"Her hair was green as seaweed, her skin was blue and pale."

Would you believe that it has taken me almost two days to clean the whole apartment, and I'm not even done yet??

I decided that it would probably be a good thing if I got my life in order, as far as my habitat is concerned, and hopefully this would translate into wondrous things to come in my academic world. Considering I have a test tomorrow, on a book that I haven't read past the 2nd page, it is safe to say that there has been no reaction to the cleanliness quite yet. I have patience though. I foresee some good things coming from this impulse to spritz the place up a tad.

The whole reason that the apartment actually needed a good once over was due to the frantic first weeks of the semester and a little thing called the FR!NGE Festival. How did it go you ask?? Well, it went great. I already touched on it a little bit, but it was already two weeks tonight that we premiered and I never really went into any sort of details, so I will oblige with a couple.

It felt really great to be back up on stage again. It was something that I really missed since high school. My movie, despite still having my reservations about it (it just did not mesh into what I wanted it to be), went over great with the audience. I was so unbelievably shocked at this. I was actually backstage, wanting nothing to do with the premiere of it because I was too embarrassed, and Kate (the stage manager/producer) comes in and tells me that I'm an idiot because my movie was killing out there. I called bullshit, and ran out to the lobby. Sure enough, they were laughing. It wasn't hysterical laughter, but it was laughs where I was expecting to hear crickets. I was shocked. I still am not a fan of my movie, but I guess it was better for anyone who knew what my original vision was. So, I'll take it, sure.

It was a massively stressful week, but everything ended up going off without a hitch. The play was great and the movie was better than I thought, so everyone's hard work was well worth it. There was controversy afterwards once the "press" reviewed everything, but that's a story for another time (meaning, if you wanna hear it, ask me about it...tooo much to type).

It's actually pretty amusing that a lot of us who were involved in the festival this year are all jonesing to get back into the swing of things. I've already started writing my piece for next year. I'm doing a play though instead of a movie. I don't want to have to be put through editing the whole thing two days before the festival. Too. Much.

"Can't dig out of the hole."

You know you have been watching a lot of Aaron Sorkin when you have an entire night in which you dream exclusively about characters in his shows and how you are in apparently one of them. Last night I was involved in a number of different plot lines that revolved around the "Sorkin Universe", having a number of personalities from his series appear within my dreams. It was kind of... awesome. A lot of it involved the same fast paced dialogue that he has become synonymous with, and there were a couple of great bits of drama interspersed with some high end comedy as well.

I hope this becomes a common thing, just as long as I keep watching "The West Wing" on an almost addicted basis.

Things That I Love Today: Biff's Question Song

Jeez. So many things that I love over the past few days... This one was just too amazing to not post though.

Things That I Love Today: Say Anything Puppet!!

I'll let this video speak for itself.

Things That I Love Today: The Critic's Choice for Best Actress

...it was a tie...could you tell??

"Mama mia, here I go again."

I am through two our of three days of FR!NGE.

So far?? It has rocked.

I don't know how, or why, but people legitimately liked my film. I am amazed. Like, beyond amazed really. I was backstage, unaware of anything taking place (because I was too embarrassed to watch it with an audience) and the stage manager came back and told me that "my movie was killing out there." So, I had to see for myself, and sure enough, they were laughing. And they weren't laughing at the bad cuts, or sloppy editing. They were laughing at the parts they were supposed to be laughing at. I could do nothing but let out a massive sigh of relief.

I still think it is pretty bad, but I guess it's only because I knew what I wanted and what I wanted wasn't what I gave. Make any sense?? I don't even know any more...

"Cause señoritas don't care-o, when there's no dinero..."

I have neglected my blog yet again, and so quickly after my last absence as well. I vow to try and not wait this long again. I would say my excuse is valid enough though, for having not been on in a while. You see, FR!NGE is this week, and I have been furiously finishing filming my movie as well as attending dress rehearsals and such for the play I'm in too. It is a busy week in which I haven't been to a lot of class (I think I will try and make a couple tomorrow though) and have just been consistently frustrated with my movie. It is definitely the worst one that I have ever made. The more I edit it, it gets a little bit better, but unfortunately I just didn't end up with enough footage to put my original version of the screenplay together, and a LOT was lost in the chopping process. It's a frustrating thing, and it isn't even because the lost footage doesn't work with the overall story. It's just continuity errors. Having to film before the break and then after the break, and having it all be rushed in order to finish on time, and just wanting to be done as soon as I could have been... I ended up with so many sequences that didn't cut together at all. Hell, the "good" stuff I am working with right now is barely holding together.

It's funny too. Everyone I tell that my "movie is a piece of shit" keeps going "No, you are crazy. It's probably a lot better than you think it is!!". And then I show it to them, and they can see how true my statement was. I appreciate their support though, it's just difficult to accept their compliments when my fault is just so blatantly apparent.

The worst part of the whole situation is that there are some scenes that work exactly how I envisioned them. Like, they work perfectly. So, knowing that I have half of a good movie, and half of a terrible one is a huge pisser. I really liked my script, and this final product just doesn't do it justice. I am just going to tell the audience this when I have to introduce it to them. I'll just say, "Hey. This is my movie. It's balls. Enjoy!!" There is no way I am sitting and watching it with them either. I will be taking a bathroom break at that point. Too embarrassing to sit through.

I want there to be something I could do to change the situation, but I can do nothing but deal with what I've been given. The thing that is getting me through it all is the fact that I MIGHT be able to redeem myself in a month when they plan on showing all the films again during the "FR!NGE Film Fest" they want to hold, so by that time, I may be able to re-shoot what I need and have my original vision back again. Here's hoping that is okay anyway. I need to make up for this one, because I know I can do better work, and don't want this to reflect my capabilities.

From what I know too, the rest of the pieces for the Fest are pretty great. Mine will be the stinker. Luckily, LUCKILY, I am also in that play, which is going to be pretty great I feel. So, I at least have some sort of positive contribution to the show. That is also something that is getting me through it all.

Anyway, it will be nice when this layover stress exits my life after this weekend. I am so looking forward to performing again, but really, I just want to not have to think about FR!NGE for a little while.

P.S. Poppy, as you can read, I've been busy... I will email you back when I find a minute next week!!

Rant: Why 2009 Sucked...A Lot.

I have indeed discussed with several people, and even mentioned it on this blog a time or two, why this past year of 2009, was not one of the better years that I have experienced in my life. It was filled with very little enjoyment and not enough positives for it to be deemed anything but one shitty year. So I figured, as a reminder to myself and nothing more, that I would recount my year of crap, if for nothing else than to feel good about the times that I hope to have in the newly born, 2010.

This will work best chronologically, so that's how I'll start. After a rather enjoyable New Years in which four of us took in some luxurious martinis at Josh's mom's restaurant followed by some hanging out at the Toronto abode, the 365 days that were to follow looked promising. It was a low key night, nothing overly spectacular, but it felt nice to bask in the preciousness of the time being spent amongst friends. And you know what?? That feeling lasted for a pretty good amount of time. I was writing consistently for the school newspaper. I was doing alright in my classes. It was a pretty average, not quite discontenting time (if discontenting is not a word, who gives a shit, this is a blog.) When the year began to take a huge turn for the worse, was around the beginning of April. I received a series of phone calls from my brother, seeking me out, but as I had been at a friend's house and without my cell phone, I was unable to be contacted.

After midnight that night, I came home to a bunch of "missed calls" on my cell and a few unanswered MSN messages on the computer. It turns out, while at a hockey tournament in St. Catherines, my dad's car was broken in to. So, I phoned my mom, assuming she would want to know that I was still alive, and I was informed that after his morning game that day, my dad walked out to the car to put his equipment away while my mom waited in the arena, chatting with the other players/wives and girlfriends who had come to watch the game. As he made his way closer to the parking lot though, he noticed that the back window had been smashed open. Upon further inspection, he discovered the theft of both my mom's briefcase, which included a list of all contacts and addresses of family and friends plus some of my own graduation pictures, as well as my dad's own briefcase, which happened to include his iPhone, his watch, his wallet and his wedding ring. So THAT was a fun day for everyone!!

From that day in April, the tone of the rest of the year was pretty much set. I had to deal with dropping a class during the last few days of the year. My birthday was spent alone in the apartment here at school due to exams running late, and no one being around any more because they were all done. Leading into the summer, after some fairly crappy grades on my finals, my grandpa went in to have surgery to remove cancerous tumors in his colon, a standard procedure, what could possibly happen, right?? Well, complications ensued, and what followed was a month in two separate hospitals, five surgeries, 10 different hospital rooms and one night on life support. Luckily he walked out of what turned out to be a rather incompetent hospital and is doing okay since then. But what a lovely beginning to the summer, right!?

The summer for friends ended up being more of a bust than anticipated, resulting in a few feuds at various restaurants and basements across the city. Starbucks would never be the same. Oh, and actually during a hang out in the summer, what happened again?? Oh that's right, the car was broken into for a second time. Yeah, this time under MY watch. Well, luckily this time the only thing they took was my mom's phone charger. Apparently those are really valuable on the streets. A lotta people looking to charge their cells but can't afford the plug that was supposed to COME with the phone, apparently.

Everything else was just little things that accumulated to a pretty substantial list of crap. In no particular order: Having an unbelievably stressful and unsatisfying first semester to third year in which the whole 4 months were a complete bust in the end (This was worse than it sounds). Having a less than fulfilling Christmas break. Having more than one close friend's parent diagnosed with Cancer. The untimely death of my mom's cousin's common law husband. Having to spend a second straight year alone for the Oscars, when I would normally hold my Academy Awards gathering. Failing to achieve my New Year's Resolution of getting a girlfriend for the umpteenth time.

In short, 2009 made me feel like I was trapped on the side of a mountain, having no strength to continue going up and had to succumb to gravity, making me slip a little bit every day. 2010 cannot be worse than that. It simply can't.

So here's hoping.

Things That I Love Today: TheKidFromBrooklyn

If I was in control of youtube, and I had to make a commercial promoting my product, I would just start putting this guys videos up with the youtube logo in the corner. He is the best. A loudmouth idiot who thinks that people care what he says... but he sounds like Fred Flintstone if Fred Flintstone had starred in Goodfellas. It is the best!! Check some of these golden nuggets out:

"Adios and vaya con dios!!"

Oh, hey blog!! How are you?? I'm okay, I was on holidays so I just wasn't around- Wait, hold on a second. No, I-...What do you mean you're pissed at me!?...I was home for the break and was barely on the comput-...Will you let me fini-...That is just so un-...You know what, fine!! Be that way, blog!! I don't care if you're pissy!! I'm writing on you anyway!! Take that!!

I'm sorry to anyone reading this. I didn't expect so much disdain upon my return. Sheesh.

So what has been new?? Well, I had the Christmas holidays and they were a much welcomed break from being swamped by school and FR!NGE and all other things that consumed much of my December. Was it a fun break?? There were moments of fun, sure. I just can't help but want more. When I think about my other friends at schools that don't go back until the 11th, I just get angry. I mean, I sat through two lectures today. They probably sat through four episodes of "Fresh Prince" during that same time. Stupid school. I need more break!!

Anyway, I did enjoy seeing people over the holidays. It was much fun. Probably none moreso than a simple gathering at the pub during one of everyone's first nights back. It was just friends being friendly and as absolutely lame as that sounds, it was something that I missed here at school. There were other great gatherings over the break as well, including a rather uneventful New Years that was still more fun than most other things that we could have done. We did an entire day at the movies, seeing 3 in total and having a very lovely dinner in between. We literally spent 12am inside the screening of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. It was great.

Gotta say that the night was topped off perfectly when a car full of people drove by Josh and one guy rolled down his window, yelling "Man!! You are tall!!", to which Josh replied under his breath, but loud enough so Vlad and Linds could hear him, "I'm an Avatar." The statement in itself is hilarious and embarrassing, but what makes it so great is that I didn't here it, and Josh voluntarily told me the story, also believing that it was hilarious. Fuck we are all hilarious!!

My actual Christmas itself was pretty good. For the first time in, pretty much my whole entire life (I can't recall any other time this has happened) we had no where to go to on Christmas Day. Normally, we would hold Christmas with my mom's side of the family on that day, but we had done that on Christmas Eve this year, because that would be the night when we would normally gather with my dad's side, but we had done that a week early because of other stuff that screwed it up. So, as it turned out, we got up, had breakfast, did presents, and just stayed in because there was no where to go. It felt, weird. I'm so used to heading over to my grandma's to spend the day with my aunts and uncles and reveal what "Santa had brought me" and whatnot. But this year was just so lax. Again, it was weird.

So what DID Santa bring me you ask?? Well, pretty much everything I asked for, actually. My mom and dad got me "30 Rock" Season 3, The Complete "West Wing" Series and Inglourious Basterds on DVD. Oh, and my dad couldn't help himself, and he got me and my brother remote controlled helicopters. You can guess what we did for the next hour then, eh?? The propellor got caught in my hair twice in the process. They are hard to control!! My brother got me two books, one on Paul Newman and the other on Clint Eastwood, so I'll have to get through those at some point. Screw school reading. And then the rest was just gift cards and money from the rest of the fam and such. Spent a little bit of each already.

Oh, my ONE boxing day purchase to myself was the Paul Newman Tribute Collection, a box set of 13 of his movies (4 of which I already owned, but it was still totally worth the 60 bucks) and a really nice colour book that came along with it. I am pretty sure I now own almost his entire filmography. Now the task is going to be watching them all, considering I've had a few of his other ones for over a year now and just haven't made my way to them yet. I wish I didn't have school yet. Otherwise, I could just sit back and make my way through all the wonderful DVDs and TV Shows I got over the break. Sigh.

I'll post some other holiday adventures on here in a little bit. Right now I have to figure out a plan for finishing my FR!NGE movie in the next 3 days. Stress was supposed to be left in Semester 1. What the hell is it doing following me into the new year??