Fri. July 14, 2023: Stormy Weather, on Multiple Fronts
image courtesy of David Mark via pixabay.comFriday, July 14, 2023
Waning Moon
Pluto, Saturn, Neptune Retrograde
Thunderstorms and Rain
I have long considered July 14 “Bastille Day” as my own personal Independence Day, as it was my last day working BEACH BLANKET BABYLON in San Francisco back in the day, and I was happy to leave.
Well, yesterday didn’t turn out as planned. AT ALL.
Today’s serial episode is from Angel Hunt:
Episode 50: The Tests Aren’t Over Yet
Lianna is in the building, but there are still obstacles between her and the knowledge she seeks.
I was working away, trying to get stuff done before meditation began, when there was an accident on my street. One of the asshole jerkoff construction workers drove the wrong way down our one-way street (again) while on his phone and hit a utility pole, downing live powerlines.
Police came to block off the street, along with the fire department. The ambulance came to hang out, while National Grid and Spectrum both came to fix the damage. Well, Spectrum watched everyone else work, and spent a bunch of time on the phone. Power was shut off on the street, and we were asked to stay in, not even leaving the block on foot due to line dangers. Internet went down soon after.
So, no online meditation group, and I couldn’t leave to go to in-person yoga. My phone was charged, so I could let everyone know.
I settled on the couch and finished reading my book (the one set in Brittany).
Power came back on around 11, which wasn’t too bad. But internet flickered on and off all day.
I was writing the book review when the power went out. I’d saved it, before I went to investigate the Drama, so all I had to do was finish and polish it before I sent it off, once everything came back up.
Then, I had to upload and schedule next week’s episodes of Legerdemain. Next Thursday’s episode is number 104, which means the serial has run for a year (52 weeks x 2 episodes per week). That feels like another big deal. And we’re still in the second arc!
I polished, uploaded, and scheduled the next four episodes of DEADLY DRAMATICS, which gets me into December.
I’m putting together a rough for the program for September’s reading, as I get in the information. That way, I can tweak it and hone it. I couldn’t do much work on the flyer because, again, most of the graphics tools are cloud-based, not within the computer, so without a strong internet connection, I couldn’t get it done. It will get done. Just not yesterday.
I HATE not being able to buy the software and have it in the machine.
My friend sent me the ticket confirmation for when I go to see her show the Sunday after this one. That’s all printed out and ready to go with me.
Rehearsed the poem. Last year, I was nervous. This year, I’m just looking forward to it.
I’m reading THE SWORD DEFIANT by Gareth Hanrahan, and thoroughly enjoy it. An aging hero, a snarky talking sword, a rising threat – what’s not to like? Even though it’s a big-ass book, and I’m kind of tired of big-ass books that don’t need to be big-ass, this one DOES need the length and the heft and the depth. I’m not sitting there thinking, “well THAT could have been cut.” The story is structured well and the different elements are necessary and work.
A contrast to the book I just reviewed where, much as I liked the character work in it, the climactic sequence was long enough to be its own novella and then didn’t end. Because, you know, there’s another book. I hate it when books make me read over 100K and then don’t give me a decent ending, even it’s part of the launch into the next book.
THE SWORD DEFIANT is the first book of a trilogy, but stands on its own WHILE making me want to read the next book (I peeked at the ending to make sure of it). In other words, THE SWORD DEFIANT does it all right.
I also really like the cover illustration by Thea Dumitriu.
SAG-AFTRA has gone out on strike, which makes me breathe a sigh of relief. There was always the worry that they would behave the way the directors did. However, the tipping point for them was the producers’ determination to pay a background actor for a single day’s work, then scan the actor’s image and use it in perpetuity across any projects they want, without any further pay. That would eliminate extra work as a profession or as a steppingstone to learn one’s way around a set.
Writers out. Actors out. Productions shut down. UPS-Teamsters are set to strike Aug. 1. About damn time. Burn it all the fuck down.
This is what happens when you let corporations run the world. The old studio moguls were tight-fisted assholes, but at least they loved movies. Corporation execs don’t like or respect the industry or those who work within in. They also don’t respect the audience.
Thunderstorms and more heavy rain came in last night, and thunderstorms are still rolling through this morning. We scrapped our trip to Amherst. With more flooding on the way and so many roads washed out or damaged, it’s not worth the risk.
I have plenty to do here at home. Maybe I can get all next week’s videos and promos done, uploaded, and scheduled. It would be nice if tomorrow could be about doing things around the house (at least until it gets too hot). I do have to get to the library to drop off/pick up books and then get coffee at the store. I had to get into my stash of emergency coffee for this morning, because I never got out to get coffee beans yesterday.
Sunday afternoon is the collaborative poem at the Mount. We’re rehearsing once, and then doing four shows. So Sunday, I’ll spend most of the day storing up energy, so I’ll have plenty for the performances themselves. And the drive, back and forth.
Next week looks to be light on client work again. I hope to get out some LOIs, keep steady pace on the serials, get the advance promo for DEADLY DRAMATICS going, and have a coffee meet-up at the end of the week with someone I met at the Small Business Expo. If the weather allows it, we’ll try for Amherst again next Wednesday, because Thursday is meditation and yoga in the morning, and an online author talk with Doug Preston with my university’s book club. Yes, he’s part of Preston & Child, but the book we read is THE LOST CITY OF THE MONKEY GOD, one of his nonfiction books, which is as much fun as any action/treasure movie.
Time to get back to the page. Have a good weekend, my friends, and I’ll catch you on the other side!
