Thus ends the saga

Not of Brewed, but of the struggle for Brewed. We were watching the raw, unedited footage and it is funny. We will be filming next weekend and could definitely use some extras! We need ninjas. And a big guy in a trenchcoat. And a glowstick ninja. It is definitely a silly show, but we are having fun.

Well, we are having fun now that we know that what we did today was good. Not excellent. It's not going to win us any awards, but it is good. I can't wait to finish it.

In other news, I'm looking at starting a part time writing business, so I'm learning how to make a business plan for a home based writing business, studying more writing so that I can eventually sell to magazines. I'm trying to come up with ideas for the local magazines and indie newspapers so that I can develop a clips portfolio. I'm trying to narrow down my fields of expertise... coffee and abstinence education... I've worked with coffee for 5 years and I taught abstinence education for 4 years. I'm also going to look into creative writing contests and developing my own book of short stories.

I'm still working on my lowly sock, but I can't show them to you because my camera hates me. Again. I have to get a better one and that will be a while. I can't wait to get one though because I have an idea for a picture blogsite and I can't wait to do it. I have a capelet design that I should have started on two months ago, but very beautiful grey and wine, soft wool yarn are stashed in my closet, waiting for me to care for them. The capelet design is a bit more complicated than I am used to, but hopefully, I will get some new yarn soon *hint hint*

Ah well, all's well that ends well. Our own commenter, Kevin, was there and did and excellent job as a pissed off customer. I can't wait to write the show where he comes back and gives as good as he got!

Bim and Daniel returned and did an excellent job. You'll get your chance for revenge Bim! We looked at the footage and your scenes were awesome. We should be able to use them just fine, no worries. We missed Aubrey and April, but we understand when life takes you towards your goals. I hope you guys enjoyed your day! I'm so happy to have this week behind me. It could have been an ulcer inspiring week. But it is over and the sense of accomplishment I feel for my first directing and writing job is... awesome.

Anyway, it's beddy bye time. Goodnight all.

Brewed2

I could see it all falling apart. The realization that this was going to take much longer than we expected, that we really needed more people for extras, the let down feeling when the people who'd promise to show up didn't.

It would have been enough to break the average production down. But with this seeming failure, we've found our beginning. So, we will be delayed by a couple of weeks, but the delay has done nothing but make us realize our dream can finally happen.

I was so exhausted after the shooting. Our extras from Valdosta were the most fantastic people who's interest in what we were doing far outweighed any impatience that waiting all day could bring. They were game to participating when they thought they'd only be sitting around and added one of everyone's favorite line, which will now be part of the script. Thanks Bim! Daniel, Aubrey, and April, you guys rocked all of our socks off!

Two guys walked into the shooting location because they knew the guy playing our homeless guy. Not knowing this, seeing two new faces, I put them in roles and they did them without question. Later on, on asking them how they came to hear about our shooting, they told me they were just saying hello to an old bandmate. I told them about the show and they will come in and be extras for us, hopefully on a regular basis. Thanks Jeremy and Colby! You guys rock too!

We have so much work to do. But now, we have a better understanding of what to do and how to do it. I'm still excited (now that I'm not so tired) and I can't wait to see what we come up with!

Brewed

For the last month and a half, we've been working on a video podcast. It's a sitcom situated in a coffee house. The main characters are the employees, but there are some crazy customers going through there as well. The people are normal everyday people with hopes and dreams and weaknesses... well, more weaknesses than anything, but it's been an incredibly fun experience. In that time, I've written 8 scripts. I've edited the first script alone 8 times. We are shooting that script this weekend. I'm too excited. I don't know what it's going to look like, but it will be a dream come true. I was head writer of my own sitcom. It will be online in a couple of weeks (fingers crossed!) and the whole world will get to see what we've come up with. Some of you will find it funny. Some of you won't. That's okay. I have to say it was the most fun I've had with a group of friends and strangers in a long time. The prospect of continuing this association excites me. My husband is, of course, the mastermind. I only work part time (approx. 25-30 hrs a week), but he works full time (40-50 hrs a week) and full time with this production. We've both had two jobs for a while now and we're super tired. So if you do this sort of thing, pray with us for strength, guidance, direction. Now would be a great time to have a church family, other people rooting for us from a knowledge and love of us, just like our families. So keep that in mind when you lift up those prayers.

We have been so incredibly blessed and we are so incredibly thankful for the last few months even if they have been tiring and trying. I am in no way complaining. I wouldn't have it any other way. So keep an eye out on this site for THE site and maybe you'll see something you find funny. Besides my typos. Don't say anything - it will hurt my feelings.

This Weekend

It's almost the weekend. It's almost time to begin shooting. I'm so excited about the table read, watching the actors read the lines we've crafted over the last month and a half. I can't believe we're at this point, and yet I'm so glad it's finally here. Are we wasting our time with a script that isn't funny? Or will the reading show that not only are we funnier than we thought, but the actors are awesome as well?

This weekend will tell. I'm so ready for it!

My Birthday

Yes, I am officially 30 years old. Let me tell you about all the wonderful things that happened on my birthday.

At midnight, The Honey came in to wish me a happy birthday. I explained to him that I wasn't born until 12:45pm, so we had another 12 hours to go before he could say happy birthday. He said my birthday was Jan. 2 and it started at midnight with hugs and kisses. I appreciated the hugs and kisses, but I still felt 30. I did some cleaning, straightening up, finally putting our new sheets on the bed. Then my husband picked out a movie he knew I would like and sat and watched it with me. Now, usually if he knows I will like a movie, he knows for a fact that he will not, so making this sacrifice for me, watching a movie he would loathe without saying a word... well, without saying many, many words anyway... showed me that he really wanted my happiness and to spend time with me doing something I would enjoy. This was at about 3am. We go to sleep and when we wake up, he wishes me a happy birthday. I don't feel well, but I didn't ask for the day off, partly because I'd forgotten, partly because I didn't know if I wanted to be off that day. So I was working. And I didn't tell anyone it was my birthday until the end of the night. If I had said it to everyone, I would have gotten better tips.

Anyway, at about 6:30, The Honey walks in with two bags in his hands and I don't recognize either one of them. He'd bought me a cake (chocolate with fudge icing), a book of the best short fiction of 2005 and a box of truffles from Godiva. MMMMMMMM. So I got some really great gifts. My manager at work got me a happy birthday balloon and a bookmark. So all my gifts are useful this year.

Now, I know that gifts aren't a sign of how much someone loves me, but I enjoy well thought out gifts that show you know me. Anyway, if anyone still wants to get me a gift, a subscription to Glimmertrain would be awesome, either the short story collection or the Writers Ask... both would be useful. Just letting the world know. I'll prolly subscribe myself within the next couple of weeks. I like the fiction they come out with.

Then my sister showed up and she spent the night at the apartment, hung out with me, we talked... she's going to be 21 this year. YIKES! I can't believe it. My little sister is growing up. And she wants to be in her apartment by herself for that time. She loves her time. Anyway, she is a very mature and insightful person, if a bit boy crazy, but fortunately even that's not severe. Anyway, other than knocking down a glass fixture from the chandelier over the table which shattered and broke in my birthday cake, everything was perfect! And that was my day.

Happy Birthday to me.

PS. The Honey called me several times throughout the night and he would say, "Hey, birthday girl" and everytime he said it, I was more excited about my birthday. It was the best birthday ever!

New Year's Eve

Last year, I got the Princess Diaries 2 as a Christmas gift. So I watched PD1 and PD2 yesterday... I made dinner for us (steak so we could taste the red wine someone gave us as a Christmas present) and watched the rest of PD2 afterwards. The Honey came into the room at the end of the film and saw me crying. Concerned, he rushes over. "What's wrong?" he asked. I paused and then said, "Clarisse isn't going to be queen anymore." He looked at me before starting to laugh. "I can't believe it."

The quote below from The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis (part of the Chronicles of Narnia) made me cry because sometimes I feel like that with God. When He makes Himself known through reading, or praying or such, all I can see are the things I didn't do for Him even though He asked it of me. You know, so relieved to hear from Him, yet so aware of your faults. Seeing change, knowing the old things have to go, the new things have to be put into place... it's very emotional. 25 hit me like a ton of bricks. It felt like one day, I was 19 and then suddenly, I was 25. Since then, I've felt myself getting older.

My main thoughts are about my job. I don't want to just work at a milk and cookie store for the rest of my life. Oh, I want to be a writer. Lately, I've been doing that work, although I don't get paid for it. When I go to work, the job I get paid for, I am tired, stressed, and brought to a bad mood by rude customers (then I become rude and make some nice customers feel bad). Some days are better when people I like come in. All in all I think about the fact that I don't like the job enough to make a career out of just being behind the counter. Yet management doesn't treat me like I'm going to be any more. Oh, I've been invited on trips and given a title of sorts, but we don't meet, there are no attempts to cultivate me for management, etc.

But no matter what my work day is like, at midnight, I am rejuvenated. 3 days a week, at midnight, I get together with a group of people and we work on our show. We have four scripts done, two semi done and two on the way. I love this time of the day. I love figuring out plot problems, solving them, making the scripts funnier. I love it all. THIS is what I want to do forever. I love my job most days, I just don't love the direction it seems to be going in. and unless I begin making money writing... So, what to do? I guess we'll both be finding out together.

Happy New Year

"I have come," said a deep voice behind them. They turned and saw the Lion himself, so bright and real and strong that everything else began at once to look pale and shadowy compared with him. And in less time than it takes to breathe Jill forgot about the dead King of Narnia and remembered only how she had made Eustace fall over the cliff, and how she had helped to muff nearly all the signs, and about all the snappings and quarrellings. And she wanted to say, "I'm sorry" but she could not speak. Then the Lion drew them towards him with his eyes, and bent down and touched their pale faces with his tongue, and said:
"Think of that no more. I will not always be scolding. You have done the work for which I sent you into Narnia."