Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there. I have no children, just a rabbit, so I'm not on the receiving end of this holiday. I'm a giver, not a taker. After a painful church service Brett and I went out for Chinese with his mother, sister, and grandmother. I ate broccoli and brown rice. Exciting, huh?

I've recently jumped into a vegan lifestyle- or at least I'm trying to. I read in detail about what goes on in slaughterhouses, chemicals fed to animals and on and on and on. I've heard this stuff before but it really resonated this time. Ugh- what it really comes down to is I love animals and I don't want to eat fuzzy friends. I've also cut out caffeine, dairy, focused on eating fresh fruits and vegetables, lots of water... I'm not trying to preachy or on a soapbox- it's a personal decision and that's that.

I'm still feeding Brett meat- that's fine. We had a dinner party Friday and I served homemade Italian meatballs (veal/ground sirloin) and pasta with all the extra stuff... This will take some adjusting as I used to be a major carnivore. I welcome and appreciate any advice on meatless/animal product food recipes and where to shop, etc.

Meanwhile, writing has commenced. I'm getting ready for the rewrite on my script. While I feel I took the feedback well and will be able to use it in the best interest of my story, there was only one bit of feedback I didn't handle well. We'll see how that plays out. I can't get upset over good intentions but... I did.

Last week I entered into an agreement regarding the novel that's being adapted into a screenplay. I will be co-writing the script with the novel's original author. Right now we're just getting started on combing thru the working treatment, making adjustments and story strengthening. I need to get all my notes out in an email- I'll tackle that tomorrow. I feel really good about this project- can't wait to see where this journey takes me.

Brett's been busy too- between school and work he's been putting in 12+ hour days. He flies out tomorrow to film an interview with Bo Jackson in Atlanta on Tuesday then right back. I can't keep track of what he's working on- lots of editing. He just shot and is editing a TV pilot, finished a mini-doc on the local zamboni driver, and editing on a Nike spec spot. There's a bunch more but I forget.

Things to come this month- trip to Denver, Cheyenne to attend the Mrs. Wyoming pageant (his cousin's wife is competing) and beginning of June back to BC. I'll update as things develop.

Don't forget to call your mom...

Bodies In Motion Stay in Motion

Garden Update:

8 tomato plants in the ground, 10 stalks of corn planted, roses growing with reckless abandon, pinot noir vines blooming in need of proper support, strawberries exploding everywhere, blueberry plant covered in white blossoms, olive tree being all olivey and stuff, and a mowed lawn... it looks like it's under control now but I guarantee it will be pure chaos in about 2 months. My apologies to the neighbors whose walkway is adjoined to my backyard. They quit talking to me a long time ago so I'm not going to sweat it.

I got my first round of feedback on my script- it was much better than I expected. I didn't cry like I usually do. Nor did I go on a hate jog- the anger fueled runs I occasionally take around the neighborhood ripping myself apart on how the world hates me. (I could use one, I've gotten a little on the puffy side). I need to restructure my story, amplify my turning points, make my characters more likable (identified as too selfish), knock off about 20-25 pages, and then some. Little changes.

I'm okay with that. First drafts don't count, right?

Meanwhile, I'm refocusing on wine related projects. Promoting the Get Into Wine DVD, networking with other wine contacts to work with, and still trying to get my affairs in order to produce video podcasts on local winemakers and vineyards. This is fun and I almost feel guilty working on these projects. Oh, wait... work CAN be fun. I forgot.

I'm about to start work on an adaptation of a book that's reached bestseller status- it's an amazing story and I feel very blessed to be approached to write the screenplay. I can't wait to get all the i's dotted and t's crossed with agreements and contracts- then I can start writing. I'm hesitant about doing anything without some sort of agreement in writing. It protects anyone and I was taught at an early age that you should put everything in writing- honest people have nothing to hide. Even if it's to the sum of "be fair, have fun" something in writing is better than nothing.

Two other plates spinning with film projects... updates to follow as things come together.

Right now I have to hunt down dinner for my husband. Frozen dinner, probably. Later...

May Flowers?

I wish I could say the April showers are behind us but I know better. All I know is May is less than 24 hours away and the flowers are about to hit full force. Bring on the sunshine, flowers, pollen and allergy meds.

Last night marked the first major overhaul on my script- changed up a couple minor things that have huge effect on the protagonist and the overall feel of the story- but in a good way. Obviously. The story seems to click now and is a lot more approachable. From a producing standpoint it's a lot easier to swallow as well. This project is very "do-able" and I feel even better presenting it as a low-budget project. My main concern is getting Brett's film going- we've discussed the story in and out, visuals, characters, arcs, music, everything. Now we just need to hunker down and get a solid treatment as a blueprint for the first draft.

We are also embarking on a large scale international project that is just starting to pick up momentum. We're at the stage of lacing up the running shoes and stretching out- if you want to take an athletic approach to where we stand. Until emails start getting returned, research completed, and a solid game plan comes into effect I'm in a holding pattern.

I've got some other things cooking- better to have multiple plates spinning. Bodies in motion stay in motion.

After a year+ of neglecting the back yard I weed-whacked and mowed my way thru close to 2 feet of grass. It still has some trouble spots but is a major improvement compared to what it was before. Now to figure out the best strategy for the 6 tomato plants I bought at Costco. A bit of a disappointment- supposed to be an organic salsa kit but I grabbed one that didn't contain peppers. However I do have 6 extremely varied tom plants that should yield a bounty of veggies this summer.

Preparing for the Blazer game tonight. I don't think Brett can handle a loss. I don't think the neighbors can handle the swearing and yelling coming from the upstairs TV room. Oy.

And, per Brett's request, I have to mention Oliver, my rabbit. Ver.

Blazed

4 point game with 4.3 seconds left on the clock, Houston's lead. Very tense times here in front of the television. We raced home from Seattle to watch the game. Saturday morning we drove up to Vancouver BC via Whidbey Island and then over to La Conner to see the tulips. Usually I don't care for stuff like that and can get enough satisfaction looking at a postcard or hearing someone else tell me about their experience. The colors were amazing- over saturated fields of red and yellow.

And the Blazers just lost. Hopefully the neighbors will disregard the swearing and sound of walls being punched. Sigh.

As I was saying, Vancouver BC is always a nice place to visit. The warm weather really surprised me- it really felt like a vacation! We stayed at the Pan Pacific Hotel down at the waterfront. The Saturday Nite Opera Buffet was an added bonus! We had a great view of the water and spent a majority of our time in the room watching seaplanes taxi and take off from the water down below.

One of my guilty pleasures when in Canada is the Tim Horton Honey Cruller. I gorged on these and will need at least a month in the gym to undo the damage. Not to mention all the other food I plowed thru during the weekend. The duty free shop on the border provided us with great discounts on hard cider (apple and peach) and lots of vodka.

From there Brett dropped me off at Lucy's baby shower in Seattle. She's due in July but looked like she could go in to labor any given moment. She's from Brazil (as were half the people in attendance at the party- and it was a party!) and it was an endless parade of Brazilian food and lots of cake and candies. It was hard to leave but we needed to get home for the game.

Back to work tomorrow morning.

I've got my work cut out for me with editing and uploading footage. Brett has to review all the footage and do some color correction but after that I've got enough to keep me glued to my computer all week. Meanwhile, we're trying to get this international project up and running, carving time out for Brett to write, me waiting for word on the writing project I was approached on... and who knows what else.

Bodies in motion stay in motion, they say.