Moving Forward to 2011!

Okay, got that off my chest. Let's look ahead.

My main goal (once I got rolling) for 2010 was to pitch a tv show to a major producer. We did that three times! Woo hoo!! Once we got there I realized, crap, I have to make bigger goals! That seemed so huge at the time, now it seems puny. 

The theme for 2011 is: BE BOLD. 

So the writing goals are (in no special order):

--Get a good agent

--Sell something I've written

--Continue creating and pitching great ideas

--Continue to remember that "People don't fail for lack of talent, they fail for lack of commitment." (via @revrunwisdom)

--Meet with anyone and everyone to get the word out that I've got writing projects to pitch and sell. This involves not being shy or afraid of saying or doing the "wrong" thing. 

As for other personal goals, the weight loss will continue (that was also something on pause for these last 3 months). My hair continues to get longer and I still have yet to achieve the 167 mark that I set in March of 2010. My exercise routine for 2010 was not bad, I think I averaged 3-4 days a week of working out. I will raise that to 4-5. (That's average, mind you).

There are other smaller projects and plans to work on, like continuing Safety Graphic Fun and starting a couple of other goofy little websites. (More on that coming soon...)

And Kurt and I keep realizing that as we work our butts off on the writing and wait for the baby-to-be-named-later to arrive, we know it will all happen at once and be incredibly stressful and insane and AWESOME. Can't wait!

 

Random Things That Made Me Laugh Today

A) Telling Robert about the tv show Extras and the part when Ricky Gervais's character talks with David Bowie. Makes me laugh so hard!

Gods, I love David Bowie!

B) Having a chat with Laura today on set and we were discussing ducks (don't ask) and she said totally seriously, (and you have to imagine this with an Irish accent) "They're angry, ducks are." I might have done a spit take...

C) Later, Laura (I swear we were working!) and I were discussing a certain male person and she said about him, "If he pointed at something, I'd buy it!" I love this new phrase! I liken it to "I wouldn't kick him out of bed for eating crackers."

I had a great day today! Much laughter and hugs and tea.

I think the best part about today was that there was a heated, regular bathroom right near set. HEAVEN!

Celebrity Deaths

Ed McMahon was sick, Farrah was sick. These reports were sad to hear. Michael Jackson was a shocker, but on some level not entirely out of left field. That guy seemed to have faded from my radar for a long time. I felt very sorry for him and whatever his life had been, clearly there were major issues. And listening to all that amazing music made me sad that he couldn't ever recover from being so up and then so DOWN. 

But I wasn't really so touched or sad or disturbed. I think that there is so much immediate grieving still going on in my own life and family that a stranger's sudden death, albeit a famous stranger, doesn't have the impact it might have had before April 2008. But even then, Kurt and I were watching stories and remembrances for all three over the weekend and Kurt said he couldn't think of a celebrity who had died that made him really sad. Which made me think of the only time I got weepy when I heard of a celebrity who died.

Jim Henson.

I was working at my first real post-college job in 1990, feeling sort of finally kind of grown up, living on my own, making money, being very responsible at age 23, when I heard the news. It broke my heart because it was a significant part of my childhood -- Sesame Street and The Muppet Show. His work on these shows have given me sweet wonderful memories of perfect childhood days and nights. And now I was a grown up and his death was a hard reminder of how I could never really go back. (His death was too soon as well, he was only 53.) 

If you are of my age/generation, tell me you don't get a little misty watching Bid Bird sing "It's Not Easy Being Green" at Jim Henson's memorial. And if you don't then tell me what celebrity death has made you stop in your tracks and put your hand to your heart.

Random Tidbits To Finish The Week

Tonight is the Battlestar Galactica premiere of the last ten shows. We are joining friends to all watch together and that will be fun. Apparently there is a series called "Caprica" in the making which tells an earlier story of, uh, Caprica an the cylons, etc. Why make a whole new show and cancel the original when clearly the show is very popular? Confusing.

 

I bought a book on Umbria yesterday from my 2nd favorite travel bookstore, The Traveler's Bookcase. (Well, technically it's #1 because my favorite bookstore, California Map and Travel went out of business.) We've not been back to Italy since January 2003 on our honeymoon. Six years is way too long to be away from Italy, IMAO. I was watching Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations and he went to Venice. Oh Venice. Just watching those images made me really long for Italy, wether it's Venice or Rome or Lucca or Siena or whatever. I just need to go back. So as a soothing balm, I bought a small book on Umbria to whet my appetite and to dream a bit about our next trip. 

I donated platelets yesterday, got $15 worth of coffee at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf as a thank you, which was very nice. I watched the first half of "A Fish Called Wanda" which I hadn't seen in ages. Oh the pants on Jamie Lee Curtis! No low rise jeans in sight for miles/decades. Plus a few lines I had forgotten about like Kevin Kline yelling at John Cleese "You're the vulgarian you f**k!!" Nearly spit out my grape juice. Sarah had come along to donate as well, but alas her hemoglobin was not quite high enough. She's now wolfing down Total to bulk up her blood. It's a drag when you get turned away for that. (It's happened to me a couple of times now.) After all the birthday gifts and wishes, it was nice to give back a bit.

I've taken the bus a few times this week. I had an acupuncture appointment on Tuesday in Westwood and it was easier/cheaper to take the bus (either the #8 or #12 Big Blue Bus) than to find and pay for parking. Plus after acupuncture, it's nice to keep that warm buzz going by not driving. Yesterday I took the bus home after platelets as Sarah didn't stay. Also a good way to relax after giving of your bodily fluids. (which my body will replace by today -- amazing.)

2009 is shaping up to be a bit different than my intellectual/monkey/uber capricorn brain thought it would be. I really find I need to catch up with myself, regroup, restructure myself, my life, my health. My health is generally good, but it can be much better. There are pounds to be shed, tight muscles to relax and stretch, greener foods to eat. There are photographs to take and new projects to start as well as projects to finish. I'm looking forward to it all but find I can't force myself to do it all faster! Now! Hurry! There are times when I feel like Luke on Dagobah, ready to live up to his Jedi potential but still a sulky kid needing a patient guiding hand. I am working with my inner Yoda this year and I will be the Jedi I always knew I would be. 

Thanksgiving -- Y'all Fight!

When you are married to a Frey, particularly one from the Metroplex in Texas, you have to know you will be watching Cowboys football most weekends. Today is more than just a Cowboys game. Today is a double header Frey Rivalry day. Freyvalry, if you will.  (Okay, you don't have to). Cowboys vs. Seattle Seahawks (where Kurt's brother lives) and later, U of Texas (Hook 'em horns!) vs. Texas A&M (Gig 'em Aggies!). Kurt and his mom both attended UT (Y'all Fight!) and Kurt's bro went to A&M.  See how it is?  In between we are going to eat at a nearby restaurant. So who wins?  ME!

While the Cowboys have been kicking Seahawk tail, I have been making a new blog.  Check it!

Safety Graphic Fun

It's a daily dose of Safety Graphics. I love me some safety graphics, they are so brutal and kooky. I want to know who makes these wacky things.

Off for dinner soon. 

I hope your holidays are full of love and family and friends and pumpkin pie.

Mad Men And My Mom

I was telling my mom about Mad Men so she put it on her Netflix Queue. I warned her that she might not like it since she lived through part of that era. Last night she said she got through two episodes and couldn't watch it anymore. She started with "The smoke! The clouds of smoke!" then commented on the sexism and how she had lived it, she didn't need to see it. 

Fortunately, I've never had to deal with any overt sexism in my life. Oh there have been older guys on set who have called me "Honey" or "Sweetheart" but I just look at them like the quaint anachronism that they are in this new millennium. They don't stop me from knowing that I am a successful person doing my job. 

This is what my mom taught me -- that I could do anything I want, sky's the limit. The only thing that holds me back is my own occasional self-doubt or lack of confidence, but that is normal and I get through it.

"Betty Draper" Cracks Me Up

Do you watch Mad Men?

Are you on Twitter?

Did you watch or at least hear about the presidential debate last night?

Then this might make you chuckle as it did me.

 

Surprised By The Olympics

Nastia Luikin and Shawn Johnson won gold and silver medals, respectively, in women's individual all-around gymnastics" at the Olympics in Beijing.  (In case you weren't paying attention.)  This is a big deal for US gymnastics and the first time it's ever happened. Yang Yilin of China won bronze.

Am I *that* into gymnastics?  Not at all.  

We've been tivo-ing stuff and watching bits and bobs of it. I watched Michael Phelps win a few, but then, honestly, got a bit bored. He's awesome, he's going to win. Moving on. It's not like watching Tiger Woods because he occasionally hits bad shots and the fun is to see how he's going to win anyway. Michael Phelps just goes fast from start to finish and kicks everyone's butt. More power to him. We've watched a few other things, women's beach volleyball, some equestrian (with Kurt's mom who LOVES the equestrian events) and if there's badminton on, we'll watch about a minute of it because it's amusing.  

So I was watched the women's gymnastics (even though I already knew the outcome, but didn't care) and am always amazed at what these girls can do. It's mind blowing, really. When it came down to the floor exercise, Nastia was second to last, Shawn would go last. Nastia was in gold medal position and Shawn in bronze. Nastia finished well, pretty secure in her gold, hugging her dad (who is her coach and also a gold medal winner in gymnastics -- no pressure!) then Shawn went and she did a great routine to clinch silver. But what got me choked up, surprisingly, was when Shawn finished and ran down to her coach and teammates and had that look of pure joy and relief, she was going to cry happy tears at being done with it and doing a GREAT job. I recognized that look and feeling. Um, no, I don't mean I can relate to an Olympic athlete, but when we ran the Honolulu Marathon in 2001, I started bawling at mile 26 (there is .2 to go from there). I was overwhelmed by the event, the culmination of six months of training, of being in my original hometown, of being with Kurt and our two team mates. We did it! That's the feeling I recognized and it was sweet and surprisingly moving.

 

Way to go women!  

Track and field is getting going this weekend.  Can't WAIT for the hammer throw!

Dr. Horrible Perked Me Up!

I had downloaded Dr. Horrible in iTunes a few days ago and only just watched Episode 1 today with Kurt.

OMG it is so brilliant.  That Joss Whedon, he's going to be big!  

Okay, he's already huge, I know I know, he wrote Alien 4. 

Kurt said today that he felt like he's waiting for the other shoe to drop.  I said "Other shoe?  Dude, we are covered in shoes. It's like a shoe storm in here," what with everything seeming to go wrong, or at least not quite right.  Then we decided that all these metaphorical shoes are actually part of an ass-kicking machine. So perhaps we are inspired to fly forward.

Thanks Dr. Horrible!

British Telly

I was only there six days, but I watched two shows that I fell in love with.  One is Top Gear which also plays here at home on BBC-America.  It's about cars and is very funny (yes, I do consider myself a "writer").  I think K1 needs to be watching this in all his copious spare time with full time job and new baby.  Hmmmm, his birthday is coming up...

Then there was the night I watched about four episodes of QI which is kind of a sort of comedy quiz show with Stephen Fry and four other comedian guests.  I would have stayed up for hours and hours watching at many as the tv would put out, but I forced myself to go to bed.  On their website is a petition to get the show on American TV.  I've signed it.  Stephen Fry can almost do no wrong in my book.  He is never dull and if I'm channel surfing and see him, I'll stop and watch.  

  Good tv is sooooo good.  Top Gear is going on the tivo immediately.