August 31, 2007

Where are the fall clothes?

Yesterday, I went to the mall, prepared to shop till I dropped. I was really looking forward to getting back to school clothes for the first time in 10 years and ecstatic over the fact I won't have to wear work clothes for the next 8 months!!!

I was super organized...even had shopping money saved up. And guess what? All the stores still had only summer clothes.

So weird, since last year in August I couldn't even find summer clothes, only racks filled with one sweater after another. Where oh where have the warm clothes gone?

Figures. Whenever you are actually serious about buying something, it's never there. And the reverse is true too.

I didn't come away empty handed though, there were three cute summer tops I couldn't resist. So now I'm praying it continues to stay warm and even for an Indian summer this October. :)

August 30, 2007

Canadian Myths

I just found this great webpage that outlines all of the myths people have about Canada. Here is the link:

http://www.thecanadapage.org/Canadian_Myths.htm

One of my favs is:

Canadians do not speak "Canadian". The two official languages are English and French. Many Canadians can speak both and other languages. However aside from a few pronunciations (ie: Americans say "Z" as "zee" and Canadians say it as "Zed"), and spelling (Americans "color", Canadians "colour") the English between the two countries are identical.

This one is pretty good too:

Canadians enjoy modern technology in their lives. We have TV's, radios, refrigerators, computers etc. (You would be surprised to find out how many people who didn't know we had those things.) We don't live in igloos (Snow houses) and the VAST MAJORITY of us do not use dog sleds - in fact most Canadians have not used a dog sled.

Canadian produced U.S. programming

Those of you who read my whole post totled 'The Best Years' about a Canadian production made for the U.S. might be interested in this book:



Canadian Television Programming Made For The United States Market: A History With Production And Broadcast Data



From the Publisher
This volume traces the history of Canadian involvement in America's television production industry and looks at the genres, time slots and viewing areas of the first Canadian television productions to appear on U.S. airwaves as well as the challenges that producers had to overcome to take their programming into American prime time. The book also discusses the reasons Canadian television producers have turned to a foreign market over their domestic one. The main focus is the factors which led to an independent television production sector in Toronto, Ontario, and the Ontario?based companies that have successfully competed in the U.S. marketplace. Alliance Atlantis Communications is given particular attention as one of Ontario's most successful production companies. Appendices provide a chronology of Canadian television production from 1926 to 2004 and a list of Canadian?produced programs sold to the U.S. market. A list of acronyms and abbreviations and an index are also included.



This info was cut and paste straight from the chapters website.

August 29, 2007

Scammed!

I joined the Columbia House DVD club 2 months ago which was a very foolish thing to do. Everyone warned me against it too, but did I listen? If I had, there would be no need for me to write this post.

They send you something in the mail telling you what this months directors choice is. If you don't want it, you check off the no box and mail it back to them. If they don't hear from you, they send you the movie and charge you for it. It's a pain but straight foward right? WRONG!

Well 3 weeks ago they emailed me and said I could start responding by email. I did. I responded 'No'

Apparently responding 'No' by email is not the same as responding 'No' through the regular mail. Today a movie I said No to was in my mailbox. Now it's the movie 300 and Will and I did miss it when it was in the theatre but they charged me $37.21. Give me a break. I could buy it for half that price at best buy.

I should have listened. But I wanted movies.

I'm sending it back and next time when friends tell me something is a bad idea I swear I will listen.

August 28, 2007

Wee succeess on my Wii

My Wii age is now 47!!!! I'm improving!

Orientation

Just got back from orientation. It was very interesting!

For one thing an internship was added to term 2 so we will get to work for a local production house. YIPEE!!!

Secondly, there is a lot of scriptwriting work in this city that would easily allow someone to bring in 6 figures. I was really suprised by this. I am still interested in heading to the U.S. but this will give me another option.

Thirdly - this is going to be a lot of work. A lot of people will be using work already comnpleted and will just workshop it in class. I will be starting from scratch, as I don't want to use my existing screenplays, so I have a lot of work cut out for me.

Required projects include:

Spec TV show
original TV pilot
short treatment
full length treatment
full length screenplay 1st and 2nd drafts
3 Act play
Radio program
New Media broadcast
Training Video

This is in addition to weekly assignments, reveiwing peoples scripts, exams and time spent pitching to industry professionals.

Fourth - we will be picthing to some really cool compaines in T.O.

It's gonna be a very busy 8 months!

August 27, 2007

suzy homemaker

The last few weeks Will has been back at work and I've been off relaxing, awaiting the start of school next Tuesday.

We've always been a two income household and not working, while wonderful, feels very strange.

Will loves it. We used to eat really late by the time we came home from work and worked out etc. Now, he comes home to find dinner ready at 5:30 and sometimes dessert too. The laundry is done, the yard looks meticulous. Need I say that I've turned into a little miss suzy homemaker. And it really isn't my style at all. It's isolating and I don't like cooking, I don't like cleaning so when I'm back to work next year I plan to hire someone to do it all. :) In my dreams, anyway.

Plus, I should be writing. Today I did a whole 6 hours of it but sometimes I get distracted, it isn't my fault really, the TV keeps calling my name, so do blogs and websites. :)

Next week I'm giving him the apron and will be offically on strike from domestic duties for the next 8 months. Now that will be bliss.

August 25, 2007

Sweet Devotion

Will plays everyquest 2 obsessively and for those of you who aren't familiar with it, it's one of those games that you play live online with others from all over the world.

So, some of the players from the midwest are expecting a tornado. They told Will they were playing the game from their bunkers this afternoon, saying that the first thing they brought down there was their laptop so they wouldn't miss an online raid.

Yup, the tornado can take their home and other posessions so long as it doesn't mess with their everquest 2. Now, that is devotion.

August 20, 2007

Wii Fitness Age

I promised Will a Wii for his birthday a few months ago, but everywhere I went was sold out. We finally picked one up on Saturday.

It has this fitness program on it, well as much as a video game can be considered fitness and you can take a test to detremine your Wii fitness age.

Will's was 80
mine was 64

I run 25 miles a week so all I can say is 64?! Guess I'm gonna have to get back on the Wii and practice practice. And oh ya, please don't tell anyone

:)

August 19, 2007

Pretty in pink


Ok here is the picture as promised. Hideous. In case you have no idea what I'm talking about, it goes with the previous post.


August 13, 2007

The pink luggage

So apparently there is a rule that checked luggage cannot weigh over 50 lbs and well we bought some things when we were in California...mine weighed in at 56 lbs and hubbys at 62 lbs.

The airline staffs suggestion? Throw out your shampoo. Umm, hello, I am pretty sure shampoo doesn't weigh 12 lbs.

Second suggestion was to buy another suitcase for the overflow.

So, and bear in mind here we were holding up the line, I ran to the gift shop to find they only had one type of suitcase for sale. It was bright pink with flowers and looked like something Barbie would travel with. So I bought it, what other alternative was there???

You should have seen hubby's face when he saw me coming back with it.

When we arrived at our destination, we are standing at baggae claim when hubby sees it on the carousel and is so embarassed he looks to the couple waiting next to us and says " This isn't ours. Well it is but only because they made us buy it."

I was LMAO, so were they. Too funny! And I made him carry it to the car. :)

August 9, 2007

The Best Years - What were they thinking?

A few months ago I was channel surfing when I cam across a show called the Best Years. I guessed immediatley that it was Canadian. For one thing it just had that feel to it, then there was the fact that I recognized a Toronto location, add to that the lighting and the fact that an actress from Degrassis (another Canadian show) made an appearance and presto, Canadian.

I thought I'd give it a shot as I got hooked on Falcon Beach, another not too bad Canadian show last year.

So you can imagine my shock when a character was introduced as a foreign student from Canada!!!

Turns out the show is a Canadian production but is supposed to be an American show, set in Boston. There is one character who is supposed to be Canadian and of course the other characters are constantly dropping jokes about Canadians, you know - living in igloos, always saying we are sorry for everything and of course not undersatnding the real world....hello we are on the same continent, n'est pas?

Anyway, I really find myself wondering why a Canadian company would produce an American show, film it in Canada and then perpetuate a very incorrect and not to pretty stereotype of one of its own???

And even all of the above aside, my reaction to the show is : YUCK!

August 8, 2007

Rant

Remember when I said I might rant?????

The car broke down. We got a boost.

It seemed to work until we stopped it again.

Long story short, it is in the shop again.

The mechanic was rude.

We had to take a taxi home.

I may have to buy a new car.

Boo Hoo.

August 7, 2007

Meet a few of my friends










Two of these were taken at the museuam of man in San Diego, one of the few museums that still allow you to take pictures.

The Gnome we bought at Colums 1 and took home with us. He's a real cutie and is now sitting in our backyard enjoying staring contests with my dog whenever she goes out there:


Rusty nail meets his maker on the bus from La Jolla

Ok, now I know exactly why I don't take the bus at home...

Picture this. We spend a nice afternoon at La Jolla beach and are headed back to our B & B on the bus when this man gets on. He is sweaty, loud, repulsive, carrying lots of boxes and sits at the front of the bus with a handful of huffs and puffs, on one of these seats that is reserved for the elderly, pregnant and children. He starts to talk to no one in particular and my hubby pinches me because he sounds exactly like 'rusty nail' from the movie Joy Ride.

Next stop, this crazy guy gets on. He sits across from rusty nail and starts talking to himself. Then he looks around at the same time my husband happens to be looking in his direction - wrong place to look at the wrong time, eyes lock and the guy zeros in on hubby. He starts to swear and scream at my hubby, his eyes a blaze and all I can think is "wholly shit".

Then rusty nail miraculously saves the day when he jumps in and bellows back "excuse me, what did you say?" The two start yelling, rusty nail wants to be the tough guy, how dare someone try to steal his thunder. They start this weird war full of facial gymnastics that believe it or not include a blowfish face. Then one karate chops the air, the other flips him off a few times. I swear we were in the twilight zone.

After the fight, the man starts glaring and swearing at hubby again. So what did we do? We got off the bus 5 stops earlier and walked the rest of the way of course. Did you think we had a death wish?

August 5, 2007

NYC midnight madness

So, my last day of work was July 13th! After a few happy dances and dinner and drinks with some friends from work, I decided to kick off my freedom at midnight by entering the New York City Midnight Madness Screenwriting Competition, after all, trying to make it as a screenwriter is why I left, so I figured why even wait a day?

The competition was a lot of fun. They divided participants into heats and then at midnight each heat was assigned a genre and topic. We then had seven days to write a 15 pages short on that topic and genre and were encouraged to be as creative as possible.

Some of the genre/topics were really cool, like: a monster movie about smoking, a mockumentary about wealth, a fairy tale about a pageant.

I was assigned a drama about obesity and was pretty happy with it as I usually write drama or comedy so it wasn't something I haven't done before. The only realy challenge was not letting it turn into a comedy as it would be disqualified if it didn't stay on genre. I didn't want to write something morose and I definelty didn't but my first attempt on day one turned into an outright comedy so I went back to the drawing board and finally came up with a drama which had a few laughs and a good twist.

After sending in my script, hubby and I took off for the airport, destination California, where we are right now. Man this is going to be a great year!

In September they announce the first round finalists, then those finalists will all be assigned the same topic and genre that they must write in just 24 hours. I will keep you posted.