Matchsticks in Eyes

Tired. So very tired.  Yesterday was a great but long day.

After a quick catch up with TV Mate, I then had many giggles and interesting conversations with Potdoll whilst she suffered jet lag, I suffered from general sleep deprivation and the Barista suffered RSI due to the amount of coffees we ordered. After gassing endlessly without coming up for air, we made our way to the Monastic Productions/Ashley Pharoah/Matthew Graham Q&A which was really worth while attending.  I will post my [patchy] notes when I get two nanoseconds, but first of all I have to make sense of them before typing them up.  And then I have to remember to omit the [non Q&A related] rude things Potsy wrote on my notepad. Nobody need read those things.  Lol. 

So, after the really informative Q & A session, hosted by Kate Rowland (BBC Creative Director of New Writing) and a quick hello/goodbye to not-very-well Lianne (hope you're feeling better now!), an utterly entertaining wine-fuelled evening ensued.  It was great to meet the lovely Messrs Pharoah & Graham, more Bloggers and to finally catch up with Mr Perry and Mr Beckley. After many extremely amusing conversations and the discovery that Matthew Graham and I are actually cousins (NOT - but it's a long story), I then endured what seemed like a never-ending journey home. 

As I tottered out of the tube station and up the hill home, still giggling to myself about the nights' events, I looked at the time and realised there was quite possibly every likelihood I would be up and about again attending to The Kid within 5 hours.  

That soon wiped the smug smile off my face.

Whooooppeeee Dooooop

I've got a ticket. I've got a ticket. And I'm going. Yes, I'm going.

Call me sad, but I was the really sad one when I realised I had totally forgotten to email Auntie about putting my name on the list for Matthew Graham & Ashley Pharoah's Q&A next week.  But lo and behold, if a lovely lady called Amy hasn't gone and granted me admission just for being at the top of the waiting list!  Wickedy-woos.  So, that means I can hopefully catch up with all 'me bloggy girlz' (and boyz) - send me a mail/leave a comment if you are going.  It would be great to catch up! 

So, not only did I manage to win at the National again (I only placed first, second, third and fourth nag...), I get to go hear about 'Bonekickers' too, which I have to admit, I am most intrigued about...

:0)

Belated Happy Birthday

My oh my, these posts have become very few and far between, of late, but I guess there has been an awful lot going on.  I hang my head in shame as I even missed my Blog's First Birthday - a total bloody disgrace that.  Hell, I nearly forgot my own Birthday this year too.  Let's hope I don't miss The Kid's First Birthday...but not much chance of that, I don't think.  Mmmmm.  Let me see.  Missed Birthdays: if I have missed yours and didn't send you e-flowers via Facebook, please accept my deepest, most sincere apologies.

So, The Kid.  Lots of Bloggites out there have been asking after him - well, he's fine and dandy, thanks - I'll update you all with a piccy of him soon.  He had a ball with his Grandparents whilst the slopes were duly carved up by his Parents. The snow, skiing and food/drink were great and I even managed to get a bit of recce stuff done and shoot a few location reminders for an outline I have been working on for a while.  Lovely.  But to return home on my Birthday (which is why I nearly forgot it)?  Bummer.  To return home on my Birthday to The Kid teething very badly?  Double bummer.  So, after his nasty rash/fever/high temperature/drowsiness panic, trip to the docs, investment in Calpol shares (now, of course, kept behind the counter), I am proud to announce last Thursday's arrival of The Kid's Very First Tooth, which is closely being followed by The Kid's Second Tooth, and what razor blades the little blighters are.  I am so glad he has his milk from a bottle.

Moving on.

So, what else has been happening, then?  Oh, my.  I don't know where to start as there really has been an awful lot!  I have been making tentative steps back towards "selling my wares" again, which has been very strange.  After such a long time off camera, it feels a mighty bit odd (and a little displaced) getting back into the swing of castings etc again.  In fact, it is almost quite amusing, in a "You know what?  If I don't get this job it really isn't the end of the world!" kind of way, because The Kid will still stick his fingers up my nose and giggle when I am feeding him his bedtime bottle, no matter what.  Grounding - I believe that's what it's referred to as.  However, as luck would have it, I have been granted a lovely (and very exciting) opportunity starting in the not-too-distant future.  I can't reveal much at the moment but I can say it will be on screen and I am really looking forward to it!  I promise an update soon...

I hope life is treating you all very well.

Working 9 til 5...I wish

And breathe.

A whirlwind of occurrences, that's the life I lead.  Well, only sometimes these days, anyway.

The week went something like this:

Monday - The Kid was still not very well having just parted company with a sicky, coldy bug but still managed to soldier on through his 8 month check up with The Health Visitor.  He smiled at all the right things, burped loudly followed by a bellow of giggles, frowned when The Health Visitor tickled him under the chin, bobbed up and down to imaginary music and clapped on demand, and then when he got bored he chewed his shoe and farted. I then dropped him off at nursery whilst I headed home to try and get some work done.  It's amazing when you are writing how quickly nursery/school pick up time comes round...6 pages written; 9 calls made; 7 emails responded to.

Tuesday - The Kid took a backwards step in his recovery.  All plans - blown out.  Spent day with ass hovering over sofa, wishing I could just sit down for two seconds without mopping up snot, puke or rocking back and forth...0 pages written; 0 calls made; 0 emails read let alone responded to.

Wednesday - The Kid made a fantastically remarkable recovery and had so much energy all day I bit the bullet and decided to take him to his swimming class.  After a hard hour in the gym I dashed home to make a few calls whilst my Mum was still enthralled with her Grandson.  Perfick...0 pages written; 4 calls made; all emails read; 1 child knackered after a hard swim.

Thursday - first of all, thanks must go to the most courteous Mark for organising another little Blogette/Facebook get-together.  Yet again, a  very enjoyable afternoon which - horror of horrors - turned into an early evening minus child for me.  My system was so shocked by the lack of The Kid's bathtime "splash-splash", the fight to get him into his sleep suit afterwards and then the gentle prodding to keep him awake for his bottle, that I felt the need to consume more than my original 'just the one'...3 new chapters outlined; 5 calls made; 2 meetings attended; 1 social gathering attended; email read & responded to; 1 very odd journey home having laughed out [very] loud at my book on many occasions and then realising I wasn't the only person in the carriage. :0)

Friday - The Kid's music class and this week he emerged as star pupil due to his innate ability to 'bop' like a home boy whilst clapping furiously and, for the most part, totally in time to the music.  He was so immersed in the class that he only twice realised I was sitting beside him on the floor.  If I'd only thought to take MacBook with me I could have done a bit of writing. The only foot stomping occurred when the bubbles stopped and apparently the teacher felt so awful looking at his big, sad eyes, she carried on with the bubbles for a while longer, just for him.  I fear a future actor and/or muso in the making.  Either that or a Dictator...3 pages written (somehow); 0 calls made; all email read; 1 very proud mum.

Saturday - Amidst all the very tedious household stuff that has to be undertaken every weekend, I noted that Zone Horror have "Cut! The 2008 Horror Short Film Competition" running.  This is sponsored by C4's Fright Fest  and is worth up to £5k in winnings for a 2 minute film.  Closing date for entries is Friday 13th (!) June 2008 - so all you genre-istas out there - get going!  0 pages written; 2 chapters outlined; 0 calls made; 0 emails answered; 1 very domesticated-out mum.

Sunday - hasn't passed yet.  Anything could happen...may check emails.

And breathe.

There Be Snow

...in them there mountains.

I'm on a month-long countdown to skiing and just how excited am I?  Very.  It's been far too long - you know - the whole pregnancy and childbirth/early rearing got in the way.  I'll be back in the Alps with a vengeance though.  The area I am going to has loads of beautiful snow dumped on it over the last few days - at the time of writing, 245cm of the fluffy stuff to be exact.  Bring it on & long may it stay!

So what's new with you all out there?  I have started up another blog, 

D-Generation, which is a fiction outlet (like this isn't, at times?!), which will gradually grow when the whim takes me; I am cracking on with the book stuff; have a few more irons in the fire here and there, including the ongoing contract which still hasn't come to anything yet and am generally trying to get things moving along again.  I mean, The Kid is 8 months old soon.  Time for me to pull my finger out, right? ;)

Just don't know what I've been doing with my time.  Honestly.