Summer’s Over, Disney’s Done?

Summer’s over. It was a good, if exhausting summer and I’m sad to see it go. But I’m also glad to be moving on. Fall is here and I need some crisp air and cool evenings. Instead, it’s 74 degrees in Pasadena and, quite frankly, still slightly smokey from the fires. The change of seasons gives me a psychic itch.
Meanwhile, Disney has made another move that I can’t figure out. On Friday, Dick Cook stepped down as chairman of the studio. Though we interacted on rare occasions, each time he was so incredibly gracious, generous with his time, smart and friendly, that he really had no equal in the executives at Disney. Disney really has now been fully assimilated into CORPORATION – an entity separate and apart from the people who run it. Disney will go on stronger and stronger, but it was a different company because of the people who worked there, because they believed they could work at a giant company and still bring a level of quality, magic and personal attention to the world of family entertainment. Dick Cook was old school, but in a good way. He was of the era when companies did things well and as best as they could because people ran them that way. They weren’t perfect, but they were run by humans. Things are different. People move on. And Disney really is losing the last fringes of those who at least tried to make a difference. The Gentleman has left the Studio.

Of Hearts and Minds and Valentine’s Past

So, as a feminist and a scholar (which I’m really not, but it’s fun to say), I’ve never been a big believer in Valentine’s Day. Until I “re-met” my husband, I really did not believe in celebrating Valentine’s Day at all, being that I was not a big into the whole swept-off-your-feet thing. One poor super nice, boyfriend in mypast gave me flowers with an apology on the card for ruining my “I don’t believe in this holiday’ Valentine’s Day mantra. I’m sorry to him for being a jerk.

The point being is that I just never had enjoyed the holiday and had always had bad experiences with the whole thing. Except for one really low-key, but spectacularly memorable Valentine’s Day date in college that involved trying to boil water for pasta on an uncooperative hotplate, the absolute perfect combination of silly & sexy and a midnight work shift at USC Post Production. It just so happened, that date was with the college-best-friend-who-you-happen-to-date-for-a while and then stop dating and just stay friends with but ultimately 16-years later will decide to date again and end up married.

Yes, I dated my husband, Richard, in college, but then we stopped dating and remained friends. He went off, got married and had two kids. I was a fabulous mostly single, but happily dating, woman with an eclectic career path and two dogs.

After his divorce, we started hanging out as friends. Some UCLA tickets and three gin and tonics later (and well before 30 Rock, I might add) our first official date in 2002 was on Valentine’s Day. Long story short, Valentine’s Day 2002 was one the greatest dates of my life and now must be one of the 5 official Rich & Susan anniversaries we recognize. And btw, eight of my all-time top 10 dates were with my husband, Rich.

But I digress.

The point being, I now have to officially recognize the holiday and we have to celebrate it. I really did not believe in the knock-your-socks-off kind of love. I was more a friendship,funny, attraction, spark is good too, kind of girl. Certainly when Rich and I dated in college, we were already friends and that fun spark attraction was exactly what we had. But when we dated as adults (because we certainly were not adults in college, thank you very much), I was completely knocked down, punch drunk, crazy for him in a way I had never experienced before. He literally took my breath away. Consistently. Still does. But marriage, daily chores and kids make it hard to keep the magic front and center. So we know that it’s important to take care of our romantic life. Here is our keep the magic recipe. Three ingredients:

1) Make each other laugh. Keep it silly. This gets difficult because life is serious and sometimes, seriously a bummer. And it’s hard to remember that very little of the stresses of our life really, truly matter. Our kids are healthy, we’re healthy. We should be laughing and dancing every day.

2)Date night. We can’t do it every week, but we are pretty good about getting it in consistently (usually every 2 weeks)

3) Adventure (or at least romantic getaways)

Obviously, we have a baby in the house. We have not really been able to have a romantic getaway in the last year & a half. But we knew it was time to start planning. So we had pegged Valentine’s Day weekend as the target.

We didn’t have a plan, but we did have a date. And it just happened to be the weekend of our anniversary – Valentine’s Day. No pressure there for the first time away. Yeah, right.

Nine Fingered Eddie has a new draft

Back in 2001, when I was single, just starting with Disney’s brand new Internet Marketing Group and still had time to walk the dogs, drive my truck on last-minute getaway trips and write, I finished a draft of a script called Nine Fingered Eddie.

It is about a ragtag band of recovering addicts who pull small-time bus robberies (inspired by old-fashioned stagecoach robberies) in the Southwest to support their sobriety. On their last job, something goes terribly wrong and they end up hijacking the bus – and all it’s passengers — and heading to Mexico. It involves $600,000 in an unmarked satchel, a kidnapped boy, the mob, a beautiful detective, fathers and sons, unique characters, the odd and stark backdrop of the desolate Southwest, a shootout at an Emu farm and a lead character with, yes, nine fingers and an old soul.

I love all my stuff, but Nine Fingered Eddie has always been one of my favorites. My writing tends to be subtle, quirky (the death knell in Hollywood) and just a bit dark. Some call it dramady, I call it “Light Tragedy” – because that’s pretty much what I call life. As in, my life, your life, his life, her life. Everyone’s life is, ultimately, a tragedy, in the classic sense of the genre. And yet, there is a lot of humor and odd adventure to be had along the way.

Nine Fingered Eddie also became alot about fathers and sons and the damage they do and attempts at redemption. It’s very Cohen Bros. meets John Sayles. Perhaps a less commercial bastard could not be sired, particularly if you are not either a Cohen Bros. or a John Sayles (of which, just in case, you are wondering, I am not). But here’s what happened. I finished the draft and then 9/11 happened. And among many, many more important realizations came the one that an odd script about hijacking a bus became simply untenable. So it went away.

But time heals or changes things. And as I slowly reach for creative balance in my life, I’ve gone back to writing – just a little – god forbid there is more than 5 minutes a day for it because now I’ve got a fun, but demanding, consulting business and a houseful of boys, one of which is my super-fabulous if sometimes, fatalistic husband.

The point is, I decided to dust off the old Nine Fingered Eddie script and at least give it some sense of closure. So I decided to submit it for the Netflix “Find Your Voice competition.

And, of course, I decided this with like a week left to the deadline. So I rewrote the script, created a budget, wrote a synopsis and got a few crew on board and submitted it. I’m glad I did. It was pretty much an excuse to really look hard at the project. I don’t really expect to win or even make the finals, although I would be obviously thrilled if I did.

But in looking back at my submission, I hate the description I wrote for Nine Fingered Eddie. I called him a “man-child” in my synopsis which I meant to change before submitting, but then forgot. While he is a man-child, that is 1) something that should never show up in a synopsis and, really, 2) is true pretty much of all men and certainly all men in scripts.

The script was originally written with Johnny Depp in mind (I had a friend who had worked with him. At the time, it was at least conceivable you could get an indie script to Depp). But this was before Pirates of the Caribbean, which pretty much turned Johnny Depp into a superhero, Captain Jack Sparrow and an actor who pretty much wants to do a movie only as long as he can paint his face, his teeth, his nails, tease his hair and talk funny. I wanted the somber, funny but only because he’s super-serious and sad, wiser than others, but patient with fools, Johnny Depp. Because that is the character of Nine Fingered Eddie – doing the best with what he has, which is not much.

Anyway, I just felt good to give the script – and the film in my head – at least some closure. Go back to it and discover, as I did, just how much movies have changed and the world has changed. I’m not sure anyone makes movies like Nine Fingered Eddie anymore (well, give or take the Cohen Bros. and they only do it, if they can pretty much kill everyone with great abandon and completely pretty much have no third act).

So what did I change? I didn’t have ANY time, so it was basic changes, softening the hijacking a bit, had to get rid of a LOT of cellphones. And I added in Homeland Security, but I tried to play them as a joke, as they come with their own reality show camera crew and they’re high-tech, but pretty much worthless “in the field.”

Because I did it fast, it was both good for me, but also, I didn’t go far enough. Nine Fingered Eddie needs another pass. So now I have to find another forced deadline. Because I need those deadlines. Those outside influences. Also, back in the day, I had my Writer’s Group. And now, we all have kids and busy lives and some of us are writing and most of us are not writing (well at least not enough), but it was such a special group, that I know another writer’s group will pale in comparison.

So for now, I go it alone. A little writing here. A little writing there. I made a decision about 12 years ago, that I was pursuing my creative projects for myself, not to “launch” my career. That I would never NEED anyone to make my films, my theater, my writing except me. Anything that happens beyond that is bonus. Icing. It makes for smaller projects, but a happier life.

I had a career. I’ve had several in fact. And even though it’s difficult for others to understand (and sometimes I weary of the confusion of others), I like the eclectic nature of my resume. I’m most comfortable as the multi-tasker, the multi-media Jill of all trades. Which, I’ve learned, mostly makes me a producer. But it also makes me a writer, a director, a creative strategy consultant, a marketer, a filmmaker, a creative director. In short, I’m a mashup. A Media Mama Mashup. And though it’s difficult because my path is confused and winding, it actually has become easier because of the internet & mobile. Perhaps it’s that new media, with it’s multi-linear storylines has made being ADD & loving it that much easier. I have several plates spinning. I like working on iPhone games one week and a non-fiction book proposal the next. I think they inform each other and my life certainly keeps me on my toes. But it does make it difficult to categorize me. A light tragedy, I suppose.

On Google, Apple and Yahoo and a little thing called patience.

The alternate title to this post could be “Back off, already.” Google, Apple and Yahoo have been three of my favorite companies for the last decade of my life. Working online, on my computers (and now iPhone), I use them all, almost daily. Although, poor Yahoo has become less to me since their redesign and my recent adoption of Facebook as both my homepage and my connection to the world (with a few additional twitters thrown in), each company has enriched my life and my work.

But man, no one will give them a break. Since we can discuss every minutia of every company ALL THE TIME through blogs & instant news, apparently, we think we should. That kind of corporate celebrity stalking only puts them in a pressure cooker that will, ultimately, in combination with Wall Street Greed, kill them. It seems now that Yahoo is on the ropes, the spotlight turns to Google.

So, I will too and with no authority whatsoever say my piece: Google is fine. Leave them alone for a moment. Let them run their business. Sometimes they will make a little money. Sometimes they will make a lot of money. Sometimes they will make the coolest thing ever. Sometimes, they won’t.

Gord Hotchkiss at MediaPost says Google will be a winner despite the fact that everyone is talking about all the Google cutbacks. But it’s okay to be cutting back, get this, even if you’re making money. In fact, it’s probably smart. I don’t think Google can really evolve back to it’s core, because it has become so much more than that. But it can act smartly, efficiently in a down economy, because it should be doing so. We all should be doing so. Because we’re fine. Google is fine. Shut up already.

Now on to Yahoo. Poor Yahoo. I have worked with Yahoos and I have loved Yahoo. I do think Yahoo has made some missteps in the last few years, but I do not think one of them was selling out to Microsoft. I think it’s okay to think the world is not just about money and that there is room for Yahoo. But Wall Street would just not leave it alone. I’m a stockholder and was not holding on to Yahoo as a short-term investment, but a long-term one. I still am.

And I personally don’t like Microsoft that much and I believe in competition and diversity and like having Yahoo exist. I still think that stocks are something you hold on to for 10 years, 20 years, 30 years and beyond. I’m excited about Carol Bartz taking over as CEO and now it’s time to give her 100 days or 4 years or enough time to turn a big company around. Because these things take time.

Everyone seems to be acting like the game will be over this year. Because of the panic of the economy and the media and this past administration’s rule by fear-mongering. What I loved about Obama’s speech was it was the speech of an adult. It was basically saying, “Let’s all go home and clean up our rooms” and “stop being greedy, fearful piglets.” Okay, he didn’t obviously say either of those, but it’s the spirit of his message.

He actually did say, “On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.” So now it’s time to stop the discord. Yes, Yahoo is in trouble (what company isn’t) but I say, “Back off. Let Yahoo have a moment to figure it out and figure out what to do and implement that.” Don’t be greedy for instant gratification. That’s what our nation has become. A nation of little toddlers who can’t wait for anything. And it’s killing us. And bringing us down.

Change takes time. Obama said it. I say it. And it’s true. So let Yahoo have time to figure out what they’re going to do. The internet isn’t going anywhere, no one else is going all that well at this point either. So to all those screaming at Yahoo that they’re in trouble, I’m saying, “Hey Pot, you’re black.” Now, onto Apple.

I love Apple. I have loved Macs from the moment I discovered them around 1986-ish. We currently have 5 macs in our house and 5 ipods (including to iPod Touches). And I truly love my iPhone in ways that are changing my life. And there is no question that Steve Jobs is having a hard time and clearly didn’t want to talk about it. Apple is now facing an SEC review about if they withheld disclosure about Job’s health.

But again, I’m tired of the panic and unrealistic expectations. Apple stock is up today because it’s earnings were up. But guess what, Steve Jobs is still sick. And while he didn’t say anything about his recent health issues probably to protect his company’s stock, he probably also did it to protect himself. Perhaps he was still figuring it out. Perhaps it’s difficult to face a health crisis that involves a liver-transplant due to complications from pancreatic cancer.

Yes, Jobs was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2004. So it should not be a huge surprise to find out that his health may never be 100 percent. And yet, people are acting all bent out of shape because he’s been holding his cards close to his vest. “He didn’t tell us he was sick. How dare he!” Get over it, already. Let it be.

We are so obsessed with stalking a corporate celebrity claiming it’s because of how it affects the stock price, but clearly something’s also wrong with us. It’s a man’s health. He wants to be healthy. He wants to figure out how to deal with this and he doesn’t get to because he is a public figure, a CEO who is also a corporate celebrity. Really. He can’t take a moment to pretend maybe it’s just hormones and he doesn’t need major life-changing surgery. That’s so weird, because that’s what I would do if faced with those health issues. But Jobs is better than a normal person and must be held to a higher standard. Because he’s rich and a genius. (Apparently no one remembers Jobs in 2007 selling the first iPhones at $599 and then dropping the price $200 and super-pissing off all the loyal early adopters. Doesn’t sound like a genius to me, sounds like a guy who got a little greedy, quickly fixed it, made a mistake while trying to fix it and had to apologize for it) It just all becomes wasteful noise.

If you’re concerned about the stock, sell. If you’re not, buy. If you don’t want to figure it out or don’t have the money, stay out of the stock market. The stock market is speculative. Smart people call it gambling.

The amount and fever of the speculation is exhausting and disgusting. I’m done. I hope Steve Jobs is going to be okay. I wish him well and a speedy recovery. I don’t know him, but I like his company. If he has to step down as CEO, then someone will take his place. Apple will have to deal with that. He is not a god.

No man is an island, but no one man (or woman, thank you very much) can solve everything. We keep looking for someone to blame, someone to crown King, someone to be our perfect parent. And somehow, when those people fail us, when companies are not perfect, when their leaders who’ve been so smart before make a mistake, we burn them. We vilify them, we throw them to the wolves. What’s going on here?

And it doesn’t have to be a company CEO. I personally hope this doesn’t happen with President Obama, although it is inevitable. He will do a great job with most things (and god knows, comparatively, how could he not do better than Bush?) But then he’ll make one mistake, one very human error and he will be crucified.

We are turning into a people with obsessive, compulsive disorder personality. Not the kind where you have to wash your hands all the time and count sidewalk squares. But the kind who obsesses over every detail, looks to buy happiness with things and can only see the world as black and white, good and evil. People are good AND bad – sometimes, and often, at the same time. So are companies and corporations (particularly the bigger they get). So I say, get over it. I like Apple, Google and Yahoo. If it was something I did, I’d be buying their stock right now. But like the rest of us, they’re in transition so I’ll just wait and see. And I’ll give them a little room to roam. Meanwhile, as CEO of my life, I’m going to go clean my room.

Traveling Wireless And Starbucks Gold

I love my coffee and I love working wirelessly.  And sometimes working at home is so difficult for so many reasons (later), I go out to work.  And I’m always looking for a cool new place to work (is there a restaurant called “Something New & Different” and if not, shouldn’t there be), but I usually end up at a Starbucks.  So, I’m sitting at Starbucks (on Foothill in La Canada, Ca) and just canceled my T-Mobile hotspot account.  I had an annual plan for the past 3 years, which I was pretty much only using when I was at Starbucks, particularly since I got my iPhone which allows me a lot of traveling wireless (or Edge network).  My other favorite T-Mobile-served working spot in Pasadena, Wheatberry, closed 6 months ago, so I just haven’t been using it that much.   And I realized I could now access Starbucks AT&T wireless just by registering my Starbucks card and then, of course, for free using my iPhone.

Then I looked at the Starbucks Gold Card.  Here’s the math.  It’s $25 per year.  Sad to say, I’m at Starbucks at least 3 times a week.  These days I usually get a “Grande half-caf with a couple of ice cubes.”  That’s the complicated Starbucks way of saying medium drip coffee, half regular, half decaf.  Just for the record, I’m not latte drinker.  I take my coffee black.  To quote “Under the Tuscan Sun,” “My life must be sweet to take my coffee so bitter.”  Agreed.

So I did the math.  Coffee + danish (either lemon loaf, blueberry oat bar or mini-chocolate croissant, usually).  This is one of my vices and I’m not ready to give it up. All told, it averages about $3 per visit, aprox. 3 times a week.  That’s a very conservative estimate since it doesn’t account for the times we hit a Starbucks on the weekend.  So, 52 weeks a year = at least $288.  The card gives me 10% off, so I’ll save $28.80 (-$25 = $3.80) over the course of the year. Add in the free wifi (which was costing me $19.99/month or $239.88!! Yowza!!! Ridiculous now that I think about it). So with Starbucks & the Starbucks Gold card, I’ve just saved myself $303.80.  We’ll see if I miss T-Mobile hotspot anytime soon.  I’m going to try to get my husband (also known as Reluctant to Change or R2C) to drop his T-Mobile account (so we can save another $239.88!) Frugality fun!  I Love it. I’ll keep you posted.

BAGGING THE TRASH

Okay, so for January, let’s talk trash. Trash cans and plastic bags and plastic bag liners to be precise. Back in July 2008 when Los Angeles passed the bill to ban the plastic grocery bag by 2010, I set a goal for our family to be plastic bag free by 2009. We did – mostly – eliminate paper and plastic bags from our grocery going. I already had a few of the fabulous Trader Joe’s bags (the red ones I like the best – you can use them for so many things. They hold up really well.) and ultimately have about 10 that rotate between my car and the house. I try to keep them in the back of my car. I also make a point of putting them back in my car as soon as I’ve unpacked the groceries (good job for the older boys). It’s taken several months and several “uh oh” moments to remember to bring them with me into the store, but now I remember most of the time and my husband occasionally does too (big win!). When we forget, we tend toward paper bags (this is controversial, I know, as I guess they take more energy to produce, but we do reuse them & recycle them).

This has ultimately worked well & we are pretty much plastic bag free these days. Not only are we helping the environment (and what is it, like 500 years to break down one plastic grocery bag?), but we also have a shrinking pile of those plastic bags shoved into our cabinets waiting to get reused someday. There are still quite a few plastic bags left from six months ago, but someday, I’ll have no more and then I’ll have more cabinet space (yay!).

It seems like I use the Trader Joe’s bags almost everyday – for groceries for clothes shopping, for everything, really. Sometimes I can feel the Whole Foods people eyeing my TJ bags with distrust, but I don’t care.

We also got a couple of really good oversized bags from Powell’s Books in Portland which are great for transporting our coffee maker (every other week, we have family breakfast at my brother-in-law’s house and they don’t have a coffee maker – don’t ask me how they live without coffee, I just don’t know). The point is, that after 6 months (probably less) I don’t see a need for those plastic bags we had lying around and on the rare occasion I end up with a plastic grocery bag, it feels bizarre and slightly icky. I’m thrilled we made the switch and it was fairly painless as long as I give myself the freedom to forget and not feel too guilty (life without guilt seems to be impossible for this Southern-born, Catholic-reared, Overly-sensitive, Los Angeles-living Mother/Wife/Woman) on the occasions we forget our reusable bags.

Okay, now on to the trashcans and plastic can liners. It’s my goal this month to find a greener solution to our plastic trash liners. We have several trash cans & recycling cans throughout the house. This reminds our boys & my husband to recycle by making it easy. Just finished using all the shampoo (yes, I know in a plastic bottle – we’ll get to that later)? Toss that bottle into the recycling can right there in the bathroom. Ta-da.

That part is good. However, for bathroom & kitchen trash cans, I like having trash can liners because I don’t like cleaning out a messy trash can (um, did I mention I live with FOUR boys, ages 1& 1/2 to 42). So we use Simple Human trash cans & liners. I bought the regular plastic liners in bulk about 4 years ago & we’ve just recently ran out.

I wanted to switch to biodegradable trash can liners which -Tada! – I found & bought on the Simple Human site so I was “Yay! Perfect solution.” However, now they are no longer available and when I researched about that, turns out their biodegradable bags are only biodegradable in 5 years when exposed to light and air (not likely in an LA landfill). Why that makes them unavailable, I don’t know, but I’ve sent an email to find out.

And the BioBag trash can liners don’t fit our trash can (so annoying as to make me crazy, so not a solution). So for now, since we have two bulk boxes of the Simple Human (sort of) biodegradable bags, we’ll use those, while I look for a better trash can liner. And for years, we’ve used corn-based and fabulous Biobags to pick up our dog’s poop.

So, as of January 2009, we haven ‘t completely eliminated the plastic bag from our lives, but we’re easily using 80% lessnon-biodegradable plastic bags and cups. Definitely leaning green. And what I’m coming to grips with is that living green, learning green and going green is a process. A journey and not a destination. So here’s to enjoying the journey.

Recap:

Carrying Groceries – Reusable Trader Joe’s bags.

Dog Poop – BioBag. I usually order them in bulk from Amazon.

Disposable Tableware. Try Amazon or EcoProducts. We throw a lot of parties, particularly around the holidays. And we don’t have enough dishes, nor enough time (or energy) to wash dishes in between parties. Now we use corn cups instead of plastic or paper cups. And sugar cane & corn disposable tableware instead of plastic.

Trash Can Liner – Simple Human Biodegradable bags (no longer available on website, “out of stock” on other sites). So backup is Biobags, but they don’t fit my can and annoy me. Arg. Half-step toward green.

So my self-judged leaning green score is 3.5 out of 4. So on a 100 point scale, I get an 87.5 or a solid “B” for this month’s greening effort.

Variety Covers Digital Entertainment Marketing

New tech ups online marketing – Entertainment News, CES News & Features, Media – Variety
The art of engaging audiences – Entertainment News, CES News & Features, Media – Variety

So a month ago, I was talking to my sister on the phone (she lives in Charlotte, NC) and she was like, “I’ve decided I want you to be quoted in “Variety” or “Entertainment Weekly.” My sister does this sometimes. She thinks because I live and work in the fringes of Hollywood that I have instant access to make her odd “Entourage” dreams come true. I don’t. Usually. However, in this case, I did. Last summer I proposed (with a little help from my friend Sarahbeth Grossman) to Variety that they do a special issue covering Digital Marketing for the entertainment industry. Now I did this in order to get them to cover and include my industry event, the Digital Movie Advertising Creative Showcase (more about this another time). However, they didn’t do that, but they did do the special issue -well special feature in today’s Variety. So I am quoted in Variety. The articles are fine, but the special feature is not as robust as I would have hoped. I get very passionate about Digital Movie Marketing and want everyone else to be as passionate and completely aware as me. They don’t. But enjoy a little taste of entertainment marketing and my pretty generic quote buried pretty deep in the first article “New Tech Up Online Marketing.”

Greening in 2009

Happy New Year. One of my goals (resolutions are so last year) is to make one change a month toward greening our life.

We live a very full, very consumerist life in Pasadena, CA. We are a family of five in a 4 bedroom (well, 3 bedrooms & 1 office), 4 bath house. When I lived alone, I could easily live a fairly simple life. But with 2 tweens, a toddler & a busy husband, it’s a challenge. None of my boys are by nature environmentally responsible. They’re happy to recycle & they know the earth is important, but to be honest they don’t think about it that much. Not like me. I tend to obsess and well, feel guilty, at least. And we all like the technology, convenience and abundance that we live with. Love it, in fact. I mean, I love a long, hot shower. I’m not quite prepared to give it all up. But I want to do what we can to lesson our impact.

In 2008, we did the following:
1. Changed out most all our bulbs to compact fluorescent light bulbs. (Not all our lamps could fit the new bulbs)
2. Weather-stripped our doors. Our 1938 house is really not well insulated and none of the doors seem to fit properly. We have lots to do in this area (Greening 2009!), but at least we started with the doors. Handyman did it, so it was easy.
3. Used lighting controls on our christmas & outdoor lights. Sensors & timers.
and so on.
4. We already own a hybrid Toyota Highlander and we also own a gas-guzzling (but 10 year old!) Ford Expedition. However, I work mostly from home & my husband – a TV & screenwriter – works mostly from local coffee shops if he’s not commuting to a studio.

So we’ve made some strides and I’m looking forward in 2009 to find ways to make more. I’m committing to once a month finding some new way to move our family toward a more environmentally friendly life. They may be small steps, but we’ll be moving in the right direction. Until there won’t be anything for me to give up, but my long, hot shower… then… well, we’ll see. We’ll just see.

First Post!

I have finally entered the world of bloggers. My brain dump can begin and maybe I can figure out how it all is supposed to be. How exactly does it work – the mashup of my world as a media-minded, story-telling, movie-loving consultant, writer, director, producer all mixed in with myself as mother, step-mother, daughter, wife? And then, what I really what to know is where do I fit in all of it. When do I get to do something that isn’t defined by my professional or personal roles? Who knows? I really should be out fixing the christmas lights that went bad, but instead I started a blog. I guess I’ll come full circle when I should be blogging and instead I go wash the dishes. Meanwhile, My Strange Nation is in turmoil, but hope is on the horizon. Unless fear wins out. But more about all that later. Umm, too much to say. That’s why you start a blog, I guess.