The View Up Here

This gem came across my email today in one of the many listservs I'm on. I've got the first two down pat, but still working on that last bit. The last couple of weeks have been whirl-windy. I finished my newest script last Monday (what a rush that was - 3 weeks flat!), cleaned my house on Tuesday, had an overnight guest on Wednesday (Rachel from Back East), then she left Thursday morning and that very same night I drove to LAX to pick up the husband. He spent a week here, and we had a glorious time at Disneyland, driving around all my new haunts (Crazy Russian Grocery Store, Starbucks down the street, and of course, St. Jude's church on Sunday). I also took him to the Griffith Park Observatory, and while it was closed, it was a clear enough day for him to get the full effect of the view in every direction (including the Hollywood sign). Monday we took care of our taxes (ugh...don't even... ugh) and Tuesday we took a train up to Ventura for the day. I've decided w...

It's been a busy couple of weeks! I've started a new screenplay, and taken a free lance gig proofing and copy-editing a short manuscript for a local author. I am also quite addicted to my Kindle. My brother gave it to me for Christmas of 2010, and it wasn't until last month that I started using it. I don't have room for lots of books here, so I decided to make use of this lovely device, and it has totally changed my world. Imagine bringing multiple books with you where ever you go, so that whatever you feel like reading is at your finger tips. Most of what I have loaded on here now reflects the new direction my spiritual path has taken. Of those, the most inspiring, important, and perfectly appropriate is Without Buddha I Could not be a Christian , by Paul Knitter . He identifies himself as a "Buddhist Christian" as I have come to do, and his treatise on "crossing over" from Buddhism to Christianity is invaluable. Of special note is what he calls...

Stonehenge, where the demons dwell... http://blog.stonehenge-stone-circle.co.uk/2011/01/05/stonehenge-spring-equinox-2011/ Perhaps the Vernal Equinox means more back East than it does here, but nevertheless, I feel the ground beneath me awakening, and it does my heart good. I've been quite busy of late, hence not blogging so much. I've finished the sci fi script and have almost completed the outline for my next script. I'm also excited about going to the Space: 1999 con com this September ( Alpha: 2012 ). What was to be the usual fan-run convention has become quite a to-do thanks to the reboot Space: 2099. Jace Hall of HD films will be there to talk about the new show, and many of the luminaries from the original show will be there as well. Powys Media will have a panel with the editor and writer that I've been working with on Black Doves , and we are shooting for my book to be ready in time for the con so that they can introduce me there. These days I h...

The novel is off to the editor, so I'm taking a break. Last night a friend called to come over and watch the third episode of Sherlock Series 2 (if you haven't watched Sherlock, you absolutely must do and soon), and we sat and drank wine all night, joined by my roommate when she got home. I stayed up much later than I ever do any more, and slept in. And now I'm having a prog rock morning. Thus far: King Crimson and Emerson Lake and Palmer. I'll be getting back into my sci fi screenplay this afternoon along with some over-due laundry. For now, I'll leave you with some ELP to get your afternoon in gear: And one of my fave King Crimson songs: Aaand another, just to round things out:

Can't embed the video, so check out this beautiful score by Bear McCreary with incredible timelapse exposures: Temporal Distortion from Randy Halverson on Vimeo . So I'm a little late with this week's blog. I just wasn't feelin' it over the weekend or yesterday. Not much new to add here...except that I am excited at potential prospects for some level of involvement with THIS: Space: 2099 For months, my gut's been telling me Space: 1999 is on the verge of a resurgence. I was right. Stay tuned for more. Meantime, the first draft of my 1999 novel is 99.999% done (want to do another read-through before I submit to my editor), and I have begun the revisions to my sci fi script that I think will make it a solid contender. For what, I don't know yet. I have finally sold the car, albeit for much less than I should have, but I was getting antsy and it was the only offer. So I will have that money by the end of the week, and will then turn my eyes to purchasing a b...

Okay, it's looking like once a week is what you get, folks. This week was quite busy. I had a job interview, but it ended up being for an office P.A. (production assistant) slot. Those jobs are typically held by recent college grads with no debt and who live in a house of 14 people so that they each only pay $250 a month in rent. And the work is grueling, with 12+ hour days (every day), $8.50 an hour, no bennies. It was good to see the inside of a production office, and I did get the connection through a rather big name in TV who I met last year, but they didn't offer it to me, anyway. But hey an interview is an interview, and I did learn a few things. The car issue has become, well, an issue. I've been carless for over a week. I borrowed a friend's car to get to the interview, and then lied through my teeth that I had a car at said interview (P.A.s do a lot of running around and errands, generally called "running"). Good thing I didn't get it, huh?...

I've got a routine down, and Spaz is getting used to being more of an indoor kitteh. I realized yesterday I haven't even been here 2 weeks. I really do expect a lot out of myself and my circumstances; I have to remember that as Don put it, "Slow and steady wins the race." I now have a local phone number, which was necessary because apparently no one will even consider you for a job if you have a weird area code like, say, 607. They want to know you live in town to start ASAP, I guess. Seems stupid, as many people retain cell numbers when they move and it doesn't mean they don't live here. But that's how it is, so there you go. Work on Black Doves is moving apace; I aim to have the first draft completed by end of the month. I have a new idea for a screenplay waiting in the wings; currently doing some research to get notes going for that when the deck is clear. But it's not all writing and job searching! Last weekend, my friend TL took me to the...

Today I wrapped up the temp job of fame and ill repute. Augustus Gloop who hit on me last week made sure to give me the cool farewell of "best of luck to ya" while not looking up from his book. A few of the folks stopped to say thanks and wish me good luck (for real) in L.A. on their way out. And of course my candy-loving pal and I said a sad farewell. I accomplished this by paging him as Barry White. Yes, that's right. Well, when's the last time your co-worker called your desk to play Barry White over the phone? Henceforth, my chocolate-craving former coworker will be known as Barry White in these blog pages. Thanks, Barry, for making my boring days of waiting for the phone to ring much less boring, and for making me smile when I was grumpy. I didn't end up getting that temp gig at the insane asylum, so tomorrow I'm back to my freewheeling writer life on Funemployment. Tutoring, editing, writing, looking for freelance work. Back to dreaming and planning for ...