Doing good work for good people.

In reality, doing work for just about anybody is technically the same thing. But doing work for people who are specifically investing their own time to help others feels somewhat more rewarding in its own way. It probably seems a bit strange when you consider the industry that I have chosen to invest my energy into... the people I serve are almost explicitly consumers during the moments they engage in the product I am a part of producing. But, if there is some small piece of opportunity to be had in my line of work, it would be to inspire, teach, and provoke the goodness of our world, to share the unknown perspectives which strengthen and improve our own. Maybe, doing good work for good people helps me feel a little closer to the pulse of those same ideals.

Learning from those further down the road.

This is generally the relationship between a teacher and a student. And sometimes further down the road doesn't necessarily mean older, more experienced, or even better at the thing they are teaching. They might simply be exposing things to the student that can only be learned from the more advanced perspective. This perhaps recognizes the absolute value and importance of perspective in all things.

The indecipherable future.

Some things on the horizon are fairly clear. Some things sometimes seem like they will be clear but kind of turn a different direction, retreating into the exceptionally vague. This is nothing new. Life is full of surfers... at least, life on the California coast is. Perhaps I bring all of this up because of the simple, somewhat perplexed feeling I currently enjoy as I contemplate where things are headed for me right now. It is somewhat bemused puzzlement with a hint of tingly optimism... and a dash of cold, hard reality. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Inching into the future.

Maybe that's how it should have always been presented to me. Or maybe it always was presented to me that way and I just didn't notice. Either way, patience is certainly a key function of life that everyone should learn to operate with. Discretion and determination should probably also be mentioned in those lessons. It seems like an overabundance of patience, without either of those other ones, might be somewhat detrimental, too... or perceived as laziness... or just plain dumb. Ha.

A day of rest is nice, once in a while.

And even though today wasn't originally slated as a day off, I am quite pleased it was and a much needed day of relaxation it was. I have not had more than a day or so off in the last couple or so weeks. My brain needed the break. The coming week might be quite busy.

Doing the busy work for days.

It can be pretty draining to stay busy so consistently. It is usually made worse by my crumby sleeping habits. Oh, the tiredness and lethargy. Luckily,(and if I'm lucky) I will get to do some fun work tomorrow, weather permitting. Then... the busy work will all be worth it once again.

Reminiscing with the old crew.

It is always a fun time to visit with old co-workers and see how life has changed and evolved since the times I was a part of. The personalities are largely the same but the personnel is become something altogether different. There are many fond memories to recant along with an almost equal share of the negative ones. Having put some considerable space between the negative ones and now gave them an almost whimsical spin, however, hardly stifling the pleasure of our collective recollections. I look forward to enjoying such an experience again in the future.

Challenging life changes.

Sometimes things happen in life that actually change the normal tone of things forever. Death would probably the easiest example of this to recognize and understand how it changes things. Sometimes, however, there are some far less obvious things that can happen which can cause a similarly profound life change... a car accident, a graduation, a lost friend's contact info, moving into a new place, etc. The effects are not necessarily negative and the changes are not necessarily noticeable at first. Anyway... I have to sort of grapple with a life change right now. The impact isn't immediately noticeable but it likely will be permanent. And I will learn to manage and adapt and continue moving forward just like I always have. Life is all kinds of fun sometimes!

Getting things done in the interim.

Even though I don't even know if/when I might get to start doing the things I really want to do at work, I am staying quite productive doing things that aren't so bad and somehow feeling like I'm almost doing nothing at all. I think that would just be an effect of thinking on the potential future more than recognizing the present. I am not sure how often I do this kind of thing normally... I recognize it now as quite a trap, though, and would probably do well to avoid doing it as much as possible. The present is always the most important part of life.

Basically non-stop work.

Sometimes there is little else in a day full of work. It streamlines one's focus and generally makes the time pass noticeably faster... depending on the type of work, I suppose. Now, the exhaustion is pleasantly pulling me into bed a bit quicker than usual so that's good too.

Forgetting things.

Especially commitments. These are the most unfun things to forget. Even little commitments. In some cases the potential damage is somewhat easy to circumvent. In other cases, however, the damage is done the moment it slips your mind. I am glad I didn't have that sort of event today. Life is generally quite forgiving for one in my sort of situation, being that my ties of responsibility are relatively localized and uninfluential. So, maybe in that light, forgotten commitments can be seen as the spice of life? Ha. I suppose that would often be true anyway.

One step closer to extended success.

Merely finishing the project within the allotted timeframe is, indeed, a success in its own right. Obtaining peer approval from our perceived competitors is an added level of success we could not have expected in the least. And what a grand gesture it is! I am quite pleased to share the glory with such a fine group of folks!

Rockin' in and out of it all.

I was quite happy for the opportunity to jump into another band's set tonight to help cover for their missing bassist. I was no doubt far from the quality they were used to but they seemed quite happy with what meager improvised elements I provided. The greater joy tonight, however, came in watching the latest incarnation of my former band play. They have my replacement bass player but also have a new drummer and they have certainly carved a new niche for themselves. It was, of course, a bit of a sting to not be a part of such a delightful experience from the inside... but it was also an honor to enjoy it as a participator from the outside. And I look forward to seeing their future successes as the years move on.

Excellent momentum.

We had an excellent meeting today which did well to carry the motivation and energy of the weekend forward into our potential futures together doing more of the movie making awesomeness. We all talked out the highs and lows and sort of reveled in our somewhat brief success thus far. It appears we almost unanimously look forward to all of our future endeavors together. Fun times!

Initial success.

It feels like something we can build on in a meaningful way. It certainly inspires me. I am quite proud of the team for all of our efforts and really think we might be able to claim a prize or two before this thing is all said and done. And beyond this, I think we can continue making good things happen in a variety of ways. And it energizes my optimism just thinking about it.

Unusual blame.

Today I had an experience that I found quite perplexing. I was essentially blamed for somebody else tailgating me and the gate coming down on their vehicle while doing so. There are more details to the situation, of course, and I can see somebody twisting things enough to somehow make it my fault but it is such a stretch that I was somewhat frustrated by it for the rest of the day(well... whenever I would think about it for the rest of the day... which wasn't really that often). It mostly just reminds me that nobody, including myself, is anywhere close to perfect. I am definitely my best self when judgement is held in reserve for the moments that truly matter.

Incredible appreciation.

I feel like my patience has been highly appreciated far beyond what I thought it could have been. I wouldn't call it gushing praise or anything hyperbolistic(it's always fun making up words that sound cool) like that but I definitely feel something positive that is motivating and something I appreciate. All this talk of appreciation might seem boring but it definitely feels important to do whenever the situation is right.

Our labor, well-received.

We put an incredible amount of work into this one thing without the certain expectation of its result. The tension this creates internally can be somewhat bothersome if left unchecked. The initial responses to its presentation, however, did well to lay our anticipatory anxieties to rest and begin to build our anticipatory optimism that our work has a better chance of doing somewhat well. I am grateful for the team which shared this experience and almost equally grateful for the audience that validated it.

Returning back to the world.

It has been a mere 48-hour experience which has claimed the time and attention of this one of late... but now that its window has passed I am glad to return to the mundane and exciting life I enjoy on a regular daily basis. Anyway... regular life is good. 'Fake' life is fun and good. Work is good. My bed is the best.

Video game prowess.

It is definitely something that diminishes with age. I spent a few hours in the arcade with my buddy today and more and more I came to realize that I am not the video game adept I was in my younger years. I still had the fun I was hoping to have but it certainly came with a higher percentage mixture of somewhat confused frustration than was expected. I have to say, though... button mashing can also be therapeutic.

A million miles a day.

Or just a million miles this day. And the strange part that I only realized a moment ago is that I didn't even flinch about all the driving no matter how far or how much expected traffic would be part of the experience. Just knowing I have a quality traveling companion probably caused that effect, I suppose. I haven't added up the miles(and in reality they weren't an insane number to be sure), but the fact that I went from Puyallup to Seattle to Tacoma to Tukwila to Tacoma to Seattle to Tukwila before coming back home to Puyallup at least sounds like a million miles in my head.

The old crew.

Or at least one piece of it. And any piece is a fine piece in my book. It's always fun to reminisce and be reminded of some of the glory days. Not that there actually were any 'glory' days but, you know, some twisted sort of version inhabits my memories anyway. And I'm all down for twisted fun. Anyway, it's good to see the friends of my past finding their way back into my life from time to time... even if only for brief moments here and there.

Independence is not always a choice.

Which is often something taken for granted. And, in many ways, we are never truly independent as we reach out toward others looking to interact in some way... but that doesn't diminish it's value. Rather, I would tend to think it increases it. Interdependency is a strength to those who recognize and value it. Therefore, if my incredibly convoluted thinking has any actual credibility(I am quite tired and wielding a fairly foggy mind at the moment), independence = synergy(?) Ha. That almost sounds like one of those misleading ad slogans of the army recruiter commercials.

Chillin' with the dudes.

It always feels like the right thing to do despite the fact that all three of us basically commiserate our ever-continuing status' as 'unattached' with the frequency rivaling a whiner's pace(did I use flowery language to obfuscate the point, there?). Basically, we can be a sad bunch of singleton's from time to time. Ha. Anyway, they are good for motivation if nothing else... and they are good for so much more than that. Good people make for good times no matter the status. This is a highly appreciated truth, to me!

Digging into the more creative things.

Today I got to embark into two different projects where I will get to spread my creative wings a bit. And even though I already have a lot on my plate I am quite excited to participate in both projects and look forward to seeing the end results of my involvement with them. I am a very lucky fellow!

So much to do!

Dealing with an equipment cache that has been building(and occasionally subtracting) for maybe close to two decades is not my idea of fun, generally speaking. It's kind of cool to explore the items I have some familiarity with to assess what is still useful in some way. It's kind of annoying coming across so many items that just don't seem to belong anymore... mostly antiquated technology that was once quite a gem. Oh, well, it will will be nice to eventually get things to the state of order one would hope for and appreciate.

Workety work work.

Most of the time I am lucky enough to really enjoy it. Occasionally, I am not the biggest fan. Mostly for lack of direction lately, though. I know I can be helpful in a variety of ways... but I do certainly feel much more inclined to be doing things closer to my goals than not. I guess I am probably just venting a little bit. Goodish times!