You are currently browsing the tag archive for the 'work' tag.
source
In college I was a film student. I still have copies of my scripts. My notebooks were filled with story ideas and snatches of dialog. The storyteller in me disappeared with my last student film. I could not capture what was lost.
Since then I’ve been reading voraciously. Hemingway. Oates. McCarthy. Hammett.
Last night I realized why I was burning through all of those books. I yearned for a story that did not exist.
I opened a notebook and started writing. No preamble. Just one word after another. It was shocking. It was also dreadful.
I made a few edits, and unearthed a love story. In an hour the romance evolved into a love triangle.
I went to sleep at 3 a.m.
The whole experience reminds me of something Hemingway said:
“I learned never to empty the well of my writing, but always to stop when there was still something there in the deep part of the well, and let it refill at night from the springs that fed it.”
I just saw this quick little video. Now I’m dying to shop and sew. Besides there is nothing more calming to me than animated knitting, which means that I love to watch these ETSY videos.
I have a strange morning routine.
My Chihuahua, Sophie, has nothing but disdain for noise. Slamming doors. Laughter. Car honks. Basically any sound can send the little one running down the hallway to cower before my brother’s bedroom door.
So for her sake, I try to find a movie that will politely drown out all the usual sounds.
This morning’s choice was Singin’ in the Rain.
I am a fan of only a handful of Hollywood musicals but this Gene Kelly extravaganza is one of my favorites. I tend to fast forward to my favorite part whenever I pop this into the dvd.
I like Gene Kelly’s romance with Debbie Reynolds but it lacks chemistry. Their scenes are pure movie. There is no magic. Its cute. Very PG.
That is until half way through the film when you become immersed in “Broadway Melody” a breathtaking sequence with the incomparable Cyd Charisse steals the movie.
I just adore Gene Kelly when he dances with Cyd. She brings him to life. Its more than a look. His body language changes. He makes this shift from a boy into a lover. Its subtle and its perfect.
The rest of the movie pales in comparison to this one scene. In the end Debbie was never a match for Gene.
I did however find the clip on YouTube. So now you can see what I mean.
FFFFOUND! | tumblr_kr94gt7×0B1qa06reo1_400.jpg (JPEG Image, 375×500 pixels)
I used to babysit. The two little girls in question were about 3 and 4. This was before I started going to college. I was strangely confused about what I was going to do with my life. So babysitting seemed like a good idea.
Feeling stifled and utterly frustrated I found ways to amuse myself. On one such day I thought it would be fun to teach the girls about Stanley Kubrick.
By lunch they ran up to my unsuspecting family wiggling their index fingers squealing out “RED RUM!”
*I never actually showed the movie to them. I wasn’t that bored.
Not too long ago I wrote about how listening to my Itunes music library filled me with some great memories from my childhood. I promised to share these so here is one such treat for this chilly Monday.
Today’s song is: “Green Onions” by Booker T. & The McG’s
When I was a little girl I spent most of my time with my parents. Basically every Friday night was spent watching movies. They would make some popcorn. We would throw several large pillows on the floor. And all three of us would stretch out in front of the TV and watch a movie.
I had an early introduction to great filmmaking. George Lucas. Martin Scorsese. Francis Ford Coppola. Steven Spielberg. Oliver Stone. I remember watching a lot of R-rated films. My parents do not realize it but if it had not been for this early education I would never had pursued filmmaking like I did in college. There was so much magic to telling a story.
To this day, I create a ritual out of watching movies. Its magic has not waned.
[The image was from my favorite site, FFFFOUND!.]
I just took a quick online detour to one of my favorite websites, FFFFOUND!, and I was reminded of this strange dream I had recently.
I was in a strange mall. While there I attempted to get a haircut. The stylist person played with my hair a bit and even used a curling iron on overgrown bangs. In the end she refused to give me a haircut because she was too busy. I woke up furious.
Even in my dreams I am denied proper bangs. Which brings me to this lovely illustration:
FFFFOUND! | mosh by *MBirkhofer on deviantART
I guess I needed a take charge attitude.
I found some Wednesday morning inspiration on FFFFOUND!.com:
I stumbled upon a very good book last night. Ernest Hemingway’s The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories. There was a particular passage that I feel in love with:
“He had destroyed his talent himself. Why should he blame this woman because she kept him well? He had destroyed his talent by not using it, by betrayals of himself and what he believed in, by drinking so much that he blunted the edge of his perceptions, by laziness, by sloth, and by snobbery, by pride and by prejudice, by hook and by crook. What was this? A catalogue of old books? What was his talent anyway? It was a talent all right but instead of using it, he had traded on it. It was never what he had done, but always what he could do. And he had chosen to make his living with something else instead of a pen or a pencil.”
It made me think about how I sabotage myself. How could I possibly know that reading Hemingway would inspire me to finish what I start. Breaks over — back to work.
It has been a while since I last blogged. I spent most of my down time trying to will my body into better health. My cold/flu bug is over. Having said that I have been out of sorts for the last couple of days. Being sick forced me to make some questionable choices.
My apartment is anarchy. My cooking has been dreadful. Which led me to eat food that could be ordered or heated up in a moments notice. Bad choices all around. One of the big changes was going without coffee. I really missed my cup o’ joe but that pot was dirty. Like I said bad choices.
Today was a day of many firsts. I picked up a pair of knitting needles to break in a new skein of wool. Washed some dishes. Invented a sandwich. More importantly the coffee pot was cleaned for a much needed brew.
I even did some quick surfing online to find some inspiration for this delicious coffee buzz. I love FFFFound!
I hope you enjoyed this lovely Sunday. I know I did.
I’ve been absent for what feels like the better part of a week. It was not by choice it was more out of necessity. I started last week with a small cold but I ended the week with the flu. So the time I usually spent at the computer was time spent in my living room trying to battle fever, headaches, chills, cough and my dog. If you have a canine you may come to learn like I have that she has no patience for the sick. Just try to blow your nose in front of her…you won’t ever see that tissue ever again. But I digress, I was sick. I am now much better. I am not 100%. But I’m working on it.
FFFFOUND! | Mistaken Identity by ~ken-wong on deviantART
I love to search the internet for inspiration. Today I came across the above image. I felt like that for three days. I have to admit I would prefer her company to mine, the fish might not eat tissue.
Last night before the clock hit 7pm I was feeling great making dinner for my sick brother. I even stayed up to fix a breakfast for my brother to take in a hurry since he had to work at 6am.
Going to bed at 10 may sound dull but I was looking forward to getting some sleep. I woke up at 12. My breathing was scary. Went back to bed. Woke up again at 2am. Woke up again at 3am. Again at 4am. Finally when 5am came around I was hoping my brother would rush off to work so I could take a shower. Never have I wanted a humidifier more.
Suffice to say the night was horrendous. I feel like Jekyll and Hyde. Mentally I want to clean and sanitize every surface, wash some dishes, wash the bedding. But physically I want want to throw all the blankets onto my achy joints curl up on the couch and cough to my heart’s content.
FFFFOUND! | design work life – Part 7.
I feel a little like a zombie right now what with my red eyes and my quick temper I could do some serious damage if let loose on the general public.
The picture above is from one of my favorite sites and I personally believe there should be a placard with that written on it for those of us infected folks.
Until next time, rx.
