the side is a welcome change.
Today, I am just taking some time to regroup. I am in a little bit of a rut. But I have a few things to look forward too. I am helping a friend work on her pilot which is fun. And I am gearing up for the OC (Ocean City, Md) this Memorial Day weekend. I am pretty excited about that and there's Martha's Vineyard in August.
That's all for now - no drama, nothing exciting, just life as it happens. It's time to reinvent my life so it is a little more... juicy!
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