The ball is rolling.

And it's a ball I am fairly fond of. I tend to like ball games a lot, too. But this ball could mean the step in my career that I have recently made mention of. It's a shiny, fun ball. I think it could take a little longer than I'd prefer to make its way back to me... but I am nothing if not patient... most of the time.

Slowly settling back into regular life.

I have to say I am quite unused to the slow pace but am almost equally glad for it. The brain needs a bit of time off even if the body was happy to continue the march. Tomorrow I should get the opportunity to have a meeting to see if I might be able to start doing other things at my job that could be much closer to my professional goals, if not a bit more lucrative as well. Then, if I am lucky, I can start readjusting to the faster pace once again.

I can't say I didn't see it coming.

The day that I reached 200lbs in weight. I'm not actually sure if it happened before today, since I never had a scale handy during my last three-week trip, but I was basically that exact weight when I got home today. I thought somewhere in my mind that I would be able to easily avoid it somehow... but, as the quaint and sometimes wise quote states, failing to plan is a plan to fail. Anyway, it's not like being this weight is technically failing... but I definitely want to get back to the much healthier 165lbs or so where I belong.

The end of a semi-long road.

Which in many ways was actually a real, physical road. I didn't fly to either of the last two shoots and both of them were so far out in the sticks that the location was a decent distance from the more populated areas(with one of them only accessible by passing through a gravel road to get there.) I generally don't feel very homesick whenever I travel but I have to admit there is a little piece of it lingering somewhere in the back of my mind. I guess I am still looking forward to my next trip no matter when it comes.

Coming down to it.

We close in on the end of another fine shooting experience. It certainly did not go without its share of trials. And it still has a day of interesting paces, I imagine. I don't know what the weather will be like but, short of an actual tornado, I don't think we will see anything we haven't already faced. Then it will be back to Seattle with us! And the undetermined future will bring a new set of challenges and decisions.

I'm glad I don't live down here.

Because of the mega-hot, ultra-humid days like today. It is oppressive... like a taskmaster with a massive, syrup-covered whip. It just makes you feel gross constantly. And I'm even the lucky one that gets to spend a decent amount of time inside an R.V. Anyway, I look forward to my return to Washington... where the climate is humanly exceptional.

The intensity of a shoot.

It commonly comes in the form of time constraint and shot complexity... this shoot, however, brings weather and animal danger into the ring as well. Our B-Cam operator literally got heat stroke due to the fact that he had to wear a full-body Tyvek suit because the house if full of Brown Recluse spiders, animal poo, mice and potentially snakes. Yep, that is pretty much about as crazy as it could be. This is the first time I am actually grateful I am not a camera operator for this shoot.

Road trippin' into the South.

It was a beautiful, fun experience even though it was too much of a long trek. I really enjoy the different vegetation and land formations that you see along the way. The skies were cloudy and blue. The oddities were plentiful and interesting. I just really get a kick out of traveling and I think doing it by land is always the richer experience.

And... that's a wrap.

Not only was today the last day of my current shoot... it was the day I learned that my next shoot will be my last one as a Media Manager for the foreseeable future, possibly forever. I would prefer to continue my work, of course, but this could perhaps lead to the next important step in my career so I really shouldn't complain. And I know the reasons for discontinuing the use of Media Managers right now are in many ways the right thing for the company. So, in reality, today was good in multiple ways, more of a bitter-sweet end to the week.

Basically hitting the stride.

My job is not an easy one. It isn't particularly complex but it isn't particularly easy, either. I tend to think most people could do the work but definitely recognize the importance of adhering to the specific instructions and consistency with attention to detail thrown in the mix. Having been doing this for the past four or so months I am finally starting to feel like I am pretty much on top of it. I do see room for improvement in my time management skills but I think that will continue to improve for a while to come anyway.

The beautiful countryside right at your fingertips.

And most of the time it is pleasant to the touch... except when a tick, nettle, or other obnoxious piece of nature gets on you. That's hardly a deterrent for the serenity part of it, though. I'm really into that serenity stuff. I'm certainly a very lucky fellow for getting to enjoy it as often as I get to... an unexpected perk of my job on occasion.

Followed by a little more than expected.

Today was a bit of the opposite of yesterday. I was asked to shoot some of the B-roll that was actually necessary to the shoot. Nothing extremely important but it was nice to be asked to do it nonetheless. There is definitely an increased level trust getting thrown my way. I can't let it get to my head, though. Seriously... I still have all kinds of work to do in my current position.

A little less than expected.

Which is to say that I was not entirely needed for the camera work I was initially asked to do. It's cool, though, since I did get to do something, at least. The weather was pretty much ridiculously muggy/hot but the skies were inspiringly beautiful and the camaraderie was jovially entertaining... and that's all cool with me!

Shooting opportunity.

It seems that, because of a somewhat overloaded shooting schedule, I will get the chance to shoot a couple quick scenes tomorrow. It isn't something that is very mission-critical as far as the episode is concerned but I think I might be able to put together some pretty usable little pieces of work and hope that it can lead to some better opportunities in the future. How exciting!

Mini-shoots are cool.

They certainly have a different feel to them. In some ways they might be better for the subject as I am sure the intimidation level of such a small crew would be quite a bit smaller. Greater challenges exist for the crew, however, as many different roles(camera operator, producer, sound, gaffer, etc) need to be taken on by fewer people and, as such, the quality of each role's need naturally suffers. By the same token, the multi-tasking aspect also increases the diversity, uniqueness, and potential fun of the work. It's all a good time to me but it is always cool to mix things up a bit whenever the opportunities arise.

Tornado warnings are cool... and warm.

Which is pretty cool if you ask me. We didn't actually see any signs of the tornado but the crazy windy cloudiness was something I don't recall seeing too much of in my lifetime. And, with the temperature being so tropically warm, the heavy rain just felt weird and unusual. Not like a shower, per se(probably because I was wearing clothes), but something sort of surreal anyway. So I guess that's the life of a traveler... sometimes.

The deeper emotions.

I think we produce a fine, story-telling experience in the work that we do. It shares a slice of life that most people would never have access to while, at the same time, drawing connections between the human emotions we all share. I think the story is such a beautiful and powerful form of communication and I think we as humans already understand that on an innate, fundamental level.

Staying in is a good thing sometimes.

I pretty much go out every night for dinner, which is kind of the normal thing since I am technically always out(being on the road for work), but have started to recognize the value of something different. My hotel room is not the most home-like place to be but there is still something to be said for the ease-of-mind I enjoyed for just relaxing here for the night. And, to be a bit more explicit, I am not know to get homesick, generally speaking, so I tend to feel somewhat "at home" pretty much anywhere I go... which is a personal feature I am quite grateful to enjoy.

Drama behind the scenes.

There is always something more going on below the surface of any visible experience. Certainly this episode will show a decent level of drama, based on the things that happened today, but we will never get the full sense for the challenges faced surrounding this whole trial's inception. It probably isn't critical that we(or anybody unrelated to it all) fully understand the gravity of these things... but it does mean there is always more room for learning, understanding, and empathy.

Getting into an exercise routine is tough.

As much as I really enjoy playing basketball, I seem to have a very difficult time forcing myself to do much else in the way of physical activity. It could be that trying to do just about anything as my first activity of the morning would be fighting an uphill battle, regardless of my interest in doing it, but it seems like that will be just about the only time I can guarantee is open. Well... guarantee might be a strong word since my will power is so far from guaranteed. Ha.

Round nine?

I can't remember what shoot number this is for me exactly... nine sounds right but I definitely could be wrong. Anyway, it looks to be a very interesting experience with a solid, well-rounded crew. The weather should be interesting, with mid-eighties and rain here and there, as well as the story that might be told through our efforts... I look forward to seeing how it all turns out!

Holy lateness!

So... I get up to get on a plane in a couple hours. I know the flight will be 4 hours long so I'm basically planning to sleep as much as I can on then... and I hope I'll be so wiped out by the end of the day that the new time zone will be easy to crash to anyway. At least, that's what I think can happen if I am lucky. Ha(feeble internal laughter).

Gettin' in on the gimbal craze.

Now, I too, can say I am a gimbal operator... if that would be the appropriate term. I've been doing it this whole season of Hoarders but can now say I own my own gear to do it anywhere I am requested for it. Cool! It's a solid little piece of tech that should compliment my current arsenal quite nicely. Plus I will get to rent it to the Flea to mitigate it's cost, even! Bonus cool!

Lots of stuff shows up tomorrow.

And, in a way, it's like a mini-June-style Christmas... just for me. Ha. Not to be greedy about it and all that. I will be receiving a piece of gear that I will be able to rent to the Flea to help pay it off. It was a business decision that happens to be fun as well. I am quite grateful for the opportunity! So, after a long day at work I will get to play a little tomorrow evening, and for the foreseeable future as well!

The action is a'comin'!

So the break will be extra appreciated! I now have two, back-to-back shoots on the near horizon and considering the upcoming decline in Media Manager numbers I will certainly be slated for the remaining shoots with more consistency and increased frequency... which is pretty much awesome. I know the work will start to grind at some point but I am quite glad I am still enjoying it now. And the good attitude is always a good thing to carry into the challenging situations.

Taking an actual day off.

It is something I didn't quite do today but I did come pretty close. The mind, body and spirit definitely need a break every so often and I am certainly not very good about my break consistency or quality. It could be quite helpful in regaining some level of normalcy... and sanity. Ha. Good times are always had with sanity... or is that insanity?

Refocusing on home.

I don't spend a whole lot of time here in between my production trips with my job, but I do spend enough time here to get some momentum going with the projects I am working on here... at least, I am capable of it. I seem to take a bit of a longer break than is needed but maybe I am just being hard on myself. I averaged about 12-hours per day for five of the last seven days with a couple 6-hour days on both ends of that. Rest is important. Gotta get my brain back.