Super insomnia!

Actually... it's probably not even to an actual insomniac level yet... but it kinda feels crazy to me anyway. I know I need to be up for work and I just can't seem to get myself into bed... my very comfortable, cozy bed which I actually enjoy quite a lot. It's a very strange thing to try to wrap my mind around... unsuccessfully. Such is the way of things. Life if full of actual mysteries. Mundane as they might be, even.

Doing business.

Today was the first time I really handed off a project to an editor that I hired for a project. It is something I probably should have tried to do many times in the past but always had difficulty trusting it would get done the right way. Now, even though the project isn't terribly complex, I worked through those doubts and learned to trust the editor and that he will create a quality edit for the client. It is, in many ways, a great relief and, at the same time, I still carry a little doubt about the project as a whole. This is the normal part of being in business for yourself, though, and I am certainly no stranger to carrying worry through until the customer/client has finally received and approved the project. A mini "refiner's fire", you might say. And one of the many reasons I love being in business for myself!(most of the time. ha)

The continuous efforts.

What value can be found in the repetitive moments of daily reflection? They are so often very trivial and they have little to no visible impact on my life or the life of anyone I can think of... yet I keep doing it. There is a personal level of satisfaction for doing something with consistency. Doing anything with intentional consistency is a chore but also reflects an important character trait that is difficult to discern as clearly in many other ways... self-control. I do find it interesting that I often feel a lack of self-control in many areas of my life despite maintaining the self-control necessary to sustain my writing habits. I wonder why general self-control can splinter in quality throughout the person's whole? Perhaps self-mastery is always meant to be a journey through all the various aspects of one's lack thereof. Learn to master one thing and the next door can be opened in turn. A door that is closer than it is far.

Now and when.

Sometimes it's easier to dwell on what is happening currently than it is to recognize what might be coming down the road. Sure, today was kind of a non-entity on my timeline of personal usefulness... but the coming week looks to be something I will enjoy as well as a week that could produce some decently productive results in a couple important areas. Progress is always more attractive the regress.

Fantasy Superbowl.

I made it into the two-week long Superbowl of our work fantasy football league which technically started on Thursday this week. What this means is that I have been over-obsessing about my lineup selections many of my waking moments since Wednesday. Some of it is my desire to do well and win but some of it is because it fills the boredom moments when a certain level of my OCD needs something to focus on. I am sure I could be actually productive doing something more creative, and when the season is over I might give that a shot, but there is definitely a lot of worse things I could be doing to spend the time.

Napping and eating.

I've probably ridden this wagon a little too long over the last couple or so days but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. It is probably boring but sometimes that's just how life shakes out. I did watch an interesting round-table conversation with some screenwriters that kind of opened my eyes a little about some things I have thought about somewhat recently with my own writing. Mostly it just increased my motivation to tackle script writing with more actuality... meaning actually doing it instead of just thinking about it all the time. Only time can reveal the fruit of that motivation, I suppose.

Holiday stuffing.

Which is just the short way of saying it's time to eat too much food and be lazy. Sure, the holidays have a great deal of meaning that can be attached to them but I mostly think of it as family time these days. Now I'm gonna get a little less sleep than preferred to wake up for breakfast but I'll make sure to get a solid nap in sometime during the middle afternoon or so. Naps are the treasured currency of the sleep deprived.

The slow pace of the holidays.

It probably sounds a little strange putting it that way but when you consider the crazy pace of work I usually experience. Pace, in this case, would not only be referring to the speed or length of the typical workday but also the consistency of continuous work/lack of breaks. Thus, I am quite appreciative of a Christmas break that is actually just that... a break. My suggestion to my future self... always respect the value of a break. I tend to forget it all too often.

Getting more than expected.

We got an order for four more videos today, without having even delivered the first one yet, based pretty much solely on how the first shoot went with them. How awesome and highly unexpected and how much more I will now work to validate their trust in us. I am not sure that will actually translate into some mystical 110% effort since I was already planning to give them my best but my mutual level of respect for them is increased. This totally emphasizes that trust/respect is a more valuable commodity than any form of financial compensation.

Large group collaboration.

It is part of the appeal in my line of work. Yet, at the same time, it can be a very solitary endeavor if I choose for it to be. I do, on occasion, like to do some writing or editing alone. Anyway, people are fun and intensity can bring even more fun. Plus we all get to learn how to play serious games together. Serious games that may or may not matter. Ha. Entertainment is fun!

The long days of shooting.

They are quite common for those who are fully engaged with this line of work... which is mostly comprised of people living in the Los Angeles area. We, here in Seattle, don't have the same level of opportunity but still make a pretty immersive go at it from time to time. And on days like to day I have to be grateful for the opportunities I have stumbled upon. A nice piece of the holiday, I'd say.

The weekend is a good thing to respect.

Which is sort of like saying it's good to take a break from work on a consistent basis... weekly, even. So today was my day. The break was thorough and deep. I look forward to the next week with slightly more refreshed eyes, I suppose. Plus... it's Christmas week so that should be fun.

Review of the potential future.

I had a semi-high dose of introspective and deep thoughts bang around in my head today and sadly I can't recall much more than that right now. I can, however, remember the fun time experience of watching the new Star Wars movie tonight. I am not giving it a complete review right now but my basic thoughts on the whole thing are quite positive. It was a very solid production. And I definitely look forward to seeing the next steps it takes. Lots of fun. Lots of emotion. Good times for all.

Always fine-tuning the process.

Which generally represents the act of learning but also expresses the diversity of my chosen career. Sure, I've only been at it for half a decade or so(if you include schooling) but it never fails to surprise me how each situation really is it's own experience. Lighting situations, talent behavior and skill levels, environmental differences, crew dynamics... and that's seriously just scratching the surface. I have to say this is one of the very unexpected benefits I didn't consider before moving my career path this direction. Score!

The bright future of tomorrow.

Is that a somewhat redundant statement? I don't know... anyway, I am glad to be inspired by the work of the upcoming graduating class from my alma mater(which sounds kinda strange to reference it that way). I have known their character to be good but now I know their work to be good also. They all openly expressed their passions and shared them with us. I think more of the professional world could take a hint from their examples.

Beginning a business relationship.

It can be a delicate, intense, or smoothly collaborative engagement... and today, as it is generally preferred, was, delightfully, the latter. We were very lucky to have the opportunity in the first place but I think after having spent some time with them that it already feels like a good fit for both them and us. We can provide the product they are looking for and they can trade us the financial means we need to do it. Equitable trade... the mark of successful business... for which I am grateful.

Still getting to do the fun things.

Which is how I hope my career continues on forever. Sure, I will often have to take a more technical or managerial role from time to time but I definitely plan to continue working with the creative tools I am so grateful to have. Fun is certainly not prerequisite to happiness but it definitely injects the all important smiles into what can sometimes be a painful road.

Mingling with good friends.

It is always the biggest bonus of a good friend's wedding. Sure, the wedding itself is awesome but I tend to appreciate the social opportunity above all other reasons for going... delicious free food being a close third. It was nice to chat it up with a new face or two as well tonight, which was somewhat unexpected but appreciated. And... I am grateful for the reminders that two individuals can become one couple.

Working for the big boys... and girls.

It's an interesting experience working for Microsoft executives. I don't really know how high up the chain they were but they all seemed like pretty solid business people. Many of them shared very similar traits, generally speaking, and most of them seemed fairly personable, too. I was technically working for somebody else who had this particular gig so I don't necessarily expect to do this kind of work again anytime soon but just seeing this little slice of life was a very interesting experience that makes me more grateful for the opportunities of my work.

Technochallenges.

It seems absolutely appropriate that the experience of technological mayhem followed the very next day of my technological elation. A learning experience is really what I will call it... and an opportunity. So we pulled through it fine, though, which was all well enough. Luckily, we had some extra time to spare today... which was definitely the biggest thing to be grateful for since it ultimately allowed the learning opportunity to develop.

Technophile.

But only in the most utilitarian way, I'd say. I always look forward to the next upgrade in whatever form it comes. And, despite my somewhat intense enjoyment of such things, I am often even more delighted when the technology is finally able to get out of the way. When it can disappear invisibly into the mechanics of my art. Synergy, anyone? Anyway, it's a grand thing to enjoy.

Still fighting to lose weight.

I am glad I get to play basketball a couple days a week but it definitely isn't enough to keep my scale read-out descending into the range I'd like to get to. Sure, Thanksgiving kind of ballooned me back up a bit but I still don't expend enough physical energy on a regular basis to really increase my fitness and health in the first place. Finding a good weekend burn could definitely help. What to do, though? What activity can I make a habit out of somewhere near that time slot?

The sluggish Monday greys.

I saw an article online today that noted we not only had a record-setting amount of rainfall today(crushing a nearly 50-year old record by an almost 10% increase) but it was the 2nd darkest day on record this century due to the thickness of the clouds passing through the area. It kinda looked like it was mid-dusk pretty much all day long. Did this have any adverse affect on the non-weather parts of my day? Not to my conscious mind, however, the day's work seemed to follow suit... work was slow and fairly boring. Not something I minded, really, but if there is such a thing as a "case of the Mondays" it could have easily been recognized by anybody even half-awake today(myself being the case in point.)

Tuning the craft.

Every time I have the opportunity to participate in a shoot is another opportunity to level up my game therein. Sometimes it might seem like a bit of a coasting session but that never is actually the case. Experience is irreplaceable. Attention to detail is king. Challenge to any degree is the effective instructor... including failure.

Revisiting the classics.

This is often an entertaining trip through old memories but is also an opportunity to discover something new. And often that is the somewhat overlooked reason they are the classics in the first place... the quality of valuable repeatability. Maybe after the humor's influence drops out a bit comes the clearer perspective of it's other non-humorous qualities... but I would say the relaxing and enjoying and light-hearted laughing is the sugar-coating to it all... and I am definitely a deeply entrenched sugar-addict, anyway.

A day of positivity.

Sometimes I get lucky and just about every step during the day feels like a positive gain. The pace of action was quite agreeable as well. I got to meet up with some friends who are some of the raddest people I know. I got to do some business with what seems thus far to be an excellent company to both work with and for. And I even enjoyed my regular work despite the generally diminished pace of work due to the recent end of my regular production cycle. And it was payday so that's always pretty cool. Loves me some scrilla from time to time. Helps me get some good ol' tools for the trade.

The loss of an influence.

Today was marked as the day Scott Weiland passed beyond this mortal coil. Celebrity mortality is not something I have typically responded much to in the past. I feel compelled to share a few thoughts, however, because music has been an incredible influence on my life for as long as I can remember... and some of the music this man was a part of was, at some points in my life, some of the most influential, exceptionally appreciated music I have experienced. MUSIC IS NO SMALL THING. Despite my almost complete lack of connection to this man's personal life I am sad he has finished his story in this life. I hope the music of his soul finds peace in the new existence it now resides in.

Scott Weiland(born Scott Richard Kline)
October 27, 1967 - December 3, 2015

Unusual insomnia.

I am generally a bit of a night owl(as the evidence of the time I usually write these would suggest) but I wouldn't normally consider myself an insomniac. I am not sure what has kept me up tonight, though, and on a few of the more recent nights as well. I generally feel pretty calm but wonder if there's some sort of underlying anxiety or the like. Luckily my workload is relatively light over the next few days so my expectedly lethargic demeanor shouldn't be too much of a game breaker.

My bumbling bee buddies.

Over the last several weeks or so(maybe a month, even) I have had a very minor bee infestation in my bedroom. I am not sure where they are coming from but it seems that they might be hibernating inside the wall before they find there way into my room since they have all seemed a bit on the lazy/confused side of things. I have easily caught several of them with a glass and taken them outside while several others have just landed themselves on the ground or desk somewhere and basically died. None of them have ever seemed antagonistic, either. Just lazy... and die-ish. Oh, well. At least I'm still getting good sleep.

Rest well, my slumbering friend. Come morning time, if thou still livest, a sweet release be thine reward. If not thy life extends its cause, a release of sweeter magnitude... and more garbagier repose.

A slightly lengthier lull.

It being Monday, the first day of the business week, I was basically expecting to dive right into the busy stuff I am used to diving into. It was something quite a bit less than usual but since I expect my labors to increase a lot over the coming months I can't be too unhappy about it. A break is not only appreciated it is often wise. I'm not sure it was necessarily wise for me but I won't complain about it now. Ha.