And now we're nearing the end of April. First quarter 09 was a blur - some set backs and not exactly where we'd like to be right now, but things are turning back on course and we hop to have principle photography for our doc done at the end of this month. Realistically, as funding is still not in, we're looking at mid May. I'd hoped for end of Feb - such is life. It will be good when it's done and progress has been made.

Helped with a wedding for two 72 yr old people(introduced by a grand child), hosted a same sex wedding here for two Trekkie's (so glad we reno'd the house and made it all pretty), and am currently trying to work out the legalities of a couple who wants to twitter their vows. I'll try to make anything happen, but that's going to be a tough one. I take the officiant thing very seriously, would never want to do anything that called into question the legality of anyone's marriage.

I find I've lost a lot of blogging (and other) time to Facebook and it's not so good. I've used the blog in the past to get writing started for a day and then continued offline on a story or article or book. Facebook is more of an ADD social site where I get to hear about the lives of friends that due to scheduling or distance I don't actually get to see, but doesn't actually help me get any work done. I may be refocusing more on the blog. Facebook does, on the one hand, help me keep up with family and also couples I've married over the years.

The dark side of that is when things are going on with family I'm sometimes powerless, and occasionally I've watched a marriage dissolve online through status updates. That's weird and unpleasant and very sad. I can listen and recommend counseling (not being a counselor I wouldn't even try to help there) but that's about it. I guess it's good in that it's sobering - although I normally see people at their most hopeful, all are subject to the shadowy hours of doubt.

So far: hosted and survived a baby shower, booked first external fictional film shoot, took on/over casting for a main project, made some headway on a secondary one, got hired and then ignored for a transcription position (no huge tears except for the money), attended the best book launch in the history of book launches (Wonderous Strange by Lesley Livingston, highly readable, release at the Dominion on Queen with 150 or so people, 2 TV stations and Magners on tap) made some new friends, drafted (finally) a proposal for a YouTube series I'd be interested in doing which will serve my interest/promote the video company I have/save the world (more on that when episode one airs, I promise) and received a notification from the 3 Day Novel contest I completed last year. Seems I was not only one of 428 people who finished their novels, but I was in the top 20 and received an honourable mention. Years have started off better and worse and stranger, I think, but this one has potential and I'm going to do all I can with it.

Did I mention about the honourable mention? So. Bloody. Pleased with that. I've reopened the story for the first time since submitting it and the first four sentences are terrible, the judges are to be commended for reading that far. There are ludicrous plot turns and holes you could drive a small truck through and more than a comfortable sprinkling of cliches. What the hell, it was written in three caffeine enhanced days. Still - the characters are still charming to me and I like the basic story, elder god chic lit though it may be, so amongst the filming and the trying to make money to pay for trivial things like hydro and food I'm going to start this year by re-writing portions of St. George and the Dragon - and trying to come up with a less stupid name. Open to suggestions there.

One thing freaking me out? Turning 38 next week. Thirty eight. Three o eight eep. I can see it in the mirror and it vexes me somewhat. Then I remember that I've lived on sugar, bread and red wine for the last two decades and it doesn't look so bad anymore. (sigh)

Holiday season has been an interesting one so far. We've cut way back on the gifts to everyone and I've spaced on getting 1/2 my cards out - will have to add a happy new year to make them relevant. I found an unlabeled VHS tape of a book launch in the basement that I've transfered to digital and have been editing to DVD, actually fairly emotional stuff. So much so that when Majel Roddenberry died I fell to weepy tears. It's weird, I never met her, didn't know her - but feel like I lost a distant and feisty aunt. So it goes.

Christmas eve I was out and about. Dinner was subs with the boy and two lost episode which conclude the Vicar of Dibley series.

Christmas yesterday with Toronto family was very nice, got to visit Kelly's cats a little too. Olive trilled and Dante expressed irritation that someone (not me, oh no) was in his chair. All was made better with an offering of turkey. Got spoiled rotten - sister in law makes soap. MMmmmmmmMMMmmmmmm nice soap.

Today we go off to visit the outlaws, my side of the family. At my brothers we visit with his kids and now one grand kid (my brother is 43 and a grand dad. It's wild), his wife and him and our mom. I haven't met the grand child yet, just seen pictures and am so excited. I think he's my grand nephew is how that works...so confusing. My nephew is in from out west and I haven't seen him in years. I managed to get my mom something I know she'll want this year - book on Secretariat - and am looking forward to watching her open that gift. Then we head out to visit my aunts and grandmother and cousins at what the fabulous husband refers to as the Aunt Farm. I have some shoes for one aunt I hope fit.

(later)

Visit with the outlaws was a blast, but now I smell like an ashtray. Love them all dearly but DAMN if you're sitting next two four pack a day smokers and you don't smoke? Totally noticeable. And with the hugging? The love overcomes the recoil, but now I need a shower. The grand nephew was 12 kinds of adorable, as was my niece and her cousins, pretty much everyone was there. A visit later at the aunt farm found no owner for the shoes but saddled me with some clothes to distribute down in the city. Grandma revealed a little of the family history project she's been working on since dirt was a new and exciting trend, and I volunteered to go help her with it in the spring. Some of the journals are from the lat 1700's and up, all look bloody interesting. Car ride home was festive: road salt, no wipers and a 20 year old car pitted against fabulous husband being a fabulous driver - he won, we're home and good night. :-)

TYPE ONLY 1 WORD.
IT'S HARDER THAN YOU THINK ! ! !

1. Where is your cell phone? gone
2. Your significant other? funny
3. Your hair? dyed
4. Your father? entertaining
5. Your favorite thing? life
6. Your dream/goal? published
7. The room you're in now? messy
8. Your fear? failure
9. Where do you want to be in 6 years? content
10. Where were you last night? home
11. What you're not? tall
12. Muffins? yes!
13. One of your wish list items? laptop
14. Where you grew up? good
15. The last thing you did? typed
16. What are you wearing? casual
17. Your TV? nice
18. Your pet? cuddly
19. Your computer? Pretty
20. Your life? interesting
21. Your mood? anxious
22. Missing someone? yes
23. Your car? old
24. Something you're not wearing? shoes
25. Favorite Store? Thrift
26. Your summer? missed
27. Your favorite color? all
28. When is the last time you laughed? today
29. Last time you cried? yesterday

Absofuckinglootly.

While my NaNoWriMo isn't going so well, it's still kind of satisfying to have finally completed the 3 Day Novel in Sept. I know, it's two months old, but it still makes me happy. Although results won't be announced until January (when all entrants will receive the coveted completion sticker - yes I'm throwing a party when I get mine) I did just get emailed some entertaining statistics. And here they are:


Final stats:
570 registrants / 428 manuscripts submitted (about 75% submitting)

Global regions participating:
Canada: 340 registrants
U.S.A.: 212 registrants
Other: 16 registrants (including Australia, Israel, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sweden, Trinidad
and the U.K.)

Concentrations:
Vancouver: 109 registrants (26% of all registrants from B.C.)
Toronto: 49 registrants (21% of all registrants from Ontario)
Edmonton and Calgary: 12 registrants each
States with 10 or more registrants: New York, Pennsilvania, Michigan, Illinois, Texas, California, Oregon, Washington

Which means that 48 other people were coming completely unglued in Toronto over the labor day weekend. If we could harness that energy I'll be we could burn some toast.

Right....back to the NaNo...how believable is an alcoholic vampire anyway?

It's been a week of fabulous upset and emotion. The US had a successful election complete with gracious concession and inspiring acceptance speeches. I was on my feet in amazement and delight. It was a point of breathing history where I was grateful to be alive, as electric as when the Ontario Court of Appeal had overturned a ruling and allowed same sex marriage back in 2003. I remember the chaos and unbridled joy of that time, and 11pm on November 4th felt just the same.

Then a few other things got passed that were less pleasing. California, which had previously allowed same sex marriages passed Proposition 8. Now they define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, end of sentence. This is crap. I've had the privilege of conducting hundreds of weddings for Americans over the past few years here in Ontario. And the only difference I've found between same sex and opposite sex unions are that the same sex couples have a slightly higher - but not much - percentage of parents being jerks, and it's much harder to find tasteful cake toppers. That, and because more of the same sex couples had been together for 10, 25, 40 years already I felt they brought something unique and special to the institution and adventure which follows a wedding that does not diminish another's marriage. The millage and fortitude they bring strengthen the whole thing.

And Arkansas move to prevent same sex couples from adopting? Oi. The saddest part there is the waiting adoptable children are denied potentially loving, capable families. And in 10 to 20 years society as a whole is denied a potentially stable, secure adult.

But baby steps. All in all it's a glorious week. All in all it's a fabulous thing. We'll deal with what we can, be grateful for what's in front of us, and never mind what might have been or should be. I see the shadow most clearly, but I'm going to spend a bit more time looking at the light.