Weekly update!
Aug. 11th, 2012 02:14 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
outsdrHello again from Wyoming, where it has been hot and dry. Had a splattering of rain when I was sleeping earlier this evening; I doubt it lasted longer than 10 minutes, but it came hard and fast. Drought conditions were not relieved, however, I'm sure.
I am so close to finishing the furniture store job. Finally determined that two of their software packages will NOT communicate with each other, no matter how hard I try- even though they are made by the same company. One of the packages is three years old, however, and Intuit makes all their software obsolete on a nearly yearly basis. So, try as I might, they're simply incompatible due to planned obsolescence.
The good news, however, is that the obsolete software package has been replaced by a FREE version that should be able to do everything they need. I hope to finish setting that up Saturday afternoon, and then giving him my bill and being done. Of course, the quandary is that I've probably put in 40 hours on this project. Originally, I'd given him a rough estimate of 12 hours. I charge him $75 per hour. I'm going to talk it over with him, and see if he will be willing to pay me for 20 hours ($1,500) and I'll help him out when he moves buildings (in the next few months) to get everything set up there and the showroom computer, which isn't installed yet, installed at no extra charge.
Gilmore tells me he has 30 more pages to write on the book, and then hopefully we will get the whole thing wrapped up and done. I never want to hear about Bonnie and Clyde again. Meanwhile, he wants me to start coming up with book cover ideas for his next novel.
I'll do the cover, but I sure as hell don't want to lay it out again.
I'm trying very hard to get my things organized and properly stored. This has been an ongoing theme this year, moving into structured adulthood and whatnot. I ordered a storage box for LPs from amazon (It's cardboard; maybe later I'll upgrade.) I also ordered more magazine bags (I have plenty of boards for some reason, but no bags!) and I just want to get everything in order, so that, in the future when we move, it goes much easier. Especially since I want to own a house some day, and then I can easily unpack everything into their places.
A nice dream, at least.
I also finally started looking for an urn for Ike's ashes. It's time to move him somewhere permanent. Now, while the life-size yellow Labrador urn would certainly be a conversation piece, it doesn't look enough like Ike to really tempt me. Plus, it would be a little creepy. I was also surprised by the number of Egyptian canopic urns available. Granted, there are only four; but I'm surprised there are any. And as beautiful as they are, I don't really think 'Egyptian' when I think of dogs. Maybe when Jinx needs an urn.
I settled on this one. It's simple, I can put a picture of Ike in the front, and there should be room inside for his ashes and his collar. What I was expecting was how difficult this turned out to be. I'm looking at boxes, and started choking up. It's been almost three months now ... but I still miss him.
Now, my big news- I'm a finalist in the 72 Script Fest! This was beyond my wildest expectations. I mean, when I write, if the end product makes me happy, that's usually good for me. I figure if I write something that I like or makes me laugh, then the same thing will happen to someone else out there when they read it.
This doesn't mean it's any good, of course. There's a lot of people who laugh at fart jokes, too.
But I was happy with the script I wrote. The story was nothing spectacular (I can't share the script online until the final winners are announced) but not bad for something that had to be under seven pages long. I've never written a script before, for movies or anything, so I wasn't sure of the proper formatting and style, but that's why the FSM gave us Google.
So, happy as I was with my script, I naturally assumed that every other person who entered would be much better than me. When I saw I was a semi-finalist, I was ecstatic. Being a finalist now is just amazing. My super-good friend Doug was also selected as a finalist. The person who wasn't selected, however, is a friend of Doug's who is an actual playwright! He wrote a play that Doug starred in that was recently performed at the Capital Fringe Fest, and will be performed in Scotland at the Edinburgh Fringe Fest. The guy is a pro.
And my script was picked over his.
Wicked.
Now, there is a possibility a movie won't be made from my script. I assume that the film crew teams who sign up pick a script at random, and if there are more scripts than film crews, mine could get left out. Right now, there are only 10 crews signed up. Plus, there is always the chance that the film crew won't finish and submit a film. But I'm hopeful. I don't care if I win; I want to see a movie.
The 72 Film Fest is October 19 and 20th in Frederick, Maryland. I would love to go, and right now, plane tickets and a rental car would only cost me $550. Doable, even though I'm trying to save money. However- I really only want to go if I know my script is being filmed. Unfortunately, scripts aren't being handed out until October 11th, and completed films are turned in October 14th. That doesn't give me much time to find out if my script was picked and then buy tickets, which will surely cost at least twice that much at that short of a notice.
Double sigh.
I'm really looking forward to the judges' sheets being returned, too. One of the things I like most about writing is the feedback. It's great to hear "I loved your column!" but it's even better to hear why. I want to know why they picked my script. (Incidentally, even though I still get people stopping me on the street here in town and telling me they like my columns, I don't get ANY feedback on the website, which is disappointing. I estimate around 50-60 people read a column when it is published online ... just wish someone would say something.)
I've also been renewing my love for Paul Defletsen. I purchased a portfolio of foil prints of his artwork from eBay, as well as a larger framed print. Growing up, his paintings seemed to be ubiquitous in my family- every relative seemed to have one in their home. We had five. The large framed print was one of the ones we had. The one I really want, however, doesn't come up for sale very often, and when it does, has always been out of my price range. That print hung above the couch in every living room I can remember of any house I lived in. My brother has that one now, but I want one for myself. Why?
Because I bonded with these paintings at a very early age, staring at them at length, searching for details and making up stories in my head about what was happening.
Because they remind me of my mother. Because the remind me of my family. Because sometimes, I regret being so far away, especially when I get an email from my nephew that says I'm his best friend and he misses me (Yeah, he's only five, but come on.)
Ok, that wraps up this week, for the most part. See you in seven.
I am so close to finishing the furniture store job. Finally determined that two of their software packages will NOT communicate with each other, no matter how hard I try- even though they are made by the same company. One of the packages is three years old, however, and Intuit makes all their software obsolete on a nearly yearly basis. So, try as I might, they're simply incompatible due to planned obsolescence.
The good news, however, is that the obsolete software package has been replaced by a FREE version that should be able to do everything they need. I hope to finish setting that up Saturday afternoon, and then giving him my bill and being done. Of course, the quandary is that I've probably put in 40 hours on this project. Originally, I'd given him a rough estimate of 12 hours. I charge him $75 per hour. I'm going to talk it over with him, and see if he will be willing to pay me for 20 hours ($1,500) and I'll help him out when he moves buildings (in the next few months) to get everything set up there and the showroom computer, which isn't installed yet, installed at no extra charge.
Gilmore tells me he has 30 more pages to write on the book, and then hopefully we will get the whole thing wrapped up and done. I never want to hear about Bonnie and Clyde again. Meanwhile, he wants me to start coming up with book cover ideas for his next novel.
I'll do the cover, but I sure as hell don't want to lay it out again.
I'm trying very hard to get my things organized and properly stored. This has been an ongoing theme this year, moving into structured adulthood and whatnot. I ordered a storage box for LPs from amazon (It's cardboard; maybe later I'll upgrade.) I also ordered more magazine bags (I have plenty of boards for some reason, but no bags!) and I just want to get everything in order, so that, in the future when we move, it goes much easier. Especially since I want to own a house some day, and then I can easily unpack everything into their places.
A nice dream, at least.
I also finally started looking for an urn for Ike's ashes. It's time to move him somewhere permanent. Now, while the life-size yellow Labrador urn would certainly be a conversation piece, it doesn't look enough like Ike to really tempt me. Plus, it would be a little creepy. I was also surprised by the number of Egyptian canopic urns available. Granted, there are only four; but I'm surprised there are any. And as beautiful as they are, I don't really think 'Egyptian' when I think of dogs. Maybe when Jinx needs an urn.
I settled on this one. It's simple, I can put a picture of Ike in the front, and there should be room inside for his ashes and his collar. What I was expecting was how difficult this turned out to be. I'm looking at boxes, and started choking up. It's been almost three months now ... but I still miss him.
Now, my big news- I'm a finalist in the 72 Script Fest! This was beyond my wildest expectations. I mean, when I write, if the end product makes me happy, that's usually good for me. I figure if I write something that I like or makes me laugh, then the same thing will happen to someone else out there when they read it.
This doesn't mean it's any good, of course. There's a lot of people who laugh at fart jokes, too.
But I was happy with the script I wrote. The story was nothing spectacular (I can't share the script online until the final winners are announced) but not bad for something that had to be under seven pages long. I've never written a script before, for movies or anything, so I wasn't sure of the proper formatting and style, but that's why the FSM gave us Google.
So, happy as I was with my script, I naturally assumed that every other person who entered would be much better than me. When I saw I was a semi-finalist, I was ecstatic. Being a finalist now is just amazing. My super-good friend Doug was also selected as a finalist. The person who wasn't selected, however, is a friend of Doug's who is an actual playwright! He wrote a play that Doug starred in that was recently performed at the Capital Fringe Fest, and will be performed in Scotland at the Edinburgh Fringe Fest. The guy is a pro.
And my script was picked over his.
Wicked.
Now, there is a possibility a movie won't be made from my script. I assume that the film crew teams who sign up pick a script at random, and if there are more scripts than film crews, mine could get left out. Right now, there are only 10 crews signed up. Plus, there is always the chance that the film crew won't finish and submit a film. But I'm hopeful. I don't care if I win; I want to see a movie.
The 72 Film Fest is October 19 and 20th in Frederick, Maryland. I would love to go, and right now, plane tickets and a rental car would only cost me $550. Doable, even though I'm trying to save money. However- I really only want to go if I know my script is being filmed. Unfortunately, scripts aren't being handed out until October 11th, and completed films are turned in October 14th. That doesn't give me much time to find out if my script was picked and then buy tickets, which will surely cost at least twice that much at that short of a notice.
Double sigh.
I'm really looking forward to the judges' sheets being returned, too. One of the things I like most about writing is the feedback. It's great to hear "I loved your column!" but it's even better to hear why. I want to know why they picked my script. (Incidentally, even though I still get people stopping me on the street here in town and telling me they like my columns, I don't get ANY feedback on the website, which is disappointing. I estimate around 50-60 people read a column when it is published online ... just wish someone would say something.)
I've also been renewing my love for Paul Defletsen. I purchased a portfolio of foil prints of his artwork from eBay, as well as a larger framed print. Growing up, his paintings seemed to be ubiquitous in my family- every relative seemed to have one in their home. We had five. The large framed print was one of the ones we had. The one I really want, however, doesn't come up for sale very often, and when it does, has always been out of my price range. That print hung above the couch in every living room I can remember of any house I lived in. My brother has that one now, but I want one for myself. Why?
Because I bonded with these paintings at a very early age, staring at them at length, searching for details and making up stories in my head about what was happening.
Because they remind me of my mother. Because the remind me of my family. Because sometimes, I regret being so far away, especially when I get an email from my nephew that says I'm his best friend and he misses me (Yeah, he's only five, but come on.)
Ok, that wraps up this week, for the most part. See you in seven.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2012-08-11 09:52 am (UTC)I think I failed, in my wispy feedback on your script, to make it clear that it is (as far as I can see) of a professional standard. Having once judged a come-one, come-all writing competition, I am utterly unsurprised you made the semi-finals.
no subject
Date: 2012-08-11 11:22 am (UTC)